Supernatural #9: Discovering Your Destiny - Part #2

Supernatural Chapter Nine
Discovering Your Destiny - Part #2:

SAUL’S CONVERSION WAS SUPERNATURAL:

Saul’s salvation story was a supernatural event. He saw a light from heaven, and heard the voice of God speaking to him. Becoming a Christian is more than just making a decision or joining a club. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit of the living God comes inside of you to make you a new person. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Becoming a Christian is a supernatural experience. Jesus calls this being born again. “But to all who believed Jesus and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan – this rebirth comes from God.” (John 1:12-13, NLT). Something supernatural happens on the inside. Although you might not have seen a light or heard a voice, your conversion was no less supernatural than Saul’s. It wasn’t the light from Heaven or the voice of God that made Saul’s conversion supernatural. He became a different person when the Holy Spirit came to live inside of him. A transformation took place.

A caterpillar gives an illustration of what happens when you become a Christian. That caterpillar goes through a complete metamorphosis to become a butterfly. When that caterpillar emerges from its chrysalis, it comes forth with a brand new nature. When you become a Christian, there is a supernatural event that takes place on the inside of you. “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

There’s a big debate in the church about whether or not a Christian can lose their salvation. Once a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, that butterfly can never become a caterpillar again. It has a new nature. That butterfly can choose to act like a caterpillar and crawl around on the ground, instead of soaring through the air, and that butterfly can go back to eating leaves and seeds, instead of enjoying the nectar of flowers, but that butterfly does not cease to be a butterfly. Consider some of these wonderful promises from God’s Word:

Jesus said: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.” (John 10:28-29).

“No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39, NLT).

Saul himself wrote: “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6).

Too many Christians are eternally insecure. “I don’t know if God loves me today. Yesterday He did, but I was bad today, so I hope I’m not going to hell.” God will not send any of His children to hell. As a father myself, I understand something about God’s loving father’s heart. When my children are rebellious or disobey me, that doesn’t stop me from loving them and it doesn’t cause them to stop being my children. They will be my children now and forever, and this is our heavenly Father’s heart towards us, too.

TWO QUESTIONS TO DISCOVERING YOUR DESTINY:
After Saul experienced God’s amazing grace, he asked two questions that determined his destiny. My prayer is that these two questions would be forever burned in your heart, and that you would spend the remainder of your life looking for the answers to them.

“And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:5-6).

The two greatest questions that we can ask to discover our destinies are: “Who are you, Lord?” and “What do you want me to do?”

1. KNOWING GOD: “WHO ARE YOU, LORD?”
Saul’s first question to Jesus was, “Who are you, Lord?” This question became the number one driving force for the rest of his life. When he prayed for a church in Ephesus, he prayed, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Jesus).” (Ephesians 1:17). Can you hear his heart’s cry in that prayer? He also prayed for them “to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge.” (Ephesians 3:19).

Saul’s first passion was to know Jesus better. “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” (Philippians 3:8-10). The Amplified Bible’s translation of this Scripture beautifully conveys Paul’s heart to us:

“Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of
     the priceless privilege
          (the overwhelming preciousness,
               the surpassing worth,
                    and supreme advantage)
                         of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…
For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One)…
[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him
     [that I may progressively
          become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him,
               perceiving and recognizing and understanding
                    the wonders of His Person
                         more strongly and more clearly],
and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death.” (Philippians 3:8-10, AMP).

Who are you, Lord? This is our highest calling as Christians, and the first question to discovering our destiny. May this spur you on to know Jesus more. For as long as I have been a Christian, this has been my heart’s desire.

Practically speaking now, how can we get to know the Lord better? The first place to look is in God’s Word. The Bible is a revelation to us of who God is. Do a study of the names and titles of God in the Scriptures. Here are some examples…

SCRIPTURES THAT DESCRIBE GOD’S NATURE:

• “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2).
• “Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.” (Psalm 24:7-8).
• “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
• “For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.” (Psalm 47:2).
• “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11).
• “The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” (Psalm 103:8).

