Come Emmanuel

Come Emmanuel

by | Apr 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

O come, Adonai, Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.”

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, John Mason Neale

“Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.”

Isaiah 55:6-7:, NKJV

In this present dispensation of grace it is often easy for us to lose sight of the heart and will of God.

The message often proclaimed from the pulpits of seeker-friendly churches is this: “Jesus loves you just as you are. Don’t be religious church. Grace is what saves us!”

This is only a half truth.

Jesus loves you – but He loves you so much that He offers you the chance to change. A chance for a better life.

The grace of God – the love of God, undeserved – goes hand in hand with the mercy of God: God refraining from pouring out the wrath that we DO deserve.

Shall we then cheapen this great gift of grace by staying as we are?

It seems to me that the modern believer wants the benefits of the Kingdom – deliverance, freedom, healing, peace, prosperity – but what we really need is the Rule and Reign of God.

The love of God is free and without restriction – but relationships have boundaries. Covenants, like contracts, have conditions and clauses.

We are saved by grace, but this love of God poured out is only the beginning.

Jesus came preaching repentance.

This call for repentance is a call to action. Yes, we are saved through faith by grace – but grace without works is dead.

Much of the Psalms and the Prophets is a heartfelt cry for repentance and salvation – and not just individual repentance and restoration – but that of the nation. For us as Christians, having strongholds of the faith around the world, the call is not for the individual nor the nation – but for the nations! The whole world.

Crying out on behalf of the world, come, o come, Emmanuel!

It is time for Christian brothers and sisters to heed this call to action and take up the work of prayer and evangelism.

The church, as a Body and as a movement – as an institution – has failed. We have strayed from the Truth. We have become seeker friendly rather than seeking the lost.

Brothers! Sisters! Let us take up the work of prayer – taking no rest and giving God no rest. Let us pray until we see the light of His salvation breaking through!

Let us endure for our loved ones. Let us endure upon our knees.

And as we pray, let us do so with the knowledge that He inclines His ear to us. He hears us.

Let us pray and seek the Lord while He might be found and urge others to do the same.

Let us pray for and with our loved ones at every opportunity that presents itself.

Let us pray also for ourselves – the Body – that we may be faithful witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ. That He might give us the strength to resist scandal and controversy, to avoid falling into the temptation of false doctrine, and that we might incline our ears to His Holy Spirit working in our lives, through our lives and in the lives of those around us.

Let us, as the Body and as the Bride cry out to our Beloved: Come, o come, Emmanuel!

Let us pray for His Rule and Reign to be established in our churches, in our schools and in our governments yet again – that He might impart to us His righteousness, as He did at Mount Sinai. Let our prayer be for His Dominion, His Authority and His Kingdom to come in our lives. For His face to shine upon us – so that He might have preeminence – the highest praise and the highest place in our lives.

Prayer: Lord, as I take up the work of prayer, give me the words to pray for my loved ones, for my community and for my country. Wherever I might be, Lord, let me be a stronghold of the Faith. Guide me in my quiet time, equip in my solitude so that I might be a faithful witness of Your Kingdom come. Come, o come, Emmanuel – come and establish Your throne in our midst – and let us see revival, reformation and restoration in our lives and the lives of those around us. In the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Hosanna: Come Save!

Hosanna: Come Save!

by | Apr 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith, with selfless faith
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We’re on our knees, we’re on our knees”

Hosanna, Hillsong

“14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.“

2 Chronicles 7:14: NKJV

When Jesus entered Jerusalem the crowds went ahead of Him shouting: “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!”

Hosanna is used for the first time in Matthew 21:9: and is derived from a Hebrew phrase: Hoshiya Na – which is a desperate and heartfelt cry for help – “please, save!”

In the Triumphal Entry of Jesus, coming into Jerusalem, the crowds cry out: “Hosanna, come save!”

A few days later they are condemning Him to the Cross.

In our modern Christianity we have very often forgotten the meaning and significance of not just specific phrases and passages of scripture, but even the meaning and significance of certain individual words in their original context.

Hosanna is a prayer, in the tradition of many of the Psalms, a plea for salvation.

Our modern interpretation of the word is more a shout of joy and excitement – instead of being a call for salvation it is a rejoicing in the coming of salvation. Instead of “come, salvation”, we cry “salvation has come!”

But are we perhaps losing something in the process?

In this fastfood, instant gratification culture that we live in, faced with the ills and evils of a society calling for the ‘death of God’ it seems that we can learn a thing or two from the original context.

