For some time I've watched as anti-biblical liberals attempt to infiltrate every area of life with their demonic ideology, and that is the case among Catholicism as well, where the liberal Pope is opening the door to all sorts of beliefs that had been resisted in the past, including the embracing of homosexuals, as evidenced by a recent document from the Vatican that said homosexuals had "gifts and qualities to offer."
Actually, no they don't. All they are is reckless and rebellious sinners that have attempted to sway people that the sin they participate in is a special sin that must be accepted by everyone, otherwise they're bigots and intolerant. So be it. I'm a bigot and intolerant, but I'm on the side of Jesus Christ, so nothing else matters to me.
Catholic conservatives were up in arms about what they call a betrayal of traditional family values. It is all of that and more. It's a complete rejection of the revelation and commands of God for His people.
According to the Holy Scriptures, no one engaged in sexual sin is allowed to be part of the people of God. It's as simple as that.
That of course includes all sexual sin, including homosexuality.
I believe we're going to see a call for a new reformation amongst Catholics, as their liberal leaders continue to betray them, and make it a dwelling place of demons, rather than an earthly representation of Jesus Christ.
This isn't going to happen quickly, but the cracks and fissures are already in place, and the liberals advancing their agenda within Catholicism. Eventually there will be a reaction, and it will test the resolve of those that really want to serve and obey God.
I believe in the decades ahead there will eventually be another split within the Catholic denomination, with conservative Catholics leaving in droves. That has already happened some, but this could happen in large sections of the church, not only individuals leaving.
God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow ... And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Labels:
Catholic,
Homosexual Sin,
Pope
Saturday, October 4, 2014
It gets sillier and sillier to hear some of the ways Christians express their love of Jesus Christ. They use romantic expressions like "falling in love with Him," and other such things.
The problem is they really don't mean the love required as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, they instead mean some type of emotional feel-good thing that is believed to be loving God, but is only a feeling.
What the Bible teaches in the very words of Jesus Christ is this: "if you love me, keep my commandments." I don't care what your emotional connection to the name Jesus is, if you're not obeying His commands, you don't love Him, it's as simple as that. It's not rocket science and there is no uncertainty to the words Jesus spoke.
That doesn't mean can't have affection and appreciative feelings towards Jesus, it's just that you can have all of that and not love Him as revealed in the Bible. Obey Him, and you know you love Him whether you feel it or not, or think of fellowship with Him as a romantic journey.
The problem is they really don't mean the love required as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, they instead mean some type of emotional feel-good thing that is believed to be loving God, but is only a feeling.
What the Bible teaches in the very words of Jesus Christ is this: "if you love me, keep my commandments." I don't care what your emotional connection to the name Jesus is, if you're not obeying His commands, you don't love Him, it's as simple as that. It's not rocket science and there is no uncertainty to the words Jesus spoke.
That doesn't mean can't have affection and appreciative feelings towards Jesus, it's just that you can have all of that and not love Him as revealed in the Bible. Obey Him, and you know you love Him whether you feel it or not, or think of fellowship with Him as a romantic journey.
Labels:
Christ Romance,
Obedience to Christ
I don't care what the compromising, clueless, and manipulated so-called Christian leaders say about Islam, it's not a religion of peace, and it has only one goal: that of world domination. This is an express characteristic of Satan, who wants to overshadow God in this world and bring his evil and control over everyone; especially the followers of Jesus Christ.
But when you see all the mixture and acceptance of sin in the church today, it is no wonder that God allows the insidious, evil religion to once again raise its head and threaten the world we live in.
Christians had better decide who Jesus Christ is and whether or not they're going to follow Him.
There is no gray areas in regard to this, and only those with a serious commitment to Christ and are willing to obey Him, will be able to deal with this onslaught of evil as it invades almost every nation on earth, if not all of them.
But when you see all the mixture and acceptance of sin in the church today, it is no wonder that God allows the insidious, evil religion to once again raise its head and threaten the world we live in.
Christians had better decide who Jesus Christ is and whether or not they're going to follow Him.
There is no gray areas in regard to this, and only those with a serious commitment to Christ and are willing to obey Him, will be able to deal with this onslaught of evil as it invades almost every nation on earth, if not all of them.
Labels:
Islam,
Jesus Christ,
Muslims,
world domination
Christians have been deceived and intimidated by the world and false brethren, who attempt to shame or manipulate them into thinking they're being judgmental or legalistic when following Christ according to how the Bible reveals Him and His commands.
The truth is the world won't stop harassing and attacking you until you're willing to lose everything, because they instinctively know what we're fighting for, and attempt to even use reaching out to people for Christ or willingness to spend time with us as tools of evil to get us to accept their sinful lives and false doctrines. These types of people have one goal: to silence us so there are no voices to oppose them.
This is an extension of Satan's attempt to be as God. He expresses that through his human representatives. Understand that the world and false believers won't be satisfied until they beat us down until we collapse under the weight of their assault. The only response is to completely reject their evil and manipulation, and accept nothing less than the purpose and person hood of Jesus Christ being expressed into this world.
It doesn't matter whether or not they allow us to be part of their lives or part of a ministry. This is also a deception. So-called ministry for many Christians has become an idol, and in order to attract people will cave in to evil in order to give the impression they have a "ministry." It's not a ministry, it's just gathering people based upon their whims and wishes, and making it appear it's something God is going.
Forsake the temptation to cave in, and stand firm in the faith and wait patiently on God, asking Him to show you what it is He wants to do in and through you. Anything else will be burned up when you face God Almighty, with only you being saved.
The truth is the world won't stop harassing and attacking you until you're willing to lose everything, because they instinctively know what we're fighting for, and attempt to even use reaching out to people for Christ or willingness to spend time with us as tools of evil to get us to accept their sinful lives and false doctrines. These types of people have one goal: to silence us so there are no voices to oppose them.
This is an extension of Satan's attempt to be as God. He expresses that through his human representatives. Understand that the world and false believers won't be satisfied until they beat us down until we collapse under the weight of their assault. The only response is to completely reject their evil and manipulation, and accept nothing less than the purpose and person hood of Jesus Christ being expressed into this world.
It doesn't matter whether or not they allow us to be part of their lives or part of a ministry. This is also a deception. So-called ministry for many Christians has become an idol, and in order to attract people will cave in to evil in order to give the impression they have a "ministry." It's not a ministry, it's just gathering people based upon their whims and wishes, and making it appear it's something God is going.
Forsake the temptation to cave in, and stand firm in the faith and wait patiently on God, asking Him to show you what it is He wants to do in and through you. Anything else will be burned up when you face God Almighty, with only you being saved.
Labels:
battle,
Christian Ministry,
Jesus Christ,
world
Being a writer for many years, and making my living at it, I've done a lot of research and observation in the area of fantasy and science fiction, and find that they may be the two best fiction genres for Christians to write in, as they offer all sorts of potential to express heavenly concepts and beings in story form.
Another reason is these genres, along with most others, have been invested with evil, and you can barely read the trash and garbage from minds that are reprobate and full of deviant imaginations. So Christians need to apply themselves as writers to all categories, but again, I think fantasy and sci. fi. are ripe for the pickings, and we should aggressively pursue these areas to assault.
If you're not interested in long-form novels, start with short stories, or even very short stories to begin with. Put things down in bullet form first as to your interests, and do the same when you develop a story in your head; that helps to write quickly and efficiently The point is we shouldn't abandon these areas of literature that are made for the mysteries of God, and point to combat with God's enemies and heroes of the faith that can emerge, even if it's presented in subtle form.
Even if the idea is just to create something wholesome and of beauty without specific references to God, it would go a long way to combating the dark, cynical and evil worlds and stories the world has been pouring into fantasy and science fiction.
Another reason is these genres, along with most others, have been invested with evil, and you can barely read the trash and garbage from minds that are reprobate and full of deviant imaginations. So Christians need to apply themselves as writers to all categories, but again, I think fantasy and sci. fi. are ripe for the pickings, and we should aggressively pursue these areas to assault.
If you're not interested in long-form novels, start with short stories, or even very short stories to begin with. Put things down in bullet form first as to your interests, and do the same when you develop a story in your head; that helps to write quickly and efficiently The point is we shouldn't abandon these areas of literature that are made for the mysteries of God, and point to combat with God's enemies and heroes of the faith that can emerge, even if it's presented in subtle form.
Even if the idea is just to create something wholesome and of beauty without specific references to God, it would go a long way to combating the dark, cynical and evil worlds and stories the world has been pouring into fantasy and science fiction.
Labels:
Christian stories,
Christian writing,
Fantasy,
science fiction,
writing
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
source: http://www.theswordbearer.org |
What our enemies attempt to do is shout us down whenever we rise up to expose their evil, which to the uninitiated seems to be a victory on their part simply because they make a lot noise, and seem to have the controls and levers to do whatever they want. We're going to find out in the days, months and years ahead that they never had control, and they have been allowed to be in power by Jesus Christ only for the purpose of them exposing their agenda and their hatred of the only God.
Now that that has happened, there is no more reason for them to be allowed to be in power, and we're going to see Jesus Christ rise up in His people and send the evil back into the darkness where they belong, and bring forth the children of light to let the whole world know who He is.
The Scriptures confirm this when it says in Hebrews 8:11, "for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest." And in Habakkuk 2:14 it says, "For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."
There is a day coming when all God's people will know Him, and when all of who He is will fill the earth. After all, the glory of God is nothing less than the magnificence of who He is, and the promise is that the day will come when who He is will fill the earth. The mechanism to do so is a people displaying the invisible characteristics of God in a visible manner. That will ultimately be the light that overcomes darkness on the earth.
Jesus already has one the war on the cross, we are now partaking in that victory by mopping up the aftermath of His total victory.
What we must learn to do first is not to look at the outward things around us, or their unreality will appear to be what is truth, and if we believe the visible display of evil around us, we'll fall into despair and be defeated before we engage the enemy.
The trick of evil is to convince believers in Jesus Christ that he is the power of this earth in order to keep us from moving against them. If we look at how evil controls almost everything in regard to institutionally (including many so-called churches), it can make one believe there is no hope.
But there is great hope. The Holy Spirit will not rest until He secures a people that are conformed to the very person of Jesus Christ (his characteristics, not His divinity).
What we need to do in this war, is to pray and believe we're in it as conquerors already. The strategy is to do what we see Jesus Christ doing, by expressing His characteristics in all that we do around us, no matter how hard evil screams at us to stop.
It's far past time to engage in civil disobedience if we must, and be once again willing to pay any price in order that Jesus Christ is seen as the King of kings and Lord of lords that He is.
