Daily Bread - February 20, 2019 (The Fourth Day - Genesis 1:14-19)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Wednesday, 20 February 2019 06:39

2 Peter 3:14 - Beloved, because you look for these things, be diligent, spotless, and blameless in Him -being found in peace. Part 1: Be Diligent To Live Blameless Before The Living God! Eternity and the judgments of God are nothing to play around with. The doctrinal guessing games and endless searches to justify any kind of ungodliness and wickedness in anyones life is a foolish game of deception. Peter makes very clear we must be diligent to be found in Christ Jesus without spot and blameless (2 Peter 3:14). Paul, gives us the same warning and call in Philippians when he tells us to be blameless and pure, the sons of God that are blameless (Philippians 2:15). There are four Greek words used in these two verses that express the state God desires us to remain in: ἄσπιλος (aspilos), and ἀμώμητος (amometos) in 2 Peter 3:14; and ἄμεμπτος (amemptos), and ἀκέραιος (akeraios) in Philippians 2:15. There can be no mistake about the radical message these four words convey. They all four describe being without fault, pure, without blemish and blameless before God. These Scriptures are not out of context with the requirements of those who have been born of God and recipients of Grace. They are in the very context of the call to holiness and righteousness that every new creature who has been born of the Spirit is empowered to walk in (2 Peter 1:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Ephesians 4:24). Paul warns every person to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and the spirit and perfect holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1). Peter, in like manner, tells us that we better pass the time of our lives right now in all holiness of life style and godliness (1 Peter 1:15; 2 Peter 3:11). Be diligent that you may be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless! (2 Peter 3:14; Philippians 2:15; Jude 24) Special Note: Please be praying for our upcoming camp meeting in Portland, Oregon on March 4-8th: Awake Portland!

 

Daily Bread - February 19, 2019 (The Third Day - Genesis 1:9-13)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Wednesday, 20 February 2019 06:39

Jude 11 - Woe to them for they go the way of Cain, and abandon themselves to Balaam's error for gain, and perish in Korah's rebellion. There are three evil spirits that are still at work among the household of faith today, which attempt to destroy the people of God and profane the glory of God that is in our midst. They are the spirits of Cain, of Balaam, and of Korah. Cain killed his brother because His brother's deeds were righteous. The witness of what was right and acceptable to God served only as a burning testimony against Cain's evil deeds (1 John 3:12). Wherever there is light, it will reprove the darkness by its very existence; and so in the Church today, there is the same murderous spirit that was in Cain. In many situations when someone passionate and anointed shows up in the ranks of the Church, it only serves to show how dead and lukewarm everyone else really is. Instead of the impact being responded to with repentance, it is met many times with resentment. There is probably no better example than those who were at Nazareth when Jesus preached His first sermon there. After that radiant message and revelation of the glory of God, the people were so moved to hatred and envy that they grabbed ahold of Him in order to throw Him off of the cliff (Luke 4:16-30). The spirit of Balaam is a greedy spirit, that for gain will cast away the anointing that was given. Balaam was a prophet of God who served the Lord, but became more interested in bettering his life than obeying God (Numbers 22:18). One compromise for money led to another, until he ultimately lost everything and became an example of an enemy of the God who had anointed him (Numbers 31:8,16; Joshua 13:22; 2 Peter 2:15; Revelation 2:14; Matthew 6:24). The spirit that probably has more impact on the lack of power and pathetic state of many churches today, especially in America, is the spirit of Korah. Korah was a Levite and could be viewed as one of the cousins of Moses (Numbers 16). He was a man of great influence, and became both threatened by and jealous of the authority Moses had. Therefore, he pulled together 250 of the most influential men of Israel, and demanded that Moses also allow them to be involved in the leadership and decision-making. Their position was that they too were the people of God and had a right to decide how things were going to be done. Furthermore, they were successful and influential, and demanded to be heard. There needs to be no guessing as to how Father feels about such dissension; for the earth opened up and swallowed those men and their families. They came with their censors of worship and praise; and like Nadab and Abihu, who refused to sanctify the Lord, were cast out of the presence of the Lord and the company of God's saints. The Church is not a democracy, neither do the people rule. God rules -and He places the anointing and gifting of leadership, to speak on His behalf, on those whom He chooses. To attempt to subvert that authority and create divisions among the saints of God is likened unto the rebellious and treasonous acts of Satan when he first rebelled against God (Ezekiel 28:13-19; Isaiah 14:12-15). Be diligent that you may be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless! (2 Peter 3:14; Philippians 2:15; Jude 24) Special Note: Please be praying for our upcoming camp meeting in Oregon, March 4-8th: Awake Portland!

