Radical Praise

In Acts 16, we read of Paul and Silas.  Here we find our heroes of the faith in prison. Earlier that day Paul became annoyed by a demon-possessed woman who had been following him for several days for she was vocal and evidently a nuisance. So when Paul reached his fill, he cast out the demon. The demon allowed the woman to foretell the future and, being a slave, the woman’s owners were making money by selling her fortune-telling services. As such, they could no longer make money as the demon was gone from her and as a result they became quite angry with Paul and Silas.

Next we see that the woman’s owners take Paul and Silas before the authorities in the marketplace and accuse them of advocating customs not acceptable to Romans. Before you know it, the crowd is jumping in against the two and the magistrates ordered them stripped naked, flogged and put into prison (vs. 22-23). I find it interesting that the scriptures do not tell us of any argument put up by Paul and Silas towards their own defense. Perhaps they remained silent, perhaps they plead their innocence or perhaps they were not even given the chance.

Close your eyes and replay the next scene in your imagination, but pretend you are in the place of Paul. Hear the accusations against you. How does it make you feel that though you came in peace with hopes of winning these lost souls for Christ they are now clamoring for your destruction?

Experience the feeling of helplessness as you are convicted and punished on the spot in a crowded market. Imagine the wooden rods coming down on your naked body, back and head as you huddle into a ball hoping to protect your vital areas. Imagine being carried off to prison because you are so beaten you cannot walk by yourself. Feel the pressure of the stocks wrap around your bruised and swollen ankles and the involuntary moans released from deep within your gut you never knew you could produce until now.

What thoughts are you thinking? What emotions are beginning to take form? Do you hate the crowd for doing this to you? Are you mad at God for letting this happen? Do you take comfort in knowing your friend is shackled beside you or do you feel a guilty responsibility for his being there as well? Are you helpless and full of despair? Are you too hurt to feel scared?

You hear your battered friend beside you attempting to get comfortable, an impossible task for the stocks leave you immobile. Through the pain and immobility you both know comfort will not come anytime soon.

Hours have past. The market was still open when this beating first took place and now it is dark nearing midnight. Paul and Silas have had time to feel and think about all I have mentioned and all you have imagined. They have been given plenty of time to come up with feelings of loneliness, hurt, anger, even hate but what happened next was not a reaction of those things.

“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” (vs. 25)

How amazingly unexpected! Paul and Silas began to praise God!

We too are called to walk like this.

Selah…

Lesbian / Gay Day of Silence – Are you kidding me?!?

Have you heard about this?  Public schools all over America take a day where all the children are asked to remain silent for the whole day.  Why?

To teach our students that homosexuals – gays, lesbians and those of transgender – have been poorly and wrongly treated.  This day of silence is in respect and reverence of the folks who are treated poorly and children are encouraged to feel sorry for them, so they are not to talk all day long — to ponder these truths…  This year – April 25, 2008 – the LGBT Day of Silence is coming to a school near you…

Wow.  <stunned>

There is much to be concerned about in America. We look around a see attacks taking place against many of our foundational pillars.  The liberal contingent is serious about advancing their agenda.

One of the most dangerous of liberal agendas is their attack on traditional marriage through the attempts to legalize homosexual marriage.  This heinous agenda not only seeks to legitimize the union of same sex couples, but to change our culture and our cherished values as well.  This agenda has and continues to infiltrate and influence our government, entertainment, media, scientific and educational communities. 

This movement would like us to believe their agenda is a Civil Rights issue.  Many buy into this because they are uneducated about what Civil Rights really mean.  

According to the Supreme Court, three things must happen to qualify a class for Civil Rights protection.

1)    History of discrimination evidenced by a lack of ability to obtain economic mean income, adequate education or cultural opportunity.  Evidence shows us this is clearly not the case. What do the facts say?

a.     Homosexuals have an average annual income of $55,430, over $20,000 more than the general populous.

b.     More than 3 times as many homosexuals as average Americans are college graduates.c.      3 times as many homosexuals as average Americans hold professional or managerial positions 

2)    Protected classes should exhibit obvious, immutable or distinguishing characteristics, like race, color, gender, that define them as a discrete group.  This is obviously not the case with homosexuals. 

3)    Protected classes should clearly demonstrate political powerlessness.  All we have to do is watch the news or view the current debates in the halls of Congress to find this criteria is not met either.   

It is clear that none of this criterion is met!  So what then do we find to be the truth if we peer beyond this smoke screen?  The issue is really one of the attempt to legitimize and normalizing their BEHAVIOR through public law! 

This is impractical, unwise and very dangerous to society. 

Behaviors should not be the subject of Civil Rights protections!  Extending such protections to homosexual behavior would set a dangerous legal precedent that would likely open doors for legalization of incest, polygamy or any other crazy behaviors people can dream up! 

If protections are granted based on behavior alone there are serious future consequences… 

Imagine what happens when enough folks want the right to have sex with animals.  or worse…

It is east to see where this could lead. Very few see past the smoke screen however for many have taken the approach “live and let live”. 

For those who would purport that the homosexual lifestyle is a private matter between two people with no ill effect on society, I would direct their attention to the next few paragraphs.  The following are three reasons why homosexual behavior is dangerous to our American society and why it should be opposed.   

1)    It is dangerous to the health of those involved.     Take life expectancy for example:

a. Average age of death of married man was 75, 80% of who die at 65 or older

b. Average age of death of a homosexual man was 42, if diagnosed with AIDS average age was 39

c. Homosexuals are 116 times more likely to be murdered and 24 times more likely to commit suicide.

2)    It is dangerous to our values which ultimately affect our way of life.

a. The core issue, the underlying theme of this marriage battle is simply this: Will America continue to be “One Nation Under God”? I shudder to think of what will happen to our society if our Nation decides to remove God from its foundations.

b. Take the Declaration of Independence for example, it reads – “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

c. If we remove our Creator from the equation, then who is left to endow us our rights? THE STATE! This is exactly what our forefathers sought to avoid at all costs! For if the State grants the rights, it can surely take them away.

3)    It is dangerous to our children.     Children today more than ever suffer from sexual identity crisis.  The homosexual agenda is being instilled into our schools via literature and curriculum. Our kids are being taught that the homosexual lifestyle is an equal and normal alternative to traditional marriage!  No parents in their right mind should ever want their kids to become homosexual; even many homosexual parents admit that they hope their children grow up to be heterosexual. 

Therefore, “It is our faith in human dignity that underlies our purposes. It is this faith that keeps us a strong and vital people.  This is the hour to rededicate ourselves to the faith in mankind that makes us strong. This is the hour to rededicate ourselves to the faith in God that gives us confidence as we face the challenge of the years ahead.”  Harry S. Truman

We are not to hate people because of their behaviors.  In fact, we are to radically love them.  However, Love does not require we tolerate immoral behavior by way of public policy.  In Love, we can say NO!  Keep your kids home on April 25 and say “No” to the day of silence.

America – Land of the Free and Miserable

 

The above picture saddens me.  We are so blessed, yet many don’t appreciate what it took to give us the luxuries that we take for granted today.  This lack of appreciation permeates our culture and leads to many problems.  

How can we as a nation be so rich, yet at the same time so apathetic and miserable?   

Just watch the news.  Or look at the statistics of how many Americans are on anti-depressants.  Observe the divorce rate.  As Americans have become used to luxury, they have in large forgotten where we have come from and forgotten God who has made those luxuries possible.  From that time on, we can see as people moved further away from moral principals and looked to themselves, problems in America worsened.  It is inarguable that crime, teenage pregnancies, drug use, suicide, murder, school shootings, etc. increases as morality decreases.   

This has led to the latest in the long line of attempted actions towards our own happiness – the pursuit of material possessions.  America is all about buying a bigger house, better car, nicer vacation, bigger diamond — even if we can’t afford it. 

All the while, people are starving in their own cities and other less fortunate people can’t pay to keep their heat on in the winter. 

This concerns me. 

