In a business meeting, the leader is the one who directs the flow of how it should be run and in what order. So, when the Body of Christ gathers together doesn't it make sense to let the Head lead the meeting and direct it?
It would be wrong and weird if the boss walks into the meeting and it has already started; the employees are the running the meeting without him and then start telling him what to do. If this continued, they would be out of work because they aren't giving the boss the honour, respect and obedience that is rightly his.
In the same way, when we as a Church gather, we seem to like to plan how the meeting is run ourselves without waitng for the head (through the Spirit) to lead us. We take this even further and plan whole outreach projects by ourselves and then ask Him to bless it.
Thankfully, God is merciful, patient and faithful. However, there are consequences to our disobidience! One of them being a lot of work but little fruit. We sow much but harvest little!
When we do God's work God's way in God's time on God's conditions, we will receive God's blessing, God's power and God-sent results. When the disciples listened to Jesus despite their previous failures and weariness and threw their net on the other side of the boat, they had such a great catch of fish they couldn't handle it themselves. When we fish for men where we want, when we want and how we want, we will find very little success. Simply trust and obey, there is no other way!
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
The Preacher
So just something that the HS brought to my mind as I was sitting eating and pondering.... on the preacher's job in the body. (My church has been looking for a pastor)
The preacher’s job is not only to preach a sermon that is theologically sound and understandable to the congregation. If his message succeeds in communicating truth to the people, but fails to move them to conformity and obedience to that truth, he has only done a small portion of his job. The preacher must have the power of God’s Spirit on him to such an extent that his preaching fans the flame of God inside the congregants’ hearts with increasing might and stirs them in their innermost being to zealous action. In short the congregation must be EDIFIED! The job of the preacher is to build up! If he fails in doing so he has not done his job (Eph 4:11)
This, dear brothers and sisters, the true test for a successful sermon is not that people understand the message or feel that it is an important truth to apply to their lives, nor that their flesh was entertained for an hour and they had a good laugh—but that they are brought deeper into the very life of Christ Himself! That the dry bones are refreshed, renewed and jolted back to life every time they attend service and don’t go back to being a heap on the floor! That the sanctuary breaks out into whole hearted praise to the Creator and King by the encouragement and exhortation of the preacher!
At preaching of Haggai the prophet, the people were stirred into action to rebuild the temple of God. The Word of the Lord comes to Haggai the Prophet to tell the people to stop living comfortably while the temple of God is in ruins!
“Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke by the commission of the LORD to the people saying, “‘I am with you,’ declares the LORD.” So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God” (Hag 1:13-14).
God used the prophesying of Haggai to stir the people from a place of gross indifference and apathy to the things of God into zealous obedience! O, and what apathy they had! The people walked past the ruins of the temple day after day going about their own business without even giving so much as a thought to it! It was literally right in front of their eyes! But, is it not the same now as it was back then? God has so little room in the lives of His people. He is left out amidst all the business of religious life. Sure, people may extend an invitation to Him here and there but it is mostly just a formality and after they have paid their respects He is soon left out again.
If only we had a preacher who could stir God’s people into action to rebuild God’s spiritual temple that is now in ruins! To move people away from all the activities, programs and man-made schemes to push religious agendas and into lives of personal devotion, consecration and holiness unto the Lord!
But I ask you, was it a onetime deal? Was the preaching of the sermon just once enough to keep the people obedient? No! Haggai had to preach to the people regularly to renew their zeal and fervour for the Lord!
“And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying* of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia” (Ezra 6:14). [*Note: some translations use preaching instead of prophesying.]
The key word here is prospered! The people were not only able to successfully complete their task but they prospered; they were blessed; there was an increase in their life! And this is true of preaching: it causes the hearers to prosper spiritually and to walk more and more into the fullness of God in the victorious Christian life. So, a church under a preacher who can truly preach will be built up into a living temple of God (1 Pet 2:5)! In fact, in the Bible, it is the way God has ordained it, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph 4:11-12).
This is seen beginning even in Ancient Israel during the time of Moses. God ordained that there would be two silver trumpets for summoning the congregation, breaking camp, going to war and rejoicing in worship. God even said that they needed to sound the silver trumpets so that when they went to war and when they worshipped him they “may be remembered before the Lord” (Num 10:9-10). The ones who blew the trumpets were the “sons of Aaron” who, besides the High Priest himself, were the closest to God’s holy place and could handle the holy things (Num 10:8). These silver trumpets were blown by people who ministered and heard from God himself!
And the fact that these trumpets were made of silver is significant because in Proverbs 10:20 it says, “The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver”. The trumpets of silver were a shadow of better things to come: the voices of the righteous that are called to summon the congregation and lead them in the direction they should go. So, the preacher is the trumpet that moves the people into action!
And think of how foolish the preacher is! He is like a trumpet that makes a lot of noise and rouses people (often annoying them), but God has indeed chosen to use the foolishness of preaching for His glory (1 Cor 1:21). He uses it to turn the hardened heart of a sinner into the humble heart of newly born again infant. He uses it to call back the wayward sheep who have wandered miles and miles away from the path, back into the green pastures and still waters!
Think about it: a wild man in the wilderness dressed in camel hide, eating locusts with long hair, preaching at the top of his lungs a message of repentance in order to prepare a generation for the coming of Christ! That man is John the Baptist the last of the Old Covenant prophets! If John the Baptist had a ministry of preaching repentance under the Old Covenant that came with so much power and conviction, how much more should the preacher today under the New Covenant? If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! (2 Cor 3:9) for He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor 3:6)
God’s people should not be easily satisfied with servants who can preach a sound message; they must desire servants whose prayer life can lead them straight into either the blazing glory of God’s Throne or the tender heart of Christ each and every time. This is the only way for a church to thrive spiritually.
Many preachers can move the emotion of men and can reason with the intelligence of men but few can move the hearts of men unto obedience to God! For it takes a man with the burning heart of Christ to move a sinner toward repentance. It takes a man with the humble gentle heart of Christ to lead sheep father along the narrow path. These characteristics cannot be gained with much study or with masterful oratory skill, but can only be formed by being with the Master Himself in the secret place of prayer! How much is learned of His character and how much His character changes you the longer you are with Him. As one opens themselves to His chastisements and corrections of Him and does not shrink away in prayer.
How many preachers are willing to do that? How many preachers are willing to give up their time, give up their other religious responsibilities to sit at the feet of Christ? To do what He does so that he will be able to lead His congregation to Christ and not astray? It is the best thing to do! If only we could learn from Mary and Martha! As a pastor named Leonard Ravenhill has said “If the preacher isn’t praying the congregation is straying” If the sheep at the head of the flock stops following the Sheppard and turns aside, all the others behind him follow! O what a glorious and fearsome responsibility the preacher has! It should not be taken lightly!
Sadly, the standard has gone down and the majority of people are content with lukewarm, lifeless preaching and do not wish for things to change. But, perhaps even more alarmingly, they do not think that there is a problem. Thus, the truth we find in Scripture is true: in the last days men will always find someone to tell them what their itching ears desire (2 Tim 4:3). So the problem is not with just the preacher but with the people who desire to hear what the preacher says. The people do not desire to be moved into a deeper life with Christ but are satisfied with a lukewarm spiritual life.
The first thing people do is run away from the preacher who preaches truth without compromise and with conviction! They lock him away and don’t let him preach for fear of his fanatical ideas spreading. They wish to stay comfortable in their religious lives and institutions.
A dead preacher will produce dead preaching.
A lukewarm preacher will produce lukewarm preaching.
A religious preacher will produce religious preaching.
A Spirit-filled preacher produces life-giving preaching.
“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart” (Luke 6:45).
A dead congregation will be satisfied with dead preaching.
A lukewarm congregation will be satisfied with lukewarm preaching.
A religious congregation will be satisfied with religious preaching.
A living congregation can only be sustained by life giving preaching!
This same principle can be applied to a preacher who preaches truth but lacks the power to move people into action. Here the people desire truth and religiously pride themselves in this over Christ. They hold to the very doctrine of Christ but lack His heart. So: a powerless preacher will produce powerless preaching and powerless people.
All the above is the spiritual reality that we face today.
The book of Revelation sheds light into this. Many may think that Revelation was only written for the specific seven churches, however these seven churches actually point to the diverse church of the last days. Each church reveals a different spiritual condition. For instance, the Church in Sardis had a reputation of being alive even though they were actually dead while the Church of Smyrna were encouraged to not fear but by faithful unto death during their tribulations (Rev 2-3).
So then the question of the time is this: What do you desire? Do you desire the truth of God's Word? or something lesser? In these days that we live there are so many different teachings and roads that seem right, that it is truly a test. God will only be found by those who truly seek Him with all their hearts (jer 29:13) who love truth and nothing else. These people are the ones who will find God or rather be found by Him.
When a congregation wants God and wants revival, then they will seek a godly preacher to lead them. What kind of congregation do we want to be? One that is dead? One that is lukewarm? One that lacks power? Or a congregation that can contend with the forces of hell? A preacher can only bring the congregation as far as he himself has gone.
With so much being said on the preacher, I don’t want you to think that the congregation is exempt from responsibility. The pastor’s well being is in the hands of the congregation. The relationship is one of interdependency.
It is easy to talk about these things and just look at preachers without looking at ourselves. In a paraphrase of Watchman Nee, God’s power is like an unstoppable train, but it must run on the rails of prayer. In the same way, preachers can be used mightily by the Spirit for God’s work, but the congregation must pray. Apostle Paul himself, though he never ceased to pray, knew that he needed the combined efforts of the whole body for God’s power to be released in his ministry. He wrote, “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should” (Eph 6:19). And again, “Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints” (Romans 15:30-31). Paul knew that he needed the prayers of his brethren in order that his work may be acceptable to the living saints who needed living messages! For the whole to work, each body part must play its role. The congregation’s prayers need to be as fervent—“strive with me…”—as the preacher’s in hunger for the power of God to move in each meeting.
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” (Heb 13:17)
So then we must all hold each other accountable in this task! Christian you must first ask yourself what is it you desire? A pastor who can lead you Christ, as pastor that will lead you astray or a pastor that can only lead you half way?Be wise in who you decided to follow!
If you are in a church and you sense that there something wanting in the preaching of your pastor. Do you pray for Him fervently for him to receive what he is lacking? Or do you disrespect him and oppose him thinking you can do a better job? Should be not Care for, respect and love him as a brother
But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other (1 Thess 5:12)
Will you not humble yourself, love this brother and wash his feet for his sake, your and the congregation? Love builds up! Knowledge only puffs up! (1 Cor 8:1)
Pastor, are you depending on the power of Christ to lead the congregation or on your own strength, talent, knowledge, theology?
Do you labour in prayer for them or are they half hearted and of secondary importance?
We must keep in mind that unless we remain in Him we can NOTHING of eternal significance! (John 15:5)
Though it may seem that you are doing quite fine without Him or with so little of Him, on that our work will be shown for what it really is, be it gold, silver, precious stone, wood , hay or straw, things that will last through the fire or burn away to ash.
I pray that you have been blessed by this!
In Christ
Evangel
The preacher’s job is not only to preach a sermon that is theologically sound and understandable to the congregation. If his message succeeds in communicating truth to the people, but fails to move them to conformity and obedience to that truth, he has only done a small portion of his job. The preacher must have the power of God’s Spirit on him to such an extent that his preaching fans the flame of God inside the congregants’ hearts with increasing might and stirs them in their innermost being to zealous action. In short the congregation must be EDIFIED! The job of the preacher is to build up! If he fails in doing so he has not done his job (Eph 4:11)
This, dear brothers and sisters, the true test for a successful sermon is not that people understand the message or feel that it is an important truth to apply to their lives, nor that their flesh was entertained for an hour and they had a good laugh—but that they are brought deeper into the very life of Christ Himself! That the dry bones are refreshed, renewed and jolted back to life every time they attend service and don’t go back to being a heap on the floor! That the sanctuary breaks out into whole hearted praise to the Creator and King by the encouragement and exhortation of the preacher!
At preaching of Haggai the prophet, the people were stirred into action to rebuild the temple of God. The Word of the Lord comes to Haggai the Prophet to tell the people to stop living comfortably while the temple of God is in ruins!
“Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke by the commission of the LORD to the people saying, “‘I am with you,’ declares the LORD.” So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God” (Hag 1:13-14).
God used the prophesying of Haggai to stir the people from a place of gross indifference and apathy to the things of God into zealous obedience! O, and what apathy they had! The people walked past the ruins of the temple day after day going about their own business without even giving so much as a thought to it! It was literally right in front of their eyes! But, is it not the same now as it was back then? God has so little room in the lives of His people. He is left out amidst all the business of religious life. Sure, people may extend an invitation to Him here and there but it is mostly just a formality and after they have paid their respects He is soon left out again.
If only we had a preacher who could stir God’s people into action to rebuild God’s spiritual temple that is now in ruins! To move people away from all the activities, programs and man-made schemes to push religious agendas and into lives of personal devotion, consecration and holiness unto the Lord!
But I ask you, was it a onetime deal? Was the preaching of the sermon just once enough to keep the people obedient? No! Haggai had to preach to the people regularly to renew their zeal and fervour for the Lord!
“And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying* of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia” (Ezra 6:14). [*Note: some translations use preaching instead of prophesying.]
The key word here is prospered! The people were not only able to successfully complete their task but they prospered; they were blessed; there was an increase in their life! And this is true of preaching: it causes the hearers to prosper spiritually and to walk more and more into the fullness of God in the victorious Christian life. So, a church under a preacher who can truly preach will be built up into a living temple of God (1 Pet 2:5)! In fact, in the Bible, it is the way God has ordained it, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph 4:11-12).
This is seen beginning even in Ancient Israel during the time of Moses. God ordained that there would be two silver trumpets for summoning the congregation, breaking camp, going to war and rejoicing in worship. God even said that they needed to sound the silver trumpets so that when they went to war and when they worshipped him they “may be remembered before the Lord” (Num 10:9-10). The ones who blew the trumpets were the “sons of Aaron” who, besides the High Priest himself, were the closest to God’s holy place and could handle the holy things (Num 10:8). These silver trumpets were blown by people who ministered and heard from God himself!
And the fact that these trumpets were made of silver is significant because in Proverbs 10:20 it says, “The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver”. The trumpets of silver were a shadow of better things to come: the voices of the righteous that are called to summon the congregation and lead them in the direction they should go. So, the preacher is the trumpet that moves the people into action!
And think of how foolish the preacher is! He is like a trumpet that makes a lot of noise and rouses people (often annoying them), but God has indeed chosen to use the foolishness of preaching for His glory (1 Cor 1:21). He uses it to turn the hardened heart of a sinner into the humble heart of newly born again infant. He uses it to call back the wayward sheep who have wandered miles and miles away from the path, back into the green pastures and still waters!
Think about it: a wild man in the wilderness dressed in camel hide, eating locusts with long hair, preaching at the top of his lungs a message of repentance in order to prepare a generation for the coming of Christ! That man is John the Baptist the last of the Old Covenant prophets! If John the Baptist had a ministry of preaching repentance under the Old Covenant that came with so much power and conviction, how much more should the preacher today under the New Covenant? If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! (2 Cor 3:9) for He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor 3:6)
God’s people should not be easily satisfied with servants who can preach a sound message; they must desire servants whose prayer life can lead them straight into either the blazing glory of God’s Throne or the tender heart of Christ each and every time. This is the only way for a church to thrive spiritually.
Many preachers can move the emotion of men and can reason with the intelligence of men but few can move the hearts of men unto obedience to God! For it takes a man with the burning heart of Christ to move a sinner toward repentance. It takes a man with the humble gentle heart of Christ to lead sheep father along the narrow path. These characteristics cannot be gained with much study or with masterful oratory skill, but can only be formed by being with the Master Himself in the secret place of prayer! How much is learned of His character and how much His character changes you the longer you are with Him. As one opens themselves to His chastisements and corrections of Him and does not shrink away in prayer.
How many preachers are willing to do that? How many preachers are willing to give up their time, give up their other religious responsibilities to sit at the feet of Christ? To do what He does so that he will be able to lead His congregation to Christ and not astray? It is the best thing to do! If only we could learn from Mary and Martha! As a pastor named Leonard Ravenhill has said “If the preacher isn’t praying the congregation is straying” If the sheep at the head of the flock stops following the Sheppard and turns aside, all the others behind him follow! O what a glorious and fearsome responsibility the preacher has! It should not be taken lightly!
Sadly, the standard has gone down and the majority of people are content with lukewarm, lifeless preaching and do not wish for things to change. But, perhaps even more alarmingly, they do not think that there is a problem. Thus, the truth we find in Scripture is true: in the last days men will always find someone to tell them what their itching ears desire (2 Tim 4:3). So the problem is not with just the preacher but with the people who desire to hear what the preacher says. The people do not desire to be moved into a deeper life with Christ but are satisfied with a lukewarm spiritual life.
The first thing people do is run away from the preacher who preaches truth without compromise and with conviction! They lock him away and don’t let him preach for fear of his fanatical ideas spreading. They wish to stay comfortable in their religious lives and institutions.
A dead preacher will produce dead preaching.
A lukewarm preacher will produce lukewarm preaching.
A religious preacher will produce religious preaching.
A Spirit-filled preacher produces life-giving preaching.
“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart” (Luke 6:45).
A dead congregation will be satisfied with dead preaching.
A lukewarm congregation will be satisfied with lukewarm preaching.
A religious congregation will be satisfied with religious preaching.
