Proverbs Introduction

It has been sometime since I have posted to my blog, I have been very, very busy and also I must confess I am a terrible procrastinator. Of recent I have been possessed with the book of Porverbs; here is a first submission as an introduction to the book:

Prov 1:1-4 – the scope of the book

V:1 – to whom it is addressed – a king; these are truths given to royalty for royalty. 1 Peter 2:9 - We are called to be kings and priests; proverbs are essential to ruling and reigning.

V:2 – To Know: Wisdom - what – to know what to do; Instruction – how to – the how to do it;
Understanding – why – appreciate why it is so important. Note: if the conclusions we draw in life are not right our actions will not be right. Many times the conclusion one draws is because of a flaw in their character; therefore wisdom is a character issue as well (Prov 17:16 – no heart for it).

V:3 – To receive the instruction of wisdom. This is the capability to receive wisdom; able to grasp it; able to appreciate it. Prov 17:16 – “seeing he has no heart to it” – it would be of no use for the fool to buy wisdom, if it could be bought, since he has no ability to grasp it.

He cannot grasp it
He cannot appreciate its worth

We must seek God for the ability to even grasp it – Prov 1 & 8 - wisdom cries out in the streets but how many grasp it and embrace; it is because they do not have a heart to it…The inevitable end of those void of wisdom is destruction; people are destroyed for a lack of it. One can have wisdom in one area of their lives and yet be brutish (stupid) in another; we want wisdom to fill our being. Therefore desire wisdom more than gold or rubies; all things that can be compared to wisdom do not equal it! We must search for it as for hidden treasure and lift up our voice to God for it!

V:4 – Subtlety, knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil; Wisdom is the principle thing!

Principle Characters:

1. The Father

Without wisdom it is impossible to fully bring pleasure to the heart of God; he takes no delight in foolishness and stupidity. He is compassionate on the ignorant but he takes no delight in their choices. He is the Father who wishes to take delight in a wise son and a virtuous daughter and He encourages us to seek for wisdom with all our heart. It was because of the wisdom of the Son that He took such great delight in Him in Proverbs 8.

2. The Wise Son

Jesus – I do always those things, which please my Father. Prov 8-9 – wisdom personified, the father takes great delight in the wise son, He is diligent.

3. Virtuous Woman

She does always those things, which please her husband and builds up her family; Prov 31 – dedicated to this type of woman. Prov 9 – she builds her house with the 7 pillars of wisdom. She is industrious

4. The Foolish Son

He brings shame upon the father; He troubles his house – sinful man. He is easily enticed by the harlot and drawn away from the right path; he is a great waster.

5. The Harlot

She brings shame on her husband and home; She plucks down her home and does not build it up. She is not a keeper at home. Prov 9:13 – she is clamorous – no control over her mouth, no restraint; The virtuous woman builds her husband up but she is a destroyer of mens souls

BROKEN CISTERNS Part IV

Other Broken Cisterns

Besides loving the things of this world there are other broken cisterns and I want look into them.  It is important that we see with the eyes of the Lord the following verses so we can see what God is warning His people about.  The prophet picks up this theme again in Chapter 9: Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, [the fountain of living waters] that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” We see three other broken cisterns, human wisdom; human strength or abilities and the false security of money and wealth.

RICHES

1 Timothy 6:17 “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;” Note the phrase “uncertain riches”; this is clearly a broken cistern. Sometimes one can get caught up saying, “If only I had lots of money to do what I want, and then I would be truly happy”. One might consider that the same as saying: “If I had all the money I wanted then I wouldn't have to trust anyone for my daily needs!” Yet, in actuality riches are quite uncertain, they can come today and go tomorrow without warning.  The Lord Jesus, however, is very certain, very stable and is worthy of our devotion and trust.  Let me illustrate this by something that happened to me. I well remember a time when I was pastoring a small church in New York. The church was too small to give us a living wage and the job market in the area was very depressed so I could not find a decent job. During my time there I was brought to a place where I literally did not know where the money was going to come from to pay for our rent, utilities and daily necessities.  I was so overwhelmed by this burden of how to provide for my family that in the middle of the night I was driven into the woods to cry out to God and weep before Him; while kneeling in the woods in the middle of the night I simply got one phrase, “I am your loving heavenly Father and I will take care of your needs”.  At the time it was almost impossible to see how God would provide, I might have said that if I had a lot of money right now I would be happy but in truth there were other ways God was going to make me rich; rich in faith and trust and I would learn how to lean on the arm of my beloved. We did not have any extra but God provided for our every need even to this day!  I didn’t need more money; I needed more grace.

