Gratitude: A Call to Worship

Gratitude: A Call to Worship

by | Aug 8, 2024 | Kingdom Finance, Kingdom Principles, The Pattern

The American essayist and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, once gave the following advice: “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”

In Psalm 23 David makes it clear that even though we may walk through the valley of the shadow of death we need not fear – in all our trials and tribulations Jesus remains our friend.

In the valley low, and on the mountain top – through oceans deep and rivers wide – God remains faithful. He is God in the good times and in the bad times.

Romans 5:1-5: teaches us that even in the storm God is faithful. He is always busy molding us, shaping us – in every situation He is with us. In the good times and the bad times He is faithful, and therefore in both the good times and the bad times we can praise Him for His goodness and His love.

The fact of the matter is that some days are better than others, but every day can be the best of your life when you adopt an attitude of gratitude.

As Christians we realize that through the Spirit of Adoption we have become sons and daughters of the Most High God. We are no longer enslaved by the bondage of fear and sin – but crying ‘Abba Father’. We are justified by faith and at peace with God through Christ. Through Jesus, also, we have access, by faith, to His grace – the marvelous, amazing Grace of God in which we stand, alive and rejoicing, in the hope of glory of God.

We are blessed and highly favored. We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. He is our deliverer. He is our healer. He is the provider.

In Psalm 103 David declares aloud: Bless the Lord, O my soul.

The word used for soul is the Hebrew ‘nephesh’ which does not just refer to our conventional understanding of a ‘soul’ as some sort of component of being, but rather a word that encapsulates all of his life – consciousness and the whole of life itself.

He is, in essence, saying: Let others praise you with their tongues – with their words – but as for me… Everything I am, all of me will honour you. All that is withing me – physically, emotionally and intellectually – will praise you, glorify you, magnify, bless and exalt you Lord – with everything I have – every faculty and resource I have to my disposal.

In verse 2 David repeats this phrase. Bless the Lord, O my soul!

As a guitarist I have to often tune my instrument before playing. The tuning peg needs to be turned until it is in tune. Often it has to be turned more than once.

David repeats this phrase on purpose. Deliberately and with good reason. It is not vain repetition – how can it be when your pen is guided by the Spirit of God?

David is thirsty. He is hungry. He is seeking the face of God – ardently and in all earnestness. With the repetition of these words he is stirring up a chorus within himself – a chorus in which all his faculties, emotions and capacities are joined in harmonious rapture.

The prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon, notes the following in his beautiful exposition of this psalm: These first verses are a tuning of the harp, a screwing up of the loosened strings, that not one note may fail in the sacred harmony.

David’s repetition is deliberate – for emphasis. Our praise must never be half-hearted. Our thanksgiving must always be intentional. Although our praise is often spontaneous and emotional, it must also be intentional, and to a degree rational.

Psalm 103:2 encourages us to not forget His benefits. More than wealth or prosperity, God gives His children TRUE benefits.

The theologian, VanGemeren said: Praise is the response of awe for God, while reflecting on what the Lord has done for the people of God – throughout the history of redemption, for creation at large, for the community and for oneself.

If praise is a response to the awe of God, and David is calling his whole soul – all he is – to bless the Lord, it means that our thanksgiving is never just in word but also in deed. Our praise and thanksgiving becomes something tangible.

As author Amy Leigh Mercree said: Thanksgiving is a joyous invitation to shower the world with love and gratitude.

The vanGemeren quote expresses this as well – our praise is not just about what God has done for the individual, but extends outwards.

And as David is led in writing the Psalm, his invitation to praise, starting with himself – the stirring up of his heart and soul – extends outwards to eventually include all of creation. All the earth and even the host of heaven is invited to bless the Lord.

All of creation. All of Heaven and Earth is invited to take their place in the sacred symphony of praise.

