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SCRIPTURE:
“The
Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him
for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this
generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will
be given to it." Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed
to the other side." (Mark 8:11-13, NIV)
OBSERVATION:
I asked myself what were the actions of Jesus in
response to the questioning of the Pharisees who asked Jesus for a sign
from heaven?
1.
Jesus sighed deeply!
2. Jesus said, "Why does this generation
ask for a miraculous sign?"
3. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, no
sign will be given to it!"
4. Jesus left them.
5. Jesus got back into the boat.
6. Jesus crossed to the other side.
INTERPRETATION:
I asked myself why Jesus left them, got
back into the boat, and crossed to the other side?
Jesus saw that the Pharisees were trying to trap Him and they
really did not want to believe in Jesus. They were not FAITHFUL,
AVAILABLE, COMPATIBLE, AND TEACHABLE. Jesus already knew how they were
going to react even before they reacted because Jesus is Omniscient!
Yet, I believe Jesus came there to make a point about the unbelieving
generation Jesus also did not want to argue with the Pharisees
when they asked him for a sign so Jesus left them, got back into the
boat, and crossed to the other side. There was no point arguing with
people who just did not want to get it. Also, I believe Jesus was
conscious of time and how to use it instead of putting it to waste.
Sometimes the people we do interact with will waste our time that can be
used for other good use and we need the Lord's discernment to figure
that out.
IMPLICATIONS:
I saw important implications for my own life. Jesus left the
Pharisees because Jesus did not want to engage in an argument with them.
Jesus knew they were not going to believe and instead of wasting His
time there, Jesus crossed to the other side. I need to be aware of my
own life and how I interact among those who the Lord placed over me. If
I am not FAITHFUL, AVAILABLE, COMPATIBLE, and TEACHABLE and it becomes a
pattern then it will be a waste of time for those who spend time with me
to shepherd me. They could be using that time to be shepherding other
people.
HOW GOSPEL GIVES ME A
TESTIMONY REGARDING W.A.S.T.E.
Pastor Hugo shared with me that he likes to use F.A.C.T in
ministry when assessing leadership potential. It stands for FAITHFUL,
AVAILABLE, COMPATIBLE, and TEACHABLE. Sadly, that has been my downfall
in ministry multiple times because even though majority of the time I
have been FAITHFUL & AVAILABLE, I have not been COMPATIBLE nor TEACHABLE
when I needed to be.
In essence, Pastor Hugo and
Edwin made me realize that if I continue on this path, I will once again
REPEAT THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST. I don't think they believe it is a
waste of their time meeting with me because they know they are getting
through to me. Now, that's only half the battle for me TO REALIZE that I
can WASTE the time of others who want to TEACH ME & MAKE ME COMPATIBLE
in MINISTRY. The other half of the battle is APPLYING ALL THE
DISCIPLESHIP given and CHOOSING TO SUBMIT even when I have strong
feelings about something as long as what I am choosing does not go
against my CONVICTIONS that do not CONTRADICT GOD'S WORD.
Pastor Hugo is the pastor of
Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland (PCCO) and Edwin is on the leadership
team of Oakland International Fellowship (OIF) which is part of PCCO.
Sadly, BEING SUBMISSIVE to
leadership that is different from my style has not happened and I know from past experience those that have tried to mentor me felt
they were WASTING THEIR TIME and not getting anywhere with me. That's
bad because F.A.C.T check will show: DANGER IN MINISTRY or NON-MINISTRY
areas.
So what now?
I share this with you because
I don't want you to commit the same mistakes that I have committed and
made certain people feel they have wasted their time with me and could
have used that time productively with someone else. There will come a
time that will happen because they can feel the HEART HAS HARDENED and
only GOD'S DIRECT INTERVENTION can soften the HEART. Well, I have been
there once again recently.
It is not a pleasant
experience to HAVE A HARDENED HEART and hurt others and in the process
hurt the Lord when we become a LIABILITY IN MINISTRY than an ASSET IN
MINISTRY.
Jesus' interaction with the
Pharisees reminded me of myself in ministry. The Pharisees definitely
were in ministry but how they conducted ministry was the total opposite
of how Jesus conducted ministry and yet they thought they had it
together and were hard as a rock. Jesus did not waste time with them
after a F.A.C.T check because He knew they were not going to get it as
opposed to the disciples who He knew though they were not getting it,
they would eventually get it.
