Tag: Bible

The Bible is a collection of sacred texts or scriptures. Varying parts of the Bible are considered to be a product of divine inspiration and a record of the relationship between God and humans by Christians, Jews, Samaritans, and Rastafarians.

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Socialism is a religion

Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:

The religion of Socialism depends upon and presupposes material achievements which Socialism itself can never create. Socialism is operative only in wealth situations brought about by modes of production other than its own. Socialism takes and redistributes wealth, but it is utterly incapable of creating wealth.

Under Socialism people are coercively relieved of their individual choices in order to sanction a single choice; the choice being mandated by whoever heads the socialistic regime. Authoritarianism is forcibly substituted for individual liberty. What we witness here is a diversionary process accomplished by police action; hence, the iron fist type of government.

Does any capable adult person “in need” really benefit by living on the confiscated income of others? Do handouts ever improve his character or his mental and physical faculties or his growth? Does anyone ever benefit by the removal of self-responsibility?

The something-for-nothing idea appears to flourish wherever there is a failure to grasp the purpose behind the struggle for existence. The fullest possible employment of one’s faculties is what makes for strength of body, of character, of spirit, of intellect. Non-use of faculties leads to atrophy.

Life’s problems are not without purpose. They aid us in the processes of self-development. They demand of the individual that he gather new strength to hurdle each new obstacle. The art of becoming is composed of acts of overcoming.

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

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We Need To Change How We Talk About The Bible

I like to win arguments. I like being right. I like showing people that I’m smart. I like using my knowledge and proving a point. It’s fun. I enjoy the rush it gives. And it may be one of the most destructive things I can do as a Christian.

“The defeat of the intellect is not the object in fighting with the sword of the Spirit, but the acceptance of the heart. In this case, therefore, I drew back.”

– George MacDonald

The mentor of the famous C. S. Lewis shares just what is wrong with Christians fighting, bickering, debating back and forth until there is one winner.

That isn’t the point.

The Bible isn’t somethign we use to defeat or destroy, belittle or beat  a brother or sister in Christ. It isn’t a weapon for us to weld to prove how excellent we are at exegesis. It isn’t a stool or an escalator we get on to elevate ourselves above the rest of the Body of Jesus.

If it is, we need to check ourself. Before we wreck a lot more than ourself.

The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God is not for destruction or defeat. While it does pierce through to the heart, dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow (Hebrews 4:12), the end goal of the Bible is not the demise of anyone.

The disciple Peter spoke well to this matter, when asked if he wanted to depart from Jesus,

“Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.“”

– John 6:68

While this first applies to the words of Jesus, it does extend to all the words of Scripture. They are words of life. They are words that do not destroy or defeat or diminish. They are words that encourage, strengthen, and build up.

After all,

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

– 1 Timothy 3:16-17

If we are discussing, digging, debating, theorizing, or theologizing with the intent to win, we have failed. And we need to step back.

MacDonald says, “I drew back.”

Like a retreat, a purpose full pause, a chance to reflect and re-evaluate what he was doing.

I think I need to do that more often. I’m sure a lot of Christians do, but I’m thinking about myself for a second.

I am smart, but I know there have been times I have used my knowledge, my wisdom to trounce other Christians, belittle them to elevate myself. I have argued people into corners, made them second guess what they believed just to prove I knew better than they did.

That’s not the point. That’s not what the Bible is supposed to be used for. And there is nothing about that kind of action or attitude that is Christ like.

I need to draw back a lot more often than I do.

This isn’t an anti-debate or anti-intellectual statement or quote either. The mentor of C.S. Lewis? How could a man that taught one of the greatest Christian thinkers be anti-intellectual?

No. MacDonald saw in himself, and I’m sure in others, that while debate and figuring things out is of great value, rightness isn’t the end goal.

A renewed mind and an upright spirit are. The repentant heart.

are your conversations, your debates, your theologizing changing hearts or earning you victory points?

One is in line with the heart of Scripture, the word of God.

The other may be the most destructive thing you can do as a Christian.

This article first appeared on Christian Thought Sandbox.

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Abortion: Is it Really Necessary?

In the nearing end of 2018, and in the coming day of Thanksgiving, we need to be thankful that everything this Christian Nation has built is not yet destroyed. Though hard to picture or even think of anything to be thankful for due to this Age of the End Times, it is healthy for a Christian man, woman, teen and child to remember what we do have left. But this article is not talking about Thanksgiving, this article was made to remind us what the bible says about sin and mercy, and I will cover both in this article about Abortion.

Abortion is manually and scientifically removing an unborn-developed organism or removing the chance of any life in the belly of a woman.

The Bible says that life is precious, and detrimental if we choose to murder or play like we are “gods of our life.” For God is the only Lord of our life. However, just as in the Garden of Eden, God did not kill Adam and Eve he showed mercy. So God will not say to you young teen, single parent, or rapist survivor, to teach the child, but to give the baby life. The best you can do is to send the newborn to adoption/foster care. If you are a married couple who only want sex or a prostitute, well, you need to rethink what society has fantasize to you about sex. In all kindness I plead you get purity counseling, perhaps a pastor or a Christian counselor to rearrange what you think about love and adulting.

For love is more than sex.

Sincerely,

BGM LIfe

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Have Church While Cooking Your Sunday Roast

The digital age is great, but has it taken over? In this blog, I discuss whether it's a positive thing for the Church and Christian organisations to go digital.

The digital age is great, but has it taken over? In this blog, I discuss whether it’s a positive thing for the Church and Christian organisations to go digital.

So, I attended the Premier Digital Conference on Saturday 3rd November in London. For those of you who are not familiar with this event, it’s an event to help the Christian community take advantage of all the opportunities brought about by our digital age. Their aim is to ‘inspire with what is possible, equip with new ideas and skills and connect you with people and organisations that can help you achieve your aims’.

