Author: Hank

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I love the book of Hebrews. The reason? Because it presents an awesome Jesus on every page! The author proves Jesus’ superiority over angels, and Moses. And then proves His superior priesthood, superior sacrifice and superior covenant.

Wow! The shadows of the Old Covenant come into the light as Jesus shines brightly for us to see. After all, we have crossed over from darkness to light and from doubt to faith. In fact, the name Hebrews means, “those who crossed over.” We have passed from shadows to substance and from doubt to the reality of faith. What once was a symbol, a type, or a shadow has now become substance, finding their fulfillment in Jesus.

One commentator has said, “Jesus is the theme of Hebrews. We must learn from Jesus and draw closer to Jesus …, for Jesus is the language of God! When God now speaks to us, He speaks in the vocabulary of Jesus Christ. All of the Bible points to Jesus.” Jesus the language of God? That’s Hebrews 1:2.

With Jesus being the language of God, let me ask, how frequently do you hear the name of Jesus spoken in your church services? If your answer is ‘seldom’ then I wonder what IS being preached, proclaimed, and taught there?

Hebrews reveals Jesus as our glorious High Priest. Greater than Moses, greater than any sacrifice ever offered, greater than any prophet of old. His blood has given us unrestricted access to the holy of holies. The veil between God and man has been removed! We encounter mercy and grace at the throne of God, thanks to Jesus.

It is Jesus who perfects our faith – Hebrews 12:2 – until we rise with Him into the heavenly realm. Jesus stirs us to enter into the full rest of God by seeing Him alone as our perfect sacrifice before the Father.

The Old Covenant has been fulfilled by and in Jesus. The final sacrifice for all people has been made. All God commanded under the first covenant on earth became obsolete and disappeared thanks to what Jesus accomplished in heaven!

Hebrews 11 begins with a clear definition of faith: “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Biblical faith claims a confidence beyond our own because it rests in the character of God.

We live in a world that refuses to acknowledge God and says “just believe” leaving just what you believe in (usually yourself) up to you. Doesn’t work.

We however, place OUR faith in the LIVING GOD. Our lives become the adventure of LIVING IN HIM. So look to, believe in, have faith in Jesus today dear friend — you’ll COME ALIVE!

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Thanksgiving Edition

Today is Thanksgiving. Back in 1621 in the Plymouth Colony, their harvest celebration lasted 3 days, following a horrific first year in which over half the colony perished.

We don’t have a record of what may have been said then, but in the harvest time celebration of 1623 governor William Bradford made note of the blessings of the Lord, for which they blessed God in a special day of thanksgiving.

Its celebration was intermittent until President Abraham Lincoln, in 1863, proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

Let’s take advantage of this national day to give thanks to our Awesome God. Thank Him — each of us has much to thank Him for — like salvation! Eternal life! That everything we could ever need for life and godliness has already been deposited in us by His divine power. 2 Peter 1:3.

Let’s thank Him for His precious promises that are beyond all price. That brings me to Faith’s Ladder of Virtue as 2 Peter 1:5 & 6 is called. Let’s thank the Lord that these virtues are not something we have to produce for God, but they are already planted deep within us. We possess them in abundant supply, thanks to Jesus.

They read, ”Out of your faith will emerge goodness, and out of goodness will emerge understanding (of God), and out of understanding (of God) will emerge inner strength (self-control), and out of inner strength will emerge patient endurance, and out of patient endurance will emerge godliness, and out of godliness will emerge mercy toward your brothers and sisters, and out of mercy will emerge love.” Alternate rendering in The Passion Translation.

Today, may grace and perfect peace cascade over you and may you COME ALIVE!

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Here is a question for you: “What are you DOING – to EARN – God’s gifts of grace?” Ha! You’re probably saying, “Well Hank, don’t you know that no one can earn God’s gifts for they are bestowed by grace. He gives graciously because of who He is. His grace gifts cannot be worked for or earned or they wouldn’t be by grace.” Romans 5:15 and many others. I totally agree with you. A gift is not a gift if you have to earn it. His grace is a gift and obtained thru faith alone.