Satan may be god of this world system, but he's not god of this earth. Psalm 24:1 says, "The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." When Satan is called the god of this world, it's only a reference to him and his evil permeating those who refuse to be obedient to and follow Jesus Christ. It's his darkness expressed in a representative people that is what is called the 'world,' and Jesus Christ could never be over that abomination. That is all that Satan is over. The rest is the Lord's.
The key is to ignore the noise and not take our eyes off of what it is God would have us do. That will eventually be a candle lit for all to see, and when there are enough candle's lit, together they will light up the world. At that time it will be filled with the Lord through His people. That is the promise, and that will happen.
Don't give up and don't give in to evil. We will win, even if it costs us everything. If we die to ourselves, we will find the threat and potential impact of evil is nullified, and we can fight the battle in our lifetime, as we gradually build out the kingdom of God on this earth.
Never surrender and never retreat. Never apologize for representing who Jesus Christ is in whatever you do.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Homosexual/Pedophile Walter Lee Williams of USC |
Walter Lee Williams, 65, who was a former professor at USC, admitted he flew to the Philippines many times and assaulted boys who were underage.
This pathetic excuse for a human being, who will face justice when He faces the King of the universe, Jesus Christ, was an evil man teaching anti-Christian gender and sexuality studies at USC.
The homosexual pedophile used his research credentials to lie about his purpose in going to the region, which was allegedly to study sexuality in that part of the world. That should have been an easily recognizable behavior, which is a buzzword for engaging in deviant and illegal activities.
Receiving donated evil materials from the so-called professor from USC was the "ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives." They should be thoroughly investigated to see what their part in all of this may have been.
Since an attorney from USC provided the materials to the FBI, it's unclear what part ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives played in this.
Either way, Williams should have been locked up for life for the sexual abuse of these young boys. Hopefully he'll get some prison justice for his horrid abuse of them.
Labels:
FBI,
Homosexual Sin,
Justice,
Pedophile,
Sexual Assault
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
I've been thinking on the new creation for the last several years, and the more I think about it, the more I realize and see that the idea over the last 50 to 60 years about changing the world are inaccurate; from the point of view of the Bible.
To this day all we here about it seems from many Christians is we must change the world in order to make it a better place. That's an idea that will never work.
The reason why is Jesus Christ never came to change the world, because the world had already forever been put under judgement, and is to this day.
When Jesus died for our sins, He didn't do it for the purpose of having us continue to be part of the dead, old creation, He did it because He was doing a totally, completely new thing, which is identified as the new creation.
Even the word translated in the Holy Scriptures as church needs to be thought of differently, because it basically means being called out, which points to leaving the old creation for the new.
Jesus said in John 15:19, "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."
What Jesus has amazingly done and which few understand, is He isn't trying to save the world, in the sense of working on it to make it better, it can't be done. It's cursed and dead. Instead He has birthed an entire new creation in the midst of the fallen and cursed world, which is so different than the old creation that it stands as a light calling those still in the old dark creation out of it to the new.
This amazing new creation is the very life of Christ Himself. Now many at this time will probably question the creation part because Jesus Christ has no beginning and no end, and has always been. So from that point of view He could never be created. And you're right ... if you're thinking in terms of the old, physical creation.
But the new creation isn't a created creation, but it is a birthed creation. The new creation is one that has been given birth by the very life of Jesus Christ Himself within a people. It is Christ in you.
So back to the idea of improving the world. I hope you see it's impossible and not part of the plan of God at all. His plan is for an entirely different life to be released in the earth through a people He has called out of it.
Now that will definitely make the earth a better place, but it has nothing to do with adding something onto the world in a way that can make it better. This is why the Scriptures teach if you love the world you're an enemy of God.
James 4:4 "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."
This is one reason why those who pursue and seek for God with a pure heart never feel part of this world and its evil.
John added, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15
The reason for all of this is God has an entirely new creation He as birthed, and it is in His Son. All who have truly been born again from above have had this new creation come down out of heaven in the person of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, and are no longer of this world. The two are entirely opposite of one another, and are in fact enemies of one another. There is absolutely no connecting point between them.
So what God has done is completely gotten rid of the old creation and replaced it with the new creation of His son. Old things have passed away, all things have now become new.
What that means for the followers of Jesus Christ is we have not only been born of God and are now His children, but an entire new creation is dwelling in us, and as we learn its principles, we don't attempt to add something on top of a world that is no longer considered even alive by God, but instead create our own world, or more properly, recreate under the leading of guiding of the Holy Spirit, from the many-sided wisdom of God that is revealed in Jesus Christ.
This is some of what was meant when Jesus Christ said as part of His response to His disciples when they asked Him how to pray, that we should ask that His kingdom should come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
We want that heavenly kingdom to come to earth and permeate it with the fullness of Jesus Christ. That can only be done in a people that have a new creation in them, and who learn how to express that kingdom into the physical universe. It begins with changing within, but then working its way out for all to see.
Those who see this will encounter a major paradigm shift, as they realize this world can't be improved and is dead in the eyes of God. What He has done is far greater than that. He has brought about an entire new creation by birthing His Son in those who put their faith in Him.
Now this will result in salt and light existing in the physical creation and world system, but it will be something totally other than it, as Jesus Christ is completely and totally opposite of what this world is and represents.
To this day all we here about it seems from many Christians is we must change the world in order to make it a better place. That's an idea that will never work.
The reason why is Jesus Christ never came to change the world, because the world had already forever been put under judgement, and is to this day.
When Jesus died for our sins, He didn't do it for the purpose of having us continue to be part of the dead, old creation, He did it because He was doing a totally, completely new thing, which is identified as the new creation.
Even the word translated in the Holy Scriptures as church needs to be thought of differently, because it basically means being called out, which points to leaving the old creation for the new.
Jesus said in John 15:19, "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."
What Jesus has amazingly done and which few understand, is He isn't trying to save the world, in the sense of working on it to make it better, it can't be done. It's cursed and dead. Instead He has birthed an entire new creation in the midst of the fallen and cursed world, which is so different than the old creation that it stands as a light calling those still in the old dark creation out of it to the new.
This amazing new creation is the very life of Christ Himself. Now many at this time will probably question the creation part because Jesus Christ has no beginning and no end, and has always been. So from that point of view He could never be created. And you're right ... if you're thinking in terms of the old, physical creation.
But the new creation isn't a created creation, but it is a birthed creation. The new creation is one that has been given birth by the very life of Jesus Christ Himself within a people. It is Christ in you.
So back to the idea of improving the world. I hope you see it's impossible and not part of the plan of God at all. His plan is for an entirely different life to be released in the earth through a people He has called out of it.
Now that will definitely make the earth a better place, but it has nothing to do with adding something onto the world in a way that can make it better. This is why the Scriptures teach if you love the world you're an enemy of God.
James 4:4 "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."
This is one reason why those who pursue and seek for God with a pure heart never feel part of this world and its evil.
John added, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15
The reason for all of this is God has an entirely new creation He as birthed, and it is in His Son. All who have truly been born again from above have had this new creation come down out of heaven in the person of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, and are no longer of this world. The two are entirely opposite of one another, and are in fact enemies of one another. There is absolutely no connecting point between them.
So what God has done is completely gotten rid of the old creation and replaced it with the new creation of His son. Old things have passed away, all things have now become new.
What that means for the followers of Jesus Christ is we have not only been born of God and are now His children, but an entire new creation is dwelling in us, and as we learn its principles, we don't attempt to add something on top of a world that is no longer considered even alive by God, but instead create our own world, or more properly, recreate under the leading of guiding of the Holy Spirit, from the many-sided wisdom of God that is revealed in Jesus Christ.
This is some of what was meant when Jesus Christ said as part of His response to His disciples when they asked Him how to pray, that we should ask that His kingdom should come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
We want that heavenly kingdom to come to earth and permeate it with the fullness of Jesus Christ. That can only be done in a people that have a new creation in them, and who learn how to express that kingdom into the physical universe. It begins with changing within, but then working its way out for all to see.
Those who see this will encounter a major paradigm shift, as they realize this world can't be improved and is dead in the eyes of God. What He has done is far greater than that. He has brought about an entire new creation by birthing His Son in those who put their faith in Him.
Now this will result in salt and light existing in the physical creation and world system, but it will be something totally other than it, as Jesus Christ is completely and totally opposite of what this world is and represents.
Friday, August 15, 2014
With permits in place and other necessary elements in place, excavation on the long-promised Kentucky Noah's ark project is now under way. It is scheduled to be opened sometime in 2016. The location of the project is in Grant County in Northern Kentucky.
Ken Ham, most recently noted for his debate with Bill Nye the 'alleged' Science Guy, is heading up the project. Ham leads the ministry Answers in Genesis.
The ark itself will be built in exact proportion to the ark as it is described in the Bible. It will be 510 feet long, surrounded by a variety of other attractions of interest to families, including a petting zoo. Overall the project will entail about 200 acres.
Since the announcement the ark was going to be built in 2010, the project timeline fell behind donations, which resulted in delays.
Millions of feet of lumber will be needed to complete the overall project.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved of a stormwater permit in July, clearing the way for construction to begin.
Also part of the ministry is the Creation Museum that was built near to Cincinnati, and has attracted over 1 million visitors since opening in 2007.
Ken Ham, most recently noted for his debate with Bill Nye the 'alleged' Science Guy, is heading up the project. Ham leads the ministry Answers in Genesis.
The ark itself will be built in exact proportion to the ark as it is described in the Bible. It will be 510 feet long, surrounded by a variety of other attractions of interest to families, including a petting zoo. Overall the project will entail about 200 acres.
Since the announcement the ark was going to be built in 2010, the project timeline fell behind donations, which resulted in delays.
Millions of feet of lumber will be needed to complete the overall project.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved of a stormwater permit in July, clearing the way for construction to begin.
Also part of the ministry is the Creation Museum that was built near to Cincinnati, and has attracted over 1 million visitors since opening in 2007.
Labels:
Ark Kentucky,
Creation Museum,
Ken Ham
Monday, August 11, 2014
One of the failures of natural Israel almost from its inception has been the misunderstanding it was meant to be a light to the nations; meaning it was to not only embrace and represent who God was to one another, but to spread that across the world.
That failure was primarily the result of it time after time failing to meet the standards of God, which ended up with Israel taking on the nature of other nations, rather than being a peculiar people as they were meant to be, by showing forth the glory of God.
Now the followers of Jesus Christ are meant to take on that responsibility, by first, walking as Jesus walked, and from that total separation from the ways of the world, becoming a light to the nations in the name of Jesus Christ. That's one of the reasons believers in Christ were called Israel in the Scriptures, as the purpose of God for the natural Jews had now passed on to all of those that call upon the name of the Lord and obey Him.
