I guess the title of this post gives it away .
So often I hear good preaching about repentance and faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross only to be mildly disappointed when the preacher finishes with something along the lines of "If we receive Jesus and His gospel we are guaranteed a place in Heaven when we die."
Although it is true that on the death of a saint there will be a conscious translation into the presence of the Lord they love...that is not the end destination for a believer in Jesus.
First, the concept of our spirit or soul living forever in Heaven is closer to ancient Greek mythology than it is to sound Biblical doctrine. The Bible could not be clearer, the believer in Jesus looks forward to a BODILY resurrection. In fact it appears that there will be a resurrection for all people ;some to eternal life and some to eternal punishment. Jn 5:28-29
...for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth- those who have done good ,to the resurrection of life,and those who have done evil,to the resurrection of condemnation.
The raising up of our bodies at the last day is considered a foundational doctrine in Heb. 6:1-2 and in 2 Tim 2:17-18 Paul brands two teachers as heretics for denying the future resurrection;and in Acts 24:21 Paul in his defense before the governor Felix cries out;
"concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged by you this day"
In 1 Cor. 15 Paul goes into great detail as he, inspired by the Holy Spirit ,explains and describes how important this foundational doctrine is .
The fact is Jesus rose from the grave; a literal ,bodily resurrection as the firstfruits of all those who would rise after Him.
I understand why preachers sometimes appear to downplay this doctrine.It creates an image of B grade horror movies with zombies climbing out of their graves but of course the Biblical resurrection is nothing like those pictures of weird half-dead mindless creatures but rather redeemed restored children of God brimming over with life and vigour ;the fulfillment of our faith.
Not only is Jesus risen;and not only will we be raised but we will live together forever on a restored and perfected new earth. 2 Pet.3:13 ,the Apostle declares
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Heaven is not our ultimate destination; heaven's ultimate destination is earth. Rev 21 describes this new earth when God establishes His throne on earth and dwells with His resurrected people.
How much more exciting is this; to be dwelling with God on a perfect earth with rivers and trees and substance and animals and laughter and eating and drinking with the Lord;how much more exciting than floating on a cloud for all eternity.
These two related doctrines of our physical resurrection and a new earth raise many questions and the day will come when we can ask Him face to face but I suspect when that day does arrive we will be so overcome with the beauty and glory of the King and what He has prepared for us that our questions will be swallowed up in our adoration and worship of the one who said ,
"I Am the Resurrection and the Life.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Biblical Unity or a Devilish Union
Further to my post of yesterday. Rick Warren seems to have an uncanny knack of being on the wrong side of every issue of faith. Is this just biblical ignorance on Mr Warren's part ...or is it something more sinister?Moriel Archive » Blog Archive » Blair Courts Controversial US Pastor Rick Warren in Bid to Unite Faiths
This article was found at Moriel Ministries.
This article was found at Moriel Ministries.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
One World 'Church'
Every student of the Bible knows that in the last days there will be a one -world government,a global currency and a state sanctioned one world church.
And every one who keeps up with current events knows these things are coming to pass and gathering momentum.
By far the most dangerous of these three is the global religion which is being foisted upon the world even as we speak(write /read)
The question is how will the ancient serpent con,deceive and manipulate people to accept this Babylonian monstrosity?
I have a few thoughts on this(you knew I would)
First he will need to change our idea on what the church is from a Biblical view to a man-made humanistic religious view.
All you Biblical scholars know that the word church is from the Greek ,"ekklesia"which basically means "the called out ones".To put it simply the church is people.People called out of the world to be a special people to love,honour ,worship and serve the Living God. Biblically we don't GO to church we ARE the church. What we call the local church is simply the called out ones in a particular location gathered together.
Now many people today ,including Christians who should know better ,are confusing a religious ORGANIZATION with a faith ORGANISM.
The building where the called out ones meet is just bricks ,mortar and timber to keep the weather off the called out ones .It is not ,never will be and never has been "the church".
Similarly ,a religious institution ;whether local ,national or international is not a church no matter what name they put on their letterhead.
The church is people ;born again ,blood washed ,Jesus worshipping people.But the enemy of our souls must dilute and pollute that concept to get people to pledge allegiance to the syncretistic,idol worshipping ,Bible rejecting Christ denying organization to be known as the one-world church.
