THE MESSAGE----THE CROSS---HOW DOES IT SOUND TO YOU?

 

I Corinthians 1:18 - For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.....

Profound words this morning....

Power in the sharing of a message....Power in the hearing of this message......and Power to the one who receives the truth of this message. Oh, it's not the instrument used by the Romans that contains power. It is the truth of the One who was laid upon the cross. It's the act that He went through to secure our freedom from a sin debt we could never repay.

The message of the cross never changes....Kingdom's rise and Kingdom's fall. We elect a president every four years...but the truth of God never changes and never stops. right now in our country I do believe that the message of the cross is rejected by most. It is foolish to those who hear it. What's more, those who share it are considered to be foolish. I guess I fall into being one of those who are considered to be foolish. As John Wimber use to say (after seeing a man wearing a sandwich sign)...."the front of the sign read...."I'm a fool for Jesus!"...the back side posed the question..."Whose fool are you?"

Lord, if I am considered to be foolish...if my message is labeled as being foolish...then may I fall on the side of You and the cross.  If you think I am foolish now..you've not seen anything. Because without the message and Power of the cross...how many will slide over the edge into eternity without ever hearing it. Never knowing the freedom that comes from the salvation offered by God to all who would receive.

1 Cor. 2:2 - For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."

So today----is the cross foolish to you? Or is it the Power unto salvation?

Think on this..

God on you..

Michael b.

INIQUITY

 

Lamentations 4:6
The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment with no hand to help her!

Food for thought this morning.
Transgression: is willful action that violates a law or code, unexpectedly.
Iniquity: is a lifestyle of repeated patterns of sin.

Addiction has a nasty way of planting people into the iniquity category.
They slowly move down a slippery slope of bad decisions until, like Pavlov's Dog, they do what they do out of repetition. I'm not trying to simplify this, because due to the complexity of addiction, it alters our ability to choose. Use enough and you no longer have the ability to stop. 

Chasing the feeling of addiction becomes the god that is worshiped. Why? Because it is a means to escape the demands of life. No longer able to cope or function, checking out through using becomes the path of least resistance. Our lives become nothing more than repeated patterns of sin. Along the way, we pick up new behaviors such as stealing.....cheating.....lying....manipulation.....violence....all the while destroying ourselves bit by bit.

But there is One!
One who can put a stop to the madness.
One who has the ability and power to restore you back to sanity, or the ability to make sound decisions.
Jesus.
"Michael, you must think that this Jesus is answer to every problem, don't you?"
Yes, I do.
You see, sometimes we create a Jesus that is no where close to the real one.
We create a "church" Jesus, based on the behavior we have seen from those who go to church. I mean, let's get honest here. Even Jesus is embarrassed by what is done in his name. Just because it has the word "CHURCH" plastered over the front door, doesn't mean it's from God or endorsed by God.

Or we create a "Santa Clause" Jesus. One whose job in life is to lavish on us all the material stuff we could ever want. No discipline to help us grow...heaven's no! Jesus would never act this way. By the way, could I get that new smart phone, my old dumb phone died on me?
Sorry, Jesus is more than "stuff". He is THE way...THE truth....and THE life. You want some of that? Then he's more than willing to pour out buckets of that on you.

My Jesus is a healer.
He can heal those wounds and scars that show on the outside.
The places you have cut yourself, just to feel alive.
The places where others have abused you, he can heal.
More importantly, my Jesus can heal those places, those wounds and scars that cannot be seen.
The wounds of abuse and neglect that sometimes are more painful than physical hurts.
Depression and gloom? My Jesus can replace it with his incredible peace and joy. 
Guilt and shame? My Jesus will take that away and give you a new identity so you see yourself in a new way. Why? Because you become a new "you".

He is as near as a cry from your heart. He has been there all along waiting for you to turn to him. If the truth be known, He has probably worked in such a way that has kept other bad things from happening to you. He has had His hands on you, calling you...loving you...drawing your heart-attention toward Him so He can heal you.

Psalm 107:20
He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.

Isn't this funny?
Either this Jesus and this verse from Psalm 107 is real....
Or it's a lie.
Can't be anything other way....truth or lie.
I'm just crazy enough to believe it's the truth.
And if God spoke it, then would it not stand to reason that He is going to accomplish His word?
Why not be healed today?
Remember....
It's a journey....it's one step at a time.
Spiritual progress.....not spiritual perfection.

God on you...
mb

"TIME TO GET UP AND GET STARTED"

 

Over in the audio section, you will find the latest message from the ReCovery Church.

The Book of Haggai tells of a people who had been given a call from God to complete a task. The rejected God's call to focus on what they wanted to do. In other words, they turned to "self" at the expense of what God had called them to do.

