Showing His Glory on your Face

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NLT)

In ancient times and even in some cultures today when a couple goes through the marriage ceremony the bride is heavily veiled, so much so that that the groom can’t clearly see his brides face until the veil is removed. The groom assumes it is his beloved, he hopes it is his new wife to be, but until the veil is removed his guess is as good as the person seated in the back row of the church. This partly explains why Jacob ended up marrying Leah and not Rachel.  (See Genesis 29:21-35) We can carry this concept into our spiritually lives as well. Our veils can be our old ideals, old habits and hurts, old religious experiences and of course old sin that we allow to hang around.  These veils prevent us from allowing others to see the light of Christ shining in and through us. We deny them the opportunity to see the glory of the Lord. As I was meditating on this passage last week the idea of how my sin inhibits me from reflecting God’s glory.  I looked at the results of my prayers for others, the way I deal with people and was there any positive spiritual influence or His power through my life. My sin quenches the Holy Spirit from shining in me and from being filled and overflowing with His presences.  It also quenches Him from moving through me into the lives of other people.

One of the things that Moses did after his encounter with God on the mountain was to veil his face because the glory of God was so magnificent that the people of God could not look upon his face. After a while that glorious glow diminished and yet Moses continued to wear his veil. We do that same thing today. We have a great spiritual encounter with the Lord resulting in a “glowing”. Once we re-enter into the daily grind and challenges of life, that “glow” tends to fade and yet we continue to live as if we are filled and as bright as we were before.  I have heard a saying, “if you are saved from your sins, filled with God’s Holy Spirit, have access to and experience of God’s abundant life culminating to an eternity in Heaven…then please tell your face!”

A great test to determine whether or not your life is hidden behind a veil is to look at the Spirit’s fruit in your life. Ask your spouse and those who you share life with: Do you see the Holy Spirit producing this kind of fruit in your life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (See Galatians 5:22-23) Notice the question isn’t have I been a “good Christian” or “good friend” but is there Holy Spirit power manifesting in and through my life? What are some examples of His fruit? Does your life look more and more light Jesus’ or does it look like everybody else only you possess the title of Christian? If you answer “no” and or your can’t find His fruit amongst the many branches and leaves of your life then start by asking the Lord to search your heart for sin.  (Read and pray Psalm 139:23,24).

I write this not to place a heavy burden on your shoulders but to encourage you to go beneath the veneer, to move outside the spiritual box you may have created for God and live a lie that shines so brightly that others will see Jesus in and through you. This is more of a confession of my life. I look in the mirror and see more of the world’s residue then I do Jesus. I see more of my “works righteousness” than I do His fruit. As a leader, I can’t continue to live this way and neither can you. Look at the lazy areas in your life. You know the ones; those areas that you claim to have under His Lordship but in reality are kept on your life’s mantel or prominent shelf. Meaning they are there for all to see but they are collecting dust, getting tarnished and lack the luster they once had. Prayer life? Word life? Physical life? Academic (learning) life? Relational life: Reconciling relationships or repelling them? Selfless service? Making disciples? Sharing your faith? Worshipping with your life or just your lips? Those are just to name a few!

 I close with this verse, For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NLT)

May your face and life reflect the glory of the Lord! 

What Does Your Life Letter Say?

Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts. 2Corinthians 3:3

Our lives are to speak the life of Jesus 24/7, in season and not. We are to be His light, His representatives in this dark and dying world. It is easy to think that we have the power to turn on or turn off our “Jesus lamps”. The truth is we don’t have access to the power switch, but we can choose whether or not we let His light shine through us for all to see and bring our Lord glory; or He can be covered up with our various areas of sin and self-centeredness. Paul uses another metaphor to express what our lives, as Christ’s followers are to exemplify.  Throughout ancient times people were able to travel, to launch various causes, and be affirmed as an authority figure via a letter from one with the utmost authority. It would be like our current travel passport in some respects, in addition to a notarized document. These letters represented the writer or sovereign as if they were traveling of doing the business themselves. To have your “papers in order” was vital when going into a foreign land and or carrying out orders from an authority figure.  No papers…no entry!

With that concept in mind, here are some questions to chew on:

·      What is your life letter communicating?

·      Who does your life letter speak of? Do people see you or do they see Jesus?

·      Does your life letter speak of the biblical Jesus or the cultural Jesus?

·      What changes might you need to make in your life letter? Who will you ask to help you identify those needed changes?

·      How much kingdom influence does your life letter carry? Does it speak with Christ’s authority (See Matt. 28:18) or a passive limited authority? You will be able to answer these questions based on the spiritual fruit in your life.

Comfort for Tough Times

I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and ⌊when you pass⌋ through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flame will not burn you. Isaiah 43:2 (HCSB)

Whenever we go through very difficult times, it is easy for us to build a new theology a new perspective of God and of yourself either during the trial or possibly sometime after it. At times this newly created lens about God and or yourself is very accurate and biblical, while at other times it takes on a shape that both boxes and taints the reality of the Holy One and His view of you. 