Now ,once the devil has convinced people that the church is an organization,there are several things he can do to further his agenda.
1/He can get get folks so sidetracked into growing,promoting and maintaining the institution that they are totally useless as far as furthering the goals of the Kingdom.That why "leaders" such as Rick Warren can say we need to focus on "deeds not creeds". You see a true believers allegiance is to Christ and not to a gathering of tares.The faithful rock the boat and mess up all those carefully laid out man-honouring plans. When the goal is to build an organization then all sorts of unscriptural nonsense can be introduced such as tithing,the untouchable"Lord's anointed,compulsory attendance at the "Lord's house "etc. Again Mr Warren has said "There is something greater we can do than preach the gospel and that is to help plant a "church".This institutionalised thinking is idolatry and perhaps blasphemy.Wasn't it Jesus who said "go out into all the world" He didn't say get them to come and help build a religious organization.
2/ The second thing that Satan can do once everyone is focused on buildings and religious businesses is to infiltrate the mess with leaders who are working to further his plans.Rick Warren is a case in point.He has boasted of being a member of the CFR(the Council of Foreign Relations).The CFR is well known as a secretive organization with a clear global agenda. Why is a high profile 'evangelical' leader involved with the CFR. This may explain why he can speak at various religious gatherings(Muslim.Jewish etc) and preach purpose but not Christ.
Or what about the well-known "Christian" leaders who are closely connected to the Rev.Moon.
Moon is a billionaire new-age cult leader who claims to be Christ and states that Jesus failed His mission and so he(Moon) had to come to complete the task. He is also connected to the Korean secret service and to the American CIA. Why would the likes of the late Jerry Falwell and the author and preacher/pastor Tim Lahaye and his wife Beverly be closely allied to this false Christ and false prophet.!....even to the point of preaching at Moon' s cult meetings and being financed by him.What possible purpose could these people have for this unholy alliance.I suspect all the names mentioned previously are Trojan horses...and they are not the only ones with ungodly connections. Why are so many highly visible "Christian" ministers Freemasons? Freemasonry is an idolatrous, demonically inspired globalist religion. What could have possessed Billy Graham,Robert Schuller and Oral Roberts to become high level Masons? How does that mesh with their professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?
And while I'm at it ,what is it with these high profile religious leaders who are members of Romish military orders. Rick Joyner seems quite proud of the fact that he is a Knight of Malta and Benny Hinn ,although a little more discreet, is a Knights Templar. To be in one of these orders it's necessary to pledge to do anything possible to further the Roman 'churches' agenda, a large part of which is bringing "the separated brethren" back to the embrace of Rome ,using any means necessary(including deceit)
Still not convinced ,how about the "pastor of the largest 'church' in the US denying Christ as the only means for reconciliation to God on National TV not once but twice ;and the same Joel Osteen declaring publically that Mormons are Christians and yet his building is still full each Sunday and he still gets to be keynote speaker at the Hillsong conference. What exactly does one need to do these days to be identified as a heretic?!
So the satanically inspired goal of a one world church is well on the way to fruition;but God is Sovereign ,He will protect His blood bought people .We still need to be obedient of course and be aware of the deception in our age and warn and alert our brethren as we have opportunity.
George Orwell wrote"To speak the truth in an age of almost universal deceit is a revolutionary act"We Christians need to be Holy Spirit led revolutionaries speaking the truth in love in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation
And every one who keeps up with current events knows these things are coming to pass and gathering momentum.
By far the most dangerous of these three is the global religion which is being foisted upon the world even as we speak(write /read)
The question is how will the ancient serpent con,deceive and manipulate people to accept this Babylonian monstrosity?
I have a few thoughts on this(you knew I would)
First he will need to change our idea on what the church is from a Biblical view to a man-made humanistic religious view.
All you Biblical scholars know that the word church is from the Greek ,"ekklesia"which basically means "the called out ones".To put it simply the church is people.People called out of the world to be a special people to love,honour ,worship and serve the Living God. Biblically we don't GO to church we ARE the church. What we call the local church is simply the called out ones in a particular location gathered together.
Now many people today ,including Christians who should know better ,are confusing a religious ORGANIZATION with a faith ORGANISM.
The building where the called out ones meet is just bricks ,mortar and timber to keep the weather off the called out ones .It is not ,never will be and never has been "the church".
