Leaving Laodicea

No More Roller-Coaster LivingWhen it comes to spiritual disciplines like surrender or yielding our life to the Lord, the hardest part is not the act of initial surrender, but the journey of remaining surrendered to Him in the days and months ahead. For most believers, this journey can be discouraging, filled with success and failure, ups and downs, and sometimes, you may even feel like giving up. But that should never be the case. After all, it is the Holy Spirit living in you that seals you in Him and is the deposit, the guarantee of the promise of your future inheritance to come (Eph. 1:14). And this is more than going to heaven when you die— far more. The indwelling Holy Spirit also guarantees your sanctification, which is you becoming more like Christ each and every day (1 Cor. 1:30).But the one question still remains, how? How do we experience the process of becoming more like our Lord in the chaos of everyday living? And how do we make sure, at least on our end, that w

We’ve Only Just BegunWe are now at the last step to surrendering our lives unreservedly to the Lord. And this seventh and final step deals with how to keep close to Him, and how to remain surrendered and submitted, even after the initial awe of the experience begins to wear off and we let our guard down. Don’t be deceived— yes, it will happen to you, just like it has happened to all those who have gone before you in seeking the Higher Christian Life or the life of full surrender.Even though we are at the last step, our journey of surrender has just begun. Like Peter, taking his eyes off Jesus and sinking into the waves when doing the impossible, walking on water, it’s easy to lose focus on Christ amid the trying circumstances we face every day (Matt. 14:30). Remember, sin is sin, and all sin, no matter how trivial we make it, hinders our relationship with the Lord and grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30). Therefore your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to keep Christ at the cent

Church: The Hatfields and McCoysWe live in a world that is totally at war with itself. Our nation is being torn apart by division – racial, socioeconomic, political – you name it, and we’ve experienced it. But that’s not how Christ designed His church to be. In fact, Jesus said in John 17 that when we love each other more than we love ourselves, the lost world will come to believe God sent Jesus and He is truly the Son of God. In other words, our unity and oneness with each other will be the strongest evangelical draw we have to bring others to Christ.But if you look around, all we see within the church is division. Some churches believe in the sovereignty of God, while others deify man and his free will choices. Some churches see homosexuality as a sin, while others have drag queens teaching the children on Sunday mornings. The church has a history of dividing on trivial matters such as the mode of baptism or our posture in prayer rather than uniting around the “faith

Fellowship is More Than a Pot-Luck DinnerIf you look at the book of Acts, you’ll find the amazing story of how the church was born and grew to 3,000 people after one 297-word sermon preached by an impetuous, former fisherman named Peter. It’s one of the most transforming passages in all the New Testament. But what we fail to look at is the fact that now the church had a serious logistic issue. Like, “What are we going to do with all these people? How are we going to feed them? Many of them don’t even speak the same language we speak. We don’t have training materials, a church structure, or places for them to sleep. And we don’t even know if we like them? All we know is they have now received the same Spirit we received, and they consider us family, and we should start acting like family.”This was a difficult problem for the infant church, which was only hours old. I can imagine Peter and the rest of the disciples fretting over the fact this problem was way above th

First Sign of the End-Times: DeceptionJesus said one of the telling signs of the end times is the expositional growth of deception worldwide, especially within the ranks of those who call themselves Christians. When asked about the signs of His coming and the end of the age, Jesus said, “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matt. 24:4-5). He then reiterates the same truth about deception regarding false prophets in verse 11, and then expands on the depth of the coming deception in Matthew 24:23-24. Notice how powerful the final great deception will be.“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”Did you catch that? Jesus said the deception at the end would be so powerful that if it were possible to deceive the elect, God’s chosen

God is Three and Three in OneWhen we decide to fully yield our lives to the Lord, one essential step is surrendering control of everything to the Holy Spirit, who is probably the most overlooked member of the Trinity. And this is because the doctrine of the Trinity, or trying to explain the triune nature of God, is one of the most confusing teachings in Scripture. After all, we are finite beings who think in finite, logical, cause-and-effect, terms. Yet God is infinite, off the scales, and His nature is beyond what we can explain or logically process in our finite minds.But let’s try. The doctrine of the Trinity is defined as God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God.¹Or, to make it easier to digest:1. God is three persons (Father, Son, and Spirit).2. Each person is fully God.3. There is one God.But, even though they are all equally God, they have different and unique functions, especially regardin

He is God, and We Are NotBy nature, we are control freaks. We pray for divine healing, but only after our physician shakes his head and says, “Well, there’s nothing left to do but pray,” and our medical insurance runs out. We claim Matthew 6:33, where Jesus promises to meet all our needs, but again, only after we max out our credit cards and can’t make the minimum payments. In other words, we try to fix everything our way, in our own strength, and ask no one for advice or help. It’s only when we come up short that we pray and ask the Lord to bless our efforts (emphasis on our) or get us out of the jam we seem to have stumbled into again. This is not a life of surrender. Nor does it acknowledge the sovereignty of God. The fifth step in surrendering your life to the Lord demands trusting completely in His goodness, grace, mercy, and especially— His sovereignty. Remember, He is God (and all that entails), and we are not. And the sooner we learn this truth, the cl

