Anyone that receives my postings through their email or reads them on a semi-regular basis knows that I do my very best to encourage Christian and Lost Man alike to keep their software legal on their computers. There are two groups of people that I do my best to keep them up to date and legal... Highschoolers and my group, the Elders. To keep your unit legal and currant is actually simple and it´s free!
Seven years ago a wealthy South African Gentleman, Mark Shuttleworth was fed up with the sorry software that Micro Soft sells to the world and then tries to fix the junk they have sold to us. I got on board with his System, some years ago, and have been virus, worm, trojan and root kit free since that time. I ran the system for the first two years, testing it, without anti-virus and firewall software and received none of the trouble that is normal with Windoze.
There is, of course, among the better than 30,000 free packages anti-virus software and firewall software and I now keep ClamAV and Firestarter on my unit now for that added measure of peace of mind. There are two features of Ubuntu/Linux that endear it to IT and user alike. Where Windoze must be Defragged on no less than a once a month basis to keep the file system in reasonable condition for booting and running programs, Ubuntu writes the file in a contiguous manor and never needs that maintenance performed and the other is the lack of a registry.
If a Windoze user does not do weekly cleaning of the Registry the machine will over a period of time crawl to a creep that causes perfectly good computers to be trashed. Yes, there are a few perfectly good and very useful Registry cleaners out there and ¨if¨ they are used, Religiously, they will keep the registry straightened out and clean, the problem is, they must be run once a week and you must not forget to run them. There is no such problem in Ubuntu!
So, with all of this Business Quality Free Software, why are there not more users? While the Ubuntu Operating System is the fastest growing operating system in the world and while there are about 20,000,000 Ubuntu users at the moment, Ubuntu is not a game machine! Yes, you can play Solitaire, MaJongg and a host of other games written for the system but the writers/programmers of the games are just beginning to realise that there is a growing market that has been ignored while the Micro Soft people are busy shrinking their market share.
Another plus for Ubuntu is the truth that Ubuntu will play nice with the Windoze OS while the reverse is not true. Ubuntu has a package, NTFS3G that reads and accesses the windoze folders and files while it is an earth shattering experience to do the reverse. And then there is the ability to dual boot the two systems without becoming a geek to accomplish the task as long as you do not need or try to depend on Windoze to do it for you.
Go to ubuntu.com and download the current Long Term Support version, v. 10.04, as an iso file and use you favourite Disk Burner and burn the file using the Burn Image Selection. Then, with almost all new computers, place the disk in your CD or DVD Drive and reboot the computer. It will boot slower than normal because it will boot from the CD and give you the choice to test the system or to install it. Select Install, set your time zone for the clock, tell the system who you are and choose to install the systems side by side and go get a Dr. Pepper to celebrate while the disk installs your new system for you... you will have just become the Neighbourhood Geek to all your friends.
When the computer spits the CD out park it in a safe place and watch as the Grub Boot gives you the choice to boot into Ubuntu or Windoze for 10 seconds before it boots into Ubuntu by default. Do not try to install Windoze on an Ubuntu machine without first knowing that you had better back up everything because Windoze will eat all of it and it will forever disappear... unless you spend a little time researching the recovery tools available for the Linux systems.
So remember www.ubuntu.com for the free operating system that is trouble free and all the packages for things like Office Software and games, photo repair and enhancement and just about anything you can think of, including Bible programs are free. You just turn your computer on and if you have DSL installing software is just point and click to install.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
Revelation 5
Revelation of John 5:1:
And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
We read in the beginning of Chapt. 4 that John saw a throne and here we are in chapt. 5 to discover that there is a scroll in the right hand of Him that sits there. The right hand or to be at the right hand side of God is the symbol of Absolute Power!
Revelation of John 5:2:
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
There is an issue to be decided here. It is delineated by an Angel. It is very important to understand that, aside from God, Angels are the most powerful beings in all of creation. As we study the Bible on a regular basis I, at least, can be no less than dumbfounded at their power. They will, in the future, turn the oceans to blood and they will kill most of humanity before the Tribulation is over. But this Angel here, able to destroy the world, cannot open the seals on this scroll.
Revelation of John 5:3:
And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
As I have spent my study time over the past 21 years reading and rereading the scriptures it has left me a gasp! We, the saved humans will rule over the Angels of Heaven (1Cor. 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels?) and yet neither man, nor Angel could open the Seven Seals.
Revelation of John 5:4:
And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
John, though he is privileged to visit Heaven, in the spirit, is distressed and upset!
Revelation of John 5:5:
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
This, from the human stand point, is, likely, best understood by men who have been in a hopeless situation in a Combat Zone. I´ve known men that were trapped, surrounded, some for days, and had just admitted, to themselves that they would not escape this time and they have always been so thrilled and pleased that they could not stop buying shots and beers, for anybody. I also have known that feeling and until the Elder spoke to John, everything was lost and there was no hope.
One might, correctly, conclude that when the Son of God, the Lion of Juda, Jesus, came forward, there were tears of joy and relief in the eyes of john.
Revelation of John 5:6:
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
As he looks this over he notices some things about Jesus he had never seen before, the horns of power and the eyes of pure wisdom, and here He is in the midst of the four beasts that, continuously guard the Throne of God.
Revelation of John 5:7:
And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
Jesus, being worthy, because it is He that completed the work on Earth that neither man nor angel could, steps for in all of His majesty and takes the scroll from the hand of God, His Father.
Revelation of John 5:8:
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Have you felt like your prayers just hit the ceiling and bounce back onto the floor? Always remember this verse of scripture. Now, I know that this book is written in symbolic language but any time that God mentions anything it is important. If the LORD emphasizes anything by mentioning it twice it is being emphasized and prayer is discussed more than 114 times in the scriptures and here we see that the four beasts and the twenty-four elders that are seated around the Throne of God have them for a sweet odor in viles to keep them.
Revelation of John 5:9:
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
They are singing a new song here praising Jesus for His work on the cross and I have, of late, seen many different takes on the matter of Salvation and, just, who is eligible for it. It has been my position, ever since I was called to teach that every soul born on this earth is eligible and this verse sure does seem to make that clear, doesn´t it?
Revelation of John 5:10:
And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
There are millions of Christians, I believe, that have never seen ths verse in the scriptures. Folks just get upset with the idea that we will reign under but with Jesus on the world, but we will!
Revelation of John 5:11:
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
In Matthew 26:53 we are taught that Jesus could have called twelve legions of angels to do His will and yet folks have the strange idea that Heaven is not all that large. When we do the math here we see that there are better than one hundred million angels in Heaven. Heaven is not going to be, Heaven is the most awesome place we can consider.
Revelation of John 5:12:
Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
Many times today I am informed that this or that particular person naming the name of the Christ as their Savior owe God nothing! The scripture, here, is very clear, the Saved Person owes everything to God! None of us were or ever will be Worthy of the glory we receive or will receive because of Jesus.
Revelation of John 5:13:
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
In the last three verses of Matthew we find the duty we are commissioned to perform, not to earn our Salvation but rather because we should feel that we owe it to our Redeemer. And we need to understand that the Kingdom of God is right now and begin to serve like the Bond Servants, Slaves, we are.
Revelation of John 5:14:
And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
And so should every single one of us, not on Sunday, no, every second of every minute of every day we live.
And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
We read in the beginning of Chapt. 4 that John saw a throne and here we are in chapt. 5 to discover that there is a scroll in the right hand of Him that sits there. The right hand or to be at the right hand side of God is the symbol of Absolute Power!
Revelation of John 5:2:
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
There is an issue to be decided here. It is delineated by an Angel. It is very important to understand that, aside from God, Angels are the most powerful beings in all of creation. As we study the Bible on a regular basis I, at least, can be no less than dumbfounded at their power. They will, in the future, turn the oceans to blood and they will kill most of humanity before the Tribulation is over. But this Angel here, able to destroy the world, cannot open the seals on this scroll.
Revelation of John 5:3:
And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
As I have spent my study time over the past 21 years reading and rereading the scriptures it has left me a gasp! We, the saved humans will rule over the Angels of Heaven (1Cor. 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels?) and yet neither man, nor Angel could open the Seven Seals.
Revelation of John 5:4:
And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
John, though he is privileged to visit Heaven, in the spirit, is distressed and upset!
Revelation of John 5:5:
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
This, from the human stand point, is, likely, best understood by men who have been in a hopeless situation in a Combat Zone. I´ve known men that were trapped, surrounded, some for days, and had just admitted, to themselves that they would not escape this time and they have always been so thrilled and pleased that they could not stop buying shots and beers, for anybody. I also have known that feeling and until the Elder spoke to John, everything was lost and there was no hope.
One might, correctly, conclude that when the Son of God, the Lion of Juda, Jesus, came forward, there were tears of joy and relief in the eyes of john.
Revelation of John 5:6:
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
As he looks this over he notices some things about Jesus he had never seen before, the horns of power and the eyes of pure wisdom, and here He is in the midst of the four beasts that, continuously guard the Throne of God.
Revelation of John 5:7:
And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
Jesus, being worthy, because it is He that completed the work on Earth that neither man nor angel could, steps for in all of His majesty and takes the scroll from the hand of God, His Father.
Revelation of John 5:8:
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Have you felt like your prayers just hit the ceiling and bounce back onto the floor? Always remember this verse of scripture. Now, I know that this book is written in symbolic language but any time that God mentions anything it is important. If the LORD emphasizes anything by mentioning it twice it is being emphasized and prayer is discussed more than 114 times in the scriptures and here we see that the four beasts and the twenty-four elders that are seated around the Throne of God have them for a sweet odor in viles to keep them.
Revelation of John 5:9:
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
They are singing a new song here praising Jesus for His work on the cross and I have, of late, seen many different takes on the matter of Salvation and, just, who is eligible for it. It has been my position, ever since I was called to teach that every soul born on this earth is eligible and this verse sure does seem to make that clear, doesn´t it?
Revelation of John 5:10:
And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
There are millions of Christians, I believe, that have never seen ths verse in the scriptures. Folks just get upset with the idea that we will reign under but with Jesus on the world, but we will!
Revelation of John 5:11:
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
In Matthew 26:53 we are taught that Jesus could have called twelve legions of angels to do His will and yet folks have the strange idea that Heaven is not all that large. When we do the math here we see that there are better than one hundred million angels in Heaven. Heaven is not going to be, Heaven is the most awesome place we can consider.
Revelation of John 5:12:
Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
Many times today I am informed that this or that particular person naming the name of the Christ as their Savior owe God nothing! The scripture, here, is very clear, the Saved Person owes everything to God! None of us were or ever will be Worthy of the glory we receive or will receive because of Jesus.
Revelation of John 5:13:
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
In the last three verses of Matthew we find the duty we are commissioned to perform, not to earn our Salvation but rather because we should feel that we owe it to our Redeemer. And we need to understand that the Kingdom of God is right now and begin to serve like the Bond Servants, Slaves, we are.
Revelation of John 5:14:
And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
And so should every single one of us, not on Sunday, no, every second of every minute of every day we live.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Revelation 4
Revelation of John 4:1: (KJV)
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
In Rev. 1:10 and here, once more we see that although it is a much debated issue, John, himself, states that he was in the spirit. We must be very careful when we run off and pretend that we can interpret the scriptures, we can not do that! In 1Cor. 4:1 we see that we, who have devoted ourselves to the service of God hold the key to the scriptures, therefore the Bible is a mystery to the Lost Man. On the day I converted to Christianity I was overcome by or with the Holy Spirit of God and that night, as I read the book that had befuddled me so much before, made perfect sense to me. Without the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to understand, let alone translate the meaning of a verse of scripture.
Revelation of John 4:2:
And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
3:And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
4:And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
5:And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
I have not had the need for a precise need for an explanation of just who the twenty-four elders, seated around the throne of God are and I´ll not try to pull your leg and lie to you, I don´t know, nor do I need to know. God does not request that we have faith, He demands it! And here I´ll elect to leave this for the future, when and if God chooses to reveal it. The fact of the matter is that we see here that Heaven is a beautiful place beyond all we can imagine.
And in verse 5 we find that seven lamps mentioned before are before the throne, the seven Spirits of God. During my twenty-one years as a Christian I have witnessed the lamp being removed twice from Church Bodies, it is a terrible event, the church just drifts without clear direction. Just as we see in Daniel, when he fasted and prayed himself, almost to exhaustion, God´s messenger was delayed fighting the Prince of Persia, this is a Spiritual Being, a human cannot delay an angel. Every nation, church, Mom & Pop Store and person has a Spiritual Being guiding and protecting them. These are either from God or from Satan but it is just as the scripture teaches, we war against Spiritual Beings. We must, everyone of us learn to bow our knees to our LORD and Master... now!
Revelation of John 4:6:
And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
7:And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
8:And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
We must learn, and I say once more, must learn, to properly worship God. I have never seen these beasts but I do find the fact that they worship God in all they do to be an important example of what we are to model our lives after. Since the event of my indwelling with the Holy Spirit of God, all I have done, I have done with Him in mind. So many today go to church on Sunday and they play Church and then live like Hell the rest of the week.
If a man or a woman is saved they are indwelt with the Spirit of God. They become Carnal, as I understand it, when they quench that Spirit. They, however, might not be quenching the Spirit at all, they might not be saved! It is at this point that one must do a Spiritual Inventory, seemingly, the most dreaded action one can undertake today. Do we fear the truth?
Revelation of John 4:9:And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
10:The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11:Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Often today, when I teach on why I sign my signature with Bond Servant, I am informed they they, any number of folks, owe God nothing, they are saved by grace! This has also, often, left me shaking my head, side to side! There is not a thing that we have that God did not create the materials it was made from, it all, all of it belongs to God and that includes my body! It is my glory that I am His Bond Servant.
