“Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah…has prevailed…And I looked, and behold…stood a Lamb as though it has just been slain.” Rev 5:5,6

In verse 5 John the Revelator describes a vision of Jesus as a powerful, fearful yet majestic Lion. As his knocking knees buckled, verse 6 says he lifted his eyes and the One in the vision has been mystically transformed into a gentle, mercy-filled, irresistibly approachable Lamb. So which is Jesus, a Lion or a Lamb? How you answer this question is much more than a theological matter. Our perception of Who Jesus is and how He interacts with us has far-reaching implications for how we live. It can also have a direct impact on our ability to stand firm in our faith as the darkness around us increases in these days.

In truth, our finite, natural minds tend to latch on to Jesus as either a Lamb, or a Lion. Understandably, we struggle to comprehend how He could be both; and in our ambivalence, we gravitate towards Him, and join others in forming camps, around one depiction or the other. Though we may give mental assent that scripture describes God as an extravagant and open-armed Father as well as a fire-eyed Warrior who exacts vengeance, like a magnet we tend to be strongly pulled towards one and repelled by the other.

Throughout Church history trends have varied. Whole generations passed when the roar of the Lion is what echoed from pulpits. People were brought to conviction, were vigilant to obey, had a keen sense of Christian duty and a vocal intolerance of sin. Believers raised in these times spoke of the fear of the Lord not as some ancient, Old Testament and inferior understanding. The posture of the worshiper was reverence, of bowing before the One who is holy. This actually is the way that many Christians around the world still approach their God and King.

The messages in our churches today, especially in the West, have shifted and reflect our clear preference to exalt not just a Father, but a “Dad”, One who is ever-accepting, non-condemning, and full of grace. Those in the “Lamb Camp” don’t talk much about God as Judge, or as holy. When is the last time you heard someone talk about the fear of the Lord? Some would even cringe at the suggestion God is to be feared; they have a list of scriptures to prove that such talk is very old fashioned!

The irony of this contradiction can be seen in our chatter about revival. While it is true that some revivals have been characterized by healing and laughter, a reflection of the Lamb’s character, it is also true that many others have been very Lion-like. People in these moves of God spoke of being “undone”, of coming under deep conviction of sin, even being led to public confession of transgressions. Those coming out of the great revival of China in the 80’s wrote songs of war, of radical obedience, even dying for the cause of Christ. If we are only oriented around our one-sided Lamb perspective, we may miss, reject, even criticize what we see when God answers our prayers to pour out His Spirit!

Consequences of clinging to our preferred concept of Jesus as Lion or Lamb can be as “harmless” as a missed opportunity and as grave as our faith becoming shipwrecked. A total buy-in of Jesus as a Lamb, or embracing His comforting, advocating qualities, can leave believers storm-tossed and confused when harsh trials such as outbreaks of disease and wars, or persecution, pummel us. But people who are singly bent on seeing Jesus through a Lion prism also face dangers. They tend towards expressions of faith that are rigid, ritualistic and law-bound…lifeless. They can fall short in accessing the grace of God to heal and refresh. They may find themselves struggling to live with contentment. This too may lead to a falling away when times get really tough.

Frankly, sometimes we need to fall at His feet as though dead. At other times, we need to, in childlike hilarity, run as fast as we can and jump as high as we can only to be caught in His pillowed and liberating embrace. Jesus is not either a Lion or a Lamb. He is both a Lamb and a Lion. To truly know Him is to grow to appreciate and worship these two incredible though opposite aspects of His nature. My prayer is each one of us would press on to know God exactly as He is*, not tinged or tainted by the prevailing, culture- and time-bound images of our Savior.

“Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord…” Hos 6:3

*Hosea 6:1-3 nicely juxtaposes these two dialectical notions, as do many other scriptures. May this article whet your appetite to mine for more of these treasures from the wonders of His Word. If you have some, I’d love to hear from you!

“Sing, O barren,
You who have not borne!
Break forth into singing and cry aloud,
You who have not labored with child!
For more are the children of the desolate
Than the children of the married women,
says the Lord.” IS 54:1

Scripture is full of paradoxes. The poor are made rich, the weak strong, the humble lifted up. In reading the Word, we are continually confronted with real life stories of situations which are downright shocking. Seas and rivers part. City Walls fall flat. Donkeys talk. Magi from distant lands travel for months following a star representing the arrival of a long awaited Lord and King, only to find him wrapped in strips of cloth, a baby bedded in an animal’s feeding trough.

