A Third Response: The Shepherds & Good News

December 9, 2011

“After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished…”  (Luke 2: 17-18)

For many years I have wondered why God told the shepherds what He was about to do when He put Christmas in place.  We have seen that the first Christmas happened relatively quietly.  The people who were told about the first Christmas played an important role in that great intervention of God into history.  Zechariah and his wife needed to know because they were to be the parents of John the Baptist, the last and the greatest of the Messianic prophets.  Mary needed to know because she was to be the birth mother of God.  Joseph needed to know how and why his beautiful young fiancé became pregnant.  But why did the shepherds need to know about the miracle of that first Christmas?

I am convinced that a clue to the answer can be found when we realize that unbelief shut the mouth of the first person to know about this miracle.  Mary, who is such a marvelous example for us, was so filled with awe and questions that she did not share the miracle.  However, these lowly simple shepherds told everybody what they had been told and seen for themselves.

As we consider the Christmas that shall be we must follow the example of the shepherds and tell people who have no hope the good news that God is going to do Christmas again when Jesus Christ intersects human history a second time.  Will you prayerfully consider telling people about the Christmas that was and the Christmas that shall be?

Will you give hopeless people a reason to hope?

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Posted by Dick Woodward

Christmas Negligence

December 6, 2011

“But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)

 After the Angel Gabriel visited the priest Zechariah he went to the village of Nazareth to a peasant girl named Mary.  When he told her she was going to be the mother of God she responded in three ways.  The Scripture states very clearly that she believed and praised God (Luke 1:45-55).  As we might well imagine, we read that she was so filled with awe the first person to question the virgin birth was the virgin. She showed us that honest inquiry is not the sign of a weak faith.  And the verse above tells us that she kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

When the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles tell us about the Christmas that shall be when Jesus Christ comes back again, they tell us that His coming is the only hope of the world and the blessed hope of the church.  Hope is the conviction that something good exists in this world and we are going to experience it.  Somewhere close to thirty thousand people in America take their life every year because they no longer believe in something good.  In other words, they end their life when they lose hope.

Some believers are so awed by the miracle of the Second Coming they ask questions and experience a “paralysis of analysis” which is followed by much pondering in their hearts.  When we realize that we have a message of hope to tell people without hope about the Christmas that shall be, we simply must share that good news.  It is almost criminal negligence to have this hope and not share it with people who have no hope.

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Posted by Dick Woodward

Unbelief That Shuts Our Mouth

December 2, 2011

“But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born.” (Luke 1:20)

A teenager once asked me this thoughtful question about Christmas:  “Since there was so much hype about the birth of Jesus Christ, why is it that thirty years later nobody seemed to believe in Him?  You would think everyone would have just been waiting for Him to begin His ministry!”

Actually, there were only a handful of people who knew about that first Christmas.  The first one to know was a priest named Zechariah.  He and his wife Elizabeth were godly people, very advanced in years.  They had no children and the angel Gabriel told Zechariah that he and his wife were going to have a child who would be the last of the prophets to tell us about the coming of the Messiah.  Their son, whom they were to call John, would actually point at Christ and introduce Him to this world.

Zechariah did not believe the angel.  He was therefore told that everything he had heard was going to happen, but he would be smitten mute and not be able to tell anyone until his child was born.  This priest had the greatest sermon to preach that any priest ever had.  God was going to intersect human history!  But he could not preach it because of his unbelief.

Before you are too hard on Zechariah, let me ask you a question.  The New Testament tells us more than three hundred times that God is going to intersect human history a second time when Jesus Christ comes back again.  Have you ever told anybody about that Christmas to be?

 Or does your unbelief shut your mouth?

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Posted by Dick Woodward

Worrier or Warrior?

November 29, 2011

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you rest in Christ Jesus.”   (Philippians 4: 6, 7 NLT)

In these two verses the Apostle Paul is challenging us with two options: when we are facing challenging problems we can worry about them, or we can turn our challenging problems into prayer requests.  The reason Paul writes that we are not to worry is because worry is counterproductive.  He therefore prescribes that if we are overwhelmed with problems, we should let our mountain of problems turn us into prayer warriors.

