Lessons from Bethany

Lessons from Bethany

John 12: 1-11

Just six days before the last Passover. When all people went to Jerusalem, the Lord Jesus arrived at Bethany. The Lord was not interested in religion. He has brought life.

Before He went to the Cross the Lord Jesus wanted to meet three friends and share fellowship with them. He changed their lives in such a way that each of them can teach us something.

1. Lesson from sister Martha – she served the Lord Jesus (John 12:2).

The Lord Jesus came to serve. (Matthew 20: 28).

The goal of Jesus’ ministry was to glorify His Father. (John 5: 30b).

The local church exists to serve. (Heb. 9: 14).

2. Lesson from sister Mary – she loved the Lord Jesus (John 12:3).

The Lord Jesus came to show love (John 15: 9, 13).

He came because He has a deep love for sinners (Rom. 5:8).

The local church exists to express love (John 15:7, 9, 12, 17; 1 Thess. 4:9).

3. Lesson from brother Lazarus – he testified about the Lord Jesus (John 12:9).

The Lord Jesus came to testify about His Father (John 6:29; 8:29, 42; 10:30).

God the Father, the Scripture, the Holy Spirit testify about the Lord Jesus (John 5:37; 15:26).

The local church exists to testify about the Lord Jesus (Luke 24:14; John 15:8, 27).

Why am I here?

I am here to serve (Gal. 5:13).

I am here to love (Eph. 6:7).

I am here to witness for Him (Rom. 1:16).

We can do it if the Lord Jesus is in the centre! I can do all in Him and nothing without Him. (Phil. 4: 13; John 15: 4-5).

Lack of service, lack of love and lack of testimony

can be a proof that the Lord Jesus is not yet in the centre.

Only the Lord Jesus can make us serve, love and witness for Him!

Serve, love and testify!

Do it because of Him!

Dr. Czeslaw Bassara ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; www.proword.eu)

Jeremiah, the hesitant prophet

Jeremiah, the hesitant prophet

Jeremiah 1:1-10 (especially verse 7)

1. Jeremiah goes from priest to prophet (v. 1)

Jeremiah would have been expected to be a priest. There was stability in being a priest. God called Jeremiah to the more uncertain task of being a prophet. He went from calling people to change their behaviour to attempting to change their hard hearts. Jeremiah was a prophet of the heart. The word heart is used 66 times. It is a very dangerous and difficult thing sometimes to speak from the Word of God. There are a lot of churches today that don’t preach the Word of God because it makes people uncomfortable. People want to hear sermons about how God is going to bless them or about His love.

2. They were difficult days (verses 2-3)

Jeremiah was born during the reign of Manasseh. Idolatry and child sacrifice was taking place during the childhood of Jeremiah. Idolatry was flourishing. The Word of God during Manasseh’s reign had gotten lost. The priests were treated with disrespect. He saw in Josiah’s day, reform, but not true repentance. Based on 3:10, we know that it was a reform that didn’t reach the heart. It’s much easier to change your outward appearance than your heart. God didn’t give up on the judgment He had planned for Judah (2 Kings 23:26-27). This was a time of starvation, heavy taxation, and spiritual poverty as well. It was a time of drought, brought about because of disobedience. It was during these times, that God called Jeremiah to faithfully and steadfastly preach the Word, despite the fact that the people did not respond and even wanted to kill him. He was to draw his strength from the Lord and was faithful.

3. With a hesitant heart (verses 4-10)

Like Moses, Jeremiah was at first hesitant to take on this task. (See: Moses in Exodus 3:11; 4:1) Perhaps the tasks seemed too great for him. Or perhaps he worried about how he would be received or thought they might kill him. He hesitated because he most likely felt inadequate for the job. Paul seemed to say in 2 Cor. 2:16 that he felt inadequate too, but he also knew that his adequacy came from the Lord.

God assured Jeremiah of 3 things in this passage:

1. His election to this office. God chose him and not the other way around. Before he knew of God or knew anything in this life, God saw him and called him and was equipping him for this difficult task.

2. His protection. Several times Jeremiah almost died for his faith. There were people who wanted to kill Jeremiah. Jeremiah lived despite this because God was His shield.

3. His authority. God gave him His Word. Jeremiah was not going to be preaching his own opinion or thoughts, but God’s Word. This Word has power and doesn’t return void. Too many times today people want popularity with people and compromise the Word of God and water it down. Jeremiah could have easily done that, but he did not. He didn’t only tell the people what they wanted to hear.

Dr. Czeslaw Bassara ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; www.proword.eu)

It is time for spiritual revival

 

It is time for spiritual revival
(Romans 13:11-14; Isaiah 52:1; 60:1; Eph. 5:14)

1. Wake up!

Understanding (making sure we know) the present time.

The present time is a time for spiritual awareness.
The present time is a time for spiritual seriousness.

