The Blood Still Cries Out

Gen.4:8 - And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 9And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 10And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

Cain thought he could hide his evil deed, but God knew and hears Abel’s blood cry out metaphorically from the ground. Cain stands indicted. There is a movement aflame throughout all of Christendom to silence the blood from another murder. Abel did not wish to die, but this Person came to die. The movement to suppress the voice of His blood takes on many forms, but it is a coordinated effort orchestrated by the one who motivated Cain. Let us be perfectly clear. Without this blood there is no faith, no power, and no redemption. The spiritual battlefield has always been played on and around the crimson flow that drenched Golgotha’s ground. Whether it be the diminishing of the One who shed this blood, or redefining the meaning of that blood, the evil one has always attacked that which defeats and destroys him. The conversation about the blood is now seen as unsophisticated and unpleasant and even ignorant in today’s spiritual marketplace. The blood has been given a back seat to string theories, esoteric theologies, and the earthly works of man.

It is assumed that the modern, intellectual man may be allowed to list the blood in his systematic theology, but to discuss it openly is probably unwise and unpalatable to the post modern audience. The blood of the Lamb is now so obscure that it must be assumed that the church does not attribute any real power to it. This is not just another sign of the great apostasy, but it is the cornerstone of the current apostasy. And it isn’t just men like Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, and the entire emergent movement who are the leading guides into spiritual darkness, but most of evangelicalism preaches a man centered gospel of self help and success.

Terms like success and prosperity and wholeness have been repackaged in order to be attractive to the flesh and even to be offered as the will of God. And where does the blood fit into all this? If mentioned at all, the blood is granted a cameo mention at the very end of a sermon, right before the masses are dismissed to commit gluttony. Do we think that God is impressed with a theological acknowledgment of His Son’s sacrifice? Are we so comfortable with our doctrine that we assume the blood does not deserve consistent preaching? As long as we have a written belief system we are satisfied.

But the blood of Jesus Christ is the only saving agent for all eternity. The further we distance our preaching and teaching from the blood the further we distance ourselves from God Himself. The Redeemer was not ashamed to shed His blood openly and in the midst of mocking sinners, so why are we so reticent to powerfully profess our faith in that blood? The voice of that divine blood cries out from the sacred ground of Calvary. The shame, the grief, the pain, the suffering, and the sacrificial death that are all woven inside that blood cry out to those who have been redeemed by its power. Where are the human voices that are lifted with worship as they exalt the Lamb and give praise to His scarlet glory?

Why isn’t the blood being voiced throughout the world by lips that know His cleansing power? Why are wicked men stripping the blood of its power while so called orthodox believers just shake their heads or defend their doctrines on sheets of paper and electronic screens? Millions of western believers have sold their birthright for a mess of national or moral pottage. Why does the world not accuse us of being archaic in our faith because we still adhere to the blood sacrifice? It’s because they hear us endorse candidates, and criticize homosexuals, or scream about economics, but they hear precious little about the blood of Jesus Christ when in fact that is what they need to hear.

The blood is still crying out to sinners. The church needs to have a revival of the blood which would not only reinvigorate our evangelism, it would draw us once again to holiness. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Do we believe that is an ancient practice observed and believed by uneducated and unenlightened men? Or do we actually believe that is a dynamic truth that is true for all eternity and transcends all times, all cultures, and all intellects?

The church has drifted. But instead of using the compass of God’s Word to get back on course, we have embraced our position and soothed our consciences by confronting those who have drifted further than have we. One day in eternity all of creation will be witness to the eternal glory of the bloody wounds of the Risen Christ. In that moment, it will no longer seem barbaric and unseemly, and we will feel a tangible sense of shame when we realize how sinful was our timidity about discussing, much less our preaching, the redeeming blood of God’s only Son. In fact, those who speak against the blood seem much more vocal and bold about diminishing its significance and even suggesting the entire gospel narrative has been misinterpreted. Some even go so far as to suggest that the blood itself is meaningless. The cross to them is an example to man as to what not to do to each other.

But go ahead all you false teachers and blind guides. Go ahead and create some form of human endeavor that needs not the Lamb’s shed blood. Go ahead and mock His eternal sacrifice and replace it with your own fleshly machinations. Go ahead and sell your books and hold your interviews and spew forth that which cannot save and is an abomination to the Lamb Himself. Go ahead and bask in the adulation of the spiritual Bourgeoisie and be exhilarated with the controversy that surrounds you. But do not be deceived, the controversy isn’t about your humble walk with Jesus. It is about your wicked boldness that appeals to the fallen nature of sinner and professing saint alike. You have even drawn the fascination of the wicked and fallen media.

But the blood of God still cries out, and to those who have ears to ear that cry is both a glory and a warning. God will not be mocked, and God sees and knows all. He will one day take up His own defense for the blood of Christ. And the blood of humans will be spilled by the millions, and that blood will be hollow and meaningless and without the slightest particle of redemption. And if you helped a billion old ladies across the street and fed three meals every day to every starving child on the planet it still would not find any favor with the Creator God.

Many have strayed so far that only a sovereign miracle could reclaim them. But let all of us allow, yea beg, the Spirit to revive us to His will and His ways so that our discipleship does not rest in identifying the apostasy in others. But let our discipleship be know for its love for the Lord Jesus and our unashamed boldness for the blood that gave voice to the everlasting gospel!

The blood still cries out; let us cry out with it!

Banal Christianity

There used to be power; there used to be mystery; there used to be sacredness; there used to be eternity; there used to be the afterlife; there used to be a second coming; there used to be glorious revelation; there used to be passion; there used to be uncommon sacrifice; there used to be all these things associated with the post resurrection church. But year by year and decade by decade the church has allowed the world and its system to eviscerate those things from the faith until what we have now is nothing more than a mundane religion of the “now” that is no different than the mosque or synagogue down the street.

In fact, there is more difference between denominations then there is between believers and unbelievers. People like Bill Gates and secular organizations dwarf what evangelical churches give in humanitarian efforts. But let us examine what churches give toward gospel missions. The largest evangelical organization in the world is the Southern Baptist Convention. They provide a good measuring stick.

Churches cooperating through the Southern Baptist Convention spend, on average, $1.31 per member annually to reach every person living in the U.S. and Canada while they spend $0.04 per person to reach the nations.

