The Bare Soul - Expectancy - December 27, 2009

John 16:21 - Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.

To hear someone say they are "expecting" needs no or very little explanation. A slight smile may form as one might whisper to another that this one or that one is expecting a child. If the pregnancy is well-advanced there is no need of any type of declaration. It is quite evident as the blush of anticipation and expectation is clearly seen on the prospective mother's face as well as the unmistakable evidence elsewhere. I can truly attest that a similar blush of excitement and anticipation was brooding over approximately 70 of us as we converged on Reynosa Mexico on the 18th of December 2009. We had all come from various parts of the country and from different backgrounds including pastors, homemakers, students, ex-convicts, and business people. How could such a variety of mixed backgrounds have anything in common? What drew us all together was the love of Jesus and the desire to share that profound relationship with the people of Mexico. The driving dynamic of this wonderful impetus was the very expectancy that God was going to birth "life and life more abundantly" in those whom we touched through Him. Consequentially, we often became the receivers as we freely gave away what He had so graciously given to us.

During our few short days in Reynosa, we saw God do great things. Many of us gave "birth" as we saw many saved, healed, and touched. Words of knowledge, healings, and various manifestations of God's power were evidenced in every gathering. The team that went to the juvenile detention center reported that out of 13 youths incarcerated, all 13 gave their lives to the Lord! Many were prayed over for salvation and succumbed to the power of the Holy Spirit as they lay on the dusty, concrete floors of the rural churches praising Jesus for His salvation! Several men denounced their lives of drug addiction and alcoholism as they gave their lives to the Living Lord. It was a joyous time with tears of gratitude flowing from both their eyes and ours as we ministered the love of Jesus and His transforming power. Even as we prayed and travailed in our early morning prayer meetings before each day's outreach, God was now birthing His life in demonstrable ways even as we looked on with great joy. Those of us who were not directly involved in praying others through to salvation or healing were as mid-wives that experienced the same joy while witnessing the miracles coming to life all around us.

The Lord Jesus had given us all a hope and a desire to be in Reynosa to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves as individual Christians. He desired to join us together to bring a bright flame to areas of this impoverished city that desperately needed a touch from the Lord. As we allowed God to use us, stirring up the spiritual gifts within us, we then went forth in faith and hope that God was truly going to move (which He did). God's love never fails (I Corinthians 13:8) and hope does not disappoint (Romans 5:5). Going forth in His love and with the hope of expectancy creates a dynamic that is explosive and charged with God's dunamis or dynamite power. Hell quakes when believers will unite their hearts in love for the lost and then venture forth in faith and hope that they will birth the seeds being germinated by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, we see the results quickly. In other cases, the seeds may only be lying dormant at this time for another to harvest in our absence. No matter. Only that the Lord Jesus Christ is glorified as he births sons and daughters into his kingdom through an expectancy of his great mercy and love. Oh, the joy of child birth! May we all go forth to our respective mission fields with great expectancy, making ourselves available to be used of God to birth true, lasting fruit that will remain forever and ever! Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The following is 18 minutes of selected video featuring door-to-door evangelism, gift and food distributions, rural church ministry, drama, and a special Christmas program presented by the children of the Josiah & Bethany Children's Home in Reynosa Mexico

Additional Audio Sermons Below

The Shepherd's Gift
Sermon by Rick Roeber
The Shepherds Gift - Reynosa Mexico - December 20, 2009

Joyous Authority
Sermon by Rick Roeber
Joyous Authority - Reynosa Mexico - December 21, 2009

A Christmas Story
Sermon by Rick Roeber
A Christmas Story - Kansas City Rescue Mission - December 24, 2009

The Bare Soul - The Gaze of the Soul - December 20, 2009

Exodus 19:21 - Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish."

It's a remarkable thing when a man or woman begins to gaze intently on the Lord and all His goodness. Without exception, the old man within will perish as the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ bears witness with our spirits that we are children of God (Romans 8:16). Even as Moses warned the people before Mount Sinai regarding the holiness of the Lord, even so the Holy Spirit tells us that if we are indeed serious about approaching God, that we will certainly never be the same. Our mandate from God is to be like Him -- to change into His very image as we behold the Lord Jesus Christ within. The sentence of death to self is executed every time we are obedient to the wooing of the Holy Spirit to behold the Lover of our souls. The loving caress of our imagination energized by the supernatural working of Christ's Spirit need never lapse. He is always there to put the beauty of His Person ever before those who would but desire His beauty.

In our fast-paced society, we often can not fully appreciate the need for our souls to gaze upon their Redeemer. It is very much like a flower or a plant needing the sunshine for growth that we likewise need to sit and be given life-giving injections of His holy love. Without these times of refreshing, we too will wilt and droop without the proper stimulation from His magnificent Sonlight. We may pursue these times faithfully for a season, but then the cares of this world will often encroach and demand once again to the point where we languish. It is at this point that we must confess that we are dead to God, but alive to self and that we need a reversal. We need to once again "perish" as the old man dies under the gaze of the soul. This is a discipline that we will all be honing until we go to be with the Lord. A.W. Tozer in his book "The Pursuit of God" wrote regarding the discipline and regular exercise of training oneself to look intently with the gaze of the soul:

Believing, then, is directing the heart's attention to Jesus. It is lifting the mind to `behold the Lamb of God,' and never ceasing that beholding for the rest of our lives. At first this may be difficult, but it becomes easier as we look steadily at His wondrous Person, quietly and without strain. Distractions may hinder, but once the heart is committed to Him, after each brief excursion away from Him the attention will return again and rest upon Him like a wandering bird coming back to its window.

His loving hand will always bring us back to that place of abiding if we will but only submit our affections to do so. The devil will seek to dissuade by his lies, telling us that God no longer can be found because He has become impatient with our failings and many attempts to remain in God's presence. The enemy of our souls will desire our complete dissolution and to despair of attaining any future communion with God, thereby telling us to give up any further attempts. Of course, this could not be anymore further from the truth. Our Heavenly Father is full of patience and mercy toward our sometimes awkward approaches and there is such a rejoicing in His heart when we draw near! He will always reward us with an inward manifestation of His loving, approving countenance if we will but approach Him in faith.

It can be truthfully stated, that whatever we behold or gaze at with intent in this lifetime will kill us! If we stare and lust after sinful desires such as sordid gain, perversion, or any number of things that the world might seek to entice us, then these will certainly lead to a death of our inner spirit, soul, and eventually our own body. This spiritual and physical death devoid of identification with the Lord will most certainly lead to everlasting death. However, if we seek to die to carnal things and to perish from a life lived for self, then the ironic and supernatural begins to happen. Through our perishing to the things of this world we live to God and to the fullness of His life within (Romans 6:11). By gazing intently on the Lord and identifying with His death, we then allow the Lord's resurrection to empower us in every instance. The choice is ours on whom we desire to gaze, for we are hard-wired to gaze upon something. Our Heavenly Father desires that we bring every thought captive in our imaginations (II Corinthians 10:5) and gaze at the Restorer of our Souls, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will lovingly give us life, even as we perish to self in His Holy presence, if we will but only turn both our attention and our affections toward Him.

Heavenly Father, teach us to gaze with intent at your holiness. In so doing, we desire to put to death all that is not of You by taking our imaginations captive to Your beauty. Help us to continually turn toward You, knowing that You are longing to draw us near. Thank You Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - Joyous Authority - December 13, 2009

The following is the message text and audio recording of a sermon titled "Joyous Authority" delivered to the homeless at the Kansas City Rescue Mission Chapel on December 10, 2009.

Joyous Authority - December 10, 2009

Luke 10:19 - I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

When the seventy returned from their commission to the cities where their Lord would soon preach the Gospel, they were overjoyed with the results. The scripture tells us in Luke 10:17 that they returned with joy stating that even the demons were subject to them in Jesus' Name. Quite possibly, this group of disciples went forth with the desire to minister in their Lord's Name, yet did not come into the true realization of their ministry until they stepped out in faith. Once they began to minister in the Name of Jesus, they were both surprised and delighted that even the demons were subject to them in the Lord's mighty Name. To experience this epiphany, they merely had to obey Jesus as He sent them out to perform the miracles of God with the same authority that He received from His Father in heaven.