That brings of the question of who we primarily owe our allegiance to. As true followers of Jesus Christ, our allegiance is and also should be first to the kingdom of God and He who heads it up. That means whatever nation on earth we may reside in only gets our loyalty secondarily; and that only in a small proportion in comparison to God's kingdom.
That doesn't suggest we become traitors or enemy combatants on behalf of one nation against another, but that the overriding nation we serve is a heavenly one, and one of our reasons for existence is to take the will of God and do it, and from there work and pray to see that and the kingdom of God increasingly be done and to come on earth.
For that reason I believe it's a mistake to think of any nation as a so-called Christian nation. While it can be true that Christianity and Christ were a part of the influence on a nation, and thus had some of the characteristics of Christ as part of the culture of that nation, the fickle nature of man, as seen in the growing decadence in the United States, reveals we can't simply call a nation a Christian nation, when what it once embraced and acknowledged is rejected for an opposing world view and ideology. America is no longer a Christian nation, and neither are many nations that once at minimum, revered Christ at least outwardly.
No matter what country any of us live in, we need to pray and work towards the kingdom of God to permeate those living in the country, as the kingdom of God is expected to fill the earth, meaning the person of Christ as revealed in the Bible will fill everything with who He is. That's what it means when we are told that God will be all in all. It's also a reference to being conformed to His image.
We are to be like Him; totally loyal to who He is. We are to learn what He want and then obey in it. Once we mature, we then share who He is with others, and also call upon those around us to obey Him.
Ultimately we not only will increase the kingdom of God in individuals, but start to work locally on transforming the many areas of life into what He wants. That includes individuals, families, education, government, the arts, and business, along with any other area of life that needs to submit unto the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
While we can appreciate the city or country we live in, that is nothing compared to the heavenly kingdom of God that we are to pray to come and fill the earth. Eventually all nations that respond to this will receive the multiple blessings of God He promises. Those that reject Him will be found to be fighting against the God of heaven and earth.
Our ultimate loyalty is to Jesus Christ and His kingdom. Everything else should be an extension of that kingdom in order to make where we live like what heaven is like. That is what Jesus had in mind when He taught us to pray for His kingdom to come and will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
That failure was primarily the result of it time after time failing to meet the standards of God, which ended up with Israel taking on the nature of other nations, rather than being a peculiar people as they were meant to be, by showing forth the glory of God.
Now the followers of Jesus Christ are meant to take on that responsibility, by first, walking as Jesus walked, and from that total separation from the ways of the world, becoming a light to the nations in the name of Jesus Christ. That's one of the reasons believers in Christ were called Israel in the Scriptures, as the purpose of God for the natural Jews had now passed on to all of those that call upon the name of the Lord and obey Him.
That brings of the question of who we primarily owe our allegiance to. As true followers of Jesus Christ, our allegiance is and also should be first to the kingdom of God and He who heads it up. That means whatever nation on earth we may reside in only gets our loyalty secondarily; and that only in a small proportion in comparison to God's kingdom.
That doesn't suggest we become traitors or enemy combatants on behalf of one nation against another, but that the overriding nation we serve is a heavenly one, and one of our reasons for existence is to take the will of God and do it, and from there work and pray to see that and the kingdom of God increasingly be done and to come on earth.
For that reason I believe it's a mistake to think of any nation as a so-called Christian nation. While it can be true that Christianity and Christ were a part of the influence on a nation, and thus had some of the characteristics of Christ as part of the culture of that nation, the fickle nature of man, as seen in the growing decadence in the United States, reveals we can't simply call a nation a Christian nation, when what it once embraced and acknowledged is rejected for an opposing world view and ideology. America is no longer a Christian nation, and neither are many nations that once at minimum, revered Christ at least outwardly.
No matter what country any of us live in, we need to pray and work towards the kingdom of God to permeate those living in the country, as the kingdom of God is expected to fill the earth, meaning the person of Christ as revealed in the Bible will fill everything with who He is. That's what it means when we are told that God will be all in all. It's also a reference to being conformed to His image.
We are to be like Him; totally loyal to who He is. We are to learn what He want and then obey in it. Once we mature, we then share who He is with others, and also call upon those around us to obey Him.
Ultimately we not only will increase the kingdom of God in individuals, but start to work locally on transforming the many areas of life into what He wants. That includes individuals, families, education, government, the arts, and business, along with any other area of life that needs to submit unto the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
While we can appreciate the city or country we live in, that is nothing compared to the heavenly kingdom of God that we are to pray to come and fill the earth. Eventually all nations that respond to this will receive the multiple blessings of God He promises. Those that reject Him will be found to be fighting against the God of heaven and earth.
Our ultimate loyalty is to Jesus Christ and His kingdom. Everything else should be an extension of that kingdom in order to make where we live like what heaven is like. That is what Jesus had in mind when He taught us to pray for His kingdom to come and will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Labels:
Christian Nation,
Israel,
Jesus Christ,
Kingdom of God
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Daniel 2:40-45 (KJV)
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all
things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
There are few things, if any, related to the history of human events and how God views them, than this portion of Scripture, and the verses immediately preceding them. It clearly states not only the period of time when the promised Messiah would appear, but what His appearance meant to the nations.
Some think this is only a reference to what Jesus Christ would do to the Roman Empire over time once He appeared, but my thesis is not only is this a reference to Rome, but to all of those nations or groups of nations that attempt to become world empires. Once Jesus Christ revealed Himself as man, that would no longer be allowed. History itself bears this out, as empire after empire rises and falls, while the eternal Kingdom of God continues to rule from heaven.
All of the second chapter of Daniel needs to be read to get the full gist of what is being revealed, but these scriptures above are enough to reveal the idea.
In verse 44, the issue doesn't only refer to the four kingdoms listed up to Rome, and then the kingdom of God is finished doing its work once Rome was allegedly conquered by Christianity. Rather, it's a reference to the purpose of God for all of history concerning the nations, that they shouldn't rise up in a manner that attempts to control and dominate the world. This is a Satanic aspiration; one that has no place in the hearts and minds of men, even though the temptation by the evil one is ever there for man to grab hold of if he wishes.
The implications of this are enormous. God, once His son, who is the only true King of kings and Lord of lords, ushered in the germination of the kingdom of God on earth, He no longer allows nations the luxury or goal of attempting to dominate the earth as some nations leading up to Rome had done before the appearance of Jesus.
From that moment on the earth was required to operate under the rule of the kingdom of Heaven, meaning the heavenly nature of Jesus Christ was to be embraced and permeate the people, which in turn would rule from a heavenly perspective; or based upon the very person and will of Jesus Christ, who was an exact representation of His Father.
What that means is there should be a total freedom where people are allowed to choose their own destinies, as far as nations go, and there should be all sorts of nations being born and dying throughout history. Now that has happened, although primarily from wars. I'm talking about voluntary creation of nations here, not nation building as the U.S. has partaken of.
There is nothing better I would like to see, as far as the U.S. goes, than to see it break up into all sorts of smaller nations. The idea of America is now over, whether people realize it or not, as what it was once in the past is no longer in existence; although there are pockets of it in certain regions of the country.
Now I'm only using America as an example here. I believe that should be the case for any region of the world that wants to take on nationhood.
I know that some people that equate America with Christianity will almost consider this heresy, but the fact is the Holy Scriptures clearly state the kingdom of God will smash those attempting to build empires on the earth. His is the only kingdom, and all nations, no matter how many there are, are required to submit unto the principles of His kingdom.
Jesus, as far as ruling and reigning on the earth goes, is primarily interested in cities or localities. You can see this in the way the church grew after Pentecost.
To give you an idea of how Christ has no interest in a world kingdom or center on earth, look how it wasn't a problem for Him to destroy Jerusalem, which was considered by the Jews and many others as the center or religion in the world. Even though the church was flourishing there, eventually it was driven out not long before the destruction of Jerusalem, and believers spread all over the world from that time on.
The point is, Jesus was ruling from Heaven, and while always building on the earth, has no interest in building Tower of Babel, which He of course ended by confusing the languages, resulting in the many races now seen on the earth.
Interestingly, as I write in 2014, there has been a growing discontent with the idea of empire, whether world or regional, and a number of secessionist movements are underway. If it's time for the breaking up of more countries and alliances with the goal of dominating the world, it couldn't happen soon enough. I'm not saying the time is here, but the idea has taken root, and I believe ultimately that idea has come from Jesus Christ Himself.
What is at issue isn't necessarily the geographic area under governance. For example, Mongolia is huge geographically, but has very few people in it. No matter what its size, it simply doesn't have the capacity to do much world governing, although on a smaller scale, its government is overreaching with the Oyu Tolgoi mine, which it has an ownership in. That is a not towards the inner evil in man to always use the government to control resources and the idea of a free market.
When the Scriptures above refer to breaking these empires to pieces, it's not necessarily a reference to total destruction, but to the influence of the kingdom of God in generating the desire within the hearts of man for self-rule under the principles of almighty God. Breaking them to pieces, I'm sure, is a reference to decentralization of power, and the goal of Jesus Christ to have people focus on local rule.
Obviously there are all sorts of things to work out with that. There has to be enough resources or industry for a small nation or city-state to generate productivity to the point of being self-sufficient. There is also the interesting probability of a wide range of trading partners specializing in specific goods or services to help the small nations to survive and thrive. That's of course the practical side. When man obeys God, He will bless in a way that He'll give us the wisdom to figure all of these challenges out.
This is an extremely brief introduction to my thought on this. If you were to read the second chapter of Daniel in light of these thoughts, you'll find the implications so staggering, that you'll either block it out of your mind, or enter a spiritual and intellectual pursuit that could easily take up several human life spans, as the kingdom of God and Jesus Christ works to permeate the world will all that He is. That's what the end result of the eternal purpose is, that we should be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, that God may be all in all.
That will be worked out practically on this earth, although never perfectly.
For now, I believe we need to pray that God will continue to work to fracture and decentralize the governments of the world and the nations, so we can get a better chance at freedom and working at local levels in a way that reflects the kingdom of Jesus Christ, which is being worked out perfectly in heaven. We are called to pray that the same perfect kingdom and will of God is expressed in the earth.
Labels:
Daniel,
Jesus Christ,
Kingdom of God,
Roman Empire
Monday, August 4, 2014
We hear a lot about the new world order attempted to be implemented by some people holding positions of
power or with a lot of money, and it's true that there are those trying to order world events according to their will, quietly influencing and manipulating the unsuspecting through media, education, and faux news stories; spun to coincide with their world view.