You do the math.

I am sure we spend much more than that on our dogs.

Authentic Manifestation

In order for a sinner to be saved the Holy Spirit must illuminate his heart to things that seem so foolish and unsophisticated. That fallen heart which embraces all that is fallen and remains hardened to spiritual truths, must be cracked and opened and by a miracle of the Invisible Spirit as He deposits the truth about Jesus. At that moment the free will of man comes face to face with the everlasting gospel and the Everlasting Savior. There may be a time of assessment and contemplation as was my case, or there may be an instant embrace of the Risen Christ. But if that sinner waits too long and becomes adept at living with the spiritual tension, the power of that truth will begin to erode and eventually that sinner will consider his spiritual encounter as nothing more than a passing thought.
But if and when that sinner meditates upon the gospel, and if his heart is chased by the relentless Spirit of Truth, then he may come to a saving faith in one glorious moment. His eternal destiny has been changed and he now belongs to God. But the exhilaration of that new birth is not automatically sustained. Just as the children of Israel could not depend upon the Red Sea experience, so the new born child of God cannot receive life from the memory of his salvation experience. The complete and panoramic landscape of all things eternal does not naturally capture a believer’s heart.
The things of this present world are louder, more aggressive, more natural, and much more visible than the things of the Spirit. The believer is inundated constantly with things that malign Christ and with things that imprison the mind and even the heart. To walk in the Spirit is a labor of love, but make no mistake it is a labor nonetheless. The way of Jesus, which is the way of the cross, is no simple task and certainly not a course which can be audited. Living with the brightness if Jesus in this evil world must have at its core a determined and sacrificial heart that will pay any price to have the fellowship of His presence.
And so there must come a time, or perhaps several times, in a believer’s life where he asks himself once again, “Do I actually believe these things with all my heart?” And I do not mean some rhetorical question that is answered with the carelessness of a quiz show question, but I speak of a deep examination within one’s own heart to see with uncomfortable vulnerability just how much stark evidence there is to substantiate an affirmative answer. In other words, what observable criteria in my life separate me from those moral beings who do not believe? Do I have a statement of faith, or do I have a life of faith?
And before we answer those questions we must revisit what we say we believe in all its severity and colossal implications. As believers we have grown accustomed to regurgitate our beliefs with little passion and with the sincerity of a homework assignment. It has become all too familiar and unremarkable. We believe that God came down to Earth in the flesh and in the likeness of a man. That statement in and of itself is enough to ponder for all eternity, and yet we are much more prone to defend it as truth rather than allow it to transform our entire being. If you could see and talk with the Incarnate Jesus would it change your life? That implies that we believe in Jesus much more if we could see Him, and our belief in Him now is lacking the depth and power that would revolutionize our way of living.
Upon further investigation we say we believe that Jesus died for the sins of the world, and that He resurrected from the dead. That, my friends, is either powerfully true or it is the fairy tale of the ages. But it cannot be just some doctrinal point about which some attack and some defend. If Jesus resurrected from the dead, then the life we now lead must be nothing less than a showcase for the Risen Christ which is used up for His glory. We must come to as place where we exit this fallen world and open our hearts once again to hear the voice of the Spirit. Do we believe and live the Resurrected Savior or do we just believe? Is my life so dramatically different than my neighbors that even those who do not believe have no doubt that I do?
We say that the Jesus who resurrected and who was God the Son actually lives inside of us. It is almost impossible to imagine all the implications of that assertion. Even the cults attempt to construct distinctive and observable differences from ordinary people even if they do it through the flesh and through legalism. We cannot be satisfied with the way the church has morphed into an organization which exists neatly fitted into the cultural landscape. The effect of the western church is little more than some benign talisman passed down from generation to generation.
But let us cut to the chase. We say that we believe that every soul lives forever either in a place we call “heaven” or in a place we call “hell”. The former a place of eternal bliss and the latter a place of unspeakable horror. And with a straight face we profess to believe that scenario while enjoying the pleasures of this world and literally denying ourselves nothing but sin, and even enjoying some of that as well. And given the passive and even vacuous nature of our so called witness, the validity of our profession is extremely suspect. And if our prayer lives were uncovered, most of the church would blush with embarrassment.
We seem so satisfied by using heretics as scapegoats for our own grevious shortcomings, and as we beat the dead horses of the usual suspects we have become blind and deaf to our own comfortable lives. If we are consumed with the false teachings of others we become indifferent to the false manifestations of our own discipleship. While we indict others we stand indicted ourselves.
The disproportionate nature of what we say we believe and the way our lives are lived must be addressed. It is time to look deeply into the mirror of God’s Word and with the eyes of the Spirit come to an understanding. Do we really believe these things. If we say we do, what are we willing to do to authenticate that profession? If we continue on this present path we will be known as one of the great religions of the world on Wikipedia, and we will have earned that debased moniker.

Hell

The doctrine of hell, an eternal place of justice where sinners outside of Christ are separated from God eternally, is a Biblical truth. I do not relish that thought and I do not profess to know the extent of the horrors of such a place. What I do know is this:

No one really believes in hell.

What I mean is that even those of us that claim to believe in such a place, do it overwhelmingly in the doctrinal abstract. For if we truly believed in hell and allowed that belief to permeate our beings and melt our hearts, we surely would act and feel very differently. If we embraced such a reality, we might weep for our lost loved ones and neighbors. We might push aside our timidity and become a bold witness for the Savior. We might reject this entertainment laden culture and be consumed with spreading the good news of Jesus Christ and the serious nature of that call to redemption.

We might spend hours in trailing prayer begging God to use us to rescue the perishing. We might spend our money sacrificially to help send dedicated missionaries to the four corners of the world. We might feel a sense of fear and foreboding for those who walk in darkness. We might feel such gratitude for our own salvation that we offered our lives as a living sacrifice. We just might experience bouts of sleeplessness as we anguished over the eternal plight of those we know and those we do not know.

The truth is that if we actually believed in the place called hell it would radically change the way we pray, the way we give, the way we worship, the way we loved, and the way we live. But until we believe it on that level, we will have to soothe our conscience by showing our membership card in the club called "doctrinal orthodox". Read our systematic theology and you will see that we do indeed teach that we believe in hell.