Paul also said this to Timothy:  1 Timothy 6:6-8 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” Don't become caught up in vain pursuits, riches are snares, seek the one who is the fountain of living waters.  1 Timothy 6:9-10 “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Don't fall in love with money; it will bind you.  The best policy is this; don't allow yourself to trust in bank accounts and money, learn to walk in loving obedience to the Master and see the hand of the Lord provide for your daily needs.


May God truly bless each and every one of you.
Rev. Frank R Anderson

BROKEN CISTERNS Part III

Other Broken Cisterns

Besides loving the things of this world there are other broken cisterns and I want look into them.  It is important that we see with the eyes of the Lord the following verses so we can see what God is warning His people about.  The prophet picks up this theme again in Chapter 9: Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, [the fountain of living waters] that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” We see three other broken cisterns, human wisdom; human strength or abilities and the false security of money and wealth.


MIGHT

The prophet also listed strength as a broken cistern; 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” The weak things of this world to confound the things which are mighty; it is a sign of Gods favor on your life when he touch's your strength or ignores your talents. He might touch our strength by giving some physical limitations, he could do it through pressures, He could do it through people who have authority over us. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:12 “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” God has to bring us at times to the end of our strength, so we don't swell with self-confidence.

I am sure you remember what Jesus, the Son of God told everyone; John 5:19 “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” Also, he continues later in the same chapter; John 5:30 “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” Later in the book of John he further drives home this point; John 8:28  “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.” The Lord was trying to make his disciples understand that the power He possessed was the result of His submission to His Father.  It was not of Himself; His own strength or His own might (although He was the Son of God); it was His dependency on His loving Heavenly Father.  The point is further illustrated for us in John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

We want to come to the place where we know that in ourselves we can do nothing.  Why is this so important?  It is because man is so easily lifted up in pride and arrogance; the fallen nature wants to be recognized and praised for its accomplishments.  That posses a problem for the Godhead since 1 Corinthians tells us in v: 29 “That no flesh should glory in his presence”. Also, 1 Corinthians 1:31 states “…He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” As true believers let us glory in the Lord; He is our fountain of living water!


May God truly bless each and every one of you.
Rev. Frank R Anderson

BROKEN CISTERNS Part II

Other Broken Cisterns

Besides loving the things of this world there are other broken cisterns and I want look into them.  It is important that we see with the eyes of the Lord the following verses so we can see what God is warning His people about.  The prophet picks up this theme again in Chapter 9: Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, [the fountain of living waters] that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” We see three other broken cisterns, human wisdom; human strength or abilities and the false security of money and wealth.


HUMAN WISDOM

A broken cistern of today that Gods people are turning to for satisfaction is human wisdom.  One needs to be careful here; let us remember that human wisdom stems from the fallen human nature. God has made it very clear in the scriptures that our thoughts are not His thoughts and our ways are not His ways; we also have this that the human mind is continually at enmity with God.  Peter speaking out of his own human thinking argued with the Lord when Jesus spoke of His soon departure and the method of His death, “surely this shall not be”, Peter made an assumption using his own reasoning and The Lord Himself rebuked his little declaration and condemned his speech as the words of Satan.  We must be very careful in this area, there is only one truth, there is only one right and it is founded in the Word of God and the Words of Jesus Christ.

I want to give a little counsel to those who depend on psychology, even Christian psychology. Psychology is the study of the human mind and how it works. One should be very careful about feeding on this, the human mind is incapable of discerning Gods thoughts; at it’s best it is unreliable, and at it’s worst it is wicked. Bear in mind what Jeremiah said in 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Why study the mind to try and figure it out? The book of Proverbs tells us the fool is the one who seeks to know his own heart: Proverbs 18:2 “A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.”

