We welcome the stories of your lives that will help and inspire other men in the body of Christ!
Letting Down Our Hair
By Patrick Odum
Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
“Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. (Luke 7:40-43)
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Her actions were rash. Heedless of the limits of politeness. Even scandalous. It was a serious enough breach that she walked into the home of a respected religious leader and interrupted his banquet without an invitation or introduction. Her faux pas was made worse by virtue of the fact that she was a woman. And everyone knew what kind of woman, and about the life she had lived – even if her exploits were more lurid in the town’s collective imagination than in actuality. She was pushing the boundaries of propriety by even showing up.
But then what she did…oh, what she did.
It seems, maybe, that her intent was originally to offer him the most valuable thing she owned – an alabaster jar of expensive perfume. She approached him as he reclined at the table on his side, his feet extended. But as she drew closer, the tears started to fall. One landed on Jesus’ feet, still dusty from his walk to Simon’s house. Then another. Then another. And then she noticed that his feet hadn’t been washed, and then she loosened her hair – loosened her hair – and used it to wipe off the tears and dust. And then it just made sense, somehow to open the jar and pour the perfume on his feet.
Simon, predictably and even understandably, is shocked. His righteous indignation builds with every moment the woman is in his house. His disapproval of Jesus, noticeable from the beginning to judge by his failure to see that Jesus’ feet were washed, rises accordingly. “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner,” he sneers to himself, comfortably satisfied that his initial judgment of Jesus in on target.
Maybe Jesus was able to read his mind. Most likely, he didn’t need to. What he thought of Jesus – and the woman – was probably written all over his face and body language. So Jesus can’t resist the opportunity to tell a parable, try to help Simon, or at least his other guests, to think differently about this woman and her actions. And more importantly, maybe, themselves and their own actions.
What Jesus does, in short, is to recast the woman’s actions in terms of gratitude. Even Simon, in his pious sanctimony, can see that the larger the debt forgiven, the greater the gratitude of the one forgiven. And therein lies his problem.
Simon sees Jesus, you see, entirely in terms of the religious system he’s inherited. For Simon, good people and bad people are easily distinguished, and movement from one category to the other is unlikely. Simon sees himself as “good,” probably always has, and so he doesn’t know much about the way grateful people behave.
For Jesus, though, the woman’s actions aren’t shocking at all. They spring from her gratitude. She’s heard, somewhere, Jesus’ message of God opening his kingdom to all. She’s believed that God’s kingdom is for the “prostitutes and tax collectors,” and so she’s come to imagine that it might be for her, too. She’s received God’s forgiveness, grace, and love, in spite of her sin, and her tribute to Jesus is the spontaneous response of a grateful heart.
“If you don’t get it,” Jesus tells his host, “then it might be because you don’t know what it is to be grateful.”
That’s what happens when religion starts being about defining ourselves as good, and stops being about celebrating the one who has given us such love, grace, and forgiveness. Our church pews can easily become full of Simons who wouldn’t recognize Jesus if he came in and sat down with us, and we show ourselves for who we are in the way we treat those who come among us full of the joy and gratitude of newly-received forgiveness. Too often we sit with arms folded, scowls on our faces, dwelling on who people used to be and oblivious to who God is making them into. Sometimes traces of gratitude and joy are hard to find in our churches, obscured as they are by our concerns for rigid respectability and religiosity. It’s been so long since some of us have considered how much we’ve been forgiven that we’ve forgotten how to love – love God, and love others.
Thankfully, though, the rehabilitation of our inner Simons isn’t as difficult as we might think. Gratitude isn’t that hard to recapture. It starts with acknowledging that we’re sinners, and not all that different from the folks that we’re tempted to look down upon when we’re in our “religious” frames of mind. We need to confess our sins, to ourselves and even to one another, for the simple reason that we need to know how much we’ve been forgiven. We need to stop excusing ourselves, stop justifying the things we do by minimizing them in relation to other sins or telling ourselves that they’re understandable under the circumstances.
If gratitude has to do with knowing how much we’ve been forgiven, then let us affirm that we’re sinners in need of mercy, and then joyfully proclaim the good news that in Christ we have received it. Let’s honor Jesus for what he has given us, and let us welcome into his presence other sinners who are learning the joy of God’s grace. And let our expressions of gratitude be so extravagant and un-self-conscious as to make Pharisees everywhere squirm uncomfortably.
Maybe then our churches will become what they’re supposed to be: communities in which all who want to express their gratitude to Jesus can let down their hair and find a place with us at the table.
To read more from Patrick Odum, please visit his website at FaithWebBlog.com.
@December 31, 2009
One Bible Many Jesus Christ
By Joseph Ho
Since the day I set my heart to be a serious Christian, I began to discover that there is one bible but many version of Christ. Even the bible itself consists of many versions and translations, but nevertheless they all speak about the same thing in a different light and wordings. The major difference in the Christian world is that there are actually many types of Jesus and all of them half truths, partial and bias, not the complete understanding of our Lord God and Savior.
Jesus of Grace
Here, the preacher claims that once you are saved by saying the sinner’s prayer than you are saved forever. No need to work hard to be righteous, Jesus will give you that righteousness without us trying even a little to be good. No one can be good by his own effort, so don’t need to try to be good.
Jesus of Prosperity
When you come to God, all you have to do is to give your tithes and God will bless you. Give more get more. God wants you to be rich and wealthy and to do that we have to give to God so that he can bless us with what we give. Sow seed get tree with fruit, sow money to God get money from God.
Jesus of Baptism
Be baptized and all is well. You have received Jesus through confessing his name and accepting his sacrifice and be baptized and read your bible then you are saved.
Jesus a Nice Good God
God is good so he does not condemn you anymore. No chastisement, all good things will come to those who are Christians, as we are already his children and God will pamper us with all good things, money, wealth, health and favor. God does not punish anymore, he does not kill as well. All the disasters in the world are of the devil and God does nothing to stop him until Jesus comes again.
Jesus the God who gives Power
Jesus gave power to his disciple so he also gives us power to proclaim, bind and cast out devils. Our untrained tongues suddenly have the anointing once you begin to know that God has given you his inheritance to rule the world.
Jesus the human being
Jesus is not God, he is only a human and he comes to do show us how to be a good man. God is one and there is no Trinity, no father, son and Holy Spirit, only one God.
Jesus the Prophet Not Messiah
Jesus is only a prophet and he is not the savior, he came to preach about God and show the love of God for the world. Jesus is not God, he was sent by God as an enlightened one.
Jesus the answer it all God
Come to Jesus and all your problems will be solved. Your debts will be paid, or supernaturally canceled, your sickness will be healed, your amputated leg will grow back, you will get gold teeth, and diamonds will fall all over you, gold dust will cover your body, your lost love will return and you live happily ever after.
Jesus the Institutionalized God
Jesus is a regimental God, so wants you to go to church every Sunday, pay our tithes on time, go to prayer tower to participate in 24 hours a day prayer for the world since he does not know he has to take care of the world and we have to remind him constantly. If we don’t pray he does not move.
Jesus the Bible God
Jesus is all about the bible, he speaks to us only from the bible and no where else. Everything we need to do is found in the bible and its bible and bible only, nothing else. Jesus is a God who lost the ability to talk to us directly even in dreams and visions or through the still small voice. Jesus is not present everywhere he can only be found when we read the bible.
Which is the True or Real Jesus?
The above is only a small segment of what the present Christians think of who Jesus is all about. Jesus is who he is, the I am that I am. Jesus has been stereotyped by our limited minds which classify things in the worldly human understanding. They preached a Jesus whom they think he should be but not what he actually is.
Jesus is the great I am that I am. He is whatever he wants to be and we have to learn from him. We all have to make a life long journey to know and have a relationship with him. Men tried very hard to stereotype who Jesus is so that they can feel that they have worshiped him in truth. But they did not know that Jesus is too big for them to imagine. They read the same bible but came out with many types of Jesus based on their own weaknesses and character flaws. These preachers are sincerely wrong and they don’t know Jesus. There is only one Jesus Christ and one narrow gate. Now what did Paul say about this?
2 Corinthians 11:3-4 (New International Version)
3But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
Now it has come to past, because many now preached a different Jesus from the original authentic message of Jesus. The age old message is still very simple and clear. The message is one of salvation from our sin and eternal damnation in the fires of hell.
Jesus came to die for our sins, so that we can be transformed from sinners to sons and daughters, to repent and seek forgiveness for our rebellious life which is against the word of God. We are to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior and be baptized in his name so that we can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead an overcoming life, a true life of freedom from bondages and death. And to constantly be renewed from glory to glory through the washing of his words spiritually until we be changed from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh where, love, joy, peace, kindness, patience, faithfulness, goodness, self-control and gentleness, grows in our hearts.
Finding the real Jesus to gain the favor of God
Only when God favor us, will he then promote us. No man can promote anyone unless God has approved, as all promotion comes from God. You will find that promotion does not come to the smartest or the most capable, it came to those whom the Boss likes. This is called favor.
Psalm 75:5-7 (New International Version)
5 Do not lift your horns against heaven;
do not speak with outstretched neck.' "
6 No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt a man.
7 But it is God who judges:
He brings one down, he exalts another.
In the Book of Daniel, God moved Nebuchadnezzar to favor Daniel because God gave Daniel the meaning of Nebuchadnezzar dreams. And in the Book of Genesis, God favors Joseph, because God moved the heart of Jacob to give Joseph a coat of honor, he also made Potiphar favor Joseph and finally the Pharaoh himself favored Joseph because God gave Joseph the meaning of his dreams. When God favors you, he will cause kings to favor you since all authorities are instituted by him. Kings may or may not be Christians; it is irrelevant, simply because all kings are approved by God himself. Cyrus was a pagan king whom God favored and made him great, but he was no Israelite.
Proverbs 21:1 (New International Version)
Proverbs 21
1 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD;
he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.
Why did God favor Daniel and Joseph? They were men of excellent character and qualities who do not compromise on their beliefs and they were whole hearted in their life style because they honor their heavenly father. They did not try to be good Christians; they are simply walking in the ways of the Lord God.
Unless you also walk in the ways of the Lord our God, he will not favor you and so you cannot be the head. So confessing Jesus as Lord will not bring about this favor, unless you absorbed the word of God and embed it in your life style you will not gain favor with God much less gain any gifts of the Holy Spirit. If you do not turn away from your old ways and seek to walk in the righteous ways of the Lord thy God, he will not favor you. Your salvation is also not real, no deeds, no actions all talk and unless prayers with no sincerity.
God is not mocked and he can see into the intentions of the hearts of men. A sinner’s prayer is not enough to get you into the favor of God. God’s approval comes from the gift of the Holy Spirit into the lives of many. Jesus is the only baptizer of the Holy fire and Spirit and no pastors can give you that. God must sanctify you with the truth before he can bestow a gift upon your life, and that is a spiritual one.
When you confess and receive Jesus Christ into your life, you have only enrolled yourself in his School of Holiness and the work has only just started. It’s a life long process of transformation and bearing good fruit. Until you produce the fruit of the Spirit you are never truly his disciple. A tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down.
Matthew 3:10
The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matthew 7:17
Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
Matthew 12:33
"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.
Galatians 5:22-23 (New International Version)
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Many Christians are walking Zombies, they hear a sermon, agree to it and the minute they step out of church they forgot everything they heard. They have ears but they do not hear. If they heard, they would have done what God said to do. These people do not honor their own word let alone honor God’s word. Every life situation is a test and yet they do things their own ways and not the ways of the Lord God. It is always easy to walk in our own ways by doing what comes to our minds and we don’t consider how others may feel. It is much more difficult to decide to change our ways and to walk in the ways of the Lord our God.
John 14:21
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
John 14:23
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
John 14:24
He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
Here is an example of how I changed my ways, in the past, I will take justice into my own hands so I need to formulate a plan and perform some manipulation. But today, after coming to Christ, I read that vengeance belongs to God, so I petition God with my request and seek justice from God and I found he never forgets, he always give me the justice due to me. That is provided I walk in his ways and also on condition that I am on a right standing with God, which means I was not the evil one.
Here is another example, in the past, I would be very zealous for Christ and I would evangelize to anyone I met without the wisdom from God. Sometimes, I offend; some times I intrude into other people’s life style by being over zealous. Now, I let God speak to me and then I will open up, but I speak only he words he gave me and no more. I do not try to be too smart by helping God, God need our cooperation as being available and be bold and willing to be used by him. God does not need our knowledge and wisdom to try to help him win souls. Jesus Christ himself is the promise not us, and we will never have the power to change anyone unless God works with us through the Holy Spirit.
Here is a third example, in the past, I thought we have to sow, plant and reap all at once. Now, I know, I may be called to sow into one person, plant in another and reap what I did not sow. So this understanding made my life a joy and great peace and ease came to all my work because I decided to do things God’s way. It’s a fantastic way to learn the heart of the Father. If you have never run an errand for God, you will never learn his ways, reading the bible is not enough, you need to have a relationship with God by doing things when he commands you. But then again, how can you do things for him, if you can not hear from him. My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me, says the Lord your God.
About the Author: Check out my website at www.kingscepter.com or send me an email at prophet3333@yahoo.com, and you will learn the deeper truths from the place where New Wine flows, fresh and real, no pretensions, no theology, no deception, only the candid truth. God bless you all.
@ December 18, 2009; Narrow is the Path
Joseph
By Patrick Odum
“…Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” (Matthew 1:15-16)
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“Joseph – you say his name was Joseph. That’s a good name. I mean, it must be, since every other family on our street had a son named Joseph.”
That was Eleazar’s response when I told him about his great-grandson (in my imagination). He was considerably more enthusiastic when I told him what Joseph did for a living. He smiled – beamed, in fact. “A carpenter. Like me. Like his grandfather. Like my father and grandfather. You know, carpentry’s a good trade. Everyone needs things made of wood, and so everyone needs a craftsman who knows how to join and shape and finish wood. Do you know that someone who knows what he’s doing can make a mortise joint so tight that…”
I cut him off there. (It’s my imagination, after all…) Truthfully, I didn’t really want to talk to Eleazar about carpentry. I was really sort of looking for something, to be honest – some kind of insight into what made Joseph the man he turned out to be. Not that Joseph did anything overtly heroic, of course. But he trusted God, and he faithfully took care of the people God gave him. And I wondered if any of that came from Eleazar.
At first, I thought I was going to be disappointed. Eleazar was much more comfortable talking about woodgrain and chisels than he was talking about faith and angels and dreams. When I told him about Joseph’s strange betrothal, and the circumstances of his first son’s birth, he got a very strange look on his face. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably, cleared his throat a couple of times, and opened and closed his mouth as he tried to think of what to say, and how to say it. Finally, he was able to get it out.
“And the dream…what the angel said…was true?”
I nodded, and he shook his head and chuckled nervously. I told him that Joseph did exactly what the angel told him to do: he swallowed his pride, took Mary to be his wife, and named her baby Jesus.
“The Lord saves,” he said, half to himself. “I always liked that name.”
He was quiet for a moment, then he said, “Well, I guess if an angel speaks to you, you really don’t have much choice, do you?”
I asked Eleazar what he’d taught Joseph’s grandfather, Matthan, about God. He thought for a moment. “Well,” he began, “I sort of think I didn’t teach him enough. I mean, there was always work to do. Something to build. Something to repair. Something to plant. Something to cultivate. Something to pick. Most of what I remember telling him had to do with work. But I showed him how to make a mortise joint so tight that…”
I cut him off again. (It’s still my imagination.) I asked if he ever prayed with Matthan. “Oh, yes,” he said. “Every day, we thanked God for our blessings. And we all prayed together when business was bad, or when the rain didn’t come.
“I told him the stories, too. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Moses and the Exodus. Joshua. I told him how our family was descended from kings, from David himself. I told him about Goliath’s defiance and his ancestor’s bravery, and how God saved him and defeated the giant through him.”
He went on, gathering steam. “The commandments were big in our house,” he remembered. “We kept the Sabbath and the festivals, and the fast on the Day of Atonement. We went to Jerusalem for the Passover most every year.” He laughed. “There was this one year when Matthan got lost, we thought. But we found him with my cousin and his kids.”
I started to tell him, but he broke in. “I guess, maybe, I taught Matthan more than I thought. Do you think…maybe…I don’t know…maybe he passed on what he learned from me to his son?” I told him I thought that might very well be. “And maybe his son passed that on to Joseph, then? And maybe that had something to do with the man Joseph turned out to be?”
“I’m thinking that too,” I told him.
“And what happened to Joseph’s son? I mean, Mary’s son. Jesus.”
So I told him. I told him about Jesus’ life and death, and he wiped tears from his eyes with his carpenter’s hands. And I told him about Jesus rising from the dead, and he gasped audibly. And then I told him that millions and millions of people had found hope, redemption, and life in his adopted great-great-grandson, that they had lived for him and died for him and spread the word about him through a world that was many times as large as he had ever imagined. He turned his face away for a few moments, stoically trying to compose himself.
When he turned back, he looked at me and, voice quivering, asked if what I’d told him was true. So I pulled out a Bible and read to him: “Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.”
He gasped when he heard that last. Christ. Messiah. “The king the prophets promised would come and restore Israel.” And then he laughed out loud. “And I’m his great-great-grandfather.” He laughed, hard, and then it seemed to suddenly turn to sobs. After a long, frankly kind of uncomfortable few minutes (even if it is my imagination), he whispered, “I never imagined.”
Of course he didn’t. How could he? I don’t know what I expected him to be, but what he turned out to be was better. He was just a guy who found it much easier to talk about carpentry than God. But as he taught his son about life, he passed on his faith, too. That’s the way it always is with faith – it’s taught best in the context of life. Faith’s great lessons are learned most memorably in carpentry shops, around dinner tables, and in prayers of thanksgiving and petition.
And we never know what difference those lessons will make in the lives of those who learn them. What difference they’ll make in countless lives. We can’t know. But we can be faithful. We can pass on our faith, tell the stories that have made us who we are, believing that God will do wonderful things with those stories.
So let’s tell our stories. Let’s live our faith with the people who God gives us. There’s no way to know what difference we might make in the lives of the generations that come behind us. No way for us to know, I mean.
God already does.
To read more from Patrick Odum, please visit his website at FaithWebBlog.com.
@December 11, 2009
How does adultery happen in a Christian marriage?
By Dr. Kenneth Peterman
There are three internal factors and one external factor that lead to adultery in marriage. These underlying patterns form the modus operandi of unfaithfulness – if we can identify these patterns, we can counterbalance the problem of adultery.
The first internal factor involves presence of evil thinking.
Matthew 15:19 says, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” The word “heart” in this verse refers to the seat of our thoughts and desires. Evil thoughts and ungodly reasonings are the first-born of our unregenerate hearts. Those caught in unfaithfulness usually indulge in ungodly fantasies or mind games about things that are forbidden or wrong long before they commit the act. Unfaithful behavior reveals reasoning gone astray. One young lady who had a problem with adultery shared the type of mind games she played that encouraged her immorality.
“I didn’t even think of my husband. I just erased him. Then, I
could do what I wanted more or less and it made me feel like
I wasn’t hurting anybody else.”
This testimony is no textbook speculation. She is no different than any one of us. Actually we might be shocked to think that such a personable individual could have such unrealistic thoughts.
There are several myths about the thought life that lead people into moral trouble. One such myth is that Actions are no worse than thoughts about the actions. People get caught up in twisted thinking that says, since I have thought about committing adultery, I have already committed it in my heart, therefore, I might as well go through with it, I’m already guilty. This type of thinking is twisted but seems logical to many. If this twisted thinking is correct, than the person who contemplates suicide might as well go through with it! No sane person would agree with same type of thinking in the area of suicide but accept it in the realm of sexual immorality.
Counterbalance evil thinking by:
Developing Godly thought patterns.
Godly thought patterns are encouraged through memorization of Scripture.
Memorize select passages that will help you deal with moral problems such as:
Discipline: 2 Timothy 1:7. Eternal Life: Romans 6:23; I Timothy 6:12; Titus 1:2; I John 2:25; 5:11-13. Holiness: Psalm 30:4; Isaiah 6:3; I Peter 1:15,16. Lying: Proverbs 12:22; 19:22; Isaiah 59:2,3; John 8:44; Colossians 3:9. Turning from Evil: I Corinthians 6:18, 19; Romans 6:13; I Thessalonians 1:9; 1 Peter 3:11. Weapons of Warfare: 2 Corinthians 10:4. Lust: 1 Corinthians 10:13; Galatians 5:16; I Thessalonians 4:7; James 1:13-16. Control of the Spirit: Ephesians 5:18-17. Armor of God: Ephesians 6:11-17. Thought life: Philippians 4.
It is important that we not merely memorize the Scripture but that we meditate upon the text. Meditation is thinking about what you have memorized. Contemplate the meaning of the words and their relation to each other in the verse. Think about the time element in the action words (past, present, future). Consider who is doing the action. Allow your mind to roam through the verse or verses picking out contrasts, comparisons, similarities and differences. Try to determine the exact application to your life. The practice of memorizing and meditating upon the Word of God will produce positive benefits in your moral life. Remember that sin will keep you from the Word of God or the Word of God will keep you from sin!