A living congregation can only be sustained by life giving preaching!
This same principle can be applied to a preacher who preaches truth but lacks the power to move people into action. Here the people desire truth and religiously pride themselves in this over Christ. They hold to the very doctrine of Christ but lack His heart. So: a powerless preacher will produce powerless preaching and powerless people.
All the above is the spiritual reality that we face today.
The book of Revelation sheds light into this. Many may think that Revelation was only written for the specific seven churches, however these seven churches actually point to the diverse church of the last days. Each church reveals a different spiritual condition. For instance, the Church in Sardis had a reputation of being alive even though they were actually dead while the Church of Smyrna were encouraged to not fear but by faithful unto death during their tribulations (Rev 2-3).
So then the question of the time is this: What do you desire? Do you desire the truth of God's Word? or something lesser? In these days that we live there are so many different teachings and roads that seem right, that it is truly a test. God will only be found by those who truly seek Him with all their hearts (jer 29:13) who love truth and nothing else. These people are the ones who will find God or rather be found by Him.
When a congregation wants God and wants revival, then they will seek a godly preacher to lead them. What kind of congregation do we want to be? One that is dead? One that is lukewarm? One that lacks power? Or a congregation that can contend with the forces of hell? A preacher can only bring the congregation as far as he himself has gone.
With so much being said on the preacher, I don’t want you to think that the congregation is exempt from responsibility. The pastor’s well being is in the hands of the congregation. The relationship is one of interdependency.
It is easy to talk about these things and just look at preachers without looking at ourselves. In a paraphrase of Watchman Nee, God’s power is like an unstoppable train, but it must run on the rails of prayer. In the same way, preachers can be used mightily by the Spirit for God’s work, but the congregation must pray. Apostle Paul himself, though he never ceased to pray, knew that he needed the combined efforts of the whole body for God’s power to be released in his ministry. He wrote, “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should” (Eph 6:19). And again, “Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints” (Romans 15:30-31). Paul knew that he needed the prayers of his brethren in order that his work may be acceptable to the living saints who needed living messages! For the whole to work, each body part must play its role. The congregation’s prayers need to be as fervent—“strive with me…”—as the preacher’s in hunger for the power of God to move in each meeting.
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” (Heb 13:17)
So then we must all hold each other accountable in this task! Christian you must first ask yourself what is it you desire? A pastor who can lead you Christ, as pastor that will lead you astray or a pastor that can only lead you half way?Be wise in who you decided to follow!
If you are in a church and you sense that there something wanting in the preaching of your pastor. Do you pray for Him fervently for him to receive what he is lacking? Or do you disrespect him and oppose him thinking you can do a better job? Should be not Care for, respect and love him as a brother
But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other (1 Thess 5:12)
Will you not humble yourself, love this brother and wash his feet for his sake, your and the congregation? Love builds up! Knowledge only puffs up! (1 Cor 8:1)
Pastor, are you depending on the power of Christ to lead the congregation or on your own strength, talent, knowledge, theology?
Do you labour in prayer for them or are they half hearted and of secondary importance?
We must keep in mind that unless we remain in Him we can NOTHING of eternal significance! (John 15:5)
Though it may seem that you are doing quite fine without Him or with so little of Him, on that our work will be shown for what it really is, be it gold, silver, precious stone, wood , hay or straw, things that will last through the fire or burn away to ash.
I pray that you have been blessed by this!
In Christ
Evangel
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Calvinism and Armenianism
I definitely agree with what you’re saying: the Scriptures and doctrine are both critical to the faith and it is one of the ways that we can know false teachers from real ones; another way being by looking at their fruit (Matt 7:16). I am encouraged by your zeal for the truth of the scriptures and doctrine, it is needed in the age of Christianity that we live in and is something we are commanded to do! As Paul writes to Titus, “But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.” (Tit 2:1)
I think there is a misunderstanding on what I was trying to say so allow me to clarify; I wasn’t saying that doctrine isn’t important. I was trying to point out that correct doctrine in itself is not sufficient but that the truth of the doctrine must go past merely head knowledge and into the heart of the Christian so much so that changes his very character and person, and becomes his reality – not just ideas and concepts. I think perhaps the point where we are differing is that I believe at the very core of it, it is not about knowing scripture and having correct doctrine. Though those things are essential, it is not be all end all of what makes a godly Christian or minister. There is something deeper that transcends the written words themselves, and that is knowing the very Person of God. Again I don’t disagree with what you are saying; I am in full agreement with it, I just want to expand on it as I think it is important to the original Calvin/Armenian discussion, please bear with me as I communicate my conviction on this as it does relate.
It is not the Bible itself which allows someone to know God but the Living Spirit behind it through whom it was written (2 Pet 1:21 1 Tim 4:1). The Word is Alive and active (Heb 4:12) it speaks, it moves, it is the very thing that sustains us right now (Heb 1:3)! However God uses the written word (the Bible) as a medium to reveal Himself. We can see this in examples in the Bible, the most well known being the Pharisees who memorized the written word but crucified the Living Word Himself (Christ). Another example would be with the secular study of Scriptures! How can we have scholars reading the Bible, spending hours pouring over the Scriptures and then coming to the conclusion that God is a homicidal maniac and then teaching some very skewed heretical version of the Bible and God? It is because they did not have the Spirit (the Person), who wrote the Words, teach them! It is the Spirit that guides us into all truth (John 16:13) and we are all taught by God Himself! (John 6:45)
I would say that there are people in countries where it is illegal to have a copy of the Bible that know God better than we do here in the west. They may have only read a few excerpts here and there that have been scratched down of the actual Scriptures and they may not be as theologically knowledgeable but they have such a heart-reality of God in their lives and such child-like faith not based on what they know but just on Him, that God hears and moves mightily in those places! There is a difference between knowing a person and knowing about a person. If I came up to you and said “Hey I know Obama” and then you said awesome take me to meet him and I went to the front gate of the White House saying “I’m here to see Obama, I know him” Obama comes out and says I don’t know this guys he’s a maniac and I said “What do you mean, Mr. Obama, I know that you were born in 1961 and that you’re the 44th president!” Would they let me in? No, because I don’t really know him I just know a lot about him. This is the same with God! It would be scary if someone spends their whole life studying and debating doctrine and at judgement day Christ says, “I never knew you” and the guy starts to splurge out all his theology that he learned through his whole life…But to no avail.
I think my main point is that at the end of the day we are not following doctrine but a LIVING RESURRECTED PERSON who leads us by His Holy Spirit! When I said “not to get caught up in doctrine” I am saying that we can focus so much on it and miss the Person who wrote them which is what eternal life is: KNOWING GOD AS A PERSON (John 17:3)! However, as I said before, don’t misinterpret what I am saying, because these things (doctrine) are important! They serve as guidelines to knowing God.
Truth is a Person not a set of doctrines (John 14:6). When we see Truth as doctrine, as either one thing or the other, black or white, Calvinism or Armenianism, it will never fit together completely and end up causing division. But if we see Truth and pursue Truth not as doctrine but a Person, then we will start to understand these deep mysteries of God a little more and be united in true fellowship instead of divided over doctrine!
This is why having sound teaching in a service does not necessarily equate to church fellowship. The truth of God can very much be preached while the congregation is as dead as zombies. Instead, I would say sound teaching with the Spirit of God working in the hearts of people into conviction, worship, corporate prayer, repentance and reconciliation = fellowship!
When you’re evangelizing to someone you’re NOT indoctrinating them to believe a set of statements but you are trying to get to them to know a Person! It is impossible introduce someone to a person you don’t actually know, they will be able to tell right off the bat if you know them by the way you talk about them! In fact, if I knew someone as a close friend and you knew about them and we start talking one day about this person I would quickly be able to tell if you actually know this person or not!
Bringing this all together: yes, we can identify false teachers by doctrine and Scripture but more importantly, if we know Him, we will be able to tell if another knows Him or not. This can be found in John 10:
The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them … (14) “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
The sheep (that’s us) KNOW his voice and does NOT recognize a stranger’s voice! This is very comforting!
1 John 4:1 says to test the spirits to see if they are from God because many false prophets have gone into the world! What’s interesting here is that it says to test the spirits and not the doctrine! I believe this is because behind every false teaching there is a false spirit! Though we can point out how false teachers are false through scripture (and this is beneficially) we cannot win by arguing with doctrine alone! This is because battle not of flesh and blood but against real principalities of darkness (Eph 6:12)
Taking this back to Calvinism and Armenianism. I don’t think it is as simple as “God is sovereign” or “Man is sovereign” in salvation. Like I said before, it’s both and it works about perfectly as God is perfect – but again, it’s a mystery (the sermon from the first post covers this really well I don’t have time to explain as it would be too long). Right now we are not able to fully understand as it says in 1 Corinthians 13:9-11, "For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears...Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." But perhaps one day we will.....
For myself, I will focus on understanding and knowing God in the way that He created and wants me to know Him right now, and not concern myself with matters to great for me.
I read this passage in Psalms 131 the other day:
My heart is not proud, O Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
I think the whole Calvinism and Armenianism topic may be one of those things that we should not spend so much time on, but rather trust God like children, trust that His ways are perfect, and just obey what He says in scripture without having to understand how it all works!
I think many times we are like children who when our parents ask us to do everything we just keep asking, “WHY, WHY, WHY?” and we never get anything done because we’re so caught up in the “why”. In fact, we may go and asking our siblings, “Why?” and they have an answer that is different than ours so we end up arguing about it instead of just doing it! Meanwhile, our parents just want us to stop complaining and arguing and just do it because it’s what is best for us and the world – to just trust and obey! Which was the point of the very first post (LOL).
If there are any questions or concerns on what I said just post lol
In Christ
Evangel
I think there is a misunderstanding on what I was trying to say so allow me to clarify; I wasn’t saying that doctrine isn’t important. I was trying to point out that correct doctrine in itself is not sufficient but that the truth of the doctrine must go past merely head knowledge and into the heart of the Christian so much so that changes his very character and person, and becomes his reality – not just ideas and concepts. I think perhaps the point where we are differing is that I believe at the very core of it, it is not about knowing scripture and having correct doctrine. Though those things are essential, it is not be all end all of what makes a godly Christian or minister. There is something deeper that transcends the written words themselves, and that is knowing the very Person of God. Again I don’t disagree with what you are saying; I am in full agreement with it, I just want to expand on it as I think it is important to the original Calvin/Armenian discussion, please bear with me as I communicate my conviction on this as it does relate.
It is not the Bible itself which allows someone to know God but the Living Spirit behind it through whom it was written (2 Pet 1:21 1 Tim 4:1). The Word is Alive and active (Heb 4:12) it speaks, it moves, it is the very thing that sustains us right now (Heb 1:3)! However God uses the written word (the Bible) as a medium to reveal Himself. We can see this in examples in the Bible, the most well known being the Pharisees who memorized the written word but crucified the Living Word Himself (Christ). Another example would be with the secular study of Scriptures! How can we have scholars reading the Bible, spending hours pouring over the Scriptures and then coming to the conclusion that God is a homicidal maniac and then teaching some very skewed heretical version of the Bible and God? It is because they did not have the Spirit (the Person), who wrote the Words, teach them! It is the Spirit that guides us into all truth (John 16:13) and we are all taught by God Himself! (John 6:45)
I would say that there are people in countries where it is illegal to have a copy of the Bible that know God better than we do here in the west. They may have only read a few excerpts here and there that have been scratched down of the actual Scriptures and they may not be as theologically knowledgeable but they have such a heart-reality of God in their lives and such child-like faith not based on what they know but just on Him, that God hears and moves mightily in those places! There is a difference between knowing a person and knowing about a person. If I came up to you and said “Hey I know Obama” and then you said awesome take me to meet him and I went to the front gate of the White House saying “I’m here to see Obama, I know him” Obama comes out and says I don’t know this guys he’s a maniac and I said “What do you mean, Mr. Obama, I know that you were born in 1961 and that you’re the 44th president!” Would they let me in? No, because I don’t really know him I just know a lot about him. This is the same with God! It would be scary if someone spends their whole life studying and debating doctrine and at judgement day Christ says, “I never knew you” and the guy starts to splurge out all his theology that he learned through his whole life…But to no avail.
I think my main point is that at the end of the day we are not following doctrine but a LIVING RESURRECTED PERSON who leads us by His Holy Spirit! When I said “not to get caught up in doctrine” I am saying that we can focus so much on it and miss the Person who wrote them which is what eternal life is: KNOWING GOD AS A PERSON (John 17:3)! However, as I said before, don’t misinterpret what I am saying, because these things (doctrine) are important! They serve as guidelines to knowing God.
Truth is a Person not a set of doctrines (John 14:6). When we see Truth as doctrine, as either one thing or the other, black or white, Calvinism or Armenianism, it will never fit together completely and end up causing division. But if we see Truth and pursue Truth not as doctrine but a Person, then we will start to understand these deep mysteries of God a little more and be united in true fellowship instead of divided over doctrine!
This is why having sound teaching in a service does not necessarily equate to church fellowship. The truth of God can very much be preached while the congregation is as dead as zombies. Instead, I would say sound teaching with the Spirit of God working in the hearts of people into conviction, worship, corporate prayer, repentance and reconciliation = fellowship!
When you’re evangelizing to someone you’re NOT indoctrinating them to believe a set of statements but you are trying to get to them to know a Person! It is impossible introduce someone to a person you don’t actually know, they will be able to tell right off the bat if you know them by the way you talk about them! In fact, if I knew someone as a close friend and you knew about them and we start talking one day about this person I would quickly be able to tell if you actually know this person or not!
Bringing this all together: yes, we can identify false teachers by doctrine and Scripture but more importantly, if we know Him, we will be able to tell if another knows Him or not. This can be found in John 10:
The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them … (14) “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
The sheep (that’s us) KNOW his voice and does NOT recognize a stranger’s voice! This is very comforting!
1 John 4:1 says to test the spirits to see if they are from God because many false prophets have gone into the world! What’s interesting here is that it says to test the spirits and not the doctrine! I believe this is because behind every false teaching there is a false spirit! Though we can point out how false teachers are false through scripture (and this is beneficially) we cannot win by arguing with doctrine alone! This is because battle not of flesh and blood but against real principalities of darkness (Eph 6:12)
Taking this back to Calvinism and Armenianism. I don’t think it is as simple as “God is sovereign” or “Man is sovereign” in salvation. Like I said before, it’s both and it works about perfectly as God is perfect – but again, it’s a mystery (the sermon from the first post covers this really well I don’t have time to explain as it would be too long). Right now we are not able to fully understand as it says in 1 Corinthians 13:9-11, "For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears...Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." But perhaps one day we will.....
For myself, I will focus on understanding and knowing God in the way that He created and wants me to know Him right now, and not concern myself with matters to great for me.
I read this passage in Psalms 131 the other day:
My heart is not proud, O Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
I think the whole Calvinism and Armenianism topic may be one of those things that we should not spend so much time on, but rather trust God like children, trust that His ways are perfect, and just obey what He says in scripture without having to understand how it all works!
I think many times we are like children who when our parents ask us to do everything we just keep asking, “WHY, WHY, WHY?” and we never get anything done because we’re so caught up in the “why”. In fact, we may go and asking our siblings, “Why?” and they have an answer that is different than ours so we end up arguing about it instead of just doing it! Meanwhile, our parents just want us to stop complaining and arguing and just do it because it’s what is best for us and the world – to just trust and obey! Which was the point of the very first post (LOL).
If there are any questions or concerns on what I said just post lol
In Christ
Evangel
Monday, September 26, 2011
Israel
Israel and Endtime Prophecy? - Thoughts, Comments, Concerns...
At the York House of Prayer something that we pray for on a regular basis is the nation Israel and the Jewish people. This is something that I have believed we needed to be praying for as I knew that they need to see Jesus! However I think God has been showing me recently that its a lot more than just that there are many endtime prophecies concerning Israel both in the New and Old testament pointing to the lastdays. I am a little new to this as I have not been led to this until recently. I would like your input into all of this and your beliefs.... I am going to post a few things from the Word that I believe has yet to be fullfilled:
Romans 11 I will post a few key verses here feel free to look it over yourself
1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”[a]? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”[b] 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8 as it is written:
11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way[e] all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
So basically from what I understand a part of the endtime prohecy in the bible is that once "the full number of gentiles has come in" or turns to Christ they will intern reachout to the Jews who will repent and beleve in Jesus and become a literal nation on earth ruled by God.
Deuteronomy 30:1-10
1When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, 2and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3then the Lord your God will restore your fortunesa and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. 4Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. 5He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. 6The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. 7The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. 8You will again obey the Lord and follow all his commands I am giving you today. 9Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, 10if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
So in the book of Deuteronomy there are a set of curses for rebelling against God and blessings/promises for repetence that leads obdience for Israel.
Throughout the OT the above was fullfilled to the letter ex. eatting own childrens flesh (cf. Deut.28:53, Lam 4:10).
We see a pattern of rebellion-->discipline/judement of God -> repentence --> forgiveness, restoration and blessing on the land once again...
The last Nation wide "Revival" or repentence of the Jewish Nation is recorded I believe in the book of Haggai, Ezra and Nehemiah. From that time one there were a few prophets and then nothing to the point where Israel once again fell into rebellion in the time of John the Baptist and Christ. Some people did repent but the nation as a whole did not soooo my conclusion is that the curse from all the way in the book of Deuteronomy is still in effect for Israel because they are still in rebellion to God. However I believe the promise for restoration still applies so that Israel will once again be a strong ruling nation under God and more specifically under the Kingship of Jesus Christ.
