Jon Courson Devotional

[Theopolis]

March 24

And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
Acts 3:7-8

Like the crippled man, we too were lame from birth. Our father in the flesh, Adam, fell — and so great was his fall, that all of his descendants were born lame. Unable to walk with God, or after the things of God, we sat outside the Temple — alienated from God because of our sin — and begged enough silver or gold to get us by for one more day. Maybe we weren’t bitter about life, but every one of us realized our handicap to some extent. And then something happened. Through a brother or sister, a church or a fellowship — perhaps when we least expected it, Jesus grabbed us by the hand and said, ‘Stand up and walk. I’m calling you into the Kingdom. I’m taking you to heaven.’ Thus, it is no wonder that, like the crippled man, we not only walk — but we leap and praise God for His goodness and grace to us lame-brains.

[FM2]

Thanks Theo for posting Jon Courson's devotional. Haven't heard from you in quite some time and I haven't visted the other place in an even longer time. Please don't be a stranger because I sure like Jon Courson's teachings.

Check out the link in my signature line, maybe we can meet up sometime!

YBIC, Keith

[Theopolis]

<I>Serving the Lord with all humility of mind ... </i>
Acts 20:19

Paul’s gifts were great. His abilities were mind-boggling. Intellectually, theologically, oratorically, the guy was incredible. Yet he said, ‘I served you with humility of mind’, because he knew every ability he had was a gift from God. Humility of mind means truly esteeming others better than yourself (Philippians 2:3).

Humility of mind means not finding fault with a brother or sister, but finding fruit — approving those things which are excellent within them. Humility of mind means realizing it’s the grace of God, not our own merit, which allows us to know Him and walk with Him.

I recall driving Highway 42 from San Bernardino to Twin Peaks where I was to address a group of spiritual leaders. As I wound my way up the road, I found myself praying, ‘Lord, I want to be like You when I talk to my brothers at the conference.’ I thought it was a pretty good prayer — until the Lord spoke to my heart so clearly that I literally had to pull of the road.
‘You want to be like Me?’ He asked.
‘Yes,’ I answered.
‘Why do you want to be like Me, Jon?’
‘Well, Lord, because You’re so awesome.’
‘Did you ask to be like Me when you were with your kids two mornings ago?’
‘No.’
‘But you’re asking to be like Me now — when you’re about to talk to a group of pastors?’
I was busted. I had prayed that prayer hundreds, if not thousands of times before. It was a noble request, but, you see, my motivation was amiss. I didn’t necessarily want to be like Him so I could serve my kids humbly. No, I wanted to be like Him so I could minister powerfully.
Watch out for those times when you think you are being spiritual, lest an entirely different form of pride surface. Instead, be like Paul. Serve the Lord with humility of mind

[Theopolis]

… So that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Acts 20:24

The word, ‘joy’ means ‘exceedingly happy’. The way to happiness is to testify of the grace of God. Many people grew up in an atmosphere or in a church which said, ‘It’s your responsibility to pray, to study, to serve.’ And they became burdened by a weight of responsibilities they could never fulfill.

Then, at some point in their walk, they understood that, on the basis of the finished work of Jesus Christ, they didn’t have to study; they didn’t have to pray; they didn’t have to worship.
‘You mean, Lord, my sin is forgiven?’ they said. ‘I’m robed in Your righteousness? I don’t have to work to try and attain Your favor or merit Your blessing?’
‘Yes,’ answered God. ‘It’s all grace.’
‘You mean You love me as much when I’m not doing so well as when I’m studying Leviticus and Deuteronomy?’
‘Yes.’
' Wouldn’t You love me more if I was studying Leviticus and Deuteronomy?’
‘No, I can’t love you anymore than I love you right now.’
And what does that do?
‘Wow,’ we say, ‘I wonder what Leviticus says. Where is Deuteronomy, anyway?’
We find ourselves wanting to study. We find ourselves enjoying worship. We find ourselves freely talking to the Lord. Our Christian walk changes from responsibility to response — and that’s when it becomes a whole lot of fun.
If you want an explosion of joy in your heart today, be like Paul — ‘testify the gospel of the grace of God’. Go to the person you work with and say,
‘Every sin you committed last weekend is forgiven. Every sin you’re thinking about today is paid for. You’re free because when Jesus died on the Cross, He died for every sin every man has ever done. There’s only one unpardonable sin, and that is refusing to receive His forgiveness.’

