Kategoriarkiv: Tro

‘I make all things new…’

Tro

He makes all things new when we let Him be Lord and Shepherd in our lives. He leads to still waters where our soul will find peace, joy and righteousness. A place close to His heart, close to His perfect love. There He renews and encourages the broken soul. Renewal is something we all need time to time, times of refreshing from the manifest presence of Jesus Himself in our lives.

I remember in the end of the 90s I went to be apart of the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Pensacola, Florida. It was such an amazing week I spend in the presence of the Lord. His love and presence was so strong and real it chock me to the bones, refreshed me for years to come. We need salvation because we can’t save ourselves, we need cleansing from the dust of this world that tries to contaminate our hearts with such an overwhelming power.

Sunday is a time to be touched by His power, His Glory and presence. When lifting Him up He reigns in us, making all things new. Prayer and worship in the freedom of the Spirit of God breathes Gods own presence into our souls, fills us, lifts us and renews us to love and serve Him more than ever.

 

Mats-Jan

A step of faith…

Tro

Paul writes in Galatians 2:20 ‘I live here by faith in the Son of God’. Faith is based on scripture, God promised to be and to do certain things, we have through God’s grace come to believe in those promises. This faith is not blind and not to be lived out in blindness.

To live and walk by faith means I plan according to bible principle, I take counsel from godly people, I gather my resources to be able to make the step of faith, meaning I count the money and count the cost before I walk out. I might not no where I am going because walking by faith often means I am going toward a place I have never been before.

To live by faith is not to close my eyes to the realities around me, or ignore facts and figures. A faith walk is not a proclamation or a good confession. A faith walk is a move forward based on Gods promises and upon the realities around me. I need to calculate my resources before I move out in faith to see how big the deficit might be. And then work to fill it.

Paul lived by faith not in spontaneity! God gave him a mission and a task and he got to work on it.

 

Mats-Jan

Move on…

Tro

A common principle in the bible is the moving factor. God moves His people further on. Change is never easy and nearly always straining in some ways. The clearest event in the bible is of course Moses and the people of Israel moving out of Egypt. I guess we all can end up stuck in our tents somewhere on the way to the promised land and there might come a heavenly call to break up and move on.

If you been sitting for a long time, standing up can cause some dizziness when blood start to move around your system, you might loose your balance for a moment but then the blood and your brain connects, oxygen flows and vitality fills your body ready to move on.

Me and my family have moved 24 times since we got married. Kind of a restless life! A majority of of these moves have been within the same city, some of them in a very short period of times jumping from one place to another while looking for a more permanent place to stay.

Each time we settled in new place, Caisa wify, has always created a nice, kind of permanent place for us to as a family to live in. Many times I have felt and said ‘here I am going to live for the rest of my life!’. I think its important in our moving on that we also settle down, even if its only for a short time, we better have the inner position I am going stay here for the rest of my life.

Moving also causes us to go through all the stuff we gathered in storage’s and wardrobes over the years. Wow, amazing how much ‘might get handy someday’ we have in those places. A cleansing takes place! To move on we need this cleansing, we deal wit hall the stuff in our storage’s! Then we pack and move and resettle again!

 

Mats-Jan

No One else than Jesus…

Tro
‘On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,” a dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.’

Rev 1:10-15
When in prayer John heard a voice speaking to him, when he turned around he saw Jesus standing in the midst of the seven lampstands! When we read chapter 2-4 we understand the lampstands represents local churches in different places, this became known as the seven churches of Asia minor.
Jesus is standing in the midst of all these churches, He was not in just one of them or two. Not only in the oldest or the newest. He was in the midst of them. When reading about how He describes them we see He makes a different assessment to each one of them. But He was in the midst of them.
The interesting thing is how John describes what he saw when he turned around. He describes Jesus! Not the churches! He is to have preeminence in all things in the church. He have to be glorified all the time. Focus in the church is Jesus. His attributes, His work, His power and His glory.
We people so easily want to share a little of His glory, and sometimes churches wants to share His glory. The church is not the Saviour, Jesus is!
We can see Him in the midst of the lampstands but separate, He is not the lampstands! He is Jesus independent of the churches but still in the midst of them, but the church is not Him!
‘Lord, help us to rightly divide the Word of God and help us to see You always’
Matsjan

Disappointed…

Tiden, Tro

I don’t know if you  ever felt disappointed on something or someone? I have quite a few times in life. Mostly my disappointments have the root in my wrongly tuned expectations either on people or sometimes even on God (not been disappointed on Him though)

It’s hard when people let you down, at least for me. on one side I am not perfect myself so Its kind of awkward to put to high expectations on others. But actually I have no real problem with peoples failures, falls and shortcomings so much. But when people say one thing and then does another deliberately its really hard on me. When I feel someone declares one thing and then shows to be preparing for the opposite I have a hard time with disappointment.

I’ve noticed in my emotions the older I get the more suspicious I get. I don’t like to be suspicious, its a sign of getting old and cynical, I don’t want that, well I will get old but I don’t want to get cynical. Suspicion I guess is an effect of to many disappointments in life, it is a mechanism of protection, an emotional defense mechanism.

