“Being and becoming Christian” series

Part 96

Our Master is on the other side

As Easter approaches we begin to think more and more about Jesus, his life, death and amazing resurrection. I don’t think all of us know everything there is to know about Jesus. But we do need to know more.

I have a friend who was taught as a muslim growing up. He has both Bible and Koran. Try as he might he just can’t quite get our “religion.” But each time I talk to him I feel him being drawn closer by the Spirit of God. I can’t win him, but I can show him the way as best I can. I can’t preach at him, that doesn’t work. But little by little he is seeing things as the bright man he is sorting out the truth. Why am I saying this? I think we all have friends that we think are un-win-able to the Lord. Fact is even the hardest heart can be won.

The famous evangelist Stephen Hill often talked about his brother George who was a caterer to the Greatful Dead, a “deadhead” and follower was he. Steve said publicly he couldn’t win his brother to Jesus. But somehow, George got saved and wrote Steve a letter praising God and the ministry He now was involved in doing.

Pruning

Last week I wrote about Tommy Tenney butchering an Almond tree because God wanted a rod and staff (Numbers 17). That kind of pruning can happen to us even though we feel we are serving God. Chop. There goes a relationship. Chop. There goes a job. Chop. I don’t understand God, why are you cutting me down? Chop. There goes something that I prize very highly. Chop. Hey, cut it out my name isn’t Job! Chop.

Jesus told the disciples the night before He was crucified that they were about to be pruned. They didn’t understand it either. Jesus was arrested still that night and the next day he was crucified. In just a few hours Jesus was dead upon the Cross. He had said, “If I don’t go away, the Comforter won’t come to you.”

But even after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, weeks went by without any appearance of the promised “Comforter.” Then suddenly as the disciples were together waiting, “There came a sound from heaven…”

Our Lord does the same to us. He increases the dimension of His presence in our lives by putting us in a helpless place and removing pursuits that seemed godly but drained away our devotion to Him. All of a sudden, a new rush of His love fills our branch. It is the same life of Jesus inside, but this time it produces not one tiny branch, but a full bough hanging low under the weight of our new fruit. Fruit is a product of being in His presence. We become ready and He uses our fruit placed conveniently to be picked.

Greater fruits

I’ve often wondered why God lead our family from one ministry to another, often when we were reluctant to go. Recently some friends left the church of their youth and have been “wandering.” One of the mothers told my wife at the Tommy Tenney Sunday; “at last I see what you have been experiencing.” During our travels we have experience God and new teachings every step of the way. God had set us out to give us increase.

The Father wants to bless us. He increases the dimension of His presence in our lives by putting us in a helpless place and removing pursuits that seemed godly but sapped us of our time, our ministry, and even our devotion to Him.

God sacrifices good fruit for greater fruit, and he also prunes off threats to the fruit and dead branches. Through Jesus’ passion and resurrection he had removed Judas, the one who never changed, from the list of leaders of the church, which was about to explode in the world. God saw the blight in Judas the others could not see. For three years the blight kept growing until the Father could no longer let the risk remain in the fruit that was about to come. What would have happened if God had entrusted His power to someone who had been deceived?

God sent the Fire!

But in place of Judas, 3,000 new babes in Christ appeared on the day of Pentecost! Are you feeling rather bare and fruitless right now? Is there a whole lot of shaking and pruning going on in your life’s tree? What will you do now …and in the meantime?

I am going to ask you to commit to God those things that you don’t understand. I’m going to ask you to go into your “Secret Place” and listen for that still small voice. Let go of the old while your roots are soaking in the River of His love. Guys you can do this too! Keep absorbing more of Him! What now looks dead or dying to men will live again in a more abundant form.

Let God change you.

You may have even had to change acquaintances, even churches, or go distances you never went before. Look forward to the appointments of the Holy Spirit. If the Lord has pruned you, He will put fresh oil in the woods of the faithful. Keep soaking in His love open to receive the blessings God wants to pour out on your. Your trials may be many but God promises He will never leave you or forsake you.

INSPIRATION: “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Luke 11:13.

Write: croneis@earthlink.net