Faith Builders Devotional

In Kent Washington I started my second year of middle school at a brand new school. It was wonderful; new building, new teachers, new band instruments, new sports equipment. Everything was new. Praise God for smart parents who moved nearby so we could go to this new facility.

I started to study German as my first language and in one year I was able to do pretty well with the tough native German teacher instructing our class. The classmates in that class had been with me in elementary school as well as for the first year in the older middle school across town. Even as a kid, I was talking about Jesus. They knew were I stood, but I was a bit naive.

Talking to one girl in the class, she made some negative comments about God and my Jesus. Silly me, I told her, “Well, we’re not to cast our pearls before the swine” foolishly quoting Matthew 7:6. I just couldn’t believe some kid could even say something like that about my heavenly Father so I said exactly what I thought. Even as a 14 year-old girl she got flaming mad at me. It was a bit harsh of a statement from me, and not something I recommend you quote to people about them. But as we get older, we have to realize time is limited.

Did Jesus chase people around telling them to repent? Nope. He sowed the seeds of truth in people by what He said and let those words grow in them. If they responded he would act in kind. However, if not He was led by the spirit regarding how much further time He spent with them. You and I also need to be led because frankly you can waste time with people who are completely not open to the Way if you aren’t sensitive to the Spirit. First Cor 16:22 is pretty harsh sounding as well. It says that these folks are accursed. If you think about it, they really are. If you hear the powerful Word of God, the pearl of great price, and deny it you are condemning yourself to be eternally separated from God. That is as clear as crystal. Matthew 25:41 says it plainly.
"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: NKJV

Hell and separation from God was not made for humans but it was made for satan and those other fallen angels with him. We’ve got to remember that. The Good News of the Way to God is going out to all people. They must chose.

Time is running short. We must tell people about Jesus. You can’t talk about His coming too much. What can we do? I like how Matthew 25 continues on.

Do you want to do something for Jesus and the Kingdom today? Do something for someone else.

Today’s Reading-

Revelation 14-16
Proverbs 27

Church of Jesus Christ, Christian... You see these names thrown around as if they are some brand or club of the month with some people. Jesus has come. We know that Jesus is the Way. There is no other truth.

It is said every good lie has got to have a bit of truth in it. The Word is truth (John 17:17). Therefore people try to copy the basics on the Messiah His Word, then run in a different direction. Just because someone says they are a Christian or calls their church something with “Jesus Christ” in the name, does not necessarily mean they are followers of Jesus and the Way. So how can you tell a cult with a counterfeit Jesus from the real Jesus our Messiah? Here are a few things to keep in mind-

-Central figure- A cult usually has some central figure that is the foundation of that group. He or she claims glorify from the people following them. The use the Bible to a limited extent to prove their points.

-Everyone else is wrong- A cult will undoubtedly say that everyone else is wrong. We are the true way. You are not allowed to attend any other churches. All other people who profess to be Christians are not going to make it is their usual teaching.

-Questions are discouraged- You must not ask questions, you must believe things the way they are even if they might seem unbelievable in reality, history, or experience.

-Contrary to the Word- Actions are taught, and encouraged, that go against what is written in the Word of God. Doctrines are built on single scriptures that are unrelated.

-Resource Thief- Giving is not a free-will action, it becomes a duty. You must give to any other places. Just to the leader.

All these things are wrong. There are many other false things to watch for, but you must choose to follow Jesus not some human leader. Don’t fall for a different gospel. People who preach something other than the Word of God are cursed. Galatians 1:8 says,
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. NKJV

Whatever church you go to, your pastor and leadership team must be submitted to King Jesus first and foremost. If they love Jesus, they are going to be submitted to you and all the members of that church family. They are not going to do things to take advantage of their church family. Jesus gave preference to His friends and all of us should be doing the same as well.

Don’t fall for a false Gospel. Seek Jesus more than anything. If your church leaders preach something that sounds strange, check it to the Word and make sure it is accurate. If it isn’t then that church may be in the danger zone.

If you have friends going to a questionable church, pray for them. Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth about that church to the people there. With your prayer, watch the situation change at the mighty Name of Jesus!

Today’s Reading-

Revelation 17-18
Proverbs 28

If you know your Bible, then you know that Jesus is God. He said, “I and My Father are One”. We also know that the Holy Spirit is God.

As we prepared and studied for this writing, we read people talking about the trinity and how difficult it is to understand. Actually, the trinity is very simple to understand. Why? We are made in God’s image, we are made in His likeness. We know from 1 Thessalonians 5:23 that we are created as a smaller ‘trinity’ ourselves. That’s right. We are a spirit, we have a soul, and we live in a body. Sound familiar? God is the Holy Spirit, He came in the flesh as Jesus, and He is the Father. Three but yet one. We are three but yet one.

If you look at water it can also be in three forms but it is still water based; liquid, ice, and steam. There is this theme of trinity in the Bible. Some debate it as the Word trinity is not used. We must remember first of all the Bible was not written originally in English. If you study the original languages you will discover more depth in your Bible studies. The Strong’s Concordance is a great what to do that. Now with computers, it is even easier to study the original words from the original Bible languages.

Here in 1 John 5 we see a similar thing; the spirit, the water, and the blood. The trinity is the unity of God. Obviously, they have separate roles just as our spirits, souls, and bodies have separate roles. My Bible school teacher taught that the differences in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can be summed up as this way.

The Father plans
The Holy Spirit reveals the plan
The Son executes the plan

As you pray today, pray for unity in your church. Pray for people that you see that are spiritually sick or physically sick. Pray for God to draw people by the Holy Spirit to a saving grace.