Likewise, we see outcomes to stories which are phenomenal, seemingly scripted; and yet they are as real as any of the stories ever written. We see a man, a foreigner, imprisoned in a dungeon who, in the short span of a day, rose to become the Prime Minister over a powerful Kingdom. We see a man who faced hanging on a massive, 25 meter high gallows only to have the tables turn on the very man plotting his execution hung upon it instead. We see an “army” of 300 men without any weapons, each blowing a trumpet and holding a torch, defeating an entire nation’s army who were arrayed against them. We see a man stripped naked, crucified and buried only to rise again from the dead on the third day. We must be careful not to read these things as fiction—fanciful stories made for entertainment and embellished to attract more readers or forward a narrative to give people false hope.

These things really happened. They are 100% true, and trustworthy. God would not allow even the smell of a lie to be recorded in His Word. Our God did these things. He is altogether awesome, and these stories are on full display to convince us that He is incomparably wonderful, capable, and faithful. Amen.

And so we come to the words of the prophet Isaiah. A barren woman is told to sing. A lady who has unsuccessfully attempted to get pregnant for years is told she is going to have more children than a woman who has already conceived—that in fact she is going to have such a tribe of them that she better get busy adding numerous rooms and gathering a lot of furnishings to accommodate an abundance of boys and girls. If we didn’t have all these other stories to look back on, we might think he is just being a masterful poet, using hyperbole and metaphor to concoct a message to dazzle his readers. But Isaiah did not play his prophetic fiddle to make the children of Israel dance. His words so angered them that they conclusively sawed him in two! This was not about being creative or politically correct. He was stating something startlingly TRUE, yet paradoxical, that situations which appear impossibly bleak and depressing are routinely recreated to brilliantly billboard God’s redemption, power, and love. Promises long shredded and filed away in the dustbin by this desperate woman were about to be recovered, restored, and fulfilled.

Naturally speaking, the progressive realization one was barren was a most painful, disheartening and pandemic-sized diagnoses. More than a physical malady, being unable to bear children meant that Shame, Rejection, Guilt, Fear, and Dashed Dreams would be one’s lifelong companions. The flood of negative emotions that oppressed a woman in ancient times as she faced this bitter truth would reverberate condemnation like the blow of a Judge’s gavel. The woman is the mirror was bereft, stricken, cursed. Family gatherings became a cacophony of whispers from kinfolk. The shifting eyes or passer-bys, the huddled women in the markets, the ever more frequent pointing of a crooked, careless finger. The awareness that her husband was on the lookout for her replacement, someone to give him pleasure, empowering him to produce offspring and build a legacy.

And yet the Lord says, “Sing!” Lift up your song of praise. Cry aloud your hymns of thanksgiving and adoration. This simple yet profound act of of faith is the first and most crucial step in unlocking Hope’s promises. Once one is pregnant with Heaven’s implanted Word, babies are not far behind. Out of intolerable travail a holy assurance is fantastically birthed and a confession sired: my season of barrenness has been preparing me for barn-filled years of bounty. God never answers us with a period. He surrounds his delivered ones with shouts of joy!!! Whatever He touches is healed and prospers. Whatsoever He blesses multiplies. His Spirit never comes in drops; He is poured.

“More are the children of the desolate”. As the scourge of your own season of barrenness sunsets, kiss Shame and her companions good-bye. It’s time streeeetch your curtains wide and expand your tent aggressively to the right and to the left. Those who overcome desolation are the very ones God assigns to “make the desolate cities inhabited” (v.3). Such is the power of your redemption you will “forget the shame of our youth and will not remember the reproach of our widowhood anymore” (v.4) Such is beautiful stories the world witnesses whenever barren ones begin to sing.

“For a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies I will gather you.
With a little wrath I hid my face from you for a moment
But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you.
Says the Lord, your Redeemer.” IS 54:7,8

“There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon…and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple…” Luke 2:25-26

There were some four million Jews spread throughout the Roman Empire during the time of Jesus’ birth. There were sects and schools that had arisen within Judaism that memorized huge portions of scripture. Until this time period, no generation had had a greater expectancy that the time of the Messiah’s visitation was at hand. Prophecies were diligently studied. Theories and timelines were drawn up. Groups formed isolated communities to wait for the Christ. And yet the first person to recognize Jesus did not study under any famous rabbi or join any of the elite schools. Simeon was an old man, a commoner. What qualified him for such a high honor? Simeon was a man of the Spirit.

