The Word | Daily Bread SEP/03/10 |
| Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen |
| Friday, 03 September 2010 10:31 |
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Psalm 45:3 - Gird your sword upon your side, Mighty One: your glory and your majesty. The sword of the Savior is His glory and majesty! He cuts through the doubts and unbelief with the power of His mighty signs and wonders. He comes with His mercy to heal and to save, with outstretched arms welcoming all who would come into the fellowship of His love. Jesus turned the water into wine that He might show forth His glory: with mighty signs and wonders he turned back His enemies (John 2:11; John 4:48). He was anointed above all others with the oil of joy, so that the joyful sound of deliverance might be heard by everyone (Psalm 45:7; Hebrews 1:9). He was anointed with the Holy Ghost and power - that by His majesty and splendor every yoke would be broken, and every work of Satan destroyed (Acts 10:38; 1 John 3:8; Matthew 8:17; Matthew 10:1; Matthew 12:28; Mark 1:34,39). The sword of the Lord is the word of God. It is powerful and sharp! It is mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. It goes forth to conquer every foe, and to subdue the willing heart; to take the vilest of men and transform them into living epistles. The kingdom of God is advanced by the King of Kings, who is even now enthroned above all things! The Word of Life has come with authority to subdue and recreate all who are willing - into the image of God in righteousness and true holiness. It must be our duty in life, our pledge of consecration to join with His righteous cause: that Satan's deceiving power may be stopped. Behold the miracle working power of the sword of the Lord, as it dispels the darkness and transforms the lives of men! |
| Daily Bread SEP/02/10 |
| Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen |
| Thursday, 02 September 2010 13:34 |
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John 1:33 - I did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize in water He said to me, "The One that you see the Spirit come down on and remain upon: He is the one who will baptize in the Holy Spirit." John described Jesus as the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit. However, this dimension of Jesus' ministry would not begin until after he was crucified, raised from the dead, ascended, and exalted to the right hand of the Father. Our wonderful Lord and Savior would first destroy the power and domination of sin over man through His death on the cross, and then began His ministry of baptizing each believer in the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit would immerse the believer into the glory and power of the eternal God. It is a terrible tragedy that so many have made this glorious ministry of Jesus a point of debate and contention. The privilege that we have all been given of being endued with the glory and power of God should create in each of us an eager anticipation for the fullness of this glory in our lives. Many times Jesus mentioned this outpouring of His glory on those who would believe. One example of this was when He called out to the general population gathered at Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles, and invited them to come and drink of the water that He desired to give them, so that "rivers of living water" would flow out of the depths of their lives: "Now this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom they that believe in Him were about to receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7:38-39). After sin and the inspiration of the Satanic realm was stripped off of man, God desired to fill men with rivers of divine inspiration - so that His very own glory might radiate from the heart and face of the redeemed. Therefore, Jesus told all those who followed Him to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49). When Jesus ascended to the Father and was exalted, having been given a name that is above all other names, He baptized all those who obeyed Him: with the Holy Spirit and fire. Peter makes it very clear that the baptism in the Holy Spirit was the sign that Jesus was exalted, and thereby associates this outpouring with what John the Baptist had said of Jesus, and with what Jesus had said during the Feast of Tabernacles six months earlier: "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He has poured forth this, which ye now see and hear" (Acts 2:33). Jesus made it very clear that it was a command that His disciples receive this baptism of the Holy Spirit, if they were to be his witnesses (Acts 1:4-5; Acts 1:8). Approximately 20 years after the event of Pentecost, Paul is still preaching the same message that John the Baptist had preached. Paul tells those whom he had found at Ephesus of their need for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and repeats what John the Baptist said concerning Jesus. Then when he had laid his hands on them, they all began to "speak with tongues, and prophesied." I pray that you will hunger and thirst for all that Father desires to bless you with. |
| Daily Bread SEP/01/10 |
| Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen |
| Wednesday, 01 September 2010 13:34 |
