God Is Up To Something

By Gobel Brockman


I'm typing this while watching a crusade on GodTV from Nuremberg, Germany where thousands are worshipping God at an outdoor soccer stadium. This is on the same day that the Pastor of our church and his wife, along with several others, returned from a short-term missions trip to the Philippines where literally thousands gave their lives to Jesus Christ. They also recently took part in a conference in Ireland where they said the presence of God was overwhelming. This got me to thinking about a Pastor friend of mine who recently took a group to the Darien jungle area of Panama for a missions trip. This got me to thinking about another friend of mine who went on a missions trip to Honduras with a group from her church to help provide clean water to the people there. Which got me to thinking....

....about what the prophet Joel said in Joel 2:28-29: "And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. Your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams; and also upon my servants and my handmaidens I will pour out My Spirit."  In Acts 2, after the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the 120 in the upper room, Peter quoted this very Scripture in what was to be the first sermon of the New Testament church. They are powerful words indeed - the very Spirit that the Bible says in Genesis 1 "hovered over the face of the waters" in the beginning of creation is now not only WITH us, but can indeed dwell WITHIN us. In Acts 1:8 Jesus told the disciples that the purpose of this infilling was so that they would be "witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." As I watch all that is going on right now, I realize that the words of Jesus are continuing to be fulfilled - God is pouring out His Spirit upon all who will receive. We need to be reminded that when we receive this outpouring, is for a reason: so that we would take the power that has been poured into us and share it with others.

Sometimes I check the stat tracker on this blog and I'm pleasantly surprised at the number of people from different countries who have read this devotional from time to time. If that applies to you right now I want you to know that the message I have for you isn't an American message - I'm not here to preach America to you. I'm here to tell you about a Jewish carpenter who lived on this earth 2,000 years ago. He had an earthly mother, but He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He was Immanuel - "God in the flesh." He was given the name Jesus. The Bible says that He didn't come to destroy the law, He came to fulfill it - and that He did. In doing so, He was able to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind. He willingly laid down His life on the cross for our sin, and on the third day God physically raised him from the dead. The same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead can raise you from the death of sin and despair, and can fill you to overflowing with a power that I do not have words to sit here and describe to you. God truly does love the world (read John 3:16) and what He's doing in the life of others, He will do in yours as well.

God is indeed up to something in these last days. He is pouring out the Holy Ghost on all who will receive. It's life, hope, and contentment. Yes, there is a price to it. Gaining the acceptance of God will rarely gain you the praise of man. Some will leave you and think you crazy for following this Jesus. In the Scripture I quoted from Acts 1:8 when Jesus said, "You shall be witnesses" the Greek word for witnesses is martys, where we get our word martyr. This "last days outpouring" calls us to lay down our lives and take up His cross. But as Jesus once said, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36)

Yes, God is up to something in these last days. Get in while you can.  

A Lot To Be Thankful For

By Gobel Brockman


(A portion of this week's devotional is taken from Chapter Two of my book "But If Not")

"I was raised in church. My parents became Christians when I was four years old, and church was a way of life for me. On Sunday mornings, there was no debate about what we were doing: we were getting up, getting dressed, and going to church period. Any arguments on the subject were brought to a quick and decisive end. My Dad was also a musician who played in several Gospel groups over the years, so not only was I in church on Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings, I also sat through many Friday night and Saturday night "Gospel Singings." If you've ever seen the movie The Apostle starring Robert Duvall, you've had a glimpse into what my childhood was like. I spent a lot of time swatting flies and mosquitoes in tent revivals. I spent countless hours listening to loud, screaming preachers in hot churches with only paper fans with pictures of Jesus on them to keep you cool. "All day singing and dinner on the ground" services that seemed like they would never end. (In a couple of cases I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the meeting was still going on!) I was sung to, preached at, yelled at, and pressured to "come to the altar" more times than I can begin to remember. But as I look back on it all, my thoughts are simple: 

I thank God for every moment of it. 

Why? Because in those times, I also saw a lot of things that I knew had to be "God moments." I saw men stagger into church drunk, get hit by the power of God, and sober up instantly. I heard people sing and I knew that they weren't just singing songs, but they were truly worshipping a God that they had a relationship with. I heard preachers preach with power and conviction, and I knew that what I was feeling in those moments was coming from above. For a few years I strayed away from all of this, and as a result I ended up in some pretty horrible situations. I sadly got heavily involved in drugs and alcohol, and on more than one occasion I literally came close to losing my life. But during that time with every drink of beer, every toke from a joint, and every tab of LSD, I was remembering all of those moments in those pest-filled tents and stifling hot churches when God had proved Himself real to me. Finally, in January of 1981 I stopped running and surrendered my life to Jesus. He has proven Himself to be real time and time again. In my darkest moments His light has seen me through. Now, it doesn't matter whether I'm around fellow believers or complete scoffers, I know that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be."

