Martyrdom

Matthew
Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia , killed by a sword wound.

Mark
Died in Alexandria , Egypt , after being dragged by horses through the streets until he was dead.

Luke
Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to the lost.

John
Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome . However, he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos . He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos . The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey . He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully.

Peter
He was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross. According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus Christ had died.

James the Just
The leader of the church in Jerusalem , was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller’s club. This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.

James the Great
Son of Zebedee, was a fisherman by trade when Jesus called him to a lifetime of ministry. As a strong leader of the church, James was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem . The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.

Bartholomew
Also known as Nathaniel. Was a missionary to Asia . He witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey . Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.

Andrew
Was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras , Greece . After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: ‘I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.’ He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired.

Thomas
Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the sub-continent.

Jude
Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.

Matthias
The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.

Paul
Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire . These letters, which taught many of the foundational doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.

This was copied and pasted from my friend Jimmy's blog.
http://backtobaesics.tumblr.com/post/762602015

THE WORSHIP OF THE WORK

"Labourers together with God." 1 Corinthians 3:9

Beware of any work for God which enables you to evade concentration on Him. A great many Christian workers worship their work. The one concern of a worker should be concentration on God, and this will mean that all the other margins of life, mental, moral and spiritual, are free with the freedom of a child, a worshipping child, not a wayward child. A worker without this solemn dominant note of concentration on God is apt to get his work on his neck; there is no margin of body, mind or spirit free, consequently he becomes spent out and crushed. There is no freedom, no delight in life; nerves, mind and heart are so crushingly burdened that God's blessing cannot rest. But the other side is just as true - when once the concentration is on God, all the margins of life are free and under the dominance of God alone. There is no responsibility on you for the work; the only responsibility you have is to keep in living constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your co-operation with Him. The freedom after sanctification is the freedom of a child, the things that used to keep the life pinned down are gone. But be careful to remember that you are freed for one thing only - to be absolutely devoted to your co-Worker.

We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything; wherever He puts us our one great aim is to pour out a whole-hearted devotion to Him in that particular work. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."

- Oswald Chambers

Convo with God Part 2

Another moment conversing with God.

This morning, I was in the shower and was constantly thinking about the laptop that was recently purchased and was on its way to me. My thoughts were so consumed by the idea of having something new and tangible and also at the same time bringing limitless opportunities. All of a sudden, my thoughts were interrupted.

God asked me, "Why are you eagerly waiting and counting down the days to get your laptop but you dont do that for me?"

It struck me hard that I immediately dropped my thoughts and admitted. It's true. Why would I let something that is going to waste away in this life be what my life is revolving around? I saw God's desire for me to want him more than the temporary things. So I told Him, " God, sorry. You're right. I have to make my heart right before you and not idolize stupid things like that. HAHA. Plus, You are the one that provided it anyways. I cannot cherish the gift more than the Giver."

After getting ready, I got into the car and started to listen to the radio.
After listening to Charles Stanley on 107.9 I turned it off for a second and as I left my thoughts to wander and question, I grabbed my pen, knowing how easily I forget.. and started to jot down my conversation with God.

(I advise you not to do this while driving.)

Since our natural tendency is to want control .. and how we get mad because it usually doesn't go the way we planned it.. we blame God when He's simply showing us in his mercy the truth about us... and that is we are not in control. We are not god.

Then I started to think about the iphone and how lots of people are dying to see it and have it but the more imprisoned it can make man. The more caged, imprisoned man becomes as he selectively chooses what he wants... the level of gratification.. becomes no longer gratifying cuz it all levels out to become the same... The more greener it is on the other side becomes a lifestyle that many choose when it's actually an illusion.

I realized the shorter our attention span becomes, the more picky, dependent, particular, self centered, and ultimately egotistical man becomes. The more we choose to indulge in the right now... but the less we understand that it'll lead us to self destruction.

How we refuse to confront and how we actually willingly choose to believe that avoidance is the way out when it actually leaves a more shallow, regretful life.

Risks aren't wanted because pride cannot stand failures or pain.
The value of waiting and being patient can no longer be found... which is sad because moving in the direction we are going, we will no longer understand and experience what it means to have depth in relationships and experiences. Man refuses wisdom because that means man has to be in a place of uncomfortableness where he is not in control...
And in order for us to find freedom, we must submit to truth.. BUT because man refuses to receive the truth.. he will forever be bound.

For those of you who are truly desperate for the freedom and truth, it begins with admittance. Christ then brings you to a place of no longer living for the world but leaves you in a state of rebelling against it. We begin to rebel against ourselves and our flesh.. determined to have victory in the hope of knowing that it was already overcome through Jesus Christ on the cross. Realizing this truth, sets you free. True freedom where no matter where you are.. no matter who you meet.. no matter what circumstance... you are able to walk in peace and freedom.

I desire for Christ to be the center of my life. I desire to take the reigns of my thoughts and submit before Christ so that I may walk in the freedom and peace and love that Christ has purchased on the cross for me.

John 8:32
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Amen.

Carbon Dating: Is the earth really 4.6 BILLION YEARS OLD?

AGE DATING THE EARTH - (Print)
The earth is commonly estimated to be about 4.6 billion years old, and the oldest rocks on earth have been dated to 4.28 billion years ago. (Zircons found from grains in Western Australia are considered slightly older - 4.36 billion years old.) Geologists depend on radiometric age dating to give dates to different strata and the rocks and bones and artifacts found in those layers. Most will say that the dating methods have been confirmed over and over again, but there are questions about whether the dating methods used are reliable and whether they give scientists true dates - or whether they give dates that fit those secular geologists' preconceived ideas.

Meteorites:
During its history, the earth has suffered constant change. Erosion, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, catastrophes change the surface of the earth, melting rocks, grinding them up and spitting them back out in different forms than they had when they started. Because geologists have a difficult time finding truly ancient earth rocks, they have dated meteorites - assumed to have formed at the same time as the earth (and the rest of the solar system) in order to give a reliable age for the earth.

Those who trust in radiometric dating methods point to G. Brent Dalrymple's 1991 book The Age of the Earth, in which he lists the ages of various chondrite samples age-dated through several methods. Dalrymple shows that the dates of chondrite samples derived through different methods all give similar ages. A list of samples dated by the rubidium-strontium (Rb-Sr) method gives dates in a range from 4.37 +/- 0.34 billion years to 4.59 +/- 0.06 billion years. Samarium-neodymium (Sm-Nd) dating of chondrites gives a date of 4.21 +/- 0.76 billion years, and both eucrites dated by lutetium-hafnium (Lu-Hf) and iron dated by rhenium-osmium (Re-Os) gives dates of 4.57 billion years. Dalrymple lists other sets of samples and shows that the samples consistently date between 4.29 billion and 4.57 billion years, regardless of the dating method used.

This looks like convincing evidence that the earth is truly about 4.6 billion years old and the dating methods work reliably, (even though the Rb-Sr dating has a margin of error of 340 million years and Sm-Nd of 760 million years). Dalrymple's results appear to be fairly consistent in giving the earth an age of well over 4 billion years.

As we noted last week, however, the use of these dating methods depends on a number of assumptions. When these methods give dates hundreds of millions of years apart, even without taking the margins of error into consideration, we can reasonably hesitate to put our full faith in them. On tests of rocks considered much younger, those result differences really matter.

Grand Canyon:
Despite claims to the contrary, dating methods do not always give consistent dates, and can give widely different results for samples of rocks from the same layers.

In 2005, geologist Andrew Snelling and creationist researchers had multiple samples of Grand Canyon basalts age-dated using at least three of the main radiometric dating methods, and found the tests gave discordant results. The Cardenas Basalt samples gave an age of 516 (+/-30) million years when dated by the K-Ar method, 1111 (+/-80) million years when dated by the Rb-Sr method, and 1588 (+/-170) million years when dated with the Sm-Nd method. The range in dates for just the Cardenas Basalt was therefore more than a billion years. That's a huge range considering the low age-date for the basalt was "only" 516 million years.