Why do we place so much stock in our possessions?  Are we so naive and pride-filled to think that we deserve what we have?  It is feasible to think that someday (and perhaps soon) all the luxuries we have will no longer matter, for we may be forced to contend for the bare necessities (food, shelter, so forth).  All great nations and economies fall. 

What will we do should that day arrive today?   

The problem is that we base our lives on material possession, which truly hold very little value in the grand scheme of things.  Our attention and affections are put into the wrong things. 

Helen Keller, who spent the majority of her life both blind and deaf, writes: ”Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life. The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our facilities and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight. But those who have never suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily, without concentration and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious of health until we are ill.  I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.” – From “Three Days to See, as published in Atlantic Monthly (January, 1933).  

Yogi Berra exclaimed, “The future isn’t what it used to be.”   

I think we all can agree with that.  But instead of just agreeing, let’s do something about it.

It’s not the government’s responsibility — it’s ours! 

Let us turn our eyes from ourselves (the selfish creatures we are) and return our gaze towards heaven and the God of our forefathers who can provide all that is required to live a life of fulfillment and peace.  Let us find a passion in seeing others comforted and placed even above ourselves. 

Albert Schweitzer stated: “The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.”  Albert realized that happiness will never be achieved in pursuing things for ourselves, but in helping others.  Are you in a bad situation?  Go help someone who is much worse off and you will thank God for your fortune for you will see that you are in a much better position than you thought!   Are you the one much worse off?  Then thank God you are allowed to see as Helen Keller did!  The main point here is getting your eyes off of yourself and on God and others.  There is unity and joy to be found in this.   

John Maxwell writes in Your Roadmap for Success Workbook: A reporter who talked to three construction workers pouring concrete at a building site asked the first worker, “What are you doing?”  “I’m earning a paycheck,” he grumbled.The reporter asked the same question of a second laborer, who looked over his shoulder and said, “What’s it look like I’m doing? I’m pouring concrete.”Then he notice a third man who was smiling and whistling as he worked.  “What are you doing?” he asked. The worker stopped what he was doing and said excitedly, “I’m building a shelter for the homeless.”  He wiped his hands clean on a rag and then pointed, saying, “Look, over there is where the kitchen will be.  And that over there is the women’s dormitory. This here…” 

Happiness and a sense of fulfilling one’s purpose can only be found in looking to help others. 

We should based our lives on this wise proverb: All glory to God, all credit to others, all the privilege is mine.  

I want to leave off by illustrating the dangers of the love of money.

In 1923, a small group of the world’s wealthiest men met at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago, Illinois.  They were a Who’s Who of wealth and power.  At that time, they controlled more money that the total amount contained in the United States Treasury.  Here is a list of who was there and what eventually happened to them: 

- Charles Schwab – president of the largest independent steel company – died broke.

- Arthur Cutten – greatest of the wheat speculators – died abroad, insolvent. (unable to meet debts).

- Richard Whitney – president of the New York Stock Exchange – died just after release from Sing Sing prison.

- Albert Fall – member of a U.S. president’s cabinet – was pardoned from prison so that he could die at home.

- Jess Livermore – greatest “bear” on Wall Street – committed suicide.

- Leon Fraser – president of the Bank of International Settlements – committed suicide. 

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

End times are a’comin

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Muslim representatives and Vatican officials begin talks this week that they hope will lead to an unprecedented Catholic-Islamic meeting.

Five representatives from each side will meet on Tuesday for two days in Rome to work out the details of a larger meeting that will include Pope Benedict later this year.

“We have to bring the dialogue up to date following the great successes of the pontificate of John Paul II,” said Yahya Sergio Yahe Pallavicini, vice-president of the Italian Islamic Religious Community.

Catholic-Muslim relations nosedived in 2006 after Benedict delivered a lecture in Regensburg, Germany, that was taken by Muslims to imply that Islam was violent and irrational.

Muslims around the world protested and the Pope sought to make amends when he visited Turkey’s Blue Mosque and prayed towards Mecca with its Imam.

After the fallout from the Regensburg speech, 138 Muslim scholars and leaders wrote to the German-born Pontiff and other Christian leaders last year, saying “the very survival of the world itself” may depend on dialogue between the two faiths.   

The signatories of the Muslim appeal for theological dialogue, called the “Common Word,” has grown to nearly 225 since.

For the rest of the story see:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080303/wl_nm/pope_islam_dc

Signs of the End Times – Earthquakes!

Matt 24:3,6,7 – “…the disciples came to Jesus privately saying, ‘Tell us what will be the sign of your (second) coming, and of the end of the age.’
And Jesus answered and said to them: … “you will hear of wars and rumors of wars… for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows.”"
 
NOTE: The following list of earthquakes were reported between Feb 1 and Feb 27 2008.  All these happened in 27 days!!!!!!!  Note: ISRAEL hit by earthquake and hole opened in Temple Mount!!! (Zech 14:4)

Also, for another AWESOME related post, see http://heavenawaits.wordpress.com/earthquakes-increase-in-end-times/ 
 
Earthquake Headlines in Feb 2008

Earthquake Felt in Parts of Britain
Sumatra Is Rocked by Earthquake, Indonesia’s 12th in Four Days
Magnitude 7.2 quake jolts Muko Muko, Bengkulu
Moderate earthquake rocks SW China county
Venezuela Struck by 4.9-Magnitude Earthquake in Zulia State
Small earthquake in Almería province
Earthquake jolts southern Iran
Mining sets off earthquake in west Germany
Moderate quake hits S Philippines
6.0 earthquake hits rural northeastern Nevada town
Powerful earthquake recorded in Norway hits Arctic waters
Earthquake felt along Israel’s coast
Magnitude 4.0 earthquake shakes Israel
Earthquake Shook Hole in Temple Mount  (PLEASE READ Zech 14:4 – end-time prophesy yet to be fulfilled.)
Major earthquake hits Svalbard
Strong 6.8 Earthquake Strikes South Sandwich Islands
Moderate intensity quake rocks Kashmir valley
3.0 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Baja Calif.
5.0 temblor shakes California-Mexico border as earthquake swarm …
Moderate earthquake hits off eastern Taiwan
Light earthquake off Zakynthos
Chilean Mining Region Shaken by Earthquake; No Damage Reported
Magnitude 5 Earthquake Strikes Lebanon
Southern Greece Struck by Magnitude-6.7 Earthquake (Update2)
Magnitude 5.4 Earthquake Strikes Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Earthquake hits New Zealand South Island
Timor Sea Hit by Earthquake; Tsunami Alert Filed (Update1)
Earthquake shakes southern Mexico, no casualties
Earthquake Shakes Guantanamo Bay
Earthquake Reported in Southern Okla.
Twenty-three dead in Rwandan earthquake
Earthquake hits Algeria

On Church Strategy…

Much of what I hear and read these days seems to be all about labels, buzz words and strategies.  I can’t keep up with them all and when I try, every one has their own definitions.  Words like missional, emergent, simple, reformed,  etc. etc.

What do these labels describe?  I’ve given it some thought and want to write about these observations.  These labels (among other things) seem to indicate a desire to prescribe an over-arching philosophy, or core principals, on which a particular “sect” is building.  From what I have come to understand about these strategies, they describe (at least to the outward observer) mostly good things which the body should be doing.  But I think the insatiable desire to label ourselves is a sign of an underlying problem in the body of Christ.  You see, I believe we err when our identity is shaped by these labels and strategies.

Our identity should be in Christ.  These is no distinction in Christ. No male. No female. No orthodox. No charismatic.  etc. etc. Fill in the blanks.

Christ said He would build the church and that everything else would be burned up.  The modern American church will see a lot of fire it seems…

As such, let’s change the way we do “business”.  Perhaps we can have some of Christ’s gold here in these last days…

As we give ourselves labels we segregate ourselves.  We describe our strategies and beliefs and thus divide ourselves from anyone not willing to conform to these ideas.  (I’m not talking about basic tenants of the faith here).

