All nations have problems, major problems, and they are not going to get better unless a remnant Church comes forth as true and mature salt and light. There will be evil until Jesus returns; in many cases it will wax worse and worse, especially where there is no real salt and light. Satan has bait designed for each Christian, and many professing Christians are eating his bait like hungry fish rather than being salt and light for Jesus Christ. The results are already devastating and can become more devastating in the future.
For example, there are forces at work to turn the United States into a socialist nation, which would soon after become a communist nation. There are also forces at work to bring Shariah Law to the United States. These are just two of the devil's many wiles and schemes for the United States. In addition, he would like nothing better than a race war, which is not limited to any one particular nation. The Spirit of God works for the unity of faith, and the spirit of the devil works for division. Division is doing quite well presently in much of the Church; it is actually a sign of falling away. The unity of faith depends on being sanctified by truth; division is the result of false teaching and leaning on personal opinion and understanding. Division has its roots in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The unity of faith has its root in the truth of Jesus Christ and the cross.
The devil is not limited to one weapon of deceit and deception. He has an arsenal of weapons, and his forces are unified. Their goal is to steal, kill and destroy. The devil and his forces know that Jesus said He would build His Church and the gates of Hades would not prevail against it. Well, the devil is not going to sit back and do nothing. He infiltrated the Garden of Eden, and he infiltrated the Church. We still suffer because of the fall of man in the Garden, and we still suffer because of false prophets and false teachings in the Church.
The present-day Church, for the most part, is divided. In her divided state, she is no match for the devil and his deceptions. Actually, she is ripe for his false ministers and their false doctrines, which lead to more division. The false ministers, including false prophets, pour their deceptions into the minds of professing Christians. The professing Christians form opinions and pour them all over the world. What is the result? Look around you!
What is the answer? The answer is a remnant of faithful disciples who wake up and get serious about forsaking all to follow Jesus. They repent; they deny their personal ideas, opinions and preferences, and take up their cross to follow Jesus. They unite in faith all over this earth to be the Church that Jesus is looking for. They have Christ formed within, which includes putting on the mind of Christ, and they go into the entire world preaching the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ and His kingdom.
Note: Opinion expressers move from topic to topic and can do so for a lifetime. The result is usually self-fulfillment because of self-expression, and the solidifying of their personal opinions due to defending them against others who express contrasting opinions. Nothing is accomplished for Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God. Everyone has an opinion and an experience, but only Jesus Christ and His Word have the answers. God knows that, and evidently the devil knows it also. Therefore, the devil sends his false ministers into the Church to confuse, frustrate, and lead the body of Christ away from Jesus and His truth. This has been taking place since the first century and is growing worse.
Go ahead and preach your opinions that enlarge the present divide in the Church and are tools in the devil's hands. Just remember that the eyes of the Lord are looking for loyal disciples who are united in faith and preaching one Way and one gospel. Yes, there is a faithful remnant coming forth that is made up of those who have denied selfish and carnal opinions and are given to preaching the gospel and the gospel only. They are the Church that will be victorious; they will preach the gospel of the kingdom in all the world as a witness to all nations (Matthew 24:14). They know that it is to be done not after a defeated and divided Church has gone off somewhere, but now by a united and victorious Church.
Many people say that the Church needs a world view, and that is probably true, but a world view will do little good until we have God's view. His view includes the biblical Church being built by Jesus, and not the church around us that has all too often been built by man using his ideas and patterns. When we are built by Jesus with His biblical pattern, we will be in the unity of faith. There have always been faithful disciples, but it is time to have a Church all over this earth with Christ formed within, where all disciples will have unity of faith, and those in geographical areas will be actually drawn together. Many recognize and proclaim a falling away in the Church before the Lord returns, but there will also be a drawing together. The falling away is among those who are drawn together by personal opinions; the drawing together is of those who have been sanctified by truth (John 17:17). There will be a Church that is one with God and with each other. Which one will we decide to be a part of? Which one will we represent? Will Jesus find a faithful Church upon the earth? When will He find her? Let's wake up, get serious, and make ourselves ready for the marriage of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7).