These are just a few verses and passages that have to do with Israel and endtimes so yeah if you have anything else please share
At the York House of Prayer something that we pray for on a regular basis is the nation Israel and the Jewish people. This is something that I have believed we needed to be praying for as I knew that they need to see Jesus! However I think God has been showing me recently that its a lot more than just that there are many endtime prophecies concerning Israel both in the New and Old testament pointing to the lastdays. I am a little new to this as I have not been led to this until recently. I would like your input into all of this and your beliefs.... I am going to post a few things from the Word that I believe has yet to be fullfilled:
Romans 11 I will post a few key verses here feel free to look it over yourself
1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”[a]? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”[b] 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8 as it is written:
11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way[e] all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
So basically from what I understand a part of the endtime prohecy in the bible is that once "the full number of gentiles has come in" or turns to Christ they will intern reachout to the Jews who will repent and beleve in Jesus and become a literal nation on earth ruled by God.
Deuteronomy 30:1-10
1When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, 2and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3then the Lord your God will restore your fortunesa and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. 4Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. 5He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. 6The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. 7The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. 8You will again obey the Lord and follow all his commands I am giving you today. 9Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, 10if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
So in the book of Deuteronomy there are a set of curses for rebelling against God and blessings/promises for repetence that leads obdience for Israel.
Throughout the OT the above was fullfilled to the letter ex. eatting own childrens flesh (cf. Deut.28:53, Lam 4:10).
We see a pattern of rebellion-->discipline/judement of God -> repentence --> forgiveness, restoration and blessing on the land once again...
The last Nation wide "Revival" or repentence of the Jewish Nation is recorded I believe in the book of Haggai, Ezra and Nehemiah. From that time one there were a few prophets and then nothing to the point where Israel once again fell into rebellion in the time of John the Baptist and Christ. Some people did repent but the nation as a whole did not soooo my conclusion is that the curse from all the way in the book of Deuteronomy is still in effect for Israel because they are still in rebellion to God. However I believe the promise for restoration still applies so that Israel will once again be a strong ruling nation under God and more specifically under the Kingship of Jesus Christ.
These are just a few verses and passages that have to do with Israel and endtimes so yeah if you have anything else please share
Achan
So I was listening to the book of Joshua and the Holy Spirit gave me this really awesome insight/ revelation. I hope this edifies you guys....
God is HOLY!
25And Joshua said, "Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today." And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. Joshua 7:25
So imagine that at your church things are going amazing people are coming in and hearing the Word repenting and growing in faith, when you guys worship the presence of God is there and the whole congregation is edified. God is blessing your evangelism efforts, every time your church goes out to evangelize people get saved, healed, baptized and go bring all their other friends and family to hear the gospel. No one in the church is in need of anything because everyone is caring for on another. The fellowship you share with your brothers and sisters is sweet and rich. You look forward to regular meetings with the saints.
One day all that just stops. The pastor isn't getting any insights from scripture, the worship is dead and monotonous, people are apathetic to the gospel and feel sorry that your a Christian, discouragement and fear come over the whole church, people stop going to regular meetings, the church starts to enter in debt...
And you guys pray God help us and He answers THERE IS SIN IN THE CONGREGATION.
You guys quickly start to find out who it is.....and you find out that its your best friend. He was secretly stealing money from the church.....
God says He must die stone him and his family and then burn him and all his possessions...
You guys all take him outside the church along with his family and you VIOLENTLY STONE HIM. You are crying and mourning. THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING YOUR KILLING YOUR BEST FRIEND or even your own BROTHER OR SON......
But deep inside this you know this is right. There is a cry inside you that screams: this is good, this is just, this must be done. God is Holy and the sin must be purged from among us......
So the above is a little bit of a stretch I admit and its not a good representation of what the Israelites were really going through during that time as a whole. The point of it was to try to help us understand the reality of the situation in the passage.
The closest parallel I could come up with to Achan's sin is stealing money from the church because if you read the passage before all the things were to be devoted to destruction (Joshua 6:21) So as an act of worship.
This story does give us an idea of the HOLINESS OF GOD and how that was a very REAL thing to God's people during that time and STILL is.
We are God's people today and we need to have the same attitude towards God's holiness, however we also have something greater: The revelation of GOD's LOVE through Jesus and how His mercy triumphs over judgement.
God's grace is poured out on us abundantly on us because of Christ so that We (personally) do not need to kill someone in our congregation who sins, however what does happen is that God's blessings can be withheld because of sin both corporate and personal.
I believe that one of the main reasons why we don't see God working the way we read about in the bible is because we are not fully obedient to Him as the church and harbor many other idols above Him.
Just like the Israelites failed in defeating their enemies so we are failing in winning people to Christ and many people are apathetic to God. In fact many sit in the pews week after week without even being moved a little by the love of God or their own sin.
With that in mind let us also remember that when God was moving in the early church in the book of Acts, there was also a case where people in the church were killed for their sin Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1) There have been cases recorded during powerful workings of God that people were also struck down for pretending to be filled with the Holy Spirit when they were not.
God is HOLY!
25And Joshua said, "Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today." And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. Joshua 7:25
So imagine that at your church things are going amazing people are coming in and hearing the Word repenting and growing in faith, when you guys worship the presence of God is there and the whole congregation is edified. God is blessing your evangelism efforts, every time your church goes out to evangelize people get saved, healed, baptized and go bring all their other friends and family to hear the gospel. No one in the church is in need of anything because everyone is caring for on another. The fellowship you share with your brothers and sisters is sweet and rich. You look forward to regular meetings with the saints.
One day all that just stops. The pastor isn't getting any insights from scripture, the worship is dead and monotonous, people are apathetic to the gospel and feel sorry that your a Christian, discouragement and fear come over the whole church, people stop going to regular meetings, the church starts to enter in debt...
And you guys pray God help us and He answers THERE IS SIN IN THE CONGREGATION.
You guys quickly start to find out who it is.....and you find out that its your best friend. He was secretly stealing money from the church.....
God says He must die stone him and his family and then burn him and all his possessions...
You guys all take him outside the church along with his family and you VIOLENTLY STONE HIM. You are crying and mourning. THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING YOUR KILLING YOUR BEST FRIEND or even your own BROTHER OR SON......
But deep inside this you know this is right. There is a cry inside you that screams: this is good, this is just, this must be done. God is Holy and the sin must be purged from among us......
So the above is a little bit of a stretch I admit and its not a good representation of what the Israelites were really going through during that time as a whole. The point of it was to try to help us understand the reality of the situation in the passage.
The closest parallel I could come up with to Achan's sin is stealing money from the church because if you read the passage before all the things were to be devoted to destruction (Joshua 6:21) So as an act of worship.
This story does give us an idea of the HOLINESS OF GOD and how that was a very REAL thing to God's people during that time and STILL is.
We are God's people today and we need to have the same attitude towards God's holiness, however we also have something greater: The revelation of GOD's LOVE through Jesus and how His mercy triumphs over judgement.
God's grace is poured out on us abundantly on us because of Christ so that We (personally) do not need to kill someone in our congregation who sins, however what does happen is that God's blessings can be withheld because of sin both corporate and personal.
I believe that one of the main reasons why we don't see God working the way we read about in the bible is because we are not fully obedient to Him as the church and harbor many other idols above Him.
Just like the Israelites failed in defeating their enemies so we are failing in winning people to Christ and many people are apathetic to God. In fact many sit in the pews week after week without even being moved a little by the love of God or their own sin.
With that in mind let us also remember that when God was moving in the early church in the book of Acts, there was also a case where people in the church were killed for their sin Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1) There have been cases recorded during powerful workings of God that people were also struck down for pretending to be filled with the Holy Spirit when they were not.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Service vs Relationship
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:17...-20
Dont place your hope, expectation, joy and identity on what you do for God or even what He has done through you, but rather rejoice and find your identity in your relationship with Him, in knowing Him for that is what eternal life is
Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3
Dont place your hope, expectation, joy and identity on what you do for God or even what He has done through you, but rather rejoice and find your identity in your relationship with Him, in knowing Him for that is what eternal life is
Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3
Monday, July 25, 2011
Servants
We are called to be servants of the gospel (and Christ), this means we do everything in our power, in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, to lift up the gospel and to maintain the integrity of the gospel message. We are not to use it to exalt ourselves but as servants we serve and go underneath to hold it up and support it. This ...of course is a privilege and honour. It is not a necessity as God is not served by human hands but will exalt His own name on the earth! He doesn't need us! But what is amazing is that He calls us His friends who know His business (John 15). When your friends with someone you know what they are up to in a casual way there is NO PRESSURE to impress! In fact if your working for a friend you get "hook ups" If your friend is the manager of McDonalds and asks you to work for him you will probably be able to get more free food than the rest of the people and more flexible work schedule! Jesus is our friend. He shares with us what HE IS DOING and then lets us be a part of it and gives us privileges that would only be His in the Kingdom! (like the manager to the employee friend)
The sad thing is that today many people (even Christians) use the gospel to exalt themselves above the gospel (and therefore Christ since it is HIS gospel) and use it for selfish purposes such as influence, money and reputation.They step on others in the name of the gospel to make themselves look more righteous. This is a huge temptation for all believers! But a true servant will allow himself to be STEPPED ON for the sake of the gospel! We need to be like the sycamore tree that Zacchaeus stepped on to see Christ! Or Like John the Baptist having the attitude of being less to let the Bridegroom shine or even like Paul who considered himself a slave to the gospel. Christ says that He who wants to be great is to be a servant and first to be a slave of all (Mark 10:43-44)
When we read about the church in 1 Corinthians this is exactly what was going on! Believers were using the gospel and spiritual gifts to exalt themselves instead of Christ, using His name to build their Kingdom and there were many fights in the church! Paul rebukes them:
To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 1 Cor. 6:7
He is saying that it is better to let yourself be wronged for the sake of the gospel and the name of Christ because this was going on in HIS church the very place where there should be love! They were actually hindering the gospel NOT serving it!
The sad thing is that today many people (even Christians) use the gospel to exalt themselves above the gospel (and therefore Christ since it is HIS gospel) and use it for selfish purposes such as influence, money and reputation.They step on others in the name of the gospel to make themselves look more righteous. This is a huge temptation for all believers! But a true servant will allow himself to be STEPPED ON for the sake of the gospel! We need to be like the sycamore tree that Zacchaeus stepped on to see Christ! Or Like John the Baptist having the attitude of being less to let the Bridegroom shine or even like Paul who considered himself a slave to the gospel. Christ says that He who wants to be great is to be a servant and first to be a slave of all (Mark 10:43-44)
When we read about the church in 1 Corinthians this is exactly what was going on! Believers were using the gospel and spiritual gifts to exalt themselves instead of Christ, using His name to build their Kingdom and there were many fights in the church! Paul rebukes them:
To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 1 Cor. 6:7
He is saying that it is better to let yourself be wronged for the sake of the gospel and the name of Christ because this was going on in HIS church the very place where there should be love! They were actually hindering the gospel NOT serving it!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Hebrews
The first concern was that a lot of us look up to other pastors and teachers to derive our beliefs, this is a good thing! However it can also be dangerous if you blindly follow one person's view. I started to write on this because it looks like to me that many people are following what well known pastors believe, taking stances on things without testing the Scriptures for themselves and asking God. More specifically, views on the Holy Spirit, gifts, miracles, etc. (More on this later.)
More importantly, before I go into what I believe on those things, I wanted to encourage everyone to seek God and His truth for themselves and not take any pastor (even a one that is known to be sound in teaching) at their word! The whole point of Christ's death was so that the veil could be torn that was separating man from God, so that now each person who has faith in Christ can have direct access to God and know Him for themselves. The promise that we read in the Bible is this, found in Hebrews 8:10-11 (as quoted from Jeremiah 31:33-34),
This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will a man teach his neighbour,
or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
Teachers are important; they are given to the church in order for it to grow! However, they are not to be the person that the church follows—Christ is the head. When we start to follow other people and not Christ, problems arise. In fact, when we read 1 Corinthians, it is exactly what was going on in that church, it was divided and there were many fights and factions because they were following different people (Apollos, Paul, Peter) and holding them in high esteem rather than seeing them as servants who are there to help them and trying to seek God for themselves.
I think the problem is quite simple, it’s a heart issue. The question we need to ask ourselves is this:
Do you want someone to tell you about who Christ is?
Or do you want to talk to Christ yourself?
Do you want someone to talk about how wonderful Christ is in their life?
Or do you want to know and experience Him for yourself?
Do you want man's praise for knowing theology or do you want to just know Him despite what man will say about your theology? In today's Christian culture, we can read endless books that tell us about Christ but still not know Him intimately for ourselves! I have stressed this before and will do so again, Jesus warns us to “beware the yeast of the Pharisees.” He says this in all four gospels and warns His disciples! He knew it was a trap that believers could easily fall into; head over heart is a key characteristic of legalism.
God promises numerous times—in the law and the prophets (cf. Deut. 29:4, 1 Chron. 28:9, Jer. 29:13)—“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” In the New Testament, Christ Himself promises, “Ask and you will receive, seek and your will find!” (Matt. 7:7) The key word is ‘seek.’ He doesn’t mean seeking him as a side thing or something you do during the leftovers of your day. Rather, he means it in the sense where nothing else matters to you except for seeking that one thing (cf. Psalm 27:4). Like Jesus’ parable of the merchant who sold everything for pearls (cf. Matt. 13:45-46), we must seek God like that! Oh, how many people don't seek God but are satisfied with a second hand experience of God that comes from another person? The whole point of Christ's death is that the veil was torn so that all could have access to Christ!
(I am going to sidetrack a bit here to touch a little on why the OT is relevant and why all the promises made in the OT are still applicable today. Feel free to skip this section! There has been a strange teaching and thought going on in the church that the OT was for the past and that the NT is the relevant section of the bible that is more important. This is not true it is all equally important as the bible tells about God's nature and His nature is unchanging! What someone does tells those around them who they are. Their actions show what is on their heart. This is the same with God what He does tells of who He is! Whenever God does something small that may not make sense to us or seem insignificant we must not overlook it! He did it does it a reason, and this action tells us who He is! For example God decided to use a donkey to speak to Balaam, why? (lol I don't have time to go into that right now :P) As mentioned before God's nature is unchanging! Therefore all the promises made in the OT still apply in the NT. There are several verses that support this in the NT:
For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to our glory of God through us
2 Corinthians 1:20
There are some promises in the bible which were transitory and ultimately fullfilled in Christ however there are some that are still in effect today for example the promise God made to Noah that He would never flood the earth again. Another example is the promise that would follow someone who honours their parents. In the OT we read:
"Honour your father and mother as the LOrd your God has commanded you so that you may live a long life and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving to you" Deut. 5:16, Ex 20:12.
Paul quotes this promise in his letter to the Ephesians (6:1-3)
Chidren obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honour your father and mother- which is the first commandent with a promise - that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."
There are promises that God makes to His people the Israelites, the questions is, does it apply to us? The answer is yes the above example shows that it does. The promises that God made to His people in the past (the Israelites) are the same for His people today. We were grafted into the New Covenant and thus are parttakes in the grace given to the Isrealites through Christ (Romans 11)
It says in the bible that "the Word of the Lord endures forever" (1 Peter 1:24) This was quoted by Peter from Isaiah. We will see many times in the letters that the OT would be quoted to support something the author would be saying! This verse shows that what God says is aways true forever despite what we think or how we may change its meaning!)
One very important belief is in the Holy Spirit and gifts of the Spirit! I am very alarmed that there are so many who do not believe in God's power at work today! It says He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) so why would the God who did miracles in the past and give the Holy Spirit in the past not do it today? A key doctrine that is lost today is the power of the Holy Spirit at work. When people nullify it, they are essentially ignoring large parts of the Word of God; this is skewing it to fit their own taste.
For myself, I cannot help but testify that the gifts do exist; it is as sure and real to me as my salvation and conversion. So, I want to testify that I was freed from my addiction to pornography the day I repented and believed and continued to grow in grace. One day, a few months later, I was reading the book of Ephesians on a bus and suddenly the Spirit of the Most High God came upon me and I felt a fountain of joy in my heart! It was the Spirit bearing witness with my spirit. He was pouring His love on me (Romans 5) and I started to speak in tongues. Before that, I had heard of the gift of tongues and thought it was cool, but that day it became real to me. I did nothing myself; I was just seeking God and He gave it to me. I was a little freaked out at first because the logical side of me was confused and my heart was doubtful, but it didn't matter because it wasn’t about me or who I was but, rather, it was about God working through me.
I know that my girlfriend wanted the gift of tongues for a while because she had trouble expressing the deep parts of her heart in prayer. I told her how speaking in tongues makes expressing your heart to God easier. So, she started to ask God for the gift of tongues; as it says in His Word, “Ask and you will receive.” I was shocked when she started to speak in tongues; God gave it to her only after a week of asking daily!
Jesus asks the Pharisees in Matthew 9:5, “Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?” The answer is that is it is easier to heal a man physically! What is greater than God raising a man from the dead physically? Is it this: God raising a man from the dead spiritually. The greatest miracle God can perform is to raise someone who was dead in their transgressions and make them alive in Christ! Turning a heart of stone that was once blind and rebellious to God and make it into a heart of flesh that desires to obey Him! I am so amazed that Christians who profess that God made them alive cannot believe the ‘lesser’ miracles that He does such as spiritual gifts or physical healing. Think about this! He raised you from the dead! He can do anything!