As we develop these grand plans, we often become servants to these strategies.  If we’re not careful we can leave Jesus out of the picture.  Then once the strategy begins to produce the desired results, we have the “confirmation” we need to sell our souls out to it.

Oswald Chambers once wrote that there is nothing so potentially dangerous to the Christian worker than the work.  To selling our souls to the work and leaving behind the one thing that is most important – relationship with Jesus Christ.  We become so attached to the plan.  Soon, the strategy begins to be the primary driver and focus – and it compels us.  We become the “Purpose (or Strategy) Driven Church”.

I don’t think Christ ever intended us to be “Driven” by a strategy.  Last time I check we were to follow Him and be compelled by Love.  Eph 5:1 & 2 Cor 5:14

What happens when Christ tells us to move in a different direction?  To abandon the “strategy”.  We can find ourselves arguing with God and rebelling against His will.  (I’m thinking of Jonah right now).

Luke 14:16-20 reads: And He (Jesus) said to him, A certain man made a great supper and invited many.  And he sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, Come, for all things are now ready. And all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said to him, I have a piece of ground, I must go and see it. I beg you, have me excused.  And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I beg you, have me excused.  And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

May we always be willing to give up our priorities for His!

Why do we have such a desire for labels?  Are we describing what we are?  Or what we want to be?

In the early days I’m told Christians didn’t label themselves but were called “Christian” by their heathen observers.  Letting others label us is a far more effective method of determining our fruit than dubbing ourselves with a label we like.  Do you call yourself a prophet or do others testify by your fruit?  Do you call yourself a leader or do others?  Do you label yourself a Christian or does the world call you a Jesus freak?

In part, we label ourselves because its better than what the world calls us and its better than what other sects of the church call us! Ouch!  (Sorry, just trying to call it like I see it). :\

If anything, we should be looking at the labels Jesus provided in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 to see where we fit: Ephesus, Smyrna, Philadelphia, Laodicea, etc.  Uh oh.  We Americans love to coin new buzz words to describe our strategies and plans too.  We pursue with all of our American-bred work ethic these constructs and strategies confident that we will change the world with them and bring glory to God’s name (with some left-overs for ourselves of course…)

Have we stopped to wonder why we are driven to begin with?  Paul ran a race but he never ran ahead of Christ.  He was running after the front runner – Jesus Christ.   We in America are “driven” as a way of life and we don’t know why – we just drive forward with an insatiable desire of conquest.  It’s in our heritage.  Manifest Destiny!  At all costs!  So much so that when Christ whispers “stop” or “turn” or “wait”, we don’t hear him but keep plowing right along.

Paul attempted to enter Asia but the Spirit would not permit him. (Acts 16:6) Many of our church strategies are influenced by business models that have been designed for capitalism (no doubt influenced by Mammon himself) which have become the norm for church planning and planting and they can drive us into “Asia” even though the Spirit is shouting “STOP! I have a different job for you; a different strategy!”

We are driven by a motto – Success at all costs.  Oh yeah, and it must be measurable too.

I believe God measures success much differently than we tend to however…

The largely unchallenged belief that we must be driven is a foundation that affects much of what we do, including one of our many problems in the church:  works without knowing (or forgetting) our first Love.  Being driven isn’t a bad thing if it is by a compelling love for the Author and Finisher of our faith.  But if we are driving because it makes us feel important or we seek self glory, we should reevaluate.

“Winning” is different from “succeeding.”  Most Americans won’t agree however.

One of the most popular Christian authors of our time tells us about a life and church that are both driven with purpose.  I don’t dispute many of the concepts; I simply believe we must not be driven because it’s simply the thing to do to make myself “feel” worthy, important, etc.

I think we should write a book called “The Christ-led Life” and “The Christ-led Church”.   One problem though – I don’t think it would sell a zillion copies…  This type of life and church requires too much personal death on a cross for our liking…

Wait!  That book is already written.  It’s called the New Testament… I digress.

When we view church growth as the primary goal and measurement of success we have lost our focus.  Church growth isn’t primarily about numbers (though growth is often a thing).

Jesus had huge crowds following him, but He ran them off when He spoke of true discipleship.

Remember what happened when he told his “followers” they must eat his flesh and drink his blood?

Remember what the young, rich ruler did when Jesus told him to sell all his goods?

When this ruler walked away saddened at the cost Jesus required, Jesus didn’t run after him trying to convince him of all the awesome promises found in the Christian walk.  Instead, He let him walk away.

Growth requiring no cost was of no interest to Jesus.

In one case Jesus saw a multitude and immediately left for the “other side”; He didn’t even stop to give a message or take an offering.

Remember how he encouraged “potential followers” to count the cost before taking the life of discipleship?  Who goes about building a tower without first calculating the cost? (Luke 14:27-29)

True growth will come out of the overflow of the Spirit in the lives of believers and as the church finds unity in the fear of the Lord.  Then the church will be added to daily.  (Acts 2:42-47)

Consider the first century Christians in Rome.  They were being killed left and right – being used for tiki torches at Nero’s garden parties – their church grew.

That early church didn’t have a written strategy or plan.  Or a label.  Their strategy was to know Christ and Him crucified. (1 Cor 2:2)

Take the church of Laodicea which (in the opinions of some) closely resembles the state of the American church – sprawling with wealth, intelligence and growth.  Yet what did Jesus say of her?  Something about vomit… (Rev 3:15,16)

In contrast, I’m sure the church of Smyrna was too busy dodging prison, tribulation and poverty to be concerned with being “seeker-sensitive”, “missional” or “reformed”, etc..  They weren’t trying to figure out what guest speaker will bring the greatest draw, or when to end worship service before people get “tired” of worshiping, or the maximum amount of time a sermon must last before the congregation looses “interest”. Yet what does Christ say about her? (Rev 2:10)

I’m not trying to take this into legalism.  My point isn’t to talk anyone into totally abandoning good plans; but rather to focus our primary energies and priorities to this: To know Jesus Christ, His Spirit and His plans.  To once again fall into an intimate and passionate pursuit of our Lord and Savior.  To know the hope of His calling, the riches of His inheritance and the greatness of his power toward us who believe.  (Eph 1:15-20)

Then out of this relationship our lives and the lives of those we disciple to Christ will begin to look more and more like Jesus instead of the world. We will bear good fruit.

To do this, I believe many in the church must begin to think differently.  And teach others to think differently.  We must break barriers and walls of division and separation.  It’s time to get rid of denominations and clubs.  We who believe in Christ are family – brothers and sisters. What loving family ostracizes each other just because of differing beliefs, preferences and social natures?  It seems our family does.  The family that God has designed to show forth His love can’t get along with each other much of the time.  Well, I submit it’s time for this nonsense to stop.

Anything that takes us away from Christ must be discarded.  And make no mistake – many in America have gotten away from Christ.  We are driving, driving, driving, all for the kingdom but we’ve forgotten our first Love.  In the process, we’ve burned ourselves out and turned away people from the truth.

We haven’t entered His rest; we’ve forgotten it exists.

The thousands upon thousands we manage to ‘convert’ don’t exhibit the fruit spoken of in the Bible.

We rejoice in the casting out of our demons, yet we don’t think to rejoice that our names are written in Heaven.  Why?  Our priorities are misaligned.  Our walk on earth has become (for many) a luxurious place where we glory in our accomplishments and the respect we have earned, and the exploits we have accomplished.

We speak in other tongues and prophesy of things to come; we form delegations and committees to ensure every jot and tittle of scripture is argued; we spend masses of wealth to ensure the airwaves are filled as we push ourselves into every nook and cranny of the world and others’ lives.  Yet woe to us if Christ is left behind playing second fiddle.

We must learn to examine our hearts. To till the fallow ground.  How much time do we allow to pass before we humble ourselves in repentance?  Success has left us comfortable and proud and we assume our unbroken success is a good measure of our how big our treasure chest is “upstairs” and how pleased our Father is with us.