As you can imagine, as a virtual ministry assistant, this was an amazing event for me, and it proved to be just that”¦”¦.

To me, this event really brought to question, whether Churches, and Christian businesses were now becoming in tune with the digital age.

Why do Christian organisations, more specifically, Churches, find it so difficult to move with the times and become more digital / virtual?

Is it because Christianity is all about community, communication, being present with one another?

In today’s age, we now have Church apps where you can download your Church sermon, or Church newsletter; Bible verses posted on Facebook or Instagram, view Church sermons from YouTube while on the go. We have so many online Churches. A lot of Churches aspire to get their Church online. So, do less people now physically attend Church now that there are so many online Churches? You could now literally have Church while cooking your Sunday roast! Will it eventually get to a point where there will be no physical Churches, and everyone will be at home in their families, or worse, on their own listening to their Church sermon online?

 Of course, the flip side of this is that tens of thousands of people can easily hear the word of God. People who may not have usually attended Church can just tune in to hear what it’s all about. People who are house bound can experience Church in their homes.

As a virtual assistant, I’m all for the digital age. Most of my work and interactions with Churches, pastors, Church leaders are done digitally, and it works well. But it is very slow to catch on. In times of such great change, it is important to take the positives of the digital age. We can reach so many people in different cities, countries and even continents. We can work and bring together a vast amount of different ideas from different cultures and generations.

Nevertheless, we must not lose our human connections. We must not forget what Christianity is about. Loving your neighbour, helping and supporting each other and working together.

As a Christian community, we must be known to not only love Jesus Christ, but to also love one another, and to live in fellowship with one another. When the world sees this, our light will ‘shine before others, that they may see”¦ our good deeds and glorify”¦ our Father in heaven’. (Matthew 5:16)

 We need to find a happy medium where we have an option to connect virtually and digitally, but also not loose touch of our human contact.

 PREVIOUS

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They Kept the Faith

faith

In my mind today, I’m pretty rattled. In all truth the past few weeks have been full of grief. A classmate and former student of mine started their new chapter in heaven. This earthly life is one of many questions and uncertainties. Keeping the faith is so hard when sadness is all around. My prayers lately are “God help me keep the faith. I know I’m but a wretched sinner myself and do not deserve all the good that you give me. Just use me as part of your plan and please forgive my mean words, thoughts, and actions.” Yes, we all have chinks in our character, me especially.
This morning I read about Peter and Paul. It helped to remind me that all is not lost. We all remember Peter’s big declarations, “Lord, I could never deny you!” Then the old cock crows and he is scared and his faith is shaken. In these tough times, I feel Peter’s pain. I know you do, too. Then after the resurrection he tells Peter to tend and feed his sheep. He understands our two big W’s: weakness and wretchedness.
Then we have the Persecutor Saul/Paul. He was super wretched. He was responsible for many deaths of early Christians. God took his sight so he could be able to see the real truth and meaning of life. He became one of the best vehicles for spreading truth and light into our muddled world. The letters of Paul never fail to ignite my heart.
I want to think that today our lives are the worst they’ve ever been. People dying of cancer too soon, brokenness of families, suffering children, and rampant addictions coupled with ignorance make me want to just give up. Toss it all away and just take care of my family and forget all of the nuts out there. My faith just wavers some days like it has the past few weeks. I want to be like Peter and run or roll away in my wheelchair. I make myself pick up my devotional, Bible, and spiritual reading and whisper prayers “God help me. God protect my loved ones. God help me. The world is getting to me. Please hear me. Let me be a light. Don’t let me give up. Help me understand that this life is not all that we have. Thank you for listening.” Your Wretched & Weary Gal Sal

Amen

I keep the faith. Why? It’s all we really have. The world has always been a mess and will continue to be so because humans are broken. Here’s the objective kids: In keeping the Faith, doing good deeds, and creating a culture of love, we win the race. We finish well. Each of our little lives matter in the big picture. I’m trying hard not to give up. Don’t ever give up and walk with me by Faith and not by sight.

Sal the Rolling by Faith Gal

Sarah Anderson Alley
Dedicated to:

Kelly Jo Blair Hicks

Teresa Hughes Milligan
Quote of the Day:

“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”

Mother Teresa
“Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.”

Rabindranath Tagore
“Our last earthly breath is the beginning of happily ever after.”

Sarah Anderson Alley

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Fear Not

Fear Not

“Fear not . . .”  Isaiah 43:1

“Fear not” – words that make us stand a little straighter and feel a little stronger.  “Fear not,” (and words of a similar context) are found in the Bible more than a hundred times.[1]  We’re taught that fear and faith cannot coexist.  A fearful saint is not a faithful saint. But if you – like me – find yourself in a tumultuous situation, that contrast between the two extremes is a very real and present tension.  Like the father in Mark 9, we find ourselves pleading – “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (v. 24).  Over and over I pray: “God, I know You’ve got this.  I know you are faithful.  I know You will never leave me nor forsake me.  But I’m scared God.  I don’t want to be.  I’m trying not to be.  But I am.”  And He understands.  He doesn’t chide or rebuke me – He just gives me reasons not to fear.

Fear not . . . for God has heard (Gen. 21:18)

Fear not for I am with you (Gen. 26:24) (My favorite)

Do not be afraid, the Lord will fight for you (Deut. 3:22)

Do not be afraid . . . for the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you (Deut. 31:6)

Fear not; I will help you (Isa. 41:13)

Today, at the suggestion of my sister-in-love, I’ve been meditating in Isaiah 43 and found some incredible words of hope that fit my life perfectly:

“This is what the Lord says – He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters” (v. 16); “I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland” (v. 19).

