God"s Glory...the Cross

But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are no words, there are no thoughts, there are no expressions that can come from a human being that can fully explain or reveal the totality of what was said, suffered, and accomplished...at the cross. Oh we can recall the event and in a general way reiterate the chronology of what took place at that cursed and blessed place outside the city of peace, but we haven't scratched the surface of the infinite depths of what had been planned, carried out, and accomplished. We can understand what a crucifixion is, but THIS crucifixion? It stands unplumbed by any human mind, and in a mystery, only a heart that has bowed at Golgatha can taste the redemption in the blood that drips from that cross and spills through this earthly house, penetrating that suddenly believing heart. At that moment the scales fall from a sinner's darkened eyes and as we again gaze at that cross, the dead, blaspheming Jew that once hung there now appears like unto a Lamb, a spotless and sinless Lamb, covered in His own blood and gory glory. It is at that sacred moment the eternal journey begins...at the cross.


The Father has done to His Son what He could have and should have done... to me. And what I could never have accomplished by an eternity of tormented justice, this Sacrificial Lamb has absorbed and has forever satisfied my eternal punishment, unimaginably compacting the eternal suffering that awaited my death…in three hours…three horrifying hours…that belonged rightfully to me.


It might be an old, stale story to some, but to me I will never get over the imagery of what Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, did for someone like me. To say I did not deserve it is to feign humility, it goes way beyond that. I cannot ever imagine how vile a creature I was against the loving holiness of the Creator God, I only know I was vile in my own carnal and excusing eyes. I would not desire my worst enemy to suffer like Jesus did, and to think that “...He made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin...” is so far out of my so called intellectual league that it can only elicit from me brokenness and worship, which is exactly what the Lamb deserves.


No son of Adam can understand how that was completed on the cross, much less what species of love planned and finished it. An earthly heart feels only disgust and repulsion, but when a changed heart peers out through the cleansing blood of the Son of Judah, it cannot help but cry out…

My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior

And one day that has no equal, in the expanse of the place called heaven, all the remedies of earth will be unclothed to reveal them as they really are and always have been,

Nothing.

But look! The celestial beasts are gathering to worship. And the elders gather beside them to bow also. All of heaven is gathering as one to prostrate themselves to give glory to something in the very center of heaven.
Is it all the philosophies? Is it all the medicines? Is it all the psychologies? Is it all the investments? Is it all the kings? Is it all the heroes? Is it all the sciences? Is it all the books? Is it all the inventions? Is it all the meetings? Is it all the wars? Is it all the riches? Is it all the stars? Is it all the nations? Is it all the history of mankind?

No, forever, no.

And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders…

Stood a Lamb, as it had been slain.

So if any man of woman born would desire to see the glory of God you need not look at the highest mountain tops, you need not look across the greatest ocean, you need not gaze into the deepest heavens, you need not be carried to the highest place in the universe and see the immensity of the wondrous creation made with just a Word. No, to see the unveiled glory of Almighty God go to a little hill outside Jerusalem, fall to your knees and lift your eyes, and look fully at the event that completely revealed the express image of His Person and the brightness of His glory…

the cross

He That Built All Things...is God

Heb.3:6 - For every house is built by some man, but he that built all things is God.
Heb.3:3 - For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath built the house hath more honor than the house.

The world does not fully understand what we mean when we confess that Jesus was and is God. They process that as meaning He was divine, or that He was created special, or some other watered down version of their own making. Part of the misconception pertaining to the Incarnation is the misunderstanding of who God is. The average person imagines God as a universal overseer who is more new age than Bible reflected, and Jesus is from God trying to show us how to live, which usually means how to do what you want without hurting anyone else. But part of the reason the average person misunderstands who the Bible teaches that Jesus is centers around a major fact of His power that we fail to convey.

Jn.1:3 - All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.

Jesus created everything. Yes, I cannot think of a single time in a public forum (talk show, etc.) where an evangelical minister has clearly represented Jesus as the Creator, because most people think of "God" as the Creator and Jesus as a divine messenger. But to comprehend that the New Testament identifies Jesus as the Creator of everything, well, that puts a new and Spiritually confrontational light on Him. Jesus is not just a good person, or a divine messenger, or even a teacher come from God, He is your Creator.

Matt.1:23 - Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Not just from God, not just a god, and not just part of God. The Creator Himself came as a man. Most of us have been taught that and by the Spirit's revelation we fully embrace that, but it is still an imposing mystery. Even Paul observed, "Great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh...". And it is insufficient to just describe Jesus as "God", no, the carnal mind immediately separates Him from the overarching Creator God and it assigns Jesus to a subordinate status of the Divine. The teaching of Jesus must fully engage the reality that Jesus is the Creator God.

When in the company of lost people we sometimes look into the night sky and proclaim "God made those stars", and even an unregenerate person who is not an atheist will nod in agreement. But if you say, "Look at all those stars, Jesus made them all", you may well find that the Holy Spirit has used that to garner the attention of a sinner. Many people will credit Jesus with being a great teacher, a good example, and even a divine man, but when confronted with Him being the Creator they might have to stop and think about that one. From the smallest electron to the largest galaxy super cluster, Jesus created them all by His Word, which also in a mystery is Jesus.

Now since God made everything and Jesus is God, then explain the Trinity. That's right, no one can explain the Trinity. The Father and the Son and the Spirit are different and yet are one. But because the Lord Himself chose to reveal himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit the human mind again relegates the Son as subordinate to the Father and as we have seen in many of the cults they remove or cheapen the deity of Jesus. But when we preach and teach that the Creator of the universe is Jesus we remove all doubt as to who He is.

Col.1:16 - For by Him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him.

So the next time you are granted the privilege of sharing Jesus with someone, represent Him not only as He came in earthly form, reveal Him as the Creator. And when they say I thought God the Father created everything you can answer "He did". And when they say "But I thought you just said that Jesus created everything" you can say, "He did". And when they say how can they both have created it you can say "Because they are one". Do you know what you have done? You have generated a discussion that revolves around who Jesus really is with the mind-boggling mystery that should accompany Him. Too often we have made Jesus a glorified man who fixes earthly problems, when in reality He is the Creator Lord of Glory.

