Fresh Bread: Holy Joy
And the disciples were filled with JOY, and with the Holy Ghost. (Acts 13:52; KJV) For the kingdom of God is…JOY in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 14:17; KJV) And ye became followers…of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with JOY of the Holy Ghost. (1 Thessalonians 1:6; KJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is…JOY… (Galatians 5:22; KJV) One of the reasons that I began to study the fruit* (result, harvest, outcome, advantage, benefit, consequence, effect, reward, product) of the Holy Spirit was that one day I became sick and tired of hearing myself whining and sighing (deep exhaling of breath in response to frustration) about life. I wanted a holy (different) kind of joy. We all can come to a place in our lives where no news is good news, and that’s not good! It certainly doesn’t describe the kind of joy that comes from the Lord, which provides us with enough strength (Nehemiah 8:10; NLT) to live the kind of life we all desire to live. In my search for a definition of joy that I could “wrap my brain around” and pursue as a God-given objective, I fell in love with Eugene Peterson’s definition of the word in The Message Bible, which calls joy an “exuberance about life”. Exuberance means “. . . having an almost uninhibited enthusiasm (origin: en = inside + Theos = God)”. Thus, “uninhibited enthusiasm” means “having God uninhibited in our lives.” This is the kind of life that I want for the remainder of 2009. In fact, the etymology of the word exuberance is “characterized (marked) by beyond having plenty and beyond being fully content.” Exuberance has several other definitions such as: energetic, animated, bouncy, buoyant (can’t be held down), cheerful, chipper, eager, elated, excited, exhilarated (bringing in a breath of fresh air), high-spirited, lively, passionate, sparkling, vigorous, vivacious (full of life), zestful, NOT depressed, NOT discouraged, NOT lifeless, NOT unexcited. The joy that comes from the Holy Spirit leaves a mark on us that goes beyond being full of fruit, beyond being productive, beyond having plenty, and beyond feeling a rich contentment. This is what I want for my life! This is what I want for my wife and my daughters! This is what I want for my friends and my congregation. I want an energy, a buoyancy, a passion, a vivaciousness, and an excitement about my life in Christ. I don’t want to live discouraged! *Beginning next week (April 15th), we will resume Bible Study. I invite you to join us on a journey to discover the other 8 rewards (fruit) that come from the Holy...
read moreFresh Bread: Holy Habits
Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? (Isaiah 58:6; KJV) In Chapter 14 of The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges informs us of our need to develop “Habits of Holiness”. We need to develop habits that make us “different, uncommon (not like the public), peculiar (private property), and separated”. But the question is: What is a HABIT? The word “habit” is derived from the Latin word “habeo”, which means to “have, hold, possess, own, keep, or control”. Thus, as we look at the word habit, we need to ask ourselves, “What has me in its grip? What has a hold on my life? What possesses me? What owns me? What keeps me from attaining my life’s goal? What controls me?” Is it food? Laziness? Sleep? Anger? Anxiety? Low self esteem? The opinions of other people? The word “Habit” always seems to have a negative connotation (idea or meaning) because we tend to focus more on our “bad” habits than our good (God) habits. But some of the good habits that possess us are things such as: attending church regularly, reading the Bible daily, exercising weekly, praying & worshiping regularly, regularly sharing the gospel (good news), etc. We also possess good habits in the form the things we choose NOT to do, such as: NOT getting intoxicated, smoking cigarettes, regularly skipping classes in school, losing our tempers, spending beyond our means, etc. I believe that during this consecration of prayer and fasting, God desires to help us develop holy habits by breaking the yokes (bondages, bonds, burdens, chains, enslavements, knots, oppression, slavery) that seem to possess us. These chains constantly keep us from God’s highest and best for our lives. God once told Cain that if he was not careful, he would allow sin to fulfill its desire of “having” (habit) him. (See: Genesis 4:6-7). As we approach the end of this week’s consecration, let’s take time today to ask God to help us to form new godly habits in our lives. I believe that His response will be to pour out a new freshness of His Holy Spirit on our lives, setting us free (2 Corinthians 3:17) to be the persons we knew we could always be in...
read moreFresh Bread: It’s Harvest Time Now!