Oh yes, false teachers like Rob Bell tickle the ears of millions and help allay the fears of sinners by doctrinally eviscerating what God's Word teaches. But let us not derive too much comfort from the fact that we disagree with men like Bell. In the end, most of our disagreement with false teachers is confined to words spoken and words written but with precious little living demonstrations that would substantiate our professions of faith in such a serious and eternal prospect.

If we say we believe something and it does not deeply and observably change our lives, then we do not believe it at all.

Flee the Wrath to Come

It is beneficial to communicate the gospel through all sorts of mediums and with all kinds of words that amplify the glory of redemption. But we must be careful not to journey so far away from the Biblical story with our creative and modern terms that in essence we are preaching another gospel and another Jesus. The writer of Hebrews tells us to not to let the things that we have heard slip away.

Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

Apostasy is a gradual process, both in an individual and in a segment of the body of Christ. A faithful believer does not awake one morning and walk in apostasy. It slips in through many portals and by various methods of deception. We live at a time in which deception is rampant and apostasy has found its way into many corners of evangelicalism. And many children are now being born into apostasy who have never known the faith once delivered unto the saints.
The idolization of man is a common thread in apostasy. Some preacher with a gift for communication, or an alluring intellect, or a charismatic personality draws people away from Christ and His gospel. And he or she does this while claiming to believe and be sharing the gospel and the Person of Jesus Christ. Talk about deception! Clever books and packaging designed to appeal to the senses aid in spreading falsehoods. And a positive and hopeful message is consumed by the masses. No one wants to be a “downer”.
Pastors are now referred to a Christian “rock stars”. Many preachers are millionaires and live lifestyles of privilege. It is a sad spectacle when so called Christian leaders refuse to answer direct questions on national television. Preachers like Osteen, Bell, Warren, and many others hold special nights where throngs come to affirm them with their presence and their pocketbooks. It is a sign of spiritual bankruptcy.
The western church is caught in the quagmire of the hedonistic culture and has long since succumbed to the temptations of wealth, entertainment, and national assimilation. And many preachers have pounced upon the opportunity to financially benefit from the situation by presenting clever messages and alluring stories that tickle the ears and harden the heart. And some weave a quilt of shallow Biblical phrases with erudite philosophies and present them as enlightened insights into God and His plan. In fact, they are instruments of spiritual death.
Be not deceived in these last days. As the day of His appearing approaches, so does the apostasy increase. The Evil One has many weapons at his disposal and he is using them all. Angels of light roam all over the world today and are harvesting hell’s crop. So often we are taught about the cults as if they are the only arena in which the devil works. But in reality Satan is doing his finest work among the evangelical churches. The day of reckoning is upon us and who will be counted as a follower of the Most High God?
As believers we must all humbly admit that we have failed our Lord in many ways. Our salvation was a great gift and we did nothing to earn it. We must be broken before the Lord as we seek His face. But we cannot, we must not, align ourselves with those who deny His name and claim souls can be saved either without Him or in some post mortem altar call. In the end the final line will be drawn around the Person of Jesus Christ and His glory. It is one thing to struggle and fall short of our glorious calling. It is quite another to dismantle the Risen Christ and present a false caricature that cannot save and in fact leads souls to hell.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, these are the days about which we were warned. The signs of the times envelope us and yet believers watch the news with no emotion and no discernment. God’s voice is blaring with a call to watch and pray! I suggest that the events in Japan and elsewhere are just a minor foreshadowing of what is to come. We may be on the brink of a worldwide calamity that cannot be envisioned by the human mind. And this will not be the work of some “mother nature”; this will be the work of the Creator God.

Flee the wrath to come and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ!

A Living Theology

Theology is dead without a life to inhabit. Books and blogs and Cds and computers can defend doctrinal truth, but only a life can project Jesus.

Are You Listening??

It has been scoffed at and maligned. It has been the brunt of jokes. It has been merchandised and used to spread fear. Many have attached dates to it and made outlandish predictions. The common word “rapture” is taken from the Latin word “rapio” which means “caught up” in English. It is the glorious gathering of the Bride of Jesus Christ when God takes up the living believers and gathers them together with Him in the air. Then begins the Great Tribulation.
No one knows when this event will take place, but the Scriptures give us clues at to which generation will see it. Famines and earthquakes, diseases and violence, and hatred and greed will accompany this cataclysmic event. And even though Jesus warned against setting dates, He admonished those who were so blind that they could see the weather but could not see the signs of the times. And so it is today.
I am not a date setter, however I can clearly see the signs all around us. If there ever was a time for sinners to seriously consider their standing before God and the claims of Jesus Christ it is today. We are being enveloped with signs and events that point to the coming of Jesus Christ. The church has treated the second coming of Christ as a doctrinal curiosity and relegated its importance far behind finances and marriage and earthly success. But it is upon us.
Do not be satisfied with identifying the spiritual lethargy of the church. And do not soothe your conscience just because you are a little more aware of the approaching hoof beats of the coming King. This is a time for personal repentance and spiritual inventory. The King of all Kings is at the door and will make His entrance with great power and glory. No longer the gentle shepherd that allowed wicked men to spit upon His face; this coming Lord will reveal a glory and majesty that will chase away mountains and cause the entire world to tremble before Him.
This world has been our enemy and has done everything in its power to draw us away from our Blessed Lord and Savior. Through temptation and greed, lust and avarice, and deception on every level the world has cooperated with our own flesh to divert our attention away from the glory of the narrow path and led us into the path of least resistance. We have been captured by all kinds of things that are enemies of the cross but soothing to the flesh. Our ears are inclined to the drum beats of this present world.

Rev.2:7 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches...

WHAT DO YOU HEAR???????????

I hear the panicked sound of demons as they scurry to steal, kill, and destroy before they are bound. I hear the whole world preoccupied with this world as they neglect the world to come. I hear the cackles of Lucifer's legions as they mock God's people and their anemic commitment to the Savior Himself. I hear the satisfied groans of Satan as his massive deceptive shift from the unseen to the seen has produced results beyond his expectations. I hear the clinking of coins as believers lay treasures upon treasures on this earth. I hear the echoes of the empty prayer closets and the silence of the unturned pages of God's Word. I hear the constant sound of the last sands of the hourglass hitting the bottom but void of the bold prophets of God unashamedly calling us to prepared repentance? I hear the vows of men to men and women to women pledging their marital commitment to each other while I hear God's spouses breaking theirs. I hear the silent screams of unborn babies being murdered alive in their own mother's wombs while the sound of computer keyboards in the houses of God's people check their portfolios. I hear Israel's enemies gathering around her and the church calls no solemn assembly with prayer and fasting. I hear hell giggle as preachers tell stories and jokes and congregations leave feeling good about their situation without ever knowing what it means to be under the mighty Sword of God's Word. I hear 150,000 souls slip into a tormented eternity ever single day while we sleep on dry, careless pillows.