At this moment I am both drowning in the sea and wandering through a desert.  Seems as odd as faith mingled with fear but let me explain.  My emotions seem like an overflowing river, thoughts rushing this way and that, pulling me under and threatening to take my very breath.  For a split second I come up for air – “I believe!”  In the next the waves crash over my head again – “But I am afraid!”  God promises to make a way – a path through the waters of fearful thoughts and discouragement that threaten to drown me.  He promises dry ground to cross over to the other side.

Yet I am in the desert where nothing grows and all seems lost – walking through a season of drought.  Health issues.  Disability.  Unemployment.   Multiple applications with no nibbles.  Interviews with “no thank you.”  Watching the funds dwindle as the provisions dry up.  The reality of what we’re facing beats down like the scorching sun as we wander looking for an oasis.  God promises to make a way here too – to provide streams in this wasteland .  Mind you not to drown us like the sea, but to refresh and restore us.

He meets our needs for rescue and refreshing.  He gives us dry ground and cool springs.  He never fails to notice us wherever we are – even when we’re in two places at once.  Oh, my drowning, wandering friend – let me throw you a lifeline of hope.  You don’t have to fear because God hears you, He is with you, He fights for you, He will never leave nor forsake you, and He promises to help you.  He knows where you are right now, and He knows what you need right here.  He will make a way.

 

[1] The NIV records some 110 references; other translations will have a slightly different word count.  Despite how good is sounds, there are actually not 365 “Fear not” verses.

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The Name I Cherish Emmanuel: There Is Indeed No Other Name!

The Name I Cherish: Emmanuel

The Bible refers to Jesus by several titles or names, each one meaningful and significant. His name, “Immanuel”, appears less than 5 times in the whole of Scriptures. The title appears in Isaiah Chapter 7 and 8, and in Matthew 1:23 as an exact quote of Isaiah 7:14. The Word unleashed deep revelation when it revealed Jesus as Emmanuel. It means God with us. Jesus is God with us. I cherish this particular name for all the significance it bears.

God’s Abiding Presence

In the Old Covenant, God’s Spirit came and went. He stirred and enabled His people for His purposes but He had to depart whenever there was transgression. The curtain that excluded the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple was a reminder that there was a limit to our access of God; not that He wanted to but because man’s sin and imperfection made it impossible.

In the New Covenant, the Redeemed who place their faith in the atoning work of Christ enjoy full, continual, and straight access to God the Father. Sin will never separate us from the love of God. We will be subject to His loving discipline, but we are condemned no more. For the saved, there will never be a life without Christ. We will never be alone. Deut. 31:6. Matthew 28:20.

God’s Kinship

Our Maker, our Lord and Master; our Father, our Brother and Friend. God never wants a distant relationship or one that is based on fear or superiority. He longs to draw us to Himself. He longs for us to search for Him and know Him. (Acts 17:27).

From Romans 8:26 we know that God the Holy Spirit aids us in our weakness and prays for us intelligently. From Matthew 11:28-30 we know that Jesus is always there to bring enlightenment and increase our capacity for handling the challenges of life. From Psalm 46 we know that God is our “Person”, our reliable, go-to aide who will support and shield us in times of trouble and danger.

God’s Special Favor

God’s saving grace rests upon people who come to receive this grace through faith. 2 Peter 3:9 says that God is not willing that anyone should perish. But not all will choose to believe. Not all will accept Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. We pray God’s Kingdom and Salvation on all of mankind but not everyone believes, not everyone accepts God’s call to repentance and total faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross. But for those who believe, God’s unmerited favor keeps on falling and falling. We can never outgive God. He will always be more good and more generous even when He withholds certain things He deems unfit for us to receive at the time.

God’s Partnership

The world sometimes depicts Him as a puppeteer or an uninvolved spectator but God is far from that. He does not lord His good and perfect will over our lives but He does not amuse Himself with spectating our affairs. God’s eyes are on us and His Godhead is always working things out for our good. We live in a broken world where unfavorable things happen. Thankfully, in this broken world, God’s eyes run throughout the entirety of the land, ready to support those whose hearts are committed to Him. (2 Chronicles 16:9) May we never believe the lies of the Evil One. May our faith never wane. May we never doubt the identity and sincerity of our loving Father.

All the praises and love to Jesus. ❤ Thank you for loving us even though we aren’t worth it.

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Where did the word “Church” come from?

At the risk of sounding like one of those zealots, it is time that we begin to openly draw a distinction between our Lord’s Ecclesia and Constantine’s Church. All of us that are serious about our relationship with our Father and our walk of faith have recited, or at the very least heard it recited, the statement Jesus spoke to Simon Peter: “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”.  When we read the word “church” in this passage, we immediately begin to visualize a building or a group of buildings—because that is how we’ve come to understand “church” as we know it—and equate that to what Jesus said as written in the quoted passage. Or perhaps we envision a group of people that congregate in a building on Sundays or some other day during the week.

For the last 406 years, most of the Christian world has been conditioned by the teachings of the King James Version (KJV) of the Holy Bible. For the most part, this translation has served a very important role in shaping the ideals and beliefs of people and nations around the world. For the purposes of this article, I want to address a specific point of conflict with the way the KJV text translated a particular word from its original use. That point is this: “how did the word ‘ecclesia’ get replaced with the word ‘church’”? The answer to this question will no doubt offend some and open the eyes of others. Nonetheless, it is a question that anyone who is serious about their walk of faith should consider.

One of the other agendas of the KJV translators was the change of the word “ecclesia” to the word “church”.