In Psalm 103:6 we see that God’s heart beats for the oppressed, the poor – the broken, lost and in need. God’s heart beats for the sinner, outcast and orphan. From reading the Gospels and about the Apostles, we see how God wants to use us as His hands and feet. We are to advocate for and actively pursue and effect justice for the oppressed, the weak and weary, the burdened. and heavy laden – we are called to make a difference. As the light of God’s love becomes alive in us we are to become a light – a beacon of hope – for those still in darkness.

The Psalms often make mention of an offering of thanks, or a sacrifice of thanksgiving. This was always a physical offering. I would argue that all our offerings, all of our praise and thanksgiving, are to be expressed physically.

We have so much to be grateful for today. He has saved us from death itself. He has paid for our healing and restoration. He gives us joy and peace – the kind that surpasses understanding. His grace carries us. His love enfolds us. His goodness and mercy follows us. He is our Shepherd and we shall not want. He is the Good Father who cares for His children. If His eye is on the Sparrow, surely He watches over you and me as well.

Let us stir up our souls to worship God today – in Spirit and in Truth. Let us call ourselves to worship and bless the Lord with more than just words.

This is the invitation.

Someone out there needs Jesus today.

This is the invitation, an invitation to shower the world with love and gratitude.

An invitation to bless the Lord by doing something.

To bring a physical, tangible offering to the Lord, as a living sacrifice to Him (Romans 12:1-2).

What is your sacrifice of praise today?

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I would like to ask you to help us fulfill the mission by supporting our mission. Your contribution allows us to devote our time to preaching, teaching, counseling those who can’t afford it and deliverance ministry – both locally and internationally, online and in person.

It also allows us to devote our time to the creation of materials for use by individuals and groups for personal growth and discipleship – all available for free on this website. We are not asking for much – even the smallest drop in the bucket makes a huge difference. We only ask that your prayerfully go to the Lord and ask Him to guide you in your giving.

Please see this page for more information on how you can support the mission:

https://kingdomrevolution.co.za/blogs/give/

Hands and Feet

Hands and Feet

by | Aug 8, 2024 | Kingdom Finance, Kingdom Principles, The Pattern

I remember years ago, as a volunteer in Hillbrow doing urban missions, I sat at a soup kitchen listening to testimonies from the local homeless population.

An older man got up and went to the front. The room fell silent as he started sharing. “I have never seen God give me bread or shelter…” He started. And I felt my heart jump. I thought to myself – this is not a testimony.

But the older man continued.

“But I have seen His children acting as his hands and feet to provide to our needs.”

Over the years this statement has stuck with me. This idea has shaped my ministry over the last 12 years. It is as Richard Rohr so beautifully puts it. Presence over preaching…

Peter shares the same kind of thought with us in his first epistle. In 1 Peter 2:9: he tells us that we are a royal priesthood, a chosen generation – a peculiar people – called out of darkness with the purpose of proclaiming his goodness to those who have not yet seen his love.

I like how the older translations put it – to shew forth the praises of Him who called us out of darkness. Not just to talk about it – but to practically demonstrate the Kingdom – to be ambassadors rather than citizens.

The old homeless man had a point. God uses us to facilitate His miracles. God uses us to provide and see to the needs of those who need Him. God uses us to care for the poor and disenfranchised. He uses us to bring about change. Gd works in us, He gives through us – and if He is present in our hearts, we will see His Kingdom present itself around us.

As believers and children of the Most High God, followers of the teachings of Christ we realize that we have a mission. This mission is given to us in Matthew 28 – in verse 16 the 11 disciples (sans Judas) go to the mountain in Galilee where Jesus had instructed them to go.

Here Jesus tells them the following: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus gives us the great commission – this role is assigned to us as a body – the authority of Christ, and therefore also the responsibility that comes with it – is delegated to us.

We are to make disciples as Jesus had done.

I love the Gospel According to Mark. In the book of Mark Jesus is described as a man of action – He didn’t just preach – but came as a revolutionary. Shifting paradigms, shaking our way of thinking and showing us the way forward. We cannot simply tell the hungry man to find Christ. A roaring belly is not always open to the Gospel – we need to feed him. The naked man needs to be clothed lest he be distracted by the cold, unable to hear the good news being shared.