WHAT DO YOU HEAR???????????

I hear a faint but growing, guttural, powerful roar in the distance as if coming from a magnificent, celestial Lion. It's permeating the atmosphere, connecting with the Spiritual ears of His pride, and sounding out a warning of impending doom to all His enemies. He has already marked His territory and the sound of His gigantic paws grows closer and closer. He started with a determined walk two thousand years ago, began to gain speed through the centuries, and He now runs with His fiery eyes fixed and with justice dripping from His tremendous jaws from which He will roar out His irresistible and powerful Word to the four corners of the Earth. I hear His enemies turn their heads in fear as they recognize the gathering storm in the distance is rapidly coming to fulfill the destruction which this Lion has promised to all who oppose Him. All will tremble, all will wonder, all will bow before Him on that great and terrible day. I hear the growing echo of "Behold He Comes" surrounding this Mighty Lion of Judah as He snorts great clouds of wrath from His nostrils!! His subjects prepare to welcome Him with waves of regal worship as this Lion King promenades through His victory. I hear the voice of Judah's Lion beckon for His rightful bride with a wave of His nail-pierced paw, and I hear Him lovingly purr "Come up with Me". I hear a blood bought lioness brought before her Worthy Bridegroom and prostrate herself in love and worship, and I hear this August Lion say "Well done thou good and faithful servant" to His bride.

I hear this Lion breathing, panting, speaking, and coming, shaking out God's glory from His massive mane and with all the armies of heaven His entourage. I hear the clarion call of this Holy Lion's Spirit commanding His pride "Awake from your sleep and arise! The battle is joined, run to it in My power. Put aside your worthless toys and glorify My Name. Away from your shaded places of rest and pleasure and spoil the enemy's camp. Speak what I speak, walk as I walk, shout my name in the heavenlies, stay under the banner of my blood, and be filled with My Spirit. Count it an honor to give your very life for Me and My reward is with Me! I will avenge my enemies, and all who follow Me will share!!"

WHAT DO YOU HEAR???????????

The Blood of the Martyrs

When was the last time you allowed the blood of the martyrs to water your soul and saturate your faith?

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

Thousands upon thousands of men and women have given their very lives for the Lord Jesus. It is beneficial for us all to pause once in a while and ponder the mystery of their sacrifice, and let it humble and embolden us to greater servant hood for our Master.

Thrust in the Sickle

All things are gathering in chaotic order as prophetic clouds that sound His coming. Flee the wrath to come and run by faith into the City of Refuge. Jesus offers more of everything you could ever imagine, all of which find their source in Him. He is the everlasting Vine from which all life comes and to which all eternal life is found. There is no hope outside of Him. Wars and earthquakes and disease and hatred are increasing and yet so many are blind to it all.

He came the first time as a baby in Bethlehem. He allowed wicked men to spit upon His face, and pull out His beard, and crush his skull with thorns, and mock Him publicly, and finally He embraced the suffering of a Roman cross. But He is coming again, and this time He comes as a Lion. To those who love Him He comes in deliverance and great grace.

Those that are not in Him are in eternal danger. There is no other way. I wish there was, but there is not.

"I am the way, the truth, and the life."

"No man comes to the Father but by me."
"Behold I come quickly."

...spoken by Jesus the Christ

I See You

I must openly confess that I resisted the desire to see the movie “Avatar”. Of course the last movie I saw in a theatre was “The Passion of the Christ” so I had to wait until it was on television. And so I watched what was reported to be the largest grossing movie in history and what some pastors called “unchristian”. Of course if we are to use the label unchristian we can attach it to everything from the “Wizard of Oz” to “A Christmas Carol” all the way to much of Disney. Christmas itself is “unchristian” and so probably is ice cream as well. We live in a world that is decidedly “unchristian” and everything is fallen.
Anyway the story is compelling as it showcases the inhumanity of man, the folklore religion of the natives, and an interracial love story. But the indigenous people called the Na’vi had a greeting. Perhaps a little more than greeting. They would say “I see you”. Now the fictional Na’vi people said that this phrase meant more than just eyesight; it meant that you could see into a person and understand them. I was reminded of Paul’s statements to the Church at Corinth.

II Cor.5:15-17 - And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
16. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

We quote that 17th verse much more than the previous two, and usually we have come to believe it means shedding some of the outward sins that we practiced before we came to faith in Jesus Christ. I am sure that verse includes those sins, but if we are to take the verses in context the Spirit is guiding us into a startling and incredible truth that is not only overlooked, but is at the very heart of reflecting the Person of Jesus Christ.
The 15th verse exhorts us to sacrifice our own lives and live a life unto Christ. And at the core of living a life for him is living a life for others. This is usually translated as a life that is associated to and loyal to a local, organized assembly of professing believers. Giving and supporting the activities of a local church is considered being “committed”. The western culture loves to compartmentalize everything and the believers living in this culture have adopted this kind of myopic definition of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus the Christ.
But stepping away from the force fed definitions, let us more closely examine what the Spirit teaches rather than what man has constructed. The 16th verse is an extremely penetrating truth. What does Paul mean that he no longer knows and sees men in the flesh? Notice he says that we have known Christ in the flesh but now no more. He is obviously speaking of the Spirit. We know Jesus Christ in the Spirit and it is impossible to know Him without the Spirit. To know Christ through the Spirit is to actually know Him experientially and in a way that the flesh cannot understand. This is the faith once delivered unto the saints.
But now that we know Him in the Spirit, Paul says he no longer knows fellow humans in the flesh. What? This is the path of discipleship. We concentrate on all sorts of outward things. We command believers to give up smoking and drinking and inappropriate entertainments, and there is a place for those exhortations. But it seems we have missed the essence of what it means to be a follower, an imitator, of the Lord Christ.
We chronically see others in the flesh and not the Spirit. To see others in the Spirit is to see them from the perspective of the cross. And that is to see them through the eyes of the Lamb of God. So often we see their sins and not their soul. The words “I see you” in the science fiction story were meant to proclaim that you really saw that person inside. All their needs, all their hurts, all their wounds, and all their fears were seen by you. I was once a lost sinner who was boisterous and arrogant, but inside I was fearful and in desperate need of hope.
To lead a committed life is to lead of life dedicated to others. Jesus came to Bethlehem for others, not Himself. Are you willing to eat with demonstrably gay people? Are you willing to love those who remain behind bars because they were so violent? Are you willing to love the abortion doctor? Do you see these people in the flesh or in the Spirit? Do you see them at the Great White Throne judgment or do you see them at Calvary? Do you feel negative emotions toward “liberals” or does your heart beat with redemption toward them?
The American pulpits continue to thunder down judgment and division, but refuse to see people who they really are in God’s eyes. There will be time for judgment, but that is in God’s hands. We are vessels of redemption’s light that are sent to illuminate the souls who dwell in darkness. The next time you see someone on television who affects you negatively, or someone who mistreats you in the mall, or even a lost family member who disrespects and demeans you, remember the words of the Apostle Paul. Look at them through the eyes of the Redeemer and say within your soul,

