Monday, September 14, 2015

The Message of the Cross


For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2)

But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
(Galatians 6:14)



The overall state of the modern Christian Church is of great concern to me. Why? God has burned within me the call to be a protector of the body of Christ and the desire to see a Church that is truly restored to the biblical pattern. The biblical pattern mandates that all churches that are part of the Church that Jesus is building not only preach about Jesus but preach the message that He preached. One cannot preach about Jesus without preaching the message of the cross, and to preach what Jesus preached is to preach the gospel of the kingdom.



By the Spirit, I see a remnant Church coming forth that is preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence (Acts 28:23, 31). I see a remnant Church that preaches Jesus and Him crucified and of which every member has denied self, forsaken all, and taken up their cross to follow Jesus (1 Corinthians 2:2; Luke 9:23; 14:27, 33). I see a remnant Church that fits the description found in Ephesians 4:11-16.



With my natural eyes, I observe that most modern churches and denominations are not following the biblical pattern or mandate. Instead, many are substituting the heart and core of the Word of God with other things, even good things. They are saying some things from the Bible and doing things that seemingly help their members personally, especially in the area of making them feel better about themselves. For example, like never before, churches are giving their members opportunities to use their abilities to help others. These opportunities seem to be growing as personal fulfillment and purpose-driven messages expand and take greater hold within more parts of the Church. The membership roles also grow as people in the various communities learn that they can come and release their gifts and/or learn to feel better about themselves.



Many modern churches emphasize the need to do what will help them grow in number and not what will bring forth a Church that is mature in Jesus and His Word. They sometimes stay true to what their group has always emphasized about the Word and, in addition, they come up with programs, activities, and outreach methods to draw people of all ages and keep them involved. Releasing individual gifts and calling it ministry always gives people a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, so this has become a favorite strategy for getting and keeping members. To the natural eyes, all of this may seem to be good, but as I look closely with my spiritual eyes I see something missing.



What is missing? One of the main things missing is the message of the cross. Preaching Jesus and Him crucified is missing! Preaching the denial of self, the forsaking of all, and the following of the crucified Christ into the harvest fields is missing. Professing Christians are being self-fulfilled while the harvest fields remain white for harvest. John 4:35: “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”



What we have instead is a counterfeit harvest, wherein people are drawn to a counterfeit (mixed) message by excited people flooding the marketplaces with the message of self—how to feel good about oneself and how to find fulfillment for oneself. Recently, I witnessed on television an internationally known preacher take Romans 5:17 and come up with driving an expensive, a very expensive, car. I went to bed thinking about reigning in life and driving an expensive car and using that to win certain people who would not come any other way, according to the luxury-car-driving-preacher. I turned the light back on, picked up my Bible and studied Romans 5:17 in the context of the message presented from 5:12 to 5:21. I found the message to be about reigning over sin and death through Jesus, but I could not find a luxury car or a luxury house in the message anywhere. I couldn’t even find a luxury suit to wear.



Too many modern churches are like the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-7. It had a great resume, but what mattered most to Jesus was missing. No one in the past, present, or future can be a real disciple without what took place on the cross, and yet we hear less and less about the cross in the modern Christian church. Oh, it is mentioned from time to time, but it is not taught and given priority according to biblical proportions. Those who may preach good messages on the cross usually leave out or improperly teach other vital things, such as the baptism in the Spirit and the gospel of the kingdom.



Many churches have adopted strategies from the world’s systems in their efforts to reach the lost of the world. The problem with this strategy is that the systems of the world are under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19). When the church tries to look like the world to win the lost of the world, the world does not become like the church; the church becomes like the world, and its witness is damaged and/or lost. The world will never take seriously a compromised church.



The resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment are two of the six basic doctrines of true discipleship (Hebrews 6:1, 2). After being resurrected, the lost and false disciples will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment. After being resurrected, true disciples of Jesus Christ will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ and given rewards according to their earthly ministry. One place in Scripture that gives us insight concerning the believers’ judgment is 1 Corinthians 3: 11-15.