THE NAMES OF GOD:

• Elohim: (God)
• El Shaddai: (Lord God Almighty)
• El Elyon: (The Most High God)
• Adonai: (Lord, Master)
• Yahweh: (Lord)
• Jehovah Nissi: (The Lord My Banner)
• Jehovah-Rohi: (The Lord My Shepherd)
• Jehovah Rapha: (The Lord That Heals)
• Jehovah Shammah: (The Lord Is There)
• Jehovah Tsidkenu: (The Lord Our Righteousness)
• Jehovah M’kaddesh: (The Lord Who Sanctifies You)
• Jehovah Jireh: (The Lord Will Provide)
• Jehovah Shalom: (The Lord Is Peace)
• Jehovah Sabaoth: (The Lord of Hosts)

THE SEVEN “I AM” STATEMENTS OF JESUS:

I am the Bread of Life (John 6:35)

I am the Light of the World (John 8:12) 

I am the Door (John 10:9)

I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) 

I am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6) 

I am the Vine (John 15:1) 

2. DOING HIS WILL: “LORD, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?”

Saul’s second question was, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” He realized that the next most important thing in life is to discover God’s will. Saul prayed, “that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” (Colossians 1:9). God has a plan and a purpose for every one of our lives – something that He wants us to do. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

There are people in the church today who think that they can take Jesus as their Savior, but not have him also as their Lord. They say, “I want Jesus to be my Savior, to forgive my sins, but I’m not going to be obedient to Him and let Him be my Lord.” You can’t have one without the other. You can’t have the benefits and blessings of the Cross, without submission to His Crown. Just because our salvation is a free gift of God’s sovereign grace doesn’t give us the right to go out and live however we want. “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more kindness and forgiveness? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2, NLT). The Bible says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9). We must receive Jesus as our Lord if we want to be saved. The first thing the Lord Jesus said to Saul was a commandment: “Arise and go… and you will be told what you must do.” Jesus had a plan for Saul’s life, and he has a plan for our lives, too. Coming to Jesus means submission and surrender.

God has a destiny for us. The two greatest questions that we can ask that discover our destinies are: “Who are you, Lord?” and “What do you want me to do?”

Although reading the Bible is our starting point, knowing God is more than just knowing about Him. It is actually encountering Him in an intimate, personal way, and this happens in the place of prayer. The prophet Hosea said, “Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.” (Hosea 6:1-3). When we grow in our relationship with the Lord, we experience healing, revival and refreshing. That’s worth seeking after. The Lord has given us a wonderful promise: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8).

Supernatural is available as an e-book, FREE OF CHARGE for a limited time. 

E-mail Chris Jordan at live.ca for your FREE copy!

Pastor Chris Jordan
http://www.chrisjordanpublications.ca/

Supernatural: Contending for Signs and Wonders Today

By Pastor Chris Jordan

Canadian Retail Price: $19.99

ISBN: 978-0-9865291-0-8

Supernatural #9: Discovering Your Destiny - Part #1

SUPERNATURAL CHAPTER NINE:
DISCOVERING YOUR DESTINY

THE BIG IDEA:
The two greatest questions that we can ask to discover our destinies are: “Who are you, Lord?” and “What do you want me to do?”

“Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. It is a very surprising thing—a thing to be marveled at most of all by those who enjoy it. I know that it is to me even to this day the greatest wonder that I ever heard of, that God should ever justify me. I feel myself to be a lump of unworthiness, a mass of corruption, and a heap of sin, apart from His almighty love.” (Charles Spurgeon, All of Grace).

Do you doubt or question that God loves you? Do you think because of all of the wrong things that you’ve done in your life, that God would never accept you? Or maybe you know and believe God loves you, but you struggle with grasping that God truly has something unique and special for you. If any of those statements apply to you, then Saul’s story will bring you encouragement.

SAUL’S BACKGROUND:
“Yet I could have confidence in myself if anyone could. If others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! For I was circumcised when I was eight days old, having been born into a pure-blooded Jewish family that is a branch of the tribe of Benjamin. So I am a real Jew if there ever was one! What's more, I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. And zealous? Yes, in fact, I harshly persecuted the church. And I obeyed the Jewish law so carefully that I was never accused of any fault.” (Philippians 3:4-6, NLT).