So here we have two options.  We can be worriers, or we can be warriors. Prayer changes things!  Worry, on the other hand does not change anything except for the severe negative consequences it can have on our body, soul and spirit.  When we consider the devastating effects of worry and the miraculous results of answered prayer, that no brainer should resolve our two options into one.

When we realize we are anxious or uptight and we know it is because we are choosing to be a worrier, we should ask God to convert us into a prayer warrior.  We should hold our problems up before the Lord and trade our futile worries for powerful prayers.  He may deliver us from those problems or give us the grace to cope with them.  But, in either case, He will give us peace.

Paul writes that God will stand guard like a soldier over our hearts and minds and give us supernatural peace as they rest in what Christ will do.

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Posted by Dick Woodward

A Psalm for Thanksgiving Day

November 23, 2011

“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” (Psalm 100)

 In this profound thanksgiving psalm David tells us that coming into the presence of God is like having an audience with a great King.  That audience begins with the gates of thanksgiving that are followed by the courts of praise.  In a corporate worship service or in your closet worship, always try to begin your approach to God at the gates of thanksgiving followed by the courts of praise.

I personally know of no other worship helps that mean more to me than to begin my approach to God with thanksgiving.  When I begin thanking Him and praising Him for all my blessings I soon find myself coming before His presence with singing.  In His presence I know that He is God.  I know that He is my Shepherd and I am His sheep.  I know that He is good, His mercy is everlasting and He wants me to share the truth of His Word in all the lands of this world because He wants people in all the lands of this world and in every generation to know what it is to make a joyful shout of worship in His presence.

 Let this great worship psalm of David show you how to

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

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Posted by Dick Woodward

A Prescription for Renewal

November 16, 2011

“This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory.  And his disciples believed in him.” (John 2: 11)

Jesus goes to a wedding and when they run out of wine, He creates more wine. In addition to the record of a miracle, this story is a formula for regeneration and a prescription for renewal.  There is tired and there is tired of.  Disciples of Jesus not only get tired – they get tired of.  We call this “burnout.”

I’m convinced this first miracle presents a prescription for burnout.  If you are experiencing the need of renewal consider this prescription.  When Mary tells Jesus they have no wine, since wine is a symbol of joy in the Bible let this represent your confession that you need renewal because you are tired of, dry, and burned out.

Then block out some time to fill your human vessel with the Word of God as symbolized by the vessels being filled with water.  While you are filling up on the Word of God do whatever the Holy Spirit tells you to do.  Then realize that your renewal is not just to give you an experience, it is for the benefit of those God wants to touch and bless using you as His channel.

Let these four principles you can learn from this miracle that first brought glory to Jesus and faith to His disciples bring renewal to you as you serve Jesus.  Our Lord often invited His apostles to come apart and rest awhile.  If you don’t come apart at times and take this prescription of Jesus for your burnout – you will come apart.  Let Jesus turn your water into wine.  That will bring glory to Jesus and make a restored believer out of you!

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Posted by Dick Woodward

A Formula for Regeneration

November 14, 2011

“This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” (John 2:11 NLT)

An allegory is a story in which people, places and things have a deeper meaning.  In addition to being the record of a supernatural miracle the story of Jesus turning water into wine is a beautiful allegory that shows us how to be born again.  Carefully and prayerfully read the story.

A first step is expressed in the words of Mary when she tells Jesus they have no wine.  Wine is a symbol of joy in the Bible.  This statement of Mary is like a confession.  Our first step in being born again is to confess that we have no wine (joy) and we need to be born again.

A second step in this formula is when Jesus tells the servants to fill the huge thirty gallon jars with water.  The Scripture is sometimes symbolized by water because of the way it cleanses.  A devotional application here could therefore be that our second step toward regeneration would be to fill our human vessel with the Word of God.

A third step is pictured when Mary tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do.  While we are filling our vessel with the Word we must do what it tells us to do.

The fourth step is when Jesus tells the servants to draw out what they had just poured into the huge jars and serve it as wine.  Precisely, when did the water become wine?  I’m convinced it was when the servants had the faith to serve the water as wine.  We are born again when we believe Jesus can turn our water into wine and show His glory through us.