As I mentioned before, I believe God measures things differently.  He said the best in the kingdom is the least here.  Since when have our strategies and plans included any activities wrapped around being the servants to all?  We may talk of this, but our actions reflect we aren’t the least – we are the best!

Many (in that day) will expect a reward as they say Lord, Lord!  We’ve done all these exciting works for you. And Jesus will respond, “Depart workers of iniquity. I know you not.” (Luke 13:27)

We exalt leaders for what we SEE them accomplish, but we often don’t exalt Christ to His rightful place – the thrones of our hearts. Thus enters sensationalism into the church.

One friend of mine was near heartbroken because she didn’t think she had a testimony.  Everyone around her would glorify the sensational testimonies – “so-and-so was visited by an Angel” or “God instantly gave so-and-so an amazing miracle”, etc.  I assured her that her quiet faith and “unsensational” experience was just as sensational as those outward signs and wonders.  “Blessed are those who have not seen and believe.” (John 20:28-30)

Jesus said that we are not to rejoice in our authority over demons but rather that our name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  Often times we have this reversed do we not?

People place so much emphasis on having amazing and charismatic sermons, but place so little emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit.

Many years ago there was a great preacher (who’s name escapes me) that read his pre-written sermons in a monotone voice.  Boring right?  Wrong!  The Holy Spirit would honor this preacher’s brokenness to himself and show up in great power.  Many souls were brought to a knowledge of Christ through this “boring” preacher.

Don’t misunderstand me – going to the entire world, casting out demons and speaking in tongues, preaching charismatic sermons are not bad things; they are great things in fact.  But it is fruitless if these are our focus over Christ. It is fruitless if not done by the Spirit.  (Zech 4:6b)

We must honor Jesus Christ by selling out to Him and ridding ourselves of our pride and arrogance.  We must follow Christ and bear his fruit which include holiness, purity and the fruit of the Spirit.  Love comes first and is eternal; the foundation on which all else is built.

What does this mean we should do?  For many of us, perhaps our best plan of action is no action at all – at least for awhile – until we learn to be still and know once again like we used to.  We should put away grand strategies and focus on the master until His strategies and plans become clear.

Learn to be quiet.  Learn to listen.  Learn to be led.

Out of relationship with Jesus Christ, His overflow will change the world around us and we won’t even need a written plan or label on our church philosophies. Or a denomination.  We will be salt and light; an aroma of life to some and death to others.  That is the strategy.  Be so filled with Love from your relationship with Christ that you have His aroma.  His power.  His plan.  The true “silver bullet” strategy is to know Jesus Christ.  We must learn to walk in the Spirit like we should and teach others to do the same.

America is filled with Christians who do not know Christ or His Law of Love.

All our works and activities may earn the respect of others, but it won’t hide us from ourselves… or God.  As we mask any spiritual emptiness before men with actions, our “works” produces personal distraction so we don’t have to listen to the Spirit of God calling us to repent.  I believe this is evinced by all of the “secret sins” in the Church.

We export what we don’t possess.  And we possess that which is contraband.

We come up with recipes which promises “success” and we call our success God’s doing.  But while we were busy building OUR success, freedom exited out the back door and took liberty with her.

Looking for evidence?  Look at the church herself.  Many converts are busy worshiping Mammon, Molech, Baal, while sleeping with Jezebel.  The church is divorcing at rates equal or greater than heathens.  Our children are killing and cutting themselves.  Our adults are no longer concerned about their children or themselves and have no sense of right or wrong.  Our leaders announce their divorces and sexual misconducts from the pulpit with no shame, conviction or remorse.

Confusion ensues and one generation is wasted wondering what happened, while the next generation eagerly and pridefully claws over the previous with the latest recipes promising sure success… this time.

What’s interesting is that many or most of whom I write have great intentions.  But as the quote says, “The pathway to hell is paved with good intentions”.  This may be a little strong, but should do well to illustrate the point.  I’m not saying everyone is going to hell – I’m saying that intentions don’t justify the plans of man whilst forgetting Christ.

My friends, we here in the USA are in a spiritual disaster area. Ground zero in New York shows us where are moral foundations are heading.  I need not cite any evidence; just look around or spend some time with our youth.  It’s not the fault of any one church, denomination, sect, belief, strategy, etc.  It’s our fault.  Me.  You.  Personal responsibility.

But I believe those of us who call ourselves leaders and teachers have a special responsibility.  Being deceived we have led others astray.  I wonder how many teachers have ever trembled when they read the scripture that warns that not many should desire to be a teacher…  I would hope most, but evidence is to the contrary….

Jesus told the Sadducees “You are in error because you know neither the scriptures or the power of God.”  (Matt 22:29).  We may know the scriptures backward and front – even know the Greek and Hebrew – but do we know His power?

Let’s run back to the stumbling block Himself and throw ourselves upon Him until we know Him.  Christ and Christ alone.  The Word and the Power.  Seek Him and Him alone.  Make sure we follow His direction and not tell Him what we are going to do for Him.  Let’s follow Christ and teach others to do the same.

How?  I think He told us.

We must become poor in spirit.  We must repent.  We must loose our lives.  We must pick up our cross and follow Him.

We must obey and be willing to be persecuted.  We must not love the world or anything in it.  We must esteem ourselves destitute and unwise.  We must quit thinking that because we sound good, write well, sing smoothly, plan effectively, and preach with angelic charisma, that we must be exhibiting good fruit pleasing to God.

We must obey at all costs.  We must be willing to suffer rejection even from those who call themselves “brother”. Finally we must suffer in the flesh.  And if we rich Americans can’t figure out how to make our flesh suffer as Paul advocated, God will come to our rescue – just not in the way we like to imagine him coming…  He will not leave us orphans, but He will come to us.  Make no mistake – He has no regard for our flesh.  He will come as an all-consuming fire and burn up all that we have stocked up for ourselves and many will suffer great loss.  There will be those who are surprised at His rejection; and of those who are not rejected many will escape only as one escapes the lashing flames of a fire.   (1 Cor 3:14-23)

Let us not forget in our haughtiness and pride that Christ told us the way was narrow and few will find it.  I’m sure that those in Laodicea church surely thought the other churches were the ones missing the mark while in all of her glorious accomplishments they themselves were surely on the right path.  Brothers and sisters – I have only one reply to this: God measures success differently.

He chastised Laodicea and comforted Smyrna.

The fear of God is something we gloss over by saying “It means awe of God.”

Well, that is part of it, but if you haven’t feared God from time-to-time as a child fears an angry father, or even as one who can destroy both your soul and body in hell, then we may need some more lessons from the Holy Spirit on fear.  Fear is the beginning of wisdom.

Based on scriptures, the fear-less condition of our church is to be expected however.
Her naivety is buttressed by success; her faith affirmed by prosperity; her confidence unshakable on the firm footing of successful church growth strategies and disciple-making programs.

Yet the fruit betrays us.

We must follow Christ and then teach others to follow Christ.  Instead as is far too often the case, we spend much of our precious time trying to convince our peers and critics that our way is the best way.  We build our structures on the shoulders charismatic leaders turning them into the new Kings of Israel, and are surprised when the fail us.

We must obey what the Spirit is expressing to us and let Christ be our judge.  I suggest we leave our labels to our heathen observers.  Above all, We must hear and obey Christ.  To him who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches…

Oswald Chambers wrote the following which sums this up pretty well.  He writes:

“Acts 26:16 “I have appeared to you for this purpose…”

The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was not a passing emotional experience, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him.  And Paul stated, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19).

Our Lord said to Paul, in effect, “Your whole life is to be overpowered or subdued by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine.”  And the Lord also says to us, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go…” (John 15:16)

When we are born again, if we are spiritual at all, we have visions of what Jesus wants us to be.  It is important that I learn not to be “disobedient to the heavenly vision” – not to doubt that it can be attained.  It is not enough to give mental assent to the fact that God has redeemed the world, nor even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in my life.  I must have the foundation of a personal relationship with Him.

Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim.  He was brought into a vivid, personal, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ.