We find the real power over the mind in Romans 12:2 “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This comes by seeking he who is the fountain of living waters. This word transformed is actually “metamorpho”, which is where we get our word “metamorphosis” or “to transform”. It is the same process that changes a caterpillar into a butterfly. We don't need to know the human mind; we want to know the mind of Christ. This word for “transform” is also translated “transfigure” in Matthew 17:2, and Mark. 9:2. The same word is used in 2 Corinthians 3:18 and is translated “Changed”. 2 Corinthians 3:18  “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

In reality this is where the metamorphosis takes place; our human minds are fallen, corrupt, we don't need intellect we need The Spirit of God to touch us and renew our minds. The Lord is the fountain of living water, only He can satisfy.  He is the only one we need. The Apostle Paul also gives stern warning in the book of Colossians: Col 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Psychology is vain deceit after the rudiment of this world; it is not of Christ and therefore, it can only leave one with more questions about truth than they started with. Col 2:9-10 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” On He can satisfy, complete us. Is Jesus satisfying to us or do we need other things?  Answer the following questions as honestly as you can:

     Do you need to have earthly things to be happy and secure?

     Do you feel confident in your own strength and abilities?

Does your intellect need to be titillated with human wisdom?
     
If any of these are true of us, then we may be drinking from a broken cistern and we may have already forsaken the fountain of living water.  Dear ones let us conclude this essay with words from the book of Colossians: Col 2:9-10 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” Christ came that we might find in him our all sufficiency; let us do His sacrifice for us justice by making Him our all in all.

May God truly bless each and every one of you.
Rev. Frank R Anderson

BROKEN CISTERNS

BROKEN CISTERNS
Part I

I want to ask us all one simple question, Is Jesus Christ our fountain of living water? Does Jesus Christ truly satisfy us?  

I assume you know, of course, that not all of God's people are satisfied with him alone.  Some turn to other things of this world for their satisfaction. I want to consider with you something Jeremiah said to the people of his day that applies to our day as well. Namely that Gods people, ones who once burned for him, can become cold and look to other worldly things to satisfy them. This was indeed the condition of Jeremiah's time; Jeremiah 2:12, 13 “Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.  For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water”

Forsaking the Fountain of Living Waters for Broken Cisterns

The prophet Jeremiah points out to his generation that there are 2 evils being committed (by His people): First, they had forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water. This very much has application to us today because in order for us to be truly committed Christians we must be convinced that only Jesus Christ truly satisfies, He is our fountain of living water. This truth is exemplified for us in John 7:37,38 “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”  Secondly, Gods people had hewn out for themselves broken cisterns.  A cistern is a reservoir made out of earth, like a pond, or carved out of rock; metaphorically these cisterns are other pleasures that were pursued for satisfaction and fulfillment.  They had before them the Lord Himself, the fountain of living water, and yet they turn to a manmade broken cistern; a device that is faulty and can fail in its duty to hold water, not to mention problems with stagnation.

Therefore the prophet continues his indictment: Jeremiah 2:18 “And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt (World), to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?
The people of God were finding their satisfaction from the rivers of Egypt and Assyria.  Here's the problem in a nutshell, Gods people are drinking from the waters of Egypt!  Egypt has long been recognized as speaking of the world, to put it into today’s setting we would say these cisterns represent the music of the world, dress of the world, talk of the world, entertainment of the world etc. When one drinks from the waters of Egypt, their desire for the Lord begins to die and they no longer find that he satisfies.  They become disconnected from Him and become bored with the church and Gods people.

Here is the inevitable end of those who turn to the things of this world Jeremiah 2:19 “Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.” It is indeed a tragic thing, when the people of God make the wrong choices in what they choose to satisfy themselves, the consequences of those choices more times than not is that these things end up hindering their walk and hold them back from the things of God.

Having Eyes But They Perceive Not

This week I have been in Phoenix Arizona for training. While here I have had time to observe; here is my assessment of our culture: We are missing the message! USA Today reported this week that New Orleans was making a comeback because the French quarter was re-opening a strip joint. Hundreds of people dead due to the blast of God and you considered opening up a strip joint a measure of success? That is missing the message.

The prophet Isaiah said this in Isa 6:9: You have seen but you have not perceived; this is the unfortunate state we are in right now. The signs are plain; God is judging us for ways that are not good. We see the signs yet we don’t perceive them, instead we have legislators who are passing laws, which as base and wicked, morality is scoffed at, economically we are in a shambles and God is not lightening the pressure.

God has been pleading with this country through judgments and we as a nation are for the most part missing the message. Man tends to rationalize away judgments, which are obvious. In my last post I connected behavior (input) with quality of life (output); we as a nation are not considering our ways carefully and truthfully we ought to be.