What we don't hear anything about is about Jesus Christ and His new world order, which quietly and invisibly appeared after He ascended to heaven. By quietly, I don't mean there wasn't some noise on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to dwell within those who believe in Jesus Christ, rather I mean that other than that relatively small and obscure group of people, it was not known what had happened and its powerful meaning.
Jesus Christ has come back to the earth in the person of the Holy Spirit, and put into action His plan from before the foundation of the world: that He would dwell not only with man, but in man. That was one of the great mysteries hidden from the foundation of the world.
Even though we see and understand some of what these people of money and power are doing to shape the world they want to see emerge, there is always a powerful move of the Spirit happening within people that allow them to not only resist this movement, but overcome it through Christ.
Most Christians don't understand that the coming of the Holy Spirit was the introduction of Christ's new world order, identified in the Bible as the new creation. What was different about the physical and initial creation is the new creation was birthed directly from God, and if fact, was God within us through Christ. That's what truly being born again signifies. It's an entire new world introduced that Satan and his earthly followers have attempted to hide, obscure and overwhelm through the loudness of various media outlets and education in order to keep people from quieting down and seeing the beauty of this new creation that broke into this world over 2,000 years ago.
The significance is Jesus Christ isn't sitting idly by in heaven doing nothing, but rather throughout the entire world has counterattacked and is slowly teaching His people how to combat the evil that has invaded God's earth, and repel it and eventually make it weak in the face of the person of Jesus Christ in His people.
Jesus' new creation has already overcome the attempt to destroy His earth, and as we move into His victory, will find ourselves not only rejecting despair, but growing in love, wisdom, and authority, which will ultimately lead to the amazing end result of God being all in all.
We will be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, and that won't stay only within, but will flow out like a river of water to touch all the earth. That's our calling and destiny in this life, and I'm one that is going to take it as far as I can while I live.
.... See my new blog called Jesus' New World Order
power or with a lot of money, and it's true that there are those trying to order world events according to their will, quietly influencing and manipulating the unsuspecting through media, education, and faux news stories; spun to coincide with their world view.
What we don't hear anything about is about Jesus Christ and His new world order, which quietly and invisibly appeared after He ascended to heaven. By quietly, I don't mean there wasn't some noise on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to dwell within those who believe in Jesus Christ, rather I mean that other than that relatively small and obscure group of people, it was not known what had happened and its powerful meaning.
Jesus Christ has come back to the earth in the person of the Holy Spirit, and put into action His plan from before the foundation of the world: that He would dwell not only with man, but in man. That was one of the great mysteries hidden from the foundation of the world.
Even though we see and understand some of what these people of money and power are doing to shape the world they want to see emerge, there is always a powerful move of the Spirit happening within people that allow them to not only resist this movement, but overcome it through Christ.
Most Christians don't understand that the coming of the Holy Spirit was the introduction of Christ's new world order, identified in the Bible as the new creation. What was different about the physical and initial creation is the new creation was birthed directly from God, and if fact, was God within us through Christ. That's what truly being born again signifies. It's an entire new world introduced that Satan and his earthly followers have attempted to hide, obscure and overwhelm through the loudness of various media outlets and education in order to keep people from quieting down and seeing the beauty of this new creation that broke into this world over 2,000 years ago.
The significance is Jesus Christ isn't sitting idly by in heaven doing nothing, but rather throughout the entire world has counterattacked and is slowly teaching His people how to combat the evil that has invaded God's earth, and repel it and eventually make it weak in the face of the person of Jesus Christ in His people.
Jesus' new creation has already overcome the attempt to destroy His earth, and as we move into His victory, will find ourselves not only rejecting despair, but growing in love, wisdom, and authority, which will ultimately lead to the amazing end result of God being all in all.
We will be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, and that won't stay only within, but will flow out like a river of water to touch all the earth. That's our calling and destiny in this life, and I'm one that is going to take it as far as I can while I live.
.... See my new blog called Jesus' New World Order
Saturday, August 2, 2014
It is far past time we reject this idea that loving God has little to do with obeying what He has revealed to us in His word. Jesus Himself said this: "If you love me, keep my commandments."
There is nothing confusing or ambiguous about this. Love, as far as it relates to Jesus Christ, is determined by our level of obedience to Him. It's that simple. What must be obeyed is revealed in the Scriptures.
Living for Christ isn't difficult to understand. It's summarized like this: What does the Bible say, and what are we going to do about it? Those who don't want to obey are those who create an image of Christ they want to serve; one that has little to do with the real Christ our Lord.
Where do nice feelings come in? They don't. That doesn't mean we won't have an affection for the Lord out of appreciation for what He's done for us. But that doesn't determine whether or not we love Him, or define love as explained specifically by Him.
I'm also not talking about how we are to relate to one another. I'm talking specifically about what loving God means. It's no more or less than obedience to His word.
Now the question we all have to ask is, what are we going to do about it.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God
1 John 2:5-6 - 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
When taking into consideration the scripture "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God," we can miss the overall implications of what it is saying. We must understand what the glory of God is in order to comprehend what it is we have all fallen short of.
The glory of God is nothing less than the person and nature of God Himself. We are expected by God to be like Him. That is, after all, why we were created, in order to bear His image and spread who He was across the face of the earth. That is the real meaning of the presence of God.
It's not some general presence that makes people feel good while they listen to some worship song. It's the taking on of the characteristics of Jesus Christ Himself, resulting in the world seeing who God is by our obedience to not only His words, but who He is, which His words represent.
This is why John said those who say they abide in the Lord will walk as Jesus walked. To do otherwise is a contradiction that can't be reconciled. We either obey and walk as Christ walked, or we aren't Christ's. It's impossible to be born again by the Spirit and continue to live as we have in the past.
As for sin, the word itself means to 'miss the mark.' What's the mark? Jesus Christ and who He is. What's the glory of God? Who God is as revealed in Jesus Christ.
All of us has come short of His glory in that regard. But salvation has not only brought us back in right standing with God, but brings the requirement that we open our hearts to Him and allow Him to change us into His image. We are expected to be like Christ, and anything less isn't acceptable to God.
Now this is the immediate expectation of God for His people, but it is worked out one step at a time.
We are given the goal and expectation of being perfect by God, which means becoming like Jesus. While we may never reach perfection in his lifetime, this is what we are to shoot for. God does.
Keep in mind, the entire purpose for creating man was that man would be like God in his characteristics and purpose (not Godhood). For example, we are to be patient as God is, while understanding we're totally separate from God in His Deity.
Take any revelation of Jesus Christ in the Bible and we're expected to be conformed to that very image. This is our privilege and responsibility. The Holy Spirit within us empowers us to be able to accomplish this.
False teachers have lowered the bar of Jesus Christ, making excuses and using cheap grace teachings to undermine the power and ability of the Holy Spirit to perfect His work in us.
This isn't something to be considered negative and weighty, but rather an invitation and command from God to be perfect as He is perfect. He wouldn't tell us to do something we aren't able to do with His help.
We have all sinned or missed the mark, but we don't have to accept continuing to live in sin. Jesus Christ is our pattern to live by, and when we surrender to Him, the Holy Spirit will take and work within us to conform us to what He is like. This is what was intended before man was ever created, and it is what God is after for eternity.
1 John 2:5-6 - 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
When taking into consideration the scripture "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God," we can miss the overall implications of what it is saying. We must understand what the glory of God is in order to comprehend what it is we have all fallen short of.
The glory of God is nothing less than the person and nature of God Himself. We are expected by God to be like Him. That is, after all, why we were created, in order to bear His image and spread who He was across the face of the earth. That is the real meaning of the presence of God.
It's not some general presence that makes people feel good while they listen to some worship song. It's the taking on of the characteristics of Jesus Christ Himself, resulting in the world seeing who God is by our obedience to not only His words, but who He is, which His words represent.
This is why John said those who say they abide in the Lord will walk as Jesus walked. To do otherwise is a contradiction that can't be reconciled. We either obey and walk as Christ walked, or we aren't Christ's. It's impossible to be born again by the Spirit and continue to live as we have in the past.
As for sin, the word itself means to 'miss the mark.' What's the mark? Jesus Christ and who He is. What's the glory of God? Who God is as revealed in Jesus Christ.
All of us has come short of His glory in that regard. But salvation has not only brought us back in right standing with God, but brings the requirement that we open our hearts to Him and allow Him to change us into His image. We are expected to be like Christ, and anything less isn't acceptable to God.
Now this is the immediate expectation of God for His people, but it is worked out one step at a time.
We are given the goal and expectation of being perfect by God, which means becoming like Jesus. While we may never reach perfection in his lifetime, this is what we are to shoot for. God does.
Keep in mind, the entire purpose for creating man was that man would be like God in his characteristics and purpose (not Godhood). For example, we are to be patient as God is, while understanding we're totally separate from God in His Deity.
Take any revelation of Jesus Christ in the Bible and we're expected to be conformed to that very image. This is our privilege and responsibility. The Holy Spirit within us empowers us to be able to accomplish this.
False teachers have lowered the bar of Jesus Christ, making excuses and using cheap grace teachings to undermine the power and ability of the Holy Spirit to perfect His work in us.
This isn't something to be considered negative and weighty, but rather an invitation and command from God to be perfect as He is perfect. He wouldn't tell us to do something we aren't able to do with His help.
We have all sinned or missed the mark, but we don't have to accept continuing to live in sin. Jesus Christ is our pattern to live by, and when we surrender to Him, the Holy Spirit will take and work within us to conform us to what He is like. This is what was intended before man was ever created, and it is what God is after for eternity.
Labels:
Conformed to His Image,
Creation,
Holy Scriptures,
Jesus Christ,
Sin
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Warren Buffett, the liberal billionaire whose quips and folksy humor has endeared him to the unsuspecting
public, has been secretly and quietly donating over $1.2 billion to murderous abortion organizations from 2001 to 2012.
The Berkshire Hathaway CEO has largely gotten away with this because of his lining up with the liberal agenda, which includes benefiting from the intrusion of the government into the market.
With approximately half of the population in the United States being pro life, you would think this would be a story that would garner a lot of coverage.
Obviously the news media don't want to tarnish the image of their favorite billionaire son.
Since 2001, Buffett has donated a gigantic $289,811,421 to Planned Parenthood murder mill, although even there he isn't listed among the top donors. It's obviously an outrageous cover up.
If Buffett is so strong on aiding the murder of babies, why doesn't he have the integrity and courage to be transparent in his actions and ideology? There is no doubt he doesn't want his conservative or Christian investors to pull their money out of the company or challenge him and Berkshire Hathaway on it.
From this day forward we must continue to hold Warren Buffett's feet to the fire. He has been given a free pass by the media in almost everything he has done.