“I see you”.

The Gospel Leaves as He Comes

I was born in 1952. By then the practice of Christianity had been smoothed by time and culture. But how can a believer come to understand just what the New Testament commands apart from the compromises that have crept into the faith over the years? I mean how we be sure that we are not embracing a significantly diluted and compromised brand of Christianity? And let us not forget that the nature of deception is a lack of perspective.
I suggest that a healthy reading of how believers used to live their faith will lend some of that much needed perspective. It is so easy to compare ourselves with ourselves and to surrender to what you were born into and what everyone else thinks and believes. After all, we all know people who love Jesus and their spiritual lives are no different than ours. Doesn’t that authenticate our own expressions of the Christian faith? And therein lies one major problem.
There is safety in numbers, and in that safety we find affirmation of our own spiritual lives. I mean could so many people be so wrong? It takes great courage to even suggest that there may be much more than what is practiced by those around us who we love and appreciate. And if some of those peers happen to be family it presents an even greater challenge to take an honest inventory. So often we are prisoners to the present and blinded by other people.
But by taking a look at previous generations and preachers of former times, we may just get a rude awakening. When we read about John Wesley, George Whitefield, Charles Finney, and many, many others we are faced with a startling reality. Their spiritual lives and ours are in conflict. And in order to resolve that conflict, we must believe that either they were obsessed legalists who sacrificed much needlessly, or we are living a profoundly compromised brand of Christianity. The two have very little common ground.
But that perspective is very unsavory to the modern mindset of believers since it presents a spiritual tension and undermines the contentment of the modern church. And when someone presents such a juxtaposition they are considered either negative or self righteous or both. Long ago the western church has abandoned the idea of spiritual disciplines and sacrificial lifestyles that are in stark contrast to the culture around them. But without entertaining the notion that we are living a life that not only violates God’s clear Words, but is even at odds with many historical expressions of a New Testament life.
In other words, we can never overcome our spiritual inertia until we overcome our denial. And the core element of beginning a journey to worship and obey Christ in the manner that glorifies Him can be summed up in one word - time. If we are willing to devote sacrificial amounts of time to spend seeking His face we can experience a deepening and even an awakening in our spiritual lives.

If not, move your computer cursor over 2010, and copy it. Paste it over 2011, 2012, etc., etc

The gospel is leaving just as He is coming.

When the Son of Man comes will He find faith on earth?

Let the tears come as the gospel almost disappears from God’s creation. But save some tears of love and worship as you reignite your heart with the thought that Jesus will soon come and receive us unto Himself. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but by His precious blood he has saved us eternally. And this majestic Savior has chosen to bring us to spend eternity with Him. It is beyond magical, beyond the most courageous dream that has ever entered the heart of man. The Risen Christ melts our hearts and minds into broken worship, and that Christ desires our eternal presence. Selah.

The Vanishing Gospel

Watch this video.

In an unassuming village north of Jerusalem the gospel began. It had been foreshadowed in many ways and through many prophets, but no one actually understood what would actually happen. Some dreamed of a special prophet while others though of a high priest after the lineage of Aaron. Most Jews had long since stopped anticipating any coming Messiah, and those who did viewed him as a deliverer from the national bondage in which Israel continued to suffer. To be sure most Jews had blurred the lines of personal redemption and national ransom.
But the Author of the gospel began His journey in Bethlehem and walked the Galilean countryside for over thirty years before He arrived one day, that day, in Jerusalem. Riding upon a donkey He parades into Jerusalem to the shouts and praises of the crowds who were given a fresh breath of hope for their nation. But soon their hopes would be dashed and the death of this Messiah seemed to only add to their suffering and shame. They were not interested in being mocked; they desired a Victor.
Fast forward to the evangelical climate of today. Jesus did not come to begin a “movement”. He came to redeem a lost race one sinner by one sinner. His ministry was not to spread just love; His ministry was to seek and save that which was lost, which at its core was a ministry of love. But the eternal rescue had a price tag that was much greater than just teaching truth. The price that would be required would be His very life through unimaginable suffering. It is quite out of vogue today and almost impolite to discuss the sufferings of God’s Lamb The gospel has been slowly replaced by words of men’s wisdom.
Rob Bell is not the only teacher who has strayed, but he provides a looking glass into what now passes for Biblical Christianity. Stories and poems and human reasoning provide spiritual nourishment for believers and unbelievers alike. Men with communication skills and wistful personalities attract millions of gullible followers many of which have solid doctrinal backgrounds. But the deception that compromises and even obliterates the gospel is a strong demonic force that is clever and sophisticated. This is no Joseph Smith saying “An angel told me”, no, this mirrors a one man show on a stage as he waxes philosophical and opines with great literary deftness. There is nothing wrong with literary devices and creative communication mediums, but what must be addressed is what is being taught by men like Bell.
To begin with there is no cross. Men like Bell desire to pass by the cross and manipulate the resurrection as a metaphor for a new beginning for the universe. The new spiritual genre is very erudite, witty, and appealing to the western mindset which says “entertain my mind” rather than “challenge my life”. While being careful to maintain certain residuals for former Christian practices such as communion and baptism, the message has been altered and continues to migrate away from Christ and His gospel. And now the gospel is presented by witty slogans and catchy phrases. They are not the gospel.

