SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #171 ---- 4/16/01
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
As We fight The Good Fight In This New Millennium
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #171 ---- 4/16/01
Title: "Oh, What He's Done For Me!" -- part one of two.
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My Dear Friend:
How you bless me each day. I know ---- I may not even know you, or if I
do, chances are I haven't seen you or had contact with you for months or
even years.
But you still bless me. Don't ask me how it works; all I know is that
the hours I spend each week thrill my soul, and I often try to picture in
my mind just how you may be reacting to one of these frequently long and
burdensome letters. (I wonder if Paul's friends got bored or wearied
with his writings.)
At any rate, I bless you in the name of our risen Christ Whose victory we
are now celebrating. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
CROATIA UPDATE:
I was stunned to receive so many inquiries regarding any possible update
on the Satanist gathering in Zagreb. Sunday afternoon I received the
following which I pass on to you. It is thrilling to read.
"Dear friends and prayer partners,
"Today is the last day of the "Satanist Gathering" in Croatia. This will
be the final report of this incident. It is very appropriate for me to do
this on Easter day, when we celebrate the victory of our savior, Jesus
Christ, over death sin and the devil.
"1. Much to the disappointment of the Croatian Satanists, the planned
contingent of 3000 of their evil colleagues did come to Croatia. This was
due to advance knowledge of their coming and to the mighty prayer of tens
of thousands of Prayer Warriors like yourself.
"2. Many did come in groups up to 30. They were prevented from having
their large "Gathering" and had to content themselves with small satanic
ceremonies mainly in hidden and secret places, some out of doors.
"3. They did not succeed in kidnapping the children as planned. I have no
information about related incidents which occurred abroad.
"4. At their secret ceremonies which included an unknown number of
foreign Satanists and 100 Croatian Satanists, they called on Lucifer as
"Satan, Ruler of the earth and of hell" to take authority in Croatia and
to "glorify" his brothers and sisters (Satanists). Please continue to
pray that this will not come about, but that Jesus, to whom all authority
in Heaven and on the earth has been given, will receive His
rightful place in this land.
"5. The most important ritual of the Satanist calendar (Beltone), due to
be held on the 30th April 2001 has been canceled in Croatia!
Hallelujah!!!
"Several positive things have come out of this incident, again I put this
down to the prayers of the saints.
"1. Many Christians world wide have been praying for Croatia I hope that
this will continue.
"2. There is a lot of negative feeling in Croatia against the official
registration of the Satanic church. This will make people think twice
about joining the Satanic church and we pray that they will be prevented
from being registered as a group of 'believers'.
"3. The church in Croatia has realized that something needs to be done to
combat the rising number of people involved in and affected by the
occult.
"The Croatian catholic Archbishop, Josip Bozanic is soon to appoint 3
official exorcists for Zagreb (the Croatian capital) and later 3 more for
the rest of the country. In his Good Friday speech the Archbishop gave
ten rules for battling against the attacks of the devil, emphasizing
Christ's victory over the devil and
that Jesus had made believers partakers in His victory, and quoting Cyril
of
Jerusalem says 'It is the blood of the sacrificial lamb, Jesus Christ,
which is the power by which demons are cast out!'
"4. The public is being made aware of the connection between satanic
practices and mental illness and drug addiction. A doctor working in a
psychiatric clinic for young people and drug addicts, in an area where
Satanism is strong, has openly spoken about some of his patients who have
been introduced to satanism by their parents or have been enticed to
satanic meetings where they have been injected with drugs as a part of
satanic rituals prior to sexual orgies. He says that the
suffering caused to the young people has terrible and long lasting
consequences. We need to keep on praying for the youth of Croatia,
reminding the Lord of his promise in Isaiah 49:24-25.
"'Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive
delivered? But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty
shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered:
for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save
thy children.'
"5. I have come into contact with you through e-mail. Thank you all for
your
prayers and encouraging E-mails. Thank you for taking Croatia to your
hearts and for praying for this country.
"I would like to send you occasional e-mails about prayer needs in
Croatia. If you would like to continue to pray with understanding for
Croatia I will keep you informed. If you do not wish to receive any more
messages from me please let me know.
"Thank you so much for praying for Croatia at this time. We have
experienced
victory in connection the "Satanic Gathering" The glory for that victory
belongs only to Jesus the Crucified and Risen Saviour! However, His
victory becomes reality in specific circumstances thorough the believing
prayer of His people. You are part of that victory. Thank you so much.
"Cliff Luckhurst ---- <[email protected]> .