But when you consider the hypocrisy of Buffett after calling for transparency from companies, you can see his legacy continues to slip and fall, as his high-tax, Federal Reserve-supporting ways are just one stain on the image of Buffett, with the worst being his aid and abetting of abortionist in the murder of the most innocent and defenseless of human beings.
Estimates are the contributions to Planned Parenthood alone would fund approximately 2.7 million abortions.
Buffett the Butcher indeed.
public, has been secretly and quietly donating over $1.2 billion to murderous abortion organizations from 2001 to 2012.
The Berkshire Hathaway CEO has largely gotten away with this because of his lining up with the liberal agenda, which includes benefiting from the intrusion of the government into the market.
With approximately half of the population in the United States being pro life, you would think this would be a story that would garner a lot of coverage.
Obviously the news media don't want to tarnish the image of their favorite billionaire son.
Since 2001, Buffett has donated a gigantic $289,811,421 to Planned Parenthood murder mill, although even there he isn't listed among the top donors. It's obviously an outrageous cover up.
If Buffett is so strong on aiding the murder of babies, why doesn't he have the integrity and courage to be transparent in his actions and ideology? There is no doubt he doesn't want his conservative or Christian investors to pull their money out of the company or challenge him and Berkshire Hathaway on it.
From this day forward we must continue to hold Warren Buffett's feet to the fire. He has been given a free pass by the media in almost everything he has done.
But when you consider the hypocrisy of Buffett after calling for transparency from companies, you can see his legacy continues to slip and fall, as his high-tax, Federal Reserve-supporting ways are just one stain on the image of Buffett, with the worst being his aid and abetting of abortionist in the murder of the most innocent and defenseless of human beings.
Estimates are the contributions to Planned Parenthood alone would fund approximately 2.7 million abortions.
Buffett the Butcher indeed.
Labels:
Abortion,
Berkshire Hathaway,
Warren Buffett
Thursday, May 8, 2014
The cowardly HGTV network cancelled a reality TV show after an anti-Christan radical left-wing website “Right-Wing Watch,” pressured the network after writing about the two brothers and their opposition to homosexuality and abortion.
Appearing in the series would have been David and Jason Benham, who were helping people in need to acquire a home of their dreams.
Norman Lear of the despicable People of the American Way, is the force behind the corrupted Right Wing Watch.
There were several reasons given for cancelling the show, but there is no doubt their opposition to the deviant homosexual lifestyle is the catalyst behind the cancellation of the show.
While that's true, the reason this attack on their faith in Jesus Christ came at this time, is homosexuals were beaten to a pulp over the attempt to persecute Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty, who was wildly backed by the public for his opposition to homosexuals.
They knew if more Christians were presented in a positive and popular light, it would devastate their agenda, and further boost opposition to their sinful lifestyle. So now the new battlefront will be to abort the people not approving of their lifestyle before they make an impact.
All of this is to say that we as Christians must develop our own businesses and distribution networks to showcase the content we create.
I've been working on this very thing for some time, and if you have an interest in this, let me and other readers know in the comments.
It would be a good idea to stop tuning into HGTV, as it has shown it won't stand up for what is moral and right, but instead has chosen to oppose the silent majority in America. Let the silent majority turn away from HGTV to show it can't continue to do this with impunity.
Appearing in the series would have been David and Jason Benham, who were helping people in need to acquire a home of their dreams.
Norman Lear of the despicable People of the American Way, is the force behind the corrupted Right Wing Watch.
There were several reasons given for cancelling the show, but there is no doubt their opposition to the deviant homosexual lifestyle is the catalyst behind the cancellation of the show.
While that's true, the reason this attack on their faith in Jesus Christ came at this time, is homosexuals were beaten to a pulp over the attempt to persecute Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty, who was wildly backed by the public for his opposition to homosexuals.
They knew if more Christians were presented in a positive and popular light, it would devastate their agenda, and further boost opposition to their sinful lifestyle. So now the new battlefront will be to abort the people not approving of their lifestyle before they make an impact.
All of this is to say that we as Christians must develop our own businesses and distribution networks to showcase the content we create.
I've been working on this very thing for some time, and if you have an interest in this, let me and other readers know in the comments.
It would be a good idea to stop tuning into HGTV, as it has shown it won't stand up for what is moral and right, but instead has chosen to oppose the silent majority in America. Let the silent majority turn away from HGTV to show it can't continue to do this with impunity.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
If they can see you love them, you can say anything to them.
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Be careful how you spend your time: Spend your time in nothing which you know must be repented of.
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If family religion were duly attended to and properly discharged, I think the preaching of the Word would not be the common instrument of conversion.
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Remember the perfections of that God whom you worship, that he is a Spirit, and therefore to be worshipped in spirit and truth; and that he is most great and terrible, and therefore to be worshipped with seriousness and reverence, and not to be dallied with, or served with toys or lifeless lip-service; and that he is most holy, pure, and jealous, and therefore to be purely worshipped; and that he is still present with you, and all things are naked and open to him with whom we have to do. The knowledge of God, and the remembrance of his all-seeing presence, are the most powerful means against hypocrisy.
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Make careful choice of the books which you read: let the holy Scriptures ever have the preeminence. Let Scripture be first and most in your hearts and hands and other books be used as subservient to it.
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God never saved any man for being a preacher, nor because he was an able preacher; but because he was a justified, sanctified man, and consequently faithful in his Master’s work. Take heed, therefore, to yourselves first, that you be that which you persuade your hearers to be, and believe that which you persuade them to believe, and heartily entertain that Savior whom you offer to them.”
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Lord, it belongs not to my care, Whether I die or live; To love and serve Thee is my share, And this Thy grace must give
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Though selfishness hath defiled the whole man, yet sensual pleasure is the chief part of its interest, and, therefore, by the senses it commonly works; and these are the doors and windows by which iniquity entereth into the soul.
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Lord, whatever you want, wherever you want it, and whenever you want it, that's what I want.
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I have pain; but I have peace, I have peace.
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Prayer is the breath of the new creature.
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It is one thing to take God and heaven for your portion, as believers do, and another thing to be desirous of it as a reserve, when you can keep the world no longer. it is one thing to submit to heaven, as a lesser evil than hell; and another thing to desire it as a greater good than earth. it is one thing to lay up treasures and hopes in heaven, and seek it first; and another thing to be contented with it in our necessity, and to seek the world before it and give God what the flesh can spare. Thus differeth the religion of serious Christians and of carnal, worldly hypocrites.
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Naturally, men are prone to spin themselves a web of opinions out of their own brain, and to have a religion that may be called their own. They are far readier to make themselves a faith, than to receive that which God hath formed to their hands; are far readier to receive a doctrine that tends to their carnal commodity, or honor, or delight, than one that tends to self-denial.
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We reach perfection not by copying, much less by aiming at originality, but by constantly and steadily working out the life which is common to all, according to the character that God has given us.
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Despair of ever being saved, "except thou be born again," or of seeing God "without holiness," or of having part in Christ except thou "love him above father, mother, or thy own life." This kind of despair is one of the first steps to heaven.
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When the Son of God comes to rescue us and bring us back to God, He does not find in us the ability to believe.
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Christ leads me through no darker rooms Than He went through before.
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I must confess, as the experience of my own soul, that the expectation of loving my friends in heaven principally kindles my love to them while on earth.
==========
Be careful how you spend your time: Spend your time in nothing which you know must be repented of.
==========
If family religion were duly attended to and properly discharged, I think the preaching of the Word would not be the common instrument of conversion.
==========
Remember the perfections of that God whom you worship, that he is a Spirit, and therefore to be worshipped in spirit and truth; and that he is most great and terrible, and therefore to be worshipped with seriousness and reverence, and not to be dallied with, or served with toys or lifeless lip-service; and that he is most holy, pure, and jealous, and therefore to be purely worshipped; and that he is still present with you, and all things are naked and open to him with whom we have to do. The knowledge of God, and the remembrance of his all-seeing presence, are the most powerful means against hypocrisy.
==========
Make careful choice of the books which you read: let the holy Scriptures ever have the preeminence. Let Scripture be first and most in your hearts and hands and other books be used as subservient to it.
==========
God never saved any man for being a preacher, nor because he was an able preacher; but because he was a justified, sanctified man, and consequently faithful in his Master’s work. Take heed, therefore, to yourselves first, that you be that which you persuade your hearers to be, and believe that which you persuade them to believe, and heartily entertain that Savior whom you offer to them.”
==========
Lord, it belongs not to my care, Whether I die or live; To love and serve Thee is my share, And this Thy grace must give
==========
Though selfishness hath defiled the whole man, yet sensual pleasure is the chief part of its interest, and, therefore, by the senses it commonly works; and these are the doors and windows by which iniquity entereth into the soul.
==========
Lord, whatever you want, wherever you want it, and whenever you want it, that's what I want.
==========
I have pain; but I have peace, I have peace.
==========
Prayer is the breath of the new creature.
==========
It is one thing to take God and heaven for your portion, as believers do, and another thing to be desirous of it as a reserve, when you can keep the world no longer. it is one thing to submit to heaven, as a lesser evil than hell; and another thing to desire it as a greater good than earth. it is one thing to lay up treasures and hopes in heaven, and seek it first; and another thing to be contented with it in our necessity, and to seek the world before it and give God what the flesh can spare. Thus differeth the religion of serious Christians and of carnal, worldly hypocrites.
==========
Naturally, men are prone to spin themselves a web of opinions out of their own brain, and to have a religion that may be called their own. They are far readier to make themselves a faith, than to receive that which God hath formed to their hands; are far readier to receive a doctrine that tends to their carnal commodity, or honor, or delight, than one that tends to self-denial.
==========
We reach perfection not by copying, much less by aiming at originality, but by constantly and steadily working out the life which is common to all, according to the character that God has given us.
==========
Despair of ever being saved, "except thou be born again," or of seeing God "without holiness," or of having part in Christ except thou "love him above father, mother, or thy own life." This kind of despair is one of the first steps to heaven.
==========
When the Son of God comes to rescue us and bring us back to God, He does not find in us the ability to believe.
==========
Christ leads me through no darker rooms Than He went through before.
==========
I must confess, as the experience of my own soul, that the expectation of loving my friends in heaven principally kindles my love to them while on earth.
Labels:
Quotes,
Richard Baxter Quotes
Monday, April 14, 2014
We must pray for more prayer, for it is the world's mightiest healing force.
==========
The trouble with nearly everybody who prays is that he says “Amen” and runs away before God has a chance to reply. Listening to God is far more important than giving Him your ideas.
==========
Practicing the presence of God is not on trial. Countless saints have already proved it. Indeed, the spiritual giants of all ages have known it. The results of this effort begin to show clearly in a month. They grow rich after six months, and glorious after ten years. This is the secret of the great saints of all ages. 'Pray without ceasing,' said Paul, 'in everything make your wants known unto God.' 'As many as are led by the spirit of God, these are the sons of God.