Could it be that the great resume of the church at Ephesus, as well as the resume of good works that many believers are presently involved in, will be burned as wood, hay, or straw? Will there be people who are not at the Judgment Seat of Christ but at the Great White Throne Judgment instead because they thought they were “okay” when they were on earth? They were busy and fulfilled with many church activities, but, in truth, they never experienced the cross and never took up their cross and followed Jesus into the harvest field with the right message and the right motivation. Will there be people at the Great White Throne Judgment because a true laborer of Jesus Christ never ministered to them?



There will, in fact, be people at the Great White Throne Judgment because they never were ministered truth and never witnessed a true, mature disciple of Jesus Christ who had taken up their personal cross to follow Him. The modern church is sadly lacking in one of the things that counts most.



The message of the cross, first of all, teaches us about what Jesus has accomplished for all who will by faith receive Him. It teaches that Jesus, by the shedding of His blood and the giving of His life, made a way for us to be redeemed to God. Through His resurrection we, too, can be resurrected to spend eternity together with Him. The message of the cross goes on to teach us about our responsibility while on earth. We are to deny self, forsake all, and take up our cross and follow Jesus. The denying of self includes denying the fleshly pleasures and selfish personal ambitions and the fulfillment that many find in doing good manmade works in the modern church. The message of the cross includes the message that, in this world, there will be persecution for true disciples. Anyone who takes up their cross to follow Jesus and proclaims Jesus and Him crucified will be persecuted.

These are hard sayings, but they are true sayings! When Jesus preached hard sayings, many of His disciples turned away. Many professing Christians have already turned away from hard sayings in our day, and many more will turn away in the future, but there will be a faithful remnant that will not turn away from the truth. They will, instead, turn away from the lies, deceptions, and mixtures that are flooding the modern church and the world. These faithful few will unite in the unity of faith that Jesus prayed for and looks for. They will proclaim and live by the message of the cross.
The work of the Lord cannot be fully accomplished without a faithful remnant Church that is living in the unity of John 17. We need true revival! All true revivals have to start with someone. What about with you? Will you forsake manmade modern church and the things of the world to follow Jesus? Will you search intently until you find true and mature ministers sent by God and then submit yourself to be equipped by the Holy Spirit through them? Will you join in the unity of faith with other disciples who have done the same and then shine as a light for Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world and to a manmade church that has followed man and not Jesus? I must declare again that if you are following partial truth, you are following man. Distance must not matter; minds must be renewed and freed from old ways of thinking about church. The cost must be counted and the price paid—the cross carried. Some will follow the narrow road, but many others are so bound by relationships and other things that they will settle for half-truths and half covenants rather than wholly following Jesus.

The restored Church that I see so clearly is made up of those true believers found all over the earth who daily fulfill Luke 9:23; Luke 14:27, 33, and 1 Corinthians 2: 1-2. I believe that Zechariah 13:9 can be used to give some insight about this Church. It also reminds me of the gold, silver, and precious stones found in 1 Corinthians 3: 12.



The Cross stands at the center of Christendom. No one can reach God without going the way of the Cross of Jesus Christ. There is convicting and restorative power in the message of the Cross. Therefore, let the Message of the Cross be returned to its proper place in the lives of all true believers! Let this result in a restored Church that is formed in the image of Christ and united in faith. (First posted 1/26/08)

Prophetic Words (September 2015)


There is a difference in someone doing things for Jesus and someone yielding to the Spirit of God and allowing Jesus to live within them and do His works through them.  The first is religious and the second is spiritual. There are many sincere, dedicated and well intending Christians who fall into the first category. The church needs Christians who have fully yielded to the Spirit of Christ and are being led by Him to do the works that Jesus did. When enough Christians humble themselves and come to this place of yielding, then and only then will the church fulfill Isaiah 60: 1 and 60: 2b. Until that time the church will struggle and darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the people (Isaiah 60: 2a). (Monday 9/14/2015) 


One successful tactic that the progressives (socialist/communist) use to control Christians is their use of key Christian words such as love, grace and mercy. For example, these words are being highlighted as a primary motive for bringing in Muslim refugees to the United States; anyone who questions or objects is attacked as being unloving and uncaring. Never mind that what is being done is an old and long time strategy of Islam to help accomplish its goal of world dominion. (Tuesday 9/15/2015)


