ONLY BEGOTTEN

ONLY BEGOTTEN

The only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

I have been captured by the first chapter of John for the last two years. Every time I look at it I am struck by the majesty and awe that flow from the pen of John. John had been forever changed by the man from Nazareth who was much more than a man. He was the only begotten Son of the Father. What we see, hear, and feel in the words of John is much more than a doctrinal statement (even though it is very much one). His words brim with life because they are the words of experiential faith, the words of one who has been deeply touched by God. This book is the testimony of Jesus in the life of John. There is power in these words because after all, the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophesy. Charles Spurgeon was obviously also captured by the first chapter of John. Here is something of what he said about this amazing passage.

“You can say, He is divine to me, if he be human to all the world beside. He has done that for me which none but a God could do. He has subdued my stubborn will, melted a heart of adamant, opened gates of brass, and snapped bars of iron. He hath turned for me my mourning into laughter, and my desolation into joy; he hath led my captivity captive, and made my heart rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Let others think as they will of him, to me he must be the only begotten of the Father: blessed be his name. I want none beside him. In life he is my life, and in death he shall be the death of death; in poverty Christ is my riches; in sickness he makes my bed; in darkness he is my star, and in brightness he is my sun; he is the manna of the camp in the wilderness, and he shall be the new corn of the host when they come to Canaan. Jesus is to me all grace and no wrath, all truth and no falsehood: and of truth and grace he is full, infinitely full. My soul, today, bless with all thy might `the only Begotten.”

Who is Jesus to you. John must have had in mind the famous question Jesus had asked the disciples shortly before His death, “Who do men say that I am? Who do you say that I am?” This is the most important question you will ever answer. It’s not just saying the right answer because you heard others respond correctly, it’s having the testimony of Jesus alive in your life. When that occurs you will join with John and call Jesus the only begotten of the Father. You will join with Spurgeon and say “In life he is my life, and in death he shall be the death of death; in poverty Christ is my riches; in darkness he is my star, and in brightness he is my sun”.

ENCAPSULATE

ENCAPSULATE!

MERRY MONDAY! BY PARRIS BAILEY

en·cap·su·late /enˈkaps(y)əˌlāt/ Enclose (something) in or as if in a capsule.

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” I Cor.13:12

The word “darkly” in Greek means an enigma or ambiguous kind of life, or in other words when we can’t seem to “get the real picture” and our life seems like a riddle. The word encapsulate comes to mind when we feel as if we are closed in and become fixated on a certain event or weakness in our life. Or we can use the word encapsulate to become fixated on a certain event in time that literally launches us into a new level spiritually. In that case we have found ourselves with an enigma, looking through the eyeglass of our lives seeing darkly but really looking into the face of God.
Here are some interesting thoughts from the Interpreter Bible- “We will be able to dispense with interferences based on the effect and consequences of everyday life. Soon we will be living in perfect understanding and perfect knowledge of God in his presence. All limitations will be gone forever. Wars, suffering, famine, death and catastrophe all cast their shadows over our faith. Through the strange and varied pageant of human history man seeks for God. There is therefore a place for faith and hope, both of them enriched as they are illumined by the spirit of love in the individual and the church. It bids Christians believe that they are not aliens in the world, whose main and urgent purpose is to pass through and out of it until they reach the eternal heaven of light and peace and security. Christians are here to stay, to endure, to fight and to triumph, until all the ambiguity of the darkness is dissipated forever by the light and the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We are to holdfast our imperfect faith. Let us be grateful for the dim reflections. We can celebrate a faith, though aware of its imperfection, which holds within it the inspiration of the highest service and the promise of fullness of life and knowledge and love to come. “Now I know in part, then I shall understand fully”.
It is way too soon to “call it” on your life. You couldn’t possibly have gotten the “full picture” on what God has for you. Sometimes our faith becomes dim or filled with shadows because our “looking glass” is earthy. He will come face to to face with you and will sort out your jumbled upside down life putting all your situations into a precious harmony of melodious music. Yes, we all need to become encapsulated with his presence and start living out our lives in the full enigma of his plan! Now that is some good preaching!

NEVER FORGET YOU

NEVER FORGET YOU

Is. 49:15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget,
Yet I will not forget you.”