We need to actually do. Not just talk the talk, but actually walk as Jesus instructed us to. As Christ Himself demonstrated.

When His disciples wanted to send the crowds home to go and eat, saying: “We cannot feed them…”, Jesus rebuked them and multiplied what was there.

But God used a little boy and his lunchbox to do this.

Just like Moses was instructed to use the staff he had in his hand to demonstrate God’s power – just like David picked up 5 stones – God uses what we have at hand to change the world.

And as we give – as we pour out the oil – it is multiplied. As we fill the cups of others, our cup will be filled.

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I would like to ask you to help us fulfill the mission by supporting our mission. Your contribution allows us to devote our time to preaching, teaching, counseling those who can’t afford it and deliverance ministry – both locally and internationally, online and in person.

It also allows us to devote our time to the creation of materials for use by individuals and groups for personal growth and discipleship – all available for free on this website. We are not asking for much – even the smallest drop in the bucket makes a huge difference. We only ask that your prayerfully go to the Lord and ask Him to guide you in your giving.

Please see this page for more information on how you can support the mission:

https://kingdomrevolution.co.za/blogs/give/

Tabernacle Typology 2: Let Them Bring An Offering

Tabernacle Typology 2: Let Them Bring An Offering

by | Jul 11, 2024 | Bible Studies, Christological Reflections, God in the Details, Tabernacle Typology, Typology

Ex. 25:1-9: (KJV)

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.”

God is the creator of all things, the creative genius, weaving together the seams of reality, painting the skies, and letting His song flow through all of creation.

In the Old Testament type of the Tabernacle we find a skillfully composed portrait of Jesus and His coming Kingdom. Each material used in its construction had a specific divine purpose in the design, God’s design for the salvation that was to come (Heb 8:1-5, and see Ex. 25:8-9).

The Tabernacle is seen by many commentators as a sign, an emblem; a symbol of God’s habitation among men – the coming incarnation of Jesus and the subsequent indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

It is interesting to note that according to Maimonides, the main purpose of the Sanctuary was to wean the Israelites from idolatrous worship and turn them towards God. If we examine, for example, the account of the Golden Calf (Ex. 32), we see that the Israelites, like most people, are easily discouraged and seek physical evidence to support their faith, usually in the wrong places. To them, at that time, God had been revealed through Moses, and now that he was gone they needed a new deity, a new revelation of the divine. The sanctuary was there to remind them of God’s presence in their midst, to reassure His chosen people. Just as His Holy Spirit brings revelations of God to us today, so they also needed a revelation, reassurance and affirmation.

The Tabernacle, in many ways, re-enforced the laws which Moses had been commanded to set before the children of Israel. It also symbolised the fact that, when God wanted to abandon them, rather than destroy them, He forgave them, and He went on with them (Ex. 33).

God gave very specific instructions concerning the construction of the Tabernacle, as well as the materials that were to be used. In Exodus 25:2: the Lord says: “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.”

This offering was a freewill offering, not a mandatory one. He also says that the offerings that are to be received are gold, silver, brass, blue, purple and scarlet yarns, fine linen, Goat’s hair, ram’s skins dyed red, badger skins, acacia wood, oil for the lamps, spices for anointing oil and for sweet incense, Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and breastplate.

A lot of this was plunder brought out of Egypt (Ex. 3:21-22), goods given by God, being given back for the glory of God. The beauty of this is in the concept of self-sacrifice. A spontaneous movement in oneself to do something, out of one’s free-will, not forced participation, but a decision to act not just on behalf of your own good, but for the good of your community according to the Will of God. Thus the Tabernacle is also a symbol, the embodiment, of love, gratitude and surrender to God’s will – for no other reason than the love of neighbor and above all the love of God.

The Tabernacle, for us as modern believers, is an invitation to participate in His presence.