During the creation of the KJV one of the mandates of King James I of England to his team of translators was that they were to ensure that the new version would conform to the ecclesiology (that is, simply put, the doctrinal beliefs, architecture, and adornment) and reflect the Episcopal (Bishop’s oversight) structure of the Church of England and its belief in an ordained clergy. If this was the only instruction to the translators, it alone would have been enough to call into question the purity of their finished work, or at the very least, it would lead to the inevitable concern about a hidden agenda regarding the final work. But this was not the only coercion. One of the other agendas of the translators was the change of the word “ecclesia” to the word “church”. I’ll deal with “ecclesia” later in this article. For now, let’s focus our attention on the word substituted in the place of “ecclesia”.

“Church” was originally used by Emperor Constantine when he made Christianity the state religion of Rome around 310 A.D. Thus the word “church” became the standard of assembly for the Christian religion, and has continued to be used this way ever since. By the time of the creation of the KJV, the word church presented itself as a satisfactory pawn for King James to perpetuate the superiority of the English monarchy over the Kingdom government of the Body of Christ.

Throughout the KJV translation, the word “church” was substituted for the Latin word “ecclesia”. These two words do not mean the same thing, neither do they derive from a common word; in fact, they convey two significantly different understandings. In short, the translators of the KJV deliberately altered the meaning of critical passages of scripture to divert the reader’s and believer’s understanding as it pertains to who Jesus declared them to be, and what our position in the Kingdom of Heaven truly is.

The word “church” was substituted 112 times for the word “ecclesia”

The word “church” was substituted 112 times for the word “ecclesia”. There are three other translations of the same word into the word “assembly”. One could easily become suspicious as to why these three instances were not also translated “church”. Given that the words do not mean the same thing, why would the translators make such an obvious alteration to the “Holy Scriptures”? The exact answer cannot be definitively concluded, but it is not hard to arrive at a reasonable conjecture of a deliberate agenda to alter our understanding of our Kingdom position relative to the state’s desire to maintain control of the Christian religion.

So what does the word “church” really mean? In the earlier Greek, it was pronounced “kuriakos” or “kuriakon.” The meaning of ” kuriakos ” is understood by its root, ” kuriakos,” which means “lord.” Thus, “kuriakos” (i.e.,”church”) means “pertaining to the lord.” It refers to something that pertains to or belongs to, a lord. (Note the usage of the lowercase letter “L” here”¦this particular usage refers to someone having power, authority, or influence over someone, and generally refers to someone in the position of a master or ruler in an established monarchy.) The Greek “kuriakos” eventually came to be used in Old English form as “cirice” (kee-ree-ke), then “churche” (kerke), and eventually “church” in its traditional pronunciation. Church from its original Old English meaning referred to a public place of worship.

       Paul and Silas was not building churches they were establishing the Ecclesia!

Now let’s look at the word “ecclesia”. Ecclesia [from medieval Latin and Greek, meaning “summoned” or “called out”] means “a regularly convoked assembly”, especially the general assembly of Athenians. It was the name given to the governmental assembly of the city of Athens, duly convoked by proper officers and possessing all political power including even juridical functions. Consider Acts 17:1-7, and in particular verse 7: “Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus”. We can see here that what Paul and Silas were doing was inciting insurrection among all those that would hear and believe their preaching. They were not trying to change Judaism, they were establishing the ecclesia.

The Ecclesia is NOT the “church”. This is something that believers have been told since the days of Constantine, in order to exercise control over us and to keep us from understanding the true identity of our dominion. We, the Ecclesia, are the governing body of our Lord in the Kingdom of Heaven. Now, in this season, Holy Spirit is once again raising up voices to give understanding to the Ecclesia”¦that we are not “the church” as we have been told. He is revealing to us that we must come out of this Constantinian religious system and begin to embrace our true sonship, our inheritance, and our authority as heirs of righteousness and heirs of promise.

In this season, those who are hungry for the truth of our identity will begin to hear the sound of the call to the Ecclesia. I encourage you to pursue that sound as it will lead you to its source: Holy Spirit! There you will find the truth of who you were created to be. There you will find true worship of your Father in heaven. There you will find your place in the Godhead. Don’t be afraid of what you begin to hear. Holy Spirit will not allow you to be misled or seduced. He will guide you into ALL Truth.

BLESSINGS!

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3 Ways to Make Life Count – One Ordinary Life Lived Well Can Make a BIG Difference

Unsatisfied

James 4:14 speaks about the shortness of life. He says, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” This is a reality all men are aware of. We experience new life around us in many forms and we experience the passing of it as well. Friends and family come and they leave. Some at a ripe old age, others at a sudden and unexpectedly short while.

With this in mind, Ecclesiastes 3 gives great thoughts about how to make life count. Here is what King Solomon has to say:

“I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful

and to do good as long as they live;

also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—

this is God’s gift to man.”

(Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)

From the passage we gather the following ways to make life count:

  1. Choose Joy.

In John 15, Jesus Himself teaches us how to find joy. It is in staying connected with Him, keeping His words, and walking in love. There can only be lasting and overcoming joy when we stay intimate with our God. The world can only satisfy for a limited time. In good and hard times, it is only in God that our soul finds rest, renewal, and zest for living.

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you

and that your joy may be complete.”

(John 15:11)

  1. Do Good.

To do good is a profitable deed. In doing good, both the giver and the recipient benefit from the act. Both feel good; both feel the edification. To do good is to bestow something positive and beneficial on someone. However, at times, doing good may require us to withhold the bestowing especially when there is repeated abuse or when you need to stop a person from taking advantage of you. In the withholding, you set an erring person aright. Proverbs 3:27 gives us a good guideline on to whom and when to exercise goodness. It says, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.”

