Peter and the Rooster: Nothing to Crow About!

When talking about self-reliance, Simon Peter is probably the best example in the Bible. He was a vigorous, impetuous and courageous leader, a man ready to fight and die for the cause. But, was he really ready to die for Jesus? Unfortunately for him, self-reliance was not compatible with God's standard for leadership, as Zechariah spoke to Zerubbabel: Zechariah 4:6. Peter was an amazing character, he was always "on top of the game", always there when Jesus needed him. Sometimes acting prideful, other times humbling himself, sometimes influenced by the Holy Spirit, other times by satan. All in all, Peter was the right candidate for the job, a leader among the leaders. One thing we can see in the Bible that is true for everyone who God called to be a leader: They were all called to "be led" by the Holy Spirit, some allowed the Holy Spirit to lead them, others didn't. In Peter's case, even if he resisted as much as he could the work of the Holy Spirit in his life, Jesus didn't give up on him and interceded for his life: Luke 22:31-32. The pivotal moment in Peter's life came when he heard the rooster crowing, after denying Jesus three times, he recognized that he wasn't the valiant leader he thought he was, he probably realized that he wasn't invincible, that he was no better than anyone of Jesus' followers. What probably broke him in peaces was the fact that up to that moment, he was the one who stood firm, like a rock (Cefas means rock), even in the garden when they came to arrest Jesus, Peter reacted by using his sword. Up to that moment, denying Jesus was out of question, even if Jesus told him that he would do that, his pride didn't allow him to see the reality in Jesus’ words, that Jesus had to die so he (Peter) could live. God will always provide a way for us to repent, unfortunately some will reject God's way. I believe that Peter loved Jesus Christ, but he had to learn one hard lesson: Jesus way (narrow) or the highway! By that i mean: The only way to gain eternal life is losing our own: Matthew 16:25. This is the proof that Peter loved Jesus: John 21:17. By the way, "nothing to crow about" is an expression that means "nothing to brag about". With this declaration of love, Peter recognized that by his own strength he could not do the work God was calling him to do. By submitting himself to God and being filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter is one of the best examples that with God, nothing is impossible: Luke 1:37 For with God nothing will be impossible. Peter is a good example of how God establishes His Kingdom: God restores the worker's life, enables (teaches) him to do the work and sends the worker to the workplace (the world). Matthew 28:19. The only way to make disciples for Jesus Christ is being a disciple of Jesus Christ (to be called, prepared and sent), otherwise we would be turning the "great commission" into a "great omission", lacking the power of God to do His work, therefore establishing our own kingdom: 1 Corinthians 4:20; Romans 10:14-15.

The Ant and the Sluggard: Idling like an Idol.

Proverbs 6:6-8. The good thing about going to church since early age, was meeting people who gave their lives for the others, who considered others better than themselves, like my parents did, that's very inspiring. On the other hand, the bad thing was seeing people "idling in the name of Jesus", using all kinds of excuses to avoid working, creeping up on people's houses or using them to sponsor their idleness. In this text, King Solomon is teaching us how to work, how to be wise and hardworking as an ant. This is the best example on how Christians should act in their workplace. We must be an example of honesty, integrity and faithfulness to others in the workplace, not only when our "boss" is around, but much more when he is away, that's the way we will "reveal" Christ to the people around us. Paul speaks about it and says that there's a reward when we do it: Colossians 3:23-24. Of course, it is very hard when your boss is a despot and treats you unfairly, but we must follow Jesus Christ's example, as Peter writes: 1 Peter 2:23. Believe me, it's been over 12 years since God started teaching me about it, just now i'm assimilating, i can fully understand but practicing it, it’s still tough, it's a battle against my "self", denying myself is the only way to follow Jesus: Luke 9:23. Paul uses a very strong language when dealing with the sluggard: 2 Thessalonians 3:7-11. About idling like an idol, this is what the psalmist wrote referring to idols: Psalm 115:3-8.

Coexistence or Communion?