The Grand Canyon Brahma amphibolites samples dated by the Rb-Sr, Ur-Pb, and Sm-Nd methods gave ages that ranged from 1240 to1883 million years ago. In a couple of cases, layers farther down in the Grand Canyon (and therefore relatively older) were dated younger than layers higher up. These results, and other similar tests by Steve Austin and other creationists (see links below), have demonstrated that these dating methods are not necessarily as reliable as old earth geologists often claim.

Assuming A Great Age:
One of the problems with using the Rb-Sr or K-Ar or other certain age-dating methods is that they do not give accurate ages for items that are young. Andrew Snelling reports that in 1996, samples were taken from 20th century lava flows on New Zealand's Mt Ngauruhoe - "two each from the 11 February 1949, 4 June 1954, and 14 July 1954 flows and from the 19 February 1975 avalanche deposits, and three from the 30 June 1954 flow..." The samples were sent to Geochron Laboratories in Cambridge, Mass for whole-rock potassium-argon (K–Ar) dating. Even though the rocks were from lava flows less than 50 years old, the samples gave greatly exaggerated dates for the rocks.

Snelling reports, "The 'ages' range from <0.27 to 3.5 (± 0.2) million years for rocks which were observed to have cooled from lavas 25–50 years ago. One sample from each flow yielded 'ages' of <0.27 or <0.29 million years while all the other samples gave 'ages' of millions of years. " Geologists complain that this sort of testing is ridiculous to do because everybody knows that K-Ar dating will not give accurate dates for extremely young rocks. Ah, and that's just the problem. When geologists do tests of ancient rocks, they assume extremely old ages, and so they use age-dating methods that would be appropriate for extremely old rocks. If the rocks truly aren't that old, how can geologists know? What would indicate to a lab that the correct date is the lower date rather than the 3.5 million year date? If they used dating methods appropriate for young rocks, would those give relatively consistent young ages for the rocks? Speed of Light and Inflated Dates: While there are definitely some difficulties with the age-dating methods, Andrew Snelling believes they can still be useful for the most part in giving relative dates - that is, determining that this sample is older than that sample. Some young-earth physicists like Lambert Dolphin, Barry Setterfield, and Trevor Norman argue that these dating methods are not wrong in theory - but they give wildly exaggerated dates because radioactive decay rates have slowed down over time. The speed of light has a direct effect on the atom and atomic decay rates. These physicists argue that the speed of light has been slowing down, affecting the rate of radioactive decay. If decay rates were much higher in the past, then dating-methods based on today's rates of change would be inflated. Unless the physicists get on the ball and build a good time machine, not one of us can go back in time and watch the formation of the earth and its familiar geologic wonders. Yet, we believe we already have a good account of what happened. The first five books of the Bible were written by a man who glowed after his encounters with the I AM (Exd 34:29-30) and who spoke with God "face to face" (Exd 33:11). While secular scientists scoff at divine revelation, we have confidence that it is truly the best way to know what happened at the beginning of the world. -Chuck Missler Related Links: On The Constancy Of The Speed Of Light »
- Lambert Dolphin
Radiometric Dating: Making Sense of the Patterns »
- Answers In Genesis
Radioactive Dating Failures »
- Creation
Excessively Old 'Ages' For Grand Canyon Lava Flows »
- ICR
Oldest Rocks on Earth Found »
- LiveScience
The Age Of The Earth »
- The TalkOrigins Archive
ASU Researchers Recalculate Age of Solar System »
- Arizona State University
History of the Light-Speed Debate »
- Koinonia House

The Fast of Tammuz

THE FAST OF TAMMUZ
In 2010, June 29th on the Hebrew calendar is Shiva Asar B'Tammuz - the 17th of Tammuz, the beginning of the Three Weeks of mourning leading up to Tisha B'Av (9th of Av) on July 20th.

The 9th of Av is a familiar date for Jewish grief. On both occasions when foreigners destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, they did it on the 9th of Av. Many other tragedies befell Israel on this date throughout history. The 9th of Av is not alone, however. Another date, the 17th of Tammuz, has also been filled with suffering. On June 29th, many observant Jews will fast to commemorate five tragedies that befell Israel on 17 Tammuz throughout history.

On 17 Tammuz:

Moses broke the tablets of the Law after seeing the people dancing around the golden calf they had made while he was on Mt. Sinai. (Exodus 32:19). The LORD later replaced the tablets (Exodus 34);
The daily sacrifice ended during Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem for lack of sheep and other sacrificial animals;
The Romans broke through the walls of Jerusalem shortly before the 2nd Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70;
Years prior to the Great Revolt, the Roman general Apostumus burned a scroll of the Torah;
An idol was erected in the Temple.

The three week period between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av is called Bein Hametzarim - "between the troubles". On the Sabbath during the Three Weeks, passages on the Temple's destruction and the exile of the Jewish people are read from Isaiah and Jeremiah. During this period of time, Orthodox and other observant Jews refrain from the following:

wearing new clothes
listening to music
bathing for pleasure
shaving or hair cutting
weddings
drinking wine or eating meat
long journeys
While the Fasts of Tammuz and Av (the 4th and 5th months) are a time of mourning, many Jews believe that after the future redemption of Israel, these days of mourning will be turned into days of feasts and rejoicing. As the LORD told the prophet Zechariah:

The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace." (Zech 8:19).

Chuck Missler

A mirror.

A MIRROR

"But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into
heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the
right hand of God" (Acts 7:55-56).

Stephen represents what a true Christian is supposed to be: one who is full of
the Holy Ghost with eyes fixed on the Man in glory. He is one who mirrors that
glory in such a way that all who see it will be amazed and filled with wonder.
He is one with a steady gaze fixed on Christ, always looking up to him, fully
occupied with a glorified Savior.

Look at the hopeless condition Stephen was in, surrounded by religious madness,
superstition, prejudice, and jealousy. The angry crowd pressed in on him,
wild-eyed and bloodthirsty, and death loomed just ahead of him. What impossible
circumstances! But looking up into heaven, he beheld his Lord in glory, and
suddenly his rejection here on earth meant nothing to him. Now he was above it
all, seeing him who was invisible.

One glimpse of the Lord's glory, one vision of his precious holiness, and
Stephen could no longer be hurt. The stones and the angry cursing were all
harmless to him because of the joy set before him. One glimpse of Christ's
glory places you above all your circumstances. Keeping your eyes on Christ,
consciously reaching out to him every waking hour, provides peace and serenity
as nothing else can.

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are
changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord"
(2 Corinthians 3:18). Stephen caught the rays of the glorified Man in heaven
and reflected them to a Christ-rejecting society.

How true that we become what we behold. The proper translation should read, "We
all, with open face mirroring the glory, are changed!" The idea is that the
Christian reflects, like a mirror, the glory on which he gazes continually. It
is we who are "in the glass"—a mirror—looking on Christ, the object of our
affection and becoming like him in the process of beholding.

When the enemy comes in like a flood and troubling circumstances get us down,
we need to both amaze and condemn the world around us by our sweet, restful
repose in Christ. Since we see by our spiritual mind, this is accomplished by
keeping our minds stayed on Christ.
- David Wilkerson

Unrelenting Love of God

THE UNRELENTING LOVE OF GOD

I want to talk with you about the word unrelenting. It means undiminished in
intensity or effort—unyielding, uncompromising, incapable of being changed or
persuaded by arguments. To be unrelenting is to stick to a determined course.

What a marvelous description of the love of God. Our Lord's love is absolutely
unrelenting. Nothing can hinder or diminish his loving pursuit of both sinners
and saints. David, the Psalmist, expressed it this way: "Thou has beset me
behind and before…. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I
flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make
my bed in hell, behold, thou art there" (Psalm 139:5, 7–8).

