The Promise - A Hidden Door to God's Heart

The Wise Master Builder (Part 6)

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." (Gen 12:1-3)

Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ. (Gal 3:16)

And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise. (Gal 3:29)

And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.
(Gal 4:28)

Like a parable or riddle, unlock this promise and you will capture the heart beat of God. Do you dare to understand Him and His purposes?

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© 2008, 2009 Following Jesus by Chuck Wood All Rights Reserved

Hunting for Heritage Promises

The Wise Master Builder (Part 5)

For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; (2 Corinthians 1:20)

As a young Christian, I was gripped by the idea God could give me a spiritual lineage that would stretch into the generations. I remember walking around the block at night, bundled up in a heavy coat, crying out to God to use my life. I read the Scriptures and found God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Jesus. I started claiming them for myself. I found other promises that were obviously made to Israel and claimed those as well. Now I’ve been to seminary and know better than to take Scripture out of context. But I was foolish enough to think that God wanted to reach the world for Christ and to do that through individuals like me. I had a fire in my belly to see the nations reached for Jesus one person at a time. And now, looking back over 30 years of ministry, I see the Father was delighted to honor those naive prayers of a simple young man. But there is one promise that clearly guarantees a spiritual lineage to every follower of Jesus Christ. We’ll take a look at that promise next time.

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© 2008, 2009 Following Jesus by Chuck Wood All Rights Reserved

Trust, Confidence, and Faith

The Wise Master Builder (Part 4)

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)

How could the Apostle Paul make such a bold statement as “God causes the growth?” You may be thinking to yourself, “why not! Of course God causes the growth.” We may agree in our heads and say with our mouths that the Father develops a person spiritually, but our actions and our values may communicate something completely different. Often times we act as though a person’s spiritual growth is completely dependent on the act of human will. It shows up in our lack of prayer, unwillingness to let the Holy Spirit lead, over dependence on our methods, and various other indicators. Paul put his ultimate trust, confidence, and faith in the power of God to transform people. Now that is not to say that he didn’t believe we play a role in a person’s spiritual growth, but it is clear that he saw God as the great discipler. (Ezk 36.26, Jn 6.44, Phil 1.6, 2.13)

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© 2008, 2009 Following Jesus by Chuck Wood All Rights Reserved

Built on the Promises of God

The Wise Master Builder (Part 3)

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:7)

One thing I’ve always appreciated about good leaders is their ability to give clear instructions and then provide ample resources to get the job done. The Father practices these great leadership traits with His promises.

When we read His promises throughout the Scriptures we recognize that they are more about accomplishing His will and glorifying Him than they are about serving us. They are commands packaged in the promotion of His pleasure that ultimately benefit us greatly. His promises are often attached to conditions where when we arrange our desires to His wishes, we reap the fruitful harvest in obedience to His sovereign will.

But His promises not only express His directives but provide the recourses to accomplish His will. Think about that for a minute. The God that calls us to do His will also backs it up with the same creative power that formed the universe. We rejoice in the promises of God.

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© 2008, 2009 Following Jesus by Chuck Wood All Rights Reserved

To God be the Glory

The Wise Master Builder (Part 2)

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:6)

My son recently graduated from the United States Military Academy. He represents the third generation in the Wood family to serve in the US Army. I can’t even describe the feelings of pride and admiration for my son.

But as a parent there is a temptation to take credit for such an accomplishment. And if you’re not careful others will help you believe this folly. The same is true in spiritual parenting. We can fool ourselves into thinking that our young disciple’s success is about our hard work and discipling skills. But the Scriptures remind us that it is God who causes the growth. Everything we are and have comes from Him and we need to give credit where credit is due.

Part of being a wise master builder is recognizing where the real growth comes from and where all the glory belongs. To God be the glory for our success in helping others become more like Jesus.