We give what God has given us – our breath, our time, our lives – so that He might dwell in our midst and be glorified. We give what God has given us – with all our love and all our strength – so that God might inhabit our lives and that His Kingdom might come in us and through us, reaching, restoring and transforming the world around us.

Reflect:

1. In thinking about the materials listed in Exodus 25, what are some of the things these components might represent in regards to the coming of Jesus and His Kingdom?

2. In Exodus 25 God commands Moses to take up an offering to build the Tabernacle. What resources do you have available and how can you better use them to expand God’s Kingdom and Habitation amongst His people?

Prayer:

Lord, receive the offering I bring today. As I lay it at your feet – my breath, my time, my life – give me more of You. As I pour out myself before you, come and pour Yourself into me. Come tabernacle in me. Come and live, come alive, in me so that I might be a beacon of Your presence in a hurting world – Your hands and feet. Come and have Your way in me. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Beauty of the Cross

Beauty of the Cross

by | Jun 19, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“Oh wondrous love that called me out by name 
The one who made it all died to make a way
And every earthly gain I will count as loss 
I am redeemed, that’s the beauty of the cross” 

Beauty of the Cross, The Prestonwood Choir 

“ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 

1 Corinthians 1:18, NIV 

Jesus came to die so that we might live. 

It is easy for us to get sidetracked by the complexities of Scripture, End-Time thinking, promises of prosperity and the more mystical aspects of our Christian walk. While all of these things are important to consider it means absolutely nothing without a basic, foundational understanding of the Cross of Jesus Christ. 

We were lost to sin. We were counted as casualties of our own transgressions. We were distant and far away from God our Creator. 

Some of us still are. As much as we pray, prophesy or cast out demons – as much as we prosper in the Name of Jesus – many of us are still not truly rooted in Jesus. 

Jesus said the following: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practise lawlessness!’ 

The fruit of our Christian walk is not measured by the practice of power – even heathens and unbelievers can cast out demons – but the one thing they cannot do is give you Jesus to fill the gap left behind. 

Even unbelievers can ‘prophesy’ – but the Spirit of true prophecy is the Testimony of Jesus. 

Even unbelievers can prosper – the Bible teaches us this – but only a proper understanding of Christ and His Cross can give you true prosperity: the shalom of God, contentment in every circumstance and situation. 

We have in many ways been measuring our fruit according to the wisdom of this world – but the wisdom of this world is foolishness. 

The Cross offers us a paradigm shift – a change of perspective. We now count the world and its wealth, earthly gain and esteem as loss. 

The Cross of Christ offers us the opportunity to crucify the flesh, die to self and the world, sin and unrighteousness – and gives us new life as we stand up in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.  

You are called out by name! Called out of the grave of your transgressions – by name! Called out of the grave of spiritual loneliness and poverty – by name! 

When you were in darkness God saw you. God loved you! 

The fruit of our Christian walk is not measured in power, but in presence – the presence of God in your life. The presence of His peace, His love, His mercy, His grace, His capacity for forgiveness – the presence of the fruit of His Spirit in our lives – that is how we measure our spiritual growth.  

We do not measure the fruit of our Christian walk by our capacity to own – but in our capacity to give away without expecting returns and without agenda – our finances, our resources, our time, our love – sacrifice is the operative word! 

The grave is a solitary place – we put our dead in a coffin in the ground – there is no community. Jesus calls us out of the solitary and lonely graves of our selfishness into life – into community and fellowship – we measure the fruit of our Christian walk by looking at our selflessness. We do not measure our Christian walk by what or who we are but rather by what and who we are not – by what and who Christ is in and through us. The goal of the Christian life is to become less so that He might become more – so that we might be conformed in every way to Jesus.  

We strive for righteousness and holiness. We avoid sin like the plague. We keep our garments clean. We tend to the garden of our Christian walk through prayer, meditation and study, fellowship and community. We reach out to others with the same Hand that Jesus extended – love and mercy, goodness and grace.