Coexistence: Existing peacefully together.
Communion: The sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, esp. when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.
If we go back on time, more precisely when christianity began (Jesus Christ's birth), we'll see that the very announcement of Jesus' birth to the shepherds by the Angel, was followed by a declaration of peace: Luke 2:13-14. After a while, christians were persecuted and centuries latter, the "institutionalized christianity" became the persecutor (inquisition), "christians" from being peacemakers became warlords! As they say: "history repeats itself", again, we're starting to see a movement towards the persecution of the church, christians all over the world are seeing the Book of Revelation unfolding before their eyes, unfortunately here in America, the vast majority of the people who call themselves christians don't see it, because of the state of "sleepiness" that the "church" finds itself, as Paul spoke to the Ephesians: Ephesians 5:13-14. Thankfully, everything is about to change, for good or bad. We as christians, are called by Jesus Christ to be peacemakers: Matthew 5:9. Paul also addressed the issue of peacemaking: Romans 12:18. Of course, there's a difference between Coexistence and Communion: We, as christians, are called to "coexist" with our neighbors, to live in peace with them, but at the same time we cannot participate in their sinful or unfruitful lifestyle, we are IN the world but we are NOT OF the world (John 15:19), because by doing that we would be partaking of the table of demons: 1 Corinthians 10:21. I believe that it is impossible to be one (communion) with someone that Jesus Christ is not his (her) Lord, with them there will be only coexistence! The Lordship of Jesus Christ is the "link" that unites every born again christian. Only in Christ we can be spiritually united, one body (church), the Body of Christ. 2 Corinthians 6:14; Ephesians 5:8.

Genuine Faith: Tested by Fire.

1 Peter 1:7. The best example that comes to my mind when i read this passage, is found in the book of Daniel chapter 3, when the three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were thrown into a burning fiery furnace, they didn't think twice to answer the king when they were told to bow before the image, they act in faith even not knowing the outcome (life or death): Daniel 3:16-18. They were clear that even facing death they wouldn't worship other gods (Faith + Works). The amazing part, is when Jesus Christ appears among them in the midst of the fire. We can see the reality of what Peter is saying, the friends' faith was literally tested by fire. Bringing this to our reality, many times God allows our faith to be tested "by fire" through sickness, loss of a loved one, hardship, etc. In fact, that's when we'll realize the genuinely of our faith: If we stand firm our faith is genuine, if not, what we had was everything but faith. Another purpose for the "fiery furnace" is to purify our hearts, to allow us to be holy and stand before the Lord: Psalm 24:3-4. I believe that if we want to be in God's presence, we should constantly pray Psalm 51:10. So, how can we know if our faith is genuine? If we stand firm to the end of the test (trial or tribulation)! Revelation 2:10.

A Little Leaven Leavens the Whole Lump.