The second internal factor involves the presence of an evil purpose.
Matthew 5:28 “But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with here already in his heart.” The original word for “look” stresses the persistence of the look. This is not a casual glance. The “looker” knows what he or she is doing and continues to do it over a long period of time. This is a willful and purposeful look. When one “looks” in this intense way, an evil purpose develops. It only takes the right occasion to encourage it to blossom into an immoral act. The act of adultery is more like harvested fruit than sowing seed. There is a purpose phase of adultery between the viewing and the doing!
Neutralize evil purposes by:
Judging evil thoughts and desires before they turn into evil purposes.
Remember that evil thoughts can enter our minds without our permission but they do not have to find a home there. We can do something about our own thinking processes. We can control our thinking by measuring our thoughts against the Word of God and by yielding to the Holy Spirit. Remember the Scripture says “ . . . greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world” (I John 4:4) and “ . . . Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
The third internal factor involves an attitude of unbelief.
Adultery reveals a lack of faith. It springs from the “here and now.” Adultery always concentrates on the present, the immediate and the short-term. Those living in sin are shortsighted and push aside the exhortations and warnings of the Word of God.
Faith looks to the future. Faith sees ahead. Faith takes God at His Word. Faith is willing to risk everything on the validity of God’s Word. Men and women of faith do not allow themselves to develop evil purposes – not because they do not have the same pulls of the flesh – but because they have committed themselves to eternal values.
Promote faith by:
Reading and studying the Word of God.
Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” The word of God is the only means to develop faith. Peter confirms this when he says in 1 Peter 2:2, “Like newborn babes, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” (NIV) There is nothing more important for the individual struggling with moral weakness than to study the Bible. Take every opportunity to hear, read and study the Word of God.
Seeking situations in which faith can flourish:
Associate with other believers. We all need encouragement from other believers. Moving away from the fellowship of believers is like taking a live coal from the fire and expecting it not to go out. We need to worship together, feel the warmth, love encouragement and unity of others of like precious faith.
Spend time in prayer. Prayer is an excellent barometer of the reality of our spiritual lives. Prayer is the way we exercise our faith. The study of God’s Word nourishes faith and prayer exercises it. If we “buy up” our time in prayer we will not use it for ungodly or immoral purposes. The more time we give to prayer, the less time we will have to give over to ungodly pursuits.
The one external factor involves the presence of toleration for lying.
Lying plays an integral part in unfaithfulness in several ways:
We lie to ourselves.
When we nurture an evil purpose, we justify and rationalize away the evil thought or just push them aside as though they do not exist. It is easy to excuse ungodly behavior by blaming a negligent spouse for being the cause of our problem. A wife told me that during her affair, she didn’t even think of herself as a spouse. She lied to herself and did not face her reality in order to do what she wanted to do.
We lie to our spouse.
Adultery is kept hidden for obvious reasons. Misrepresentations and lying characterizes the life of the moral offender. The adulterer lies about schedules, phone calls, use of money, use of the car, etc. Lying becomes a way of life cause its own confusion, stress and tension.
We lie to God.
Many adulterers continue to worship, teach Sunday school classes, attend prayer meetings and generally try to carry on church life as usual. They act as though God has no idea what they are doing!
Combat lying by:
Making a commitment to truthfulness.
In Ephesians 6:14, Paul admonishes believers to gird themselves with truthfulness when he says, “having your loins girt about with truth.” We determine whether we will lie or tell the truth. Truthfulness is completely under our control. Paul also says, “put on” the whole armor of God in verse 11.This command is a personal action. We must make a volitional decision to put on the whole armor of God, which includes the belt of truthfulness. We must commit ourselves to telling the truth!
Keep short accounts with God.
This means that we must be willing to judge ourselves on a short-term basis. We must confess our sins to God, as they occur in order to keep a consistent walk with him. If we do this we would never be involved in such a serious sin as adultery.
About the Author: Dr. Peterman invites you to view his latest book REMAIN FAITHFUL TO YOUR SPOUSE IN A SOAP OPERA SOCIETY (SECOND PLACE WINNER in the 2008 Christian Choice Book Awards Contest - marriage category) for more information about this vital subject. Go to www.remainfaithful.net. Dr. Peterman has also authored You Can Improve Family Communication, available at www.remainfaithful.net.
@ December 3, 2009; Source: Narrow is the Path
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives!
By Dr. Michael A. Halleen
For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. (Romans 14:7)
These familiar words, often used at graveside services, affirm that we all belong to God. The Creator of life is also its destiny.
The writer might have meant even more. A few paragraphs later, he lists people in ancient Rome who assisted him in his work, who provided him hospitality and encouragement. He acknowledged that he was not self-sufficient. None of us lives to himself or herself alone. None of us dies without debt to others who have helped to make our lives what they have been.
A picture deep in my memory is of my Uncle Ray standing toe-to-toe with old Mr. Sorenson in the back of the church, his finger jabbing repeatedly at Sorenson’s nose, the veins in his neck standing out. A young chaplain to high school students, I had just finished my first sermon in my home church. Our youth, I had said, can’t just be told not to do something because it’s wrong, but we must explain to them why it’s wrong. Mr. Sorenson, his greasy gray hair as rumpled as his old gray suit, had stood up from his everlasting seat in the third row on the right, raised his fist in the air and shouted, “You send ‘em to me! I’ll tell ‘em why it’s wrong!”
Uncle Ray was pointing out to Sorenson the impropriety of interrupting a young preacher, especially his nephew. The only words I actually heard him say were “Don’t you ever do that again!” but there was more, all of it intended to contribute to my future comfort in public speaking. My uncle was not living to himself alone that morning.
Three women, ordinary people of the village of Elstow, England sat together on their front steps some 350 years ago, discussing their faith. John Bunyan, a teenage boy learning the trade of metalworker from his father, overheard them, and his life began to move along a new path. He went on to write The Pilgrim’s Progress. Abraham Lincoln, a teenage boy growing up in an uninspiring Indiana backwoods cabin, read The Pilgrim’s Progress, one of three books that he said blazed the trail for his life to follow. He went on to save a nation.
Our lives are shaped in great part by the people we encounter and the experiences we have. None of us is “self-made.” The three neighbor women of Elstow, like Uncle Ray, did not live to themselves alone, nor did Bunyan or Lincoln—nor do we.
About the Author: Monday Moments are written by Dr. Michael A. Halleen. Contact Mike at mhalleen@att.net to be added to or removed from the distribution list.
@ November 5, 2009
A Place to Kneel
By Patrick Odum
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Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet… (John 13:3-5)
Thamail Morgan takes over football fields in Arkansas. The senior at Cave Springs High School has the kind of talent that big-time colleges look for and offer scholarships for. They were looking at Thamail last year. This season, things are less certain.
This past January, Thamail violated a team rule that left him ineligible for athletics at Newport High School, where he was then enrolled, for a year. Thamail would miss his senior football season, and college scholarship offers would dry up. So Thamail made the decision to transfer to Cave Springs, where head football coach Jon Bradley was willing to give him a shot. There were conditions, though; Thamail is required to attend after-school activities at a nearby church and meet with a pastor for counseling.
“Before I [messed] up and got myself into trouble, Thamail says, “I had some schools like Arkansas, Florida State, Ole Miss, and some other big schools looking at me Now they are not looking at me, but I have no one to blame but myself for that.” It’s got to be hard for a kid who had the world at his feet last year to suddenly find himself in such humble circumstances. But Thamail is handling it well. “So far, he has accomplished, and continues to do everything he has been asked to do, and then some,” his current coach says. “He has transitioned well and the kids here have accepted him. He is doing well in class, and is a leader on the football field and is a great athlete. We feel fortunate to have him.” Thamail has had to learn some difficult lessons, though. The kid who controls football games had to learn that there are times when he has to humble himself, listen, obey, and submit.
Cave Springs had a game a couple of weeks ago against Yelleville-Summit, a co-op football team made up of players from two small rural high schools in northern Arkansas. Yelleville-Summit’s game with Cave Springs was their first after enduring the death of one of their players and injuries to four others in a car accident. Players on both teams wore a “72” decal on their helmets – the number of the player killed, Kymball Duffy. Cave Springs head coach Bradley said he wasn’t sure how to feel when his team went up 21-0 in the first quarter. His team started telling their coach that they didn’t want to run up the score at the expense of the grieving team, so Bradley started substituting his reserves for his starters. The score was 28-8 at halftime, then 34-8 at the end of the third quarter. “Everyone was glad that they were out there playing, getting some sort of return to normalcy,” Bradley said later. “But everyone was going to be glad when it was over.”
Yelleville-Summit scored with just a little time left to make the score 34-16. Everyone lined up for the kickoff, with Bradley intending just to run out the clock. The line-drive kick bounced to Thamail Morgan. “We only have one return team,” Bradley explained. Morgan turned up field, ran past, around, and through a couple of tackles, and was at midfield before anyone knew what had happened. There was open field in front of him, and no one who could catch him behind him. But Thamail has learned some things, and of all the things he’s learned maybe the most important is this: being able to dominate a situation doesn’t mean that you have to. Redemption only happens when you learn to humble yourself, submit, listen, and obey.
At the two yard line, Thamail stopped, took a couple of steps back, and just knelt down.
It was a small thing, on a football field in Arkansas. It isn’t going to change the world. But two teams of young men will remember it and talk about it for probably a lifetime. For one team, the image of Thamail Morgan kneeling at the five yard line will in some way help them heal, maybe restore their faith in a world that took their friend. For the other team, Thamail kneeling there will remind them that there are more important things than being able to run with a football. And maybe years later, in an office or a home or on a street somewhere, they’ll remember Thamail and choose to kneel down themselves: to serve, or ask forgiveness, or forgive.
I don’t know what, if anything, Thamail’s act of kneeling on the football field will accomplish in the way of scholarship offers. Sadly, big-time college football programs don’t seem to know how to rate kindness, or care for others, or integrity. I know, though, that when Thamail knelt down he in his own way helped to bring redemption to the Yelleville-Summit tragedy. And at the very least, he showed that his own story is far from complete yet. He’s not just another jock who messed up. God’s at work in his life, and the One who gave him the talent to run into the end zone is also creating in him the character to kneel before he gets there.
May he do the same for me. May he give me the character to kneel down: to serve others, to comfort the broken, to raise someone who’s fallen, or to ask for forgiveness. We need that, don’t we: eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to feel and minds to know when the important thing isn’t what we’re able to do in and of ourselves, but what God is able to do through us when we humble ourselves, submit, listen, and obey.
You have no idea what God might do when you kneel down. He does that sort of thing. He brings people together, or brings people into situations, and then does transformative, redemptive things through them. Sometimes you won’t know what it is that he’s trying to do. But it’s always a good habit to humble yourself, to repent, to serve, to comfort, to touch, to pray. To submit, listen, and obey.
You’re always close to God’s heart when you find a place to kneel.
To read more from Patrick Odum, please visit his website at FaithWebBlog.com.
@October 22, 2009
The Formation of Methodist Churches
By Lalit Sharma
The Methodist denomination from United States adopted the name Methodist Church by the reunion of northern and southern factions of the Evangelical United Brethren church with the Methodist protestant church in the year 1939. The Methodist church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren church in 1968 to form the United Methodist Church. It is the largest Methodist denomination. In United States it ranks as the largest main line church tracing its main roots to the Methodist movement “The Holy Club”. It grew rapidly in the young country as it employed circuit riders, many of whom were laymen, to travel the mostly rural nation by horseback to preach the Gospel and to establish churches until there was scarcely any village in the United States without a Methodist presence. It became the largest Protestant denomination in the country, with approximately 4000 circuit riders by 1844.
The two general conferences, or the northern section and the South remained separated until the 1939 merger of these two denominations plus a third, The Methodist Protestant Church, the resulting church being known as The Methodist church. On April 23, 1968, The United Methodist Church was created which joined hands at the constituting General Conference in Dallas, Texas. With the words,
“Lord of the Church, we are united in Thee, in Thy Church and now in The United Methodist Church,”
The new denomination had influential ministries in various parts of the world. The church is decentralized with the General Conference being the official governing body. The General Conference being the legislative branch of the church that would make all the decisions. Council of Bishops being the executive branch consisting of all active and retired bishops that would meet twice a year to speak to the church and from the church to the world, and to give leadership in the quest for Christian unity and interreligious relationships. The present would serve a two year term and would have no official authority beyond presiding. The Judicial Council or the judicial branch consisting of nine persons to rule on questions of constitutionality in church law and practice.
The United Methodist Church is a Protestant denomination which seeks to create disciples for Christ through outreach, evangelism, and through seeking holiness through the process of sanctification. With the focus on triune worship, the Church seeks to bring honor to God by following model of Jesus Christ, which is made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit. The flame in the church logo represents the work of the Holy Spirit in the world, which is seen in believers through the spiritual gifts. The two parts of the flame represent the predecessor denominations, the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren, and are united at the base symbolizing the 1968 merger.
About the Author: Learn more about Lalit and his ministry at wedding venues atlanta in inman park at www.inmanparkumc.org/
@ October 8, 2009; Source: Narrow is the Path
Gratitude That Costs Us Something
By Patrick Odum
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Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 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. (Colossians 3:15-17)
Earlier this month, 22 people got off a train at London's Liverpool Street station. The only unusual thing you'd have noticed about the group was its age: all of them were in their 70's and 80's, looking like they were on a retirement home field trip. And in fact it was a field trip, of a sort. But not a pleasure trip, not really. More like a pilgrimage.
The last time they made the trip – from Prague – was seventy years earlier. Back then they had been Jewish children, 669 of them, whose parents had lost jobs and homes to the Nazis. Their parents had packed them off to new homes in London, hoping to join them later. None did, though. The concentration camps saw to that.
But those children got the chance to survive. They grew up and had children and grandchildren and even great-grandchildren of their own. But they never forgot what could have been, or that they had been saved from their parents' fate. Seventy years later, 22 of those 669 made the trip again to remember.
More than to just remember, though. The man who met them on the platform at Liverpool Street this time was the same one who met them seventy years ago. His name is Sir Nicholas Winston, although seventy years ago he wasn't Sir Nicholas. He was a stockbroker in London in 1939, when a friend in Prague told him about the Nazi occupiers taking away the jobs and homes of Jews in the city. Nicholas began to raise money, begged the British government for visas, forged papers, and found British families willing to adopt children. Then, when he had everything in order, he chartered the trains that saved those 669 children from being murdered in the camps. He met them the day they arrived. And he met them again, seventy years later. He's a hundred years old now, but he leaned on his cane and shook hands with each of those 22 grateful people and received their thanks.
They told him about their children and grandchildren. There are, they say, 7,000 descendants of the children Nicholas Winston saved all over the world. Seven thousand people who know the story of how a London stockbroker saved their parents, their grandparents, their great-grandparents.
With typically English reserve, Nicholas seemed to enjoy being there. “The trouble 70 years ago was getting them together with the people who were going to look after them,” he said. “I've got no responsibility this time.”
No, those 22 people were there because they had a responsibility. They were there because they felt the need to give their thanks to the man who had saved them.
There's something fundamental about gratitude. Something basic. That's why we teach our kids to say “thank you” and make them write thank-you notes when someone gives them a gift. It's hardwired into us, I think, that it's only right to be grateful when someone does something for us. But just because it's hardwired into us doesn't mean that we always remember. Though God may have created us with the capacity for being grateful, the damage sin does in us includes turning us inward. The consequence is a self-centeredness that tends to notice only what we don't have while forgetting the blessings we've been given. The result is that we become unable to be grateful.
That's why gratitude is a theme that the Bible returns to again and again. “Be thankful,” Paul tells the church in Colosse, and then two verses later says, “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.”
There are basic spiritual sicknesses for which gratitude is really the only existing remedy. Selfishness. Bitterness. Hate. Greed. Lust. All of these have a common cause: obsession with ourselves and what we perceive to be lacking in our lives. Gratitude, however, calls our attention to what we have, and to how much of it has been given to us by God for no other reason than that he loves us. When we're thankful, our attention is on him and what he has blessed us with.
Sometimes, though, gratitude is a lot of trouble. Twenty-two people taking a train across Europe? Wouldn't it have been more efficient for everyone to write a note? Send a gift? Well of course it would have been. But then, efficiency isn't the point, is it? The point is gratitude. And unless gratitude costs you something – a little inconvenience, at the very least – well, it's just not much, is it? You can talk about how thankful you are, but gratitude is one of those inward attitudes – like love and faith and hope – that aren't real unless they bring about a difference in the way we live and the things we value.
That's why God told the Israelites to give thank offerings – not because he needed their cattle and goats, but because they needed to express gratitude that cost them something. And you don't think, do you, that just because we're not Israelites we're somehow exempt from gratitude that costs us something? You don't really think, do you, that we who have heard the good news of Jesus, who have been saved from death by his sacrifice, have only to nod and wink and say, “Thanks, God?”
That's what worship is, of course: gratitude that costs us something. It's an indicator of how far we've drifted that to us “worship” is to be evaluated by how it makes us feel. “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” That, Paul told the Christians in Rome, is “true worship.” (Romans 12: 1) Our calling is to offer ourselves – our energy, our priorities, our possessions, our passions – as a thank offering to the God who has shown such mercy to us.
What do you think our children and grandchildren will remember about us? My prayer is that my son, and his children, will remember me as someone who was saved by God's grace through Jesus and who lived a life of thanksgiving. I want them to remember me as someone who had gratitude in his heart, and who did everything he did as an expression of thanks to God. Not so they'll speak well of me, but so they'll remember the God whose grace I was so thankful for.
To read more from Patrick Odum, please visit his website at FaithWebBlog.com.
@September 24, 2009
The Difference Between Praise and Worship
By Jim Barrringer
When the weather is nice, when the sky is so blue that even a color-blind guy like me can see how beautiful it is, I like to go walking on the campus at Southwestern Seminary. During today's walk, for whatever reason, I was pondering my personal philosophy of worship, the answer I might give to a church when they ask what I believe about it. In the process of that meditation, I realized that even though they're frequently used to mean the same thing, praise and worship are actually two very different ideas. The most basic difference is that worship is based in who God is, while praise is based in what he does.
Worship, if I had to come up with a basic definition, is properly acknowledging who God is. For starters, I just want to focus on his holiness. God's holiness is the one thing that separates us from him. God is loving, but even a lost person can be a little bit loving sometimes. God is merciful, but even a lost person can sometimes be merciful. However, God is also holy, and nobody in the world can ever claim to be even a little bit holy. God is, by his very nature, something that we could never be no matter how hard we tried; that's how much more impressive than us he is, and that's why he deserves our worship.
The really great thing about God, and the thing that makes him deserve worship even more, is that he doesn't just sit up on his holy stool and let that be the end of it. There's a theological conundrum called "immanence and transcendence." What it means is that God is very near to us, all around us in fact, and we can easily call on him just by saying his name. That's called immanence. However, he's also very far from us, because we can't touch him, and short of salvation through Christ, there's no way we can even have a relationship with him. That's called transcendence. God's holiness is the chief force behind his transcendence; our sin is what separates us from a high and holy God. However, his love and mercy are the driving forces behind his immanence. He came down to us, took the form of a lowly human, who got tired and hungry and frustrated, and then allowed himself to be put to an unjust death simply to allow us a way of entering a relationship with him - that's how incomparably huge his love and mercy are. This is all in addition to the worship he deserves because of his holiness!
Isaiah 57 contains one of my very favorite phrases for God: "The high and exalted one." God is the king of the entire universe. He is the only holy one, the only one who is perfect in love. In fact, he's even worthy of worship because of his position as king. We believe that people who are in high earthly positions deserve our respect. There's not much, in all honesty, that separates you or me from any given president of the United States. Yet if we were to meet the president, we would be expected to treat him honorably and with respect, simply because he is in a high position. How much more honor and respect belong to the God of the universe, the king of everything that exists? Beyond his holiness, beyond his love and mercy, he deserves worship because he is high and exalted.
Praise, on the other hand, is based in how God's attributes ("who God is") impact me in my life. For example, I worship God because he is loving. I praise him because that love has manifested itself in the form of salvation and in constant companionship and encouragement no matter how badly I mess up. I worship God because he is holy; I praise him because he has reconciled me to himself through the death of his sinless Son. I worship him because of his mercy; I praise him because his mercy shows itself in the form of forgiveness of all my sins, past, present, and future. See how the two are related, but slightly different? Sometimes they're not even distinguishable from each other. You'll notice that in my description of God's love, I had to rely on his actions in order to demonstrate my point. Paul says the same thing in Romans 5:8: "God showed his love for us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Worship and praise often go hand in hand, but they're not quite exactly the same, and you'll see momentarily why that's important.