Yes, we who have Christ have much to rejoice about – certainly it is right for us to cry out “hosanna, salvation has come’ – but I turn again to the great revivalist Jonathan Edwards and his sermon “On the Preciousness of Time”:

“Christians should not only study to improve the opportunities they enjoy, for their own advantage, as those who would make a good bargain; but also labor to reclaim others from their evil courses…”

How then shall our labour look?

In the second book of Chronicles we see a heartfelt prayer – a plea for the salvation and habitation of God – as Solomon dedicated the Temple to God.

God answers in the next chapter:

”13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-16: NIV)

We as the church find ourselves in a place of dryness. There is a very real drought.

Yes, in some pockets of the world we have seen what looks like revival, but in many of these cases it is not an outpouring of restoration, but rather a cistern of emotion breaking open and we find that it is short lived and evanescent in nature.

Real revival can only be birthed from the womb of prayer.

Our music – filled with jubilant shouts of salvation has come – will not turn the world around. We have been singing this happy hosanna for decades now and yet we see only the most shallow change.

Eloquent preaching, although moving, can only move us to a point – but what do we do when we find it is not enough? Many fall away from the faith because of pretty promises based on bad theology, or even worse, when the preacher falls the parish falls with him…

We rejoice in our salvation – but it is as Edwards implies – a little flock focused on improving the opportunities they enjoy. We sing the happy hosanna but forget the other side of the coin.

There is a dying world. And if their burden is not our burden we are doing something wrong.

It is not enough for me to seek my healing and forget the world. I need to get up and seek my Father’s Heart and Will – I need to get up and seek the restoration of His people.

And what does that look like? Big churches built with silver and gold? Seeker-friendly worship? Program upon program to attract and entertain? No!

The restoration of our communities is found on our knees. It is found in the taking up of arms – the weapons of our warfare, prayer and intercession – as we take hands and pray, giving God no rest as we take no rest in seeking Him!

As we cry, restore us oh Lord! As our heart breaks for what breaks His heart! As we cry out, Hosanna, come and save!

If we do this, if we will humble ourselves and pray, we will see God move in our midst again.

Prayer: Oh Lord, let me answer this call to arms, this call to take up the station of intercession, with a yielded and unrelenting ‘yes’. Move me Lord, through the unction of Your Spirit, to pray for revival. To pray for my community. To pray for my friends, my colleagues, my loved ones – and even those who I don’t get along with. Give me eyes to see what You see. Give me eyes to see deeper so that I might grow in my discernment and know what to pray. Lead me deeper Lord in Your Word. Teach me how to wage war like You taught David. Put Your Word in my mouth as I pray for real revival to come again. Not a flame that flickers faintly before dying out, but a raging forest fire – uncontained, unrestrained and burning up our enemies of doubt, fear and unbelief. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Great Are You Lord: Breath In Our Lungs

Great Are You Lord: Breath In Our Lungs

by | Apr 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise to You only”

Great Are You Lord, All Sons And Daughters

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.”

Psalm 150:6: NKJV

I have often heard it said that time is money. Time is precious – and while it doesn’t really always equate to ‘cash money’ – it is very much a type of currency. A type of Kingdom Currency with which we can buy eternal treasures.

In writing these devotional pieces I have come to realise that even though it seems like each has its own theme there is a central line. Worship is not about music – it is not simply the songs we sing – it is very much how we live our lives.

Worship is a lifestyle.

An idea I have used often in sermons is that the first act of worship was Adam exhaling.

God blew breath into Adam and he RESPONDED.

Worship is our response to the goodness, the glory and the beauty of God.

Worship is not just our response to what He does (in this case, giving life) but also a response to who He is (the Lifegiver).

One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 139, the fact that God knew me even before I was woven in the secret place of my mother’s womb. David puts it beautifully:

“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.”

(Psalm 139:16, NKJV)

All the days fashioned for me. God had a plan from the get go. A plan for me.

As I ponder the passing on of some of the dear people in my life over the last few years I come to realize that the time we have here really is not ours at all.

We are all living on borrowed time.

The breath in my lungs belongs to God. It is His and will return to Him when my time here is said and done.

This breath in my lungs is borrowed. It is borrowed time in which I get to make up my mind – do I return with this breath to the One who gave it, or do I return to dust?

The choice for many of us is clear – for others not so.

