How Good And Pleasant It Is When God's People Live Together In Unity! - Psalm 133

Psalm 133:1
How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!

We have heard this verse shared so often.  But I fear we don't apply this verse to enough areas in our lives in order to see the radical blessing God commands in verse 3...

"...there the LORD bestows His blessing..."


A stunning verse.  A majestic line.

Friends, we all disagree on something.  If you are married, you will know that you can have disagreements with the person you love the most!  You can even have disagreements with your own children!  Disagreements are common.  Because we are human and ever since eating of the "tree of knowledge of good & evil", we became incredible opinionated.

The unfortunate reality is that those opinions divided us.  But the good news today is that they don't have to!

Think of all the denominations in the world today.  How many different splinter groups have started because people disagreed with a simple opinion based on a perspective of Scriptural interpretation?  Far too many.  (I don't want to get into talking different denominations here, I just use them as an example.)

My point is that if we would simply look past our disagreements, we could be walking in unity, and therefore walking in greater numbers together, and thus walking in even greater blessing!  It is ok to disagree with someone.  This verse doesn't say "when brothers live in agreement".  It says "when brothers live in unity".  There's a difference.  You can live in unity with someone even if you disagree with them on somethings!  Hence my marriage illustration.

Friends, I want to encourage you today...  Disagreement is ok.  But be big enough to "agree to disagree" and walk in love with those who we call brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ.  And let's watch as the blessing of God increases in measure over our lives and we make an even greater impact for the Kingdom of God!

Never Give Up On God's Faithfulness!

Isaiah 40:31
Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

I am sure many of you have faced questions about God's ability or willingness to answer prayer at some point in your life.  Many of us have faced such questions recently, especially with the sudden passing of Zoe Grace Dunbar.  The tragedy came as a shock to all of us, and has brought the family of the church together in an incredible way to support, love and care for our dearest brother and sister Wade and Roxanne and their whole family.

In the midst of tragedies such as this, it is easy to point fingers at God.  And there is space to do so.  There were times when David cried out to God in ways many of us are afraid to do so.  Such tragedy drives that kind of emotion out.  And it is helpful to let it out.

But in this edition of the "encouragement", I want to encourage you all to never give up.  There have also been many people being afflicted with serious viral infections (like Chad and Dayna Parkes), others coming down with the flu and the list goes on.  It is clear we are under attack.  Friends, it is imperative in this time that we do not succumb to the lie of the enemy and abandon our faith in God's Goodness.

Our God is always good.  His Word declares it, and His Word is the highest authority for Truth.  The challenge is knowing this Truth but living in a seemingly different reality.  It is one of the biggest challenges living the Christian life faithfully; seeing what should be but experiencing a different reality.  (This is something I will hopefully touch on in my sermon on Sunday night).

My friend, as this verse declares, if you don't give up on hoping in the LORD, your strength will be renewed!  You will be given strength to face this life and rise on the wings of your Saviour.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray without giving up in Luke 18 when He told them of the parable of the persistant widow.  Friends, we too will not give up on the Goodness of our God!  He is Good!  Despite what our experiences tell us at this moment, our God is Good and His mercy endures forever!  And it is with this heart that we will encourage and offer our deepest love to people like Wade and Roxanne, and Trevor and Chan, and the many others we will come across who have faced such extreme trial.  Our hearts go out to you our amazing friends, we love you with all our hearts.

We will never give up.

Understanding God's Grace in All Its Truth

Colossians 1:6
All over the world this Gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's Grace in all its truth.

Reading through Colossians after Steve's recent series on the book, this verse jumped out at me.  Two powerful truths are revealed.  Firstly, the Gospel was bearing fruit all over the world and growing.

Think about this...  Before Paul arrived on the scene, Judaism and Greek mythology were probably the two most popular religions.  Within 300 years, Christianity had become the world's most believed upon faith.  How did that happen!?

Romans 1:16 gives us a good answer:  "The Gospel is the Power of God".  The Message of the Gospel is the most powerful message anyone can ever convey.  So powerful that it will spread like a wildfire naturally.  One only has to look at this worldwide "Grace revolution" we are in to see that.  People everywhere are coming into this revelation because the message is the Message of the Gospel!  Just this week I received an email from a lady in Cape Town who had been watching Joseph Prince's teachings on TBN every week and finally the revelation of Grace penetrated her heart and she started Googling "Grace" and came across "Highway to Grace".  She said her life has been completed transformed by this revelation.  Stories like this confirm the power of this Message.