One of the greatest problems in the church today is the sin of unbelief! Hebrews 3-4 shows that God brought His people out of Egypt and performed many signs, miracles and wonders but still His people would still not believe. I wonder are we like that, God takes us out of the Egypt of sin and we still don’t believe in Him! If God’s own people don’t believe, how can we expect the rest of the world to believe?
More importantly, before I go into what I believe on those things, I wanted to encourage everyone to seek God and His truth for themselves and not take any pastor (even a one that is known to be sound in teaching) at their word! The whole point of Christ's death was so that the veil could be torn that was separating man from God, so that now each person who has faith in Christ can have direct access to God and know Him for themselves. The promise that we read in the Bible is this, found in Hebrews 8:10-11 (as quoted from Jeremiah 31:33-34),
This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will a man teach his neighbour,
or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
Teachers are important; they are given to the church in order for it to grow! However, they are not to be the person that the church follows—Christ is the head. When we start to follow other people and not Christ, problems arise. In fact, when we read 1 Corinthians, it is exactly what was going on in that church, it was divided and there were many fights and factions because they were following different people (Apollos, Paul, Peter) and holding them in high esteem rather than seeing them as servants who are there to help them and trying to seek God for themselves.
I think the problem is quite simple, it’s a heart issue. The question we need to ask ourselves is this:
Do you want someone to tell you about who Christ is?
Or do you want to talk to Christ yourself?
Do you want someone to talk about how wonderful Christ is in their life?
Or do you want to know and experience Him for yourself?
Do you want man's praise for knowing theology or do you want to just know Him despite what man will say about your theology? In today's Christian culture, we can read endless books that tell us about Christ but still not know Him intimately for ourselves! I have stressed this before and will do so again, Jesus warns us to “beware the yeast of the Pharisees.” He says this in all four gospels and warns His disciples! He knew it was a trap that believers could easily fall into; head over heart is a key characteristic of legalism.
God promises numerous times—in the law and the prophets (cf. Deut. 29:4, 1 Chron. 28:9, Jer. 29:13)—“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” In the New Testament, Christ Himself promises, “Ask and you will receive, seek and your will find!” (Matt. 7:7) The key word is ‘seek.’ He doesn’t mean seeking him as a side thing or something you do during the leftovers of your day. Rather, he means it in the sense where nothing else matters to you except for seeking that one thing (cf. Psalm 27:4). Like Jesus’ parable of the merchant who sold everything for pearls (cf. Matt. 13:45-46), we must seek God like that! Oh, how many people don't seek God but are satisfied with a second hand experience of God that comes from another person? The whole point of Christ's death is that the veil was torn so that all could have access to Christ!
(I am going to sidetrack a bit here to touch a little on why the OT is relevant and why all the promises made in the OT are still applicable today. Feel free to skip this section! There has been a strange teaching and thought going on in the church that the OT was for the past and that the NT is the relevant section of the bible that is more important. This is not true it is all equally important as the bible tells about God's nature and His nature is unchanging! What someone does tells those around them who they are. Their actions show what is on their heart. This is the same with God what He does tells of who He is! Whenever God does something small that may not make sense to us or seem insignificant we must not overlook it! He did it does it a reason, and this action tells us who He is! For example God decided to use a donkey to speak to Balaam, why? (lol I don't have time to go into that right now :P) As mentioned before God's nature is unchanging! Therefore all the promises made in the OT still apply in the NT. There are several verses that support this in the NT:
For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to our glory of God through us
2 Corinthians 1:20
There are some promises in the bible which were transitory and ultimately fullfilled in Christ however there are some that are still in effect today for example the promise God made to Noah that He would never flood the earth again. Another example is the promise that would follow someone who honours their parents. In the OT we read:
"Honour your father and mother as the LOrd your God has commanded you so that you may live a long life and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving to you" Deut. 5:16, Ex 20:12.
Paul quotes this promise in his letter to the Ephesians (6:1-3)
Chidren obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honour your father and mother- which is the first commandent with a promise - that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."
There are promises that God makes to His people the Israelites, the questions is, does it apply to us? The answer is yes the above example shows that it does. The promises that God made to His people in the past (the Israelites) are the same for His people today. We were grafted into the New Covenant and thus are parttakes in the grace given to the Isrealites through Christ (Romans 11)
It says in the bible that "the Word of the Lord endures forever" (1 Peter 1:24) This was quoted by Peter from Isaiah. We will see many times in the letters that the OT would be quoted to support something the author would be saying! This verse shows that what God says is aways true forever despite what we think or how we may change its meaning!)
One very important belief is in the Holy Spirit and gifts of the Spirit! I am very alarmed that there are so many who do not believe in God's power at work today! It says He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) so why would the God who did miracles in the past and give the Holy Spirit in the past not do it today? A key doctrine that is lost today is the power of the Holy Spirit at work. When people nullify it, they are essentially ignoring large parts of the Word of God; this is skewing it to fit their own taste.
For myself, I cannot help but testify that the gifts do exist; it is as sure and real to me as my salvation and conversion. So, I want to testify that I was freed from my addiction to pornography the day I repented and believed and continued to grow in grace. One day, a few months later, I was reading the book of Ephesians on a bus and suddenly the Spirit of the Most High God came upon me and I felt a fountain of joy in my heart! It was the Spirit bearing witness with my spirit. He was pouring His love on me (Romans 5) and I started to speak in tongues. Before that, I had heard of the gift of tongues and thought it was cool, but that day it became real to me. I did nothing myself; I was just seeking God and He gave it to me. I was a little freaked out at first because the logical side of me was confused and my heart was doubtful, but it didn't matter because it wasn’t about me or who I was but, rather, it was about God working through me.
I know that my girlfriend wanted the gift of tongues for a while because she had trouble expressing the deep parts of her heart in prayer. I told her how speaking in tongues makes expressing your heart to God easier. So, she started to ask God for the gift of tongues; as it says in His Word, “Ask and you will receive.” I was shocked when she started to speak in tongues; God gave it to her only after a week of asking daily!
Jesus asks the Pharisees in Matthew 9:5, “Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?” The answer is that is it is easier to heal a man physically! What is greater than God raising a man from the dead physically? Is it this: God raising a man from the dead spiritually. The greatest miracle God can perform is to raise someone who was dead in their transgressions and make them alive in Christ! Turning a heart of stone that was once blind and rebellious to God and make it into a heart of flesh that desires to obey Him! I am so amazed that Christians who profess that God made them alive cannot believe the ‘lesser’ miracles that He does such as spiritual gifts or physical healing. Think about this! He raised you from the dead! He can do anything!
One of the greatest problems in the church today is the sin of unbelief! Hebrews 3-4 shows that God brought His people out of Egypt and performed many signs, miracles and wonders but still His people would still not believe. I wonder are we like that, God takes us out of the Egypt of sin and we still don’t believe in Him! If God’s own people don’t believe, how can we expect the rest of the world to believe?
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Mind vs. Heart
Hey just something the Holy Spirit was teaching me today that I felt the need to share with you all!
In the reformed community we have the right truth (more or less) however, we reverse the order in which we should learn it. Many times we spend so much time on learning correct theology in our minds, however it doesn't connect with our ...heart and thus we strive in the flesh to practice these theological truths in our day to day lives by remembering them in our minds and it fails.
This is because the understanding of these truth should actually come from the HEART, Then to our mind and out of our mouths.
When it comes to the great theologians they did not come up with the doctrine from a scholarly study using human means. Instead they were gifted by the Spirit to communicate biblical truth to the rest of the body. They understood the truth in their HEART first and then from there to their mind and to preaching or writing.
We can know these truths in our head but only God can bring it to life in our hearts.
Many people know that Christ died for our sins, few believe they are sinners (its heart issue)
ex. "The foolish says in his HEART" (Psalm 14) note he says in his heart, not head!)
Love the Lord your GOd with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength!" (Luke 10:27)
The order in which Christ says it is of course important Heart to soul then to the mind. So yes the mind is important as well!
When we have truth in our mind and not the heart it could become dangerous because it gives us the illusion that we are growing and spiritual when the real test is the fruit of the Spirit. In short theology becomes an idol and a way for our flesh to boast.
1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 1 Corths 8:1
The line here I want to key on it is knowledge puffs up but love builds up.
What this tells us is that when interacting with other believers it is not wrong to talk theology, but the more benefically thing to do is love them, better yet "speak truth in love"
How do we know its in love?
Ask yourself: By me saying this will it make me look good or God look good and turn the eyes of this brother or sister to Christ?
That being said you may still feel pride in doing so HOWEVER
...that does not mean you were not doing it in love because God works in our weaknesses but also because love is not a feeling but a choice.
Our unbelief as believers in miracles that we hear about such as healings and other things and our uncomfortable feelling in Spirit filled meetings comes because we have learning in our minds but our hearts are still filled with unbelief! We are trying to understand the impossible and the unlimited in our limited minds. When we try to understand God and His might in only our fallen minds..it doesnt work we will have a brain fart. We can only see God rightly in our heart through faith by the Spirit of Christ.
In the reformed community we have the right truth (more or less) however, we reverse the order in which we should learn it. Many times we spend so much time on learning correct theology in our minds, however it doesn't connect with our ...heart and thus we strive in the flesh to practice these theological truths in our day to day lives by remembering them in our minds and it fails.
This is because the understanding of these truth should actually come from the HEART, Then to our mind and out of our mouths.
When it comes to the great theologians they did not come up with the doctrine from a scholarly study using human means. Instead they were gifted by the Spirit to communicate biblical truth to the rest of the body. They understood the truth in their HEART first and then from there to their mind and to preaching or writing.
We can know these truths in our head but only God can bring it to life in our hearts.
Many people know that Christ died for our sins, few believe they are sinners (its heart issue)
ex. "The foolish says in his HEART" (Psalm 14) note he says in his heart, not head!)
Love the Lord your GOd with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength!" (Luke 10:27)
The order in which Christ says it is of course important Heart to soul then to the mind. So yes the mind is important as well!
When we have truth in our mind and not the heart it could become dangerous because it gives us the illusion that we are growing and spiritual when the real test is the fruit of the Spirit. In short theology becomes an idol and a way for our flesh to boast.
1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 1 Corths 8:1
The line here I want to key on it is knowledge puffs up but love builds up.
What this tells us is that when interacting with other believers it is not wrong to talk theology, but the more benefically thing to do is love them, better yet "speak truth in love"
How do we know its in love?
Ask yourself: By me saying this will it make me look good or God look good and turn the eyes of this brother or sister to Christ?
That being said you may still feel pride in doing so HOWEVER
...that does not mean you were not doing it in love because God works in our weaknesses but also because love is not a feeling but a choice.
Our unbelief as believers in miracles that we hear about such as healings and other things and our uncomfortable feelling in Spirit filled meetings comes because we have learning in our minds but our hearts are still filled with unbelief! We are trying to understand the impossible and the unlimited in our limited minds. When we try to understand God and His might in only our fallen minds..it doesnt work we will have a brain fart. We can only see God rightly in our heart through faith by the Spirit of Christ.
Lord, Do It Again! from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.
Monday, July 4, 2011
approaching God's Throne of Grace!
When approaching God in prayer, most people only make it to the outer court, few people make it to the inner court and even fewer people make it to the throne and fewer still, stay before the throne long enough to be changed by His glory (those who do that really receive grace to impact the kingdom in mighty ways).
The LORD said to Mo...ses: "Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. Leviticus 16:2
In the OT, there was the outer court, the inner court (Holy place) and the Most Holy Place (inner inner court). The worshippers and gentiles could only go into the outer court. The priests to the inner and the High Priest to the Holy of Holies where God's glory (literally) would rest above of the Mercy Seat (or Ark in other translations)
The thing is now with the blood of Jesus our great High Priest ANYONE can approach the throne of grace in the Most Holy place its OPEN, thats why the veil was torn in the temple when Christ died!
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16
We're told to approach the throne of God's grace, but many times we don't make it that far... in prayer, how many times do we stay in prayer and wrestle with God long enough that He blesses and gives us spiritual strength to walk with Him for that day?
Thye closer you get to the sun, the hotter it is. God is holy, The closer you get to God the more of His holy light He shines on your life, the more the impurities of the heart are burned away. However this is not a pleasant experience so most Chrisitans stay far off in the "outer court" where its "safe". But those who stay in the back don't get to see the full glory of God! (its sorta like being at concert but being in the very back except God is 93849384 better)
"Our God is a consuming fire" As Christians we must daily offer ourselves as sacrifices before God on the altar to be changed by Him so that we are ready to see Him face to face.
The LORD said to Mo...ses: "Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. Leviticus 16:2
In the OT, there was the outer court, the inner court (Holy place) and the Most Holy Place (inner inner court). The worshippers and gentiles could only go into the outer court. The priests to the inner and the High Priest to the Holy of Holies where God's glory (literally) would rest above of the Mercy Seat (or Ark in other translations)
The thing is now with the blood of Jesus our great High Priest ANYONE can approach the throne of grace in the Most Holy place its OPEN, thats why the veil was torn in the temple when Christ died!
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16
We're told to approach the throne of God's grace, but many times we don't make it that far... in prayer, how many times do we stay in prayer and wrestle with God long enough that He blesses and gives us spiritual strength to walk with Him for that day?
Thye closer you get to the sun, the hotter it is. God is holy, The closer you get to God the more of His holy light He shines on your life, the more the impurities of the heart are burned away. However this is not a pleasant experience so most Chrisitans stay far off in the "outer court" where its "safe". But those who stay in the back don't get to see the full glory of God! (its sorta like being at concert but being in the very back except God is 93849384 better)
"Our God is a consuming fire" As Christians we must daily offer ourselves as sacrifices before God on the altar to be changed by Him so that we are ready to see Him face to face.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Fear God Not Demon or Man
So I was praying today and the spirit of fear came upon me.
I started to ask God for help and looked up at the sky to see the stars in the sky and realized that God was BIGGER
I then started to fear God while at the same time fearing demonic spirits and fear.
Except my fear of God was greater so I got on my knees and prayed in fear
Fear to pray because of demons but fear not to pray b/c of God
I realized that in the scheme of things I am at the very bottom but I also remembered that the aazing thing about God is that even though I fear Him, He is my helper and fortress from my enemy!
I started to ask God for help and looked up at the sky to see the stars in the sky and realized that God was BIGGER
I then started to fear God while at the same time fearing demonic spirits and fear.
Except my fear of God was greater so I got on my knees and prayed in fear
Fear to pray because of demons but fear not to pray b/c of God
I realized that in the scheme of things I am at the very bottom but I also remembered that the aazing thing about God is that even though I fear Him, He is my helper and fortress from my enemy!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Servant of All
16Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. 17If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; th...ere is nothing false about him. John 7:16-18
The hardest thing and most vital thing anyone who is called to be a minister of the Most High must learn to do (in addition to pray) is to walk before God and not before man. The man of God must not be swayed by the opinion of the people whether positive or negative but must continally seek to gain God's approval.
The man must be a servant of all to be great and a slave if he is to be first (Mark 10:42-43)
He must bear in love and be able to endure persecution and slander from amongst his own brothers and sisters in the body and then the world. He must allow himself to be stepped on in order for others to see Christ.
Lets take two people who made the greatest impact for God.
Jesus Christ Himself was the most EXALTED of ALL HUMANS. Yet many considered him demon possessed and crazy in His time (John 7) He was discredited by the "church" (or the equivalent during the time since the real church was not born until Christ died. A better description would be the institution that was supposed to stand for God) through the major religious leaders.
1So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me 1 Cor. 4:1-4
Paul made himself a SLAVE to all and considered himself to have no rights. He truly walked before God and did not care if he was judged by people!
The churches that he started would turn on him and call him a fake even though he was the real deal! (read 1+2 Cor for reference)
. 4Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 2 cor 6:4-8
He daily faced the burden of the churches all over the world whether they loved or hated him whether the accepted or rejected him (2 Cor 11:28). His only goal was to present a pure bride to Christ 2 Cor. 11:2)!
1So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me 1 Cor. 4:1-4
Many look at numbers as a sign of a sucessful minister. Though this could be a good sign many times it is not true. For the man of truth the definition of a sucessful ministry would be for him to walk before God without compromise despite the numbers till the very end. (Lets rememeber Jeremiah, who walked before God during his whole ministry yet had a grand total of 1 convert that is described or a small handful if any)
Going back to being a servant of all:
Jesus was the greatest servant who held the whole world PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE under Him in the one critical moment on the cross in human history!
The cross of Christ was literally THE WORLD on His shoulders. WHat helps me is the greek myth of Atlus who held the world up. I imagine that in Jesus x290293209
Christ was truly the strongest since no one had the Spiritual strength to do what He did but Christ Himself.
But WE ARE CALLED TO BE LIKE HIM.
This is the analogy I have thought of:
The human pyramid.
THe one top gets the glory but is always the weakest and smallest
The ones at the bottom are the strongest and get no glory
though in reality the bottom ones are the most important.
in the same way the spiritually weak are held up by the spiritually strong who allow themselves to bear the weight of the weak at their own expense
They bear with the weak's sins until the weak can mature and start to support others for themselves.
The stronger you are, the LOWER you go!
This is what discipleship is or a good part of it bearing with infants until they are strong enough to take up their cross and follow Christ!
Many Christians can do no work for Christ simply because they are still trying to DENY themselves!
