The Throne of God

Revelation 4:2; Isaiah 6:1; Psalm 103:19; Psalm 45:6; Psalm 11:4; Isaiah 66:1

Have you ever considered what it will be like to literally stand before the throne of God? In Revelation, John tries his best to describe it in human terms but obviously struggles to explain. There are simply no words that can truly describe the awesomeness of our God. Recently, as I began to pray and worship the Lord, I thought of His greatness and the throne upon which He sits - which if not literally, at the very least figuratively covers the entire universe. And then something hit me like a ton of bricks. As I was praising Him for His greatness and the vast throne from which He governs, I realized that there are still times when I am still seated on the throne of my own heart. Times when I just have to have my way. Times when I am so selfish. Times when I am not allowing Him full reign over my entire being. I immediately began to repent and ask Him to take full control.

I know as long as we live in this flesh we will have this struggle. Paul addressed it in Romans 7:19 (NASB) For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But there is hope! Paul continues in verse 24 to say Wretched man that I am! and then asks Who will set me free from the body of this death? His answer - Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (verse 25a). 

So until that day when we meet Him face to face and stand before His awesome throne, let us strive to give Him our all. Let us continue to pray and press on so that through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ we may surrender to Him fully, allowing Him to be enthroned on our hearts.

Psalm 45:6 (NASB) Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

Pastor Mike Deese

Dinner On The Grounds or Boots On The Ground?

Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 John 1:7; Hebrews 13:16; Philippians 1:5, 7, 2:1, 3:10, 4:14-15

The Greek word transliterated koinōnia is found 19 times in the New Testament, most of which are translated into English as fellowship. Often we think of fellowship as hanging out with each other, sharing a meal, doing things together, etc. But koinōnia holds a much deeper meaning than a quarterly pot luck dinner. In fact, during a recent study of Philippians, I discovered that in his opening remarks Paul tells his readers at Philippi that he is thankful and continuously praying for them in view of their "participation (koinōnia) in the gospel from the first day until now." Philippians 1:5 (NASB) Paul wasn't praying and thanking the Lord for an audience in the bleachers cheering him on as he served the Lord. Paul was praying and thanking God for their "boots on the ground" efforts - a people willing to get their hands dirty along side of him.

However, this is not the only instance of koinōnia in this letter. Paul would use it 5 other times and would demonstrate a well rounded meaning throughout. Philippians 1:7 speaks of partakers of grace; 2:1 speaks of the fellowship of the Spirit; 3:10 speaks of the fellowship of Christ's sufferings; 4:14 speaks of them sharing with Paul in his affliction; and 4:15 speaks of them sharing with Paul in financial support. As G. Walter Hansen says in The Letter To The Philippians: The koinōnia initially formed by mutual participation in the benefits of the gospel developed quickly into a koinōnia to advance the proclamation of the gospel. (Hansen, G. W. The Letter to the Philippians - pp. 48–49. 2009)

So let's enjoy some meals together, thank the Lord for the grace He has extended us and for the indwelling of His Spirit, share one another's burdens, commit to support our local fellowship and others as God leads, and roll up our sleeves and go make Disciples.

Philippians 1:3–5 (NASB) I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.

Pastor Mike Deese

Do You Hear What I Hear?

1 Samuel 15;1-35; Hosea 6:6; John 15:10

To obey is better than sacrifice. That is one of the more popular phrases in scripture that we often memorize. And it seems so obviously true, doesn't it? But how well are we obeying? And what is the context from which this statement comes anyway?

King Saul had been given instruction from the Lord through Samuel to wipe out the Amalekites completely... every person and all livestock... for attacking Israel as they left Egypt. When Saul had completed the battle he reported to Samuel that he had "carried out the command of the Lord" (1 Sam. 15:13). Samuel asks Saul "[T]hen what is this sound of bleating sheep and lowing of oxen that I am hearing?" What Saul didn't know was that the Lord had already revealed to Samuel that Saul indeed had not carried out His commands. Saul had spared King Agag and brought back the best of the sheep and oxen... to "sacrifice to the Lord." He had been partially obedient and tried to justify the rest. But partial obedience is disobedience.

It is easy to criticize Saul as we read this passage. But isn't that just like us? We often partially obey the command of the Lord and then try to justify our actions. We can get very spiritual with our excuses too. We might even convince ourselves that we are doing the right thing. But we can't fool God. If it is not full obedience, it is disobedience.

We will never reach perfection as long as we live in these earthly bodies, but we must strive to do God's will. In fact, Jesus gives this frightful warning in Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. (NASB) Thankfully, through God's mercy, our obedience need not be perfect, only penitent. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  1 John 1:9 (NASB) So Thank Him today for His mercy, and then commit to fully obey His command!

1 Samuel 15:22 (NASB) Samuel said, “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

Pastor Mike Deese

Hate To Eat and Run, But...

James 4:7; 1 John 4:4; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:11-17; 1 Corinthians 15:57; Revelation 12:11

One morning this past week, I woke up very hungry and had a tight schedule. I still wanted to get my morning jog in but I just had to eat before I went out. I didn't feel like I had the energy to jog without eating a decent breakfast first. I had previously jogged after eating, but had given the food time to settle a bit. But on this particular morning with my time crunch I had to eat and then hit the pavement right away. Bad decision! I got the first mile in and my stomach began to hurt pretty bad. If I were to continue running, my feet weren't going to be the only thing hitting the pavement! (Sorry for that graphic thought). I had to walk out the other 2 miles that I had planned to jog. My stomach settled down and everything was okay.

I began to think about the analogy when it comes to our spirit. Too often we are placed in a tough spiritual battle but we are starving spiritually so we try to grab a quick Word from the Lord. That is not the time to prepare for battle. We need to stay prepared. If we would spend time daily with Him and hide His Word in our hearts, we would be more prepared for this spiritual war that we are in. And we are in a battle. Ephesians 6:12 (NASB) says For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. If you don't seem to feel the pressures of battle from the enemy, maybe you need to check your relationship with the Lord. Satan is at war with the true church. But the good news is... we win! As a matter of fact Jesus has already secured the victory for us. But we need to stay prepared for the fight. Although the war has already been won, we will have many battles to face. Be prepared for your next battle. Don't starve yourself and then try to grab a quick spiritual meal to carry you through the fight. Spend time daily in the Word and in prayer. You will be better prepared. And you will be much happier in your relationship with the Lord.

1 Timothy 6:12 (NASB) Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Pastor Mike Deese