In reading Cliff's report, I was reminded again of some very exciting
facts regarding this matter.
1. Jesus Christ is the absolute victor in situations like this. That's
the real message of Easter.
2. That victory became living reality because of thousands of believers
around the world who lifted that situation up in prayer. That should
tell us something of the power of prayer, and the priority of prayer.
3. It was a special blessing to join this newly discovered brother in
the Lord, along with my dear friend Stevo Dereta, both of whom sent this
information to me which I was able to pass on to you.
4. The army of the Lord is vast and varied ---- and victorious . . . .
if we will but act in obedience to what we are commanded.
5. The war is real and the consequences clear.
6. Far too many troops are evading or ignoring the call to arms. They
are deserters.
7. Both the overall Church and our respective ministries individually
will be successful to the degree that we enter into the battle.
THE TRUE REALITY OF EASTER:
As you might have done, I preached Sunday about Easter. In light of
these recent developments in Croatia and their proximity to our
commemoration of Christ's death, resurrection, and ascended reign, I am
changing my original plans for this letter to share with you what I spoke
about Sunday night ---- The place of Easter in our lives.
It is my observation that, though precious in our hearts, Easter has in
fact become so commonplace to us that we really don't pay much attention
to the real ramifications of the celebration or of the events around
which the celebration consists.
So, I want to summarize some of my thoughts which I shared.
Each thing that Jesus did during that week and ensuing days was for a
specific purpose. They stand alone individually, and yet come together
as a whole act of God.
The crucifixion and death of Christ were carried out to directly fulfill
God's special purpose. Without His death, nothing would have happened
thereafter to change our eternal destiny.
The resurrection of Christ was more than just the means to bring our
Savior back to life again ---- there was a reason it had to happen. It
was not just for God's glory or for Christ's benefit. It was for our
great gain.
The ascension and reign of Jesus accomplish a most important element in
our lives even today. Nothing was left to chance; it all happened like
clock work to the timing and purposes of a sovereign God.
However, it is my personal observation that the vast majority of
Christians don't have a clue about any of it, except as it gives them an
awareness they have been forgiven, they have heaven to look forward to,
help to receive during times of trouble, and a fuzzy feeling in their
spiritual stomach's.
IN REVIEW ---- What It's All About:
In the past I have written about God's purpose for man (based on Genesis
1:26) ---- created in His Image to be an expression of God's presence,
created in His Likeness to be an extension of His purpose, and given
dominion to be an exhibition of His power. In other words, man was
created to BE somebody, HAVE a reason for being, and DO something
significant ---- all satisfying the craving to know "Who am I?", "Why am
I here?", and "What am I to do with my life?".
I've written about what happened when man chose to be independent from
God and God withdrew His Spirit from man's, and he became spiritually
dead toward God. We've looked at how man became an expression of his own
self centered ego, extended his own selfish motives and goals, and
exhibited his own weaknesses and limitations ---- a flagrant insult
toward the God Who created and loved him.
Finally, I've written before about how Jesus, the "Last Adam" did what
the "first Adam" failed to do. He was an expression of God's presence;
He said, "If you've seen Me, you've seen the Father."
He extended God's purpose perfectly; He said, "I came to do the will of
Him Who sent Me." He exhibited God's power; He said, "I can do nothing
apart from My Father."
However, one thing we often fail to see is that the death and burial, the
resurrection, and the ascension and reign of Jesus are each the complete
fulfillment of God's ultimate purpose for man. In those days filled with
such agony and suffering, Jesus brought to completion the fulfillment of
the New Covenant with man ---- once again providing an eternal and life
changing answer to those three haunting questions ---- "Who am I?", "Why
am I here?", and "What am I to do with my life?".
Let me show you what God has taught me about this matter.
I. CHRIST'S DEATH ---- KEY TO DELIVERANCE:
Because I was judicially present in the mind of God when it happened, I
was "crucified with Christ" (Gal 2:20), "united with Him in the likeness
of His death" (Rom 6:5-6). That divine act of "co-crucifixion" was the
key that has delivered me from five things.
1. First I have been delivered from Sin. Since, according to I Cor
15:3, "Christ died for our sin according to the Scriptures", I have been
Released (Rev 1:5) from my sin by His blood. Romans 6:7 tells me, "He
who has died is freed from sin."
Dead men don't sin. Sin cannot have control over a corpse. Paul poses
an interesting question in Romans 6:2 when he asks, "How shall he who has
died to sin still live in it?"
Not only have I been released from the penalty of sin, am being released
from the power of sin, and will one day be released from the very
presence of sin, but I have also been Cleansed. I Cor 6:11 tells me you
and I were " . . . washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."
