The Zeal of Thine House

One of my favorite scenes from Little House on the Prairie is captured below.  In this episode, bullies come to town and begin to accost the townspeople while playing on "Christian" sympathies such as turn the other cheek, forgive others, and love your enemy.  While those principles are good and true, there also comes a time when you have got to treat the devil like the devil that he is.

In pictures, sermons, and song, Jesus is often portrayed as a long-haired, hippie-looking wisp of a man who would barely raise His voice or hurt a fly.  Yet the Jesus I serve - while being a magnate of love & hope to repentant sinners - was also one who didn't kowtow to the devil.  He went through the temple with a whip, turning over the tables of moneychangers in His fury.  He often suffered not demons to even speak, but cast them out in power.  He turned religious hypocrites on their heads by shooting down deceitful questions with the straightforward truths of God.  He addressed Satan directly when needed, taking authority over him and commanding him to get behind Him.

Onward Christian Soldiers

"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."  II Timothy 2: 3-4

One of the saddest things to see in the Church today is how it has been gutted from its mission.  It is filled with Freudian introspection, motivational speaking, and doctrinal debates...but little power of God.

A false perspective of our calling in God can make us selfish, approaching salvation with the expectation of seeing sunshine & flowers everyday with a "genie god" who will make our every wish come true.  We want to be "blessed" and not "stressed", failing to understand how God is growing us up in Him (Romans 5:3-5; II Corinthians 4:17, 12:9-10; Philippians 1:29; James 1:2-3; Hebrew 12:10-11).

Many are therefore unprepared when entering into the spiritual war of which every Christian is a part.  They are traumatized to consider that God actually expects them to "endure hardness".  As a soldier for God, it is not about going where you want to go, saying what you want to say, doing what you want to do, eating what you want to eat, sleeping where you want to sleep...

But I'm A Believer

"Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." Hebrews 10:38-39

In the last post, I wrote how John 6:66 indicates a line of demarcation between those who continue on with the Lord and those who depart from Him.  The difference?  Faith in God's words.

Some believed that Jesus' words were truth (even if they didn't fully understand them), while others rejected Jesus' words as truth because they didn't understand them.  In fact, they were offended by them.

When you read through the Chapter, you can see that their defection was no surprise of course to Jesus.  One thing that becomes clear is that belief in Jesus is synonymous with belief in His words.  In other words, Jesus had stated in John 6:40 that it is the will of the Father for everyone who sees Jesus to believe on Him and receive eternal life.  Yet, when many disciples began to question and get offended at Jesus' words, He said it was because they did not believe (John 6:64).

Jesus equated belief in Him with belief in His words. Although many professing Christians do this today, Jesus knew that one could not claim to believe in Him, yet not believe God's words.

Going Where Christ is Going

Or Choosing to Walk With Him No More

During prayer yesterday morning, the image of a parent and child at the mall came to mind.

The parent tells the young child to stay with them and the child readily agrees.  The parent starts walking and the child begins to follow closely behind.  As they continue through the mall, the child's attention is occasionally drawn away from the parent as he looks around at all of the shiny & noisy distractions.

Pretty soon, the child's steps become slower as more of their attention is captured by the things around them.  If they are not careful, soon the child may find that the parent is no longer in view; that the gap between them has gotten so large he will be unable to hear even if the parent calls out for him.

What must the child do?  Adjust his vision, forget about what is going on around him, return his focus to the parent, and get back in lockstep with the parent again.  And if he doesn't?  He might very well find himself lost.

While not a perfect analogy, my point is that Jesus is moving...and I don't mean in the soulish way where people might say how the "Holy Spirit was mooooving in Church this morning."  I mean that Jesus is always about the Father's business.  Even now, the reason He has a Body still on the earth is because there is work yet to do (John 14:12).

There are places Jesus wants to take you...but will you follow?

Does God Love Those He Sends to Hell?

Since the CD player in our car is broken, we have been listening to Christian radio stations.  As I did so today, it dawned on me how many songs are about God's love for us.

