dickbraswell

Word for Today:  November 4

Confrontation.

And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?  Mat. 21:10

And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. Mat. 21:11

Praise rang out.  Crowds gathered.  A parade took place.  Rejoicing was everywhere.  The King had come to town.  This was a divine convergence of time and eternity.

In time, God foreordained that Jesus would enter into the sphere of human existence.   In eternity, God planned for the redemption of the fallen human race.  And now, time and eternity came into a divine convergence…. they meet.  They intersect.  They collide.

I believe we are at a similar place.  Time, today, is converging with eternity.  Just as Jesus came “in the fullness of time” we are coming into another fullness of time and it will shortly blend in with eternity.

The temporal is about to become eternal.  This is why this moment is so crucial.  This is the reason the anointing is mounting and the glory of God is rising.  This is the reason behind Revival.  This is the reason behind our Praying.  Our Intercession.  We are at The Place.  We are in The Time.  There is once again a Divine Convergence of Time with Eternity.  We are There.

A Confrontation with God is at hand

Word for Today:  November 4

Jesus is not Who most people think He is.

I have tried to notice some characteristics in the Life of Jesus that probably would not be accepted in the life of any preacher in our society today.

• He was Radical.
• He was Outspoken. He pulled no punches.  He shot straight and true.  He did not “beat around the bush.”
• He was transparent. Who you saw was Who He was.  No pretense.  No hypocrisy.  No make-believe.  No disguise.
• He was non- religious. He did not run with the ministerial crowd.
• He was fearless.   He did not mince His words.  He did right with no fear of possible consequences.
• He was an iconoclast. A Non-conformist.  He kicked over sacred cows.  He violated traditions and He shattered customs.  To the religious world, He was a troublemaker.
• He was controversial. He took sides with the underdog and He challenged the respected.  He fellowshipped with the sinner and the profane.
• He embraced the simple and rejected the complicated.
• He spoke so little children could understand and confounded the wise with Wisdom and Truth.
• He was Uncompromising. Even when He could have won friends in high places and ultimately saved His own life, He refused to compromise.
• He was Anointed. And this is what drove Him to the Cross… His Anointing.  He was and is “The Anointed One.”  The Messiah.  The Christ.

He is the Christ.  The Son of the Most High God.  The King of kings and the Lord of lords.  The Alpha and the Omega.  The First and the Last.  The Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.  He is the Bright and Morning Star.  He is the I AM.

And He is Lord of all

Word for Today: November 1

Agape is the God-kind of love.

It is characteristic of God and it is totally self-less.  It is a deliberate assent of the will… it is released by choice.  This kind of love is the underlying characteristic of God and it is this kind of love that is imputed to every believer at the time of Regeneration.  Paul said (in 1 Corinthians 13) that Love (Agape) is more important than:

• Speaking in Tongues
• the Gift of Prophecy
• Understanding (revelation)
• Mountain-moving Faith
• Giving to the poor
• Dying a Martyr

Love is an affection and not an emotion.  Love is a choice.  Love is a decision you make.  Love is deliberate.  Love is active.  Love moves from Word to deed.

• Love is not impatient but, instead, longsuffering.
• Love is not envious of others.
• Love is not self-centered, proud, haughty or puffed up.
• Love is not conceited.
• Love is not rude or crude.
• Love is not touchy or fretful or resentful.
• Love takes no account of the evil done to it.
• Love does not rejoice at the failures of others.
• Love believes the best of every person.
• Love bears up under anything that comes.
• Love endures every hardship without weakening. (1Cor 13 Amp)

The opposite of love is not hate… it is selfishness.  The most important product of the Christian faith is Love.  It has more significance and substance than anything that anyone can do, say or profess.  It is the primary characteristic of our faith and our salvation.  The incredible thing is we can all do this.  We can all choose to love.   It is not restricted to some high level of Christian achievement or some special gift from God.  The God-Kind of love is imputed into every believer and every believer has the privilege of giving it away.  And this One Thing will change everything.

Love never fails