The Greatest Creation of God!

The other day my wife with her parents took the kids to the zoo. During my morning prayer I was led to pray for them and their time there. I asked that the Lord create in my family a joy to view some of His workmanship, and that it would lead them to lift up praise. I mean how cool is it to go and see a bug that looks like God hand painted a design on it? Or to see a Lion, and the shear strength of that beast? It was during this kind prayer that I was brought to what is an even greater creation than that of animals... I am sure you to have already thought of it... “We” are a greater creation then the animals. Why is that?... It is because we were made in the image of God!

When God made all creation He never said "Let us make them in Our image..." to anything except for when He made man. If we are made in the image of God then what should our response be to people in general be? That is a something I want to look at for a just a minute. If we are the image of God, then what does it mean, or what does it matter how we treat other people? This goes for both treating people good, and bad. Consider when we defile our body, and, or others, then we are defiling the image of God. You name the defilement, be it sexual sins (even in our mind towards others), gluttony, lying, etc... These actions are a direct insult to God, because He made us in His image. Or even look at it like this. If we hold unforgiveness towards others, it is like we are holding unforgiveness towards God. Jesus came to us, and became our full measure of sin. He became our defilement towards God, taking on the full punishment and wrath of God for us. Then He says "I forgive them." In such an act of love towards us, this should lead us to the same act towards others. Remember what Jesus said here:

Mat 25:40 NKJV  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

Why did Jesus say this? Because all men were created in the image of God! To take this even farther Jesus came in the likeness of men, being the Son of God, and being the Image of the Invisible God. He being God, the visible image of God, made in the likeness of God, and in the likeness of man, He brought the two together. Even the creation of man was a foreshadowing of Christ to come! Therefore however we treat men is in affect how we treat God Himself!

Even with this in mind there is still another part of the creation that points to Christ. What is an even greater creation than when God created man (in His image)? That is the new creation of man through Christ Jesus. Just as Jesus fulfilled the foreshadowing when God created man, He was the first born in the new life! To capture this let us look at a few verses, as they say it best!

Col 1:15-20 NKJV  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  (16)  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.  (17)  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.  (18)  And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.  (19)  For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,  (20)  and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

Rev 1:5 NKJV  and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

2Co 5:16-19 NKJV  Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.  (17)  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.  (18)  Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,  (19)  that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Jas 1:18 NKJV  Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

To bring this to a close, I said all of this because what greater praise should we give then that of a man turning from his old ways and tuning to Christ Jesus! When we see the freeing work of Christ being worked in men we are seeing firsthand the power and greatest work of GOD!!! This work that we are granted to see is an even greater work than that of the creation of the world and the creation of Man! This work proves that our God is not dead, but a live and active today!

I pray that you are blessed in your daily ministry to others! Be encourage in your pursuit to lead others to Him! For you are the hands and feet of a God who is doing a mighty work in the men you look after! In this let us lift up praise!

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."

A Picture of the Crucifixion story, Jesus & Barabbas

The other day I was in a time of worship and cleaning the house (my wife would be so happy J), when a worship song came on. It talked about the freeing power of Christ. How He came to set us free, that He took our place while we get to walk free of the charges against us. It was at that time that the Holy Spirit brought to mind Barabbas and Jesus. Let us take a quick look at that part of the crucifixion story:

Luk 23:18-25 NKJV  And they all cried out at once, saying, "Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas"— (19)  who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.  (20)  Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them.  (21)  But they shouted, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!"  (22)  Then he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go."  (23)  But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.  (24)  So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.  (25)  And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

Isn't that a great picture of what Jesus has done for us? Isn't that a picture of how the world treats Him? In fact isn't that how many "Christians" treat Him too?