Any representation less than that is another Jesus.

Awake!

Romans 13:11-12 - And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed, The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

This article will be more of a Bible study of those two verses than anything else. So "bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ", let us ask the Holy Spirit to "open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law" (Ps.119:18).

Look at that first phrase "knowing the time". There has never been a casual and unimportant time in the history of the church, especially from God's perspective. That admonition was to the first century Christians as well as it is to us today. We should "walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time for the days are evil" (Eph.5:15-16). We as believing followers of Him Who dwells beyond time, should always be aware that the clock against which we labor for Christ ticks away irretrievable moments that could be used to His glory. Precious and privileged are the days that have been gifted to us for the glory of the Majesty on High. We know it, we should know it, we MUST know it.

Paul goes on with a statement that resembles getting our teenager out of bed and off to school. "It is high time to awake out of sleep" says the Spirit, and "Awake, awake; put on thy strength..." (Is.52:1). And as the early church had a tendency to settle in and get comfortable, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul sounds the alarm and calls to a dozing people to "...Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light!" (Eph.5:14). Oh brothers and sisters, have we not been brought to drowsiness by the entertainment lullaby's of this hedonistic world? Are not our eyelids heavy as we worry about collecting and preserving the green paper that captures most of our time? And while we slept the enemy has plowed under the everlasting truths of God's Word and has planted a crop of Spiritual hemlock. It may be too late for the church as a whole, but it is "high time" for all of us as individual followers of the Lord Christ. Awake, says the Spirit, Awake!

Now anyone who teaches that being born again is a process simply is being disingenuous with the Scriptures. Paul says that our final deliverance is closer today than when we "first believed". Like Hansel and Gretel, we who name the name of Christ should be able to trace back an unbroken chain of believing crumbs that lead to that first moment of faith. And as we turn from the past and look out ahead we see the shadow of future crumbs of a believing trail that finds their destination in the Finisher of our faith, Jesus our Lord. And as we stand on this earth and look for the "Blessed Hope" we are in a "straight betwixt two". On one hand we must always be about our Father's business, and on the other hand we long for His return. He is coming, Rejoice! He is coming, Repent!

The sinful darkness of the night that men love is almost over, and the Day that begins forever as the Morning Star arises in the east is at hand. I realize that most every generation thought that they were the final one that will witness the coming of the Lord, and so some try and downplay the significance of our generation. But we do know two things, all the previous generations were wrong, and our generation still could be right. And the list of events that seem to correspond with the things God told us about are happening right before our eyes. And with Israel in place, can you not feel the warmth of a few rays of the Morning Star light ever so gently announcing the preparation of the coming King? If you listen closely to the pages of Scripture can you not hear the snorting of the heavenly horses as they anxiously hoof the celestial stables, ready to carry their Maker and Rider to claim His bounty? And can your ears not perceive the bristling waves of folding wings as the angelic hosts anticipate the King of Kings rising from His throne in all His unspeakable glory? Just the mere thought should bring the shudder of worship mingled with fear and praise.

And finally Paul admonishes us to "cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light". He is saying, Repent!, and enjoin the battle! Brethren, we live in a Spiritual arena that is witnessing no small amount of warfare. It is all around us, and only "the violent take it by force". If we are not engaged in battle, we are in a prisoner of war camp already. The "armor of light" is the powerful Word of the Living God, dressed and fitted with prayer, and covered with the Blood of the Son of God. And the most Spiritually effective acts of violence that can be inflicted against the kingdom of darkness occur in the prayer closet. It is on that battlefield that the blood of demons is spilled and the prince of darkness surrenders! Melodramatic? Absolutely not, if anything, understated.

And so in the great doctrinal book of Romans, the Holy Spirit feels it necessary to exhort and warn God's people. These are not trivial games, these are pivotal and dangerous times. The task and calling to the body of Christ on earth is infinitely more important than what transpires in the halls of any earthly government, and we must awake and be vigilant, inclining our ears to the distant, but louder than when we believed, roar of our Pride Male. And "let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that does so easily beset us", and "put on the whole armor of God", "for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God", for "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against Spiritual wickedness in high places".

The time to rest is not now, and the time to retreat is over. On our knees, and in His might, we go "bearing His reproach without the camp", "until the day dawn, and the Day Star arise in your hearts", and the Mighty Omega calls his troops to His side and destroys all His enemies with the with the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word that proceeds from His mouth. And as the dust settles and all activity ceases, and as the great and terrible day of the Lord ends, and as all eyes are turned as one in adoration and awe to the Majesty of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, a thunderous chorus from all the inhabitants of heaven proclaim with a shout of praise...

"Alleluia, Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God".

It is upon us.......Awake!

A Puritan's Prayer...echoed

A few days ago I read a post from the blog “Possessing the Treasure” which is overseen by my internet brother, Mike Ratliff. As I read over it I was drawn to go back and really read every line of this Puritan’s Prayer. I copied it and saved it in a file. I now have read it again and again, and without seeming obsessed I could not let it go. The brokenness and humbleness with which the author describes his time in prayer with the Lord, as well as taking the time to mentally amplify the phrases and some of the old ways of speaking, ministered very deeply to my Spirit.

And so I felt led to echo, in my own words, the things that this brother shared about the experiences of his private prayer closet. (The words in blue italics are mine) I do not intend to improve on the beauty and Spirit of his words, oh no, I was just compelled by his thoughts, and I, in a small way, wanted to glorify the August and Loving Father which I’m sure was the writer's complete intention.

And finally, by this exaltation of the gift of prayer, I have been exhorted by His Spirit to seek to exemplify more closely what these words of glorious praise have taught and revealed. I pray that it will have the same effect of you.