Acts 26:16 is tremendously compelling “… to make you a minister and a witness…”  There would be nothing there without a personal relationship.  Paul was devoted to a Person, not to a cause.  He was absolutely Jesus Christ’s.  He saw nothing else and he lived for nothing else.  “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2) “

I hope and pray that the Holy Spirit compels us all to purchase from Jesus Christ true gold in these last days.

On Holiness – select quotes and scriptures

The Issue – We Look Like the World 

Do you think the King of kings and Lord of lords is going to come into a place where He is not given due honor and reverence? 

 

- John Bevere

 

By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.  (Lev 10:3)

 

“It seems that millions of people who accept Jesus as their Savior never really accept Him as their Lord – that is, they gladly accept His offer of eternal salvation and confess their sins and profess Him to be their Savior in order to gain God’s acceptance and escape the wrath of His judgment for our sins.  But their spiritual development does not go much beyond the acceptance of the offer of salvation: They do not continually invest in life transformation to become a more viable reflection of who Jesus is as He lives in their heart and seeks to influence who they become and how they manifest their commitment to God. 

 

The consequence is that millions of — the data even suggests most — born-again Christians have not surrendered their life fully, and thus they keep one foot firmly planted in this world and one foot gingerly lodged in the next.  That causes many people who call Jesus their Savior to live in ways that are not distinguishable from the ways of people who do not name Jesus as their Savior… 

 

It seems that Christians are more affected by society than society is affected by Christians.  They think like the rest of the world, so they naturally behave like citizens of this world too.  They are not the salt and light that Jesus commands us to be because they lack the personal commitment and depth of faith that makes them truly changed, God-driven beings.” 

 

- George Barna in “Think Like Jesus”

 

 

“Maintaining a love affair with the world is akin to having a mistress.  The modern-day Church has its own mistress, having fallen head- over-heels in love with the world.  The average believer can talk for hours about ‘the things of the world’ but then try asking about their relationship with the Lord and they quickly run out of words.  The Bible says ‘out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.’

 

When a person is in love, they will enthusiastically tell you all about their lover.  Paul warned us that in the last days, men would be lovers of money, lovers of pleasure, lovers of self more than lovers of God.  There are some of the ‘lovers’ that creep into our lives and gradually erode our relationship with God.  Jesus said in the last days the ‘love of many would wax cold’.  How well this describes the condition of the present day Church.  Over time, the Church’s passion for Christ has cooled from its former fervency and fire to what is now only a smoldering ember.

 

James refers to those who love the world as adulterers.  Tragically, the vast majority of Christians are even now pursuing an ongoing love affair with the world.

 

Imagine what it would be like on your wedding day to hear your spouse say these words: “I ________ take you _________ to be my lawfully wedded ________.  I promise to remain faithful to you on Sundays only.  I refuse to forsake all former lovers, choosing rather to cling to them and meet with them throughout the week.” 

 

- David Ravenhill

 

The peril (of Satan’s schemes) lies in the subtlety of the powers at work within the Church and within our individual lives.  Like a cancer, the spirit of the world quietly, steadily, and methodically attacks one cell at a time, infiltrating our churches, our families and our lives and largely supplanting God’s value system with a new hybrid. 

 

Paul worried that, “as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” (I Cor 10:21) 

 

It is the simple and the pure devotion to Christ that believers are called to live.  People are only vulnerable to being deceived when they want what is being offered to them. 

 

As man’s day draws to a close and we approach the great Day of the Lord, this unseen war rages like never before.  Satan’s wrath is being poured out against believers. (Rev 12:12)  The spirit of Antichrist is wearing down the holy resolve of the saints. (Dan 7:25)  Now, at this crucial hour, God’s people have corporately approved of a powerless form of religion that tolerates an impotent blend of Christianity and heathenism.” 

 

- Steve Gallagher

   
Living in Holiness  

He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (I Peter 1:15,16)

 

There are two aspects of salvation that should be manifest in a Christian’s life: the first is the forgiveness of sin; the second is his deliverance from sinning.  Anyone who is not experience both of these aspects in his life is living beneath the privileges that God has accomplished for us in Christ. 

 

God’s way of deliverance is altogether different from man’s way.  Man’s way is to try to suppress sin by seeking to overcome it; God’s way is to remove the sinner.  Many Christians mourn over their weakness, thinking that if only they were stronger all would be well.  God sets us free from the dominion of sin, not by strengthening our old man, but by crucifying him; not by helping him to do anything, but my entirely removing him from the scene of action.

 

It is the death of Christ working in a man’s life that produces purity of spirit.  And it is this purity of spirit that brings further light or revelation from God.

 

– Watchman Nee

 

We Christians greatly enjoy talking about the provision of God, how Christ defeated sin on the cross and gave us His Holy Spirit to empower us to victory over sin.  But we do not as readily talk about our own responsibility to walk in holiness for two primary reasons. 

 

First, we are simply reluctant to face up to our responsibility.  We prefer to leave that to God.  We pray for victory when we know we should be acting in obedience. 

 

The second reason is that we do not understand the proper distinction between God’s provision and our own responsibility for holiness… ‘Pursue holiness, for wihtou holiness no one will see the Lord’ (Heb 12:14). 

 

The world pursue suggests two thoughts: first, that diligence and effort are required; and second, that it is a lifelong task. God expects every Christian to live a holy life.  It is to live a life characterized by the ‘putting off of your old self… and putting on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph 4:22,24). 

 

If holiness, then, is so basic to the Christian life, why do we not experience it more in daily living?  Why do so many Christians feel constantly defeated in their struggle with sin?  Why does the Church of Jesus Christ so often seem to be more conformed to the world around it than to God?  At risk of oversimplification, the answers can be grouped into three basic problem areas: 

 

1) Our first problem is that our attitude toward sin is more self-centered than God-centered.  We are more concerned about our own “victory” over sin than we are about the fact that our sins grieve the heart of God.  We cannot tolerate failure in our struggle with sin chiefly because we are success-oriented, not because we know it is offensive to God.  GOD WANTS US TO WALK IN OBEDIENCE – NOT VICTORY.  Obedience is oriented toward God; victory is oriented toward self.  As we concentrate on living an obedient, holy life, we will certainly experience the joy of victory over sin. 

 

2) Our second problem is that we have misunderstood “living by faith” (Gal 2:20) to mean that no effort at holiness is required on our part.  In fact, sometimes we have even suggested that any effort on our part is “of the flesh.”  We must face the fact that we have a personal responsibility for our walk of holiness.  We can put away our sinful habits if we truly desire to do so. 

 

3) Our third problem is that we do not take some sin seriously.  Scriptures say it is “the little foxes that ruin the vineyards” (Song of Songs 2:15).  Andrew Bonar said, “It is not the importance of the thing, but the majesty of the Lawgiver, that is to be the standard of obedience.” 

 

Are we willing to call sin “sin” not because it is big or little, but because God’s law forbids it?  We cannot categorize sin if we are to live a life of holiness.  Will you being to look at sin as an offense against a holy God, instead of as a personal defeat only?  Will you begin to take personal responsibility for your sin, realizing that as you do, you must depend on the grace of God?  And will you decide to obey God in all areas of life, however insignificant the issue may be? 

 

This is where holiness begins – not with ourselves but with God.  It is only as we see His holiness, His absolute purity and moral hatred of sin, that we will be gripped by the awfulness of sin against the Holy God.  To be gripped is our first step in our pursuit of holiness. 

 

– Jerry Bridges in “The Pursuit of Holiness”

 

Christians are called to war against sin.  This means they are called to learn the art of battle, which includes understanding the nature of sin, the complexity of the human heart, and the goodness and provision of God.  Humility is crucial to growth in the Christian life, and proper humility comes from a due consideration both of God and oneself.  Only from this perspective can one be in a right position to approach the call to holiness. 

 

After believers are redeemed by God they will continue to struggle with the abiding vestiges of sin that disorient the faculties, a condition that remains throughout their earthly life.  Sin moves by drawing the mind away from God, enticing the affections and twisting desires and paralyzing the will, thus stunting any real Christian growth.  One of the most frightening truths is that “Your enemy is not only upon you but is in you also. 