Similarly ,a religious institution ;whether local ,national or international is not a church no matter what name they put on their letterhead.
The church is people ;born again ,blood washed ,Jesus worshipping people.But the enemy of our souls must dilute and pollute that concept to get people to pledge allegiance to the syncretistic,idol worshipping ,Bible rejecting Christ denying organization to be known as the one-world church.
Now ,once the devil has convinced people that the church is an organization,there are several things he can do to further his agenda.
1/He can get get folks so sidetracked into growing,promoting and maintaining the institution that they are totally useless as far as furthering the goals of the Kingdom.That why "leaders" such as Rick Warren can say we need to focus on "deeds not creeds". You see a true believers allegiance is to Christ and not to a gathering of tares.The faithful rock the boat and mess up all those carefully laid out man-honouring plans. When the goal is to build an organization then all sorts of unscriptural nonsense can be introduced such as tithing,the untouchable"Lord's anointed,compulsory attendance at the "Lord's house "etc. Again Mr Warren has said "There is something greater we can do than preach the gospel and that is to help plant a "church".This institutionalised thinking is idolatry and perhaps blasphemy.Wasn't it Jesus who said "go out into all the world" He didn't say get them to come and help build a religious organization.
2/ The second thing that Satan can do once everyone is focused on buildings and religious businesses is to infiltrate the mess with leaders who are working to further his plans.Rick Warren is a case in point.He has boasted of being a member of the CFR(the Council of Foreign Relations).The CFR is well known as a secretive organization with a clear global agenda. Why is a high profile 'evangelical' leader involved with the CFR. This may explain why he can speak at various religious gatherings(Muslim.Jewish etc) and preach purpose but not Christ.
Or what about the well-known "Christian" leaders who are closely connected to the Rev.Moon.
Moon is a billionaire new-age cult leader who claims to be Christ and states that Jesus failed His mission and so he(Moon) had to come to complete the task. He is also connected to the Korean secret service and to the American CIA. Why would the likes of the late Jerry Falwell and the author and preacher/pastor Tim Lahaye and his wife Beverly be closely allied to this false Christ and false prophet.!....even to the point of preaching at Moon' s cult meetings and being financed by him.What possible purpose could these people have for this unholy alliance.I suspect all the names mentioned previously are Trojan horses...and they are not the only ones with ungodly connections. Why are so many highly visible "Christian" ministers Freemasons? Freemasonry is an idolatrous, demonically inspired globalist religion. What could have possessed Billy Graham,Robert Schuller and Oral Roberts to become high level Masons? How does that mesh with their professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?
And while I'm at it ,what is it with these high profile religious leaders who are members of Romish military orders. Rick Joyner seems quite proud of the fact that he is a Knight of Malta and Benny Hinn ,although a little more discreet, is a Knights Templar. To be in one of these orders it's necessary to pledge to do anything possible to further the Roman 'churches' agenda, a large part of which is bringing "the separated brethren" back to the embrace of Rome ,using any means necessary(including deceit)
Still not convinced ,how about the "pastor of the largest 'church' in the US denying Christ as the only means for reconciliation to God on National TV not once but twice ;and the same Joel Osteen declaring publically that Mormons are Christians and yet his building is still full each Sunday and he still gets to be keynote speaker at the Hillsong conference. What exactly does one need to do these days to be identified as a heretic?!
So the satanically inspired goal of a one world church is well on the way to fruition;but God is Sovereign ,He will protect His blood bought people .We still need to be obedient of course and be aware of the deception in our age and warn and alert our brethren as we have opportunity.
George Orwell wrote"To speak the truth in an age of almost universal deceit is a revolutionary act"We Christians need to be Holy Spirit led revolutionaries speaking the truth in love in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation
Monday, March 15, 2010
Pharisee!!
I've posted an article I started a few weeks ago but can't get it to come up as new post so if you want to read my thoughts on Pharisees click on title
Saturday, March 13, 2010
The Devil you say
The chief exorcist of the Roman Catholic Church recently set the cat amongst the pigeons when he declared that Satan is alive and well and at work in the higher echelons of the Vatican Chief exorcist says Devil is in Vatican - Telegraph
A couple of things are surprising about this story.
But first... I'm not surprised that the Devil and or his demons exist and interfere in human lives.The testimony of scripture is very clear on this.