In prayer I launch far out into the eternal world,
In communion with You, Lord, I am carried by Your Spirit beyond the bounds of this finite world
and on that broad ocean my soul triumphs
And while sailing on the boundless waters of Your presence I find Your victory
over all evils on the shores of mortality.
Which rescues me from the evil of this carnal life.
Time, with its gay amusements and cruel disappointments
This present world’s joys or sorrows
never appears so inconsiderate as then.
Never seem so worthless while in prayer with You.
In prayer I see myself as nothing;
While in prayer with You I am completely humbled
I find my heart going after thee with intensity,
During deep communion with You I seek You with my whole heart
and long with vehement thirst to live to thee.
And like a thirsty deer seeks for water I long to be a living sacrifice for You
Blessed be the strong gales of the Spirit
Praise Your name for the Strength of Your Spirit
that speed me on my way to the New Jerusalem.
That carries me toward the New Jerusalem, the Heavenly City
In prayer all things here below vanish,
Locked in prayer with You the lure of this present world disappears
and nothing seems important
And all is meaningless when I'm in Your presence
but holiness of heart and the salvation of other.
But repenting of my sin and proclaiming Your salvation to the world
In prayer all my worldly cares, fears, anxieties disappear,
While in prayer You remove all the cares of this world and I fear nothing but You
and are of as little significance as a puff of wind.
And everything earthly is of little notice
In prayer my soul inwardly exults with lively thoughts
While I am in Your presence my heart is filled with thoughts of praise
at what thou art doing for thy church,
At how You love and care for Your blood bought people
and I long that thou shouldest get thyself a great name
And my desire is that you would receive honor to Your Majestic Name
from sinners returning to Zion.
From the lips of sinners called to the Savior’s throne
In prayer I am lifted above the frowns and flatteries of life,
In prayer You lift me high above the temporal circumstances of this life
and taste heavenly joys;
And in the Spirit I experience joy unspeakable and full of glory
entering into the eternal world
And as I proceed in prayer into Your eternal throne room
I can give myself to thee with all my heart,
I can offer myself to You alone with my whole heart
to be thine for ever.
For I belong to You alone forever
In prayer I can place all my concerns in thy hands,
While in prayer I can place all my burdens in Your nail scarred hands
to be entirely at thy disposal,
Never for me to worry about them again
having no will or interest of my own.
Because they no longer belong to me
In prayer I can intercede for my friends, ministers,
While at Your throne I can pray for my friends and my ministers,
sinners, the church, thy kingdom to come,
I can pray for the lost as well as the redeemed, and for Your kingdom to come to this earth
with greatest freedom, ardent hopes,
And I can enter Your presence boldly and filled with hope
as a son to his father,
And as a loving son I call You my Father
as a lover to the beloved.
And as a bride loves her bridegroom
Help me to be all prayer and never to cease praying.
I beg for Your power so I am consumed with prayer and and walking in prayer every moment

From The Valley of Vision - A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions by Arthur Bennett

Take Heed

I Cor.10:12 - Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed, lest he fall.
Gal.6:3 - For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
Lk.17:10 - So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

And so the legions of Scriptures exhort us to be humble before our God. The very first sin recorded in God's Holy Word was the sin of pride in the heart of Lucifer, son of the morning. No one could stand before the Risen Christ, the Lamb of Glory, and be prideful. And the oxymoron is that while we obey the Lord's command to teach, reprove, rebuke, correct, and instruct in righteousness, we must remain fully humble. And while we see the church world herding after fables, we must also think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, and praiseworthy.

This, brothers and sisters, is not an easy thing to accomplish. I have found in my own journey that when I allow a critical spirit to energize my walk I can pick a fly off the moon (metaphorically speaking). Conversely when I allow a blanket of tolerance for everything to be primary in my walk I can easily compromise. Therefore the balance is ever precarious. How do I accomplish seeing a doctrinal slide and speaking out against the worldly church while at the same time walk with an ever present sense of my own weaknesses?

I must keep "looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith". Paul makes it clear that we are not supposed to "compare ourselves with ourselves". So I can take no boast that I am not following the emergent pathway, and I should not even boast in rebuking certain departures from God's Word. I can only boast in Jesus and His work (Gal.6:14). Over and over God's Word tells us how repugnant pride is to our Father, it is an abomination to Him. The only reason there is a salvation opportunity is because of Him; the only reason we became a follower is because of Him; the only reason we have been kept is because of Him; the only reason we understand truth is because of Him; and the only reason we see the church's departure is because of Him. It is all Him and He deserves all the glory, and the absolute most faithful follower of Christ in history (I speak as a fool) is nothing more than an unprofitable servant.

Pride is the sin of Lucifer, it is demonic at its core and all of us have it lurking in our carnal hearts, and sometimes it swims to the surface, takes its beacon light, and shines it pridefully on us while claiming "all glory for Jesus". But God is not fooled, He is well aware that our pride camouflages itself with praise for the Savior. And those of us who feel led of the Spirit to "earnestly contend for the faith" have a uniquely difficult task to "take heed" and remember we are nothing. For us to verbally admit we are nothing is one thing, but to live it and truly experience it in our inner man is quite another. We must often, and by that I mean at least daily, ask the Lord, with the words of the Patriarch David, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting".

I have never asked the Lord those words and had Him reply, "No, your fine". John the Beloved wrote these inspired Words, "If we say we are having no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us", and those Words were to believers. That is why I believe any blog, any website, any magazine, any radio spot, any television time, and any ministry that is used to reprove other ministries and teachings, must have A STEADY DIET of articles and admonitions that deal with OUR SIN. Without a chronic inspection of our own sin, exposing the pride and self righteousness that so easily sets up house inside us, we have become lighthouses built upon the carnal dictates of our own haughty flesh, and it is so easy to do. It is so easy to speak the truth with the background music of self-righteousness, we have all done it.

