May 20, 2013
“If any man wills to do, he will know.” (John 7:17)
STEP NUMBER TWO: Be willing to do the will of God.
When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He taught them to say, “Your will be done.” When Jesus modeled this, He sweat drops of blood as He prayed, “Not My will, but Your will be done.” (Matthew 6:10; 26:39; Luke 22:42-44) Jesus gives us a principle that shows us how we can know His teaching is the teaching of God. This principle also applies when we are seeking to know the will of God in the marketplace.
The principle is simply this: If any man wills to do, he will know.
The Living Bible paraphrases Psalm 139: 16 to say God had every day of David’s life scheduled before David existed. David writes there that God is with him in such a way that it is impossible for David to escape God’s personal interest in every move he makes. This intimacy with God is obviously not only the experience of David, but can and should be the experience of every child of God.
According to Jesus and Paul, knowing the will of God for our lives does not have to be complex. God does not deliberately obscure His will. The complexity is not in the will of God, but in your will and my will. As Paul tells us how we can know “the good, acceptable and perfect will of God,” he begins his prescription for knowing God’s will by telling us to throw up our hands and offer an unconditional surrender of our wills to the will of God (Romans 12: 1-2). Our unconditional surrender to God will significantly un-complicate our quest to know the will of God.
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Uncategorized | Tagged: christianity, Divine Guidance, faith, God's will, intimacy with god, Jesus Christ, knowing the will of God, Psalm 139, Spiritual Discernment, spirituality, surrender to god | 
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Posted by Dick Woodward
April 11, 2013
“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, you are My disciples indeed.’” (John 8: 31 KJV)
One of the most important words in the New Testament is the word “continue.” From the horrible Mamertine prison in Rome Paul dictated his last words to Timothy, his beloved son in the faith. He fervently exhorted Timothy to continue in the things he had learned.
International Cooperating Ministries has built more than 4,000 churches in 65 countries. One of the greatest challenges we face is attrition. This is both in individuals who profess faith in Christ and churches that are started by professing believers. We have found that churches are 91% more likely to continue and build daughter churches it they get into our four year curriculum of Bible study we call “The Mini Bible College.”
Our Lord was intensely realistic. He knew all about the hard reality of attrition. In His Parable of the Sower He taught that nothing happens 75% of the time the Word of God is proclaimed or taught. That’s why when people professed to believe in Him, His challenge to them was to continue in His Word and be His disciples indeed.
His Great Commission to His disciples was to make disciples (Matthew 28: 18-20). There were three participles in that commission: going, baptizing and teaching. But there was only one commanding imperative: to make disciples.
Apply this word “continue” to your own personal commitment to follow Jesus and remember this concept when you share the Gospel with others. It is critically important that we, and they, not only profess to believe but make the commitment to continue and become disciples indeed of our glorious and victorious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: Bible Study, Discipleship, Evangelization, faith, International Cooperating Ministries, Jesus Christ, Mini Bible College, Parable of the Sower, The Great Commission | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
April 2, 2013
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
This past weekend many heard the Good News that Jesus died and rose again for our sins that we might live forever in resurrection power with Him. Have you ever heard of the Gospel in reverse? The verse I quoted above sounds like a funeral dirge because it begins with Paul’s announcement that he is crucified with Christ.
But, actually in this verse Paul exclaims three times that he lives! He lives by faith in the Son of God. He lives because Christ lives in him, and he lives because he is crucified with Christ. To summarize and paraphrase, in this verse Paul is declaring the Good News that Christ died so he might live and now it’s his turn. Paul must die so Christ might live His life through Paul.
When our holidays roll around we hear that it should be Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter every day of the year. If you want to have a perpetual Easter, realize that what was true of the Apostle Paul can be true for you and me.
Jesus consistently challenged His followers to take up their cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9: 23). In addition to the literal meaning this could have had in that culture, by application to take up your cross daily means to “crucify” all the personal hopes, ambitions and plans you had for your life asking Him to have His will for your life.
Christ died that you might live. Now it’s your turn.
2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: apostle paul, Easter, faith, following Jesus, Galatians 2:20, Jesus Christ, religion, the Cross of Christ, The Gospel | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
March 29, 2013
“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” (1 Corinthians 15:19 NKJV)
A mother of small twin daughters realized her bone marrow transplants were not going to work. In beautiful handwriting she wrote out The Living Bible Paraphrase of three chapters written by Paul about resurrection. When she gave them to me she asked me to explain them at her memorial service simply so her daughters would understand them.