There is something special about our moms. Our bond with our mother begins in the womb, we find our nourishment, protection, and life itself from the moment of our conception. This relationship continues in our childhood as we are trained and nourished by our mother in our early years. For most of us, that bond continues throughout our lives. All of these good things we receive from our mom actually come from The Lord. She is just the vessel (who makes her milk anyway). Jonathan Edwards says that all of the good we see in others and receive from others are actually shadows pointing us to God Himself. Here is how he says it.

“In heaven alone is attainment of our highest good. God is the highest good of the reasonable creature. The enjoyment of him is our proper happiness, and is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here: better than fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of any or all earthly friends. These are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the fountain. These are but drops; but God is the ocean.”

One of these beautiful qualities we see in our mother is nourishment. Just as we are nourished from conception into our childhood by our mom, we are nourished by The Lord all of our lives. Augustine had a profound understanding of how all things come from The Lord. Here is shares about our nourishment coming from The Lord through our mother.

“Thus it was that the comforts of a woman’s milk entertained me; for neither my mother nor my nurses filled their own breasts, but You by them gave me the nourishment of infancy according to Your ordinance and that bounty of Yours which underlies all things. For You caused me not to want more than You gave, and those who nourished me willingly to give me what You gave them. For they, by an instinctive affection, were anxious to give me what You had abundantly supplied. It was, in truth, good for them that my good should come from them, though, indeed, it was not from them, but by them; for from You, O God, are all good things, and from my God is all my safety.”

What an amazing thing, The Lord has always provided for us, He just uses different vessels in different seasons of our lives. As we celebrate Mother’s Day this year it would be good to remember that every good gift comes from above.
What season are you in in your life today? Just as God was faithful to meet you in your early days through your mother, the same God is watching and caring for you today.

MYSTERY

MYSTERY

1Tim. 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.

Great is the mystery of godliness! The subject of the trinity is one of those great mysteries of God. He is said to be one God; and He is. He is also said to exist eternally in three persons, He does. I can remember struggling in myself over this truth as a new Christian. My mind could not understand the concept of one God in three persons. It is impossible for our finite minds to ever fully comprehend the infinite. Infinite does not compute. Only through a personal relationship with The Lord can we begin to grasp the edge of this amazing reality. As we know Him experientially, over time, we begin to develop a love and a relationship with the Father, the Son, and the blessed Holy Spirit. I love what Paul said, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Check out some of what Jonathan Edwards said about the trinity.

“Though in the Trinity there is such a thing as prior and latter in order, yet there is no such thing as degrees of dignity or excellency. Though one proceeds from another, yet one is not inferior to another. The Son is not inferior to the Father; he thought it no robbery to be equal with God. It is said, though he proceeded from the Father, the Holy Ghost is in nothing inferior to the Father or the Son, though he proceeds from both. It no ways argues the Son to be inferior to the Father, that he was sent by him. So neither is it any argument that the Holy Ghost is inferior. The reason is because they all are the same God, and it is therefore impossible there should be any inferiority. They all are the same substance, the same divine essence; and therefore whatsoever perfection, dignity or excellency belongs to the divine essence, belongs to every one of them. There are none of the three persons can have any more excellency or perfection or dignity than what belongs to the divine nature; and each one must have so much because each one has the divine nature, each one is the divine nature. Whatsoever power or wisdom or holiness that belongs to the divine nature, still belongs to the same divine nature in whatsoever person it subsists, whether it subsists in the Father, Son or Holy Ghost.”

I love this three in one God. The Heavenly Father loves me with an endless love, Jesus has captured me with His matchless grace, the Holy Spirit empowers me and makes this beautiful three in one God real to me. Don’t get hung up trying to understand what no one in this life can fully grasp. Keep it simple, draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

ANGEL WATER

ANGEL WATER

Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
John 5:8

I love the story of the pool of Bethesda, multitudes just waiting by the pool for a miracle. Suddenly, the miracle worker Himself came walking up to the pool. “Do you want to get well?” “What kind of question is that?”, the lame man must have said to himself. Of course he wanted to get well, why else would he be lying by that pool. But did he really want to get well? Many of us like our excuses. They give us a safe place to hide. If we were made whole then we would seem vulnerable. We wouldn’t be able to hide behind some excuse to avoid our fear of living a spiritual life. It’s much safer to stay “lame”. Then came the direct word, “If you want to get well, rise, pick up your pallet and walk”. That’s what the lame man did and that’s exactly when he received his miracle. He was made whole. Charles Spurgeon spoke about the power of faith in God’s word from this passage. Check it out.