Here's Biblical proof for what I'm talking about. Psalm 29:2 says, "Ascribe the Lord the glory that is due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." Note the two key themes. David talks about "the glory that is due his name," the idea that God deserves worship simply because of who he is. And what is it about God that deserves the worship? "The splendor of his holiness." Psalm 99:5 puts it even more simply: "Exalt the Lord and worship at his footstool; he is holy." Worship is grounded in who God is.
Praise is also addressed in many of the Psalms. Take 139:14, which says, "I praise you, oh God, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Note that: I praise you "because." Praise is grounded in what God does. Psalm 9:11 elaborates: "Sing praises to the Lord, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done." Again, the theme of praise is directly connected to "what he has done."
I write this not because I enjoy making mountains out of molehills, but because I think it really is a crucial distinction. There may be times in each of our lives when there doesn't seem to be a lot to praise God for. You know the temptation in those times: to get bitter and angry at God, to start complaining, to ask him where he is and what he's doing. However, even in those times, when it seems you don't have much to praise God for, you still have plenty of reason to worship him. He is still completely holy and completely loving, regardless of your present life circumstances. He is still the high and exalted one, the king over all the universe, and the only reason that you presently exist. Further, you know that you will have reason to praise him in the future, because he is faithful; he has never abandoned you before and this is not about to be the first time. No matter what the temporary circumstances might be, God is still worthy of honor and respect and worship. That's why it's so important to understand praise and worship as two separate concepts.
Let me illustrate this idea with - you guessed it - another psalm. In Psalm 11, David gripes, "Look, the wicked bend their bows; they set arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at those who are upright in heart." He's bitter over injustice; there doesn't seem to be much to praise God for under those circumstances. Yet, almost as soon as he's done voicing his complaint, his thoughts turn to worship. "The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne." He is still holy; he is still the high and exalted one, the king over all creation. "For the Lord is righteous; he loves justice, and upright men will see his face." David is meditating on God's holiness, his righteousness, his justice. Those are the eternal, unchanging attributes of God that are always worthy of respect no matter what.
Also, if you read other psalms, you will find that David has a very long memory. A lot of his psalms deal with times when he is being oppressed or persecuted, but almost always he ends by praising God for things that God has done in the past. Even when present circumstances are downright foul, David is careful to bring to mind things that God has previously done. This keeps his faith from being a roller coaster, going up or down depending whether things are going well at the moment or not. If God really is loving, and he really is faithful, then there's no reason to despair too much over any present circumstances. That's how an attitude of worship toward God can impact you on a daily basis. Meditating on the eternal, unchanging attributes of God can keep you solid when the rest of life is lurching around.
The temptation for a person to link his faith to what's presently happening in his life is understandable, but misguided. It basically amounts to selfishness, asking God, "What have you done for me lately?" Worship is the best way to take the focus off of me and place it onto God, where it belongs. It keeps my eye on my goal, becoming more like Christ, and keeps my eye off of all the temporary present distractions. That's why worship is absolutely central to any believer. That's why it's not just something you do on Sunday mornings when the music is playing.
I would urge you to meditate on the things about God that are worthy of worship all the time, and to begin worshiping those things more frequently. Ponder on his great holiness and how it's even possible for a great, eternal, uncreated being to exist without a shred of impurity in him. Ponder on his eternal, unfailing love toward everyone, no matter what mistakes they've made or how vigorously they've turned their backs on him. Ponder his mercy, freely available to anyone who repents and asks for it. Ponder the incredible miracle of salvation, where God removes all the guilt from your sin from you and makes you holy. There's an awful lot about God that's worthy of worship. He is, after all, the high and exalted one. In the light of that, worship is all I can do.
About the Author: Jim Barringer is a 26-year-old writer, musician, teacher, and traveler, currently finishing a master's degree from Southwestern Seminary. More of his work can be found at myspace.com/mygodisalive. This work may be reprinted for any purpose so long as this bio and statement of copyright is included.
@ September 10, 2009; Source: FaithWriters.com
Beautiful Work!
By Dr. Michael A. Halleen
A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; . . . it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; . . . .) (Genesis 2:10-12)
My dentist told me I needed several fillings and I should have the work done at the University dental school. A college student at the time, I couldn’t afford to pay him for what was needed. He assured me that senior students were very capable and closely supervised by the best dentists in the state.
The student dentist assigned to me introduced himself by saying, “Just call me Rod. Looks like you need some gold, and we’re going to do some mining.” For the next few months Rod mined my molars, drilling and scraping and carving and molding holes in them, until I walked out one May afternoon with a half dozen gold inlays. Today, nearly five decades later, whenever a dentist looks into my mouth, he or she comments “Look at that gold! That’s beautiful work!”
There are lands through which we travel from time to time in which there is gold of a different sort. Like the precious metal, it requires prospecting, discovering, mining—but there’s gold to be had. It’s found in ordinary places, in the company of ordinary people, in special moments or unique experiences that lift our lives above the ordinary. Years later we look back to our time in that land and say, “Look at that gold! That was good!”
So I remember those people in my life who have given—and continue to give—me gold along the way. I remember the night Barb and I exchanged golden wedding bands, and the days and nights since have been (mostly) golden too. I remember the golden counsel Ed gave me when I was seeking a new place of ministry along with the gold (money) he provided to help make my search strategic and timely. I remember the crazy golden friendship of Hank, a fellow exchange student who led me through Paris one night. We stayed out too long, ran out of money and had to walk back across most of the city to get to our dormitories, arriving at dawn. It was youthful, foolish, dangerous—and a glittering golden thread in my memory. And many, many more. Much gold!
The river of life winds through places where gold is to be found. Be thankful for the people who show it to you along the way. The gold is good. Those people are good. And God is good who gives us all things golden.
About the Author: Monday Moments are written by Dr. Michael A. Halleen. Contact Mike at mhalleen@att.net to be added to or removed from the distribution list.
@ September 3, 2009
“It’s Not the Dunking; It’s the Decision”
By Patrick Odum
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...Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:3-4)
With a prayer, a few words, a quiet splash, and a wet hug, the most significant baptism I'll probably ever have a part in was completed last Sunday. I've lost track of the number of times I've said a few words and a prayer and put someone under the water, but only once has it been my son there in the baptistry with me. To be honest, the other baptisms all kind of blur together for me. It's not that they weren't significant or important to me, but you'll understand when I say that I won't remember the other ones like I'll remember this one.
I won't use much space writing about the experience of baptizing my son, partly because I don't have the words and mostly because the words I have would embarrass him. I've been thinking about baptism this week, though. In the Churches of Christ, the faith tradition in which I've spent my life so far, baptism of adult believers by immersion is very important. Sometimes, though, it's been important to us for the wrong reasons. This week, I've been surprised again by some things I thought I already knew. Maybe the same will be true for you.
I've been reminded of the “all of us” nature of baptism. Our church has genuinely shared in our joy. They've shaken Josh's hand, hugged him, told him how happy they are for him. They've been nearly as thankful and proud and pleased as we've been, and it's reminded me that baptism is a community event in which a person enters a family. As personal and individual as it may seem, baptism initiates us into a community that transcends time and space, that reaches back over the millennia and forward into eternity. As we embrace the Lord Jesus in baptism, we also embrace his people. I'm under no illusion that Josh has gotten to this point in his walk with the Lord due solely to my good example and teaching, or even my wife's. Our church, his community of faith, has had a lot to do with it as well. I pray that his community, who has helped him this far, will not fail him.
I've been thinking of how baptism relates to conversion. I believe, as nearly everyone in my faith tradition does, that baptism is for believers, not for infants. Some folks who are baptized among us bring quite a scandalous history to the baptistry, and I'm always inspired by hearing the stories of how they've left behind their old lives to follow Jesus. But I've been praying for years, in the words of a friend of mine, that my son wouldn't have to be “converted.” My prayer, answered in part last Sunday, has been that Josh's walk with the Lord – whatever twists and turns may surely be a part of it – would start early in his life. If he wanders away a bit, I'll trust in Jesus' promise that nothing and no one can take his sheep out of his hand. And when the Lord brings him back, it will be back to a life and a community that he has known from his early years.
We've generally connected baptism with forgiveness of sin, and that's because the Bible seems to make that connection (c.f. Acts 2:38). But that's not the only connection the Bible makes, and this week I've been thinking more about baptism as death and life. “We were therefore buried with [Christ Jesus] through baptism into death,” Paul wrote in Romans. What kind of father hands his son over to death? That's what I did last Sunday, though, because I believe that God handed his Son over to death for Josh. Baptism is a re-enactment – more than that, an appropriation – of Jesus' death and resurrection. In being baptized into Christ, we join him in testifying that we trust in God to sustain us and ultimately give us life.
More than that, in baptism we announce our intentions to begin living this new life now, before the Lord returns and God's kingdom breaks into the world visibly and powerfully. Our baptism isn't just a moment to which we point as evidence that God has forgiven our sins. It also reminds us of who we are and the life we've entered. It exposes hypocrisy when our walk doesn't match our talk. It strengthens us when we know the right thing to do but are having trouble finding the courage to do it. It reminds us of God's promises when we're feeling discouraged and broken-hearted. It gives us hope for the future when the present looks hopeless. We look back to our baptism when we need to remember who we are, what we believe is most important, and what God promises us.
Josh told me, as we talked last week about his upcoming baptism, that he hoped that when he messed up, I wouldn't play the baptism card and tell him that he should know better. (I told him I promised I wouldn't, as long as he wouldn't do it to me.) But I do pray he'll remember it. Not so that he'll feel the weight of guilt when he fails, but so that he'll feel the blessing of forgiveness. Not so that he'll feel he can't possibly measure up to what God wants of him, but so he'll know that he can. Not so that he'll feel alone and different, but so that he'll know that he has a place and a family – people who love him no matter what. And not so that he'll feel alienated from the world, but so he'll sense his responsibility to be a part of God's work within it.
As usual, Josh summed up his baptism better than I ever could. “It's not the dunking, it's the decision,” he said. Not even dry, and he's already a better preacher than I am.
He's right, of course. In the end, your baptism is about the decision you made to follow Jesus. It's about the death you choose to die and the life you choose to live, your confession that Jesus is Lord and the reality of letting him be. I pray that you look back with joy on that moment in your own life, and that it brings clarity and strength to your life today.
To read more from Patrick Odum, please visit his website at FaithWebBlog.com.
@August 27, 2009
Go and Sin No More!
By Mark Baker
John 5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.''
Let’s read this whole passage of Scripture.
John 5:1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?'' 7. The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.'' 8. Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk.'' 9. And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. 10. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.'' 11. He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, `Take up your bed and walk.' '' 12. Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, `Take up your bed and walk'?'' 13. But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 14. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.''
This is the story of a man who had an infirmity 38 years. Some translations say He was either sick or ill. Whatever his condition, we can see that it must have been very bad and debilitating. It had ruined his life. Jesus saw this man and knew he had been this way a long time. He asked him a very simple question, "Do you want to be made well?'' We could ask the same question to our generation. You may wonder, what kind of question is that? It is the singular question that Jesus asked this man. He asked him for a reason. He was helping him to reach out. He does the same thing for us today. He will draw us to the point where we will ask for Him. He draws us to salvation this way, and I’ve learned He will draw us into all of His blessings if we will be open to receive them. The point is, many are not open to receive. Many of God’s children do not believe it is God’s will to heal, and say they believe that He is trying to teach them something through their infirmity. However, they turn right around and go to the doctor to try and get well. If they truly believed that it was God’s will for them to be sick or infirmed, then they shouldn’t try to override what they believe God has set in place by going to the doctor. Yet, the singular question that Jesus asked this man is still being asked of us today. Do you want to be made well? The man responded by saying, there is no one to put me in the water. You would think that in 38 years he could have found someone to put him in the water. How bad do we really want the things of God. The more sincerely we desire them, the greater the manifestation. God reveals Himself to those who seek after Him. Jesus had compassion on this man. He didn’t argue with him, He simply told him to, "Rise, take up your bed and walk.'' And the man was instantly healed. Some say, well that was Jesus.
My question is, has the Lord Jesus changed even a little? Jesus wanted this man healed or He wouldn’t have healed him. You may think that is obvious, but we have to understand that there are things that can hinder us from receiving and keeping God’s blessings. We have a part to play, its not just up to God. Knowing what His blessings are is part of it, as well as knowing that He wants us to receive and walk in these precious blessings. He went to great lengths to give them to us.
Jesus made a point of later coming back and finding this man just to tell him to sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon him. The New English Translation says, ‘Now that you are well again, leave your sinful ways, or you may suffer something worse.’ He wanted him well, and he wanted him to stay that way, glory.
Why did Jesus do this? Jesus healed this man, yet we must remember that sin still has consequences. Jesus wanted him well so He healed him. He wanted him to stay healed so he told him to sin no more. Sin separates us from God and his blessings, and breaks fellowship. Faith can not stand strong with sin on its shoulders. Jesus gave him instruction on how to stay healed. Keeping yourself from the things that can open the door for these type of things is a part of it.
This man did not earn his healing because of his good works, nor was he kept from his healing because of his sin. Wow! Salvation, spirit, soul, and body, doesn’t come from our works, but through the grace of God. Forgiveness and healing both come this way, they are gifts of God, yet we have a part to play in keeping them.
Jesus did not want this man to fail. We must believe that He doesn’t want us to fail either, but to succeed. Have you ever considered that if we are being told not to sin, then there is not only good reason for it, but we can surely succeed in what he has told us to do. We not only can, but we should succeed. We have to make up our mind that failure is not an option.
Paul said in…
1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We all know that we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23).
But that is not the end of what Paul said. Vs. 24 goes on to say … 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Yes God will forgive us, and yes there can be restoration, but why go through all of this heartache when we can avoid it? My question is this, is it possible to walk sinless? Jesus Himself told this man to go and sin no more. Was He telling him to do something that was impossible? I have learned that you can only walk in the light of what you know, and as well, if you have seen the light in a certain area you will be held accountable in that area. As we learn and receive truth, we can surely walk in the truth we have been given. We can walk sinless to the best of our ability, or in the light of what we have come to know. How can we be held accountable for things we don’t know, or the things we have not received? This is not our get of jail for free card, we have been given the grace and God’s enablement to fulfill the will of God. I hope this sheds some light.
Let us remember that we should continue to grow in grace and truth, it is a process. Growth happens gradually even though the gift of righteousness is perfect and complete, we in our flesh are not perfect and complete. We have to grow and develop in this perfect gift. Things that used to hold us down will seem like a mere nuisance as we grow up in the things of God.
Paul said in Ro. 8…
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
We are no longer under bondage to the law of sin and death There is freedom from sin when we learn to walk in the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Paul said later in Romans 5…
Romans 5:12. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned 13. (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17. For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
As the Word we just read says, we who have received abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in this life through Jesus Christ. It didn’t say we are doing it on our own but that through Christ Jesus we will reign. Sin can not dominate those who know who they are in Christ. Thank God the victory has been won! Righteousness is a gift. It is not some unobtainable goal that always seems just out of reach, or just around the next corner, yet it is something we can learn to walk in.
We as children of God have to take the mindset that we truly are the righteousness of God in Christ, even as the Word says we are. It is not natural for us to think this way. We have to reprogram our minds to think in line with God’s Word. When we start this process, we will begin to actually walk in this very righteousness. We have to take sides with God and His Word if we are going to succeed in this. Just because we have been given a gift doesn’t mean we are taking advantage of it does it? This is our decision, and we can take advantage of this awesome gift and begin to walk out our faith, for God has surely given us the ability to do just that. I will leave off with a few Scriptures to meditate on.
1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith.
Amplified Bible -
1 Peter 2:24 He personally bore our sins in his [own] body on the tree [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Psalms 103:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2. Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3. Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
John 8:11 She said, "No one, Lord.'' And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.''
Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you want to be a joint heir with Christ?
If so, I urge you to earnestly pray the following prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, “…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” (Jn.6:37),
So I know You won’t cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it. You said in your Word, "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'' (Ro. 10:13).
I am calling on Your name, So I know You have saved me now, You also said, “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.” (Ro.10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, “… with the heart one believes to righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),
And I am saved! Thank You, Lord!
I can now truthfully say, I see myself as a born again child of God!
Glory to God!!!! Amen.
About the Author: I was raised Catholic, and was born again at the age of 17. I received God's call into ministry at the age of 19 and began to prepare for ministry. I graduated from Rhema Bible Training Center in 1979. The Lord has called me to teach. My desire is to help all that are seeking the truth to come into a deeper understanding of what God has done for us through Christ Jesus. Olive Branch Ministries is an outgrowth of that desire. Please feel free to visit us for more free studies and resources to help you on your journey. Mark Baker www.olivebranchministries.us
@ August 20, 2009; Source:Narrow is the Path
As Christians Should We Only Follow the New Testament?
By Steven E. Coffman
Some Christians in the past and present subscribe that The New Testament and Jesus is the main emphasis of the Christian Bible, and as Christians we should only follow the New Testament, and ignore the teachings of The Old Testament. There are several passages written in the New Testament scripture that Jesus tells us which actually dispel this idea.
Jesus explains the true path that (as Christians) we are to take in Matthew 5:17-18 "Don't think that I have come to destroy the Law of Moses or the teaching of the prophets. "I have not come to destroy them but to bring about what they said. I tell you the truth, nothing will disappear from the law until Heaven and Earth are gone. Not even the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will be lost until everything has happened."
The main difference between the New Testament and the Old Testament is that in The Old Testament a sacrificial system was used for atonement of our sins. However, in the New Testament when Jesus died on the cross, He permanently did away with us ever having to sacrifice animals as a way of atonement for sins.
If you compare these two books you will find that in the Old Testament God explains to His children what He is like, and how to have a true relationship with Him. The New Testament primarily shares the life of Jesus Christ, what He did, how we are to respond to His Christian gift of eternal life, and the revelation of His second coming. But, The New Testament scriptures clearly state that The Old Testament is paramount in our relationship with our Father in Heaven.
Matthew 7:21 Jesus tells us, "Not all those who say that I am their Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. The ONLY people who will enter the kingdom of heaven are those who do what my Father in heaven wants."
Jesus also reinforces this observation in Matthew 12:50 when He says, "My true brother and sister and mother are those who do what my Father in heaven wants." I feel that these verses clearly explained the path that all Christians should take.
If you skip the first half of any book, you will truly not be able to understand the characters, the plot, or the endings true meaning. In the same way, the New Testament is only completely understood when the events, characters, laws, covenants, and promises from The Old Testament is read first. Both the Old and New Testaments contain numerous lessons that God expects us to follow throughout our lives.
The Old Testament lays the foundation for the teachings and events found in the book of The New Testament, and binds the two books relationship with each other as one book. The Christian Bible is truly a book of progressive revelation, and no part should ever be thought of as less meaningful or ignored!
Titus 2:1 says, "But you must tell everyone what to do to follow the true teaching." So as a Christian I am compelled to write this article for all to read, and pray that you go away with a better understanding of the Bible and a stronger relationship with God.
About the Author:Family-eStore will try to provide you with articles of interest to a Christian and patriotic way of life. The articles are written by Steven E Coffman (Owner) of Family-eStore.com (National Essay Contest) winner 1969. I am a person with strong Christian and patriotic beliefs. Tenacity, faith, and a belief in God, Country and Family are key components to success in life. The Christian articles are only intended to bring you closer in your relationship to our Father in heaven. I hope that you enjoy and are enlightened by them.
@ July 23, 2009; Source: Narrow is the Path
Restitution
By Patrick Odum
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house....” (Luke 19:8-9)
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Adrian and Tiffany McKinnon returned from a vacation to their home near Montgomery, Alabama, to find that someone had been there in their absence. A burglar had broken into the house, and the McKinnons were shocked to discover that he had looted the place. Almost everything was gone, and trash and debris were scattered all around. The place was a shambles. The McKinnons were devastated.
And then the burglar walked in. Wearing Adrian's hat.
He had made one more trip to the house to pick up a few remaining items. (Would-be burglars, let this be a lesson. Don't ever come back to the scene of the crime.) One thing the burglar hadn't taken was the gun Adrian kept in the house; he spent the next few minutes examining it closely, however; while Adrian held the thief at gunpoint, Tiffany called the police. Then, looking at all the damage the thief had done to their house, Adrian and Tiffany had an idea: Why should they clean up someone else's mess?
When the police arrived, Adrian and Tiffany were watching the thief picking up trash, replacing broken and discarded items, and generally cleaning up the house he had wrecked. He amused the officers for a few minutes by complaining about being forced at gunpoint to clean up the mess he had made. The police told him he was lucky; someone else might have made him a part of the mess.
It's a dicey business to pull a gun on someone, but I have to say I like the way the McKinnons handled the situation. I appreciate the justice and symmetry of having someone make restitution in kind with the crime that they've committed against someone. Our legal system, in general, seems to emphasize punishment. Restitution seems to be considered a matter for the civil courts. But the police could have carried that burglar off to jail, some judge could have imposed a maximum sentence, and the McKinnons would still have been left with a ransacked house. No amount of punishment would have given them restitution.