And I'm not surprised that evil spirits are hanging around the Roman Catholic Church.The Devil is very religious and loves to empower false religions that keep people away from the simple and powerful truths of the Eternal Gospel.
I'm also not surprised that believers have the authority in Christ to deliver people possessed by these unclean spirits.
I am surprised that someone in an influential position in the RCC has come out and openly testified about this satanic influence and although he is currently promoting his new book ,I suspect there is more to this story than first meets the eye.Conjecture is just conjecture but any organization that is working hard to bring in the end -times one world church is a master of subterfuge and disinformation.
I am also surprised that any high ranking Roman Catholic would have any success in casting devils out of anyone. Acts19:11-20 records some religious folks who took it upon themselves to cast devils out using the Name of Jesus even though they did not personally know Him. The results were not pretty ;naked and bleeding would be exorcists fleeing a mocking demon. This sounds similar to the RCC chief exorcist's description of those possessed by these foul spirits needing to be held down by a dozen men while the exorcism proceeds. This is not the Biblical pattern where a Spirit -filled believer simply commands the demon to leave...and it leaves!
I'm not one who sees a devil under every rock, but scripture is clear that they exist and can invade an individuals life;especially where the person in question has been dabbling in the occult,using mind-altering drugs or engaging in forbidden sexual activity (sex outside of marriage)and as I said before the devil loves powerless religion... but he hates and fears the clear uncompromised preaching of the Word of God.
If you are a blood washed believer in Christ ,you have authority over the devil and his minions and you can command devils to leave a person and they will ;but of course that person will still need to know and submit to the good news of Jesus the Redeemer and soon returning King.
For some reason these foul things love to take up residence in human "houses" .My emphatic advice to any one who feels they are troubled by evil spirits is to stay away from Romish priests (chief exorcists or not) and find a true born again Bible believing Christian and they can set you free by the power of the Name of Christ and more importantly let you know how to guarantee a demon free zone for eternity.
A couple of things are surprising about this story.
But first... I'm not surprised that the Devil and or his demons exist and interfere in human lives.The testimony of scripture is very clear on this.
And I'm not surprised that evil spirits are hanging around the Roman Catholic Church.The Devil is very religious and loves to empower false religions that keep people away from the simple and powerful truths of the Eternal Gospel.
I'm also not surprised that believers have the authority in Christ to deliver people possessed by these unclean spirits.
I am surprised that someone in an influential position in the RCC has come out and openly testified about this satanic influence and although he is currently promoting his new book ,I suspect there is more to this story than first meets the eye.Conjecture is just conjecture but any organization that is working hard to bring in the end -times one world church is a master of subterfuge and disinformation.
I am also surprised that any high ranking Roman Catholic would have any success in casting devils out of anyone. Acts19:11-20 records some religious folks who took it upon themselves to cast devils out using the Name of Jesus even though they did not personally know Him. The results were not pretty ;naked and bleeding would be exorcists fleeing a mocking demon. This sounds similar to the RCC chief exorcist's description of those possessed by these foul spirits needing to be held down by a dozen men while the exorcism proceeds. This is not the Biblical pattern where a Spirit -filled believer simply commands the demon to leave...and it leaves!
I'm not one who sees a devil under every rock, but scripture is clear that they exist and can invade an individuals life;especially where the person in question has been dabbling in the occult,using mind-altering drugs or engaging in forbidden sexual activity (sex outside of marriage)and as I said before the devil loves powerless religion... but he hates and fears the clear uncompromised preaching of the Word of God.
If you are a blood washed believer in Christ ,you have authority over the devil and his minions and you can command devils to leave a person and they will ;but of course that person will still need to know and submit to the good news of Jesus the Redeemer and soon returning King.
For some reason these foul things love to take up residence in human "houses" .My emphatic advice to any one who feels they are troubled by evil spirits is to stay away from Romish priests (chief exorcists or not) and find a true born again Bible believing Christian and they can set you free by the power of the Name of Christ and more importantly let you know how to guarantee a demon free zone for eternity.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Brian McLaren’s New Book, A New Kind of Christianity – Assaulting Truth with a Vengeance
Lighthouse trails has an excellent and (and short) article on Brian McLarens new book. May it encourage you to prayer and to alert others to the danger of this man and his co-horts.Click on title
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Creflo Dollar wants to Shoot Non-Tithers
I tried to post this the other day and wasn't able(new -fangled machines)but I managed it this time.This is where heresy leads the false teaching always becomes more important than truth to the heresy peddler.Click on title
Saturday, March 6, 2010
The Adversary
One of the biblical pictures of the Christian life is that of a battle(not the only picture by any means)
We have an enemy .