In the book of Job, chapter 33, God informs Job that he pleads with man through judgment. Listen up, our God pleads with man through judgments, he uses the rod of correction to make people aware of his views on their behavior!

It is unfortunate that as a country we have lost Gods favor due to casting His laws and standards behinid us; II Chronicles 7:14 states the following: "If my people which are called by name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, I will hear from heaven and heal their land". I pray these words do not fall on deaf ears; the counsel is clear, that we need to repent for our way, humble ourselves, seek His face and He will bring healing to our land. It is much easier to laugh and ignore the message but I fear the consequences of ignoring the message will only spin us into more and more chaos.

If one struggles with sin in their life and they cry out to God for forgiveness and deliverance you feel for them and you want to help them in any way you can. However, when one revels in their sin and flaunts it without shame what can God do except judge. Let us realize the state we are in as a nation, let us humble ourselves and turn from this self destructive path we are on! God promises that He will hear our prayer and He will come down and heal our land.

God Bless
Pastor Frank R Anderson

What does it all mean?

What does it all mean?

Our beloved United States of America has been assaulted with everything from an unprecedented assault on one of our own contiguous States to economic woes and a great divide in our moral makeup to a hurricane of biblical proportions.  Are we to read anything into this or are all of these things simply the ebb and flow of life?  

I want to draw your attention to the scriptures for a period when Israel was experiencing much grief; during the time of Haggai the prophet of God spoke through the His prophet and said this…

(Hag 1:5-11)  Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.  Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.

Consider your ways… God points them in the direction of their own behavior to explain natural phenomenon (famine).  Simply put, their own outcome was intrinsically linked to their relationship (or lack thereof) to God.

I have worked for several years in the quality department and one of the things that is repeated time and time again is your product is only as good as your process.  In light of this little axiom this is what God is saying here, “Your quality of life is only as good as your hearts towards me”.

From time to time it is important for us to consider our ways…let me also say this:  Prov 26:2 - “…The curse causeless [without a reason] shall not come”.

I have no intention of being a “Disaster Monger”; but let me put this to you for your careful consideration.  When the Lord said, “Consider your ways”, did he mean it for just Israel alone or did he mean it for the entire world?  The answer to that is very simple, it has been made available for the whole world to read, therefore, it is for the whole world.  When I see the profound devastations that came upon Louisiana and I consider the words of people like the Mayor of New Orleans, Mayor Nagin, I shudder.  His advice is; “America, we are a party city, GET OVER IT!”  Let me take pastoral liberty to wholeheartedly chastise him for his reckless statement.  If he truly cared for the people he would say something a little more meaningful and penitent such as “God save us, we desperately need your help; help us to change our ways!”  This would go much further in the efforts to cheer the heart of God and to rebuild his city.

Rev Frank R. Anderson

The Rich Young Ruler

I have come to learn something in the kingdom of God; everything we are or ever will become is a direct result of how we responded to the Lord in some area of our life. Consider with me Hosea 6:3 "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." In another translation is reads something like this: "then shall we know if we respond unto the Lord…"

The Rich Young Ruler

Read with me to the account of the rich young ruler; consider for a moment that this young man seemed in earnest about the Savior, see him as one who was a follower of the Lamb but we will ultimately learn who he really was by how he responds to the Master. Mark 10:17 "And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions."

This Follower of Jesus Receives a Strong Word

Let me describe this young man for you; this young man was one who was an earnest seeker of Jesus; he was so earnest he came running and kneeled before Him, this was certainly an act of worship. He is a type of someone who is very devout and enthusiastic. However, things will change dramatically for this young ruler when the Master speaks into his life in a most personal and profound way. The Master will speak directly into his life the thing he needs to hear more than anything else in the whole world and the end result is he turns his back on the Lord then walks slowly and sorrowfully away. What a tragedy, what a loss, if this young ruler had understood the full impact of this response to the Lord, if he had only embraced the word of the Lord he could have been transformed and brought into a greater light and glorious liberty.

