Beyond Words

As I prepared for this Sunday's resurrection message, I recalled las night's Passover teaching and re-read Isaiah 53. My mind's eye began to create the imagery of the life of Christ as embedded in the narrative. I quickly realized that not much more need be said other than perhaps, that He did this because he loves you. The imperfect you. The compromised you. He bore our scorn, humiliation and condemnation on that cross as God's perfect lamb so that you and I could finally live completely free. 

Take a moment and read these precious words from the Nevi'im, specifically, Isaiah 53, and allow you mind to take you where words simply cannot. 

Isaiah 53

¹ Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 
² He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

⁴ Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

 ⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 
⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.
⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, 
though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

 ¹⁰ Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 
¹¹ After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; 
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 
¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. 

Enough said.

Love you,

Pastor Mario

Happiness

Prov. 29:18
Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.

I have been drawn back to this verse time and time again. It’s been kind of a magnet to me. You see, over the course of my ministry I've learned that vision is not just necessary, its essential to our walk, as well as to our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health. There are three essential elements one must have if one is to be successful in ministry and in life, and if one is to be truly happy.

The first one is a godly VISION. If you can’t see it yourself, don’t expect others to see it. Your vision must be burned into your innermost being. It must never depart from you. Vision is what points you in the right direction. It doesn’t guarantee that you’ll necessarily hit the target, but if you are true to your vision, it will get you close enough.

Secondly, one must have a PASSION. Passion is the propellant that drives you toward your vision. Passion is what gets you through the “tough times.” When the world appears to collapse around you, and everyone seemingly abandons you, your passion alone that will help you stand, walk or crawl if you have to, often against all odds, and frequently by yourself toward your divine destiny.

Lastly, and most importantly, you must have DISCIPLINE. I call this the “D” word. You can have an awesome vision, and be passionate about achieving it, but if you’re not willing to make the necessary sacrifices implicit in any worthwhile endeavor, you will spend the rest of your life just trying to get there; eternally relegated to being a "dreamer," and never a doer. It is a formula for never-ending frustration. You see, discipline not only prepares you for the race, it is your own personal way of winning before you even start. Paul speaks of discipline this way:

1 Cor. 9:24-27
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

A Godly vision, powered by Spirit led passion, and sustained by self-sacrificial inner-discpline, will set you on your way toward your personal destiny. It will probably require a whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears. That's the price of admission to this show. It is what is meant by the term to "keep," used in Prov. 29:18. It means to be diligent in observing. If you stay the course and maintain your discipline, not only will you ultimately be successful, but you will also be happy, the Hebrew term for “blessed” used in this scripture.

Do you want to be happy? Pursue God's Vision for your life. Do so passionately. And be disciplined about the journey. And no matter what, don't ever give up.

Oh yeah, and don't forget to laugh (It's much better than crying. lol)

"Listen to me, all you who are serious about right living and committed to seeking God... I, God, will comfort Zion, comfort all her mounds of ruins. I'll transform her dead ground into Eden, her moonscape into the garden of God, A place filled with exuberance and laughter, thankful voices and melodic songs." Isaiah 51:1-3

luv ya,
Pastor Mario

God's Demolition Project

Early in my Christian walk I discovered that the Christian life is fraught with dichotomies; seemingly irrational contradictions. The humble are exalted, the weak are strong, the rich are poor, the poor rich, and so on. One critical axiom is that in God’s process of building our lives, as in natural building projects, tearing down always precedes building up.

A friend of mine once hired me to do construction work straight out of college. I was so excited. I remember putting on my brand new tool belt and my carpenter pants. Man, I was ready to “go to town!” The foreman took one look at me with my fancy tool belt and told me, “You won’t be needing that,” as he handed me a very heavy old crowbar. He put me in a dilapidated bathroom and said, “Take it down to the studs.” You see, only the experienced carpenters were allowed to build. Us novices needed to first get our experience tearing down.

That “tearing down” process would reveal things to me that would be essential in building that room again. It showed me the stud positions so that the new sheetrock could be efficiently fastened. It showed how the electrical lines were actually running and whether or not they needed to be replaced or re-routed for the new design. We could clearly see if a stud needed to be replaced because of water or termite damage.

The tearing down process, the crucifixion of our flesh is an essential step in the building of our faith in Christ. It is the spiritual plow that prepares the soil of our soul for the precious seed of the Gospel. Paul said to the Galatian church, in Galatians 2.20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God." There is something in the crucifixion process; in suffering and death, that allows us to really live out a life of genuine faith in Christ. I’ve often heard it said that “there is no crown without the crucifixion,” alluding to our eternal reward, but it starts way before that. There is no faith without a crucifixion experience here and now, and without faith there is no life, no hope, and no entering into our Sabbath rest which can only be found in Christ Jesus.

Remember this as you enter this very important week. He told us to specifically remember his death for a reason. He made no such request of his resurrection. Let’s not loose the most important point of all. We first have to know what it is to be crucified with Christ if we are ever going to know what it is to ultimately live for Him.

Consider yourself God’s personal demolition project.

Luv u,

Pastor Mario

When the Rubber Hits the Road

There comes a time in each of our lives when the rubber hits the road.  A time of testing; a time when God will require you to go far above yourself.  A time when we need to "lift up our heads to the hills from whence cometh our help!"

 

Most of the time we think that we are alone in the midst of our trials.  Like Elijah, we tell God, "…and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away" (1 Kings 19:14), when the truth is that there are another 7,000 that have not bowed down to Baal.  Right now God is preparing a people with fire in their eyes and healing in their hands that have not bowed down to Baal;  Christians that will join with you as you do war against the enemy.

