One Pursuit. Two Options.

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So, he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Luke 15: 1-7

God is after you. I have no doubt in my mind about this truth. He is after your soul. He is after the new life He wants you to have. Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10; Genesis 3:15; John 3:16). Ever since the enemy messed with God’s creation of man, and man gave into the enemy, The Lord has been relentless pursuing His creation to be redeemed by Jesus our mighty warrior (Exodus 15:13; Zeph. 3:17; Genesis 3:15).

I constantly see people running from God. In my earlier years of ministry, I would get so frustrated and sinfully annoyed with such behavior. However, now, when I see someone running, I don’t sin in my spirit. I wait with great expectation, knowing the Good Shepherd leaves the 99 to save the one.

Perhaps you find yourself running from God, or completely lost in the saturation of self-inflicted sin. I have wonderful news for you. Jesus is looking for you. He is looking for you, because He wants to bring you in to green pastures of life (Psalm 23), and He wants you to be found in Him.

He is not looking to find you to beat and bruise you for your sin. This does not mean that He won’t have to break you so that you will be bound to Him. Jesus is looking for you. He knows where you are. He is coming after you.

When you meet Him, you have two choices. Run to Him or run away from Him. The decision you make, will determine the rest of your eternity from that point forward. I pray you choose to let Him gently and Messianicly break you. He loves you. He is for you. Follow Him.

Parable Priest

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So, he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Luke 15: 1-7

Jesus is our High Priest (Hebrews 4: 14-16). He intercedes on our behalf and ministers to the most untouchable caverns of our soul. He loves us and doesn’t want us to be in the dark when it comes to walking in the light (3 John1:4; Ephesians 5: 7-14; John 17:15).

One of the loving qualities of Jesus that my soul is refreshed by is the fact that He could talk over our heads all day long, every day, for all eternity…but He chooses not to. Jesus is a King who does not seek to keep the keys to His Kingdom to Himself (Matthew 16:19). He is our great Parable Priest. He speaks so that we can hear.

Jesus spoke the complex live in the simplest receivable wording. The Gospel is so deep yet so simple. Jesus loves us. He died for us. All who call on Him as Lord and Savior and will be saved and repent of their sin. Simple.

I pray this simplicity of our Beloved Jesus stirs our tongues to proclaim the Gospel so that others can receive it. In a world where everyone knows everything and can say it better than everyone else, choose to be Jesus. Model our Parable Priest. He spoke so that people would receive life not a lesson.

Don’t water the Gospel down, simply water the seeds that have been sown with truth. Jesus has great expectation of what we do with our salvation (Matthew 25). I encourage you to catch Jesus’ vision for the Gospel and run with is. This world needs Jesus, and we are the agents Jesus has chosen to speak this message. Our Parable Priest, has called us into a holy nation of priests (1 Peter 2:9). Let us speak with confidence, clarity, and consecration.

Available and Accessible

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So, he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
                                                                        -Luke 15: 1-7

Jesus, is the Good Shepherd, we (Christians) are His sheep (John 10:11-18). It’s important to define this relationship. When this covenant relationship is defined, it is then that we are discovered. It is my relationship with Jesus, and my life found exclusively in Him, through salvation, that gives me freedom and fathering. Without Jesus, I am an orphan, and unrealized. Without Jesus I am lost and lawless.

Over the next 4 posts, I will be breaking down 4 revelations from the passage of the lost sheep found in Luke’s Gospel account. These 4 revelations, prayerfully, will bless you and build you up in the faith. If you are lost and not found in Christ, I pray these truths directed towards children of God will find you where you are and bring you to a place of salvation in Jesus Christ.

Question. Are you available to the sinner? Can the sinner sit with you? Better questions, ARE THEY SITTING with you? Luke tells us that the Pharisees developed a perception of Jesus “Receiving” sinners and eating with them. Not only was He available to them, but He was accessible to them at the very table He ate from.

Jesus, being our Shepherd, our God, our Messiah, has modeled His expectations and the life of His followers. One of these qualities that Jesus birthed in you when you were born again, was that to receive sinners. To be available to the sinner, is to be available to God.