The hardest thing and most vital thing anyone who is called to be a minister of the Most High must learn to do (in addition to pray) is to walk before God and not before man. The man of God must not be swayed by the opinion of the people whether positive or negative but must continally seek to gain God's approval.
The man must be a servant of all to be great and a slave if he is to be first (Mark 10:42-43)
He must bear in love and be able to endure persecution and slander from amongst his own brothers and sisters in the body and then the world. He must allow himself to be stepped on in order for others to see Christ.
Lets take two people who made the greatest impact for God.
Jesus Christ Himself was the most EXALTED of ALL HUMANS. Yet many considered him demon possessed and crazy in His time (John 7) He was discredited by the "church" (or the equivalent during the time since the real church was not born until Christ died. A better description would be the institution that was supposed to stand for God) through the major religious leaders.
1So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me 1 Cor. 4:1-4
Paul made himself a SLAVE to all and considered himself to have no rights. He truly walked before God and did not care if he was judged by people!
The churches that he started would turn on him and call him a fake even though he was the real deal! (read 1+2 Cor for reference)
. 4Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 2 cor 6:4-8
He daily faced the burden of the churches all over the world whether they loved or hated him whether the accepted or rejected him (2 Cor 11:28). His only goal was to present a pure bride to Christ 2 Cor. 11:2)!
1So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me 1 Cor. 4:1-4
Many look at numbers as a sign of a sucessful minister. Though this could be a good sign many times it is not true. For the man of truth the definition of a sucessful ministry would be for him to walk before God without compromise despite the numbers till the very end. (Lets rememeber Jeremiah, who walked before God during his whole ministry yet had a grand total of 1 convert that is described or a small handful if any)
Going back to being a servant of all:
Jesus was the greatest servant who held the whole world PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE under Him in the one critical moment on the cross in human history!
The cross of Christ was literally THE WORLD on His shoulders. WHat helps me is the greek myth of Atlus who held the world up. I imagine that in Jesus x290293209
Christ was truly the strongest since no one had the Spiritual strength to do what He did but Christ Himself.
But WE ARE CALLED TO BE LIKE HIM.
This is the analogy I have thought of:
The human pyramid.
THe one top gets the glory but is always the weakest and smallest
The ones at the bottom are the strongest and get no glory
though in reality the bottom ones are the most important.
in the same way the spiritually weak are held up by the spiritually strong who allow themselves to bear the weight of the weak at their own expense
They bear with the weak's sins until the weak can mature and start to support others for themselves.
The stronger you are, the LOWER you go!
This is what discipleship is or a good part of it bearing with infants until they are strong enough to take up their cross and follow Christ!
Many Christians can do no work for Christ simply because they are still trying to DENY themselves!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
He is the Lord Forever His Truth Shall Reign
He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.
Psalm 9:8
For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Luke 8:17
...Although in the days that we live in there are so many different types of teachings out there. The truth of God remains constant. We might wonder why God allows so many of these teachings that have half truths in them to lead so many astray but He allows it because He is merciful and because in the end despite how fallen man has distorted His Word, it will come out on top proving to be the LIVING INFAILABLE WORD OF GOD!
"He is the Lord forever His truth shall REIGN" (From the worship song He is Exalted)
When Christ comes the light will expose all the darkness and lies of the enemy. On that day, some people who were thought to be holy and pious will be shown to be frauds. While other people thought to be crazy and heretical will actually be shown to be the ones who were truly the ones who loved Christ.
The body (in the state at it is in now) will be so ashamed that they caused so many divisions within themselves over disputable because they'll be able to SEE CLEARLY that they were actually all brothers and sisters all along!
Psalm 9:8
For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Luke 8:17
...Although in the days that we live in there are so many different types of teachings out there. The truth of God remains constant. We might wonder why God allows so many of these teachings that have half truths in them to lead so many astray but He allows it because He is merciful and because in the end despite how fallen man has distorted His Word, it will come out on top proving to be the LIVING INFAILABLE WORD OF GOD!
"He is the Lord forever His truth shall REIGN" (From the worship song He is Exalted)
When Christ comes the light will expose all the darkness and lies of the enemy. On that day, some people who were thought to be holy and pious will be shown to be frauds. While other people thought to be crazy and heretical will actually be shown to be the ones who were truly the ones who loved Christ.
The body (in the state at it is in now) will be so ashamed that they caused so many divisions within themselves over disputable because they'll be able to SEE CLEARLY that they were actually all brothers and sisters all along!
Mount of Transfiguration
Why did Moses and Elijah appear on the Mount of Transfiguration with Christ?
Lets take a look at what they did:
Moses led God's people out of captivity and was the mediator of the first covenant between them and God
Elijah led God's people out of a great time of apostasy
Moses and Elijah were the only two prophets who had a 40 day "wilderness" experience similar to that of Christ.
Moses was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days
Elijah travelled for 40 days and nights with food from only ONE meal (1 King 19:7)
On the Mount of transfiguration it says "They spoke about his departure," (Luke 9:31)
That means the glorfied Moses and Elijah was having a conversation with Jesus about what He had to do!
Christ would:
1. Establish a new and better covenant with God's people and be the mediator of that covenant
2. As a result would lead many Jewish people out of the apostasy of their time
Elijah and Moses was giving Christ counsel on how to do what He was going to do!
(Jesus learned just like US He had to learn things from the bible like us too)
So basically
Moses+Elijah = Jesus
Lets take a look at what they did:
Moses led God's people out of captivity and was the mediator of the first covenant between them and God
Elijah led God's people out of a great time of apostasy
Moses and Elijah were the only two prophets who had a 40 day "wilderness" experience similar to that of Christ.
Moses was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days
Elijah travelled for 40 days and nights with food from only ONE meal (1 King 19:7)
On the Mount of transfiguration it says "They spoke about his departure," (Luke 9:31)
That means the glorfied Moses and Elijah was having a conversation with Jesus about what He had to do!
Christ would:
1. Establish a new and better covenant with God's people and be the mediator of that covenant
2. As a result would lead many Jewish people out of the apostasy of their time
Elijah and Moses was giving Christ counsel on how to do what He was going to do!
(Jesus learned just like US He had to learn things from the bible like us too)
So basically
Moses+Elijah = Jesus
Sunday, June 12, 2011
My Generation is Aching for YOU
WOW my heart is just so burdened for the youth right now.
they are so lost.
I was just praying for a bit and the Lord just lay this message on my heart:
...The reality of heaven and hell is already apparent NOW
We taste a bit of hell in all the loneliness, fear ,anxiety, depression, emptiness Those times in the secret place times when were apart from other people
That multiplied by infinitely its all that in addition to the fact that you can no longer go and take comfort in the things of the flesh.
For example, those times when you are depressed or sad so what do you do? you try to ignore or hide it in food, friends, porn, sex
In hell you can't take comfort in physical things because your physical body is consumed in fire as well.
Its like we try to put a bandaid on a gaping gash that needs stitches but even worse. We try to use temporary physial solution to try to solve an ETERNAL spiritual problem. That is why the humanism psychology, counseling is SO DECIEVING today and really, is INEFFECTIVE. As written in Colossians 2:23
Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
How many of our youth today are just depressed or apathetic like all the time? (especially in the church)
My friend was saying how the biggest lie the devil tells the youth today is that God is boring and its so true the generation before has failed in telling their children the praiseworthy DEEDS of the Lord
We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.
Psalm 78:4
18Let this be written for a future generation,
that a people not yet created may praise the Lord:
Psalm 102
They have instituted Christianity so much
People should come to church and come face to face with the AWESOME SOUL CRUSHING TRUTH OF GOD and the beauty, glory and majesty of CHRIST with eyes of fire, hair white like wool, a sword of righteousness coming out of His mouth, a face that shines like the sun and feet like red hot bronze (that is NOT boring)....He totally pawns Cloud, Squall and Tidus..... instead of having their eyes glazed over by a watered down neatly packed and delivered a "sermon" on "how to live a better moral life without God (or with God on the SIDE and not at the centre)
Clearly that is an impossibility since only God is good and love comes from Him. (1 John and the story of the rich young ruler and Jesus)
We are so encaptivated by LIES like obssessed with the FALSE reality and fantasies of videogames, movies, television dramas and novels.
How many of us find comfort in watching T.V. instead of reading the bible?
How many of us "lose ourselves" in these things over Christ?
I remember before I was saved I used to watch anime series after anime series like I never wanted it to end because I would be so EMPTY after.
What does the bible say about these things?
How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Selah Psalm 4:2
also
Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.
Psalm 24:3-4
Key lines are lift soul up to idol and swear by what is false!
Swearing by what is false is simply believing and basing your life on a LIE whatever that maybe. (your in denial of the true reality of your life)
Brothers and Sisters
We need to seriously PRAY and intercede for them it looks like such a crazy impossibility, but God WILL turn the tide and hear us if we stay faithful in prayer.
Like even now if you don't have anything to do on Saturday mornings come to Markham Chinese Baptist Church for a prayer meeting =)
they are so lost.
I was just praying for a bit and the Lord just lay this message on my heart:
...The reality of heaven and hell is already apparent NOW
We taste a bit of hell in all the loneliness, fear ,anxiety, depression, emptiness Those times in the secret place times when were apart from other people
That multiplied by infinitely its all that in addition to the fact that you can no longer go and take comfort in the things of the flesh.
For example, those times when you are depressed or sad so what do you do? you try to ignore or hide it in food, friends, porn, sex
In hell you can't take comfort in physical things because your physical body is consumed in fire as well.
Its like we try to put a bandaid on a gaping gash that needs stitches but even worse. We try to use temporary physial solution to try to solve an ETERNAL spiritual problem. That is why the humanism psychology, counseling is SO DECIEVING today and really, is INEFFECTIVE. As written in Colossians 2:23
Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
How many of our youth today are just depressed or apathetic like all the time? (especially in the church)
My friend was saying how the biggest lie the devil tells the youth today is that God is boring and its so true the generation before has failed in telling their children the praiseworthy DEEDS of the Lord
We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.
Psalm 78:4
18Let this be written for a future generation,
that a people not yet created may praise the Lord:
Psalm 102
They have instituted Christianity so much
People should come to church and come face to face with the AWESOME SOUL CRUSHING TRUTH OF GOD and the beauty, glory and majesty of CHRIST with eyes of fire, hair white like wool, a sword of righteousness coming out of His mouth, a face that shines like the sun and feet like red hot bronze (that is NOT boring)....He totally pawns Cloud, Squall and Tidus..... instead of having their eyes glazed over by a watered down neatly packed and delivered a "sermon" on "how to live a better moral life without God (or with God on the SIDE and not at the centre)
Clearly that is an impossibility since only God is good and love comes from Him. (1 John and the story of the rich young ruler and Jesus)
We are so encaptivated by LIES like obssessed with the FALSE reality and fantasies of videogames, movies, television dramas and novels.
How many of us find comfort in watching T.V. instead of reading the bible?
How many of us "lose ourselves" in these things over Christ?
I remember before I was saved I used to watch anime series after anime series like I never wanted it to end because I would be so EMPTY after.
What does the bible say about these things?
How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Selah Psalm 4:2
also
Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.
Psalm 24:3-4
Key lines are lift soul up to idol and swear by what is false!
Swearing by what is false is simply believing and basing your life on a LIE whatever that maybe. (your in denial of the true reality of your life)
Brothers and Sisters
We need to seriously PRAY and intercede for them it looks like such a crazy impossibility, but God WILL turn the tide and hear us if we stay faithful in prayer.
Like even now if you don't have anything to do on Saturday mornings come to Markham Chinese Baptist Church for a prayer meeting =)
Saturday, June 11, 2011
prayer
If there is one thing a Christian should do before he dies is to learn to pray.
The diciples went and asked Jesus to teach them to pray, not to teach or preach or heal or prophecy or evangelize but to PRAY. There must have been something in the way Christ prayed that made the disciples want to have the kind of relationship Christ had with the Father. Christ was a man devoted to prayer first and then to ministry He knew that He could do nothing apart from the Father, how come so many Christians today think they can do Christ's work without following His example of prayer?
The diciples went and asked Jesus to teach them to pray, not to teach or preach or heal or prophecy or evangelize but to PRAY. There must have been something in the way Christ prayed that made the disciples want to have the kind of relationship Christ had with the Father. Christ was a man devoted to prayer first and then to ministry He knew that He could do nothing apart from the Father, how come so many Christians today think they can do Christ's work without following His example of prayer?
Monday, June 6, 2011
God put Himself into flesh at the time of incarnation. Today God has put Himself into the church. His
power and work are found in the church. At the time of the four Gospels, God did not do anything apart
from that flesh. All of His works were committed to the Son. In the same way God has entrusted all of
His works to the church. He does not do anything apart from the church. God does not work
independently; He works exclusively through the church. From Pentecost until today, God's work has
always been carried out through the church. Just as He committed Himself wholly, unequivocally, and
unreservedly to one person—Christ, He has given Himself wholly, unequivocally, and unreservedly to
the church. How great the church's responsibility before God is! The church can limit God's work; it
can limit God's release.
- Watchman Nee
power and work are found in the church. At the time of the four Gospels, God did not do anything apart
from that flesh. All of His works were committed to the Son. In the same way God has entrusted all of
His works to the church. He does not do anything apart from the church. God does not work
independently; He works exclusively through the church. From Pentecost until today, God's work has
always been carried out through the church. Just as He committed Himself wholly, unequivocally, and
unreservedly to one person—Christ, He has given Himself wholly, unequivocally, and unreservedly to
the church. How great the church's responsibility before God is! The church can limit God's work; it
can limit God's release.
- Watchman Nee
Friday, June 3, 2011
On Relationships
A godly biblical relation isn`t as simple as the submission of the man to God and the woman to the man but rather God leading the relationship through the man and the man submitting the relationship to God. The woman then sees the image of Christ in the man and naturally submits. In this way she is subitting to God. If the relationship is more important to the man than God the man will end up hurting the spiritual growth of the woman and himself. In other words if the Man is not submitted to God it affects the relationship in a negative way since the Man and women is once flesh. The reverse is also true if the woman is not submitted to Christ because of sin she will not be submissive to a godly man and will be a hinderance in his pursit to Christ instead of an encouragement.
Of this woman the proverb is true:
A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day; Pr. 27:15 and
Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. Pr 21:9
Check Eph. 6:21-33 for further reference
This is why it is important dear brothers and sisters to not just find a Christian to marry, but someone who PURSUES CHRIST in other words a Man or Woman of God. The relationship must be Christ centered. Meaning the relationship starts as a result of FELLOWSHIP and not by carnal means.
What does this look like practically
Well everytime you get together the conversation is like 90% theology and yo ucan naturally PRAY AND WORSHIP with that person with out feeling awkward.
In Christ,
Evangel
Of this woman the proverb is true:
A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day; Pr. 27:15 and
Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. Pr 21:9
Check Eph. 6:21-33 for further reference
This is why it is important dear brothers and sisters to not just find a Christian to marry, but someone who PURSUES CHRIST in other words a Man or Woman of God. The relationship must be Christ centered. Meaning the relationship starts as a result of FELLOWSHIP and not by carnal means.
What does this look like practically
Well everytime you get together the conversation is like 90% theology and yo ucan naturally PRAY AND WORSHIP with that person with out feeling awkward.
In Christ,
Evangel
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
An Exhortation to Pray
Just wanted to exhort everyone on the importance of prayer since we are a stubborn and obstinate people and need constant reminders to stay on track!
In hell God does not hear the cries of man despite their screams of torment for all eternity. In the land of the living. He hears the prayer of all ppl as soon as they on Him and answers.
When I was discussing this with my friend Judy K Jo she was saying how Heaven is WAITING for the people on the earth to PRAY so that it can send something DOWN!
In heaven we don't need to pray anymore cuz we'll be in the presence of God so the only time we can pray is when were STILL ALIVE.
What kills me is that we're so foolish that we dont take this grace of prayer seriously and pray so little. We looked at it as an obligation when its the EXACT opposite! Its actually a priviledge WE GET TO APPROACH THE GLORIOUS THRONE. We don't earn brownie points with God for praying!
The Christian life is impossible to live without prayer. Sadly many Christians do not live the life they are called to live simply because they were to prideful to ask for help to do it. Many times we focus on the things we need to do for God when we fail to recognize that things only get done through prayer.
We try to do this event and that thing for God with little or no prayer when all that really needs to happen is for God to BEAM down His power on ONE event and then an explosion would happen.
Jesus lived 30 years on earth before He started His ministry, was His life wasted?
NO
Because He moved in and with the Father
It says in His Word For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' Acts 17:28
Imagine we if we all lived and moved IN HIM every second of our lives! Every word we speak and every action we make.....
WOW things would get done
Prayer accomplishes this it clears up the connection between the vessel and the Potter the more you pray the more you live your life IN HIM and the more you naturally do what He wills and the more you are used.
In hell God does not hear the cries of man despite their screams of torment for all eternity. In the land of the living. He hears the prayer of all ppl as soon as they on Him and answers.
When I was discussing this with my friend Judy K Jo she was saying how Heaven is WAITING for the people on the earth to PRAY so that it can send something DOWN!
In heaven we don't need to pray anymore cuz we'll be in the presence of God so the only time we can pray is when were STILL ALIVE.
What kills me is that we're so foolish that we dont take this grace of prayer seriously and pray so little. We looked at it as an obligation when its the EXACT opposite! Its actually a priviledge WE GET TO APPROACH THE GLORIOUS THRONE. We don't earn brownie points with God for praying!