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© 2008, 2009 Following Jesus by Chuck Wood All Rights Reserved

The Master Builder (Part 1)

According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. (1 Corinthians 3:10)

I recently preached a message on the importance of spiritual reproduction and generations from 1 Cor 3.6-15. I’d like to write a short series on the same. I’m concerned about how far the modern Church has drifted from Jesus’ instruction to “make disciples of all the nations.” The early church had a passion to become like Christ, not only in His morality but in His ministry. Our zeal to emulate His ministry has waned to a self centered preoccupation of what Dallas Willard calls “sin management.” We have focused almost all of our efforts on “getting into heaven.” Whether by grace or by works, the goal is the same. For most, eternal life has been relegated to a life after death experience rather than an abundant life here on earth that begins when we start following Jesus (Jn 10.10). A huge portion of that abundant life is the thrill and exhilaration of participating with God in rescuing and restoring the souls of men and women. Join me in this great adventure.

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© 2008, 2009 Following Jesus by Chuck Wood All Rights Reserved

Tell It Like It Is

"For everyone will be salted with fire. "Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another." (Mark 9:49-50)

You’d better have a thick skin if you ask a sergeant for advice. The men and women of the Non-Commissioned Office Corps are renowned for their frank and unapologetic input.

The followers of Jesus should be no less honest with their evaluations and recommendations to one another. There is certainly never a place for “brutal” honesty (Eph 4.15) but we as Christians desperately need the truth to be told to us in love. My attention should be given to two responsibilities on this matter of “being salt” in another person’s life. First, how do I receive truth? Do I get defensive, try to hide or deny. Do I get angry or bitter? Or do I prayerfully consider what a person is communicating to help me become more like Christ? Secondly, when I speak the truth to others am I delivering it in a manner where it will best be received? When sharing truth I should try to maintain both potency and peace.

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© 2008, 2009 Following Jesus by Chuck Wood All Rights Reserved

Testimony 21: Lesson One - Faith

Chapter 21

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
(Hebrews 11:6)

Korea became God’s training ground for deepening my faith. He used this place to establish a foundation of trust that guided me through some pretty rough waters to come. Faith School was in session and one of my first textbooks was a biography about Hudson Taylor, a missionary to China. H.T. lived his life in strict dependence on God and the Lord used him mightily. I was impressed and I wanted to live my life like H.T. He placed himself in circumstances that put him on the edge for the benefit of the Kingdom of God. He hung everything on the prospect that God would always come through. I wanted to follow his example, but how? I was a soldier, not a missionary.

It all started when I was witnessing to a young soldier in the snack bar. I invited him to go with me to help some missionaries in Seoul. I told him I had no earthly idea how to get to these people’s apartment but I had been there once. I didn’t know what bus to take. He looked a bit puzzled until I told him my plan. It was simple: Go to the bus stop, jump on the first bus, and trust God to get us to our destination. Now getting on a bus in a small town and going along for a ride is no problem. But, this city was gigantic and they probably had a 1000+ buses floating all over this sprawling metropolis. His facial expressions said it all, “I’m hanging out with a crazy guy.” We crammed into the first bus and headed into a city of 4 million people. After a 20-minute ride, I saw a familiar building and we jumped off at exactly the right place. I was a little amazed but my buddy was even more impressed with this minor miracle. A greater miracle happened later that afternoon when my traveling companion received Christ as his personal Savior. Lesson number one in developing deeper faith.





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© 2008, 2009 Following Jesus by Chuck Wood All Rights Reserved

Let Me Off this Merry-go-round

For they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened. (Mark 6:52)

His complaint was justified. I had done it again. It was the oldest leadership blunder in the book: telling the subordinate of another to do something without first checking with his leader. And this wasn’t the first time I made this rookie mistake. When will I learn?!

Ever feel this way spiritually? You keep making the same mistakes, committing the same sins, over and over again. It just seems like you haven’t learned that crucial lesson. Here are some tips for getting off the spiritual merry-go-round:

- Think before you act
- Pray before you act
- Memorize key Scripture on the issue
- Remind yourself of the pain of the last mistake
- Ask a friend to check up on you
- Recognize the settings for failure and avoid them
- If you fail, confess it and ask for forgiveness





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© 2008, 2009 Following Jesus by Chuck Wood All Rights Reserved