So this article is about me. This article is about you. When was the last time, or any time, that we have fallen prostrate before the Lord and wept over men like Warren, MacLaren, Bell, and others that have fallen prey to the deception of the evil One, so that as we are led by the Spirit to warn and reprove them, we are equally led by the Spirit to intercede for them? And the rhetorical question is, "Is the time we spend in broken intercession comparative with the time we spend researching and rebuking?". Do we relish the role of John the Baptist and neglect the important role of Jeremiah? In II Timothy 2:25 and 26 God talks about having meekness so that perhaps those that have been ensnared by the devil might allow God to help them escape captivity, and that has gloriously happened to some believers.

And when was the last time, or any time, that we have fallen prostrate before the Lord and wept over our own sin? Yes, our own disgusting, miserable, and reproachful sin before our Holy Savior and Master. We who have been rescued from the wrath to come, have we no remorse and repentance over our "little foxes"? Is it because we have been so busy with the sin of others that we fail to see the disgrace we bring upon the name of our Precious Lord with our own sin? Is it because we are so busy feeling offended by the falling away that we cannot feel the Holy Spirit's grief over our own sin? I am not talking about an obsession about our own sin that immobilizes us from doing the work of the ministry, but I am referring to a consistent journey to the Brazen Laver to "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God". And pride must be the first dirt that needs cleansing, most other sins are connected to it.

Well, you might not have expected the flavor of this article when you saw the title, "Take Heed". You might have geared up for an exciting take heed for Rick Warren. Or maybe you couldn't wait for a take heed for Rob Bell. Or a "listen up, Joel Osteen, and take heed!". Or maybe you thought about lining them all up, all the usual suspects, and stretching our literary fingers in all of their faces and with boldness and Spiritual effervescence shout, "TAKE HEED!".

Sometimes the Lord graciously commands us to do that, but today, this "take heed",

is for us.

Unimaginable Emptiness

Eph.2:2 - Wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience.

Authorities say Charles Carl Roberts IV had started buying supplies for a long siege six days before he stormed the tiny schoolhouse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He made a checklist of what to bring and wrote out four suicide notes, one talking about how he was “filled with so much hate” and “unimaginable emptiness". As he stormed the little Amish schoolhouse he would end up taking 10 little girls hostage and finally shooting all of them, killing at least 5. Apparently the man had no quarrel with the Amish people and he gave off no signals that would have warned anyone of the emotional volcano stirring inside him. So what caused someone to commit such a vicious act?

I believe one of the phrases he penned in one of the suicide letters is an autobiographical explanation. He claimed to have molested two girls when he was twelve and he was also distraught over the death of his own month old daughter years ago. But he made a statement that was as chilling as it was Spiritually descriptive of millions of others, he wrote he was experiencing "unimaginable emptiness". Does that not reach the very core of your being?

As time continues to walk toward the end, more and more people will come to realize that same emptiness that Carl Roberts experienced on that sad day. Why are unexplainable acts of savagery happening more and more in our midst, and some by seemingly normal people who snapped? I believe there are two basic reasons, and both have their roots in Spiritual things. The Bible warns us about the last days, and it lets us know that the devil knows his end is near also. It is obvious that most if not all the millions of demons have now been loosed upon the earth. The multi-pronged demonic assault has accelerated around the world and each facet, although different in scope and target, is orchestrated by Lucifer himself, the original enemy of the Lord God and the counterfeit savior. Satan has used the Hollywood theatrics of demon possession to disguise his deceptive operations which sometimes closely resemble normalcy as well as sometimes proclaiming some truth.

But, as in the Amish murders, a man or woman can be filled with demons and appear normal and these demons have learned to bide their time and pick their spots. As was the case in Bethlehem, the devil seems to have a particular grudge against children, and the violent and sexual attack on the children of the world is a bloodcurdling sign that Lucifer has unleashed his most vigorous and final assault on mankind. Now when the devil takes possession of a person and reveals the emptiness of their life, he does it to destroy them. As that person despairs the devil tells them they have no hope and he suggests suicide, or even better, suicide while taking others with them. And children, an added bonus.

The other reason for the rise in violent desperation is that billions are coming face to face with their hopelessness. Drugs haven't fulfilled, alcohol hasn't fulfilled, success hasn't fulfilled, money hasn't fulfilled, religion hasn't fulfilled, politics hasn't fulfilled, global peace efforts haven't fulfilled, democracy hasn't fulfilled, education hasn't fulfilled, health hasn't fulfilled, entertainment hasn't fulfilled, sex hasn't fulfilled, philanthropy hasn't fulfilled, philosophy hasn't fulfilled, earthly heroes haven't fulfilled, environment protection hasn't fulfilled, and at the end of the day people are overwhelmed by a sense of emptiness which they continue to overcome with the emptiness of this world. And like pouring water on a grease fire, they only add to their Spiritual desolation and the devil invades their suggestive chat room and gleefully confirms their worst fears, they are without hope in this world. And people by the millions are walking with a tangible sense of unimaginable emptiness which can at any minute translate into behavior, fueled by the demonic.

But in the midst of this worldwide gothic play there shines an irresistible light that shines into the hearts of people around the world. You see when the devil shows people their utter emptiness he plans to steal, kill, and destroy. But when the Holy Spirit reveals the same emptiness to that same person He reveals the Blessed Hope, Jesus the Christ. I remember feeling completely empty and without purpose in 1975. I was masking the symptoms of my sin with more sin, but underneath it all was emptiness. I am sure the devil tried to destroy me and of course I was complicit in all of it, but one day I came face to face with my unimaginable emptiness which in reality is sinful separation from my Creator. The difference between my situation and the murderer of the Amish girls is that the devil showed him his hopelessness, but the Holy Spirit showed me my sinfulness and emptiness. And I heard (with heart ears) the Holy Spirit say to me "Jesus IS who He says He is!".

Although sanctification is a process, being born again is not. In March of 1975 my life was utterly changed and I have never been the same. Imperfect? Yes! Still growing? Yes! But dramatically changed? Yes, and Amen!!! Without Christ we all are filled with unimaginable emptiness that only the Hope of Glory can remove. That is why, brothers and sisters, we must reject the "quick fix" professions of faith that have very little corresponding life changing fruit. It is very possible that more people who have recited the sinner's prayer will end up in hell than in heaven. (read that again!). What does that mean? It means that like booze, sex, and money, many have used a false "sinner's prayer" salvation event to mask their emptiness, but they have never been born again. And as the blog "Old Truths" has recently observed that might be the greatest deception of all.