True disciples of Jesus are true Christians, but not all people who call themselves Christians are true disciples of Jesus and therefore are not true Christians. This includes some ministers in the institutionalized church.  We must have our senses trained to discern both good and evil which includes being able to discern true Christians from false and counterfeit Christians.  It also includes being able to discern the true, faithful and uncompromising body of Christ from the false, unfaithful and compromising system of religion which will be widely accepted, supported, promoted and acclaimed by the world. Among other things the true will be known by the unity of the faith and the false will be known by tolerance and unity with diversity. The true is preparing for the return of Jesus and the false is preparing to ride the beast. The true will forsake all to follow and witness Jesus and His kingdom; the false will progressively oppose and try to destroy the true and their witness. Selah! (Tuesday 9/15/15)








Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Who is Interested in God's Heart and View of Restoration?


“God desires the Church to mature in Christ and to carry on His work as a unified body under the direction of the Holy Spirit until the return of His Son Jesus Christ.”
 
I believe the heart of God longs for the restoration of His Church. God birthed the Church to carry on the work of His Son, Jesus, and to prepare to rule and reign with Christ throughout eternity as His bride. The Church has accomplished much good over the centuries but, as a whole, has never fulfilled her assignment to carry on the work of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In fact, the Church in her present state cannot fulfill her God-given responsibility. The list of her shortcomings is too long to enumerate in this message, but it will suffice to say that she is divided rather than united and, as a whole, is more immature than mature. She is not fulfilling her assignment to minister the gospel of the kingdom in the entire world as a witness to all the nations, and she definitely does not presently present herself as one who is ready for the marriage of the Lamb.

I know that these few words will stir up a hornet’s nest of spiritual opposition because they go against many of the prevalent theories and doctrines of various parts of the Church. I only ask in this message that one would seek in prayer and the Word to gain God’s vision and heart for the Church. God desires the Church to mature in Christ and to carry on His work as a unified body under the direction of the Holy Spirit until the return of His Son Jesus Christ. He knows that in her present state she cannot fully accomplish her God-given assignment and therefore needs to be restored.
How does one learn more about our Heavenly Father’s view concerning the need for the restoration of the Church? We have only one place to find the answer to this question. That place is the Word of God. A study of the Old Covenant quickly reveals that, when His people turned away and went their own way, God longed for their return to Him and His purposes for them. The New Covenant reveals God’s desire for a people, both Jew and Gentile, who will be in unity with Him and with each other. In the book of Revelation, God’s heart is revealed as Jesus calls His people to repent and return to their first love. God loves us and wants to draw us near to Him and to each other!

There are many examples in both the Old and New Covenants of God’s desire for His people to live in a covenant relationship with Him and with each other, but there is nothing that reveals God’s heart more than His giving His only begotten Son to have a people. God wants a people, a people who are in covenant with Him and with each other. God, Who gave His Son to have a people, longs for that people to be one with Him and with each other. He longs for and looks for a Church that has Christ formed within and who is carrying on the work of Jesus Christ as a unified body should. God’s view of His people is that they need to be restored to Him and to each other, and His heart longs for His people, His family, to be restored to that place. In the past, the love of God for us motivated Him to give His only begotten Son. That same love still reaches out to draw us to Him and to unite us in faith. If only we could have a revelation of His heart for us and respond in kind.

I believe the Holy Spirit is looking for faithful ministers and disciples who know and understand that the Church is in great need of restoration and will submit to Him to do what is necessary to bring about that restoration. First, He is looking for true and mature apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers who will preach and teach the whole counsel of God and unite under the leading of the Holy Spirit to equip the saints as God has always intended. Secondly, He is looking for disciples who will submit themselves to be equipped and will be single minded in their devotion to God and His purposes.

Those ministers and disciples who see the need for restoration and want to be involved in restoring the Church must realize that it will not be easy. They must view things as God views them and not as the modern Church and the world view them. It will take dedication, commitment, perseverance, and much time and effort, along with the realization that suffering will be involved. Persecution will come to the faithful! It will come from those who want to maintain the status quo in the Church, as well as from the world. Therefore, those who want to be used of God to bring about restoration must count the cost and be willing to pay the price; they must understand the cause and be willing to spend and be spent. A study and application of Gideon’s three hundred will give an idea of God’s perspective in what He is looking for. Many may try to answer the call, but only a few will be chosen. It will require more than most modern preachers and Christians are presently ready to contribute, but it will be standard for those who want to fulfill the call and responsibility of true and mature biblical ministers and disciples. The dedication will, in time, bear fruit. As many in the Church return to the Lord and His biblical pattern for the Church, there will also be a great harvest of souls won to the Lord from the world.

