Author Archives

    Ray Noah

    Founder and President of the Petros Network, a church planting and humanitarian non-profit working in the developing world.

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    A Competition Of Kindness

    Reflect:
    Ephesians 4:32

    “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

    One day a man came to Jesus and said “Lord, what’s the most important verse in the whole Bible.” Jesus said “Love God and love your neighbor as your-self. That summarizes the entire Bible.” (Matthew 22:36-40, Free Translation)

    That’s the whole essence of Christianity. Jesus was saying that nothing matters more in life than relationships—with God, first, and with others running a close second. You can be successful in every other area of life, but if you are failing in your relationships, you are in danger of failure in God’s book.

    Jesus said the identifying hallmark of authentic Christianity, is love. John 13:35 says, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Not that you have Bible knowledge, not that you give money to start churches in the unreached world, not that you are a deacon or teacher or soloist in your church, but that you love.

    Now there is a word for love in action in the Bible, and it’s called kindness. Love and kindness go together, and kindness is simply love in action. Titus 3:4-5 reminds us, “when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us…”

    When you are kind, love moves beyond thought or feeling and you take action in a practical way. There is so much power in kindness because our world knows very little about genuine kindness. It knows a lot about selfishness, violence and hatred. That’s why what the world needs more than anything else right now is massive doses of kindness, and Christians ought to be leading the way, showing our world this kind of love in action. You and I have the power to change a life, a community, a world—not by political power, not by imposing our will, not by enormous resources—but by Spirit-empowered acts of kindness.

    It might be interesting to note that the Greek word for kindness is “chrestos”. That’s just one letter different from the Greek word for Christ, “Christos”. When the first church began 2000 years ago, chrestos and Christos were often confused in the Roman Empire—they thought Christians were simply people who believed in kindness. It was known as the “kind religion”. What a thing to be confused with! And what a powerful thing their kindness was, In a mere 300 years, this small band of kind ones won over a hostile empire.

    Has anyone ever confused your Christianity with kindness? The truth is, our lives will be evaluated not just on what we said we believed, but on how we treated other people. This isn’t just some minor issue, it’s the heart of Christianity. The core of our faith is this love in action. And at the nucleus of love in action is kindness. In the Living Bible, Hebrews 10:24 says, “In response to all God has done for us, let us outdo each other in being helpful and kind…”

    God says in light of what He’s done for us, we are to engage in a “competition of kindness” with one another.

    I hope you go for the gold in that competition.

    “Because of God’s deep love and concern for you, you should practice tenderhearted mercy and kindness to others…” ~Colossians 3:12 (LB)

    Reflect and Apply: The more understanding you are of a person, the kinder you’re going to be to them. That is why it is so easy to be unkind to strangers. Reflect on Hebrews 4:15-16—one of the most comforting truths about how Christ perceives us, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.” Now, work on gaining greater understanding of the people in your life with whom you have the greatest difficulty being kind.

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    The Last Supper-For Now

    Reflect:
    Luke 22:1-46

    “Jesus said, ‘I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.’” (Luke 22:15-16)

    From the moment Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, Christians have regularly celebrated communion in memory of his death. Some church traditions celebrate it every Sunday, others celebrate it monthly—as does my church on the first Sunday of every month—and still others have their own tradition as to the frequency and practice of communion.

    When we receive communion, we mostly focus on the Lord’s death and our redemption that was purchased at the moment of his sacrifice. And what a sweet time of remembrance it is. Nothing is more moving than coming to the Lord’s Table.

    Yet it is not only about remembering, communion also calls us to look forward. Twice, as Jesus instituted this holy sacrament, he spoke to his disciples of a time in the future where he, himself, would again participate in this celebration. He was referring to his second coming. He was issuing a promise that he would come again, and each time they, and by extension, we, receive Holy Communion, partakers were to be reminded of that promise and rejoice in its future fulfillment.

    The next time you receive Holy Communion, I want to challenge you to not only look back in gratitude for the Lord’s death, but look forward in hope to the Lord’s coming. When you eat the bread and drink the wine, you are declaring his death, as the Apostle Paul said, “til he comes.”