Notice that it says Jesus received as they came to Him. Jesus did not have to stoop down to the level of indulging in sin to reach the sinner. He simply sat with them, despite their sin, in hopes of freeing them from sin while He remained sinless. The call is the same for us as His sheep. We do not indulge in sin and compromise our faith in hopes to attract the lost. We live in Christ and find ourselves free in Him.

Jesus’ life attracted sinners to His life. Does ours? If not, become available to Holy Spirit. He has a fantastic way of drawing sinners to Jesus. I’m sure He will be able to direct a few your way.

“Easter Sunday” is a few days away. Who has the Lord brought in your life, that you need to bring into a House of God this Sunday? Their eternity depends on. Be available and accessible, just as Jesus was. You can do this! After all, He lives in you. Great is He who is in you, then he who is in the world (1 John4:4). You were freed to do every good work, free yourself up to do so (Philemon 1:6).

God bless.

Anchored and Fearless

“Whom Shall I fear?”

-Psalm 27: 1

The first part of Psalm 27:1 declares that the Lord is our light and salvation. This declaration can be our souls adopted disposition and compass.  The verse that follows asks the question, “whom then shall I fear?”

Because God is our light and salvation, we have hope and  a guaranteed unshakeable safety within Him.  We can rest assured, that God, the only God, is with us, and that He is leading us if we are following His light. The Hebrew word used for Lord in verse 1 is Jehovah (Yehovah). This is the name attributed to God for His everlasting and never ending self existence and Godhood. Keep that in mind as you read the verse again…

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom should I fear?”

-Psalm 27: 1

The self-existent all powerful and all knowing God of all is your light and salvation. No matter what waters you find yourself in, you have an anchor. This anchor is secure and full of safety. There is no need to panic or worry.  No storm, no illness, no calamity, no hardship, can take you out of the scope of the safety your anchor provides for you. That anchor is Jesus. This does not mean you will not feel the storm at all, it simply means you won’t sink when you are hit by the storm. You are storm proof in God.

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,

-Hebrews 6:19

Jesus anchors your soul. That reality gives you the courage and confidence to walk a life with Him without fear. You may be thinking to yourself, “that sounds great, but I feel like I have no anchor.”

The anchor becomes existent and deployable, once you step in faith in His light and salvation. There is no other way to safety, than faith in Christ. Take the needed steps today in faith, to secure your anchor, and drop it in faith. Faith always wins over fear.

Jesus is your anchor. Who will you fear? That is you choice. I pray your choice is faith. You can do all things in Christ, who strengthens you.

The Lord is my light and my salvation

Psalm 27:1

Lighthouse Lordship

God has bestowed a remarkable and ridiculous amount of grace upon me. There have been times where I dig myself in such a large pit that I don’t think that I will ever escape the quicksand mess I have created. God never fails though. I am His child, and He comes after me, even if I make my bed in hell (Psalm 139:8). He does this because He is a God who loves His creation, and pursues that creation with righteous holy love and salvific life (John 3:16).

“The Lord is my light and my salvation.” That’s what David declares in the first verse of Psalm 27. To declare that God is our light and our salvation is to declare that we are neither of those things for ourselves. We are in fact in darkness and despair without Him. We are like a ship on a stormy night near a rocky coastline. We are navigating waters we should not be in. We have no means of navigating to safety, without light and direction. Without light and direction, the ship will be lost, however, with light and direction, there is salvation. Jesus is that light and salvation for us.  I refer to this as lighthouse Lordship.

When we give ourselves to Jesus as Lord and Savior, we submit to freedom that is found exclusively in His light. His light shines on the darkness we are in, and guides us to the shores of His salvation. Without this light, there is no means of securing the destination to safety.

Often times, we find ourselves in waters we should not be in because we drift from the light. We are hurting or feel lost because we intentionally or unintentionally chose to drift away from the light. There is hope for those in such waters. Look to the light, look to Jesus. Follow Him. His light governs the darkness, and will lead a clear passage to secure soil, and can He can navigate you around the rocky coastline that seeks to destroy you.

There is nothing that can compare to the safety and security that Jesus provides. God is our only source of  light and salvation. If you find yourself wandering and struggling, look at the waters you are in. Does the Light govern them? If not, follow the Light to safety. Jesus’ shores as safe and secure. Do not drift in pride, but follow humbly. There is no other path to safety, except His light.

 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.”  He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.