When we study the scriptures we find that Bond Servants (Employees) were common in Bible times and if they lived better than when they were free, they had an ear pierced with an awl to mark themselves as a willing servant to their Master. We do not that custom today but if my LORD were to ask it, I would proudly have it done. We must learn to submit and we must do so completely.
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
In Rev. 1:10 and here, once more we see that although it is a much debated issue, John, himself, states that he was in the spirit. We must be very careful when we run off and pretend that we can interpret the scriptures, we can not do that! In 1Cor. 4:1 we see that we, who have devoted ourselves to the service of God hold the key to the scriptures, therefore the Bible is a mystery to the Lost Man. On the day I converted to Christianity I was overcome by or with the Holy Spirit of God and that night, as I read the book that had befuddled me so much before, made perfect sense to me. Without the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to understand, let alone translate the meaning of a verse of scripture.
Revelation of John 4:2:
And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
3:And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
4:And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
5:And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
I have not had the need for a precise need for an explanation of just who the twenty-four elders, seated around the throne of God are and I´ll not try to pull your leg and lie to you, I don´t know, nor do I need to know. God does not request that we have faith, He demands it! And here I´ll elect to leave this for the future, when and if God chooses to reveal it. The fact of the matter is that we see here that Heaven is a beautiful place beyond all we can imagine.
And in verse 5 we find that seven lamps mentioned before are before the throne, the seven Spirits of God. During my twenty-one years as a Christian I have witnessed the lamp being removed twice from Church Bodies, it is a terrible event, the church just drifts without clear direction. Just as we see in Daniel, when he fasted and prayed himself, almost to exhaustion, God´s messenger was delayed fighting the Prince of Persia, this is a Spiritual Being, a human cannot delay an angel. Every nation, church, Mom & Pop Store and person has a Spiritual Being guiding and protecting them. These are either from God or from Satan but it is just as the scripture teaches, we war against Spiritual Beings. We must, everyone of us learn to bow our knees to our LORD and Master... now!
Revelation of John 4:6:
And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
7:And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
8:And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
We must learn, and I say once more, must learn, to properly worship God. I have never seen these beasts but I do find the fact that they worship God in all they do to be an important example of what we are to model our lives after. Since the event of my indwelling with the Holy Spirit of God, all I have done, I have done with Him in mind. So many today go to church on Sunday and they play Church and then live like Hell the rest of the week.
If a man or a woman is saved they are indwelt with the Spirit of God. They become Carnal, as I understand it, when they quench that Spirit. They, however, might not be quenching the Spirit at all, they might not be saved! It is at this point that one must do a Spiritual Inventory, seemingly, the most dreaded action one can undertake today. Do we fear the truth?
Revelation of John 4:9:And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
10:The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11:Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Often today, when I teach on why I sign my signature with Bond Servant, I am informed they they, any number of folks, owe God nothing, they are saved by grace! This has also, often, left me shaking my head, side to side! There is not a thing that we have that God did not create the materials it was made from, it all, all of it belongs to God and that includes my body! It is my glory that I am His Bond Servant.
When we study the scriptures we find that Bond Servants (Employees) were common in Bible times and if they lived better than when they were free, they had an ear pierced with an awl to mark themselves as a willing servant to their Master. We do not that custom today but if my LORD were to ask it, I would proudly have it done. We must learn to submit and we must do so completely.
Revelation 3
1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
It is increasingly important that we keep our minds refreshed with the Word of God, not just the Revelation, but the entire Bible. As we look into this chapter, it will do most a god turn to review the letters in chapter 2. These letters are addressed and speak to seven Church Families in Asia but as they are read today a man walking with God should also, immediately pick up that these also apply to the church today for a Guide Line for our walk with the Christ. These have been described by some as representing the Church Age Periods from the first century until now. I do not teach that but the Church Universal is mighty like the last in this string of letters. The third verse is very solid advise for any Christian, at any point since our Chris left on the cloud.
4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
In class today we around and around with a gentleman about what I am about to say here and he is the only one in the class that never got it, that left me and all the others praying for him, it´s serious not to relate to this. In the eyes of God, you, I and every Christian we collectively know were given robes of the purest white, the very moment we were saved and have been dressed in them ever since. Those that remain faithfully serving the Master will have less stains on our garmets than the Carnal Christian. Some, better than 95% or the North American Church Family never have had a spiritual robe on, if the Barna Church Survey of the mid-eighties is correct. That makes the inside of our own churches a mission field white unto harvest.
7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
We find here that we can hide nothing from our God. We also see that he or she that is faithful and true to the Word of God has the door into Heaven opened to them. This scripture flies straight in the face of much of the errant theology being taught in the ear tickling churches today. This promise is conditional, they kept His Word and had not denied His name.
9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. 11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
With this passage I have always found that the Human Earth Worms always wiggle the worst! It is the Jew that is called out here and a study, completed by myself, over fifteen years ago illustrates why the Christians are not, seemly, included. When the First Century Church sprung up we were recognized as a Jewish Sect. Like it or not, we are still that sect from the Jewish Faith! As a Christian today, you are included in this warning. These conditions spelled out here were once, withing my life time, taught in the churches. It is a mark of just how far we have fallen.
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. 13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
You see here that Jesus is stressing the conditions and the reward. I admit it, I am sick of seeing people, mistakenly, through ignorance of the truth and sometimes intentionally lying to people to fill their buildings. Just knowing Jesus has and will never save a single person. You cannot work or earn your way into Heaven but neither is it unconditional. You must learn to never qustion and to always obey.
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
There is no possible worse pronouncement than this and because I do believe we are very close to Jesus on the cloud, it is not only my contention that we are in the Laodicean Church Age but that all these charges are cumlative and the Church, in general, is guilty and guilty of all of it! Better than 85% of the people in your Church Family are not doing a single thing for the cause of Christ and better than 95% do not believe He will Rapture them out. Without faith there is nothing, read your Bible just like the book it is.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
The United States Of America is in such a dangerous position today! The man living under the Freeway Bridge is among the top 10% of the wealthiest people in the world. We have so much material wealth that we have no Spiritual eyes to see our poor and wretched position! Some of you are so blind that these words will enrage you and you´ll never do a Spiritual Inventory.
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Does God see you dressed white, Spiritual White?
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Is Jesus your Master? Do you obey Him?
It is increasingly important that we keep our minds refreshed with the Word of God, not just the Revelation, but the entire Bible. As we look into this chapter, it will do most a god turn to review the letters in chapter 2. These letters are addressed and speak to seven Church Families in Asia but as they are read today a man walking with God should also, immediately pick up that these also apply to the church today for a Guide Line for our walk with the Christ. These have been described by some as representing the Church Age Periods from the first century until now. I do not teach that but the Church Universal is mighty like the last in this string of letters. The third verse is very solid advise for any Christian, at any point since our Chris left on the cloud.
4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
In class today we around and around with a gentleman about what I am about to say here and he is the only one in the class that never got it, that left me and all the others praying for him, it´s serious not to relate to this. In the eyes of God, you, I and every Christian we collectively know were given robes of the purest white, the very moment we were saved and have been dressed in them ever since. Those that remain faithfully serving the Master will have less stains on our garmets than the Carnal Christian. Some, better than 95% or the North American Church Family never have had a spiritual robe on, if the Barna Church Survey of the mid-eighties is correct. That makes the inside of our own churches a mission field white unto harvest.
7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
We find here that we can hide nothing from our God. We also see that he or she that is faithful and true to the Word of God has the door into Heaven opened to them. This scripture flies straight in the face of much of the errant theology being taught in the ear tickling churches today. This promise is conditional, they kept His Word and had not denied His name.
9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. 11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
With this passage I have always found that the Human Earth Worms always wiggle the worst! It is the Jew that is called out here and a study, completed by myself, over fifteen years ago illustrates why the Christians are not, seemly, included. When the First Century Church sprung up we were recognized as a Jewish Sect. Like it or not, we are still that sect from the Jewish Faith! As a Christian today, you are included in this warning. These conditions spelled out here were once, withing my life time, taught in the churches. It is a mark of just how far we have fallen.
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. 13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
You see here that Jesus is stressing the conditions and the reward. I admit it, I am sick of seeing people, mistakenly, through ignorance of the truth and sometimes intentionally lying to people to fill their buildings. Just knowing Jesus has and will never save a single person. You cannot work or earn your way into Heaven but neither is it unconditional. You must learn to never qustion and to always obey.
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
There is no possible worse pronouncement than this and because I do believe we are very close to Jesus on the cloud, it is not only my contention that we are in the Laodicean Church Age but that all these charges are cumlative and the Church, in general, is guilty and guilty of all of it! Better than 85% of the people in your Church Family are not doing a single thing for the cause of Christ and better than 95% do not believe He will Rapture them out. Without faith there is nothing, read your Bible just like the book it is.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
The United States Of America is in such a dangerous position today! The man living under the Freeway Bridge is among the top 10% of the wealthiest people in the world. We have so much material wealth that we have no Spiritual eyes to see our poor and wretched position! Some of you are so blind that these words will enrage you and you´ll never do a Spiritual Inventory.
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Does God see you dressed white, Spiritual White?
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Is Jesus your Master? Do you obey Him?
Friday, September 23, 2011
Revelation 2
1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
Many are they that will report that the messages to the seven churches of Asia, now known as Asia Minor, has nothing of value today but for the sake of history. My Eighth Grade Teacher, Miss, C. C, Allen (also Charles Swindol´s History Teacher) started the new class, each year, with, ¨ Those, who do not learn History, must relive it.¨ I heard Chuck report on day that he had found Miss Allen´s statement to be true and I tell you that it is absolutely true! Today, the world has taken Matt. 7:1 out of the context it is spoken in and has shut the mouth of the Church, that is tragic. In the context we are taught to judge in the same manor we wish to be judged in but to always judge!
In the passage above, from the KJV, we see that Jesus/God is making note of their works and in verse 4 we will see that this is not a problem for that church, rather it is held up for comparison to the problems He finds with them.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
So few, today, can give a testimony for the time and date of their conversion. I, and all of the elderly men in my class can tell you where we were, what we were doing and exactly how our lives changed in that moment. If you or one you know has performed the ¨duties¨ required for Salvation and there is no visible change you might need to council with them.
For those of us that are secure in our salvation, we need to do a Spiritual Inventory! Remember the fire of the moment when we were saved? Does it hurt your heart (your inner being) to see thousands of Lost Men and Women walking around you every day? In Matt. 28:18-20 Jesus called us to the Great Commission and to nothing else! How many people have you asked to receive the LORD in the last month and how many Babes in Christ have you Discipled (Mentored) to Spiritual Maturity?
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Here is another is another commendation for this Church. It is uncertain what the Nicolaitans taught but I will suggest to you that it was probably some form of ear tickling. When was the last time you heard an Old Time Fire and Brimstone message on the prizes of Hell? Just as was foretold by our LORD there are few today that can eat (hear and reason with) the Meat of Scripture. I believe there are churches (Buildings where the Church meets) that contain not a single Christian today.
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Here we find the reward for faithfulness. This is not the reward for the person that got his or her Sunday School Pin for faithful attendance! No, this is for those that have been found faithful and have overcome the temptation to sit in front of the Idiot Tube, to become saturated with the latest novel, to know the latest and complete stats of the Houston Texans. This reward (Crown) goes to him or her that has continually returned to the LORD´s service.
8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
I am a proud American Veteran and I know that the man living under the bridge on the way into town is among the top ten percent of the wealthiest people in the world. In my latter years I have found that it concerns me that I can no longer be a wealth contributing member to the nation I live in but, at the same time, I now have the time to do greater works for the LORD than I have ever done in the past, I am richer in my poverty than I ever was in my wealth. I find new ways to help my Church Family (the Church) than I ever had the time to discover in the past.
10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
What a sweet promise! Think about what Jesus has just said in the fashion of a parable. When we look back, just before the Millennial Reign is finished, these seventy to hundred years or so will be but a wisp in time. As a Christian, my time of trouble is very short but for those that never call upon the LORD for salvation will still be suffering ten thousand years from today. They will suffer the Second Death every day, all day long.
12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. 14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. 15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
The most important thing of all to remember is that the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the Christians is neither stupid, nor is God blind. There is a rule for the beginning of understanding scripture, ¨Never attempt to understand any verse or group of verses with out the light of all scripture shinning upon it.¨ When we allow the world to influence our teaching, the way we have in the matter of judgement, as per Matt. 1, we are teaching the doctrines Satan wants for us... a doctrine of Balaam? It is not of the LORD. In Mal. 3:6a we learn that God never changes.
Any time you can listen to or read a teaching that is contrary to what God has taught in the past and it does not line up with the Word of God without bending something... it is not from God, no matter how much it tickles your ears or warms your heart, it is a lie and not from God.
16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
One contention I have always taught and frequently rebuked for is that the instructions to all of the churches in Asia is cumulative and additionally, is applicable for instruction to all Christianity. The evidence for this position is found in the pluralization of the word church in the cautions of these passages.
18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; 19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. 20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. 21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
A Christian, a name to commonly used today, or a church can do multitudes of good works and all of it amount to nothing if it is performed under the wrong circumstances. In the passage above we find that a woman named Jezebel has proclaimed herself a Prophetess is teaching in the church and leading them into fornication. We need be very careful with this term here. It is a practical requirement that one come to an understanding of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament of our modern day Bibles) before the Revelation of Jesus, as given to John can ever begin to be understood.