I told my dear wife I had a question for her, but before I could even ask her, she answered, saying, “Jesus has already provided for us – ALL THINGS necessary for LIFE and GODLINESS!” That’s 2 Peter 1:3. Like salvation, all things necessary for LIFE and GODLINESS are available to us through Jesus Christ. By grace. God’s grace. Our part is not to earn them, but to have faith in Jesus – and receive them.

So my friend, have faith in God — daily. Let’s not scramble around like a chicken without a head in difficult times, don’t fret, but rest in what Jesus has done for us. Let’s allow Him to lavish us with waves of grace. Let our requests be made known. Ask Him, the God of the impossible, for help, for all things are possible to Him. Let’s give thanks ahead of seeing it.

Ah, but perhaps you say you can’t do that because it was you who messed up. That the impossible situation is because you did something wrong, failed to consider something, didn’t read the fine print — whatever. That it is your fault and God is expecting you to pay for it and live with the consequences. Is that what you are thinking?

Or are you doing what many Christians do when they fail or don’t measure up, or come in out of the running, or miss the promotion — and that is to resolve to try harder. Work harder. Do better the next time. In other words, respond just like the world.

Well, let’s get a real grip on who we are – in Christ – WHOSE we are – in Christ. Let’s consider afresh the blood of Jesus!

Take another look at Calvary’s Cross – those failures, the sins, they are all there, yours and mine, and paid for by His blood. So reject that spirit of condemnation. We’re accepted in Christ Jesus. Reject that spirit of hopelessness and depression. Thank Jesus for making a way out of the mess. Apply faith – in God! That throne of judgment has become a throne of grace — let’s come confidently before that throne. Ask for wisdom, understanding, promotion. Whatever we need. God will act on upon our requests. Gracefully.

And we’ll COME ALIVE!

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Last week I shared from the first chapter of Ephesians in the Passion Translation, the point being it is GOD who has brought us into UNION with Christ Jesus and (pause) loves us as much as He does the Beloved. That’s Jesus. So get rid of that depression, that comparison, that hopelessness that you’ll never be good enough for God – God has already brought you way past that false place of trying to measure up. He has brought you into glorious UNION with Himself. The cascading riches of His grace shall eternally wash over you, dear friend!

This week let’s look at a verse or two from Ephesians chapter 2, again from the Passion Translation. The opening verses declare that once we were like corpses, dead in our sins and offenses, obeying the dark ruler of the earthly realm. 

Then verses 5 & 6, But God, so rich in compassion and mercy, united us into the very life of Christ and saved us by His wonderful grace! He raised us up with Christ the exalted One, and we ascended with Him into the glorious perfection and authority of the heavenly realm, for we are now co-seated as one with Christ! I used to think I was seated somewhere down the line of mini-thrones from Jesus, a couple billion people down – maybe you have too. But Scripture says we are co-seated as one with Christ. Same throne. Wow!

And throughout the coming ages we will be the visible display of the infinite riches of His grace and kindness, which was showered upon us in Jesus Christ, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving. How big is God’s grace? Just look where God has placed us: into union with His Son, and seated us upon that same throne! A visible display of the infinite riches of His grace and kindness.

Now verse 10, usually translated “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ah, but in the Passion this verse is a magnificent, artistic, creative, soaring to the heavens verse. There it reads, “We have become His poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny He has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it! His poetry! Ever looked at your life as a love-poem penned by God Himself? His poetry.

We are each a love poem written by the Master Poet, having a divine beginning and an eternal destiny. It’s time to rejoice, dear friend, and COME ALIVE!

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Ephesians is an incredible epistle that includes the majestic themes of God’s work. Paul opens this letter by giving a description of what God has done, our relationship with God, and the promise of the future. The Passion Translation has some eye popping expressive renderings of these passages. For example let’s look at verses 2 and 3 of chapter 1.

There Paul says he is “writing this letter to all the devoted believers (including you and me) who HAVE BEEN MADE HOLY BY BEING ONE WITH JESUS, the Anointed One.”

