What He Comes To Do!

10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (KJV)  JOHN 10:10

The last time we shared I tried to explain the difference between Zoe and Bios life.  Zoe is life in the Spirit and it pertains to things in the Spirit. Bio on the other hand is just that, your biological life and all the things associated with physical life. 

It is my contention that if we have Zoe life, all other things fall into place. It is a matter of priority: When we seek those things that are above, He then gives us the desires of our heart. So then beloved:

Jesus says, I have come, I did not send a substitute but I came myself to give you something, something no one else could give you. Jesus gives us Zoe, life in the Spirit, a fulfilled life, a satisfying life, a life not absent from drama but peace in the midst of it.

That is why he came, but what did he come to do? He says in this Word from John’s Gospel, I come that you might have life AND (key) have it more abundantly. 

Taking a look into the words "more abundantly" we find that the words in the Greek are Perissos; meaning exceedingly abundant, more abundant, beyond measure, superfluous. Jesus said I want your life in the Spirit to pour out into every other aspect of your life. I want your Zoe to outshine your Bios. He comes to fill up the empty spaces in our lives with abundant Zoe!

I don’t know where you are today or what you may face but the Good News is this:

1. He comes.
2. He brings life.
3. He comes to give it to us abundantly or to the fullest!

Pray: 

Lord thank you that you have given us a reservoir of life that will never run dry!

Determined to Live by Faith,

Dr. Stan

Why He Comes

10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (KJV)  JOHN 10:10

The blessing for the child of God is that he knows what we need when we need it. The Bible records, “That in the fullness of time God sent his son, born of a woman and under the Law.” (Galatians 4:4)  Yes beloved when the time was full, when we could not bear the stench and sting of sin a moment longer, God sent his son. Jesus picks up on this when he says, I come that THEY might have life. Well beloved rejoice and be glad because you and I are the “they” that Jesus is talking about.

Why did Jesus come you ask? The answer is simple, so that we might have life! The word life in the Greek is Zoe. There are at least two words that describe life in the Greek, Zoe, and Bios.  Bios refers to physical life, age, numerical years. Zoe on the other hand has more to do with quality than quantity. Jesus implies that until now all you had was Bios and then you died. Yes you lived, breathed, walked and talked but because of sin your quality of life was severely diminished. Jesus says I want you to have Zoe quality of life. What is quality of life? Some have said it is the creature comforts of life, like luxury cars, fine homes and lots of money. The truth is you can have these things with Bios life. Zoe life comes with peace in the midst of turmoil; joy in the middle of sorrow; life when death is all around. Jesus says the thing you were lacking was Zoe. You had Bios and because of sin even that was limited but because he comes, we have Zoe life!

On today as you go about your daily chore thank God that he loved us enough to send what we really needed, Zoe quality life, life to the fullest!

Pray: 

Lord thank you for coming to rescue me from an ordinary life and introducing me to Zoe life, a life with meaning.

Next up what did Jesus mean when he said abundant life?

Determined to live by faith,

Dr. Stan

Jesus Comes!

10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (KJV)  JOHN 10:10

We have just exited the Lenten and passion season and many are still left wondering why did Jesus come? Did he come to perform miracles? Did he come to die? Did he come to prove Gods love for us? Did he come to rescue us from ourselves and sin?  

The truth is, all the statements above are valid and true. Jesus came to do all those things and even more. When we think about our crazy lives and this mixed up world we live in, the message of Jesus oft times really does get lost. Well after this season of examination and sacrifice we need to constantly keep the real message of Jesus on our minds and in our mouths.

Jesus said I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.

As we seek to know him and grow lets first remember this, Jesus says I come. Not Elijah, Jeremiah, Isaiah, David, Solomon, or Moses, but he says I come!  Rejoice and know that Jesus comes. When we are depressed and dejected, Jesus comes. When life rushes in on us, the calm that comes and keeps us together is Jesus. When you are victimized by error, it is Jesus who lets you know that there is always tomorrow. He comes just when we need him most; in hospitals, by grave sites, in court rooms and anywhere else his sheep are needed. You can shout loud or be possessed by the blessed assurance that he comes.

The next message will share why he comes, stay tuned!

Determined to live by faith,
Dr. Stan

Abundant Rain!: Scripture: 1st Kings 18:14

Happy post resurrection day! I pray that you rejoiced in the knowledge that we serve a risen Savior! What a marvelous Lenten and then resurrection season we enjoyed. The Lord showed up each Wonderful Wednesday and the Word that was preached on Sundays helped us to understand the value of valleys. Good Friday was just that, very good for the Lord was in his Holy Temple and we were the benefactors of his presence and power.

Pastor Fuller preached a sermon on Palm Sunday and she said in essence to prepare yourself for abundant rain. We were reminded that the things in our life that were dry and worn out the Lord was about to replenish. The prophet did not say I see rain but I hear it. This is synonymous with faith, for faith is believing before you can even see it. We danced, shouted, worshiped and praised until we were engulfed in the Spirit. Umbrellas came out and the people rejoiced before the Lord showed us any sign of rain.  e just praised like we believed it. Remember Elijah said to Ahab that heavy rain was coming, even though they had not seen rain for three years. Ahab was told in essence not to worry about it to go home and eat because the Lord has got this under his control. We were told to prepare ourselves in Mt. Calvary as well as in our personal lives; that the Lord was sending not just rain, but heavy, torrential, a literal rainstorm, abundant rain!

Well beloved on resurrection Sunday the rain started to fall at 6am in the morning the saints filled the house. Then at 10 am we had more people than we had chairs, (I hear the sound of abundant rain). The challenge for us is this: We should not ask the Lord for what we do not believe he can do!  We asked the Lord to water dry places, to fill the house and the Lord did it and we were surprised! Remember, “God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that he has to repent. If he said it he will bring it to pass."  (Numbers 23:19)

Beloved there are some family, financial, personal, spiritual and emotional concerns that need more than just rain, they need abundant rain. Our God promised that he would bring the abundant rain. I cannot speak for you but I believe God, abundant rain in the foreseeable future.  So in the words of a popular preacher, get ready, get ready, get ready!  Man your post and look up for I hear the sound of abundant rain.

Determined to live by faith,

Dr. Stan