The results were not good. But the love of God causes Him to send a messenger to reveal what happens when "Self" takes over. God's desire was for the people to complete the task at hand.

This pandemic has stopped a lot of people from pursuing God's call to sobriety and holy living. Some have cut themselves off from any interaction with others who could be an encouragement to them to keep on moving forward and not give up.

Give a listen to the message!!

As always, if you know anyone who you think might benefit from it, please share it with them.

God on you.....

Michael b.

LOT OF HURT OUT THERE IN THIS OLD WORLD TONIGHT

 

Time: 7:23 p.m. CDST

Date: 8 - 26 - 2021

This will not be like any of my other posts here at the Greene Street Letter. I sit here in the safety of my home, yet my mind and heart are thousands of miles away. Thousands of miles away in a country I can pronounce, but probably would  not be able to spell it correctly. My thoughts are colored with grief and sadness.

In our country tonight, there are 13 families who have received word that their sons will not see the light of tomorrow's sun. Life for these young men ended today with the actions of a suicide bomber. Those soldiers knew the risks that faced them daily, and still they went about their duty. Strange word "duty" in a world that seemed to have lost its way. Somewhere in this loss, such words as honor, valor, and service seems to have been lost upon our nation, and trampled underfoot. Words such as these seem to have been looked upon as being outdated and not relevant any more. Something that only those "Flag-wavers" use. I think tonight we might could use a few more flag wavers.

Oh I do not want to glorify war and everything that comes with conflict. There are those who are hawkish enough think that the answer to everything is to "bomb it back to the stone age". Then there are others who seem to dwell in the eternal bliss of "can't we all just get along." To be honest, I think I fall somewhere in the middle of these two groups. I recognize the need to defend and fight for our freedom and liberty.....I also know that one of the worst things that can happen is when politics trumps military strategy. And yet.....there in the middle....through it all is the soldier. Men and women who are asked to do seemingly impossible tasks faced by the most insurmountable odds. They carry out the orders. They lay their lives on the line daily.

These men and women go off to places all over this world to carry out the duties of a soldier. They may inwardly question their orders at times, but they carry them out any way. They have their own personal opinions about operations and military plans, even to the point of not wanting to be a part, but they carry on. Why? Because that is what a soldier does.

Age has a way of making you see things a little more clearer than when you were younger. I grew up in the 50's and 60's, and as a little boy played "army" with my friends all over our community. Images of John Wayne and Audi Murphy filled our minds with these two larger than life men being the defining picture of a real hero. We didn't know any better. 

As the 60's started to roll by, there was this "action" taking place in South East Asia. Viet Nam is the name I believe. As 1963 gave way to 64, only to be replaced by 65 and 66, I knew that I was fast approaching draft age.  67 was quickly followed by 68, which led me to my senior year, 1969.I had friends that I graduated high school with who joined up the day after we received our diploma's. 

Me? College. The draft lottery rolled around and we all sat to watch our future decided by a ping pong ball. My number? 210, if my memory serves me well. So college it was. I later joined the Guard which helped pay for my education. Took basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. Traveled 6 blocks from my basic training area to my AIT barracks. Served 7+ years. I developed a respect for those who were in active duty. Those who had already been to Viet Nam. Men such as my Drill Sgt...David Dock and 1st Sgt. Isaiah Keeler...Sgt. Stan Werve, and Sgt. Edward Freese.

Why say all of this? Because tonight the world is changing in ways I never dreamed it would. I see things that I never believed I would see in my life time.
And yet through all this chaos. Through all the governmental double speak (which is their way of lying without calling it that)...Through all the darkness of a nation and world that seems to have imploded with love of self, there are still those few young men and women who rise up to go and serve their country through military service. 

Every one who has ever put on a uniform is a hero to me. Every one who has ever left home and family to go off and serve is a hero. So tonight, there are 13 families who will hear that word, hero, bandied about by politicians and others who truly have no idea of the cost of what transpired today. Tonight, here in the safety of my home, I lift a prayer to the God I believe and follow, that His Spirit would bring comfort to the families who lost children today at that airport, standing guard so others could be airlifted out to safety. 

I will say a special prayer for a young man named Luke who has just left home to serve in the Army. And I will pray for his dad, Jeffrey, and mom, Deidra, that God's hand would rest upon Luke no matter where he may be sent.

To all who may read this.....

If you have served, or currently are serving....

Thank you, and know that you are in my prayers also.