John 20:5-6

I’m not the best fisherman, but I do enjoy fishing. I especially enjoy fishing with experienced anglers, because I know I will catch fish with them! For me, it’s not much fun if you don’t catch anything but sunburn or mosquito bites. So, when I fish, I go with people I can learn from.

I remember my first time pier fishing at Cherry Grove Pier. I had no idea what I was doing. It was late July, it felt like everyone out there but me knew what they were doing. Everyone would cast with confidence, meanwhile, I was simply trying to cast and not hook an angry angler who’d been drinking since 5am. I was lost.

I was afraid to ask for help for about an hour, then I asked my friend, who knew exactly what he was doing, so that I could learn. No joke, ten minutes later, I caught a fish! I couldn’t get it off the hook, but I caught it!

One of my favorite Resurrection accounts is Jesus fishing with His disciples from a distance. A while back, the Lord spoke so clearly to me with this testimony.  The disciples had been struggling to catch ant fish. They fish through the night and into the morning, and have nothing to show for it but must, morning breath, and empty nets. Rough morning for sure.

Jesus from a distance calls to them and asks them if they have any fish. For many years I read through this part of the narrative like there was nothing significant taking place, but follow me for a second, there is. When Jesus asked is they have caught anything, the disciples tell Jesus “no.” No. It was their honest confession that led to His revelation and amazing catch of fish.

Are you telling Jesus “yes” when you really should be answering Him “no?” For instance, when you read God’s word, and Holy Spirit convicts or counsels you, do you answer Him honestly? A doctor can’t help a patient who isn’t forthright with their condition. Jesus is the Father-sent doctor to this sick world. You can be honest with Him! It’s ok. The quicker we are honest in confession with our current condition to Jesus, the sooner we can get our prescription.

Whats the prescription? Move your nets. When we give Jesus an honest heart cry, He gives us a legitimate response to move forward in relational destiny with Him. Be honest with Jesus.

I shared my fishing story on the Pier with you, because it would have been easy for me to not disclose my condition of not knowing how to fish with my friend. I could have been embarrassed, humiliated, made fun of for confessing that. I also could have just stood there all day and been bored, and fish-less.  Neither was the case. I was honest with my condition, and my friend showed me how to catch fish.

That’s our relationship with Jesus. We are often afraid to confess our “no,” whateever that may be, in fear of what will follow that confession. Jesus calls us friend. He is a good friend, closer than a brother. Confess your “no” to Him today, and He will tell you where to move your nets.

That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

John 17:21

I’m passionate about unity within the body of Christ. I believe that unity was a major factor in the early churches surge to Gospel influence and impact, and is a main component of the marvelous work taking place in eastern society. Unity is truth unbreakable and unshakeable centered and anchored in the person of God.

In the Garden, disunity entered when Eve ate of the fruit. It disunited her with her husband. She was now out of line with Adam, and most importantly, God. Then Adam ate of the fruit, and he found himself in disunity with his wife, and with God. Disunity is the absence of the peace and presence of God. Disunity then, is a huge Kingdom blocker. It keeps us from walking in the favor, peace, and fellowship that God intends for His children. It brings up to a habitat that is outside of the will of God.

Unified with Him

John 17 shows Jesus praying on behalf of the church to His Father. The first thing He requests is that His disciples, and those who would believe in Him after the disciples would enter into Heaven with Jesus, would be one with each other, just as the Father and Jesus are one. Jesus heart was for the people of God to enjoy unadulterated fellowship and relationship with one another, and with Him.

This can only happen when everyone in the room is willing to submit to Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Until Jesus is Lord and Savior of everyone’s life (in your church, house, family, etc), this unity is impossible. Therefore, it is imperative that all who are Christ followers take up their cross daily and die to their flesh, and walk in the Spirit. Unity can only be a possibility, when Christ followers are under the same yoke. To be one with another disciple, means that you must first become a disciple. Only in the regeneration can one find the wisdom, submission, and empowerment to live united in Christ.

Unified with His Heart

In this same verse in John 17, Jesus communicates His heart. He wants His people to be one with Him, but also with one another. Once I am reconciled to Him, He can then lead me and guide me to desire His heart. I find that the most divisive people are the most lost people. They are angry, bitter, sad, and know NOTHING of the Gospel. They may know Gospel tidbits, but they haven’t tasted and seen that the Lord is good. So the idea of being unified in Him, and with His heart, is out of the question.