In our opening scripture, Jesus doesn't say that He will give us authority to timidly tip-toe around the enemy of our souls with fear and intimidation. He doesn't say that we should create some sort of detente' with the power of hell, establishing a sort of quasi-truce with respect to one another. He DOES say that He HAS GIVEN all power by His jurisdiction to tread or to literally trample upon demonic strongholds of serpents and scorpions. There is no possibility of negotiation or diplomacy with the enemy of mankind. Nothing is to move us to the right or to the left from our walk with the Lord and the ministry He has called us all to fulfill. We are to trudge confidently and with determined resolution a straight path, not concerning ourselves with what might be ready to strike at our heels, for it has no power over our lives. In ancient Palestine, serpents and scorpions were a source of constant fear and continual vigilance to protect both human and livestock from their deadly poison. A variety of snakes such as puff adders, pit vipers, and cobras were a constant plague to farmers and shepherds. Of the various Middle Eastern scorpions, many possess more venomous toxicity then those in any other area of the world. So, when Jesus proclaimed that His authority commanded the ability to trample the most notorious and nefarious creatures afoot, He was comparing these loathsome reptiles and arachnids to demonic principalities. Our ability to exercise God's authority over the so-called powers of hell renders them powerless in comparison to the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe (Ephesians 1:19).

To first comprehend and then to walk in the authority that the Lord has given to all who call upon His Name, is to begin to experience the joy of the Lord and the strength of that position. Even as the seventy "returned with joy", so we too can live in a place of joyous victory once we begin to walk as the Lord has ordained for us all as believers. The Holy Spirit is present in our respective lives to fulfill His great commission through us. He is a joyous being that rejoices in the vanquishing of Satan as we move with faith and power against our ancient foe. To be in God's presence is to understand the fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). To know His authority and to walk in it, trampling upon all the power of the evil one, is joyous authority. It is a place of victorious understanding that God has already won the battle and He rejoices with us over the defeat of our enemy (Zephaniah 3:17). And a remarkable phenomenon occurs once we begin to live in this new found authority. The joy we experience from the presence of the Most High God gives us a spiritual strength that defies explanation. We will find that our spiritual confidence and boldness to minister the Lord Jesus will take on a new power and resoluteness. The joy of living in His authority will energize our lives and strengthen us to live for Christ in a whole new way (Nehemiah 8:10). Quite literally, it will propel us into a new dimension of Christian living that we never dreamed possible.

So, how does one get to this higher existence in Christ? How does one begin to live in His authority to trample upon all the power of the evil one without injury? The answer is simple but it's not necessarily easy -- we must believe! One might say that they have sought God on this very point and yet He failed them. I would counter that they did not believe until the breakthrough or the epiphany flooded their life with this truth. God is not a respecter of persons. He has given us the same authority as He did to the seventy, but we must believe. Like the disciples He sent forth, it will take a walk of faith to begin to materialize before the realization of the reality becomes a part of our lives. Satan fears that we would even start to make movement towards this end. He trembles when a believer begins to agree with God's word that he has Jesus' authority on this earth. When believers start stepping out in faith and speaking life and hope into a dying world, it causes the demons to run for cover in anguish. Conversely, those who set out with the power of God have Holy Spirit joy as their strength. What would this world look like tomorrow if today every saint (true believer in God) would speak boldly the Gospel to the lost, lay hands on the sick and trust that God would heal them, or pray over those demonically oppressed? We would see a world turned upside down for Jesus in short order.

If joy is the evidence of being in God's presence (Psalm 16:11), then we should all desire a continual dwelling place close to His bosom. As the seventy demonstrated, joy came by exercising Jesus' authority to a devil-ridden world. In like manner, the Holy Spirit desires to bear witness to Jesus Christ's victory over sin and the devil by continual shouts of joys through the accomplished work of Calvary. He can only do this as we submit to the joyous authority established for us through Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. What could be simpler? To walk with joyous confidence, trampling down all devils and demons as one would not give a thought to crushing serpents and scorpions with the steps of our feet! He has given all who know the Risen Lord this authority. It is our responsibility to then exercise this authority with the joy that comes from abiding with Him.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for Jesus' authority to live as our Savior lived when He walked this earth. Anything less than this is an affront to what Jesus and the Holy Spirit accomplished. Lord, help us to believe that we are "authorized" to command hell to do the bidding of heaven -- that we are empowered with the authority of Jesus to trample down all the power of the evil one in our respective lives. Thank you Lord. In Jesus Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - Consecrated to God - December 6, 2009

James 4:8 - Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

It is quite easy to confuse our responsibility in working out our salvation regarding God's promises in our lives as believers if we are viewing things in a carnal manner. Sanctification, or God setting us apart for His will and desire and empowering us to live a holy life on this earth has never been our task. We could no more make ourselves holy (even by an infinitesimal amount) then if we were able to justify ourselves before God the Father outside of the blood of Jesus and the work on Calvary. The spiritual work of justification, sanctification, and one day glorification when we will one day be like Jesus in all respects (I John 3:2), will always be the work of the Holy Spirit. However, there is an important distinction to understand regarding how God draws us to Himself while we are in these mortal bodies. He will not draw us if we have not invited him to do so. This is the act of consecration, to literally set oneself apart thereby denouncing the sins that so easily beset us and asking God to use us even in our imperfect state. We can never clean ourselves up. That is God's desire and He does it very effectively through the work of His Spirit. We can only come before Him, confessing our faults and giving ourselves to Him and his will.

Even as we may find ourselves in a place of initial humility to God, asking Him to take our lives and use it for His glory, we may later find that we have mistaken a consecrated life for a life of sanctification. As previously stated, God is the one who changes us, sometimes in an instant and other times over the course of days, weeks, months, or even years. For instance, God may have put His finger on an area of our lives, such as sloth. A believer that God has challenged in this area may with exuberance begin to attack the problem by rising an hour earlier and by placing more diligence on their work. After a few weeks or months if they gain some success in this area, it is quite easy to not give God the glory for these apparent victories and to believe that now they've gotten a lot "better" in this area of sloth. When one takes this attitude, they have withdrawn the sacrifice of their consecration from the altar, telling God that their improvement is all that is needed. In this sad reality, this man or woman has not allowed God to finish the work but has settled for a fleshly, carnal substitute. We often do a quick inventory of our seeming weaknesses and then work with a flurry on the obvious, when we should be waiting on the Lord for Him to put His finger on the root cause. Obvious character defects are easy to work on and often show quick results, so we are drawn to seek to please God by getting a supposed handle on these. However, God wants us to submit to him in areas that we KNOW we can't commandeer as easily as rising early or adding a bit more pep to our jobs. He wants to get to the heart of the sin of sloth within our hearts. A life of consecration means a life that is daily presented on the altar of sacrifice so God can speak to the heart and thereby change the heart. It is so much like the flesh to gain the victory in a couple of areas and to self-congratulate oneself with the "seeming" victory. In reality, these are the very things that Jesus accused the Pharisees regarding, that they were beautiful on the outside but inside they were full of dead men's bones (Matthew 23:27).

James the brother or our Lord gives us a concise, step-by-step plan to first consecrate ourselves and then to live in the sanctifying power of the Lord Jesus Christ (James 4:8). We have already discussed the importance of drawing near to God in humility, thus He will draw near to us. In order to not grieve the Holy Spirit once He has drawn close to our present need, we must acknowledge TWO important realities:

Number One -- We are sinners
Number Two -- We are double-minded

The unspeakable joyous reality that Jesus Christ has dealt sin a final blow on Calvary is forever an accomplished fact in heaven and a looming reality in hell for those who do not receive His sacrifice. However, there are still those areas of sin that we live out in the carnal flesh that God wants to deal with as we serve Him on this earth. As we acknowledge that we are indeed sinners, daily, in need of His grace, then we are "cleansing our hands" as James states or we are consecrating ourselves to God and submitting to His sanctifying power. There is no stronger position as a believer to daily come before the Lord and to know that we are consecrating ourselves for God to have His way with us. This is only a strengthened position as we approach the Lord with "single-mindedness", intent on His sanctifying work and all that He can do. If we will but focus on Him and wait for his grace to isolate the root cause of our "sinning", then we will understand that the purifying of heart that James speaks of is merely the work of the Holy Spirit as we consider ourselves as God does. When we see our sin as God sees it, with no excuses or denial, then He will bring the purifying work of His Spirit into our hearts. Paul stated what James said in a different but similarly compelling manner in Romans 12:2. For if we are "transformed by the renewing of our minds", then certainly we shall be purified by the work of the Holy Spirit as He fills our hearts with what we have agreed to with God in our minds.

Beloved, God does not desire any of us to change outward behaviors as the "end all" for what He desires. Those things that we seek to change should be getting at the heart of the matter -- the very root cause of the sin that would so easily beset us. If the changes we affect are not driving toward this final goal, then we are no better off then the Pharisees of Jesus' day. If, however, we allow these changes that we seek to be springboards, showing us how we can never clean up our own hearts, then the Holy Spirit has accomplished His desire by shining the light of understanding into our hearts and minds. Once we truly agree with God through our consecration, then He can and will in His magnificent power, begin to transform us more and more into the image of His Son through sanctification. Glory be to to God!