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
One Way and One Gospel
There is only one way to the father and that is through Jesus Christ. There is only one gospel and it includes two things: the good news of Jesus the Messiah, and the good news of the kingdom of God (Acts 28:23, 31).
People, even so called spiritual leaders, can give you topics to debate, and you can do that forever in the spirit of those on Mars Hill. The eyes of the Lord are looking throughout the earth for those who will live and speak the gospel. Enjoy your freedom to vote while you have it, but remember that Jesus, Paul and the early disciples did not have that freedom. Many, if not most, believers on earth today do not have that freed om, but all can have Christ formed within them and seek His kingdom and righteousness.
Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ do not have the freedom to vote, but all of us can have the unity of faith. Let's make God's priorities our priorities. Souls are dying and going to hell while westernized Christians debate like those on Mars Hill.
People, even so called spiritual leaders, can give you topics to debate, and you can do that forever in the spirit of those on Mars Hill. The eyes of the Lord are looking throughout the earth for those who will live and speak the gospel. Enjoy your freedom to vote while you have it, but remember that Jesus, Paul and the early disciples did not have that freedom. Many, if not most, believers on earth today do not have that freed om, but all can have Christ formed within them and seek His kingdom and righteousness.
Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ do not have the freedom to vote, but all of us can have the unity of faith. Let's make God's priorities our priorities. Souls are dying and going to hell while westernized Christians debate like those on Mars Hill.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Addressing Persecution
I have given careful thought to what I am writing, but I realize that I still run the risk of being misunderstood. There is no way that one can address the full breadth of something that is so vital to the Church in one response, so I will trust that those with hearts to understand will have ears to hear.
We all should be very much aware of the suffering, torture, and martyrdom of our brothers and sisters around the world. Our hearts must continually be broken and contrite and filled with love and compassion which moves us as our Lord is moved. I regularly receive a magazine titled Blessed Are the Martyrs. I have posted a map in our church building that points out those parts of the world where there is persecution. This past Sunday I ministered about a young woman being tortured in Pakistan because she would not renounce Jesus Christ. I minister with intent to bring more awareness, love, and compassion toward them, and we regularly pray for those being persecuted. I cannot properly address this issue without stating that unless the Church repents and unifies in faith, with Christ formed within, this type of thing will only spread all over the earth and eventually to the United States.
Awareness, love, and compassion should and will move all true and mature disciples to action. But what type of action must prayerfully be considered. If we are to be the salt and light that the Church Jesus is building is intended to be, then we must look to Jesus and His Word to guide us in all matters. There are things to learn from Esther and others, but we need to take a closer look at how Jesus and His immediate followers handled any and all things and, in this case, specifically the matter of persecution.
Thank God that in parts of the world Christians have freedom to vote and voice their opinions. But we must be careful of letting our prime examples come from outside the written Word. One could write countless books about how people, including Christians, have stood up for people who have been oppressed. William Wilberforce has received a lot of attention in the last few years, and I have been touched by his dedication to changing things that were not as they should be. But I see a potential danger. The danger is that Christians start to rely more on our political freedom and taking action than we do on our rights and responsibilities as children of God. We forget that we are primarily citizens of another kingdom, and we begin to focus on our human rights and abilities and act accordingly. The recent movie about Wilberforce is a prime example. I enjoyed the movie and encourage all to see it, but I caution you to watch with wisdom and discernment. There is very little, if anything, presented in the movie to reveal how Wilberforce and those close to him spent years seeking God and crying out in prayers, supplications, and intercessions. The movie projects a message that is intended to influence Christians in a certain direction. If we go in that direction without fully understanding all that was involved prior, we run the risk of taking actions that may even bring positive change, but, in the long run, will not have been in line with Jesus Christ, His Word, and His kingdom.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a great man of God. If you have never read The Cost of Discipleship, please do so soon. I am in the midst of watching an account of His life. He was a very special person, but there is the possibility that he, to whatever degree, moved from God's ways to man's ways. Whenever that happens, it will not work in the long run. A little leaven always leavens the whole lump. It may even solve an immediate problem or situation, but it is a hindrance to God's plan overall. We need to constantly seek the counsel of the Lord, and anything we hear must line up with the Word rightly divided. Joshua and David were great men of God, but both made the mistake of taking action without seeking the counsel of God.