Think for a minute just who you once were, or are today. We were all "Barabbas" at one time in our lives. We were guilty of our crimes. We have all lied, cheated, committed sexual immorality, etc... You and I both know that the list could go on. The fact remains we have all done wrong, and we are all deserving of punishment! Though through Christ we are set free from our wrongs! The picture of Barabbas and Jesus is a perfect picture of what Jesus has done for us all! We stood there guilty as one could be, and Jesus innocent as could be (through His actions!) says "Wait! I'll take his place!" He says this as he is walking up the stairs to stand in front of the accusing crowd. When He gets to the top, standing next to us, the guilty, He turns and says to us "I have taken your place, you may now go free! Go and sin no more!" He traded His perfection for our imperfection! He became our sin and we became sinless! What did we have to do in this transaction? Nothing but believe that what He said and did was the truth! Jesus did the work!... What a wonderful word picture we have in Jesus, and Barabbas, one that clearly shows the trading of guilt, for glory! This is a clear picture of this:

Rom 5:7-9 NKJV  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  (8)  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  (9)  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

On the flip side of the Jesus and Barabbas’ story we have the crowd. Who we too once were. And at times even still could be! How many times have you seen, and been a part of the crowd? The ones who stood there and said "give us that one!" picking the vileness of the world to be your, all the while you point to Jesus saying "to death, to hell with that!" How many times has this happened? How many times can we see this happening even now? You can pick any issue in today’s society and put the "Barabbas" banner over it. You will see the world, "Christians", religious leaders saying "Give us that! Release to us the right to do ___." All the while the release of that (whatever it may be) means the death of Christ! To have the "world" given to us means to have Christ crucified! This is a perfect example of what James wrote here:

Jas 4:4 NKJV  Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Even so, when we come to our senses, even us in the crowd who has become "Barabbas" again, Jesus still says "I forgive you!" and "You are set free! Now go and sin no more!" How do we get there, when we were the ones in the crowd? The same way we came to Christ the first time, repentance!" We turn from the world, and turn to Jesus! We make Him our focal point! Just like Paul said:

1Co 2:2 NKJV  For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

And

Gal 6:14 NKJV  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.

That’s what this picture of Jesus and Barabbas is all about. It shows the redemptive work of Jesus and His finished work on the cross!

Let us today make our boast not in the world or the things of this world. Let us boast not in ourselves, but in Jesus and the cross! For we once were Barabbas, but are not freed captives! And it was all done through the work of Christ, and Him crucified!

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."

What you obey is what you love most!

Recently I have been feeling the Lord speak to be about obedience. To be honest that is a funny thing for the Lord to speak to you about. None the less He is J. With that I would like to explore together what the Lord has been putting on my heart. I have not worked this out to its fullest, but here is where the Lord has me.

It begins with this: 

Joh 14:15 NKJV  "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

The other day in prayer time this verse came to my mind. Where I ended up going with this was: "Our love can be defined by what we obey." Think about this for a minute. If we say "I love my wife, kids, mother, sister, etc..." Then we show it. I know for me there are things in my life I no longer do because my wife doesn't like it. Or I refrain from things because my wife asks me to. I do it because I love her. I do it because it is more important for me to please her then to please myself. Another example are my kids. Oh how often they drive me crazy with their youthful disobedience. My kids are 3, and 1 years old. So the growing and teach is in full swing J... My son will often say "daddy I'm sorry for___" I reply with "If you are sorry then you will not do it (___) again, and will listen to me." What I am looking for is his obedience. I don’t lay these things out for him to obey, just to be obedient, I lay things before him so that he will be safe, learn, be respectful, etc... They are for his edification.... Well these things worked on my heart. It made me think about our Father in Heaven. He doesn't lay rules out for us to obey, just to obey. No, they are for our edification! just look at one example here:

Joh 15:10-11 NKJV  If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.  (11)  "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

This brought me to think about us and our growth in Him. To keep it short, we know we have two warring things in us. our flesh, and our spirit. We all get tempted, it may still be sexual sins, or others, but the fact remains that we are all tempted. When those temptation are there in our life it is an opportunity for us to show our love. Or at least for us to see what we love most. You see when we follow the lust of our flesh (whatever that may be) we are feeding our flesh. We are obeying it! Remember what we love is what we obey! Though when we overcome that temptation (in Christ) we feed the spirit, and we walk in life! Jas_1:12. We know the great example of that Paul preached to us in Romans:

Rom 6:16 NKJV  Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

I encourage you all to go back and read all of Romans Chapter 6! That alone is enough to get ones attention! Though we see here in verse 16 that what we obey is what we love, and will soon become its slave! For us to begin walking out of the bondage of sin we must fall upon Christ and His finished work on the cross! There we will see that in new life in Him we must get up and walk! We must be active in Him! We must obey Him! That is how we show Him that we love Him!... So what did He command that we do? LOVE!!! Love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind! to put Him first, to be abandoned to Him! To set aside all the world has to offer, and make Him first! that is a chose we have!... remember what you are obeying is what you love most!!!

Paul also gives a great word here:

2Co 10:6 NKJV  and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Disobedience to what? That disobedience he talks about is when we obey the flesh, walk in its lusts, and its desires! When we walk in those things we inevitably walk in sin! Jas_1:14-15. Then we are in direct disobedience to Jesus! Why? Because we are obeying the lust of the flesh, and loving our self more than Him! There in those times we are showing that our love is more in us, and our desires then on, and in Him! That is a hard truth, but its truth. Though with 2Co_10:6 in mind we see that we punish our disobedience when what is done? When our obedience if full filled! You see when we walk actively in Jesus and the things that He commanded us to do, we punish (put to the cross) that which we were disobedient in! What we obey is what we love!... Here is where it all comes down to, here is what Jesus commanded:

Mat 22:37-40 NKJV  Jesus said to him, 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'  (38)  This is the first and great commandment.  (39)  And the second is like it: 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'  (40)  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

And in a more pointed focus:

Joh 15:12,17 NKJV  This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you...(17) These things I command you, that you love one another.

Let me encourage you to take some time this week to think about how our Lord Jesus has loved you. Then think about how you might walk in obedience to loving Him back and others!

When we do this we are proclaiming to ourselves, and others that our love is no longer in us, or in this world! But that our love is firmly grounded in Jesus and His finished work on the cross! For there is no other way that we can love others or Him, if He had not loved us first!!! Let us close with these few verses:

1Jn 4:7-11 NKJV  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  (8)  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  (9)  In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.  (10)  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  (11)  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

How great is that! When we love others it proves the fact that we love God, and that we are born of Him! (v.7) If this is not happening in our lives, the us question our relationship with Him. Are we in right standing with Him? Are we born of Him? Do we really know God? (v.8). For He loved us, and manifested this Love for us in Jesus and His finished work on the cross!!! He became a servant to all! He became an offering for our sins! He pored Himself out for us! (v.9). So we love Him and others because He first loved us, and showed us the example of true love! (v.10). So we should love Him and love others!!!

These things are the biblical example of walking in obedience... an obedience that punished our fleshly disobedience! Walking in love, takes our flesh to the cross (daily)! Jesus was, and is our example! let us follow Him!

How have you been walking in love towards Him and others?

If not then how can you start walking in obedience in love to Him and others?

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."

Our Cross = Our Ministry

Praise the Lord for the work He does in us! Last time we ended with a new life in Christ that took us through repentance, death on the cross, resurrection into a new life in Jesus, ending with our new life being a platform for our ministry! That is where I want to pick up today. How we use our "scars" to lead others to the cross that they too much bear.

Let us just dive right into the word today. We will take several looks at the purpose of us using our cross process to lead others in their! let’s start here:

Joh 12:3 & 7-8 NKJV  Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.... (7)  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  (8)  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."

This is a great picture of the preparation before the cross. You see Mary loved Jesus dearly, and out of that love she prepared Him for the cross. She played her part in assisting Him to the death He must die! Why? Because we know that for Jesus to fulfill His ministry He had go to the cross! Though we see here He did not begin this journey alone! No. He had others who walked with Him! This key to us as the body of Christ.... We will get into this a bit more in a minute.

Next let us look at another time Jesus was helped to the cross.

Mar 15:21 NKJV  Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.