Part of understanding the battle against sin is seeing that the enemy, so to speak, is not only external, but internal, which is why Christians often have conflicting desires within them.  Most Christians seem unaware of or apathetic to about the sin that remains in them. 

 

To respond to the distorting nature of sin you must set your affections on the beauty and glory of God, the loveliness of Christ, and the wonder of the gospel.  Resisting sin comes not by deadening your affections but by awakening them to God himself.  Do not seek to empty your cup as a way to avoid sin, but rather seek to fill it up with the Spirit of life, so there is no longer room for sin…

 

You must consistently work to understand your own temperaments because this will help you better appreciate how sin and temptation arise in your own life.  He who does nto watch this thoroughly, who is not exactly skilled in the knowledge of himself, will never be disentangled from one temptation or another all his days… 

 

A persistent danger among Christians is that we confuse certain personalities with sanctification, creating an inaccurate hierarchy within the kingdom of God.  It is very hard to discern the most faithful Christians, since looks can be deceiving.  Remember that of many of the best Christians, the worst in known and seen.  Many who keep up precious communion with God do yet oftentimes, by their natural tempers of freedom or passion, not carry so glorious appearances as others who perhaps come short of them in grace and the power of godliness.

 

Not only can appearances be misleading, but people in positions of leadership in the church often suffer greater falls than the average congregation member.  Past faithfulness is not a protection against present dangers.

 

In this life there is no escaping the challenges of temptation, and thus all – young and old, pastor and parishioner, poor and rich, wise and simple—must commit themselves to battle against sin.  Be acquainted, then, with thine own heart: though it be deep, search it; though it be dark, inquire into it; though it give all its distempers other names than what are their due, believe it not.  Do not justify your own particular sin, but seek to recognize it so that you might fight against it with all your strength.  Be killing sin or it will be killing you. 

 

Embrace the love and provision of God.  Affirming the importance of honest introspection does not blind us to the fact that this exercise will lead us to despair if not also paralleled with a study of the grace and mercy of God. 

 

Since sin entered this world, it has become challenging for people to rightly view themselves, God, and His work.  We are prone to have hard thoughts of God that tend to keep us from turning to him. 

 

Our primary focus should not be on our sin, but rather embrace the redemption accomplished in Christ.  The aim is not despair but freedom in the gospel of obedience.  Obedience rightly understood is always a response to God’s love. 

 

One of the great promises of God is that he will preserve his people.  In fact, the idea of the perseverance of the saints is frequently misunderstood for so often discussion about remaining in the faith focuses on human efforts, as if it is up to us to avoid losing our salvation.  In truth, the Christian hope rests not ultimately upon our own diligence, but on God’s faithfulness.  It is God, not us, who will ultimately persevere, and that is why he is able to promise us eternal life.  The Father will allow none to be snatched from his hand, the Son incarnate is a truly sympathetic high priest who is the lover of our souls, and the Spirit applies the atoning work of Christ to us. 

 

Keep these truths in mind as we face temptation.  Let us bring our lusts to the gospel, lest we lose sight of the sufficient sacrifice and restorative grace found in God’s work.  We are not to work to secure these realities, but seek to live in the light of them.

 

How should the Christian understand the work of sanctification?  Is the call of believers to holiness God’s work or our own?  There are two extremes often found in the church when dealing with these questions. 

 

On the one hand, there are those who seem to believe that we are saved by grace and sanctified by works: here grace is problematically reduced to the initial work of salvation.  On the other hand, in an effort to avoid “works righteousness”, others tend to collapse justification and sanctification; the danger here is that the biblical call to active, faithful obedience by the believer can be nullified, and inappropriate passivity can set in.  Rather than these two extremes, a balance must be found.

 

True and lasting resistance to sin comes not through willpower and self-improvement but through the Spirit who empowers believers with a knowledge and love of God.  The Holy Spirit has a continued work in the believer.  Not only does the Spirit of God bring life to those who are dead in sin, thus causing a new birth, but he also continues the work of God in the renewing of that person in the image of Christ.  Only as the Spirit communicates the grace and love of the Father to us can we experience genuine relief. 

 

Mortification of sin is the gift of Christ to believers, and this is given by the Spirit of the Son. Efforts apart from the Spirit do not bring sanctification, even if they do produce changed behavior.  Although the Spirit often uses beneficial actives such as fasting and watching, rituals and human effort without the Spirit cannot ultimately bring liberation from sin and temptation.

 

Consider a man who is struggling with inappropriate sexual thoughts about one of his female coworkers.  What does holiness look like in this case?  Very often Christians have a truncated view of sanctification, which stops far too short of true righteousness.  Although it would be a good thing for this man to get to the point that he no longer looks at this woman as an object of lust, that is not all that is hoped for in sanctification.  Rather, in the power of the Spirit the goal is to move to a life-affirming position. 

 

Thus, the objective is not the absence of thoughts about this woman but the presence of a godly appreciation for her.  Under normal circumstances this man should not simply try to deny her existence by avoiding her, but rather begin treating her with dignity, offering words that build her up instead of dehumanizing her with his thoughts.  Ultimately lust will be replaced by genuine and appropriate respect and love.  Thus sanctification involved both putting sin to death and becoming free to love and obey. 

 

– Kelly M. Kapic, from the introduction of “Overcoming Sin and Temptation”, with select quotes from John Owen.

 

God’s working in us [in sanctification] is not suspended because we work, nor our working suspended because God works.  Neither is the relation strictly one of co-operation as if God did his part and we did ours so that the conjunction or coordination of both produced the required result.  God works in us and we also work.  But the relation is that because God works, we work. 

 

– John Murray

   
The Church and the World – They Don’t Mix  

“I want to be a more serious-minded Christian man, more detached from this world, more ready for heaven than I have ever been in my whole life.”

 

- A.W. Tozer

 

Show the world the fruits of Christianity, and it will applaud; but show the world Christianity, and it will oppose it vigorously.

 

Religious people attempt to overcome the world by removing themselves from it.  Christians overcome the world by being other-worldly.

 

There was a time when the church rejected the world’s ways.  Now she not only uses these ways, but she also abuses them.

 

The Christian way to solve the problem of loving the world is not by removing worldly things, but by delivering the heart from the grip of worldly things.

 

- Watchman Nee

 

Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the spirit of the world; for the spirit of the world has sinned from the beginning.  The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the spirit of the world.  No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.  By this the children of God and the children of the spirit of the world are obvious; anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. (I John 3:7-10)

 

 

Do not love the world, nor the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.  And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever. (I John 2:15-17)

 

 

They (Israel) paid homage to the Lord while at the same time they served their own gods, according to the custom of the nations from which they had been carried into exile.  (2 Kings 17:33)

 

 

I (God) cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. (Isa 1:13)

 

 

He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal. (John 12:25)

 

 

The love of money is the root of all evil things, and there are some who in reaching for it have wandered from the faith and spiked themselves on many thorny griefs. (1 Tim 6:10)

 

 

You cannot serve both God and mammon. (Matt 6:24)

 

 

You must face the fact: the final age of this world is to be a time of troubles.  Men will love nothing but money and self; they will be arrogant, boastful, and abusive; with no respect for parents, no gratitude, no piety, no natural affection; they will be implacable in their hatreds, scandal-mongers, intemperate and fierce, strangers to all goodness, traitors, adverturers, swollen with self-importance.  They will be men who put pleasure in the place of God, men who preserve the outward form of religion, but are a standing denial of its reality.  Keep clear of men like these. (2 Tim 3:1-5)

 

 

Submit therefore to God. Resist the spirit of the world and he will flee from you.  (James 4:7)

 

 

Come out of her, my people, that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities (Rev 18:4,5)

 

 

“I cannot read the Bible without desiring to see many believers more spiritual, more holy, more single-eyed, more heavenly-minded, more whole-hearted than they (presently) are. I want to see among believers more of a pilgrim spirit, a more decided separation from the world, a conversation more evidently in heaven, a closer walk with God…” 

 

- J.C. Ryle

 

 

“The heart of man is narrow, and cannot contain both loves.  The world draws down the heart from God; and so the omre the love of the world prevails the more the love of God dwindles and decays… The Spirit of God in true Christians is opposed to the spirit of the world.” 