 

Daily Bread - February 18, 2019 (The Second Day - Genesis 1:6-8)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Monday, 18 February 2019 11:29

2 Peter 2:18 - For with excessive empty speeches they entice, those who had escaped from them who live in error, with fleshly lust and lascivious acts. In addition to Peter's address here, Paul, as well, referred to people who thought that the proof of grace was the right to continue on in sin (Romans 6). These seducers that lived in the first century and exist even until this day attempt to prove that somehow true faith in redemption frees the sinner from any responsibility for their wrongdoing and makes sin okay in the eyes of God. Peter is also referring to these same preachers who would encourage those who had been delivered and born of the Spirit to accept immoral practices as okay, and even go as far as mocking those who would live godly (2 Peter 2:1-2). These acts of fleshly lust and immorality can include many things, but intoxication and sexual misconduct are implied by the particular Greek words used. Their message focused on convincing others that sin was nothing to be ashamed of, or to feel guilty about. As a result, those who had escaped the corruption of the world and its lust were entangled in the snare that they had been delivered from (2 Peter 1:4). Be diligent that you may be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless! (2 Peter 3:14; Philippians 2:15; Jude 24) Special Note: Please be praying for our upcoming camp meeting in Oregon, March 4-8th: Awake Portland!

 

Daily Bread - February 16, 2019 (The Seventh Day - Genesis 2:1-3)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Saturday, 16 February 2019 11:03

Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands love your wives, even as also Christ loves the Church and delivered Himself over for her. Just as Christ Jesus continues to love the Church, so a man should love his wife. God made the man to be responsible for far more than just natural needs -He also made him responsible for the spiritual needs. The proper relationship has to be established between the husband and wife for things to result in the abundant life and blessings Father has desired. When the husband loves his wife as Christ loves the Church, and the wife honors and submits herself to his leadership, God will abundantly bless and do more than can be thought or asked. If both the husband and wife are devoted to doing the will of the Father, then this kind of relationship will be what they will have. The spiritual foundation must be in place before the proper relationship can be built. Christ Jesus went to extremes to bring the Church into union with Himself. It cost Him everything to purchase the Church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). It is now through the ministry of His leadership that the Church finds its perfect place in the plan of God. By the miracle of His mercy, He brought forth this perfect union of love between Himself and those who are brought into relationship with Him. In this union of love, everything we need to be right is ministered to us by Him. God anoints the man as He does any other minister to lead and to establish His perfect will. Now, Christ Jesus will not tolerate wrongdoing and remain passive about the condition of the Church in His love for us, neither should the man his household. We must command our household to do what is right even as Abraham did (Genesis 18:19). Christ Jesus laid down His life for the Church and continually intercedes on our behalf, so rebellion and sin will not be tolerated in this perfect love that He has for the family of God (Revelation 2:1-3:22; Ephesians 2:19). There is abundant grace and mercy for everyone to get things right, but God demands things to be right! Jesus died and continues to work so that every aspect of our lives might be according to Father's perfect will (Romans 12:1-2). Christ Jesus did not lay down His life so that we might remain wrong -He has worked, and continues to work, that we might in every way be right! The home is where new life is brought forth to be raised up in the ways of God. The home cannot be a breeding ground of iniquity through wrong relationship of a man with Christ Jesus, or of the wife with her husband. The home is to be a sanctuary where the ways of God are modeled by the parents and taught by the Word. Just as Jesus is the great High Priest of the Church, even so the husband must be the priest over his house. The priest brings the people before the throne of God so that things may be healed in their lives. The priest who stands before the living God can then represent God to the people. It is in this manner that a husband must love his wife and minister to the needs of his household. Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children. Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

 

Daily Bread - February 15, 2019 (The Sixth Day - Genesis 1:24-31)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Friday, 15 February 2019 13:02

Ephesians 5:24 - But even as the Church is subject to Christ, so also the wives to their own husbands in everything. Part 2: Consider the Full Scope of the Analogy! We must all ask ourselves: to what limit would we desire to confine the scope of Christ's authority over the Church? There certainly is an outcry to limit and confine the scope of authority of the husband over the wife. However, the Lord says that the wife is to be submitted to her husband in everything; and if we are going to obey God, then we are going to have to leave the realm of what men think, and recognize how everything God has commanded is for our own good. Every part of a wife's life should be within the scope of complete union with her husband, for God joined them together to be one. A man and His wife are one flesh, and they should function under one head. Just as submission to Christ leads the Church into blessings, growth in every good thing, and unity; even so, the submission of a wife to the leadership of her godly husband (who is also under the authority of Christ) will lead the home and the family into the unlimited blessings of God that are only found in living life the way He designed it! As for God, His ways are perfect and only produce abundant life and blessing! (Revelation 4:11; John 10:10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; 32:4)