Restitution. That's not a word we hear much in courtrooms, or in church either, for that matter. It comes from a Latin word that means “to restore,” and that's what restitution seeks to do. When we make restitution, we try to restore what a person we've injured has lost because of our actions. It's a very Christian-sounding idea, or at least a very ethical-sounding one. There are all kinds of biblical texts that bear witness to the necessity of restitution. But it just doesn't usually come up much in our thinking. I think that might be because of grace. Or, more accurately, because of our misunderstanding of grace.
Most of us would agree with some form of the following sentence: “I'm saved by God's grace, not because of my good deeds.” What we mean by that is that our salvation has come about because God in his kindness has sent Jesus to forgive our sins. Our good deeds don't have to outweigh our bad ones, and there's nothing we can do to earn our salvation. As far as it goes, that's of course a biblical statement. But do you see what it assumes? It assumes that my sins are only between God and me. But in the course of sinning against God, we almost always involve someone else. Ask yourself if that isn't true: can't you almost always think of ways in which your sins have affected the people around you?
You could trace the effect of Zaccheus' sins pretty easily. His problems were greed and corruption. As a tax collector, he made his money by adding a fee to the taxes that Rome said he had to collect from the Israelites. The higher the fee, the higher his profit; and there was no one to tell him how much he could take. The people of his town despised him because he took food out of their children's mouths. So imagine their surprise when Jesus ate with him.
It was during their dinner that Zaccheus made his shocking announcement: “Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Notice here that Zaccheus doesn't make this gesture to impress Jesus or to win him over. As far as we know, Jesus never said anything to Zaccheus about the way he made his living. Jesus has already invited himself to eat with Zaccheus, which in his culture signified acceptance. Zaccheus isn't trying to gain Jesus' favor. He's responding to the favor that Jesus has already shown. When Jesus announces that “salvation has come to this house,” Zaccheus' announcement isn't the cause. It's his response to the grace Jesus has already shown by sitting down at Zaccheus' table.
Still, Zaccheus feels the need to make restitution. I wonder how much money he gave away that day? Again, Zaccheus isn't making a desperate bid for salvation here. The Lord has seen him for who he is and still come to his house and received his hospitality. Zaccheus is already accepted. The restitution he offers to those he's cheated is the outworking of the salvation Zaccheus has already received. The salvation he receives is between him and Jesus. He doesn't need the crowd's acceptance or approval. But the salvation he receives doesn't remain between him and Jesus. It works its way out into Zaccheus' relationships.
And when we receive God's salvation through Jesus, it's not just between us and God, a matter of the forgiveness of our personal sins. Our sins touch others, and so the heart that has received God's grace turns outward, to try to bring his grace into relationships previously poisoned and broken by sin. Making restitution is one of the ways we bear witness to the genuine nature of the transformation that we're undergoing in Jesus.
So, in whatever way our sins have touched others, let us consider how to make restitution. Sometimes restitution is easier than at other times. Some damage can't be undone, some losses can't be restored. But if we've stolen, we give back or replace what we've taken. If we've injured or manipulated with words, we do what we can to speak words of healing and righteousness. If we've treated someone unjustly, we should act in ways that bring justice to that person. If our neglect has caused someone pain, the love we've received from the Lord should make itself known in our restorative deeds toward that person.
In respect to our feelings of guilt and regret, God wants us to know that in Christ our sins are forgotten. But in respect to how our sins affect those we touch, we must not forget. We must do what we can to clean up the trash and damage our sins have caused in the lives of others.
Sometimes, I guess, it's good to go back to the scene of the crime.
To read more from Patrick Odum, please visit his website at FaithWebBlog.com.
@ July 16, 2009
Trust God!
By Dr. Michael Halleen
"Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" (Jesus) got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4:38-41)
It must have been quite a gale to cause Jesus’ friends, some of whom made their living on the sea, to be so frightened by a storm. Here they are, bailing as fast as they can, trying feverishly to save themselves, but losing the race against the water coming in over the sides of the boat. Through it all Jesus is asleep—just when they need him most.
Jesus is awakened and looks around. He sees waves higher than the boat, sees the chaos of the storm mirrored in the eyes of these desperate men. He hears the urgency in their voices. Sometimes it seems that things are coming apart. Our economy is floundering, our society is becoming wilder, our security is uncertain, or something more personal is at risk—a relationship, my health, our family. Of course we’re afraid!
“But why are you afraid?” Jesus asks. You with the shrinking retirement plan: Why are you afraid? You with the troublesome diagnosis: Why are you afraid? You with twice the work you can handle and half the time to do it: Why are you afraid? Trust God! No, it isn’t entirely reasonable, but trust God! Yes, it’s often hard, but trust God! True, fear will still come nipping at our heels, but trust God!
Then the sea is turned from chaos to calm, but the sense of relief is short-lived. We can see it in the eyes of these disciples standing in a gently bobbing boat on a glassy sea. They get it—and they’re terrified! They realize that Jesus has the power to still this storm but that to sign on with him means launching into another, far greater—a whirlwind. The storms ahead of them now are storms of evil—poverty and injustice, unbelief and intolerance, disease and war. They see that his power is not intended merely to comfort the souls of worried men, to provide quiet days and restful nights. To follow Jesus, they now understand, is about far more than calm places, far more than personal well-being and peace of mind.
“Who is this,” they ask, “whom the wind and waves obey?” “What’s ahead?” we wonder. Don’t be afraid! he says. Trust God!
Dr. Michael A. Halleen writes very insightful and inspirational messages known as "Monday Moments". If you would like to recieve these messages please contact Mike at mhalleen@att.net.
@ July 9, 2009
Religious Stew – PC Poison in the Pot
By Rev Michael Bresciani
When Jesus asked a crowd of people who felt their religion justified them about what he would find at his second coming he said “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) No one in the crowd answered him because the answer is understood. The answer is of course; no! So what replaces faith, what could possibly pre-empt faith in the gospel. The answer is unlikely and odd; it is religion itself.
Religion if centered on the finished work of Christ creates a good supplement to express and renew faith but it often becomes a substitute instead of a supplement. In the apostasy this substitution is accelerated by ecumenicism, syncretism and liberalism. The need to bring all religions under one roof is expressed most often in the penchant for ecumenism. The catalyst for ecumenicism is syncretism which is a forced alignment of differing doctrines and beliefs so that one size fits all. Syncretism cannot be accomplished without liberalism. A lax attitude that says one religion or any particular belief is as good as any other. It is liberalism’s key to unlock the kitchen cabinet and throw in anything and everything into the pot.
It does well to note that while the secular world view of strict evangelicals, fundamentalist and any sect that holds stringently to the gospel is that they are intolerant and perhaps even belligerent, Christ does not see it that way. To him they are the blessed faithful of the earth, indeed the very “salt of the earth.” Sadly in today’s climate of PC, tolerance and diversity some of the salt is losing its savour. (Mt. 5:13)
The apostasy is not only a promise and a prophesied surety in the Bible it is one of the specific elements that help to usher in or precipitate the second coming of Christ. (2Th 2:3) The “New World Order” is predicated on the threefold idea that there must be one world government, one world economy and one world religion. The best way to stop the bickering and infighting in various religions is to throw them all into one single pot and pronounce that they are a single substance. Are they all of the same substance? Not on your life!
Did Buddha die for the sins of the world? Has Muhammad been raised from the dead? Will Oprah destroy the enemies of Israel at the battle of Armageddon? Will the city built on the God given New Earth that measures 1500 miles in height be built by the Army Corp of Engineers? No, all religions are not the same and no comparative religions course even if it is 202 or higher will explain the aforementioned with any honesty.
Liberalism in Christianity has nearly all of the same ear markings as political or secular progressive liberalism. Keep a close check on the economy, our country’s image in the world and don’t over tax the citizens and pretty much all else is of little consequence. Hollywood can dump on us and our children, legislators can promote any agenda they like and academicians can teach our children anything they choose to imagine. As long as we don’t commit major crimes we can do just about anything that comes to mind with relative impunity. That’s the secular world view and the liberal church’s view is only a little behind that.
When liberalism hits the church it is the basic tenants of the faith that get cut first. Adherence to strict Biblical doctrines and the promulgation of the gospel are attacked first. In the end the churches may still go on as usual but you can adopt a sort of 12 step approach to God and he can be “whatever you perceive him to be.” I actually heard someone say that God could be a light bulb to you and it wouldn’t matter. Sadly it makes a liar out of God and if it were possible a fool as well. Isn’t it an act of foolishness for God to let his only begotten son die for the sins of the world if they could get redemption in any other of a myriad of ways? What a waste.
Not everyone in the Christian church goes gutless as the New World Order comes waltzing in. Some churches and believers will remain faithful to the simple gospel of salvation till the very end. As with any good army someone is on the front “holding the line.” They will take the fire and many will make the ultimate sacrifice if necessary. Will it be necessary?
According to the Prophet Daniel and the book of Revelation the believers will most certainly undergo a direct onslaught from the coming world dictator known today only as the antichrist. Not as well known is the fact that he will cast off the ecumenical and liberal churches first then go after the remaining faithful. He (antichrist) will have no mercy on any religion, the Muslim, Judaic and Hindu religions will not escape either.
It will be a life and death struggle that for a while will look completely hopeless. That hope will suddenly shift back to the church at the end of antichrist’s rule because Christ himself will intervene. No wonder the Apostle Paul referred to that shift as a “blessed hope” in Titus 2:13. At the end of the antichrist’s rule the hope of every true Christian will become sight, they will see their Lord subdue the earth and remove the governments of the planet away from the hands of men.
The arch deceiver (Satan) is also the arch distracter. He can lead the apostate church (some of them) away with what seems like wonderful causes and missions like global warming, social causes, and a plethora of similar tripe. Those who know the scripture know full well that global warming has nothing to do with the coming judgments and will not be how the would comes to its knees. Both the penchant for personal and collective sinfulness is what’s warming up much faster than our temperatures are climbing. Social issues all syrupy and general will be as successful as the peace movement has been. Peace? There have been more wars in the past 100 years than all of the rest of history combined and the end is not in sight.
Churches that have not succumbed to the prosperity gospel or the emergent church doctrine, dominion-ism, Oprah-ism, New Age, and another half dozen or so hair brained latter day schemes are often taken in by something apparently much easier to swallow. The social gospel is full of PC attractive causes that no one would dare argue against, they come with a conscience soothing balm called “substitutionary behavior.” In short that means doing good stuff to offset a bad life and total rebellion to God. Being concerned cannot divert being condemned; the wages of sin is still death Ro. 6:23. The death of a soul is never very social and the jingle of change in an offering plate is not a substitute for a change in the way we live.
This isn’t angry talk it is desperate talk. God desperately loves mankind and has offered ample proof of the same. He would rather we appreciate not apostate, and the message will not change until the last star falls. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Jn 3:16.
Knowing that God so loved the world isn’t enough at times, what is needed is the reminder that God loves you. It is a personal, one on one matter for each man or woman. In 1948 legendary song writer the late Hovie Lister who began one of Southern Gospel music’s most beloved groups, “The Statesmen,” may have said it best in the last two verses of his famous song “How Long has it Been.”
How long has it been since you talked with the Lord
And told Him your heart’s hidden secrets?
How long since you prayed, how long since you stayed
On you knees till the light shone through?
How long has it been since you woke with the dawn
And felt that the days’ worth the living?
Can you call Him your friend, how long has it been?
Since you knew that He cared for you?
About the Author: www.americanprophet.org is the place for news, articles, movie and book reviews and other insights for life. Rev Bresciani is a columnist for online and print publications and has over two million readers and counting.
@ July 2, 2009; Source: Narrow Is The Path
The Search for "Hunger"
by Andrew Strom
A few years ago I heard my friend David Servant give a teaching which changed my life quite profoundly. He was speaking about the fact that Jesus told His disciples to focus on the "hungry" people and those who 'receive' the message - and literally to leave the
others behind. Jesus was actually very insistent on this. He specifically instructed his disciples, "If they do not receive you in this town, shake the dust off your feet and go to the next town" and "Do not cast your pearls before swine".
To many of us this is a very radical way of thinking. But it is actually the commandment of God. Why? Because God does not want His servants all over the world to be stuck wasting years and years on "un-hungry" people! He wants them to be productive - to bear much fruit - to be where the hungry ones are who will gladly receive their word. And sometimes whole nations are basically hungry while others are basically sleepy, lukewarm and complacent. We know this from history.
Recently while in Wales, David Servant made the same point again in regard to Revival. He pointed out that it is not just Prayer and Repentance preaching that are the main keys to Revival. There must also be a basic HUNGER amongst the people in order for
any kind of real Awakening to take hold. Complacency, apathy, materialism and lukewarmness can kill any Revival stone dead - almost before it starts.
Sometimes "calamity" must come to produce such a hunger. Other times it has been poverty or war. In the Eastern Bloc countries it was the fall of Communism that produced a massive hunger for a period, and thousands came to the Lord - but this seemed to last
only a few years. "Hunger" is certainly a very big key to Revival.
Personally, one of the things I try to look for when visiting countries these days is the level of Hunger that seems to prevail in the land. In the last couple of years I have ministered in almost every corner of the Western world - USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Europe. I always have high hopes that I will find regions of
real Hunger - the kind that I often see in the Third World. But sadly this is a rare occurrence in the West. Of course there is a 'remnant' everywhere. And I was encouraged by what I saw in South Africa. But basically we need to face the fact that the West is asleep - barely hungry at all - though there are a few glimmers of hope starting to appear because of the recession.
Wales is sadly another example of this - in some ways the saddest of all. 100 years ago Wales was the most alive, hungry, spiritual powerhouse in the world. And yet today the people show little interest, the chapels stand empty, and apathy reigns supreme.
We have been going into pubs in Wales, talking to the "common man" about it all. Most have never even heard of the Welsh Revival - and hardly give Christianity the slightest thought. Terribly sad. But we aim to keep our pub ministering up for the six months or so
that we are here. Much of the Western world is almost as bad.Lulled to sleep by too much entertainment, comfort and materialism. In Wales many worship football far more fervently than they worship God.
So what do we do about all of this? Where do we go? What would God have us doing? For me, Africa is the place of "hunger" that God has been sending me to for year after year. For you it may be someplace else. Pray about it. Don't just sit and "vegetate". God
wants you fruitful. He didn't design you to just sit and sit forever. Be up and about the Lord's business! Do you realize that we are living in the most exciting times of Revival that Asia and South America and Africa have ever seen? Get up! Get involved! You are
not designed to miss out on this! There is hunger all over the world, and such a terrible shortage of laborers. The call of God is to "Go"!
I know that some in the West find pockets of hunger in the prisons or amongst Refugees coming into the country, etc. These may be very good places to check out. But either way we need to start"prioritizing" hunger the way that God prioritizes it. To Him it is of
the utmost importance. In fact, it can be the main deciding factor of whether or not He can move powerfully amongst a people. (See the Sermon on the Mount for proof of this in Jesus' words).
And so, to conclude, I believe we need to ask ourselves some fairly basic questions - which indeed I have to ask myself also:-Are we focusing our ministry on truly "Hungry" people?-Do we 'move on' as Jesus instructed if a town or people do notreceive our word?
-Or do we hang on for year after year - sowing our precious seed on hard and crusty soil - which is exactly what Jesus told us NOT to do? May each of us find ourselves in the most productive and fruitful part of God's vineyard that He has chosen for us, my friends. The fields of much of the world are white unto harvest.
God bless you all.
Andrew Strom.
About the Author - Andrew Strom is the founder of Revival School Ministries. You can contact him at prophetic@revivalschool.com.
@June 25, 2009
Who Is The Greatest Prophet?
by Steve Hill
Would that be Ezekiel due to the intensity of his visions? Would that be Isaiah due to the accuracy of his revelation of Jesus? Would that be Daniel due to his wisdom and ability to interpret dreams that kept him at the power centers of two world empires? Would that be Enoch who had such a powerful encounter with God that he literally was not here anymore?
According to Jesus the greatest prophet was John the Baptist who came preaching repentance for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". So far as we know John never had a vision, dream or angelic encounter. Yet Jesus called him the greatest prophet!
How many prophets do you know who are preaching repentance?
It is difficult for them to preach repentance from the practice of casual divorce and remarriage since such would close "ministry doors" to them and offend folks who pay for their conferences and buy their books. But Jesus did so in Matthew 19:9!
It is difficult for them to preach repentance from selling the gospel and making merchandise of the people of God since most have embraced the same values. But in Matthew 10:8 Jesus commanded us to freely give as we have freely received. In II Corinthians 11:5- 21 Paul said that the difference between the true and the false was not in message, anointing or gifting but in how they related to the people and money!
It is difficult to for them to preach repentance from self promotion, the love of position and title since most have embraced celebrity status but Jesus did so in Matthew 23:1- 12.
It is difficult for them to preach repentance from seeking special experiences and angelic encounters since those experiences are their tickets to "prophetic" status in a world that values experiences above obedience. But Paul did so in Colossians 2:18- 19.
You cannot preach repentance from inside the camp! You support the camp. You can only preach repentance from outside. The court prophets support the court. The prophets from the wilderness are free to preach repentance. That is why Hebrew 13:13 calls us to follow Jesus outside the camp.
Jesus said that "the pure in heart shall see God". The result of true repentance should be a pure heart to see God.
Once you see God the claims for revelation from the prophets will literally be seen in a different light. Once you see God all dreams, visions and words will take their proper place. That some talk about third heaven experiences as casually as a trip to Pizza Hut and claim to be able to teach others how to have them, shows that they have never been farther than their own imaginations.
Maybe the fascination of the general church world with the supernatural experiences, dreams, revelations is simply because few of them have ever seen God? Maybe we put prophets in a wrong place because we do not have God in the right place?
Maybe we would be less fascinated with "supernatural experiences" if we understood the vision of God that Jesus presented to us? Yes, He came to show us the Father but He also said that if we served the least, we served Him.
He placed the face of God on every suffering child.
The pure in heart will see God and when they do the whole religious game of status, money, recognition, book sales and numbers will fade away. They will see God and they will see His face as the face of human need and they will serve.
Jesus is the greatest Prophet!
Hear Him!
@June 18, 2009; SOURCE: www.harvest-now.org
“(…Squirrels) Break in and Steal”
By Patrick Odum
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
We had a series of robberies at our house recently.
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No, don't worry. We're fortunate, really. The thieves didn't hurt anyone. They didn't do any property damage, didn't break any windows or locks or anything. As a matter of fact, we were able to recover at least some of what was stolen. And really, what the thieves took didn't even have very much value.
Well, except to one of us.
I was first alerted to the presence of the thieves by the barking of my dog. He was standing at the fence in our yard, clearly upset about something. I went to check on him, and that's when I first saw the thief. Up in a tree. Mocking us.
At least, I think he was mocking us. I'm not sure, because I don't speak squirrel. He was chattering at us, though. And holding what he'd taken from the yard. One of Isaiah's bones – a soup bone he'd been chewing on. Suddenly, I understood why for several weeks I've been finding bones and rawhide chew toys all over the yard.
Isaiah was looking from me to the squirrel and back again, as if to say, “Are you seeing this? Do something!” Since I don't climb trees well enough to chase down a squirrel, I wasn't sure what to do. Fortunately, the squirrel did us the favor of dropping the bone for us. Or maybe he threw it at us, I don't know. In any case, it landed in the street, where it cracked open and allowed Isaiah to get to some marrow he would've missed otherwise. So all was well.
I just know, though, that the buck-toothed little thug will be back to pull off another job.
It's no fun to live knowing that one day someone or something is going to come along and take away what you have. I think it's realistic, though. All that stuff Jesus says about moths and rust and thieves breaking in – that's intended to do us a favor. It gives us perspective, keeps us from “storing up” treasures that can be taken away by decay or recession or disease or age, or, well, kleptomaniac rodents.
By the way, don't get hung up on that phrase “store up.” That's not necessarily to be read as a rule against having any money in your bank accounts or any food in the cupboard. He's not as concerned about the “storing up” as he is about the “treasures on earth.” “Storing up,” hoarding, that's just what you do with the things that really matter to you, and sometimes it's easiest to see what those things are when you take an honest look at what it is that you're stockpiling.
That's just one way to see what your treasures are, though. Another way is to ask yourself what you find yourself worrying about most. What's on your mind when you can't sleep? What do you talk about most with the people you really trust?
Or what do you spend your time doing, or pursuing? What motivates you, captures your attention, and takes the lion's share of your time, effort, and physical and emotional energy? What are the “urgent” things that you often find crowding out the “important” in your life? You may just find that those are really the things that are most important to you.
Often, Jesus says, we spend our time and energy chasing, storing, or worrying about earthly treasures. In calling them “earthly,” Jesus doesn't mean that they're necessarily bad or evil – just that they're transient. Temporary. They're enmeshed in the fallen, decaying, deteriorating realm of sin and death, and because they are they can't support the faith human beings often put in them. They aren't permanent, and one day something or someone will come along and take them away.
We tell ourselves that's not true. Human beings, after all, have come a long way since Jesus' day. We have mothballs, WD-40, and security systems, after all; moth and rust don't worry us at all, and our insurance company will replace what thieves might steal. But ask the widow at the funeral home, or the former business owner staring at the boarded-up windows of what used to be his shop, or the once-healthy young man wasting away in a hospital. Ask them about permanence.