I am so thankful to Jesus for
placing me in a COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS at OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL
FELLOWSHIP and PITTSBURGH CHINESE CHURCH-OAKLAND, that even
though time after time, there have been areas that I have not got it,
instead of being SHUNNED & SHAMED, I am MENTORED MORE & MORE.
I see that as part of God's
imparting of HIS LIVING GRACE. A person can have SAVING GRACE and still
act like I have acted and it will hurt His fellowship with Jesus and one
another.
SAVING GRACE addresses
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH while as LIVING GRACE to me addresses
SANCTIFICATION BY FAITH. ALL IS GRACE!!!
I was told that I am like a
DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH and the DIAMOND cannot completely be seen or shine
until all the rough edges are being polished away. How true that is.
This is where SANCTIFICATION
BY HIS GRACE, plays a major role. It is God's sanctification that makes
me realize my SINFULNESS BEFORE A HOLY GOD. It is God's SANCTIFICATION
that also makes me BE CONFIDENT THAT HE WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK IN ME WILL
FINISH IT TO COMPLETION.
Claiming this promise in
Philippians 1:6 makes me JOYOUS knowing that GOD IS NOT DONE WITH ME YET
NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE MESSED UP.
Jesus never feels that it is a
WASTE OF HIS TIME, to SANCTIFY ME but does it daily. Just as Jesus did
with the Pharisees, Jesus could have abandoned me time after time after
a F.A.C.T check thinking it is a waste of His time but HE HAS NOT. For
that I am so GRATEFUL. Jesus keeps to His promises.
"I will
not abandon you or leave you as orphans in the storm! I will come to
you!" (John 14)
Jesus keeps pruning me so I can
bear the fruit He wants me to bear even though the pruning process is
painful. I am just thankful, I have not been discarded to the side but
JESUS KEEPS SENDING HIS SHEPHERDS to SHEPHERD me as HE HIMSELF IS MY
GOOD SHEPHERD.
"I am the
true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me
that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes
so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of
the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither
can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the
branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit;
apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:1-5, NIV)
I shared all this with those that
are reading this not to say 'WOE IS ME' and have a PITY PARTY. On the
contrary, I can say BLESSED IS ME not because of my weaknesses but
because OF CHRIST, HIS FORGIVENESS, AND SANCTIFICATION PROCESS. I know
the Lord is working in me.
"But when the
teachers of religious law who were Pharisees, saw him eating
with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why
does he eat with such scum?”When Jesus heard this, he told them,
“Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people
do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but
those who know they are sinners.” (Mark 2:16-17, NIV)
I need to SURRENDER ALL TO JESUS and mean
when I say, "Lord Jesus, ANYTHING, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, I AM READY" as you
give me strength for I cannot do it on my own for my flesh is weak but
YOUR SPIRIT IN ME can make me STRONG THROUGH YOUR WORD, PRAYER, YOUR
SPIRIT, AND COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS to do all you ask! Thank you Jesus! I
Praise you Lord!
This way I can BE SUBMISSIVE to
leaders the Lord Jesus placed over me even if they have a DIFFERENT
STYLE OF LEADERSHIP THAN ME. Praise the Lord!
Like I said, "KNOWING IS ONLY HALF
THE BATTLE" BUT "DOING" IS THE OTHER HALF.
It starts with CHRIST for no matter
how good I want to be, I will be WASTING TIME ON MY OWN STRENGTH because
GOODNESS CANNOT COME WITHIN regardless of what PSYCHOLOGY, etc teach.
GOODNESS HAS TO COME FROM THE ONE
WHO IS ALL HOLY!
IT IS BY HIS TRANSFORMING GRACE
THAT I KNOW I CAN BE CHANGED AND SO CAN YOU!
No one will have to feel it is a
waste of time to mentor you when you allow Christ's TRANSFORMING GRACE
to minister to you and TRANSFORM YOU.
We need the Lord's help to
"Walk in the Spirit so you will not fulfill the
lust of the flesh!"
"The Spirit
gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you
are spirit and they are life." (John 6:63, NIV)
I ask you now
dear friend, how have you wasted your life away?
Dear friend, the Pharisees have wasted their life away when they
were not submissive to Jesus and tried to trap him multiple times. They
did not want to give Jesus the light of the day even though Jesus is the
Light of the World.
Jesus said,
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12, NIV)
Many times I have been like a
Pharisee and wasted opportunities away and regressed back into the
wilderness because of a REBELLIOUS attitude towards those whose
leadership I have been under even so recently.