Heavenly Father, as we draw near to you and consecrate our lives to you once again, allow us not to work merely on the "outward" manifestations, but show us the heart of the matter. Take our lives and point out the roots of selfishness, fear, anger, and any other that might be the cause of our "stalled out" sanctification. Give us single minds and clean hands in humility to Your Divine plan for each and everyone one of us. Thank you Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - Thanksgiving - November 29, 2009

The following is the message text and audio recording of a sermon titled "Thanksgiving Through Hope" delivered to the homeless at the Kansas City Rescue Mission Chapel on November 26, 2009.

Thanksgiving Through Hope - November 26, 2009

Psalm 116:12-13 - How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.

Most parents teach their children basic manners when they are juveniles. These include being gracious to others, respecting grown-ups, and saying thank you when someone gives them something. Teaching children graciousness enables them to enjoy life and garner the love and respect of others. Without a doubt, giving thanks is the touchstone that releases blessings in a person's life. As nearly all religions teach a form of reciprocity, there is no clearer message of "getting what you give" than the Apostle Paul's admonition about sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7-8). So, why is there so much grasping rather than giving in our world? What is the motivation for a person wanting to withhold rather than to be a generous giver of thanksgiving for what they possess? For truly, everything we claim to possess was given to us. One might argue, "I have worked hard for everything in my life, and no one has given me anything! I am a self-made man!" While this type of arrogant bravado may sound good to many, it is untrue. EVERYTHING a person has is given to them by parents, teachers, siblings, or anyone with any influence to speak into another's life. The ability for a person to tie their own shoes to that of making wealth are undoubtedly instruction that they received from somebody at sometime in their respective lives. Ultimately, all good gifts come from God (James 1:17) so to believe that someone has engineered their own prosperity is ludicrous and an affront to God's word.

Material things are important to recognize as coming not from ourselves, but from others and ultimately God. However, of even greater importance is our thanks to God for what He has given and continues to give in both the physical and spiritual realm. He has given us basic guidelines to follow to sustain the blessings that the Lord so freely gives. God's requirements of those He has called and chosen are relatively simple. Often they are not easy, but they are not complicated. When many of us accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into our lives as our Savior, we came to a finality regarding who we were and who He is. At that juncture between heaven and hell, we knew that the free gift of God could never be earned but it must be accepted as something freely bestowed from the Father above. So, with this "attitude of gratitude" we accepted the free gift and thanked God for His Son's sacrifice on our behalf. Hence, we may ask along with the Psalmist in our opening scripture the rhetorical question: What can I give back to the Lord for all He has given me? The answer, of course, is nothing but our thanks and praise. To "lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord", is nothing more than to lift up Jesus and praise the Heavenly Father for sending Him to die in our place. For many of us, this was our position for months and possibly years after we were saved through grace. When we thought on Calvary and the sacrifice of God, we were overcome with gratitude and thanksgiving. As time went on, however, we may have grown distant in our understanding and feelings toward God and what He has done on our behalf. The "cup of salvation" is no longer being lifted up in remembrance but has become neglected and empty where once it overflowed.

One reason people are not thankful for what God has given them is that they don't understand or they have forgotten the value of His gifts. So often we judge ourselves by our most recent failure rather than seeing ourselves as God views us. If we had eyes to see the indescribable riches that Christ has bestowed on mankind, then we would be continually thanking Him for the bounty He gives us daily. So, how does one who knows Christ regain their spiritual vision, to once again have "eyes to see" the glorious riches that He gives all who have put their trust in Him? I believe there are two ways that must converge to give wholeness to a thankful relationship with God. One is learning and knowing, once again, our positional standing with our Maker. We must be vigilant to always be asking that God would reveal Himself to our inner man through His wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17-19). If we truly understand that all things that are Christ's are ours also, then we will be once again struck by His awesome gift(s) and will be overcome with joy and thanksgiving (John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 1:3; Ephesians 1:5-7; Ephesians 2:7-9). The other is constantly developing our conditional relationship with our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ by thanking Him for what He has given. While praise and thanksgiving may be the natural outflow of a man or woman's life that understands their position in Christ, times will come when they don't "feel" like praising and giving thanks. According to Paul, it is always the will of God to give thanks, no matter what the circumstances (I Thessalonians 5:18; Romans 1:21; Hebrews 13:15). If we balk at doing this simple daily exercise, we don't allow our hearts to be open to God's revelation of what He has done on our behalf. If we consistently give God praise no matter what, we are "filling the cup of salvation" once again and allowing it to overflow into all areas of our lives. By training ourselves not to grumble or complain, but to instead give thanks to God, we thereby break every chain of the enemy. By our praise, WE command the victory as we lift up the cup of salvation and call upon His glorious Name!

Beloved, God desires us to always be grateful and thankful, even when we don't feel grateful or thankful. The great truth is that He has already given us all things in the Beloved, Jesus Christ. It is our responsibility to acknowledge all that He has given and to continually give thanks and praise. In these times, our cup definitely overflows with the goodness and favor of God on our souls. But even in the times where we don't want to thank God, these are the most critical times to do so. The enemy would seek to keep our cup empty and dusty and hidden in a corner of our soul. However, once we start thanking Him, by a volition of the will, then once again our cup begins to fill and to overflow. Then, we can say with Paul, with true love and sincerity of heart: Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (II Corinthians 9:15)

Heavenly Father, thank you for the wealth that you have given each and every one of us who know your Son as our Lord and Savior. Our cups certainly do overflow with praise and thanksgiving for all you have done. Let us never cease to praise You, Lord, even when we don't see as we should. Heal our spiritual vision as we continually lift You up in praise and adoration. In so doing, always keep our cups of salvation full and overflowing to bless others. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - "Lie With Me" - November 22, 2009

Genesis 39:7 - It came about after these events that his master's wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me."

Genesis 39 begins with Joseph's ordeal of being sold as a slave into the household of Potiphar where the young Hebrew quickly rises in stature and rank amongst his new lord's servants. As the meaning of Joseph's name means "God increases or adds to", so he rose to second only to Potiphar himself in this royal official's household. The scripture tells us (Genesis 39:1-6) that Joseph was both successful and prosperous in whatever he put his hand to do. This young man had risen, in a relatively short period of time, from being a slave sold in the Egyptian slave market to quite possibly the highest station a slave might hold in Egyptian culture. It appears that Joseph made the best of an imperfect situation by prospering both his master and himself in his once dire straits. However, this was not the end of God's design for Joseph's prosperity nor that of the Hebrew people in the land of Canaan. By a set of dastardly circumstances, Joseph must rise above his station and command all in Egypt in order to save his people. And the catalyst for this rise to power would come by the words and actions of Potiphar's own wife. The road to Joseph's destiny lie in a jail cell before it ended at the throne room. For Joseph, his success as Potiphar's slave would prepare him for his glorious future as the redeemer of the known world through his wisdom in staving off a catastrophic famine.

Our opening text tells us that Potiphar's wife looked with desire at Joseph. However, Genesis 39:7 is clear that this transpired "after these events". What were these events? As previously stated, the first six verses of Genesis 39 contain Joseph's rise to prominence in the house of Potiphar. Clearly, this handsome and strong young Hebrew that was successful in everything he touched became a desirous target to the possibly neglected wife of his master. As often happens, men of integrity and character are challenged morally by evil to determine if they truly are whom they might appear. (One only has to look at any number of moral failures in recent years of mega-church pastors and televangelists.) If Satan can use a temptress or a tempter to try to seduce a man or woman of God, then many times he might bring them down in their folly (Proverbs 6:26). However, if the Devil loses his bet, then the very one he seeks to pull down will often rise stronger in the end by persevering through the trial. We know from the remainder of Genesis 39 that Joseph held fast to his integrity and suffered the lying accusations of Potiphar's wife rather than lie with the woman and destroy all that he had thus achieved. Oftentimes, to stay true to oneself means to disregard any self-preservation, no matter what the cost.

Through the years, I have talked and counseled many that have been at this very crossroads where Joseph made a stand for his own character and integrity. As a practicing alcoholic, I knew what it meant to get a few months of sobriety and then to once again be wooed by the seductress alcohol. As a recovering alcoholic and a sinner saved by grace for many years now, I understand how the world can woo and tantalize those of undetermined wills. I have talked and prayed with many regarding any number of addictions or life style choices that once seemed controllable in their lives, but led them to a place of self-imprisonment that they could not free themselves. There are many such "couches of sin" where the wavering of faith might lie with their respective seductress or seducer. However, that is the time when moral character must be dredged up out of the inner man or woman to counter the attack. If we choose to lie horizontally on "beds of iniquity" and compromise ourselves, then our vertical, spiritual posture will be bowed down with the weight of guilt and shame. We cannot walk with straight backs and uplifted heads if we have given in to our besetting sin and it has once again mastered us. Just as Joseph undoubtedly learned character long before arriving in Egypt, we too must lay claim to small victories in our lives until once again we (as well as others) begin to regard us as people of character. Ah, but then comes the challenge and temptation! For when a man thinks he stands, let him take heed unless he falls (I Corinthians 10:12). Testing and trial will always be the examiner or the tutor, if you will, of the pupil of integrity. As success and prosperity overtake us in our respective journey's of sanctification, the adulteress or the adulterer will be there to try to destroy what we have accomplished by the grace of God. At this critical crossroad, we must stand firm, knowing that ... No temptation has overtaken [us] but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow [us] to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that [we] will be able to endure it (I Corinthians 10:13; I Peter 5:9).