An interesting thing happens to a person who’s sharing his faith: he becomes a channel through which the joy and power of the Lord flows. For just as electricity will not enter an object unless there’s an outflow from that object, the power of the Lord will not enter a church or an individual in whom there is no conduit for evangelism. When people say, ‘The electricity is gone from our church corporately or from my life personally,’ invariably it’s because there’s no outflow. Paul was one who was charged-up, red-hot, and turned-on because he was one who continually testified of the Gospel. He never stopped sharing his faith in Christ Jesus.

[Theopolis]

April 28

Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock ...
Acts 20:28

Notice the order: Take heed to yourself first. Make sure you’re cultivating a personal devotional life; that you’re a man or a woman of prayer. Make sure you’re one who is engaged in consistent communion with the Lord personally.

Abraham was a lover of God. On his way to the Promised Land, wherever he went, he built an altar. As he traveled, because the Lord prospered him more and more, his flocks began to increase. So he dug wells to ensure that his flocks were sufficiently watered.

When Abraham’s son, Isaac came on the scene, seeing his father's expansive flocks, he decided the key to his father’s success was digging wells. So Isaac dug many wells — but he built only one altar. Consequently, his wells were named Sitna and Esik, or ‘Strife’ and ‘Contention’.

When Isaac’s son, Jacob — the third generation from Abraham — appeared, he built no altars and dug no wells. Instead, he said, ‘The key to seeing the flock grow is ingenuity, creativity, and genetic engineering,’ (Genesis 30).

That’s what often happens: A man or woman loves God and from that love, there’s an overflow whereby the flock grows. Then the second generation says, ‘I too want to be in ministry and see a flock grow’ — so they copy the outward activity of the generation before them — but it only produces tension, strife, and agony. Why? Because they’re not altar builders.
Finally, the third generation comes along and says, ‘Programs — that’s the key. We’ll have excellent entertainment. We’ll have relevant, current messages which, although they aren’t necessarily Biblical, speak to the needs of the people.’ And it’s exciting for awhile, but it’s not sustaining. They have to try harder and harder in their Jacob mentality to keep everything going with creativity and ingenuity.

True ministry begins with an altar-building man or woman loving God and enjoying the Lord. All too often, however, the lover of God is followed by a well-digger — one who wants to see the flock watered, but who has lost the understanding of the altar and a personal, private passion for the Lord.

The third generation, the program people, the Jacobs, then come on the scene and say, ‘We’re going to really wow the world with our creativity.’

I see this happening not only in churches, but in my own life as well. Quite frankly, I can go through all three generations in one day. I can start the morning as an altar-builder, a lover of God. Then, sometime around noon, I can become a well-digger saying, ‘Lord, I don’t have time to talk to You. I’ve got to water these sheep.’ As a result, in the evening, I find myself thinking, ‘Oh, no. My ministry’s slipping. I better do something creative and ingenious.’

What happened to Jacob? Finally, this clever heel-snatcher came to the end of his rope when he heard his estranged brother, Esau, was coming with 400 men to meet him. After Jacob crossed a little creek called Jabok, he wrestled the angel of the Lord and said, ‘I’m not going to let You go until You bless me,’ (Genesis 32:26). Talk about close contact and a restoration of intimacy! Jacob was no longer striping stakes; he was wrestling with God all night long. In the morning, the Lord said, ‘Jacob you have prevailed. No longer will you be called Jacob, or, ‘Clever One’. You’ll now be called Israel, which means ‘Governed by God’, because at last you understand it’s staying close to Me; it’s wrestling with Me; it’s depending on Me that matters.’

I’ve seen peoples finally get to the place of being exhausted from ‘Jacob-ing’ it. They get back to the altar, back to saying, ‘Lord, we just want to know You.’ People like that get used by the Lord time after time as they touch people from the overflow of an ‘altered’ life.