Here fornication can mean two and perhaps more things. The first is the obvious one involving a man and a strange woman. The second, as defined in the scriptures is God´s people, having given themselves to Him, also seeking to serve other, lessor, gods. In my understanding of this passage I have not been led to discard the first entirely but rest most heavily on the Children of God playing with their idols/other gods.
22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
It is a terrible thing to ne found in the hands of a Wrathful God!
23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
A Spiritual Inventory is a good thing for any man or woman to do of themselves, your very position in Eternity depends on it.
24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. 25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. 26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
I do not know why the translators were led to break here and to let the next churches messages begin a new chapter but with all that is within me I know that they were led of the LORD to do so and for that reason and none other this study will wait on next weeks teaching.
Many are they that will report that the messages to the seven churches of Asia, now known as Asia Minor, has nothing of value today but for the sake of history. My Eighth Grade Teacher, Miss, C. C, Allen (also Charles Swindol´s History Teacher) started the new class, each year, with, ¨ Those, who do not learn History, must relive it.¨ I heard Chuck report on day that he had found Miss Allen´s statement to be true and I tell you that it is absolutely true! Today, the world has taken Matt. 7:1 out of the context it is spoken in and has shut the mouth of the Church, that is tragic. In the context we are taught to judge in the same manor we wish to be judged in but to always judge!
In the passage above, from the KJV, we see that Jesus/God is making note of their works and in verse 4 we will see that this is not a problem for that church, rather it is held up for comparison to the problems He finds with them.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
So few, today, can give a testimony for the time and date of their conversion. I, and all of the elderly men in my class can tell you where we were, what we were doing and exactly how our lives changed in that moment. If you or one you know has performed the ¨duties¨ required for Salvation and there is no visible change you might need to council with them.
For those of us that are secure in our salvation, we need to do a Spiritual Inventory! Remember the fire of the moment when we were saved? Does it hurt your heart (your inner being) to see thousands of Lost Men and Women walking around you every day? In Matt. 28:18-20 Jesus called us to the Great Commission and to nothing else! How many people have you asked to receive the LORD in the last month and how many Babes in Christ have you Discipled (Mentored) to Spiritual Maturity?
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Here is another is another commendation for this Church. It is uncertain what the Nicolaitans taught but I will suggest to you that it was probably some form of ear tickling. When was the last time you heard an Old Time Fire and Brimstone message on the prizes of Hell? Just as was foretold by our LORD there are few today that can eat (hear and reason with) the Meat of Scripture. I believe there are churches (Buildings where the Church meets) that contain not a single Christian today.
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Here we find the reward for faithfulness. This is not the reward for the person that got his or her Sunday School Pin for faithful attendance! No, this is for those that have been found faithful and have overcome the temptation to sit in front of the Idiot Tube, to become saturated with the latest novel, to know the latest and complete stats of the Houston Texans. This reward (Crown) goes to him or her that has continually returned to the LORD´s service.
8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
I am a proud American Veteran and I know that the man living under the bridge on the way into town is among the top ten percent of the wealthiest people in the world. In my latter years I have found that it concerns me that I can no longer be a wealth contributing member to the nation I live in but, at the same time, I now have the time to do greater works for the LORD than I have ever done in the past, I am richer in my poverty than I ever was in my wealth. I find new ways to help my Church Family (the Church) than I ever had the time to discover in the past.
10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
What a sweet promise! Think about what Jesus has just said in the fashion of a parable. When we look back, just before the Millennial Reign is finished, these seventy to hundred years or so will be but a wisp in time. As a Christian, my time of trouble is very short but for those that never call upon the LORD for salvation will still be suffering ten thousand years from today. They will suffer the Second Death every day, all day long.
12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. 14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. 15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
The most important thing of all to remember is that the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the Christians is neither stupid, nor is God blind. There is a rule for the beginning of understanding scripture, ¨Never attempt to understand any verse or group of verses with out the light of all scripture shinning upon it.¨ When we allow the world to influence our teaching, the way we have in the matter of judgement, as per Matt. 1, we are teaching the doctrines Satan wants for us... a doctrine of Balaam? It is not of the LORD. In Mal. 3:6a we learn that God never changes.
Any time you can listen to or read a teaching that is contrary to what God has taught in the past and it does not line up with the Word of God without bending something... it is not from God, no matter how much it tickles your ears or warms your heart, it is a lie and not from God.
16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
One contention I have always taught and frequently rebuked for is that the instructions to all of the churches in Asia is cumulative and additionally, is applicable for instruction to all Christianity. The evidence for this position is found in the pluralization of the word church in the cautions of these passages.
18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; 19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. 20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. 21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
A Christian, a name to commonly used today, or a church can do multitudes of good works and all of it amount to nothing if it is performed under the wrong circumstances. In the passage above we find that a woman named Jezebel has proclaimed herself a Prophetess is teaching in the church and leading them into fornication. We need be very careful with this term here. It is a practical requirement that one come to an understanding of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament of our modern day Bibles) before the Revelation of Jesus, as given to John can ever begin to be understood.
Here fornication can mean two and perhaps more things. The first is the obvious one involving a man and a strange woman. The second, as defined in the scriptures is God´s people, having given themselves to Him, also seeking to serve other, lessor, gods. In my understanding of this passage I have not been led to discard the first entirely but rest most heavily on the Children of God playing with their idols/other gods.
22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
It is a terrible thing to ne found in the hands of a Wrathful God!
23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
A Spiritual Inventory is a good thing for any man or woman to do of themselves, your very position in Eternity depends on it.
24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. 25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. 26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
I do not know why the translators were led to break here and to let the next churches messages begin a new chapter but with all that is within me I know that they were led of the LORD to do so and for that reason and none other this study will wait on next weeks teaching.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Part 3, Revelation 1
9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
In this verse we find that John had been arrested and found guilty of preaching the Gospel. Research this further and you will find that John survived being boiled in oil first. How much are you willing to suffer for the cause of the Gospel?
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. 12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
John had not only walked with and was taught by Jesus for over three years, because he had suffered for the truth, he was privy to be the LORD´s messenger. We must remember why John was given this honor, it was not cheap.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
I have been the member of two Baptist Church Families when the Golden Lamp-stands were removed. When that happens the LORD is no longer blessing that assembly and Worship is no longer received by God and it is miserable. When we select a church building to meet in we must not choose the building but judge, carefully, the teacher and the family attitude there. If there is a two edged sword coming out of our LORD´s mouth ad best avoid Ear Ticklers.
19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; 20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
Just as we find in Daniel, there are real Angels amongst us. There is an Angle of the LORD in every church that teaches the truth of the Gospel and if they do not teach the Hell Fire and Brimstone truth, there is no golden candlestick and the angel s replaced by Satan´s demons.
God bless and happy LORD´s Day.
In this verse we find that John had been arrested and found guilty of preaching the Gospel. Research this further and you will find that John survived being boiled in oil first. How much are you willing to suffer for the cause of the Gospel?
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. 12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
John had not only walked with and was taught by Jesus for over three years, because he had suffered for the truth, he was privy to be the LORD´s messenger. We must remember why John was given this honor, it was not cheap.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
I have been the member of two Baptist Church Families when the Golden Lamp-stands were removed. When that happens the LORD is no longer blessing that assembly and Worship is no longer received by God and it is miserable. When we select a church building to meet in we must not choose the building but judge, carefully, the teacher and the family attitude there. If there is a two edged sword coming out of our LORD´s mouth ad best avoid Ear Ticklers.
19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; 20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
Just as we find in Daniel, there are real Angels amongst us. There is an Angle of the LORD in every church that teaches the truth of the Gospel and if they do not teach the Hell Fire and Brimstone truth, there is no golden candlestick and the angel s replaced by Satan´s demons.
God bless and happy LORD´s Day.
Part 2, Revelation 1
4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; (KJV)
In this verse we see John is addressing the seven Churches that would be found in, I believe, what we call Asia Minor today. It is popular to also apply these statements to the different time spans of the growing Church from the death of the Christ until now. That would place us, today, in the Laodicean Church Age... I agree! This makes all of what Jesus said to John relevant to us.
5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
We notice in the (b) portion of 4 and the (a) portion of 5 that the greeting and wish for Grace is from nine individuals, Jesus, John and the seven Spirits (Angels) of the seven Churches that can also be found standing (in audience?) at the foot of the Throne of God. In the latter part of 5 we see the credentials of our LORD and King, Jesus, the Messiah. And then we see the portion of this chapter that is, perhaps, the most debated, every one of us that has taken Jesus and have accepted being cleansed by His Blood is a King and a Priest, directly responsible to our Holy Father, God the Father!
Each and every one of us has direct access to he Father, through the Son of God. That is not only an honor, it is also an Eternal responsibility!
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
In verse 7 we find the reason John and the members of the Early Church were always on alert, expecting the return of the Son at any moment and the very reason we, every one of us must also stand ready. Jesus will return with the clouds, just as He left! This could have been so at any point during the past twenty centuries and it is even more possible today as we approach the end of the sixth day.
A point worth noting is that in this verse we see that Jesus will be visible, live, to all the world when He returns. Before the recent past this has not been possible but today, with the ability to broadcast live television around the globe it is a well practiced event.
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
In verse 8 we find our brother, John, quoting the Master! Not only is Jesus the beginning and the ending, He is the Almighty, (John 1:1-3) Creator of everything that is. Then in verse 9 Brother John begins to explain how he came to be locked away on Patmos. And in verse 10 he explains that he had slipped into the spirit on Sunday and these things were revealed to him.
In this verse we see John is addressing the seven Churches that would be found in, I believe, what we call Asia Minor today. It is popular to also apply these statements to the different time spans of the growing Church from the death of the Christ until now. That would place us, today, in the Laodicean Church Age... I agree! This makes all of what Jesus said to John relevant to us.
5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
We notice in the (b) portion of 4 and the (a) portion of 5 that the greeting and wish for Grace is from nine individuals, Jesus, John and the seven Spirits (Angels) of the seven Churches that can also be found standing (in audience?) at the foot of the Throne of God. In the latter part of 5 we see the credentials of our LORD and King, Jesus, the Messiah. And then we see the portion of this chapter that is, perhaps, the most debated, every one of us that has taken Jesus and have accepted being cleansed by His Blood is a King and a Priest, directly responsible to our Holy Father, God the Father!
Each and every one of us has direct access to he Father, through the Son of God. That is not only an honor, it is also an Eternal responsibility!
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
In verse 7 we find the reason John and the members of the Early Church were always on alert, expecting the return of the Son at any moment and the very reason we, every one of us must also stand ready. Jesus will return with the clouds, just as He left! This could have been so at any point during the past twenty centuries and it is even more possible today as we approach the end of the sixth day.
A point worth noting is that in this verse we see that Jesus will be visible, live, to all the world when He returns. Before the recent past this has not been possible but today, with the ability to broadcast live television around the globe it is a well practiced event.
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
In verse 8 we find our brother, John, quoting the Master! Not only is Jesus the beginning and the ending, He is the Almighty, (John 1:1-3) Creator of everything that is. Then in verse 9 Brother John begins to explain how he came to be locked away on Patmos. And in verse 10 he explains that he had slipped into the spirit on Sunday and these things were revealed to him.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Intro to Revelations
The book of The Revelation of Jesus, the Christ is an essential book for any follower of the Christ to read, to understand as much as he or she possibly can and to consider and to meditate on what cannot, yet, be understood. My class at Church. The Grumpy Old Men´s Class has chosen to examine this book over, at least, the next 13 week period. My messages will likely be influenced by this study and I am hopeful that my prayer for my neighbor, Mark, to be attracted to attend over this period.
In the first chapter we find some interesting reading and food for thought. This book is largely ignored by the New Testament Christians of today because it so heavily refers to the Old Testament and it is written in the same fashion or manor as the tenth Chapter of Daniel. Some say that the book is written to and to record the events of the Church in John´s time and has no value for the Church today. It is true that it was important for the Church of the First Century but Jesus also clearly stated that the events of all the book were soon to occur.
One of the most divisive things in Christianity is that Time Table given in the Revelation of Jesus. I recently read, Heaven Is For Real, the story of a four year old Pastor´s son that died on the Operating Table for 3 minutes. In those three minutes He met his father´s Pops, who had died years before his birth, sat in Jesus´ lap, met God the Father and much more, proving my long held belief that there is no Heavenly relationship with our Time/Space Continuum! Jesus taught us that a day is like unto a thousand years (Psa. 90:4) causing us to consider, of necessity, our thinking of time.
As we study, learn and consider the truths we fiend in the scriptures we also notice that God seems to consider completion in relation to seven. My point here is that if a day is like unto a thousand years, the time from God´s Creation of the earth until the advent of the birth of Jesus is four days and it has been about two days since His Death on the cross and as all Christians know, Christ rules the last day before the Earth is consumed by fire and recreated for Heaven to descend and be found there.
Folks, blessed is the man or woman that studies this book and there is little to no time left to study with.
In the first chapter we find some interesting reading and food for thought. This book is largely ignored by the New Testament Christians of today because it so heavily refers to the Old Testament and it is written in the same fashion or manor as the tenth Chapter of Daniel. Some say that the book is written to and to record the events of the Church in John´s time and has no value for the Church today. It is true that it was important for the Church of the First Century but Jesus also clearly stated that the events of all the book were soon to occur.
One of the most divisive things in Christianity is that Time Table given in the Revelation of Jesus. I recently read, Heaven Is For Real, the story of a four year old Pastor´s son that died on the Operating Table for 3 minutes. In those three minutes He met his father´s Pops, who had died years before his birth, sat in Jesus´ lap, met God the Father and much more, proving my long held belief that there is no Heavenly relationship with our Time/Space Continuum! Jesus taught us that a day is like unto a thousand years (Psa. 90:4) causing us to consider, of necessity, our thinking of time.