The problem is that we look more at the ways men, even Christian men, have done things than how Jesus did things and how He teaches us in His Word to address issues. We often rightly see these people as Christians who accomplished great things, but we overlook that sometimes they did not stay in line with the Word, and/or we miss some vital things that they did. We begin to emulate them and advocate and promote their methods as the pattern to follow. In the case of Wilberforce, his political action was emphasized over how much and how deeply he was seeking God. We train people to be political action agents rather than disciples of Jesus Christ. There is a difference in being a political action agent and being a disciple who may participate in political activities where he or she has the freedom to do so. Not all disciples can or will be involved in political activities, but there are plenty of biblical things that all disciples can and should be involved in. The things that all should be involved in are where we are falling short. Let your voice cry out and be heard, but first let it be to God. Just imagine the Church crying out in unison, and what would take place in the heavens and on the earth because of it. Let's major on the majors and keep everything in perspective.
I am in no way suggesting that you not vote and be involved as God leads and freedom allows, but I am saying let's be careful and make sure that we are doing things God's way because only God's way brings about His will. We can point out our successes and the successes of others, but, in the end, they will be hindrances unless they were in the center of God's will.
Let's take advantage of all the ways that we are free to help people, and let's include those ways that are left when these other ways are no longer available. The loss of political freedoms will become a reality in the West, specifically in the United States, if we do not wake up and unite in faith with the purpose of always doing things God's way. We have to get our hearts right, and we have to get our message right. We must preach and live the things of Jesus, and we must preach and live the message that Jesus Himself preached. Paul sums up his message twice in the last chapter of Acts. Ask the Lord to give us ministers who are consistently doing the same, and then watch the body of Christ really go to work.
We all should be very much aware of the suffering, torture, and martyrdom of our brothers and sisters around the world. Our hearts must continually be broken and contrite and filled with love and compassion which moves us as our Lord is moved. I regularly receive a magazine titled Blessed Are the Martyrs. I have posted a map in our church building that points out those parts of the world where there is persecution. This past Sunday I ministered about a young woman being tortured in Pakistan because she would not renounce Jesus Christ. I minister with intent to bring more awareness, love, and compassion toward them, and we regularly pray for those being persecuted. I cannot properly address this issue without stating that unless the Church repents and unifies in faith, with Christ formed within, this type of thing will only spread all over the earth and eventually to the United States.
Awareness, love, and compassion should and will move all true and mature disciples to action. But what type of action must prayerfully be considered. If we are to be the salt and light that the Church Jesus is building is intended to be, then we must look to Jesus and His Word to guide us in all matters. There are things to learn from Esther and others, but we need to take a closer look at how Jesus and His immediate followers handled any and all things and, in this case, specifically the matter of persecution.
Thank God that in parts of the world Christians have freedom to vote and voice their opinions. But we must be careful of letting our prime examples come from outside the written Word. One could write countless books about how people, including Christians, have stood up for people who have been oppressed. William Wilberforce has received a lot of attention in the last few years, and I have been touched by his dedication to changing things that were not as they should be. But I see a potential danger. The danger is that Christians start to rely more on our political freedom and taking action than we do on our rights and responsibilities as children of God. We forget that we are primarily citizens of another kingdom, and we begin to focus on our human rights and abilities and act accordingly. The recent movie about Wilberforce is a prime example. I enjoyed the movie and encourage all to see it, but I caution you to watch with wisdom and discernment. There is very little, if anything, presented in the movie to reveal how Wilberforce and those close to him spent years seeking God and crying out in prayers, supplications, and intercessions. The movie projects a message that is intended to influence Christians in a certain direction. If we go in that direction without fully understanding all that was involved prior, we run the risk of taking actions that may even bring positive change, but, in the long run, will not have been in line with Jesus Christ, His Word, and His kingdom.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a great man of God. If you have never read The Cost of Discipleship, please do so soon. I am in the midst of watching an account of His life. He was a very special person, but there is the possibility that he, to whatever degree, moved from God's ways to man's ways. Whenever that happens, it will not work in the long run. A little leaven always leavens the whole lump. It may even solve an immediate problem or situation, but it is a hindrance to God's plan overall. We need to constantly seek the counsel of the Lord, and anything we hear must line up with the Word rightly divided. Joshua and David were great men of God, but both made the mistake of taking action without seeking the counsel of God.