Nothing qualifies us more for service in God’s kingdom than being filled with the Spirit. As amazing as the Word of God is, its nuggets of truth have to be discerned by the Spirit. Sitting at the feet of great teachers is also a great privilege. But 1 John 2:26-27 reminds us that there is an anointing that comes by the Holy Spirit that “teaches you concerning all things.” Knowing something is good or right is super, but the boldness to do it at any cost is the mark of a man or woman whose heart is set ablaze by the Spirit of the living God.

Simeon was a God-seeker. You get the feeling that if he was alive today, he would not borrow his next bright idea from social media. The conventional and the popular are not the things that tugged on his heart. He went straight to the throne room; there, he heard what the Spirit was saying. The second-hand news people of Jesus’ day were looking for a captain, a man of great stature, genius, and might. They expected a man to appear who could stand up to Caesar as Moses had done to Pharaoh and his army, thus delivering the Jews from their oppressors. Only a man who walked in the Spirit could have recognized the Messiah in a baby, held in the arms of his poor, teenage mother.

Simeon was a man upon whom the Holy Spirit rested. What a way to be identified! Princes were known by their raiment, holy men by their beards and turbans, but Simeon was remembered as a man who had the Spirit of God all over him. Mary and Joseph felt so comfortable with this grandpa, as he approached them they passed Jesus right into his loving arms. Simeon proceeded to publicly declare in the midst of the crowded temple that this baby was the very One that Jews everywhere had been yearning for. In fact, more than that, Simeon announced He was going to bring light and salvation to people from all nations–every tribe, every tongue. He then proceeded to prophesy over Jesus and the blessed couple, every word of which came to pass.

Simeon’s testimony has inspired me. As we enter the new year, I don’t want to live as I have in years past. I don’t want be moved by trends. I don’t want to follow the crowds. I don’t want to base my decisions on what has the appearance of being good or wise. I want to be free from the need to impress. What if, this year, we make a conscious choice to set all these things aside and really—sincerely and diligently—seek the face of God? What if we get so filled with the Spirit that, if someone happens to write an article or post about us, the first thing that comes to mind was that the Spirit of the living God is all over us? What if we could be so led by the Spirit that we are able to recognize the exact times and places the Spirit of God is working? What if it means praise and even prophecy flow out of our lips as naturally as waters from a fountain?

Simeon was not just the first man to see the Messiah. He is a type of those who have set their hopes squarely on the return of the Consolation and Refresher of His people, who will be among the first to see Jesus when He comes again. As God raised up a Simeon when He sent His son two thousand years ago, so too He is raising up a host in our Day who, like Simeon, will truly be men and women of the Spirit.

“Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Acts 1:6

Politics is “powerful”. Its ability to excite or incite, stir up or depress, exhilarate or exacerbate, is as old as the tower of Babel. Wherever mankind congregates, rivalries and factions lurk in the shadows. Parties are formed. Egos and selfish ambitions raise their ugly heads to squelch wholesome and righteous ideals. Things get dirty. Corruption festers.

God saw through the innocence of Babel’s “let us build” slogan, exacting quick and decisive judgment upon their misguided pursuit. Jesus, too, sidestepped the impulse of the masses to make him king after he had just fed them to utter satisfaction with five loaves and two fish. Think of the movement He could have started! But His way was higher, and He kept His eyes on the prize. When pressed to reveal His motives, Jesus’ answer was clear: “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight…” (John 18:36)

Sometimes we find ourselves voting for eternal things and fighting for temporal; when, of course, it should be exactly the other way around. The irony of this predicament is nowhere more clearly illustrated than in those pristine weeks between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to Heaven. For forty days, Jesus spoke to His disciples of things pertaining to the kingdom of God. I sure wish we could access those meetings on YouTube! Despite constantly whetting their appetites for eternity, the fact that they could still ask Him if He was finally ready to become king of Israel is quite a head-scratcher. Really? The Son of God— risen and all-glorious—is about to sit on the throne over all authorities in the seen and unseen universe and you want still want to crown Him king over the tiny nation of Israel?

Though the disciples had spent three years sitting at his feet, he had in fact given them no prescription for political solutions. The fact that this was still foremost on their minds reveals how difficult it is for fallen man to lay down his dreams of reformation. Such is the magnetism of politics. Its noble causes and lofty aspirations dangle like scrumptious carrots of justice, equality, prosperity, and liberty before us. It can be intoxicating; and that is exactly the point. If we are finding ourselves reeling and rocking right now, we probably had too much to drink these past few months!

I’m not saying I didn’t pull up to the counter and order some “shots” myself! Who could blame us? We had been losing so many battles. Finally there was some momentum. Finally an advocate, a voice, a fighter in our corner! So much was within our grasp!