In addition, II Cor 5:21 tells me I've not only been forgiven, released,
and cleansed, but also "I have become the righteousness of God in Him."
Paul told the Philippians that we don't have " . . . a righteousness of
my own derived from the Law, but that which comes from God on the basis
of faith."
As a result, my friend, I can "walk in newness of life" as Paul said in
Romans 6:1-4. And so can you. We have been delivered from sin by His
Death.
2. But, I've also been delivered from Self! Romans 6:6 says, "knowing
this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of
sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to
sin."
You see, If we had been delivered from sin but not from Self, there would
be no hope for growth and victory. All we could do was what the Jews did
through the Levitical law ---- try harder and harder, and offer more and
more sacrifices. But when the root is cut off, you know the fruit will
diminish.
Paul made it clear in II Cor 5:17 that "if any one is in Christ, he is a
new creation; old things have passed away, and everything is new."
Does that mean I'll never sin again? Absolutely not. It would be nice,
but that's not what is the issue.
If you haven't read Romans chapters six through eight lately, do so this
week. It's the ultimate essence of the Easter message.
When I finally learned back in the 1960's that, even though I would sin,
I actually had a choice in the matter, it revolutionized my life. Until
then I fought a daily losing battle. But, when I discovered there was an
option and that "sin need not rule in your mortal body", God set me free.
It's true, my friend ---- the death of Jesus delivered me from Self. And
it did for you, too.
3. Next, the crucifixion of Christ delivered me from legalism and the
Law. Phil 3:8-9 says, "I count all things to be loss in view of the
surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may
gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my
own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the
righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith."
Paul told the Romans (10:4) that "Christ is the End of the law for
righteousness to everyone who believes." Earlier in 8:3-4 he said, "For
what the law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God Did ----
sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, so that the
requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk
according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."
Even earlier in 7:4-7 he declared, "Therefore, my brethren, you also were
made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be
joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we
might bear fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh, the sinful
passions which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of
our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the
Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in
newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter."
Do you get it, my friend? Neither a performance based personal life nor
a performance based ministry is required in order to gain God's approval
of you! He likes you the way you are! He loves you! He has set you
free from legalistic performing! You have been delivered!
4. Then Christ's death also delivered us from the World and its
clutches. the beloved Apostle John spoke of this (I John 4:2-3) ---- "By
this you know the Spirit of God; every spirit that confesses that Jesus
Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not
confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of
which you have heard that it is coming and now it is already in the
world."
Paul gave us the clear instruction regarding our victory in this area by
saying (Gal 6:14), "But may it never be that I should boast, except in
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom the world has been
crucified to me, and I to the world."
The boisterous but beloved Peter picked up on the same theme in II Peter
1:2-4 when he declared, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the
knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has
granted to us everything pertaining to life [in general] and godliness
[in particular], through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His
own glory and excellence. For by these [His glory and excellence] He has
granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you
may become partakers of His divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world by lust."
Since "this world is not my home", neither must it be my master. And,
Jesus, in His death, crucified the world to me, and me to the world.
Hallelujah! I don't have to live by its standards, give in to its
passions, or be dominated by its pressures. I'm just "a passin'
through", not here for long.
5. Finally, the crucifixion of our Saviour delivered us also from
Satan's power. I John 5:19 says, "we know that we are of God, and that
the whole world likes in the power of the evil one." Those are two very
important things to know. We're not of the same breed. Though before
our salvation we were "children of the devil" and residents of his
kingdom, we are now aliens and strangers ---- we don't belong!
Though he try, this prince of the powers of the air and the god of this
world can never have us. Though he is tempter, murderer, thief,
destroyer, intimidator, deceiver, instiller of fear, confuser, condemner,
and accuser, he is also defeated and has no further legal authority over
us. If we cave in to his attacks, it is simply because we have given him
"room", and he took advantage of it ---- with our allowance.
So, there you have it, friend ---- the death of Jesus, though part of the
whole, stands alone for its primary purpose ---- Deliverance!
Deliverance from sin, from self, from the law, from the world, and from
the power of Satan. And that deliverance tells me just what all I HAVE
through Jesus.
For example ---- forgiveness, redemption, an inheritance, a seal, a down
payment, the spirit of wisdom, a victorious head, nearness to God, peace
with God, confident access to Him, boldness before Him, all my needs
being met, and a thousand other blessings He gave me through His blood
sacrifice.
But there's more! He didn't stay dead!
