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Fondue Fire
Recently while I was in Singapore‚ I went out to dinner with a family‚
good friends of mine. In Singapore they have a kind of fondue meal
called steamboat where there is a cauldron of oil they put in the center
of the table with a gas tank beneath. They light the gas and you cook
all sorts of delicacies in the oil. It is quite good. We went with the
family. We sat around the table. The gal came to light the gas. The
flame erupted four feet into the air and shot out beneath the table
eight feet‚ right between two children in the family. I looked at the
tank and the man of the family looked at the tank and we both thought
the same thing simultaneously‚ "How come it didn't explode?"...
Excerpted from In The World, Not of It! by Phil Buechler
Some modern day teachings view prophecy and
preaching as the same thing, especially if the words have a
warning or condemning tone. Authors Martin and CeCe Jackson take a
different view in a teaching series available now from Four Craftsmen.
God speaks to each believer individually now. He supplements that
communication with prophecy, words and images sent to one for delivery
to others. This bypasses individual assumptions, biases and
handicaps. Prophecy is usually encouraging, comforting and
strengthening, not condemning. Modern prophecy never replaces or
adds to the Bible, either. But it does apply Biblical truth and
personalize it. This draws believers deeper into love of Jesus
Christ....Sample from Modern Prophecy, a FOUR CRAFTSMEN
publication.
"Jesus' financial teachings are radical,
departing markedly from the usual or customary. They're also true.
Because they're so radical we're tempted to pick and choose among them,
and modify or ignore the ones that don't square with our 'common sense.'
"Since we who write this are human, we've made
those kinds of mistakes.
"Father God offers a life governed by grace, not
greed. Jesus Christ bought us out of slavery to the old way with His
blood and life. But we need a new nature to enjoy our freedom. The
Holy Spirit brings a new nature to life in us when we begin to believe
in Jesus Christ. His work equips us for the new way of living. We can
aim for new and better objectives. As our new guide and counselor, He's
a better leader than any other we've followed.
"Jesus really is Lord, in money matters as in all
else. Jesus and His Father God and the Holy Spirit are very interested
in how we manage our finances How much money we have is less important
to them. This is the financial side of the Trinity's concern with our
character. We'll leave money and goods and even our earthly bodies
behind some day, but the Lord has to live with our character forever.
Our earthly experience shapes that character in many ways, and financial
affairs are one of the strongest tools for this work.
"We've tried out some other books, and found
their advice and plans unable to deliver all they claim. The most
reliable source of advice is the Bible. So let's look there.
"Father God, the creator of the heavens and the
earth and everything in them says of Himself, "The LORD, the LORD God,
merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abounding in goodness and
truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression
and sin, by no means clearing the guilty." Exodus 34:6-7.
"The word gracious means "to act mercifully
toward someone, to be compassionate, to be favorably inclined, to bestow
favor on a person in need." Notice He is also just, not clearing the
guilty unless they repent.
"Father God gives every person the choice to love
Him and to live by His ways or to love self and live the world's ways.
Everyone is born self-centered, bent on living their own way.
"Psalm 51:5 says, "Behold, I was brought forth in
iniquity." Iniquity is the "evil bent" within human beings, the
"crooked" direction and "warped" deeds of people. Psalm 53:2-3 says,
"God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there
are any who understand, who seek God. Everyone of them has turned
aside; they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good,
no, not one."
"You know what? God has a choice, too! He could
choose to give up on people because nobody wants Him. But for some
amazing reason He chooses to keep going after people because He
passionately loves them. He is zealous for the companionship of
people! So He went to great lengths to provide grace so He can have
fellowship with people.
"'Therefore just as through one man sin entered
the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men,
because all sinned. For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is
not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam
to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness
of the transgression of Adam…But the free gift is not like the offense.
For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God
and the gift by the grace of the one Man Jesus Christ, abounded to
many.' Rom. 5:12-15.
"This grace of Jesus Christ applies to our
financial situations, as well as all other aspects of our life.
Believers in Jesus need to learn God's economics and He is our teacher.
'Thus says the LORD, your redeemer, The Holy One of Israel, "I am the
LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you
should go.'" Isa. 48:17
"The Lord God tailor makes His lessons in
finances for each of His companions. Each of us has our own crooked,
worldly thinking about economics. Some people are reckless spenders
running up too much debt. Others are stingy and too cheap to get what
they really need. Some steal from others in various ways. Some seek to
get rich quick through gambling. Some take irrational risks in the
stock market and so on and on. You can think of other selfish attitudes
about money."...Sample from opening of Radical Grace for Finances,
due on the press in spring of 2007.
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