Before Saul became a Christian, he was the classic example of a man who lived a religious life. But he didn’t know God personally.

We are first introduced to Saul in Acts chapter eight, where he was present at the stoning of Stephen, consenting to his death. Immediately after this, “Saul made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.” (Acts 8:3). That word havoc means to ravage, devastate, or ruin. In Eugene Peterson’s words, “Saul just went wild, devastating the church.” (MSG). Saul was an evil, sinful man! Even though he was externally religious, devoutly obedient to the Jewish faith, he was also a murderer. He made it his life mission to persecute the church of Jesus Christ, going into homes of Christians and hauling them off to jail. Saul was a terrible sinner, until the day he had a life-transforming encounter with Jesus.

“Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:1-2).

What a striking picture Luke gives us of Saul. He was spewing out venomous, murderous threats against Christians. He was an angry man who hated the church. He was a terrorist who killed Christians for fun.

In our post 9-11 world, we know about terrorism. When we think of terrorists, do we think that they could ever be saved? We find it hard to imagine them coming to faith in Jesus because they’re so evil. The Christians in the first century church probably felt the same way about Saul. They were terrified of him. When the Lord told a disciple named Ananias to go and pray for Saul, his response was: “But Lord, I've heard about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem!” (Acts 9:13, NLT). “When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They thought he was only pretending to be a believer!” (Acts 9:26, NLT). No one thought Saul could ever be saved.

Thank God for this amazing, hope-filled story. Here is a wicked man, who was religious and legalistic, whose life was changed on the day that he met Jesus. Look at what Saul later wrote about himself, after becoming a Christian:

“This is a true saying, and everyone should believe it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – and I was the worst of them all. But that is why God had mercy on me, so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:15-16, NLT).

Why did Jesus save Saul? It wasn’t just so that he could go to Heaven. It wasn’t just so that the early church could have peace from all of the persecution and terror. God saved Saul so that every sinner in the world can have hope that regardless of what they’ve done, they can be saved. If you have a loved one you think is too far gone, don’t lose hope. Saul’s story was written to encourage you with God’s patience and longsuffering towards even the most terrible sinners in the world.

If you are a sinner, it doesn’t matter how far away from God you are. God has given us this precious promise in His Word: “Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is always living to make petition to God and intercede with Him and intervene for them.” (Hebrews 7:25, AMP). It doesn’t matter how far into addictions, bondages, rebellion, immorality or depravity you may be, Jesus is mighty to save.

Don’t give up on your lost friend or family member. There is always hope in Jesus! Through Jesus, there is forgiveness of sins, freedom from worries and fears, and victory over every kind of addiction. The answer is not in latest psychological fad or the newest best-selling self-help book: the answer is Jesus the Savior. And yet, you can go to church your whole life and never experience the joy of sins forgiven through salvation. Just attending a church won’t save you, but knowing Jesus personally as your Lord and Savior will. That’s what happened to Saul on the Damascus Road.

SAUL’S SALVATION STORY:
Saul’s story is perhaps the most important conversion story in the Bible. It is recorded three times in the Book of Acts. After this event took place, Saul shares on two other occasions how he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. I have told the story of my own salvation dozens, if not hundreds, of times. Everywhere I go, I tell people about what happened in August 1989, in a farmhouse outside of Lacombe, Alberta – the day that I received Jesus as my Savior. Saul was no different. He had to tell everyone about the day his life was transformed by the risen Christ.

“As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:3-4).

I love the suddenlys of Scripture. All of a sudden, Jesus appeared to Saul and talked to him. Can you imagine how this religious terrorist must have felt on that day? Saul loved to strike fear in the hearts of men, women and children; his very name would cause others to cringe in terror. Then one day, a bright light from Heaven, and the voice of Jesus spoke to him: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

Jesus didn’t say, “Why are you persecuting my church?” Jesus is so passionately in love with His church, the people of God, that He said, “Boy, you don’t mess with my bride. You don’t touch my church! When you persecute my church, you’re persecuting me!” Aren’t you glad that we have Jesus on our side? God is for us, not against us. “God blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers.” (Matthew 5:10-11, NLT). Saul knew he was in trouble. For the first time, the terrorist experienced terror and the fear of the Lord.