Finally, should not we who were rescued from such unimaginable emptiness rejoice in the Lord our God!? Many of you were saved in your adult years and we can remember being empty. Nothing I did could remove that low grade fever called emptiness until I met the Savior and He took me in. He who the Son has set free is free indeed, and He who has the Son has life!

Thank you, Lord Jesus, we were so, so, empty and we thought that the things of this world were the path to fulfillment. But in Your infinite mercy You took pity on us and by the power of Your Spirit You stopped us in our empty tracks, put a hook in our hearts, and turned us to Your Son. We have no treasures to give You but that which You desire, our broken worship of the Great Triune God Himself. We can never know all about You, but we do know You, and in that alone we have found everlasting life and fulfillment. Let us be Your instruments to bring Your light to the hearts of many who dwell in darkness and emptiness,

and may the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering!!!

Though He Slay Me...

Job 13:15 - Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him...

Just the other day a police officer was shot and killed by a running suspect in the woods of central Florida. Killed also was his canine partner "Diogi" (Sounds - D-O-G) who was shot in the chest. Ask any canine handler and they will tell you that above all, their dog will sacrifice his life for them. Why? Because they completely trust their master. Place that trusting dog in front of their master and give the handler an axe, and as his master cocks the axe in preparation to kill the dog the animal will sit and watch in utter obedience. Why? He trusts his master regardless of what he is seeing even as the handler prepares to kill his own dog.

That is exactly what Job is saying here. Even if it appears that his Master is preparing to kill him, still he will trust Him. What an extreme and incredible profession of faith. Today we have twisted and redefined God Himself in order that He might come and be a part of our life when the Word from the Lord Himself opens an opportunity for a sinner to come and by faith become a part of His life. Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul as he leaves Ephesus:

Acts 20:24 - But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself...

What is he saying? Paul is offering his life to his Master to do with what pleases the Lord, not Paul, even if it means death. To die for Jesus. What a wondrous thought. That scenario cannot be orchestrated by the flesh and it is a sacred opportunity and calling that few are granted. To die for Jesus. To actually face death simply on the basis of being a believing follower of the Master. But isn't that which Holy Spirit has trained us for? And is it not what we have learned about Him that would give us the strength to lay down our very lives for Him? Did He not give His life for us and did He not remove the walking death that we used to call life and give us His resurrected and eternal life?

Why oh why do we hold on to this selfish life that so often resembles that which is dead? There are so many oxymorons in these truths that only the Spirit can help us understand and conform. The Spirit-filled believer appears to be living this life when in reality he is a dead man. Crucified with Christ and dead to this world. But who is this I see going to work and eating and doing all the things normal people do? That is a dead shell, a body that has survived a dramatic metamorphosis but now is a vessel that carries within it Jesus Christ Himself, the Hope of Glory and the Creator of everything. And one day the earthen vessel that you now see will be destroyed in favor of one that will look like...well...like the body Jesus has now.

Wait a minute, are you telling me that the Spirit-filled believer is some kind of a Christian zombie? OK, if you want to make that metaphor let us parallel the facts. A sinner is dead in trespasses and sins, but by faith he becomes a believing follower of the Resurrection incarnate, Jesus Christ. "Up From the Grave He Arose". The sinner now is made alive in Christ for a long time. Forever, to be exact. But what about that form that we still recognize? Oh yea, temporary. But doesn't having the Risen Christ living in that body affect it? Completely.

II Cor.5:17 - Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Now this body gives me trouble on many fronts. It gets sick and is very limited, and it always wants to do what it used to do in the grave. Are you telling me that even with Jesus the Savior living inside it, your body still wants to go back to the grave. Oh yes, and it doesn't just make suggested whispers about it, it demands it. You see, it was trained in the grave and it knows nothing else. Then what do you do? I murder it. You mean you shoot it? No, that is too easy, it must be crucified...daily...every moment. It is then and only then do I fully experience the life of Jesus Himself.

But isn't that what Jesus has said? To keep your life is to lose it, and to lose your life is to find life. And Job says "though he slay me, yet will I trust Him". It is a fulfilling mystery that generously allows you to love the people God has given to you on earth while gloriously thirst to be with Christ, which is far better. Why? Well as Job further remarked, "I KNOW that my Redeemer liveth". I believe that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, but I don't KNOW it. I wasn't there. I believe that World War II occurred but I don't KNOW it. I wasn't there. I believe Luther nailed 95 thesis to the door of Castle Church but I don't KNOW it. I wasn't there. But I KNOW that I met Jesus Christ in March of 1975.

I was there.

And now we belong to Him for whatever His purposes and whatever glorifies Christ. "But I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day." And somewhat like a canine gazing at his master, I gaze at my Master. He has been faithful, He has taught me, He has fed me, He has trained me, He has loved me, and I have come to trust Him without seeing, without understanding, and without explanation. Do unto me, Lord, as You see fit.

Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him...

Faceless Christianity

Faceless Christianity
Paul tells us that the "light of the knowledge of the glory of God" is in the "face of Jesus Christ". The first part of that verse (II Cor.4:6) tells us that God has "shined in our hearts to give" us that knowledge. How do we recognize a person? His face. How do we communicate with a person? His face. What do people stare at when they're in love? Their faces.
Jesus. We know who He is; we know what He does; we know His attributes; we know all about him, but when was the last time, if ever, we have seen His face? Think about when you fell in love with someone. You felt that everything in life was just an obstruction from being with that person, and you planned your day around the time you were to be with him or her. Why aren't we like that with Jesus? It is obvious, we have become Martha. We have "left our first love". Ask yourself this question, "Have you ever been more in love with Jesus'? Whatever the answer, ask this, "Have I seen His face?". Do you and I CARE if we have seen His face?
He is in the room where you sit right now as you read this. When we were dating our mates we would stay up late and/or get up early to be with each other. When was the last time you or I did either to be with our Lord and seek His face? Who is our God? Money, schedules, people, things, houses, trips, TV, sports, and a myriad of other idols that take up the abundance of our time.

