As I'm thinking about the passing of a very large figure in the current day family of Christ, I can't get past thinking about who'll rise up to fill the void that he leaves behind. So as is my usual habit, I'm going to share from my heart here. I pray that those already being faithfully diligent and obedient are not offended. What I share here isn't intended for everyone, but I'm comfortable that those that need to hear it will know it in their own hearts, being admonished by the Holy Spirit. I pray that they find themselves lifted to their spiritual feet and strengthened by it.
Romans 13:11-14 (NLT)
11"This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. 13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires."
However late it was when the Apostle Paul spoke those words, we know now that we can only be much closer to the day that he spoke of. Whether the predetermined number of our days in these physical bodies runs out or the day of Christ's return finally arrives to call the nations of the world to account, we're nearer to it now than we've ever been. And if my comments sound like a repetitive call that you've heard a thousand times, challenging you to wake up and take notice ... I do not apologize...
Ephesians 5:6-14 (NLT)
6" Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. 10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
I don't apologize because I'm calling to some people right now that are drifting - people that Father God loves passionately. They have the truth hidden away somewhere in their hearts but they've become lulled by the cares and concerns of this world and they've dozed off spiritually or may have never experienced the fullness of life that Christ offers. They may have taken comfort at their recruitment and conscription into Father God's camp and be hiding behind their new title as a "Christian", heralding it as their safety, but they've failed to enter into a living relationship with Him or to report to serve. They're the "would be" warriors and champions of Christ, gifted with full access to the power and the armory of the truth of God by grace, who're asleep at their post ... and they could be found without defense of their failed duty when Christ returns. There are thousands of lives that could be touched by the life of just one faithful servant of Christ responding to His calling ...or maybe even just one, very precious to Father God, that He's made it possible that you could touch by allowing Christ's spirit to be seen through you.
Luke 12:48 (NLT)
"But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required."
If you've been asleep spiritually, know this - the enemy's no fool, he will not wake you. If you let him, he'll only lure you into far deeper slumber. He walks softly and his voice is deceptively soothing and reassuring. He'll tell you that all is well while he secretly works with vicious intention to make your life worthless in vindictive retaliation against Father Gods judgment over him. His weapons are often our own weaknesses used against us, knowing their eroding and self destructive power. They're the lusts for temporary things, worthless in eternal currency, that satisfy our egos and our temporal bodies along with any weakness he finds in our will to actively serve Christ obediently. Deception and a reassuring invitation to compromise are among his strongest pitches and they can be powerful arguments... but we know him and we know his intention - we've been warned.
1 John 2:15-17 (NLT)
15"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever."
Lucifer's own vanity, not unlike any we might be found to possess, arose not from anything that he had a right of claim to, but from what Father God had sovereignly gifted him as the Creator and owner of all things. His vanity grew to overtake the place of deserved holy gratitude and submission. And while comfortably lost in his self serving and self aggrandizing obsession, Lucifer lost his holy fear and reverent respect for Father God ... and it can happen to us. As powerful as Lucifer was, far more powerful than we, he rose up to challenge God and was defeated and cast down. His reward and destination for his lack of respect and holy fear is the coming horrors of eternal damnation, forever separated from Father God's presence. His fate now serves as a warning we know. The reality called Hell has adequate vacancies. So if we as mere decaying humans ever lose the reverent respect and holy fear of Father God, then the only thing I can imagine is that we've either forgotten or never really knew who Father God is... and that's when we'd really need to be afraid.
2 Corinthians 7:1 NLT
"Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God."
Revelation 14:6-7 (NLT)
6 "And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 “Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.” "
My message here isn't intended to be a club or a deflating chastisement. My goal is to encourage every comfortably complacent person that knows the truth to wake up, rise up and actively serve Christ with renewed passion. There's a war waging around us. There's a battle for hearts and minds and there are people dying around us. Whether your in a position of power over many people, a highly skilled servant or the humble person that takes out the trash, stand and serve in the spirit of Christ right where you are (or wherever He leads you). But as you do so remember, it's not we who wage this battle. It's the spirit of Christ through us that is so powerful and attractive. So pressing in and immersing ourselves in obedience to His call for relationship with us is critical. Our willingness to serve as vessels through which Christ can minister is our calling - whatever our earthly vocation might be. If you're in a humble position in life, take courage - Jesus can do wonders through you anywhere. We're not all called to be great preachers or evangelists. Wherever we are is where He wants to be and His ability to work through us is only limited by our willingness to submit to let Him work in and through us.