The word ‘time’ means a critical time - an important time.
Christ’s return is a critical time in human history.
The judgment seat of Christ is a critical time in the life of a believer.

We need to be watchful.
Awake from sleep.
Too many believers are not concerned with what is going on in this world.
‘Our salvation’ - the day of Christ’s return is close.

2. Consider time!

The night is nearly over and the day is coming.
Satan’s time is short.
Christ’s return is coming.

It is time to:

‘Put aside’ the deeds of darkness.
- Cast off as in a piece of clothing.
- Dark deeds are deeds we do under cover…

Put on the armour of light (Eph. 5:8:14; 1 Thes. 5:5).

3. What we need to remove?

We are to search for victory over sin.
Walk graciously.

‘In daylight’ – not doing what is not fit for daytime.
- Hedonism;
- Pollution;
- Hateful feelings.

4. What we must put on?

Walking in a way that is satisfying to God (Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10).

We must think ahead to order to avoid sin.

Scripture says that the believer is to put on (or clothe himself) with:

· The Holy Spirit (Luke 24,:9).

· The Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 13:14).

· Immortality (1 Cor. 15:53-54).

· The new man (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10).

· The nature of God (Col. 3:12).

· The armour of light and of God (Rom. 13:14).

· Love (Col. 3:14).

Dr. Czeslaw Bassara ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; www.proword.eu)

If your brother sins against you

If your brother sins against you

‘If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.’ Matt. 18:15

Love is the highest value in the kingdom of God. Conflict blocks out love. There is probably no greater challenge to spiritual growth than how we handle conflicts.

Acknowledge the conflict

Conflict is a real thing. It is a part of human nature. Lack of conflict does not equal maturity. All churches and Christians face conflicts. Sometimes it is because we are selfish, sinful and difficult, but often it is just because we are different. As a result of our different personalities, backgrounds and experiences, we view faith and life and ministry in different ways. How often we think that we know best, because it is best for us, and it is tough to compromise. ‘The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?’ (Jer. 17: 9)

You have to do something about the conflict

Why do we not face up to resolving conflict? It is because of pride, fear and stubbornness.

‘Go!’ means ‘go’ or ‘approach.’ ‘Go!’ does not mean ‘avoid’ or ‘pray’ or ‘think’ or ‘forget.’

Why are you getting angry? There are three major reasons: hurt, frustration and fear.

You have to go directly to the person involved. Not to third parties, to mediators or friends.

You need to talk in private. You need to be sensitive approaching the other person as you would like to be approached.

You need to be open to:

1. Describe clearly what you have observed.

2. Explain how it hurt you.

3. Tell what the consequences have been.

4. Ask for what change you would like. Change implies more than a simple apology, although an apology is often a good place to start.

5. Aim at reconciliation. The goal is to restore the relationship. The goal is not to prove who was right, nor to avoid the situation, nor to turn away and forget.

Conflict is a real danger
Some of us have been through extremely damaging conflicts. In serious conflict, reputations can be destroyed, trust can be violated, friendships can be broken, and lives can be shattered. Conflict can do immense harm to individuals and to the church. Conflict endangers the unity that is so essential to the life and witness of Christians.

Conflict provides an opportunity for growth and change
Conflict does not have to be destructive. It is possible to move through conflict and find strengthened relationships, deeper trust, broadened perspectives, new energy, and stronger commitment and unity. Conflict provides an opportunity for growth and change. If we can handle a conflict well, and people stay focused on the issue (not the people), then new energy, commitment and trust emerges. Conflict is not the end. It may be the beginning of something new and powerful.

Some decisions to be made:

1. ‘If you have a difficulty with me, come to me in private not to others! In everything we do, we will be sincere and do the task to the best of our abilities.’

2. ’If I have a difficulty with you, I will come to you in private!’

3. ‘If someone has a difficulty with me and comes to you, send him or her to me. I will do the same for you!’

4. ‘If someone over and over again will not come to me, say: Let’s go to our leader together.’ I will do the same for you!’

5. ‘Be careful how you read me. I will do the same for you. On matters that are uncertain, we will not feel pressured to read other’s feelings or thoughts. It is easy to misread intentions.’

6. ‘If something is confidential, then it must remain confidential!’

7. ‘If you or anyone comes to me in confidence, I will not tell unless the person is going to harm himself/herself or the person is going to physically harm someone else or a child has been physically or sexually abused. I expect the same from you.’

8. ‘I am not going to read anonymous or unsigned letters and notes.’

9. ‘I am not going to manipulate. I will not let myself be manipulated. I will not let others try to manipulate me against you.’

10. ‘I will not preach ‘at’ you. I will leave conviction to the Holy Spirit.’