The problem is that we look more at the ways men, even Christian men, have done things than how Jesus did things and how He teaches us in His Word to address issues. We often rightly see these people as Christians who accomplished great things, but we overlook that sometimes they did not stay in line with the Word, and/or we miss some vital things that they did. We begin to emulate them and advocate and promote their methods as the pattern to follow. In the case of Wilberforce, his political action was emphasized over how much and how deeply he was seeking God. We train people to be political action agents rather than disciples of Jesus Christ. There is a difference in being a political action agent and being a disciple who may participate in political activities where he or she has the freedom to do so. Not all disciples can or will be involved in political activities, but there are plenty of biblical things that all disciples can and should be involved in. The things that all should be involved in are where we are falling short. Let your voice cry out and be heard, but first let it be to God. Just imagine the Church crying out in unison, and what would take place in the heavens and on the earth because of it. Let's major on the majors and keep everything in perspective.
I am in no way suggesting that you not vote and be involved as God leads and freedom allows, but I am saying let's be careful and make sure that we are doing things God's way because only God's way brings about His will. We can point out our successes and the successes of others, but, in the end, they will be hindrances unless they were in the center of God's will.
Let's take advantage of all the ways that we are free to help people, and let's include those ways that are left when these other ways are no longer available. The loss of political freedoms will become a reality in the West, specifically in the United States, if we do not wake up and unite in faith with the purpose of always doing things God's way. We have to get our hearts right, and we have to get our message right. We must preach and live the things of Jesus, and we must preach and live the message that Jesus Himself preached. Paul sums up his message twice in the last chapter of Acts. Ask the Lord to give us ministers who are consistently doing the same, and then watch the body of Christ really go to work.
Politics and Christianity
Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats presently have the answers or solutions for our beloved country, and neither does any other political party, especially the Libertarians. True Christians (disciples) must begin to truly look at Jesus Christ, His kingdom and righteousness. Since Jesus Christ birthed His Church, there have always been true and faithful followers, but there have also been many that infiltrated the Church who have not been of Christ and/or led by Christ. They have often done good works, but they have also done things that were not of Christ; actually they have done evil things. They have often been intelligent and charismatic people who influenced true Christians in the wrong direction. Why? And how? Too many true Christians have never developed to maturity in Christ or in the knowledge of the Word of God. One of the adverse effects of this shortcoming is that they are not trained to discern the difference in good or evil, which makes them susceptible to deception (Hebrews 5:12-14). Most Christians have been so washed by and in the words of man—both in society and in the Church—that they respond (react) to most situations not by the truth of God, but by man's words and emotions, which are not under the control of the Holy Spirit. Of course, many have been washed by the words of different men so they end up at odds with each other rather than in the unity of faith that Jesus prayed for and desires of His people. We must learn that a little leaven leavens the whole lump! The devil takes truth and mixes in a little leaven and sends false teachers to confuse and divide the Church. Let's stop him and stop him now!
The devil is an expert in infiltration. He has had much success in infiltrating the Church, just as he did in infiltrating the Garden of Eden (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). The instruments that he uses are often pretty or handsome, intelligent, very personable, and well trained in how to influence people. They will take the time (even years) and make much effort to make friends with you, and they will do good things for you. Most Christians can discern the devil when he comes as a wolf (the occult, etc.), but he sneaks by many when he dresses up in sheep's clothing and imitates the sound of a sheep (uses Scripture).