God's promise is that He will never give us more than we can handle. As with Joseph, when things seemed the bleakest in his Egyptian prison, then the Lord broke forth and redeemed his chosen in a marvelous way. We, also, must hold on and never succumb through every trial and temptation, awaiting each subsequent victory. As certain as the Devil hates our successes and the goodness we are germinating within our own lives and those around us, even so he would like nothing better than to kill, steal, and/or destroy these seeds of hope. There may come a time when it seems that God has abandoned us to a proverbial "jail cell" in our own respective Egypt. We may once again sense a loss of hope when just recently we experienced such success and prosperity. And now here we are once again in this dark, dank period where there is no apparent deliverance. Take heart! Fear not! Your redemption is close at hand -- only He can bring us out of the dark. As we allow Him to do it in His time, then we will see in hindsight the wonderful creature that he has created in us through our trusting in Him.

Holy Father, forge our characters in the furnaces of heaven while keeping us from succumbing to the fires and the passions of this world. Allow us to succeed and prosper in all our endeavors knowing that even these must be tried with fire. Let us pass through the flames of these trials, refined in character as precious gold, useful to the our Master and His will for our lives and others. We pray this in Jesus' Name and for His glory, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - Looking for Jesus - November 15, 2009

The following is the message text and audio recording of a sermon titled "Looking for Jesus" delivered to the homeless at the Kansas City Rescue Mission Chapel on November 12, 2009.

Looking for Jesus - November 12, 2009

Matthew 28:5 - The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified."

Many today claim they are seekers after truth. Of these, some will say they are looking for something to believe in. Others might say that they've looked in churches or synagogues and they just can't find God. For these and all hoping to encounter truth, finding God and His Son the Lord Jesus Christ may be as simple as not where they look but how. Has the heart been tenderized so that humility fuels the search? Or, is it an intellectual endeavor that seeks persuasion of the mind before a so-called rational decision can be made? Looking for Jesus will generally result in a jaded outcome if powered by the mind. However, an honest search for Him through the heart will always result in finding Him and His Father above (Jeremiah 29:13). Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus gave their love not just to a "good" man nor to a woman's son, but to their Lord and Savior. Through this awakening of His true identity, they would find Him to be so much more after his crucifixion than they could possibly understand before that fateful day.

Matthew 28:1-15 juxtaposes presumably two or more Roman guards and two Israeli women in mourning. The scene in the garden that morning might have been as simple as one guard coming to relieve another at first watch. The women coming to the tomb would have been of no particular significance to those who might have beheld them in the early dawn light. However, the extraordinary exchange after a sudden earthquake undoubtedly made the guards take notice, not only of the supernatural manifestation taking place, but also the honor the angel bestowed on these women. Matthew 28:4 tells us that the guards shook with fear when they beheld the angel. However, the heavenly being had not come to speak to them but to the lowly, mournful women. God's word through this angelic being is first one of calming to those grieving the loss of their Lord, and most poignantly to not be afraid. The scripture is very clear that the angel spoke to the women exclusively, and not to the soldiers. Fear was an appropriate response for the guards and one they should have embraced in a long term manner. They would have been much better off had they seized the moment for its true significance, as we shall see. However, the angel first comforted and then consoled by revealing to Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus that God knew why they were at the tomb. That even in their extreme loss and seeming desperation, they had still sought out the love of their lives though their longing seemed hopeless. They had quite literally thrown off any expectation other than spending time mourning their loss over the broken body of their crucified Lord. But then the miraculous transpired! The angel announced that indeed Christ had risen and that He would meet them in Galilee (Matthew 28:6-7). As stated in the following verse (Matthew 28:8), the women held on to their fear with obvious reverence over what was happening while also the scripture tells us that they had great joy! What a marvelous turn of events as they hurried off to report these things to the disciples!

However, what of the guards? What was their response to being witnesses of the greatest event ever to happen to humankind? While the scripture is not clear, other than they were fearful at the sight of the angel, we can surmise their state of mind and heart by their final decisions regarding their angelic visitation. While Matthew 28:4 is the only verse describing the soldier's reaction at the tomb, their report and responses to the Jewish hierarchy is most telling. Matthew 28:11 tells us that the guards merely reported "all that had happened" to the Sanhedrin (Jewish Council). The events that follow are not surprising in light of the denial of the Pharisee rulers of Jesus' divinity. Instead of seeking and looking for Jesus themselves since they had first-hand information that He had indeed risen, they chose instead to gloss over it and deny this momentous event. They rationalized with their minds the consequences of admitting their wrong in crucifying the Savior of the world, and decided that the best thing to do would be to act like it never happened. Sadly, we read that the guards also joined in the Jew's complicity by taking a bribe and agreeing to say that they had fallen asleep while His body was stolen away in the night (Matthew 28:13-15). Having witnessed an empty tomb and an angelic proclamation, they disavowed their own integrity and sought Him not. They could have just as easily forsaken their post and followed the women to Galilee, but it was not to be. They had reasoned with their minds and allowed their covetous hearts to remain hard rather than allowing God to tenderize their hearts in the moment.

We all know people like the Roman guards. Many of us were once like them. Some of us may yet be. God has more than once encountered such as these in a supernatural, spiritual manner and yet their hearts remain hard to God's patient wooing. Many have dutifully shown up at church, week after week, and have listened to countless sermons on the resurrected power of Jesus and have left unchanged. They, like the soldiers, have not been looking for Jesus with their hearts but have been casual observers while God is in their very midst. All around them, God is saving, healing, encouraging, loving others yet they overlook the divine and the supernatural God because they are so self-absorbed in their own rationalizations. Their minds have allowed them to disseminate and "report" on what they have seen in a carnal manner, telling themselves that God may be moving in others but He can't or won't in their lives. As their minds and intellect report to their own Pharisaical heart, this hardened corrupt beast full of the nature of sin will blaspheme and deny the resurrection power of Jesus Christ every time. The unyielded heart will always be at enmity toward God. It is no wonder the Pharisees and the Roman guards did what they did in Christ time, just as there is little doubt what those will do who don't look for Jesus with all their heart. They are doomed to be casual observers as the soldiers, selling their souls for an opportunity to appease those in power over their lives. Beloved, if you are one of these that only knows Jesus from a far -- if you are one that can "report" on what God has said about Him yet you have not pursued Him, there is still time to change. Don't be like those who sought the approval of men but rather look for Jesus until you find Him. Decide right here and now, that life lived without the fullness and joy that only Jesus Christ can give is a wasted life -- it's nothing more than a sold out life to sin and eternal damnation. For only as we look for Jesus shall we find Him, and only as we search with our whole heart will we encounter the greatest, deepest, fullest relationship known to humankind. Blessed be His Name forever!

Lord Jesus, we all must come to the tomb of despair to look for You as the risen Lord. Let us not come with the evil beast of intellect, but let us come with open, tender hearts. There we will encounter the blessed assurance of Your resurrection. Lord, give us eyes to see as we look toward You and Your mighty saving power. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - Holy Groaning - November 8, 2009

John 16:21 - Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.

Pregnancy is such an awesome wonder to behold. As a man, I am bereft of any real understanding regarding what a woman goes through during her time of incubating another life within her womb. (Bear with me, ladies, as I state the obvious!) The nuances of two human lives developing a relationship from the moment of conception is an extraordinary thing to ponder. However, I do know what it is like as a father to wait with expectancy as the time of birth draws near. It is an assurance of not IF it will happen but WHEN! It is a mix of excitement and tension as the exact time of birth can be hard to pin down. While I have been told repeatedly that a pregnant woman does not want to be told she is "glowing", it is a true statement whether they like the acknowledgement or not. Women seem to accept this more in the beginning of their pregnancy, but toward the end of the third trimester they are just ready to have their child. They don't want to be told that they look beatific in their maternal way, as many feel tired and "ugly", if you will. Until they shed this "precious poundage" that has dominated their lives for the past several months, there is an inner groaning and an outward discomfort until the birth of their child is finally realized.