David is speaking of the great highs and lows we face in life. He's saying,
"There are times when I'm so blessed, I feel lifted with joy. At other times, I
feel like I'm living in hell, condemned and unworthy. But no matter where I am,
Lord—no matter how blessed I feel, or how low my condition is—you're there.
I can't get away from your unrelenting love. And I can't chase it away. You
never accept my arguments about how unworthy I am. Even when I'm
disobedient—sinning against your truth, taking your grace for granted—you
never stop loving me. Your love for me is relentless!"

We need to consider the testimony of the apostle Paul. As we read of Paul's
life, we see a man bent on destroying God's church. Paul was like a madman in
his hatred for Christians. He breathed out threats of slaughter against
everyone who followed Jesus. He sought the high priest's authorization to hunt
down believers so he could charge into their homes and drag them off to prison.

After he was converted, Paul testified that even during those hate-filled
years—while he was full of prejudice, blindly slaughtering Christ's
disciples—God loved him. The apostle wrote, "God commendeth his love toward
us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). He
said, in essence, "Even though I wasn't conscious of it, God was pursuing me.
He kept coming after me in love, until that day when he literally knocked me
off my high horse. That was the unrelenting love of God."

Through the years, Paul became increasingly convinced that God would love him
fervently to the end, through all his highs and lows. He stated, "I am
persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38–39). He was declaring, "Now that I'm
God's, nothing can separate me from his love. No devil, no demon, no
principality, no man, no angel—nothing can stop God from loving me."

-David Wilkerson

The day of the Lord

There are twelve "minor" prophets that are yet to be really discovered by most Christians. (They are called "minor" simply because they are smaller - shorter, more terse, and concise.) Yet they contain some of the most fascinating and provocative prophecies you'll find anywhere in the Scriptures. Here's a glimpse of two of them.

Joel:
Joel is a short book (only three chapters, 73 verses) devoted almost entirely to the most climactic period in all Scripture: "The Day of the Lord," the final climax that we all anticipate. It's surprising that even students of prophecy seem to overlook this little gem. The very name Joel means, "Yahweh is God." As we learn to recognize that Revelation 9 - 19 has Israel as its primary focus, we should not be surprised that most of what we know about that period is from the Old Testament, and much of that from this fascinating little book.

The Day of the Lord:
The primary theme in the book of Joel is The Day of the Lord. It's an important book because it records Israel's place in God's program: from Babylon all the way through to the Millennium. Joel also has a lot to say about the Gentile nations and their collision course to Armageddon. Joel's second chapter reads like news camera footage of modern combat helicopters and troops in action! Except the cosmic effects are most terrifying:

"The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come." -Joel 2:10, 31

Peter also recognized that the astonishing events of Pentecost in Acts Chapter 2 were ushering in the preparation for the end times, and he quoted from Joel to make his point (Acts 2:15-21, quoting Joel 2:28-32). (However, the sun did not darken; the moon did not turn to blood; and the Lord didn't appear with wrath against the nations.) Peter knew well that the Day of the Lord had not come yet: he says so in 2 Pet 3:10. Pentecost was a fulfillment in miniature: Joel saw the end point of the whole process; Peter focused on the onset. This was a guarantee that God would complete the entirety: an inauguration; the firstfruits. (Notice: There is no reason to restrict Peter's statement about the gifts of the Spirit to one particular occasion. If the Spirit was given at Pentecost, and Joel described it to include the final Day of the Lord, there is no basis to exclude the gifts today - since we are certainly still between these two points of time!) Joel also includes some timely details of the climax:

"I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land." - Joel 3:2

"Scattered among the nations," we understand; but "parted my land"? That sure has implications for our current news headlines! (Zechariah 12:2, 3)

Amos:
People always ask me, where is the United States in prophecy? I usually point them to Amos (and Hosea). Amos was a sheepherder from Tekoa (6 miles south of Bethlehem) in the Southern Kingdom, but he was sent to carry the Lord's message to the Northern Kingdom (Israel). (Joel is quoted in Amos 1:2 (Joel 3:16, 18), which means his book was already in existence when Amos wrote.)

Jeroboam II (793-753 B.C.), 4th king of the Jehu dynasty, ruled in Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom, which was experiencing a boom of prosperity from his father Joash/Jehoash (2 Kings 13:25; 14:11-15). He would have a reign of 41 years (2 Kings 14:23). His military strength had prospered the Northern Kingdom: the Lebanon coastal plain had been retaken from Syria; Damascus itself was subjugated. He controlled pagan Moab to the southeast. Jeroboam II's father, Jehoash (Joash) had defeated Judah in war and Jeroboam II retained strength over the Southern Kingdom (Judah) to the south (2 Kings 14:11-14, 23-28).

Thus, Jeroboam II's strategic position was ironclad: Syria was a buffer against Assyria to the east, Judah a buffer against Egypt to the south, and the Mediterranean to the west. They enjoyed peace and the power of conquest for over 41 years, with new markets and trade in every direction; a growing wealthy class with summer and winter homes; and, a BMW in every garage... From their point of view, "it was the best of times."

Idolatry:
However, Jeroboam I (931-910 BC) had instituted idolatry 150 years earlier at Dan and Bethel (1 Kings 12:26-33) (analogous to Aaron's golden calf 700 years earlier). From God's point of view, however, it was a time of idolatry, sexual immorality, violence, injustice and oppression of the poor. From God's point of view, "it was the worst of times." They did not welcome the uninvited prophet from the south. After a brief survey of the horizon of six surrounding heathen nations, and his own region of Judah, Amos then zeroes in on the Northern Kingdom with a message somewhat comparable to that of his contemporary, Hosea. He detailed God's indictment against the nation that had abandoned its heritage. Failing to heed Amos' warnings resulted in the destruction of the entire nation. Samaria, their capital, fell to their enemies the Assyrians in 722 B.C.

The parallel to the United States is most disturbing: even during this difficult time of oil spills and economic turmoil, we still have a tremendously high standard of living. We still can enjoy our summer cookouts and days at the beach. However, we have abandoned our heritage. We regard homosexuality as simply an alternative lifestyle. We change marriage partners like fashion statements. We murder babies that are socially inconvenient. Our entertainment industry celebrates violence, immorality, sexual aberrations of every imaginable kind, and every conceivable form of evil. We have become the primary exporters of everything God abhors! From God's point of view, "it is the worst of times." Amos' indictment and summons are very timely for us today.

Rather than pointing fingers at everybody else, though, the change needs to start at home with ourselves. Are we honest in our work practices? Do we lay down our lives for each other? Are we looking at pornography and treating our spouses with selfishness, or do we love each other as Christ has loved us? Do we treat our kids as inconveniences or as precious children of God into whom we get the honor of pouring our lives? Do we do those things we hate, that God hates? Or, do we wake each morning and say, "I'm yours, Father. Thank you so much for your great love for me. Keep me in the crosshairs of Your will today for Your joy and glory."

Whether our circumstances look good or not, may our lives always be the "best of times" in the eyes of God. And may we remember the words of Thomas Jefferson, who said, "I tremble for my country when I recall that God is just, and that His justice will not sleep forever."

- khouse.org

Critical Journey

The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of FaithBy Janet O. Hagberg and Robert A. Guelich (Sheffield Publishing Company, Salem, WI 1989/1995/2005)
The Critical Journey examines the distinct phases of spiritual life. Though the authors readily admit that it is impossible to dogmatically define something as subjective and unique as the individual spiritual walks of people, by examining common traits and experiences they have identified six distinct "stages" in people's spiritual lives:

1. The Recognition of God
2. The Life of Discipleship
3. The Productive Life
4. The Journey Inward/The "Wall"
5. The Journey Outward
6. The Life of Love

Here's a pdf that I found on Kathy Escobar's blog.

stages-of-faith.pdf

Dear God.

God, I give you a blank check. I've committed to signing my life away to You. Whatever you ask, I offer.

Once.

I took this from ant's blog. A good reminder because many times we forget about the ultimate gift that is Jesus Christ.