Or was it? Jesus did not acquiesce to their cry then; and it seems He has not heeded all of our cries either. His silence may be a quintessential act of mercy! His response to “will you at this time restore” in the first century was actually to give them something better, which is the very thing I am hoping He will do for us two thousand years later. Let me paraphrase His answer:

Guys, don’t get yourselves all worked up, and don’t grow discouraged because things aren’t turning out the way you were hoping. Dad knows what’s best, and this ain’t it! That’s because His timing is perfect and His best is so much better. He is preparing to release earth shaking power and authority by the Holy Spirit to all of you who will make it a priority to move only after I have clothed you with extraordinary ability and favor from on high. When it comes upon you, there is no place and no people anywhere on my whole planet who won’t be transformed by its impact! (see Acts 1:7-8)

The prescription Jesus had in mind was not going to proceed from halls of power, nor be borne on the back of any man. Man builds towers. Men devise structures to rule and execute decisions. Jesus said, “I will build My church”, the pillar and bulwark of the truth, the agent by which even the the angels will be awestruck when she puts on her beautiful garments.

We have yet to see the full manifestation of the “greater works” Jesus spoke of. If our hope is not completely set on the promises of even richer spiritual empowerment, if we lower our gaze onto any other and lesser source, we may find ourselves horribly disappointed. Beloved, this is a great time to proverbially prepare a pot of black coffee and quickly get ourselves sober. Neither donkeys, nor even elephants can save us. But the One who walks in the midst of the seven lampstands, whose eyes are flames of fire and whose voice is like the sound of many waters—the King of kings, He is worthy of all our adoration and devotion. I will gladly and faithfully vote for the best and most qualified people to serve in public office. His government, His rule, His everlasting Kingdom…well, this is truly worth fighting, and even dying for.


PS My intention here is not to downplay the importance of righteous rule and the election of people who will be catalysts for justice, human rights, or Kingdom values. While we should hope for these things, our hope is not in them. The manifold wisdom of God—His power, righteousness, and glory—will be made known through the Church, His Bride (Ep 3:10). He is jealous only for her. The answer to our pressing need is now as it was then: that awesome power—real power—would be poured out upon us by His Spirit to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.

“You shall not testify falsely against your neighbor” Dt 5:20

I learned the Ten Commandments when I was very young. The image of Moses angrily demolishing the tablets when he discovered Israel had grievously sinned against the Lord—worshiping the golden calf while Moses lingered upon the mountain—left a deep, restraining impression on me.

The Commandments written by the very Finger of God were daunting: Thou shalt not murder, steal, commit adultery. But I didn’t understand how the command not to bear false witness against my neighbor could be put into the same category with these “weighty” sin. Time and many life experiences, and most notably this US presidential election cycle, have taught me just how ignorant I was!

Several years ago I was shocked by a revelation of just how chilling breaking the ninth commandment can be. False rumors were being spread about one of my closest ministry partners. His work, that was impacting tens of thousands of people, nearly ground to a halt as a result. The risk, expense, and effort to advocate for his protection and then recovery was an intense battle. He had even contemplated giving up, but by the grace of God he was restored and the Lord proved Himself a Redeemer to him through it all. Looking back, I can see how these attempts to destroy him only made him stronger.

This week I read these clearly prophetic verses from Proverbs:

“There is a generation rising that uses their words like swords
to cut and slash those who are different.
They devour the poor, the needy, and the afflicted
from off the face of the earth” v. 30:14 TPT

By the Spirit, Solomon may have been given a peek into our present. For there has very likely never been a time in the history of the world when this proverb was more true than it is today. Social media has been weaponized (often abetted by traditional media) to “cut and slash” people’s reputations to pieces. Often people’s worlds are turned upside down overnight when they are shamed and cancelled by the mobs who fight in Twitter’s trenches, who type FaceBook posts like grenades to destroy the careers of “those who are different”, resulting in countless lives being torched upon the hungry ash-heaps of our fractured generation. We must be vigilant. The force of this evil is an out-of-the-bottle genie in our day. To be ignorant or passive as it carnivorously lurks for prey is to be vulnerable.