The Christian walk is not about the practice of power – but the power of Christ in us is the practice of His Presence in a world that does not know Him.

Let us die to self so that others might find life in Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, let me become less so that You might become more. Help me die to self so that You might reign and rule in me. Show me the areas of my life that need to be surrendered for You to increase. Help me pursue presence more than power – Your presence in and through me. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Christ and the Angels: Lower than the Angels

Christ and the Angels: Lower than the Angels

by | Jun 14, 2024 | Bible Studies, Christological Reflections, God in the Details

David asks: What is man that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. (Psalm 8:4-5, KJV).

It’s a question I’ve often asked, and I’m sure it must’ve crossed your mind in the past as well – who am I that God is mindful of me? Who am I that He cares for me? Who am I that He sees me, and hears me, and loves me unconditionally?

Now – it is important for us to acknowledge that man is made up of various components – that the flesh can be separated from the spirit and from the soul. They are three distinct parts.

In the beginning God created the universe – He created man – and told man to reign over all the Earth, to have authority!

God made us, a little lower than the angels, but crowned us with glory and honor.

When we talk about Jesus being lower than the angels it is of utmost importance that we separate the various components which makes us human. Jesus isn’t lower than the angels in spirit and soul – but only in body! He is lower than the angels because of the perishable flesh He took on. We must remember that Christ is still God!

The Bible teaches that sin came into the world through one man – Adam, but also that our redemption comes from one man – as promised in Genesis 3:15 and fulfilled in Christ – the anointed Messiah in whom we have redemption, the remission of our sins and eternal life.

Hebrews 2:14: (KJV) reads as follows:

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;”

Tying in with the previous passage, as found in Hebrews 2:9-10:

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

God stepped down from His throne into the darkness of the world, into our midst, so that He could restore us, rescue us and take us home – return us, in right standing, to His Kingdom.

God stepped down from His throne, inclined to man, and it became Him to become a little lower than the angels so that He could suffer for our infirmities, be broken for our transgressions, and pierced for our iniquity. It became Him to step down from Glory, so that He could be glorified by His love for us – so that we could glory in His embrace.

He came to Earth a little lower than the angels to restore us, to take all our burdens upon Him, to taste death for man, so that we could eat the bread of life eternal.

In this we see this Christological concept – that Jesus is the Word that took on flesh to become the Spotless Lamb of God, the Sacrifice for the remission of our sins and our reconciliation with Himself. The perishable flesh that would serve as the metaphorical ‘veil’ behind which the fullness of God lives – torn so that we may realize that God is not in that box, but among us, dwelling, moving, and working in our midst.

The Word, infinite and eternal, taking on corruptible, frail and fragile flesh is the epitome of God bowing the heavens to tabernacle in our midst. The immortal becoming perishable the ultimate sacrifice.

Reflect:

1. In the second chapter of Hebrews the author draws a comparison between Jesus and the angels to explain the significance of His incarnation. What are some ways that you can describe the incarnation of Jesus in your personal mission field?

2. In the first two chapters of Hebrews the author draws comparisons between Christ and the angels to explore His majesty, power and glory – but also the frailty of the flesh He came to inhabit. Why is it important to understand both sides of the Incarnation to have a full view of His finished work on the Cross?

3. Considering the above, what can we as believers take out of the text to influence the way we live our lives and our outreach to our neighbours?

Prayer:

Lord, in all things – persecution, famine, nakedness and sword – help me be a faithful witness of Your Kingdom. You endured great discomfort, pain and even death to prove Your love for us. My flesh might fail, but Your Spirit does not. Empower me through the indwelling of Your presence to see Your Kingdom come in our midst as I pray for, work for and strive for revival in my life and the lives of those around me. Give me a renewed understanding of the frailty You chose on my behalf and the sacrifice – Your Body and Your Blood – for me. Let me live a life worthy of the One You gave – with gratitude and thanksgiving. In Jesus Name. Amen.