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I woke up early one morning with a startling dream still hanging in my head. The hazy afterimages danced through my thoughts like a parade. It all seemed so real and so intellectually sound that I began to relate the dream to my wife. The longer I talked the more awake I became. When I was fully cognizant, the dream sounded so foolish that we both simply laughed at its audacity. It’s wonderfully amazing how the clarity of being fully awake dispels the phantasms of foolish dreams.
Do you recognize how real the things of Christ are in comparison to the things of this world? In relationship to the eternal, this world is nothing more than hazy, dream-like thoughts that will be dispelled when we are fully awake. Paul told the Corinthians, “So we fix our eyes on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Why, then, do some believers in Christ hang onto the things of this world with such tenacity? It’s as if the world, which is temporary, has more power over our thoughts than the world that is eternal—not unlike how a dream controls the thoughts of the dreamer until they are fully awake.
So what can you do?
The first thing to do is to wake up. Ephesians 5:14b, “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” As long as you’re spiritually asleep, you will never have any greater awareness than a man who is stuck in a dream. It was only when I woke from my dream that I had the opportunity to increase in clarity.
The second thing to do is to draw near to Christ. “But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” (2 Corinthians 3:16). Just as I talked with my wife about my dream, and became more aware of how ludicrous the dream was, so when you speak with Christ about this world, the more you find clarity about how things really are. You need to speak to one who is fully awake to find clarity for yourself—and that is, ultimately, Christ.
The third thing to do is to live in reality rather than the dream. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above and not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1-2). If the greater reality is Christ and eternity then it stands to reason that the greater life is to live for Christ and that which is eternal.
How do you know the difference? It all comes back to God’s word. The Bible is God’s conversation to lead you out of the twilight of the world and into perfect clarity, and total wakefulness, in Christ.
©2010
Rev. Michael Duncan
Showing posts with label bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bible. Show all posts
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Friday, October 16, 2009
Divine Evaluation
Revelation 1:12-13, “I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,” dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.”
Jesus is in the midst of the lampstands, moving, working, ministering to His church. That’s what the lampstands represent (Revelation 1:20). Christ Jesus is in the midst of His people, but I wonder if there is something else, some other reason that Jesus navigates among the lampstands and so I offer this question: is the Lord Jesus looking for something?
In 2 Chronicles 16:9 the seer, Hanani, spoke to Asa, king of Judah, “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” This statement comes as a rebuke to the king, for Asa had relied upon a worldly solution to his dilemma rather than trusting the Lord. These words come to the church today as a reminder that the Lord still searches the hearts of His own people. But what is the Lord Jesus looking for? Might He be looking for that lampstand, that church, even that Christian, which glows with no other light than His own? A light fueled by nothing less than the oil of His own Spirit?
When in the military, it was not uncommon for the commanders to gather their troops for inspection. They walked through the rank and file with their keen eyes set upon each soldier. They offered no encouragement, no pats-on-the-back. They inspected their troops and brought each soldier into compliance with their standards. Jesus doesn't walk in the midst of the lampstands simply to encourage but to examine, to evaluate the church and bring it into compliance with His standards. The second and third chapters of Revelation make that abundantly clear.
Jesus is looking at your life right now… what does He see? Does He see the flames of bitterness? Or does He see the darkness of doubt? Does Jesus see in you the embers of lost hope? The ashes of a forgotten faith? Does He see the missionary fires burning brightly? Does He watch the passionate flames of faithfulness despite the grip persecution? Will Jesus need to come into your life with the sword of His word and cut away the dross that diminishes your life? Will Jesus move through your church with encouragement or does he stand outside at the door, and knock?
They eyes of the Lord are upon you and He watches in order to commend or correct, to reward or rebuke. The Lord Jesus walks in the midst of his people and He is looking for something—He is looking for faith.
©2009
Rev. Michael Duncan
Jesus is in the midst of the lampstands, moving, working, ministering to His church. That’s what the lampstands represent (Revelation 1:20). Christ Jesus is in the midst of His people, but I wonder if there is something else, some other reason that Jesus navigates among the lampstands and so I offer this question: is the Lord Jesus looking for something?
In 2 Chronicles 16:9 the seer, Hanani, spoke to Asa, king of Judah, “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” This statement comes as a rebuke to the king, for Asa had relied upon a worldly solution to his dilemma rather than trusting the Lord. These words come to the church today as a reminder that the Lord still searches the hearts of His own people. But what is the Lord Jesus looking for? Might He be looking for that lampstand, that church, even that Christian, which glows with no other light than His own? A light fueled by nothing less than the oil of His own Spirit?