The unleashing of these tools of destruction should not only warn us to defend ourselves from becoming targets of aggressive word-bombs. Some have unwittingly joined the mob. How, you ask? By crossing precariously over onto the side of those who are “devouring” the weak. Beloved, it is not only the progenitor of these cruel, virtual takedowns whose hands are bloodied. The one who carelessly forwards lies, rumors, slander—fake news—in the form of emails, posts, or tweets is also liable before God. This commandment is not directed only to those who initiate false testimonies against another; it implicates those who pass them along as well. Jesus spoke ominously that we would be held to account for every “idle word” (Mt 12:36). The days when this sin was confined to the habitat of gossiping ladies at quilting clubs are long spent. The fake news that now floods and pollutes our airwaves have dire consequences right now, during the perverse days in which we live, and for the Day when all their murderous effects will be “laid open before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb 4:13).

If Moses came down from the Mount of God in 2020, the commandment that would most vehemently incite his fury may not be the prohibition against graven images, but the dissemination of baseless and scandalous tales being spread to destroy our neighbors.

“May the words of my mouth and
the texts of my fingers
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and My Redeemer.”
PS 19:14

“When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon…it took her breath away.” I KG 10:4-5

When David raised Solomon to succeed him to the throne, he knew what his most critical asset would be, so he grilled it into him from his youth. Not mincing words, he exhorted him:
“Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget my words or turn from them…
Wisdom is supreme! So acquire wisdom.
And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding!” PR 4:5,7

Therefore, when the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked him, “What shall I give you?”, he knew exactly what to ask for. I’d love to think that I wouldn’t ask for wealth or power or fame. How about you?

Truth is, God’s impartation of supernatural wisdom to Solomon was not a historical one-off. The Father is quite willing to do it again, and again, and again. That he gifted Solomon with this depths of understanding merely shows that God can, and will; it also shows He waits for those who will pursue it lock, stock, and barrel, in the same way Solomon was reared to. The testimony of Solomon’s wisdom is not meant to enamor us; rather, it is meant to stir us—to make us hungry, vigilant, tenacious.

The liberal outpouring of wisdom is also on God’s End Time Agenda (ETA). If it was not so, he would not have spoken of a day when He would “turn the hearts of the…disobedient to the wisdom of the just” (LK 1:17), an omen He places alongside of the Last Days turning of the children of Israel back to the Lord their God. These are striking words. The wisdom that God is about to release to His people will be so attractive, so compelling, that even rebellious people will be cranked open like a can. If self-absorbed, power-struck men in the mold of King Nebuchadnezzar could be convicted to “praise and honor Him who lives forever” (Dan 4:34) due to Daniel’s ability to unlock mysteries, so shall people we consider the least likely candidates in our day bow the knee to Jesus, the Fountain of wisdom. If the mighty Pharaoh could promote Joseph to the role of Prime Minister after witnessing the Spirit of God on full display in his wise counsel, so shall God raise up Spirit-empowered people like unto Joseph to solve complex and destructive crises which inflict our world in these dark times.

When Sheba heard about the wisdom of Solomon, it’s estimated she walked two thousand miles, laden with gold, spices, and other gifts to present to the son of David in return for nuggets of wisdom she could absorb sitting at his feet. Scripture says, what she heard and saw took her breath away. Beloved, these are all prophetic pictures of what God has prepared for us in this generation. How many Queen Shebas are desperate to acquire the kind of answers we are uniquely anointed to give? So you know what I say? Let’s get wisdom! It’s supreme! Whatever we may acquire in this hour, let us press in, and get understanding.

In our schools, workplaces, and communities, in times of emergencies and conflict, may we—the people of God—access pure, heaven-born wisdom, and lead the hearts of a crooked, perverse, and confused generation back to the Lord our God. Amen.

Does the Bible address the issue of bullies and mobs such as we are seeing on full display in our day? Was there ever a time when these two evil forces worked in tandem to strike targets who would not conform to their demands?

This morning I read the story of Naboth from 1 Kings 21. We know very little about Naboth, though we know he was a responsible farmer whose vineyard must have been something to behold. Oh yes, we also know that he had the misfortune of being the neighbor of the wicked king Ahab, who cast his greedy eyes on his vineyard often enough to decide he wanted it for himself.

Naboth would not deal. Yes, vineyards require a lot of work. From planting your vineyard until you are able to get your first bottles of wine, it is a four to five year wait on average. The Father compares Himself to a Vinedresser as a way to illustrate the personal attention that a man in this profession gives to each and every plant, each and every branch, in order that they might bear as much fruit as possible.

But more than the vineyard, it is that plot of land for which Naboth was willing to contend at all cost. Ahab had offered him good money, and an even better vineyard (if you can believe him). But Ahab was an unprincipled rascal. A man with his complete lack of moral background could never understand the real reason why Naboth would not even consider to give up his piece of land. For the last and most important thing we know about Naboth is based upon the only words that scripture ascribe to him. 1 Kings 21:3 says:

“But Naboth said to Ahab, ‘The Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!’”