In a very real sense (and just as a woman's pregnancy), the church is beginning to witness the early signs of a spiritual pregnancy that will culminate with Christ's return and the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23). The church is beginning to radiate a modest glow and an ever-so-slight witness, if you will, that would be demonstrative of a spiritual pregnancy. The expectant church has been overshadowed by the Holy Spirit in these latter days much in the same way as Mary the mother of Jesus was impregnated as she submitted to God's will. For this to be reality in the church collectively, it has first to be a reality in believers singularly. God has called out many saints in their respective church bodies first and foremost to become holy vessels through obedience and the fear of the Lord (II Corinthians 7:1). As set apart believers that are intent on His will, the Lord God is raising these up as intercessors who will continue to plead the Court of Heaven until the Eternal Judge sends forth both His mercy and justice upon a dying world. We are in the beginning days of God raising up a mighty team who would travail -- a veritable Garrison of Groaners that would not rest night or day until God's will is done on this earth (Isaiah 62:6-7). There is much at stake as men and women join with others to petition heaven. It is the very beginning of the end of days -- the great end-time ingathering of souls (Revelation 14:14-16).

While many believe that the Lord's return might occur at any time, I believe that this is incongruent with scripture. While there are several things that have indeed occurred that would point to Christ's return, there are just as many that have as yet to happen. (One of these, for example, is the need for the Jerusalem Temple to be reconstructed. [Acts 15:13-18; Revelation 11:1-2; Daniel 9:24-27]) The beauty of the Lord delaying His return allows His bride to ready herself, adorning her vestige with holiness which is befitting of a chaste virgin. Even as Mary told the angel Gabriel, may it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:38), even so there are those who are submitting to the Lord for what might seem a long pregnancy. I can assure you, beloved, that this will be a gestation not of months but of years. It will require a continued birthing of prayer meetings, global prayer rooms, intercessory halls, and every other form of gathering for night and day prayer until God breaks forth upon this earth and reaps His greatest desire -- the hearts and lives of men, women, and children. However, we should not grow faint at heart in our waiting. As long as we prepare ourselves, even as the five prudent virgins in Jesus' parable (Matthew 25:1-13), then we will be full of the oil of His Spirit. The oil of gladness (Isaiah 61:3) will keep us expectant, longing with a fortitude that will not be denied no matter how long He delays.

We should all be asking ourselves particular questions if we truly believe we are in the last days. For if we are in the end time, it means our redemption is drawing near and we should be rapturous with expectation (Luke 21:28). Has God given you a joy of expectancy in your life? Have you the flush of being of pregnant with what the Spirit of God is doing in our generation? Is He brooding over you to bring forth an outpouring of His Spirit not seen since the days of Pentecost? In all honesty, beloved, I have witnessed very little of the brooding Spirit of the Holy God in our present time. Even in our respective prayer groups in the midst of the burgeoning global prayer movement, we see enthusiasm and fervor but the majority of it can often appear as repetitious rote. However, before you think I am coming down on the present day prayer movement, understand that I believe we are doing all that God is asking us to do. In the midst of our apparent deadness, there is a wonderful life that has begun to grow and to be nurtured in the very womb of His Body, the church. Its life and sustenance is the prayer room as men, women, and children groan for a birthing of Holy Ghost power the world has yet to see. The pregnancy is not noticeable on a wholesale manner, and especially to the world -- yet. However, the beginnings are already starting to reach out and arrest those God has called to become intercessors to help birth this great movement. It will take a collective body, a chaste virgin that first glows with anticipation and then groans for its completion. Shall we be counted worthy to be part of such a marvelous work? May God give us all the grace to be that man or woman to join hands with others in this joyous labor of love.

Once again and a million times over, Lord, we cry out with John the Revelator, The Spirit and the bride say come! (Revelation 22:17). May Your kingdom come as we join hands and hearts to birth the greatest awakening ever known to humankind. We humbly submit to this awesome endeavor. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - Sin's Separation - November 1, 2009

Isaiah 59:2 - But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

Many of us who have been around Christian circles for any length of time have heard our share of sermons on prayer. A favorite saying that many preachers will interject into their message is "... God ALWAYS answers prayers. It may not be on our time-table, but God always answers prayers!" I believe this emphatically. However, I also see how this can be a cop out. It is easy to say that God always answers prayers when nothing demonstrably happens once a so-called man or woman of God pray. How often have we seen a television evangelist pray over someone and then when the miracle doesn't materialize, they simply tell the person being prayed for to keep believing in the miracle and that it will come in due time. They loose themselves from all responsibility of the miraculous occurring by putting the fault back on the one being prayed for if it doesn't happen. After all, the "pray-ee" just didn't have faith to receive the miracle, right? Hogwash! My soul feels revulsion for the lack of power in prayer by so-called healers and workers of miracles, telling those being prayed for that they must provide all the faith for the miracle to manifest. In only two instances in the Gospels were Jesus' healings contingent on the faith of those receiving prayer (Matthew 13:58; Mark 9:23-24). Preachers and healers love to quote these scriptures when there are no demonstrable results from their petitions. However, the vast majority of the time Jesus is chronicled as healing people indiscriminately, whether they had faith or not. Without a doubt, it pleased the Lord when those He prayed for possessed faith. The scriptures show several examples including the Centurion's son (Matthew 8:5-14) or the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:23-28) but it was not the determining factor in most instances. The Gospels are clear that Jesus went into areas and did "wholesale" healing, if you will, laying hands on all and healing them with His immediate touch (Matthew 4:24; Matthew 8:16; Mark 1:34; Luke 4:40; Luke 5:15).

Jesus stated in the Gospel of John: Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father (John 14:12). His promise to His beloved are works or manifestations of His power greater than what He did as a sojourner on this earth. So what is the problem? Why do we not see more immediate answers to prayer as Christ demonstrated in His ministry? Personally, I believe the answer is much simpler than most would feel comfortable believing. The scripture tells us point blank why God does not hear our prayers ... we STILL have a sin problem! I'm not talking about our position in Christ because clearly all who know the Risen Lord and have trusted in Him for salvation have died to sin, POSITIONALLY that is. Too many, I fear, have not taken Paul's admonition to heart when he instructed us to die to sin CONDITIONALLY, once and for all (Romans 6:11). As our opening scripture states, God has hidden His face from us because of sin (Isaiah 59:2). Most have not allowed God to truly sanctify them, to live lives of 100% obedience which would first mean a time of deep introspection and confession of sin. James the brother of Jesus is very clear on the progression of steps to command fervent, effectual prayer. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much (James 5:16). Beloved, first we must confess our SINS to one another. I'm not talking about SIN which was what we confessed to Jesus Christ when we acknowledged that we were sinners in need of His grace. But James is stating that we need to "clean house" and sweep away every thing that is not of Jesus. It must be destroyed. According to this scripture and many others like it, we can only find healing as we confess our sins to another human being. This will allow the Holy Spirit to come in and fill our hearts and lives as never before. Then, our prayers will begin to take on a power that we never dreamed. It is not by happenstance that James goes on in the following verses to compare effective prayer with that of Elijah. This prophet prayed for the sky to be shut up for three and half years and it happened according to his word (James 5:17-18). The apostle is not merely making a comparison here in the attempt to give a flourish to his writing, but he genuinely believed that those who live clean and obedient lives can invoke heaven in much the same way as the Old Testament prophet.

A remarkable instance of God coming in an extraordinary way through confession happened on February 3, 1970 at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky. What was supposed to be a 50 minute chapel service on a Tuesday morning turned into a 185 hour manifestation of God's revival power -- a 24 hour prayer and praise meeting that would be the spark for the Jesus Movement of the early '70s. And, it all started from a deep sense of conviction (John 16:8) and then a confession of sin(s). Before long, students and faculty were lined up to come to the microphone, confessing their sins and testifying of the Lord's goodness through their repentance. (An account of the Asbury Revival is available on video here.) Asbury is just one example. Every revival or manifestation of God's power was predicated by a deep conviction of both SIN for the unsaved and SINS for those who knew the Savior. No matter if it was during the Great Awakening in John Wesley's day, or Charles Finney during the Second Great Awakening of pre-Civil War America, or the more recent Azusa Street Revival of Los Angeles in 1906, these all characteristically began with the Spirit of Conviction regarding sin resting on those God both moved on and through during these momentous manifestations.

Beloved, many of us who desire to see God move in our time as He has done so faithfully in the past can only concur with God's desire to move in like fashion. I say this with an assurance given to me by the inner witness of the Holy Spirit and by His holy scriptures that God will move once again on our darkened world when we cry out from hearts that are completely His. What we see in many parts of the world with the Global Prayer Movement is an awesome thing! Many of these prayer meetings have been going strong for years, covenanting with God on a 24/7 basis. God is going to move in a powerful way through prayer as it births world-wide revival. However, there must come a holy conviction first that we have yet to see in order for God's Spirit to be poured forth. Once God grants us the Spirit of Conviction that convinces of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8), THEN we will begin to see and hear the fervent and effectual prayers of righteous men and women as they invoke the fire of God upon this dying world. No longer will He be hiding His face from His beloved, but He will be rapturous with expectation along with His Bride regarding the workings of His Spirit within our midst.