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James 1:27 - Pure and undefiled service before God and the Father is to care for the fatherless and the widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. James warns us against only being hearers of the word and not doers of the word. He describes those who are willing to participate in the meetings and will sit and listen to the word - but remain unmoved when it comes to obedience (James 1:23-25). These are those who say they believe, but they never show their faith by their works (James 2:17-22). These folks continue to have an unbridled tongue, and an unwillingness to be obedient to the commands of our Savior Jesus and the purity of the Holy Spirit. Thus, James cries out against those who have empty practices without the ethical and moral results. A compassion for the poor and the needy (and especially for the fatherless and the widows) is an expression of the will and the nature of God (Psalm 68:5; Psalm 146:9; Isaiah 1:17; Deuteronomy 10:16-19; Deuteronomy 14:29; Deuteronomy 24:17-22; Jeremiah 5:28; Ezekiel 22:7; Zechariah 7:10; Job 29:16; Acts 6:1-6; 1 Timothy 5:3-16). If a person has therefore been born of the word and has received the word of God into their nature, then the fruits of the word must be allowed to be produced; and thus testify of one's transformation (James 1:21; 1 Peter 1:23). Too many think God just wants us to recognize Him. God is not looking to be recognized; He is looking for relationship! He wants men to engage in the beauty and right conduct of the life that He has created and given to us. God sets the example, and He expects us to follow Him. Therefore, the Word of truth - and the practice of it - produce a right relationship with our Heavenly Father! We cannot have the love of God dwelling in us if we shut off a deep compassion towards the poor and the needy in the community of the church (1 John 3:17; Galatians 6:10). We must become more mindful of the needs of people around us, and be willing to participate in helping them with their needs: both physically and spiritually. |
| Daily Bread AUG/31/10 |
| Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen |
| Tuesday, 31 August 2010 14:15 |
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John 1:17 - For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. The definition of grace goes beyond the idea of God's favor and mercy; it extends into every dimension of salvation. It is grace that has brought salvation, it is grace that has brought faith, it is grace that has brought righteousness, it is grace that has brought the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Grace, in fact, can be said to be the divine power that empowers us with the ability to do everything that God has called and purposed us to do. Paul relates a similar message in Galatians 3:21; when he said, "If there had been a law that could have given life, then righteousness would have been by the law." The law was weak - because it depended upon the ability of man to fulfill it. Even as Abraham could not bring forth the promise of God after his own innate ability, neither could the law impart to man the supernatural ability of the Spirit to become children of God (Romans 8:14-16; Galatians 4:4-7). What grace and truth has brought to man is not only in contrast to the law - they define what Jesus produced for all mankind through His redeeming power. The grace and truth that came by Jesus Christ are revealed by the life-changing power that is imparted into a person: making them a new creature. Because grace and truth have brought a change of heart, grace and truth result in justification. The law could never justify, it could only condemn; because it was powerless to change the heart of man. |
| Daily Bread AUG/30/10 |
| Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen |
| Monday, 30 August 2010 10:59 |
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Job 29:12-13 - For I delivered the poor when they cried out, and the orphan who had no one to help. The blessing of the perishing came upon me, and the heart of the widow I caused to sing. Job was a man whom God had blessed with great wealth and blessings. Everything he did prospered, and everything he encountered poured out a blessing to him. He was alone the champion of God in the earth, and was called by God "a perfect and righteous man." God said, "There is none like him in the earth: a perfect and a righteous man, one that fears God and hates evil" (Job 1:8; Job 2:3). When Job recounts his blessings from the Lord and His prosperity, he attributes it to his care for the orphan and the widows. It is the nature of God to deliver the needy when he cries, and the poor also, and the one who has no helper (Psalm 72:12). Whether the person was poor, or blind, or lame, or a widow, or fatherless, or friendless - Job saw it as his responsibility to take care of them, and supply their every need. To be so compassionate to the needy that he was willing to be eyes for the blind and feet for the lame describes a man of deep love and tender mercies. If anyone could have said they were too busy to care for the poor, it would be a wealthy man like Job, who doubtless had many duties in order to keep up with his enterprise; but he found time to take care of such priorities. When the light of trouble shone upon Job's life, all that could be observed was unblemished integrity and faithfulness in doing what was right. Let us take up such a call from this time forward, and dedicate ourselves to God's righteous cause - and be His champions in the earth (James 1:27; Galatians 6:2; 1 John 3:18). The most important things to the Lord are constant self-denying exercises of love (1 Corinthians 13:1-3; Matthew 5:16; Acts 9:36; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 4:28; Colossians 1:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:17; 1 Timothy 2:10; 1 Timothy 6:18; Titus 2:7; Titus 3:14; Hebrews 10:24; 1 Peter 2:12). Our inner cities are full of fatherless children and widows in affliction. There are so many families that only have single mothers struggling to care for them. If we were to turn our attention to these needy people, we would see hundreds of thousands of souls come into the Kingdom. We must recognize that the gospel is for the poor and the needy, and we have spent way too much time on the rich and self-reliant. If we are willing to invest in being a father to the fatherless and a blessing to the widow, surely we would change a nation. |
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