Galatians 5:9. In this context, Paul is addressing a problem in the church of Galatia that became a problem in the other churches he started, which was departing from Christ's freedom to become entangled with a yoke of bondage. Today, i can see clear how this statement was true in the beginning of my new life, just as the Galatians succumbed to the judaizers, i did to some people who wanted to "rule" over me. Unfortunately, this is the problem with most christian churches today, people ruling over other people, when Jesus Christ supposed to be the Lord, the head of the body. Concerning the "little leaven", if we compare it to sin, we see that many times things we consider irrelevant or meaningless (little leaven), are the very things that will lead us to sin and if we don't deal with that sin (repentance), it will become iniquity, separating us from our God: Isaiah 59:2. E.g.: If like me, you enjoy surfing the internet, more than ever, you'll have to be cautious, because most likely you'll see something suggestive (sexual connotation) and if you're not intentional with seeking holiness (sanctification), you'll give way to the lust of the eyes: 1 John 2:16. Right now, there are many "believers" addicted to pornography thinking that there is no way out, the more they try to quit, the worse it gets. There is FREEDOM IN CHRIST, i'm saying that because i've been there and Jesus Christ set me free. as John writes, the lusts of the flesh and eyes and the pride of life were my trademarks (read post "Personal Testimony: New Life"). Our problem today with this "cool christianity" is that we're not taught to "fight" against sin, we don't go to extremes to avoid sinning. Hebrews 12:4. Jesus was clear about that: Matthew 5:29. Of course you're intelligent enough to understand that Jesus is not saying that you should literally pluck you eye and cast it from you, because if you have problem with pornography, pornography is already "rooted" in your heart, but He means that you should turn away from EVERYTHING that leads you to that sin. In practical terms, if surfing the internet leads you to pornography, you should NEVER access the internet when you're alone (accountability) or go to the extreme as to get rid of your internet access (magazines, movies, etc.), probably for you it will mean resist to bloodshed, striving against sin. I spoke about pornography, but it can be any other sin, like GLUTTONY for example. It's kind of funny, but did you ever hear someone admitting to be slave of the sin called GLUTTONY? Did you know that it is sin? Proverbs 23:21; Proverbs 28:7; Titus 1:12. Unfortunately, we believers tend to "categorize" sins, like, homosexuality and drunkenness are horrible but lust and gluttony are not. That's the reason the "church" (religious institution filled with hypocrites) keeps condemning homosexuals and absolving fornicators! We must take heed, otherwise we will fall in the same sin that we are condemning! 1 Corinthians 10:12.

From the Hamptons to the Heavens: Bewitched by Left Behind.

Maybe you are a big fan of the "left behind" series, read it all and agree completely with the "pre-tribulation" concept. The first thing i want to make clear is that, i'm not assuring you that the "church" will be "taken" (rapture) before (pre-trib), during (mid-trib) or after (post-trib) the great tribulation because God didn't make clear when the rapture will happen, in fact, everyone who is assuring any of those three points of view, is adding (assurance) to the Holy Scripture: Revelation 22:18. Of course, you are entitled to have your own opinion about the subject, but you should never guarantee that your opinion is God's opinion. In the "left behind" series, the authors made millions of dollars by "assuring" their followers that the pre-trib point of view is God's point of view. They made it sound and look so nice and beautiful, that the people who watched the movies or read the books were "bewitched" to believe their personal interpretation. Of course, when you read the Bible using your "cultural glasses" (when your culture or background influences the way you read the Bible), then you will believe accordingly. E.g.: Our culture (American) says that we are "entitled" to have it bigger, better, more (american dream), therefore when the prosperity theology preachers read their Bible, they use their "cultural glasses" to interpret what they are reading and go to extremes to prove that they are "entitled" to fulfill their american dream, using Bible verses out of context to seduce you to believe their message, assuring that is God's will for every single human being to be financially rich. Please, pay attention to what Jesus Christ said: Matthew 26:11. I honestly don't know what part of the "the poor with you always", the prosperity gospel preachers don't understand, but this is what always means: 1. at all times; all the time and on every occasion; 2. seemingly without interruption; often and repeatedly; 3. at any time or in any event. If Jesus said that we will always have poor people with us, it means that poverty will never be eradicated until the old is destroyed and the new begins (heaven and earth). As Christ's Body (church) we must take care of the poor until that day! Right now i'm financially poor, but at the same time i've been blessed by my brothers and sisters in Christ and by God Himself, that makes me spiritually rich! Back to the tribulation talk, since God didn't assure His point of view (pre, mid or post-trib), we shouldn't do it also. I wrote a lot more explaining the differences between the three interpretations, but i came across with this website: http://www.posttribulationrapture.com/threeTheories.htm, that i think will give you the pros and cons in all of them. The writer calls the three points of view "theories" probably because only God knows what the correct one is. The writer stands for the post-trib view. I hope you read it all and then make up your mind. Again, you can have your opinion, just don't try to force God to agree with you. As for me, since its not clear, i rather be prepared for the post-trib (i hope its pre-trib) than to be caught unprepared if that will be the case. I'm sure that in either case, God will never abandon His children, as David said: Psalm 23:4. God also promised to Joshua, Joshua 1:5. He also promised to us, Hebrews 13:5. Right now there are many brothers and sisters around the world suffering persecution, being tortured and killed because their love for God, for them, pre, mid or post-trib is irrelevant and probably if you ask them what they think, they will tell you that (as i heard one pastor's story) they already experienced a "great tribulation", they saw their families being killed or at least they were beaten and imprisoned. In the title "From the Hamptons to the Heavens", the Hamptons is one of the most rich places here in America, check this out: http://www.howtonegotiatesalaryx.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-live-in-the-hamptons/; about being bewitched by the "left behind" series, i mean that if what they assure (pre-trib) is not correct and you believe that with all your heart, you will not prepare yourself to be faithful 'till death: Revelation 2:10. As the English proverb says: "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst".