The Christian life is impossible to live without prayer. Sadly many Christians do not live the life they are called to live simply because they were to prideful to ask for help to do it. Many times we focus on the things we need to do for God when we fail to recognize that things only get done through prayer.
We try to do this event and that thing for God with little or no prayer when all that really needs to happen is for God to BEAM down His power on ONE event and then an explosion would happen.
Jesus lived 30 years on earth before He started His ministry, was His life wasted?
NO
Because He moved in and with the Father
It says in His Word For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' Acts 17:28
Imagine we if we all lived and moved IN HIM every second of our lives! Every word we speak and every action we make.....
WOW things would get done
Prayer accomplishes this it clears up the connection between the vessel and the Potter the more you pray the more you live your life IN HIM and the more you naturally do what He wills and the more you are used.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Parable Ten Virgins
So I was freaking out trying to make sense of this parable.
I always assume that the insights that come to me right off the top are to obvious and easy and so there must be some sort of deep revelation that I'm missing out on. I think a part of me wants to look smart. So I kill myself trying to figure out what it is. (because there is a deeper revelation, but it only comes with God and most of the time when I'm not trying to understand but I'm just reading)
When it comes to understanding the bible, it can go so deep and wide with the same truth! Thats whats so amazing about it! Each person filled with the Spirit has a different revelation from that same truth! Mind you, understanding only comes through the Spirit and not any fleshly means!
I was really surprised when I found out my insights which I thought were obvious had an impact on people! I think I'm so used to reading and understanding right away that I forget what it was like reading the bible as a new believer....confusing, boring and frusting.
Now I love His Words so much!
As the Psalmist says: O How I LOVE YOUR LAW
and Jesus says Man does not live on bread alone
and His Word is a LAMP to my feet like wow everything makes sense through His Word!
So here is the passage:
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Insights:
Bridegroom - Jesus (as mentioned many times in the bible)
Comments:
Reminds me of the song Give me Oil
Give me oil in my lamp keep me burning
Give me oil in my lamp I pray
Give me oil in my lamp keep me burning burning burning
Keep me burning till the break of day!
Observations
- the virgins all knew about the bridgroom and were invited
- they all had burning lamps when they left
- only at the last minute was there a distinction between them!
- the foolish virgins knew about the oil yet did not go back to get more
- this took place at night since the foolish virgins asked for more since "theirs was running out" indicating that it had been burning previously for it to run out!
Questions
- does midnight mean when the night turns to day or during the darkest part of the night?
- Why did the foolish virgins wait until the last minute?
- What does sleep mean?
- How do lamps work? What does trim mean? --> like make it glow brighter?
- how come they were all virgins? What does that represent?
Application:
- One cannot depend on the oil or faith of another to save them! Each person must have their own faith! That is why the wise virgins could not share with the foolish! Many times people depend on the faith of their family or friends but don't have any of their own! At the end we can only save ourselves and no once else! As mentioned in Ezekiel the righteousness of a father will not affect his son
- The foolish virgins looked exactly like the wise until the last minute! The different between the two is that the wise anticipated a long wait and thus took extra oil where as the foolish thought the bridegroom would come soon and anticipated it to be an easy thing. Many people expect following Christ to be easy and so they do not prepare themselves..... They didn't have enough oil to last through the NIGHT! (the most critical moment!) Many times people look like they love CHrist but they don't have what it takes in the critical moments!
- Sleep in this parable is symbolic for the everyday troubles and pleasures of life since BOTH wise and foolish virgins fell asleep this is something that ALL people must go through this makes sense as waiting for the coming of Christ is not an easy thing! We must still go through this life! This is spiritual sleep. Since this parable represents spiritual things the reality in the parable is the spiritual and the "sleep" is the physical.
However Jesus warns His disciples not to get caught up in the dissipations of the world and to in it but not of it. The foolish virgins slept as their oil ran out! In the same way this represents those who get caught up in the world and don't watch their oil! Whereas the wise truly live as though this world were not theirs!
Since all the virgins slept through till the coming of the Bridegroom, this extra oil must be something that one gets BEFORE they set out on their journey! Many times people who profess Christ will see something in a true believer that they do not have and brush it off. In the sameway the foolish virgins were with the wise how come they did not ask sooner or go back to get more oil?
I can imagine that they were waiting for a good few hours before they started to become drowsy! They were probably also talking with each other! The foolish virgins had plenty of opportunity to go back and get more! But they did not. In addition to this there was a warning call thats when the foolish virgins set out! Indicating there was some time between the warning and the coming of the King! However the last call is still too late, we must be prepared BEFORE that time!
The door was shut to the foolish indicating that they were not saved and therefore did not make it into the Kingdom wedding feast! There is only one shot, we need to be BURNING when the bridegroom comes.
We are to be people who prepare the way of Christ in this dark world by lighting a path for Him to ride through! (Just like the virgins who went out to MEET the bridegroom) and John the Baptist "John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light." John 5:35
The last admonishment in this parable is to keep watch or be alert in other translations. It reminds us of Jesuss words to His diciples "keep watch and pray" A good test to see if someone is of the world but not in it and who truly has oil (oil meaning the Spirit) is this:
After going through the busy routine of life where does that person find their rest?
In the world or in the Lord as the Psalmist says "My soul finds rest in God alone"
One with oil will in a sense find their rest in another Kingdom and not in the world. They are waiting expectantly for His coming! When we pray we are waking up to our real life leaving the dream of the world behind us.
I always assume that the insights that come to me right off the top are to obvious and easy and so there must be some sort of deep revelation that I'm missing out on. I think a part of me wants to look smart. So I kill myself trying to figure out what it is. (because there is a deeper revelation, but it only comes with God and most of the time when I'm not trying to understand but I'm just reading)
When it comes to understanding the bible, it can go so deep and wide with the same truth! Thats whats so amazing about it! Each person filled with the Spirit has a different revelation from that same truth! Mind you, understanding only comes through the Spirit and not any fleshly means!
I was really surprised when I found out my insights which I thought were obvious had an impact on people! I think I'm so used to reading and understanding right away that I forget what it was like reading the bible as a new believer....confusing, boring and frusting.
Now I love His Words so much!
As the Psalmist says: O How I LOVE YOUR LAW
and Jesus says Man does not live on bread alone
and His Word is a LAMP to my feet like wow everything makes sense through His Word!
So here is the passage:
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Insights:
Bridegroom - Jesus (as mentioned many times in the bible)
Comments:
Reminds me of the song Give me Oil
Give me oil in my lamp keep me burning
Give me oil in my lamp I pray
Give me oil in my lamp keep me burning burning burning
Keep me burning till the break of day!
Observations
- the virgins all knew about the bridgroom and were invited
- they all had burning lamps when they left
- only at the last minute was there a distinction between them!
- the foolish virgins knew about the oil yet did not go back to get more
- this took place at night since the foolish virgins asked for more since "theirs was running out" indicating that it had been burning previously for it to run out!
Questions
- does midnight mean when the night turns to day or during the darkest part of the night?
- Why did the foolish virgins wait until the last minute?
- What does sleep mean?
- How do lamps work? What does trim mean? --> like make it glow brighter?
- how come they were all virgins? What does that represent?
Application:
- One cannot depend on the oil or faith of another to save them! Each person must have their own faith! That is why the wise virgins could not share with the foolish! Many times people depend on the faith of their family or friends but don't have any of their own! At the end we can only save ourselves and no once else! As mentioned in Ezekiel the righteousness of a father will not affect his son
- The foolish virgins looked exactly like the wise until the last minute! The different between the two is that the wise anticipated a long wait and thus took extra oil where as the foolish thought the bridegroom would come soon and anticipated it to be an easy thing. Many people expect following Christ to be easy and so they do not prepare themselves..... They didn't have enough oil to last through the NIGHT! (the most critical moment!) Many times people look like they love CHrist but they don't have what it takes in the critical moments!
- Sleep in this parable is symbolic for the everyday troubles and pleasures of life since BOTH wise and foolish virgins fell asleep this is something that ALL people must go through this makes sense as waiting for the coming of Christ is not an easy thing! We must still go through this life! This is spiritual sleep. Since this parable represents spiritual things the reality in the parable is the spiritual and the "sleep" is the physical.
However Jesus warns His disciples not to get caught up in the dissipations of the world and to in it but not of it. The foolish virgins slept as their oil ran out! In the same way this represents those who get caught up in the world and don't watch their oil! Whereas the wise truly live as though this world were not theirs!
Since all the virgins slept through till the coming of the Bridegroom, this extra oil must be something that one gets BEFORE they set out on their journey! Many times people who profess Christ will see something in a true believer that they do not have and brush it off. In the sameway the foolish virgins were with the wise how come they did not ask sooner or go back to get more oil?
I can imagine that they were waiting for a good few hours before they started to become drowsy! They were probably also talking with each other! The foolish virgins had plenty of opportunity to go back and get more! But they did not. In addition to this there was a warning call thats when the foolish virgins set out! Indicating there was some time between the warning and the coming of the King! However the last call is still too late, we must be prepared BEFORE that time!
The door was shut to the foolish indicating that they were not saved and therefore did not make it into the Kingdom wedding feast! There is only one shot, we need to be BURNING when the bridegroom comes.
We are to be people who prepare the way of Christ in this dark world by lighting a path for Him to ride through! (Just like the virgins who went out to MEET the bridegroom) and John the Baptist "John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light." John 5:35
The last admonishment in this parable is to keep watch or be alert in other translations. It reminds us of Jesuss words to His diciples "keep watch and pray" A good test to see if someone is of the world but not in it and who truly has oil (oil meaning the Spirit) is this:
After going through the busy routine of life where does that person find their rest?
In the world or in the Lord as the Psalmist says "My soul finds rest in God alone"
One with oil will in a sense find their rest in another Kingdom and not in the world. They are waiting expectantly for His coming! When we pray we are waking up to our real life leaving the dream of the world behind us.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
WOOO
soo I was finally able to share my testimony with my co worker and manager @ Tastee's!
I was also able to openly declare my faith to my co workers @ the KBBQ house....
They just laughed at me when I told them I couldn't work because I was going to PRAYER MEETING LOL but whatever haha I was able to share a small part of my testimony after with a co worker I drive home
buut man its soo dark there
my manager is a lesbian who lives with her wife (shes the guy)
my other co worker was suprised that I was still a virgin @ the age of 19
and than I had no girlfriend
He asked if I masturbated a lot since I didn't have sex and I told him I used to but not anymore cuz I became a Christian.
He was telling me how he had sex with three girls on the same day and was boasting about how tired he was....
reminded me of
For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 1 John 2:16
I just need to pray for these people
It seems impossible but nothing is impossible with God and Christ Himself hungout with the worse of sinners
I think I would rather be there than in a church. (its worse in there somtimes except everything is under the whitewash of religion)
soo tired but I actually like working
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. Ecc 9:10
its strangely satisfying especially when you have Christ!
CC is coming up, need to PRAY and intercede for it!
I was also able to openly declare my faith to my co workers @ the KBBQ house....
They just laughed at me when I told them I couldn't work because I was going to PRAYER MEETING LOL but whatever haha I was able to share a small part of my testimony after with a co worker I drive home
buut man its soo dark there
my manager is a lesbian who lives with her wife (shes the guy)
my other co worker was suprised that I was still a virgin @ the age of 19
and than I had no girlfriend
He asked if I masturbated a lot since I didn't have sex and I told him I used to but not anymore cuz I became a Christian.
He was telling me how he had sex with three girls on the same day and was boasting about how tired he was....
reminded me of
For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 1 John 2:16
I just need to pray for these people
It seems impossible but nothing is impossible with God and Christ Himself hungout with the worse of sinners
I think I would rather be there than in a church. (its worse in there somtimes except everything is under the whitewash of religion)
soo tired but I actually like working
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. Ecc 9:10
its strangely satisfying especially when you have Christ!
CC is coming up, need to PRAY and intercede for it!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
past few days
So basically i've been working a lot for the past 2 weeks. almost non stop
my schedule is basically 11-3 @George's Tastee PRAY 9-3 @ Korean BBQ House.
Its been pretty crazy I'm not sure why I'm working this much.
A part of me sorta really wants to go to the highschools and evangelize (they need it so much)
I've been focusing on trying to be light in the work place
so working HARD at everything
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Col 3:17
and without complaining!
Do everything without complaining or arguing,so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe Philipians 2:14-15
I think wherever I go I just feel love for the people around me who don't know Christ. Its hard, they are so lost!
I was able to share the gospel and my testimony with one of my co-workers but I really just want them to believe! So ive been praying everyday for them
My boss knows that Im Christian he teases me and calls it a cult, but I know that hes actually really open and looking. I stil need to find an opportunity to really talk to him!
a lot of the times people worry about the WHERE and the WHAT and use that as an excuse from being light in their everyday life.
For God so loved the WORLD that He sent HIs one and only Son
I heard a pastor say for God so loved OUR little world that were part of with people in it that only we know that He sent His one and only Son......
So yeah!
my schedule is basically 11-3 @George's Tastee PRAY 9-3 @ Korean BBQ House.
Its been pretty crazy I'm not sure why I'm working this much.
A part of me sorta really wants to go to the highschools and evangelize (they need it so much)
I've been focusing on trying to be light in the work place
so working HARD at everything
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Col 3:17
and without complaining!
Do everything without complaining or arguing,so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe Philipians 2:14-15
I think wherever I go I just feel love for the people around me who don't know Christ. Its hard, they are so lost!
I was able to share the gospel and my testimony with one of my co-workers but I really just want them to believe! So ive been praying everyday for them
My boss knows that Im Christian he teases me and calls it a cult, but I know that hes actually really open and looking. I stil need to find an opportunity to really talk to him!
a lot of the times people worry about the WHERE and the WHAT and use that as an excuse from being light in their everyday life.
For God so loved the WORLD that He sent HIs one and only Son
I heard a pastor say for God so loved OUR little world that were part of with people in it that only we know that He sent His one and only Son......
So yeah!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Spirtual Warfare/ A+ Lawns 4 Christ pt. 2
So I don't know really where to start right now, everything is very overwhelming. I believe that what Spirit has taught me through my experiences over the past couple of days is extremely important for believers who want to make an impact for the Kingdom in age that we live in. I used to be scared of getting critized by other believers about my beliefs in Christianity and the convictions I have, but now that is less of a concern to me. As I believe His sheep hear His voice and will not follow the voice of another (John 10) or John the Apostle as he writes to the believers
As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him. 1 John 2:27
and as Christ Himself said
If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. John 7:17
Basically the point of the verses is that those who truly are of God will know what is from Him and what is not!
I am willing to bear with criticism, something I have feared for quite sometime. As the Word says:
Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults. Is. 51:7.
So...
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches Rev 2:7 (a line repeated multiple times in scripture)
Paul's letters contained so much spiritual wisdom yet most could not understand it and distorted it because they were trying to intepret it in the flesh with their own wisdom and not with the one that comes from above (James 3:9). If we just asked for understanding we would receive it (Luke 11:13)
He (Paul) writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. 2 Peter 3:16
How should I start? Lets start with the Spiritual reality North America is in today.
The reason why we have the story of the Israelites in the OT, is so that we can learn from the mistakes of the people who were a part of God's first covenant. We (believers) are part of the New Covenant that is much better than the first. Its like an upgraded version 2.0 (Heb. 7:22)! We can see that when the first covenant was first established, God's people would experience the blessings and the power of God to the MAX! The Israeites were led by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. In the same way after Christ resurrected, the church in Acts was full of signs, miracles and wonders! The presence and power of God was so powerful in the church that Ananaias and Saphhaira were struck dead. It always starts out good...
but.... as time progresses the faithfulness of God's people diminishes. The Israelites started to follow other gods and so God sends prophets to tell the people to turn back. The power that was once with His people is no longer with them. This isn`t because God is faithless but because the people`s lack of faith. "He is faithful to those who are faithful to Him"
(as we put more of our faith in Him and are obedient, he shows Himself more and more. Peter had to take the first step onto the sea before he found that he could walk on water!)
When the faith of God`s people begins to go downhill, God starts to send prophets to turn the people back ! So in the first covenant Israel enters the age of the prophets. There were periods when the Israealites did repent in "mini revivals" Examples are see during the reign of Hezekiah and Josiah most notable as well as in the book of Haggai, Ezra and Nehemiah.
This is where we are now....a parallel time to that of the prophets. There have been revivals like those of Hezekiah, however it has been a long long time since the last one and things are getting progressively worse. In fact when you read the book of the prophets many of the things that the prophets were saying to the Israelites applies to us.
A few things that stick out to me....
Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. Ezz. 22:26
My people are destroyed by lack of knowledge Hosea 4:6a
We don`t understand who God really is, we have such a distorted picture of Him that it allows us to live our lives without distinguishing what is holy and unholy, its all grey to us.
Truth is lost amidst a whole pot of different ideas, philosophies, religions, sociologies, psychologies. The tricky thing is that its not completely lost, its just changed tiny little bit or things are added so that it still looks right and feels right. The prevailing attitude is to accept everything and not to offend anyone by being exclusive.
(Its like the story of Elijah and prophets ``there is death in the pot!` 2 Kings 4:38-41
In this story the prophets had to be fed so someone went out and started to gather many different things to put in the stew. However they added a wild vine and used some of the gouards from it to make the stew. There were good things in the stew but also things that bring death making the whole thing bad! It was solved when Elijah put some flour in the pot, symbolizing bread as in Jesus the bread of life to make it good. The pot was saved in the end! There is still hope but more on that later )
So everyone is careful in what they say. Its easy for a Christian to accept these things as its not that people are against the beliefs of Christianity they just believe in everything else. Its only when we push for the truth that Jesus is the way the truth and the life and no one comes to father except through Him (John 14:6) that we run into trouble.