Again here is another picture of others helping us to the cross! Simon, carried Jesus' cross for a time. Though Simon could not get on that cross for Jesus. If that had happened it would have been just another man dying on the cross. We know that Jesus had to bear His own load, He had to die on His cross, and fulfill His calling. This same idea was preached by Paul to the Galatians. let’s take a quick look:

Gal 6:1-2, & 5 NKJV  Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.  (2)  Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (5) For each one shall bear his own load.

You see when we go though our cross process, and we come alive in Jesus a new creation, we still bear those old scars for this very reason! That old man (the scar) is our witness to Jesus! In our bondage, despair, sin, anxiety, etc... Jesus came to us personally! When we were delivered from that stuff we saw Him, we felt Him, because of this we know Him! This personal encounter makes us first hand witnesses of Jesus! That is our ministry! That is our platform to bear the burden of those who are in the same boat we once were! We can (out of love) take them by the hand to lead them to the cross, so they can bear their own load. Just like Simon carried a burden for Jesus, he couldn't bear the entire load for Jesus. No. Jesus had to get on that cross by Himself and walk the cross process to gain victory over sin, and death! He had to bear His own load. That (through God) gave Him the power to save the whole world! He gave us the example in how to carry our cross, and do it daily!

With these two examples we see a picture that we all play a part in each other’s cross process! Mary who out of love prepared Jesus for death and burial. Simon who bore a burden for Jesus. These pictures show us that at times we play a different part in a person's life. No matter what part we play it is to lead them to Jesus, and to their cross that they must bear. You see our cross process is not to be done alone, as others are not to walk theirs alone. That is the beauty of the body of Christ. We are called together. Jesus said that He and the Father are one. When we die the death that Jesus called us to, we too become heirs with Him in new life. Jesus desired that we too become one with Him, like He and the Father are one. If we lead others to Jesus, we lead them to God, for we all are one in Him!

The beauty of all of this, is that we can minister to anyone! It could be a "season" Christian who is now having to take something in their life to the cross. Or on the other end someone who does not know Christ yet. For those "seasoned" Christians we minister to them, not to point out their sin, or bondage, but because we know the freedom in Christ and desperately want them to know it too! remember what Jesus said here:

Mat 18:15 NKJV  "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

Though some would say that in doing this you are judging or that you "need to deal" with the plank in your own eye... referenced here:

Mat 7:2-5 NKJV  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  (3)  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  (4)  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  (5)  Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

The amazing thing is when we take our "plank" to the cross we deal with it! Where we then have the power to "witness" to others the power and glory of God! why? so they too can be lead to God, where we all can join together as one! That we can be a "one another" kind of people! That we would be the spotless bride of Christ!

Just as we minister to those already in Christ, we are also called to minister to those outside of Christ. What better way to "witness" to others about the power in Christ Jesus. Just think about a man deep in depression, who may have considered taking his own life. Well if that was something you took to the cross, and have now been delivered from it, you have a bold witness of Christ Jesus! Oh the hope you can preach to that man! Where you can minister to Him his need of repentance, turning to Jesus, where we meet Him at the cross, and have the opportunity to die and be born again into a new life in Jesus! to be free from that bondage!....

You see your scars from your cross process are your ministry platforms! They are your first hand witnessing testimony of the power we have in Jesus!!!! One last example of just how powerful this is!

look at Revelation 12:

Rev 12:11 NKJV  And they overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

This alone could be another days worth of study. But to keep it short, if it were not for Jesus bearing His cross to set us free, save us, and lead us we would have no testimony in Him. For through His cross process opened up the door for us to have ours in Him! The word of our testimony (cross process) is the first hand testimony of the power in Christ. It shows others that through the death(s) (Jesus, and ours) on the cross we can be set free! Because in death the power over our lives is broken! What an amazing truth, that in death, we deal with the flesh and with the devils hold on us!

In closing let me ask you this: In what way can you use your "cross" to minister to others!.... And if you are in the middle of taking up your cross, who can you reach out to for help getting to the end? If you are unsure, ask your pastor, as I am sure he has see someone in your local body deal with this very thing.