The Bible calls him the devil,the accuser,the serpent the dragon.
He is a liar , a thief ,a murderer...and for God's blood -bought children,he's a defeated foe.
One of the things scripture tells us is that he is cunning;not smart(it's not smart to war against the Almighty God) but he is cunning ,slippery and tricky.
One of the ways he operates is to twist God's word and principles to render God's people ineffective.
Some examples
He twists the concept of biblical unity into carnal uniformity
Christlike love to tolerance and "niceness"
Peacemakers become peacekeepers
godly devotion ---superstition
faith is now positive thinking
proselytism masquerades as evangelism
going to church usurps being the church
You get the idea?There are others too.Consider:
Conviction vs condemnation
Discernment and judging
Heartfelt and Spirit-led generosity or attempting to buy God's blessing
He attempts to and often succeeds in convincing us
that refusing to give up our opinion is standing for the truth
that biblical patience is not faithful perseverance but cowardly passivity
legalism is holiness
license is grace
and arrogance is boldness.
there is a world of difference between waiting silently in the Presence of the LORD and mindless meditation and yet some have confused these with a little help from our enemy.
Many of these things can look superficially the same but to confuse them leads to a lack of effectiveness in our faith-walk...and some of them are almost right but often the battle rages not between right and wrong but between right and not quite right.
I don't know about you but some of these things I have to be alert for as I wish to say with Paul "I'm not ignorant of the devil's schemes"
We have an enemy .
The Bible calls him the devil,the accuser,the serpent the dragon.
He is a liar , a thief ,a murderer...and for God's blood -bought children,he's a defeated foe.
One of the things scripture tells us is that he is cunning;not smart(it's not smart to war against the Almighty God) but he is cunning ,slippery and tricky.
One of the ways he operates is to twist God's word and principles to render God's people ineffective.
Some examples
He twists the concept of biblical unity into carnal uniformity
Christlike love to tolerance and "niceness"
Peacemakers become peacekeepers
godly devotion ---superstition
faith is now positive thinking
proselytism masquerades as evangelism
going to church usurps being the church
You get the idea?There are others too.Consider:
Conviction vs condemnation
Discernment and judging
Heartfelt and Spirit-led generosity or attempting to buy God's blessing
He attempts to and often succeeds in convincing us
that refusing to give up our opinion is standing for the truth
that biblical patience is not faithful perseverance but cowardly passivity
legalism is holiness
license is grace
and arrogance is boldness.
there is a world of difference between waiting silently in the Presence of the LORD and mindless meditation and yet some have confused these with a little help from our enemy.
Many of these things can look superficially the same but to confuse them leads to a lack of effectiveness in our faith-walk...and some of them are almost right but often the battle rages not between right and wrong but between right and not quite right.
I don't know about you but some of these things I have to be alert for as I wish to say with Paul "I'm not ignorant of the devil's schemes"
Thursday, March 4, 2010
There Was a Man Sent From God(Jn 1:6)
What an intriguing character John the Baptizer presents as he strides out of the Judean wilderness to prepare the way for the Messiah.
Luke records for us the great names of the day Lk 3:1-2; Tiberius Caesar ,Pontius Pilate ,Herod,Philip ,Lysanius,Annas and Caiaphas.The movers and shakers of the day .The famous(infamous),the influential, the rich, the powerfull...and yet the word of God came to John in the wilderness.An unknown person from an insignificant location, with no wealth,no contacts ,no political or religious system to back him up,no television ministry, no published books,no building no multimedia,no sound system...well you get the idea .All(all?) he had was the word of the LORD burning in his heart.
And he preached;my how he preached ,white hot messages of repentance.He called sin ,sin;he boomed out the wrath to come ,he warned of God's holy standards to the rich, the poor and any in between .He confronted wickedness in high places and constantly,constantly pointed people to Christ.
