Empty Nets ?

  Years ago, I lived in Newfoundland and made my home in the house of a local fisherman and his wife. I was teaching school. During the warm season, I watched them go out in their small fishing boat to catch cod, and later lobster. Sometimes they got a good catch and sometimes the catch was poor. Regardless, each time they returned home, they checked their nets. Some were damaged by debris in the ocean. Others were torn from lobsters or crabs or sometimes they were gummed up with seaweed. They needed repairs. The Jenkins men, would sit on the wharf, checking and mending their nets. They were a lot like the fishermen of Jesus day.

Luke 5:1-11 1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

  This was a real stretch for bone weary fishermen! They had worked all night long. Now they had given up and were cleaning and mending their nets. They were done in. Now along comes this teacher—this land lubber—telling them to go out into deeper water and let down their newly cleaned nets. Fishermen were a tough lot. They worked hard for their living. Fishing information was shared between fellow fishermen. But here was something different.  It demanded respect and attention. So Peter says… “because you say so, I will let down the nets.” That took a step of faith. It demanded effort and action. The result was an immense catch of fish, so many that both boats had all they could do the haul in  the catch. 6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. Simon Peter immediately recognized something supernatural had just happened. This was no ordinary end of the day fishing catch. He knew God was here….for in the presence of God, we suddenly see ourselves...sinners, needing a Savior. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” But Jesus had other plans. As hard as these men worked for fish, He wanted them working for the souls of men. He did not want quitters. He wanted those who would keep on working, even when the going got tough. He wanted men who would listen to his commands. He wanted men who were simple enough to recognize the divine. Sometimes it is a good thing to catch someone when they are at the end of their rope, when it is time to throw down the nets in frustration, and look for a glimmer of hope somewhere else. The old ways of doing things were not working. Night fishing was a popular way to catch fish...but it was not working. The fishermen would hold a basket of fire suspended out over the water and the light would attract the fish...but now, no fish were to be found—until Jesus came by.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.  He immediate challenges their fears, and gives them a new purpose in life...fishing for people. They left behind the only work they knew. They were launched on a new venture—following the One who promised a new kind of catch—men! They left the massive catch of fish, the nets, the boats, the family and the old way of living. To find out what He meant, they had to follow Him. Today, Jesus still is inviting us to follow Him. It will mean change, sacrifice, learning new things, and lots of questions. Simon Peter was launched on a new mission...mankind.

  The story does not end there. After the resurrection of Jesus, the angel told the disciples to go to Galilee...back to the old stomping grounds. What did they do when they got there? They went fishing again. But then, someone on shore asked them about their catch...and again they had caught nothing. Their nets were empty and their arms ached. And again some unsolicited advice…6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” (John 21:6) and again a divine moment comes to these weary men. When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” It was a “deja-vous” moment for Peter. Three years before, Jesus and Peter had had such a moment. Then he had commissioned him to follow Him and catch men. Now, Jesus has a new mission...feed sheep—feed lambs—take care of the sheep.  No more empty nets!

  Where are you on your spiritual journey—at the beginning, or years into the walk with Jesus. Are your nets empty? You struggle in your walk, you do what you know how to do, but you continue to come up empty.  Get on God’s agenda. Do what Peter and John did...listen to the Master and obey His commands. Man’s way results in empty nets. God’s way fills them to overflowing. Don’t be so busy counting the catch that you forget to continue the mission. Too often we tend to glory in the moment, wondering if we had anything to do with it. Let me assure you, we did not. When we look around us, do we see new converts? If there are a rare few converts, is anyone discipling them? Most new attendees come from other churches...and they have come looking for more than they had at their previous church. The more they need is not more entertainment, more friends, or more programs to busy their lives. They need more of God in their lives. They are looking for the presence of God in our services. They long for real revival, the kind that changes pastors, parishioners and whole communities. Too often they come but find once again ‘empty nets’...people going through the motions of fishing, but finding none.

  What was Jesus answer to the problem of empty nets? He commanded them to do the unexpected...to go beyond the comfortable, to not give up, but to listen to the One who knew how to fill empty nets. One key thing I noticed is that Jesus spent some time feeding them spiritually….”he sat down and taught the people from the boat.” The Holy Spirit is our teacher...as He flows through human vessels yielded to Spirit and as He speaks to us from the Word of God. Are you listening? I like the way The Message Bible (TMB) puts in in Rev. 3:6 in speaking to the churches… “Are your ears awake? Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.”  It is always the desire of the Holy Spirit to blow through our churches, but too often we are too busy creating new programs to take time to really pray. Those who discover the power of prayer want to cease doing everything else and just pray.  The disciples moved from Galilee and empty nets back to Jerusalem and the Upper Room. There they waited in prayer until the Heavens were opened and the Spirit was outpoured.