Jesus said to them, My food (nourishment) is to do the will (pleasure) of Him Who sent Me and to accomplish and completely finish His work. Do you not say, “It is still four months until harvest time comes”? Look! I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields and see how they are already white for HARVESTING. Already the reaper is getting his wages [he who does the cutting now has his reward], for he is gathering fruit (crop) unto life eternal, so that he who does the planting and he who does the reaping may rejoice together. For in this the saying holds true, one sows and another reaps. I sent you to reap a crop for which you have not toiled. Other men have labored and you have stepped in to reap the results of their work. (John 4:34-38; Amplified Bible) Then I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone like the Son of Man. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came from the Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud, “Swing the sickle, for the time of HARVEST has come; the crop on earth is ripe.” So the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the whole earth was harvested. (Revelation 14:14-16; NLT) On last evening, Reverend Virginia Ward spoke using the previous Scriptures. The title of her sermon was: “Call for the Harvest”. What I found interesting was that on January 25th and February 8th, the Lord had used those very same Scriptures to tell us to go out and get the Harvest of Jesus from seeds we did not sow (John 4:38; NLT). Reverend Virginia even quoted from Matthew 6:33, repeating what the Lord told us that very morning: Take care of God’s House (Kingdom) and God will take care of our houses (things). Thus on Palm Sunday evening, God reminded us, yet again, that NOW is the time to go get His harvest. Even during today’s morning prayer, I received a report of yet another person within our congregation receiving incredulous favor that has left the mouth of the person who received God’s favor and the mouths of others open in amazement. Yet, I want to remind us that although this is the season for us to get a whole lot of “stuff”, God’s main priority is for us to go get a whole lot of SOULS. We must aggressively reach out to the broken on our jobs, in our schools, in our communities (both home and church), and even in our travels (train, bus, carpool, mall, supermarkets, etc.) So how do you get yourself ready? Reverend Virginia suggested four things: • Get your house (lives, home, church) in order. What’s cluttering your life? • Become a person of prayer. • Stop being so selfish (Matthew 6:33; NLT). • These are the End Times, so don’t be shocked by what you see on the news! It’s Harvest Time now! Once again, you have received the message and it is marked...
read moreFresh Bread: The Blessing of a Praying Pastor
For this reason [seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ], I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,…I pray that He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. May Christ through your FAITH [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts!…That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all… [God’s devoted people…] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of God’s Love]; [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God […having the richest measure of His divine Presence …wholly filled and flooded with God Himself] Now to Him Who, by… the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]– To Him be glory in the church…throughout all generations… (Ephesians 3:14-20; Amplified Bible). In Chapter 7 of The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges informs us that there is “Help in the Daily Battle” to live a holy life. This help is not as simple as having assistance from the Holy Spirit. It is quite obvious that the reason God gave us His Holy (different) Spirit is so that we could live our lives differently. However, if God’s People are going to live holy lives and win this battle, they must have the assistance of a praying pastor. Ephesians is one of the crown jewels of Paul’s Epistles (letters). In addition, the church of Ephesus was actually his strongest church plant. One of the reasons for this was because he stayed and taught in Ephesus for the longest time. However, the other main reason for their success is that the Apostle Paul prayed fervently for the people of God. I remember being told a story about Jack W. Hayford, who was affectionately known to many as “Pastor Jack.” He was once asked, “How do you grow a large and successful church like this?” A number of young ministers took out their laptop computers in the hope of finding the Holy Grail of ministerial solutions. They were disappointed with his answer. Pastor Jack’s simple response: Pray for your people! To close, I will simply borrow the words of Dr. E.M. Bounds. “A pastor, a leader, a deacon, a ministry head, a husband, or a parent who does not pray for his or her people is to be pitied. However, those who are under his or her leadership are to be pitied even more.” Do you want to win the battle for holiness? Part of the solution is to have spiritual leadership who regularly prays for you (Colossians 4:12;...