Song after song spoke of how God loves us anyway in spite of our sin.  How God's love lifts me up when I am down.  How God's love catches me when I fall.  How God's love carries me when I am weak...

Don't get me wrong, God's love is an absolutely wonderful thing!  It is beyond comprehension and I am ever grateful for it.  And while I noted the recurring theme of the songs, I sang right along with most of them.

Yet, how many realize that God's love is not the problem with mankind?  The issue is not whether God loves us, but whether we love Him.

DC Metro Fellowship

A fellowship is starting in the Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C. area called the Warriors Temple which I highly recommend for those seeking believers of a like, precious faith.  We had the opportunity to meet the pastor and his wife this month.

Please see the following information for more details.

Its time! We’ve lost our Families, Finances, and dignity to the Kingdom of Darkness; we must respond. God has an answer, a “NEW CHURCH ORDER”.

The days of superstar preachers, religious entertainers, and false doctrines are over. The New Church Order makes JESUS CHRIST the Superstar, with you as his CHURCH.

The Warriors Temple is a ministry designed to equip mankind with the truth of God's Word in order that the Church (YOU) will be able to serve God in spirit and in truth, war against Satan and bring other souls to Jesus Christ.

Join us and together we will build an Army of Christian Warriors to fight for our Families, Finances, and most of all for the Souls of Man.

Inaugural Service 19 February 2012

Sunday@10:30AM
Email for Service Location: info@thewarriorstemple.org

P.O. Box 786
Bowie, Maryland 20718-0786

Tweet4Choice?

"While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage."  II Peter 2:19

We have spoken before about the absurdity of the "pro-choice" platform.

How it's legalization was rooted in the eugenics movement, which seeks to reduce the world population by exterminating all "undesirables" from the world.

How it is in actuality the masking of wholesale murder as a means for destroying the family unit and destabilize society under the guise of protecting 'women's rights'.

However, the following videos have to be some of the hardest to watch that I have ever seen.  As difficult as they are to watch, they document a "procedure" that thousands of women undergo each day.

As stated in the video, abortion staying hidden allows it to remain tolerable.

Hey BFF!

I remember growing up and having "best friends".  I really didn't think much about it at the time. Yet at its heart, I can remember the depth of feeling that often went along with it.

It was like a claim of ownership & possession was being established in a sense of 'you belong to me'.  You were being set apart with and for the other person in an exclusive relationship to which others were not privy.  They were the ones to whom you were to share your deepest, darkest secrets. There was even an unspoken pressure to think alike.  It was as if we had to have the same mind. 

There were also certain obligations associated with being a "best friend".  You had to think of them first before any other when it comes to where to go, what to do, and with whom to hang out.  It was their opinion you would seek on what to wear and whom to date.  You also had to make the status of your relationship obvious to others through public demonstration such as always being seen together, wearing similar clothes and hairstyles, etc. 

Overall, the "best friend" was expected to be always on your side, always supportive, and always there for you.  They provided a sense of acceptance, validation, and dependability in life when there is so much unknown. 

The Three Rs of Rebellion

NO Rules, NO Responsibility, NO Reproof!

"For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." Jude 1:4

I have written about religion before and if one is speaking about outward conformity & external works to please men over inward conversion & transformation to Christ, then I am dead set against it.  However, when some speak of "hating religion", they are not expressing a heartfelt desire to be in relationship with Jesus Christ.  Rather, they are speaking of a desire to be free from Rules, Responsibility, and Reproof.

There is a video which has gone "viral" entitled, "Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus".  This video has lots of people "Amening" it and and saying how much it expresses what they feel.  Yet, this young man has another video as well containing his personal testimony (below), which explains why he made that video.

In a nutshell, he made the video about religion because he believes that religion is not "grace-oriented".  What does he mean by that?  He is offended by the insistence that sin defiles and he finds such assertions ungrace-like.  Folks, this video about "hating religion" is not about freedom in Christ; it is about the fact that this young man is not yet through with sin.

My statement is not one of condemnation.  I pray that he turns his whole heart to the Lord so that he may find mercy and grace to help in his times of need.  He has not yet understood the truths of the Gospel and even the essence of salvation.