It took a lot of courage to stand up to this bully, Ahab! I suppose most would have just thrown in the towel, content to be a conformer and a coward. Bullies, after all, almost always get their way. If pressure doesn’t work, they threaten. If threatening doesn’t yield results, they resort to violence. Sound familiar?

Indeed, Ahab did resort to violence. Since he could not get his way through legal channels, he rounded up a mob. He gets some of the “men of his city” (v. 21:11), a few of them leaders, and then either pays off or convinces “scoundrels” to bear false witness against Naboth, saying he had “blasphemed God and the king!” (v. 21:13) By this time the core of committed rabble rousers has incited a crowd into blind rage. Stones are lifted and hurled at this innocent and righteous man, burying him under a large pile and silencing his voice of dissent forever.

Or did it?

You may be wondering why—given the fact that Ahab reigned as king in Israel for twenty-two years—such a random story was selected and highlighted by the Holy Spirit out of all the treachery that may have been alluded to from Ahab’s life? I believe it is because God loved Naboth, and wanted this act of courage in the face of bullies and the mob to be remembered from generation to generation.

Indeed, I see people caving and cowering all the time to the lunacy that is being advocated across our nation in this hour. Have you asked yourself, what if my restaurant was surrounded by an angry mob demanding me to raise my fist? What would I do? How about all those 280 pound muscle-ripped athletes, how could it be that they plow down the opposing team’s players but have, in just a matter of months, found fear in the face of the Almighty Twitter? I cannot help but wonder, where are the Naboth’s?!

Naboth was not just courageous. We have to see the parallel to our day of what he was taking a stand for: the inheritance of my fathers. This, friends, was a battle that was worth fighting. Naboth not only considered his own loss; he was going to stick his neck out because this land was not his alone. His ancestors had taken possession of it at great cost, and loss of life. Blood had been spilt. And if that was not enough, Naboth’s acknowledgement that it would be forbidden by God Himself reveals yet another thing about him that we would be foolish to overlook: Naboth feared the Lord His God. It is Jehovah, after all, Who had determined the boundaries of each tribe in Israel. The land was not just nice, it was holy.

Ahab the bully thought that he had silenced this man who had dared to defy him. The mob surely imagined Naboth’s voice would never be heard again buried under their rocks of judgment. But they were all wrong. Naboth is still speaking today, and I am hearing his voice loud and clear. Don’t give in to their threats, and don’t shrink back when they come at you with violence. For God Himself will honor the man who will never surrender the ground, the traditions and sacrifices, that have been bequeathed to us by our fathers. Yes, Naboth’s voice can still be heard; I can hear him say, “The Lord forbid that we should give over the inheritance, history, traditions, and values of our great land to bullies and an angry mob”.

“I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.” Acts 13:22

I can think of no greater epitaph than to be known as a man after God’s own heart. This was God’s accolade of David, not just man’s. Wow! There are many reasons why David fits this description, but the one I would like to share with you is this: David lived by a Code of Honor. Let me explain.

Perhaps the first thing that came to your mind was the fact that David had refused to exact retribution on King Saul. After all, this is the very person who had attempted to skewer him with a spear and who had relentlessly pursued David in order to snuff out his life. David felt horrible just for cutting off the skirt of Saul’s robe! Because of honor, he dared not stretch forth his hand against God’s anointed.

Or perhaps you thought of 1 Samuel 30 when David’s family and all his possessions had been taken away by the marauding Amelikites. David’s men found a sickly Egyptian slave in the field as they were in hot pursuit. These same men knew David honored outcasts, for he had taken them into his cave when they were a mess (in debt, in distress, and discontented, 1 Sam 22:2) and had turned them into true warriors. So they “brought him to David” (v.11). David took the time to stop for this foreigner, giving an unvalued man bread, water, a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. What was David’s reward for showing this slave honor? The Egyptian showed David the way so that he was able to recover every member of his family and his army’s as well, not to mention all that had been plundered.

The story continues. David originally had 600 soldiers, but 200 of them were too exhausted to fight. The 400 strong ones felt justified in demanding full rights to the spoil. They had, after all, risked their lives while the others probably had a grand picnic and a nice long snooze. David would hear none of it. The strong and the weak would share alike in the spoils. Sounds to me like the same spirit which inspired the Apostle Paul to write these poignant words about the Body of Christ:

“Those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think are less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor.” 1 Cor 12:22,23

David, like Paul, knew that showing honor to everyone is the heart of God.

