daily bread

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Wednesday, 07 July 2010 10:44

John 1:43 - The next day he resolved to go to Galilee, and Jesus found Phillip and said to him: "Follow me." There are many things about the beginning of the ministry of Jesus that are a marvel. One of the many marvelous things is how Jesus began by focusing His attention on just a few people. He would ultimately gather 12 around Himself, and give them both special attention and a special anointing. The beginning of the greatest ministry that has ever existed started with Jesus looking for just one person. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. His heart of devotion for the lost compelled Him to leave the 99 that were safe, and go and seek the one. Jesus seeks us out to free us from all of the affliction and tyranny of sin. He makes us His friends and part of His family, and our hearts become joined unto His righteous cause. We become part of the family of God, His own spiritual kin; and what He wants is what we want. His love for us compels us and overwhelms us - so that we will follow him wherever He leads. Jesus was devoted to making His disciples fishers of men (Mark 1:17). He is also devoted to making us fishers of men as well. He shows us how to love and see greatness - even in the most wretched of men. He gives us authority to free them, and patience and faithfulness to train them. If we will imitate Jesus and focus on reaching just one, and helping them become established in the faith; it won't be long and we will need a boat (Mark 4:1). The Lord Jesus is devoted to reproducing His ministry in our lives: giving us the divine ability to help people, and deliver them from their prison of sickness, disease, and sin. As we receive His love, our hearts are filled to the brim; and the same love wherewith we are loved flows like rivers to a dry and thirsty land.

 

daily bread

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Tuesday, 06 July 2010 12:29

1 Peter 1:14 - As obedient children: not conforming to the former desires in your ignorance. The former desires are those desires that ruled the passions before the new birth. The former desires are inspired by the god of this world, the spirit that works in the children of disobedience. Satan attacks the child of God, and attempts to impose his desires upon them. The satanic desire is expressed by all that is in the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. However, the Holy Calling has not only called us to be totally separate from all these things, but has empowered us with the desires of the Father. As we yield to the Holy Spirit, the joy and wellsprings of holiness flow out of us as rivers of living water. We find ourselves having only one desire: and that is to please the Father. His ways become our ways, and His desires our desires. In this realm of Holy Spirit inspiration, we are called to resist the devil steadfast in the faith; and not allow those former desires to have any place in our lives.

 

daily bread

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Monday, 05 July 2010 11:34

Luke 17:10 - So you also, when you have done all you were commanded, say that "we are servants not deserving of praise, for we have done that which was our duty." Surely there can be no higher honor than to be granted the privilege to function in faith and in the authority of Christ Jesus (John 14:12; John 20:21; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:8). The disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith, and His response was basically, "Get to work!" We have all received the same grace that Paul received, but has our response to God been the same? Paul said: "The grace of God was not bestowed on me in vain, but I labored more than anyone else" (1 Corinthians 15:10). He was excited and happy to go to work. There are so many gifts and expressions of the Holy Ghost that the majority of Christians have never experienced. The reason they have not stepped into what the apostles and disciples had - after a very short time with Christ - is that they have not gone to work. We only need the signs and the wonders and the demonstration of the Spirit when we are at work. These great exploits and deeds of the Holy Ghost are for setting the captives free! So let's have some fun, and become engaged in the ministry of Jesus. We are His ambassadors, His co-laborers, and co-inheritors (2 Corinthians 5:20; 1 Corinthians 3:9; Romans 8:17). We are the sons of God with the authority to represent the kingdom; so lets go to work! Samson was anointed to deliver Israel from their enemies; so when he was at work he could walk away with the gates of the city, or kill thousands with the jawbone of a donkey. Joshua was anointed to lead Israel into the promised land; so when he was at work he could command the sun to stand still, and the moon not to move. Now, we have been anointed to preach the gospel! We have been anointed to proclaim liberty to the captives, the opening of the prison doors to them which are bound (Luke 4:18; 2 Corinthians 1:21). We can pray and ask God to do all these things through our lives; but unless we go to work, the anointing is not going to be demonstrated through us. However, if we are willing to engage in the service of the King of Kings, then the things that we need to accomplish the task are going to be there for those who will believe. God has required these things of us: moving in the faith and the power of the Holy Spirit is our duty, so no one has to talk God into blessing us with this ability. This is our servitude, our responsibility. It is what we have been commissioned to do; so everybody just get busy, and watch as the mighty hand of God works great exploits of faith through you! Get to work!

 

daily bread

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Saturday, 03 July 2010 12:45

1 Peter 4:18 - And if the righteous are barely saved, where will the ungodly and sinners appear? Certainly the idea of the righteous being barely saved must be understood in the light of God's absolute Holiness and Purity. It also should result in a sobriety in the believer: to realize the urgency of our need for God's mercy and protection in the midst of a wicked and perverse world. Upon hearing that the "righteous are barley saved," we should be left with a certainty that there is no room to justify any sort of compromise with sin and ungodliness.

 

daily bread

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Friday, 02 July 2010 15:27

Acts 20:28 - Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseer: to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased though His own blood. Paul issues a command and a warning to the pastors: they must be on guard against the violent predators that are ready to destroy what God has purchased with His own blood. In this one verse, the Pastor of a church is called "shepherd" and "overseer," and carries the unique responsibility of being the one given charge to protect that which God owns. If the Pastors should fail to be vigilant, then violent wolves would creep in and destroy the flock. When we recognize the role of the church - not only as the light of the world - but as the corporate Body of Christ and fullness of God, we may then come to realize the priority that the demonic realm has given to its destruction. Although a boundary has been set so that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church, the craft of Satan can render it ineffective, unless there are vigilant shepherds. The direction in which the shepherds are to lead the flock of God is not a subjective one; but one clearly revealed by the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Anything that would disrupt or challenge that direction must be regarded as a predator of God's sheep, and dealt with accordingly.