As I read this morning in 2 Cor 7 Paul writes about sorrow, how to have sorrow after Gods heart and in Gods way. I think my own sorrow too many times been more destructive, a worldly sorrow as Paul describes it. But by nature I am a thinker, thoughts flows my mind often trying to figure out the purpose and reason of life, sometimes with the bible in hand and sometimes without.

Today I woke up with this heavy feeling of sorrow and as I opened my daily bible reading it was 2 Cor 7 speaking about sorrow in two ways. So I was pondering my sorrow. Sorrow comes from some kind of loss, something you treasured has been lost. different kinds of loss of course. If a thing it can be irretrievably , if a dear one leaves this life its also permanent, if a broken relationship the person might still be around but your relationship have changed. Like in a divorce for example! Especially if it is a one-way divorce, one wants to split but the other not. That hurts even more, you feel abounded, disqualified, rejected and that hurts really deep.

But Jesus experienced all these things and still He loved those who did it toward Him. its hard for my emotions to grasp that, to embrace that side of redemption but still its a fact. Jesus managed to give His whole life to God there on the cross, bleeding, rejected, betrayed and abounded.  I have to do the same, but its not easy.

‘Lord help me to forgive, forget and continue to live life even after deep disappointments’

 

;Matsjan

 

A stinking attitude….

Tro, Uncategorized

A few years ago while still serving as Lead pastor for Word of Life Baku I was apart of a group of people from different ministries and churches, mostly foreigners. Good people who felt the Lord had called them to Baku for some kind of outreach or ministry.

Now for some reason someone wanted to create an umbrella organisation for all the others to be apart of. When I prayed about it I felt very clearly the Lord leading us a church in a slight other direction. Due to that I started to agitate and influence this group of people in a certain direction. This didn’t no really turn out so well and they kind of ignored my attempts, which I didn’t like at all of course:), an due to this I developed a stinking attitude in my heart toward those brothers and sisters. The more I prayed about it the more I was convinced the Lord was leading us in a slight other direction (later it became evident it was the right thing for us to do). And I got more and more upset about the direction they where taking this ‘umbrella organisation’.

My attitude really started to smell bad before God I guess. But still I was more and more convinced I was walking the right direction, but with a stinking attitude! One day as I was having my daily devotion one scripture popped out of the bible from Psalms 50:23 ‘Whoever offers praise glorifies Me’ and I suddenly realized all those people I was so upset about actually praised God everyday. I got so convicted there by myself in my prayer closet so I repented and decided to go before them and and change my decision to not be apart of that particular Umbrella organisation.

Then something happened in my heart, I kind of heard a small voice saying, ‘The problem was your attitude not the decision you’ve made on which way to walk’. I realized the Lord was leading us a different path forward and I had wanted them all to take the same road, and I had tried to make them do so. But the way was mine to follow, I can’t say about them nor make decisions for them, it had to be their choices and whatever choice they made, whether I agree or had another opinion about it I had to still love them and keep my heart clean before God.

My point is I made the right choice but with a bad attitude! I had to change my attitude not my choice.

‘Lord help us to walk before you with a clean and open heart’

Matsjan

Christian celebrities….

Tro

The society is possessed with interest in celebritities, journals and weeklys are sold in the millions around the globe. How about the christian world? Do we also have a need of celebrities? Or is fame all evil?
I guess another word not as polluted as the word celebrity would be rolemodel. A person representing a way of life based on certain principles and moral values. Someone giving an example in ministry for Jesus.

Hebrews 11 and 12 gives us a lot of rolemodels to look to and learn from. But its quite complicated when a rolemodel is turned into celebrity, today celebrity does not necessary labels people who have performed extraordinary or who has an excellent moral standing in though situations. In the christian world I to often hear ´he/she is anointed´withother words the person has a charisma, a spritual gift. Which is of course admirable! But christians today do they really need more drama and scandals or are we in a great need of holy rolemodels, what the bible call saints. Of course we are saints in a sense but then there are those who stick out due to an outstanding moral dignity.

Christians need fathers and mothers who live and follow a spiritual code, a code of moral behaviour having the roots in the character of God Himself. In my opionion young believers need fathers and mothers, maybe not their own physical parents, but other mature christians who can foster and serve as models, saints, celebrities for young people. We all, young or old, need someone to look up to. Someone who has gone before who by example show its possible to live a godly and holy life. Not with a selfrighteous and judgmental attitude but humbly dependant on the mercy and grace of God.

So my answer is: ´Yes, we need christian rolemodels, celebrities! We need godly examples to help us to see and believe a holy life is possible´!

Who is your rolemodel? Who are you looking up to?

Matsjan

Timeout…

Tro

´Turn yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted
The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distress´  Ps 25:16-17

2012 and the beginning of 2013 was a troublesome time for me and for the ministry I was in. The result is described in the verse above, I was wounded and hurt. Spiritually I was weared out due to the situation, spiritual pressure and ministerial stress, lots of conflicts all around, extremely difficult and complicated conflicts. It was hard to orient in it to see truth and Gods presence. I still don´t understand fully what took place but that´s not my point.