This morning I read two successive stories from David’s life that magnify his honoring ethic. In 2 Samuel 9, David woke up one day, then probably after a sweet time of worship in the presence of God, decided he wanted to show the kindness of God to a survivor from the household of Saul. Remember, this is the man who had sought David like a flea and hunted for him like a partridge (1 Sam 26:21). He found one. Mephibosheth was crippled. He had been five years old when he father and grandfather had died in battle on the same day. This was also when the accident that left him disabled occurred—his nurse dropping him as they fled upon hearing the crushing news. So what does David do to this one at a time when disabled people were stigmatized, and kept secret? He brought Mephibosheth to the palace and gave him a permanent seat at his own table, next to the princes and princesses of the Kingdom. David showered him with honor.

Even the rulers of rival nations could qualify as objects of honor in David’s eyes. In the next chapter, 2 Samuel 10, David recalls a time when the King of Ammon had been gracious to him. So he sends an entourage to show kindness to his son Hanum after his dad died. Though the show of honor was repelled, David did not show honor only when honor was appreciated, rewarded, or returned. He honored because he was a man after God’s own heart. It was natural, spontaneous for David. I pray it would be so for me!

Beloved, we live at a time and in an hour when honor is under pernicious attack. Honor for our institutions, honor for our leaders, honor for our traditions and for our laws. Honor is a part of the everlasting song of heaven (Rev 4:11). Honor is the way of the Kingdom. Let it be the code by which we, His subjects, live our lives and bring Him glory…and honor. Amen.

“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes…” Matt 24:7

Are we really entering the “Last Days” this time? Over the years, signs and omens, prophesies fulfilled, God’s “time-clock” (Israel) have alerted the church to ask this vital question. The uptick in destabilizing and frightening trends worldwide, especially the deadly pandemic, have sounded an alarm: is this the beginning of the End? Many of us are feeling the urgency to be better prepared. Rightly so! But how?

Many Bible teachers are digging into Daniel and Revelation. Calendars and charts are being drafted to interpret modern events in light of prophesy. Newspapers and social media are being scoured. We’ve all noticed an increase in dreams and prophesies being circulated. While these are all valid responses, the question I am asking is more basic: Are we prepared to suffer?

Persecution is one of those subjects that is hard to talk about. Sermons on the subject don’t get many “likes”! Who wouldn’t rather hear messages about revival?! Peter didn’t agree. Much of 1 Peter is about suffering. He literally exhorts us to “arm yourselves” with the thought of suffering (4:1). This is one of those things for which we do not want to be ill-prepared! If we are caught off guard, we may well compromise, capitulate, or crumble.

I believe one of the keys to you and I standing firm in the face of intense pressure is to learn from those who have endured great hardships for the sake of the gospel. I for one have been blessed to know many who have been persecuted. This includes more than 50 pastors who suffered for more than 20 years prisons for their faith. I also served as a Romanian pastor’s interpreter and co-laborer for hundreds of sermons and thousands of miles on the road over a four year period. Pastor Daniel had burn marks and scars all over his body from the tortures he had received. And yet he was joyful and showed no bitterness. Let me pass on a few things I have gleaned from these courageous forerunners.

First, I learned that there is a special grace and favor available to those who suffer for His Name. Paul wrote this to the church in Philippi, where he had been flogged and put in a dungeon with his feet fastened in stocks: “that it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Ph 1:29). The word granted in Greek is charizomai, from which we get the words grace and gift. The persecuted have latched on to an extraordinary truth that I believe God wants to us to shout from the rooftops in these Last Days: Rather than shrink in fear in the face of suffering and increasing turmoil, let us lift up our heads in anticipation of a manifestation of God’s grace and glory like we have never seen before. God’s gifts often come wrapped in packages we least expect.

Based on his experience as one who had been tortured, Peter wrote to encourage the Christians that suffering can be a blessing in disguise. He exhorted them: “Rejoice to the extent that you partake (Gr. koinoneo) of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” 1 Pt 4:12-14.

It’s remarkable that Peter used the word koinoneo here. This exquisite Greek word speaks of deep fellowship and communion. I used to read the phrase, when his glory is revealed to mean at The Second Coming. While Jesus most definitely will bestow all manner of rewards and blessings upon us when He returns, Peter assures us that intimacy and glory are for the present, i.e. in the midst of suffering. Paul sang as he was bound and bloodied in prison. Peter speaks of inexpressible joy in trials. No wonder the father of China’s House Church, Wang Mingdao, described his 23 years and 10 months in prison to as a honeymoon with Jesus!

