I came to bring a sword

“Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.”(Luke 6:22-23)

It has always amazed me how people react to miracles or the working of God in other peoples’ lives. You would think that if God took care of your friend, you would be happy for them. It would give you hope, knowing that if you did what they did and lived as they lived, God would do the same for you, right? After all, He is no respector of persons – if He has done it for one, He will do it for others. Maybe not ALL, but the decision is His.

I have been excited to announce the miracles God has done for me over the course of this past year. I won’t go back and recount them (after all, that’s being a bit of a bore); however, I want to give glory to God Himself for the mighty works He has done in my physical life – in my health, in my body, and in my mind. He has gone far beyond anything I could ever imagine or would ever dare ask. After all, being raised as a Baptist, we always end our prayers for healing with the phrase, “If it be Thy will…”

When Jesus came to the earth (Emmauel – God with us), He came to reveal to us the heart of the Father. He came to tell us of the Father’s intentions, His plans. He came to show us how the Father handles direct challenges and threats. He came to show us how to have dominion over the earth and everything in it (“And to the wind He said, ‘Be still’…). He came to show us the power of the life of God over the death of humanity by raising Lazarus from the grave, then later rising from the dead Himself. Jesus was not only an example of what God Is, He became the Example of what we can be in God. After all, before He ascended back into heaven, Jesus gave us the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit, He told us, would remind us of everything He had said and done on the earth, and would continue to lead us into ALL truth! This Spirit was sent to live within us, to give us the same power that raised Christ from the dead, thereby giving us the ability to live a life of victory over sin and death.

Another thing Jesus said before He returned to heaven was, “Greater things than I have done shall you do, because I send you (back) my Spirit.” Now, I don’t know about you, but I read that Jesus healed blind eyes, healed the sick, calmed the storms, and raised the dead. He did all that after He was filled with the Holy Spirit and had lived with that power for three years. That’s pretty good, if you ask me. Now, let me ask you: how many years have you been saved? Have you ever been filled with the Holy Spirit? Even Catholics believe that the Spirit of Christ comes to live within you when you are baptized, so that is no excuse. How many people have you prayed for? How many times have you seen the hand of God move through your prayers? I have seen a few (and have witnesses to the fact), but nowhere near what I should have racked up by now.

A big part of that is because I don’t want to offend people or make them mad. Isn’t it interesting that we can sit and talk about God all day long and hardly anybody gets upset, but the minute we mention the name of Jesus – suddenly everybody is angry or offended? Even Christians and Muslims can sit peacefully together and talk of God, of Adonai, of Yahweh all day long. We can even talk about our Father Abraham (we DO have a common lineage through him, after all), but that’s where it ends. Abraham, if you remember, had two sons: Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael, the son of the flesh, went on to become the head of the nation of Islam (centuries later, of course) and the father of twelve tribes of people. Isaac, the son of promise, went on to become a patriarch in the nation of Israel and the father of twelve tribes of people. The name of Jesus brings offense to the world because He reveals to it sin. Mohammed, on the other hand, reveals to the world wrong thinking and offense. Mohammed teaches morality, while Isaac teaches sacrifice. Mohammed teaches that we can become good people on our own by following the laws of Islam. Isaac (through the prophets and Jesus) teaches us that our greatest works are as filthy rags. No one, said Jesus, comes to the Father (Adonai, Elohim, Yahweh) except by Him.

The mere mention of the name of Jesus starts a war. And that is what we are witnessing in the Middle East now. God promised the Jews (the nation of Israel) certain land and the followers of Islam are trying to take it from them. We watch the news with fear, expecting full-on World War 3 to start at any moment – and, I suppose that is true. It could. But. There are steps, there are progressions that have yet to occur prior to that happening. But that is for another teacher and another time. What are you and I called to do right now, in this moment and in this place?

We are to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo,I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” We are called to reach out into our world, our circle of influence, our neighborhoods, and let people know Jesus loves them. Sure, they will be upset. You said the “J” word! Don’t beat them over the head with the Bible, don’t constantly condemn them for their lifestyle. Live your life in Christ and show love when you can. Be friendly, be neighborly, just be a good person. Always with the love of Christ in your heart. You will have sewn a seed. Now let God water it as He will, let the Son shine on it as He will, and allow God to bring forth the harvest in His time.

As for the Middle East? Pray. For all sides and parties involved. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (that’s in the Bible, by the way). Pray that God will remove the scales from their eyes that they may see Jesus. Plead the blood of Christ over all who are serving Him in that area. And pray for every pastor preaching the Word of God in truth out of a pure heart. If two or three will agree as touching anything on earth, it will be done of our Father in heaven. So may it be.

Be blessed.