Saul’s conversion was a sovereign act of God’s grace. Saul wasn’t looking for Jesus, Jesus was looking for him. We have the wrong idea that people have a God-shaped hole in their heart, and that they’re looking for that missing piece. We think people are looking for God but they just don’t know where to find him. That’s not how the Bible describes our state before coming to Christ. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, their first response wasn’t, “There’s a God-shaped hole in my heart now. Something is missing, so I better go looking for God. We’ve disobeyed Him, and we’re sinful now, so let’s make things right.” That’s not how it happened. The very first thing they did when they sinned was to go and hide. They became fugitives. Our sin nature doesn’t cause us to run towards God, it causes us to run away from God.

Saul wasn’t looking for Jesus on the Damascus Road. He wasn’t trying to get saved. He was persecuting the church of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” (John 15:16). Later on in his life, Saul himself would write: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.” (Ephesians 1:4-5).

We have this idea that God loves good little boys and girls, but He hates bad little boys and girls. We think that if we’re going to become Christians, then we need to clean up our acts and get all of the sin and junk out of our lives to make ourselves presentable to God. That’s not the Bible order of things.

“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8).

God didn’t wait for us to get our lives together before sending Jesus to die for our sins. He came looking for us first. We see a beautiful picture of this in the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve sinned, “they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?” (Genesis 3:8-9). God didn’t say, “I knew you guys would blow it. You turkeys ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil!” God’s first words to fallen, sinful humanity were, “Where are you?” God came looking for them. That’s the Gospel.

Are you familiar of the story of the prodigal son? “He told his father, 'I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die.' So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money on wild living. When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man.” (Luke 15:12-13, 17-19, NLT). What did the father do when his son returned home? Did he say, “One moment, son. Get yourself cleaned up first. I want to hear the penitent speech you’ve been preparing, and if it’s good enough, I might let you back home.” No. The son returned home to his father. “And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him… His father said… We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.” (Luke 15:20-24, NLT). That’s the heart of our loving Heavenly Father.

This is the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, though it doesn’t make sense to our natural minds. The idea that God chooses and accepts us with all of our mistakes, failures, and sins is offensive to our human way of thinking. We don’t understand that kind of love.

There is a modern thought that says human beings are born basically good, but when children grow up and are exposed to sinful behavior around them, that’s when they become bad. This is not what the Bible teaches. God’s Word says that we are born with a sin nature.

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5).
“As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10-12).

Any parent knows that this is true. When a child is born, they don’t have to wait until they grew up to learn how to sin. They were born with a sin nature, and it came naturally to them. Children don’t need to learn how to be bad. God’s Word tells us: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23).

Saul was totally depraved, and there was no goodness in him. Therefore, God’s election of Saul was unconditional. God didn’t choose Saul because he was better than anyone else around him. He was worse than anyone else around him! But God still chose him. Isn’t that amazing? King David exclaimed, “Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple.” (Psalm 65:4). You can’t understand the choices of the chooser by looking at the one chosen. I think this is what Thomas Merton meant when he said, “A saint is not someone who is good, but someone who experiences the goodness of God.”

This story from my life is a great illustration of God’s grace. I wasn’t very athletic as a child, but I tried out for a little league baseball team called the Huskies. All my friends from school were trying out, and I wanted to play baseball too. I was a scrawny little kid, but somehow I made it on the team, but not because of any natural talent, that’s for sure. I got on the team because my best friend’s dad was the coach. God chooses us to be adopted into His family, not because of any goodness within us, but simply because our Best Friend’s Dad is the coach. “So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God – all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.” (Romans 5:11, NLT).

Saul’s conversion was entirely a work of sovereign grace from start to finish. “God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10, NLT).