Come Lord ... come and bring to us conviction of sin both to the sinner and to the saint. We confess our sins to you, O Lord, and to one another. May You move with a power and an unction we have never imagined. In Jesus' Precious Holy Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - God's Fires - October 25, 2009

The following is the message text and audio recording of a sermon titled "God's Fires" delivered to the homeless at the Kansas City Rescue Mission Chapel on October 22, 2009.

God's Fires - October 22, 2009

Psalm 97:2-3 - Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him and burns up His adversaries round about.

While fire has for millennia offered to humankind an energy source to both light and warm our respective lives, most either learn or instinctively know a safe distance to keep from its incandescent glow. A "burn barrel" set up on a cold day at a frozen lake or a snow-laden sledding hill is a pretty good indicator of the degree of daring individuals might have toward approaching its warmth. As a child, we all collected brush wood to feed the flame as we sledded or skated, returning to the warmth of the roaring fire to unthaw throughout the day. Some of us had sense to stay away from the direct flames and the heat of the 55 gallon steel drum. Others got too close and ended up either singing their hair or eyebrows, or melting a pair of nylon gloves or mittens by drying them too close to the heat. A "normal" reaction to fire should generate a healthy respect in most people. However, some might have an irrational desire to be around fire, hence they might be classified as having pyromaniac tendencies . On the other end of the proverbial spectrum are those that have a morbid fear of fire. Dictionary.com defines the word pyrophobia as "... an excessive or abnormal fear of fire". Panic-stricken individuals that run from its relatively safe illumination may have experienced a traumatic experience earlier in life that might cause them to retreat with such vehement fear. Witnessing a loved one that lost their life in a house fire can often traumatize an individual to the point of phobic episodes. While a healthy fear and respect for fire is a normal reaction, irrational and terrorized behavior toward fire are not. Phobias such as this are not easily reversed and often take years of constructive counseling to overcome. Unless, of course, God intervenes.

A normal respect for fire would include not getting too close to the flame, nor too far away in order to enjoy its comfort. God has given us all natural understanding in this regard. However, how much of His wisdom do we possess concerning the nature of God as the Living Fire to both the righteous and the wicked? For surely, scripture states that His nature is as a consuming fire to both sinners and saints (Hebrews 12:28-29). The question that every man, woman, girl, and boy must ask themselves is this: Do I wish to embrace His flame, or shall I run from it in terror? For with God's fire, there really is no "middle-of-the-road, living in the comfort of His glow" existence. One might say, "Let my preacher burn brightly for God ... that's his job, right? As for me and my house, well, we'll just enjoy the warmth of Sunday morning services. After all, don't want anyone to think I'm a fanatic or anything. That's just not my style!" Beloved, God will burn all of us up one way or another. We will either burn for Him in this lifetime, or we will burn without Him in the life to come. Certainly, there will be some saved by the skin of their teeth, so to speak. Paul talks about these in his letter to the Corinthians when he states all men's works will be revealed by fire.

Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. - I Corinthians 3:12-15

If there is indeed nothing left that is built on the foundation of Christ's redemption, then the scripture is clear that these will indeed inherit eternal life. However, on that glorious day when standing in His presence, they will have nothing to offer Him but their own selfish lives. Having resisted the sanctifying fires of His presence in their earthly existence, they are now saved only through God's mercy as He sanctifies and glorifies them on that last day. Yet, what is the price to pay if one has lived a selfish life and has in reality deceived themselves regarding their eternal position? Is warming oneself by the "fires of this world" worth the gamble of jeopardizing where they will spend eternity? His Spirit is ours today to both sanctify and purge, creating a vessel that is surrendered for His use (Ephesians 2:10).

In reality, there is far less burning for God in our present world than burning for sin's passions. There will always be one that will prevail at any given time and place in human history. Sin has been allowed to burn out of control because the church has not burned in prayer for a lost world. While homosexuals march in the streets for equal rights, and baby killers speak about the rights of a woman, God grieves that there is no one to stand in the gap and burn with a holy fervor over these blatant expressions of sin that parade through our land. For these are only symptomatic of a much deeper and deadly rebellion towards a holy God. The crux of the problem is this -- THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES! They no longer fear the fires of passion that desire to consume them in this life, nor the fires that will consume them in the one to come. Instead, they should be reverentially giving themselves to a loving God that will consume them with His holy fire in this life and cause them to burn with the brightest of the sun in the next (Revelation 1:16; Romans 6:5). If there were more saints burning for God to send revival to this earth in a global way, then we would hear the words of Isaiah the prophet once again, stating: Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless "Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?" (Isaiah 33:14). Beloved, when the lost are saying in a wholesale manner once again as the Philippian jailer: What must I do to be saved? (Acts 16:30), then we will know that the Spirit of Burning has been loosed upon this world through the power of men and women burning in prayer (Isaiah 4:4).

There are defined moments for every living person to make a decision for Christ. These decisions will dictate how we are to burn for the Lord, for as stated earlier, we will burn for Him one way or another. Some may think of us as being "pyromaniac" for God, intent on burning for Him and nothing else. Many will think that this behavior is socio-imbalanced or psychotic in behavior. Others, may view those with a terror or an angst toward God as those who might be diagnosed as "Theopyrophobic" (fear of the fire of God). These could be atheist or agnostics who subliminally or subconsciously use their supposed denial of God as a cover for their deep-seated fear of the unknown. Then, there are those who try to hover between the comfort of the fires of this world and the Fires of the Lord. This is a most precarious position. While this is normalcy when dealing with natural fire, it is lunacy and a bad gamble when dealing with a God who is a consuming fire. Our first desire should be to give ourselves to Him in this lifetime -- to allow Him to purge and remove from us anything that might hinder His Spirit. Our ongoing desire should be to burn long and bright in this life for His purposes, allowing us the right to shine with Him throughout eternity.

John answered and said to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." - Luke 3:16

Lord Jesus, May we all burn with You and for You!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - The Beatitudes - Persecution - October 18, 2009

Matthew 5:10 - Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

What does it mean to be persecuted for righteousness' sake? To define Christian persecution as people ridiculing you if you have a bible on your desk at work, or that you say a prayer in a restaurant over a meal narrowly addresses Jesus' intent when speaking to His audience on the Mount. An insulting word regarding one's faith, to be sure, is a minor form of persecution. However, when one understands the true biblical definition of persecution, it is evident that we as American believers have not experienced persecution like others in various parts of the world. Many Muslim nations in Asia and Africa forbid the preaching and proselytizing of the Christian faith. It is more than just civil disobedience resulting in a fine in areas hostile to the Gospel -- the price is often the loss of life. While America was founded by those fleeing from religious persecution, we have yet to experience those who would seek our lives for living and sharing our faith in a state-sponsored manner. However, as Christianity continues to be denigrated in the United States as a supposed "right-wing" intolerant faith, the days of physical persecution may not be far beyond the proverbial horizon. (In the near future, it may be a so-called "hate crime" and a civil liberties violation to even talk about the sin of homosexuality for what it is -- a perversion of God's ordained love between a man and a woman!) American believers may experience what their brethren in many parts of the world partake of on a daily basis in short order. We too, may be harangued and persecuted as our foreign counterparts. And why should we expect differently? For as Paul stated: Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (II Timothy 3:12).

In Matthew 5: 10, the root phrase in the Greek, "who have been persecuted" is dediōgmenoi which literally means "to put to flight or to pursue". This implies a pre-meditated, calculated attempt by those in power to impede or stop those who call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ in whatever means are at their disposal. As in the other beatitudes, Jesus declares a blessing on those who would be harassed and hunted like a wild beast for His Name's sake. Luke, the author of the book of Acts, uses a derivation of this word to describe the actions of Saul of Tarsus (later to be known as Paul) as he sought out Christ's followers to have them imprisoned. When Jesus asked Saul in the vision on the road to Damascus, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?", Luke chooses a form of dediōgmenoi, using the present tense diōkeis which translates "is persecuting" (Acts 9:4). Little did Saul know that up until that moment of clarity on the Damascus Road, he had been a tool of the devil and yet a catalyst of blessing to those he sought to inflict harm. However, it was not in God's Master Plan for Saul to remain in his present state. He desired to transform the Pharisee Saul into the Apostle Paul. By Jesus' declaration of who Saul was in the eyes of God, this epiphany empowered the zealous young man to be converted for the Lord's work.