Civil Rights Does Not Impart Righteousness

What if I told you that I was a Christian, BUT...

I didn't believe that Jesus was the Son of God.

I didn't believe that Jesus was God Himself. 

I didn't believe Jesus was born of a virgin.

I didn't believe that Jesus ever rose bodily from the dead.

What if I said that all of these things - indeed, much about the story of Jesus Christ - was simply a reworking of historical fables & myths?

What if I claimed that the "truths" in Scripture were no more valid than the "truths" found in Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Greek philosophy, and among other great minds throughout civilization?

That the Scriptures were not the words of God, but the words of men under the "spell" of Jesus and as affected & infected by their cultural surroundings?

Would you still consider me a believer?

Would you call me a heretic?

Or would you call me one of the greatest Christian leaders of our time?

I Am A Pastor's Wife

OK, I am not really - although I have always believed that God was preparing me to be - but that is another story altogether.  LOL

I am actually speaking of another blog called "I Am Pastor's Wife" that I was introduced to this morning.  Linked below are some posts that address themes we have been dealing with lately:

Does Jesus Go To Church? - Jesus & Religion?

Horizontal Christianity - Time to grow up Church!

A Sinsual Seduction - Who is Jezebel?

Daylight Savings Time - It is time to save the lost and bring in the harvest!

Why Are We Silent & The Devil So Loud? - "Christian" music as a tool of the Gospel

Be Careful Who You Idolize - In light of MLK day  [SIDE NOTE: And don't get me started on MLK who was not a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ at all.  When I wonder will we finally be ready to be free from Babylon?]

The Caretaker

"For if a man know not how to rule his own house, HOW shall he take care of the church of God?" I Timothy 3:5

This text in I Timothy 3:5 makes clear certain things about God's church:

• God has charged some men with responsibility for "taking care" of His church.  
  
  Therefore, assertions that God has not invested any authority in man for overseeing His church are false.  Likewise, claims that the Holy Spirit replaces any need for man's leadership in the church are also false.  God has given us His Holy Spirit as well as Godly leadership for the care & development of His people; therefore, we obviously need both.
  

This Idol Called "Institutional Church"

Are We Finally Ready to Be Free From Babylon?

"Idolatry is committed, not merely by setting up false gods, but also by setting up false devils." – G.K. Chesterton

A brother called me this week about the article on Biblical, Godly authority.  I mentioned that many church folks do not understand this topic because of idolatry.  What do they idolize?  The very system which enslaved them.

People mistakenly think that you can only idolize that which you adore, want to be like, or desire to attain.  However, you can also idolize that which you hate or fear.  How do you know something has become an idol to you?  It begins to take a place in your life that only God should have.  You begin to be molded by IT (either your attraction to it or your repulsion from it) instead of by the Lord.

A young girl might say, "I don't want to be anything like my mother when I grow up."  So she spends her whole life trying not to be like her mother.  Guess what?  Her mother is her idol.  Everything she does or says is calculated to "not be like her mother"; as a result, she remains bound.  She is not free to be conformed to the image of Christ because the image of her mother is the standard by which she measures herself.  This is what people have done with the church.

Hell

Artwork by William Thomas Thompson

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." A Proverb

In the following message of the "Life After Death" series, Min. David Pawson addresses the topic of Hell.

Before summarizing this message below, I want to provide a little more info on the doctrine of Universalism which Min. Pawson also addresses.  Some believe that - although it is a place of punishment - Hell is primarily a place of purging, enabling those who don't receive Christ in this life to be reconciled to Him at a later time.  Those holding to this belief therefore claim that eventually, all mankind will be saved.  An article which goes into the errors of this doctrine in more detail may be found here: Hell Bent. 