The first was the great resurrection chapter of the Bible, the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians. The other two were the fourth and fifth chapters of Second Corinthians. I call these last two chapters: “Applied Resurrection.”
The first application of the resurrection of Christ is that just as Jesus was buried and raised from the dead, we are buried in the hope of our own resurrection. If that is not going to happen we should be pitied because we suffered for Christ in this life.
If you want to have a personal Easter I challenge you to read these three chapters slowly and devotionally in a good translation or paraphrase you can understand like The Living Bible Paraphrase or The Message.
C.S. Lewis told us the clergy are people who have been set aside to remind us that we are creatures who are going to live forever. They are also to teach us that life is a school in which we are to learn eternal values.
Applied Resurrection teaches us that though our outward man is perishing, it is possible for our inward man to be renewed every day while we’re learning to appreciate the difference between the visible and the invisible, the temporal and eternal values.
May your Easter be a time of reflection on eternal resurrection values.
4 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: 2 Corinthians 4 & 5, C.S. Lewis, Christian faith, Easter, eternal values, faith, Faith in action, I Corinthians 15, Jesus Christ, the Resurrection of Christ, theology | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
March 26, 2013
“God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, the Message)
So what is the biggest weekend in the Church year all about? What does it mean to you and me personally? The Apostle Paul put it in a nutshell. What it amounts to is the best deal ever offered.
Because of what happened on Good Friday God has offered to put all of our wrong on Jesus and in exchange put all that is right with Jesus on you and me. That’s the best offer we ever had. All we have to do to close on the offer is believe it!
In 1949 while I was doing social work in Pittsburgh, late one night a man asked if he could speak with me. As we talked in the darkness outside a closed recreation center he told me he was wounded in the great Battle of the Bulge toward the end of World War II. While still under fire he saw a chaplain crawling from one wounded man to another. This chaplain apparently had something very important he said to those men. He hoped the chaplain would make it to him but after taking several hits the chaplain didn’t move anymore.
He said he had been wondering for several years what it was the chaplain had to say to those men. He said after watching me for a couple of month he told his wife he believed I could tell him what that chaplain was telling those wounded men. I told him about the greatest deal ever offered.
This Easter do you have a message for dying people? Do you have a message for people who are going to live?
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Posted by Dick Woodward
March 5, 2013
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11: 6)
The truth is when I first came to faith and to the ministry I was struggling to know God. Providentially I had several spiritual heavyweights who mentored me to God. They shook things down for me into three basic and absolute propositions that made sense to me then and still do today.
Their first proposition was that God is there. I have not struggled with that proposition. I began by reflecting on the many, many ways God responds to the very many prayers I pray to Him there.
Their second proposition was that God is real. I found that when I related myself to God He responded by relating Himself to me. That inspired me to believe that He was not only there, He was very real when I related to Him and made personal contact with His divine presence.
When I found myself sharing with God the intimate dimensions of my personal, private and even secret life He responded to those prayers. I realized that I had come to believe in a personal God. That was the third proposition of my mentors: God is personal.
They wanted me to believe in and come to know a God who knew the numbers of hairs on my head. By the grace and providence of God I have come to know that personal God. I can believe Him when He tells me He has a plan for my life which when followed will make me a unique person distinct from every other living person.
Will you believe in the God who is there, real and personal?
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Posted by Dick Woodward
February 19, 2013
“… but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better…” (Luke 10: 42)
Every time we meet Mary, the sister of Martha, she is at the feet of Jesus. The verse above describes her at the feet of Jesus hearing His Word. Martha is frustrated because Mary is attending the Bible study while she herself is doing all the serving. Jesus sides with Mary because she has chosen the number one priority that day.
In the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of John the brother of these two sisters has died. When the Lord arrives too late to save their brother both these sisters greet Him with the same words: “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.” However, when Mary spoke those words we read that she prostrated herself at his feet showing that she accepted His will.
In the next chapter of the Gospel of John a banquet is described at which their resurrected brother is the guest of honor. Mary was there worshiping Jesus at His feet. She anointed His feet with perfume that was worth a year’s wages. What would it mean if you worshiped Jesus with your annual income?
This Mary is a great example for all of us as she is at His feet hearing His Word, accepting His will, and worshiping Him. If we will not merely read our Bible but hear His personal word to us at His feet when we do, we will find His will for our lives. If we continue to follow Mary’s example we will be at His feet accepting His will.