God on you...

mbb

TIME ENOUGH AT LAST

 

Someday I will be able to say that phrase....."time enough at last."
It may not happen until I stand on the other side of eternity. Standing in the presence of the Lord.
Time is not a commodity that we have a huge supply of.
Time is running out.
Time is not my friend, nor does it wish to be.
Time is the measurement created by God in which his plans for this planet unfold. I have to find where God wants me to fit in this kingdom plan that is ever on going.

Paul has an interesting take on time and the way his life fits within the boundaries of birth and death.
Philippians 1:20-23 -  For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I love or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don't know which is better. I'm torn between two desires. I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sake, it is better that I continue to live.

Paul was wanting to be a little selfish and say, "Hey, I wouldn't really mind dying right now. It's hard here. It's a very dark place I'm walking in." But Paul saw a greater good. Paul had a Gethsemane moment just as Jesus did....."Here is what I want Father, but not my will....yours! Whenever my vision begins to turn inward and I find myself in a selfish mood, I know that this is not God's will. When the Kingdom of God, in my eyes, is about what happens to me. That is not God. I want God and His will to be center. My focus should be "How does my life fit into the Kingdom of God ,"not "How does the Kingdom of God fit into my life."

Paul goes on to write in verse 25 - Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith.  Paul saw himself simply as an instrument used by God for the greater good of mankind. Today, the view seems to be a selfish, petty perception....."God loves me...God wants to bless me....I am special....I'm one of the King's kids...I want a blessing." Does God want to bless me? Yes. Does God love me? Yes. But it is time to move out from the nursery. It is time to grow and take a rightful place in the kingdom of God.
Get into the Word of God and began letting is soak down in you.
Stay in touch and commune with God through His Holy Spirit.
Ask God to teach you to pray and then do so.
Love the ones no one loves.
Visit the sick and pray for them.
In other words.....be the body of Christ today.

God on you........
mb

PRAY --- PRAY ----PRAY AND THEN PRAY SOME MORE

 

Jude / Verse 20 - "But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, PRAY IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT."

Much pain out there this morning. Many are hurting physically, mentally, emotionally, and yes.....even spiritually. Sometimes a body can grow so weary the person can't pray......don't have the words to pray. Such a time as that is when the true believers of Christ should step up and intercede on their behalf. Standing before God for another human being is an honor and privilege. Besides, it might be you or me next who will need someone to intercede for us.

This morning, I would ask that you please pray for these folks.

*Darlynn - currently in the hospital with covid / pneumonia. 

*Megan - awaiting doctor's result about her unborn baby. Pray for the entire family.

*Neil - Going to physical therapy to strengthen an arm he had surgery on.

*Mike - Physical pain and lack of strength. Also pray healing for places on his leg that do not need to get infected.

*Chris - fatigue, no strength. Pray for wisdom that his doctor may help him adjust his meds to the appropriate levels.

*Hunter - relationship issues. Pray for him to have spiritual clarity in this matter and not be swayed by feelings or emotions.

*Vicki - continued healing to her eyes after having surgery on them.

*Mike - suffers from COPD.

*Anthony - continued healing, strength and determination as he faces the challenges of each day. Continued healing and strength to his daughter, Kalee.

*Debbie - healing and strength.

*Michael - wisdom and grace to deal with diabetes.

Please, let's keep these folks (and any others you may know of) lifted before God through our prayers.

God on you...

Michael b.

SEEING AS GOD SEES

 

Happy looking fellow, isn't he? Kind of a blank stare upon that mug. Is he mad? Is he in deep thought? Nope....he simply is. Funny how we take a photo, which is an image of a moment in time, and create and concoct a story of our choosing to define what we see .

We take that photo (which now is 8 years old) and project on it what we think is happening. We have the potential to create and label this photo with our own story and understanding we have created to define it by. I would dare to say that 'pert near 100% of such thinking is wrongly created.

Do we do the same thing with Scripture? Do we read (if we read at all) portions of Scripture, creating our own conversation and definition of what we read?  Yet if you read Hebrews 4:12 - "For the WORD of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires."  O.k....the scripture reveals our innermost thought and desire...so what.

Well, such an exposure shows us whether our thoughts and desires are Godly and lead to life.......or come from out sin/nature and will lead to second death. This exposure, if our intentions are sin fueled, are revealed to us by God's Holy Spirit, giving us a opportunity to either repent and change, or reject and have our heart's grow colder and harder to God's leading.

Consider this today and ask God to reveal His truth to you...

God on you...

Michael b.