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Posted by Dick Woodward

An Inspired Art Gallery

November 10, 2011

“So the Word became human and made his home among us.” (John 1:14 NLT)

 The Gospel of John is like an inspired Art gallery.  Every chapter of the Gospel is like a room in that gallery with beautiful portraits of Jesus Christ hanging on the walls.  In the first room, the portrait is that of Jesus as the Word that became human to make His home among us.

If you want to communicate a great idea wrap it in a person.  God does that all the way through the Bible.  He communicates the concept of faith by wrapping it in the person of Abraham.  He tells us what grace is by wrapping that beautiful concept in the person of Jacob.

What does it mean when we are told that Jesus is the Word?  A word is the vehicle of a thought.  When I want to communicate thoughts that are in my mind to your mind I use words as vehicles of my thoughts.  God had ‘Thought’ that He wanted to express to this world.  Jesus was like a beautiful comprehensive Word that expressed the Thought of God to this world – and to you and me.

Our loving Heavenly Father decided that an inspired written Word was not enough.  He wanted us to see His expressed thought in human flesh and blood.  He therefore became human and made His home with us so we could see and experience His expressed thought toward us.

The Word not only made His home among us – He wants to make His home in us.  If He has done that for you, what great ideas does He want to communicate to others by wrapping them in your life?

 

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Posted by Dick Woodward

Spiritual Vitamins

November 5, 2011

“…  As newborn babes, earnestly desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby…” (1 Peter 2:2)

If babies do not receive their formula they will not survive.  Peter is writing that those who are spiritual “babies” should very earnestly desire the pure milk of the Word of God that they may grow.  When he writes this he uses Greek words that mean they should go after the Word the way babies go after the nipple, knowing their sustenance and growth depend on the nourishment they are receiving at their mother’s breast.

In addition to the Word of God there are other spiritual vitamins that bring us spiritual nutrition.  Whether we are new in the faith, or have been walking with God for many years, we need spiritual vitamins like prayer, worship, fellowship with other believers, and a relationship with the risen, living Christ.  We also need to find and cultivate the works of service for which we have been saved.

Although the Apostle Paul emphatically writes that we are not saved BY good works he also writes emphatically that we are saved FOR good works (Ephesians 2: 8-10).  Serving the Lord and bringing forth the fruit that lasts is a vitamin we critically need for the growth and development of our faith.  Jesus taught that God will start answering our prayers when we understand this (John 15:16).

Having visited both the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea I have observed the beauty of the Sea of Galilee which has an outlet, and the Dead Sea which has no outlet.  It is like that with us.  If we do not have the outlet of service that makes us fruitful we are stagnant and do not grow.

Are you getting your spiritual vitamins?

 

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Posted by Dick Woodward

Reality Contact

November 1, 2011

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16)

A long time ago I lunched with a friend on Mondays.  I’d always ask him, “How are you, Skip?”

“Great, wonderful, marvelous and tremendous!” he’d answer.  Always!

On many Mondays I’d not had a good weekend, and life was not great, wonderful, marvelous, and tremendous for me.  But this guy was always emphatically optimistic. After this pattern continued for some time, one Monday I asked him, “Tell me something. If everything wasn’t great, wonderful, marvelous, and tremendous, how would you answer my question?”

“Oh, I’d probably lie to you,” he responded.

I then decided to rephrase my question.  I asked, “How are you, really, Skip?” He worked with a group of people who emphasized Scripture memory and they all memorized a verse of the week.  “Frankly, if you really want to know,” he said, “My verse of the week is, ‘Hang it on your beak, freak!'” We then had some really honest conversation, what I call “Reality Contact.”

What James had in mind is that if we are honest with each other we will be burdened to pray for each other.  Then as a result of our mutual prayers for one another we will be healed.  If when we meet together we are not honest, we will not pray for each other and the mutual healing will not happen.  One translation reads that our honest prayers will explode with power!

We should have this kind of relationship with a believer we trust, but we are missing something important if we do not have “Reality Contact” with someone.  Do you have that kind of relationship with anyone?

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Posted by Dick Woodward

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