Wednesday, April 26, 2006

The World's Greatest Invitation: PART 1


The World's Greatest Invitation: PART 1
Brad Reiches
Apr 26 2006 12:25AM



Wednesday, April 26, 2006
GodThoughts Wired!

"The World's Greatest Invitation"
Understanding Who the God of the Bible Really is,
and What the Message of the Bible Actually Says.
PART 1

"In those days, there was no king in Israel;
everyone did what was right in his own eyes."
Judges 21:25

Yesterday I wrote:

"In my opinion, it is the world's greatest invitation.  There isn't even a close second.  Can you guess what it is? "

Some of your answers were:

"Righteousness," "Servanthood," "Come," "Salvation," "Obey,  and "Freedom."  All are very good answers, however, the one word that I was looking for is...REPENT!  Many of you answered correctly.  A special congratulation to Theo D. Beels, Grand Rapids, Michigan, who gave the correct answer just moments after sending it out!



THE WORLD'S GREATEST INVITATION:

Isaiah:  "In repentance and rest you shall be saved" (Isaiah 30:15).

Jeremiah:  "Return (repent) O' faithless sons...Return (repent) O' faithless sons..Return (repent) O' faithless sons..(Jeremiah 3:10, 12, 22).

Ezekeil:  "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies, declares the Lord God.  Therefore, repent and live" (Ezekiel 18:32; see also, verses 20-31).

John the Baptist:  "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand" (Matthew 3:2).

Jesus:  "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand" (Matthew 4:17).

Peter:  "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

Paul:  "God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent...That they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance" (Acts 17:30; 26:20).

The 12 Apostles:  "They went out and preached that men should repent" (Mark 6:12).

Jesus to the churches of churches of Revelation:  "Repent...Repent...Repent...Repent...Repent...Repent...Repent...Repent..." (Revelation 2 & 3).

The angels:  "There will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents...There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:7, 10).

"Repentance:  The only hope for the American church."



Monday, April 24, 2006

The World's Greatest Invitation: INTRODUCTION


The World's Greatest Invitation: INTRODUCTION
Brad Reiches
Apr 24 2006 07:00PM

A SPECIAL THANKS!  To those of you who noticed yesterday's  MATHEMATICAL BLUNDER.  The title of yesterday's devotional should have been, "One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty Five Years Ago."  :)


Tuesday, April 25, 2006
GodThoughts Wired!

"The World's Greatest Invitation"
Understanding Who the God of the Bible Really is,
and What the Message of the Bible Actually Says.

"In those days, there was no king in Israel;
everyone did what was right in his own eyes."
Judges 21:25

In my opinion, it is the world's greatest invitation.  There isn't even a close second.  Can you guess what it is?  I'm so excited about this series that I'll give a complimentary copy of my latest book, GodThoughts, Volume 2 to the first person to guess the correct answer.  Here are some clues:

-The invitation is given by God to all who are willing to receive it.

-It is a one-word invitation.

-It is a "conditional" invitation.
-Judges 21:25 (see above) is a HUGE HINT.

-God sent this very specific invitation via Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, John the Baptist, Jesus, John, Peter, to name a few.  They all used EXACTLY (meaning that the English translation of the Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic are all the SAME WORD) the same terminology.

-Curiously (based on the numerous books and commentaries found in our local Bible book stores, as well as the many sermons that I have heard over the years), most pastors are unaware that the apostle Paul also (along with those listed above) used this single word to described his message.

Well...WHADAYATHINK?

One Thousand, Nine Hundred & Fifty Five Years Ago...


One Thousand, Nine Hundred & Fifty Five Years Ago...
Brad Reiches
Apr 24 2006 02:20AM



Monday, April 24, 2006
GodThoughts Wired!

"One Thousand, Nine Hundred & Fifty Five Years Ago..."
Some of My Notes from 2 Thessalonians

"The apostasy comes first..."
2 Thessalonians 2:3

Apostasia:  Rebellion, backsliding, apostasy, departure.

Well, the 2nd coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be closer than any of us realize.  Of the return of Christ the scripture is quite clear, "Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first..." (2 Thessalonians 2:3).  In this instance, I like the commentary of the Amplified "Bible:"  "For that day (the return of Jesus) will not come except the apostasy comes first [unless the predicted great falling away of those who have professed to be Christians has come]. 

WOW!  A great "falling away"...of the church!  Apostasy!  Twenty years ago I couldn't have imagined it!  But I can today.  In George Barna's latest book, Revolution, he updates us on the current status of the "body of Christ" in the United States of America.  On pages 32-33 he writes:

Only 9 percent of all born-again adults have a
biblical worldview-meaning that less than
one out of every ten Christians age eighteen or older
believes that absolute moral truth exists, believes
that such truth is contained in the Bible, and
possesses a handful of core bliefs that reflect such truth.

Barna goes on to say that 91% of professing "Christians" no longer believe that "Jesus lived a sinless life."  91% do not believe that "Satan is real," nor do they believe that "the only means to salvation is through God's grace."  He goes on to say that more than 9 out of 10 "believers" no longer trust that "God is the all-knowing and all-powerful creator of the universe who still rules today." 
Accordingly, the twenty-first century American church possesses what Barna refers to as a "patchwork theological view."  The very thing that God warned us about in 2 Peter 1:20-21:

"But know this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture
is a matter of one's own interpretation..."

In A.D. 51 a gentleman by the name of Paul wrote his second letter to the church at Thessalonica.  In it he predicted that a great "falling away" of the church would take place at some point in the distant future.  In other words, approximately one thousand, five hundred and fifty one years ago, the apostle Paul documented the current events of the twenty-first century American church.

Hmmm...


Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Commentary 4: Matthew 16:21-27


Commentary 4: Matthew 16:21-27
Brad Reiches
Apr 19 2006 07:00PM



Thursday, April 20, 2006
GodThoughts Wired!

"Some of My Notes"
From Matthew 16:21-27

PART IV:  "God's Interests"

"He (Jesus) turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me Satan!'
You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your
mind on God's interests, but man's."
Matthew 16:23

Wow!  My life has been changed by this very verse!  The realization that Jesus LIVED for the "interests" of His Father.  He lived for them...and died for them.  He said, "The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it something He sees the Father doing..." (John 5:19)  He further stated, "I can do nothing on My own initiative...I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 5:30).  And He emphatically declared,  "I have come down from heaven not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 6:38, see also, John 8:28).

Actually, these words of Jesus in Matthew 16:23, are merely a re-iteration of that which He spoke in the wilderness:

"Begone Satan!  For you shall love the Lord
your God and serve Him only."
Matthew 4:10

The quest to know and represent Jesus is to pursue the will of God...PERIOD!  And the goal of Christlikeness is the same as our Mentor.  To be able to say at the end of our days as He did,

"I glorified You on the earth, having
accomplished the work that You gave Me to do."
John 17:4

I call it, "Life's Ultimate Goal."



Monday, April 17, 2006

Commentary 2: Matthew 16:21-27


Commentary 2: Matthew 16:21-27
Brad Reiches
Apr 17 2006 07:00PM



Tuesday, April 18, 2006
GodThoughts Wired!

"Some of My Notes"
From Matthew 16:21-27

PART II

"He (Jesus) turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me Satan!'
You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your
mind on God's interests, but man's."
Matthew 16:23

Wow!  Several things here.  First of all, Jesus is aware that His ensuing suffering and death were a part of God's perfect design for Jesus' life.  His entire life was predicated on accomplishing the works of His Father (see John 17:4).  Toward that end He said things like, "I can do nothing on My own initiative...I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me..." (John 5:30).

It is only in this light that we can understand Jesus' emotions here.  He was fully dedicated to His Father's will and devoted to "God's interests" alone.  Peter's comments, although quite sincere, were being used by the Devil to tempt Jesus to set His mind on His own interests, rather than God's.  At a time when Jesus needed enCOURAGEment to carry out His Father's wishes, Satan was trying to tempt Him to get His eyes off of God and onto His own worries and fears. 

We are aware of how deeply God's plan of suffering and death troubled Jesus from His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Father, if Though art willing, remove this cup from Me, yet not My will, but Thine be done" (Luke 22:42).