read moreFresh Bread: Heart Dis-Ease
Search me, O God, and know my HEART; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. (Psalm 139:23-24, NLT) During a message I gave a few months ago, I asked this question: “What is the leading cause of death in women?” Most of those present responded, “Cancer”. Who could disagree with them given the tremendous amount of advertisement and press coverage this disease has received? The official color representing the fight against this disease, pink, is virtually ubiquitous. Many were as surprised as I was to learn that the actual answer to this question was heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States. According to the American Heart Association, about 13 million Americans have active symptoms of coronary artery disease. Heart disease is the narrowing or blockage of the arteries and vessels that provide oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the heart. It is caused by an accumulation of fatty materials on the inner linings of arteries that restricts blood flow. When the blood flow to the heart is completely cut off, the result is a heart attack because the heart is starved of oxygen.* In Chapter 6 of The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges informs us that “holiness is a battle.” It is a battle that daily occurs within our hearts. Every battle involves attacks. I believe that the main cause of spiritual death in believers (Christians) is also heart disease. Satan blocks the breath of God, that is, the influence in the form of God’s Holy Spirit (oxygen) and the food of God’s Word (nutrients) that our hearts (attitudes) need to live victoriously for God. Satan begins his attack on our hearts with anxious thoughts. On my way home, I regularly see a sign in front of a church that says, “Worry is the opposite side of Faith.” Worry or anxious thoughts will destroy our faith, which is the ticket into our God-given place of promise and purpose (Hebrews 3:12-19). The currency on which God’s Kingdom runs is not money, but FAITH (Hebrews 11:6). We are commanded not to worry! (Philippians 4:6). And yes, being anxious about our future offends our God who holds the future in His hands. Anxiety or worry distracts us from the purpose for which God saved us (Matthew 6:31-33). Thus, the only solutions to this dis-ease (a word originating from dis: the removal of, and ease: comfort, restfulness, quiet, poise, confidence, or freedom from worry) in our hearts are: God’s Word (Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 119:11) and Holiness (I Thessalonians 3:12-13). So, during this consecration, let God search our hearts so we can get our lives back on His “path of everlasting life.” * Ischemic Heart...
read moreFresh Bread: Today We Go Sightseeing!
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall SEE God. (Matthew 5:8; KJV) Make every effort to…be holy; without holiness no one will, SEE the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14; NIV) This word “See” means the following: • To gaze at with wide-open eyes, as at something remarkable; and thus differing from a simple voluntary observation. • To stare at and thus discern clearly (mentally); by extension, to attend to. • To experience. Today begins our congregation’s twelve-day consecration. The third chapter of our consecration reading, The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, is entitled “Holiness Is Not an Option”. The Scripture found in Hebrews 12:14 tells us that we must make every effort to be holy (Different, Uncommon, Peculiar, Separated, God’s Private Property) because without holiness we will not be able to experience how remarkable God is. God’s holiness is what causes the angels in heaven to call out to each other in amazement 24 hours a day and 7 days a week without ever getting bored (Isaiah Chapter 6). This is what David, the greatest human worshiper in the Scriptures, means when he tells us to “worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (1 Chronicles 16:29; NKJV). Whenever people go on a sight-seeing tour, they can either see what every other tourist sees or they can see the special places that only those native to that specific area know about. These are the places that are probably not described on the internet or in a printed tour guide. These are the places that after you tell someone you’ve seen them, they reply, “I’ve never been there before!” or even better “I’ve never heard of that place!” Because the word “beauty” is also defined as “originality”, there is a place in God that is so original (fresh, new, imaginative, innovative, inspiring, inventive, novel, unconventional, unprecedented, untried, unusual), that we can never be bored in life. It’s a place that only the Holy Spirit knows (1 Corinthians 2:10-11; NKJV). The question is, as with any other sight-seeing tour: Are we willing to pay the extra cost to see places in God that others cannot see? That cost is holiness! If you’ve found yourself so bored with your tour in God that you’ve fallen asleep, this consecration is your opportunity to begin paying the price to see places in God reserved only for those who will make every effort (and fasting is an effort) to be...