Did you catch that? Believers in Jesus HAVE BEEN MADE HOLY – it’s not something we are struggling to attain. We have been made holy by – GOD. We are HIS holy people. Holy. Attained not by works. Nor by self effort. And how were we made holy? Incredibly, the verse says BY BEING ONE WITH JESUS!!!! Who did this marvelous work of ONENESS? Of uniting us with Jesus? You? Me? God did, the moment we believed upon Jesus we were ingrafted into the vine. Not as a little add-on but AS ONE WITH JESUS THE VINE. John 15:5.

Now think deeper. Before Creation, there was God — Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Totally complete. Infinite. The God Who is love. Infinite love. Well, this God, desiring to express their love upon MORE than just their infinite selves, created this universe and placed man in it. So God could shower His love upon man. But not like the way we might love our dog or cat or iguana, but as a son, as a daughter.

God, through Jesus Christ, dealt with our sins, gave us a new god-nature, and not stopping there, went on to unite us, to MAKE US ONE WITH JESUS. Christ in us, we in Christ. I think even in eternity this amazing grace will still be beyond our comprehension!

Then the Passion Bible reads, “May God Himself, the heavenly Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, release grace over you and impart total well-being into your lives. What a prayer! Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift from our wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus—ALL BECAUSE HE SEES US WRAPPED INTO CHRIST. Passion Translation.

Spiritual blessings, lavished upon us, because of our union with Jesus. You and I are extraordinarily blessed my friend! “The same love the Father has for the Beloved, Jesus, He has for us.” Passion Translation.

Think about that, we are wrapped up into Christ, we are one with Jesus Christ. Accepted in Him, stain-free and as we just heard, loved by the Father as much as Jesus. Receive that love — and COME ALIVE!

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Ever since the Garden of Eden, guilt has battered humanity.

I am sure you have felt guilty at times. For stuff you did. Or maybe did not do. How about when you did well but felt you could or should have done better? Yikes! None of us can win against guilt.

When I was saved, the church I was in didn’t fully understand a person is saved, not kind of saved or partly saved, and it is by God’s GRACE — a gift. And, that we are JUSTIFIED — declared NOT GUILTY — by the blood of Jesus shed at Calvary. I was told my heavenly father was looking down on me and expecting me to get things right. Talk about pressure! Worse than the world in fact.

But what does Scripture say? Here is Hebrews 10:22; “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

Or Galatians 2:16, “Nevertheless, knowing that a person is not justified by works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, …since by works of the Law no flesh will be justified.”

To be justified means we are NOT guilty. Jesus became our sin bearer, assuming responsibility for ALL OUR SINS.

If we are righteous and justified, we cannot still be guilty of sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21 reads, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Thank God for the cross of Calvary where all our sins have been nailed, where the Divine exchange took place.

God in His grace never says we are not doing enough, giving enough, praying enough. We who have faith in Jesus Christ are not guilty. Forever not guilty. We are never out of fellowship with God. Consider the blood of Jesus, and rejoice!

As you begin to understand the FINISHED work of the cross, it changes the way you view your mistakes and failings. You no longer dwell on your weaknesses – there’s no power there. Instead, you fix your eyes on Jesus who was “delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” Romans 4:25.

Sure, the accuser may bring a case against us. Even an excellent case! However, the issue is not whether we have stumbled but whether Jesus has been raised. And if He has been raised then we have been justified. Case dismissed.

It takes no faith to look at our mistakes and condemn ourselves. But it does take faith to look at Christ and say, “Because of you, I have been judged not guilty for all time. Thank you, Jesus!”

Yes, don’t look at your mistakes but look at Jesus and thank Him that the guilty verdict against you has been thrown out. Take another look, and COME ALIVE!

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Last week I began sharing about being led of the Spirit. It sure is better than trying to predict the future! We have God’s unbreakable promise to lead those who believe in Him by His Holy Spirit and show us things to come. John 16:33.