"Once it was the Blessing, now it is the Lord.

Once it was the Feeling, now it is His Word.

Once His Gifts I wanted, now the Giver alone.

Once I sought Healing, now Himself alone."

- A. B. Simpson

Matthew 11:28

David Wilkerson Today

THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2010

GOD’S PROMISED REST

"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered
into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his"
(Hebrews 4:9-10).

You may wonder, "What does it mean to enter this promised rest? What should it
look like in my life?" I pray that God will remove the scales from our eyes and
allow us to grasp this. Simply put, entering into his promised rest means fully
trusting that Christ has done all the work of salvation for you. You're to rest
in his saving grace, by faith alone.

This is what Jesus means when he urges, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). It means the end of
all your fleshly striving, all your human efforts to obtain peace. And it means
relying totally on Jesus' work for you.

Our battle is not against flesh and blood. It takes place in the spiritual
realm. The Old Testament makes this crystal clear. Time after time, Israel made
empty, futile promises to God: "We want to serve you, Lord. We'll do whatever
you command us." But history proves they had neither the heart nor the ability
to follow through on their word. God had to strip them of all faith in
themselves. Everything we need is to come from our precious Lord's presence.

Paul states, "In him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28). This
speaks of uninterrupted fellowship. Through the victory of the cross, our Lord
has made himself available to us every hour of the day or night. We have to
make a decision: "I want Christ in my life. I want to be set free from all
flesh. So I'm going to move forward, into his presence and claim my possession.
I want Jesus to be my all, my only source of satisfaction."

David wilkerson

Letter to a reluctant prophet.

Even though I don't see myself of any worth to be known as a prophet.. this has given me a great insight on humility and how we are all called to that higher calling which is to be conformed to Christ's likeness.


LETTER TO a RELUCTANT PROPHET
-excerpts by Chip Brogden.

Dear Friend,
It is with a certain fearfulness that I respond to your inquiry, for I
am not an authority on such things. I can certainly relate to your
reluctance at being identified among the company of the prophets
when so many false apostles, prophets, and teachers abound. I
wish I could point you in a proper direction, but I can only point
you towards the Lord. It is He who selects His messengers, and
I have nothing to offer you by way of what to do.

At most, perhaps you can look upon me as an example of what
NOT to do, and take some word of counsel from a weak brother
who has made many mistakes and endured many failures along
the way. Perhaps you too will have to make even the same
mistakes in order to learn, yet following my advice could perhaps
help you to avoid the unnecessary heartache and cruelty inflicted
upon yourself and others when thinking that you are doing God a
service. I would counsel you, first of all, to be a Christian. Do not
spend too much time focused on that which is prophetic. Do not
come to others as a prophet, but as a child. Let Christ be your
obsession, not the prophetic word. For "the testimony of Jesus is
the spirit of prophecy." There need not be turmoil in your heart
about your calling; it is clear that you are among those that are
"the Called, according to His purpose." And what is His purpose?
That you be "conformed to the image of His dear Son." That,
above all, is your first calling. Many are eager to wear the Prophet's
mantle, but are reluctant to bear the Christian's cross. This cannot
be. Given the choice between Christian or Prophet, choose Christian.
Serve God as the earthen vessel you are, in the place you find
yourself to be.

Perhaps the Lord will indeed use you in some prophetic way, but
if not then at least you have been faithful with the "one talent" you
have been given. God will not give five talents to those who cannot
be faithful with one, and will not give ten to those who cannot be
faithful with five. If you are a Christian first you will remember that
you should walk softly, with meekness and humility, while
esteeming others as better than yourself. Then the prophetic word,
when and if it comes, will be seasoned with the appropriate amounts
of mercy and grace.

Remember that without love you will inevitably become as
sounding brass - all judgment. If we cannot or will not stay in Love,
God will set out to humble us shamefully before our brothers and
sisters that we may know the depths of our hypocrisy and
self-righteousness. That is evidence of HIS great love for all of us.

Now, concerning the prophetic word itself. God will give you the
"what", but the "when" and the "how" are left up to you. "The
spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets." You can be
right on target with the "what", but if you screw up the "when",
and especially the "how", you do yourself and others unnecessary
harm...

Let us not only be familiar with His Word, but let us become
acquainted with His Ways. It is not enough to memorize what
He said, we must take His yoke upon us and walk in tandem
with Him. Since Christ bids us to "learn of ME", beware of those
who will try to gain access into your life with an inordinate desire
to mentor or shepherd you. We may certainly seek the advice,
prayers, and counsel of other mature believers. Even the little
children in the Kingdom of God can teach us much. But people
can only carry us so far... Do you see dear friend, that God
is more concerned with the messenger than the message? Do
you see that the minister is more important than the ministry?

If the messenger is wrong, the message will be wrong too. If the
minister is wrong, the ministry will be wrong. And do you see that
the Lord of the work is more important than the work of the Lord?
Meditate on these things. There really is no famine of the Word
of God. If God is able to find the right vessel the Word will come
forth in abundance. Therefore, He takes much time to mold,
fashion, train, refine, purge, break down, build up, discipline and
create His prophets. Yield to that process. It cannot be rushed,
but it may certainly be hindered. We cannot force the Spirit, but
we may certainly quench Him. Ah, your gifts are given to you in a
moment's time, but your fruit, your character, YOU, develops
over many seasons of God's dealings. Do not be thrilled with
your gifts, only observe if you are fruitful in Spirit, bearing much
fruit, abounding in love, joy, peace, faithfulness, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, meekness, and self-control.You can be
sure that there are more gifted people in the world than you, yet
the fruit is what will remain when the gifts pass away. Never
neglect the place of abiding in Him, and you will remain a fruitful
branch in the Vine. Expect misunderstanding. Expect persecution.
Expect ridicule. Expect mistreatment. Expect suffering. Expect
rejection. Then, you won't be surprised when it comes. And when
it comes, shut your mouth, go to the cross, and die so you can
live. Learn to kiss the hands that nail you to the cross, for as you
are decreased, He is increased. It is not a better living we need,
but a better dying. We cannot reach Pentecost but by way of
Passover. There can be no resurrection without a crucifixion...

Be afraid of the praise and acceptance of others, for they are the
fertilizer for the self-important and grandiose thoughts that are
yours by nature anyway, which spring up in the shallow ground
of your carnal mind. Carry about the Death of the Lord so you
may have the Life of the Lord. Be ready to suffer with Him, that
you may reign with Him. And now, some practical advice: As
much as possible, stay away from money...

Be slow to anger and quick to forgive. Before, you would never
apologize even when you knew you were wrong. Now, be willing
to apologize even when you know you are right.

This is my counsel, dear friend, and perhaps something I have
said in this brief letter will bear witness with you. With these
words then, I commit you to the care of the  Lord Jesus Christ,
Who is able to complete the work which He has begun in you
and see you through to maturity, as you are rooted and grounded
in Him, being thoroughly equipped and strengthened by His
Might which works in those who have taken up the cross to
find power in weakness...  --Chip Brogden.

The Holiness Preacher and Legalism

The HOLINESS PREACHER
by Bill Harper.


The Holiness preacher, a Godly man,
was seen riding his circuit with Bible in hand.
He rode in sunshine and he rode in rain,
he rode when he felt good, and he rode in pain...


Often he fasted, God’s will to achieve,
striving for perfection, lest the Spirit he’d grieve.
Often his congregation numbered just a few.
He preached without compromise and he helped them pray through...


He preached against demon rum and the dance.
He spoke against painted up women and games of chance.
The Holiness preacher, a Godly man,
kept up with the times, God’s kingdom to expand...


Few people attended in fancy clothes.
They didn’t come to look at others, down their nose.
As he entered into this modern age
he preached against radio as though in a rage.


Avoid the theater also he’d say.
Avoid worldliness, walk the strait narrow way.
When moving pictures made their debut
he preached against this devil’s invention so new.