And those who follow the example of Mary will find themselves worshiping Him forever with costly worship at His feet.
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: costly worship, following Jesus, hearing the Word of God, Jesus Christ, Luke 10:42, Mary & Martha, religion, spiritual worship, theology, worshiping Jesus | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
February 12, 2013
“‘So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?'” (Luke 10:36)
I heard a businessman say, “There are two things to be gained in every business deal: money and experience. When you do business always get the money and give that other person the experience!”
According to the way the parable of Jesus ended with the verse above, when a devout disciple of Jesus is involved in a business deal, should they always get the money and give the other person the experience?
Jesus taught this parable in response to the question: “Who is my neighbor?” In His answer Jesus presented three philosophies of neighbor. “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours will be mine just as soon as I can take it.” That was the philosophy of the thieves in this story. “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours” was the philosophy of the religious people Jesus profiled here. Jesus’ philosophy of neighbor, however, was showcased by the Samaritan in this way: “What’s yours is yours and what’s mine is yours any time you need it.”
How should that philosophy of neighbor impact the way we do a business deal as committed followers of Jesus Christ? The way we answer that question should make us think about our entire philosophy of life and not just our philosophy about how we do business.
What is your vision statement and what are your mission objectives in life? Is your vision statement to get rich and are your mission objectives all the ways you can think making money?
What is your philosophy of neighbor? Is your own personal vision statement in alignment with the philosophy of neighbor Jesus taught us?
5 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: faith, Good Samaritan, Jesus Christ, Luke 10:36, marketplace faith, parable of jesus, Parable of the Good Samaritan, parables of Jesus, personal vision statement, philosophies of neighbor, Teachings of Jesus, theology | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
January 29, 2013
“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:7)
When Jesus declared that we should not marvel because He told us we must be born again, He meant that we should not marvel as if the new birth were unnecessary. Jesus explained that flesh gives birth to flesh and only the Spirit gives birth to spiritual people. When the Bible uses the word, “flesh,” it means “Human nature unaided by God.” History tells us human nature unaided by God is a monster. So, Jesus said we should marvel not as if the new birth were unnecessary.
Jesus also told us we should not marvel as if the new birth were impossible. God can work a miracle of creation in the life of a human being. David prayed: “Create in me a pure heart, O God…” (Psalm 51:10). The apostles refer to the new birth as if it were the answer to David’s prayer (2 Corinthians 5:17).
We should not marvel as if the new birth were incomprehensible. We do not see electricity. But we believe in electricity because we see the effects of electricity. When we see trees bending and objects flying we say, “Look at that wind!” But we do not see the wind. We only see the effects of the wind. It is that way with the new birth. We cannot see the Spirit. We only see the effects of the Spirit in the life of someone who is being born again. But as we believe in other things we cannot see – like the wind and electricity – we can believe in the new birth.
And finally, Jesus meant you should not marvel as if the new birth could not happen to you.
Believe Jesus and it will happen to you!
2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: Born Again, Christian discipleship, Christian faith, faith, Jesus Christ, John 3:7, spirituality, the New Birth, theology | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
January 25, 2013
“I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again… no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” (John 3: 3, 5)
John Wesley preached so often on the text “You must be born again” that people asked him, “Mr. Wesley, why do you preach so often that we must be born again?” His answer was always the same: “Because you must be born again!” In the two quotes from Jesus above it is almost as if someone has asked Jesus why we must be born again.
Jesus gives us two answers to our question. Without being born again we cannot see the Kingdom of God and we cannot enter the Kingdom of God without being born again. The Kingdom of God is therefore the end to which the new birth is the means.
People have misinterpreted and misapplied these two answers of Jesus. They replace the concept of the Kingdom of God with the concept of heaven. They would answer our question by telling us we cannot see heaven or enter heaven unless we are born again.
Jesus was not talking about heaven after we die. The Kingdom of God is the concept that God is a King and He wants to make us His subjects. To see that concept and enter into that relationship with God whereby He truly is our King and we are His subjects we must be born again.
Have you ever seen that truth? Have you entered into a relationship with God where He truly is your King? If you have not seen that truth or entered into that kind of relationship with God then you simply must be born again!
2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: being born again, Born Again, Christ the King, christianity, faith, Jesus Christ, John 3:3-5, John Wesley, Kingdom of God, new birth, Relationship with God, theology | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
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