read moreFresh Bread* March 29: Entangled
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be ENTANGLED again with a yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1, NKJV) No one engaged in warfare ENTANGLES himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Timothy 2:4, NKJV) For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and they are again ENTANGLED in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. (2 Peter 2:20, NKJV) The Message Bible seems to make this Scripture frighteningly clear: “If they’ve escaped from the slum of sin by experiencing our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ, and then slid back into that same old life again, they’re worse than if they had never left. Better not to have started out on the straight road to God than to start out and then turn back, repudiating the experience and the holy command. They prove the point of the proverbs, A dog goes back to its own vomit and A scrubbed-up pig heads for the mud.” (2 Peter 2:20-22) Last Sunday, I saw a young child get her hair tangled in the earring of her mother. Almost everyone who observed what had happened either stopped to try to untangle her hair or simply lend his or her moral support to the crying child. My heart went out to her, as she had no idea how she got herself tangled up in such a painful situation. At her age, one would have to believe that it was an accident. Yet, it could happen again. If this were to occur, folks would probably feel even worse because we all understand that this toddler clearly does not understand what she’s getting herself into, nor how she got herself so entangled. But we are neither infants nor toddlers! As we enter into our consecration this week, I believe God is going to provide us freedom from sins that have entangled us. Through the Spirit’s revealing and bondage-breaking power, this is going to be a tremendous season in our lives. Then the question will be: After the Holy Spirit untangles us from the mess (vomit & mud) in our lives, will we voluntarily choose to return? Will we return to messy habits? Will we return to relationships that “messed up” our lives? Will we return to messy places, places that drag us backwards? The word “entangled” means: mixed up, bewildered, burdened, caught, clogged up, complicated, compromised, confused, disheveled, embarrassed, ensnared, entrapped, hampered, impeded, jumbled, knotted, muddled, perplexed, puzzled, set up, snagged, swindled, trapped, twisted, and unsettled. After this consecration, please stay untangled because there’s nothing attractive in any of these definitions. *During the Consecration (April 1st – 12th), Fresh Bread will be prepared daily. If you would like to receive a copy by email, please send your e-mail address to...
read moreTaken
A few days ago, while I was watching a news program, an alert scrolled across the screen saying that an actress by the name of Natasha Richardson was severely injured in a skiing accident. I really did not pay much attention to this news bulletin. It wasn’t that I didn’t care; it was simply because, like most of us, there was far too much going on in my own life to even give this news an emotional response. Upon her death this week, it dawned on me that during a dinner, some friends were telling me about a movie that kept them “at the edge of their seats” entitled “Taken”. I’ve always liked the star of the movie, Liam Neeson, and I had determined to see it at some point. So it was ironic that it was his 45 year-old wife who was “taken” from him and their sons through this tragic accident. Let’s be honest. Nobody wants to think about death. It’s just one of those subjects that, more often than not, we all simply try to avoid discussing. It can often bring up painful memories of loved ones whose company we may still intensely miss. It’s hard to reconcile our emotions with the words of Job. The Lord gives and He can also take away what He gives, and that God still should be praised in both His provision and His removal of what He’s provided (Job 1:20 -22, KJV). This week, I’m preparing to give remarks at the memorial service of a friend who passed away last Fall. This month would have marked his 49th birthday. I can still vividly remember our discussion in April of last year. He visited from out of state and we talked about his dream of finally becoming the senior pastor of a large congregation he had worked so hard to help build for many years. Six months later, he was taken. So what’s the lesson in all this? What’s the upside in discussing such a “downer” of a subject? The lesson here is that no matter who we are the God-given life we posses will eventually be taken back. It’s during times like these that we are reminded that once we die, we will all have to report to the One who has the right both to give life and to take it. So as this year continues to unfold, let’s make sure that we all use this most precious gift called “life” as wisely as God enables us (Psalm 90:12,...