Asking the Lord to speak to you about something is an awesome way to pray. Praying in the Spirit, in tongues, is praying directly to God. Do so, and expect a reply dear friend.

As I said, Scripture doesn’t give us much detail about being led of the Spirit. God’s not limited how He leads. But we do find some more instances in Scripture to gain wisdom.

In Acts 10:19-20 Peter was awaiting lunch when he suddenly fell into a trance and saw unclean animals in a sheet. He heard the words “Kill and eat.” And “what God has cleansed do not consider unholy.” Three times. Then the Spirit told him to accompany the gentiles at the door asking for him. And off went Peter, to the home of a centurion named Cornelius and the rest is glorious history for Jews and gentile.

Luke 2:27 says an old man named Simeon came in the Spirit into the temple, and blessed the baby Jesus and His parents. But again Scripture doesn’t reveal how he entered the Spirit nor give us an idea of what being ‘in the Spirit’ is like. Acts 8:29 records the Spirit simply speaking to Philip, telling him to go up and join the chariot of the Ethiopian eunuch.

Paul and Barnabas went on their first missionary journey after the Holy Spirit spoke during a time they were ministering to the Lord with fasting, Acts 13:2. Audibly? Inner voice? We don’t know.

In Acts 16:6-7 Paul and Silas were forbidden to enter certain regions with the Gospel. Not sure how the Spirit got that across to them. Paul in Acts 20:22 declares he is bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. How did he know? We not given insight.

In Revelation John is suddenly, immediately, “in the Spirit” and seeing things in visions.

I recall one time before cell phones and map apps that my wife and I set off to the next town to meet someone for prayer. We could not find their house. Time went by. We prayed. Drove around. No success. More prayer. More driving. Finally we asked a passerby if they knew where such and such number house on such and such street was. He replied, “Is this some kind of joke? You are parked in front of it!”

Conclusion: if you desire to be led of the Spirit, there’s a good chance you ARE being led of the Spirit even if you don’t it!

Friend, be willing to be led. Desire to be led. Ask to be led. Pray to be led. Pray in the Spirit. You WILL be led of the Spirit!

And, you’ll — COME ALIVE!

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Are you living life trying to figure out the best way to go? Making the best or worst decisions? Trying to predict the future? That’s a lot of work! And even the best decisions can be shipwrecked by unforeseen issues, circumstances, events, politics and such.

Thankfully, God has provided believers with a better way of living life. He has given us His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into His best for us and show us things to come. John 16:33. Have you experienced this Holy Spirit leading and guiding and showing?

Well, it’s always good to ask God. Psalm 143:10 reads, “Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” Even if we don’t specifically ask Him, because we are His children, God may impress us with guidance or revelation.

As we look to Scripture for understanding, we don’t find much detail or instruction. To me that indicates it’s not so much what WE do but what GOD is doing. And what He does is without limitation!

Matthew and Luke record Jesus being led up by the Spirit into the wilderness, but Mark 1:12 says “… the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.” It is the same word later used of Jesus when He cast out devils. What was that like? Well, I suggest to you that it was an irresistible drawing by God. Has there been a time in your life when the Spirit was beckoning and all you knew was that you MUST GO?

It has happened to me. The first time I was about 4 months in Christ Jesus. During one night I suddenly found myself wide awake in bed, with the presence of the Lord all around, and I heard a voice in my spirit say, “I want you to preach My word to My people in all the lands.” Hesitatingly I asked, “Is that you Lord?” Something like young Samuel when God was calling him. No reply. I said, “Lord if that is you, can you repeat it?” No reply. I went to sleep and a short time later the exact same experience unfolded! I responded to this upward call of God to preach the Good News; it felt, well, irresistible, what I was made to be!

Four years later a missionary was speaking in our church and an offering for his travels was being taken. I prayed, asking the Lord how much to give, and heard the Him say, “He is My man, and I’ll take care of him. I want YOU.” I knew immediately, perhaps like Peter in his little fishing boat after the great catch of fish, that this was God calling, NOW. And like Peter, I left off my gainful employment to follow Jesus wherever He led. God was calling and I had to go! It wasn’t loud, it wasn’t controlling. It was sweet, inviting, and irresistible!