“Like many others, the impotent man had been waiting for a wonder to be wrought, and a sign to be given. Wearily did he watch the pool, but no angel came, or came not for him; yet, thinking it to be his only chance, he waited still, and knew not that there was One near him whose word could heal him in a moment. Many are in the same plight: they are waiting for some singular emotion, remarkable impression, or celestial vision; they wait in vain and watch for nought. Meanwhile these poor souls forget the present Saviour, who bids them look unto him and be saved. He could heal them at once, but they prefer to wait for an angel and a wonder. To trust him is the sure way to every blessing, and he is worthy of the most implicit confidence; but unbelief makes them prefer the cold porches of Bethesda to the warm bosom of his love. O that the Lord may turn his eye upon the multitudes who are in this case today; may he forgive the slights which they put upon his divine power, and call them by that sweet constraining voice, to rise from the bed of despair…”

Just as Jesus walked up to the man by the pool long, long ago; today He has walked up to you. Actually, He has walked up to all of us. “How is that possible?” you ask. It ‘s really quite simple. Jesus lives and works today by the power of His word. All it takes is for someone to take God’s word for himself.
What are you suffering with today? Are you just a lame man (or woman) waiting for your luck to change? Actually, you’re in luck. Your luck has changed. The Lord is standing here right now. He is speaking through this devotion. “Do you want to get well? It’s time to pick up your life and walk”.

FROM MOMBASSA TO HONG KONG

SINGING FROM MOMBASSA TO HONG KONG

Psa. 40:3 He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the LORD.

Music and singing are a huge part of all of our lives. People love to sing; from Mombassa to Hong Kong, from Sidney to London, and from Anchorage to Shanghai; people just love to sing. They are singing in elevators and showers, at the office and in their bedroom. Songs are being sung about falling in love and losing their love, songs about glory days and tragic days, songs from their past and songs about tomorrow. We were created to express the things we feel strongly about in a song. Even Jesus is a singer. Charles Spurgeon captured the essence of this aspect of The Lord in his thoughts about the new song.

“And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God. At the passover, before his passion, our Lord sang one of the grand old Psalms of praise; but what is the music of his heart now, in the midst of his redeemed! What a song is that in which his glad heart for ever leads the chorus of the elect! Justice magnified and grace victorious; hell subdued and heaven glorified; death destroyed and immortality established; sin overthrown and righteousness resplendent; what a theme for a hymn in that day when our Lord drinks the red wine new with us all in our heavenly Father’s kingdom! Even on earth, and before his great passion, he foresaw the joy which was set before him, and was sustained by the prospect. Our God. The God of Jesus, the God of Israel, “my God and your God.” How will we praise him, but ah! Jesus will be the chief player on our stringed instruments; he will lead the solemn hallelujah which shall go up from the sacramental host redeemed by blood. Many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. A multitude that no man can number shall see the griefs and triumphs of Jesus, shall tremble because of their sinful rejection of him, and then through grace shall receive faith and become trusters in Jehovah. Here is our Lord’s reward.”

Just think about it, when Jesus was facing his imminent death just before His arrest in Gethsemane, He prepared His heart and the heart of His disciples with a song. We don’t know exactly what He sang but David typified Christ facing His passion when he sang the new song from what he called a “horrible pit”. This spiritual song is empowered by the Spirit and accomplishes multiple things. It actually carries power within itself and strengthens and encourages the singer. It also carries the seeds of prophesy within it. As we sing the new song we are actually declaring or announcing aspects of His coming kingdom. So why don’t you go ahead and sing. If you are down in the dumper, sing. If you need to make decisions, sing. Join together with the voices of the nations, sing a new song to The Lord.