As I recently read over this, remembering that this is Thanksgiving week, I'm simply thankful that during my time of rebellion and running from God that He never gave up on me - especially since I gave Him every reason to. The Bible says in Psalm 103:8: 

       "The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." 

That's reason enough for me to be thankful. How about you?

Come Quickly, Lord Jesus

By Gobel Brockman

In the past few days we have witnessed yet another senseless massacre of human life, this time in Paris, France. As of this writing there are an estimated 129 dead and over 350 injured. It seems as though it is now impossible to turn on our TVs or log on to the Internet without hearing/reading of another mass shooting or terror attack. News commentators and political pundits on both sides of the aisle sound off afterwards with their opinions of both causes and cures of these problems. But every time I hear about a situation like this, my mind goes in a bit of a different direction:

1) It's always been this way

God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the garden of Eden. After they disobeyed God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were banished from the garden. As they continued their lives they soon had two sons - Cain, their firstborn, and his brother Abel. The Bible goes on to say that in time Cain eventually murdered his brother. The lesson in that story cannot escape us: 

The very first human being born of woman into this world was a murderer, and human beings have been harming each other in one form or another ever since. 

I know that our world is filled with anger, rage, hatred, and violence. My point is simply that it has been since the fall of man. In Genesis 1 God created the heaven and the earth; by Genesis 6 He's telling Noah that He's going to send a flood and destroy mankind because He saw that "the land was filled with violence." What we're seeing on the news today is not a new thing; sin has caused mankind to do immeasurable damage to itself from the very beginning.

2) We do not have the ability within ourselves to change things 

With every mass shooting or terror attack there are calls for everything from gun control to all-out war. I know that what I'm about to say may be disagreed with by some, but neither will work. Why do I say that? Because human laws cannot change sinful hearts, and because Jesus Himself told us that in the last days there would be "wars and rumors of wars." (Matthew 24:6) The apostle Paul also told us in II Timothy 3:13 that in the last days "evil men would wax worse and worse." So what do we do? 

*Surrender our lives to Christ completely, and allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and make us the men and women of God that He wants us to be. 

     "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)

*Pray for revival. We can't change people, but a genuine move of the Holy Spirit in this world can. 

     "If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn on their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (II Chronicles 7:14)

*BE revival in our world. 

     "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)

I believe the simple truth in all of this is that there will be no true, lasting peace on earth until the Prince of Peace returns, so I think the best way to end this is with the same words that the Bible ends with (Revelation 22:20-21):

"Even so, come Lord Jesus. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you all."

You Are Not a "Justa"

By Gobel Brockman

It's interesting how often we identify ourselves by what we do. The problem with that is that if we perceive what we do to be minimal or unimportant, it can cause us to view ourselves - and life in general - in ways that we're not intended to. In these times we may get what may be referred to as "Justa Syndrome:"

"I'm "justa" retail employee."

"I'm "justa" janitor."

"I'm "justa" fast-food worker."

"I'm "justa" housewife."

"I'm "justa" pastor of a small church."

When we begin suffering from "Justa Syndrome", it can cause us to go through our days feeling as though our lives and our contributions to the world are insignificant. Many times we may be tempted to feel as though we can easily be replaced. The problem with all of this is that it flies in the face with what is probably the most well-known Scripture in the entire Bible:

     "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

I'm sure most of you reading this can quote that Scripture from memory, but when we're very familiar with something we can sometimes forget the power and significance behind it. In the case of this verse, we can't let the message escape us:

The Creator of Heaven and Earth; the eternal, powerful God, loved you and me enough to come to this world in human form and lay down His life for us. Let me say it in simpler terms: 

God doesn't consider you a "justa." 

So how does God view those who believe in Him and surrender their lives to Him? We are:

"A child of God." John 1:12

"Justified by faith." Romans 5:1

"A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation." I Peter 2:9

"More than conquerors." Romans 8:37

"Never left or forsaken." Hebrews 13:5

I could go on (and on) but you get the idea. In the eyes of God, you are not a "justa". You matter to Him and you are loved by Him. But we must also remind ourselves that all of the promises available to us have one thing in common: they are all free gifts from the Father that we could never earn or deserve on our own. We are not "justas" only because God has chosen to freely share His love and goodness with us. In Exodus 33:18 Moses asked God, "Show me Your glory." God's response in verse 19 is interesting: "I will cause My goodness to pass before you..." Moses asked to see God's glory, and God showed Moses His goodness. It is that goodness that gives us hope and helps us realizes that regardless of how we view our position in life, He desires to show His glory to us as well. However, we must also remember that to receive this glory and goodness, we must respond in faith and obedience to the God who extends them to us.

The point in all of this is simple: we may make our livings scrubbing floors and toilets, typing away on computers, making sandwiches, stocking shelves, working with our hands, or doing our best to serve in our roles in our churches, but if Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life, those things are simply what we do - they're not who we are. We are sons and daughters of the Most High God. We're recipients of the grace and goodness of a loving Heavenly Father. We have an inheritance from God that the Bible calls incorruptible and that can never be stolen from us.

That's "justa" lot of great news.