    Holy Communion means a promise. It is one of God’s best promises to you. And he has never broken a promise—not one. Jesus sealed the promise of his return by his death, and he guaranteed it by his resurrection. He will make good on it—perhaps sooner than you expect. And as you come to the Table, remember, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” (I Corinthians 11:26)

    “Death stung himself to death when he stung Christ.” —William Romaine

    Reflect and Apply: The next time you receive communion, deliberately and gratefully remember the promise he made to you of his return.

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    The Emotional God

    Reflect:
    John 11:1-57

    “When Jesus saw Mary weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. ‘Where have you put him?’ he asked them. They told him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing nearby said, ‘See how much he loved him!’” (John 11:33-36, NLT)

    Jesus felt things very deeply—and I am so glad he did. Jesus was fully human, yet fully God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. His whole incarnational purpose was to live among us (John 1:15) in order to bring God close (Isaiah 7:14), reveal who God is and what God is like to us, his creatures (Colossians 1:15,19-20), and through his redeeming sacrifice bring us back into a right relationship with our Father and Creator (Colossians 1:21-22).

    In coming to Planet Earth to reveal God and redeem man, we do not find in Jesus an uncaring, distant, emotionless Deity, we find one who knew full well what is was like to be one of us. Therefore, he was the perfect bridge between the Divine and the fallen. In his earthly journey, God the Son experienced—and expressed—a wide range of emotions that were uniquely human. Just in John 11 and 12 alone, we see several occasions where humanity “leaked” from Deity:

    He got angry and upset: “When Jesus saw Mary weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.” (John 11:33, NLT)

    He expressed unmitigated grief and the free flow of tears: “Then Jesus wept.” (John 11:35, NLT)

    He refused to be pacified when an issue was unresolved: “Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. ‘Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.’” (John 11:38, NLT)

    He got fed up: “Jesus replied, ‘Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial.’” (John 12:7, NLT)

    He felt concern over the future: “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came!” (John 12:27, NLT)

    In other Gospel accounts, we discover Jesus expressing other quite human emotion:

    He was frustrated with his disciples’ thick-headedness: “Jesus asked them, ‘Are you still so dull?’” (Matthew 15:16, NLT)

    He was overcome by the weight of responsibility: “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” (Mark 14:34, NLT)

    He felt irrepressible joy: “At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.’” Luke 10:21, NLT)

    Jesus, the perfect God-man, was able to feel things uniquely human: Sorrow, anger, frustration, spiritual exhaustion, and a tremendous capacity for joy. But are those emotions uniquely human? No, in truth, they are completely Divine. These feelings are not of just human origin; rather, they are feelings that originate within the very being of a feeling God, who has simply placed them within the genetic code of that part of his creation he holds most dear—human beings, which includes you and me.

    The fact that you and I feel simply reminds us that our Creator feels. What that means, among other things, is that we belong to a caring, compassionate God. God the Father feels—he even dances over you with delight (Zephaniah 3:17); God the Son definitely feels, as we have just seen; God the Holy Spirit feels—he can be grieved and pleased (Ephesians 4:30, Galatians 6:8). That is good news, because it gives him an unfettered capacity to relate to our feelings and us great confidence to come before a caring, understanding God to express our deepest feelings. Hebrews 4:15-16 says,

    “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

    Yes, God feels. Jesus clearly demonstrated that. So come confidently to a caring God to pour out your deepest, most inmost feelings. His great promise is that you can exchange your feelings for his mercy, your emotions for his grace, your tears for his comfort, your fears for his strength and anything else you are carrying, good or bad, you can turn over to a Father who can definitely relate.

    Now that is something you can feel really good about!

    “Spiritual experience by definition is an internal awareness that involves strong emotion in response to the truth of God’s Word, amplified by the Holy Spirit and applied by Him to us personally.” ~John MacArthur

    Reflect and Apply: This present moment might be a good time to take God up on the incredible offer he made to you in Hebrews 4:16!

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    Redemptive Patience

    Reflect:
    James 1:2-3

    “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

    Benjamin Franklin said, “those things that hurt, instruct.” In review of the growth in your life, you have probably found that to be true, as I have. The best lessons in life have come from the things we wouldn’t have chosen for ourselves: a failure on a test, the break-up of a romance, the loss of a job, the denial of a dream.