  1. Take Pleasure in Your Labors.

Our Creator God set this example at the very beginning of the Bible. He immersed Himself in creative work and rested on the seventh day to appreciate His handiwork. In talking about Labor Day, Caroline Picard said “Enjoy a well-deserved day-off by honoring the time and effort you’ve put in all year long.” That is well on point. There is a time for putting in the efforts and there is a time for ceasing to strive in order to rest, reflect, and renew oneself. Remember that our jobs are there to help us manage the needs of day to day living. But our job is not life itself. We don’t live for our job. It is a necessary tool that helps us meet obligations and attain personal enjoyments. Work is there to help us better minister to our family.   It is not there to encroach on time and efforts we need to allot for family bonding.

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Why the Church Needs to Refocus on the Concept of Sanctification

Sanctification belongs to our Father in Heaven.  Being sanctification is freely offered to the heirs of righteousness.  It is given to us as part of our inheritance, which comes by salvation.  It is our Father’s perfect will for us, that we are sanctified.  By the proclamation of our Lord, who is the pillar of all that is our inheritance, we are sanctified through the truth of our Father in heaven.  We are set apart from all that is in the world; from all that is not of faith; and from all that is unbelief.  Heaven sent sanctification is not with rituals of behavior or customs of tradition; neither is it self-imposed separation from the world.  While separation from the world is commanded by our Lord and is a result of sanctification, it is important for us to understand how this separation is accomplished.  Sanctification comes when we hear the truth and we obey that truth.  Truth is living and it is universal.  Self-imposed sanctification only leads to dead works.  Our Father’s truth is alive.  It is as alive as the life we live.  His truth is subject only to his perfect will.  Our Lord admonished us that our Father’s Word is truth when he said: “Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth”.  We are set apart from the world not by self-imposed, artificial rituals and practices; but rather by the truth that makes us free.    

Church leaders throughout the ages have received truth from Holy Spirit, only to fall victim to holding on to what was received so passionately, they become unwilling, or even unable, to embrace the followup enlightenment when it arrived.  Consider the Word of God concerning circumcision!  Circumcision was once the primary distinction whereby a Hebrew identified their relationship with God.  Circumcision was believed, and it was followed.  Circumcision was mandated as a sign of the covenant God made with Abraham.  It was later ritualized under the Levitical Laws.  However, once grace arrived, and faith by grace, circumcision became a symbol of not having faith.  Apostle Paul wrote; “for in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love”.  So, if that which was once the standard of a relationship with God, has now become that which hinders what God is doing, how much more is that which He is doing now, greater than that which has been replaced?

If we say we have all the truth that our Father has, or that there is no more truth that He will give, then we make Him a liar.  If that which we have is the conclusion of God’s revelation, then of necessity Holy Spirit did not need to be sent.  For what do the scriptures say?  “When the spirit of truth is come he will lead us into all truth; and show us things to come”.  Now the things to come are not limited to the writing of the apostles of old, but every generation is beset with the mandate to understand the things set before them and to peer into the things to be.  Each generation must be willing to embrace things that have been hidden until now.  If they have been hidden from generations past and have been reserved for the present generation, then of necessity Holy Spirit must expose what has been hidden in days past.   It is incumbent upon present apostolic leaders, to avail themselves to the unction of Holy Spirit to speak those things She is revealing to the generation at hand.

I further make the case, which even now, we do not have all the truth that was spoken through the apostles of old.  Even our own canon speaks of truths that have been lost to antiquity.  If in fact, we accept Apostle Paul as a vessel of truth through which Holy Spirit has spoken;  where he makes mention of an epistle he wrote to the Corinthian church, that to this present day has been hidden from the Ecclesia even our present generation.  If then, the truth that was scribed in this lost epistle was inspired by Holy Spirit, and I believe it was, then it is clear we do not have all that was given by Holy Spirit.  Further, the epistle written to the Colossians makes reference to an epistle Apostle Paul wrote to the Laodiceans.   This epistle to has been hidden from generations that followed.

Beloved let us not stifle the ministry of Holy Spirit because we are unwilling to allow Her to freely give us the things She has received from our Father and our Christ.  She is our comforter.  Lest you mistake my boldness as skepticism of the scriptures; I say boldly, the scriptures are the Word of our Father, but all of our Father’s Word is not in the scriptures we have.  Therefore, I submit my spirit to Holy Spirit who delivered the Word that admonishes us that lack wisdom, to ask God for wisdom and God will give it liberally to all who ask because we ask in faith and don’t waiver.

Contemporary leaders are always charged with “Who hath ears to hear let him hear”.  We must never become so beholden to what has been done that we are unable or unwilling to receive what is being done now.  Some have concluded there is nothing new, and all things that will be has already been.  We embrace this understanding because Solomon said it in the writings of Ecclesiastes.  We’ve been told from the writings of Solomon; there is no new thing under the sun.  Even as Solomon has declared nothing new under the sun, Isaiah admonished us to forget about the former things and do not consider the things of old because Jehovah was doing a new thing.  Is this a contradiction?  On the contrary, it’s actually moving on from truth in a previous generation to truth in the contemporary generation.  Isaiah wrote after Solomon and declared what

 Jehovah was speaking in his generation.  Even so, must we be bold to break free from the captivity of what was written aforetime to declare the wonderful truth that is being spoken in our generation?  The things that were written aforetime were written for our learning, they were not written to incarcerate in a time before us.  All truth begins with the Son, who gives it to Holy Spirit, who gives it to us.   Thus, by authority given to me as a good steward of this gospel, I declare to you, Yeshua is Lord of Lords and King of Kings and in Him, we are transformed into the sons of the kingdom and heirs of righteousness.  Amen!