Deception flourishes when certain conditions are present.

Deception cannot take over people indiscriminately and without their consent.

There are compelling and convincing arguments to be made on most spiritual propositions regardless of their Scriptural veracity. Sometimes error is more compelling than truth. So what are the ingredients for deception?

1. The person who is presenting a deception many times is a compelling and persuasive person himself. That always enhances the process.
2. It helps if the teacher is fully deceived and convinced of his own words.
3. The hearts of the listeners must be open for deception. That state can occur by many methods including the charismatic nature of the teacher, however a desire for something new combined with an agitation about the same old thing (your father’s religion) are a major component of opening a heart for deception.

And so deception flourishes and grows today.

Guard you heart because the enemy of your soul desires to deceive you.

Blind Redundancy

I was born in 1952. By then the practice of Christianity had been smoothed by time and culture. But how can a believer come to understand just what the New Testament commands apart from the compromises that have crept into the faith over the years? I mean how can we be sure that we are not embracing a significantly diluted and compromised brand of Christianity? And let us not forget that the nature of deception is a lack of perspective.
I suggest that a healthy reading of how believers used to live their faith will lend some of that much needed perspective. It is so easy to compare ourselves with ourselves and to surrender to what you were born into and what everyone else thinks and believes. After all, we all know people who love Jesus and their spiritual lives are no different than ours. Doesn’t that authenticate our own expressions of the Christian faith? And therein lies one major problem.
There is safety in numbers, and in that safety we find comparative reassurance and affirmation of our own spiritual lives. I mean how could so many people be so wrong? It takes great courage to even suggest that there may be much more than what is practiced by those around us who we love and appreciate. And if some of those peers happen to be family it presents an even greater challenge to take an honest inventory. So often we are prisoners to the present and blinded by other people.
But by taking a look at previous generations and preachers of former times, we may just get a rude awakening. When we read about John Wesley, George Whitefield, Charles Finney, and many, many others we are faced with a startling reality. Their spiritual lives and ours are in conflict. And in order to resolve that conflict, we must believe that either they were obsessed legalists who sacrificed much needlessly, or we are living a profoundly compromised brand of Christianity. The two have very little common ground.
But that perspective is very unsavory to the modern mindset of believers since it presents a spiritual tension and undermines the contentment of the modern church. And when someone presents such a juxtaposition they are considered either negative or self righteous or both. Long ago the western church has abandoned the idea of spiritual disciplines and sacrificial lifestyles that are in stark contrast to the culture around them. But without entertaining the notion that we are living a life that not only violates God’s clear Words, but is even at odds with many historical expressions of a New Testament life, we are doomed to continue as is.
In other words, we can never overcome our spiritual inertia until we overcome our denial. And the core element of beginning a journey to worship and obey Christ in the manner that glorifies Him can be summed up in one word - time. If we are willing to devote sacrificial amounts of time to spend seeking His face we can experience a deepening and even an awakening in our spiritual lives.

If not, move your computer cursor over 2010, and copy it.

Paste it over 2011, 2012, et., etc,…

His Name

As Christians we are called to minister to people’s earthly needs. However, we must always strive to attach the name of Jesus and His gospel to whatever we do. If we do “good works” and do not share His name, then we are exhibiting a subtle form of self righteousness since the people will give us the credit.

The Constitution of the United States

In St. Petersburg, Florida another police officer has been killed by a suspect's handgun. There is a misleading statement that is usually made by what a “conservative” citizen repeats. It goes like this:

“Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.”

Every American President that has been assassinated has died at the hands of a gun. Over half the police officers killed in the line of duty are gunned down and about 30% are due to vehicular accident. There are approximately 30,000 gunshot deaths in the United States every year. I would like to rephrase the above statement about guns.

“Guns don’t kill people, people with guns kill people.”

The American attitude about guns is directly connected to the 2nd amendment to the Constitution. Beside the obvious necessity to alter the Constitution when the culture and populace changes, many Americans view the Constitution as some kind of “holy writ”. Even recently a political movement referred to the 2nd amendment as some kind of foundation to their cause.
The startling facet of this issue is not only the insanity of having so many guns available, legally and illegally, but that believers espouse the 2nd amendment as well. There are many spiritual issues on that front. The issue of nonviolence comes to mind, but I want to address another aspect of this issue, an aspect that has many consequences. The issue to which I refer is the undue reverence that many believers attribute to the American Constitution, as if some governmental construct can be inspired and even divinely directed. That is borderline blasphemy.
I realize the gun issue is a secular one and since I am not involved with politics I let the dead bury the dead so to speak. But when God’s people give such honor and even reverence to a secular document it has become an idol. Let us be clear, the Constitution is a man made document meant to govern a certain citizenship. But we as believers have an authority that is not only greater than any constitution, but it must be the ONLY authority for those of us who believe in and follow Jesus Christ.
To think that one day professing believers would get embroiled in secular causes and even strongly demand their right to have weapons of violence (hunting excluded) does a disservice to Christ and is a demonstrable departure from the practices of the early church. It smacks of Constantine and his subtle compromise to the faith upon which many have added deception upon deception through the centuries. It would actually be impossible for us to identify just how far the church has wandered from Christ, even for some of us who see many things in the church that need repentance.
It is very easy in these days of constant communication and news cycles to get caught up in battles and verbal skirmishes and position taking, all of which are not of our Father’s kingdom. We have been called out and we should be, we MUST be, a peculiar people who live apart from the dictates of this world while maintaining a deep humility since none of it was of our own doing. But in order to be a peculiar believer in this present ecclesiastical climate you will have to endure much scorn from many professing believers.
Just share among the brethren how you feel about the Constitution and nationalism as a whole and watch the snow flurries commence. You have touched one of the modern day idols and you will quickly find yourselves not only in the minority, but in many cases professing believers will draw away from you. But share the plot and visual effects of some nudity filled R rated movie and many believers will be drawn to you.

God help us to see the pure light of Christ and Hi gospel once again.

Simple it is. Rest you should.