One Who Does Not Make the Grade

What could have been the reason for this young mans turn about; what could have possibly stopped this young man from following hard after the Lord? Make no mistake about it, this was no casual serendipitous inconsequential meeting with the Lord, this was going to be an encounter that would forever change this man, and not for the good. He became the recipient of that word which is sharper than any two edged sword as we read in Hebrews 4:12-13 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." I have found that the Lord can speak what we really need to hear; it can be very challenging, yet He can drop a word into our spirit that has the power to transform us, if we let it. In a word, the problem here is this meeting with the Savior turned out to be an entreaty for this young man to forsake what proved to be the idol of his heart. The scripture clearly tells us that where our heart is there is our treasure also. This man obviously chose the security of money, wealth and goods over the Savior. It was more important to Him to have the security of wealth than performing the will of God; therefore wealth was his idol.

We Need to Search Our Own Souls

However, before we quickly condemn this man for his foolish choice we need to ask ourselves the following question: "If the Lord was speaking to me that day in the dusty road as I was kneeling, what would He say? Would that word which is sharper than any two-edged sword be able to separate me from the things I hold most dear? What would He ask of me, and perhaps more importantly, would I be able to give it?" In my time in the kingdom and in the ministry I have seen many a dear saint walk wholeheartedly for the Lord, witness; give their testimony; pray for others; minister charitably to others in money, goods and time. And yet when they have this same type of encounter where the Lord speaks to them with that two-edged sword concerning the one thing they really need to hear more than anything else, so many times, (too many times) the reaction is much the same as this young man, they are unwilling to embrace the one thing they need to hear more than anything else. I am sure for most of us we yield by the grace of God to the will of God in loving obedience. We must commit ourselves to the Word of the Lord; make it a life policy to always favor the Word of the Lord and commit to it.

What Can Happen When the Savior Come to Us?

I would like us to consider some of the things that can happen when the Lord comes to us to deal with some difficult issue in us. He can ask us to lay a relationship on the altar, He can ask us like this young man to give sacrificially, He can ask us take the road less popular, He can ask us to surrender any one of a thousand things most dear to us. The important thing isn't what He asks us to give, the important question is will we be willing to give it? What is the key here, what posture do we need to be in to do the right thing when He comes to us? How do we put ourselves in the posture of being obedient to the word of the Lord? It is really quite simple; "He that is faithful in the least will be faithful in much." The principle here is this: if we learn to be obedient to the Lord in the every day simple affairs of life we will most likely make the right choices in the big things too. A person who is accustomed to not complying in the small affairs of life really does not stand much of a chance in the large issues, like the young man in our story. Obedience is an everyday issue, choosing to do what is right choosing to be obedient to the scriptures and the Word of the Lord. For this saint obedience becomes a way of life, they do not balk or draw back when the Lord comes to them to deal with issues in their lives.

Conclusion

This story is truly tragic; it is the story of a man who was knocked off course by the word of the Lord. Not because of the devil, not because of the world, not because of others but perhaps because he had not been accustomed to responding obediently to the Word of the Lord. He was able to keep the letter of the law, however he had never learned the beautiful art of responding to the Lord. Let me finish with the verse we started with: Hosea 6:3 "Then shall we know, if we [respond to the Lord] follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." My dear friends let me exhort you today, it is not only important to hear the Word of the Lord; it is paramount that we respond to it.

