Faith in 3D (Discernment,Deception and Delusion)

Among all the amazing life changing and thought -provoking statements that Jesus made ,this one grabbed me recently;

Mt13:12.For whoever has,to him more will be given,and he will have an abundance;but whoever does not have,even what he has will be taken from him.

At first glance that doesn't sound fair, Why give to the one who already has?Well the context clarifies.See the Lord is talking about the mysteries of the Kingdom.In other words insights and revelation in to God and His ways through the Living Word of God.

In Mt 16, Jesus commended Peter for the Holy Spirit given understanding of the Divine identity of Christ.And every true Christian has been given that truth by God Himself.

Now ,it seems ,growth in spiritual matters proceeds according to this principle "whoever has to him more will be given"When God gives us illumination into some aspect of His Kingdom we can have one of two responses.We receive it and embrace it or we ignore and reject it.

Now the issue itself may seem fairly minor or it may have the potential to radically shake up our lives.Regardless God is observing to see how we respond.
This is where it gets exciting... and scary!
To accept ,receive and embrace God's truth will lead to more insight and understanding. We will be entrusted with more and our eyes will be open to more truth pertaining to God and His ways....But if we deliberately block His truth from finding a resting place in our lives then gradually (and sometimes not so gradually)we will lose what we already had. A Christian may lose their sense of God's presence,peace and assurance.To continue down that path wiil eventually lead us to deception and according to 2 Thess 2:10-12 if we have not a love for truth this can lead to delusion where we believe the lie.

I fear for those who refuse to examine their beliefs in the light of scripture.(Christians I'm speaking of here)For those who refuse to be corrected or even to discuss major Biblical truths are opening themselves up to deception and delusion. What a terrifying place to be.

I have spoken to pastors who refuse to sit down and in a mutual seeking open a Bible to see what God has to say. What a travesty and a tragedy ,After all it's their #1 job to understand and communicate God's truth to God's people.

Our awefull responsibility is to respond well to God's truth.There is reward for those who do ...and terror for those who don't

The Accuser of the Brethren

I haven't posted a blog for some time now. I've been researching an issue which is proving to have tentacles so widely spread it's difficult to communicate in a simple blog...perhaps a book in the future .We'll see. That subject incidentally is how the christian church has been infiltrated by the deliberate placing of "Trojan Horses"....I know, I know. Very conspiratorial. The problem is that I do believe it is a conspiracy. More on that later.

Today I was watching Joseph Prince on the ACC." Why ?"you might ask. Well ;blatant heresy inspires me in a funny way;it motivates me to do something about it.
Mr Prince made an interesting comment in the midst of his prosperity talk.
He said "The devil doesn't attack personally;he uses bloggers". Of course the crowd laughed at his witty remark and then he moved on to talk of how satan is the accuser of the brethren.

While the statement about el diablo being the accuser is true , it got me to thinking what does that mean exactly?

Some thoughts .

1/ Accusation is an attempt to tear down or destroy. To point out where someone is seriously in error(whether in doctrine or action) for the purpose of restoration to truth is not accusation but godly challenge which is biblical and Christlike...not satanic.

2/In the process of accusing bloggers of being agents of satan,Mr Prince has in fact become an accuser of the brethren. In fact if the blogger(s) he has in mind are actually operating in obedience to the Lord Jesus he has come frightfully close to the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

3/The different responses to accusation are .a/Consider if the accusation is true and if so...change!If not ,carry on.

b/ Consider if the accusation is true,and refuse to change.

c/ Refuse to consider the accusation.
Only one of those responses if godly.

While it is true that the devil is the accuser ;the Holy Spirit is the convictor ,and sometimes we can confuse condemnation and challenge.

4/It may well be true that at times bloggers can be harsh or unloving..but that doesn't negate the responsibility to examine their claims and adjust if necessary.Sometimes our harshest critics can be our best friends if they point out things that we need to deal with.

5/Having said all that ;let me make some remarks re: Mr princes ministry.

Joseph needs to get another Bible.The one he's using seems to have large portions missing. He speaks much on grace which is a vital subject. but I have yet to hear him speak on sin ,judgement or God's holy wrath against wickedness.I actually think we cannot appreciate nor appropriate grace till we understand sin,judgement and Hell.