II. CHRIST'S RESURRECTION ---- KEY TO HOLINESS:
Romans 6:4-5 (really should read 4-23) says, "Therefore we have been
buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was Raised
from the dead through the glory of the Father, so We Too might walk in
newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in the likeness of
death [for deliverance], certainly we shall also be in the likeness of
His resurrection [for holiness]."
If Jesus had died and not been raised again, we could have still been
forgiven, but we'd have never had life. It was the resurrection of Jesus
that served notice to the kingdom of darkness and death that "death could
not keep its prey" because "He rolled the stone away!". He took the
final and eternal captivity of death, and captured it and made captivity
captive!
Therefore, having been raised Through God's glory (4), we are also raised
to a new walk ---- a walk of holiness. Why? Because we were united in
the likeness of His resurrection(5).
You see, friend, when Jesus raised from the Dead, He told us there was
more for us than just forgiveness, as wonderful as that was in itself.
He also told us ---- "there's life!". Resurrection Life! Death is gone;
Life has come! Darkness is passed, Light is the order of the day!
Think about it for a moment ---- if Jesus had not raised from the dead,
there'd be nothing for which to live. So, just get saved, and then go on
to heaven.
But, that's not what He had in mind.
In fact, Paul explained that clearly to the Corinthian believers in I
Corinthians 15:12-20. Look especially at verses 14-19 ---- "If Christ
has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.
Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we
testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did Not raise, if in
fact the dead are not raised." For if the dead are not raised, not even
Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is
worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those who also have fallen
asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life
only, we are of all men most to be pitied."
Paul is crystal clear ---- if Christ is not resurrected, holiness is a
fantasy. And, we, proclaimers of the Gospel, have a message without a
subject ---- "our preaching is in vain" we are nothing but "false
witnesses".
Ever hear somebody talk who had nothing significant to say? That's what
we'd be like if Christ had not risen from the dead. We'd have nothing
but religious mumbo jumbo.
We'd also have a faith without an object. Our "faith is vain". A dead
Christ is worth nothing as an object of faith. None of His claims have
validity if He did not rise. He promised He would; if He didn't, then
He's a liar, and cannot be trusted in any other of His teachings or
claims.
Next, if Christ had not risen, our salvation would have no assurance.
"Ye are yet in your sins". In order to have assurance of our salvation,
we must know that something permanent was done with our sins. Christ
made total provision for our sins at the cross. The resurrection gives
assurance that what He did was permanent and final, and that God accepted
His work in our behalf.
Then, without His resurrection, our hope would be without a basis.
"Those who fell asleep in Christ are perished". There are two kinds of
hope ---- anxious wishing, and confident expectation. When we face
death, it is the resurrection that gives us confident expectation. When
we face life, it is the reality of a resurrected and living Christ back
from the dead that gives us "strength for today and bright hope for
tomorrow".
Finally, without His resurrection, we'd have a commitment without
meaning. "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men
most miserable." Our commitment to Christ in following and serving Him
makes sense only in the light of our hope in Him as a resurrected Lord.
If He is not risen, it is just another religion built on futile
performance, and destined to an eventual collapse ---- just like all
other religions.
Because of the resurrection, we know that because He was and is holy, we
can also be holy. It's not that we must be . . . . it's that we Can be.
It is possible!
And all of that, positioned by the wonderful resurrection of Christ,
enables me to say with great confidence, "I AM . . . ."
I am a new creation, holy and blameless, adopted, enlightened, alive with
Him, seated with Him in the heavenlies, His workmanship, rooted and
grounded in love, righteousness, reconciled to God, complete in Him, dead
to immorality, and More than an conqueror!
Praise God for the Resurrection of His Son!
III. HIS ASCENSION AND REIGN ---- KEY TO SERVICE:
Well, I have written far too long, so will continue this next week.
Before we meet again, let me encourage you to read Heb 7:23-8:2, Eph
1:15-23, Col 1:13-20, Col 2:10, Eph 2:6, Col 1:25-29, and Phil 4:13 ----
in that order.
I'm already looking forward to writing again next week. It's exciting
stuff!
Have a wonderful week. Pray for Jo Ann and me as we continue
interviewing students this week for our Jan 2002 trip to Kiev, Ukraine,
and also meet to further train our May 2001 team to Bosnia and Croatia.
Finally, pray for the church where I am currently serving as interim.
They will vote on April 29 on a young man whom I believe would be just
who they need.
And, I need a break!
Bob Tolliver ---- (Rom 1:11-12)
Copyright April, 2001. All rights reserved.
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Hang in there! I'm with you!
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