When in the military, it was not uncommon for the commanders to gather their troops for inspection. They walked through the rank and file with their keen eyes set upon each soldier. They offered no encouragement, no pats-on-the-back. They inspected their troops and brought each soldier into compliance with their standards. Jesus doesn't walk in the midst of the lampstands simply to encourage but to examine, to evaluate the church and bring it into compliance with His standards. The second and third chapters of Revelation make that abundantly clear.
Jesus is looking at your life right now… what does He see? Does He see the flames of bitterness? Or does He see the darkness of doubt? Does Jesus see in you the embers of lost hope? The ashes of a forgotten faith? Does He see the missionary fires burning brightly? Does He watch the passionate flames of faithfulness despite the grip persecution? Will Jesus need to come into your life with the sword of His word and cut away the dross that diminishes your life? Will Jesus move through your church with encouragement or does he stand outside at the door, and knock?
They eyes of the Lord are upon you and He watches in order to commend or correct, to reward or rebuke. The Lord Jesus walks in the midst of his people and He is looking for something—He is looking for faith.
©2009
Rev. Michael Duncan
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Spiritual Dinosaur - The Prayer Meeting
What ever happened to the prayer meeting? Churches across the country have either canceled their prayer service or curtailed it to such an extent that it might as well be canceled. I’ve spoken with many pastors who have acknowledged the need for prayer but who have also decided that due to a lack of attendance, the time can be used for other endeavors. So, the prayer gathering of the church goes the way of the dinosaur, extinct with only fossilized remains to remind the church of what was.
Now I would agree that the dinosaur extinction is, perhaps, a necessity. I mean, who wants to go hiking in the mountains only to have a T-Rex disrupt a glorious morning? It ruins the entire experience. But is that the same for the prayer meeting of the church? Is the prayer meeting nothing more than a hindrance to spiritual growth and development—a disruption of other, more suitable activities?
First, prayer is the very breath of the Christian life. In the model prayer that Jesus taught His disciples, the entire scope of the Christian life is conveyed: Recognition of God as Father, yielding to His will, seeking His provision, receiving His forgiveness, living with forgiveness toward others, and following His lead through life (Matthew 6:9-13). As Jesus said, “This, then, is how you should pray.” Perhaps many churches have abandoned this model and degenerated into selfish, whim-based prayers? If so, the church must return to this model for the prayer meeting.
Second, prayer is one of the four devotions of the church (Acts 2:42). “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” These four devotions of the church (and I mean by devotion: that which is an anchor point of faithful living) must play out in the congregations of God’s people. If you will allow the illustration, these are the four legs that support the altar of the Christian life: the word of God (the apostles’ teaching), the people of God (the fellowship), the worship of God (the breaking of bread), and communion with God (prayer). Without prayer the life dynamic of the church will collapse like a table with a missing leg.
Third, prayer is the place where the church begins to see the power of God manifested. The great revivals of old all had at their foundation a collection of praying Christians. It was the group who gathered in prayer that originally received the outpouring of God’s Spirit (Acts 1:14; 2:4). The ground shook when the church prayed (Acts 4:31). Peter escaped miraculously from prison as the church prayed (Acts 12:5). The Bible says, “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call on the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:13-15).
Christians want to see God respond mightily to the circumstances that are in the world. But I believe that God just might be waiting on the church to respond humbly to Him in prayer and repentance. The prayer meeting of the church is not a dinosaur, lost to the ages past. It might very well be the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37), needing to hear the voice of God again and rise up on their feet, a vast army—prayer warriors all.
©2009
Rev. Michael Duncan
Now I would agree that the dinosaur extinction is, perhaps, a necessity. I mean, who wants to go hiking in the mountains only to have a T-Rex disrupt a glorious morning? It ruins the entire experience. But is that the same for the prayer meeting of the church? Is the prayer meeting nothing more than a hindrance to spiritual growth and development—a disruption of other, more suitable activities?
First, prayer is the very breath of the Christian life. In the model prayer that Jesus taught His disciples, the entire scope of the Christian life is conveyed: Recognition of God as Father, yielding to His will, seeking His provision, receiving His forgiveness, living with forgiveness toward others, and following His lead through life (Matthew 6:9-13). As Jesus said, “This, then, is how you should pray.” Perhaps many churches have abandoned this model and degenerated into selfish, whim-based prayers? If so, the church must return to this model for the prayer meeting.