  Take some time as you vacation and fish this summer to remember your higher calling, casting nets, discipling others and feeding the flock. If your net comes up empty—get back to the altar of prayer.

J.  Johnson

Has your faith ever been shaken? When we look around us at a world reeling in turmoil, it is easy to feel like God is somehow not there. We remember the past year and the pain it brought our world: earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, wars, persecutions,   Yes, life is tough and bad things sometimes happen to good people.  Sometimes we make bad choices and follow through on them with devastating results.  We have planted our seeds, and sometimes they fall into rocky ground. We read the Word of God and discover a beautiful promise, then we go with it and base our tomorrows on that promise. Sometimes that promise never materializes and we find ourselves in circumstances that shake our faith. Yet in the middle of it all, I am continually reminded of the heroes of faith found in Hebrews 11. Every single one lived lives of incredible faith. Yet we are reminded that they never lived to see the promises fulfilled. Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. Hebrews 11:13 (TMB) How did they accomplish this? The bible tells us they looked ahead by faith, realizing that life is more than the here and now. It is eternal for those who believe in God. They recognized that the plan of God is bigger than human sight, human life spans, all the while acknowledging and confessing that they were strangers and temporary residents and exiles upon the earth. (Amp).

     How were those heroes of the faith different from you and me? They never ever allowed their faith to be shaken or moved. They believed God. They never came to the point where we often seem to find ourselves thinking or saying, “ How can I go on, I tried this faith stuff, and it is not working for me. It’s a waste of time and energy.” Too many today find themselves moved away from faith rather than towards God in faith.  They want faith to be a simple formula that always gives us what we want and makes life simple and easy. We expect God to be our ‘sugar-daddy’ who gives us everything we want and need in life. We don’t expect God to allow tough times,  health concerns, natural disasters, and for our lives to be shaken through it all.

When we look through the Bible, we see story after story of the people of God going through tough times. Moses started out with a life of ease and comfort growing up in the palace of pharaoh, but that was not the end of life for him. God wanted to teach Him about the harsh realities of life. So God took Moses on a journey, where he spend 40 years herding sheep in the desert, before he would be ready to lead God’s people for the next 40 years in the wilderness. It meant times of hunger, thirst, complaints, insurrection, rebellion, and all the while, because of the lessons Moses had learned, he looked forward by faith to the ‘land of milk and honey’...a land in which he would never dwell. [Motivated] by faith he left Egypt behind him, being unawed and undismayed by the wrath of the king; for he never flinched but held staunchly to his purpose and endured steadfastly as one who gazed on Him Who is invisible. Heb 11:27 AMP What motivates you and your faith in God? Do you allow fleeting circumstances to shake your faith? What do you do when life does not meet up with your human expectations?

If you want to be a hero of the faith, it means you will have to learn to look at life through God’s eyes. If you live to be one hundred years old, though your body fail you and your family turn on you, will you continue to love and serve God by faith, believing that His plan is longer that your lifespan? We must live our lives with any eye on eternity. We must see that the full plan of God includes the timelessness of eternity. We have a hope and a future that is much longer that life here and now. We must keep looking forward, by faith, anticipating the words of the Lord...‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ (Matthew 25:21 NKJV)

Battling the Enemy

Sometimes we fail to recognize the source of the attacks in our lives. We forget that Satan is the one who is the aggressor, trying to undermine the lessons God is trying to teach us. Satan tries to get us to look at the circumstances, at ourselves, and then when we do, he takes full advantage of our moment of weakness. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8 NKJV) Those heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11 had the same adversary, yet they remained strong. They had a different focus. They knew their God! They trusted their God! James 4:7-8 tells us how to overcome the seduction of Satan. 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Notice it begins by our submission to God. When we put ourselves in God’s care, we are in the best place we can possibly be. If we resist God, we are asking for trouble. But when we resist Satan, there is an automatic response—he will flee! But we must first submit to God. For every step we make towards God, God moves towards us in equal measure. As we get closer and closer to God, we will suddenly be more and more aware of the sin in our hearts and minds. We must choose to be clean. If we think we want God, but we continue to dwell in sin, we are truly ‘double minded’. We are trying to run things in our own strength and power and at the same time give God His place...who is the One who really wants to run our lives. We cannot serve two masters. We must choose to follow God—all the way! We must put Satan in his place...send him on the run. The devil will do everything in his power to keep us from God, from intimacy, from obedience, from submission to God. The sooner we recognize Satan’s attack, the sooner we can draw near to God.

Shaken Faith

When I think of the energy it takes to make an earthquake, to cause the crust of the earth to tremble so much that everything on it is moved, I also tend to think of how God sometimes allows ‘quakes’ in our spiritual world to move us close to Himself. After every physical earthquake, there are often many ‘after shocks’ as well. They too, shake the world. They remind us of the potential for more earthquakes, and they cause us to think cautiously. They keep us ‘on the edge’ of readiness, and we learn to do things a little differently. Spiritually, an ‘after shock’ should serve to remind us of the potential attacks of the enemy, so we keep our guard high, and our spiritual man seeking after God.  I sometimes think of Jonah who ran from God, was swallowed by a great fish, then after repentance, was tossed on the beach, and he then chose to obey. He preach just what God told him to do and the people listened and repented. But Jonah felt like a fool. He had been through unimaginable trauma, a tiring march to Nineveh, a time of preaching and calling for repentance. He found himself sitting on a hillside waiting for God to pour out His anger on the city. He probably suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome. God had other plans for Nineveh. God forgave them. Meanwhile, Jonah had a valuable lesson to learn. God is the One who is in charge. He does what He wants and we are to learn from each experience. What is God trying to teach you today? Is He allowing your world to be shaken? Is your faith also being shaken?  Remember the bigger picture that is in the mind of God. I like the words of Job 23:10... But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.  So much of our world is wood, hay and stubble. God wants to bring out the best in you...increase your faith, cause you to grow stronger.  I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory. 1 Peter 1:6,7 TMB

J. Johnson

Praise reports and prayer requests…..

Pray for revival!  Pray for those who are struggling with forgiveness,  anger and doubt.

Pray for the Johnsons as they seek a new place of full time ministry...a church that needs strong leadership. Pray for grieving families who have lost loved ones....(Bob Schallow family) Evangelists, Missionaries, and Teachers. Pray for  US Army Chaplain Steve Maglio.

Pray for those needing a healing touch in their bodies:  Jeanne Deike (cancer)  Dave Barth (cancer), L. Gardner (cancer). J. Johnson (chronic cough and possible IBS) Pray for those dealing with chaos, anger, abuse, temptations and carnal sinful habits.  Pray for the nation, for the President, for our service men and women, for Israel, for Christians in Muslim countries, for the unsaved,  and don’t forget to Praise and thank  the Lord!

 

Dear friends,

Please continue to pray for us as we seek God’s placement of our ministry.  We have completed our time of ministry in Tomah as their new pastor will arrive soon. So we now look forward to whatever God has for us to do for Him. Praise the Lord! We are so thankful and so appreciate each of you who take the time to pray and write. Your financial gifts are so important and needed. God bless you all! God is faithful and we anticipate great things in the future… …Serving the Master    

Dave & Joyce

Please address all donations and correspondence to this  address :

Word of the Lord Ministries

Rev. David & Joyce Johnson

PO Box 655, Waupaca WI 54981

Thank your for your donations…

Your prayers and gifts are deeply

appreciated.

Faith Vs Fear...

We live in a fear filled world. You can hear it on the news every night. You can see it in the faces of folks as they go through their daily activities. What does tomorrow hold? More earthquakes? Financial meltdowns? Tsunamis? Wars? Unemployment? How will it all affect us and what can we do about it? The feeling of helplessness sends many into depression and despair.


I have some good news for you! A life of despair does not have to be the focus of your world! There is hope! My tomorrows are not limited to the world view of the media. I see beyond tomorrow! I see it with an eye of faith. That faith is based on something solid and sure. It is the Word of God. It is a hope based on the promises I find written for every believer. 11. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

The Fear Problem

Fear of the future and what it holds often puts a person into a grip of fear that prevents them from doing anything for God. It looks ahead with fear and freezes. Think of Noah for a moment. He had heard from God that he was to build an ark to the saving of his family. He was given exact instructions. By faith, he obeyed God and began the awesome task of building something the world around him had never seen before. For 120 years they mocked him. For 120 years he worked on the project. At any time, he could have stopped, and given up. But he persisted because he had heard from God. Even after the boat was loaded with family and animals, he could have wondered, “Will the pitch hold? Will we all survive? What will the world be like when it is all said and done? Will we find food? ” But he kept his focus on God, not the problems. God speaks today to us as He did to Isaiah: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10) In the middle of your moment of fear, God is with you...He will strengthen you...His hand will hold you!

One of the greatest weapons against fear is remembering the victories of the past. Just think for a moment of some of the wonderful things God has brought you through. For each person the history of victories will be different. Some will think of overcoming cancer. Others will think of how God helped with a bill. For some it will be the reconciliation of family members. What has God done for you? Make a victory file. Put in it all the things God has done. Then look back again and again at what God accomplished when you thought it was impossible and remember. Remember Jesus words in Matthew 17:20 I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, `Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. " and again...in Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

The Faith Factor

All too often the problem is not what God can or cannot do, but our willingness to believe it. "Everything is possible for him who believes." (Mark 9:23) There is nothing worse in a storm than to question and doubt the ability of the Captain. An old seaman once said: “In fierce storms we must do one thing, for there is only one way to survive: we must put the ship in a certain position and keep her there.” In the storms of our life, we must take our ‘ship’ and put it in a position of faith—facing the storm head on. “Jesus said, in this world you will have trouble. But, take heart, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) We can expect storms to come. It is part of life. God allows it so we will learn to look to Him and as we do, we will grow stronger spiritually. Faith sees the future through God’s eyes. What get’s God into a panic? Nothing! He see’s the whole picture….past, present and future. That’s why He is called the Alpha and the Omega, the A and the Z—the beginning and the end. There is nothing God does not see. If you are facing the possibility of death, it would appear that there are reasons to fear. But Jesus gives us hope even then to conquer our fear. “I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all.” John 11:25-26 (TMB) He spoke these words to Mary at the graveside of Lazarus. They give us hope even today as many face death.

Our Future

The problems of this world are small compared to the eternity that awaits the believer. He promised us a hope and a future, but that future is not limited to the here and now. It is extended into eternity. Paul, the apostle who suffered so greatly in persecutions, shipwrecks, beatings, stonings, and other crises, learned to look at life with eternal eyes. His vision saw into eternity and life forever with God. Jesus told his followers, 1. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me. 2. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am" (John 14:1-3) The future is always bright for the child of God. It includes time spent with Jesus. It includes a place He has prepared for each of us. It is a place that is out of reach of Satan’s schemes. It is a place where there will be no sickness or death. It is a future in which we can securely place our trust. There will be no fear in heaven or in the presence of Jesus. So we may as well choose here and now not to fear the present circumstances or the imagined ones we think may come our way. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:6-7) We don’t gain anything by spending time worrying about everything. But we do gain the peace of God when we put it all in His capable hands.

So what are we to do in our moments of fear when our faith is down?

1. Pray. Take time to get alone with God and talk to Him about it all. Then listen!

2. Read the Word. By diving into the treasures of the Bible, you will find your faith growing in God in leaps and bounds.

3. Trust. Believe that God has a plan bigger than your problem.

4. Surround yourself with Faith. Share your need with people of prayer. Together in Christ, you are a tower of strength.

5. Hope in God 13May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope. Rom 15:13 (AMP)

I don’t know your personal circumstances, but I do know the God who knows everything. When you throw up your hands in despair, saying ’There is no use going on” He is still looking down on you waiting for you to ask for His intervention. He is a God of the miraculous. He wants to demonstrate His wondrous power through you. He is not wringing his hands in anxiety over your problem. He has everything under control. He sees it all. Lift your vision above your circumstances and see as He sees. There is no fear in His eyes. He wants to see faith in yours.

J. Johnson

Unashamed!

What makes you embarrassed or ashamed? No matter what our personality, there is usually someone or something that causes us to be silent when we should be vocal, idle when we should be active, and as a result, we turn and walk away with nothing accomplished for the Kingdom of God. Consider this statement by Matt Stave of Liberty University School of Law : In a world of political correctness devoid of the rule of law, tolerance has come to mean total rejection of Christianity and moral standards. Modern tolerance redefines words like 'marriage,' 'discrimination,' 'equality,' 'morality,' and even 'absolutes.' The word 'tolerance' as it is used today never includes opposing arguments or competing worldviews. Tolerance has become Orwellian and decidedly intolerant." In our peer pressure driven world, the spirit man of the believer has been squashed into intimidation. We want to be ‘politically correct’ and not offend, yet when I look at the life of Christ, I see a man who took on His peers and the religious leaders of His day with a persistent drive to return them to the truth. He healed on the Sabbath despite their objections. He chased the vendors and money changes from the temple courtyard, not once, but twice. He ate and fellowshipped with sinners. He touched lepers, and He ministered to women. He chose as His closest associates crude fishermen, and a hated tax collector. While his disciples were politically motivated, He was driven to please the Father—a purely spiritual agenda. He never once backed down in fear, even when facing Satan following the forty days of fasting in the wilderness. He knew who He was and what His mission entailed. He let nothing come between Him and his mission. He was unashamed!


Adolph Hitler wrote, "Mental confusion, contradiction of feeling, indecisiveness, panic; these are our weapons." These were not just the tools of Hitler. They have been the tools of Satan for centuries. When people refuse to make decisions based on the truths found in the Word of God, they are easily taken advantage of by those willing to choose for them. The price in Europe was the death of millions of God fearing people. If we want to be spiritually bold, we must be imitators of Jesus Christ. What things did Jesus do that made Him unashamedly different than the spiritual leaders around Him?

He knew His Mission

Jesus came on a mission. He knew the purpose of that mission from day one. His mission was to do the will of the Father who had sent Him from Heaven’s glories to the chaos of a sin sick world. His mission included confronting Satan and taking a stand against Him. It also included taking on the task of dying. It was through His death and resurrection that sin, sickness, and death would be forever conquered. His mission was never to conquer the Roman empire, to make Himself the High Priest of the synagogue, or to just lead 12 followers until He died. The mission was much bigger and more eternal in its scope. He saw you and me in the future. His mission was to bring hope to the hopeless, joy to the depressed, and healing to the sick. When He stood up in the synagogue and read from Isaiah 61:1, he was stating his mission publicly. “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD...” He knew He was anointed for a purpose...to preach...to heal...to proclaim liberty...to bring freedom and hope at the right time to a people bound by sin and Satan. His time had come. It was the acceptable year of the Lord. Nothing side tracked Him. He was unashamed!

He knew His God

He clearly stated that He came, not to do His own will, but whatever His Father wanted Him to do. Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49). O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me (John 17:25) He took time from His disciples to go alone to pray and talk to the Father and get direction. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. (Matthew 14:23) This seems to be a hard one for many Christians, to get alone with God and spend time in prayer. We often arise in the morning at the last possible second, and rush off into our day of work and activities, rarely taking time to think about God, let alone get direction from Him. Yet we, like Jesus, are here on a mission, and we need to know the Father and what He wants to speak into our lives each day. We listen to the preacher sermonize each Sunday and think that is enough—after all, the preacher does hear from God doesn’t he? It is not enough. We need to know God for ourselves, and hear Him speak into our hearts. If we don’t know Him, how can we hope to speak for Him or even represent Him to our hurting world? Jesus made no apologies for knowing God...and he was unashamed!

He Knew the Word

It was very apparent that Jesus knew the Word. He, like most Jewish boys, learned first from His mother, all the basic principles of Jewish theology. They were obligated to memorize long passages of the Torah. When it came time for Jesus to come face to face with Satan in the wilderness, before His ministry really began, Jesus quoted at Satan, “ It is written”. Throughout His ministry Jesus is found quoting scripture. Some were prophecies from the Old Testament. Others were from the writings. He actually quoted from 24 different books of the Bible. He knew the Word. He was the Word. It flowed from Him freely to bring liberty to the captives. He was never ashamed to speak the Word to others to challenge, teach, or preach. He spoke it to Satan, to the Pharisees, to the disciples and to all who would listen. He was unashamed!

He Walked in the Spirit

Jesus knew that His boldness was not in his own human flesh, but that He required the supernatural boldness of the Holy Spirit flowing in and through Him. From the day He was baptized by John at the River Jordon, and the Holy Spirit came down upon Him in the form of a dove, He went forward in a holy boldness that amazed both the disciples, and the religious people of the day. They wondered how the son of a mere carpenter could speak and act with such authority. He knew the source of His authority...“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Matthew 28:17 It was heavenly endowed. He passed this authority on to those willing to serve him. He told the seventy he had sent out, 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19

Yes, we do not need to be ashamed. In fact, we need to adopt an attitude of boldness, given by the Holy Spirit, used with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, to challenge our culture today. There will be a price to pay. There will be persecution. But I am weary of watching our culture bow to the Muslims for fear of offending them and their religion while Christianity and the Bible are dashed to the ground as if Christians had no rights. I am weary of ‘offending’ gay rights. If I am ashamed of anything, it is the lack of responsiveness of those who call themselves Christians, to the attacks in our schools, our courts, our malls, and even in our stores. Christmas is more than Santa Claus and Easter is more than bunnies and eggs. It’s about Jesus, our resurrected Lord and I refuse to be ashamed of Him. He was not ashamed to die for you and me! How about you? Are you in the company of unashamed believers willing to speak what you believe? Let the Spirit guide you and walk tall and unashamed!

J. Johnson

The True Measure of Greatness...

Every year new officials are elected to positions of leadership in the government and in the church. We look to them to lead us and provide us with security and peaceful lives. But the standard we often use to measure what makes a person great is often not very Biblical. If a person is prosperous, we assume that he or she can provide financial prosperity and handle money with wisdom. If a person is young and handsome, we assume there is wisdom that goes along with those good looks. Yet we know that in each of these, prosperity and good looks, there can be deception and treachery. A prosperous person may have increased his goods by fraud, deception and greed. A good looking leader may have used his outward appearance to gain popularity while inwardly being immature and ego-centric. There is a saying we should pay closer attention to in selecting leadership. “A good leader inspires people to have confidence in their leader. A great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.” (Anonymous). A great leader pulls out the best in you. The greatest spiritual leaders do even more…they help you put your confidence in God, reaching into the supernatural and into the impossible.


True Greatness

What does God say about greatness? Greatness means becoming a servant. Matthew 20:26-27 “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.” In today’s modern culture, that is a hard concept to deal with for many. We despise the idea of slavery. We link it to the idea of racism. The modern American does not want to lower himself to a level of ‘slavery’, even by choice, for it goes against the idea of the ultimate American dream—being in charge, and leading the way with power. We want to be achievers and have a future filled with ambitions and dreams. A life of servitude just goes against the grain. But in reality, it is a failure to recognize who is really in control, and who is the true authority. The moment we do things our way, we wrestle away authority and control into our own hands, failing to see that God is always the ultimate authority. The world around us talks about a ‘service industry’, applauding those who choose to serve others for the public good. But true servant hood means even more.

Jesus set the ultimate example of greatness by his servanthood. Phil 2:5-8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of Himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of Himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. (TMB) His daily activities reflected this idea of serving. Remember how Jesus chose to wash his disciples feet? It was the job of the servant in the house, yet Jesus did it to teach servanthood as a way of life. John 13:15-17 I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do. I'm only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn't give orders to the employer. If you understand what I'm telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life.

Humility in Greatness

Becoming great in God’s eyes is very different from becoming great in each other’s eyes. It demands a life of humility. Humility is not becoming a doormat, but choosing to walk in total humility in spite of the repercussions. Philippians 2:3-5 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” Humility chooses to die to the desires of self. It chooses instead to look to the needs of others. What is the greatest need in others around me? How can I help meet that need? It never looks for an attitude of “What’s in it for me?” Instead to choose to submit for the greater good of others. Ephesians 5:21 “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” What does this mean on a practical level? It means that on the job, you consider the needs of your boss or the customer before your own needs. It means in the home, you work to meet the needs and desires of your spouse and children before you selfishly fulfill your own desires. In the church, it means giving of yourself to see that others grow spiritually, doing all you can to give of yourself to help the leadership, and if you are a leader, to sacrifice for those you lead. Isaiah 66:2  “These are the ones I look on with favor:  those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.” Those who tremble at His words must have ears willing to listen to God in the first place. They will have a reverent awe of the voice of God. Their lives will be ordered by His commands. They will never be ‘ladder climbers’ reaching for selfish ambition. They will be teachable, listening closely to the quiet nudges of the Holy Spirit.

We all seem to struggle with the Biblical concept of greatness. We are daily bombarded with the ideas of the world around us as to what greatness means. The media pushes the idea that you are great when you are famous, when you get lots of money and when others want to be just like you. Today, fame is fleeting. One day you can be the darling of Hollywood and the next day—nothing. You may be the leader of a nation with billions of dollars in your pocket, but as we have seen in Egypt’s turmoil, greatness was not in wealth. The people demanded true ggreatness, a leader that looked to the interests of others rather than self.

Today, we want to be like Jesus, but we struggle with the idea of humbling ourselves. Jesus told his followers we are to be like little children if we would be great. How are children great? They look to their Father for everything they need in life. They listen to his words, and mimic his every move. They want to spend time with their Father, sitting on his knee, learning and growing. They look at life with innocent eyes, seeing the best in everyone. They learn to speak what Father speaks and do what Father does. Is that not what Jesus did? As I said before, I do nothing on my own. My judgment of the world will be based on what I hear from my Father (John 5:30). For I have come down from heaven to do God’s will, not my own (John 6:38). Our struggle is for self-determination. We want to do what we want to do. We see it in our children and grandchildren when we take their hand to keep them safe, but they do their best to pull away and go where they want to go all by themselves. When we tell then “No” and hold their little hands, they object and cry and struggle to be free, not knowing that freedom can be dangerous and comes with great responsibilities. We do not like to hear the “No”. We want to go. We want to do. We want to be free. Soon we learn that growing up demands we learn to respond appropriately with maturity. We learn to submit for the greater good. God’s desires are always the greater good. Jesus’ need for self-determination was laid aside in favor of divine-determination.

What makes for great leadership today? It is the same as it was for Jesus. His greatness recognized the true authority as Father God and he made himself a servant to His Father. In spiritual combat, His authority was the Word of God. Jesus greatness was in his humility. He made himself nothing--His greatness was in his life of prayer, daily talking to the Father. His greatness was in his anointing--allowing the Spirit to flow through Him to meet the needs of others. His greatness was in his cooperation and unity with God. How can we be spiritually great? By doing the same as Jesus: become a servant of God, stand on the Word of God, walk in self-imposed humility, living a life of prayer, talking to God the Father, walking in the anointing, filled with the Spirit, living in harmony and unity with God and His plan. God has given us all the tools we need to do the job. When we stand in the authority of the Word, allow the Spirit’s anointing to flow through us, and humbly give the glory to God, Father will be pleased. Greatness begins on your knees, discovering the mind of Christ. There is no greater place to be than walking in harmony with the Almighty God.

J. Johnson

Praise reports and prayer requests…..


Pray for revival! Pray for those who are struggling with forgiveness, anger and doubt.

Pray for the Johnsons as they seek a new place of full time ministry...a church that needs strong leadership. Pray for grieving families who have lost loved ones....(Fritz Ammeter family) Pray for Pastors, Evangelists, Missionaries, and Teachers. Pray for US Army Chaplain Steve Maglio.

Pray for those needing a healing touch in their bodies: Theresa Johnson (still having pain from her heart problems) Jeanne Deike (cancer) Dave Barth (cancer), L. Gardner (cancer). Pray for those dealing with chaos, anger, abuse, temptations and carnal sinful habits. Pray for the nation, for the President, for our service men and women, for Israel, for Christians in Muslim countries, for the unsaved, and don’t forget to Praise and thank the Lord!

Like most people, I have made many promises in my lifetime. I have always tried to keep them to the best of my ability. But sometimes we fail to keep our promises. We usually despise those who make and break their promises. If it is a chronic problem, we see it as a character flaw—and one of choice. Yet we all have been there.


They tell us that in the Bible there are over 8000 promises that God has made to man. Because of the character of God, he can never break a promise. He cannot lie. If He were to lie it would make Him less than God. Let’s look at some of the wonderful promises of God.



The Promise of Hope

Man started out with God in the garden in a beautiful relationship, one of intimacy and fellowship. But that intimacy was soon to be destroyed by sin and Satan’s temptation. But in the midst of the sin, God made a promise: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) He was speaking to the serpent and Satan. This was the promise of God to bring the Messiah, Jesus into the world, the offspring of a woman. That offspring would crush Satan’s power. With Satan’s power crushed, man has hope in the future. Since Jesus came, that future is now. Not only do we have power over Satan, we also have a hope of Jesus promised return. “while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,” (Titus 2:13) There is also a promised hope of eternal life. “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:7) That is the difference between Christianity and so many of the cults and false religions of the world. We have a promise made by God Himself of an eternal future. We don’t have to wonder if it is true or not. When God makes a promise, He keeps His Word! Numbers 23:19 speaks of the integrity of God and His promises. God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act?  Has he ever promised and not carried it through? (NLT) The moment we die, we can know for sure that God has a life waiting for us that we can hardly imagine.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; John 11:25 We have the hope and promise that our eternal home is with Him.—that life does not end in a cold grave—it is just the beginning!



The Promise of Forgiveness

Forgiving is not always easy to do. Yet God has promised that if we ask—admit our sinfulness, we will be forgiven! If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 Since we are born in our sin, we all desperately need forgiveness. If we continue to live under the weight of our guilt, Satan uses that to weigh us down with condemnation and feelings of inferiority. Many promises are conditional, and this is one of them. It requires that we do something on our part, and then God will do what no one else can do. He will clean our spiritual slate and make it like we had never ever sinned. If you keep looking backward at all the horrible things you have done in your life, they can be forgiven in a moment...the moment we confess them to God...not to man. He promises to make us clean and pure. It does not matter what sin you have done. He forgives them all.

The most difficult thing we often face is forgiving those who hurt us. Yet the Bible clearly teaches "Forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you" (Colossians 3:13). There is an amazing miracle that takes place when we choose to forgive. For real forgiveness to occur, a sacrifice is necessary. Jesus made the sacrifice for our forgiveness and when we choose by sheer will to forgive another, suddenly, the victim become the victor. There is a shift in the heavenlies and the power is ripped from Satan’s grasp and put into God’s hands where both mercy and justice reign. Healing begins with God in charge. Corrie Ten Boom, a former prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp one day came face to face with one of her brutal captors. She asked God to help her forgive. She later wrote in The Hiding Place : “We never touch the ocean of God’s love so much as when we love our enemies. It is a joy to accept forgiveness, but it is almost a greater joy to give forgiveness.” God so loved us...that He forgave!



The Promise of a Planned Future

Most people want to know what the will of God is for their life and future. They find it difficult to make decisions because they often lean on their own feelings or advice from others. But God has a better way. If we seek God, He will show us His plan. His plans for our life are perfect. Again they are conditional. But this is His promise for those who follow after God with all their hearts. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 But those who choose to follow their own path do not fall under this promise of blessing. Israel had to learn it the hard way, and often we do to. We think we know better. We try steering our ship through the storms of life, only to find we are continually crashing against the rocks and reefs. We need to have the mind of Christ, and when we know what He is thinking, what He is planning, and we follow His way, we discover a blessed hope and future that Jeremiah talked about. Our prosperity is not just in the things of this life, but in eternal things. It is your eternal soul He wants to prosper. You may value all the stuff of this life that you have accumulated, but He values your eternal soul far more. His plans take us into an eternal realm.

The Promise of a Helper

You may think you are down here struggling all alone. You are not! Jesus promised us that He would send to us someone to be our Helper...our Advocate...our Teacher.

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26 But if we want His help in our daily lives, we must be in the Bible, reading His messages to our soul. We must take time to pray and listen to Him speak to us. The Holy Spirit will never go against what the Bible teaches. He will never contradict the holiness of God. Satan wants to speak into our lives too and we must know the difference. We can learn the difference by knowing what the Bible says. For example, God would never tell someone to have an illicit affair with someone, because the Bible teaches us that adultery and fornication are sin. The Holy Spirit is always there in the life of the Christian believer to teach you what is right and what is wrong, and to remind you about what the Bible says on the issue. There are many things that the Holy Spirit does for us. He helps us in our weakness. (Rom 8:26) He intercedes on our behalf .(Rom 8:26-27) He leads us in the ways of God .(Gal 5:18) He strengthens believers. (Eph 3:16) He helps us to know that we are God’s children. (Rom 8:16) These are just a few of the things He does. When we step out of line, He convicts us of our sin. He also helps us produce good spiritual fruit in our lives (Gal 5:22,23) No, you are not alone! You have the Holy Spirit with you every day. Even when you turn away from God, He is still there drawing you back to Him.

We have not even touched on the many awesome promises of God, yet it is so easy to forget those promises when we find ourselves in the middle of a storm. All we see is the wind and the waves. Like the disciples, we forget the One who is in the boat with us who with just a word can speak “Peace” and the storm is over. You can know the peace of God when you choose to stand firm on the promises of God. He is waiting for you...and He will always keep His promises! Will you?

J. Johnson