The man John ,the quintessential prophet.The greatest prophet who ever lived according to Jesus.In fact no one born of woman is greater says the LORD.John; never did a miracle ,his ministry lasted a few short years at best, murdered by an earthly king;honored by the Heavenly King.
The great Baptizer with his strange appearance and stranger diet new nothing of "seeker friendly,church growth " principles as he glared at the crowds and bellowed "who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?".He was unyielding in his proclamation of truth, unafraid in his condemnation of sin and untiring in his lifting up of the Messiah.
His appearance from nowhere baffled the religious leaders"Who are you?What do you say of yourself"
"I'm just a voice" he answered,"a voice crying in the wilderness"
And they came ,the weak the strong ,sinners in need of hope .And they heard and they listened and they asked "what must we do?" and they repented and they were baptized.
John the prophet ,the man sent by God looked into the eyes of Jesus the Lamb of God and immediately declared ,"He must increase and I must decrease".John ,not concerned with protecting "his" ministry ,no desire to build a church or start a movement,just faithfully fulfilled his mission and left the field to Jesus.
So much we can learn from this man sent from God.
We are not all called to be prophets ;although I think there should be a "prophetic edge " to every Christian as they hold up the sword of the Spirit and proclaim,"Thus saith the LORD"
We are not all called to be prophets and as Ravenhill says ,"If you feel you are called to be a prophet ,you best take out life insurance."
We are not all called to be prophets;but we are all called to point people to The Lamb of God.
We are not all called to be prophets but we can all learn from this greatest of prophets to decrease while He increases.
John the Baptist came in the power and spirit of Elijah according to our Lord;and at the end of Elijahs life ,his successor Elisha picked up the mantle and struck the river and called out "where is the God of Elijah"
We could ask today"Where are the Elijahs of God " John the Baptizer was an Elijah in his day...but today ;
"Where are the Elijahs of God?"
Luke records for us the great names of the day Lk 3:1-2; Tiberius Caesar ,Pontius Pilate ,Herod,Philip ,Lysanius,Annas and Caiaphas.The movers and shakers of the day .The famous(infamous),the influential, the rich, the powerfull...and yet the word of God came to John in the wilderness.An unknown person from an insignificant location, with no wealth,no contacts ,no political or religious system to back him up,no television ministry, no published books,no building no multimedia,no sound system...well you get the idea .All(all?) he had was the word of the LORD burning in his heart.
And he preached;my how he preached ,white hot messages of repentance.He called sin ,sin;he boomed out the wrath to come ,he warned of God's holy standards to the rich, the poor and any in between .He confronted wickedness in high places and constantly,constantly pointed people to Christ.
The man John ,the quintessential prophet.The greatest prophet who ever lived according to Jesus.In fact no one born of woman is greater says the LORD.John; never did a miracle ,his ministry lasted a few short years at best, murdered by an earthly king;honored by the Heavenly King.
The great Baptizer with his strange appearance and stranger diet new nothing of "seeker friendly,church growth " principles as he glared at the crowds and bellowed "who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?".He was unyielding in his proclamation of truth, unafraid in his condemnation of sin and untiring in his lifting up of the Messiah.
His appearance from nowhere baffled the religious leaders"Who are you?What do you say of yourself"
"I'm just a voice" he answered,"a voice crying in the wilderness"
And they came ,the weak the strong ,sinners in need of hope .And they heard and they listened and they asked "what must we do?" and they repented and they were baptized.
John the prophet ,the man sent by God looked into the eyes of Jesus the Lamb of God and immediately declared ,"He must increase and I must decrease".John ,not concerned with protecting "his" ministry ,no desire to build a church or start a movement,just faithfully fulfilled his mission and left the field to Jesus.
So much we can learn from this man sent from God.
We are not all called to be prophets ;although I think there should be a "prophetic edge " to every Christian as they hold up the sword of the Spirit and proclaim,"Thus saith the LORD"
We are not all called to be prophets and as Ravenhill says ,"If you feel you are called to be a prophet ,you best take out life insurance."
We are not all called to be prophets;but we are all called to point people to The Lamb of God.
We are not all called to be prophets but we can all learn from this greatest of prophets to decrease while He increases.
John the Baptist came in the power and spirit of Elijah according to our Lord;and at the end of Elijahs life ,his successor Elisha picked up the mantle and struck the river and called out "where is the God of Elijah"
We could ask today"Where are the Elijahs of God " John the Baptizer was an Elijah in his day...but today ;
"Where are the Elijahs of God?"