I don't want that for you or me for
our future. We
will continue to WASTE OUR LIFE AWAY unless we are JUSTIFIED BY HIS
GRACE which is SAVING GRACE and are SANCTIFIED BY HIS GRACE which is
LIVING GRACE. Both are the same GRACE and part of the same coin.
I cannot change my COMPLAINING
ATTITUDE, COVETOUS ATTITUDE, DOUBTFUL ATTITUDE, REBELLIOUS ATTITUDE,
CRITICAL ATTITUDE that I exhibit at times on my own no matter how much I
want to.
You nor I
cannot change ourselves for if we really could, why would we keep
repeating the same mistakes we know only hurts ourselves and others?
Romans 7:18-25, Romans 8:1 and
Ephesians 6:10-18 explain it well.
"And I know
that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to
do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I
don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I
don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living
in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I
want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love
God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that
is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is
still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free
me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The
answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I
really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a
slave to sin." "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to
Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the
life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to
death." (Romans 7:18-25, Romans 8:1-2, NLT)
"Finally, be
strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God
so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against
the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the
full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able
to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with
the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted
with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to
all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all
the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on
all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind,
be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (Ephesians
6:10-18, NIV)
We need the work of the HOLY SPIRIT
to change and transform us and it starts with WEARING THE ARMOR OF GOD
DAILY. I know I need His armor not to waste away in sinfulness for
REBELLION is the worst type of sin that cast Lucifer to the pit of hell.
We don't even realize sometimes the dangers of our REBELLION but it will
catch up. You don't want it to catch up.
When we are born-again, our
Salvation is not in question because "IT IS BY
GRACE WE HAVE BEEN SAVED THROUGH FAITH NOT OF WORKS SO THAT NO ONE CAN BOAST!"
But if we do not allow Christ to
SANCTIFY US DAILY we will WASTE away the opportunities the Lord Jesus
places in our path.
Jesus
replied, “My light will shine for you just a
little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not
overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are
going. Put your trust in the light while
there is still time; then you will become children of the light.” (John
12:35-36, NIV)
The only way darkness won't catch
up to you or me is if we take JESUS to be our SHIELD daily.
"Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise
up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, there is no help for
him in God. But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the
lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he
heard me out of his holy hill. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for
the LORD sustained me." (Psalm 3:1-5, KJV)
Once the Lord is working in
our lives and we experience His work, we cannot keep it to ourselves but
share it. If we are not reaching people for Christ, then we are wasting
our life away. We can reach people
for Christ wherever the Lord placed us. This does not mean every person
you reach becomes a Christian in front of you. No, that's the work of
the HOLY SPIRIT. Your job is to have F.A.C.T check: Faithful, Available,
Compatible, and Teachable allowing Jesus to guide and lead you where He
has placed you.
Time is precious and very
valuable. There are so many souls to be reached for Christ throughout
the world. Jesus went to Dalmanutha but the Pharisees were there to trap
Him instead of wanting to believe in Him. Jesus saw right through that
and crossed to the other side because Jesus did not want to waste His
precious time.
We too need to be keenly aware
of the people we spend time with so that time is not wasted. Any time
spent in argument with anyone usually will be a waste of time. Jesus did
not waste time and neither should we. If any situation lends itself to
argument, we need to be very careful and prudent. This is not to say
that we should keep ourselves from meeting with others if they are
diligently seeking after the Lord. There are many that are searching and
we need to give our time to them whether or not they come to believe.
This is different than spending time to argue.
Jesus was not going to force
Himself upon other people for them to believe in Him. Jesus wanted them
to believe for who He is and why He came for. Jesus came into this world
to die for sinners like you and me. Jesus shed His precious cleansing
blood for us. Now when we turn to Jesus, He can transform our lives but
this starts with a seeking heart and not an argumentative heart which
will only become a waste of our own time.
Wasting all Satan tries
everyday and we should not become Satan's statistic. The key is not
arguing but still being able to present the Gospel in a loving Christ
centered way as we allow Christ to transform our own lives. What Satan
would love is to take the Gospel we are to preach and use it for his
destructive purposes if we become argumentative. Jesus was not about
arguing with people and neither should we.
No matter how good we think we
are, we are wasting our life away without Jesus Christ residing in us.
All our good works is like filthy rags to the
Lord. This means in God's eyes all our works are a waste of time
if they are not done because Christ lives in us. The good that flows out
of us as a fruit of our Salvation is the fruit that God sees as good.