In this this type of world we live in we must be lovers of truth and SEEK IT WITH ALL OUR HEART! Its only when do that we will find it (Jer. 29:13)
Let's talk about spiritual warefare:
In this type of enviroment, it is different than in places where the gospel is new or has never been heard.
NA has heard the gospel and knows what it is. They have just rejected it. We need to be prophets who will stand for the truth of the gospel 100%
(the Spirit of Glory in this type of warfare is different than the one of physical persecution and martydom (1 Peter 4:14)
it is beautiful and unique in the way the Lord has appointed the difference is similiar to Stephen vs. Jeremiah but not 100%. God is ALWAYS doing a new thing Is. 43:19 (but in the same way) haha God is just like that =) i.e. there are so many people that are the same but people are all so different in infinite ways ~ same with new creations!)
So after the background information onto what I have learned concering spiritual warfare and witnessing....
Monday:
Exams are finally done and now that they are I have no excuse not to go live my faith out more!
I keep thinking about Paul Washer's testimony of how he used to and evangelize for 12 hours completely spent out on the work of the Lord
So today I woke up early...well I planned to wake up @ 5:30 but ended up waking up @ 7:00 am
went to school and prayed for a good three hours. I was convicted on being ready for the day that I die. I was reminded of the backpack skit and how I need to pack up the worldy things.
kept thinking that I am not ready to see God I still have so many attachments
Our lives really are nothing and all the human connections that we have end the day we die
naked we come from out mother's womb naked we depart ecc.
spent a good hour and a bit working on a bible study/sermon
on trusting in the Kingdom of the world over --> story of asssyria invading Judah during Hezekiah's reign.....the world tempts God's people to cop out with an offer that seems like God's way but isn't! (more on that later)
then I walked out to the student center with the intention to preach.....didn't really get there. I sat in the stairway that overlooked the people and worshipped and prayed and started to read the bible outloud ....
But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:5
first a bit of Proverbs then the Beatitudes
It was heavy. Every second I read felt like death to my body yet Christ was giving me the grace I needed to continue...
read read read ...pray for strength keep reading. I thought what I was doing was pretty normal until my friend who told me afterward said it sounded unconventional to him at first. He was skeptical that it would work until he saw people going up to me to talk. He told me it was something that he wouldnt do because it sounds crazy and would make him look crazy.
For me I thought that looking crazy was sorta what came with being a Christian....
1. We need to see with Spiritual eyes
Seeing with Spiritual eyes (to me it actually seems pretty normal) I tend to always see things in the Spiritual. In the Spiritual His Words are a double edged sword, I can undersand how someone in the flesh will see it but In the spiritual I see it as "people who are spiritually dicerned" or the unspiritual man as Paul writes of in 1 Corinthians 2: 14-15
The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:
We cannot be spiritually discerned in this day and age but we must see with spiritual eyes through HIS Word and not anything else. Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Sometimes we tend to use the lense of the world to read the bible and when we do that the Word fail us because there is no longer any power in it anymore. When we see with spiritual eyes, we ACT with spiritual eyes and when we act with spiritual eyes to the world it seems like complete foolishness.
As the wisdom of God is foolishness to man and the wisdom of man is foolisheness to God (1 Corthians 1:20-25)
That is why we are called fools for Christ. The light shines in the darkness and the darknnesss has not understood it" (John 1:5) so it looks like foolishness to them.
2. Lift Christ Up and depend on Him
When it comes to evangelizing, hit and run isn't always the most effective way of reaching out. There are so many people and there are some that are seeking God but many who do not have open hearts. When Paul was witnessing he would speak to all who would listen.
but "when Christ is lifted up he shall draw all men unto himself" John 12:32
Jesus says that He will make HIs diciples to be fishers of men. When we go into the world we are fishing people out from a huge sea of sin. When you go fishing, you never know what you are going to get and sometimes the fish dont bite. Now you can go and cast your line out randomly and hope that you will catch something (and eventually you will) or you can go to the spots where you know the fish are biting. Better yet what if you could attracts the fish that will only bite.
He that winneth souls is wise Proverbs 11:30
We need to be wise when it comes to the method of winning souls! When we lift Christ up, He draws the fish that will bite and all we have to do is reel it in.
How do we lift Christ up, praise and worship, reading His Words, preaching, spoken word etc.
When Christ is spoken of it immediately demands a response in the hearts of the hearers. His name is an offence toward those who do not believe, but life to those who do.
His Words are living and active and will accomplish what He desires!
3. Dont trust in Human Wisdom
We cannot trust in our own human wisdom to win the battle. We cant trust logical arguments, archeological evidence, reason, philosophy NONE OF THAT! That stuff is from ourselves not God! The power of the gospel is in the message received through faith not anything else!
You see trusting ourselves is trusting in the WORLD even though it doesn't SEEM that way, remember the devi is a deceiver he masquarades himself as an angel of light. It seems SO RIGHT like its GOD'S way when its not. Check out the story of King Hezekiah Isaiah 36. It really gives a example to learn from when it comes to trust in the world (Assyria) vs God.
Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:23-24
4. Understand the Spiritual World
Which Brings me to Tuesday. My second day aerrating lawns. I was placed in a van with a confused Muslim slash person who made up his own religion based off of that, 2 Mormon brothers and 2 Catholics.
Started to talk to to Mormons about Christ and they agreed to everything I was saying but.... its like they didnt get it. I felt like they were trying to hide. Everytime I said the word Mormon they would say Christian. It was interesting talking to them though they go on missions trips and yeah do the exact things as us. Its sorta scary. To a non-CHristian it would be exactly the same thing.
Anyways started to work and came across a house whose door was covered in Catholic literature. The main point describing the importance of Mother Mary.......I couldnt ignore it so I knocked on the door and asked about it:
A women had a large crucifix around her neck (heavy spiritual bondage) she was telling me that they pray to mother Mary because she is Jesus mother and Jesus cant refuse his mother. She used the story ofthe wedding at Cana to back it up. I explained how it says that Jesus is the mediator between God and man and then started to explain how Jesus says to pray to the Father in Heaven ...but she sorta shut the door on me.
I left sorta feeling discouraged first the Mormons than the Catholics both Christian both use scripture both not true. So I prayed and after walking around feeling discouraged the Spirit of the the Most High flooded in with faith and power and suddenly I was like wow this is real there is POWER behind the truth and FREEDOM everything else has nothing.
Spiritual forces are strong because we are so weak and oblivious in the flesh
Rampant decieving spirits are at work.
1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. 1 Timothy 4:1-4
Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. Colossians 2:23
the key difference between a fake spirit and the HS is that a fake one cant free people from sin!
Religion is the most deceitful spirit! (Whats scary is that the vybe is rampant in the protestant church today)
In the car on the way home, the conversation quickly turned religious
The Muslim --> religion is good everyone is against religion people need to believe in god
(to the secularist) "How come your so offended everytime I say Jesus" (implying that he is against religion)
Its so true right? but its coming from someone who doesn't have the HS but another thats really close.....
The problem is that it still originates in the flesh
The Muslim spirit is strong it just keeps going and going and no one can over power it --> (he kept being asked to tone down, in a polite way) but he kept going and going in Quaran it says this and that and all these stories.
secularist- Was trying to explain colonialism and how religion was used as a way to control people in a very detailed and well thoughtout way. He told the confused Muslim, you have a lot of good ideas but you need to get a university education.
Lets be serious its actually just another religion disguised to make it seem like it all has to do with facts but not really because it gets to the point where you need to have faith to fill in the blanks.
Mormon Spirit -> the spirt of religion but now as strong and driving as the Muslim --> very evasive, doesn't like the light so covers things up and runs away and say "No I'm Christian" but not really you just called yourself Mormon.
the seeker - just trying to listen to all the different opinions, they were catholic by name but were pretty much just uh pagan and were open to everything. Its interesting becaue they had a stronger interest and attraction to the gospel over everything else
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Eph 6:12
The Spiritual world is real, there are forces that influence people who do not have the Holy Spirit in them.
see whats crazy is that on the surface all these ideas, religions (spirits) all seem contradictory but they're actually all working together against the one truth --> the gospel of Jesus Christ
The devil is the mastermind behind all these things because "he is the father of lies" (John 8:44)
I guess he doesn't really care what people believe in as long as its not the true gospel, but I'm thinking he would want more people to believe in religions that have a stronger sway.....
4.1- Demolishing Spiritual Stonghold with truth and love!
I was filled with so much love for them. They really needed to know the truth of the one true living God amidst all of the LIES.
I wanted to show them love so badly so I ended up buying hamburgers from MCDs for all of them.
This verse makes so much sense now
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Matthew 25:34
The love we have for Christ is seen in our love for others. Our love for others shown through our actions. We love because He first loved us. So we give back to Christ by caring for his people. Jesus says to Peter: Do you love me and then says feed my sheep if you do!
So my act of love is like giving hamburgers to Christ! LOL
I really wanted to tell them what the truth was! But I couldnt get the message in everyone else was so loud. I felt the love of Christ so strong and I knew that He was so much stronger! I just needed a chance to speak. So I started to pray and as I did I decided that I would ask for a chance to voice my opinion at the end of the car ride.
Whats interesting is that because of how I acted at work and the hamburgers I had gained favour with the boss and he new I was a Chrisitian. When I asked to give my opinion he wanted to hear what the Christian perspective was and made every else shut up.
Its like Agrippa with Paul or Caesar with Jesus. The person in the position of influence is open and supportive. Jaeson Ma talks about having someone in the position of influence to help you.
4.2 - Wait on God
Gods voice is quiet and constant it does not force itself on people, it needs a platform to be heard.....
I was really tempted to jump in and argue with the conversation. My flesh really wanted to refute all the arguments. But there are these two verses from Proverbs that stuck out to me.
Answer a fool as his folly deserves, That he not be wise in his own eyes. Proverbs 26:5
Gods wisdom is foolishness to man so when we answer arguments from God when things are heated we will not look smart
but if we speak the Words of God with ears that are open then a seed can be planted.
It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.
Provebs 19:2
When it comes to ministering to people we must WAIT on God.
Slow to speak quick to listen and slow to become angry is key (James 1:19)
Many times we fall in the temptation to just refute and blurt out our own ideas. Speaking truth is good but it needs to be done in love and humility that comes from the wisdom Spirit and not from our flesh. We need to keep in mind it is not how much we say but the power behind them brought to life with the breathe of Spirit. One grain of truth is enough to pierce into the heart when used effectively. We do not fight as one BEATING THE AIR AIMLESSLY! But we speak with purpose!
Slow down and listen in love.
When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. Proverbs 10:19
4.3 He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world . They have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Cor 10:14-15
Continuing my story.... I kept it really simple I shared my testimony of how I called myself a Christian but wasnt free form sin and asked the people in the car if they were free from their sin because it is for freedom that Christ set us free and it says not to be yoked any longer by a yoke of slavery. I also addressed the issue that Jesus says He is the only way and that all religions are not the same, since it was the religious people who killed Jesus. I spoke really plainly and honestly and at first people would try to interrupt but my boss would make them stop but afterward the Word was doing its thing and everyone had nothing to say after I was done.
Weapons of righteousness: Shield of faith that presses into enemy ranks and defend from their opposing ideas. Sword of the Spirit to cut through the lies. BOOM all other ideas and spirits are nothing when faced with the true gospel power through the Spirit of TRUTH
5. Keep Watch and Pray to have oil to burn
Its important that those who want to stay awake with oil in their lamps are PRAYING. "Watch and pray so that you do not fall into temptation" Peter did not pray so he fell away. If he did pray he would not have. I don't want to be legalistic and tell people how long they should pray, but honesty the more time you spend in the presence of God = how much you are changed by Him the degree that you are changed by Him = how much of His Kingdom you can bring to the world around you.
In other words we should be people who go into the presence of God and come out broken so that we can go out with that power on us into the world. The kingdom of heaven a not a matter of talk but of power! The degree to which you are humbled is is the degree to which God's power can be manifested through you.
When you go into the presence of God you cannot leave unchanged.
When you are broken the holiness of God you come out with the holiness of God on you
When you are broken by the sovereignty of of God you come out with the sovreignty of God on you
When you are ravished with the love of GOd you come out with a love for those around you.
and its translates into the way that you talk and the way that you live.
We literally bring the Kingdom of Hevaen to the people as it is in our hearts. and from there come the signs wonder's and miracles that follow those who believe.
Prayer is also important because it gives you the tools needed to fight in this kind of enviroment. ``You fight your battles on your knees`` Its in prayer that your sin and doubts surface. Its these times that you need to persevere through. Many times in prayer we go through times of dryness where many doubts come in and we feel discouraged. This is God`s way of preparing us. We fight the doubts and bring them before God so that when we go into an enviroment of relative truth we can be full of faith to speak the FULL truth.
Other thoughts and Prophetic Insights....
I remember when I first recieved the Spirit, the Lord called me a few days later through a legit prophet. I was called to my people.
At first I did not know what it meant I thought that I just had to go to the front of the stage and pray and people would get saved, but not really. It was a longterm calling. After a whole year of praying and fasting I think things are becoming more clear.
I really believe that my people first refers to the Chinese Chritian Community, but even more so my generation (millenials) and to be even more specific "the people" that is emerging in Canada RIGHT NOW.
Canada is a Nation of MANY Nations from almost every tribe, tongue and people from around the world.
Right now everything is so segregated and people are very cautious and protective because of the many differences. This makes it extremely hard to share the gospel. However that is with the first generation of immigrants, the second and third generation however are starting to be form a new cultures of different cultures. Ideas and philosophies are clashing and something is going to emerge amidst all the rubble....will it be Christ?
Again in these days we are scattered
the church in North America is under underground and the lack of unity dimishes the power of the body.
praying and worshipping together is key to BREAKTHROUGH!
I believe that the next generation needs to rise up. It is already starting to stirr bit by bit according to God's timing but we need to pray and ask for Him to send a FLOOD of righteousness!
Already the generation before us is passing away....
Paul Washer, John Piper, David Wilkerson, John Mccarthur,Francis Chan, Lou Engle, Mike Bickle, Jaseson Ma, Mark Cahill and many others......
These are all men that God has chosen to lead the true body during the times that we are in now and of course many others not mentioned, but these are the ones He has made well known according to His purpose.
From what I know all of these people are of the baby boomer generation or older, the youngest (Jaeson Ma) is Generation X (the generation preceding ours) The thing is these people are getting old! They won't be around much longer. Jaeson is the youngest I think, he's like 30.
In the next few years we will see a shift. I don't think the Lord is going to raise up big "generals" in His army, but rather small commanders or as Lou Engle put it "fighter jet pilots" Its just logical when we look at it from a battle perspective. With so many more people in the world its hard to mobilize so many people if they are under one general. They need to start breaking off into smaller units to be versatile and fast on the HUGE battlefield!
It has been pretty much guerilla warfare in NA for the longest time. Small attacks on enemy flanks here and there, but its like hit and run. There have been a few complete victories but nothing on a massive large scale. A few mini revivals ex. UCLA.
Don't get me wrong there's a place for the "generals" there have been many in the past William Booth, Jonathan Edwards, Amy Carmicheal, Watchman Nee and many others. We're gonna see people rising up at their proper time as God sees fit
Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him Psalm 115:3...... and what pleases Him is ALWAYS GOOD!
But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another. Ps. 75:7
and a man can only receive what is given to him from heaven. John 3:27
I am not quite sure how things are going to play out but this I do know..
6“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. 8‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 9‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
Haggai 2:6-7
And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions
Joel 2:28
One of my greatest desires is to be able to meet together with all the youth God is calling to pray and worship. Hes gonna SHAKE the NATIONS and the desired of all nations will COME! WOAHHHH
As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him. 1 John 2:27
and as Christ Himself said
If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. John 7:17
Basically the point of the verses is that those who truly are of God will know what is from Him and what is not!
I am willing to bear with criticism, something I have feared for quite sometime. As the Word says:
Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults. Is. 51:7.
So...
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches Rev 2:7 (a line repeated multiple times in scripture)
Paul's letters contained so much spiritual wisdom yet most could not understand it and distorted it because they were trying to intepret it in the flesh with their own wisdom and not with the one that comes from above (James 3:9). If we just asked for understanding we would receive it (Luke 11:13)
He (Paul) writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. 2 Peter 3:16
How should I start? Lets start with the Spiritual reality North America is in today.
The reason why we have the story of the Israelites in the OT, is so that we can learn from the mistakes of the people who were a part of God's first covenant. We (believers) are part of the New Covenant that is much better than the first. Its like an upgraded version 2.0 (Heb. 7:22)! We can see that when the first covenant was first established, God's people would experience the blessings and the power of God to the MAX! The Israeites were led by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. In the same way after Christ resurrected, the church in Acts was full of signs, miracles and wonders! The presence and power of God was so powerful in the church that Ananaias and Saphhaira were struck dead. It always starts out good...
but.... as time progresses the faithfulness of God's people diminishes. The Israelites started to follow other gods and so God sends prophets to tell the people to turn back. The power that was once with His people is no longer with them. This isn`t because God is faithless but because the people`s lack of faith. "He is faithful to those who are faithful to Him"
(as we put more of our faith in Him and are obedient, he shows Himself more and more. Peter had to take the first step onto the sea before he found that he could walk on water!)