ESSENTIALS FOR REAL LIFE

 

Addiction....
Recovery.....
Cravings....
Clean and Sober.....
It's all a battle.
At one time, the mind and body was being pumped full of mood-altering substances which broke down any moral barrier that may have been present.
Lying became the norm for our old life style.
Cheating and stealing became the means of survival.
Spiritual darkness totally engulfed us, even though we didn't realize it or even acknowledge it. We were doing o.k. in our own estimation. But we were blinded to the truth of our condition. Outside, we somehow managed to appear at least half-way put together...
But on the inside, things were falling apart at a rapid rate.

The addiction caused us to minimize what was happening to us....
"I don't have that big of a problem."
"I just use on weekends".
"What's happening to me is just a bump in the road...I'll be alright."
"Problem? I don't have a problem."Do those sound familiar? 

So now you've worked Steps #1-3 and you have established this new relationship with Jesus. What now? 
You have to view this new life as kind of like joining the army.
There are certain things that you will need to address as you learn this new way to live.

We are going to take a look at some of the essentials needed to fight this battle as you move away from your addiction.

#1 - Get under authority ----learning to submit
Psalm 18:27 -  For You will save the humble people, but will bring down haughty looks.

I Peter 5:5 - In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Anyone who joins a branch of military service must begin the day knowing how to obey orders. From day 1 of their arrival to basic training, nothing belongs to the soldier anymore---
His hair is cut...
New clothing is issued to him.
His schedule is determined by leadership.
For a period of time, freedom is lost and submission is taught.

It is important to understand that putting the devil to flight will require submission to God. James 4:7 tells us, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

We find our new orders for living in Hebrews 12:1-2:
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

If you read Step#3 carefully, you'll see that it involves turning over, or submitting, will and life to the care of God. We become followers of Christ.
Think on this today and ask yourself, "Have I made the commitment to submit to the authority of Jesus?"

God on you.....
mb

NEW MESSAGE: "WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SURRENDER?"

 

Check out last nights message @ the ReCovery Church. 

Click on audio section of this blog, located to the right of this posting. You can listen now, or download it for later. As always, thanks for being a part of those who check out the teachings and messages.

If you have found any value to what we teach and our messages, then please tell others about us.

God on you....

Michael B.

GOOD SATURDAY MORNING!!

Revelation 21:4
And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall no longer be any death. There shall no longer be any mourning or crying, or pain. The first things have passed away.

The words of this verse carry such hope for me. They fill me with an assurance that God is in control. That the end has been decided and He alone has the authority and power to make it so. For that I rest in the knowledge that what happens here on this side of eternity pales in comparison to being in the presence of God.

It doesn't matter what happen in our world today....
I have a story that has been born in my heart....
A story to share with others.
You don't have to be hopeless....
Hope is found in a person........Jesus Christ.
Say what you want....
Believe what you want....
But the truth of Jesus stands beyond any criticism and scrutiny.
The perfect in a world of imperfection.
The stability in a world of chaos.
The Savior in a world that doesn't even realize it needs salvation.

As I've grown older the things I thought were important have dwindled down until my list is very short.
Just Jesus.
In Him, I can live today.
In Him, I can love today.
In Him, I have a tomorrow, either here in this life, or with Him in the next.

Please feel free to go back into the achieves of this blog and check out the other postings.
Thank you for taking the time to stop here.
God on you.....
mb

 

DARK TIMES REVEAL HARD TRUTH

 

This is a re-posting of an entry from 2015. It seemed relevant for our current time and situation.

Chapter 16 of A.W. Tozer's book The Radical Cross.
Can I say "ouch"?
I think maybe yes...
I need the Bible to question me and my decisions.
I need the Bible to lay bare not just my heart, but the motives of that heart.
It is in this place that the real me comes out.
Not the "church-going, praising God" me.
But the "I'm a stinker in need of constantly being de-stinkified" me.
Making me look at not only what is in my heart, but what that heart is capable of doing. Such is a sobering thing. Such is what I found as I read Tozer's book. he kept sending me to the Scripture over and over, putting me in a place where new decisions and new commitments had to be made.
So what's the title of this infamous Chapter 16?
Are you ready?

"Coddled Or Crucified?"

Tozer writes the following:

The Spiritual giants of old would not take their religion the 

easy way nor offer unto God that which cost them

nothing.

They sought not comfort but holiness, and the pages of

human history are still wet with their blood and their tears.

We live in softer times. Woe unto us, for we have 

become adept in the art of comforting ourselves

without Power.

We're not real comfortable looking at those who Tozer refers to as Spiritual giants. We place them on unreachable pedestals, never realizing that we have been called to the same place. Not a pedestal of recognition or fame, but a place where the name of Christ is glorified. A place that has no need for "self" to be recognized or applauded. We've been called into communion and relationship with the real-deal God of the universe. Such a connection is not driven or dictated too by anything taking place in this world. It does not rise or fall on any prophetic word. If we receive any prophetic word, we should weigh it, discern it and then press tighter into God. We lean into Him whether the winds of change are raging around us, or the gentle breeze of peace flows over us. In other words, we have been called to walk out a life that is not the norm for this world.