==========
Prayer at its highest is a twoway conversation and for me the most important part is listening to Gods replies.
==========
There is no defeat unless one loses God, and then all is defeat, though it be housed in castles and buried in fortunes.
==========
I have tasted a thrill in fellowship with God which has made anything discordant with God disgusting. This afternoon the possession of God has caught me up with such sheer joy that I thought I never had known anything like it. God was so close and so amazingly lovely that I felt like melting all over with a strange blissful contentment. Having had this experience, which comes to me now several times a week, the thrill of filth repels me, for I know its power to drag me from God. And after an hour of close friendship with God my soul feels as clean as new-fallen snow.
==========
How I wish, wish, wish that a dozen or more persons who are trying to hold god endlessly in mind would all write their experiences so that each would know what the other was finding as a result! The results, I think, would astound the world. At least the results of my own effort are astounding to me… The very universe has come to seem so homey! I know only a little more about it than before, but that little is all! It is vibrant with the electric ecstasy of God! I know what it means to be ‘God intoxicated.
==========
Christ Jesus, we thank You that at last the nations begin to see that every unfortunate one is a neighbor. We see it, Lord; help us to do it. Save us from self-firstness–and begin in me. We pray in Your name.
==========
We ought to give ourselves up to God in things that are temporal as well as things that are spiritual. We should seek our satisfaction only in fulfilling His will. If He leads us into suffering or if He leads us into comfort, our satisfaction should still only be for the fulfilling of His will, for both suffering and comfort are the same to a soul truly resigned to Him.
==========
Come to the Lord, ask Him not to deliver you from this situation but ask Him for strength to bear this thing. Ask Him to give you a deep and strong love for Him. Ask Him to give you everything that would please Him. Ask Him to give you what He will and to do with you what He wishes as long as He pleases.
==========
The Lord knows best what is needful for us. What He does, He does for our good. If we really knew just how much He loves us, we would always be willing to receive anything from His hand. We would receive the bitter and the sweet without distinction. Anything, yes everything would please us just because it came from Him.
==========
This sense of being led by unseen hand which takes mine while another hand reaches ahead and prepares the way, grows upon me daily...sometimes it requires a long time early in the morning. I determine not to get out of bed until that mind set upon the Lord is settled.
==========
Oh, this thing of keeping in constant touch with God, of making Him the object of my thought and the companion of my conversations, is the most amazing thing I ever ran across. It is working. I cannot do it even half of a day- not yet, but I believe I shall be doing it some day for the entire day. It is a matter of acquiring a new habit of thought.
==========
This concentration upon God is strenuous, but everything else has ceased to be so. I think more clearly, I forget less frequently. Things which I did with a strain before, I now do easily and with no effort whatever. I worry about nothing, and lose no sleep. I walk on air a good part of the time. Even the mirror reveals a new light in my eyes and face. I no longer feel in a hurry about anything. Everything goes right. Each minute I meet calmly as though it were not important. Nothing can go wrong excepting one thing. That is that God may slip from my mind.
==========
The sense of being led by an unseen hand which takes mine, while another hand reaches ahead and prepares the way, grows upon me daily.
==========
In defense of my opening my soul and laying it bare to the public gaze in this fashion, I may say that it seems to me that we really seldom do anybody much good excepting as we share the deepest experiences of our souls in this way. It is not the fashion to tell your inmost thoughts, but there are many wrong fashions, and concealment of the best in us is wrong. I disapprove of the usual practice of talking ‘small talk’ whenever we meet, and holding a veil over our souls. If we are so impoverished that we have nothing to reveal but small talk, then we need to struggle for more richness of soul. As for me, I am convinced that this spiritual pilgrimage which I am making is infinitely worthwhile, the most important thing I know of to talk about. And talk I shall while there is anybody to listen.
==========
Our Unseen Friend becomes dearer, closer and more wonderful every day until at last we know Him as 'Jesus, lover of my soul,' not only in songs, but in blissful experiences. Doubts vanish, we are more sure of Him being with us than of anybody else. This warm, ardent friendship ripens rapidly until people see its glory shining in our eyes--and it keeps on growing richer and more radiant every month.
==========
We whisper 'God' or 'Jesus' or 'Christ' constantly as we glance at every person near us. We try to see double, as Christ does -- we see the person as he is and the person Christ longs to make of him. Remarkable things happen, until those in tune look around as though you spoke. Perhaps there is no finer ministry than just to be in meetings or crowds, whispering 'Jesus' and then helping people whenever you see an opportunity. The atmosphere of a room changes...
==========
The trouble with nearly everybody who prays is that he says “Amen” and runs away before God has a chance to reply. Listening to God is far more important than giving Him your ideas.
==========
Practicing the presence of God is not on trial. Countless saints have already proved it. Indeed, the spiritual giants of all ages have known it. The results of this effort begin to show clearly in a month. They grow rich after six months, and glorious after ten years. This is the secret of the great saints of all ages. 'Pray without ceasing,' said Paul, 'in everything make your wants known unto God.' 'As many as are led by the spirit of God, these are the sons of God.
==========
Prayer at its highest is a twoway conversation and for me the most important part is listening to Gods replies.
==========
There is no defeat unless one loses God, and then all is defeat, though it be housed in castles and buried in fortunes.
==========
I have tasted a thrill in fellowship with God which has made anything discordant with God disgusting. This afternoon the possession of God has caught me up with such sheer joy that I thought I never had known anything like it. God was so close and so amazingly lovely that I felt like melting all over with a strange blissful contentment. Having had this experience, which comes to me now several times a week, the thrill of filth repels me, for I know its power to drag me from God. And after an hour of close friendship with God my soul feels as clean as new-fallen snow.
==========
How I wish, wish, wish that a dozen or more persons who are trying to hold god endlessly in mind would all write their experiences so that each would know what the other was finding as a result! The results, I think, would astound the world. At least the results of my own effort are astounding to me… The very universe has come to seem so homey! I know only a little more about it than before, but that little is all! It is vibrant with the electric ecstasy of God! I know what it means to be ‘God intoxicated.
==========
Christ Jesus, we thank You that at last the nations begin to see that every unfortunate one is a neighbor. We see it, Lord; help us to do it. Save us from self-firstness–and begin in me. We pray in Your name.
==========
We ought to give ourselves up to God in things that are temporal as well as things that are spiritual. We should seek our satisfaction only in fulfilling His will. If He leads us into suffering or if He leads us into comfort, our satisfaction should still only be for the fulfilling of His will, for both suffering and comfort are the same to a soul truly resigned to Him.
==========
Come to the Lord, ask Him not to deliver you from this situation but ask Him for strength to bear this thing. Ask Him to give you a deep and strong love for Him. Ask Him to give you everything that would please Him. Ask Him to give you what He will and to do with you what He wishes as long as He pleases.
==========
The Lord knows best what is needful for us. What He does, He does for our good. If we really knew just how much He loves us, we would always be willing to receive anything from His hand. We would receive the bitter and the sweet without distinction. Anything, yes everything would please us just because it came from Him.
==========
This sense of being led by unseen hand which takes mine while another hand reaches ahead and prepares the way, grows upon me daily...sometimes it requires a long time early in the morning. I determine not to get out of bed until that mind set upon the Lord is settled.
==========
Oh, this thing of keeping in constant touch with God, of making Him the object of my thought and the companion of my conversations, is the most amazing thing I ever ran across. It is working. I cannot do it even half of a day- not yet, but I believe I shall be doing it some day for the entire day. It is a matter of acquiring a new habit of thought.
==========
This concentration upon God is strenuous, but everything else has ceased to be so. I think more clearly, I forget less frequently. Things which I did with a strain before, I now do easily and with no effort whatever. I worry about nothing, and lose no sleep. I walk on air a good part of the time. Even the mirror reveals a new light in my eyes and face. I no longer feel in a hurry about anything. Everything goes right. Each minute I meet calmly as though it were not important. Nothing can go wrong excepting one thing. That is that God may slip from my mind.
==========
The sense of being led by an unseen hand which takes mine, while another hand reaches ahead and prepares the way, grows upon me daily.
==========
In defense of my opening my soul and laying it bare to the public gaze in this fashion, I may say that it seems to me that we really seldom do anybody much good excepting as we share the deepest experiences of our souls in this way. It is not the fashion to tell your inmost thoughts, but there are many wrong fashions, and concealment of the best in us is wrong. I disapprove of the usual practice of talking ‘small talk’ whenever we meet, and holding a veil over our souls. If we are so impoverished that we have nothing to reveal but small talk, then we need to struggle for more richness of soul. As for me, I am convinced that this spiritual pilgrimage which I am making is infinitely worthwhile, the most important thing I know of to talk about. And talk I shall while there is anybody to listen.
==========
Our Unseen Friend becomes dearer, closer and more wonderful every day until at last we know Him as 'Jesus, lover of my soul,' not only in songs, but in blissful experiences. Doubts vanish, we are more sure of Him being with us than of anybody else. This warm, ardent friendship ripens rapidly until people see its glory shining in our eyes--and it keeps on growing richer and more radiant every month.
==========
We whisper 'God' or 'Jesus' or 'Christ' constantly as we glance at every person near us. We try to see double, as Christ does -- we see the person as he is and the person Christ longs to make of him. Remarkable things happen, until those in tune look around as though you spoke. Perhaps there is no finer ministry than just to be in meetings or crowds, whispering 'Jesus' and then helping people whenever you see an opportunity. The atmosphere of a room changes...
Labels:
Frank Laubach Quotes,
Quotes
Friday, March 28, 2014
Even though World Vision hastily retreated from its outrageous decision to hire 'legally married'
homosexuals, it is far from convincing the organization has truly repented from its action, other than for the sake of expediency.
Some writing about the reversal even use the term "legally married gay Christians" when talking about the issue; as if you can be in a homosexual relationship and be considered a Christian. That's like saying they're going to hire adulterer Christians or murderer Christians. It's nonsensical.
By the way, there is no such thing as a legally married homosexual in the eyes of Jesus Christ. The government or judges have no authority to make laws asserting that. Only God has made that determination, and marriage is only between one man and one women.
I"m not talking here about those who have sinned and repented and turned from their sins. I'm talking about those who continually live in sin and aren't challenged to turn away from their sin.
The idea that gays are the only people in history that self-identify as a sin, doesn't excuse their rebellion against Jesus Christ. The fact that World Vision drank the gay kool aid reveals it has been infiltrated by this evil, and it needs to be expunged from the organization, or Christians need to completely stop supporting it in any way.
