Jesus said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”… And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.

John 21:17

 

---

 

Dear Pastor,

I know you and I are shepherds. We take care of the sheep. We deal with their complaining, we tend their wounds, we feed and nourish them, we protect them from threats and from enemies.

But how does God call us to shepherd? What does it mean to shepherd like God wants us to? 

The Scriptures say to us in Jeremiah and Ezekiel that God had become furious with His shepherds because of the way they were leading His people. Here are some of the things God judged His shepherds for:

• Being senseless and stupid and not praying for the flock (Jer 10:21)
• Not tending to the needs of the flock (Jer 23:2 and Ez 34:4)
• Telling the people “peace, peace” when there wasn’t going to be peace so long as the people continued in disobedience (Jer 6:14)

As a result of the shepherds’ lack of care for the flock, God says that

• The flock is scattered (Jer 10:21)
• The sickly are not strengthened,
• the diseased are not healed,
• the broken are not bound up,
• the scattered are not brought back (Ez 34:4)

What a sad reality for the people who are part of God’s kingdom, His holy nation, His Beloved.

But God gives us two great promises that we can hold to:

1. He tells us that He Himself will shepherd His people (Ez 34:15) and
2. He tells us that He will give the people shepherds after His own heart (Jer 3:15)

I know that you and I both want to serve the Great Shepherd with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. You and I want to be faithful to everything He has commanded us. We also want to be the shepherds that God has given the people who are after His own heart. And so I encourage you today:

• Pray for your flock that they may return to the fold

• Feed your flock on the bread of life, the Word of God, that which truly nourishes and sustains

• Warn your flock of the danger, threats and the consequences for disobedience

• Run after those in your flock who have wandered off

• Help to heal the sick and bind up the broken

If you and I will do these things, as we faithfully and wholeheartedly run after the Lord, I know that we will see the move of His Spirit in our midst.

Thank you for being a shepherd with a heart for God. Thank you for feeding God’s sheep!

Christ is with us, Christ is in us

Mike J

We do not intend for the church to be revived and the lost saved.

If we did, we would make a plan to work toward that end (at all costs) and would work the plan.

We would not give up or give in.

We would persevere until we saw the revival come and the lost being saved and then we would work diligently to keep that move of God alive. This only comes through prayer and the Word, faith and obedience.

If the church intended to be revived she would take the steps necessary for her own reviving and revitalization (after all God has surely already taken His steps which are necessary for us to be revived).Continue reading “The reality regarding revival and the salvation of the lost”

Dear Pastor/Christian

What does it mean to pray for and see the kingdom of God come to earth as it is in heaven? If Jesus instructed us to pray this, we ought to be praying and diligently working to see this come to pass. God must have fully intended to have His kingdom established on earth and in the hearts of men and women everywhere, otherwise why would Jesus have told us to ask God for that?

I want you to consider what the kingdom of God looks like in heaven. Not the physical descriptions so much as the atmosphere and the spiritual realities.

First of all, in heaven, God’s reign is undeniable and unchallenged. There is no question as to who is in charge, who has all wisdom and power and who is to be regarded in all things. Similarly, if we are to see God’s kingdom on earth, God’s rule and reign must be clearly acknowledged and the centrality of His light, His love, His wisdom and His desires need to be intentionally established.

Second, in heaven, that which is temporal doesn’t matter. The temporal things have already passed away or are in process of passing away. What matters is that which remains: The presence of God, the Word of God, the souls of mankind. Even so for us to see that God’s kingdom comes on earth as in heaven we must see to it that eternal things are paramount and temporal things are considered as nothing. Eternal souls hang in the balance and we need not waste time on distractions.

Third, in heaven, there is a cleanness, a purity and a wholeness to the people of God. And Jesus taught us to pray that which is in heaven would come here to earth. God desires that His people be made whole. God purifies and cleanses hearts, minds, souls, and bodies. And He doesn’t only wait until the death of the physical body but rather begins it as soon as He is given the opportunity by the individual person who comes to Him in faith.

I know there are countless other things we could discuss that are in heaven. There certainly are things God would clearly desire to establish on earth in our churches, families and our own lives. However, if we pray for and begin working diligently on just these three, I believe we would begin to see the mighty power of God at work. What would it be like in your family and church and your own life if God was honored as Supreme, the temporal things simply didn’t matter and there was an absolute purity of body, mind, and soul?