God Bless You,
Reverend Frank R Anderson

Wonderful Transformation

Wonderful Transformation!
2 Corinthians 3:18 "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord".  This verse has been a source of comfort to me for many years; it bespeaks of the expectation of the saint to be changed from our vile state to the glorious representation of the Lord Jesus Christ through the revelation of His glory.  
The Conversion Of The Sinner
Let me state that this is an experience that is much different that the one experienced at our conversion.  There is, of course, an immediate change that takes place in the heart of the believer when he or she is born again of the Spirit of God; the scriptures in Colossians 1:13 tells us that when we are converted we have been translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His dear Son. I can still remember the first time I witnessed this glorious conversion on the face of a young man; he came to the altar with a desperate look of despair and longing, yet while at the altar, in humility and repentance, he met with the Lord.  When he returned to his seat he was literally a changed man; his face shone with the wonderful peace and joy of Jesus, I will never forget that sight.  
We also see this conversion illustrated in the life of the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus; Acts 9:3-5 "And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:  and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks".  Upon this conversion the apostle Paul immediately changed his direction and occupation.  Acts 9:6a  "And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?. . ." While riding on the way the Lord shone from heaven and the bright light knocked him from his horse and in a moment of time this hardened heart was changed.  Paul had been kicking against the conviction of the Holy Spirit who was dealing with him about the road he had chosen. This is our conversion experience where we repent and in a moment of time we are changed and given new desires to please God.
The Transformation Of The Believer
Conversion is a beautiful experience indeed; however, there is something even better; it is the glorious hope of the believer to have their vile bodies changed to be like His glorious body.  Phil 3:20-21  "For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."   This bodily sanctification brings us into alignment with 1 Thessalonians 4:4  "That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;" God wants to enable us to fight the good fight of faith in the realm of our bodies, keeping them pure; meeting with the Lord enables us to do this.  I think His purity is one of the virtues I most admire about the Lord; He is so worthy and altogether lovely because He is so pure.  Today there is a bigger challenge than ever before for a saint to remain pure, therefore we need to seek the Lord for a fresh revelation of His purity, remember we are changed into the image we behold!
This hope is of course not confined to the realm of our bodies but the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 applies it to every aspect of our being; "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."  This is the glorious hope of the believer.  
The Keys To Meeting With The Lord
Some have tried to convince me in the past that it is impossible to get the victory in every area of life; 1 Thessalonians 5:23 clearly does not agree with that mindset.  God's desire for the believer is to transform us from the creature we are to a worthy representation of Himself in body, soul and spirit.  How is this going to take place?  As with anything else there are keys to meeting with God and having His transforming power working in our lives; I would like to list several for you here.  
Firstly, one of the keys to meeting with the Lord is to walk in loving obedience to His will.  One can never overstress the importance of walking in obedience to the Lord.  I can remember the entreaty of a dear saint who has now gone on to be with the Lord, she would entreat her students to walk "in loving obedience to the Lord".  This is a very important point since one who walks contrary to the will of God for their lives will not experience His transforming power.  Consider with me the prayer of Paul in Colossians 1:9, 10 - "For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;".  Two points to ponder; "That ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will" & "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing".  I think we can sum this up by saying that ye might walk in loving obedience to the will of God.  In addition to this, 1 Peter 1:22 tells us that we purify our souls in obeying the truth.  Additionally, we have this promise in the book of John 14:23 23  "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."  Here we see the Lord expressly promise us that He will reveal Himself to us and we will be changed into that image we behold, if we walk in "Loving obedience".
Secondly, that we might seek His face.  If there is one thing I have learned of the Lord, it is that He takes great delight in those who seek His face.  As humans those who continually need our help and attention stress us; however the Lord takes pleasure in those who continually seek Him.  Consider Jer 29:12, 13 - "Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."  The Lord expressly promises to those who seek His face, that He will be found of them.
Thirdly, those who meet with the Lord need humility.  There is a boldness which is good, such as what Peter prayed for when he wanted to preach the word of God in the book of Acts.  However when approaching to the Lord there needs to be in the heart of the believer almost a sense of desperation; "Lord if you do not meet with me nothing will change", there is this sense of deep need in ones heart.  This type of humility comes from no other means other than by suffering.  Psalm 34:18  "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."  At times the Lord allows His people to suffer to work out this beautiful character of humility.  If you find yourself in this pit today, take courage the Lord is preparing you to approach to Him in humility and He promises He will be near to you and He will save you.
In conclusion let me summarize for you, the scriptures are clear that our glorious hope is to be changed into His image; not just saved but transformed into the image of our loving God.  The first step in that journey is to walk in loving obedience to the will of God; the Lord is very impressed with obedience.  The next step is to invest time into seeking Him; our God is worthy and takes great delight in those who seek His face.  Finally, we have the beautiful gift of humility and desperate need.  One who is approaching must not come as the Laodiceans; "we have need of nothing"; but rather certain desperation of spirit acknowledging His ability to meet the need.  My dear friends we are told that the church will be without spot or wrinkle at His appearing; the only way for that to take place is for there to be a tremendous revelation fo the Lord Himself and the transformation fo the Bride into His image.  Let's make our private time with Him effective lets approach in obedience and humility as we seek His face.  And let's believe that the Lord will meet with us and reveal Himself to us.

God Bless You,
Reverend Frank R Anderson

My Introduction

This is my attempt to launch out into the blogging world!  Let me begin by saying the content on this blog will be scriptural based. About myself - I have been an ordained minister since 1994, 7 of those years I was a Senior Pastor in Penn Yan, NY.  Since approximately 2000 my family and I have taken annual trips to Central America as missionary teachers; we feel ultimately we are called to Ireland...