 

- Matthew Henry

 

 

And now little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.  (I John 2:28)

 

 

My Kingdom is not of this world.  (John 18:36)

 

 

The world has been crucified to me. (Gal 6:14)

 

 

You formerly walked according tot he course of this world. (Eph 2:2)

 

 

Do not be bound together with unbelievers (II Cor 6:14)

 

 

Keep yourself unstained by the world (James 1:27)

 

 

Do not be conformed to this world (Rom 12:2)

 

 

Come out from their midst and be separate (II Cor 6:17)

 

 

Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. (I John 2:15)

 

 

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (I John 2:15)

 

 

Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me (Paul).  (II Tim 4:10)

 

 

A friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)

 

 

Gain the whole world and forfeit your soul.  (Mark 8:36)

 

 

He who loves his life loses it (John 12:25)

 

 

Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. (I John 5:4)

 

 

They have escaped the defilements of the world. (II Peter 2:20)

 

 

The world has hated them (John 17:14)

 

 

Do not marvel, brethren, if the world hates you. (I John 3:13)

 

 

Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. (Rom 12:2)

 

 

We are human, but we don’t wage war with human plans and methods.  We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds.  With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God.  With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and teach them to obey Christ. (2 Cor 10:3-5)

 

 

Here is my final conclusiong: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person.  God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. (Ecc 12:13-14)

 

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.  Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.  Instead, fear the Lord and turn your back on evil.  (Prov 3:5-7)

 

 

Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons… Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales.  Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness…  Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. (I Tim 4:1,7,11)

 

 

 

The Road to Holiness – Suffering  

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trails of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  (James 1:2-4)

 

Remembering that Christ endured bodily suffering, you must arm y ourselves with a temper of mind like his.  When a man has thus endured bodily suffering he has finished with sin, and for the rest of his days on earth he may live, not for the things that men desire, but for what God wills.  (1Pe 4:1) 

 

But the God of all grace, He calling us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little, He will perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.  (1Pe 5:10) 

 
For you were not called to this? For Christ also suffered on our behalf, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps (1 Pe 2:21)  

 We also rejoice in our sufferings… (Rom 5:3)

 

For I will show him what great things he must suffer for My name’s sake. (Acts 9:16)

 

And if we are children, then we are heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ; so that if we suffer with Him, we may also be glorified together. (Rom 8:17)

 

And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it. (1Co 12:26) 

 

For to you it is given on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.  (Php 1:29) 

 

I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound. In everything and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  (Php 4:12) 

 

If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.  (2Ti 2:12) 

 

(Moses) choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a time,  (Heb 11:25) 

 

But if you also suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. And do not fear their fear, nor be troubled,  (1Pe 3:14) 

 

Do not at all fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the Devil will cast some of you into prison, so that you may be tried. And you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life.  (Rev 2:10) 

 

(Jesus) who when He was reviled did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten, but gave Himself up to Him who judges righteously.   (1Pe 2:23) 

 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  (Rom 8:35) 

Remember those in bonds…

Heb 13:3 – Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them, those who suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

While we are busy celebrating our traditional holy days, let us be sure to remember our brothers and sisters around the world who are less fortunate.

Gal 2:10 – Remember the poor…

Acts 20:35 – We ought to help the weak…

Col 4:18 – Remember my bonds…

PYONGYANG, North Korea: Son Jong Nam, a Christian in North Korea, has been held in a bleak, North Korean death row basement cell for more than a year. He has been sentenced to die by “public execution.” He is charged with being a “national traitor” and “receiving Christianity.”

Mr. Son has already spent 3 years in prison and has gone through brutal tortures. Mr. Son’s crime? Sharing his faith in the communist nation of North Korea. To learn more about The Voice of the Martyrs visit www.Persecution.com

On May 20, 2007, Pastor Zaur Balaev was arrested for “conducting an illegal religious meeting” in his home village in Aliabad, Azerbaijan. In August, he was sentenced to two years in prison under Article 315, Part 1, for allegedly violently resisting the police during a raid. The authorities first claimed that Pastor Balaev released a dog on police, but have since claimed he attacked five policemen and damaged a car door.

During the trial, some witnesses reported that police had pressured them into testifying against Pastor Balaev. For more information go to http://www.prisoneralert.com/

Pastor Y Wo Nie was arrested August 18, 2004, for leading a demonstration demanding more religious freedom and the release of property confiscated by the Vietnamese government. He received a nine-year sentence. His family has not been able to visit him. Chinese Christian Li Ying has been in prison more than 2000 days. She is serving a 15-year sentence for her role as editor of an underground-church magazine in China.

She was the very first prisoner featured on www.prisoneralert.com. At that time, the email list consisted of barely more than 2000 people. More than 7,400 letters have been printed off of the site to be sent to her since that original posting in February, 2004. The letters that Prisoner Alert visitors write make a difference! Once when her mother went to the prison to visit Li Ying, the warden asked, “How many relatives do you have in America?” He had noted all the letters arriving for Li Ying! In recent months, Li Ying’s mother has not been allowed to visit as prison officials tried to get Li Ying to recant her faith and sign a document saying that she is part of an “evil cult.” Yet she has remained faithful to Christ and refused to sign. Li Ying is still in prison, forced to work long hours with little food.

Please send her a letter of encouragement and let her know you are praying for her and other Christians in China. Also, write to the Chinese government requesting that Li Ying’s sentence be reduced, as the sentences for others from her house church group have been. Let your friends know about Li Ying’s suffering, and encourage them also to write to her and pray for her and other Christians in China. We may not know here on earth the difference we are making; in eternity, though, it will be clear.

Get involved!

Pray for and write to Li Ying.

In a highly unusual press conference in Pyongyang in September, the National Security Service of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced the arrest of “foreign spies” and “native citizens working for a foreign intelligence service.” The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), a ministry serving Christians in restricted nations who are persecuted for their faith, announced today that those arrested in North Korea were in fact Christian believers and not spies.

The security service spokesman at the press conference, Li Su Gil, said that those arrested “carried out the missions by means of diverse espionage equipment.” He did not name any of those arrested. VOM has identified the following North Korean Christians who have disappeared and are believed to have been arrested by government authorities: Onseong, North Hamgyong Province:

Chul Huh, male Chun-Il Jang, male, 39

Young-Su Jin, male, 32

Myung-Chul Kim, male, 36

Nam-Suk Kang, male, 48

Young-Yae Lee, female, 37

Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province: San-Ho Kang, male, 36

Cheongjin, North Hamgyong Province: Mi-Hae Park, female, 30

Suk-Chun Suh, male, 29

These North Korean Christians had started a portrait photography studio to help support themselves, and had registered their businesses with appropriate government authorities. According to VOM sources working in North Korea, they were not involved in espionage activities. It is believed that equipment taken by the government was in fact photography equipment used in their portrait work.

 “Following Jesus Christ is considered treason in North Korea, where the government mandates that worship is reserved for deceased dictator Kim Il Sung and his son, the current dictator, Kim Jong Il,” said Todd Nettleton, spokesperson for VOM. “

The Voice of the Martyrs is proud to stand with Christ’s followers in North Korea, and deeply concerned for the well-being of our brothers and sisters there. We call on the North Korean government to release these Christian believers, who were involved in legitimate business activities to support themselves and their families.”

The Voice of the Martyrs has been actively involved in helping North Korean Christians for decades. Among the projects the ministry has carried out for North Korea is the launch of thousands of “scripture balloons,” mylar balloons filled with helium and printed on either side with scripture passages.