As we study, learn and consider the truths we fiend in the scriptures we also notice that God seems to consider completion in relation to seven. My point here is that if a day is like unto a thousand years, the time from God´s Creation of the earth until the advent of the birth of Jesus is four days and it has been about two days since His Death on the cross and as all Christians know, Christ rules the last day before the Earth is consumed by fire and recreated for Heaven to descend and be found there.
Folks, blessed is the man or woman that studies this book and there is little to no time left to study with.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Live Like You Mean It
Jer. 40:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after that Nebuzar–adan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all that were carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon. * 2 And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The Lord thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place. 3 Now the Lord hath brought it, and done according as he hath said: because ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you. (KJV)
In chapter forty of Jeremiah we find an unsaved Gentile correcting a faithful Jew. This Babylonian was both right and wrong, depending on how you read the text! He spoke to Jeremiah, God´s faithful prophet and we must be careful when we read, ¨because ye have sinned.¨ Jeremiah was a Jewish Believer but he was a faithful one and the guilt was not his personally but rather collectively.
Jeremiah had been left in the cistern to die because he told the King and all the people the truth, just the way God had told him to. So, while the sin might not have been his personally, as a member of the Jewish people, the sin was his. This is a hard teaching today because nobody in this society is willing to be accountable for their actions but in the end of it all, every one of us is responsible for not only our actions but also for how our actions affected others! Crying out that my mommy made me do it, to God, will never fly!
Of particular interest in this passage of scripture is the fact that the followers of Jehovah God are being observed. I look around and I see that folks are paying attention to what I am doing and what I have to say, the same is true of you! The world is Spiritually aware and ignorant at the same time and the very moment you proclaim to be a Christian, eyes begin to observe. They watch to see if you are like them or are you different.
I worked for eleven years for the Japanese company, Nippon Express, USA. The Japanese Nationals rotated out to go home every few years and as a result there were always new people coming from Japan to work. I learned from one that in the Arrival Orientation that the new arrivals, Buddhists, were cautioned that if they did not want to learn about Jesus, they should not get close to Bill Taylor. And during my tenor there I know that one, for certain, went home a Christian convert, maybe more. My point is that God has called us to be different and we are not the only ones that know that. When we proclaim the name of Christ and yet live like the Devil, people see that.
I have taken the scriptures that call for me to live a holy life, one separated from the people around me, to be serious and I endeavor to live that way. Today there are News stories about the unfaithful, i.e. Benny Hinn, and the Priests that wreck the lives of you boys and young girls and these lead to TV shows and movies that people accept as being the norm for all Christian believers. Now, I used a name and that is usually not accepted but before you become upset with me, I will not answer replies about that sinner, he needs to deal with his press!
The point is that every single one of us are an influence on every soul we meet or even just cross their path and we need to wake up and live for God or no matter how much we believe in grace, we will all go to hell. Today, we, the righteous, are suffering for the sins of the unrighteous, just as Jeremiah did.
My prayer is for you to live for God, that you might receive the blessing I have.
In chapter forty of Jeremiah we find an unsaved Gentile correcting a faithful Jew. This Babylonian was both right and wrong, depending on how you read the text! He spoke to Jeremiah, God´s faithful prophet and we must be careful when we read, ¨because ye have sinned.¨ Jeremiah was a Jewish Believer but he was a faithful one and the guilt was not his personally but rather collectively.
Jeremiah had been left in the cistern to die because he told the King and all the people the truth, just the way God had told him to. So, while the sin might not have been his personally, as a member of the Jewish people, the sin was his. This is a hard teaching today because nobody in this society is willing to be accountable for their actions but in the end of it all, every one of us is responsible for not only our actions but also for how our actions affected others! Crying out that my mommy made me do it, to God, will never fly!
Of particular interest in this passage of scripture is the fact that the followers of Jehovah God are being observed. I look around and I see that folks are paying attention to what I am doing and what I have to say, the same is true of you! The world is Spiritually aware and ignorant at the same time and the very moment you proclaim to be a Christian, eyes begin to observe. They watch to see if you are like them or are you different.
I worked for eleven years for the Japanese company, Nippon Express, USA. The Japanese Nationals rotated out to go home every few years and as a result there were always new people coming from Japan to work. I learned from one that in the Arrival Orientation that the new arrivals, Buddhists, were cautioned that if they did not want to learn about Jesus, they should not get close to Bill Taylor. And during my tenor there I know that one, for certain, went home a Christian convert, maybe more. My point is that God has called us to be different and we are not the only ones that know that. When we proclaim the name of Christ and yet live like the Devil, people see that.
I have taken the scriptures that call for me to live a holy life, one separated from the people around me, to be serious and I endeavor to live that way. Today there are News stories about the unfaithful, i.e. Benny Hinn, and the Priests that wreck the lives of you boys and young girls and these lead to TV shows and movies that people accept as being the norm for all Christian believers. Now, I used a name and that is usually not accepted but before you become upset with me, I will not answer replies about that sinner, he needs to deal with his press!
The point is that every single one of us are an influence on every soul we meet or even just cross their path and we need to wake up and live for God or no matter how much we believe in grace, we will all go to hell. Today, we, the righteous, are suffering for the sins of the unrighteous, just as Jeremiah did.
My prayer is for you to live for God, that you might receive the blessing I have.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Inventory of One´s Self
John3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. 18 He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. 19 This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”"
Heb.10:24 Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching. 26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries. (WEB)
These two quotes from scripture can feel odd together but in reality, it is always important to remember that the Bible has one author and about forty scribes that recorded the words of God. With that knowledge in hand it is reasonable and understandable to say that no portion of scripture can be understood without the light of all scripture shinning on it.
My point? There are hundreds of millions that believe they are saved for a multitude of reasons when there is only one reason anyone is ever saved and that has nothing to do with ourselves. Although there are many that argue against the truth, that does not make it untrue and the truth is that Jesus, the man without sin, died for our sins.
Oh, great... everyone is going to Heaven! No! Jesus, God in the flesh of a man, taught that many are called but few are saved. (Matt. 7:13 – 15) In fact there are now and there have always been many False Prophets. If a man or a woman does not read the scriptures, on a regular basis, they will never come to understand that the Word of God, the Bible, is living and vibrant. Every time I read the scriptures, from Genesis through the Revelation, I have new mysteries revealed to me by the Holy Spirit.
Now, there I go upsetting folks. A Proff. at a Seminary who was also a Pastor told me not to hand him that Holy Ghost c__p! And as I have made this journey for the past 21 years, I have encountered a large number of people that have no idea of what or who the Holy Gost/Holy Spirit is, in Church and out of Church. That is a distressing point and needs to be examined. The scriptures teach us that when Jesus ascended to be with the Father that His Disciples were overcome/indwelt with the Spirit of God and in the Book of the Acts we see people that are saved are also indwelt with the Holy Spirit. Based on this teaching of the Bible, I do not feel out of line judging folks, as per Matt. 7, and asking them to do a Spiritual Inventory of themselves.
Some of them will find that they were indwelt with the Holy Spirit, the moment they were saved, and have been disobedient by quenching the Spirit. (1Thes. 5:19) These are Carnal Christians but the bulk of all people will find that they are not saved and need to take care of the business. Have You?
Heb.10:24 Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching. 26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries. (WEB)
These two quotes from scripture can feel odd together but in reality, it is always important to remember that the Bible has one author and about forty scribes that recorded the words of God. With that knowledge in hand it is reasonable and understandable to say that no portion of scripture can be understood without the light of all scripture shinning on it.
My point? There are hundreds of millions that believe they are saved for a multitude of reasons when there is only one reason anyone is ever saved and that has nothing to do with ourselves. Although there are many that argue against the truth, that does not make it untrue and the truth is that Jesus, the man without sin, died for our sins.
Oh, great... everyone is going to Heaven! No! Jesus, God in the flesh of a man, taught that many are called but few are saved. (Matt. 7:13 – 15) In fact there are now and there have always been many False Prophets. If a man or a woman does not read the scriptures, on a regular basis, they will never come to understand that the Word of God, the Bible, is living and vibrant. Every time I read the scriptures, from Genesis through the Revelation, I have new mysteries revealed to me by the Holy Spirit.
Now, there I go upsetting folks. A Proff. at a Seminary who was also a Pastor told me not to hand him that Holy Ghost c__p! And as I have made this journey for the past 21 years, I have encountered a large number of people that have no idea of what or who the Holy Gost/Holy Spirit is, in Church and out of Church. That is a distressing point and needs to be examined. The scriptures teach us that when Jesus ascended to be with the Father that His Disciples were overcome/indwelt with the Spirit of God and in the Book of the Acts we see people that are saved are also indwelt with the Holy Spirit. Based on this teaching of the Bible, I do not feel out of line judging folks, as per Matt. 7, and asking them to do a Spiritual Inventory of themselves.
Some of them will find that they were indwelt with the Holy Spirit, the moment they were saved, and have been disobedient by quenching the Spirit. (1Thes. 5:19) These are Carnal Christians but the bulk of all people will find that they are not saved and need to take care of the business. Have You?
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Baptism
John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
The above words were not, at first, understood by Nicodemus and they are almost never understood by the world today. Jesus was teaching a Religious Leader of the Jews of His time here on Earth. Nicodemus understood the concept of Birth by the Water and most men and all women should easily relate to that breaking of the water as the natural birth. What Nick missed was the Spiritual Birth and he wanted to know how could it be that a man should come forth from his mother the second time.
The young men of today, having received an inferior Education to those of us taught in the past are not able to grasp the context of a paragraph or a chapter today because there is this Fool´s Education built on Rote Memory instead of teaching them to learn how to learn, allowing them the ability to think intelligently. In the case of this passage there is a scholar from the past that wrote Matthew Henry´s Concise Commentary on the Bible and when we look at his work on the third chapter of John, the flow of the text becomes very clear.
If we pay strict attention to the text we see right away that Nick understood that Jesus was talking about being born a second time and when He used the water and compared it to the Spirit, that is exactly what He spoke of. The water birth occurs when the mother´s water breaks and has nothing to do with Salvation. That must come later in life after one realizes their sinful condition and can repent of it.
Folks that are not to sharp on contextual flow, often, make the mistake of concluding that Jesus meant that a man must be baptized for the remission of sins but it is the turning away from one´s sin to follow God (Acts 3:19) that brings about God´s forgiveness, resulting in our Salvation. If a man or a woman will spend about $25 for a hardbound copy of the Nave´s Topical and do the study on Baptism they will clearly see that those teaching Baptismal Remission of sin are wrong, the Bible says so!
I do not hope to ruffle feathers but I do hope to cause study here. God bless!
The above words were not, at first, understood by Nicodemus and they are almost never understood by the world today. Jesus was teaching a Religious Leader of the Jews of His time here on Earth. Nicodemus understood the concept of Birth by the Water and most men and all women should easily relate to that breaking of the water as the natural birth. What Nick missed was the Spiritual Birth and he wanted to know how could it be that a man should come forth from his mother the second time.
The young men of today, having received an inferior Education to those of us taught in the past are not able to grasp the context of a paragraph or a chapter today because there is this Fool´s Education built on Rote Memory instead of teaching them to learn how to learn, allowing them the ability to think intelligently. In the case of this passage there is a scholar from the past that wrote Matthew Henry´s Concise Commentary on the Bible and when we look at his work on the third chapter of John, the flow of the text becomes very clear.
If we pay strict attention to the text we see right away that Nick understood that Jesus was talking about being born a second time and when He used the water and compared it to the Spirit, that is exactly what He spoke of. The water birth occurs when the mother´s water breaks and has nothing to do with Salvation. That must come later in life after one realizes their sinful condition and can repent of it.
Folks that are not to sharp on contextual flow, often, make the mistake of concluding that Jesus meant that a man must be baptized for the remission of sins but it is the turning away from one´s sin to follow God (Acts 3:19) that brings about God´s forgiveness, resulting in our Salvation. If a man or a woman will spend about $25 for a hardbound copy of the Nave´s Topical and do the study on Baptism they will clearly see that those teaching Baptismal Remission of sin are wrong, the Bible says so!
I do not hope to ruffle feathers but I do hope to cause study here. God bless!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Where Do You Stand?
Phil. 4:19 And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (ASV)
When I became a Christian in 1990, I was riding a bicycle with slick tires ten miles to and from work in the rainy winter of that year, I had not a dime to tithe. But I did, not understanding the tithe I took ten per cent of what was in my pockets and I gave it. I came to understand the tithe better as I studied and today I do not even keep track of all I give and much is given anomalously so that there is no record.
Before that first month was over I was driving myself to and from work and all my bills were being paid in spite of my tithing what I did not have the ability to tithe. Can you out give God? Absolutely not!
According to the News, I am about to be devastated by the possible collapse of my countries government and yet, I cannot find it in myself to be concerned. I am 100% disabled and my wife was forced into retirement so that every dime we have to live on comes from the government... but I know better than that! Everything, not just my money, comes form my God! My God is the one that created everything we see and feel by speaking it into existence, there is no-one as rich as He is and without Him I have nothing but with Him I can stand firmly on my life verse, Psa. 23:1 The LORD is my Shepard and ¨I shall not want.¨
Christianity is a very proactive faith and without that faith, you are lost!
When I became a Christian in 1990, I was riding a bicycle with slick tires ten miles to and from work in the rainy winter of that year, I had not a dime to tithe. But I did, not understanding the tithe I took ten per cent of what was in my pockets and I gave it. I came to understand the tithe better as I studied and today I do not even keep track of all I give and much is given anomalously so that there is no record.