Supernatural is available as an e-book, FREE OF CHARGE for a limited time. 

E-mail Chris Jordan at live.ca for your FREE copy!

Pastor Chris Jordan
http://www.chrisjordanpublications.ca/

Supernatural: Contending for Signs and Wonders Today

By Pastor Chris Jordan

Canadian Retail Price: $19.99

ISBN: 978-0-9865291-0-8

Supernatural #8 - Preaching the Word

SUPERNATURAL CHAPTER EIGHT:
PREACHING THE WORD

THE BIG IDEA:

The church in Acts continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine – in the Word. God’s desire for His church is that we would devote ourselves faithfully to the preaching of the Word of God.

“How little of Scripture there is in modern sermons compared with the sermons of those masters of theology, the Puritan divines! Almost every sentence of theirs seems to cast side lights upon a text of Scripture; not only the one they are preaching about, but many others as well are set in a new light as the discourse proceeds. I would to God that we ministers kept more closely to the great book.” (Charles Spurgeon, How to Read the Bible).

One of the earmarks of the early church was their faithfulness to preaching the Word of God. Over thirty times in the Book of Acts, Luke tells us that the church preached the Word. Here is just a sampling of some of the many examples of this:

• Acts 4:31: “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”
• Acts 6:7: “Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.”
• Acts 13:49: “And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region.”
• Acts 15:35: “Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.”
• Acts 19:20: “So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.”

Why did the early church see such incredible growth? Was it because of the entertainment programs that they ran? No, the church grew because they preached the Word.

WHAT’S WRONG IN THE CHURCH TODAY?

Over five hundred years ago, a man named Martin Luther saw many practices in the church that were not supported by the Word of God. This motivated him to write the now-famous 95-theses which he nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Church. He raised his voice in loud protest against the corrupt church in his day, and boldly declared, “Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Peace, peace," and there is no peace!” He called the church to return to the teachings of the Scriptures, and to lay aside any doctrines of man that would contradict the Bible. His translation of the Word of God into the common language of the people had a transformational effect on the world. His actions sparked the Protestant Reformation, and there were many other blazing torches, called by God to bring about change in the church. The Lord is calling for another reformation in the church today.

It’s time to return to the Bible. It’s time to get back to doing God’s things God’s way. There are too many churches today that have strayed away from preaching the timeless truths of God’s Word. My heart is grieved by the ever-increasing number of so-called Christian churches that have departed from the true preaching of the eternal, living and powerful Word of God. Instead, they proclaim the faulty ideas of man. My spirit is agitated with a righteous indignation about the modern church’s downgrade, its decline toward an inferior state or position. One hundred and twenty years ago, the Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon, addressed this issue in the churches of his day with these words:

“A new religion has been initiated, which is no more Christianity than chalk is cheese; and this religion, being destitute of moral honesty, palms itself off as the old faith with slight improvements, and on this plea usurps pulpits which were erected for gospel preaching… If we are powerless to stem this torrent, we can at least warn men of its existence, and entreat them to keep out of it. When the old faith is gone, and enthusiasm for the gospel is extinct, it is no wonder that people seek something else in the way of delight. Lacking bread, they feed on ashes; rejecting the way of the Lord, they run greedily in the path of folly.”

One only needs to take a cursory glance through the New Testament to discover that the preaching and teaching of God’s Word was the first priority in the early church. Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, came to teach and preach (Mark 1:14). Jesus sent His twelve disciples out to preach the Word (Mark 3:14), and then commissioned all of His followers to preach the Gospel (Mark 16:15). Paul told the Corinthian church that his primary calling was to preach Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23). When he commissioned a young pastor named Timothy, Paul wrote:

“And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus – who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4:1-3, NLT).

I wonder if we are living in the age that Paul spoke of, when people no longer listen to right teaching. Many today are following their own desires and flocking to teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear. I challenge all of God’s true ministers to continue to faithfully preach the Word! Consider these inspirational quotes on the primacy of preaching in the church of Jesus Christ:

J. W. ALEXANDER: 
“I fear none of us apprehend as we ought to do the value of the preacher’s office… The pulpit will still remain the grand means of effecting the mass of men. It is God’s own method, and He will honor it.”