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Thats just the way we're made, and that's why we have to be careful about what we value. If our greatest treasures are the things that are passing away, then we'll always be of this passing-away world, always chasing after shadows and filling our growling bellies with sawdust. But if we treasure the things of heaven, the things that God treasures, then what we store up will be the things that last, and the things that matter.
So we live in faith. We give of ourselves in service to others. We seek after personal holiness, and we show grace to the people around us, and we push our culture in the directions of justice and peace. We forgive those who harm us, and we love our neighbor as ourselves, and we love God with everything we have and are. And we trust in his faithfulness, and believe that he will give us whatever of those earthly treasures that we need.
Isaiah's already forgotten about the squirrel, probably. And even if the next time he doesn't get his bone back, he won't dwell on it, if for no other reason than that I'll feel sorry for him and give him another one. An even better one, still full of marrow. He trusts me, you see. And that's a pretty good way to live when you can't be sure that your stuff won't be taken from you. You trust the one who always has stuff to give. And you trust that what he gives is better than any of the hard, dry treasures that you've lost.
Believe in your God. Believe that in Jesus he's thrown open his treasure house to you. And make sure your heart is set on the better, enduring treasures he's ready to give you.
To read more from Patrick Odum, please visit his website at FaithWebBlog.com.
@ June 11, 2009
Passive Income Is a Myth
By Patrick Roberts
Passive income is money that a person collects without having to work for it. This is many people's dream. I am confident that I will discover such a restful work someday... sometime after I've departed from this world.
Active men load the internet full of lies about passive income. These same men worked long and hard for their online exposure so they might learn the secret of capitalizing on this weakness, which is that people want to obtain money without having to work.
Men who understand that work is necessary labor long and hard to sell the myth of passive income to other people who wish they could avoid work. Passive income is a lie that active men sell to loose wallets.
A man might pack ten years of work into a five year time period so that he might coast for the next five years on the momentum of that initial energy spurt. But that man still had to endure ten years of work; it will take him five years to recover from such a traumatic endeavor.
No matter what our occupation or goals, any meaningful success must be obtained through determination and hard work. Even seemingly privileged people obtained their positions in life either through their or their ancestor's sweat.
We have to work for every meaningful success. It's the difficulty of work that makes us appreciate our successes. This applies to spiritual as well as worldly success. Only through discipline can Christ-followers overcome their daily trials in this world. The same thing goes for worldly work. The hardships of work are what keep us humble. The difficulty of worldly work should eventually inspire people to seek rest in Christ.
Passive income is a myth because money is valuable to everyone. Any commodity that is sought by everyone is not easily obtained. It makes sense that the most cunning, determined people accumulate more money than everyone else.
We are naturally enslaved the love of money. Apart from God's spiritual redirection we would perish in the pursuit of money. But we will find freedom from this slavery in Christ. The cure for our shallow fixation is to learn about imperishable, heavenly riches.
Adam's rebellion sentenced him to a lifetime of sweat and labor. Although he had leisurely work in the garden, he chose for some reason to do things the hard way. We carry on this tradition now by continuing to rebel against God. God cursed humanity and the whole earth because of sin, this is true, but we uphold this curse by following in our fleshly father's footsteps, always doing things the hard way.
About the Author: Patrick is an average Christ-seeker. His goal is to turn people to Jesus Christ. Find additional resources at www.BooksByPatrick.com and www.KoGmedia.com.
@ June 4, 2009; Source: FaithWriters.com
Why America Must Return to the Faith of Our Fathers
By Rev Michael Bresciani
Any writer, preacher, prophet or ordinary live a day Christian worth their salt is calling for America to come to her senses and return to the faith of our fathers. They are not moved by the rhetoric of socialisms priest and preachers whether found in academia, media, Hollywood or political office. They are driven by the proof shown to them in the fruit of America’s past, but they are not merely driven by common nostalgia.
That man is made in God’s image can be seen sometimes in what seems like anthropomorphic terms found in the Bible. Our best qualities and tendencies seem to come directly from God. Is God nostalgic? At times it seems he is and that’s exactly why those created in his image have moments where fond memory seems more real than the present. In scripture God often calls us to review our past with an eye to better days?
The Prophet Jeremiah called to Israel as the prophets of today call to America to return to the days when humble faith in God resulted in national dignity and success in every endeavor. Jeremiah said “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls…” (Je 6:16)
Sadly this call was ignored as the remainder of the verse says ‘…But they said, we will not walk therein.” (Je 6:16b) Only a few short years after Jeremiah gave this warning the Israelites were conquered and carried away captive by their harshest enemy, the Babylonians, which today is modern Iraq.
Rather than being just some small step in history that captivity was only the beginning of a long century’s wide ordeal. Israel remained subject to other nations or dispersed throughout the world from those days and forward for about 2500 years until the British Mandate of 1948. That’s a long day for anyone to be without their original home or any chance or re-establishing themselves as a free and independent nation. In fact that has never been accomplished by any other nation in world history except Israel.
Israel like every world power since experienced their downfall on the heels of their highest accomplishments as a nation. That time is sometimes referred to as Israel’s ‘Great Golden Era’ and it is not unlike our own here in America.
Religion was at its peak in Israel and was centered on the great Temple of Solomon which was almost fifty years in the building. Although that structure became a substitute rather than a supplement to what God really wanted of them. God wanted equity in judgment, honesty, and morality and to care for the poor, relieve oppression, refuse to shed innocent blood and to keep his commandments in their every form.
They had success in keeping their enemies at bay, success in the herds and fields and an economy that was the envy of every nation around them. For some of them that alone was their downfall. They had goods, free time and prestige among nations, all winning combinations that got them to resting on their laurels. But as their prophets so often warned the dregs begin to form in the wine when it settles for a long time.
The parallels to America are far more than coincidental, they are frightening. Israel’s history is our history but it does not need to be if we choose to change course.
In the slower moving times of the colonial period we struggled but still produced pioneers, statesmen and hard working entrepreneurs who were tutored in the faith by dedicated Catholic priests, Anabaptist, Quakers, Puritans, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Methodists and others far too numerous to mention here. All this transpired long before the day when Hollywood began portraying the preachers of the gospel as milquetoast spineless misfits who didn’t have a clue. But the church endured thus assuring us that Christ meant business when he said, “…I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mt. 16:18b)
Between WWI and WWII preachers like Billy Sunday and others began a great evangelistic push that lasted until recent years under the ministry of Billy Graham, Rex Humbard and others. In post WWII the church began to bog down in traditionalism and boredom. It was evidence of the truth in the adage that ‘the hardest thing for a church to withstand is its own success.’ But God doesn’t sleep.
Sometimes God used great preachers or ministries to jog his people. From Washington DC the messages of Rev Peter Marshall of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church swept across the nation and called many young preachers and their disciples back to a strong faith in the living God.
The work of the Catholic church in Father Flanagan’s Boys Town was given powerful impetus by Hollywood’s willingness to show the world this great work for orphans and fatherless in movies that told this wonderful story to America. To this day who does not know that even as some Protestants are falling by the way side, the Catholic Church is still hard against the national genocide we have embarked upon since the inception of Roe v. Wade in 1973?
Yet even as the churches slipped into a sleepy droll God moved. He moved again through the ‘Jesus Movement’ of the early and middle sixties, a time of great unrest during the Vietnam War. Millions of young Americans responded to the faith of our fathers during the Jesus Movement outpouring.
The Jesus movement flourished even as college professors around the nation provoked young college students each with only about fifty years left to live to discuss the existentialist Friedrich Nietzsche’s aphoristic proclamation that “God is dead.” That discussion fell mute in the ears of those who found the eternal God was quite alive in the 1960s. Many of those converts are the preachers and prophets of today who are now warning us that our chosen path is dangerous and that we are muddying our own waters.
The next great movements that profoundly touched our national psyche were the ‘born again’ movement and the “Charismatic Renewal” Many churches were awakened by a surge of Holy Spirit driven power and began seeking spiritual gifts and calling for and seeing genuine healings and transformations. The charlatans who infiltrated this movement notwithstanding it brought new life to a floundering church and drew millions back into the fold.
The ‘born again’ movement was cross denominational and solidified many churches into what became known today as the evangelicals. Names like Bob Jones, Chuck Colson and the Moral Majority’s Jerry Falwell became household names. No one who knows and holds dear the scriptures would ever make light of the term ‘born again’ because Jesus said no one would ever see the Kingdom of God unless they were ‘born again.’ (Jn. 3:3)
Running concurrently with the born again movement was the period of the high profile televangelists. Some of them ended up in bitter controversies and scandals but not all. Many of the more serious ministries have survived to this day and are still spreading the universal gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.
The problem with all great movements uniformly is that they become popular. Someone aptly has said that the church is at its weakest when it is popular and at its best when it is struggling or persecuted. Pure gold requires great heat.
So what can we expect in the near future? Now that America has pounded secular liberalism into the heads of two generations of our young with the help of liberal academia, Hollywood and media bias; is their any chance for a revival, a renewal or can we even hope to hold our own? In spite of secularisms idea of giving God his walking papers the most amazing biblical promise of all has just begun to be fulfilled. The next movement will be the last, but the greatest.
It is promised in many scriptural admonishments but it is clearest in one single verse spoken by the prophet Joel concerning the last days of time. “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” (Joel 2:28, 29)
The Omnipotent Creator of heaven and earth is not going to stand idly by while men destroy their own civilization and the very planet they live on. He will intervene and revival, prophetic warning, judgments and the final appearance of Jesus Christ coming in power will be how it all ends.
Before all this comes down a new kind of evangelism will emerge. It will be wholly prophetic in nature. The softer messages of the past will give way to dire warnings of last day’s events and their subsequent results. Look around it is already happening! It is spearheaded with power not panic and it will be followed by more immediate results. That means the warnings will be fulfilled much faster than in times of old. It will not take forty years but in some cases it will be only a matter of days or months for the fulfillment of prophesied calamities and disasters.
The new evangelists, prophets and preachers will be among the youngest in history. They will not be ashamed of the gospel or of the Lord. They will not be afraid of rebuke, jail time or society’s disdain. They will be aided by the visions of their older counterparts and will discern truth from error with remarkable clarity, they will not be fooled. It will take more than a socialist leaning newbie President to make them believe that their country is on the right track.
For the rest of us it will be a time to ask important questions. Specifically, the most important question of all will be if we should haste to return to the faith of our fathers. In spite of the wrangling of the ACLU and like organizations anyone who knows our real history can see that this country was founded and guided by faith filled men and women who knew the Bible, the gospel and the Lord who died for them.
They also see that the only source of strength this country ever had was its moral strength. All the preoccupation with the topsy turvy current economic upheaval is concomitant to our moral decline and all the promise of better times through the buck is extravagant misguided political hyperbole. This band of gospel soldiers will not be bamboozled, bushwhacked or besieged with the rhetoric of the media groupies and their political avatars. They will spot media bias from a hundred miles away and will shun pop culture trash like it’s the plague.
So what of the questions? Should America return to the faith of our fathers? Can America return to that place? Yes to both questions but time is of the essence. Perhaps the best call and the best reminder of what the call actually is can be seen in the words of the old and beloved hymn ‘Faith of Our Fathers’ written by Frederick W. Faber in 1849. This deeply moving song was sung at the funeral of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the East Room of the White House in Washington D.C. in 1945.
Faith of our fathers, living still,
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword;
O how our hearts beat high with joy
Whenever we hear that glorious Word!
Faith of our fathers, we will strive
To win all nations unto Thee;
And through the truth that comes from God,
We all shall then be truly free.
Faith of our fathers, we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife;
And preach Thee, too, as love knows how
By kindly words and virtuous life.
Faith of our fathers, holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
About the Author: www.americanprophet.org is the place for news, articles, movie and book reviews and other insights for life. Rev Bresciani is a columnist for online and print publications and now has millions of readers throughout the world.
@May 28, 2009; Source: Narrow is the Path
Lego Jesus
By Patrick Odum
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:1-2)
On Easter, most churches mark the resurrection of Jesus with prayers and singing. Some churches, the ones that use statuary, might unveil their statues during the Easter service. This past Easter, the Oensta Gryta Church in Vaesteras, a town in Sweden, unveiled a new statue, a reproduction of Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsens's 19th century work Christus. It's a representation of Jesus at his resurrection, which isn't a surprising choice for Easter. What is a bit surprising is the medium in which the statue's creator worked.
It's made of Lego bricks.
The pastor of the church, Per Wilder, says the parishioners donated over 30,000 Lego bricks for the statue. At 5' 8” tall, Wilder says that the statue is “life-sized.” Wonder how they knew?
Actually, there's something kind of convenient and comforting about a Lego Jesus. The nice thing, really, about any Jesus we create ourselves is that he can be exactly what we want him to be. And here's the important part – he can be nothing more than what we want him to be. Convenient and comforting – that's the way to describe a do-it-yourself Jesus, and of course I don't mean now the kind of do-it-yourself Jesus that you make out of Lego bricks, or stone, or oil on canvas. Those creations may reflect what we think of Jesus, but what's really on my mind now is the way we create Jesuses in our own hearts and minds that do little but mirror our own values and priorities.
The real Jesus, of course, is more likely to question and challenge our values and priorities. So it's no wonder we prefer the do-it-yourself variety.
People have been creating Jesus in their own image, of course – or at least attempting to – since he first started doing miracles and preaching and generally causing and uproar. Think of the Pharisees and teachers who got so upset when he welcomed “sinners,” and even sat around their tables with them. What upset them about Jesus was that he didn't fit their notions of what a religious leader looked like, and he threatened their monopoly on God's favor. By telling people that the gates of God's kingdom were open to all those who wanted to enter, Jesus raised the question of what function the gatekeepers like the Pharisees actually served. And when he wouldn't fall in line, make his disciples fast, stop healing on the Sabbath and please, please, for the love of all that was holy stop eating with “sinnners” – well, they just couldn't allow that.
Or think of Mary and Martha, sisters of his friend Lazarus: “If you had only been here, he wouldn't have died.” There's the rich young ruler, whom Jesus told to sell everything he had to follow him. He went away sad, the text tells us, unable to bear the cost of discipleship. Even his own closest disciples failed to understand him. Eventually one betrayed him, and the rest scattered like cockroaches when the Temple police came to arrest him.
What should give us pause, of course, is that what all those folks have in common is that Jesus was right there in front of them. And if they had a hard time seeing who Jesus really was because of who they expected him to be, well, it's no wonder that we do, too.
And we do. To some, Jesus is a countercultural revolutionary who rails against everything but whatever counterculture they happen to be a part of. To others, he's a defender of the American Dream, free enterprise, and conservative politics. To some of us Jesus is a righteous judge, coming in wrath to destroy the sinners with holy glee. Some use Jesus to support a pro-homosexual agenda, while others use him to support hatred for homosexuals. He's been co-opted to fight at the heads of armies, teach us how to lead corporations, and every now and again some of us even have the gall to stick his name on our church signs, assuming that means that he sanctions everything that goes on inside our buildings.
But as cool as he may look, Lego Jesus has no power. The images we create of him never do. They sit, silent and powerless, in our churches and in our lives.
I think what we need in the church is a large dose of Jesus. “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear,” he once told his disciples. “But when...the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” The Holy Spirit, poured out by Jesus on the church, is there to “speak only what he hears” and make known to the church what he receives from Jesus. (see John 16:12-15) So if we're going to see who Jesus really is, and if outsiders are going to see him as he really is, it's going to be through the Holy Spirit in the Bible and in all of us together and in ourselves individually. It's going to demand that we be people who are learning to live by the Spirit, learning to hear his voice and obey his promptings. Jesus promised not to leave his followers as orphans to create and follow our own pitiful little images of him. He's present with us through the Scriptures, and through the church's life together, and even in our own lives, bearing fruit in good works and transformation of who we are.
I don't ever again want to settle for an image of Jesus cobbled together by the little bits and pieces of personal agenda and piety that people bring to the project of crafting a do-it-yourself Jesus. I'd rather have the Jesus, please, in whom Paul said “all the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form” and in whom we “have been given fullness.” I'd rather have the Jesus who has “disarmed the powers and authorities” that would otherwise have me trapped in death and despair. I'd like, please, the Jesus by whom and in whom and for whom everything was created, and through whom everything has been reconciled to God.
If that sounds good to you, then I have a suggestion. Topple your images of Jesus. Ask him to show you who he really is. Read anew the stories about him and the words he spoke that don't easily fit your image of him. Let your life with the church inform and change the way you see him. A warning, though: you may be a bit surprised and unsettled by what you find. That's OK. That's what Jesus does – he surprises and unsettles.
So put down the Legos. Playtime's over.
To read more from Patrick Odum, please visit his website at FaithWebBlog.com.
@ May 22, 2009
Where the Spirit of the Lord Is, There Is Freedom
By Steven E. Coffman
Where the Spirit of the Lord is on this earth, there is freedom. God's freedom is truly free for everyone! It does not matter what your nationality or heritage is, what language you speak, or who your family is. It even does not matter how much money you have or do not have. God wants you free from every type of bondage, so that He can have a close and pure relationship with you!
"The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."
2 Corinthians 3:17 (NCV)
God wants to pour out His abundant blessings on all who honor Him and do what is right. In fact, the Bible says in Galatians that In Christ, there is no Jew or Greek or even male or female. God does not judge you based on external conditions. He is looking at your heart. He is looking at your deeds. He is looking at the Christian gifts He already placed inside of you from the day you were born.
Acts 10:34-35 (NCV) tells us; Peter began to speak: "I really understand now that to God every person is the same. In every country God accepts anyone who worships him and does what is right."
God looks at each of us, He does not expect to see a perfect person, but he does expect to see a person that has their heart in the right place as a Christian. When we make a mistake, do not think that God expects you to pay retribution for this. Jesus has already paid the price for our sins. But, He does expect you to ask for forgiveness and truly mean it!
When the potter who casts a vessel and it is defective he does not through away the clay, instead he presses it in a basic ball and recasts it again. This is the same way the God works through each and every one of us.
A good example of this is when Mary a prostitute poured expensive oil on Jesus feet.
No mater how far we have strayed away from God, He is always ready to forgive us, because God truly has a plan for each of us. We just have to be willing to follow it.
Do not let the enemy lie to you and tell you that God is blessing everyone else but you. Look for the ways God is pouring out blessings daily in your life. Thank Him for these blessings and His acceptance and love that He gives you today, and will give you tomorrow as well. Thank Him for the Christian gifts of life and freedom!
Sometimes it is overwhelming to think about everything God has done for His people. Sure, you can always find things to get angry, disappointed or confused about; but God has blessed you in many ways and He does not plan on stopping! God wants to open doors for you that no man can shut—and His infinite power has no limit.
"I am the Lord, the God of every person on the earth. Nothing is impossible for me." Jeremiah 32:27 (NCV)
Truly focus on the goodness of God with an open heart. Always honor Him daily and do what is right and you will see His hand of blessing in every area of your life!
About the Author: Family-eStore will try to provide you with articles of interest to a Christian and patriotic way of life. The articles are written by Steven E Coffman (Owner) of Family-eStore.com (National Essay Contest) winner 1969. I am a person with strong Christian and patriotic beliefs. Tenacity, faith, and a belief in God, Country and Family are key components to success in life.
The Christian articles are only intended to bring you closer in your relationship to our Father in heaven.
I hope that you enjoy and are enlightened by them.
@May 14, 2009; Source: Christian Article Bank
Buried
By Patrick Odum
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (Matthew 23:25-28)
It was just going to cost too much and be far too complicated. That was the bottom line. It was just going to add additional expense to an already-costly project, and it just didn't make sense. So I just said, “Take out as much as you can and bury the rest.”
It was a big concrete slab we were talking about, the foundation for the old sign at our church. We're having a new sign installed, at that meant getting rid of the old one. And that meant getting rid of that slab. But it was easier said than done.
The concrete guys came with a jackhammer and started to break it into pieces, but it wasn't breaking into large chunks. It was coming out in small pieces. The going was slow, and the concrete guys had started to talk about maybe needing to get some heavier machinery. They dug down beside the slab, hoping to get an idea of how deep it went.
At three feet, they hit a pipe.
Water or gas, we weren't sure which. What we could see is that whoever had poured the slab had poured it right over the pipe; it ran directly through the concrete we wanted out of the ground. That meant dealing with with Peoples' Energy or the Chicago Department of Water Management, and I'd rather have a root canal than do either. Not to mention the fact that extracting this slab from the ground was going to suddenly get a whole lot more expensive.
So I told the concrete guys to break out as much of the slab as they could, then bury the rest. “Leave us enough dirt over the slab to grow some grass,” I said. Once we do, once the slab is covered and the grass is growing, nobody will have any idea that the slab was ever there. It'll look fine at the surface, and we won't have to deal with all the problems and complications down below. Everyone's happy.