 

You see, it is during these times of testing (amad) that we see the gianst as too big for us. Like the Israelites, we see a defeated vision of ourselves.  "33. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight…" (Numbers 13:33) (KJV)

 

When you come to this time of utter desperation.  When you feel that there is no where else for you to turn, this is the time when you need to listen doctor Luke, "…And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." (Luke. 21:28)

Luv ya,

Pastor Mario

Sent from my iPad

Sloppy Wet Love

I was having fun on an online exchange yesterday on my Facebook page, after having referenced the fascinating lyrics of the John Mark McMillan's song, "How He Loves us." Specifically, these lyrics:

So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don't have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way he loves us...

The David Crowder band had apparently felt uncomfortable with the phrase, "sloppy wet kiss," and changed the phrase to, "unforeseen" kiss, an act which I communicated to be unfortunate. At that point, a really close minister friend of mine jumped in and expressed his personal hesitation on the use of the term "kiss" when referring to an act of God toward his bride, be it "sloppy wet," "unforeseen," or "eskimo" for that matter! He just couldn't wrap his male mind around the concept. (Bendito) ;-)

My whole point regarding the lyric change was that the term "unforeseen" does not relate the same sentiment as "sloppy wet." The first term addresses the idea of expectation, whereas the latter refers to passion. And passion is essentially what true worship is all about.

When commenting on the matter of worship to the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4, Jesus tells her,

22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.

You see, like many of us, this woman THOUGHT she was worshiping God. Truth is, she did not have the vaguest idea as to how to properly worship. He goes on to clarify the point by saying,

23 "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

When Jesus uses the phrase that we are to worship the Father in "spirit and in truth," he doesn't go on to give us specific instructions on how we are supposed to do this. What he more specifically points out is how we are NOT supposed to worship God' - in the flesh. Most of the things that we do as human beings we do in the flesh (brushing our teeth, going to work, etc.). What we are apparently not to do in the flesh, human or not, is worship God.

True worship transcends physical boundaries and definitions. It necessitates passionate abandon. Just like David abandoned himself in adoration as he brought the Ark of the Covenant back into Judah despite the bitter criticism of those closest to him, we likewise must loosen up enough to actually abandon our mental reservations in order to open ourselves to the free flow of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that ultimately provides us with the freedom to spiritually enter into God's innermost chambers and to produce what can adequately be called true worship. This worship then contextually permeates our earthly lives, as we offer up our bodies as a living sacrifices.

We can worship with our minds and lips and yet have hearts that are far from God. True worship, in a sense, is miraculous. When executed to our Lord's liking, we can fully expect that He will reciprocate by "kissing" His bride, and it will probably be a big fat, sloppy, wet one!

Luv you,
Pastor Mario
Sent from my iPad

Supernatural

Matt. 21:18-19 

"18 Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it,  "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered.

This story is actually repeated several times in Scripture which should tell us a little something about it's importance. Not only is what is said important, but also what is not said is just as important. The text gives us the rationalization for his approaching the fig tree in the first place. Namely, "he was hungry." We then see him approach the tree with the presumed expectation that there would be fruit available produced by the tree to satisfy his condition. When he does not find the fruit, he then curses the "unproductive" tree.

Mark expands a little on the facts of this case. In his account, we read:

Mark 11:13

"Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs."

So it appears that there was a perfectly rational explanation for the absence of figs on this poor tree! The reason? It wasn't the season for figs. Nature itself conspired against the Lord's wishes. And so, the parable begs the question, "Why would the Lord curse a tree that merely did, or in this case, did not do, just as it was programmed by nature to respond to it's environment?" It behaved as expected, and this somehow caused Jesus to curse it, rather than accept or ignore it.

You see, the lesson is less about fruitfulness or the lack thereof, than it is about expecting the supernatural. A believer should live in the expectation of the supernatural to meet his earthly needs. Jesus makes the point even clearer as the story continues in the Matthew account:

Matt. 21:20-22

"20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed.  "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked. 21 Jesus replied,  "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain,  'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." 

You see, Jesus does not say, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask in prayer so long as your request is rational." This entire story is about obtaining supernatural results from natural things. Jesus expected the tree to behave supernaturally in order to meet His requirements of it. That's the very same thing he expects from every one of us. If we are to please a supernatural God, we must behave like the supernatural people he has made us to be. Learn to expect the supernatural in your family, finances, & friendships. Put Him first in all things, then brace yourself for HIS supernatural intervention on your behalf.

Love ya,

Pastors Mario

A Believable God Doing Unbelievable Things

"Look at the nations and watch — and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." Hab. 1:5

What a year this has been! Words simply cannot describe the joy we have had this last year seeing so many of you maturing beautifully in the Lord. Your influence in our immediate community, as well as in our regional community of faith has been steadily increasing and the blessings just keep coming in. So many people are interested in what we have to offer on so many levels that we are finding ourselves hard-pressed to be able to meet the demand.

God promised Abraham many years ago in Gen. 12:2 -

"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing."

God has truly begun to make our name great and to mold us into channels of blessing to all those around us. That was the good news. The great news is that the BEST IS YET TO COME! 

2011 will be a year where many of us will finally step up to the plate and begin to fulfill the calling that God has placed on our lives. It will be a year where God will help you to fulfill your divine destiny in Him. It will be a year of breakthrough and deliverance. He has already begun to pour out His Spirit on us and many are already working in their giftings at a new level of anointing. He said that the time would come when we would not believe what we were told. Well, the time is now, and you have been told. Believe it.

Luv ya,

Pastor Mario