Movies corrupted our morals said he,
the things they portrayed weren’t fit for Christians to see.
During the depression he bought a tent,
in which to hold meetings, telling men to repent...


ANDREW AGAIN: The poem about “The Holiness Preacher” above
is certainly well-done. But can I just say this, my friends-
The old-time “Holiness” movement that concerned itself with
“dancing” and “bobbed hair” and ‘no makeup for women’, etc, is
NOT where I am coming from with this TV thing.


A lot of those concerns were about “outward” things – and easily
descended into legalism. I truly believe that TV is gaining access
to the “heart” of man – and that is my main concern. It slowly and
gradually fills people’s minds and lives with complete junk.


To be frank with you, I don’t care about “bobbed hair” and I have
been known to dance enthusiastically with my wife at weddings,
etc. - and also to take her out to the Cinema on occasion. Does
that make me “unholy”? Is that what we think "holiness" is about?
Is it all about these 'outward' things?


I have to confess to you - when I first read the poem about the
"Holiness preacher" the only thing that sprang to my mind was
that it was not real Holiness - but rather "Legalism" that this man
represented. And yes - this became a huge problem in the old
Holiness circles. You had to have your hair the "right" way and
your dress the "right" way and never attend movies or dances
and on and on.


The only real Holiness I am interested in preaching is Holiness of
the HEART. If our focus is on mere "outward" things then all we
will get from our preaching is a bunch of 'Legalists' who do and say
all the "right" things - but their hearts are proud and self-righteous.


I greatly fear that many "holiness" circles today have the same
legalistic tendencies. It is all about the "right" music styles and
head coverings and long dresses - and the 'Heart' is forgotten in
the rush to get all these "outward" things right. This is no Holiness
at all. God is after a pure heart. He wants the INSIDE of the cup
to be cleaned - rather than all this focus on the 'outside'.


We need to apply this Scripture - "To the pure all things are pure."
This is a place of tremendous freedom - but only if we truly have
a pure heart.


Can we please learn the difference between Holiness and Legalism,
my friends, so this generation does not repeat many of the same
errors as our 'Holiness' forefathers?

Revelation 16:15

"Blessed is he that watcheth." --Revelation 16:15

"We die daily", said the apostle. This was the life of the early Christians; they went everywhere with their lives in their hands. We are not in this day called to pass through the same fearful persecutions: if we were, the Lord would give us grace to bear the test; but the tests of Christian life, at the present moment, though outwardly not so terrible, are yet more likely to overcome us than even those of the fiery age. We have to bear the sneer of the world--that is little; its blandishments, its soft words, its oily speeches, its fawning, its hypocrisy, are far worse. Our danger is lest we grow rich and become proud, lest we give ourselves up to the fashions of this present evil world, and lose our faith. Or if wealth be not the trial, worldly care is quite as mischievous. If we cannot be torn in pieces by the roaring lion, if we may be hugged to death by the bear, the devil little cares which it is, so long as he destroys our love to Christ, and our confidence in him. I fear me that the Christian church is far more likely to lose her integrity in these soft and silken days than in those rougher times. We must be awake now, for we traverse the enchanted ground, and are most likely to fall asleep to our own undoing, unless our faith in Jesus be a reality, and our love to Jesus a vehement flame. Many in these days of easy profession are likely to prove tares, and not wheat; hypocrites with fair masks on their faces, but not the true born children of the living God. Christian, do not think that these are times in which you can dispense with watchfulness or with holy ardour; you need these things more than ever, and may God the eternal Spirit display his omnipotence in you, that you may be able to say, in all these softer things, as well as in the rougher, "We are more than conquerors through him that loved us."

-Charles Spurgeon

Jeremiah 16:20

"Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods." --Jeremiah 16:20

One great besetting sin of ancient Israel was idolatry, and the spiritual Israel are vexed with a tendency to the same folly. Remphan's star shines no longer, and the women weep no more for Tammuz, but Mammon still intrudes his golden calf, and the shrines of pride are not forsaken. Self in various forms struggles to subdue the chosen ones under its dominion, and the flesh sets up its altars wherever it can find space for them. Favourite children are often the cause of much sin in believers; the Lord is grieved when he sees us doting upon them above measure; they will live to be as great a curse to us as Absalom was to David, or they will be taken from us to leave our homes desolate. If Christians desire to grow thorns to stuff their sleepless pillows, let them dote on their dear ones.

It is truly said that "they are no gods", for the objects of our foolish love are very doubtful blessings, the solace which they yield us now is dangerous, and the help which they can give us in the hour of trouble is little indeed. Why, then, are we so bewitched with vanities? We pity the poor heathen who adore a god of stone, and yet worship a god of gold. Where is the vast superiority between a god of flesh and one of wood? The principle, the sin, the folly is the same in either case, only that in ours the crime is more aggravated because we have more light, and sin in the face of it. The heathen bows to a false deity, but the true God he has never known; we commit two evils, inasmuch as we forsake the living God and turn unto idols. May the Lord purge us all from this grievous iniquity!

"The dearest idol I have known,

Whate'er that idol be;

Help me to tear it from thy throne,

And worship only thee."

-Charles Spurgeon

Prideful Men will go to Hell.

If you want to go to hell here are instructions for you to follow:

Be proud. Be so proud of your works of "good deeds". Keep working hard at trying to be a good person until you die. Don't trust that Jesus' blood was sufficient enough for you. Trust in yourself that you can buy your way into heaven. Don't repent and admit that you can't be perfect. Don't cry out to God.

Be deceived. Don't read the bible. Wallow in your self condemnations.. which is rooted in pride. Wallow in self pity and watch yourself self-destruct.

Live to gratify the flesh even if it leaves you more empty and broken and scarred. Keep doing it until you bleed and you grow apathetic like a leper.

Stay angry at God and all the different situations around you. Don't be thankful for the sufferings and hardships that God is allowing to happen. He uses it for the good of those who love him, not the ones that hate him so it won't really matter for you. Stay angry and bitter. Hold onto your bitterness til it rots. Work your butt off for the temporary things of this world and burn yourself out. Be self centered, self focused. Make everything all about you.

To follow Jesus, it'll cost you everything.

Oh Lord, You are Beautiful.

Suffering.

The Road to Mercy

"Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old." - Psalm 25:6

There is always tension, difficulty, and suffering on the growing edge of our relationship with God. That's where the change is going on, where we are learning to trust God. Those difficulties start a series of steps on the road to mercy:

The bigger the trial gets, the more I know I need God.
The more I need God, the closer I am drawn to Him.
The closer I get to Him, the more I sense His holiness.
The more I sense His holiness, the more I realize my own sinfulness.
So the closer I get to God, I think, "Whoa! I really haven't been on the program. There are things in my life that are not pleasing to God." Could you think of some things in your life that are not pleasing to God? You're not better than anyone else. If by God's grace you have progressed through the years to a deeper level of holiness - even that's not because of you - it's only because of God's grace in your life. So the closer you and I get to God, the more we have a sense of our own sinfulness.

No wonder David says, "Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love." Actually in the Hebrew, the words for "mercy" and "love" are both plural. The verse means, "Remember Your merciful acts, God. Remember Your acts of chesed, of steadfast loving-kindness." David is not referring to the word "remember" as in, Did You forget? He's saying, "Remember the stuff that You always do, God. Do Your stuff! Do it for us! God, You were merciful and loving to Abraham and Moses. You were merciful and loving to Your people. This is who You are, God! Do it in our generation. Be to me as You have always been. Advance Your reputation, God. Be here today as You have been through thousands of years. Be merciful to me, God. Be loving." He goes on: "for they have been from of old." "Lord, You've always been like this. Be it again!"

If you know God's holiness, you also know how badly you need His mercy.

- James Mcdonald

Give me Jesus.

Profound.

Freedom is found in dying to self.
THAT'S WHY JESUS TOLD US TO DO SO!! John 8:31-32!!!!!