Another side to the Gospel's power to bear fruit is not only in global understanding, but in personal growth.  This message is one that naturally produces faith in God's goodness.  If you find yourself still battling in a certain area, still feel like there are areas you need to adjust etc.  Be patient.  The seed of the Gospel that has penetrated your heart will start to germinate and produce some beautiful fruit!

Paul then goes on to say in the second half of this verse that the Gospel has borne fruit "since the day... you understood God's Grace in all its truth."  Notice that word "all"?  That's intriguing.  Could it be that it is possible to understand God's Grace in fractions of its truth?  Could it be that the more of its truth we grasp the more fruit we will see?

Friends, God's Grace is bigger and wider and more powerful than any of us will ever come to comprehend.  We never stop learning from it, and we never stop loving it.  Continue to soak yourself in New Covenant books and teachings and grow in your understanding of God's Grace.

Maybe like the woman in Cape Town that emailed me, you've heard the message of Grace so often but it hasn't had that much of an impact on you.  Don't stress.  Don't try to believe it.  Keep soaking yourself in it, and eventually this Powerful, World-changing Message will grip you so tightly that you will never be the same.

May you forever stay in the Rays of God's Glorious Grace.  And may you forever grow in your understanding of it!

2 Corinthians 8:9 
For you know the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

I heard a brilliant point about the poverty of Jesus a while ago...  If there was any king in the world who deserved to arrive in fanfare, the most prestigious palace and beautiful of settings, it was Jesus.  Jesus is the King of kings.  He created everything we see, and everything we don't see!  (Col. 1:16)  You would have expected His manifestation and birth on Earth to have been a bit more prestigious.

And yet, the Creator of all things arrived to one of the poorest families in Jerusalem, a family who couldn't even secure a room to stay in at the time of His birth.  And His first crib?  A bed of dirty straw where animals eat.  This doesn't sound like royalty at all does it?

This is the humility and security of our King.  In no way ever does He feel the need to show off His majesty and all-consuming power.  Ever.  The only time He did while on Earth was out of compassion.

It is an incredible thought!

But why?  Why would the King of all kings do such a thing?  Enter this world in such humility?  It baffles the reasoning mind.  You see, Jesus didn't need a thing to know His identity.  Jesus didn't need any external form of power or authority to know who He was and where He was from.  He also needed to show this world the power of the "other world", the Kingdom of Heaven.

But another incredible reason is that Jesus willfully chose not to have such wealth and riches and be born into hard-working poverty so that mankind could be redeemed from the slave-driving antics of the enemy!  Dictatorial leadership and slavery is a brainchild of satan.  Jesus came under it in order to redeem us from it!

Friends, Jesus gave up His riches for you and I!  He gave up His authority in this world so we could have it!  My friend, by the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, you have been redeemed to a position of royalty and authority!  Don't ever use this identity to wield power over others, it should be used to serve others.

If your heart only longs to glorify God and see His Kingdom established here on Earth, God will bless you to be a blessing!  God wants to bless the nations through you.  Thank Jesus that today you can access a life of success and blessing because Jesus gave up such a life.   Believe today the work of Jesus on your behalf, and begin to walk in His blessings.  Step by step, you will find yourself blessing more and more around you as you simply walk in who you are as a Royal child of the Creator!

The Kingdom of Heaven Is Near You

Luke 10:9
Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The Kingdom of God is near you.'

This passage of Scripture tells of when Jesus commission His followers to get out into the villages and release the Kingdom of God over them.  And this verse gives us some interesting insight...

What is interesting is that the sick being healed is directly related to the Kingdom of God being near.  This gives us a clear indication that there are two kingdoms at war, and based on what Jesus says, in one of these kingdoms sickness is rife, while the other's aim is to destroy sickness.  The good news is that we have been brought into the latter Kingdom.

Isn't it encouraging to know that the Kingdom of God is a kingdom that aims to overthrow sickness?  It is an encouraging thing to know that God does not send sickness, nor is it in His plans or purposes, because it is diametrically opposed to the Nature of His Kingdom.

Friends, God does not want you to be sick.  He wants you to be healed, well and better more than you do!  Why do you think Jesus sent the disciples to heal all who were sick!?

If you are sick, what you need is to get as close to where the Kingdom of God is in operation as possible. And even better news is that Jesus tells us that it is in us!  (Luke 17:21)  What we need to see more of is the Kingdom of God that is within us being released around us in order to see it overthrow the current kingdoms and governments.