I believe Mr Prince is off track and needs to repent and begin to preach the whole counsel of God.Of course I guess that puts me in the category of the bloggers to which he referred.

Church Growth?

Paul Proctor often has some interesting things to say regarding the Christian life. It is a documented fact that in the western world many christians are giving up on church in order to remain faithful to Christ . That may well go against your presuppositions. There is so much unbiblical (and anti biblical ) teaching in so many churches today that many of God's people get tired of trying to change things from within the system and have elected to "come out and be separate".Anyhow read Paul Proctor's take and see what you think.

Deception

This video was made by Lighthouse Trails. They post a lot of important info on deception in the church. Warren Smith is a former New Ager who knows his stuff in regards to New Age influence in the church. Watch and be informed.

One Truth

One truth, one way ,
One God made man from clay.
One Word divinely writ
One response required to it.
One Saviour, one Lord,
The price required we can't afford.
One act upon the cross,
Salvation offered to the lost.
One Name above all names,
One power the rebel tames.
One heaven offered to men,
One Hell deserveth them.
One hope , one Redeemer
For the lost and foolish dreamer.
One blood, once shed,
One response to raise the dead.
One faith once delivered;
Angels rejoiced, demons quivered.
One life one true Friend,
Kneel to Him before the end.
One church ,the born-again,
Many deceptions surrounding them.
One enemy already defeated,
One throne the Saviour seated.
Innumerable angels in one accord
Direct their worship to the one true Lord
And multitudes of sin-stained men
Rejoice that their washed and join with them.

The Great Apostasy

Here's a challenging word from David Wilkerson.Enjoy. (click on title)

Yahweh of Armies

In an age when men seek to redefine God to fit their personal desires , it's beneficial to remind our selves that the Living God has a Name. Some 7,000 times in the holy scriptures the name of Yahweh is used to refer to the God of the Bible. Many translations follow the tradition of the Jewish scribes and use LORD in capitals where Yahweh is in the original. The God Christians worship is not Allah or Buddha or Krishna ;His Name is Yahweh.

This Name is used in a compound form many thousands of times eg Yahweh our Provider , Yahweh our Healer ,Yahweh our Righteousness culminating in the Name Jesus or Yeshua ,Yahweh our Salvation .

The most repeated compound Name for God in the Old Testament is usually translated LORD of Hosts which actually means Yahweh of Armies.

Following is a poem to Yahweh of Armies...but just a word of caution. The Name of the Lord is not to be treated lightly.The self-existent, self-sufficient,omnipotent,covenant-making and keeping God commands us to treat His Name with utmost respect. Gentle Jesus meek and mild is actually the all-powerfull, all-conquering Yahweh of Armies!



God of Majesty , God of Might,

God of Truth and God of Light.

Expressed within Your Holy Name,

Always sufficient , always the same.



I Am , you said , and will always be

Prefect and complete for eternity.

Untouched by distance , time and space,

Infinite Holiness, infinite Grace.



You stoop to meet with finite men

To reveal what can be revealed to them.

You call to the fallen to seek Your face

And in the Messiah we see your Grace.



Judgement and mercy meet and kiss.

At the cross the promise of eternal bliss.

At Your Holy justice we tremble in awe

But at Calvary to mercy You've opened the Door.



Angelic beings before Your throne

Gaze upon glories to men unknown

And yet to the fallen sons of men,

"In My image created" You say of them.



Yahweh of Armies, our Warrior King

Creator and Owner of everything.

We like sheep have wandered astray,

You bought us back, no more to pay.



Of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob You're Lord.

Apostles and prophets in one accord,

Sing of Your Glory with reverence and awe,

Rejoice in Your Grace and delight in Your law.



If only our tongues could be loosed to express

Your wonders as under the blood we rest;

Sinners washed and judgement ceased,

Reconciled , restored, at peace.



Transcendent God beyond and above,

Infinite Holiness , infinite love,

Eternal Glory in human form

Raised the dead and stilled the storm,



Enlightened the blind and unstopped deaf ears'

Demons tremble as you still men's fears.

Rejected by many but the chosen still tell

Of the God of Heaven called Immanuel.