First Step Three, Then Step FourOf the seven steps to living a fully surrendered life to God, perhaps none is more vital than the fourth— offering ourselves, specifically our bodies, as a living sacrifice to Him. But this can only be accomplished after we have done the hard work of denying ourselves and dying to self, which was the point of the third step (Matt. 16:24). Death and denial must take place before we present our bodies (flesh) to Him as an act of worship and sacrifice. You will ultimately fail, horrendously, if you try to reverse the order. We must have died to ourselves first in order to present ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice. Otherwise, we’re dealing with a two-headed monster. And it ain’t pretty. Presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice means taking our body, our flesh, with all its desires and ambitions, and laying it down before God as an act of worship and submission to His Lordship. And this, as they say, is where the men are separated from

“Lord” Jesus Christ also means “Owner” Jesus ChristSurrendering your life fully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is no small or simple matter. But I’m sure you are painfully aware of that by now. It requires making the conscious choice each day to deny our natural desires and humbly submit to His leadership and control. And that’s where it begins to chafe. We love the Lord Jesus— but we probably love the “Jesus” part more than we love the “Lord” part. But as Jesus commanded, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself (ouch), and take up his cross daily (double ouch), and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24). He sets the requirements for discipleship, not us. And as with just about everything in the Christian life, it’s all or nothing— life or death, hot or cold, light or darkness, narrow gate or wide road, walk by the Spirit or the flesh, good fruit or bad fruit, you get the idea. He says to follow Him, we must first deny ourselves and then die to ourselves. This is what baptism symbolizes. Dying to self, b

Surrender Your Life? The Choice is YoursSurrendering your life to God is a profound journey that transforms your relationship with Him into something many only dreamed about but few ever expected to happen. In fact, full surrender to Him is what He requires (that is why He is called Lord and Master), but is often conveniently glossed over in our churches today. We feel more comfortable with terms like servant or disciple or follower— rather than anything that resembles submission or smacks of surrender to anyone, including the Lord. We want Jesus as a friend with a Get-Out-of-Hell-Free-Card who politely laughs and turns His head at our sin. But the last thing we want is the King of kings and Lord of lords who will stand in judgment of our lives. Well, guess what? That’s not our choice. We get Jesus as who He is and not who we want to make Him into.Understanding this, let’s be honest about the steps to surrendering to Him (assuming that’s something you want to do). Your

Surrender is a Lifestyle, Not a One-Time EventWhen you surrender your life to the Lord, you will notice it is not a one-time event. You don’t just say a prayer or make a vow and it’s done. It is a process, usually full of ups and downs, that may take some time to master. But even as a process, it must have a starting point. And that point recognizes who God is and your responsibility to yield to His lordship. Everything follows this first step.The seven steps of surrender are as follows (in Cliff Notes form):1.  Recognize and embrace a truth greater than yourself (which is God and His lordship)2.  Confess and repent of any known sin in your life3.  Learn to die to yourself daily (or more often)4.  Present yourself daily as a sacrifice to God5.  Trust completely in God’s sovereignty6.  Rely on the Holy Spirit for daily guidance7.  Keep your eyes fixed on JesusToday, we will look at the first step— the step where every springs from. And we will co

The Living Hope We Have in ChristDark times can profoundly shake our faith and assurance in God. Ongoing trials, deep hurts, and spiritual warfare can make us lose sight of the incredible hope we have in Jesus Christ. But despite the darkness, Christ’s resurrection guarantees our justification, sanctification, and future glorification. This living hope is ours both now and for all eternity.Justification – God’s Complete ForgivenessWhat does justification mean? Simply put, it is God’s complete forgiveness through Jesus Christ. When we put our faith in Christ, trusting in His sacrifice for us, God sees us as righteous in His eyes – as if we had never sinned at all. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Through Christ’s redeeming blood, all our sins are forgiven – past, present, and future.This justification before God happens instantly when we are born again into God’s family. We go from being c

The Higher Christian LifeLet’s talk about something that has captivated believers for generations— the Higher Christian Life. This term refers to a life of intimate fellowship with God that goes beyond the ordinary Christian experience. Popularized by 19th-century revival and devotional preachers such as Andrew Murray, Oswald Chambers, and R.A. Torrey, and brought into the Christian mainstream by the Keswick movement, this life is characterized by holiness, surrender, and a depth of relationship with God that taps into His supernatural power in ways seen in Scripture, but seldom experienced in contemporary church.¹In this article, I want to provide a biblical overview of the Higher Christian Life— what it looks like, how we enter into it, and then answer some common questions that often keep seeking believers from experiencing the “abundant life” Jesus promised (John 10:10), or what has been called the Higher Christian Life. My prayer is this will inspire and equip you to experience the abundan