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."

Though The Scars Remain

This will be a two part one from me. I thought I could get it all in with just one. Though as I wrote I soon saw that I would have to break it in two J… with that lets begin:

Part one “Though The Scars Remain”

As I did my daily scriptures r

eading the other day it brought me to Luke Chapter 24. In particular verses 38-39. Lets quickly take a look:

Luk 24:38-39 NKJV  And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?  (39)  Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."

I am sure we all have see this before. Where Jesus has completed His work on the cross, has now be risen, and began showing Himself to people. As I read this verse I had to stop as I was reminded of the verses read the day before:

Mar 16:9-11 NKJV  Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.  (10)  She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.  (11)  And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

Joh 20:11-15 NKJV  But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.  (12)  And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.  (13)  Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him."  (14)  Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.  (15)  Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away."

As I stood there I began to get a picture of the crosses in our lives. We know that Jesus told us to take up our own cross and follow Him daily Luk_9:23. Though to get there we would have had to start at the beginning of it all, repentance. John the Baptist, Jesus, and Peter preached that first. All three saying "Repent! for the kingdom of God is at hand." Mat_3:1-2, Mat_4:17, Act_2:38. Repentance is the beginning of a life in Christ. Though, how can we turn from anything without first having something to turn too? Turning to Jesus to save us from our sins, pain, struggles, etc. this is the only way! The moment we turn to Jesus in repentance we are led through His saving grace. Though that is not the focus of today’s writing. You see when we turn to Jesus we meet Him first as our savior, there is no working to get saved, or anything we must do, but believe! It is as this happens, we also meet Jesus face to face with the truth of Luk_9:23. This is the only way to be born again! We know what Jesus said about that. If a man is not born again he cannot see the kingdom of God Joh_3:3. To be a Christ follower we must take up our own cross, die to our flesh, pain, thoughts, etc. We must die, and just like Jesus we must have our death period! To have our resurrection into new life. To be born again, just like Christ was! We must die...

You see Jesus had to die, that was a must! His greatest ministry had to come through that death! I mean saving the whole world from their sins, and the wrath of God, that is pretty great to me! But for Him to even come close to making it happen He had to die! He had to remain dead for some time, for a season. For Him it was only three days! Just as He died and had a death period, so we too must have one! How long will ours last? that is dependent on how hard and thick your head is, and the calling you are paying for. We can rest assured that a death must come to us, but only for a time. You see that is part of the repentance. Those verses earlier where Mary and the others wept for time Mar_16:9-11, Joh_20:11-15, painted a picture of morning in repentance, as well as how others will even see the change in us! Remember that Jesus said if we refuses to let go of our loved ones we are not worthy of Him, that we cannot be His disciples (followers) Luk_14:26. Our death in Christ Jesus is not a secret but open to others! If we choose to refuse to die because it might hurt others, we are worried about our life that we have with them. We are worried about how it might change… Praise the Lord we have a promise in Him, that if we lose our life (daily) for His sake, we will in fact save it! WOW! So this death, and the season we must remain there, is in fact a "saving" of our life? YES!!! Just as we are promised death in Christ so we too are promised life! Just as He rose from the dead so we too are called to raise again! We are born again, saved, redeemed, and changed! For we are no longer the old man! We are NEW!!!

This brings us to the main point J... This whole process is not just for us! The main reason for us to grow in such a way is so we may spend that payment on others! Just as Jesus didn't die for Himself, so neither to we die for ourselves! Look again at what Jesus said after He rose from the dead:

Joh 20:27 NKJV  Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."

How amazing! Jesus could have easily come back in a new body, but He didn’t! He came back to His old "shell." He bore the scars of his old life! He said look at them, touch them, see what God has done! Those scars were the platform for His greatest ministry! He used them to show what God had done in Him, through Him, and for Him! You see we always know and remember where we came from, we bear those scars for a reason. We are to show people just what God can do!