Before that first month was over I was driving myself to and from work and all my bills were being paid in spite of my tithing what I did not have the ability to tithe. Can you out give God? Absolutely not!
According to the News, I am about to be devastated by the possible collapse of my countries government and yet, I cannot find it in myself to be concerned. I am 100% disabled and my wife was forced into retirement so that every dime we have to live on comes from the government... but I know better than that! Everything, not just my money, comes form my God! My God is the one that created everything we see and feel by speaking it into existence, there is no-one as rich as He is and without Him I have nothing but with Him I can stand firmly on my life verse, Psa. 23:1 The LORD is my Shepard and ¨I shall not want.¨
Christianity is a very proactive faith and without that faith, you are lost!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
OS´s
Today is the thirtieth of June and I have broken my own rule and upgraded my computers Operating System from the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS(Long Term Support) to the 18 month supported version, 11.04, a.k.a. The Natty Narwhal. When 10.04, Lucid, hit the scene, just over a year ago, it was clear that the Canonical people were out to attract more business' to use their OS by the start-up and shut-down times, they are very fast. Now, the South-African owner, Mr. Shuttleworth, is taking aim at a couple of hundred million new desk-top users in the very near future and I believe that he is on target.
I love the Gnome Desk-Top and was a bit miffed at the idea of making the desk-top more ¨Windows¨ User friendly, after all, it isn´t at all difficult to install the Windows-like KDE Desk-Top. But here I am with two Revitalized Computers, dedicated to youth that cannot afford one for their schooling and my wayward son walks back into my life... computer-less! I can´t have that so I take my backup/testbed/emergency unit and I download the new version, reformat the hdd and install. I am so impressed with the system, two months out of release that I upgraded my work unit last night.
I want to say, right up front, that Mark Shuttleworth and his team at Canonical deserve medals of recognition, the Unity interface/Desk-top is just what Windows and Micro Soft never needed to happen to the open-source/free software world! It is completely Icon driven so that the GUI/Graphic User Interface is the best I have ever used. There is only one Task Bar, at the top, that although it never disappears, it does not take up screen territory when an application is in use. The App. Header and the task bar combine, giving the user more screen to operate with, very nice!
The icons are in a single column at the left of the screen but disappear when an app. is opened but, not to worry. Move the cursor to the left of the screen and rest for less than a second and the Icons crawl back into view. Now, if you´re like me you have several hundred applications installed and even a collapsing and expanding single column will never be enough. However, not to worry! At the top left you will find the Ubuntu Logo Icon and when you click on it the screen is overlain with a semi-transparent sheet of icons for the different divisions of programs. Click, say, Internet and all those apps. will appears in icon form for you to select the desired program to run.
If you have never taken an adventurous move before in your life, you need to take this one. Go the the Ubuntu Home page and click get the software and download the 11.04 iso. Then bring up your CD Burner program and burn the iso with the Burn Image choice. If you have a burner that will not burn an image, there are very few, search Google for ¨Image Burner free software¨ and download one. After burning the CD put the disk into the CD Drive and shut the computer down and restart it. If it is one of the newer units it will boot from the CD and if it is an older unit and does not, reboot and from the beginning hit the delete key until it begins to boot the OS or goes into set-up. If it does not go into set-up then reboot pressing, repeatedly the F-2 Key or the F-11 Key until you are in Set-Up. Read the directions on the screen and find the Boot Menu and make the first boot device your CD, then the Floppy, if you still use one and finally the Hdd. Now, hit F-10, Yes and boot into the CD. These directions will work with about 95% of all computers, for the others you need me or some other Geek to vist you and set it up.
Now, play with the Operating System and see if you like it. Nothing is being written to your Hard-Drive and you get to test without changing your system at all. If you are Okay with the Ubuntu, Install it, you can do this. As it installs you will be asked, first choice, to install side by side or use the whole disk. Chose Side by Side and answer the other questions for a dual boot, leaving your Windows in place and useful for future boot up if you fail to adapt to the free software.
God bless and happy computing!
I love the Gnome Desk-Top and was a bit miffed at the idea of making the desk-top more ¨Windows¨ User friendly, after all, it isn´t at all difficult to install the Windows-like KDE Desk-Top. But here I am with two Revitalized Computers, dedicated to youth that cannot afford one for their schooling and my wayward son walks back into my life... computer-less! I can´t have that so I take my backup/testbed/emergency unit and I download the new version, reformat the hdd and install. I am so impressed with the system, two months out of release that I upgraded my work unit last night.
I want to say, right up front, that Mark Shuttleworth and his team at Canonical deserve medals of recognition, the Unity interface/Desk-top is just what Windows and Micro Soft never needed to happen to the open-source/free software world! It is completely Icon driven so that the GUI/Graphic User Interface is the best I have ever used. There is only one Task Bar, at the top, that although it never disappears, it does not take up screen territory when an application is in use. The App. Header and the task bar combine, giving the user more screen to operate with, very nice!
The icons are in a single column at the left of the screen but disappear when an app. is opened but, not to worry. Move the cursor to the left of the screen and rest for less than a second and the Icons crawl back into view. Now, if you´re like me you have several hundred applications installed and even a collapsing and expanding single column will never be enough. However, not to worry! At the top left you will find the Ubuntu Logo Icon and when you click on it the screen is overlain with a semi-transparent sheet of icons for the different divisions of programs. Click, say, Internet and all those apps. will appears in icon form for you to select the desired program to run.
If you have never taken an adventurous move before in your life, you need to take this one. Go the the Ubuntu Home page and click get the software and download the 11.04 iso. Then bring up your CD Burner program and burn the iso with the Burn Image choice. If you have a burner that will not burn an image, there are very few, search Google for ¨Image Burner free software¨ and download one. After burning the CD put the disk into the CD Drive and shut the computer down and restart it. If it is one of the newer units it will boot from the CD and if it is an older unit and does not, reboot and from the beginning hit the delete key until it begins to boot the OS or goes into set-up. If it does not go into set-up then reboot pressing, repeatedly the F-2 Key or the F-11 Key until you are in Set-Up. Read the directions on the screen and find the Boot Menu and make the first boot device your CD, then the Floppy, if you still use one and finally the Hdd. Now, hit F-10, Yes and boot into the CD. These directions will work with about 95% of all computers, for the others you need me or some other Geek to vist you and set it up.
Now, play with the Operating System and see if you like it. Nothing is being written to your Hard-Drive and you get to test without changing your system at all. If you are Okay with the Ubuntu, Install it, you can do this. As it installs you will be asked, first choice, to install side by side or use the whole disk. Chose Side by Side and answer the other questions for a dual boot, leaving your Windows in place and useful for future boot up if you fail to adapt to the free software.
God bless and happy computing!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Joy
Gen 1:4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
Once upon a time I said that I did not ever want to be a Christian because they had all of these things they were not allowed to do and my perception of the Christian was that they were a sad lot! Add to this that the God of the Christian was such a God of wrath that, surely, no God follower could possibly, ever, be happy. And yet I spent the better part of my first forty-five years drunk. The alcohol was the only thing that gave me any peace, so I drank!
The night that I was saved I had no means of transportation but a bicycle with two bald tires and it was a normal wet and cold Winter in Houston that year and being a Driver I would ride in the rain to work as well as ride in the rain that night to get home. I was living my life at the Club, playing my guitar and singing Country music... I was not a happy man but rather, happiness was all I searched for. I was stuck with the memories and the nightmares of close combat support in Vietnam and from that I had been placed on the Dung Heap by all three of the women I had married up to that time.
I knew that God had called me to follow Him in November of ´67 but each time I would pick up my little Silver Leather King James, nothing that made sense to me would leap out of the pages and yet the people on the TV kept saying that the Bible was the Living Word of God... it just didn´t make sense! But as I sang in the New Year of 1990, this man danced his wife past the stage and looking for his usual opportunity to fight for her, he flipped me off. Any night before that night, I would have dragged him out to the Parking Lot but on this night, at just that time, I had been overcome with the Holy Spirit and I finished the Number, picked up my equipment and had a young lady drive me to my apartment and made her very mad because I would not allow her to come in for the night.
That night, I had refrained from drinking and for some reason had not even purchased my usual quart of 101 Wild Turkey, I was stone cold sober and just as pleased with my situation as a Lark! I felt great joy and peace for the very first time in my life! I sat down on my bed, just short of one in the morning, I seem to recall, and as I read my Bible, it made perfect sense to me, it was crystal clear for the first time in my life. From December 31. 1989 until this day I have not had so much as a sip of any hard drink and I have been happy and full of the Joy of the LORD from that midnight until now.
Much of my teaching is not seen as joyful by the Lost Man but I tell you the truth, just as our LORD found joy in His creation, we also can be filled with His joy every day. My prayer for today is that each of you will try it if you haven already. Some of you have already yielded your lives to the Spirit but many have not and I´m asking you to stop playing church and to become the Church!
May God bless.
Once upon a time I said that I did not ever want to be a Christian because they had all of these things they were not allowed to do and my perception of the Christian was that they were a sad lot! Add to this that the God of the Christian was such a God of wrath that, surely, no God follower could possibly, ever, be happy. And yet I spent the better part of my first forty-five years drunk. The alcohol was the only thing that gave me any peace, so I drank!
The night that I was saved I had no means of transportation but a bicycle with two bald tires and it was a normal wet and cold Winter in Houston that year and being a Driver I would ride in the rain to work as well as ride in the rain that night to get home. I was living my life at the Club, playing my guitar and singing Country music... I was not a happy man but rather, happiness was all I searched for. I was stuck with the memories and the nightmares of close combat support in Vietnam and from that I had been placed on the Dung Heap by all three of the women I had married up to that time.
I knew that God had called me to follow Him in November of ´67 but each time I would pick up my little Silver Leather King James, nothing that made sense to me would leap out of the pages and yet the people on the TV kept saying that the Bible was the Living Word of God... it just didn´t make sense! But as I sang in the New Year of 1990, this man danced his wife past the stage and looking for his usual opportunity to fight for her, he flipped me off. Any night before that night, I would have dragged him out to the Parking Lot but on this night, at just that time, I had been overcome with the Holy Spirit and I finished the Number, picked up my equipment and had a young lady drive me to my apartment and made her very mad because I would not allow her to come in for the night.
That night, I had refrained from drinking and for some reason had not even purchased my usual quart of 101 Wild Turkey, I was stone cold sober and just as pleased with my situation as a Lark! I felt great joy and peace for the very first time in my life! I sat down on my bed, just short of one in the morning, I seem to recall, and as I read my Bible, it made perfect sense to me, it was crystal clear for the first time in my life. From December 31. 1989 until this day I have not had so much as a sip of any hard drink and I have been happy and full of the Joy of the LORD from that midnight until now.
Much of my teaching is not seen as joyful by the Lost Man but I tell you the truth, just as our LORD found joy in His creation, we also can be filled with His joy every day. My prayer for today is that each of you will try it if you haven already. Some of you have already yielded your lives to the Spirit but many have not and I´m asking you to stop playing church and to become the Church!
May God bless.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
The Holy Life
Jer 7:3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
Jer 7:4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.
Jer 7:5 For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;
Jer 7:6 If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:
Jer 7:7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.
Jer 7:8 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
In last Sunday´s Scripture Lesson the question was asked that is, by and large, ignored in this world today, ¨How much of your daily lifestyle is shaped by popular culture and how much is influenced by God´s Word?¨
The Grumpy Old Men´s Class did run 7 to 10 when I assumed the privilege of teaching it, for the want of a willing teacher. Because of my teaching the possibility of living a ¨Holy Life,¨ (a life devoted to the service of God. Rom. 12:1) combined with problems that occur in any Church Family with a very Biblical Pastor, two members left the class and the fellowship of the Church. Others have left for an assortment of reasons until the class is now made up of 3 to 5 members on any given Sunday. And here we are now striving to build the LORD´s Church Family with, hopefully, dedicated Christ Followers.
In verse 3 we see Jeremiah delivering a message to God´s people that, through-out the past six thousand years, has never changed, ¨Amend your ways.¨ From the time God called Abraham away from his family in Genesis, the LORD has looked for a separate, a different people. God created Adam a perfect man with a free will and Adam chose to follow his good looking woman, Eve, and to disobey God From that moment forward the ¨world¨ has been trouble and God has been calling people, all people, to return to Him. (2Pet. 3:9)
Jesus reduced the Ten Commandments down to two Great Commandments, which if followed, will see a man or a woman obeying all 613 explanations. Yet, in spite of Jesus' statement in the Gospels that He had not come to do away with the Law and that not one title would ever pass away, the New Testament Christian, an oxymoron, has, indeed cast the Law into the Dung Heap! And yet if we go no further than the Book of Romans we find Paul, in the KJV mentioning the Law 78 times in 52 verses.
Now, up front, we are not under the penalty of the Law, we, Christians, are under Grace but the Law is very important to us for many reasons, two of them I´ll mention here. First, the Law is the perfect Word Picture, or Illustration of Jesus who is God in the flesh of a man. And second, the Law is our Code Of Conduct! This is the example we are to seek to model to the Lost Man.
Over the years I have been permanently banned from a number of web sites, claiming to be Christian, because my teaching of the importance of the Law to the Christian has offended folks. God has not put His call on any man´s life to tickle the ears of the masses. If you look at teachers like Joel Osteen and Rick Warren you will see that tickling ears builds monster followings but who are they following? If a man, any man, follows God and obeys God to receive his messages, only, from God, he will offend people. God´s ways are not preferred by most of the world, that is why The Christian Faith is such a small following.