I’ve thought long about Stephen’s example in suffering. After declaring the works of God boldly to the Sanhedrin, even as they were picking up stones to kill him, the Bible says he saw the heavens opened before him and Jesus was standing at the right hand of the throne of God (Acts 7:56). We know the Bible clearly says that Jesus is supposed to be sitting while God makes all His enemies to become His footstool (Ps 110:1). And yet, He stood up for Stephen.

After all these years, I can say with much assurance that if you are granted to suffer or be persecuted for His sake, He will stand up for you, too. His grace will sustain you, and His glory will rest upon you. The heavens will be opened to you, and His presence will be tangible. You may even find yourself bubbling over with inexplicable joy. Although we can never be fully “armed” to suffer, I pray the testimonies of those who have gone before us as shining examples will give you confidence to endure whatever may come your way as we enter the “Last Days.”

“It is time to seek the Lord” Hos 10:12

In one sense, we are all responsive to the call to seek the Lord. If we get a message about some important event on the horizon, or a gathering or need that piques our interests, we are inclined towards dedicating some time to pray and give it our support. This is true because the Holy Spirit in us draws us and burdens us with things that pertain to His Kingdom’s advance.

That is not what this verse is about. Hosea is not suggesting something happened that we ought to be concerned about, or pray about. God was speaking through His servant to prophesy a decree of supreme importance. Trust me, there is a world of difference in saying it is a good time to seek the Lord and this is God’s appointed hour to seek Him. It is one thing for a friend or trusted co-worker to highlight important dates to us on his or her calendar. But what if God Himself is calling our attention to dates He has circled in red, penned with ink obtained from Calvary’s spill?

Consider the verse, “Seek the Lord while He may be found” (Is 55:6). Now, as a preacher I would never tell people that the Father is tied up with other things, so it would be better that they check back next month to see if He is available then. No church would hire me to be their pastor, that’s for sure! So what did Isaiah mean exactly? What does it mean to say God can’t be found? Does He wander off some times?

Of course we know God is available 24/7. We know He does not get distracted or overtaxed by the enormity and complexity of problems that arise in your life or mine…or on our planet…or in a hundred billion galaxies. And yet, like the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do (1 Chr 12:32), we have to grasp this truth: Not every day is the same with the Lord. It is not that He is sometimes not available; it is that there are some times when He is more available. There are seasons when He leaves the door ajar. There are times when He has set the table of plenty before us and not just assured us with the promise that He will provide.

There are many ways scripture identifies this: there is the fullness of time (Gal 4:4), a set time (Mt 24:36), and an appointed time (Hab 2:3). Greek even has a word that distinguishes between calendar time (chronos) and a designated and special time (kairos). So the question that follows is: What kind of a time is this? Are we in one of those appointed times, a season when God is unusually and tangibly available to us?

Obviously, I cannot prove to you that this is a day of visitation. But I can appeal to you. I have spoken with several of God’s servants in recent weeks who have said that we have entered such a time as this (Es 4:14). They have exhorted me to press in and stay vigilant so as not to miss this moment in eternity. These words have strongly resonated with me because I feel a divine pull, a drawing—or to put it more colloquially, a suctioning. If Spurgeon, who coined the famous “hound of heaven” phrase, lived today, he might speak of the turning on of “the Dyson of Heaven” or of a “Kirby moment”.

These men have also admonished me to get clean. The follow up to Isaiah’s while He may be found prophesy is: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous his thoughts” (Is 55:7). Wouldn’t you know, I got a message from my pastor this week telling me he had a dream about me. I was surrounded by filth, standing in line to take a bath. Ha! Not a very subtle message here!

That brings me back to where we started, in Hosea. The whole verse reads:

Sow for yourselves righteousness;
Reap in mercy;
Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the Lord,
Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. (v. 10:12)


Unlike precipitation in nature, where rain falls indiscriminately on the ground, God reveals a distinction in the Spirit. In the natural, the earth merely responds to the falling of rain. But in the Spirit, the ground attracts rain. In one, the condition of the soil is a non-factor. Dirt is passive. But in the other, what comes down out of Heaven is in direct response and proportion to the ground’s need and cry. The more we sow righteousness in our day to day affairs, the more righteousness will on that day be showered down upon us. The more we break up the hardened conditions of our hearts, the more a deluge of the grace and mercy of God will be abundantly poured out over us.

Beloved, if there has ever been a time to seek the Lord, it’s now.