Some warnings and advice from the Bible:

‘The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. But no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.’ (James 3:6.8)

‘A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.’ (Prov. 25:11)

‘Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.’ (Prov. 16:24)

‘Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you - for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.’ (Eccl. 7:21-22)

‘Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.’ (Psalm 34:13)

‘But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.’ (Matt. 12:36)

Dr. Czeslaw Bassara ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; www.proword.eu)

God’s revolution

God’s revolution

‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ (John 10:10)

Millions of people around the world today live in terrible circumstances.
1.2 million children are trafficked each year.
126 million children work in the worst forms of child labour.
13% of 7-18 year olds have never been to school.
More than 2 million children have died in armed conflict in the past 10 years and more than 6 million have been seriously injured.
15 million children have lost 1 or both parents to AIDS.

We ask God what He is doing about it. He asks us what we are doing about it? A real revolution is needed! A revolution, in Latin ‘revolutio,’ ‘an about turn’ is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a short period of time.

A revolution is required, in attitude and in Bible interpretation. The Lord Jesus was supernaturally born of a virgin – impossible by human logic. He not only spoke of God, but proved God is real by doing the miraculous. His actions spoke louder than words.

A true church of Jesus Christ will preach the almost forgotten (but not by God) words of the Bible - sin, hell, repentance, holiness, righteousness. It may not be what people want to hear, but it is truth. We must get serious with God. In John 14:12 the Lord Jesus told the disciples that they would do greater works than He did! It happened because they believed Him!

Today there should be a desire to have the heart of the early believers. They loved the Lord Jesus enough to go to jail, even to die for Christ! We need a Christian revolution.

There are two powers that change our world. What are they? They are the power of love and the power of hatred. The power of love comes from God. We are witnesses of two revolutions taking place in the world today: revolution of love and revolution of hatred. Each of us is involved in one of them. Which revolution are you involved in?

The revolution of love versus the revolution of hatred

The Bible tells of God who brings a revolution of love into practice. The background of this revolution is the revolution of his enemy.

The revolution of love made it possible for Adam to have the companion he needed. God loved Adam so much that He gave him the best possible help. God wanted Adam to love Eve. God wanted Eve to love Adam. God wanted Adam and Eve to love their children. Love is the quality that builds and brings life and joy.

The revolution of hatred followed the revolution of love. Someone was not happy that Adam loved his wife or that Eve loved her husband or parents loved their children. And this is why we read the story of Genesis 3 about the fall. As result of the revolution of hatred Adam and Eve were witnesses of the funeral of their younger son Abel. His brother Cain took part in the revolution of hatred. This revolution took away 25 % of population. Hatred is the quality that devastates and brings death and sadness.

The revolution of love

The revolution of love initiated an action. The Bible is full of examples of this revolution. God never agreed with the revolution of hatred. God is love, therefore He loves! God is love and He therefore changes this world with love. The Bible presents an escalation of God’s love. The more people were involved in hatred the more God was ready to show His love.

The revolution of love is based on the foundation that God is love! He is the foundation of the revolution of love! The God of the Bible is the Trinitarian God. The Trinitarian God is a monotheistic God, but not a monistic one. Monism states that God has no relationships. A monistic God concentrates on Himself and expects our obedience but not our love. The Trinitarian God concentrates on others and expects our love and obedience out of love. The God of the Bible is the Trinitarian God. Each Person of the Godhead is described by love and involved in the revolution of love. Monistic gods are not interested in love. They often inspire the revolution of hatred.

The revolution of hatred

The revolution of hatred told the people to live in such a way that God told Noah to build an ark and save what was possible to save.

The revolution of hatred made people build the tower of Babel. There were not able to finish this revolution and today we have so many languages in the world and we cannot understand each other.

The revolution of hatred told people to fight against Abraham, the father of faith. Sodom and Gomorrah are signs of the revolution of hatred. Today we can go to Israel and take a bath in the Dead Sea. This sea tells you of the revolution of hatred.

The revolution of hatred did not want Isaac to be born. The revolution of hatred wanted Jacob to be killed. The revolution of hatred wanted Joseph to be sold and forgotten.

The revolution of hatred wanted to kill Moses when he still was a baby. The revolution of hatred wanted to kill Moses when he has brought the Ten Commandments from God. The revolution of hatred wanted the nation of Israel to be slaves in Egypt. The revolution of hatred wanted all the children of Israel to be drowned in the Red Sea. The revolution of hatred brings death, much death and only death. This is the revolution of death. Hatred kills!

The revolution of hatred wants to change the world! This revolution is not happy with God’s plans for us. This revolution is not happy with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, because the Gospel is God’s instruments in the revolution of love. The revolution of hatred will do everything possible to present God as being absent, not concerned, far away and who never loves us. This revolution would rather present God as a myth or a philosophical concept or a kind of power, but not as God of love.

The Lord Jesus did not bring a religion. He has begun a revolution of life. Bethlehem is the house of bread. The Lord Jesus is the Bread from Heaven! Receiving this bread makes us a part of the revolution of love! We cannot be silent anymore! We cannot hide the Bread of life!

‘And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35)

Dr. Czeslaw Bassara ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; www.proword.eu)