To be unified with His heart, to is desire what He desires. This means your flesh must bow down to the Lord. Why do you think fasting was one of the first ministry assignments of Jesus? It is because His flesh needed to bow down to His Spirit.

The same is true for believers today. The reason you may not be encountering this unity, is because the flesh has not learned its rightful place.  It’s up to you, to take up your cross. The second you stop taking up your cross, you start wearing the yoke of Babylon, chasing the pleasures of this world, and justifying your actions with western reasoning. This is not the Lord’s heart for you.

When you are one with His heart, it is easy to say no to yourself, and this world. Therefore, it is easy and joyful to say yes to His Kingdom and will. Jesus desired that we be unified with His heart.

Unified with His Vision

Unity without cause is religion, and thus, dangerous and deadly to all who are united under that yoke. Jesus had a purpose for this unity. The purpose of the unity was so that the world would know and believe that Jesus was sent by the Father. That is the purpose of unity, so that Jesus may be revealed as Lord and Savior.

To have a desire for this, I must be unified for His vision for unity.

When the world see’s a unified Church, they will see the message of the Gospel. I pray that today, you are able to find yourself unified in Christ, as mentioned above.

God bless you.

Daylight savings. Snow. Cold. Messy parking lot. Will anyone even show up? I bet this will be an all-time low in worship attendance. Those were the thoughts running through my mind this morning. I know  pastors look confident and secure on Sunday’s behind their pulpits, but if pastors are all honest, these are the thoughts that can eat at us from time to time. I’m so thankful that I was wrong!

I want to clarify why I’m thankful though. Sure, worship attendance was average, which is a blessing because the Anothen family gets together and worships the living God. Powerful things happen when His people center around His presence. But attendance is an ever shifting variable. That can’t be the measure of what we find thankfulness for. What I’m most thankful for is a group of committed Christ followers, determined to be in His presence every week and ENJOY being there! That is what makes me most thankful.

It brought me such joy to see kids, parents, and grandparents laughing and pelting each other with snow balls. It brought me joy to hear genuine laughter and peace in the House of God. The laughter and joy on the outside of the Worship House would find its way into the Worship House.

It brought me so much joy when two of our AkidZ came in and prayed over our worship team. I’m thankful that the voices of singing saints boomed over the instrumentalist when singing “Come Alive.” I’m thankful for a worship leader and team who lead us spontaneously but spiritually through worship, what a blessing and honor!

I’m thankful for an AkidZ Director and team that love on kids every week. Who teach kids to engage God and talk with Him. They teach that Jesus is alive and well!

I’m thankful for this Church, and that Jesus leads us so well. I’m thankful for the raw moments of Gospel love and truth that grace us and grow us closer to Jesus every week.

These are just a few of the things that the Lord allowed me to see in gratitude and thankfulness this morning. I’m thankful….

“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak”

-Matthew 12:36

Why did I say that? Have you ever asked yourself that question? If not, you may want to. It may sound like a crazy discipline to have in place, but asking yourself “why am I about to say this?” is a great discipline to have. The reason being, because Jesus cares about what we say. Every. Single. Word.

These words may not exactly tickle your ears, but they will nourish your soul. We live in a society where anyone and everyone can say anything they want, and have to deal with almost ZERO repercussions for their verbiage. Prime Example, Social Media. We can bash, encourage, praise, selfie, and smoke screen the mess out of things without truly having to take responsibility for the words or imagery we have put out there. Or so we think. People are listening and Jesus is watching.

Jesus wants us to own what we say. Better yet, He wants to own what you have to say. The Lord has given His sons and daughters, Holy Spirit. That means that every word you speak has a filtration system that can glorify God. Whether we use it or not is up to us. Our words count, and they will be taken into account. They count to God, and they count to those who have to listen to what we have to say.

I encourage you to keep what Jesus says in mind as you finish this week. This isn’t legalism, this is kingdom life. As believers, we get to walk in freedom in Jesus. Our words no longer have to be used recklessly, rather, they get to be led and stewarded by Holy Spirit. Press into Him today, and let your words count. Life and death are in the tongue, choose life. After all, He came that we would have life and life abundantly!