[Theopolis]

May 3

And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned ...
Acts 24:24-25

Paul, an intellectual giant of theology, a lover of God, and a lover of people, begins to reason with Felix and Drusilla. Our faith is exceedingly reasonable. That is why I welcome opportunities to go into high school classes, or college seminars to discuss the faith with so-called intellectuals. The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I understand that our faith is reasonable in every way — logically, philosophically, scientifically. The cover story in TIME magazine two weeks ago was about a 6,000-year-old frozen corpse discovered in the crevice of a glacier in the Alps last summer. I chuckled my way through this very interesting article as I read that the scientific world was shocked to find out that the ‘Ice Man’ wasn’t bowed over with sloping forehead and thick jaw, as had been hypothesized and accepted as fact for decades — but that he looked just like us. He had lined shoes, sewn clothes, and sophisticated tools centuries before he was ‘supposed’ to have been able to do any of those things. Prior to this discovery, ancient man was regarded as little more than a glorified ape at best. But the discovery of Ice Man calls all previous suppositions into question. If only these scientists had read their Bibles — they wouldn’t have been surprised. Concerning the things of the Lord, Paul could reason with complete assurance, knowing that our faith can withstand any question and every argument.

[Born to be Wild]

John Courson is a very gifted and blessed man and has had his share of trials & tribulations like all of us.

I was fortunate to meet him through my brother at Applegate many years ago.

Dan

[Born to be Wild]

I sent my brother who is not a member the URL for this thread. He has spent considerable time with John Courson and Applegate in the past when he lived in Gold hill.

He sent me this reply:

Thanks for the email! Did Jim Dunn get hold of you? He called and I gave him your number.

A Courson joke for your buddy Theopolis...

Do you know how they came up with the name for Theopolis? Well when the doctor looked at the baby after it was born he said, 'This is the thee awfulest looking child I have ever seen...!

Duane

Oh John! :laugh:

[fishonksm]

For those of you who would like to hear more of Jon's teachings, here's a link to his web site
http://www.searchlightradio.org/. And for those who like the teachings of Applegate Fellowship. A new fellowship from Applegate has started up in the portland area at Athey Creek middle school in Tualitan. Its at the coners of Borland rd and Stafford rd.

[Theopolis]

The Pastor at Athey Creek is Brett Meador.
He is gifted in teaching the Bible!
I would recommend going once and taking in a teaching of his if you ever get the chance.
Brett was a pastor at Applegate for many years before moving to Tualatin.

here is a link to his church's site

http://www.atheycreekfellowship.org/

[Theopolis]

June 8

… By the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2

Just as Jesus was transformed or ‘metamorphosed’, so too, you can be changed if you keep your mind on Him.
How do we keep our minds on Him. By keeping in the Word. ‘Lo, I have come in the volume of the book,’ Scripture declares concerning Jesus (Psalm 40:7, Hebrews 10:7).
You see, I can give my body to Him — that’s a real key. But it’s incomplete in and of itself unless I keep my mind on Him — and that happens through a diligent contemplation of the ‘volume of the book’, the Word. However, you can read your Bible every morning for devotions; you can know the Word backwards and forwards and not go through a metamorphosis.

Indeed, Paul would say that, in and of itself, the letter kills (2 Corinthians 3:6). If you read the Scriptures just to get insights into theology, or practical tips about parenting or relationships, metamorphosis will not take place because transformation occurs only when we study the Word not for the sake of the Word, but in order to touch the Lord.

‘In the beginning,’ John wrote, ‘was the Word. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,’ (John 1: 1, 14). It’s the Incarnation — the Word becoming flesh, becoming personable, touchable, and relatable — that will transform you. If you approach the Word strictly from an intellectual, academic, theological perspective, you might gain a point or two, but you’ll not be changed.

At the stereotypical American breakfast table, the husband reads the San Francisco Chronicle. Across from him sits his wife, waiting to talk with him. But the man is interested in the impartation of information, not the intimacy of communication — and I suggest the same thing happens all too often in the devotional life of believers. They read the information in the Word, but completely neglect communication with the Word made flesh.
I am concerned about the great number of people who have a devotional life which is basically informational. Only in the last couple of generations has this happened, because throughout the vast majority of Christian history, Bible study was neither academic nor theological. It was oral; it was relational as people heard the Word being read. Communication transpired as the Living Word was fleshed out in real life. Those who say, ‘Lord, I’m reading this for one purpose: to hear Your voice’ are those who leave their time of devotion metamorphosed — changed from crawling caterpillars to soaring butterflies.

[Johnny Mac]

I saw John in the LAX airport the other day with his wife. Spoke briefly. It was good to see him. He's down in (I believe) costa mesa now. sounds like a pretty big revival going on. Exciting stuff for him and his family.