What would you give to look at the historical face of Jesus for one hour? But understand this, there will come a time when we see His face with heavenly eyes and perfect sight, and He will reveal Himself to His bride. But until that day there is a way to look into His face today. It is seen through devoted eyes as they gaze into His eternal Word and realize they all speak of Him. Like a majestic quilt containing many patterns and many colors the face of our Savior gazes back through a glass darkly at His loved ones. Do you not wish to see it. Are you not overwhelmed with just the thought of Him, and do you ever have seasons of deep seeking Him and His glorious face?

Oh brothers and sisters, even His own bride doesn't long for Him and His presence. Groups have formed around particular interests and there they have staked out their territory. Some treat "reformed theology" as if it was their badge of honor. Some treat evangelism as if it was everything. Some hunt for apostates and substitute time seeking Him. Some chit chat about how off track certain groups are but how many get engrossed about speaking with and about Him? And the truth is that through generations of neglect we have lost the treasure of spending elongated seasons of prayer and meditation on His precious Word. Oh that Jesus would remove these hedonistic sources of time wasting from all of us and draw us to Himself.

Don't worry, though, we're going to heaven on HIS back. But, brothers and sisters, think about this. One day we will ALL stand before Him, and with tears running down our cheeks, we will beg Him for another life to reward Him with. The perfect love that we will feel for our nail-scarred Savior will add to our overwhelming grief. He has GIVEN US ETERNAL LIFE, and we have given Him the fringes of this life.

HIS FACE. HIS AMAZING FACE. HIS GLORIOUS AND MAJESTIC FACE. THE FACE THAT LOVINGLY AND CONTINUALLY SEEKS FOR ME.

Jesus, there is no one and nothing that compares with You. You have blessed us with many blessings which we enjoy in Your name. But it is You and You alone that is our life. We bow our heads, open our hearts, and we see Your glorious face...Jesus.

Who Hath Abolished Death

II Tim.1:10-11 - Who hath saved us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, Who hath abolished death...

This written by a man who was shortly going to die. But Paul emphatically proclaims in verse 12 "for I know Whom I have believed". Consider the ambiance surrounding the great apostle as he is led of the Holy Spirit to pen this last letter. No praise music but his lips. No sermon tapes but his memory. No encouraging phone calls. No uplifting e-mails. And his own beheading drawing ever closer and he says "I am now ready to be offered".

Offered? Paul still refers to his own life as an offering to the Lord Jesus and heaven gazes downward to watch as Paul finishes his course and remains faithful to His Lord. The savagery of Paul's death is repugnant and abhorrent to the angelic hosts, but it is a brilliant jewel in the diadem of God's Risen Son. The son of Benjamin's tribe will soon see the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the same One he met on the Damascus Road years ago.

Paul is led out of the cell and unceremoniously escorted to the awful place of death where the executioner waits to fulfill his role. This is no fictional story, this actually happened. Paul kneels before the blade that will momentarily transport him into the place that is "far better". Can you hear Paul speaking to his Savior just before he leaves this earth?

"Jesus, I know You wait on the other side for me and I am faithfully coming. I give my life as a sweet smelling savour, and may the closing of my life bring you glory".

Oh but do not mourn, rejoice. At the moment the sharpened iron slices Paul's earthly neck he is, in the twinkling of an eye, transported into the very presence of the Reigning Lord Jesus Himself. His reward, his crown, the vision that Paul has desired since that day on the Damascus Road, Paul is home. You see Paul has not died - his Lord has abolished death. He who hath the Son hath life.

The inheritance Peter revealed is now his. Brothers and sisters, believing followers of the Life-Giver Himself, there is no more death. No sting, no grave. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. There is no earthly day or event that is worthy to be compared with that day. When a man born blind asks what is the color red like, how can we reply? He has no reference point. He cannot understand what color itself is, much less comparing colors.

The Apostle Paul has now seen the unspeakable, the unimaginable, the indescribable. And so shall all who are of the tribe of the Lion of Judah. Looking unto Jesus...

Halleluiah

A Slippery Slope

Here is an object lesson: The devil ever so gently slices away at God's redemptive truth. No one who has never even tasted a cigarette much less drugs, wakes up Monday morning and by lunch time is a heroin addict. It is a process that is usually a well worn trail and the same with the deception of the evil one.

If we assume 10 as the perfect revelation of the gospel and with 0 representing atheism, the devil starts by teaching 9.5 as an acceptable possibility but not denying that 10 is the present standard. He then starts presenting 9.5 as an alternative to 10, and finally he calls 9.5 a "10". Through the same careful process he progresses to 9, then 8.5, and then a solid 8 and he calls it a "10". Along the way he patiently waits as believers debate the issues, and time and talk usually erode the differences and the church settles in on 9, and even those who are at 10 acquiesce in tolerating and sometimes joining with the brothers who now teach that 9 is in fact a "10".

Now the "8 is now 10" men accept the "10 is still 10" teaching as viable and they expect the same treatment for their point of view. But the Evil One has established a doctrinal beachhead from which he now prepares his next assault. And when the "10 is still 10" crowd attacks and exposes the "8 is now ten" teaching they are considered unloving and critical, which is another tactic of the devil. Like a soldier who straps a child with explosives and sends him into the midst of his enemies knowing that they will be hesitant to shoot at a child, so the devil straps his heresy on the lips of brothers in Christ so as to discourage others from attacking that heresy that is sometimes inexorably tied to certain brothers.