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The Root of Bitterness
Heb.12:15b
....lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble ; and by this many become defiled.
This post is not about unforgiveness.Often this verse is used in the context of the necessity to forgive...and that is a huge issue and a biblical issue ;but that is not what this verse is talking about. It's actually addressing something far more important and so relevant to our day.
Cross reference this verse and it takes you to Deut.29:18 where the whole context is regarding turning away from the Living God to worship and serve false gods. And that of course is exactly what the writer of Hebrews is addressing in his epistle.Jewish Christians were tempted due to persecution to abandon Christ and return to the Jewish ways. The whole book of Hebrews is a challenge and exhortation to remain faithful and to not give way to apostasy.
This short verse in a way sums up the whole letter.Watch yourself and watch your brethren that no one apostatises ...because not only the individual who has done so but many will become defiled.
In our day many roots of bitterness have sprung up ...and many are becoming defiled.
Just yesterday I came across a youtube video of Creflo Dollar expressing his desire to SHOOT non-tithers.(I tried to link to it but wasn't able.If you google it you will find it)What is that but a root of bitterness ,a turning away from God's truth and exalting a tradition of man to the level of a death penalty issue.This is wicked and corrupt and he will have to give an account for this abomination of a teaching...It is in fact a root of bitterness! Tragically the crowd of biblically illiterate folks who heard this monstrosity laughed and cheered instead of rebuking this wicked teaching....They were in fact defiled.
In this day there is a rapid defiling of the visible church as more and more false teachers blatantly contradict God's word and more and more sheeple cheer them on.
Dear brother/sister in Christ, God says what He means and He means what He says.
The devil will tell us it's loving 'tolerant and generous hearted to politely listen to heresies being expounded by those who claim His name but God tells us be alert ,be aware watch out for false teachers and prophets who come in His Name introducing destructive heresies and doctrines of demons.
Many, many of the big name preachers and pastors today are roots of bitterness springing up and defiling many.
Scripture tells us in the last days there will be a massive falling away from the faith 2 Thess. 2:3 This will come about because God will send a delusion on those who do not love truth.2 Thess.2:11-12.There is a defiling that comes when we sit passively entertaining the words and thoughts of those who are rebels against Christ even as they claim to speak for Him.
Friend with all the strength I have I encourage you to know your God and know His word and know your enemy and be informed of his mouthpieces.
Creflo is wrong those who don't give a man-made temple tax don't incur God's anger...but those who deliberately twist His word and mis-represent His character do...for as the writer to the Hebrews wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
Serve God acceptably with reverence and awe for our God is a consuming fire.
Heb.12:28b-29
....lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble ; and by this many become defiled.
This post is not about unforgiveness.Often this verse is used in the context of the necessity to forgive...and that is a huge issue and a biblical issue ;but that is not what this verse is talking about. It's actually addressing something far more important and so relevant to our day.
Cross reference this verse and it takes you to Deut.29:18 where the whole context is regarding turning away from the Living God to worship and serve false gods. And that of course is exactly what the writer of Hebrews is addressing in his epistle.Jewish Christians were tempted due to persecution to abandon Christ and return to the Jewish ways. The whole book of Hebrews is a challenge and exhortation to remain faithful and to not give way to apostasy.
This short verse in a way sums up the whole letter.Watch yourself and watch your brethren that no one apostatises ...because not only the individual who has done so but many will become defiled.
In our day many roots of bitterness have sprung up ...and many are becoming defiled.
Just yesterday I came across a youtube video of Creflo Dollar expressing his desire to SHOOT non-tithers.(I tried to link to it but wasn't able.If you google it you will find it)What is that but a root of bitterness ,a turning away from God's truth and exalting a tradition of man to the level of a death penalty issue.This is wicked and corrupt and he will have to give an account for this abomination of a teaching...It is in fact a root of bitterness! Tragically the crowd of biblically illiterate folks who heard this monstrosity laughed and cheered instead of rebuking this wicked teaching....They were in fact defiled.
In this day there is a rapid defiling of the visible church as more and more false teachers blatantly contradict God's word and more and more sheeple cheer them on.
Dear brother/sister in Christ, God says what He means and He means what He says.