So, what kind of persecution should we expect in our western civilization if we desire to live godly lives? In our present societies, most of us will not be hunted down as did blindly-zealous Saul the first century Christians. However, we should expect verbal abuse at times that is hateful toward our lives as believers in Jesus Christ. The Lord made a distinction in the verses following Matthew 5:10 marking the difference between verbal abuse and physical persecution. In Matthew 5:11-12, Jesus states: Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. In these verses, Christ mentions oral persecution twice with the implication of physical abuse just once. While verbal persecution in and of itself is not life threatening, it can quickly evolve into a physically abusive scenario. (Psychologists tell us that physical abuse nine times out of ten will be preceded with verbal abuse.) Jesus relates that to suffer insults, character defamation, lies, and evil dispersions are all cause for rejoicing. As He points out, the prophets were treated with contempt and abusive speech often years before they were martyred for His sake. And, why were they were treated as such? Because they spoke the truth and did not compromise God's message in a turbulent, idolatrous time! Do we see any of the same parallels today, beloved? Has the Christian faith become so watered-down in many churches that there is no longer any distinction whether the so-called flock is Christian or of some other eastern philosophy that panders to a belief that "all roads must lead to heaven, since all roads lead to Rome"? I tell you with sober conviction, that if we are not at the very least ruffling a few folks around us regarding our faith, I would question whether we truly have any real faith. If we are not incurring the occasional gossip behind our backs (or in our presence) or the overt insult to our face of our so-called intolerance toward others because of supposed "narrow-mindedness", then we should be crying out to God for a life of conviction that is once and for all led by His Spirit.

While we may not experience the depth of persecution that some of our global brethren may be experiencing, there is little doubt that we should be manifesting a certain joy in our present struggles in our encounters with a hateful, anti-Christ world we live in. Nobody that I know in America is currently being hunted down for their faith. However, I can assure us of this -- if one cannot endure the insults and the evil that others might say against us today, then we will not be ready to endure the persecution that may be on our very doorsteps. Do we feel blessed when others might insult us for our faith? Or, have we not garnered that type of response from others because we have not submitted ourselves to our Lord for this to happen? If we are living obedient lives full of His presence, He has promised us persecution to one degree or another. Blessed are we if we will embrace these occasions for they ensure our citizenship in that glorious kingdom above!

Father, we seek not persecution for persecution's sake, but we desire to be pleasing in Your sight. As we are insulted or abused for our faith in You, remind us that we are blessed in heaven and while on this earth for our testimony. Remind us that the kingdom of heaven is ours if we shrink not from the good news of Jesus Christ and Him crucified and resurrected. In Christ's Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - The Beatitudes - Peacemakers - October 11, 2009

The following is a video recording and message text of a sermon titled "The Beatitudes - Peacemakers" delivered to the homeless at the Kansas City Rescue Mission Chapel on October 8, 2009.

The Beatitudes - Peacemakers @ Yahoo! Video

The Beatitudes - Peacemakers (PowerPoint)

Matthew 5:9 - Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Much has been written and stated about the peacemakers of our time. Many notables have attempted to bring about lasting peace regarding their respective spheres of influence. While all never attained to their highest ideals, some failed more demonstrably than others. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain sought a peaceful solution to the rise of Nazism in the late 1930s in Europe, yet his naive appeasement only led to millions dead in the wake of World War II. Others such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. saw passive resistance as the way to join the hands of those who hate. Unfortunately, both were assassinated for their cause. Others such as President Bill Clinton who helped engineer the so-called Mideast Peace Accord of the 1990s saw the unraveling of peace nearly as soon as the pen met the paper. Throughout our present history, United Nations ambassadors have often been lost in an "ocean of dialogue" in the halls of diplomacy while lasting peace has languished amidst bloody chaos back in their own countries. While some would say that peace is a noble, humanistic endeavor that needs to be striven after and that will one day be obtained, the scripture tells us otherwise. While we may know "seasons" of truce between warring factions, there is always the slow simmer of hatred and unrest under the cloak of detente'. Millennia-old tensions and resentments await just the right catalyst to once again stoke the fires of hostility. Not only is this true with governments and cultures dating back to the dawn of time, but it is also true in an individual's life. While this is the sober state of unregenerate humanity, it does not have to be that way. There is One who is not only the Creator of peace, but who rules a kingdom where its very charter is empowered by the spirit of reconciliation.

True and lasting peace is not an ideal that carnal man can attain to in a humanistic endeavor, but it is realized in a Person (Ephesians 2:14-15). It is the embodiment of the Lord Jesus Christ and how He lived His life on this earth. Once again, we see in this beatitude (as in all previous) Jesus revealing a particular facet of Himself and of His Father in heaven. The implied definition of a "peacemaker" is someone who possesses or owns the power of reconciliation and is amply supplied within their respective character to give it to others. As the embodiment of peace, Jesus spoke with authority into people's lives (John 14:27) as well as into the creation itself (Mark 4:39). This was diametrically different than the authority others had wielded over the nation of Israel in Jesus' time. While many spoke of peace with the Romans and those who threatened their homeland, they were impotent to render a peaceful outcome. However, the Lord spoke of a heavenly kingdom and a kingdom yet to come on this earth where His peacemakers would act with the same divine authority that He possessed from the Father. Christ tells us that if we know Him and have accepted His life into ours, then we too will epitomize His vocation as peacemaker. As such, we will be unable to avoid this divine calling since we are inextricably joined with His life. And, as so, we become not only sons of God but brethren to our Lord (Hebrews 2:11). And, as sons of God we join in His labor for the Father's longing -- a harvest of souls through the ministry of reconciliation.

The Apostle Paul understood the true character of a peacemaker. Commending the ministry the Lord had entrusted to him and others, Paul instructs the Corinthian church on first comprehending being rightly related to God through new birth, and then the responsibility of every believer to bring others in relationship with the Father. In II Corinthians 5:17, Paul states a familiar passage to most believers: Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. By Paul's declaration, anyone who has identified themselves with Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection has now become a "super-naturalized" citizen of another kingdom (Colossians 1:13). Through this new birthright into another realm, Paul is telling us that we all have been given divine appointments as ministers of reconciliation. Therefore, just as Christ drew us to Himself and saved us from our sin, so also should we be drawing others from the grasp of hell into the kingdom of light by the authority and power of His Holy Spirit (II Corinthians 5:18-19). As holy ambassadors of heaven and a future redeemed earth, we are given the same power to bring lost souls into the Father's arms (II Corinthians 5:20).

Not a lot has changed in the Mideast in 2,000 years. Peace is not attained through weakness but through a confident show of strength and authority. Many say that this is the only thing Semitic and non-Semitic Middle Eastern cultures understand. As Jesus spoke and acted with authority, he garnered the common people's respect and the established religious-political authorities' ire. Similarly today, if we speak out in the name of Jesus as ambassadors of His peace and His salvation, then we will encounter resistance from some but also respect and gratitude from others. As Christians, we must stand up for truth because, at the end of the proverbial day, we will know that we are laboring with God as peacemakers. By our testimony of His love and salvation, we are seeking to restore the broken relationship between a lost man, woman, or child with a loving, forgiving God. While the work of Chamberlain, or Gandhi, or King may have been noble for this lifetime, we must seek a higher calling of closing the chasm between humankind and God the Father. As peacemaking is commendable between nations, cities, communities, and individuals, the loss is much more incalculable if peace is not brokered between a man and His God. It is only by trusting in our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, that we may first have peace for ourselves (Romans 5:1) and then are equipped to give it to others.

Father, we thank you that Your Son gave us all the ministry of reconciliation through the gift of salvation -- that we ALL can be peacemakers of a righteous kingdom that will one day fill the earth, even as it does heaven. Help those of us who know You to draw from Your Spirit as we bring others to you through your spiritual diplomacy. Allow us to participate as holy ambassadors for the great work of peacemaking between heaven and earth. In Jesus' name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - The Beatitudes - Purity - October 4, 2009

Matthew 5:8 - Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Cultures throughout the millennia have valued purity in one way or another. Precious metals such as gold or silver have always carried more value depending on their degree of overall purity. As such, gold and silver are refined in the smelter's heat to bring greater value to their owner. The purification process may go through several refinements until that state of 99.9% purity is obtained. However, no matter how much refining might be done to precious metals such as gold or silver, there is nothing on this earth that can be made 100% pure. Likewise, honey is refined by heat and gives off a translucent glow when under the refiners fire. Yet, even though this sweet product might be advertised as "pure honey", it will always possess traces of unrefined substances that are impossible to extract during the purification process.

In this beatitude, Jesus knew that his audience understood the difference between the pure and impure. Undoubtedly, many in this crowd either worked as smelters or they knew relatives that worked with metals such as copper, bronze, silver, and gold. They understood the painstaking criticality of heating the furnaces to just the right temperature and the art of not over-heating the molten metals. An inexperienced smelter might ruin a batch of precious metal by not applying the right amount of heat at the critical moment. However, the artisan metallurgist knew the precise moment to remove the liquefied batch from the oven. In so doing, he ensured a purity that only the experienced could render.