And that works well enough, I suppose, when you're talking about concrete in a lawn. Once that slab's buried, it won't take long for the grass to cover over any trace of it.
It strikes me, though, that “bury it” is the philosophy that churches and church people too quickly fall back on in living with each other and their Lord.
Pharisee Flu, let's call it, in honor of some of the disease's most widely-known victims. Jesus uses colorful language to refer to them: they were like dishes that are only clean on the outside, like whitewashed tombs with beautiful exteriors that are filled just the same with corruption and death. He says that they have plenty of rules to teach, but not much energy to help people to learn and practice them. They enjoyed fame and notoriety more than God's approval, and practiced religious observance more than they did piety. “They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers,” Jesus accused, no doubt provoking anger from the Pharisees and knowing chuckles from those who knew their ways and saw the inconsistency.
Of course, it's not as if the Pharisees are the only, or even the first, of God's people who prefer to cover over what doesn't belong in their hearts and lives instead of doing the hard, complicated, and costly work of removing it.
Unfortunately, sometimes the church is the very last place people want to tear up a patch of grass, dig down through a couple of inches of topsoil, and own up to what's really lying there just below the surface of our lives. Anger and bitterness. Pride. Lust. Greed. Conceit and self-importance. We yell at our kids and lie to our spouses all the way to Sunday school and back again. We go to church on Sunday and cheat and mistreat each other Monday through Friday, then have a couple of drinks on Saturday and start the whole process over again. From time to time we think about making some changes, but the work seems too difficult, and we fear that it will cost more than we're willing to pay.
So we bury it all, even though we know full well that we're not fooling God at all and only sometimes fooling one another.
It doesn't have to be that way, though. We don't have to live like that, with that hard, heavy, cold thing always just under the surface, always afraid that someone will gouge just a little too deep and find it. The story of God making himself known to us in Jesus is intended to “cut [its hearers] to the heart” (Acts 2:37). It's “living and active” and “penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow.” (Hebrews 4:12) The gospel doesn't stay on the surface; Jesus isn't some smiling lawn jockey, some still and silent decoration that leaves what's beneath the surface in our lives and hearts untouched.
But neither does he tear into us in anger and disregard, unconcerned about what damage he might do in the process. He comes in gentleness and grace and mercy, gently scraping away the facades we so carefully build and exposing what's really underneath. And then he offers us forgiveness, and he offers us understanding, and he offers us hope that through his Spirit we can be free of what we've had buried for so long.
It's complicated, yes, and it's costly, and we'll be tempted to go on thinking that it's just easier to keep some things buried. But then we'd have to live with it, and it turns out that the things we bury don't stay that way.
The Lord doesn't ask that we have a plan for getting rid of all the stuff we've buried. If the resources to get rid of it were in us, we wouldn't need him, would we? He doesn't ask that we come with some sacrifice to appease his anger. He doesn't need our money, or even our promises of good deeds and righteous lives. What he asks for is repentance: a resolve to make some changes and the courage to expose what's buried in our hearts and lives to his power.
So let me challenge you to take stock of what you might have buried in your heart and life. What's there that you know shouldn't be, but that you just haven't wanted to deal with? Take it to the Lord in prayer, and ask for him to take it away. Take it to a brother or sister in Christ who you trust, too – God ordinarily chooses to help us through other people. And then start to think about how you can reorganize your life to work with God in removing whatever it is that needs to come out.
You probably won't even need a jackhammer.
To read more from Patrick Odum, please visit his website at FaithWebBlog.com.
@ May 7, 2009
The Tithe Test - What Do You Really Know?
by Robin Calamaio
Is 10% of your gross income to be given to the local church for the rest of your life? What do you actually know about the Biblical teaching on the tithe? Well, here is your chance to find out! Below are twenty questions worth five points each. Normally, 60% would be a passing grade. But in this case, I want you to study this subject until you score 100% ! Why do I want this? Well, if your income averages $50K a year, after fifty years, you will have given a quarter of a million dollars to the local church. It does seem sensible to ask some questions about this - and know some answers. Actually, it is wrong for you to give 10% of your gross income to anybody without knowing for sure it is God's will ...100% sure. That's why I want you to work on this until you are an A+ student!
So, ... get your pen and paper and take this 3 minute test right now. Don't cheat by looking at the answers. Go!
1. How many Bible authors wrote commands about the tithe - its purpose, amount and procedures?
2. Who are they?
3. What was done with the third and sixth year tithe? Who had access to it?
4. Can you explain the "tithe cycle" of the Israelites?
5. What was done with the tithe every seventh year?
6. Explain Abram's tithe. What did Abram give Melchizedek?
7. Did any of the Levites tithe? If so, to whom and how much?
8. How much money did the tithers give to the Levitical Priests?
9. In the "to the Levites" tithing years, did all the tithe go to the Levites?
10. What group did Jacob give his tenth to?
11. What were the conditions God must meet before Jacob would give that tenth?
12. When was the tithe "rediscovered?"
13. Who is credited with that "rediscovery?"
14. What was the catalyst for that "rediscovery?"
15. Is tithing the number one responsibility for the Christian and his/her money?
16. What kind of curse should the Christian expect for failing to tithe (Mal 3:7-9)?
17. Where did Jesus tell Christians to bring their tithe?
18. Where did Paul, or the other New Testament writers, tell Christians to bring the tithe?
19. When the Corinthians, and others, were making their collection for the saints, what was done with that collection before Paul and company took it to Judea?
20. Can the tithe be given to parachurch ministries?
Now, before rushing down to grade yourself, let's address one other little item. It seems reasonable to me that anyone who tells you God requires you to tithe - should be willing to answer a few questions (like ... maybe twenty?). And if that person fails to score 60%, well, ... where I grew up, that was an "F." Should you be expected to yield to such "expertise?" But, even if expected ... should you?
How to give this test to others.
1. Try this out on a couple of friends (I did). It's fun.
2. Let your "testee" know you took a test about the tithe - and share your score. Tell them you are interested in seeing how well they will do. My friends were eager to show me up.
3. Either give the test orally or lay a copy of this before them. In either case, let them write down their answers. All that really matters is that the test is taken right then, in the order written, as a "pop quiz." No questions in advance - or taken home.
4. Grade it on the spot (they will want to know how they did).
The Answers
"The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on folly" (Pr 15:14).
To calculate the score, count the number of correct answers and multiply by 5.
1. One.
2. Moses. In Malachi, God was speaking and simply reiterated the commands in the Law.
3. It was kept in the local town. It was for the local Levite, alien, orphan, and widow.
4. Year one, two, four and five were taken to the designated place (eventually Jerusalem). Year three and six - see question 3 answer. Year seven - see below.
5. There wasn't one. There was not one on year fifty (Year of Jubilee) either.
6. He gave him 10% of the choicest spoils of a bunch of stuff he had no intention of keeping anyway. He gave nothing of his own possessions.
7. Yes. Those Levites not of Aaron's family gave a tithe of the tithe they received. They gave it to the priests of Aaron's family.
8. None. The tithe was never money.
9. The tithe of year one, two, four and five were shared by the tither with the Levite in a celebratory meal when the tithe was given. What was left over stayed with the Levite. In year three and six, it appears the tither deposited the whole amount in the local town without partaking of any of it.
10. There was no "group" to give it to of which we know. If your testee responds with, "God," count that as a correct answer. The testee is still going to flunk.
11. God had to be with him, keep him on his journey, give him food to eat, give him garments to wear, and return him safely to his father's house. At that point, God would be his God. The tenth came (we assume) twenty years later. It was a vow fulfillment.
12. After the Bill of Rights was adopted in the United States.
13. American Theologians in the Higher Criticism of Systematic Theology.
14. The loss of the church's ability to tax citizens (The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights) caused a financial crisis in the church. That led to this "rediscovery."
15. No. Family obligations are number one. There is no tithe for Christians anyway.
16. There aren't any. Christians are not Jews under Law.
17. He didn't, because there isn't one.
18. They didn't, because there isn't one.
19. It was saved ... most likely at home by each contributor.
20. There is no such thing as a parachurch ministry, and there is no tithe for the Christian either. All the assumptions in this question are nonsense.
These answers are correct.
The teaching that is going around today is not the Tithe of the Bible. In fact, this "new teaching" is totally foreign to the Bible. A legitimate Biblical word and teaching (tithe) has been hijacked - and applied it to this new concoction.
God does give clear directives for the use of your money. But that design is not found in this "new teaching." This "tithe" teaching is actually extortion in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. But, it is not just the extortioner who will be held to account. The duped one is accountable too. It is ultimately our responsibility to learn God's will for us - especially when it is written in black and white. And in this matter, "I have not spoken in secret, in some dark land" (Isa 45:19). God's material on the tithe, and His priorities for our money, are clearly stated in the Bible - there for the reading.
So, how did you do? Are you comfortable with your current knowledge level on this matter?
About the Author: Whether you are looking for the Biblical position on Abortion (http://www.freelygive-n.com/Abortion_Argument.html) or a visual Gospel Presentation (http://www.freelygive-n.com/Gospel_Presentation.html ), you can find these, or other FREE ebooks at http://www.freelygive-n.com .
@ April 30, 2009; Source: FaithWriters.com
Followers
By Patrick Odum
When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” (Matthew 8:18-22)
Do you Twitter? Would you admit it if you did? Do you have any idea what Twittering is?
What about Ashton Kutcher? Have you heard of him? If you think “Ashton Kutcher” sounds like a British luxury car, then you should know that he’s actually an actor, famous for his roles on That 70’s Show and Punk’d. Ashton is also a user of Twitter, which is an online social networking site that allows subscribers to post frequent 140-character answers (“tweets”) to the question “What are you doing right now?” Other users can sign up to be a “follower” of your tweets – whenever you type, “ My coffee’s cold” or “I feel like I may be coming down with something” or “Someone help me get off this site and get some work done”, it shows up on all of your followers’ Twitter pages.
I bring all this up because this week Ashton Kutcher became the first Twitter user to gain over a million followers. Yes, the guy who starred in The Butterfly Effect and Dude, Where’s My Car? has a million people who just have to know what Ashton is doing right now. It’s especially newsworthy because Ashton’s closest competition in getting to the million-follower mark came from CNN.
Right. More people want to know what Ashton Kutcher is doing than want breaking news from CNN.
What interests me about this story is that word “follower.” It’s used on Twitter to mean, simply enough, someone who follows someone else’s tweets. But the word makes me think of how most of the people who read this (like the one writing it) claim to be followers of Jesus.
Part of following him, of course, is listening to what he says. I’m wondering, now: if Jesus was on Twitter, what would he write? (WWJT: “What Would Jesus Tweet?”) And who would follow him, in the Twitter sense? And who would follow him in the Christian sense? You don’t need me to tell you, of course, that following Jesus isn’t just about keeping tabs on the interesting things he talks about. Following him means trying to allow what he says to determine the norms by which we live.
You see it, don’t you, in that scene Matthew paints? There’s Jesus, in the middle of a crowd. Hundreds, maybe, have shown up because they’ve heard that Jesus heals the sick. They reach out dirty hands, cry out from hoarse throats, turn blind eyes and deaf ears toward him. And – note this well – Jesus doesn’t mind. He drives out evil spirits and heals diseases, conscious that God has always done things like that and knowing that some will recognize in his healing that God’s kingdom has burst in on an unsuspecting world.
But this is “the crowd.” It’s a mob scene, a small-scale riot. And that’s not all Jesus is about.
So, eventually, he calls his followers. These guys are pretty clueless, you understand. They don’t yet know exactly what they’ve blundered into. But Jesus has called them to follow him, to “fish for people,” and despite not having the foggiest notion what that’s going to mean, they follow him. Literally. They put away their livelihood, their jobs, their families, and they quite literally follow Jesus wherever he goes. As they follow, they pay attention. They hear. They ask questions. They make mistakes. They learn.
Jesus and these followers cross the lake to put some distance between themselves and the crowd. The crowd, presumably, disperses. They go back to their homes, back to their lives – no doubt thankful for the way Jesus has touched them, no doubt wondering about him, but not followers. Not really.
A few try, to their credit. “I’ll follow you wherever you go,” says one, and Jesus shoots a hole in his balloon: “I don’t know where I’m going to sleep tonight – sure you want to get mixed up with me?” Another promises to follow him as soon as his dad’s funeral’s over, and Jesus shockingly shuts him down, too: “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” “I’m in the business of new life,” he seems to be saying, “and anyone who wastes any time mucking around in that old life doesn’t yet quite grasp what following me means.”
I don’t know sometimes if we’re any different.
We claim to follow him, but we don’t seem to take him very seriously. (“Sell your possessions and give to the poor”? Anyone?) I wonder if we’re not sometimes a lot like that crowd clustered around him, receiving the grace he gives and genuinely surprised when he starts speaking in terms of real discipleship, lightweight Jesus-groupies who love to hear about him and talk about him and feel good about ourselves, but who haven’t much of a clue what following him really is.
Following him is going out with him to fish for people. It’s ministering to the sick, the poor, the homeless, the HIV-positive, the imprisoned, the sinners. When we follow him, we go where he goes: so when he leads us out of our church buildings, out of our comfortable homes and neighborhoods, and invites us to stretch ourselves past the point where it hurts, we do it. We follow when it means we don’t have a place to lay our heads; we raise our heads from lives crowded with death and decay and we follow in his footsteps, doing by his power and in his name the very things he did, proclaiming as he did that the kingdom of God is near.
Twitter makes following so easy, so convenient. Jesus doesn’t. But once you hear his call you won’t be content doing anything else.
Maybe that’s why you’re discontent, if you are. Maybe you’re feeling intuitively that you can’t follow Jesus from behind a desk, or in the pages of a book, or even from a church pew. You have to separate from the crowd and go across the lake with him, no matter the storms you face on the way. That’s what it is to answer his call. That’s what it is to be a follower.
So...What are you doing right now?
To read more from Patrick Odum, please visit his website at FaithWebBlog.com.
@ April 23, 2009
Easter Among the Relics
By Patrick Odum
Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. (Acts 2:22-24)
Irony of ironies. I spent Good Friday among the relics of societies long dead and buried. Dead, buried, and uncovered, in fact.
I went with Josh, my 11-year-old son, to a Chicago museum that specializes in the Ancient Near East; cultures like the Assyrians, Egyptians, Babylonians, and so forth. It’s a pretty spectacular museum, really, full of relics dug out of the desert sand: monuments and tablets and jewelry and pottery. And tombs. Lots of tombs. It was the tombs that really struck me, I guess because of the time of year that we’re in. Good Friday, leading up to Easter, tends to make me think a little more about death and life. Mortality and immortality. I guess it’s bad form to collapse Good Friday into Easter Sunday, but it’s not like we don’t know how the story ends, right? So if at one time in my life I might have been guilty of over-emphasizing the cross at the expense of the empty tomb, please forgive me if now I tend toward the opposite extreme.
Actually, I don’t want to overlook either, and so I try to think of them together now. Jesus’ death and resurrection are part of the same event, elements of the same story. “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,” as Paul put it (2 Corinthians 5:19). Without resurrection, his death would simply be one more example of the way the powers of the world silence revolutionaries, one more example of a creation too broken to recognize its Creator walking in it. Without his death, it couldn’t be said that Jesus had truly confronted what was wrong with creation in the first place. But in the incarnation, and in Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection, God restored a creation enslaved to sin, decay, futility, and death.
Exactly what that enslavement is, the many forms that it takes, comes home in vivid detail in a museum like the one we visited Friday. We could start, I suppose, with the artifacts, like the broken pottery, the jewelry, the weapons and tools used millennia ago by people who are all but forgotten. Oh, and the monuments: gigantic things, some of them. Fifteen, twenty feet tall. The kings who commissioned them, the sculptors who created them – I’m sure they imagined their work would stand forever, their lives or their skill immortalized in stone. But instead of standing majestic watch over unending kingdoms, they were dug out of the sand in pieces to stand behind velvet ropes or acrylic.
Neither, of course, did the kingdoms those monuments commemorated stand forever. (Who can trace their Hittite heritage? Anyone? Who can read Sumerian cuneiform?) History is filled with the rising and falling of empires, empires that at their zeniths ruled the known world. But only until the next empire rises, motivated to conquest by the need to provide for their citizens – or maybe just the will to power. Sin. Decay. Futility. Death.
Most vivid are the tombs, of course. The one that’s really on my mind is an ancient Egyptian burial that dates from before mummification. It’s a circular hole, into which a woman has been dumped. The skeleton lies on its side in a fetal position, testimony to the enslavement of creation. The mummies are no better, of course: the careful embalming, the wrappings, the treasure buried with them in the huge pyramids, all of it is just a pitifully-disguised attempt to deny death. Even those tombs were forgotten until someone coaxed the desert into giving them up.
You go away from a museum like that thinking about what the implements and gadgets we so value are really worth. You go away wondering how long our greatest monuments will last. You wonder when the empires we build will crumble, and what will replace them. And you go away realizing that expensive funerals and beautiful caskets and lovely eulogies will not change the fact that one day all of us will stop living and moving and working and playing in this existence we’ve come to regard as life.
I think we often take the wrong message home from museums. We want to marvel at human achievement, but maybe it’s better if we walk away recognizing its futility.
That’s when were ready to hear Easter proclaimed over the ruins of God’s good creation.
“God raised him from the dead,” Peter proclaimed fearlessly at Pentecost. Human scheming didn’t win out. Human wickedness and violence only seemed to triumph. God snatched his Son from death’s grasp, and in doing so announced a new creation. This one, however, will not be enslaved to sin, decay, futility, or death. Our monuments crumble and disintegrate. But the cross and the empty tomb remain to proclaim that in Jesus there is hope, and life, and joy, and purpose. “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
That’s the message of Easter, the message of the gospel: that, in Christ, God has stepped into this world of sin, decay, futility, and death – the world our museums put on display – and right under our noses has begun anew. Sin is forgiven. Decay is transformed into prosperity. Our best efforts to plan and build and accomplish, once rendered futile by sin and death, are given purpose and meaning. And death, the last enemy, becomes life and immortality.
Oh, sure, you could say that’s nothing more than window-dressing either, as transparent as anything the ancient cultures did to make sense of death. You could say that, except for one thing: his tomb was empty. A new day has dawned. New creation is upon us.
And, like God’s creation was always meant to be, it is good.
To read more from Patrick Odum, please visit his website at FaithWebBlog.com.
@ April 16, 2009
Wanted: Dead and Alive
by Alan Allegra
Back in the Old West (at least in the movies), desperadoes were pictured on posters that read, "Wanted: Dead or Alive." The local sheriff didn't care how he got his man, as long as he got him. For me, those posters conjure up images of Boot Hill and a posse.
The Bible has its own Boot Hill of sorts. Genesis chapter five lists Adam's progeny, much like a minimalist obituary. Each entry is punctuated with the words, "and then he died."
The reality is that all men are scheduled to die. "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned" (Romans 5:12). Every one of us has a bullet out there with our name on it.
We are just emerging from what we often call "the dead of winter." It is a time when many living things die, hibernate, or go dormant. Cabin fever sets in, and we can't wait for spring to arrive with its promise of new life and refreshment.
The Easter season illustrates and commemorates these bookends to the cycle of life. On Good Friday, we remember the most horrific death of all, the execution of the Son of God at the hands of his creatures. Even his disciples thought it was all over. Things looked as bleak as a Siberian winter.
This time of year, buds pop open, animals emerge from their dens, and seeds that were buried in the ground burst out of their tombs with new bodies. The promise of new life is fulfilled in glorious ways. The heavy burden of winter chills and darkness flees in the bright light of renewal.
Three days after his burial, Jesus Christ rose bodily from the dead. He emerged from the chill of a dark stone tomb to bring eternal hope. That is the message of the gospel of Christ, "who has saved us and called us to a holy life, not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:9, 10).
What will our body be like? Paul answers: "When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption" (1 Corinthians 15:37, 38, 42). It will be perfect at last!
This hope is only for those who trust the Lord Jesus to deliver them from a chilly and dark heart of sin. "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions; it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:46).
God wants us, dead or alive. "If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord" (Romans 14:8). If we are dead in sin, he wants to give us life. If we are His, we can rejoice in the new life He has given through His Son, the one who adds the "but" to the "and then he died" of man's obituary.
About the Author: Alan Allegra, Executive Administrative Assistant of Faith Church in Allentown, Pa. More devotionals at http://www.faithefc.com/includes/Alan-Devotionals.htm. More articles at Lifestyles Over 50: http://www.lifestylesover50.com/ and the Morning Call: www.mcall.com. Available for writing.
@ April 10, 2009; Source: FaithWriters.com
God's Perspective on Fatherhood
by Glenn Frontin
Fatherhood has a way of changing your life perspective, to say the least. My two boys, soon to be young men, had been entrusted by God to me. It has taken me too many years to finally realize the awesome responsibility and privilege that was. When they were born, all they needed was Mom. She took care of their every need. After awhile they grew into little boys and were great fun to play with and buy all the new boy's toys I couldn't rationalize buying for myself. Things seemed to fall into place rather well. But there were other responsibilities too. I spent a lot of time getting my career going and teaching at church. Instead of working on relationships, I kept myself busy with the tasks that needed to be done.