So how should we then look at the time we have here on Earth?

Jonathan Edwards said the following: “Christians should not only study to improve the opportunities they enjoy, for their own advantage, as those who would make a good bargain; but also labour to reclaim others from their evil courses; that so God might defer his anger, and time might be redeemed from that terrible destruction, which, when it should come, would put an end to the time of divine patience.”

We are to labour – to invest this Kingdom Currency – and see the returns and fruit thereof.

The time we have here on Earth, the breath in our lungs is borrowed. It is very much like a talent given to a worker (Matthew 25), property entrusted to us so that we might properly steward it towards an increase.

One Talent was equal to about twenty years worth of wages.

And so it is that one might be given 80 years, another 60 – and yet another 20 years – but it is not what you are given but what you do with it that matters.

Let us not waste the time we have been given. Let us do as Edwards recommends and redeem the time. Let us use it wisely. Let every breath be used in the worship – the reverence, adoration, pursuit and proper service – of our God and King.

Let us not waste time in seeking Him today – let us not procrastinate, let us not wait – but let us be wholly in pursuit of Him.

Let us not waste time in seeking our neighbour. Let us use our time wisely so that we may reclaim others from their evil courses of self-destruction and damnation.

Let us redeem our time and worship Him with every step and every breath we take.

Prayer: Oh Lord, help me redeem my time. Let me spend every waking moment in pursuit of Your Will and Purpose, Your Heart and Mind for my life. Lord, help me use my time wisely and labour to save others from their evil courses. Give me discernment, give me wisdom Lord, so that I might see revival here in my lifetime. Give me strength Lord, lead me in discipline and righteousness for Your Name’s sake. Let my life glorify You. In the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

This is our God

This is our God

by | Apr 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“Freely you gave it all for us
Surrendered your life upon that cross
Great is the love poured out for all
This is our God”

This Is Our God, Rueben Morgan

“7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”

Matthew 10:7-8:

The Sending of the Twelve in Matthew 10 has always been one of my favourite ministry passages.

It puts things into perspective.

Over decades, centuries and millennia the church has grown – so much that it has become a multi-million dollar industry world wide. It has become very much a kind of kingdom on its own.

I remember reading a story about a cardinal and a monk walking through the Vatican. The Cardinal points out the lavish surrounds and says: “No longer does the church, like Simon Peter, have to say ‘silver and gold I do not have…’”

The monk took all of this in and replied, “nor can you say ‘rise and walk.’”

The truth of the matter is that we have lost sight of certain principles – we have started building our church instead of letting God build His church. Our desires and measures of success have become more important than seeking God and having Him seen by others.

In an effort to become a more effective Christian I’ve attended courses and workshops, listened to sermons and teachings, and read books and articles about church growth and revival for the last 10 years – and although there is a lot of valuable information in there it can also become a distraction as we overcomplicate the ministry of reconciliation – which in the end is the ministry of ‘servanthood’ and compassionate community.

The power of the Early Church was this: they lived the simple and unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ.

They talked the talk – preaching what Jesus preached – “repent for the Kingdom is at hand”.

They walked the walk – demonstrating the power of the Kingdom, not only through signs, miracles and wonders performed through the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, but also through corporal acts of mercy – practical acts of love and compassion like breaking bread with the hungry, clothing the naked, giving drink to the thirsty.

They believed and taught a simple and unadulterated Gospel.

They lived a life that demonstrated – cut through the noise and with a clear and defiant voice declared: “This is our God!”

There were no concerts, no conferences and no retreats…

Just a family of believers who broke bread together, worked together, laughed together and cried together.

There were no dvd’s or bestseller lists.

Just the truth freely proclaimed in word and deed.

“Freely you have received, freely give…”

We have turned the Gospel into a commodity. We need to get back to community.

We need to get back to the basics of the Gospel.

One of the most frequent complaints I get about church leaders – powerful teachers and preachers with big churches – as I help their congregants get over their ‘church hurt’ is that the leaders, as powerful as they are, do not reflect Christ in their personal lives. And this is not a sin issue – it is an attitude issue. The heart of Christ is not reflected.

Yes, we can read all the books we want about ‘deliverance’ and ‘prophecy’ and ‘growing in your gifts and calling’ – but if we have no vision of Jesus, and if we can’t even apply the basics of His Kingdom – loving God and loving neighbour – to our lives then it is all for nought.