SHANGHAIED

“SHANGHAIED IN SHANGHAI”

MERRY WEDNESDAY BY PARRIS BAILEY-

“Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!” (2 Corinthians 6:11-13 MSG)

As I am writing this we will be landing in the USA after spending a week in Shanghai. I mentioned in one of my last blogs, China has been on our radar for almost 40 years. We felt the call to China way back in our Bible School days. Five years ago, we sent the Weidner’s to Shanghai, the Barnitz’s and 2 single girls are also helping with the work. To say the least one can’t help to be moved by their ministry. I can relate to the Queen of Sheba when she said, “And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.” I Kings 10:6 If you are a human your heart will be moved seeing orphaned babies cared for at the healing home (Chinese can have only one child so some abandon the ones with birth defects). One baby stands out because he is “blue”- born with his heart on the wrong side, he too awaits a family to care for him. You can’t imagine the bill every month! The whole purpose of our trip was to hold a Holy Spirit Revival Conference at their church but God had other plans. I guess you could say we got Holy Ghost Shanghaied (to abduct, kidnap, nobble, snatch – take away to an undisclosed location against their will). We ended up having a very historical weekend of services throughout Shanghai with precious believers who were stirred up to “make their calling and election sure”. The Chinese church is growing very rapidly, more than any other nation at this moment. Christians worldwide are being persecuted but the Apostle Paul said, “the Word of God cannot be bound”. First Cor 6:11 tells us we are not being fenced in, but are learning to live openly and expansively despite the restrictions in the natural realm. Christina is speaking Mandarin like she was born there, along with Jamie and their precious children. Spending the sabbath worshipping with our Victory team watching them interact was amazing. No the half is not being told. Their world just gets larger everyday. I find myself chuckling knowing who is really getting “SHANGHAIED IN SHANGHAI”!

E PLURIBUS UNUM

E PLURIBUS UNUM

Psa. 96:1-2 ¶ O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day.

Man has been separated from one another for a long time. We are divided by race, nationality, social stature, religion, you name it and that probably qualifies for another category of separation. All of our hearts long for unity but something inside us just promotes all these schisms. David had touched on something in his life that is the only possible source of unity. It is actually a unity of heart by the Holy Spirit that reveals itself in a new song. This new song is supernatural and is the expression of the very life of God, the joy of The Lord found only in His presence. Those who love and embrace this song of the Spirit have stepped into the potential of unity, not only with God but with brothers and sisters in Christ. Here is how Charles Spurgeon expressed this truth.

“Sing unto the Lord, all the earth. — National jealousies are dead; a Jew invites the Gentiles to adore, and joins with them, so that all the earth may lift up one common psalm as with one heart and voice unto Jehovah, who hath visited it with his salvation. No corner of the world is to be discordant, no race of heathen to be dumb. All the earth Jehovah made, and all the earth must sing to him. As the sun shines on all lands, so are all lands to delight in the light of the Sun of Righteousness. E Pluribus Unum, out of many one song shall come forth. The multitudinous languages of the sons of Adam, who were scattered at Babel, will blend in the same song when the people are gathered at Zion. Nor men alone, but the earth itself is to praise its Maker. Made subject to vanity for a while by a sad necessity, the creation itself also is to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, and brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God, so that sea and forest, field and flood, are to be joyful before the Lord. Is this a dream? then let us dream again. Blessed are the eyes which shall see the kingdom, and the ears which shall hear its songs. Hasten thine advent, good Lord! Yea, send forth speedily the rod of thy strength out of Zion, that the nations may bow before the Lord and his Anointed.”

I love what Spurgeon said, out of many one song will come forth. We recently tasted this song at a home meeting in China. These brothers and sisters did not have the freedom to worship publicly, but worship they did. The song of The Lord tasted of supernatural unity, the kind of unity not found on earth. Drinking together of His presence, worshipping together in the Spirit, there is no greater freedom found anywhere on earth. This is the kind of freedom that no man can bind up.

NEW SONG IN CHINA

NEW SONG IN CHINA

Psa. 96:1 ¶ O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.

We went to a home meeting recently in China. What a night! It was one of those precious moments when the air itself was charged with spiritual electricity. No one there could really vocalize what was happening or what we felt, but something monumental was taking place, everyone there felt the power of that moment. The power of The Lord was present among us and begin to burst out in songs. Not just ordinary songs. Yes, we did sing songs we all knew but not really. There were songs spinning out of the songs, these were spiritual songs, prophetic songs. These were the songs of The Lord singing and rejoicing over His people. God’s people have been signing these songs from the beginning of time. The prophetic plans of God are connected to His songs of joy. Here is something Spurgeon said about the new song of The Lord.