So here it is. When the devil wants to dilute the gospel he doesn't automatically say that "all religions lead to God". He knows that would meet with fierce resistance so he shoots a little lower and says that some men can be saved "through Christ" even if they have never heard of Him. He condescendingly insists that Christ is still the only way and these poor souls will be given the blood of Jesus after they die by a compassionate act of a Heavenly Father. And like a magician who stealthily gets you to look away from the true deception, he gets you to ponder the Romans 1 "without excuse" phrase while drawing your attention away from the Romans 10 "how shall they believe in Him of Whom they have not heard" clear admonition. And then he tells you that 9.5 is really the same as 10, and the two are actually compatible so why disagree.

Now remember, he is not going to be satisfied with 9.5, that is only another launching point and stepping stone which doubles as a doctrinal bus stop at which Satan stops long enough to pick up more passengers.

Heb.2:1 - "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."

And so, brothers and sisters, we have tragically arrived at the slippery slope at which we now find ourselves. And because the gospel has been so diluted in so many ways it has become unsophisticated to embrace the proven and historical teaching of the glorious plan of salvation through the Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Pray and remain faithful. Do not debate with these doctrines of devils, that is exactly what the devil desires, debate. Present the revelation of Jesus Christ as the only Savior who by faith in Him alone can save and from those who reject that we must remove our fellowship and pray that they will repent.

Finally we must glorify God and His Word not as something we ourselves have discovered and created, but humbly as His Truth, His glory, His salvation, His power, His strength, His cross, His resurrection, His return, and His life which is eternal.

All the praise is forever yours, Jesus our Lord, and we are but unprofitable servants who desire to lift You up to a lost and fallen world from which we were plucked.

Forever You Alone!

There is Only One Hope

I Tim.1:1 - Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior, and Jesus Christ which is our hope.
Eph.4:4 - There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling.
Ti.2:13 - Looking for that Blessed Hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

THERE IS ONLY ONE HOPE, JESUS CHRIST

FALSE HOPE
To bring democracy to a middle east country which becomes a west-friendly, thriving, capitalist, democratic country who votes to be exclusively an Islamic nation and not allow missionaries in.

FALSE HOPE
A person is freed from the addiction of drugs through the help of a secular support group. He then lives a productive life and dies at the age of 80 without Christ.

FALSE HOPE
A person spending their entire life helping to comfort the lepers of India but never telling them of eternal redemption in Jesus Christ.

FALSE HOPE
Letting a person pray to "accept Jesus" without making him aware that he is giving everything to Christ.

FALSE HOPE
Creating a church service contoured especially to step by step bring a person painlessly and without discomfort through a series of well orchestrated and manipulative hoops that result in him reciting a prayer followed by a blanket of assurance.

THERE IS ONLY ONE HOPE, JESUS CHRIST

Recently I was communicating with a man who believes that the emergent church ministry has some enlightening teachings that are breaking down outdated doctrinal barriers. He seemed like a sincere Christian who wanted to seek the truth but he had allowed himself to be drawn into new and groundbreaking teaching that was intellectually exciting but, sadly, a departure from sound doctrine.

Now, one teaching that he espoused was what I considered one of the most dangerous of all. He believes that people can go to heaven through other religions if they are sincere and good people because they are really following Jesus, they just don't realize it. If there ever was a convoluted departure from Biblical truth it is that, and the Apostle John calls it the spirit of anti-christ. How can a person who denies that Jesus has come in the flesh die and go to heaven? I asked him what would be the reason for missions then and he replied that we should still go preach Jesus to the world because the gospel is "their best hope". Their BEST hope?? Do you see the verbally slight but doctrinally colossal shift away from the truth?

Jesus and His gospel is not "their BEST hope", it is their ONLY hope. That "best hope" teaching is the spirit of anti-christ that is gently but systematically finding its way into today's church. This is the most serious debate in church history, especially since the Antichrist himself stands at the door. And while this expansive gospel pervades the modern evangelical world, preachers by the tens of thousands either espouse it, don't care about it, or are completely silent about it. Only the Lord knows the ramifications of this strange fire, but God will not dwell in a house of worship where the Antichrist, the enemy of His Son, is allowed to teach. Where are the men of God calling for a solemn assembly to fast and pray? Even the Biblical men of God gather to preach to each other and not put on sackcloth and ashes and repent before a holy God.

Eph.2:12 - "That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenant of promise, having NO HOPE, and without God in the world.

Do you see what God says? In the Old Testament the Gentiles were without hope in this world because they were strangers from the covenant of promise. What was the covenant of promise? It was the Abrahamic Covenant that God made with Abraham that contained the promise of the coming Messiah. There is no after death salvation for anyone outside the covenants that were fulfilled in Christ. Look at what God said in verse 13.

Eph.2:13 - But now in Christ Jesus you who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Paul says in Ephesians 4 that "There is ONE body and ONE Spirit, even as you are called in ONE hope of your calling, ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God and Father...". Mark it down in your Spirit, anyone who says that there is salvation in any other name than Jesus is a lying spirit.

Acts 14:12 - "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is NONE OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN, given among men, whereby WE MUST BE SAVED."

While we need to speak out about this evil spirit that gains momentum daily in the hearts of people, we ourselves need wisdom from the Holy Spirit.

We need to identify the preachers of this false gospel to warn people without letting it matriculate into personal attacks. That can be subtle.

We need to keep our personal relationship with Jesus as a priority in the midst of this Spiritual battle.

We must realize that our weapons are Spiritual, the Word and prayer.

We must remain broken and humble. Anger can be the Lord's, but let us speak the truth in love.

We must remain solely committed to the teaching of the Word of God, never the reason of man.

And finally, we must never sacrifice the preaching of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as the ONLY HOPE FOR THE WORLD. Lifting Him up, seeking His face, looking unto Him, giving Him the preeminence, and walking in Him should be our battle cry. As soldiers of light let us put on the His armor, the armor of light, and forever glorify Him as the only hope for the world and continually embrace Him as OUR ONLY HOPE.

Amen and Amen. Praise the Lord.

I Just Thought...

The Presidents of America and Iran spoke at the United Nations this past week. Of course Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, is a demon possessed man and President Bush is a professing Christian. But here is what I observed as I saw reruns of their speeches.