So when World Hunger U.S. President Richard Stearns announced in Christianity Today that the reasoning for the decision was for cross-denominational unity, it shows that Stearns and the organization are clueless as to what constitutes unity in the body of Christ. Clue: it's not the acceptance of unrepentant sinners as workers.
Also, those so-called denominations that accept those living in homosexual sin, are no longer churches, not matter what the definition given by them. Jesus talked about removing lamp stands in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, and those accepting practicing homosexuals into their leadership ranks, can no longer be considered a church as recognized by Jesus Christ.
Whoever the people were that made this decision by World Vision need to be booted out. World Vision advertises itself as a Christian organization, and so it must adhere to the Bible as its authority in all matters of life. Christians who give to these types of organizations demand and require it. This is especially true with homosexual sinners.
I will never give money to World Vision unless it publicly cleanses itself of these infiltrators, who obviously have been compromised in their faith. There is no longer any trust in its leadership, and those espousing these views must be removed, as they have forfeited their right to lead an organization alleging it represents Christ in order to extract money from believers wanting to help the poor.
Some may ask about the fact the organization reversed direction and repented of its actions. That's fine. But the point is what caused it to make the decision in the first place. This is something embedded in the agency that must be removed. That's the major issue at hand.
There are a lot of other Christian organizations that can be supported without the concern over whether or not it's going to capitulate to the gay agenda.
homosexuals, it is far from convincing the organization has truly repented from its action, other than for the sake of expediency.
Some writing about the reversal even use the term "legally married gay Christians" when talking about the issue; as if you can be in a homosexual relationship and be considered a Christian. That's like saying they're going to hire adulterer Christians or murderer Christians. It's nonsensical.
By the way, there is no such thing as a legally married homosexual in the eyes of Jesus Christ. The government or judges have no authority to make laws asserting that. Only God has made that determination, and marriage is only between one man and one women.
I"m not talking here about those who have sinned and repented and turned from their sins. I'm talking about those who continually live in sin and aren't challenged to turn away from their sin.
The idea that gays are the only people in history that self-identify as a sin, doesn't excuse their rebellion against Jesus Christ. The fact that World Vision drank the gay kool aid reveals it has been infiltrated by this evil, and it needs to be expunged from the organization, or Christians need to completely stop supporting it in any way.
So when World Hunger U.S. President Richard Stearns announced in Christianity Today that the reasoning for the decision was for cross-denominational unity, it shows that Stearns and the organization are clueless as to what constitutes unity in the body of Christ. Clue: it's not the acceptance of unrepentant sinners as workers.
Also, those so-called denominations that accept those living in homosexual sin, are no longer churches, not matter what the definition given by them. Jesus talked about removing lamp stands in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, and those accepting practicing homosexuals into their leadership ranks, can no longer be considered a church as recognized by Jesus Christ.
Whoever the people were that made this decision by World Vision need to be booted out. World Vision advertises itself as a Christian organization, and so it must adhere to the Bible as its authority in all matters of life. Christians who give to these types of organizations demand and require it. This is especially true with homosexual sinners.
I will never give money to World Vision unless it publicly cleanses itself of these infiltrators, who obviously have been compromised in their faith. There is no longer any trust in its leadership, and those espousing these views must be removed, as they have forfeited their right to lead an organization alleging it represents Christ in order to extract money from believers wanting to help the poor.
Some may ask about the fact the organization reversed direction and repented of its actions. That's fine. But the point is what caused it to make the decision in the first place. This is something embedded in the agency that must be removed. That's the major issue at hand.
There are a lot of other Christian organizations that can be supported without the concern over whether or not it's going to capitulate to the gay agenda.
Labels:
Homosexual Sin,
World Vision
Monday, February 17, 2014
Belgians protest against child euthanasia law |
step, which to now make it legal for children 12 years or older to be legally euthanized.
Not only is this law evil, it gets worse, as children are given the decision-making power to end their own lives, with the additional consent of their parents.
First, this allows the manipulation of children who don't really understand the permanence of death. After all, what young person worries about dying even as they participate in risky behaviors?
But any parent could manipulate a child to consent to their own death for a variety of selfish reasons, whereby the child could be encourages to make it appear he or she has been the one that originated the idea.
In the usual demonic conclusion of progressive ideology, the Belgian daily De Morgen said, "For the first time since 1830 we have evolved to being ethically progressive leaders. We can be quite proud of that."
Only a progressive could call murdering a child something that is progress and an act they can be proud of.
Another demented person, the chief editor of major newspaper De Standaard, Bart Sturtewagen, concluded concerning the response to killing children, “I’m annoyed at hearing ‘you’ll kill children’ in the foreign media. We don’t use that kind of language anymore. It’s a very different debate on a different level.”
Frame it as they will, what the new law does is make it legal to kill sick children out of the womb. There is a lot of hypocrisy here though, as some nations have expressed outrage, when they endlessly murder babies in the womb, the ultimate form of child abuse.
Welcome to the future of the progressive agenda and worldview as it becomes a nightmarish reality.
Labels:
Abortion,
Belgium,
Euthanasia
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Russell Crowe Playing Noah |
time of day on an alleged Christian theme, it appears director Darren Aronofsky couldn't resist totally ignoring the actual Biblical story, and instead has turned it into what Al Gore would consider a dream film: one that focuses on environmentalism and overpopulation.
One reviewer said, the film depicts Noah "as a 'crazy, irrational, religious nut who is fixated on modern-day problems like overpopulation and environmental degradation.'"
The idea that God destroyed the earth for environmental reasons, or that overpopulation was an issue, is an outright lie and corruption of the story.
But since Aronofsky said his goal from the beginning was to "make a Noah for everyone," it was already doomed to failure in regard to Christian audiences.
Unfortunately, Hillsong head of film and television, Ben Field, doesn't mind the unbiblical content and focus of the story. "If you're expecting it to be word for word from the Bible, you're in for a shock. There can be an opportunity for Christians to take offense. [But] we were pretty excited that a studio like Paramount would invest in a Bible-themed movie."
No, Mr. Field, we're not a bunch of beggars hoping for Hollywood to develop a movie that uses the Biblical story to promote its liberal agenda.
Aronofsky said this about the film: "For people who are very literal-minded, it would be great to communicate that the themes of the film are very much in line with the themes of the Bible -- ideas about hope, second chances and family. If they allow that, they're going to have an incredible experience with the movie. If they don't allow it, it's theirs to lose."
It's ours to lose then Aronofsky, as I have no desire and won't go and see this piece of liberal garbage masquerading as being based upon the Bible.
What Hollywood needs to learn is if it's going to make films based upon the Bible, it needs to be accurate or don't bother. Most Christians don't mind filling in the blanks as far as a story needing to be filled in, but to change the story outright and make into another liberal narrative, is an outrage that hopefully will result in people staying home.
Labels:
Bible Films,
Hollywood,
Noah,
Russell Crowe
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
source: Fox News |
As Islamic terrorists have filled the void, they have stepped up their attacks on Christians, who have reportedly endured being displaced, shot, and in some cases - beheaded. Much of this as the result of refusing to convert to the false religion of Islam.
Iraq was probably the first place the Christian population came under fire, and that has spread across the Middle East as various factions within Islam are emboldened by the lack of the ability to police the region after the vacuum in power came to pass.
Christian believers that have been around since the early years of the church are now in danger of being eradicated from the region.
Interestingly, Christians were in the Middle East far before there was even such as thing as Islam.
Labels:
Christian Persecution,
Iraq,
Islam,
Middle East
Thursday, January 30, 2014
2 Corinthians 10:3-6
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
There is probably fewer scriptures the body of Christ needs today than this one, as a growing number of novel teachings are being introduced into the church, which are the exact opposite of who Jesus Christ really is and what He represents.
Especially important is verse 5, which admonishes all of us to walk and think humbly before God. This is why the Holy Spirit tells us to cast down imaginations and high things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God.
The knowledge of God has been revealed to us, but there are numerous people proclaiming to be Christians which for a variety of reasons oppose this knowledge. They also existed in the times of Paul, and this is why he so strongly stated what he did.
Finally, it's not only casting down this thoughts against God, but also bringing all of our thoughts into subjection to Jesus Christ. This blasts away the lie of so-called post-modernism, which many people who name Christ have adapted in order to be "relevant." The result has been the salt losing its influence, and they become representatives of the world in the name of Jesus. It's a lie.
What Paul under the influence of the Holy Spirit is saying is we aren't allowed to think what we want about Jesus Christ and God our Father, but are to take what we are taught of Him in the scriptures and line our thoughts up with that. There is no alternative. We are not allowed by God to think sloppy thoughts about Him that don't agree with who He is or the scriptures. To think or believe otherwise is to create a god after our own image or imagination; a god that doesn't exist anywhere except in our minds.
Lining up our thoughts with who Christ is is to obey Him. Our thoughts must be brought into obedience to Christ or we'll be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
There is probably fewer scriptures the body of Christ needs today than this one, as a growing number of novel teachings are being introduced into the church, which are the exact opposite of who Jesus Christ really is and what He represents.
Especially important is verse 5, which admonishes all of us to walk and think humbly before God. This is why the Holy Spirit tells us to cast down imaginations and high things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God.
The knowledge of God has been revealed to us, but there are numerous people proclaiming to be Christians which for a variety of reasons oppose this knowledge. They also existed in the times of Paul, and this is why he so strongly stated what he did.
Finally, it's not only casting down this thoughts against God, but also bringing all of our thoughts into subjection to Jesus Christ. This blasts away the lie of so-called post-modernism, which many people who name Christ have adapted in order to be "relevant." The result has been the salt losing its influence, and they become representatives of the world in the name of Jesus. It's a lie.
What Paul under the influence of the Holy Spirit is saying is we aren't allowed to think what we want about Jesus Christ and God our Father, but are to take what we are taught of Him in the scriptures and line our thoughts up with that. There is no alternative. We are not allowed by God to think sloppy thoughts about Him that don't agree with who He is or the scriptures. To think or believe otherwise is to create a god after our own image or imagination; a god that doesn't exist anywhere except in our minds.
Lining up our thoughts with who Christ is is to obey Him. Our thoughts must be brought into obedience to Christ or we'll be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.
Labels:
Christ centered,
Imaginations,
Obedience to Christ,
Thoughts
Saturday, January 11, 2014
source: wikipedia |
The sentence of death passes, in the Cross, on the old nature in its entirety, as the new comes into being. This is the one only basis and groundwork for all carrying out in our practical experience of what that death means. Once for all let this be clear. Apart from the work done on Calvary, all working out of a death process in our own souls is only a false and dangerous mysticism. . . . "I have been crucified with Christ" (RV)--yes, long before I ever asked to be--glory be to God! and yet as freshly as if it were yesterday, for time is nowhere with Him.