Of course, for every task finished, there were at least two more that pop up. It had only been a few years ago that I realized my fatherhood had been very passive. Oh, I was a good, loving father as fathers go, but one day I decided to see what the Holy Scriptures had to say about fatherhood. What I found was astonishing. With all the time and energy I had put into so many pursuits and goals to accomplish in my life, I discovered one of my highest callings was my role as "Dad."
God's Word is full of relationships. After all, relationships are what God is all about The idea of husband and wife, parent and child, friends, all originated with Him. Our society tries to redefine it all these days, but God's plan is very clear. When I looked to the scriptures to read about fatherhood, there were two things that jumped out at me, two eternal truths that left me both awestruck and with a knot in the pit of my stomach, brought on by sheer humility. When someone asked Jesus to show us how to pray, Jesus responded in a way that must have astounded all the Jews around Him. The Jews understood the perfect holiness of Jehovah and the sinfulness of man. They knew God's omnipotence and His omniscience. They were well aware of the barrier that separated them from their God. Even the High Priest could only get so close. Yet Jesus tears down that barrier by saying, In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven (Matthew 6:9)
Jesus introduced an amazing concept. We could have a personal relationship with the Father. At that time the world was just beginning to understand that relationship would come through His Son. If that's not enough to overwhelm our human mind, consider what Paul wrote. For you have not received a spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. (Romans 8:15,16)
We are all familiar with this passage, aren't we? Most of us know that "abba" is an Aramaic term of endearment, more like "Daddy" than "Father." I had read that passage many times, but on that particular day it struck me in a new way. The creator of all things, the Lord of lords, the King of kings, the God of the Bible with a divine nature and essence we can only begin to imagine, chooses to be known by us as "Daddy." Of all the titles he could choose! Those of us who are dads know how special that word is. The boys are older now and "Dad" is the term they now use, though a "Daddy" does slip out now and then, especially when they're begging and pleading to get their way. But Emma at three years old, she only knows me as "daddy." When she climbs into my lap and wraps her little arms around my neck, and says, "I love you, Daddy," the world is perfect at that moment for both of us. Perhaps that's what God has in mind for His children. With all the deep theology within the pages of scripture that we must never neglect, what better picture of a loving heavenly Father with His loving children than a child on the lap of her daddy? The image left me feeling content and loved as His chosen adopted child. God has chosen to show Himself to us as "Father."
How important is fatherhood to God, that He would reveal Himself in that way? The scriptures reveal just how important fatherhood is to Himand that was somewhat intimidating when I realized He has called me to be a father here on earth, to imitate Him In Deuteronomy 4:9, Moses writes the fathers of Israel: Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and grandchildren. Moses was not simply warning these men not to forget the amazing miracles they had seen God perform before their very eyes, but even more importantly, not to let their hearts grow cold toward God.
What struck me was God's concern not simply for these men, but for their future generations. I thought about how future generations of young men, my grandsons
and beyond, would have their lives impacted by how I lived my life and what example I was to my sons now. That was quite humbling and terrifying. That you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commands, which I command you, you and
your son and your grandson, all the days of your life (Deuteronomy 6:2)
My actions now as a father have such far reaching effects. That is why God mentions obedience affecting at least three generations, if not more. And these words, which I command you today, shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children (Deuteronomy 6:6, 7)
The idea is not simply knowing and obeying God, but having a deeper relationship at a heart level. Only then can we truly teach our sons about God. I struggled with the word, "diligent." I had to admit to myself I had not been diligent. At least not in the way I had been diligent about the many other roles in my life. There's a reason we are warned to be diligent. The consequences of ignoring that warning can be devastating. So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel. (Judges 2:7)
Scripture tells us that Joshua and his contemporaries, who had seen the amazing miracles of God, served God well. But in vs. 10 we find they all died off. When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel. (Judges 2:10)
I marveled at how this new generation did not know of God and His mighty works for Israel. Were those men so busy serving God in other ways that they ignored what Moses had written in Deuteronomy? The consequences proved to be grave. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals, and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. (Judges 2:11, 12)
I shudder when I think of all the false gods that could capture my sons' hearts if I should neglect my responsibility of telling them about the one true God of the Bible. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7:11)
Here Jesus compares earthly fathers to our heavenly Father. Earthly dads generally want to give good gifts to their kids, and I am no exception. Good gifts come in many forms: a home to live in, good food, a good education, vacations as awesome as this canoe trip, etc. We earthly dads spend so much time on these gifts that we can easily miss the best gift we can give our children. That is a strong spiritual heritage produced by a dad living out his Christian faith. That heritage will never be built by passive fatherhood! But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)
Do our sons see us seeking God's kingdom and His righteousness or all the other things of this world? I know I've been speaking of fathers and sons, mostly due to my life experience with Emma being only three years old, but also because many verses are directed to fathers and sons. I believe the reason for that is God has called men to be the spiritual leaders of the family. That responsibility rests on them. The principles are just as valid with both parents and both boys and girls. It has also been my experience that a man will not be very effective at leading his family in spiritual leadership without the encouragement and support of a loving wife and the fellowship of other Christian brothers.
About the Author: Glenn Frontin is the author of A River Calling, a book for Christian dads raising sons. It takes the reader down the entire length of the Missouri River, filled with wilderness adventure, Lewis and Clark history, military training, spiritual warfare; all the stuff guys love...all the stuff we love.
@ April 2, 2009, Source: FaithWriters.com
9-1-1
By Patrick Odum
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:12-13)
Emergency. For me, the word brings to mind catastrophes. A fire, an earthquake, a tornado. A broken dike that floods a city. A terrorist attack. A violent crime. A terrible accident. To my way of thinking, an emergency requires the intervention of police, rescue, or medical personnel. But maybe I’m too narrow in my definition. Maybe I should broaden my understanding of the word to include, say, a restaurant running out of delicious chicken products.
Latreasa Goodman would apparently say so. Earlier this week, she ordered a ten-piece Chicken McNuggets™ meal at a McDonald’s in Fort Pierce, Florida. After she had paid for the food, she was told that they were out of McNuggets™. Latreasa became “irate,” especially after the cashier told her (mistakenly, as it turned out) that she couldn’t give Latreasa a refund. She offered Latreasa another choice from the menu, and that’s when Latreasa decided it was time to let the professionals handle this emergency.
She called 911.
Three times.
Wouldn’t you love to hear those 911 recordings?
No, sorry, Latreasa. I can’t buy it. Being hungry and completely without food, like many people in the world actually are – that’s an emergency. But a restaurant being out of your favorite item, with a whole menu full of alternatives? Well, at best, I’d call that an inconvenience. A minor annoyance.
But aren’t we good at magnifying those minor annoyances into major catastrophes? I mean, maybe you’ve never called 911 because of anything that’s happened at the counter of a fast-food restaurant, but I imagine you’ve sat fuming in traffic, staring at your watch, thinking about all the important things that weren’t getting done while you sat there. Or, if not that, maybe you’ve inflated a small setback at work into a crisis. Perhaps you can relate more to allowing a romantic reversal to send you spiraling into depression, or to losing your temper at a relatively minor spousal misstatement or misdeed. Maybe it’s none of those things specifically, but you get the picture, right? And I’m guessing that you, like me, have been guilty of breaking the glass and pulling the “emergency” alarm just a hair too quickly.
Our problem, I think, is that underneath our grown-up exteriors and our ability, when necessary, to make sacrifices, is still that cosmology we had in childhood. You know the one I mean. The one where the world revolves around me.
And if the world revolves around me, then everything that goes wrong for me is potentially an emergency. And, thus, potentially an occasion for sulking, yelling, lashing out, or striking back.
That’s why I’m intrigued when Paul says that he’s learned “the secret of being content in any and every situation.” If you know anything at all about Paul, then you know that he found himself in some fairly hair-raising situations. He was hungry sometimes – not in the sense of wishing he could get some delicious chicken products, but hungry in the sense of literal starvation. He spent some considerable time in jail. He narrowly escaped lynch mobs more than once. He had health problems, relational problems, and he was even shipwrecked once. And that doesn’t even include the stress of travelling all the time, dealing with church problems, and putting up with people who went out of their way to sabotage everything he tried to do.
So when Paul says he’s learned to be content, I tend to want to pay attention.
The secret, though, is a little tough to hear. Paul says that his ability to be content whatever the situation comes out of replacing himself as the one around whom the world revolves. With his believe that Jesus had risen from the dead and his decision to let Jesus call the shots in his life, the center of gravity in Paul’s life changed. What happened to him mattered not nearly as much as whether or not he lived a life that was faithful to his new calling. And with that perspective, things that he once would likely have considered crises – emergencies – became non-events.
And the serendipity of this change, for Paul, was that Jesus became not just Lord but “Him Who Gives Me Strength.” By choosing to trust the Lord and not hit the panic button when things seemed to go off the rails in his life, Paul discovered a source of strength to endure and overcome that he never would have known otherwise. He discovered that he could not only survive in difficult situations, but that he could thrive – because where his strength ended, there Jesus’ began.
That’s the problem, see, in not learning to find contentment in Jesus regardless of circumstances. When we hit the panic button too early, we invariably lurch into crisis mode and try to come up with out own solutions to our problems. Trouble is that our own solutions are almost always about finding a quick way out, with as little personal discomfort as possible.
Worst of all, when we chase our own solutions, we miss out on what the Lord would do for us.
So here’s what we do, I think. First, we tell God that, with his help, we’re going to find our contentment in him. We’re going to trust in his goodness and generosity, and when times are lean we’re going to believe that in him we’ll have all the strength to endure whatever we have to endure.
Secondly, we tell someone else. We tell other believers that we’re working on being more content in God’s power instead of our own schemes. We ask them to pray with us and for us, and we ask if we can talk to them about the things we learn about God and ourselves.
Finally, we resist the urge to hit the panic button when things seem to go bad. When we feel like lashing out at someone, we pray instead. When you feel like compensating for sadness or anger with sundaes or substances or sex or shopping, we sing worship songs or read Scripture. When we feel like hiding or sulking, we seek out people who will bless us, or who we can bless.
And when we’re weak, we’ll seek him out and discover, with Paul, that God is “Him Who Gives Us Strength.”
By the way, McDonald’s is sending Latreasa a gift card for a free meal. A spokesperson said that the cashier was mistaken and should have refunded her money. Turns out that Latreasa didn’t need the 911 call after all – she just needed to know who to talk to.
The same goes for us.
And WE know who to talk to.
To read more from Patrick Odum, please visit his website at FaithWebBlog.com.
@ March 12, 2009
The Spiritual Power of an Anointed Name - Your name will define your future.
By Joseph Ho
A name is what everyone is identified by since the ages of time. Does a name have any spiritual connotations to a beholder’s testimonies? Yes, it does. Your name will define your destiny and a good name is better than silver and gold. The best names are God given names. A New Name brings a new destiny, it can change your life for good.
The Power of the name of Jesus
Here, do you know what is the name of Jesus and why everyone must submit to him? The answer can be found in the book of Philippians 2:9,
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Jesus’ name is the highest name on the earth, and we are below him in all aspects, so there is no one who is higher than Jesus, Son of Joseph; the Nazareth born of Mary.
Also mentioned in the Book of Isaiah 9:6,
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
The only begotten Son of God was called Jesus and this name was given to Joseph by the Angels of God. Matthew 1:20,
“But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Jesus’ name was given to Joseph by an angel in a dream so it is a God given name, an anointed name. That name carries the child’s anointing until it came to pass. He was able to do miracles and forgive sin as if he was God; because his name Jesus means Mighty God.
In modern times, people would have to hold titles like Dr, Rev, Pastor, and Apostle and so on; to make them be known as a certain category of men. But in the kingdom of God, a man’s name is his calling and anointing and when God bestowed a name from his own mouth that name will certainly prosper the man and bring him into his blessings which God has already placed on him by giving him the name. Every God given name has that power, because we have become true sons and daughters.
Jesus mentioned the power of God’s given name to him when he prayed for the people saying in John,
John 17:11(NIV), “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me – so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me.
Therefore, the name of Jesus is God’s own name given to the begotten son and it contains true power in the name itself, at the mentioned of this name every being upon the entire universe, visible or invisible has to bow down and submit to Jesus with the exception of God himself. That is why the bible mentioned that it is better to have a good desirable name, since it has more benefits than gold and silver.
Proverbs 22:1, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”
Ecclesiastes 7:1, “A good name is better than fine perfume, …….”
A Change of Name carries a Change of destiny
The law of double mentioned, states that when something is mentioned twice, repeated more than once, it has deep significance in the kingdom of God. When a person has his name changed, it will bring forth a new beginning. The old name carries the old past and a new name will manifest a new life. In our modern society, it is almost very hard to have a new life with our old name, since our name are recorded into the computer systems no matter how good we have changed the old past records are never changed so it always come up when we do a search. Thus to change our destiny, it must come with a new change of name. This can be seen in the lives of two prominent men even in Bible history. Once they had a name changed they had a new destiny much better than their old limited destiny, they bear more fruit and were more prosperous. However, when their name was changed, they also went through a process of sanctification to come into their destiny. So a name change is only the beginning and a process of change is yet to come.
The Story of Abraham
Genesis 17, “ When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said to him, As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be a father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.”
Abram means father of multitudes, and Abraham means father of nations.
Who then is the true father of all nations? It is God himself. And God did give Abram his name Abraham; Abraham was indeed God’s name since God is truly the father of all creations. Thus when God gave you his name, you will be anointed to bring forth his nature upon the earth, because we are made in his image and when he wants to do a certain thing on earth, he will always choose a man or a person to do this work. So Abraham means God of many nations is on earth working through this man whom he has chosen and bestowed a title upon him through the name. God calls things which are not as though they were is thus fulfilled in scripture.
Genesis 18:19, “For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”
The Story of Jacob
Genesis 28:12, “He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like dust on the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Genesis 32:27, “The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”
Jacob means schemer or sup-planter and Israel means Prince of Peace and also wrestles with God. But the angel gave him a New Name the name Israel, so that he will have peace with his brothers. Whenever there is change in structure, power or position, there is most certainly a change in name. The name will protect and enable you to accomplish your destiny. When God gives you a New Name, it will have a meaning which bears His Name, much like a surname which bears our natural fathers’ name.
Isaiah 56:5, “to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an Everlasting Name that will not be cut off.”
Isaiah 43:7, “Everyone who is called by My Name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
Isaiah 63:19, “We are yours from of Old; but you have not ruled over them, they have not been called by your Name.”
Isaiah 62:2, “The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a New Name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.”
It is again mentioned in Jeremiah Chapter 7:9- 14, 7:30 and Jeremiah 34:15 about the house that bears God’s name. Again God said in Chronicles,
2Chronicles 7:14, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Your name will define your destiny. A change of Name will cause a change in destiny but this Name must be bestowed by God or his prophets or a true man of God. These appointed men will be able to bestow an appropriate name from the heart of the Father, our Lord God.
Do you know the meaning of your name and what destiny does it hold?
In the kingdom of God, the name represents the title and position and the blessings from God himself. God called himself “I am that I am” meaning he is whatever he wants to be, so I am that I am is very relevant to him. Although this sounds like no name at all, it literally represents what God is. God calls a person by the characteristics of that person which He wants him to be. The following are some bible verses that show what God means when he bestowed upon the man a New Name. When you believe in Jesus, you became God’s adopted sons and then it is only natural that God would give you a New Name, the name which bears His name. Such that whoever shall come against you, will also come against God himself since you bear his name. That is why he claims that whoever is your enemy will be his enemy since you have become his sons and daughters.
Exodus 23:22, “If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you.”
When God gives you a New Name, it always carries with it the innate power of creating that destiny which he intends for you to possess. And he will protect you since you bear his Name, so no one on earth can stand against you when you do his will in your life. Those who are acceptable and approved by God will be marked on their foreheads with His Name, a nature or characteristics of his image will be given unto those whom He approves.
Revelation 2:17, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a New Name written on it, known only to him who receives it.”
Revelation 3:12, “Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my New Name.”
Revelation 14:1, “Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his father’s name written on their foreheads.”
Revelation 19:11 to 16, “On his robe and on his thigh he has this Name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.”
What is the meaning of the verse “they bear his name”?
Here are some Names which bear his name, and they are heroes of Old, the true sons and daughters of God.
1. Adam – Formed of Earth, in God’s Image.
2. Abel – Breath, life of God, education, wisdom
3. Cain – Spear, weapon, acquisition of material things
4. Enoch – Consecrated, dedicated to God
5. Seth –Appointed of God, chosen
6. Moses – drawn from the water, delivered
7. Joseph – God will add, wise and understanding , son of increase
8. Ephraim – fruitful, prosperous, El Shaddai
9. David – Beloved of God, lover of all
10. Samuel – God has heard, instructed of God
11. Daniel – God is my judge, perceptive
12. Elijah – The Lord is my God, spiritual champion
13. Jehu – God is, divine perspective
14. Jeremiah – God is exalted, seeker of truth
15. Isaiah – God is salvation, steadfast
16. Ishmael – God will hear, blessed
17. Nehemiah – God comforts, righteous
18. Hosea – deliverance, God of strength
19. John – God is gracious, strength of god
20. Timothy – honor to God, blessed of God
21. Alicia – means seeker of truth, child of truth, God is truth
These bible characters all lived up to the meaning of their Names which was given by their father or God himself. The patriarch’s of old were man ordained by God to carry the life line of his chosen people. The rights of first born sons remain which the choice of his father. Thus, the God chosen man can give Anointed Names to their sons and daughters, and God would honor them.
Now why is it that many people also have such a name but never lived to their name’s destiny?
1. The Name was not given by God but by someone else who is not anointed by God.
2. The Name was given by their natural fathers who have not submitted to God.
3. Only when the Name is given by God, his prophets or chosen men then will the Name have this power to excel, because it contains the blessings of God. Prophets are messengers of God so they can speak for God.
If you want to change your destiny, asked God to give you a New Name. It’s the Name which will define your future and change your life. God given names are Anointed Names that will fulfill its destiny given by that name. Anyone who does not have a New Name after coming to the Lord can ask for a New Name. That was the original purpose of baptism to give someone a New Name and a new life. The Name changes to reflect the new life or new anointing.
Anyone who wants to change his life can also ask God for a new life and a New Name to go with this new beginning. During Baptism, usually a person is given a New Name. But some are not and some of the priests are not given this authority to give a person a new name. Pray for a new beginning and a new anointing with the New Name…………… a spiritual shift in your life towards a higher calling.
About the Author - If you want to learn more and walk deeper with God come visit my website at www.kingscepter.com or email your questions and request to prophet3333@yahoo.com, thank you and God bless you all mightily in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. His work is featured on the following websites: http://www.kingscepter.com, http://www.thyscepter.com, and http://www.biblegateway.com, or email prophet3333@yahoo.com
@ Feb 25, 2009, Source: Christian Article Bank
Sawdust and Two-By-Fours
By Patrick Odum
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in someone else’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from the other person’s eye. (Matthew 7:3-5)
Firefighters at a fire station in Nagoya City, Japan, are a little embarrassed this week. Seems they’re responsible for burning down a building.
Their own firehouse, as a matter of fact.
Everyone was out answering multiple alarms, it seems Ð including the firefighter who was cooking dinner for the rest of the crew. In a hurry to answer the call of duty, he apparently forgot to turn off the stove. Ten trucks from other stations responded to put out the fire.
Seiji Hori, spokesperson for the Nagoya City Fire Department, articulated the embarrassment they feel about the incident: “We are an institute that should be in a position to educate people about fire, so we are extremely sorry that such an incident happened.”
He added that they might consider ordering out for dinner from now on.
In fairness to those firefighters, they’re embarrassed about their mistake. They see the inconsistency. Imagine, though, that they didn’t. What would you think if the next time they went out on a call, they berated a homeowner for using a faulty space heater or burning a candle too close to the curtains or overloading an outlet? What would you say? “Physician, heal thyself?” “Practice what you preach?” You’d see the inconsistency, even if those firefighters didn’t. “Wait, didn’t you burn down your own station with your carelessness?” you might rightfully ask. And you probably wouldn’t hear anything they had to say very well, even though they might be right.
A police officer who commits a crime, a doctor whose negligence harms or kills a patient, a judge who takes a bribe, a broker who steals his client’s money: people who especially should know better than to do the things they do. They don’t see the inconsistency, or more likely they see it and choose to live with it. Like those firefighters in Japan, they should be embarrassed. For whatever reason, they’re not. They continue do things that contradict who they say they are and what they’re supposed to be doing. And when everything comes to light, they’re left with no credibility. Who trusts a hypocrite, after all?
To point accusatory fingers only at others, though, is to miss the point entirely.