The body of one courageous warrior of Christ is now laid to rest in honor, having finished well the race he was called to run. In the wake of Billy Graham's passing, his powerful voice is now silent from behind the many pulpits where he once stood to share the message of the truth of the Gospel of Christ with millions. He spoke that same living message of hope for forgiveness and reconciliation clearly to young and old, rich and poor alike through print, radio, television and through numerous huge gatherings all over the world... and it had an effect - one that followers of Christ have all had the privilege to take some comfort in.
Reverend Graham's faithful service not only helped bring masses to Christ giving birth to light in the world around us, but it also gave courage and support to those who already stood faithful - lending some assurance that the light of Christ's message and its good effect would continue to remain somewhat constant in the environment around us in a world temporarily ruled by darkness. We knew that Reverend Graham was until more recently proclaiming the Gospel and the virtue of Father God's ways to the masses inhabiting the world around us in far away places, but also very near in ways that had the ability to touch our own lives. There was some reassurance in knowing that He stood courageously declaring the gospel and God's true virtue to the nations of the world around us. His voice was only one of many, but it was loud and unmistakable. Along with the others, it helped maintained a presence for the word of the Lord in the world. But that one particular voice has now gone silent.
Of course that message of hope through Christ and its light lives on, but in the wake of Billy Graham's passing and the silencing of his voice here on the earth, there comes a question for some Christians passively passing through life to consider: Who's courageous voice will rise above the din and through the darkness in his absence to give assurance that that same crucial message is carried to the ears of those that still need to hear it where we are - including our own children and grandchildren? Whose voice will rise up and speak cleanly the raw, powerful message of the gospel that we've been blessed to hear ... to them? Would we abdicate our responsibility and leave them to chance in a world that would like nothing more than to ruthlessly take them to places that they'll wish they'd never gone - when we knew all the while that there was a better way? Or would that voice be ours?
Ephesians 3:20 "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."
We're not all called to be world evangelists, or preachers, pastors or even elders of the church... but we are called to be light - His warriors right where we are. Whatever our surroundings might be, however humble our earthly standing, Christ in us and through us is not limited by those things. Our call to service may simply be to submit ourselves and our lives to Christ's teaching and allow the attractive beauty of Christ's spirit to be seen through us. Whatever our calling might be, our willingness to meet it, however great or humble will only be heard by submitting to listen and follow.
Ephesians 4:14-16 (NLT)
14"Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."
All of us have an obligation to make Christ known since He's been made known to us - to pay it forward in a sense.
1 Timothy 4:6-12 (NLT)
6 "If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed. 7 Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. 8“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 9 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. 10 This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers. 11 Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. 12 Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity."
Parents have a special obligation since they've been blessed to be trusted with the responsibility for the care and nurturing of a very unique and precious creation of Father God that He holds very near and dear to His heart in each of the children He's placed in their care. As much as we may be tempted to think of them as ours - they are His. And not only is Father God going to want them back trained in His ways, but He's going to know exactly what we've done to raise them for Him as the guardians and caretakers that He's appointed us to be for HIS children. This should be a sobering thought for every parent because it's a sober responsibility that we're given.
Proverbs 22:6 (NLT) "Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it."
Now, so you don't think that I'm riding a high horse here, I'd like to share a couple of things. I'm the earthly father of seven children and between you and I, I'm pretty sure there aren't enough fingers and toes to count the number of mistakes that I've made during the years that I had the privilege and responsibility of having them in my home. But in the end, even where I've tried and possibly even failed, I know that they have a far better example than I and I have the comfort of knowing that they know it - Jesus. I also know that they know the the redeeming hope found in the gospel. They and their spouses will make their own decisions now and are responsible for those decisions. They'll make them daily, surrounded by the prayers of their mom and myself in the hope that they'll be more successful than we as examples of Christ's spirit and better teachers of those things that will matter for eternity.
At the end of all of this, my hope is that you're not a slumbering servant of Christ, but awake in Him and serving Him faithfully wherever you may be found. But if you were perhaps snoozing on duty, I hope my words here may have stirred your heart to act. We're surrounded by so many things in life today that are contrary to what our Lord's ordained and declared to be true. It's not without intention that attempts are constantly made to minimize or put down the true virtues of Christ's spirit and the word of our Lord in the world. Satan knows what he's doing - he's cunning and he's had thousands of years to get better at what he does in a spirit of evil vengeance. The host of negative influences surrounding us and our children can be oppressive and even overwhelming if we let them. Our hope and defense is found continually in Christ and His instruction. Everything we need to know to navigate this life successfully is found in the scripture that our Lord lovingly gave to prepare us as His warriors in the world and understanding is revealed by the Holy Spirit.
Rise up in Him and fulfill your holy destiny through Christ as His warrior - wherever your are.
Ephesians 3:16-21 (NLT)
16 "I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. 20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 6:10-16 (NLT)
10 "A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil."
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