JOHN STOTT:  

“Preaching is indispensable to Christianity… It stands to reason that every recovery of confidence in the Word of God, and so in a living God who spoke and speaks, however this truth may be defined, is bound to result in a recovery of preaching.”

DR. MARTYN LLOYD JONES:

“To me, the work of preaching is the highest and the greatest and the most glorious calling to which anyone can be called. I would say without any hesitation that the most urgent need in the Christian church today is true preaching.”

R.C. SPROUL:

“Every Sunday morning we observe a strange phenomenon. Millions of people leave their homes, take respite from their jobs and recreation, and gather in church buildings for services of worship. People sit quietly and listen while one person stands before them and gives a speech. What's going on here? The power of preaching is found in the Spirit working with the Word of God and through the Word of God. God promises that His Word will not return to Him void. Its power is located not in the eloquence or enlightenment of the preacher but in the power of the Spirit. Preaching is a tool in the hands of the Spirit of God.”

CHARLES SPURGEON: 

“Fine sermons never win souls; you may blaze away, young man, at a terrific rate with your brilliant oratory and your fine pieces of poetry and quotations from eminent authors! And your lengthy sermon may be like the set piece at a display of fireworks, or the final burst of brightness with which it all ends; but all that will not save souls! What does save souls, then? Why, the Word of the Lord, the Truth of God as it is in Jesus!”

In the contemporary North American church, where countless pastors are abandoning true preaching of the Word of God, they are forced to turn to other worldly means to grow their churches. Entertainment in every form imaginable – from fashion shows and rock concerts to Mixed Martial Arts events – are used to draw crowds of people into their churches. Archibald G. Brown, a student and contemporary of Charles Spurgeon, wrote an article that is a prophetic trumpet call to the church today:

“Providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in Holy Scripture as one of the functions of the church. Now, surely, if our Lord had intended His church to be the caterer of entertainment, He would hardly have left so important a branch of service unmentioned. If it is Christian work, why did not Christ at least hint it? "Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature," is clear enough. So would it have been, if He had added, "and provide amusement for those who do not like the Gospel." No such addendum, however, is to be found, in any one of our Lord’s utterances.

If "providing recreation" is a part of the Church's work, surely we may look for some promise to encourage her in the toilsome task. Where is it? There is a promise that, "My Word shall not return unto Me void." There is the heart-rejoicing declaration concerning the Gospel, "it is the power of God unto salvation." There is the sweet assurance for the preacher of Christ that, whether he is successful or not as the world judges success, that he is "sweet savor unto God." There is the glorious benediction for those whose testimony, so far from amusing the world, rouses its wrath: "Blessed are you when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven! For so persecuted they the prophets who were before you." Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people—or because they refused to?

Now let the appeal be made to those who, rejecting every other method, have staked everything on the preaching of the Gospel. Let them be challenged to produce results. There is no need. Blazing sacrifices on every hand attest the answer. Ten thousand times ten thousand voices are ready to declare that the plain preaching of the Word was, first and last - the cause of their salvation!”

I have made a commitment that my church will always proclaim the Word of God. I will never compromise or depart from the preaching of the Bible, even though countless preachers have done so. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12).

Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32). There are more hurting and broken people bound by addictions and compulsions than ever before in history. People need the power of God’s Word to transform their lives. Too many preachers are watering down the truth in an effort to draw huge crowds. Even if they manage to fill their churches, what good is it if they are not giving their people the Word of God that can set them free? Our story in Acts chapter eight illustrates the importance of preaching the Word:

“Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.” (Acts 8:1-4).

When Jesus started His church, He gave this blueprint to His disciples, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). Instead of being obedient to the call of Jesus to go into the world and preach the Gospel, they set up camp in Jerusalem. They were content to have little church services, but they had forgotten their mission. They had become comfortable. Jesus had a bigger vision for his church than one little body of believers in one little town. Then a great persecution arose against the church. Surely many believers jumped to the conclusion, “This is an attack from the devil. The devil’s persecuting the church!” I’m not so sure that this persecution was brought on by the devil. Why? Because the fruit of the persecution was that the disciples went out preaching the Word.