In Min. Pawson's sermon below, he addresses:

• Deep down in human nature is an instinctive belief that after we die, there is some kind of distinguishing between good and bad.
• Hell is a place of conscious torment where the wicked are punished forever.
• The majority of people in modern society have rejected belief about Hell, including much of the churchworld.
• Some simply don't like the idea of it.
• Some assume it must be wrong since the concept induces fear, which they deem unhealthy.
• We have departed in society from the idea of punishment for its own sake (retribution).  Instead, punishment is seen as only for deterrent or reformatory reasons; and Hell can do neither. 
• Some also believe Hell is not fair; that eternal punishment is not an equitable punishment for a few sins in a short life.
• Some believe that if there is a Hell, then God has failed to deal with and remove evil.
• Others question that, if God is a God of love, then how could He send a person to Hell forever?
• Nearly every one of the cults in Christianity have attacked & dismissed the Biblical idea of Hell.

Judgement

Artwork by William Thomas Thompson

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Hebrews 9:27

The fourth in Min. David Pawson's series on "Life After Death" where he focuses on judgment.

• There are two appointments that every person has: 1) the day we die; and 2) the day we are judged by God for how we lived.
• The injustice of life demands justice, but more importantly, the justice of God demands it. 
• God's justice will be justice for all to see so that He is vindicated before the false accusations of the world (and of Satan).
• God has relegated the responsibility of judging the world to Jesus Christ.
• During judgement, each person will be personally judged by the Lord.  We will each have to give account for our own lives.

Resurrection

"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5:28-29

The next message in Min. David Pawson's series on "Life After Death" addresses the resurrection:

• Just as a seed dies and then grows into a plant with a different body, we will also get a different body after the resurrection
• Our current bodies are weak and can become sick & die; they are bodies of death.  But after the resurrection, all who are Christ's will be given Heavenly bodies which are supernatural and full of glory & strength.
• There be will a trumpet blast from the sky and all Christians who have died will become alive with new bodies that will never die.  We who are still alive will suddenly have new bodies too, as body and spirit are reunited.

Between Death & Resurrection

The message below is the second in the series Min. David Pawson's "Life After Death" sermons and focuses on what happens to man between death & resurrection:

• If man is only a physical creature, then death is the end of him or annihilation.  
• The Bible shows that man is more than a body; with the body being likened to a tent or suit of clothes.
• From the Christian perspective, the outside may continually decay, but the inside should be continually renewed.
• When a man dies, it is the moment of temporary separation between body & spirit.
• At that time, the body goes back to the dust.  The body without the spirit is dead.  
• This is why Jesus said, "Into thine hand I commit my spirit" when He died.  He remained as a spirit for 3 days & nights.
• The body and soul will be reunited again - even after corruption has set in - and that is called the resurrection.

Death

"And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."  Hebrews 2:15

The following message from Min. David Pawson about death is from his series "Life After Death". 

Some might say that this is a somber subject, but many people do not understand what happens to us when we die.  Since this world is not our home, it is important for us to consider life after death.

While Min. Pawson touches on this from an aspect of physical death, some of these things are true as it relates spiritually as well (the death of the old man).

Breaches

If you would attack the breaches in your own soul with as much vigor and tenacity as you attack the perceived breaches in the souls of others, then not only would you be delivered, you would be able to bring deliverance to those whom you think need it so badly.

I heard the above statement this morning from the Lord.  I pondered it.  It hurt.  It was true.

What did I get from this statement?  There were still breaches in my own soul.  I was starting to focus on others' issues as an escape from addressing my own.  My attitude in that was not attractive to God; instead of having compassion, I was feeling smugly justified.  Lastly, I was standing in my own way in terms of really being used more by God to help others.

"Well", I thought, "I'll think about that more later.  Right now I am doing an article on fasting and I need some additional info to complete it."  Not to mention that it wasn't a reflection I was looking forward to having.

So, I put that out of my mind and proceeded to go back to my study on fasting.  Then I came across the following sermon from Min. Eric Ludy.  Although it didn't appear to have anything to do with my topic, God told me to listen to it.  As I listened, I was immediately reminded of the words above once more.  This was not something that God was just going to let me just put aside.  He was demanding my attention, NOW.