VOM has conducted other projects to help North Korean Christians but cannot discuss details publicly to protect the safety of VOM workers and contacts inside North Korea. VOM sources do not know the whereabouts of the arrested believers. It is possible that they have already been tried and executed.!!!

Bindiya Sisra, a Gospel for Asia missionary is hospitalized with serious head injuries after she was brutally attacked by anti-Christian extremists Nov. 13 in Haryana, India. Ittam Reja, a fellow missionary, was on his way to visit Bindiya in the hospital when he was also attacked by another group of extremists.

Bindiya remains hospitalized, suffering from blood clots in her brain. She is unable to breathe on her own and is incoherent. “This is an unbelievable act in Indian culture,” said GFA President K.P. Yohannan. “It indicates how desperate the anti-Christian forces are to stop people from knowing the love of Jesus Christ.” Bindiya has been a GFA missionary for four years.

She and another missionary, Hemanti Jode, serve in an area where there is a high concentration of people who follow a traditional Asian religion. Bindiya grew up in a family that followed this religion before she chose to receive Jesus as her Savior.

During the past few years, the church Bindiya and Hemanti serve has grown, and now there are 60 people regularly attending worship services. One of those who sometimes attends services is a young boy named Samar, whose family follows the traditional religion.

Samar is friends with Pareel, Bindiya’s 12-year-old son. Knowing the boy would be welcome in Bindiya’s home, some anti-Christian extremists decided to use the boy to frame Bindiya. The males who follow this traditional religion wear red turbans on their heads when they are in public.

The turban has historical and religious significance, and men and boys are never supposed to take them off, or even loosen them in public. The extremists deliberately loosened Samar’s turban, and told the boy to go to Bindiya’s house and ask her to pray for him. When she placed her hand on his head to pray, the turban unraveled and fell to the floor.

As soon as the turban fell off the young man’s head, about 15 extremists who had been watching grabbed Bindiya and began beating her. They grabbed her by the hair and bashed her head against a brick wall. Others pounded on her body with large sticks. The attacked lasted 20 minutes until someone broke it up.

For two months, GFA missionary Prasanth was able to dodge the men who were trying to kill him. He gathered the Christians from his village together for worship as often as possible, but it was dangerous. Prasanth had come to this village in Himachal Pradesh, India, a few years before, and by God’s grace, as he shared the Gospel, he saw 50 people come to know the Lord.

Unfortunately, there was one elderly man named Kushan who did not like Prasanth nor the Christian message he preached. In spite of his opposition, Kushan’s wife and children chose to receive Jesus as their Savior. Kushan tried everything he could to prevent them from worshipping at the church services. His ultimate goal was to stop this young missionary from sharing the Gospel. Eventually, he decided to send some violent men to kill Prasanth.

Thankfully, God protected Prasanth from the would-be murderers. Prasanth was very aware that Kushan hated him, but in faith he prayed fervently for him.

Then, Kushan got very sick. He had severe chest pain and was unable to eat or drink anything. His wife asked him again and again to call Prasanth for prayer. Finally, Kushan allowed Prasanth to come and pray.

Prasanth was very aware that Kushan hated him, but in faith he prayed fervently for him. God answered Prasanth’s prayer and healed Kushan completely. In awe, Kushan confessed that Jesus is Lord and received Him as his Savior.

Today, he and his family all come to the worship services together. Instead of opposing Prasanth, Kushan is helping him in every way he can. Prasanth asks for prayer that God will use Kushan and his family to bring many more to Christ in Himachal Pradesh.

Students Murdering Students – A Different Perspective

We as a nation are shocked at witnessing yet once again another example of the fruit of the seeds we have sown (regarding the murders at Va. Tech). Why look so surprised America? We are actually partners with Cho who killed them…

At the heart of the matter, this tragedy is a moral issue.

A heart-gone-bad killed these kids.

This is not an issue of “more education needed”, or “more laws needed”. This isn’t our educators fault. This isn’t the government’s fault. This isn’t a gun law issue.

This is a heart issue. A moral issue.

This is about Seedtime and Harvest. The Bible tells us all about it… (Gen 8:22)

We’ve planted our seeds America. We are reaping the fruit.

For decades we have been allowing our own society to sow these seeds.

America says:

If it feels good, just do it. No restraint necessary”

“God doesn’t exist. Therefore these is no moral authority or moral absolute. No one to answer to. Thus, go do what you want.”

“My sin (now know as weakness) doesn’t hurt others”.

“We don’t need the Bible as it is no longer relevant”.

Well, I see a correlation here – less morality, more chaos, death and destruction.

The fact is that the Bible is THE source of truth on the topic of man’s moral depravity.

It tells us that sin leads to death. It defines what sin is. It tells us to choose life by choosing not to sin.

Pretty simple if you ask me.

But American’s want their own way. They don’t want their lusts and passions to be bridled or restrained.

The Bible says, “God will not be mocked, man shall reap what he sows”.

The fact is simply this: The religion of moral relativism has utterly failed us.

James 1:14-16 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

We mourn these kids’ deaths, and rightfully so. It’s always sad when young and promising lives are cut short by murder.

But if we don’t change, we may as well turn our backs and stop mourning.

When something like this happens, America looks for someone or something to blame.

I say America, “Look at yourself”. Check the log in your own eye before you find the spec in someone else’s.

You and your forefather’s have made this day more likely by supporting the sin and moral depravity in this nation by the very conduct of your own lives.”

When it comes to our moral obligation, lack of action against something constitutes support for it.

Just listen to what our youth are glorifying in their music, or what is portrayed as “cool” on TV.  Drugs, orgies, violence. One popular movie “American Pie” tells our high schoolers that you aren’t cool unless you are sleeping with your best friend’s mom.

If you don’t think culture effects kids, think again. What we behold we become.  Poor company corrupts good character.  As a person thinks so shall he be.  These are truths that are taught not only in chruch but in business.  Pick up many of the top management books of the day and you will see these principals taught.  If this applies to business adults, how much more the fragile minds of our youth.

What are your kids watching?  What are your kids listening to?  What are you supporting in our culture via the use of your almighty dollar?  I can tell you much about your morality if you show me how you spend your money.

America – You kill your unborn young, and expect those who you allow to live to somehow value their lives, knowing they were only a decision away from aborted life?!? Wake up!

You decide that man is no longer created in God’s image and thus devalue us all.

You allow murder, lust, rape, idolatry, fornication, pornography and adultery on the TV Screen and in your hearts, and then expect the environment to not suffer.  You expect your children’s minds not to be influenced?  Awake O’ Sleeper!

You rape young children through child pornography and physical touch.  You have no restraint.  Your children are taking after you.  You’re actions are wasting away the generations of our youths.

You are insane for thinking the results of these actions are benign.

How many more die before we repent and turn?

America says, “We are created from an evolutionary Big Bang. There is no God to answer to.  No moral law.  No absolute truth.  No exact right or wrong to speak of…”

Keep believing that way and you will keep getting the same results – moral degredation.

Einstein said, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”

He also said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.“

You plant the seeds. Your children and children’s children suffer at your own hands.

You plant the seeds; they reap your harvest.

Truth hurts.  It also sets us free.  There is hope…

Corn to come from apple seeds?

Heaven to come from hell?

Righteousness to come from sin?

Peace to come from torment?

Do you think a sin-filled heart won’t effect those around it?

FACT – Hurting people hurt others.

FACT – The only cure for hurting people is Jesus Christ.  He is our hope!

Christ alone fills the moral void in our souls. How do I know? I accepted Him as my life and savior.  I know the difference He makes!

Am I now perfect?  No.  But I was blind and now I see.  I don’t accept sin as normal or a way of life anymore.  And not because anything good exists in me, but because Jesus Christ lives.  Now, I practice restraint and push away sin and weight which used to ensnare me.  Join me won’t you?

Christ alone.

Christ alone.

America – Repent to a God who loves you and wants the best for you.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Favorite Winston Churchill Quotes:

Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has no heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains.

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.

A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.

I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.

If you’re going through hell, keep going.

I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.

It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.

History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.