Luke 9:23 (New International Version)
23Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

In other words, know the TRUTH (JESUS IS TRUTH) and the TRUTH will set you FREE!

Insecurity, self - pity, self-mutilation, suicidal.. are all pride in disguise. They are chains to our very souls. They cannot liberate us or even give us a taste of what's good. If we choose to hold onto pride, we will definitely self-destruct and in the end lose our souls. Everyone of us will be standing before the judgment throne of God.. either we are perfect (through Jesus Christ) or we drink the cup of God's wrath.. as a result of rejecting the very one that lived a perfect life.
Obedience to God is where one's soul is liberated.

Self-pity is from the devil. It is pride in disguise.

I'm sure this leaves many of you confused since we live in a world that all about what you deserve! The bible tells us what we deserve as sinful men, is eternal damnation because GOD is HOLY. We were objects of wrath. HAHA! So yes, the bible is indeed upside down and inside out of what this world thinks.

Here is my explanation of how self-pity.. depression.. all that dark stuff is a form of pride.

The expectations have not been met and so we hurt ourselves to punish our lack of ability to accomplish those things. We place ourselves in a higher position than God... telling him, " You're not just.. so I'm going to bring justice unto myself." or even "I'm too bad that You can't help me.. so I'm going to wallow in my self pity." We get caught up in focusing on ourselves and our performance more than the one that has lived in perfection. JESUS will carry us through. JESUS' blood is powerful enough to cleanse me and help me to stand with the robe of righteousness just like Adam and Eve before they fell. This is what it means to believe in Jesus as Lord. Believing in the power of His Life, Blood, and Resurrection!

It was because of PRIDE, Lucifer fell from Heaven. I know for sure that I don't want to be like Lucifer. Judgment is waiting for him and he knows it.

So in Conclusion: Repent! Be humble. Cling to God in admittance that you cannot save yourself and that only God can. Be no longer chained to the patterns of this world but with the renewing of your mind, walk with God daily.

FEEDING SHEEP OR AMUSING GOATS?

FEEDING SHEEP OR AMUSING GOATS?
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) gave the following admonition to the Church in the late 1800s. Yet, while Spurgeon died nearly 120 years ago, his words apply just as much to the Church today as they did then - perhaps even more so. The problem is not that Christians enjoy themselves (who wants to go to a boring, dry, dull church?) but that too often amusement is offered at the expense of preaching the Gospel and telling people the truth.

-Chuck Missler

Feeding Sheep... or Amusing Goats?
An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most shortsighted can hardly fail to notice it during the past few years. It has developed at an abnormal rate, even for evil. It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments. The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them.

From speaking out as the Puritans did, the church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses.

My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church. If it is a Christian work, why did not Christ speak of it? "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). That is clear enough So it would have been if He had added, "and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel." No such words, however, are to be found. It did not seem to occur to him.

Then again, "He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers .., for the work of the ministry" (Eph. 4:11-12). Where do entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people or because they refused? The concert has no martyr roll.

Again, providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all his apostles. What was the attitude of the church to the world? Ye are the salt" (Matt. 5:13), not the sugar candy---something the world will spit out not swallow. Short and sharp was the utterance, "Let the dead bury their dead" (Matt. 8:22) He was in awful earnestness.

Had Christ introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements into his mission, he would have been more popular when they went back, because of the searching nature of His teaching. I do not hear him say, "Run after these people Peter and tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow, something short and attractive with little preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it. Be quick Peter, we must get the people somehow." Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to amuse them.

In vain will the Epistles be searched to find any trace of this gospel of amusement! Their message is, "Come out, keep out, keep clean out!" Anything approaching fooling is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon.

After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the church had a prayer meeting but they did not pray, "Lord grant unto thy servants that by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are." If they ceased not from preaching Christ, they had not time for arranging entertainments. Scattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the gospel. They turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). That is the only difference! Lord, clear the church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her, and bring us back to apostolic methods.

Lastly, the mission of amusement fails to effect the end desired. It works havoc among young converts. Let the careless and scoffers, who thank God because the church met them halfway, speak and testify. Let the heavy laden who found peace through the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard to whom the dramatic entertainment has been God's link in the chain of the conversion, stand up! There are none to answer. The mission of amusement produces no converts. The need of the hour for today's ministry is believing scholarship joined with earnest spirituality, the one springing from the other as fruit from the root. The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.

Liberated Life

The LIBERATED LIFE
-David Wilkerson.

Centuries before Christ was born, Isaiah prophesied that God would send a deliverer who would liberate mankind. Jesus himself stood in a Jewish synagogue one Sabbath and reminded the world of this prophecy:

"And when he had opened the book, [Jesus] found the place where it was written [by Isaiah], The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised... This day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:17-21).

Jesus was telling the whole world, "My mission on earth is to liberate every bruised life." To liberate means to set free from all bondage; to release from all slavery; to do away with everything that oppresses. If you believe Christ is telling the truth, then you must believe he is saying to you and me, "I am sent to liberate your life, to release you from all oppression and bondage. I come to set your spirit free."

Paul also preached that Christ came to call every believer to a liberated life. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1)

Paul preached about "the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Romans 8:21).

If Christ came to liberate us from a miserable life, why do we go on living the same old miserable way? We think a life totally free of fear and guilt is too incredible. We cannot imagine life with 24-hour-a-day rest and peace - life without a heavy burden of condemnation or depression - life in the presence of a loving, gentle Savior who cares about all our needs.

This may sound too good to be true but this is exactly the kind of liberated life Christ wants every one of his children to enjoy. Not just a few of his children - but all! This life is not just for those who break some kind of theological code, but it is for all who simply trust him for it!

absolutely in love with you.

SOAP

Scripture:
Numbers 14:17-24
 ¹⁷ "Now may the Lord's strength be displayed, just as you have declared: ¹⁸ 'The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.' ¹⁹ In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now."
 ²⁰ The LORD replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked. ²¹ Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, ²² not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times- ²³ not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. ²⁴ But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

Observation:
As the Lord has promised through Moses about the promise land, twelve men were selected to go and check it out.  When the twelve returned, ten of them were impressed by the size of their enemies.  This caused the rest of the israelites to doubt God.  They started to grumble against God and Moses and Aaron.  They hated the fact that they were stuck in the desert and blamed God for bringing them out of Egypt.  Two men, Caleb and Joshua were the only men who were impressed by the size of their God and knew it could be accomplished with God's power.  Even though God showed them through many many many miracles, the people refused to believe that God was able to.   The israelites then wanted to stone the two and moses and aaron for bringing them out of Egypt.... the very thing they prayed for.....

Application:
Application is to be like Caleb.  Wholeheartedly trusting in God through this desert.  By trusting in God, He provides the best and fastest way out.  By going with the spirit, there's more freedom.  The Israelites did not believe that God can do it and because of their doubt they were stuck in the desert for 40 years.

Prayer:
Father, a lot of us are caught in this cycle of blaming you for everything.  Help us to remain faithful and to see that you are not the one at fault.  You have done nothing wrong.  The only one at fault is I.  The fact you have saved us from eternal damnation is enough me to surrender all that I have... which already belongs to you in the first place.  Your grace is enough for me to follow and to obey.  Your love on the cross and taking the eternal punishment that I deserve for my sins, is enough for me to give my life to you. 

I don't expect blessings.  I don't expect miracles or healings or even manna falling from the sky.  I don't expect you to use me powerfully.  I don't expect you to make me rich or famous.  I don't expect anything but to walk with you without expectations.  To love you without condition just as you love me unconditionally.

Starting today.

Starting today til eternity,

Give me the grace to know more of You.
Give me the unyielding burden to love the lost like You do.
Give me the strength to stand for You as I become captivated by Your beauty each day.

I desire to seek Your face more than Your hand.
I desire to know what's on Your mind and heart.
I desire to be faithful to You so that others may know of Your goodness and give You praise.