So, can a man live a Holy life? Not without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit! When Jesus departed the Disciples, He promised the Comforter would be sent, by Him, to us. That is the Holy Spirit and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is there with any Saved Man. The difference between a God fearing Christian and a carnal Christian is the quenching of the Holy Spirit. The God fearing Christian makes the effort to listen to the Spirit he or she is indwelt by and everybody else quenches that same Spirit whether saved and indwelt or unsaved and the Spirit knocking at their heart´s door. With the indwelling of the Spirit of God and the personal commitment to follow the leading of the Spirit, any person can lead a life dedicated to God, a Holy life.
Like myself, you will have times that you stiffen your neck and disobey but, again, like myself, you will fall down, repent and be forgiven and reinstated if you love God.
Jer 7:4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.
Jer 7:5 For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;
Jer 7:6 If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:
Jer 7:7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.
Jer 7:8 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
In last Sunday´s Scripture Lesson the question was asked that is, by and large, ignored in this world today, ¨How much of your daily lifestyle is shaped by popular culture and how much is influenced by God´s Word?¨
The Grumpy Old Men´s Class did run 7 to 10 when I assumed the privilege of teaching it, for the want of a willing teacher. Because of my teaching the possibility of living a ¨Holy Life,¨ (a life devoted to the service of God. Rom. 12:1) combined with problems that occur in any Church Family with a very Biblical Pastor, two members left the class and the fellowship of the Church. Others have left for an assortment of reasons until the class is now made up of 3 to 5 members on any given Sunday. And here we are now striving to build the LORD´s Church Family with, hopefully, dedicated Christ Followers.
In verse 3 we see Jeremiah delivering a message to God´s people that, through-out the past six thousand years, has never changed, ¨Amend your ways.¨ From the time God called Abraham away from his family in Genesis, the LORD has looked for a separate, a different people. God created Adam a perfect man with a free will and Adam chose to follow his good looking woman, Eve, and to disobey God From that moment forward the ¨world¨ has been trouble and God has been calling people, all people, to return to Him. (2Pet. 3:9)
Jesus reduced the Ten Commandments down to two Great Commandments, which if followed, will see a man or a woman obeying all 613 explanations. Yet, in spite of Jesus' statement in the Gospels that He had not come to do away with the Law and that not one title would ever pass away, the New Testament Christian, an oxymoron, has, indeed cast the Law into the Dung Heap! And yet if we go no further than the Book of Romans we find Paul, in the KJV mentioning the Law 78 times in 52 verses.
Now, up front, we are not under the penalty of the Law, we, Christians, are under Grace but the Law is very important to us for many reasons, two of them I´ll mention here. First, the Law is the perfect Word Picture, or Illustration of Jesus who is God in the flesh of a man. And second, the Law is our Code Of Conduct! This is the example we are to seek to model to the Lost Man.
Over the years I have been permanently banned from a number of web sites, claiming to be Christian, because my teaching of the importance of the Law to the Christian has offended folks. God has not put His call on any man´s life to tickle the ears of the masses. If you look at teachers like Joel Osteen and Rick Warren you will see that tickling ears builds monster followings but who are they following? If a man, any man, follows God and obeys God to receive his messages, only, from God, he will offend people. God´s ways are not preferred by most of the world, that is why The Christian Faith is such a small following.
So, can a man live a Holy life? Not without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit! When Jesus departed the Disciples, He promised the Comforter would be sent, by Him, to us. That is the Holy Spirit and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is there with any Saved Man. The difference between a God fearing Christian and a carnal Christian is the quenching of the Holy Spirit. The God fearing Christian makes the effort to listen to the Spirit he or she is indwelt by and everybody else quenches that same Spirit whether saved and indwelt or unsaved and the Spirit knocking at their heart´s door. With the indwelling of the Spirit of God and the personal commitment to follow the leading of the Spirit, any person can lead a life dedicated to God, a Holy life.
Like myself, you will have times that you stiffen your neck and disobey but, again, like myself, you will fall down, repent and be forgiven and reinstated if you love God.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Hell
In the past 20+ years I have encountered an incredible number of positions on the matter of Hell. The Jehova´s Witness deny it´s existence even though it is found in the text of their misinterpretation, known as the New World Translation, makes a great deal of mention about it. The Universalists deny it´s eternal nature because it is their position, as explained to me, that everyone goes to Heaven... we just use different routes to get there. Then there are a group of New Testament Christians (oxymoron) that teach that God is love (this is true) and a loving God will never send anyone to eternal suffering in Hell. There are a whole catalog of other positions, none of them based on the Bible, so let´s look at scripture for a moment.
Luk 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
Luk 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
Luk 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
Luk 16:18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
Luk 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
Luk 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
Luk 16:21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
Luk 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Luk 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luk 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
Luk 16:25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Luk 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Luk 16:27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
Luk 16:28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Luk 16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
Luk 16:30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
Luk 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
In verse fifteen we find Jesus making a remarkable and very note worthy statement that, when meditated on, has some very serious and note worthy points to consider. The Pharisees are the people being addressed in these remarks, so Jesus is speaking to and of the very religious Church Leaders of that day. Just like the most noticeable Christians of today these men are content with their position and seem to have grown some rather long pointed noses to look down as they examine folks of less stature. In verse fifteen Jesus delivers a blow, right to the mid-section.
These rulers had taken on the air of self righteousness as do a, far to, large portion of the Church Families today. Much to often, in today´s church, the average member has never read his or her Bible through the first time but instead have latched on to this or to that verse and use that, single, verse for their Justification. The Christian Adulterer (oxymoron) often will devote a good deal of effort to condemning the Homosexual, the Rapist, the Thief or some other class of sinner to make him or herself feel good about their ¨lessor¨ sin!
Now, there is a great deal more to be learned from this passage of scripture but for the moment, at least, let´s move into what some call a Parable and others, like myself, view as a literal story told to us by Jesus. It matters not, one´s position on this story being literal or parable, there is a lesson to be learned and in this story, several lessons.
Hell is a touchy subject and one that receives far to little attention in today´s, much more, liberal assemblies. The first thing I seek to do when I hear Hell mentioned is to figure out the speaking individual´s definition of Hell. Most of the Christian Church will admit that it exists but will not teach on it because it is divisive and does not seem to build numbers in the attendance column.
My understanding of Hell is from the scriptures and more often than not I am told that I´m all wet. My view on the passage above has a very large bearing on my definition of Hell. We find here that Lazarus has gone to Abraham´s Bosom, also known as Paradise from the account of the Thief on the cross, and the Rich Man we see in Hell. We know that Paradise has been emptied out (Matt. 27:52, 53) and we know that the people in Hell are there until the Second Resurrection, coming after the Millennial Reign of the Christ. (Rev. 20:1-14)
What I hope all can see here is that Hell will end up in the Lake of Fire, a.k.a. The Abyss, but Hell is not there now. For this reason, when I speak of Hell, I am not speaking of the final destination of the unforgiven. Actually, this, for the sake of P.R. and unity in the Church, where it is important, is for every Christian to agree on. The childish, sporadic debates that take place in public discussions and public forums does great damage to the Witness of today´s Christian. When we attack one another, because we do not understand the other´s position we look very foolish and under educated.
One more of the parallels I´m famous for. When I landed in the 229th ASH Bn. Before I could get my feet on the ground there was a nineteen year old WO I trying to get me to commit to flying with him and noone else. Before I landed he had already checked me out, records and reputation. (The men in the U.S. Army´s Aviation wing are very tight knit.) This one of the kids that knew better than to trust anybody over thirty, I´m already twenty-four but he saw that I was to be the Senior Huey Crewchief and he wanted only the best.
He questioned me for over twenty minutes about the aircraft to find out if I was for real and all of my answers were spot on. If we, the Christians, do not appear to know what it is we speak of, would you want to follow us?
Luk 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
Luk 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
Luk 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
Luk 16:18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
Luk 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
Luk 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
Luk 16:21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
Luk 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Luk 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luk 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
Luk 16:25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Luk 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Luk 16:27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
Luk 16:28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Luk 16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
Luk 16:30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
Luk 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
In verse fifteen we find Jesus making a remarkable and very note worthy statement that, when meditated on, has some very serious and note worthy points to consider. The Pharisees are the people being addressed in these remarks, so Jesus is speaking to and of the very religious Church Leaders of that day. Just like the most noticeable Christians of today these men are content with their position and seem to have grown some rather long pointed noses to look down as they examine folks of less stature. In verse fifteen Jesus delivers a blow, right to the mid-section.
These rulers had taken on the air of self righteousness as do a, far to, large portion of the Church Families today. Much to often, in today´s church, the average member has never read his or her Bible through the first time but instead have latched on to this or to that verse and use that, single, verse for their Justification. The Christian Adulterer (oxymoron) often will devote a good deal of effort to condemning the Homosexual, the Rapist, the Thief or some other class of sinner to make him or herself feel good about their ¨lessor¨ sin!
Now, there is a great deal more to be learned from this passage of scripture but for the moment, at least, let´s move into what some call a Parable and others, like myself, view as a literal story told to us by Jesus. It matters not, one´s position on this story being literal or parable, there is a lesson to be learned and in this story, several lessons.
Hell is a touchy subject and one that receives far to little attention in today´s, much more, liberal assemblies. The first thing I seek to do when I hear Hell mentioned is to figure out the speaking individual´s definition of Hell. Most of the Christian Church will admit that it exists but will not teach on it because it is divisive and does not seem to build numbers in the attendance column.
My understanding of Hell is from the scriptures and more often than not I am told that I´m all wet. My view on the passage above has a very large bearing on my definition of Hell. We find here that Lazarus has gone to Abraham´s Bosom, also known as Paradise from the account of the Thief on the cross, and the Rich Man we see in Hell. We know that Paradise has been emptied out (Matt. 27:52, 53) and we know that the people in Hell are there until the Second Resurrection, coming after the Millennial Reign of the Christ. (Rev. 20:1-14)
What I hope all can see here is that Hell will end up in the Lake of Fire, a.k.a. The Abyss, but Hell is not there now. For this reason, when I speak of Hell, I am not speaking of the final destination of the unforgiven. Actually, this, for the sake of P.R. and unity in the Church, where it is important, is for every Christian to agree on. The childish, sporadic debates that take place in public discussions and public forums does great damage to the Witness of today´s Christian. When we attack one another, because we do not understand the other´s position we look very foolish and under educated.
One more of the parallels I´m famous for. When I landed in the 229th ASH Bn. Before I could get my feet on the ground there was a nineteen year old WO I trying to get me to commit to flying with him and noone else. Before I landed he had already checked me out, records and reputation. (The men in the U.S. Army´s Aviation wing are very tight knit.) This one of the kids that knew better than to trust anybody over thirty, I´m already twenty-four but he saw that I was to be the Senior Huey Crewchief and he wanted only the best.
He questioned me for over twenty minutes about the aircraft to find out if I was for real and all of my answers were spot on. If we, the Christians, do not appear to know what it is we speak of, would you want to follow us?
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Trust
For some time since my salvation I have been presented with a variety of ideas as to just what a Christian is and it has become very popular to lower the standard to allow greater numbers to come into the fold and to disregard what the Bible, the revelation of God and f His will for His people. Before I became a follower of my LORD, Jesus, the Christ, I thought the idea of any of the scripture being the truth. Since my conversion in 1990 my entire out look and my complete life has been regenerated and it is my firm position that every word of the scriptures, contained in the Christian Bible, is the God inspired truth.
Now you have my statement of faith and we'll move on to the subject matter. The variety of beliefs today that attempt to be labeled 'Christian' run a very wide range from my position to 'the Bible is not the Word of God but the Word of God can be found there.' After the past 21 years of study, the one thing that I know for certain is that a saved man, woman or child are indwelt with the Holy Spirit of God! Now, on that basis and God's knowledge of what each of His Children needs I understand that the applied meaning of any scripture or group of scriptures will vary from Child of God to Child of God.
As I have studied and as I have matured in my faith over the past two decades I have read and reread the scriptures. On each reading God has revealed new truths and all of them from the same scriptures. Not one lesson learned disagrees with any other lesson from a certain point in scripture but rather each lesson clarifies and magnifies the other. As the years have passed I have learned some great points I had not discovered yet and at the same time I have been used of God to teach some points others had missed until God revealed them through me.
From all of this we have, what I am instructed to understand as twelve points of Christianity. I submit to you;
Twelve Points That Show Christianity is True
Truth about reality is knowable.
The opposite of true is false.
It is true that the theistic God exists.
If God exists, then miracles are possible.
Miracles can be used to confirm a message from God
(i.e., as an act of God to confirm a word from God).
The New Testament is historically reliable.
The New Testament says Jesus claimed to be God.
Jesus' claim to be God was miraculously confirmed by:
a. His fulfillment of many prophecies about Himself;
b. His sinless and miraculous life;
c. His prediction and accomplishment of His resurrection.
Therefore, Jesus is God.
Whatever Jesus (who is God) teaches is true.
Jesus taught that the Bible is the Word of God.
Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God
(and anything opposed to it is false)
Copied from theologyweb.com
Now we are at my point concerning the Rapture! The term rapture is not found in the English translations I have read, rather the term is used to codify the teaching of Paul in 1Thes. 4;13-18. In a recent post, in response to one of mine a slippery accusation was leveled at me that fell just short of accusing the person of not being saved. While in my post I had not even alluded to such I am guilty of believing every word of the scriptures and I have serious doubt of anyone that does not hold that position.