The Line in the Sand: Who's the Glory?

1 Corinthians 5:6. In the context, Paul is addressing sexual immorality in the Corinthian church, it was so bad that Paul says that this type of immorality was not even named among the gentiles. The reason why they had this issue among them, was because they were more preoccupied with showing who was "the greatest" among them (more gifts, more work, more authority, etc.), what Paul defined as "personal glory". If you've been in a church for a while, you probably saw people fighting each other to impose their ideology, taste, etc. Unfortunately, when this happens, someone or something is receiving the glory that supposed to be God's and that's when things go bad (division, sinful behavior, etc.). God does not share His glory with no one else. Today, more than never, we see organizations (also called churches), people and ministries being exalted so high, that they become recipients of a glory that belongs to God. No wonder we don't see God's glory revealed here on earth. If the glory is not going to God alone, His Glory will never descend here on earth. From Abel, who glorified God and saw God's glory consuming his sacrifice, to John the Apostle, who also glorified God and saw God's glory revealed through his ministry, we can see through the Bible that this was the case with all those who experienced God's Power, they glorified God even facing death. Because we lack the "fear of God", we've failed to discern who's receiving the glory, we don't even bother trying to find out, we just keep shouting "glory to God" when the glory is not going to Him. On of the keys to see God's glory being revealed in our lives is through holiness (sanctification), the more i am "sanctified", the more God is "glorified" in me. The "lesser" i become, the "greater" Jesus becomes in me and God's glory is revealed in my life. God is a jealous God, He doesn't share His glory with idols, people, organizations, etc. Exodus 20:5. We need to go back to the beginning (early church Christianity), when they lived to glorify God, to sanctify His Name. We must break the bondage of this "institutionalized Christianity" and live the "freedom" of Christ's Christianity! There are some questions we need to answer: When i go to church, who's receiving the glory? Is my "worshiping" only a lip service? Is God the center of my life? Am i living to glorify the Lord and sanctify His Holy Name? Habakkuk 2:14. God was displeased with Moses when he hit the rock instead of speaking to the rock, even Moses being meek, faithful and obedient up to that point, God says to Moses that he wouldn't enter the promise land because his lack of faith who lead him to disobey God. Numbers 20:12. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, he said: Matthew 6:9. Failing to Hallow (Sanctify) God's name will always lead us to lose the promise God made to us, because by doing that, we will be giving the Glory that belongs to God to someone or something else. May God teach us to fear Him in order to never receive or give to another the glory that belongs to Him: Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10.

The Synthetic Gospel: What Shall We Do?