Love.

Jesus, you have me completely.

I am yours forever.

All of me surrenders, because I am absolutely in love with you.

♥ 

Your Beloved.

The Mind of Christ

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

In this exhortation the apostle Paul is telling the people of God, “Let the mind that is in Christ—the very thinking of Jesus—be your thinking also. His mindset is the one we all are to seek.”

What does it mean to have the mind of Christ? Simply put, it means to think and act as Jesus did. It means making Christ-like decisions that determine how we are to live. It means bringing every faculty of our mind to bear on how we actually can have the mind of Christ.

Every time we look into the mirror of God’s Word, we’re to ask ourselves: “Does what I see about myself reflect the nature and thinking of Christ? Am I changing from image to image, conformed to Jesus’ very likeness by every experience that God brings into my life?”

According to Paul, here is the mindset of Christ. “(He) made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7).

Jesus made a decision while he was still in heaven. He made an agreement with the Father to lay down his heavenly glory and come to earth as a man. He was going to descend to the world as a humble servant. And he would seek to minister rather than be ministered to.

For Christ, this meant saying, “I go to do your will, Father.” Indeed, Jesus determined ahead of time, “I am laying down my will in order to do yours, Father. I subjugate my will so that I may embrace yours. Everything I say and do has to come from you. I’m laying down everything to be totally dependent upon you.”

In turn, the Father’s agreement with the Son was to reveal his will to him. God said to him, in essence, “My will won’t ever be hidden from you. You will always know what I am doing. You will have my mind.”

When Paul states boldly, “I have the mind of Christ,” he is declaring, “I too have made myself of no reputation. Like Jesus, I have taken on the role of a servant.” And Paul asserts that the same can hold true for every believer: “We [all can] have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).

-David Wilkerson

Fear the Lord

"Who is the man who fears the LORD?" - Psalm 25:12

What is the "fear of God" anyway? That question might be easier to answer by looking at a rough definition of fear itself. Fear is the attitude of heart that seeks a right relationship to the fear-source. That's pretty straightforward, right? If I fear the future, I might save and prepare. I want to be in a right relationship with the future, so I'm going to do something about it today to make sure the future doesn't steamroll me. Some people don't fear the future. They just go on like fools and drive right over the cliff. But if I fear the future, I prepare. Does that make sense?

If I fear the dentist, I floss and brush! I believe he probably knows more about teeth than I do. And plus, when he gives that judgmental, self-righteous look like, "You haven’t been flossing...." I'm sure you have heard that speech. So, I think, "Oh, I don't want to hear it. I'll floss and brush." Why? Because I fear the outcome of failure. So I seek a right relationship to the fear-source.

If I fear the future, I prepare.
If I fear the dentist, I floss and brush.
If I fear God, I submit.
If I don’t fear God, I don't submit.
If I fear God, I do what He says.
Fear - it's not bad, by the way. How many people have heard the definition: "Fear God just means to respect Him?" That was bad teaching. Even though the Bible says like a thousand times that we should "fear God," we are just supposed to believe it means only that we should respect Him? Incorrect! I put a lot of time into studying this biblical term. The best word that I can think of to describe what fear means - is fear! I like simple stuff. When the Bible says to "fear God," guess what it means? It means to fear Him. Seek a right relationship with Him.
-James Mcdonald

Freedom from Sin's Slavery Must be Accepted by Faith

FREEDOM FROM SIN’S SLAVERY MUST BE ACCEPTED BY FAITH

Faith is something you do about what you know. Knowledge means nothing unless
it is acted upon.

The children of Israel received the good word that God had given them Canaan
for a homeland. That information would have meant nothing at all to them if
they had remained in Egypt as slaves. But the Bible says, "By faith [they]
forsook Egypt...by faith they passed through the Red Sea (Hebrews 11:27, 29).

The Israelites did not march to the border of Canaan, fire one volley of
arrows, and expect all the enemy armies to drop dead. The land was theirs, but
they had to possess it "one dead soldier at a time."

What does that have to do with my getting victory over the grip of sin?
Everything! Christ settled the issue of slavery to sin by declaring you
emancipated from its dominion, but you have to believe it to the point that you
do something about it.

It is not enough to say, "Yes, I believe Christ forgives sin. I believe he is
Lord. I know he can break the power of sin in my life." You are mentally
consenting to what you heard, but faith is more than that. Faith is stepping
out on that promise of freedom and acting upon it.

Believers overcome the evil power of this world through faith. True faith is
the only thing that can help you stand up with confidence against the powers of
temptation. Self-control is possible only when, by faith, the truth about being
emancipated is accepted.

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his
commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the
world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1
John 5:3-4 NKJV).

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a
roaring lion, seeking who he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith,
knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the
world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to his eternal glory by
Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen,
and settle you. To him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever” (1
Peter 5:8-11 NKJV).

-David Wilkerson

self improvement or new creation?

I know you all have heard of Dr. Phil. He has a lot of insights into human relationships and he gives helpful advice. I’m sure many are able to enjoy self-improvements as a result of listening to Oprah’s favorite doctor.
Well, we have a “Phil” working in our ministry. Phil Van Tol is married to Lisa, the Registrar of Celebration Bible College, and he is our IT Manager. Once in a while he sends me a nugget of Jesus-revelation. Now, our Phil comes from a different perspective than Dr. Phil. He is discovering the realities of the Gospel of the grace of God, and the New Covenant Jesus has provided for us. The other day he sent me this note:
I was thinking over the New Covenant and the following came to my mind: it is easy for most believers (myself included) to see God in the majesty of creation and to see Christ in an eloquent speaker or affluent Christian businessman. However, what we, as believers, really need to learn is how to see Christ in ourselves - warts, freckles, ugly second toes and all. I have heard preachers ask “Who is Jesus to you?” but that isn’t really the question that should be asked: the real question that we need to address is “Who is Jesus IN you?” When we truly begin to see Christ in ourselves, the reality of the power available to us will come to light. I sincerely believe that this is the key to every believer walking in total victory; the power to overcome sin, the power to become prosperous, the power to receive healing - unless we begin to see Christ in us at a personal level, all of these things appear as an outside intervention and, therefore, something we must yet attain. If we don’t eventually see Jesus in ourselves, even the best New Covenant teaching can become just another layer of theology relegated merely to the soulish realm.
Recently I have made a conscious endeavor to see Christ in myself when I look in the mirror - sometimes it can be hard to do when you see all your faults and shortcomings at the same time; however, over the last few weeks it has begun to sink in more and more. What a difference it has made in day-to-day life! I have noticed that as I focus on the fact that Christ is in me and that He is part of every aspect of my day-to-day life, that day-to-day life becomes more enjoyable and less stressful. CHRIST IN ME is my hope of glory; not Christ on the throne of Heaven, not Christ on the cross, not Christ healing the multitudes or feeding the 5 thousand, but Christ in ME -that must be my perspective. He is my ever PRESENT help in time of need. Christ is, of course, those other things and more, but I, and all believers, need to keep the fact that His life is in us at the forefront of our thinking. In reality we are more than conquerors, we are already blessed and God is already happy with us; however, if we lose sight of the fact that Christ is IN us—not just FOR us—we run the risk of losing our grasp on that reality.
When you look in the mirror do you see Jesus looking back? That is the question I have been asking myself and that is the question believers needs to honestly ask themselves. We all need to see Him in our own eyes.
I sure would love to hear your comments on the issues Phil is dealing with. Now, I think Dr. Phil makes a lot of sense, but if you have discovered that self-improvement has its limitations, you may find Phil’s comments even more helpful. There is only so much change available through self-discipline, willpower and good intentions. Jesus in YOU can really bring about transformation. It seems Phil is discovering that. If anyone else feels the same way, or for that matter, if anyone disagrees, let me know your thoughts.
-Peter

http://www.peteryoungren.net

John 3:16

John 3:16
God : the greatest lover
So loved: the greatest degree
The world: the greatest company
That He gave: the greatest act
His only begotten son: the greatest gift
That whosoever: the greatest opportunity
Believeth: the greatest simplicity
In him: the greatest attraction
Should not perish: the greatest promise
But: the greatest difference
Have: the greatest certainty
Everlasting life: the greatest possession.