When the faith of God`s people begins to go downhill, God starts to send prophets to turn the people back ! So in the first covenant Israel enters the age of the prophets. There were periods when the Israealites did repent in "mini revivals" Examples are see during the reign of Hezekiah and Josiah most notable as well as in the book of Haggai, Ezra and Nehemiah.
This is where we are now....a parallel time to that of the prophets. There have been revivals like those of Hezekiah, however it has been a long long time since the last one and things are getting progressively worse. In fact when you read the book of the prophets many of the things that the prophets were saying to the Israelites applies to us.
A few things that stick out to me....
Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. Ezz. 22:26
My people are destroyed by lack of knowledge Hosea 4:6a
We don`t understand who God really is, we have such a distorted picture of Him that it allows us to live our lives without distinguishing what is holy and unholy, its all grey to us.
Truth is lost amidst a whole pot of different ideas, philosophies, religions, sociologies, psychologies. The tricky thing is that its not completely lost, its just changed tiny little bit or things are added so that it still looks right and feels right. The prevailing attitude is to accept everything and not to offend anyone by being exclusive.
(Its like the story of Elijah and prophets ``there is death in the pot!` 2 Kings 4:38-41
In this story the prophets had to be fed so someone went out and started to gather many different things to put in the stew. However they added a wild vine and used some of the gouards from it to make the stew. There were good things in the stew but also things that bring death making the whole thing bad! It was solved when Elijah put some flour in the pot, symbolizing bread as in Jesus the bread of life to make it good. The pot was saved in the end! There is still hope but more on that later )
So everyone is careful in what they say. Its easy for a Christian to accept these things as its not that people are against the beliefs of Christianity they just believe in everything else. Its only when we push for the truth that Jesus is the way the truth and the life and no one comes to father except through Him (John 14:6) that we run into trouble.
In this this type of world we live in we must be lovers of truth and SEEK IT WITH ALL OUR HEART! Its only when do that we will find it (Jer. 29:13)
Let's talk about spiritual warefare:
In this type of enviroment, it is different than in places where the gospel is new or has never been heard.
NA has heard the gospel and knows what it is. They have just rejected it. We need to be prophets who will stand for the truth of the gospel 100%
(the Spirit of Glory in this type of warfare is different than the one of physical persecution and martydom (1 Peter 4:14)
it is beautiful and unique in the way the Lord has appointed the difference is similiar to Stephen vs. Jeremiah but not 100%. God is ALWAYS doing a new thing Is. 43:19 (but in the same way) haha God is just like that =) i.e. there are so many people that are the same but people are all so different in infinite ways ~ same with new creations!)
So after the background information onto what I have learned concering spiritual warfare and witnessing....
Monday:
Exams are finally done and now that they are I have no excuse not to go live my faith out more!
I keep thinking about Paul Washer's testimony of how he used to and evangelize for 12 hours completely spent out on the work of the Lord
So today I woke up early...well I planned to wake up @ 5:30 but ended up waking up @ 7:00 am
went to school and prayed for a good three hours. I was convicted on being ready for the day that I die. I was reminded of the backpack skit and how I need to pack up the worldy things.
kept thinking that I am not ready to see God I still have so many attachments
Our lives really are nothing and all the human connections that we have end the day we die
naked we come from out mother's womb naked we depart ecc.
spent a good hour and a bit working on a bible study/sermon
on trusting in the Kingdom of the world over --> story of asssyria invading Judah during Hezekiah's reign.....the world tempts God's people to cop out with an offer that seems like God's way but isn't! (more on that later)
then I walked out to the student center with the intention to preach.....didn't really get there. I sat in the stairway that overlooked the people and worshipped and prayed and started to read the bible outloud ....
But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:5
first a bit of Proverbs then the Beatitudes
It was heavy. Every second I read felt like death to my body yet Christ was giving me the grace I needed to continue...
read read read ...pray for strength keep reading. I thought what I was doing was pretty normal until my friend who told me afterward said it sounded unconventional to him at first. He was skeptical that it would work until he saw people going up to me to talk. He told me it was something that he wouldnt do because it sounds crazy and would make him look crazy.
For me I thought that looking crazy was sorta what came with being a Christian....
1. We need to see with Spiritual eyes
Seeing with Spiritual eyes (to me it actually seems pretty normal) I tend to always see things in the Spiritual. In the Spiritual His Words are a double edged sword, I can undersand how someone in the flesh will see it but In the spiritual I see it as "people who are spiritually dicerned" or the unspiritual man as Paul writes of in 1 Corinthians 2: 14-15
The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:
We cannot be spiritually discerned in this day and age but we must see with spiritual eyes through HIS Word and not anything else. Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Sometimes we tend to use the lense of the world to read the bible and when we do that the Word fail us because there is no longer any power in it anymore. When we see with spiritual eyes, we ACT with spiritual eyes and when we act with spiritual eyes to the world it seems like complete foolishness.
As the wisdom of God is foolishness to man and the wisdom of man is foolisheness to God (1 Corthians 1:20-25)
That is why we are called fools for Christ. The light shines in the darkness and the darknnesss has not understood it" (John 1:5) so it looks like foolishness to them.
2. Lift Christ Up and depend on Him
When it comes to evangelizing, hit and run isn't always the most effective way of reaching out. There are so many people and there are some that are seeking God but many who do not have open hearts. When Paul was witnessing he would speak to all who would listen.
but "when Christ is lifted up he shall draw all men unto himself" John 12:32
Jesus says that He will make HIs diciples to be fishers of men. When we go into the world we are fishing people out from a huge sea of sin. When you go fishing, you never know what you are going to get and sometimes the fish dont bite. Now you can go and cast your line out randomly and hope that you will catch something (and eventually you will) or you can go to the spots where you know the fish are biting. Better yet what if you could attracts the fish that will only bite.
He that winneth souls is wise Proverbs 11:30
We need to be wise when it comes to the method of winning souls! When we lift Christ up, He draws the fish that will bite and all we have to do is reel it in.
How do we lift Christ up, praise and worship, reading His Words, preaching, spoken word etc.
When Christ is spoken of it immediately demands a response in the hearts of the hearers. His name is an offence toward those who do not believe, but life to those who do.
His Words are living and active and will accomplish what He desires!
3. Dont trust in Human Wisdom
We cannot trust in our own human wisdom to win the battle. We cant trust logical arguments, archeological evidence, reason, philosophy NONE OF THAT! That stuff is from ourselves not God! The power of the gospel is in the message received through faith not anything else!
You see trusting ourselves is trusting in the WORLD even though it doesn't SEEM that way, remember the devi is a deceiver he masquarades himself as an angel of light. It seems SO RIGHT like its GOD'S way when its not. Check out the story of King Hezekiah Isaiah 36. It really gives a example to learn from when it comes to trust in the world (Assyria) vs God.
Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:23-24
4. Understand the Spiritual World
Which Brings me to Tuesday. My second day aerrating lawns. I was placed in a van with a confused Muslim slash person who made up his own religion based off of that, 2 Mormon brothers and 2 Catholics.
Started to talk to to Mormons about Christ and they agreed to everything I was saying but.... its like they didnt get it. I felt like they were trying to hide. Everytime I said the word Mormon they would say Christian. It was interesting talking to them though they go on missions trips and yeah do the exact things as us. Its sorta scary. To a non-CHristian it would be exactly the same thing.
Anyways started to work and came across a house whose door was covered in Catholic literature. The main point describing the importance of Mother Mary.......I couldnt ignore it so I knocked on the door and asked about it:
A women had a large crucifix around her neck (heavy spiritual bondage) she was telling me that they pray to mother Mary because she is Jesus mother and Jesus cant refuse his mother. She used the story ofthe wedding at Cana to back it up. I explained how it says that Jesus is the mediator between God and man and then started to explain how Jesus says to pray to the Father in Heaven ...but she sorta shut the door on me.
I left sorta feeling discouraged first the Mormons than the Catholics both Christian both use scripture both not true. So I prayed and after walking around feeling discouraged the Spirit of the the Most High flooded in with faith and power and suddenly I was like wow this is real there is POWER behind the truth and FREEDOM everything else has nothing.
Spiritual forces are strong because we are so weak and oblivious in the flesh
Rampant decieving spirits are at work.
1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. 1 Timothy 4:1-4
Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. Colossians 2:23
the key difference between a fake spirit and the HS is that a fake one cant free people from sin!
Religion is the most deceitful spirit! (Whats scary is that the vybe is rampant in the protestant church today)
In the car on the way home, the conversation quickly turned religious
The Muslim --> religion is good everyone is against religion people need to believe in god
(to the secularist) "How come your so offended everytime I say Jesus" (implying that he is against religion)
Its so true right? but its coming from someone who doesn't have the HS but another thats really close.....
The problem is that it still originates in the flesh
The Muslim spirit is strong it just keeps going and going and no one can over power it --> (he kept being asked to tone down, in a polite way) but he kept going and going in Quaran it says this and that and all these stories.
secularist- Was trying to explain colonialism and how religion was used as a way to control people in a very detailed and well thoughtout way. He told the confused Muslim, you have a lot of good ideas but you need to get a university education.
Lets be serious its actually just another religion disguised to make it seem like it all has to do with facts but not really because it gets to the point where you need to have faith to fill in the blanks.
Mormon Spirit -> the spirt of religion but now as strong and driving as the Muslim --> very evasive, doesn't like the light so covers things up and runs away and say "No I'm Christian" but not really you just called yourself Mormon.
the seeker - just trying to listen to all the different opinions, they were catholic by name but were pretty much just uh pagan and were open to everything. Its interesting becaue they had a stronger interest and attraction to the gospel over everything else
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Eph 6:12
The Spiritual world is real, there are forces that influence people who do not have the Holy Spirit in them.
see whats crazy is that on the surface all these ideas, religions (spirits) all seem contradictory but they're actually all working together against the one truth --> the gospel of Jesus Christ
The devil is the mastermind behind all these things because "he is the father of lies" (John 8:44)
I guess he doesn't really care what people believe in as long as its not the true gospel, but I'm thinking he would want more people to believe in religions that have a stronger sway.....
4.1- Demolishing Spiritual Stonghold with truth and love!
I was filled with so much love for them. They really needed to know the truth of the one true living God amidst all of the LIES.
I wanted to show them love so badly so I ended up buying hamburgers from MCDs for all of them.
This verse makes so much sense now
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Matthew 25:34
The love we have for Christ is seen in our love for others. Our love for others shown through our actions. We love because He first loved us. So we give back to Christ by caring for his people. Jesus says to Peter: Do you love me and then says feed my sheep if you do!
So my act of love is like giving hamburgers to Christ! LOL
I really wanted to tell them what the truth was! But I couldnt get the message in everyone else was so loud. I felt the love of Christ so strong and I knew that He was so much stronger! I just needed a chance to speak. So I started to pray and as I did I decided that I would ask for a chance to voice my opinion at the end of the car ride.
Whats interesting is that because of how I acted at work and the hamburgers I had gained favour with the boss and he new I was a Chrisitian. When I asked to give my opinion he wanted to hear what the Christian perspective was and made every else shut up.
Its like Agrippa with Paul or Caesar with Jesus. The person in the position of influence is open and supportive. Jaeson Ma talks about having someone in the position of influence to help you.
4.2 - Wait on God
Gods voice is quiet and constant it does not force itself on people, it needs a platform to be heard.....
I was really tempted to jump in and argue with the conversation. My flesh really wanted to refute all the arguments. But there are these two verses from Proverbs that stuck out to me.
Answer a fool as his folly deserves, That he not be wise in his own eyes. Proverbs 26:5
Gods wisdom is foolishness to man so when we answer arguments from God when things are heated we will not look smart
but if we speak the Words of God with ears that are open then a seed can be planted.
It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.
Provebs 19:2
When it comes to ministering to people we must WAIT on God.
Slow to speak quick to listen and slow to become angry is key (James 1:19)
Many times we fall in the temptation to just refute and blurt out our own ideas. Speaking truth is good but it needs to be done in love and humility that comes from the wisdom Spirit and not from our flesh. We need to keep in mind it is not how much we say but the power behind them brought to life with the breathe of Spirit. One grain of truth is enough to pierce into the heart when used effectively. We do not fight as one BEATING THE AIR AIMLESSLY! But we speak with purpose!
Slow down and listen in love.
When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. Proverbs 10:19
4.3 He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world . They have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Cor 10:14-15
Continuing my story.... I kept it really simple I shared my testimony of how I called myself a Christian but wasnt free form sin and asked the people in the car if they were free from their sin because it is for freedom that Christ set us free and it says not to be yoked any longer by a yoke of slavery. I also addressed the issue that Jesus says He is the only way and that all religions are not the same, since it was the religious people who killed Jesus. I spoke really plainly and honestly and at first people would try to interrupt but my boss would make them stop but afterward the Word was doing its thing and everyone had nothing to say after I was done.
Weapons of righteousness: Shield of faith that presses into enemy ranks and defend from their opposing ideas. Sword of the Spirit to cut through the lies. BOOM all other ideas and spirits are nothing when faced with the true gospel power through the Spirit of TRUTH
5. Keep Watch and Pray to have oil to burn
Its important that those who want to stay awake with oil in their lamps are PRAYING. "Watch and pray so that you do not fall into temptation" Peter did not pray so he fell away. If he did pray he would not have. I don't want to be legalistic and tell people how long they should pray, but honesty the more time you spend in the presence of God = how much you are changed by Him the degree that you are changed by Him = how much of His Kingdom you can bring to the world around you.
In other words we should be people who go into the presence of God and come out broken so that we can go out with that power on us into the world. The kingdom of heaven a not a matter of talk but of power! The degree to which you are humbled is is the degree to which God's power can be manifested through you.
When you go into the presence of God you cannot leave unchanged.
When you are broken the holiness of God you come out with the holiness of God on you
When you are broken by the sovereignty of of God you come out with the sovreignty of God on you
When you are ravished with the love of GOd you come out with a love for those around you.
and its translates into the way that you talk and the way that you live.
We literally bring the Kingdom of Hevaen to the people as it is in our hearts. and from there come the signs wonder's and miracles that follow those who believe.
Prayer is also important because it gives you the tools needed to fight in this kind of enviroment. ``You fight your battles on your knees`` Its in prayer that your sin and doubts surface. Its these times that you need to persevere through. Many times in prayer we go through times of dryness where many doubts come in and we feel discouraged. This is God`s way of preparing us. We fight the doubts and bring them before God so that when we go into an enviroment of relative truth we can be full of faith to speak the FULL truth.
Other thoughts and Prophetic Insights....
I remember when I first recieved the Spirit, the Lord called me a few days later through a legit prophet. I was called to my people.
At first I did not know what it meant I thought that I just had to go to the front of the stage and pray and people would get saved, but not really. It was a longterm calling. After a whole year of praying and fasting I think things are becoming more clear.
I really believe that my people first refers to the Chinese Chritian Community, but even more so my generation (millenials) and to be even more specific "the people" that is emerging in Canada RIGHT NOW.
Canada is a Nation of MANY Nations from almost every tribe, tongue and people from around the world.
Right now everything is so segregated and people are very cautious and protective because of the many differences. This makes it extremely hard to share the gospel. However that is with the first generation of immigrants, the second and third generation however are starting to be form a new cultures of different cultures. Ideas and philosophies are clashing and something is going to emerge amidst all the rubble....will it be Christ?
Again in these days we are scattered
the church in North America is under underground and the lack of unity dimishes the power of the body.
praying and worshipping together is key to BREAKTHROUGH!
I believe that the next generation needs to rise up. It is already starting to stirr bit by bit according to God's timing but we need to pray and ask for Him to send a FLOOD of righteousness!
Already the generation before us is passing away....
Paul Washer, John Piper, David Wilkerson, John Mccarthur,Francis Chan, Lou Engle, Mike Bickle, Jaseson Ma, Mark Cahill and many others......
These are all men that God has chosen to lead the true body during the times that we are in now and of course many others not mentioned, but these are the ones He has made well known according to His purpose.
From what I know all of these people are of the baby boomer generation or older, the youngest (Jaeson Ma) is Generation X (the generation preceding ours) The thing is these people are getting old! They won't be around much longer. Jaeson is the youngest I think, he's like 30.
In the next few years we will see a shift. I don't think the Lord is going to raise up big "generals" in His army, but rather small commanders or as Lou Engle put it "fighter jet pilots" Its just logical when we look at it from a battle perspective. With so many more people in the world its hard to mobilize so many people if they are under one general. They need to start breaking off into smaller units to be versatile and fast on the HUGE battlefield!
It has been pretty much guerilla warfare in NA for the longest time. Small attacks on enemy flanks here and there, but its like hit and run. There have been a few complete victories but nothing on a massive large scale. A few mini revivals ex. UCLA.
Don't get me wrong there's a place for the "generals" there have been many in the past William Booth, Jonathan Edwards, Amy Carmicheal, Watchman Nee and many others. We're gonna see people rising up at their proper time as God sees fit
Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him Psalm 115:3...... and what pleases Him is ALWAYS GOOD!
But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another. Ps. 75:7
and a man can only receive what is given to him from heaven. John 3:27
I am not quite sure how things are going to play out but this I do know..
6“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. 8‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 9‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
Haggai 2:6-7
And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions
Joel 2:28
One of my greatest desires is to be able to meet together with all the youth God is calling to pray and worship. Hes gonna SHAKE the NATIONS and the desired of all nations will COME! WOAHHHH
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