Jeremiah or Jesus
Jeremiah was a thundering prophet of the Old Testament. Every word he preached was like a sword cutting into the flesh. He angered politicians and church leaders so much they threw him into prison.
Jeremiah was a thundering prophet of the Old Testament. Every word he preached was like a sword cutting into the flesh. He angered politicians and church leaders so much they threw him into prison.
I preach to thousands, yet there are times I feel so very dry - so far away from the warm presence of God. In these moments of dryness, I have no great yearning to read the Word - the reading of the Bible is done mostly through a sense of obligation. When I'm dry and empty, I feel little compulsion to pray. I know my faith is intact, and my love for Jesus is strong. There is no desire in me to taste the things of this world. It's just that I can't seem to touch God in those days and weeks of spiritual dryness.
God’s Word tells us it’s possible to remain pure in the midst of an evil society. And the Lord gives his anointing only to those servants who remain pure before him. We see this illustrated in the life of Daniel, who lived in one of the most wicked, immoral societies in all of history.
“Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands” (Daniel 10:10).
I made it a study of mine to learn why and how God lays his hand upon certain people. Why does the Lord anoint particular men and women with his touch? Why do certain ones have an incredible urge to pray and seek God, while others in the same spiritual environment go their own way, living a life of ease, complacency, or even compromise?
All the Old Testament prophets foretold the coming of Christ. Upon his arrival, he would perform glorious blessings — binding up the brokenhearted, proclaiming liberty to the captives, healing the sick and building a new church (see Isaiah 61:1). He would “give...beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (61:3, NKJV).
The New Testament tells us that in the last days scoffers are going to appear. Jesus says these mockers will ridicule all doctrine that says Christ is returning to establish a new kingdom. If you try to explain this doctrine – that when Jesus comes again he’ll set up a kingdom of eternal righteousness – you’ll be called insane.
What does the word "passion" mean to you as a Christian? I think passion at its truest and deepest level cannot be defined by any dictionary. Let me show you from Scripture what I believe it means to have a passion for Christ.
As I read the Bible, I see passion for Jesus as an ever-increasing obedience to his Word. Most of us think of obedience as personal, individual compliance to God's commands. Yet obedience to his Word has implications far beyond this. It isn't merely a personal pursuit but a fervent desire for the sake of the Lord's body.
Israel was in a hopeless predicament. They were trapped, with the Red Sea before them and the mountains on their left and right. An angry Pharaoh and his iron chariots were closing in on them from behind.
This is a very familiar story, one you’ve heard your whole church life. The children of Israel were led by God into a horrible crisis where they were surrounded by a fierce enemy. Incredible as it seems, the Lord had purposely led his people into this precarious spot. I believe it is a story with great importance for the church today, indeed at this moment in history.
"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1).
This nation is fast becoming a sodden society of too many intoxicated citizens. Alcohol is now the modern golden calf, and millions of people, young and old, male and female, have been seduced by it.
Our ministry has held many conferences for pastors over the past several years, but I have purposely never taught on how to preach. I struggle enough with my own preaching, let alone would want to advise someone else how to do it.
I vividly recall times during my fifty-plus years of preaching when the word that came out of me stirred and penetrated my own soul. I knew as I delivered those sermons that a spiritual authority accompanied the message. There simply was no mistaking the Lord’s touch.