This leads me to discuss something that could be misunderstood and/or resisted, but it is something that is a major block, not only to the restoration of the Church, but to the revelation of God’s heart concerning His Church. It involves the meeting of our needs. First, I want you to understand that I have always been open to seeking God for the meeting of my needs; God wants to meet the needs of His family. But there is a large group of born-again Christians and even Spirit-filled Christians who are frozen in the place of continually seeking what God can do for them. They cannot seem to break free! They may be involved in a lot of good things, but, when push comes to shove, what is dominant is always their needs. I remind you again that God wants to meet our needs, but I tell you that He does not want our focus to be frozen at that place. He does not want our needs to cause us to be focused mainly on ourselves. This is an area that can be very deceptive, and some who should be receiving the message will say that it does not apply to them. For instance, some will say that they and their church are really moving in thanksgiving, praise and worship, outreach, etc., but the truth is that, even in this, their major focus is still on themselves and/or what the benefits will be. If we are going to experience restoration and offset some future devilish, dark storms, we must wake up and listen.

Christians everywhere must repent of and grow beyond being more focused on God meeting their needs than on knowing Him and being and doing what He desires of us. Too many Christians have continually run past “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” to get to “give us this day our daily bread.” The truth is that they know little else; their whole spiritual life is built around seeking what God can do for them and what they enjoy. A few may occasionally get a glimpse that there is something else. They may even somewhat see the need for the restoration of the Church, but they are constantly being drawn back to a need-Giver relationship with God. Their idea of maturity is growing to the place of receiving their full inheritance, and being happy and fulfilled. Some professing Christians are always looking for something fresh and new, so I weigh carefully what I am writing because others have written or spoken similar things. Yes, you may have heard similar things before, but the truth is that it has never sunk in and taken hold because you have not had the revelation of it that can only come by and through the Holy Spirit.

I have a shepherd’s heart and a prophetic message. I cannot help it; it is what God has made of me. This does not always make me popular, and, at times, it makes some people uncomfortable in my presence. People who even love and respect me keep their distance at times, but with all my heart I believe that things are going to change. I believe that many people who are presently bound by various modern church doctrines are going to break free and look for those who are ministering biblical truth. I believe that there are Christians who are ready to forsake all to follow Christ. I believe that they will form the nucleus of a faithful remnant who will help bring restoration to the Church. Yes, there is coming forth a Church who has Christ formed within and who is one with God and with each other. I believe this Church will be mature in Christ and will be the salt and light that Jesus intends for her to be. I believe that she will be focused on fulfilling God’s will and taking the message of Jesus Christ and His kingdom to all nations. I believe that she will be focused on God and not self; she will have her Lord’s heart and will prefer others. She will have a revelation of God’s heart and will respond in kind. Will this be sooner or later? Will this be before devastating storms occur? Much of that depends on a faithful few with ears to hear who will forsake all to follow Christ. They will break out of their frozen state and will burn for Christ. They will cry out in intercession and will lovingly but boldly shout truth from the housetops. They will not stop until the Church is restored and functioning as God has always intended!

If anyone really loves God, wouldn’t they want to know what God is concerned about? Wouldn’t they want to focus on Him and His concerns? In essence, wouldn’t they want His heart to be their heart? I believe that is what is at the core of biblical Christianity and discipleship. Biblical Christianity and discipleship are the great needs of our day. Are you able to see and comprehend these needs? Are you interested enough in God’s view of restoration to do what is necessary to break free from the things of the modern Church and the world to become a biblical follower of Christ?

God is looking for people who have a special concern about His concerns and not just some general concern. How concerned are you? Are you ready to forsake all and follow Christ in continuing His works? That is what you were born again for! Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes, set you free, and give you God’s heart and view for the restoration of the Church. Then look for and join with true and mature ministers and disciples who are doing the same. All to the glory of Christ! (First posted January 26, 2008)
 

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Prophetic Warning


I first posted this warning on January 26, 2008. It is still relevant today and those with true spiritual discernment will acknowledge that it was a true and relevant word for the last several years.