Throughout the Old Testament, God has spoken through His prophets regarding the refiner's fire and His desire to purify a people that would walk after His own heart. In Malachi 3:2-3 the prophet states: But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness. Through this scripture and many others (see also Psalm 66:10; Jeremiah 9:7; Daniel 12:10; Zechariah 13:9), we see that God is the purifier, not us. We have no power within to purify ourselves, no more than the gold or silver has the ability to purify itself. We, like the crude ore that is mined from the earth, must submit ourselves to God, allowing Him to "smelt" us in the Furnaces of His Desire. Personal purity, or sanctification if you like, comes in no other way than by obeying God in every instance of our lives and granting Him total permission to form us according to His will. Unfortunately, most flinch or cringe under this type of "burning" from the Lord. Beloved, God will always come as a fire when He desires to make us His own. Many wish to experience His Holy Ghost fire as He manifests Himself in signs and wonders -- divine healings, prophetic words, et al. However, to experience His supernatural outpouring of signs and wonders through the fire of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, one must first experience the fire of His Divine Furnaces. It cheapens God in our day and time when men and women pray over souls for a baptism of fire in their lives, when they themselves have not first experienced a baptism of obedience! They are trying to impart to others the very Spirit they themselves are yet to receive, and it's all because of their carnal knowledge and love of this world (II Timothy 3:5). To the degree that a man or a woman has emptied themselves of their own self-serving ways, is to the degree that God can come in with His Holy "Flame Thrower" and bring this man or woman to their knees in repentance for their sinful disobedience. Then, God will have purified vessels that He can send anywhere in this world -- under any circumstances -- knowing that these will never waver in the face of the Flesh, the World, or the Devil. They have become Christ's ambassadors, filled with a Holy Ghost unction born in the Furnaces of Obedience to the Lord.

Most believe that the Lord, like the inexperienced smelter, will ruin them if they totally submit to the Holy Fire of His love. They may not say that in words, but they say it in their actions. Otherwise, there would be many more who would give themselves unreservedly to the Holy Smelter of our hearts. Most believe, by their actions, that God could never love us the way that He claims. For if we really understood that He loved us with a love that was eternal and infinite as He is, then we would trust Him to immerse us time and time again into the Fire of His Holy Desire until we came out that purified vessel of honor. Beloved, without a doubt, we will all be glorified someday and will be pure as we stand before His throne and see Him face to face. However, there is so much of heaven that we can live here on this earth. Purity of heart is not just for the "sweet by and by". It is to be embraced NOW, as we submit to the Flames of His Love. Do you desire to see Him? It should be the most normal thing for a Christian to experience on this earth. For as we give ourselves to the Master Purifier, He will allow us to see Him as we never thought possible in this lifetime. And, oh, what sweetness that will provoke for a lifetime of seeing Him both now and in the age to come! Glory be to God for His gracious Gift of Burning. May we embrace it with a trust and a love that can only come from Him!

Heavenly Father, Lover of our souls ... take us this day and have your way with us. Help us not shrink from your fire, for only from Your Furnace of Love comes true life that is pure. As we are refined by Your love, may we see You in all Your fullness. Oh Father, thank you for your Son who has shown us the way. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - The Beatitudes - Mercy - September 27, 2009

The following is the message text and audio recording of a sermon titled "The Beatitudes - Mercy" delivered to the homeless at the Kansas City Rescue Mission Chapel on September 24, 2009.

The Beatitudes - Mercy - September 24, 2009

Matthew 5:7 - Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Through this devotional glimpse of the Beatitudes over the past few weeks, we have seen Jesus define the very Nature of God. If Christ were a politician, one might say that the Beatitudes we have discussed and the ones remaining are his political platform, of sorts. Quite literally, these define the Man and where He stands on the Nature of God versus the fallen nature of man. Using another political metaphor, one might say that the Beatitudes are Christ's "Declaration of Independence" from the world and His utter dependence on the Father. In the remainder of chapter five and the entirety of chapters six and seven, Jesus explains the particulars or the out-workings of this "declaration" in the Sermon on the Mount. If the Beatitudes are Christ's Declaration of Independence from the world, then His Sermon on the Mount is truly the Constitution and the "Bill of [no] Rights" toward the believer. Christ tells us in this manifesto of Divine living that we really have no rights to our own way if we choose to follow Him, bearing our respective crosses through this life. (Ironically, though we may be dying daily (I Corinthians 15:31) and living as aliens on this earth, we are heirs of the eternal kingdom where we will one day live and reign.)

In our previous look at the Beatitudes, we have seen the opposite or a juxtaposition of the affects produced by the respective effects of blessedness in a believer's life. For instance, to be "poor in spirit" or to possess a spirit of poverty toward the lusts of this world produces a richness in heaven. Or, by mourning over sin and for the blessed appearing of our Savior, one will therefore be comforted. Unlike its predecessors, this particular character attribute of the Divine Nature is valued both by those on earth and in heaven, by both the unregenerate and the redeemed. By its value, mercy's blessing is different than those of other beatitudes. As a person sows mercy, that is what they will also reap. In other words, rather than an opposite creating an opposite as in previous instances, Jesus is describing a facet of Godly nature that creates more of the same. Jesus tells us that the act of showing mercy will beget more mercy for the giver. More than that, He tells us that if we nurture the character of mercy where we become known as merciful human beings, than our lives will continue to reap mercy as a constant inflow and outflow of our lives. This is very much in tune with the law of reciprocity in all areas of giving. If one sows sparingly, then one will reap sparingly. If one sows abundantly, one will reap an abundance. If we show acts of mercy on occasion with randomness, then the mercy we are able to receive from God and man will be occasional and random. However, if we live lives of mercy toward others and are by nature merciful people, mercy from both God and man will flow into our lives like a torrent. So, how does one initially come to a true understanding along with a true desire to live as a merciful person toward all? Mercy, as we shall see, has a critical counterpart that fuels its proverbial engine.

Christian philosopher and writer C.S. Lewis is quoted as saying: Mercy, detached from justice, grows unmerciful. In order for there to be a manifestation of God's mercy in the spirit of a man or woman, there must first be a recognition of God's righteousness and the justice due as the penalty of sin. The ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies of the Hebraic tabernacle gives us a word picture of the requirements to receive God's mercy. First of all, one must recognize God's righteousness and the penitent's lack thereof as typified by one of two cherubs overarching the Mercy Seat as it reached out toward its counterpart. This cherub is named Righteousness. Secondly, one must understand that a holy, righteous God cannot excuse sin but He must judge it. For Him to do otherwise would nullify His holy and just Nature. Hence, the name of the other cherub -- Justice. The great undoing of this dilemma for humankind is that in which the cherubim overshadow -- that glorious Mercy Seat -- a foreshadowing of the heavenly article where Christ offered up His blood to the Father once and for all as the propitiation for all sin for all time. In ancient Israel, God "passed over" the sins of His people once a year by the sprinkling of the blood of the Passover lamb during the Feast of Passover. Jesus Christ became the Eternal Lamb that once and for all gave His blood to obtain eternal mercy for humanity on that heavenly Seat of Mercy in the tabernacle not made with hands (Hebrews 9:11-12). By the death of Christ, mercy became something that did not need renewing year after year. It became a transferable, definable characteristic of God the Father through His son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It was now part of the very nature of God given to every born again believer -- the ability to live a merciful life with power toward others.

Through the typology of the ark of the covenant, God has graciously given us the secret or an equation, if you will, to first receive and then to be people of mercy. In John 16:8, Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes that He would "... convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment". Beloved, if we have known the Spirit's convicting power in our hearts regarding our sin ... if we have seen His righteousness and how our "filthy rag" righteousness (Isaiah 64:6) cannot compare with that of a holy God ... and if we TRULY understand that we all deserve judgment, then those elements will produce a cry for mercy that only a merciful God can give.

Jesus said that "... those who have been forgiven much, love much" (Luke 7:47). According to the scripture, one might rightly judge those who claim to be Christians yet lack love and forgiveness toward others. Have they truly met the Risen Lord if they lack mercy toward their fellow man? As the heart of a man, woman, or child is convicted or convinced by the Holy Spirit of its need for salvation, and one accepts God into their lives, the Nature of the Divine One ultimately acts and reacts with the same mercy toward others as it did toward this penitent soul. If the Divine mercy is not at work in a so-called believer, perhaps they did not believe at all. Mercy will beget mercy, just as love will produce love. We can only give mercy away when we have first TRULY received it. Once we begin this purposeful adventure, the Lord will continue to enlarge our hearts until we see and further embrace the workings of His will toward His greatest desire -- broken lives that are transformed into glorious sons and daughters of His kingdom!

Heavenly Father, thank you for your mercy. Thank you that Jesus, Your Son, presented His blood once and for all that we might obtain eternal mercy. Help us to give and to keep giving Your mercy to others for it can never be exhausted. For as we give, we receive. We praise You. In Jesus Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick