Words of Life

May, 2012

Buzzard:  If you put a buzzard in a 6 x 8 foot pen that is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner.  The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet.  Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail cell with no top.

Bat:  The ordinary bat flies around at night.  A remarkably nimble creature in the air, it cannot take off from a level place.  If it is placed on the floor or flat ground all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

Bumblebee:  A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies.  Unless it is taken out it never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom.  It will seek a way where none exists until it completely destroys itself.

People:  In many ways we are like the buzzard, the bat and the bumblebee.  We struggle about with all of our problems and frustrations never realizing that all we have to do is look up.  Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, but faith looks up.  “Give ear to my words, oh Lord.  Consider my meditation.  Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for unto thee will I pray.  My voice shall thou hear in the morning, oh Lord.  In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up.” Psalms 5:1-3, King James Version.

As we look at the aforementioned examples in nature of things that hindered and could have even brought untimely death, I want us to see how we too have many snares that could take us out of the race that is before us.  Proverbs 29:18 says “Where there is no vision the people perish.” This implies that where there is no sure word in sounding of the alarm to call attention to danger, that people will live in a sense of false peace.  Paul set out on a missionary journey and the Bible says that the winds were contrary.  When we begin to take up our place in the body of Christ, the devil is going to call for an all out war against you.  Someone asked me recently what does the Bible mean when it says this gospel of the Kingdom must be preached to the whole world and then the end shall come.  My response to her was the one Jesus gave us example of.  When John was in prison and was wondering if, in fact, Jesus was the Christ, Jesus told them to “go out and tell John those things you both see and hear.  The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and to the poor the Gospel is preached.“  Luke 7:22 King James Version.  In Luke 13:32, the Pharisees came and told Jesus to depart from the region because Herod wanted to kill him.  His response was “Go tell that fox, behold, I cast out devils and do cures today and tomorrow and on the third I shall be perfected.” This gospel must be preached to the whole world and not only talked about, but demonstrated.  When you become a Christian you are a marked man and woman by the devil and all those who are under his domain.

I want to clarify a point here.  There are only two kingdoms and you are every day submitted and under the control of one or the other.  “Who you yield to is who has mastery over you.” Romans 6:16.  After we make a clean break from our old ways and friends, our next major battle is to break free of the false teachings of a religious system that has no demonstration of power and that keeps people in bondage.  This is not new and unique to our generation.  Jesus died at the hands of a people who could quote scripture backwards and forwards.  I am pulling out all the stops.  We as Pentecostals are already branded as “that bunch who preaches all that stuff that Jesus and the early church used to do.”  I say lets do the works that Jesus did.  The battle is on.  Who will join me?

God bless your day,

Pastor Rod (Pastor)