===============
“We have not to produce out of our higher nature a lowliness and a patience and a purity of our own, but simply to let the pure, patient, lowly life of Jesus have its way in us by yieldingness to it and by faith in its indwelling might. "All that God wants from man is opportunity." The whole of our relationship to His power, whether for sanctification or for service, is summed up in those words.”
===============
“Surrender--stillness--a ready welcoming of all stripping, all loss, all that brings us low, low into the Lord's path of humility--a cherishing of every whisper of the Spirit's voice, every touch of the prompting that comes to quicken the hidden life within: that is the way God's human seed-vessels ripen, and Christ becomes "magnified" even through the things that seem against us. "Mine but to be still: Thine the glorious power, Thine the mighty will.”
===============
“Measure thy life by loss and not by gain,
Not by the wine drunk, but by the wine poured forth.
For love's strength standeth in love's sacrifice,
And he who suffers most has most to give.”
===============
Trained faith is a triumphant gladness in having nothing but God - no rest, no foothold - nothing but Himself - A triumphant gladness in swinging out into that abyss, rejoicing in a very fresh emergency that is going to prove Him true - The Lord Along - that is trained faith.
================
I was watching vaguely the breaking of the waves while listening for His voice. Suddenly, there came, clothed in His living power, the words – “Fear ye not me,” saith the Lord, “which have placed the sand for a bound of the sea that they cannot pass; though they roar they shall not pass over it!” Oh with what joy it came as one watched them hurling themselves in with all their might and succeeding in doing nothing but washing a few tiny pebbles a few inches and dragging others back in their place – such power, and such impotence!
================
Shall we not ask God to convict us, as to where lies the hindrance to this self-emptying? It is not alone mere selfishness, in its ordinary sense, that prevents it; long after this has been cleansed away by the Precious Blood there may remain, unrecognised, the self-life in more subtle forms. It may co-exist with much that looks like sacrifice; there may be much of usefulness and of outward self-denial, and yet below the surface may remain a clinging to our own judgment, a confidence in our own resources, an unconscious taking of our own way, even in God’s service. And these things hold down, hold in our souls, and frustrate the Spirit in His working. The latent self-life needs to be brought down into the place of death before His breath can carry us hither and thither as the wind wafts the seeds. Are we ready for this last surrender?
=================
What a revolution would come over the world – the world of starving bodies at home – the world of starving souls abroad – if something like this were the standard of giving; if God’s people ventured on “making themselves poor” as Jesus did, for the sake of the need around; if the “I” – “me” – “mine” were practically delivered up, no longer to be recognized when they clash with those needs.
=================
Study the inner life of Jesus. “I speak not of Myself,” He says. “I can of Mine own self do nothing.” “I seek not Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.” His human self-life, sinless though it was, was laid down that He might live by the Father; and our self-life, defiled and worthless, shall we not lay it down that we may live by Him?
=================
For all their teaching of surrender and sacrifice is no fanciful mysticism; it is a simple reality that can be tested at every turn – nay, that must be so tested. If we are apprehending Christ’s death in its delivering power, our homes will not be slow to find it out.
=================
O Jesus, the Crucified, I will follow Thee in Thy path. Inspire me for the next step, whether it leads down into the shadow or up into the light. Surely in what place my Lord the King shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will Thy servant be.
=================
Let us dare to test God’s resources…Let us ask him to kindle in us and keep aflame that passion for the impossible that shall make us delight in it with him, till the day when we shall see it transformed into a fact.
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“So then, turn your eyes upon Him, look full into His face and you will find that the things of earth will acquire a strange new dimness.” (Helen Lemmel use these words as the inspiration for writing "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus")
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“Take the very hardest thing in your life – the place of difficulty, outward or inward, and expect God to triumph gloriously in that very spot. Just there He can bring your soul into blossom.”
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Be our fellowship in His rejection what it may, we will welcome it, rejoicing if we are even “counted worthy to suffer shame for His Name”; “esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt”; “going forth unto Him without the camp.”
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It is only as we go on in a life of surrender that the blessed joy of pouring forth upon Him our costly things dawns on us. The giving sets free, as has been well said, a spring of conscious love, and the love, in its turn, inspires to fresh giving; and though the pain involved is still pain, such a strange sweetness becomes interwoven with it that we wonder whether heaven can be perfect without the possibility of suffering loss for Him.
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But this stepping out at all risks, with the element of uncertainty contained in it, is just where the truth of our surrender is tested, and therefore it must be faced thoroughly. So long as we reserve to ourselves the power of withdrawing to the old life if an emergency arises, there is no real progress possible.
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There came such a lovely sense... of what it means to be "buried with Christ" - not only dead but buried - "put to silence in the grave" - "I can" and "I can't" put to silence side by side - the lovely silence and stillness of "a grave beside Him" with God's seal on the stone and His watch set, that nothing but the risen life of Jesus may come forth. ~ Lilias Trotter
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God's guidance, if our soul's instinct is healthy, tallies with the sense of rest - in a very real way, this sense of rest guides us - and legislates for us. Anything that brings a sense of restlessness means that we have got further from under the cloud shadow - we have gone off on some self devised path, or we have not kept pace with God... It is the same in cases of perplexity - where there is no clear command in His word to guide us - where the sense of rest falls (always taking for granted that our wills are in His Hand) there is His path - it is there that the shadow of His cloud is falling.
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There should be neither undergrowth, nor overgrowth, but balanced growth. Spiritual equilibrium alone will bring forth much fruit both in us and in others. We were created for more than our own spiritual development; reproduction, not mere development, is the goal to mature - reproduction in other lives.
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But what if God begins from the other side, generating a glow of Holy Spirit fire from within? No matter if, for the moment, it is a hidden process; nothing can be seen of the soldanella under the ice until the top of the air-bell gives way and the flower is there. I believe a moment will come of a sudden breaking forth of that which has been working below the surface, and the miracle of the snowfields will be wrought afresh by the crowding up of human souls who have won through the hardest fights.
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He shall sit as a priest upon his throne. 'Ask of me and I will give thee... as thy possession.' What he receives as Priest he dispenses as King and somehow the whole aspect of prayer has been reversed. I used to think that our intercession must sweep round from us to him and bring back the answer, but now I see it differently; it all starts with him and sweeps down here as low as our helplessness, then back to his throne, the place of power and authority.
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'Concerning the work of my hands command ye me', is the Old Testament foreshadowing of these creative hours of which, with our poor, tentative, calculating faith, we know so little. But to command is to know the will of the Father and it has come to me with new light and power that the first thing we have to be sure of day by day, is that our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. If we can listen in the stillness, till our hearts begin to vibrate to what he is feeling about the matter in question, whether it concerns ourselves or others, we can, from that moment, begin to pray down from his throne.
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It is utterly, unbelievably simple. Receive Jesus with a heart-grasp, and you will find, like the flower, a spring of eternal life, entirely distinct from your own, that is perishing, set working deep down in your inmost being.
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"The death of the Cross" - death's triumph hour - that was the point where God's gate opened; and to that gate we come again and again, as our lives unfold, and through it pass even on earth to our joyful resurrection, to a life each time more abundant, for each time the dying is a deeper dying. The Christian life is a process of deliverance out of one world into another, and "death," as has been truly said, "is the only way out of any world in which we are."
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The sap - the will - the "ego" - is withdrawn from the former existence, its aims and desires, and is sent into the new. It is given over to the other side: we hold to it that this is now our life, the only one that has the right to be. We reckon ourselves dead to the old; we reckon ourselves alive to the new; "putting off" the former, "putting on" the latter.
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Oh! the pains that God has to take to bring us to this happy, childlike "abandon," equally ready for silence, or for saying or doing unhesitatingly the next thing He calls for, unfettered by surroundings or consequences. How much reserve and self-consciousness have to give way with some of us, before the absolute control passes into His Hands, and the responsibility with it! Then only can we know the "liberty," the "boldness," the "utterance" of Pentecost. "Whithersoever the Spirit was to go they went, thither was their spirit to go:" that is "the perfect law of liberty."
Labels:
Inspiration,
Lilias Trotter,
Quotes
Friday, January 10, 2014
Ephesians 5:22-24
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Candace Cameron Bure received some attacks lately for her comments in her newly released book - 'Balancing It All: My Story of Juggling Priorities and Purpose,' where she talked about her desire and success in entering into a submissive role in relationship to her husband.
It's almost sure that Bure, who is a devout follower of Jesus Christ, was at least in part thinking of the scriptures mentioned above when addressing the issue.
She confirmed it saying this:
"The definition I'm using with the word 'submissive' is the biblical definition of that. So, it is meekness, it is not weakness. It is strength under control, it is bridled strength."
"And, listen, I love that my man is a leader," she asserted. "I want him to lead and be the head of our family. And those major decisions do fall on him. ... It doesn't mean I don't voice my opinion. It doesn't mean I don't have an opinion. I absolutely do, but it is very difficult to have two heads of authority."
"In my marriage we are equal ... in our importance, but we are just different in our performances within our marriage," she added.
The former Full House star, who is the sister of actor Kirk Cameron, is a breath of fresh air, and the negative responses to her way of life shows what she lives and communicated needed to be heard.
Along with 'Balancing It All,' Bure has also written 'Reshaping It All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness.'
She most recently starred in the successful "Let it Snow" on the Hallmark Channel.
Here's a link to her website for a more in depth look at what Candace is up to.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Source: modernmom.com |
It's almost sure that Bure, who is a devout follower of Jesus Christ, was at least in part thinking of the scriptures mentioned above when addressing the issue.
She confirmed it saying this:
"The definition I'm using with the word 'submissive' is the biblical definition of that. So, it is meekness, it is not weakness. It is strength under control, it is bridled strength."
"And, listen, I love that my man is a leader," she asserted. "I want him to lead and be the head of our family. And those major decisions do fall on him. ... It doesn't mean I don't voice my opinion. It doesn't mean I don't have an opinion. I absolutely do, but it is very difficult to have two heads of authority."
"In my marriage we are equal ... in our importance, but we are just different in our performances within our marriage," she added.
The former Full House star, who is the sister of actor Kirk Cameron, is a breath of fresh air, and the negative responses to her way of life shows what she lives and communicated needed to be heard.
Along with 'Balancing It All,' Bure has also written 'Reshaping It All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness.'
She most recently starred in the successful "Let it Snow" on the Hallmark Channel.
Here's a link to her website for a more in depth look at what Candace is up to.
Labels:
Candace Cameron Bure,
Full House,
Jesus Christ,
Kirk Cameron,
Submissive
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