You and I can have that fruit when we turn our lives over to Christ
instead of doing what the Pharisees did.
More than anything do not
waste your time with Satan. He will only lead you to destruction with
his deceptive lies but turn your life over to the Lord and His plans for
you.
May you turn your life to
Christ knowing with Christ nothing is a waste of time even though
wasting all, Satan tries everyday!
"Wasting All, Satan Tries
Everyday! (W.A.S.T.E)"/"How have you W.A.S.T.E.D your life away?"
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for loving me and dying for my sin.
Thank you for covering me in your Blood and teaching me about W.A.S.T.E.
You reach me where I am at and for that I am thankful. Thank you for
spending time with me and for all the time you spent with the disciples.
Thank you for sending people our way to disciple and mentor us. Thank
you for letting me see that you did not spend time with the Pharisees
there because they wanted that time to be a time of argument instead of
wanting to believe in you. Instead of arguing you left and set an
example for me to use our time wisely but most of all we should not make
people feel they are wasting time with us. Thank you so much Jesus. Help
me to know who to spend time with and not to waste my time but
especially to have a F.A.C.T check that you are proud of. Thank you so
much Jesus. Hear my prayer and answer me Oh Lord! Thank you so much
Jesus! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!!
May
you experience the POWER OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION this day, and give Him
the LOCKED areas of your life too so you can experience His PEACE as you
become an ACTOR in the film called LIFE being directed by your DIRECTOR,
JESUS CHRIST who comes to give JOY and PEACE.
You
don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and
give you peace to live out your actions.
How
do you look at GODISNOWHERE?
One
of my pastors, Pastor Hugo shared this example this past Sunday at the
RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh
Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:
If
you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin
and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no
peace.
But
as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to
tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.
Yes,
friend God is alive and wants to bring a transformation in your life
through the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on
the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and live
with us.
Yes,
friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE
& LIVING GRACE.
When
we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive
us and restore us to Him and we will find peace in Him.
"Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the
world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he
has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore
Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him
who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God." (Colossians 5:17-21, NIV)
"For the wages
of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his
Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)
Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our
sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge
so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the
finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.
"For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not
by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)
May
you come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Personal Savior becoming
His offspring so you can spend Eternity with Him. He is waiting for you.
Come as you are. Please do not reject the gift of God.
If
you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a
daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be
alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them
come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to
wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as
you pray this prayer, meaning it in your heart and finding your new
identity in Christ Jesus.
Make this your prayer. Don’t let
the enemy deceive you into thinking you need all the answers before
coming to Christ. Let me just assure you though you may not have all the
answers right now before coming to Jesus, He will answer them slowly.
Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer will! Amen!
Make this your prayer. Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking
you need all the answers before coming to Christ. Let me just assure you
though you may not have all the answers right now before coming to
Jesus, He will answer them slowly. Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer
will! Amen!
Prayer:
Jesus, I thank you for being the Bread of Life. You are the Living Bread
of my life. Thank you for coming from Heaven and giving your life for
the life of the world. You sacrificed yourself for humanity. Thank you
Lord when we eat of you symbolically making you part of our life,
digesting what you teach us by following you, we can be living
Eternally, and the fruit that comes will reflect and resemble your life.
I want that Father God. I want that Lord Jesus! I want that Holy Spirit!
I know of a lot of people who partake of Holy Communion where the bread
represents your body broken for their sin and the juice represents your
blood shed for their sin. When we partake of Holy Communion, we are
reminded that we are remembering you. I want to remember you always Lord
Jesus. But for me to remember you always, I need to know you and
acknowledge everything you said you are. So right now I acknowledge that
you are my Lord and Personal Savior who died and rose again to give me
life from sin. So right now, I come to you and say how sorry I am for my
sin and living a life on my own. I repent of my sin and ask you to
forgive me of my sin with your cleansing blood which I accept. Wash me
and I will be clean from this infection of sin. Come Lord Jesus and
please become part of my life as you live in me and I will live for you.
I thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your
home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve
you the rest of the days of my life. I do need your Spirit to reside in
me and work in me and through me so I surrender all that I am and will
be to you. Whatever your will is for me, please give me the strength and
willingness to bear it and rejoice in you. Thank you so much Jesus. I
thank you Jesus for becoming my Lord and Personal Savior. I thank you
Jesus you have heard my prayer and have answered me. I thank you that I
am your child Oh God. I thank you for becoming my only Way to Eternal
Life. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