 

some might say "there was no major sin in my life that I need to die to or repent from. I was hurt when I was young, or later in life…" either way it is the pain that would hold you! the hurt that would keep you from the life in Jesus! We are still called to take that to the cross, and die to it! The amazing thing is there is life promised on the other side! Here is the truth, it is death that breaks the chains of sin, pain, anxiety, depression, fear... anything that holds us down! When we die to it through the process of the cross, its grip over us is broken!!! That is why we have the power to show those scars to others and say "look!" that is how we can use our past to lead others to Jesus and a freedom of their own!

Bringing this part to a close let me just say this process is of the cross is not a onetime deal. Jesus said we must take up our cross daily! Why? Because we are ever growing in Him, and our ministry to others! The fact is life goes on, things happen, and we need to gain victory over things. That victory can only come through the cross process! Once we get to the other side, we have a new witness for others! That is what we will talk about in the second part of this word.

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."

Kingdom Seeds

A few weeks ago I talked about how the Lord opened up a door for me to witness to a coworker. It was just the other day that I got a chance to talk with the fellow Christian brother who was there. As we fellowshipped about how the Lord opened the door and paved the way for the ministry, it turned out to be quite amazing! To keep it short the Lord really moved in the both of us, where we worked in team ministry, and I didn't even know it! Oh how good our God is! This brother and I ended up having a great time of fellowship, and ended the day feeling refreshed and uplifted! It was the next morning when I was driving home that I lifted up our time together, as well as the man in whom we witnessed to. There in that time of prayer the Lord took me through journey in His word. Which is where I would like to take you now J.

So let us just dive right in....

We know that when we were witnessed to, the Lord placed a seed in us. We also know that when we witness to others a seed is placed in them. Where it falls is not really up to us. It’s just up to us to “plant” that seed! We should all be somewhat familiar with the parable about the seeds falling on different kinds of ground (rocks, shallow soil, good soil, etc...) Mat_13:3-9. We all know that when we are called (by the Holy Spirit) we play a different role in growing this “kingdom seed” process. We have heard (something like this) planting the seed, watering it, and harvesting it. These last few weeks we have really hit on planting the seed. Let us look at the watering of it now. With that short base laid the Lord brought to light many scriptures of a truth we are all familiar with.

Jesus said:

Luk 13:18-19 NKJV  Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?  (19)  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."

This kingdom seed put in us and others, will only grow with proper care! We can only get so far by our self! So the question remains; How do we water this kingdom seed in us and others? Ask any farmer, or gardener for that matter what makes a seed grow. They will all tell you "water!" without water nothing grows. This same principle applies to the kingdom seed in us! There must be water to grow it! With this in mind, can a seed water itself? NO! Just as someone planted that seed, someone must also water it! Watering is a very intentional thing. So how do we as believers water our kingdom seed? Fellowship! We know upon being "saved" we are given the Holy Spirit, where He lives in us, and we are His 1Co_3:16 & Rom_8:9. Knowing that the Holy Spirit lives in us, we know that we have this truth to hang our hats on:

Joh 7:38 NKJV  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

You see how amazing this is!? That kingdom seed in us and in others needs watering! That comes through fellowship! When we get together with others and are sensitive to the Holy Spirit we will water their kingdom seed! And they will water ours. For out of us (believers) will flow that "river of living water!" The Holy Spirit will flow through us to others!

We know this to be true from Acts 2, just as the Holy Spirit came, so came the fellowship, and the new church... the kingdom seed was planted, and watered! The Apostles even counted this as number one in their doctrine:

Act 2:42 NKJV  And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

It is vital that we fellowship with fellow believers! This goes beyond the Sunday greetings, the once a week bible studies, and the occasional get together's. This is a way of life. An intentional conversation with brothers and sisters in are day to day life! Yes we can set up lunch dates, or evening get together's, etc... but those can become cumbersome. Though what if we had "kingdom" talks with fellow believers at work? Or other places that we live parts of our life? You might say, "well there are just not any believers in my life expect for church." Then I would say "praise the Lord! you're in a mission field!" Let me encourage you to begin planting those kingdom seeds in others, live the kingdom life always, water when needed, and seek the Lord for the lost! Soon enough you will have that "fellow believer" in the places you live and work! And isn't this a true fulfillment of the two greatest commandments? To Love God with all we are, and to love others!