Acts 2:37-39. Unfortunately, more and more we can see a nice and cool "gospel" being preached out there, that is everything but Jesus Christ's Gospel. It's very inclusive and politically correct (Christ's gospel includes only the ones who accept it), sometimes it looks like the real one, it's what i call the "synthetic gospel". Synthetic because there are personal ideas and theories added to it, making it "easier to digest" and "more exciting" than Jesus' Gospel. In the text above, verse 23 ... you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death, Peter was straightforward and said without any reservation what they did with Jesus. Peter didn't judged or condemned them of murder, he spoke the "truth in love" and the Holy Spirit convicted them of their sin. The problem with the "synthetic gospel" is that it is partial: God is only love; the Truth is never absolute (half-Jesus); the "self" never dies, it only becomes a better "self" and there's never true repentance involved, there's only remorse (true repentance leads to life (David), remorse leads to death (Judas Iscariot), no wonder it is a powerless gospel. Of course, as Paul the apostle wrote in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, in this last days, people are "stacking up" teachers that are telling them what they want to hear, preachers that are preaching the "synthetic gospel", prophets that are speaking "prophetic fables" and all of this because they (people), as Paul said, have itching ears but will not endure sound doctrine. So, what shall we do with the "synthetic gospel"? Reject it and embrace Jesus Christ's Gospel!

Eleazar and His Sword: Becoming One With Your Weapon.

2 Samuel 23:9-10. Eleazar was one of David’s mighty men, who God used to show to His people what He can do through someone that is willing to fight. The men of Israel had retreated from the battle but Eleazar stood alone and fought, through him, God brought a great victory to His people. What is really interesting is that his sword became an extension of his arm, he became one with his sword. Paul calls the Word of God (Bible), the sword of the Spirit: Ephesians 6:17 ... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Unfortunately, many times we are not prepared to fight against the devil, we don't study and meditate on God's Word and when the devil comes, we retreat just like the man of Israel. Do you remember when Jesus Christ was in the desert being tempted by the satan (Matthew 4:1)? He (Jesus) fought with the sword of the Spirit and the devil had to retreat. Like Eleazar, we must allow the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, to be part of our lives. Psalm 119:11. How can we resist or defeat the enemy if we don't know how to fight? Worse, why will we fight if we don't think that we are in a battle? 2 Timothy 2:3-4. Unfortunately, there are many things competing for our allegiance, if we are not careful, we will be entangled with the affairs of this life and lose the abundant life Jesus Christ promised us, that will only be attained by becoming one with our weapon, the sword of the Spirit!

God's Love Wins! If You Reject It, You Lose: Why Hell is "Hot" and Purgatory is "Cool".

John 3:16. In this verse we can see that God extended His love to everyone, but we will only have everlasting life if we believe in Him. Love is one of His attributes, God loves because He is love: 1 John 4:8. Unfortunately, there are some people, like the new rising star called Rob Bell, who wrote a book called "love wins", that are distorting the gospel of Jesus Christ. To them, since God is love, He will never allow anybody to perish (hell), but will give everlasting life to everyone, even to the ones who refuse to believe in Him (God). So, for them, Jesus Christ wasted His life and time, since there's no faith involved in their salvation process. Bell just "dressed" the old purgatory theology (catholic belief) in new "clothes", which means, if you are not saved here, you will be saved somewhere else (purgatory), because at the end, "love wins". The problem with Bell's teaching, is that he forgets that God is love, but He is also righteous (just) and if you take the righteousness from God, He is no longer the same: Malachi 3:6. Besides, God says in Hebrews 9:27-28. This passage is clear, there's no change after death, there's no purgatory, there's no reincarnation (spiritism), after death there's only judgment and rewards (heaven and hell). So, why is hell hot? Mark 9:45. Hell is literally hot because Jesus said that its fire shall never be quenched and the purgatory is "cool" (nice) because it pleases the people who don't want to die to themselves, who don't want to acknowledge Jesus as Lord but don't want to go to hell also. Doing that, they are rejecting God's love and losing the eternal life God wants to give to them. Because God is love, He sent Jesus Christ to save us, but because He is righteous, one day all will stand before His throne for judgment, some to receive eternal life, others eternal punishment. 2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 25:45-46.

Believing is Seeing: How to Grow Your Faith in 3 Easy Steps.