Dear friend, if God is calling, pick up the phone! If God is calling, answer! Whether it is a gentle prompting or impelling word: answer! You’ll COME ALIVE!

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“Rob” Evans is a Christian children’s songwriter and performer best known as The Donut Man. Perhaps you have heard of him? I had the joy of working with him some 40 years ago in a VBS in New Kensington, PA as he was just starting out. He wrote a song about life: “Life is like a donut, like a donut; like a donut, life is like a donut, there’s a hole in the middle of your heart. You might be okay for a while, then the truth will wipe away your smile….”

Here in Florida, filled with retirees, I see unhappy faces, a great many unhappy faces.

We know only Jesus can fill that hole. God created us. With purpose, with a destiny. With Jesus, we can fulfill His destiny for us. Without Jesus, it’s just not the same fulfillment. Even for the successful by this world’s standards, even for famous scientists without Jesus. Who knows what further, greater, discoveries, what destinies they may have had had they known Jesus.

There’s something more than just knowing Jesus, and that is to live our lives as though He is coming back soon. The blessed hope of our salvation. We find that in several places of Scripture. Like the faithful servant of Matthew 24:45-51 versus the evil or faithless servant recorded there.

The faithful one lives as though his master may return that day. For us, we might say being faithful to put off the old, put on the new, allowing the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us, shunning the works of the flesh, walking worthy of the Lord, growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord.

The unfaithful one is a believer but in name only. That one today may even go to church every Sunday but live like an unbeliever the other 167 hours of the week. You know what? That person is wasting their life! Forsaking true life, they are squandering the precious gift of life, hurting themselves, hurting others, and accumulating a world of — regret.

“Don’t be that person,” says Jesus. “Don’t lose sight of me and waste your life.”

No one sets out to waste their lives, but this is what happens when we live independently of the Author of Life. As Paul Ellis notes, when we try and write our own story, without input from Jesus, we write inferior stories. Even if our lives have the appearance of success, they leave us empty and unfulfilled.

We were not made to live disconnected from Jesus. Stay connected dear friend, live IN Him; give Him full reign in your life. You’ll truly — COME ALIVE!

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Matthew 22:39 records Jesus’ words, that we are to ‘love our neighbor as ourself.’

Yikes! What if you suffer from self-rejection? Hate who you are? Where does the strength come from to love one’s neighbor despite what they have done to you?

If you go to church, I’m sure you have been told to love your neighbor as yourself, since Jesus said it in Matthew. Ah, be careful there my friend. Remember, I’ve told you before to take a look at who is speaking, and who the audience is before you assume the words of the Gospel are for you to obey. Why? Because the New Covenant did not come in until Calvary. Most of the Gospel accounts record the time prior to Calvary, where Jesus spoke the Law to the legalists and grace to the humble.

In this case we find the Pharisees have banded together and sent one of their own, a lawyer, to question Jesus in an effort to trap Him. If we read it and think it is for us, we may believe we have to come up with the inner strength to love others. If we are even partially successful, it will likely feed our pride but more likely it will minister condemnation (that’s what the Law does) as we realize we cannot love that sinner.

And if you’ve been badly hurt by someone, being told you have to love the one who hurt you is well, next to impossible. You may try to forgive them, but find it is just too hard.

Thanks be to JESUS who ushered in a better way. The New Covenant way. At first it may sound even more impossible. John 13:34 reads, “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” Jesus repeats this in John 15:12, saying, ““This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”

Yikes! Jesus loved us to the uttermost, the guttermost as preachers may say. He surrendered His innocent life to rescue us.

So what can we do? How about admitting we cannot love according to the new commandment. Then ask Jesus to help us to love others as He did. And ask Him to heal the hurts of our own heart. And that we may know the Father’s love for us.

As we receive the Father’s love, we will be healed, made whole, and empowered to love others, even those who have wronged us.

Yes, receive His love, then share it with others so they may — COME ALIVE!

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