Jesus probably knew first-hand what it was like to have sawdust in his eye. I’m fairly sure that Joseph didn’t use safety goggles. So when he wanted to address the human tendency to pass judgment on others while giving ourselves a pass, the sawdust metaphor would have been a natural one. Imagine two carpenters working. One gets a little sawdust in his eye. It hurts, his eye starts tearing, his vision is obscured. His buddy notices that speck of sawdust, points it out, appoints himself Official Sawdust Remover. But he never even mentions his own little problem: he has a whole plank hanging out of his eye. The absurdity of the situation makes the point: the carpenter with the plank needs to deal with own problem before he starts pointing out his buddy’s sawdust issues.
What is it about us that wants so desperately to find the faults in each other? How many marriages have been left dead and cold by husbands and wives who carefully note every sin of their spouses and are blind to their own? How many churches have been split by self-appointed “guardians of truth” diligently searching out doctrinal specks in others without noticing how their own lack of love and grace blinds them? How many people who feel the tug of the Holy Spirit on their hearts have been pushed away from Jesus forever by fault-finding Christian Pharisees whose own sins are secret only to themselves? How many preachers have battered their churches into submission for every speck in their lives while remaining unable to acknowledge the splintered, rotting lumber of their own sins and shortcomings?
It’s easier, isn’t it? That’s the reason, when we’re honest, for our tendency to prefer magnifying glasses turned on others to mirrors turned on ourselves. There’s something satisfying, gratifying, in a twisted sort of way, about discovering dirt on other people. It’s the reason people buy the publications in the grocery store checkout line, and it’s the reason other people can look down on them for it. And it’s the reason hypocrisy still lives in the church.
That’s what Jesus called it, of course: Hypocrisy. I know, it’s kind of an ugly word. It’s pretending, play-acting, and the only way to eliminate hypocrisy is to end the show and take off the mask, make-up, and costume that we’ve used to camouflage our sins and pretend to be something we’re not. It’s to admit that we’re only playing at being perfect, and that we’re no better than the people at whom we’ve delighted in pointing fingers.
There are times, of course, when letting something someone has done go by unchallenged can have deadly consequences. Sometimes love demands that we speak up and speak out, that we take someone aside and call him on something we’ve seen. But when those times come, they should not cause me joy. And if those times seem to come often, then maybe I should ask why I feel compelled to judge other so often. “In the same way you judge others, and with the measure you use,” Jesus says, it will be measured to you.” The truest measure of my attitude toward others is whether or not I would want God to judge me by the standard I’m using.
Who trusts a hypocrite? So by God’s grace, we’ll pay attention to the planks in our own eyes. By his strength, we’ll remove them. By his mercy, we’ll receive his forgiveness and healing. And by his Spirit, we’ll be able to help others do the same. Not as superiors handing down the verdict on their sins, but as fellow-strugglers who are just as dependent as they are on the love of a faithful God poured out in the One who gave took our sins on Himself.
When we warn someone about leaving the stove on, let us never forget that we’ve burned down our share of buildings.
To read more from Patrick Odum, please visit his website at Faithnet.Faithsite.com.
@ Feb 5, 2009
The Church Of Tomorrow
By Andrew Strom
A lot of people probably read some of the writings on this website and wonder, "Where is all this headed? What is the goal?" A glib answer might be- "We want to get back to real 'New Testament' Christianity." But what exactly does that look like?
This is an important topic - and something I have pondered a great deal over the years. What exactly would the ' New Testament Church' look like if it was translated into a modern western city?
To get started, I want you to forget about today's church just for a moment - with all her obvious problems and contradictions, and picture something quite different. I want you to imagine that you are still living in the same city, in the same year, but you are right in the middle of a 'Book of Acts'-type scenario. Somehow everything has changed.
For some reason, all of the Spirit-filled Christians in your city have left their Denominations and divisions behind. They have truly begun to fulfill the prayer of Jesus - "That they all may be ONE". They now hold huge gatherings all over the city - right out in the open. And as well as these united gatherings, on most streets there is now a house-meeting, where all the Spirit-filled believers from that street gather together, eating and sharing and having communion, etc. (ie. A " NEIGHBORHOOD CHURCH"). The power of God flowing in these house-meetings is amazing. Many healings and miracles are occurring. The 'gifts' flow freely every day.
It seems also that many of the church buildings and cathedrals have simply been abandoned. No longer do Christians want to hide themselves away behind "four walls". They want to gather out where the people are - presenting Jesus to the whole world. They want to be truly "one body". There is no way that any of their old buildings could contain the crowds, anyhow.
And the men whom God has raised up to lead this vast movement do not seem much like the 'Reverends' or even the 'televangelists' of old. In fact, quite a few of them have never even been to Bible College, and they seem to be very plain, ordinary people from humble backgrounds. But what an anointing! It is very clear to everyone that these 'apostles and prophets' (as they are known) have spent many years in prayer and brokenness before God - drawing closer and closer to Him. When they speak, the very fear of the Lord seems to come down, and many people repent deeply of their sins. Demons are cast out and the blind and crippled are made whole. -These kinds of things are happening all the time. The whole city is just in awe of what is going on, and thousands upon thousands are being saved. Even the newspapers and television are full of it.
As soon as someone repents they are immediately baptized in water and hands are laid on them for the infilling of the Holy Spirit. -This is expected from day one! And it is also expected that every Christian has a gift and calling from God - and that they should be encouraged to move forward and fulfill their calling. No longer is there a distinction made between those who are "ministers" and those who are merely 'laity'. Now it is expected that EVERYONE is a minister of the Lord! (However, there are 'elders' - ie. older Christians to guide things).
Some of the bishops and pastors from several denominations have actually denounced this great move of God very strongly. They say it is "deception" and warn their people to stay away. (-Every Revival in history has been accused of this - usually by religious leaders). But to be honest, it is so obvious to most people that God is the one behind it all, that very few take these men seriously. The Spirit of God is sweeping all before Him. The glory of the Lord has come.
One of the reasons that these leaders are so upset is that a lot of the Christians' GIVING now does not go to church buildings, but rather to the POOR. In fact, God has spoken to many people to start supporting widows and orphans overseas, etc. They also give generously to anyone in their midst who is in need. Many even sell their own possessions in order to do this.
The huge over-riding theme of this great movement is LOVE. "Behold how they love one another" is the catch-cry of many who watch this 'new church' in action. And everyone is given to MUCH PRAYER.
And so, gathering "as one" in the outdoors and breaking bread from house to house, they eat together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord adds to their number daily those who are being saved.
CAN THIS REALLY HAPPEN?
The above description is taken straight out of the Book of Acts - as applied to today. Everything in the above paragraphs is put there to give you an idea of what it would be like to live in the Jerusalem church at the start of Acts. -And it was like that for YEARS. Imagine the impact of such a church on the world around it! God is wanting to do this again. And He wants to use ordinary people like you and me to help bring it to pass.
I am convinced that we are NOT supposed to treat the early church as a "special case". It was given to us as an 'example'. It is what the "normal" church should be like all the time! And yet we have fallen so far below this standard. Only in times of Revival do we approach it again for a time. But I believe it is supposed to be "normal" for the church to be like this - day in and day out. This is the way that Jesus always wanted us to be.
However, one thing is clear. It will take a great "SHAKING" for us to get anywhere close to the above description today. You have to be aware that in order to get there from here, a whole lot of 'hierarchies' and church boards and careers and titles and positions would be on the line. And a lot of men simply don't want to lose those things. It doesn't matter to them whether it is Truth or not. If it affects their reputation, their position or their organization, they will oppose it with everything they have.
Sadly it is very difficult to see a "smooth" transition to this kind of Christianity. I believe we are in for a shaky ride. But I certainly believe that it is on God's agenda. And like the Great Reformation before it, I believe He will do WHATEVER IT TAKES in order to get us there.
Here's to true 'NEW TESTAMENT' Christianity, my friends - the kind that Jesus and the apostles actually invented in the beginning.
Let us settle for nothing less - WHATEVER IT TAKES.
About the Author: Learn more about Andrew Strom and his ministry at RevivalSchool.com.
@ Jan 30, 2009
Prophecy 2009 – What is Ahead for America
By Rev Michael Bresciani
Although Obama isn’t the only key figure to watch, his presidency will set the stage for hundreds of events that will shake America. A shaking I generally predict will be the worst period in our entire history as a nation. He managed to skip over the eligibility question and has entered his administration with a dark cloud of doubt hanging over it and its constitutionality. At this moment not many people care about that.
My first prediction is that those who have questioned his eligibility as a natural born citizen will not stop trying to uncover the truth at any time during his presidency. My second forecast is that a growing number of people who once supported Barack Obama will join that investigation in time. When the honeymoon period is over the truth may then come out, that will be one of the most confusing days America will ever be asked to face.
For the first part of 2009 it will be like a circle of happy children dancing around the Maypole with everyone in blithe anticipation for the next move Obama makes. In 2010 the tables will shift and by the end of his first term he will lose over half of his original support.
I can safely say not as a prediction but as a prophetic surety that his administration will not end without the greatest economic downturn in our history as a nation. In the end it will make the stock market crash of 1929 look like a boom time.
Trusted financial institutions will fold like a house of cards and the Fed will be helpless to save them. Consumer goods will start to disappear and gasoline will be the least of our problems. These things will begin in late 2009 and will take a few years to unfold entirely.
Those who hold a Jeffersonian or Deistic view of God along with agnostics and atheists will always doubt that God exists or if he does that he bothers to intervene in the affairs of men. Here is America’s biggest mistake. God not only does guide every detail of history but he does not need a mighty nation to bring down a reprobate people. They are sufficiently busy bringing themselves down.
Why would God diminish the economy? The answer is almost too easy. Firstly it is because our securities are what we all hold dear. The economy is always the talk of the nation and morality, abortion, the gay agenda and all else are made to take a back seat to the revered matter of Americas fiscal well being. When all the warnings have been ignored; judgment strikes at the very heart of a nation. Sadly most Americans today are convinced that the economy is the heart of the nation. I can safely say it is not nor has it ever been.
Secondly it might serve well to grab a calculator and sit down for some quick math. The reason most often heard for an abortion in this nation is so the child will not be brought into a situation where the support may not exist. President Elect Obama is basing his promise to make abortion available to anyone at any time during their pregnancy as a first act in office on this flawed notion. If he does a double term of eight years another twelve million babies will be aborted during his administration.
Add to the twelve million the fifty million already aborted at the rate of 4,000 per day since 1973 and you have a grand total of 62,000,000 human lives snuffed out to save a buck for moms who don’t think they can find the dough. Now let’s get out the calculators. The average cost of raising a child for a single parent in the U.S. from birth to four years in a public college is $190,000. Multiply that times sixty two million and the amount totals over twelve trillion dollars.
We talk about the national debt but no one thinks we are indebted to God. In fact we are. Economic collapse; yes about twelve trillion dollars worth. That is exactly what I predict the interest notwithstanding.
Wishy washy Christianity will also rack up a few deficits. This church that finds nothing more to preach about than earthly prosperity is a ragged bunch of spiritually starving positive thinkers who have become the greatest negative example of discipleship in American history. Jesus is about to spit the lukewarm water out of his mouth. Rev 3:16
Christian ministries will not only suffer from their own apostasy but major house bills and social trends will squeeze the true church to the point of open persecution. Conservative Christian organizations like ADF one of America’s top defenders of our rights and the rights of Christians and Churches started a 2009 budget projection at $8,000,000, compare that to the ACLUs $220,000,000 projection and you’ll get the picture.
You will see dozens of multilateral decisions made by this administration that will erode the sovereignty of the United States. The solid base of support for Israel will also begin to suffer.
Not once in my entire life have I ever so much as even guessed at whom in our world could be the Antichrist or the False Prophet described by the prophets of old and the book of Revelation. During the meteoric rise of Barack Obama I first began to think he may be the False Prophet who aids the rise of the EU ruler we will all come to know as the Antichrist. I am still watching that and I am not ashamed to say that it looks like more of a possibility with each passing day.
It should be noted that regardless of exactly who the Antichrist or the False Prophet turns out to be the stage must be set first. Only the blind could not see that the stage is already set. Secular liberalism is a worldwide phenomenon that has reared its head with this age being inundated with demonic forces ( Rev 16:13) most of them will be readily received by the leaders in the last days.
With abortion, euthanasia and the gay agenda leading the way the judgments will come long before those waiting with bated breath can see the first man wander outside of our own solar system in a man made craft.
Those leading the world in the last days are all believers. No; not believers in the gospel but believers in their own secular agenda. The blank committed stares and almost childlike impassioned rhetoric seen in Hitler, Stalin, Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden are prime examples of believers. They are always convinced that what they are doing is right, they are always wrong. They become extremely dangerous when a majority of people start to believe them.
If that is so then it is only the bad news before the good news. I am sure that near the end of my life or shortly thereafter every promise of the second coming of Christ will be fulfilled and he will be standing in person in the city of Jerusalem only moments after the end of the battle of Armageddon. Every army in the world will be gathered in the plains of Esdraelon approximately 55 miles north of Jerusalem and will meet their doom in that valley.
My life is nearly over and while it may last just a little longer than you can hold your breath you may not want to start a 30 year retirement fund.
There is nothing new here for me I have been forecasting these things for over three decades the only difference now is that they are unfolding right before my eyes.
Many people think they should grab their things a huge supply of food and head for the mountains. They are merely looking for a door or a way out of it all. Is there a door and what is the way out?
I will let two passages spoken by Jesus Christ answer that question and my best advice is that you take them very seriously.
“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” (Jn 10:9)
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” (Mk 8:35)
Regardless of the details of prophetic events Christ is still the “door” by which you can change your eternal destiny and direction. This proclamation has seen its peak of public acceptance and is now waning in general acceptance but it is meant for only one individual at a time. It is my prayer at the beginning of 2009 that the person who heeds this warning will be you.
About the Author: www.americanprophet.org is the place for news, articles, movie and book reviews and other insights for life. Rev Bresciani is a columnist for online and print publications and has over two million readers and counting.
Source: Narrow is the Path
@ Jan 23, 2009
The Case of Cornelius and the Holy Spirit
By Pastor Denny Smith
There are many who believe beyond doubt that Cornelius was saved at the time the Holy Spirit came upon him and his household. It is a topic that ought to be discussed. While I have written once before on this subject more needs to be said as there has been some objection to what was written.
I know of no person who claims to be a Christian who would deny the fact that the very first gospel sermon ever preached after Christ's death, burial, and resurrection was in the city of Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts chapter two. Neither do I know a man who would deny but what the words spoken by Peter were directed by the Holy Spirit.
The reader ought to note and carefully digest what the Holy Spirit speaking through Peter said on that occasion in response to those who asked "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37 NKJV) They had heard the sermon Peter preached, believed it, and now these men who were "cut to the heart" find themselves in need of forgiveness. What is Peter's reply speaking by the Holy Spirit? It is "Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38 NKJV)
Now note, when does the Holy Spirit promise these believers they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit? Is it before repentance and baptism for the remission of sins or after? The answer is evident. This raises a question. Is there one gospel in one location and another in a different location so that we can never really know what the gospel is? Does the Holy Spirit preach one message concerning salvation in one location but a different one elsewhere? Does God show partiality toward some? Are some saved one way and others in a different way? The Bible says, "there is no partiality with God" (Rom 2:11 NKJV) and Paul says there is but "one faith" (Eph. 4:4) while saying also of one who preaches another gospel "let him be accursed." (Gal. 1:8).
All of this being the case then how does one account for the fact that in the account of Cornelius' conversion we have the Holy Spirit arriving before, rather than after, baptism? Has the Holy Spirit suddenly changed his mind on repentance and baptism being for the forgiveness of sins as He formerly taught? And, if He has changed His mind this one time is it possible He may change His mind again? Has He changed His mind on there even being but one gospel?
The answer is obviously no. What the Holy Spirit taught on the day of Pentecost he also taught approximately, from what I have read, 10 years later at the household of Cornelius. Repentance and baptism still retain the same position in God's plan of salvation for man that they always had from the beginning of the gospel dispensation on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.
How then does one account for the Spirit arriving before baptism in the case of Cornelius? If one reads carefully all of Acts 10 and 11 he will see God's reason. The gospel was meant to be preached to all men, all races and nationalities. And, yet, quite a number of years have gone by since Pentecost and where are we at? We are still at the point where the vast majority of Jewish Christians cannot believe the gospel is for Gentiles as well as Jews.
Even Peter, an apostle, though inspired so he could teach and preach without possibility of error, does not fully comprehend the meaning of the message Christ taught in Matt. 28:18-19 - the Great Commission. This was nothing new for prophets often did not know the full import of the inspired words they spoke. (1 Peter 1:10-12)
In reading Acts 10 one learns by seeing Peter's initial reaction to the vision he had that Peter was still observing as law the dietary restrictions found under the law of Moses all the while living under the law of Christ. Then in verse 28 of chapter 10 he says "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean."
Note the word "unlawful" in that verse. Up till the time of this vision Peter was lacking a full understanding of how the Law of Moses had now been completely done away with. He was still, up to this time, concerned about dietary commands and keeping a distance from Gentiles. It took the vision of the sheet let down from heaven and the Spirit speaking to him directly (Acts 10:19-20) to convince Peter it was God's will to go to the Gentiles and preach.
Why did the Holy Spirit fall upon Cornelius and his household before baptism for the remission of sins? Was it because that was the means of salvation or because Cornelius was already a saved man without repentance and baptism? No. It was because it was going to take a miracle, not now so much for Peter because he seems to be getting the idea, but in order for the whole Jewish Christian body to come to an understanding that the gospel was for all and not just for Gentiles and to get them out preaching and teaching the Gentiles. In fact, when the Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius and his household the Bible says of those Jews who had traveled with Peter that they were "astonished" that this had happened, that God would grant this to Gentiles. (Acts 10:45)
When Peter went back to Jerusalem, to show how great the prejudice was against the Gentiles, the Bible says, and it is speaking of Jewish Christians (read the context), that "those of the circumcision contended with him." (Acts 11:2 NKJV) In fact, Peter had to rehearse the whole account of what had happened to silence his critics but having done so they realize for the first time that "God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life." (Acts 11:18) The world has now changed in that henceforth the gospel will be preached to all men everywhere as God intended but it took a miracle to get the job done. They, the Jewish Christians, would never have been convinced without it. They now confess, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life." (Acts 11:18 NKJV)
Thus we have the real reason the Holy Spirit feel upon Cornelius and his household prior to baptism. It was not for the forgiveness of sins for the gospel had not changed. Peter still needed to "command them to be baptized." (Acts 10:48) But, I want to ask a question just here. Who really commanded them to be baptized? Was it Peter the man or the Holy Spirit? If the Holy Spirit why?
I know one who argues that Cornelius and his household were already saved having received the Holy Spirit. Yet, the Holy Spirit commands them to be baptized. Is this baptism to be for some other reason than what the Holy Spirit first said in Peter's inspired sermon in Acts 2:38? Is baptism for one reason or purpose at one time and place but then for another in another time and place?
God granted, in the case of Cornelius and his household, the Spirit prior to baptism (baptism for the remission of sins which the Spirit taught in Acts 2:38) for a special reason but the reader must bear in mind that God knows our hearts and what we will do before we do it. God knew Cornelius would obey the command and be baptized for the very reason those on the day of Pentecost were - because they believed every word Peter spoke and part of that word was baptism for the remission of sins just as it was on the day of Pentecost for the message never changed. What was preached in one place was preached in every place.
They were the things the angel said Peter would tell them - "tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved." (Acts 11:14 NKJV) An essential part of that word that we know Peter spoke was baptism for the text says "he commanded them to be baptized." (Acts 10:48 NKJV) Without preaching on that topic Cornelius and his household would have no idea of what, why, or how.
Yes, some say baptism is just a symbol or a picture and is meaningless other than as a symbol. Tell Peter that. Better yet tell the Holy Spirit He did not know what he was talking about in Acts 2:38 on the day of Pentecost. If those in the audience on the day of Pentecost were saved without baptism they did not know it for they are asking what they must do. Furthermore, Peter did not know it for he told them what to do. That is pretty much the end of the story.
Yes, the case of Cornelius was unique and an exception to the rule but it is not the only such case for when God has seen a need he has acted for the specific purpose he had in mind. Saul was converted and became the apostle Paul not because he heard the gospel in the normal way and responded. We doubt that would ever have happened left to his own devices with the attitude he had. But, God acted directly and the Lord appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus. Why? Because he had a special reason for doing so. The case of Cornelius is similar.
I close with this. One who has objected to my position has said that 1 John 4:13 means Cornelius was saved before baptism. I deny that. 1 John 4:13 is the word of God and truth. But, the case of Cornelius and his household, like the case of Saul in his conversion, was a special act of God for a specific purpose God had in mind but neither set aside the laws God himself had given. Cornelius still had to be baptized for the remission of sins and Saul still had to do the same (Acts 22:16). God is not in a battle with God's own laws.
Author Recommendations: When one enters a denominational church he generally knows beforehand what he will be hearing. For a different kind of preaching try the sermons of Waymon Swain. Highly recommended by your author.
Source: Narrow is the Path, @Jan 9, 2009
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