Of course you've seen at least one tv commercial saying: "become..., get..., do... in three easy steps". Unfortunately, when it comes to faith in God, it will require more than "3 steps" and they won't be easy. When talking about faith, we must consider the life of Abraham, the father of faith. From the day that God told him: Genesis 12:1-2; Genesis 12:4; Genesis 25:7. We can say that Abraham literally "walked by faith"! Do you think that Abraham's faith grew in just "3 easy steps"? How much faith he had to have to "be willing" to sacrifice his own son, believing that God would raise him (son) from the dead? "believing is seeing" is the way God chose for us (believers) to live. Galatians 3:6. Remember Jesus' words to Martha? John 11:40. The reason Jesus asked, Luke 18:8, is because "biblical faith" (believing is seeing) is not "essential" in today's post-modern christianism. That's probably the reason why we don't see "God's glory" as Abraham, David, Elijah, Martha, etc., saw it. Who's to blame? We, who call ourselves "believers"! God does not change. Jesus Christ does not change. I'm reading a book about the persecuted church in china and i read something that made me realize how "shallow" my faith is. This is what i read: "As I was writing these words, the communist police beat to death one of the young preachers (a sister) who works with us in Hunan. In another area, Northeast China, they took five into the station and poured scalding water over them until their skin began to peel and beat them until their front teeth came out. Then they mocked and challenged them to praise the Lord as they had been doing in church when they were arrested. The chinese christians began to sing beautiful songs of praise. These wicked men were so ashamed of what they have done when they saw the presence of the Lord in these young preachers that they released them all. Incidents like this occur daily all over China" (The Gospel Under Fire by Wm. Thomas Bray with Nora Lam). Right now i'm asking myself: "Would i be willing, like those believers in China or Paul and Silas (Acts 16), after being tortured to sing praises to my Lord? Acts 5:41. The reason why the church is growing so much in China, spiritually and numbers, is that the "real" Christians have to be 100% committed to Christ, therefore they see the Power and Glory of God. There's no place for "lukewarmness" or complacency in china, you either belong to the "government's church" and have nothing to fear or you belong to the Body of Christ and you will be persecuted, as it says in Revelation 12:11. May God help us to love Him more than we love ourselves.

To BE Attitudes: Blessed ARE the Persecuted...

Matthew 5:10-12. This is Jesus' assurance that "God's blessings" are not related to the "health, wealth and safe" gospel preached by the "money lovers". In fact, if you keep offering people what they want the most (money, health, safety, etc.), they will never hate, persecute and say all kinds of evil falsely against you, absolutely, they will "worship" you. Do you want to make friends? Give 'em money. They will be your friends (not real ones of course), at least until you run out of money. If you don't believe, read the parable of the prodigal son, when the money was gone, so were his "friends"! Even the pigs became unfriendly. Before, i had a hard time believing that it is possible to rejoice and be exceedingly glad when you are being persecuted or mistreated, but more and more i see that it's not just possible, it pleases God, when facing persecution we endure and rejoice. I'm not saying that God wants us to suffer, i'm saying that when the troubles come and we are found faithful, God is pleased with us. Job is the best example of endurance and faithfulness. Another example is the early church, they suffered and yet rejoiced in suffering. Acts 5:41. How many Christians right now are being persecuted and suffering for Jesus' sake? A time is coming, as it is described in the book of Revelation, when the anti-Christ will persecute and kill many Christians, of course if you are a pre-trib believer you are safe (or not!). From Abel to John, the righteous people in the Bible were persecuted and suffered for righteousness' sake, they didn't love their own lives, still they were not recognized by they righteous acts. I heard in the radio other day, about a pastor from Africa that had his wife and two children killed and he was left for dead. In China there are many cases of believers being killed for Jesus' sake. To me, the "great tribulation" is called "great" because will happened in the whole world simultaneously, but for that African pastor, that was a "great tribulation". We have a distorted vision about blessing, we think that we are blessed when everything is going well, we have plenty and we are loved by everybody. Pay attention to the words of Jesus Christ: John 7:7; John 15:20. We must answer theses questions: Whom are we serving? Are we testifying about the evil works of this world?