read moreChris Brown and Rihanna
I must admit, the first time I became aware of the magnitude of Chris Brown was on my way back from a ministry trip. He was on the cover of the June 2008 issue of Ebony Magazine and, because it was free, I brought two of them home for my daughters. Why? Because I wanted them to read an article in that particular issue about black women and AIDS. I figured that with Chris Brown on the cover as eye candy they would eventually digest the main meal, which was far more nutritional for their minds. Now, Chris Brown is back in my life for a reason just as serious as AIDS: physical abuse. Because of his fame, his youth, the fame of the very woman he struck (Rihanna), the time it occurred (days before they were to perform a duet at the Grammy Awards Ceremony), and the pervasive nature of this problem, Chris Brown has become a lightning rod on this subject. And once Oprah gets involved well you know it’s going to be very, very big (Oprah Speaks Out on Chris Brown’s Assault on Rihanna). Like substance abuse and sexual abuse, physical abuse transcends all cultures, ages, educational backgrounds, and even religious backgrounds. Here’s where this issue really becomes an even bigger problem: these things are just not supposed to involve Christians, right? Yet who can forget what happened on August 23, 2007, when the news reported that Prophetess Juanita Bynum was being kicked by her husband while on the ground in a hotel parking lot (Cops: Televangelist Juanita Bynum Assaulted by Husband). The televised 2003 Christian Cinderella-esque wedding, complete with an 8-karat (7.76 to be exact) diamond ring was certainly not supposed to end in a parking lot beat down four years later. This unexpected event just goes to show us how the problems of a secular society are almost always the same problems of the saintly church. We certainly need to pray more regarding this problem, given that it is very dangerous and yet can remain very private. At Pentecostal Tabernacle, we are actually in the process of launching a project that begins to address this issue. Thus, the current focus on this problem could not have come at a better time for us, but the ordeal was quite unfortunate for both Rihanna and Chris Brown. I invite your...
read moreAmerica’s Unhappiest Cities
Four days ago, the Lord honored me with an opportunity to make a presentation on the Pentecostal religion as part of the training of a small group of Psychiatry Residents from the Harvard Medical School. While preparing for my presentation, I came across an article on Businessweek.com** that listed the most-unhappy cities in America. The data used to rank each city was based on the following six factors: depression, suicide, crime, divorce, unemployment, and believe it or not, cloudy days. For example, this article listed the City of Atlanta as the 10th most-unhappy city in the United States. Out of the 50 cities studied, Atlanta ranked 29th in depression, 18th in suicide, 2nd in crime, 28th in divorce, its unemployment rate was 7.7% as of December 2008, and it had experienced 149 cloudy days in 2008. The other cities listed were quite surprising to me as well, in that I always thought of some of them as bastions of fun. For example, the city of Las Vegas was listed at number seven. Regardless of whether or not I agree with this article or how the data was used, it did cause me to think about the following Scripture: Going down to a Samaritan city, Philip proclaimed the Message of the Messiah. When the people heard what he had to say and saw the miracles, the clear signs of God’s action, they hung on his every word. Many who could neither stand nor walk were healed that day. The evil spirits protested loudly as they were sent on their way. And what joy in the city! (Acts 8:5-8; Message Bible) It was verse 8 that struck me. Whereas this article listed six categories to rank a city’s unhappiness quotient, this Scripture uses six words to describe what God can do for a city if His people would only let God use them for His purposes. Then came the question I was forced to ask myself: Does Pentecostal Tabernacle bring joy to Cambridge? And not just any type of joy, but a joy that comes from our Lord (Nehemiah 8:10; Romans 14:17; Galatians 5:22). My prayer is that no matter what the season is—winter, spring, summer, or autumn—we as individuals and as a congregation would be a God-given transformative influence of joy to our communities and to our city. I invite your thoughts. **Note: Read the rest of the Businessweek.com article here. For further reading, click...
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