So we have arrived at the point where I usually recommend self examination because I am not God and I can condemn no one, that is God's providence. As per Matt. 7, all of it, it is my place to judge/discern the truth and the criteria I am to use is to inspect their fruit. If a person tells me they do not believe anything the Bible teaches, their fruit is suspect! It all comes down to one point, if the Bible, the Holy Scriptures, teach it we must believe it by faith or we need to nourish our faith a bit more, one or the other.
Romans1:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Considering that the subject of trust is on my mind this evening this might seem a strange verse to kick it off with but in my, perhaps, twisted mind, it isn't. And then this has become my life verse at this point in my life and without trust in the Word of, the person of and the Holy Spirit of God, it is impossible to surrender your life to the service of the LORD in a sacrificial manor.
Recently the hot button topic on several forums I frequent has been men's ideas of just what Hell really is. I have even used a recent article of mine, “No Literal Hell?” to stir up one of these hot discussions. On the five forums I have had posts that were reassuring that some still believe the Word of God over men's ideas but to the other end of the spectrum I have also been called totally unreasonable, in different words, for believing that a Loving God could even do such a thing. Along with the article, where able to, I posted a Poll Question to those that would answer, “Is the Bible the Word of God and for that reason is the Catching Away, a.k.a. the Rapture, a fact?” Because I was careful to frame the question and to only allow a yes or a no answer many refused to answer. Of those that have to this point there is a 10 to none average that believe. The others want to separate the issues so they can vote no on the Rapture. But to do that is to lie when one says the Bible is the Word of God if he/she does not believe the passages foretelling the Rapture, then all of the Bible is not the Word of God in their mind, no matter what they say.
And thus I have arrived at this article. In 2Tim. 3:16, I learned that all and yes, that really does mean all scripture is God breathed and worthy for teaching. Now, I have been called a fool more than once or standing, flat-footed, on the scriptures but I have remembered Rom. 12:1 and have trusted my God to lead me into Salvation and because He has, He also filled me with the Holy Spirit and from the Spirit of God I have 'trust.' I would that all grew to maturity in their faith but God is not a Cosmic Bully and He has required a few things from each of us. Why don you try Him? He is faithful, I promise!
Now you have my statement of faith and we'll move on to the subject matter. The variety of beliefs today that attempt to be labeled 'Christian' run a very wide range from my position to 'the Bible is not the Word of God but the Word of God can be found there.' After the past 21 years of study, the one thing that I know for certain is that a saved man, woman or child are indwelt with the Holy Spirit of God! Now, on that basis and God's knowledge of what each of His Children needs I understand that the applied meaning of any scripture or group of scriptures will vary from Child of God to Child of God.
As I have studied and as I have matured in my faith over the past two decades I have read and reread the scriptures. On each reading God has revealed new truths and all of them from the same scriptures. Not one lesson learned disagrees with any other lesson from a certain point in scripture but rather each lesson clarifies and magnifies the other. As the years have passed I have learned some great points I had not discovered yet and at the same time I have been used of God to teach some points others had missed until God revealed them through me.
From all of this we have, what I am instructed to understand as twelve points of Christianity. I submit to you;
Twelve Points That Show Christianity is True
Truth about reality is knowable.
The opposite of true is false.
It is true that the theistic God exists.
If God exists, then miracles are possible.
Miracles can be used to confirm a message from God
(i.e., as an act of God to confirm a word from God).
The New Testament is historically reliable.
The New Testament says Jesus claimed to be God.
Jesus' claim to be God was miraculously confirmed by:
a. His fulfillment of many prophecies about Himself;
b. His sinless and miraculous life;
c. His prediction and accomplishment of His resurrection.
Therefore, Jesus is God.
Whatever Jesus (who is God) teaches is true.
Jesus taught that the Bible is the Word of God.
Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God
(and anything opposed to it is false)
Copied from theologyweb.com
Now we are at my point concerning the Rapture! The term rapture is not found in the English translations I have read, rather the term is used to codify the teaching of Paul in 1Thes. 4;13-18. In a recent post, in response to one of mine a slippery accusation was leveled at me that fell just short of accusing the person of not being saved. While in my post I had not even alluded to such I am guilty of believing every word of the scriptures and I have serious doubt of anyone that does not hold that position.
So we have arrived at the point where I usually recommend self examination because I am not God and I can condemn no one, that is God's providence. As per Matt. 7, all of it, it is my place to judge/discern the truth and the criteria I am to use is to inspect their fruit. If a person tells me they do not believe anything the Bible teaches, their fruit is suspect! It all comes down to one point, if the Bible, the Holy Scriptures, teach it we must believe it by faith or we need to nourish our faith a bit more, one or the other.
Romans1:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Considering that the subject of trust is on my mind this evening this might seem a strange verse to kick it off with but in my, perhaps, twisted mind, it isn't. And then this has become my life verse at this point in my life and without trust in the Word of, the person of and the Holy Spirit of God, it is impossible to surrender your life to the service of the LORD in a sacrificial manor.
Recently the hot button topic on several forums I frequent has been men's ideas of just what Hell really is. I have even used a recent article of mine, “No Literal Hell?” to stir up one of these hot discussions. On the five forums I have had posts that were reassuring that some still believe the Word of God over men's ideas but to the other end of the spectrum I have also been called totally unreasonable, in different words, for believing that a Loving God could even do such a thing. Along with the article, where able to, I posted a Poll Question to those that would answer, “Is the Bible the Word of God and for that reason is the Catching Away, a.k.a. the Rapture, a fact?” Because I was careful to frame the question and to only allow a yes or a no answer many refused to answer. Of those that have to this point there is a 10 to none average that believe. The others want to separate the issues so they can vote no on the Rapture. But to do that is to lie when one says the Bible is the Word of God if he/she does not believe the passages foretelling the Rapture, then all of the Bible is not the Word of God in their mind, no matter what they say.
And thus I have arrived at this article. In 2Tim. 3:16, I learned that all and yes, that really does mean all scripture is God breathed and worthy for teaching. Now, I have been called a fool more than once or standing, flat-footed, on the scriptures but I have remembered Rom. 12:1 and have trusted my God to lead me into Salvation and because He has, He also filled me with the Holy Spirit and from the Spirit of God I have 'trust.' I would that all grew to maturity in their faith but God is not a Cosmic Bully and He has required a few things from each of us. Why don you try Him? He is faithful, I promise!
Friday, May 6, 2011
The Rapture
For some time since my salvation I have been presented with a variety of ideas as to just what a Christian is and it has become very popular to lower the standard to allow greater numbers to come into the fold and to disregard what the Bible, the revelation of God and f His will for His people. Before I became a follower of my LORD, Jesus, the Christ, I thought the idea of any of the scripture being the truth. Since my conversion in 1990 my entire out look and my complete life has been regenerated and it is my firm position that every word of the scriptures, contained in the Christian Bible, is the God inspired truth.
Now you have my statement of faith and we'll move on to the subject matter. The variety of beliefs today that attempt to be labeled 'Christian' run a very wide range from my position to 'the Bible is not the Word of God but the Word of God can be found there.' After the past 21 years of study, the one thing that I know for certain is that a saved man, woman or child are indwelt with the Holy Spirit of God! Now, on that basis and God's knowledge of what each of His Children needs I understand that the applied meaning of any scripture or group of scriptures will vary from Child of God to Child of God.
As I have studied and as I have matured in my faith over the past two decades I have read and reread the scriptures. On each reading God has revealed new truths and all of them from the same scriptures. Not one lesson learned disagrees with any other lesson from a certain point in scripture but rather each lesson clarifies and magnifies the other. As the years have passed I have learned some great points I had not discovered yet and at the same time I have been used of God to teach some points others had missed until God revealed them through me.
From all of this we have, what I am instructed to understand as twelve points of Christianity. I submit to you;
Twelve Points That Show Christianity is True
Truth about reality is knowable.
The opposite of true is false.
It is true that the theistic God exists.
If God exists, then miracles are possible.
Miracles can be used to confirm a message from God
(i.e., as an act of God to confirm a word from God).
The New Testament is historically reliable.
The New Testament says Jesus claimed to be God.
Jesus' claim to be God was miraculously confirmed by:
a. His fulfillment of many prophecies about Himself;
b. His sinless and miraculous life;
c. His prediction and accomplishment of His resurrection.
Therefore, Jesus is God.
Whatever Jesus (who is God) teaches is true.
Jesus taught that the Bible is the Word of God.
Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God
(and anything opposed to it is false)
Copied from theologyweb.com
Now we are at my point concerning the Rapture! The term rapture is not found in the English translations I have read, rather the term is used to codify the teaching of Paul in 1Thes. 4;13-18. In a recent post, in response to one of mine a slippery accusation was leveled at me that fell just short of accusing the person of not being saved. While in my post I had not even alluded to such I am guilty of believing every word of the scriptures and I have serious doubt of anyone that does not hold that position.
So we have arrived at the point where I usually recommend self examination because I am not God and I can condemn no one, that is God's providence. As per Matt. 7, all of it, it is my place to judge/discern the truth and the criteria I am to use is to inspect their fruit. If a person tells me they do not believe anything the Bible teaches, their fruit is suspect! It all comes down to one point, if the Bible, the Holy Scriptures, teach it we must believe it by faith or we need to nourish our faith a bit more, one or the other.
Now you have my statement of faith and we'll move on to the subject matter. The variety of beliefs today that attempt to be labeled 'Christian' run a very wide range from my position to 'the Bible is not the Word of God but the Word of God can be found there.' After the past 21 years of study, the one thing that I know for certain is that a saved man, woman or child are indwelt with the Holy Spirit of God! Now, on that basis and God's knowledge of what each of His Children needs I understand that the applied meaning of any scripture or group of scriptures will vary from Child of God to Child of God.
As I have studied and as I have matured in my faith over the past two decades I have read and reread the scriptures. On each reading God has revealed new truths and all of them from the same scriptures. Not one lesson learned disagrees with any other lesson from a certain point in scripture but rather each lesson clarifies and magnifies the other. As the years have passed I have learned some great points I had not discovered yet and at the same time I have been used of God to teach some points others had missed until God revealed them through me.
From all of this we have, what I am instructed to understand as twelve points of Christianity. I submit to you;
Twelve Points That Show Christianity is True
Truth about reality is knowable.
The opposite of true is false.
It is true that the theistic God exists.
If God exists, then miracles are possible.
Miracles can be used to confirm a message from God
(i.e., as an act of God to confirm a word from God).
The New Testament is historically reliable.
The New Testament says Jesus claimed to be God.
Jesus' claim to be God was miraculously confirmed by:
a. His fulfillment of many prophecies about Himself;
b. His sinless and miraculous life;
c. His prediction and accomplishment of His resurrection.
Therefore, Jesus is God.
Whatever Jesus (who is God) teaches is true.
Jesus taught that the Bible is the Word of God.
Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God
(and anything opposed to it is false)
Copied from theologyweb.com
Now we are at my point concerning the Rapture! The term rapture is not found in the English translations I have read, rather the term is used to codify the teaching of Paul in 1Thes. 4;13-18. In a recent post, in response to one of mine a slippery accusation was leveled at me that fell just short of accusing the person of not being saved. While in my post I had not even alluded to such I am guilty of believing every word of the scriptures and I have serious doubt of anyone that does not hold that position.
So we have arrived at the point where I usually recommend self examination because I am not God and I can condemn no one, that is God's providence. As per Matt. 7, all of it, it is my place to judge/discern the truth and the criteria I am to use is to inspect their fruit. If a person tells me they do not believe anything the Bible teaches, their fruit is suspect! It all comes down to one point, if the Bible, the Holy Scriptures, teach it we must believe it by faith or we need to nourish our faith a bit more, one or the other.
Friday, April 29, 2011
No Literal Hell?
I have just been surfing a few Christian Forum sites and the things promoted by people naming the name of Christ amazes me. Over the years I have heard the name Rob Bell more than once and in seeking the wisdom of other Basics Grounded Teachers have avoided wasting my funds on the books he pushes as Christian. There is a post on one forum this morning that seeks? to equip other members of this particular forum for the upcoming debate that is, apparently, sure to come. I'm going to attempt to be kind here but the truth is that in his link I did not find the scriptures.By the scriptures, of course, I mean the Bible, the Word of God's personal revelation of Himself.
The book, it is reported by the poster, is concerning the lack of any real Hell. In all the copies of the Bible that I own Genesis 1:1 points out that it is Almighty God that created the Universe and all that it contains. And when we go to John 1:1-3 we learn that the Son of God, popularly known as God in the flesh and Jesus, is the Creator of all of this. As it is very popular to ignore the Bible and to read the Commentary instead, I'll limit this post, from here forward to that Commentary, the New Testament. In the Four Gospels, Jesus/God taught more on the turth and fact of Hell than He did on Heaven. If any of us then puts it forward that there is no such place as a literal Hell... we are guilty of calling God a liar!
I know that I will stand, what is popularly known as, the Bema Seat Judgment but I certainly never wish to even be near the Great White Throne Judgment and calling God a liar, directly or by inference, is one sure fire way to get there and to, experientially, find out that Hell is real and that it is never ending. Throughout the scriptures we find that God cannot tolerate sin in His presence and Jesus stated that he was 'the' way, 'the' way and 'the' life. (John 14:6) Not even that He was or might be one of the ways, He is The Way.(Emphasis mine.)
So my question is this, “Why do we believe that a Finite Man, created by God knows more that the Infinite Creator that has forever been?