Over it all was the title, "Christ-the greatest gift."
-Foundation of the Christian Faith.

Why does God allow false teaching?

Why does God allow false teaching  Copyright Rosemary Bardsley 2007

QUESTION:

‘Many of the people who follow false teaching are earnestly seeking God's purpose in their lives. What purpose does God have in allowing such deception? Does it fall on us as believers of the Truth to lovingly help these individuals see God's ultimate truth and play a part in God's eternal kingdom?’

ANSWER:

I will respond to each part of this question in turn.
[1] The statement that ‘many of these people … are earnestly seeking God’s purpose for their lives’.
This statement actually provokes compounding questions:

• Where in the Bible is earnestness or sincerity the criteria by which people are justified or condemned? The Pharisees were exceedingly earnest and sincere, but they were identified by Jesus Christ as people who did not know God. Although we do have to be sincere in our faith, the value of faith is not in its sincerity but in its object. If I put all my trust in a god that I have created with either my hands or in my head that god can do nothing for me in any ultimate sense. Sadly, it is possible to be sincerely wrong.
• At the bottom line, are we supposed to be ‘seeking God’s purpose for our lives’, or are we supposed to be seeking God himself? The idolatrous Israel to whom most of the prophets spoke, were repeatedly told to ‘seek the Lord’ as opposed to reaching out and praying to idols. It is only when we have sought and found the one true God that any seeking for his purpose can be meaningful or relevant.
• Which ‘God’ is it whose purpose they are seeking? Is it the one true God who has revealed himself in creation, in the history of Israel, in Scripture, and finally in his Son, Jesus Christ? Or, is it some ‘god concept’ that they have in their heads that is just as much a false god as the physical idols?

Summary answer:
sincerity of faith counts for nothing with God unless it is directed towards the one whom the Bible states is the only God.
[2] What purpose does God have in allowing such deception?
This is the same kind of question as ‘Why did God allow Adam to sin?’ or ‘Why did God create humans able to sin?’ or, even behind that, ‘Why did God not stop Satan deceiving the first humans?’ It is also very similar to the question: ‘Why does God allow suffering?’
These are deep and puzzling questions, which can in this life be answered only in part. The partial answers include the following biblical perspectives:

• That God created humans with freedom of will. We are not programmed ‘machines’ like the non-animate and some of the microscopic animate creation; we are not creatures of instinct like the animate creation. We are humans created in the image of a personal Triune God: we are persons, and as persons we were created with, among other things, the ability to think and to choose. God created us ‘in his image’ and ‘in his likeness’, but we do not automatically reflect his glory as the non-personal creation does; we reflect his glory only when our thoughts and choices mirror his. The one prohibition of Genesis 2:17 focuses on this choice. Here in Genesis 2:17 God puts the choice before us: on the one hand, trust and dependence on him and his word, resulting in life and continuing freedom, or, on the other hand, rejection of him and his word, resulting in death and loss of freedom.
• From Genesis 3 onwards humans have been trapped in a mindset of rejection of God and rebellion against his truth. Satan’s deceitful suggestions corrupted the knowledge of God. From this point onwards the ‘gods’ sought by humans have been gods of their own creation. Romans 1:18- 32 sums up our whole sad history of our rejection of the knowledge of God, substitution of false gods, and the associated degradation of life and morals that inevitably ensues.
• The ignorance of God that began in Genesis 3 and continues to this day, as evident in false teaching both inside and outside of the visible church, is both the automatic consequence of our rejection of God and his Word, and God’s judgment on that rejection. This ignorance, which the Bible sometimes refers to as ‘darkness’, is the result of our human choice, not God’s choice. At a fundamental level, ignorance of God, ‘darkness’, is what God actually said ‘no’ to in that prohibition of Genesis 2:17. It is what God does not allow, but what we humans chose. God outlawed it. We embraced it. This ignorance of God, this darkness, is all included in that warning ‘you will surely die’. This ignorance of God that separates us from God, is spiritual death.

God’s opposition to this darkness and ignorance is clearly evident in the Scripture, and most specifically evident in the incarnation and God’s purposes in the incarnation. Jesus Christ said:

‘This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil’ [John 3:19].
‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ [John 8:12].
‘I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in the darkness’ [John 12:46].

The apostles spoke in a similar way:

‘The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. … God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ’ [2 Corinthians 4:4,6].
‘ … you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord’ [Ephesians 5:8].
‘’… giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us safe in the kingdom of the Son he loves [Colossians 1:12,13].
‘This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth’ [1 John 1:5-6].

Here in the incarnation of Christ, and the salvation wrought by that incarnation, is God’s final answer about his attitude to the darkness of false gods and false teaching, and his clear purpose to rescue us from that darkness. Here is also God’s final demonstration that the darkness is not forever – that the day is coming when there will be no more darkness, but only Light: no more error, only truth.

‘The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is the lamp. … There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light’ [Revelation 21:23: 22:5].

Summary Answer:
Humans chose, and continue to choose, the darkness of ignorance and error about God, rather than the light of God’s self-revelation in his Word. The presence of false teaching is the direct result of our human choice. As long as humans reject the one true God as he has revealed himself to be, there will be darkness and error – there will be false teaching. God, in an act of indescribable grace, allows us to continue to exist, even in this darkness. In this era of darkness between Genesis 3 and Revelation 21, which is also the era of grace, we have the opportunity to be rescued from the darkness and brought into his light. For this reason God delays the day when he will destroy the darkness [ignorance, error, false teaching, and associated degradation] for ever.

Additional note:
As indicated briefly above, there is a sense in which the on-going presence of error/false teaching is the judgment of God on the persistent choice to embrace error rather than his truth. This is a deep and heavy reality alluded to in a number of places in the scripture. If you wish to look into this study these scriptures: Isaiah 6:9-10; Matthew 13:10-15; Romans 1:18-32; 2 Thessalonians 9-12.
[3] Does it fall on us as believers of the Truth to lovingly help these individuals see God's ultimate truth and play a part in God's eternal kingdom?
Yes. God has shone the light of his truth into our hearts and minds. God has rescued us from the darkness.

‘We know … that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true’ [1 John 5:20].
‘If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. … Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father’ [John 14:7,9].

Yes. God, in his grace, delayed his destruction of the darkness until he had rescued us from it [read 2 Peter 3:3-10]. He did this by his appointed means of other human beings teaching us the truth [read Romans 10:9-15; 1 Corinthians 1:21; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20]. Because they were faithful, we now know the Light. Because they were faithful, we now know the Truth.
It is only in knowing and holding to the Truth that freedom comes.

‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ [John 8:31,32].

It is only as those who know the truth continue to faithfully make that truth known that others also will be rescued and liberated from the darkness of error. For this reason Paul instructed Timothy:

‘And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others’ [2 Timothy 2:2].

Until Christ returns it is the responsibility of those who know him to make him known. While the opportunity for repentance and faith is still available to men, the truth must be proclaimed. Only by the truth can they be liberated from the darkness.
Yes. However, because speaking God’s truth in the context of false teaching is often confrontational, this proclamation will not always appear to be ‘loving’. It may actually appear to be unloving, discriminatory, judgemental, divisive. It will at times have the nature of Jesus’ heated and provocative debates with the Pharisees, or Paul’s forthright exposure and condemnation of the blatant errors of the false teachers who were corrupting the truth in the New Testament churches. In this opposition to error both Paul and Jesus loved the truth so much, and loved people so much, that they were willing to risk their own safety and to attract criticism in order that the truth be preserved and men rescued from error.

Summary answer
: Yes.

http://www.godswordforyou.com/answers/328