What do we do? We finally decide to forsake all, deny self, and take up our crosses to follow Jesus Christ. We, by faith, put that old nature on the cross once and for all. We, individually and corporately, consecrate ourselves forever to the Lord and to be His body. We seek Him in prayer until we know Him intimately; we study the whole Bible under the teaching of the Holy Spirit until we know truth and it sets us free. We love God and we love one another as Christ as loved us, then we shine as light to the world. We become the salt that He always intended. Romans 12:1 and 2 become a reality and not a verse we memorized. (Too many verses have been put to memory, and too few have become reality within us). We let the precious blood of Jesus make us one with Him and each other, and we continually wash our minds and hearts with the washing of the water of the Word (Ephesians 5:26).
God gave us a will, a mind, and emotions, but He never intended that they lead the way. Our spirits are to be broken and contrite; we are to be filled with the Spirit of Christ, and we are to place our wills, minds, emotions, and bodies in submission to God. When this and other truths of the Word come off the pages of the Bible and take root and grow in the mind and heart of each of us, then we become a living stone in the temple that Jesus is building. That is when we are not bond or free, Jew or Gentile, but we are one in Christ. Unless we allow the Spirit to form Christ within us, the day will come in the United States when we, or our descendants, will not be able to have this type of discussion because we will not have the freedom to vote. So exercise your freedom, but let's find the true freedom that is only in Christ, and let's show the world unity in Christ rather than devilish division. Let's humble ourselves, repent, and become one body with Christ formed within. Then let's pray for those in leadership and pray God's kingdom come and His will be done, and then watch the Holy Spirit work. You will see Ephesians 3:20 become a reality; it just will not involve a new Bentley. Let's become a mature and discerning body of Christ. God have mercy on us who call ourselves Christians!
The devil is an expert in infiltration. He has had much success in infiltrating the Church, just as he did in infiltrating the Garden of Eden (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). The instruments that he uses are often pretty or handsome, intelligent, very personable, and well trained in how to influence people. They will take the time (even years) and make much effort to make friends with you, and they will do good things for you. Most Christians can discern the devil when he comes as a wolf (the occult, etc.), but he sneaks by many when he dresses up in sheep's clothing and imitates the sound of a sheep (uses Scripture).
What do we do? We finally decide to forsake all, deny self, and take up our crosses to follow Jesus Christ. We, by faith, put that old nature on the cross once and for all. We, individually and corporately, consecrate ourselves forever to the Lord and to be His body. We seek Him in prayer until we know Him intimately; we study the whole Bible under the teaching of the Holy Spirit until we know truth and it sets us free. We love God and we love one another as Christ as loved us, then we shine as light to the world. We become the salt that He always intended. Romans 12:1 and 2 become a reality and not a verse we memorized. (Too many verses have been put to memory, and too few have become reality within us). We let the precious blood of Jesus make us one with Him and each other, and we continually wash our minds and hearts with the washing of the water of the Word (Ephesians 5:26).
God gave us a will, a mind, and emotions, but He never intended that they lead the way. Our spirits are to be broken and contrite; we are to be filled with the Spirit of Christ, and we are to place our wills, minds, emotions, and bodies in submission to God. When this and other truths of the Word come off the pages of the Bible and take root and grow in the mind and heart of each of us, then we become a living stone in the temple that Jesus is building. That is when we are not bond or free, Jew or Gentile, but we are one in Christ. Unless we allow the Spirit to form Christ within us, the day will come in the United States when we, or our descendants, will not be able to have this type of discussion because we will not have the freedom to vote. So exercise your freedom, but let's find the true freedom that is only in Christ, and let's show the world unity in Christ rather than devilish division. Let's humble ourselves, repent, and become one body with Christ formed within. Then let's pray for those in leadership and pray God's kingdom come and His will be done, and then watch the Holy Spirit work. You will see Ephesians 3:20 become a reality; it just will not involve a new Bentley. Let's become a mature and discerning body of Christ. God have mercy on us who call ourselves Christians!
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