    Of course, at every one of life’s speedbumps there is a choice either to get bitter or to get better. It all depends on our response to these difficulties. If we choose the better route of patiently and joyfully enduring our trials, here are a few of the God-ordained growth outcomes that James mentions:

    • Maturity—Verses 2-4: Patiently and redemptively enduring trials takes us through a cycle from pain to patience to perfection.
    • Wisdom—Verses 5-8: Painful trials always cause us to scratch our heads and seek guidance for a way forward. For the believer, this is always an opportunity to go to God—through prayer, by his Word, and through his people—to ask for wisdom. And God will always give it in liberal amounts.
    • True Riches—Verses 9-11: Trials have a way of reminding both poor and rich that wealth and material things are fleeting, but our relationship with God isn’t. When everything else fades from view, the true richness of belonging to God is all the more appreciated.
    • Eternal Reward— Verses 12-15: Patience in suffering will be rewarded with the crown of life on the day we stand in eternity before God. This life will soon pass, and eternal life will begin. Enduring suffering for a season—even if it is an entire season of life—will seem like a blip on the radar a billion years into our eternal life. Bad happens to me so that good things can happen in me so that eternal things can happen through me.
    • Sundry Gifts— Verses 16-18: Suffering redemptively also has a way of helping us to appreciate the variety of God’s gifts that we might otherwise overlook. We become much more sensitive to life, and thus, much more grateful to God.

    Suffering is never much fun. No one in his or her right mind would purposely choose it. But when pain finds us, if we dedicate ourselves to going through it redemptively, the reward will be the joy of our spiritual transformation.

    “Don’t you realize that someday you won’t have anything to try you, or anyone to annoy you again? There will be no opportunity in heaven to learn or to show the spirit of patience…If you are to practice patience, it must be now.” ~A.B. Simpson

    Reflect and Apply: Take a moment to thank God for those things that you have suffered—or are currently suffering. They hurt, but better yet, they have been instructive. They are helping you, causing you to move closer to the Father., who is standing by you, sustaining, strengthening and perfecting your character. For that, you can, in faith, express heartfelt gratitude.

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    Defeating Demons

    Reflect:
    Mark 5:1-30

    “When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him…When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.He shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!’ For Jesus had said to him, ‘Come out of this man, you impure spirit!’” ~Mark 5:1,6-8

    It’s amazing to me that we acknowledge the existence of demons in Jesus’ day, and perhaps we are open to the possibility that they are “alive and well” in some remote places in the third world, but we pretty much act like they are extinct in the good old US of A in our day.

    George Barna, a Christian researcher and pollster, once asked people to respond to this statement in a national survey: “Satan, is not a living being, but is a symbol of evil.” Among those who claimed to be born again, 32% agreed strongly, 11% agreed somewhat and 5% didn’t know. So of the total number responding, 48% either agreed that Satan is only symbolic or weren’t sure!

    His findings would suggest that around fifty percent of believers reading this blog, in spite of what the Bible clearly teaches, think of the devil as a boogie-man from a spiritual fairy tale, not a real being bent on destroying you.

    Here is the Biblical reality: Satan and his demonic legions are indeed, alive and well on Planet Earth. Satan is the enemy of God, he opposes every good work, and because he can’t do anything to God, he chooses to attack what is precious to God: You and me.

    We’re in a war, friend, and it is high time we wake up, wise up, armor up, and “man up” to the devil and his demonic hordes. Rather than acting like demons don’t exist, how about we start taking a stand where we discern their influence, and begin to kick their sorry tails the heck out of Dodge—just like Jesus did wherever he encountered them.

    You might say, “I’d rather not…I don’t think I want to personally take on the Prince of Darkness, thank you very much!” Listen, you were created to be actively involved in the ultimate conflict between good and evil, between the forces of God and Satan. You were made for this conflict, born again for the battle—that is who you are! And your spiritual identity not only demands that you take sides in this fight, it ensures you will be victorious. You have both the authority and the power—given by Jesus himself. In Mark 16:9, the very first sign Jesus said would follow those who believe: “In my name they will drive out demons…” So why not join the fight you were guaranteed to win!