If you are battling with anything that is not of the Kingdom of God; sickness, poverty, unforgiveness, condemnation, addictions, whatever it may be...  declare the Kingdom of God into that situation.  Declare that Jesus is Lord!  He is the King, and you are declaring that situation to come under the rulership of the King of Kings Jesus Christ, and you will see your salvation!  (Romans 10:9)

And if you are not seeing what you believe should be the desired results, don't give up!  Be persistent!  You may feel like you are losing the battle but Jesus has won the war!  Declare all out attack!  Get friends around you, faith-filled believers, go to your leaders, pastors, and keep declaring the Kingdom of God's rulership over that situation, and know that in God's Kingdom, there is healing for every situation.

God's Mercies Are New Everyday

Lamentations 3:22 - 24 (ESV)
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; (23) they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (24)  “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

We all have bad days, let's be honest with each other.  The reasons for having a bad day are innumerable, from having a taxi pull out in front of you in traffic on your way to work, to the passing away of a friend.  No matter the extreme, both can cause negative emotions leaving us feeling sad and down, sometimes even depressed.  Most of us would have experienced a spiral of emotions where one bad incident can spiral into a mini depression lasting even into the next day and sometimes even week.

But the writer of this verse identified 2 things that could counteract such a spiral of negative emotions.  1)  A new dawn means a fresh start.
2)  Appreciating God's mercy.
When you combine the 2 together, you have the perfect recipe for snapping out of an emotional breakdown of any kind.

Firstly, the simple act of sleeping and waking up a few hours later is like a filter for the brain.  All the bad stuff that was said and done the day before is often filtered out of our consciousness and we wake up with a clear mind.  Add to this the fact that a rising sun inspires most people to face a new day with passion, and already you have a great opportunity to forget the past.

Secondly, we need to realise that each new day provides a new opportunity for God to show His Mercy, Faithfulness, Love and Goodness.  Considering these aspects inspires the writer to worship (look at verse 24).  When we appreciate the small things each and every day, it will inspire worship within our hearts.  Worship helps us to be mindful of God, and being mindful of God gives one Supernatural Joy and Peace.  It is a perfect cycle.

So my friend, the next time you have a bad day, don't let your anger or emotion affect those around you (Eph. 4:26), but then get to bed and allow God's natural design of sleep clear your mind.  Wake up to the fresh smelling brew of a cup of tea or coffee, thankful that you have such a sensitive smell; look at the sun breaking through the clouds as it rises for another day, thankful that you can see it's beauty and feel it's warmth; and face the day knowing that God is good, and He has good things in store for you today.  Because He has, you just need to find them and take them.

The Lord truly is our portion, and our hope is in Him, because He is Good!

The Law has been Summed Up

Galatians 5:14
The entire Law is summed up in a single command:  "Love your neighbor as yourself."

People who come into a supernatural revelation of the Grace of God often do so when they realise that they are no longer "under the Law", that the Law no longer applies to them, and they most certainly don't need to obey it perfectly in order to please God.  These are all powerful truths.  The only challenge is that often the very purpose the Law was given is disregarded.

People show throw the baby out with the bathwater, if you like.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am not advocating we start relooking at the Law and see what may be helpful for us to live good Christian lives, no, that is not what I am saying.  (Because if we did, we would become obsessed with keeping it, like the Israelites did).  What I am saying is that there is a purpose behind God giving the Law, and we should consider that purpose.  The purpose was that the Israelites would live in peace.

"World Peace".  This is one of the most common answers to the question "what is the one thing you would ask for if you could have anything in the world?"  It is engrained into our DNA that we were meant to live in peace and harmony with one another.  Why?  God designed us that way.

The point of the Law was Love.  Jesus came to show us that.  The Israelites priests of the day were keeping the Law outwardly and looked down upon anyone who didn't match up.  They were revered and respected almost as demi-gods, and had a strong hand of control of the people.  Jesus came and showed up what was in their hearts.  It wasn't Love.  They had become so obsessed with keeping the Law outwardly that they had no regard for the person behind the lawbreaker.

Kingdom justice is not about punishment, it is about restoration.  One only has to look at John 8 and the woman caught in adultery to see that.  Jesus came to show us that at the heart of God was not some megalomaniac dictator who wanted robotic lawkeepers, no, there was a heart of a Father who longed for nothing more than to see His children live in peace with each other.

Friends, today, remember, this is the heart of our faith.  Unconditional Love.  Let's remember this imperative Truth in our quest to see God's Kingdom come here on Earth.  The greatest manifestation of Heaven on Earth is peace between mankind.  Friends, it has been made possible through the Cross!

We know that we can never Love unconditionally unless we get a glimpse of God's unconditional Love for us.  (1 John 4:19)    Friends, have a look at the Great Love the Father has for you, and allow His Love to penetration every part of your heart and let it so overwhelm you that it oozes out of you to everyone you know, and everywhere you go.