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To the Girls Who Want a Godly Man. This Is for You.

To the Girls Who Want a Godly Man. This Is for You.

“And two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh”  (Mark 10:8).

This is what biblical math for marriage looks like  1 + 1 = 1.

No, this is not common core math; this is what God’s definition of what marriage should look like if it were visualized mathematically.

As Scripture says, husband and wife, will become one, and live one life together. When we say “I do” we no longer live separate lives, but rather one.

American culture is all about the “me”, and not about the ‘we’. It’s individually focused. And competition is how we move forward individually. In marriage, focusing on “me’ and not on “we”, creates conflict.

As men, we are raised to be competitive with playing sports or in my case, playing video games. So, when we get married, our individualist traits become difficult to break. When we were single, we only had ourselves to worry about. But that all changes when we get married. If we don’t break the habit of acting as “me”, it will become a source of conflict in our marriage.

Here are 2 important qualities that all godly husbands should have:

One: A Servant-Leader

As men, we are called to be leaders of our household. But a good leader puts himself last and others first. Robert K. Greenleaf calls this  Servant Leadership.  “The servant-leader is a servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.” In the Bible, Jesus depicts what a servant-leader should be and as husbands, we are to emulate this in our marriages.

Jesus put it this way:    “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many”(Matthew 20:25-28).

Jesus could have ruled the world and had others serve him. But rather, he became a King who served others, washed dirty feet, and sacrificed himself for those he loved and served. A Christian husband should serve his wife, not rule over her. A godly husband puts his needs second, and his wife’s first.

Husbands, if you want to be King, you must first be a servant to your Queen.

Two: Shows plenty of grace

Forgiving those who hurt you is always difficult. In marriage, it’s no different. We’ve all have had our feelings hurt by our spouses at some point. You forgot to take out the trash or fold the laundry correctly. Or in my case, hung my wife’s clothes in the wrong spot. She will get mad and I will take it personally. Sometimes, she will say something that will hurt my feelings, and I will grumble about it for days.

In 1 Corinthians 4: 5, it states  loves keeps no record of wrongs. What this means is  we must forgive our spouses when they hurt us, and not hold what they did wrong in the past against them.  We must fill our marriages with plenty of grace.  Showing forgiveness towards our spouses is what God-like love looks like.

God forgave us for our sins, why should we not forgive the sins of our spouses?  If we want God to forgive us for our sins, we must show our spouse’s the same grace God has shown us.  

The hardest part of marriage is putting our spouse’s needs above our own. I know for myself and many other men, this is not a natural trait. We must be intentional in our marriages to live up to being Christlike. This world will try to pull our marriages apart. When we focus on ourselves, we are not becoming ‘one’. Being a servant-leader to our spouse’s and showing plenty of grace to our other half, is what a godly marriage looks like.

 

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When God Throat Punches You, Count It Joy. Says God.

When God Throat Punches You, Count It Joy. Says God.

I have been absolutely mesmerized by the recent pictures of the Volcanic eruptions in Hawaii. How often do we think about the power beneath every step we take each day?  The Earth’s Outer core is liquid rock, moving freely beneath us each day, while its innermost core is solid, composed of an iron-nickel alloy (Wikipedia). I never thought about it until those amazing pictures of the Eruption in Hawaii recently forced my mind to take stock. I looked up facts on the Earth’s Core, on Volcanoes, etc.  I just couldn’t get over the immensity of what I was seeing.

This all made me think of what the Bible says in Philippians 2:12-13

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13  for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Oswald Chambers commented on this passage by saying this:

With focused attention and great care, you have to “work out” what God “works in” you— not  work  to accomplish or earn “your own salvation,” but  work it out  so you will exhibit the evidence of a life based with determined, unshakable faith on the complete and perfect redemption of the Lord. (From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition)

There is power in every believer in Jesus Christ.  God is at work in us both to have the “want to” and the “ability to” accomplish His will on this earth.  There is a yielding to God’s leading that takes place. I watched with amazement as the Lava from the Volcano just went wherever it found a place to flow.  It created rivers of molten rock throughout communities, making its way to the Sea.  There was no stopping it, no stemming the flow, no diverting of the pathway.  It was impossible to do anything but watch in awe and trembling, as the Eruption went on for weeks.

God is at work within each of us, seeking to make us an unstoppable force for His Kingdom.  The Kingdom of God is being built by God through us. What an amazing privilege and honor to be a part of His Eternal Plan.  Sit before this precious and all-powerful God today and praise Him for both the “want to” and the “ability to,” do His will.  He is able and will make a way where there seems to be no way, in and through each of us.

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My Anger and Need for Control Was Killing My Marriage (And My Faith)

My Anger and Need for Control Was Killing My Marriage (And My Faith)

Are you an angry person? If you exhibit any of the listed traits below, then it’s most possible that you are.

  • Not wanting to put up with (or wait for) something or someone
  • Often holding the belief that you are totally correct or morally superior
  • Irritable and Harsh in word and/or deed
  • Refuses to accept or even listen to the views of other

A Christian can be angry; but there is right anger and there is wrong anger. The Bible reminds us not to let our anger turn into sin. Ephesians 4:26 says, “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. Actually, Ecclesiastes 7:9 tells us not to quickly get angry in the first place.

If you are easily angered, let the following Scriptures teach you how to overcome:

Exercise patience.

Ask God and let Him increase your capacity to accept and stand problems and suffering without becoming anxious or annoyed. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 exhorts us to be patient with all people.   2Timothy 2:24 further tells us that we ought to show patience even towards people who wrong us. Exercise patience as you trust God to work things out for you.

Nurture a tender heart.