Many years ago I had prayed for the city of Orange and that I would have the privilege of pastoring not just a church there but also the whole city. For twelve years I prayed this type of prayer believing that this vision was of God and that it would some day happen. On September 1, 2002, that day arrived. I was so excited, the beginning of a dream realized. I spoke about vision and where I believed that church was headed. The twenty-nine people who attended (they were checking out the new guy) were excited but somewhat skeptical. The following week we had forty-three people (who were also checking out this new guy) and I believed we were on our way to a lifetime of impacting the city that I so love for Christ. About a month later, the private accountant that we hired to make sense of the church and school finances revealed some news that would 3 ½ years later cause my vision to be extinguished.  My predecessor had embezzled all sorts of money and had locked us into leases that buried us financially. We owed numerous venders thousands of dollars; the school principal basically hid this news from both the church board and the new lead pastor. This news hit me hard, but I believed we would be able to overcome these huge obstacles and be a positive testimony in the community.  The next three and a half years was a huge struggle, trying to overcome both the financial problem and negative stigma that was Orange Christian Assembly. The sacrifices physically, emotionally and financially took a ginormous toll on me and my family.  There are so many nuances that would enhance this story, but neither time nor my emotional state will warrant going into any more details. After 3 ½ years I submitted and read my resignation letter to the board and congregation. It was the lowest time in my life. I had walked through a fire that was created by another, burned crisp, looked down upon from my denomination, (They wanted me to continue without pay and at the risk of killing me and my family) discouraged, depressed, visionless with no thought of doing any pastoral ministry in the future. My dream was realized and then violently taken from me.

As difficult as it was/is, there is still some residue in my life and on my family from the whole church ministry episode. The tragic experience has shaped me into the dysfunctional person that I am today. I deal with fear, discouragement, lack of confidence and identity on a semi-regular basis.

All this personally divulged information is not given so you can feel sorry for me, but only to let you know that I have personal experience to the verse mentioned above. I have gone through the fire and was refined, I passed through the waters and it cleansed me and didn’t drown me. The other interesting fact is that being refined and cleansed is welcomed in my life. God requires it and even puts that desire in my heart. You may be going through a dark valley, the heat might be getting extremely hot, or you are taking what seems to be your last breath before you drown in the depths of life’s swirling waters. Just remember what the Lord promises you: I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and ⌊when you pass⌋ through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flame will not burn you. Isaiah 43:2 (HCSB). It was true for Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego walking freely in the fiery furnace.  It was also true for the nation of Israel as they walked through the dry land of both the Red Sea and the waters of the Jordan. They were tried and challenged beyond logic and yet their testimony of His love, power and deliverance can speak volumes for us even today.

The Faith of a Centurion

In Matt. 8 A Roman Centurion, A Gentile, in complete humility, compassion and full of faith comes to Jesus with an unusual request.  What interests me most here is the Centurion’s amazing lens of God and His power. He doesn’t come questioning who Jesus is; he doesn’t try to justify himself or express any entitlement. He simply asks in faith out of a deep love for his servant. The Centurion's servant was suffering at home, cast down, paralyzed, fearfully tormented. (Vs.6).

I don’t know about you but, fear for me is very paralyzing, very numbing; it can literally throw you down and keep you pinned to the lowest point of your life. Fear of rejection, failure, loss, and many other life restrictors are the devil's best weapons of oppression upon people, Christian, Jewish and otherwise. Through the years I have had intense battles with fear, insecurity, and a sense of failure with no concept of any light at the end of the tunnel.

On his own the servant could not be healed, he is paralyzed physically, spiritually and emotionally. He would not have the mindset, the wherewithal that would enable him to seek help nor know how to receive what was offered. It took the faith of his master, his boss to present the need to the Lord. The heart and faith of the centurion marveled Jesus. Can you imagine marveling the Lord?  How amazing would it be to amaze the one who exudes the word to the infinite power. The depth of passion of the centurion and his immense belief in the unlimited power of God partnered with the compassion of Jesus goes beyond the concept of our natural consumerist everyday life.  Jesus could have been, "oh another sick person, yes I guess I can be bothered, ok I will heal him". Notice that His prayer wasn't a long, loud and demonstrative packed with all the "deep" Christian phrases or "Pentecostal" fire, but simply, "go, it has been done as you have believe". God is more impressed with our heart then He is with our words.

If you are in anything like me, your lens of God needs reshaping, a deep cleaning and a changed in perspective. I need a renewed mind because what often fires inside my brain is so far from the mark that Christ has set for me that I get lost in a world of demonic delusion. You may also struggle with various fears, weak thoughts, limited God concepts and life realities, so get reacquainted with the God of power, who gives us a sound mind. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of love, power and a sound mind”. 2Tim. 1:7.

Lord there are things that I fear, there are things that I am very numb to, I ask for the passion and ability to be marveled, and to marvel. Please give me a heart full of love and compassion to be able to bring healing in the everyday to all who come my way.

“Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! Romans 11:33 NASB