    So if you are interested, here is what can you do to engage in the defeat of demons:

    Recognize that Jesus promised you as a true believer authority over the power of Satan and his demons.

    Ask for an understanding heart as to what it means to operate in the anointing of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 4:14-19)

    Declare war against Satanic darkness wherever it exists and you discern it in your world and begin to take the offensive. (Luke 4:14-19)

    Take authority—enter Satan’s place of stronghold and opposition to disarm him through the power of the Holy Spirit, with the weapon of prayer (Acts 6:4; Ephesians 6:18) by the authority of the Name and Word of Jesus (Luke 11:20-22, Acts 16:16-18, Ephesians 6:17) and plunder the devil’s possessions, delivering those who have been captured by him (trophies) and returning them (spoils of war) to the Lord. (Luke 11:22)

    Now I know that sounds like a lot, and you may not be battle ready—yet. But you can be. So pray, learn and get ready. At some point, you can take God’s authority to execute God’s will in God’s power! And the great news is, your victory is guaranteed, because you are actually battling in the victory Christ has already won.

    I like a fight I know I’ll win! Don’t you?

    “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight. ~C.S. Lewis

    Reflect and Apply: Take some time to reflect on the following verses and pray over the accompanying steps for being battle-ready: One—ask for discernment to recognize the spiritual nature of this war. (Ephesians 6:12) Two—live an upright and committed life before God. (Romans 12:1-2) Three—ask for faith to oppose the enemy effectively and specifically. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) Four—proclaim the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 6:15; Acts 1:8) Five—challenge Satanic opposition through the power of the name of Jesus (Acts 16:16-18), the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17), pray in the Spirit (Acts 6:4; Ephesians 6:18), and fasting (Matthew 6:16). Six—pray for and desire the manifestation of the Holy Spirit through gifts of healings, tongues, miracles, signs and wonders. (I Corinthians 12:7-11; Acts 4:29-31) And seven—begin to take God’s authority and execute His will in His power! (Matthew 16:18-19)

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    A Reason For Suffering

    Reflect:
    John 9:1-41

    “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” Jesus answered, “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins. This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.” ~John 9:2-3 (NLT)

    Suffering—where does it originate? When someone gets sick, contracts a disease, or is born with a disability, is that the result of personal sin—either theirs or their parents? Has the devil inflicted the suffering upon them? Did God cause it?

    When we, or the people we love are forced to endure suffering, we get pretty passionate about finding answers to those questions. When Jesus responded to his disciples’ question about the origin of suffering in the particular case of the man born blind, he pointed out that neither sickness nor suffering were the result of a specific sin.

    Now, in a general sense, because we live in a world broken by sin, bad stuff that was not a part of God’s original plan for human beings happens. To be sure, the Bible does teach that I can bring some physical suffering on myself. If I do not follow God’s principles, my body will experience the consequence. If I do not eat right, sleep enough and exercise regularly—which is sin, since my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit—then I should not be surprised when my body reacts with an infirmity. If I do not listen when God’s Word says, “do not be anxious about anything, but pray about everything” and I worry a lot—which is a sin—and as a result I develop an ulcer, then I am to blame. If resentment builds in my spirit—which is a sin, since I am not to allow bitterness to take root and defile me—the doctors will tell me that what is eating me will not only eat away at my mental health, but it will take a bite out of my physical health as well.

    So when it comes to suffering and sickness, I need to pay attention to the sin-factor in my life. And when sin is at the root, then the book of James instructs that confession and prayer is the appropriate response to my suffering:

    “Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” (James 5:13-16, NLT)

    However, not all suffering is the result of sin. Jesus blew that idea out of the water here in John 9 when he talked about the man born blind and clears up the notion that the blindness was the result of neither his nor his parent’s sin. Sometimes God permits suffering in your life simply because he wants to heal you and let it be a testimony to the world. John 11:4 tells the story of Lazarus, who was sick and near death. In that case, Jesus said, “The purpose of his illness is not death, for the glory of God.”