Matt.6:24-34 - No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

When I was a child I never worried about food or clothing or if my parents would take care of me. It really never entered my mind. And yet so many believers worry about God taking care of their needs. And in today’s modern culture many false teachers claim that you must know how to get things from God. They sell their Cds about how to get finances or some other miracle from God. Of course the key ingredient is sending money to them. It is a pitiful and shameful spectacle.

But Jesus Himself exhorted us to trust in the Father.

As Yoda would say,

“Simple it is”.

“Rest you should.”

The Holiest of All

Remove your shoes, for the place in which you stand is holy ground.

Only a few decades ago scientist thought that the universe contained several hundred million stars. Then they thought there was more than one galaxy. And today they know there are hundreds of billions of galaxies each with billions upon billions of stars. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second and the closest star to ours can be reached if you traveled the speed of light for over four straight years.
On the other extreme there are approximately 50 trillion cells in the one human body. And there are approximately 200 trillion atoms in one human cell. The cell was not “discovered” until the 17th century, and the theory of atoms began in the 6thy century but it wasn’t certified until the 18th century. Yes, man has an inflated view of himself and his intellectual prowess.
Absorb the enormity of creation and its colossal complexity. Our minds cannot even comprehend these things. But as you surrender to the majesty of creation, go a step further. Think about the Creator of all that is. And when you meditate upon the material universe, also remember that time itself was also the handiwork of such a deity. Everything from the ability to think and the ability to feel is a created gift. This is the Creator and His glory. And those who understand these things and yet deny even the existence of a Creator are called fools.
But now, as we proceed, we must remove the sandals from our hearts and minds because we are entering the sacred and the Holy of Holies. This Creator desires us to know Him and has provided a way to know Him on the only level upon which our finite minds can navigate. You see, in our present state we can not even fully comprehend His creation, much less digest the insurmountable completeness of His Person. In fact, when we attempt to describe the Trinity we are reduced to using such pitiful examples as eggs and water. The very nature of God as a spirit stands untouched and undefined by man. Our God is beyond human imagery.
Again we move further into a sacred realm of the glory. This God, who has lent us many names that describe Himself, is a God of reationship. Father, Son, Master, Lord, Friend, Healer, Comforter, and all the rest lift the veil ever so slightly, but still with intense revelatory majesty, and those glimpses overwhelm those who actually meditate upon Him Whom they describe. Science refuses to address the Creator, or it caricatures Him as a “force”. But this Creator is much more than just some self sustaining force that exists in the abstract.
When we reach this chamber we cannot rely on the visible universe or even the stories of men. Only God the Spirit can open our hearts to the wonders in this spiritual land. The Spirit lifts the veil high enough for the lowest sinner to enter, and in this hallowed place intellect vanishes. Oh yes, this is the dwelling place that can only be entered by revelation. Try and use your natural understanding and you will be denied entrance into this eternal glory. This is the brilliance of Who God is and what he has done and is doing.
So this God wishes to meet and fellowship with us, and he desires to reveal Himself and His heart to a finite and ignorant race. He uses voices, and burning bushes, and smoke and fire, and thunder and lightning, and borrows the vocal chords of men of old and speaks prophetic wonders about Himself. Centuries of all kinds of revelations come forth with a variety of words and metaphors. But God has a secret which He had placed neatly within those prophetic words and incubated until His appointed time. God’s ultimate revelation would arrive in Bethlehem, and God would take on the form of a man.
The Incarnation was beyond the ability of man to comprehend, much less forsee. In fact, the very reason for such a thing is far beyond all human reason and seems to defy what man thought he knew about God. Why would the Creator desire to come in the form of His creation, to say nothing of His rebellious and sinful creation as well? God as a man living among men; it was an unthinkable phenomenon. And this was not just so man could get a clear revelation of who God was, no, there was a more wonderful and confounding purpose for this deity in human flesh.
He came to die. You read me correctly, God came to die. You have now arrived at the chikinah glory of God. This God is love, and this love was beyond human understanding. Most people would not die for their friends, even if their friends were wonderful people. But who would die for one’s enemies? Who would lay down their lives for those who hated them? And what kind of loves makes the righteous die for the unrighteous? This is the mystery of all eternity: That God could and would die as a man as a substitute for the punishment justly due His own enemies.
Redemption on this level must be believed and received by faith. It can be believed in no other way since it makes no earthly sense. But the deepest part of this redemptive mystery is the cross. A heathen implement designed to elicit the greatest amount of pain and suferring as well as provide a colossal public indignity would be the redemptive vehicle of divine choice??? The Redeemer willingly and designedly surrenders to death, the death by crucifixion, and offers the whole world eternal redemption and eternal life through His unfathomable sacrifice.
Go ahead and claim to understand it all and reveal yourself a self righteous fool. The simplicity and horror of such a spectacle boggles the mind and embarrasses the wise. Modern and sophisticated man is supposed to believe such a thing? Scientist scoff and philosophers mock. Learned men laugh and religious men refuse such nonsense. Politicians drape themselves in token representations of cultural Christianity while charlatans preach a religion of self aggrandizement. Self proclaimed theologians dissect His sufferings and reduce the cross to nothing more than an example. Cults spread a false Christ and deceive millions.
But for those of us who completely by His grace have been led into a personal experience with the Christ, we can only testify of Who He is and what He has done. Mock if you must but we have been to the foot of the cross and we have not only seen His oozing blood and His ravaged body, but we have felt that blood cover our very beings with a joy unspeakable and full of glory! There is nothing with which we can compare with the soul cleansing experience of a personal redemption through faith in the Lord Jesus. We have been broken and the Potter is reshaping us. We have seen Him upon that cross and we have seen us there as well. He is our very life.
So lift up your eyes into the clear night sky and as the light of the stars enters your eyes remember this: The Creator of all you see and of the eyes with which you see it loves you and desires you to know Him. But you will not know Him through a telescope or a microscope. You will not know Him purely by investigation or through an intellectual process alone. You can only know Him by visiting a hill just outside of the gates of Jerusalem. And if the Spirit illuminates your heart and mind and gives you sight, and if you see the Creator dying upon a wooden cross, and if your heart rises in childlike faith toward Him, then and only then can you know Him as He is.

How can I be so sure?

Because I did not share a story told to me.

I shared the story I live.

I know this Jesus and it changed me forever.