A Three-fold Cord

God’s Response to Ahab and Jezebel

The following article by Verity Ministries addresses how the three-fold cord of prophet, king, and priest was used to defeat Jezebel and demolish her empire.  They also examine how that same three-fold cord will be needed in this day to combat the same.

There seems to be an increasing angst and animosity about patriarchy these days, even from men themselves.  But if we want to walk in the power of God - if we want to do His will - it is in our best interest to understand the nature of this spiritual war and be prepared to take our place in it.

Ecclesiastes 4:12

And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

When God initiated His attack against the reign of Ahab and Jezebel, He used the threefold cord of
prophet, priest, and king.  Each of these offices represents a different aspect of patriarchal, God
ordained authority. Each part of the cord confronted a different aspect of the Ahab-Jezebel coalition.

The Message YOU Need to Hear

YOU Are the Vessel of God

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."  Ephesians 4:11-12

In the last article, I discussed the process God led me through three years back to grow me up in Him.

I used to think that the practical aspect of salvation was turning in repentance to Christ, denying myself, feeding on God's word...and finding myself a "good church" in which not just to grow, but to function.

So I did.  And things were wonderful!  I grew to know the Lord and did as He led; finding joy, edification, & fellowship with the saints.  But then I got comfortable and God introduced me to a spirit of legalism in order to prod me into progressing on in Him.  Such a spirit analyzes everything to see if it measures up to its own expectations and will even put forth that you are rebelling against God when you do not submit to it.

Yet, there is no authority in the Body of Christ except that which comes from God.  We are not honoring God when we submit to that which is not from Him, even if it comes in a church setting.  Rather, God holds us accountable for putting that idol before Him.  Nothing will crush the life of God within you quicker than trying to live up to someone else's expectations - if you let it (Galatians 1:10).  And that is the key.

Lord, Please Don't Take My Security Blanket

Growing Pains

I have been on a journey over the past three years that has been a hard one, but I am so thankful to God for bringing me through it.  

I came to the faith about 17 years ago through the witness of a woman at my job.  The funny thing is that she wasn't even trying to reach me, but my cousin.  My cousin would come home and share with me Omega Church & Ministry Center tapes & materials this woman gave her.  Somehow, when I heard these messages, I knew that I was hearing the truth.

God led me to go to a Christian bookstore and I purchased a Bible as well as other Christian books.  Everything else in my life faded to black as I devoted my time to study and prayer; I was eaten up with a desire to know more about God and to be known by Him.  I devoured every tape, every message, every book as a new world was opened to me via the preaching of the Gospel.

It turns out that this woman's husband was the pastor of that church and soon I became a member.  As I grew in the faith, the pastor & his wife literally became like a father and a mother to me.  I was craving life, and the source of the life I needed (Jesus Christ) was pouring through them.  They opened their home to me, and in those years I likely spent more time with them than in my own home.  This Body of believers became a family for me that in many ways was more real than my earthly family.  I was so excited to be in the presence of the saints that I would show up about an hour early for almost every meeting, service, or social function.  When those events were over, I lingered, attempting to delay going back to the loneliness of my own apartment.  The closeness of this relationship meant the world to me.  Their acceptance gave me a sense of belonging & security I hadn't known before. 

Santa Muerte

A man in Mexico holds the Angel of
Death, who is considered a patron
saint by many Mexican Catholics.

Yesterday, Dr. Scott Johnson sent out an update addressing Santa Muerte, the patron "saint of death" and how this worship of death permeates the Roman Catholic Church (RCC).  We touched on this previously in the article about Halloween and the RCC's "All Saints Day" holiday, but Bro. Scott goes into more detail about how open and pervasive this worship of death is.

Not only is this the spirit behind all false religion, it is the spirit which weaves together the very fabric of the world.  In light of the dream I had the other night about the grim reaper, I felt this was important to post.

In addition to addressing the worship of this spirit of death, Bro. Scott also examines:

• The RCC's historic practice of worshiping of the dead, including memorializing skulls, bones, and other relics as objects of veneration.
• Who is Azreal, the angel of death
• The Inquisitions and how Christians were massacred by the RCC and their bones & skulls kept as trophies to these conquests.