    Of course, God doesn’t heal every sickness; if he did, none of us would ever die and go to heaven, where we will experience the final and ultimate healing. But for sickness that is within the Lord’s will to heal, James 5:14 says that we are to do a couple of things: One, we are take the initiative and summon the spiritual leaders of the church. And, two, we are to have those elders anoint us with oil and pray. This prayer for healing is to be done “in the name of the Lord.” The “name” represents Christ’s authority, which is the basis for all healing. When we offer prayer for healing under these conditions and in that manner, James says, “such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well.” (James 5:15, NLT) In other words, God is the healer, not the person praying. Let’s never forget that! In this age of flamboyant faith healers, sometimes you get the idea that it is their ability and spirituality that gets the job done. It is not; God alone deserves the credit.

    That brings us back to what Jesus said about suffering and sickness: Sometime it is not the result of sin. It is simply so that God’s power and glory can be revealed in the restoration! If you, or someone you know, are in need of Divine healing for a physical sickness, bring it to God in faith. And whether you are miraculously healed or called upon to patiently endure, let it be for the glory of God alone.

    “Why do the righteous suffer? Why not? They’re the only ones who can take it.” ~C.S. Lewis

    Reflect and Apply: If you are suffering from an illness, study James 5:13-18 and follow what it says.

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    Constant Companionship

    Reflect:
    John 14:26

    “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

    According to pollster George Barna, a recent survey indicated that 61% of protestant Christians in America hold the view that the Holy Spirit is NOT a person or living entity, but only a symbol of God’s presence.

    Of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity—Father, Son and Spirit—the third Person of the Triune God, the Holy Spirit, is more misunderstood than the Father and the Son. That is why there is so much ignorance and fear and neglect on the one hand, and abuse on the other.

    So to better understand and fully appreciate Jesus’ promise of the Divine Advocate to come alongside you to help, comfort, teach and guide you in your spiritual journey, let’s start with this essential truth: The Holy Spirit is a person, not an impersonal, symbolic “it”!

    Jesus said as much in John 14:16, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever…” The background for that statement was the Lord’s devastating announcement that he was going away and would leave his disciples’ physical presence. And they were understandably alarmed. But Jesus told them not to be alarmed.

    Why would they not need to be afraid? Because another Comforter would be coming. The Greek word for comforter is parakleton. In John 14:26, the same Greek word translated “advocate” is used. Likewise, and interestingly, in I John 2:1 (NASB) that word, parakleton is used of Jesus:

    “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

    The word means “one called along-side” for protection or counsel. Jesus is one who stands alongside you!

    Now Jesus promised his disciples, and by extension, you and me, that the Holy Spirit would take his place in our lives as that parakleton to not only be alongside us, as Jesus was, but to be “in us” continually as our protector, counselor, guide and comfort. Jesus said the Father would give us “another paraketon”. The word “another” means another of the same kind rather than another of a different kind. Jesus was one advocate—and what an advocate he was. The Holy Spirit was another advocate, another of the same kind—and what an advocate he is.

    God the Father wants you to have an intimate, vital, day-to-day companionship with the Holy Spirit. That is his gift and his promise to you. John the Baptist prophesied that Jesus would baptize you with the promised Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:11) Jesus affirmed that prophetic promise throughout his teaching. He promised that the Holy Spirit would not only be with you but in you as the Father’s gift. (John 14:17)

    Are you enjoying that kind of constant companionship with God the Holy Spirit? If not, the promised gift is still on the table!

    “Some souls think that the Holy Spirit is very far away, far, far, up above. Actually he is, we might say, the divine Person who is most closely present to the creature. He accompanies him everywhere. He penetrates him with himself. He calls him, he protects him. He makes of him his living temple. He defends him. He helps him. He guards him from all his enemies. He is closer to him than his own soul. All the good a soul accomplishes, it carries out under his inspiration, in his light, by his grace and his help.” ~Concepcion Cabrera de Armida

    Reflect and Apply: How do you enter into a constant companionship with the Holy Spirit? Simply ask! Jesus said in Luke 11:13 (Message), “If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?”