I can’t wait for heaven and I’m glad I don’t have to. You and I can pray for it, preach it and live it even now “on earth as in heaven”

Christ is with us, Christ is in us

Mike Johnson

Dear Pastor,

I want to remind you that you are a real threat to the enemy. The devil truly hates you and want to destroy you. First, because you are a child of the King and are following and serving the one true God with your whole heart. The second reason that the devil hates you so much is that you are leading other people to faith in Christ and to an ever-deepening love relationship with Christ. You are a threat to the enemy because anytime the Lord has a vessel that He can speak through and let His Spirit move through the darkness is pushed back further and the kingdom of God advances. So remember to stand firm on the foundation of Jesus Christ and be alert, watching for the attacks of the enemy. The attacks maybe sneak attacks or they might be full on frontal assaults. Remember that either way, God has equipped you with His Spirit and His armor so that you will not only be protected and able to defend yourself but you are also empowered by God to charge into enemy territory to rescue the perishing. So this week watch out for the attacks of the enemy against your mind, your soul, your marriage, your kids and your flock. The attacks will always be an undermining of the Words and the power and authority of God and a temptation to try things a different way. The enemy also loves to keep us distracted and preoccupied with things that ultimately don’t matter, so we need to be alert to that reality as well.

This week, let God be your strength, your fortress, your strong tower. Let God who leads angel armies defend and protect you and let us be sure to give God thanks and praise as we press on in faith, for the building up of His people and the advancement of His glory.

God is with us, God is in us

Mike Johnson

How God entirely sanctifies His children

Many people object to the word “entire” in the doctrine of entire sanctification. Others work diligently to convince people of the process of sanctification or the personal efforts/accomplishments of the individual necessary for sanctification. I want to examine that sanctification is entire, instantaneous and by grace through faith alone.

Continue reading “How God entirely sanctifies His children”

Dear Pastor,

What good is it for us to preach and teach the people of God if we do it with nothing more than human words, opinions, and stories?

The Bible says that Jesus taught as one with authority. The people woke up and took notice that something was different about Jesus’ teaching. I once heard that it was a sin to bore people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We all know that as preachers of the word there are times when people fall asleep in our messages (don’t worry they did with the apostle Paul too!) but the question is whether there is power and authority in our words.

Paul said that he knew God had truly chosen the Thessalonian church when the message Paul preached came with “power, deep conviction and the Holy Spirit” (see Thessalonians 1:5) One of the former general superintendents of the church of the Nazarene once instructed that if they had even 1 Sunday where they didn’t sense the power of the Holy Spirit moving on the hearts of people they would fast and pray until that anointing of God would return.

So today, I would ask, beg and plead that before you and I get into the pulpit to preach one more message, we would seek the Lord on our knees. I invite you to seek the anointing and unction of God that would bless and overflow through the delivery of the message He has placed on your heart. Furthermore, I would beseech you: let the Word of Christ richly dwell in you and in the messages you share, for when we share His gospel and His Word by constantly pointing people to what the Bible says, God will abundantly bless that as He watches over His Word.

In closing, let’s you and I pray and seek the face of God, turning from any wickedness in our own hearts, pleading the blood of Jesus over our lives and His church and then share wholeheartedly, unashamedly and boldly the gospel of Jesus! God is able to save completely, the people just need to know the power and authority of God’s gospel and His Word and furthermore the power of His Holy Spirit that even now is present to save, heal and deliver!

Christ is with us, Christ is in us!

Mike Johnson

Dear Pastor,

Today and this week you and I get the privilege of going about our Father’s work! We are invited to participate in kingdom living and kingdom serving. What we are doing is so much more than leading meetings, organizing events or planning ministries. We are operating as agents of the Lord’s grace and mercy, inviting people to receive and walk-in the fullness of God!

Remember that the ministry we do we do by the power of the Creator at work in us. The same power that spoke life into existence is the same power that serves to compel and propel us in ministry. Furthermore, the same authority that dispatches angel armies is the authority that you and I have to operate in. It is the authority to tear down strongholds and build up His people and His kingdom.

Remember, this week that you have the power of the Creator and the authority of the King on you and at work in you. Let us both live and serve accordingly!

Christ is with us, Christ is in us!

Mike Johnson