Ephesians 4:32 tells us to “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Tenderheartedness is having care and compassion for others. Extend mercy towards those who fail you. Forgive and give allowances. Allow them some time to make amends and restore whatever needs to be so.

Practice humility.

1 Corinthians 10:12 says that “So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” It is dangerous to be overly confident in the thought that you have arrived or that you are filled with wisdom and rightness. 1 Corinthians 8:2 says, “The one who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.” We will keep making mistakes and it is in being lowly in mind that we make less mistakes in life. Understand though that having a lowly mind is different from having a low mind about yourself. Don’t think of yourself to be too small. That’s definitely wrong. But don’t think of yourself “more highly than you ought to think.  (Romans 12:3). Also understand that it is in being lowly in mind that we become more understanding towards those who make mistakes in life.

Delay your response.

James 1:19 advises us to be slow to speak and slow to anger. In delaying your response and reactions you prevent yourself from talking and reacting out of stress or an overflow of emotions. Yield your mind and heart over to God. Unload your hurts to Him and trust Him to sort things out for you. Don’ just take it upon yourself to make it right. Let God back you up. Moreover, let Him bring wisdom to you in the handling of unpleasant circumstances. Stand back. Be still. Let God minister to you and enlighten you. Then, with guidance from the Holy Spirit, begin to deal with the matter at hand.

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The Importance Of Being A Prepared Soldier

The Importance Of Being A Prepared Soldier

It would be straight-up foolish to go into any battle unprepared. While you may think that improvising and spontaneity is the spice of life, the enemy has studied your military strategy (or lack thereof), obtained vital information about you and knows combat moves that will probably get you killed. You’re basically walking into that battle to be defeated because you didn’t bother to prepare. That makes you a bad soldier, doesn’t it? You wouldn’t last a minute on the battlefield, that’s for sure. Being an unprepared Believer leaves you wide open for attacks, and when they come you will not know how to handle them.

I believe that we forget that the devil never rests. He has a plan to carry out, and that’s destroying GOD’S people. Every day (and night) is an opportunity for the devil to attack us, and you better believe that his plans are well thought out with great attention to detail. There is no way that we will be able to figure out what his evil plans are and we shouldn’t; all we need to do is to be prepared by following GOD’S Word.

We have a   military plan given to us by GOD Himself and it can only be found if we study His Word as we should. He explains just who the devil is, what his plans are, how to fight and how to defend ourselves.

1 Peter 5:8

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Do you understand the strength of a lions roar? The closer you are to it, the more you can feel it. It’s like vibrations traveling through your body and it leaves you on edge. Lions roar to communicate with each other, ward off other lions from entering their territory and to give an indication of their size. It’s no mistake that the devil had been described as a roaring lion. We know that the world is basically his (for the time being), so he’s stating his territory, he’s in constant communication with his demons to keep track of people, and he wants to show that he’s the big fish in the pond (that’s what got him kicked out of heaven in the first place). He has legal ground to torment those who are his (the Lost), but he’s on the lookout for any legal ground that Christians give him through sin. Also, the devil knows how committed you are to GOD and your knowledge of His Word, so if you’re one of those that fail to meditate on His Word every day then you could be destroyed for your lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).

Colossians 2:15

Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Good news, Family, Jesus overcame Death that we may have life. Death no longer has the sting that   it once had, and the devil is justly angry about that. Who likes being defeated and humiliated so publicly? So now we know our position: we have already won, but that doesn’t mean that the battle is over. There are still souls that are lost, Christians falling away, and a devil that will do all in his power to destroy us that continue to stand. So what can we do?

2 Corinthians 10:3-4

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in GOD for pulling down strongholds.

I don’t know about you, but I get excited when I read the Bible. I’m even smiling as I type this. GOD gave us WEAPONS! And not just any type of weapons, but ones that can and will bring down every evil stronghold in our lives. Family, we need to use exactly what GOD gave us if we expect to stand in that evil day. We need to pray, fast, petition, be thankful, remain obedient and trust in GOD in all things.

Ephesians 6:12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places,

Family, our fight is not against other people, it’s against the devil and his minions (demons). They are the ones behind every evil and horrendous thing that has befallen us. You need to understand this if you want to be a prepared soldier of GOD. It’s not a physical war, but a spiritual one. There will always be an overflow of what is happening in the spiritual world into the physical world, but our fight isn’t there. Don’t get angry at people, get angry at the devil. We are to hate sin, not people. But let me tell you this: do not become cocky and think that you can disrespect the devil. Jesus never did, and neither should you. You speak the words that GOD has given us, nothing more and nothing less. You’re not honoring him by being respectful, but you need to understand that you are a human being and he is a spirit with more power, knowledge, and days than we could ever know or understand. GOD is infinitely greater, but don’t step into that trap of running your mouth off.

Ephesians 6:11 & 13-17

Put on the whole armor of GOD, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Therefore, take up the whole armor of GOD, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand, therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of GOD;

GOD has provided us with an armor. This is not just a concept or some metaphorical description, but an actual armor that goes on your spiritual body. Wearing this armor means that we will be able to stand against the trickery of the devil. Wearing it means that we will be able to stand in the evil day. Every morning, you need to ask GOD for this armor in Jesus’ name; do not start your day without it or you’re just asking for trouble. We need to understand that all that the devil can do is to try and trick and lie to us. He doesn’t have any true power against GOD’S people, only what we give him.

There is so much more to say on this matter of being a prepared soldier, but you need to read your Bible to gain more wisdom and spiritual understanding. Let the Spirit guide you and teach you as you remain faithful and do the will of GOD. There are times that we are attacked, but do not despair, GOD is always with us even when He seems absent. Our times of need are the times that we need to show our faith and trust in Him by standing and trusting in Him. We will go through refining fires, family, but once we have come through them, we become worthy vessels of honor to carry out GOD’S work. Just remember that although you suffer now, your reward in heaven is greater. Fight the good fight and remain steady in your faith.