Second, prayer is one of the four devotions of the church (Acts 2:42). “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” These four devotions of the church (and I mean by devotion: that which is an anchor point of faithful living) must play out in the congregations of God’s people. If you will allow the illustration, these are the four legs that support the altar of the Christian life: the word of God (the apostles’ teaching), the people of God (the fellowship), the worship of God (the breaking of bread), and communion with God (prayer). Without prayer the life dynamic of the church will collapse like a table with a missing leg.
Third, prayer is the place where the church begins to see the power of God manifested. The great revivals of old all had at their foundation a collection of praying Christians. It was the group who gathered in prayer that originally received the outpouring of God’s Spirit (Acts 1:14; 2:4). The ground shook when the church prayed (Acts 4:31). Peter escaped miraculously from prison as the church prayed (Acts 12:5). The Bible says, “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call on the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:13-15).
Christians want to see God respond mightily to the circumstances that are in the world. But I believe that God just might be waiting on the church to respond humbly to Him in prayer and repentance. The prayer meeting of the church is not a dinosaur, lost to the ages past. It might very well be the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37), needing to hear the voice of God again and rise up on their feet, a vast army—prayer warriors all.
©2009
Rev. Michael Duncan
Friday, September 11, 2009
Christian Conversation
The Lord responded to Moses’ complaint by asking a rhetorical question, “Who gave man his mouth?” If God gave man a mouth to speak, a language to use, a brain to think, then it stands to reason that God will hold accountable every man to the use of his words.
However, think how often a stray thought rushes from the mouth like a geyser, or an un-checked word escapes like a bat out of a cave? Believers in Christ are commissioned by God to use the tongue for His glory, to speak words for a more noble purpose, to take every thought captive and make them obedient to Christ. Is this how you approach your conversations with the world around you?
Consider what God’s word says. Psalm 37:30, “The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.” Proverbs 8:7, “My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness.” These two passages of Scripture give a clear picture of what the mouth of a believer ought to voice—only that which is wise and true. Is this your utterance? Is this your conversation?
I remember, some time ago, when I walked with a group of Christians as we left a meeting. We navigated through the parking lot and made our way to the car, all the while speaking and laughing and carrying on with the wonderful fellowship we just experienced. However, one in our party thought to share a story—a witticism that carried a hint of vulgarity. As this person espoused the humor, the remaining members walked in stunned silence at the lack of Christian character displayed in the joke. When confronted, the person quickly defended the tale, saying it was, “just a joke.” Has true faith become so watered-down by the world that believers can casually share at a joke that is vulgar and crude without a shred of conscience? Was Jeremiah right when he said that the people of God had forgotten even how to blush (Jeremiah 8:12)? It was more than just a joke; it was a telling sign of what ruminated in that person’s heart. Jesus said, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored in his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).
Paul entreats the church, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6). Again the Bible states, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). And again in Ephesians, “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving” (5:4).
All believers have a responsibility to God, to fellow believers and to the world at large to speak those words that will exalt Christ, edify the church and entreat the lost world to Jesus. Is this your conversation? It should be.
©2009 Rev. Michael Duncan
However, think how often a stray thought rushes from the mouth like a geyser, or an un-checked word escapes like a bat out of a cave? Believers in Christ are commissioned by God to use the tongue for His glory, to speak words for a more noble purpose, to take every thought captive and make them obedient to Christ. Is this how you approach your conversations with the world around you?
Consider what God’s word says. Psalm 37:30, “The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.” Proverbs 8:7, “My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness.” These two passages of Scripture give a clear picture of what the mouth of a believer ought to voice—only that which is wise and true. Is this your utterance? Is this your conversation?
I remember, some time ago, when I walked with a group of Christians as we left a meeting. We navigated through the parking lot and made our way to the car, all the while speaking and laughing and carrying on with the wonderful fellowship we just experienced. However, one in our party thought to share a story—a witticism that carried a hint of vulgarity. As this person espoused the humor, the remaining members walked in stunned silence at the lack of Christian character displayed in the joke. When confronted, the person quickly defended the tale, saying it was, “just a joke.” Has true faith become so watered-down by the world that believers can casually share at a joke that is vulgar and crude without a shred of conscience? Was Jeremiah right when he said that the people of God had forgotten even how to blush (Jeremiah 8:12)? It was more than just a joke; it was a telling sign of what ruminated in that person’s heart. Jesus said, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored in his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).
Paul entreats the church, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6). Again the Bible states, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). And again in Ephesians, “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving” (5:4).
All believers have a responsibility to God, to fellow believers and to the world at large to speak those words that will exalt Christ, edify the church and entreat the lost world to Jesus. Is this your conversation? It should be.
©2009 Rev. Michael Duncan
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