The point is my soul was wounded, deeply hurt! Praise the Lord for my dear, dear wife who stood by my side all throughout this. Well, finally the Lord gave me a word telling us to move back home to Sweden so we did. It was really a word of salvation when considering what is going on in Ukraine at the moment of this writing.

What I understood was it was time for a timeout from ministry, my soul needed restoration, healing. Not necessarily counseling but healing. The distress needed to come out of my spirit. Praise God for God, for some good friends I could talk to, pour out my grief and disappointments. It made the burden to slowly lift and go away.

Let me say a few words about ministerial stress! Remember, your family and wife is far more important than ´ministry´. Ministry is a calling but its also a work, the Lords work. Family is not ministry nor work, its your lifebase. Your wife/husband has an uncomprable place in your life, not to be compared neither ministry nor church membership, loyalty to a spiritual leader. Marriage is sacramental, holy and instituted before all the above mentioned.
Secondly, when your heart is hurting ministry especially preaching and teaching is not the place to pour hurt your pain, prayer and holy talking is the place. Preaching and teaching is a monologue, a hurting spirit needs dialogue!

Slowly the pain reliefed and my faith started to restore, there are still questions to answer, maybe some relationships to sort out but the stress is gone. Peace fills my soul.

Unfortunetely I have seen to many ministers not daring a timeout when in distress, to take a step back and rest, relax, distansing themselves from the cause of pain. Why are we preachers so afraid sometimes? Afraid to loose income! Afraid not to have any callings to come and minister in! Fear is no good motivator at all.
2013 was a year of great change in my life, it became as the Lord said to me in the end of 2012, a new season.

The Lord gave me a word recently and He said to me ´It´s COMEBACK time´! The harvest is truly great and the labourers are few and sometimes weary in the battle, growing tired and the Lord desires to lift their arms, strengthen their spirits, refresh their souls. My heart is burning for especially the new planted churches (By the way I believe we need thousands of new churches around the world) and for the pastors fighting in the front line. I have been instrumental in planting quite a few churches and I know something about the struggle, stress and fatigue that is involved in doing that.

God bless you all who labor and fight in the ministry, the Lord is with you more than you sometimes feel and realise! See you through out 2104!

Matsjan

The Cross…

Tro

Without the cross no christianity. The cross scandalous in the eyesof the world, foolish for the world according to Paul. But God chose to save the world through the cross.
The cross is the foundation, the beginning so to say of our faith, our salvation. Without the cross no salvation, no forgiveness, no eternal life with God. Without the cross condemnation, darkness and hopelessness.
The cross points vertically to God and horizontally to man, Jesus gave us two comandments, love God and love each other. The cross stands as an remembrance of the two commandments Jesus gave His disciples and as a sign that God is God and man is man. God is creator and man creation. Man are not God and God is not a man. Man is not perfect, God is. Man makes mistakes, sins and transgresses, God knows no sin, is altogether perfect.
On mount sinai Moses received the 10 commandments adn was covered with glory, he was transformed to be able to transform Gods people. On mount of transfiguration Jesus was covered with Glory, the disciples fell on their faces. What happened? Jesus was revealed as God, they understood even though He was fully man He was also fully God. And God is not a man! He is God.

This is for modern man a total mystery, an impossible thought. Modern man wants to create his own image of God, control God, mold God, make God fit his own agenda and life. Thats´s not Jehova, that´s an idol!

The humbling reality of God being untouchable and seperated from us people is an unbearable thought for the fallen man, he need a revelation of Gods glory and holiness. The result is the fear of God, a healthy life improving fear, a fear that causes mans consciousness to awake, makes right and wrong a reality and the fact that even I, loved and embraced by God, can actually do wrong. I can fail, I can fall, I can mess up my life, I can displease God, I can make Him angry.
This is the revelation brought to Peter, James and John on the mount of transfiguration, Jesus was revealed to them as God!

This makes repentance such a blessing!

We all need that revelation, God is not a man, He is God and He is Holy.

Matsjan

Success…

Tro

While reading the bible this morning about Isaac I thought about the word success. What does it really mean in a biblical sense?
In my daily affairs success is something sought by many people around me including myself. I guess most people want to be successful somehow and someway in life.
Success means basically that we succeed in doing what we aim for, to do what we desire to do. It´s different for each person. We define our dreams ourself and we reach for their fulfillment. Success means we are successful in achieving those goals and dreams.
In the bible we find another definition of success due to the faith in God existence and His involvement in human lives. The fact we believe in God brings us into a another position and relation to the word success, to be successful then includes God and His will for us. As believers we seek to do Gods will and to fulfill His destiny for life.
Success is then to see Gods will fulfilled and completed. We then need to find Gods will which irrevocably brings us to the source of knowledge of His will, the bible. The bible is a history book, poetry book, wisdom scripture but maybe most of all it reveals Gods will for us. In all the writings, teachings and recording of historic events God ´hide´revelation of His will and purpose.
I read this morning about Abraham´s death, he died at a good old age, full of years. He fulfilled Gods purpose for his life! That´s true success!

Let us stretch to do Gods will and to see His destiny fulfilled in us and through us, to be successful in the eyes of God.

Matsjan