The Rock and the Sand

Jesus told a story in Matthew seven about a wise man who built his house upon a rock and a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. In this story, a rain storm came upon both homes - the house on the rock stood, while the house in the sand collapsed.

Over the years, I have heard many descriptions of being the "wise or foolish man" in which wise people build their lives around Jesus, go to church every sunday, and make sure to plan out their futures. But what did Jesus actually say?

In Matthew 7:24, Jesus prefaces this story by saying, "Everyone who hears these words that I am speaking and does them will be like this wise man..." What Jesus is telling this story for is to emphasize the entire teaching and instructions that he gives his followers in Matthew 5-7, commonly called "The Sermon on the Mount." But if we really examine what Jesus tells us to do in these chapters, are any of us living lives of wisdom that is "built upon the rock" that Jesus laid for us?

Let's examine some of these harder teachings, Jesus told his followers:

• Rejoice when you are persecuted and men say evil things about you.
• We are salt and light to this world, and we are of no good to it unless our good works cause others to glorify God in Heaven.
• Anyone who becomes and stays angry with another is in danger of judgement and punishment from the Kingdom.
• Do not offer an offering or gift to Jesus without being reconciled with others.
• Cut off things in life that cause you to stumble in your walk - especially those concerning fleshly lusts.
• Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
• Do not resist someone who is doing evil to you.
• Do good in secret; pray in secret; give in secret. 
• Do not lay up treasures in this world.
• Do not become obsessive about planning for the future and taking care of yourself.
• Do not judge others without first being set free.
• Ask God, and he will give.
• A person following Jesus will bear fruit according to that relationship with Jesus.

Honestly, these teachings are the rock Jesus advises men to build their lives around!  But let's be completely honest, our culture does not teach these kind of things. We find excuse after excuse to embrace things that are easy and reject things that Jesus taught that are hard.

• "Our society complains, files lawsuits, and becomes afraid when the Church begins to suffer "persecution."
• Rarely do our "good works" result in men praising God - so it could be assumed that our good works are coming from our flesh.
• "How often do we stay angry and harbor bitterness over the smallest, meaningless things! "They didn't cook my food right, he cut me off in traffic." Especially when we have expectations of receiving service, "That church didn't preach the way I liked, the waitress was rude, or I had this client that....". The list goes on and on.
• How often do we go before the Lord BECAUSE we are angry with someone - his directions are clear! Be reconciled and then come to him! He will forgive as we forgive!
• Many men in women would admit that they have struggled in their faith because of things on the internet, television, or various other forms of things in the entertainment world. But how often do we freely surrender these things for the sake of walking rightly with Jesus?
• How much time do we spend praying for those who dislike us?
• How often do we seek to retaliate, seek justice, or "protect ours?"
• When you do good things, do you seek recognition from God or men?
• Do not store up treasures on this earth! But how often do we upgrade to more and more things we don't need or don't use! Jesus DOES care about what you have! I would venture to say often he wants us to have less of stuff and more of him! 
• 401K's, retirements, school-planning, insurances for everyone and their cats - we obsess over the "could-be's" of tomorrow instead of walking in the confidence of God's provision and supernatural love.
• Can we even go a day without talking or thinking about someone and all the things that could be wrong with them? How often is our prayer, "Search ME, oh Lord!"
• How often do we seek to provide for ourselves? Our wants? Our desires? Even our needs? Jesus promises to provide for us - do we often seek him when we want or need something? Maybe Jesus will actually tell us that we should not be seeking those things? Maybe he will give out of his love and abundance anyway! But maybe we should at least ask more because Jesus told us to!
• Honestly, if we are doing these things according to what the Lord says - we will bear fruit of them. In our lives, our joy, in making more disciples of Jesus... we should seek all these things and pray that the result of following would be tangible fruit! God's Word  bring increase!

I say all these things so that we may more rightly seek to build our homes and lives upon the rock that is the teachings and truth of Jesus. No amount of man's wisdom, planning, or will can negate the truth of the words Jesus actually said! So let us lay aside our agendas, our pride, and our comfort and embrace the Jesus that we claim to follow! Let us construct our homes in a manner worthy of hearing, "Well done my good and faithful servant!"

Faith - Where Rubber Meets the Road

                Now, faith is the substance of things unseen – being certain of things we cannot see. Faith is where the knowledge of God’s truth in our inner man actually rules over the rebellious nature of our flesh and pushes us to make decisions based on faith in the Word of God. Faith chooses to follow God into the unknown, not pre-determining fleshly issues God has promised to take care of for those who love him. Faith prays for miracles with an understanding that God desires to heal, not relying on a back-up plan of medicine. Faith causes you to chase down gangbangers to share the love of Jesus, believing that God supernaturally protects those who follow him. Faith releases loved ones to follow God into dangerous situations, having a greater care for the Heavenly Kingdom we are promised than the earthly life we have stewardship over. Faith compels us to live like Jesus – subjecting ourselves to necessary hardships – because we are compelled that the God we serve is greater than the fleeting pleasures of this world. Faith is not easy, faith is not fun. But the burden of faith is easy, and faith produces joy.

                Faith, in a sense, is where rubber meets the road. It’s where the convictions of the word of God meet the experientially realm of this natural world. The members of Hebrews 11 did crazy things by a worldly standard. But God does not call this unnatural, “Without faith, it is impossible to please Him.” If this insane living is faith, and without this insane living, it is impossible to please God – there’s probably a significant leap that many Christians barely consider. Truly, I tell you that this living is normal in the Kingdom of Heaven. The forerunners of faith before us do not form some great “hall-of-faith” we all pray and hope to join someday; they actually set a standard of living for following Jesus, they are our “cloud of witnesses!”