The devil will tell us it's loving 'tolerant and generous hearted to politely listen to heresies being expounded by those who claim His name but God tells us be alert ,be aware watch out for false teachers and prophets who come in His Name introducing destructive heresies and doctrines of demons.
Many, many of the big name preachers and pastors today are roots of bitterness springing up and defiling many.
Scripture tells us in the last days there will be a massive falling away from the faith 2 Thess. 2:3 This will come about because God will send a delusion on those who do not love truth.2 Thess.2:11-12.There is a defiling that comes when we sit passively entertaining the words and thoughts of those who are rebels against Christ even as they claim to speak for Him.
Friend with all the strength I have I encourage you to know your God and know His word and know your enemy and be informed of his mouthpieces.
Creflo is wrong those who don't give a man-made temple tax don't incur God's anger...but those who deliberately twist His word and mis-represent His character do...for as the writer to the Hebrews wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
Serve God acceptably with reverence and awe for our God is a consuming fire.
Heb.12:28b-29
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Reaping and Weeping
What are you and I doing about the harvest?
Lk.10:2 Then He said to them,"The harvest truly is great,but the labourers are few;therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest"
Jn.4:38 "I sent you to reap that for which you have not laboured;others have laboured and you have entered into their labours.
Ps 126:5 Those who sow in tears shall reap with joy.
Jesus has a holy passion about the harvest.Do we?
Jesus calls us to sow and to reap.Do we?
Jesus tells us to pray for workers in the harvest.Do we?
D.L moody was criticized by a woman with the remark, "I don't like your style of evangelism" His reply "How do you do it?"
Her answer "I don't"
"I like my way better" , he quietly replied.
How are you doing it ?How am I doing it?
General Booth when asked by one of his preachers the best way to reach the town to which he had been sent replied "Try tears"
Are we weeping over the lost ?
We are all called to the sacred work of harvesting,to preach to share, to pray, to weep.They don't need our clever words, they don't need a vibrant church ,they don't need success,prosperity or their "Best Life Now"They certainly don't need to be shackled by "The Shack" or to find their "Purpose"They definately don't need to hear about a "Velvet Elvis" or a "Sex God" or a "New Kind of Christianity".
People need Jesus!
Where are you called to in the harvest field?
Me ;I have a huge burden for the lost "in church".Possibly the hardest mission field there is. People thoroughly churched who know the jargon who know the system who know how to play the game...but they don't know Jesus.Sometimes they rise to leadership even become Pastors and Ministers and yet don't know the Lord of the Harvest.I pray for them ,I weep for them, I challenge them.
What is your corner of the field.
The harvest is ripe ,the fields are white and we are called to reap.God's blessing on you as you go.
Lk.10:2 Then He said to them,"The harvest truly is great,but the labourers are few;therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest"
Jn.4:38 "I sent you to reap that for which you have not laboured;others have laboured and you have entered into their labours.
Ps 126:5 Those who sow in tears shall reap with joy.
Jesus has a holy passion about the harvest.Do we?
Jesus calls us to sow and to reap.Do we?
Jesus tells us to pray for workers in the harvest.Do we?
D.L moody was criticized by a woman with the remark, "I don't like your style of evangelism" His reply "How do you do it?"
Her answer "I don't"
"I like my way better" , he quietly replied.
How are you doing it ?How am I doing it?
General Booth when asked by one of his preachers the best way to reach the town to which he had been sent replied "Try tears"
Are we weeping over the lost ?
We are all called to the sacred work of harvesting,to preach to share, to pray, to weep.They don't need our clever words, they don't need a vibrant church ,they don't need success,prosperity or their "Best Life Now"They certainly don't need to be shackled by "The Shack" or to find their "Purpose"They definately don't need to hear about a "Velvet Elvis" or a "Sex God" or a "New Kind of Christianity".
People need Jesus!
Where are you called to in the harvest field?
Me ;I have a huge burden for the lost "in church".Possibly the hardest mission field there is. People thoroughly churched who know the jargon who know the system who know how to play the game...but they don't know Jesus.Sometimes they rise to leadership even become Pastors and Ministers and yet don't know the Lord of the Harvest.I pray for them ,I weep for them, I challenge them.
What is your corner of the field.
The harvest is ripe ,the fields are white and we are called to reap.God's blessing on you as you go.
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