The Holy Spirit spoke this prophetic warning in my spirit several months ago. I am including it here because I believe it is a warning for all of the Church. I have an ongoing sense of urgency that is increasing in intensity rather than decreasing. I beseech you to study and pray over the following Scriptures. There are lessons to be learned from Ezekiel 12:17-28 and from 2 Peter 3:1-9. Pay close attention to Ezekiel 12:22,27 and 2 Peter 3:2-5.



True disciples of Jesus Christ must mobilize to accomplish God’s will and purposes and to fight the spiritual warfare that is necessary to prevent Satan’s plans and purposes. Those who desire to forsake all and follow Jesus Christ must be led of the Holy Spirit into the unity of faith. All preconceived notions of God and His Word must be put aside. Pride and stubbornness must be repented of and humility must be worked within all true Christians. True disciples must yield to the Holy Spirit as the One who will lead them into truth. Those who have ears to hear must take heed and mobilize!

Before the attack on Pearl Harbor there were enough warnings to prepare our nation, if people had paid attention. The same is true concerning September 11, 2001. The prophets of the Old Covenant gave many warnings that, for the most part, went unheeded. We cannot afford to make this mistake.

There are too many voices in the Christian Church! Well-meaning Christians are too often being led in the wrong direction. It is time to forsake man’s religion and to follow Jesus Christ. There are no options to following Jesus. There is only one Bible. There is not a Pentecostal Bible or a Baptist Bible. There is one Holy Bible for all true disciples. There are no private interpretations in the Church that Jesus is building. Don’t be blinded by some pseudo unity and cheap grace that uses a mushy love to give reason to continue to go our separate ways. There is only one Way. He has only one body. He has only one Bible to build our lives on, and please know that I am not speaking of any certain translation of the Bible.

The winds and the waves are fast approaching. There may be small winds that are almost unnoticeable to those who are distracted by the cares of life and of modern religion. The shame is that some will stay distracted even after the big winds come. It is time to get undistracted. It is time to mobilize by the Holy Spirit and under the Flag of The Lord. It is time to heed prophetic warnings before the winds begin to blow. Jesus Christ personally gave prophetic warnings that were fulfilled in A.D. 70. Some listened, but most did not. Today, He is giving warnings by His Holy Spirit through His prophets. Many, if not most, of those who call themselves apostles and prophets have taken those titles for themselves; there are, however, the true gifts found in Ephesians 4—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—and they are real.

There are real pastors today, and there are real prophets. FIND THEM! They will not be giving you somebody’s opinions. If you have been called of God and have been sharing a mixture of God’s Word and man’s word, then repent and help prepare God’s people.

BIBLICAL APPLICATION

“Son of man, look, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’ Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done,” says the Lord GOD.’” Ezekiel 12:27-28

Friday, September 4, 2015

The Necessity of Being Properly Equipped


Text: Ephesians 4: 1-16

Jesus is on His heavenly throne, but at present a spiritual war still rages on earth. Some day in the future all evil will be put away permanently. Until that time Satan and his forces, demonic and human, are engaged in an all out war against anyone and anything of God on earth.


What are the followers of Jesus to do until Jesus returns? In every generation true Christians should look forward to the glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ, but should be about the work that Jesus has assigned His church to do until He returns. He came to the earth and stayed focused on the Father’s business until He completed what had been assigned to Him. He now sits at the Father’s right hand waiting for His church to do the same.

On earth we have some major problems to overcome if we are to accomplish what the Lord desires of our generation. At present I am going to name only one of those problems. The first problem involves the ministers of the Church. In each generation Jesus calls, prepares and sends ministers to equip His people on earth for the work of the ministry. The problem is that in each generation Satan works to counteract the plan of Jesus by arranging for immature and false ministers to control many parts of the church. This is a major problem! It must be overcome!

I want to make it absolutely clear that it is a necessity for each and every Christian to be properly and fully equipped for the work of the ministry. Furthermore, I want to make it clear that no member of the church will ever be properly and fully equipped to accomplish his or her assigned work without being equipped by a true and mature minister who has been called, prepared and sent by Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is incumbent upon each and every Christian to make sure that they seek out a minister or ministers who will properly and fully equipped them for the work of the ministry.