You can buy as many tickets to as many seminars about church building and church growth as you want – but today I will give you the ‘secret’ for free. How will we see revival in our lives and awakening in our communities:

Love Jesus with all your heart – seek Him, see Him – let the vision of His glory permeate Your soul.

And then…

Go and show the world.

Not shill and sell – but show and tell.

And it is the duty of every Christian – we have ALL been given the ministry of reconciliation.

Jesus, the Servant and King who saved the world, gave His life – freely – upon the Cross. He paid for our salvation with sweat, tears and blood.

The secret to revival is this: LIVE A LIFE WORTHY OF THE LIFE HE GAVE.

A life that testifies of His love and grace and mercy. A renewed life that shouts out in the midst of the crowd: THIS IS OUR GOD!

Let us get back to basics. Let us get back to the Bible. Let us see Jesus rightly and in doing so let our lives help others see Him living and active in our lives!

Prayer: Lord, Your grace is enough for me. Be the center of my life. Where I have over complicated things help me go back to basics. As I seek You Lord, come alive in the Scriptures. Come alive in my prayers. Come alive in my life – in the midst of my family, friends and colleagues. Lord, help me realise that I also carry the call to build Your Kingdom in my personal mission field. Help me realize that my actions – the life I live and the way I treat those around me – speak louder than any sermon I could preach. Help me Lord to live a life worthy of the life You gave. Help me live a life that shows You to the world. Help me live a life that shouts: THIS IS MY GOD! In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Here Comes The Glory

Here Comes The Glory

by | Apr 24, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“Heaven is here right now
Heaven is here right now
What we long to see
Is happening happening
Here right now
Heaven is here
Here comes Heaven”

Here Comes The Glory, David and Nicole Binion

“Bow down Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.”

Psalm 144:5

When Jesus started His ministry He went from place to place declaring: “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”

It is easy for us to listen to this – as I did for a very long time – and think that Jesus was talking about a coming time where the Kingdom would be established on Earth… But the nearness described here is not temporal but rather spatial: “The Kingdom of Heaven is here and now, in your midst!”

The Psalms and the Prophets are filled with the desire of the people to SEE God – to see His Kingdom come.

Even the disciples ask Him in Acts 1:6 when it is that He will restore the kingdom (the basileia – dominion, authority and sovereignty) to Israel.

The Kingdom here refers to the sovereign theocratic rule of God that was originally established at Mt. Sinai.

Psalm 144:5: echoes this desire specifically when the psalmist asks God to bow the Heavens and set the mountains on fire. We read in Exodus 19 that after coming out of Egypt Moses led the people to the foot of the mountain to meet with God. It says in verse 18 that Mount Sinai was covered in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire.

It is here that God first institutes His theocratic government through His covenant with Moses and the Israelites.

David writes: “Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.” (Psalm 144:7-8:)

The disciples ask: Lord, when will You restore the Kingdom to Israel?

At this time Israel is drowning in the mighty waters of the Roman Empire – being ruled over by foreigners and corrupt officials.

Jesus’ answer is probably not very satisfying: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8)

What Jesus is saying might not be what they were looking for – but it is what we all need: He wasn’t about to restore the kingdom to Israel – but was here to establish His Kingdom in their hearts and the heart of every believer to come.

We as the church cry out: Lord, when will You restore Your Kingdom?

We are drowning in the mighty waters of a sick and corrupted world with its political and moral philosophies running so contrary to the Word of God…

At Sinai God calls the Israelites – through faith and obedience – to be His treasured possession. A Kingdom of priests – a nation holy unto God.

When we open up our minds and hearts and allow God to step in and flood our lives, what we long to see starts happening – He transforms us. As His Kingdom comes in our lives it starts pouring out through us and we see His Kingdom come in the lives of those around us.

We see revival starting and this revival leads to awakening in society and a holy nation and royal priesthood is raised up – but it all starts with us today saying: Lord, come establish Your Kingdom in our hearts – come establish Your Kingdom in my life so that I may be Your witness in my Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the very ends of the Earth.

It starts with us, today, resolving to pray – as individuals and together – like the disciples gathered in the upper room! It starts with us looking to and waiting on the Lord!

Prayer: Lord, today I open up my heart and ask You to flood my life. Come in and take over. Help me, through Your Spirit, live a life of faith and obedience. In doing so, my God, I pray that I will make a difference in the lives of those around me. Let Your Kingdom come in me, through me, and around me – let Your will be done. Come rule and reign in my life. In the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.