Today’s Reading-

Revelation 19
Proverbs 29

Are you looking for good leaders? There is certainly a shortage of good leaders in the world. People who can lead businesses, departments in companies, schools, special organizations, or even armies. Every country is looking for leaders but there is a shortage. Why is this so? Continue reading in 1 Timothy 3 and you see.

We know pastors are to be good stewards with their homes. The church is a group, a family of believers where everyone plays a different role. We must submit to each other. We are not to Lord over each other and become some type of guru controlling people. People need to be encouraged to have that Berean spirit of making sure what is preached in church and taught in the Bible studies, power groups, and Sunday classes is not contradictory to the Word of God. But more importantly get that revelation for themselves from the Word.

The important traits of the pastor also need to be in practice with the deacons or leaders of the church. The church is not a building, but a gathering of the followers of Jesus and the Way.

During my Bible schooling I served in a denominational church in Japan. It was a lot of work as my wife and I were relied on for teaching Sunday school, leading worship, praying for the sick, planning events, attending long monthly deacons meetings, translating the messages of foreign preaches... all this as we watched over our young children in the church. We worked very hard every weekend and gave not only a lot of time, but also a lot of money and other resources to the church. He has truly blessed us for our giving. As I look back at it, I can see that God was preparing us for the future by using our faith “now”.

If you are a blessing, you will be blessed. That pastor would ask me to receive the offerings and it always seemed like it was never enough. Later, we discovered that the pastor was not disclosing the full finances of the church. In humility we went to the pastor of the church and asked him about it. We went with open minds and were willing to understand what he would explain. He knew that what he was doing was immoral, but yet he was unwilling to admit it or change. That was our last day at that church. We decided if the pastor could not be honest with the church, how could the members be honest with each other or their family. Our trust of that man was broken.

Philippians 4:8 is a good verse to remind yourself of constantly . Don’t just think about the things being done here, do them. Spiritually, we can only go as high as the people around us. That is why if you want to be a champion , you run with champions.

If you have a good pastor, it is really important that he surround himself with good people. I like to pull an “o” from good and say “Surround yourself with God people”. Wherever you go to church, make sure it is a solid Bible-believing, baptized in the Holy Spirit gathering of believers... then help the pastor and the leadership to do more for Jesus. As you build up your church, the stronger it will become. A good pastor is always praying for his church family nearly daily, but how many church family members are praying for their pastor daily.

Have you prayed for your pastor recently? Pray for wisdom and guidance by the Holy Spirit. Pray for him to be open to the move of God. Pray for finances to meet the needs of him and his family above and beyond what he can ask or think. Pray for ideas for him and his leadership team to bring more people into the Way of Jesus. Pray for a solid leadership team around him that are also passionate followers of Jesus. Pray for his Bible studies and preparations this week as he gets ready for Sunday worship celebrations, that the anointing of God will be on Him powerfully. Pray for your pastor today. A praying church is a growing church.

Today’s Reading-

Revelation 22 - Congratulations today you will finish reading the New Testament!
Proverbs 1

One week in my business I met two members from a very old religious group. They were complete opposites. One was very zealous for his group and the other was completely cold. The spiritually cold guy described how his father had played the organ at his church for the last 30 years, his mother was a volunteer at their church in the area for just as long. He stressed that the only thing that he liked about church was the music. He was a choirboy and even sang on national television. That guy had decided that God did not exist because everyone he thought of as “Christian” had had troubled lives. His conclusion was that if God appeared to him in person, then there was a reason to believe that God exists. He was unwilling to understand that you cannot see God with your physical eyes. You must believe by faith. When you can see with your spiritual eyes, you can emphatically say, “I see now!” If you are trying to do anything just by your physical sight, you are in trouble.

The other guy was more versed in the traditions of his group. He knew the old history and even knew a bit of the Bible. He explained how there was so much tradition and teaching that he didn’t understand. Before we began talking about Jesus, his language was quite different. It was foul and if you heard him speaking, you would have guessed he was an unbeliever. He understood how the Bible is not just one book but it is 66 books, he knew how it came together by the believers of the time, but he was trying to stress how tradition is just as important as the Bible. I did not argue with him but let him speak. As He spoke the Holy Spirit reminded me of

For both men, as I thought about it later, they were both notably similar. What was challenge? They both did not know the Word of God and because they did not know the Word, they did not see the power of God in their lives. When they did not see the power of God, they had no way to explain how God was actively working in their lives. They had tradition; and although tradition can be good, it can also put you in bondage. You can talk about words, or stories of the past, but where is the power today? You can talk about what Dad did, but what have you done?

The Word of God is not just words, it is the inspiration of God recorded by men and women, and brought together by other inspired men and women of God. Through the centuries dictators have tried to destroy it, others have tried to remove it from public places, and unbelieving academics have tried to disprove it. That is where the power comes in.

What makes you different from the religious people? What makes your name come up when people need help? It is because of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the power you have. Power to pray for the sick and see them recover. Power to see through a situation and give great insights. Power to see infertile couples get pregnant. Power to command incurable diseases to go away and watch it happen. Power to see pain and suffering flee at the MIghty Name of Jesus because you know Him.

Whatever it is, I want it all. I want the full deal. If you have preached the gospel fully, you are preaching the Word and watching the signs come by faith, when you set out by faith. Don’t just sit there. Step out on the Word and watch things happen. Our Lord Jesus summed it up beautifully when he was talking to other religious folks.

Today’s Reading-

Proverbs 5