There is So Much More to This Life in ChristAs followers of Jesus, you and I long to live the spiritually charged, victorious life He promises in Scripture— an abundant, overcoming life marked by joy, peace, purpose, and the wonder of having the mind of Christ. But let’s face it, our everyday experience often falls painfully short of the dynamic faith and unimaginable blessings described in God’s Word (Eph. 3:20). But it doesn’t have to be that way.So what’s the key to unlocking this life to the fullest in the power of the Spirit? Complete and total surrender to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.But What Does Total Surrender Look Like?Surrender means letting go of our wants, rights, and expectations and fully embracing God’s perfect plan for our lives, even if the future seems unclear and we don’t know what that plan is. Surrender requires trust, obedience, and complete reliance on His supernatural power at work within us, even when we struggle to feel His presence at times. And surre

Steps to Change a Culture for the WorseSaul Alinsky (1909–1972) was an American community activist and political theorist whose teachings have had a profound effect on the radical Democratic agenda and the philosophy of both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In 1971, right before his death, he published Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals, which is a book about successfully running a movement for cultural change.Rather than list his 13 rules for radicals, let me sum them up for you in how they are practically applied to a society. And this is exactly the same blueprint the Nazis used in post-WWI Germany.•  Words and Terms are Redefined•  History is Revised and Rewritten•  Questions are Not Encouraged Nor Allowed•  Rules are Established•  Compliance and Obedience is Expected / Demanded•  Gatekeepers are Empowered•  Power Now Rests with the Few and Not the Many•  Decision and Authority Flow f

What the Next Eighteen Months Will Look LikePeople see the chaos all around and want to know where we are as a culture today and what the next eighteen months will look like. As a preview, we can expect economic turmoil, especially inflation and hyperinflation. There will be deception, falsehoods, and lies coming from our sacred institutions. Jesus said to expect wars and rumors of wars which will lead to the downgrading of America as a superpower. Narcissism will become the mental illness of the land, and the church will experience the great apostasy the Scriptures warned about.In a word, our future looks dark and bleak. For each of us, there are three questions we need to be asking ourselves: One, what is the end goal or what is going on? Two, what is the Lord’s will for me and my family during this time? And three, why do we seem to feel or sense that time is running out and the time for playing church is over?What Can We Do? Live Like You’re Soon to DieIn June

Has Church Outlived its Usefulness?Some say that “familiarity breeds contempt,” and this is true even in the church. We come to church each Sunday to perform our duty to God. We sing, sometimes. We listen to the message, hopefully. And we worship, maybe— and then head back home to do the more important things in our day. I know this sounds harsh, but it is true, nonetheless.But church was never meant to be like this. God created His church, the ekklēsía, to be “a called-out people, an assembly of those called by Christ into the fellowship of His salvation.” And nowhere does the word church refer to a building, denomination, or tax-exempt entity.In this message, we will look at the church from a Biblical perspective and see if we can determine what church is and why it’s not working for us today.To download the slides for this message, click – HEREOur Latest Posts:560: If He’s the One Who Builds It, He Will Come559: Apostasy and Deception are Key

Our Blueprint for Church Growth: ActsIn the movie “Field of Dreams,” Kevin Costner’s character hears a voice that says, “If you build it, they will come.” While this quote has become iconic, part of Hollywood folklore, the truth is, if we let God build His church the way He intended, He will come. And when He comes, He will bring with Him the power to transform lives, just like we see in the Book of Acts.Can you imagine what it would be like for today’s church to look like the early church? We would experience prayer meetings with power that would shake the very room we were in (Acts 4:31). We would have boldness in the face of governmental persecution, no matter how harsh it was (Acts 4:19-20). There would be miracles and great signs from God authenticating our faith and His message (Acts 3:6-7). And if we suffered for Him, we would rejoice that He considered us worthy to suffer shame like His Son (Acts 5:41). Just imagine what Christian life would look like if we live

Three Questions and One Long AnswerWe find the Olivet Discourse recorded in three places in the New Testament: Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, and Luke 21. The entire teaching is Jesus’ response to some questions asked by His disciples after they were admiring the beauty of the Temple. But Jesus did not specify which answer corresponded to which question. He just answered them all at once, in one long narrative. Let’s look at a combined account of these questions.(MT) Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple —(LK) how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations. (MK) One of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!” (MK) And Jesus answered and (MT) said to them, “Do you not see all (MK) these great buildings? (MT) Assuredly, I say to you, (LK) the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.”At this poi

Scripture Divides Everything into Two CategoriesWhen we look at Scripture, God has a tendency to make things simple for us and categorize everything into only two groups. There is almost never a third option.  For example, you have light or darkness, evil or good, heaven or hell, the wide road or the narrow path, sin or righteousness, good fruit (tree) or bad fruit (tree), alive or dead, Spirit or flesh, blessings or curses, saved or lost, I think you get the point.  And Scripture treats prophecy the same way: the Future of Israel (God’s people) or the Future of the Gentile Nations (everyone else).So when we look at prophetic Scriptures, we must understand which of the two groups the passages speak about.  For example, in Daniel 2, we see the vision of the great statue Nebuchadnezzar had that Daniel interpreted. This is a picture of the future of the Gentile nations.  And later, in Daniel 7, we see four beasts and a little horn. Again, this is about the Gentile nations.But two c