A Light in the Darkness

I beseech you my brethren, watch the present and increasing political machinations with great sadness, realizing how deceived mankind is and how anti-gospel is all of it. Rejoice and give thanks that you have been rescued from such foolishness and hatred. Pray for those in power, but never give allegiance to that which does not profit.

And in the midst of those who claim to have all the answers, and the constant demeaning of each other, let us shine the light of God’s love through the prism of the Crucified and Risen Lord.

Grieving the Lord Christ

Heb.3:8-19 - Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Eph.4:29-31 - Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

God reveals Himself to us in many anthropomorphic symbols that are for our benefit since we humans can never comprehend the Godhead in all its resplendent majesty. God is a spirit and has no hands or feet as we understand them, but those and other metaphors help us to understand better our Heavenly Father and the Risen Christ. And as it speaks of in the above Scriptures God can be grieved. Think on that for a moment. I cannot grasp what that actually means, except when I compare it to human grieving.
Grieving is an emotion of the heart, and the word heart is another word God uses to describe His innermost “thoughts and desires” (both are more anthropomorphic terms). It is so easy to view God as a dispassionate entity who runs things like an all powerful android or an impersonal force. But God has revealed himself as an all powerful deity that has feelings, relationships, and a heart that beats with redemption. Resist the temptation to explain God apart from the revelations that He Himself has provided. Aside from the impossibility of such a task, those who attempt to add to Scripture in order to present an expanded vision of God always end up with a false caricature.
Besides, the written revelations of God provide enough material for wonder and glory to last throughout eternity. But one day we will see and experience the Risen Christ, the Heavenly Father, and the Holy Spirit in such spiritual reality that new bodies are required in order to live. And as we meditate upon such a God, and as we comprehend the depth of His love that both desired and provided for such an unequal relationship, do we care about grieving Him?

Are His desires ours? Are His purposes ours? Do we strive to please Him?

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

The knowledge of God is interconnected with the knowledge of His will and the obedience of the same. God does not just spread His sacred mystery around to everyone, including the careless and uninterested. He will not reward the disobedient with deeper revelations of Himself to be trampled upon and treated like some benign information that is a curiosity rather than a hallowed treasure. These glorious glimpses are New Testament burning bushes that awaken the spirit and brand the image of Christ deeper and deeper into those who seek His face. Far from being some a religious practice, seeking the Risen Christ with all our hearts is the ultimate and eternal labor of love.
And how can we live so nonchalantly, enjoying that which pleases our flesh but grieves our Wonderful Lord? Have we lost the spiritual sensitivity that cherishes His presence and recoils at anything that seeks to diminish our relationship with Him? And when we allow the little foxes to roam with familiarity, it will not be long before the larger foxes establish their own dens. And in a startling display of a seared conscience, millions of professing believers can grieve God’s during the week, gather with the saints on Sunday, and go through the motions of worship without the slightest tinge of conviction or remorse.
But instead, let us walk with the spiritual delicateness that acknowledges the glorious treasure of knowing and loving our Heavenly Father, the Risen Christ, and the Glorious Comforter. Let our lives be a continuing source of divine pleasing rather than a source of divine grief. Put down the implements of Martha’s kitchen and rest beside Mary at the feet of the Master. We all have experienced enough of all this world has to offer, and we have nourished the flesh and pleasures of sin for a season. The end is rapidly approaching and the events of this present world are cascading down toward the apocalyptic milestone that will literally shake the foundations of creation. He is coming.

Eph.1:16-23 - Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Eternity and the Soul

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life

was cast into the lake of fire.

That is the most devastating verse in the entirety of Scripture. After all, what shall it profit a man if he gains the entire world and lose his own soul? While the church entertains itself and misrepresents the Risen Christ in a thousand ways, souls pass through death’s portal and enter into a Christless eternity whose circumstances cannot even be fathomed. The western church treats the cross as a ticket to “your best life now” and false teachers lead blind souls into a gospel void of authentic redemption.
Jesus Himself has been maligned and is now treated as the heavenly butler assigned to do man’s bidding. Ring the bell, pull the cord, or say the right incantation and God will come running to enhance your earthly existence. The western church has constructed, or better yet concocted, a religion that calls itself “Christianity” and parades and advertises itself with media outlets but without the supernatural exhibitions of remarkably changed lives. The idols of the Old Testament high places have been replaced by the idols of high priced and adulated preachers and singers.
What think ye of eternity? When has the church become obsessed with eternity? Our theology speaks of eternity and we profess to believe in the eternality of every soul, but our preaching and practice has been imprisoned by the here and now. With great sums of money saved up and great sums of money wasted on trifles and entertainment, the church should be embarrassed to proclaim a belief in eternity. I am not suggesting a perfection since we all fall very short, but I am suggesting we have rearranged the New Testament commands and made them bow to the dictates of our culture and our flesh.
Bring back just one soul from eternity and what subject do you think he would magnify? Would he speak of how to protect your finances? Would he request a “Christian” cruise? Would he place his hand over his heart in allegiance to any country? Or would he, with tear filled eyes, beseech saint and sinner alike to lift their eyes and seek Him who rules eternity? I know we all must work and eat and do those things which make us inhabitants of this earth, but our hearts should burn within us with eternity and the things which define the King and His kingdom.
Eternity is not just a concept, it is a place of existence. Most people have more faith in the existence of the Martian surface than they do in eternity. And the church moves in the redundant behavior that is a lullaby to the world and profoundly belies that which comes from our lips. I contend that upon the first glimpse of the Risen Christ we will all fall on our faces in both worship and regret because we will realize in amazing truth just how we have minimized and diminished the glory of eternity and of the Lord of All Creation. And one day God will wipe away those tears which just polishes another facet of His amazing grace.
I beseech you, my brethren, let us all ask the Spirit to release our souls from the earthly and lead us into the glory of His eternal glory, even while we retain the bonds of flesh that keep us here. Our Glorious Redeemer reigns this very moment in a majesty and splendor that cannot be comprehended with a finite mind. And when we think that He has prepared a place for us in that same glory, we are undone in broken worship and praise. It all seems like a dream now, but one day that dream with unfold into an reality whose expanse has not even been imagined. May Jesus the Living Christ receive all the glory, and honor, and blessing that is rightfully His for all eternity.

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying,

The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord,

and of his Christ;

and he shall reign for ever and ever.