Yahweh you said Elohim,

Eyes to pure to look on sin,

But the blood is on the Mercy Seat

In the face of Jesus our God we meet.

OneWorld Church on Schedule

The prevailing view in our society is that all gods are the same .This interfaith mentality is rapidly taking hold in the church with such well-known christian spokesmen as Rick Warren and Brian McLaren jumping in boots and all. Many are calling this loving , tolerant and humble.God has another name for it .....APOSTASY! In the linked article there is some current info on this rebellion against God's clear commands.Should Christians, Muslims and Jews unite? Incidentally Brian McLaren is a speaker at Blackstump this year fresh from his celebration of Ramadan!

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A Man of God

You and I need to hear more preaching like this. You may feel as I do..ouch but fantastic.(click on title)

Evangelize or Proslytize

I posted this some time ago but in light of some things I've encountered recently ,I'm re-posting.

It always interests me how words are used.


The devil seems to take great pleasure in taking perfectly good words and twisting and manipulating them till they are defiled . Take for instance the word gay. It used to mean happy and light -hearted until the militant homosexual lobby took it hostage and returned it to the English language as something corrupt.


Or consider the term fundamental. That once meant basic , solid , foundational. Anyone in any trade or occupation would not have considered it an insult to be someone who knew and built on the fundamentals.... but apply that term to believers and what should really be a compliment becomes an insult. Oh, he/she is a fundamentalist..You can almost see the sneer on the persons face as I write these words.


And so it is when a christian seeks to explain their faith to someone ; what the Bible would term evangelism gets converted to proselytizing.....and yet in this particular issue there may well be grounds for criticism. Here's some thoughts on the matter.


Evangelism is a good and holy term. It's what every Christian has been commanded to do and yet more than that it's the delight of every true believers heart. Surfers talk about surfing ; sports fans speak about their sport and grandparents never miss an opportunity to pull out their photos and wax long and lyrically about their grandkids. How much more the follower of Jesus. We know where we were headed and who rescued us. We see the incredible answers to prayer He grants us . We experience the light He shines on His holy book to speak to our needs and we just want to talk about Him.

In the scriptures Jesus often ,after performing a miracle for someone, would command them not to speak to others... but they always did, and perhaps He understood for their is no record of Him chastising them for their disobedience in this matter.

In my experience once a person truly is regenerated , once they have seen the glory of God in the face of Christ, their is a burning desire to confess Him before men and seek to lead others to Him. What is really a Holy Spirit empowered desire the Bible calls evangelism.

Then there are those with the spiritual gift of evangelism ; a high and holy calling, and how we need today those with the gift of preaching the true gospel with power and authority.

And yet proselytizing is something entirely different.

Jesus , speaking to the Pharisees , said they travel over land and sea to make a single convert and yet when they do , they make him twice as much a son of Hell! You see the religious leaders of Jesus day were doing what many do today ;they were proselytizing rather than evangelizing. Their desire was not to bring men to the Living God , but instead to win them to their cause . Their desire was not the glory of God or the salvation of lost sinners ;it was to increase their power base.

Today their is much that goes on that reflects this Pharisaical tendency. Instead of reaching out with the eternal gospel and pointing sinners to the only Saviour ;there are many who preach "Come to my church,we're cool ,relevant , on the cutting edge "And all the while people are falling into a Christless eternity with their only hope falsely resting on their church attendance rather than the Lamb of God.

Proselytizing still earns the rebuke of the Lord of Glory and true evangelism still earns his commendation.

On that great day when we stand before Him to whom we must give account; many who attended the "best " church in town , tithed, touched not the Lord's anointed, were tolerant, did all their Pastor said will hear the fearfull words from Jesus mouth "I never knew you".

Proselytizing is a carnal , self -serving activity of pride and arrogance . Evangelism is a Spirit empowered means of winning the lost .

Proselytizing panders to the egos of men. Evangelism focuses on the majesty of God.

Proselytizing is seeker-friendly. Evangelism is God friendly.

Proselytizing builds the kingdoms of men. Evangelism furthers the Kingdom of God.

Proselytizers usually persecute those who evangelize.

Proselytizing is to get them in. But evangelism is to call them out .

Proselytizing is an unclean pragmatism but those who preach truth have a holy dogmatism.

Behold the Lamb of God