When will we awaken to the fact that we have been called to a life that is based on the economy of heaven, not earth? We are called to operate and move in ways this world will never understand, yet we seem to reject this new way of life. We seem to be tied to and held captive by the economy of this world. We grow fearful in the least movement of the Stock market. We watch the evening news and sit in fear that ISIS is out there wreaking havoc on the world. Our own government seems to have lost their collective minds. All this continuous influx of fear only drives us to find comfort. To be coddled so we will not have to face what is happening around us. We hang on to God, but look to the world for comfort. Can the two coexist? This acknowledgment of God, and the embracing of the things of this world to comfort our fear and anxiety?

What was the cross really for?
Kill people.
I've written this before, but if you were standing at the gates of Jerusalem, and you saw a man walk through those gates carrying a cross......you could just about bet he was going to return. Death awaited him.

Well, in this relationship we have been called to, we had to die. Our old sin nature, the old man, was crucified and we were granted a new life. A new way of living. The Apostle Paul writes in Galatians 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ; It is not longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Paul goes on to write in Galatians 6:14 - "But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

What does all this mean? Well for starters, it means that even though I am a citizen of this planet, it isn't my home. And as long as I take up space here, I do not operate or live out my days under the influence and pressure that society applies to peoples lives. So it really doesn't matter how spiritually dark it may become...according to Jesus, I am light. It doesn't matter how spiritually tasteless society may become....according to Jesus, I am salt. I am called to apply myself, under the direction of God's Holy Spirit, to whatever situation or circumstance I may find myself facing. And this application of self is for one reason only....to glorify the name of Jesus. I can't save the world, but I can make a difference in my corner of the Kingdom.

Don't know if this posting really came out the way it was when it rolled around in my brain. I do hope it makes sense and that you may see the folly in operating from a place of fear. I'm not smart enough to figure all this out. I am smart enough to latch on to someone who can. That would be Jesus.

God on you....

michael b.

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE FREE-----NO ONE WANTS TO DO THE WORK!

 

Titus 3:4-7
But when God our Savior revealed His kindness and love, He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, because of His grace He declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.

Isn't it weird?
God does all the work....
He paid the price for our freedom through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
He gave us His Holy Spirit as a comforter and guide to help us through life here on this side of heaven.
He speaks on a continual basis through His book, here again freely given to us.
And all we have to do is follow.
And we can't even do that.
There those who think salvation and sobriety should be handed to them without any effort on their part, because their life has been hard.
They are not willing to embrace the cross that Jesus has called them to (See Luke 9:23) and follow the path He is walking.

We want the perks of being saved without anything being required of us.
We fall back on old familiar excuses to keep from taking possession of this new life and sobriety we have been afforded.
"I can't do this!!" 
Well, of course you can't, buttercup.
That's why there is a Higher Power who can. Once again, all we have to do is follow.
"But you don't understand!!"
Oh yes I do. You are not unique in your addiction.
You are not special in your addiction.
You are one of the millions who gave themselves willingly to serve this sin driven master.
Now let's get real honest at this point.
Either you can't quit (which kind of puts you in the place where God can work through you.....)
Or you don't want to quit and your afraid to admit it to those around you.
I clearly understand both sides.....

You are not unique in your addiction.
Look at verse 3 of Titus 3:
Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy and we hated each other.
Sound familiar?
If you are a slave to someone or something, then it has power over you. You can't break free from the influence or demands this power dictates to you.
The only way you can escape is if another power greater than one you are serving comes along and overthrows it.
This is exactly what Jesus does....
He breaks the power that sin has over you.
He pays the penalty that sin demanded of you.
And He leads you away from and out of the presence of sin.
But this new place (and new life) He gives you demands some discipline and action on your part.

The Twelve Steps provide the discipline to change.
God empowers us to move through these steps.
Scary? You bet. The future and the unknown are always scary.
But God doesn't empower someone and then cast them aside to fin for themselves. He leads, we follow. And here's the kicker.
This new adventure is only 24 hours long.
We deal with what we face today. Sure there are problems out there waiting on us, but I have to take care of today, if I'm going to have a tomorrow. This is the heart of recovery. That is why you hear the phrase "One day at a time" over and over when you go to a meeting. Because today is all we have been given.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change; 
courage to change the things I can; 
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; 
enjoying one moment at a time; 
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; 
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it; 
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will; 
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next. 
Amen.

God on you.....

mbb