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What Kind of Life is This?

What Kind of Life is This?

The Bible talks about life in so many passages. A word search alone tells us that the word life occurs 565 times in the Bible. As God’s children who have a relationship with God through Christ by free grace thru faith, Scriptures tell us the kind of life we have in a more detailed way.

We have eternal life.

Eternal means lasting and continuing. Eternal life will never end. It will never stop. Nothing we do, feel, or say, will ever cancel the eternal life we have in Christ. Jesus says, “I I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)

We have new life.

New means unlike before or not existing before. With newfound salvation is newfound life. I am now a new creation, walking and living a new life. 2 Cor. 5:17 says that for those “in Christ, a new creation has come. The old has gone, the new has come.” A change of life instantly takes place and everything continues to change. God our Father is making all things new. Healing takes place, correction takes place. We begin to desire the right things. We begin to say and do the right things. We begin to act in the right way. The Holy Spirit who resides in us guides us into all truth as we walk in newness of life. Christ in us empowers us to live the new life, enabling us to overcome temptations and do the right thing in spite of our weaknesses.

We have enlightened life.

John 1:4 tells us that in the Lord Jesus Christ is life, and that life is the light of man. In chapter 8 of John and verse 12, Jesus Himself says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” In having life thru Christ we have light; we have an enlightened life. This means we will have guidance; we will have wisdom. With the Holy Spirit guiding us into all truth and strengthening us for right living, we are able to walk the path, the right path laid for us. We will be empowered towards making right decisions and taking the right steps.

We have abundant life.

In John 10:10, Jesus said that He came to give us life, abundant life. To have abundance is to have something more than before. Abundant is about having plenty, about possessing something inexhaustible. What is abundant will never come to depletion. That’s the kind of life we have in Christ. It is vibrant life. It will never grow bleak. It is filled with promise and potential.

We have overcoming life.

I John 4:4 says that one who is born of God overcomes the world because the One in us will always be greater than the one who operates a broken system on this earth. 1 John 5:4 assures us that one born of God will always be an overcomer in this world. God in us will enable us to move past hardships and to rise above failures.

A child of God need not settle living in confusion, defeat, desperation, or dissatisfaction. Nurture intimacy with God and you will see God nurturing your heart and spirit. You will find yourself experiencing the positive kind of life God has in mind for you.

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Why Real Faith Is Never Perfect

Why Real Faith Is Never Perfect

What does it mean to live by faith? Is it a Que Sera, Sera thinking? (“Whatever will be, will be”) Does it mean for you to just sit back and resign yourself to whatever future God holds for you?

Resign Versus Yield

The idea of “resigning” yourself to whatever fate God has for you captures little of what it means to live by faith. On the other hand, the word “yielding” captures much of what it means to live by faith. In resigning yourself, you take on a passive pose. You do nothing and you follow whatever ebb and flow you feel God is sweeping you by. But in yielding yourself, you take on an active pose. The mind and heart is constantly at work, testing and proving possibilities. As enlightenment comes, you learn to release yourself from pursuing and prioritizing things and relationships that God has led you to forego in order for you to welcome and put more attention and energy into the more fruitful things and relationships God desires to bring into your life. The word resign carries the idea of acceptance and simple absorption. The word yield carries the idea of, yes, surrender, but can also point to a product that results from some work and effort carried out.

Living the faith life doesn’t mean I empty myself of all my thoughts, goals, and desires for my life. Rather, it means that I nurture a heart that aligns itself to the desires and goals of God for my life. For all we know, God may have already put those in us long before we were born. We only need the wisdom to know which passions are God-breathed and which ones are purely self-serving.

Indolence Versus Diligence

Resignation to fate often breeds indolence while yieldedness breeds diligence. You don’t let life happen. Rather, you make life the best it can be. To live by faith is to cooperate with God’s purposes for your life. We can only find satisfaction in this life when we know that we have a purpose and that we are fulfilling it. To feel useless and to feel so for an extended period of time can be a cause of depression and discontent in one’s capabilities and in one’s position or situation in life.

It is true that great discoveries and learnings are found in doing and experimenting. From Ecclessiastes 9:10 we learn that we should put best efforts into whatever our hands find to do. The Bible calls us to productivity. It calls us to action. In the process of doing [with a yielded spirit], we sense God’s guidance. We sense His affirmation and we see His redirections.

Sensibility Versus Intuitiveness

At times the Christian will need to let go of what is sensible and dive into something that seems unreasonable or makes little sense. God loves doing miraculous, impossible, and astounding things and for a person who depends on safety nets, these “God-Moments” may be very uncomfortable and even scary. Sense tells us to act depending on what we know to be true, that is, human reason. Intuition tells us to act depending on what we know and feel to be true even without conscious reasoning.

That is what faith is about. Hebrews 11:1 says it is about having the confidence and full assurance of what we know to be true and real even though we may not yet see the fullness of that truth and reality yet. God is good and He says that all His plans for us are for a great future and a sure hope (Jeremiah 29:11). On some days, it may not seem that way but remembering the many times God has shown up in our past assures us that God is constantly working things out for our good. (Romans 8:28). Needless to say, it takes regular meditation upon God’s Word and surrounding yourself with the right people for you to have a “reliable” and “mature” intuition. Without intimacy with God, we can be fooled into pursuing unfruitful impulses and compulsions by our deceiving hearts. (Jeremiah 17:9).

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

 plans to give you hope and a future.”

– Jeremiah 29:11

 

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