“O sing unto the Lord a new song. New joys are filling the hearts of men, for the glad tidings of blessing to all people are proclaimed, therefore let them sing a new song. Angels inaugurated the new dispensation with new songs, and shall not we take up the strain? The song is for Jehovah alone, the hymns which chanted the praises of Jupiter and Neptune, Vishnu and Siva are hushed for ever; Bacchanalian shouts are silenced, lascivious sonnets are no more. Unto the one only God all music is to be dedicated. Mourning is over, and the time of singing of hearts has come. No dismal rites are celebrated, no bloody sacrifices of human beings are presented, no cutting with knives, and outcries of lamentation are presented by deluded votaries. Joy is in the ascendant, and singing has become the universal expression of love, the fitting voice of reverent adoration. Men are made new creatures, and their song is new also. The names of Baalim are no more on their lips, the wanton music of Ashtaroth ceases; the foolish ditty and the cruel war song are alike forgotten; the song is holy, heavenly, pure, and pleasant. The psalmist speaks as if he would lead the strain and be the chief musician, he invites, he incites, he persuades to sacred worship, and cries with all his heart, “O sing unto Jehovah a new song.”

Spurgeon is describing the very heart of our Christian experience. It is our heart that has been converted. Out of the heart springs the very songs of our life. You can tell a lot about someone by the songs that they sing. What kind of song is in your heart ? After all, out of the heart flows the issues of life.
Thinking back about the meeting in China I am not really sure what all happened, all I know is that we witnessed a defining moment, that much was unmistakeable to everyone in the room. While we now see through a glass darkly, soon we will see the fruit of that prophetic night. Keep your eyes and ears open to the next chapter in China. It will be incredible, we have felt the power of its song.

SUPPLIED BY GLORY

SUPPLIED BY GLORY

Phil. 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Paul wrote this letter to the church in Philippi from his imprisonment in Rome. The church in Philippi was a very special church to the Apostle Paul. It had been started in very unusual circumstances and had been the first church to stand behind the apostle in a significant financial way. Paul had been ministering in the region near Galatia and wanted to go over into Asia when he was stopped by the Holy Spirit. That was followed by a dream where someone from Macedonia was calling Paul to come help him. Paul received that as direction from The Lord and crossed the sea to go into Macedonia. The city in Macedonia Paul ended up in was Philippi. That’s when all the fun started. He had gathered together a small group of new converts and was ministering to those disciples when he encountered a fortune teller bound by demons. One thing led to another and Paul was arrested, beaten with rods, and put into stocks and bonds in prison (I am not talking about financial instruments). That night, Paul and Silas began to worship The Lord in the midst of their miserable circumstances, the Glory of The Lord fell down followed by an earthquake. Needless to say, the jailer became part of the growing congregation. Paul left town shortly after this incident leaving Luke as their pastor.
The church in Philippi began to support Paul immediately, their support apparently continued throughout Paul’s ministry. That brings us back to Paul’s letter and today’s verse. Part of the reason Paul wrote this letter was to thank this church and encourage them about God’s supernatural supply for their own lives. Here is a quote from Wuest, describing the supernatural nature of God’s provision.

“Paul hastens to assure them that they have not impoverished themselves in giving so liberally to the cause of the gospel. The word “supply” is the translation of the same Greek word translated “I am full.” That is, God’s treatment of the Philippian saints will correspond to their treatment of Paul. They filled full Paul’s every need to overflowing. God will do the same for them. The measure of the supply which God the Father has is determined by His wealth in glory, which wealth in glory is in Christ Jesus, an infinite supply. Translation: But my God shall satisfy to the full all your need in accordance with His wealth in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to God even our Father, be the glory forever and ever.”
I love what Wuest said about The Lord’s infinite measure of supply. Are you a supporter of the work of God? If so, this promise is also for you. My God shall supply all of your need according to His riches in Glory. If you are not a tither why not start today? Unlimited resources will support you all of the days of your life.