Sometimes we get so comfortable in our lives that God has to stir things up a little bit. We forget that we are blessed to be a blessing. God has placed us in our communities to be bright shining lights, to share the Good News about Jesus. Do you need to get out of your comfort zone, dear reader? Have you been a little too comfortable for too long? Then you’d better get busy doing the work of the ministry, before God has to come along and shake you out of that lukewarm, apathetic state!

“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city.” (Acts 8:5-8).

One of the disciples driven from Jerusalem was Philip. He wasn’t an apostle or a pastor; he was one of the seven men chosen to wait on tables. Philip was a regular Christian, just like Stephen, who responded to the call of Jesus to go and do the stuff. Thank God for the examples of Stephen and Philip, two ordinary guys who were used in an extraordinary way. Some people say, “I could never do anything great for God. I’ve never been to Bible College. I’m not a pastor or a missionary.” Don’t let that hinder you from stepping out in faith to be used by the Lord. When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, God will give you power to be a witness for Him.

When Philip went to Samaria to evangelize the people, he didn’t set up an entertainment center, host a bingo night, or hold a potluck dinner. He preached Jesus to the people. He told the people that Jesus came to give them life, an abundant, blessed life. As he preached Jesus, people were saved, delivered and healed, and the end result was great joy in that city. The church today needs to get back to the basics and start preaching Jesus again.

“But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.” (Acts 8:12).

Philip was preaching about the Kingdom of God. Jesus had also preached, “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” When the Kingdom of God is present, people will experience the benefits of the kingdom – forgiveness of sins, life, joy, peace, signs, wonders, healings and miracles. He also preached the powerful, life-transforming name of Jesus. He preached that Jesus is the Savior, Healer, Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, and the Soon Coming King – that’s the Gospel! 

CHARLES SPURGEON ON PREACHING JESUS:

 You remember the story I told you of the Welshman who heard a young man preach a very fine sermon-a grand sermon, a highfaluting, spread-eagle sermon; and when he had done, he asked the Welshman what he thought of it. The man replied that he did not think anything of it.
"And why not?"
"Because there was no Jesus Christ in it."
"Well," said he, "but my text did not seem to run that way."
"Never mind," said the Welshman, "your sermon ought to run that way."
"I do not see that, however," said the young man.
"No," said the other, "you do not see how to preach yet. This is the way to preach. From every little village in England - it does not matter where it is - there is sure to be a road to London. Now, from every text in the Bible there is a road to Jesus Christ, and the way to preach is just to say, `How can I get from this text to Jesus Christ?' and then go preaching all the way along it."
"Well," said the young man, "suppose I find a text that does not have a road to Jesus."
"I have preached for forty years," said the old man, "and I have never found such a Scripture, but if I ever do find one I will go over hedge and ditch but what I will get to him, for I will never finish without bringing in my Master."

I hope the church you attend preaches Jesus and the Bible. God’s Word has the power to change your life. Look at the end of the story of Philip’s revival in Samaria: “So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.” (Acts 8:25). The church in Acts continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42). That word steadfastly means to give unremitting care to a thing; to persevere and not to faint; unwavering; firmly established; loyal or constant. That means they were continually in the Word.

Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4). The Word of God is food for our spirits. If the only Bible you get into your heart is from your pastor’s sermon once a week at church, then you are starving your spirit-man. Read the Bible, it is life to your spirit. It strengthens your faith. God wants you to continue steadfastly in the Word – to read it every day.

Supernatural is available as an e-book, FREE OF CHARGE for a limited time. 

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Pastor Chris Jordan
http://www.chrisjordanpublications.ca/

Supernatural: Contending for Signs and Wonders Today

By Pastor Chris Jordan

Canadian Retail Price: $19.99

ISBN: 978-0-9865291-0-8