                From the foundation of the world, the enemy has attacked man’s faith in God. “Did God really say…?” Brothers and sisters: Did God really say he would heal you? Did God really say he would protect you? Did God really say that the poor of this world would be rich in faith? Did God really say he would pour out his Spirit on all flesh? Did God really say he loves you? Did God really say to follow Him you must die to your flesh and soulish lusts? Did God really say that we must seek first his kingdom above everything? Did God really say that He would physically and emotionally take care of us if we subject ourselves to hardships while following Him?

                Search the scriptures! It is God’s desire to do these things! The Word of God is not filled with questions such as: Did God really say? Listen and meditate on the Words of Jesus. Did anyone know God better than Jesus Christ? Is there any doubt in his words when he promises God’s protection and provision over his disciples?

                Dearly Beloved, I am a man that is subject to passions and lusts as we all are. When I moved into a bad part of town, I feared for my family’s safety. When I choose to do what I believed God was calling me to by not going to college, getting married, and moving to a new city, I was afraid that my family may not have the provision that we need. When I or loved ones have fallen sick, I have been tempted to believe God may not be able to heal – that I may need doctors. Or maybe that He didn’t want to heal. Beloved, if God didn’t want to heal you, why would it be within His Will that you seek out an alternative that only brings glory to man? I say these things to recognize that these feelings and fears are legitimate – and they will come up – but that you can choose to walk in obedience to the Word and Will of God anyway.

                Truly, this is a hard word for me to swallow. I struggle with my doubts and with my “did God really say?” questions. But the Lord has not let me down yet, and I don’t believe he will in the future! I have found that when I come to him with a genuine, child-like faith he responds with loving care and gifts from heaven! Let us walk in confidence, God did say; so obey.

Streams and Rivers: Encouragement to live like a Believer

                “Father, I thank you that you have heard me – and I know that you hear me always: but because of the people which stand here, I say this that they may believe that you have sent me.” –John 11:41-42

                “Truly, truly, I say this to you: The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do: for whatsoever he does these things I do also. For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all the things he is doing…” John 5:19-20

                “Truly, truly, I say this: He that believes on me, the works that I do he will also do; and greater works than these will he do; because I go unto my father.” John 14:12

                This is not just a good book. These are not just good words. This is the Bible. These are the Words of Jesus; the living Word; spoken by the Word of God. This is Jesus. This is the Church. This is your destiny.

                I have been astounded lately with the number of things God does through those that will read the Word, believe it in faith, and then die to themselves and follow Jesus! I may share some of my recent experiences in the near future; but for now I just want to share a dream and some encouragement to seek these things in your own life. This was my dream last night:

                I dreamt that I was walking before the presence of the Lord, when he spoke to me and said, “Josh, why do you doubt me? Why do you question my desire to perform miracles? To save those who do not know me? Go, obey, and see me.” So I went down to a creek bed that I thought was empty; imagine my surprise when I found some water in it! I jumped down into the water that came up to about my ankle and rejoiced in the Lord! He brought water where I did not expect it! But the Lord said again, “Wait, and see.” Suddenly, I heard a sound like thunder; far down the creek bed, water began to build and flow towards me like a tidal wave. I scampered. I tried to run back up the creek bed, but I couldn’t climb up the bed no matter how hard I tried to get away. Then the Lord said, “This is what I intended. Don’t be content with a creek, when my Will is like a River!” The river then hit me, but it did not hurt – it actually felt good!

                I am convinced that Jesus desires to release an exponential amount of blessing to those believers who will listen and obey his voice! More than they could even expect! I heard a word a while back that a sister gave me in which she said, “So many sons and daughters of God are content in eating crumbs from the table of the Lord when Jesus has a whole refrigerator of blessings he DESIRES to give them!” Don’t be so quick to settle for crumbs from Jesus – in Spiritual reality, we learn that EVEN the crumbs from the table of the Lord result in supernatural miracles (Matthew 15:25-28). Instead, believe that when Jesus said that his disciples would perform miracles actually MEANS his disciples will perform miracles! Let us die to ourselves, die to our soulish doubts, and believe in the Jesus of the Gospel!

                I am a normal man that simply started praying through these truths. It is no magic formula, no perfect combination of prayer and obedience, it is simply reading and believing the truth of the Gospel in your own life. However, as I have started to believe these truths, I have SEEN and EXPERIENCED Jesus showing up miraculously! When my wife and I ministered out of a heart to serve in our neighborhood, the Lord actually MULTIPLIED our food to feed all the kids that came to our front porch! When a gang fight broke out in front of our house, the Lord provided FAVOR for me to chase down and share love with the twelve-year-old leader of the gang! When a co-worker approached me with the sadness she felt about a dear friend committing suicide the night before, the Lord actually RAISED HER FROM THE DEAD and HEALED HER to show the depth of his love!

                Dearly Beloved, this is only the beginning. This is only the shallow stream waters that Jesus says not to be content with! Jesus wants to seek and save those which are lost. To break into the poor, the broken, the hurting communities and families of people; to supernaturally encounter them with His love; and to reproduce the same fruit in the lives of those that come to faith in Jesus!

                Jesus desires to use you, today. Jesus desires to speak his love to you; to give fresh revelation into your inner man. He LOVES IT when you ask for more! He does not think you are greedy; he does not think your requests are foolish. Seek to know and understand the Will and Timing of the Lord; but DO NOT be afraid to ask! Ask in faith! Ask in love! Ask according to what the Word of God has written in it! Church, let us realize our destiny is not to present a good, righteous standard by which we condemn the world; but to actually present the Will of the Father manifesting through the Kingdom of God in the midst of a broken and perverse people who will then turn to the love of Jesus. Let’s believe we are actually sent by Jesus to do what he did, what he wants, and what he is going to do.