The book, it is reported by the poster, is concerning the lack of any real Hell. In all the copies of the Bible that I own Genesis 1:1 points out that it is Almighty God that created the Universe and all that it contains. And when we go to John 1:1-3 we learn that the Son of God, popularly known as God in the flesh and Jesus, is the Creator of all of this. As it is very popular to ignore the Bible and to read the Commentary instead, I'll limit this post, from here forward to that Commentary, the New Testament. In the Four Gospels, Jesus/God taught more on the turth and fact of Hell than He did on Heaven. If any of us then puts it forward that there is no such place as a literal Hell... we are guilty of calling God a liar!
I know that I will stand, what is popularly known as, the Bema Seat Judgment but I certainly never wish to even be near the Great White Throne Judgment and calling God a liar, directly or by inference, is one sure fire way to get there and to, experientially, find out that Hell is real and that it is never ending. Throughout the scriptures we find that God cannot tolerate sin in His presence and Jesus stated that he was 'the' way, 'the' way and 'the' life. (John 14:6) Not even that He was or might be one of the ways, He is The Way.(Emphasis mine.)
So my question is this, “Why do we believe that a Finite Man, created by God knows more that the Infinite Creator that has forever been?
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Faith!
ASV: Hebrews 11:6. And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him ; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.
As I go to and I teach or attend classes at Church today I am deeply sorrowed and disappointed. In the Church Family it is estimated, by the optimistic, that ten to fifteen percent of the Church is saved and that the rest are there for their own agendas. If we look at past surveys that have been taken by independent but Christian Organizations the truth is much more glaring! The Barna Group is reported to have done a survey in the mid-eighties and before I was a Christian that put the number of saved at somewhere between one and two percent of the Church Family.
I was taught that the conditions for taking the Double Blind Survey was that the participants must be among the Faithful and that was defined as attending Church no less than three services each week. The questions concerned and were centered on the Basic Tenants of the Christian's relationship with their Savior. I do not recall all of them, nor do I any longer remember the exact percentages but they were at the very least, depressing! The questions I do recall were, 'Do you believe in the Virgin Birth? Do you believe Jesus died on the cross for your sins? And, Do you believe Jesus is returning to Rapture you?'
The groups in the different churches ranged from fifteen to twenty per-cent of each churches membership and the average range of people that answered yes to all of the basic tenants was less than ten per-cent. Ten per-cent of that group would translate into one and a half to two per-cent of the Church Family and I just must ask myself, “Why do they even bother to attend?” In my case I do not believe that Jesus will rapture me, I know it to be a fact! I also know all the rest to be true because it is recorded in my personal copies of the scriptures the Almighty God had recorded and preserved for me to read!
It is my prayer the you, the folks that read my ramblings on these forums and in my email list and on my blog are praying for God to increase your faith to the point that He has mine. So, aside from prayer, how did I get to this point? For the past twenty-one years I have made it a point to learn as much as God has shown me by reading through the Word of God in several translations. With prayer I have made myself and all that God has permitted me to hold, available for His Service and use. Because of my willingness God has grown my faith ad God walks and talks and uses me in His service and it has, in spite of my early years, been a wonderful life in His service.
Every man woman and child can have the same relationship! It begins with making yourself available to God and prayer for those you love and your neighbors. May God bless.
As I go to and I teach or attend classes at Church today I am deeply sorrowed and disappointed. In the Church Family it is estimated, by the optimistic, that ten to fifteen percent of the Church is saved and that the rest are there for their own agendas. If we look at past surveys that have been taken by independent but Christian Organizations the truth is much more glaring! The Barna Group is reported to have done a survey in the mid-eighties and before I was a Christian that put the number of saved at somewhere between one and two percent of the Church Family.
I was taught that the conditions for taking the Double Blind Survey was that the participants must be among the Faithful and that was defined as attending Church no less than three services each week. The questions concerned and were centered on the Basic Tenants of the Christian's relationship with their Savior. I do not recall all of them, nor do I any longer remember the exact percentages but they were at the very least, depressing! The questions I do recall were, 'Do you believe in the Virgin Birth? Do you believe Jesus died on the cross for your sins? And, Do you believe Jesus is returning to Rapture you?'
The groups in the different churches ranged from fifteen to twenty per-cent of each churches membership and the average range of people that answered yes to all of the basic tenants was less than ten per-cent. Ten per-cent of that group would translate into one and a half to two per-cent of the Church Family and I just must ask myself, “Why do they even bother to attend?” In my case I do not believe that Jesus will rapture me, I know it to be a fact! I also know all the rest to be true because it is recorded in my personal copies of the scriptures the Almighty God had recorded and preserved for me to read!
It is my prayer the you, the folks that read my ramblings on these forums and in my email list and on my blog are praying for God to increase your faith to the point that He has mine. So, aside from prayer, how did I get to this point? For the past twenty-one years I have made it a point to learn as much as God has shown me by reading through the Word of God in several translations. With prayer I have made myself and all that God has permitted me to hold, available for His Service and use. Because of my willingness God has grown my faith ad God walks and talks and uses me in His service and it has, in spite of my early years, been a wonderful life in His service.
Every man woman and child can have the same relationship! It begins with making yourself available to God and prayer for those you love and your neighbors. May God bless.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Fear?
John 20:1 Now on the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet dark, unto the tomb, and seeth the stone taken away from the tomb. (ASV)
We, Christians, have just celebrated the resurrection of our LORD and it is my prayer that we would learn a few of the many lessons that are there to be taught in His resurrection. One of the most commonly needed and avoided is on fear. Before Jesus departed and before He was cruelly ailed to the cross, Jesus, who is God in the flesh of a man, gave a command to His followers:
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful. (ASV)
And yet, in spite of this I see fear manifested in the Brethren all the time. Folks, inside the Church Family speak constantly on matters such as where will I ever get enough money to take care of my wife and my children, what with the cost of gas and it causing everything to cost more but we aren't getting any raises in our pay?
And honestly, this is just the sort of thing our LORD was talking about. So, do we have the faith of Mary or of Paul and John? These men and women ha held tightly to the belief that Jesus was Who He said He was, they believed He was God. They also knew from attending services that God was eternal and yet Mary, Peter and John went to the tomb to begin attending, properly, to the dead body of God.
When Mary found the tomb empty, she went immediately to the men to tell them what she had seen and what she had concluded. When John out-ran Peter he was not sure of what to do next and Peter, old foot in the mouth Peter ran right past John to begin processing what he had been taught by Jesus in the light of the circumstances. But then it appears that te men left Mary and maybe the other women there alone as it seems to me that they walked back to their house, discussing what had happened and how it fit with what Jesus had taught them.
But then Mary, bless her sweet ad loving heart stood there weeping until Jesus spoke to her. As soon as Jesus dismissed her, she went, as fast as she could run to inform the e of what had happened and that she had spoken to and had touched Jesus! Mary knew that Jesus had been murdered on the cross and that the same fate was probably her destiny, after all the Disciples were huddled in the upper room with the doors and windows bared trying to figure what they should do when they would hear those Roman boots stomping out the cadence as they would come to arrest, force them into a trial ad then execute them, just as they had done to the LORD!
So I ask you, and I do not need the answer... you do, who have you told today? And. If you, truly, believe, why are you living with fear? And finally... who besides Satan is your fearful silence pleasing?
We, Christians, have just celebrated the resurrection of our LORD and it is my prayer that we would learn a few of the many lessons that are there to be taught in His resurrection. One of the most commonly needed and avoided is on fear. Before Jesus departed and before He was cruelly ailed to the cross, Jesus, who is God in the flesh of a man, gave a command to His followers:
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful. (ASV)
And yet, in spite of this I see fear manifested in the Brethren all the time. Folks, inside the Church Family speak constantly on matters such as where will I ever get enough money to take care of my wife and my children, what with the cost of gas and it causing everything to cost more but we aren't getting any raises in our pay?
And honestly, this is just the sort of thing our LORD was talking about. So, do we have the faith of Mary or of Paul and John? These men and women ha held tightly to the belief that Jesus was Who He said He was, they believed He was God. They also knew from attending services that God was eternal and yet Mary, Peter and John went to the tomb to begin attending, properly, to the dead body of God.
When Mary found the tomb empty, she went immediately to the men to tell them what she had seen and what she had concluded. When John out-ran Peter he was not sure of what to do next and Peter, old foot in the mouth Peter ran right past John to begin processing what he had been taught by Jesus in the light of the circumstances. But then it appears that te men left Mary and maybe the other women there alone as it seems to me that they walked back to their house, discussing what had happened and how it fit with what Jesus had taught them.
But then Mary, bless her sweet ad loving heart stood there weeping until Jesus spoke to her. As soon as Jesus dismissed her, she went, as fast as she could run to inform the e of what had happened and that she had spoken to and had touched Jesus! Mary knew that Jesus had been murdered on the cross and that the same fate was probably her destiny, after all the Disciples were huddled in the upper room with the doors and windows bared trying to figure what they should do when they would hear those Roman boots stomping out the cadence as they would come to arrest, force them into a trial ad then execute them, just as they had done to the LORD!
So I ask you, and I do not need the answer... you do, who have you told today? And. If you, truly, believe, why are you living with fear? And finally... who besides Satan is your fearful silence pleasing?
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Christians?
Heb 11:1 Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.
Heb 11:2 For therein the elders had witness borne to them.
Heb 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear.
There are many kinds and types of Christians today but there is only one that will enter into the Kingdom of God. Abraham followed God, by faith, into a land he had never seen that he and Sarah could become the parents of a great nation. Abraham believed God in spite of the truth of their inability to produce a single offspring before they were about fifty years past the age of birthing a child.
When we study the entire Bible and discard the Oxymoron Ideology of a New Testament Christian, we are taught from the beginning to the end of scripture that we are to have the same “small child-like” faith in God, the Father that we had in our dads when we were 2 to 8 or better years old. Do you remember when your dad knew everything there was to know in the world and he could beat the socks off of Super-man, Bat-man and all the Super Heroes of the Justice League at the same time?
I do! And it is that complete and unreserved faith of a small child that we are to place in God! The doctors tell me that I'm in the final stage of MS and have removed me from the terrible meds they use to fight the disease and I'm happy as a lark... I'm going home! I was saved a little over twenty-one years ago and I have been home-sick ever since. Unlike Paul and John, I have not been to Heaven, neither in spirit nor in body and yet My heart aches to be there! Now, the doctors are foolish for believing they could keep me alive and for believing that they can know when I will die. (Read the book of Job.) God, my Adopted Father, has known that from before the Earth was created but there is no man that knows such things!
And, finally, on this matter of defining a Christian. This is a very dangerous area to walk into in the culture of today, a man can have his fellowship removed at the drop of a hat in this area... requiring both self examination and the examining of one's friends! I am familiar with these reactions, having been kicked out of one church and being banned from a few web sites that have moved over to a “liberal” view of the scriptures. The ?pastor? that booted my family, I should mention, has had his license removed and can no longer preach in a Missionary Baptist Church, even though I did no more than to pray for God's love and leading for the Church Family there. The web sites? I'll not mention them either because there can be no profit for me in Heaven for such and they are prayed for to become aware of the truth of God and to cease leading the Lost into a false sense of security.
So, how do we know a Christian from a pretender? Remember the World's favorite scripture? If you live your life for Christ, you have had Matthew 7:1 used to quiet and to shut your mouth. The truth of the matter is exactly the opposite of the misuse of that single verse ripped out of context, we are to judge by the same standards we wish to be judged by. Couple this with Philippians 2 telling us to work out (to practice) our salvation in our daily lives and it is clearly seen that a Christian, a follower of the Christ, lives as much like Jesus as he or she can and is daily getting closer to perfect.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Stand?
2Ki 9:21 And Joram said, Make ready. And they made ready his chariot. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu, and found him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite.
2Ki 9:22 And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?
2Ki 9:23 And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah.
2Ki 9:24 And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and smote Joram between his arms; and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.
2Ki 9:25 Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, Jehovah laid this burden upon him:
It is not popular today but as Christians we are called to stake out a position and to stand fast. If we are to rely upon Christ for our salvation we must, with sincere heart call Him in prayer and know, not think, we must know that He is faithful to answer. Now, we have squared away our eternal destiny but it is not a time to relax, there is a great deal to be dealt with. As the LORD did with Jehu, when we will listen to Him, He will give us direction and purpose to be passionate about.
It is very common today to hear, “Don't give me that Holy Spirit junk,” or much worse from both the man outside the church as well as from the long term member. In the recent past I have received that reply from even a pastor and from a pastor/prof. in recent months. But the fact is that the moment a man, woman or a child is saved they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. (1Cor. 6:19) I will, certainly, never tell you that we cannot disobey for why else would we find the caution not to do so? (1Thes. 5:19) God has never been a bully although some read the Jewish Bible, our Old Testament and illustrating their lack of study, try to label Him that and much worse.\
On a personal level I have been saved now for about 21 years and the very first thing I reached for was a personal knowledge of my Savior and that has involved a better than 21 year reading and rereading of the Bible as well as uncounted Topical Studies. I have had false accusations thrown at me that range from I'm a lying heretic to I'm an over-studied Bible scholar. None in that entire range are correct, I'm a man with a GED that has fallen in love with my God and I am doing my best to consume the scriptures!
Just as God wanted Jehu to clean, certain bad elements out of Israel/Judah so has my LORD given me a loving concern for the lost man and the best way to help the lost is to know the scriptures with a degree of intimacy. I came to know my wife by spending time with her, the same is true of the scriptures! My stepfather was a warrior and one great lesson he taught me is that a man will die for what he loves. I would die defending my wife and I have done my very best, on a daily basis to die to myself, that I might live for God. But, in the end, it comes down to one thing, you must decide, where will you stand?
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