Watering the kingdom seed (in us, others, and the newly planted) comes with a daily devotion to the Lord! It comes through fellowship with one another, for out of us flows rivers of living water! Out of us flows the Holy Spirit!

How are you watering the kingdom seeds in your life (in you and in others)?

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."

That Very Hour

Luk 12:12 NKJV  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

Joh 14:26 NKJV  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

For the last two weeks I have been on this "witnessing" kick. I can’t explain it, or can I deny that God keeps speaking to me about it and through it. The other day at work a fellow Staff Sergeant (SSgt) and I were talking about the U.S. government, and what we think needs to change to fix it. WOW! what a big never ending topic to talk about. nevertheless me and this SSgt enjoy our time of talking about such matters. In our time of working together he has made it clear that he is not Christian. In fact he makes it known how much he disagrees with such beliefs. on the other side it has been made known that I love Jesus, and am a Christian. Well it was during our time about talking about the government that God began to open a door for me to share the gospel with him. It started out so small, but soon led to talking about the judgment to come, to repentance, to redemption, to His blood and the atonement in it, to grace, and finally to forgiveness. I think we spend 1.5 hours talking. I do not say boast or to say look at me. I say this because in my life I have never had such great time speaking about the gospel to a non-believer. It was truly God breathed.

It was after we brought this gospel talk to a close that I went to my room (we sleep at the Fire Station). Where I began to pray about the whole thing. It was then that I was reminded of Luk_12:12. You see during my time of witnessing many things that I have been getting from God began to come out. One in particular is forgiveness. (I plan on writing out what God has given me.) It’s kind of funny how God speaks to me at times. In short, when I drive to and from work I have about 20 minutes to pray. During those times of prayer sometimes I get caught up in "preaching" to the air. I know it sounds funny but I really let it loose. Over the years these times of "practice preaching" have become quit fun, and they allow me to exercise that spiritual muscle. You see God brings about a word in me, brings me to preaching it (by myself), then I know it well enough to minister it. why? because He is teaching me that very hour!

I say all of this to only now get to the main point J .... What does it mean "hour"? Does it mean literally within the hour? Or does it mean in that time and season? I think it can mean both! let us look at a few scriptures.

Mat 8:13 NKJV  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour.

Mat 10:19 NKJV  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;

Mat 25:13 NKJV  "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

Mat 26:45 NKJV  Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Here you can see that Jesus did things at different times, talked about different times, and even talked about prophecy was being fulfilled in the "hour".

I say all of this to come back to ministering and/or witnessing. It is vitally important that we are in His word every day, praying continually, and even fellowshipping often (and if you are up to it, "preaching" to yourself J ). Why? because during these times of feasting God is brining a word to us in that "hour." And being led by His Spirit we will be given the platform to minister that word to others! In fact that is one of the primary reasons God brings words to us! Yes, we grow from them, and we are suppose to. But it’s not to stop there, we are to minister those word to others too. For we have freely received so we should freely give Mat_8:10.

I encourage you to begin stepping outside of your box and begin to exercise those things God is ministering to you. Try writing them out, preaching to the air, talking with your wife about them, meeting up with a brother in Christ and share with him. find a way to cultivate and grow that word in you, so that you may minister it to others!

If you choose to write these words out let me know, and you can send them out in our group as a mini-check-in. I am sure that you are tired of always hearing from me J. 

To bring this to a close let us look at the verse we first started out with. For God is saying here, that when He brings us to witness the good news of Jesus, He will teach us before what to say. He will teach us and lead us even as we are speaking. For the Holy Spirit will bring to remembrance all those things that Jesus has ministered to us! so let us close with being lifted up in His word:

Luk 12:12 NKJV  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

Joh 14:26 NKJV  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."