President Ahmadinejad prayed out loud and quoted the Holy Koran before he spoke.

President Bush did not pray or quote the Holy Bible.

I just thought that perhaps Iran is more of a Muslim nation than we are a Christian nation. And I just thought that Muslims are more open and bold about their faith in any genre whereas we as Christians reserve our prayers and Bible quoting for church. And I just thought that deceived Muslims are willing to die for Allah and many Christians are not willing to live for Jesus. I just thought that Iran had broken down the wall between church and state and we should applaud them because many Christians want that here. I just thought that Ahmadinejad was not ashamed to pronounce Allah as the one true God before the nations of the world and President Bush was afraid of pronouncing Jesus as Lord before the nations of the world and offending.

Oh just forget it...I just thought...

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

THAT IN ALL THINGS HE MIGHT HAVE THE PREEMINENCE

Jesus. Yeshua. Joshua. This post may seem simplistic but in reality it is the deepest of all. The Incarnate God who named Himself Yeshua is THE glorious mystery of eternity. The angels don't completely understand. The demons believe but tremble. Most of the world has heard Your name but remains woefully ignorant of who You are, Lord. Visual in human form and yet present everywhere. Living in the heart of every believer yet sitting on a throne in heaven. Creator of all and yet succumbing to death. Savior and Judge. Friend and Master. You Lord Jesus are the glorious enigma that only Your Spirit can teach to a seeking heart.

Before the worlds were made Jesus was. Not just existing but reigning in splendor and glory. With no universe? Go ahead all you theologians, explain that. To say it is out of our league is an infinite understatement. It seems that before the Second Person of the Godhead was born in Bethlehem and took the name Jesus, He was The Word. And so Jesus IS The Word and The Word IS Jesus. He is so perfectly glorious and august, that all the preaching, songs, thoughts, and human knowledge about Him just "touches the hem of His garment". He is easy to find but past finding out. His enormous deliverance confounds the Evil One and His everlasting keys have unlocked prison doors and set believing captives free. And His freedom is complete and forever.

You, Lord Jesus, will be forever heralded in the expanse of heaven as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And Lord, we ourselves get bound with the things of this world and so often fail to take in the daily fragrance of the Rose of Sharon. Jesus is everything to us. Our breath, our thought, our sustenance, our beginning, our end, our everything. The world needs the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ. They will never understand abortion, homosexuality, immorality, nor can they. They need Jesus. And Lord you did not come to reform the world, you have already told us the fate of this wicked world. You came to offer the full forgiveness of our sins, the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb.

Now everything must center on the Person and work of Jesus the Christ, not his moral teachings, not His miracles, not His travels, but totally Who He is and What He has done...FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD. Jesus Himself said that if He is lifted up He will draw all men to Him so why do we ever get caught up with moral/political issues when the Lord has commanded us to LIFT HIM UP?? We should urgently, lovingly, clearly, but decisively lift up Jesus Christ as the ONLY way to eternal life, Christ and Him crucified. It's Jesus and only Jesus. The suffering Lamb of God. The Savior of the world. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah. We allowed a man like Mel Gibson to make an astounding movie about Jesus when it should have been the committed evangelical community that made a better movie with God's Word to accurately explain to a lost world the implications of what they were seeing. Instead we just criticized him but were not exhorted to get the complete message out.

Is it not time Jesus that we present You to a lost world in such a way that they would sense our passion about You? Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Forgive us, Lord, we have made you an appendage and not our life, our movement, our very being. The past is You, the present is You, the future is You, it is all You.

We are in desperate need of a revival of You, Jesus, so that people will again describe us as followers of Jesus.

Dying...Death

Balloons and games. Upbeat and frilly. Happy-go-lucky and carefree. Positive and filled with pleasure.

What have I just described? A daycare? A strawberry festival? A circus? No, that is a description of the modern day local assembly of believers who meet in a building incorrectly referred to as the church. But when a true Christ-seeker immerses himself in the New Covenant Word of God he will see many common threads that dispel those fleshly descriptions I mentioned. One theme that is not addressed much today is the numerous references to death, both Christ's and ours. Without a Spirit-filled understanding some of the verses may seem morbid and doctrinally gothic, but without DEATH there can be no LIFE!

Without the death of Jesus the Messiah there can be no salvation for anyone. And not just His death but His substitutionary death meaning He must have died and offered His sacrifice freely to us. And if by the power and leading of the Spirit of God we embrace His death we receive His life and, conversely, we ourselves must die completely. What enjoyment can we derive from the very corpse that nailed Jesus to that wooden altar and was judged "guilty". There is "pleasure in sin for a season" of course, but after we have tasted the goodness of God why would we dig up the empty shell and openly parade the enemy of our Lord? By faith the seeking disciple must go to Golgotha, and reckon himself crucified. Dying, dying, dying,...death. Who will deliver me from this body of death? I am crucified with Christ. I am dead and my life is hid with Christ in God. There can never be a resurrection without a death. No newness of life until the old man is dead. And we not only have excused the behavior of our old man, we've developed a living relationship with the man of death that would have cast us into hell if left to himself. The flesh is the enemy of our Savior and he must die. Crucified and buried. And we must awaken every morning with the tomb intact with the decaying sarcophagus still dead and the resurrection life of our Savior exploding inside our hearts.

The life of this world is actually death, and the death to this world is actually life. He who has the Son has life and he who has not the Son has not life. Everything about this world is an enemy of the Master who we embrace and follow and on an appointed day the King of Life will appear and we will know even as we are known that HE IS OUR LIFE FOREVER!!!!

So die...and make room for Him.

The New Social Gospel

One of the dangers we were warned about when we became believers, if you were saved decades ago, was the social gospel. This was defined as meeting the needs of the poor and allowing the gospel to be inherent in the act of kindness itself. This approach reasoned that sinners would see Christ in the good works of Christians as they were fed and clothed and that the sharing of the gospel was not necessary or at least subservient. An object lesson was the Salvation Army which started ministering to the needs of the poor as a bridge to preach the saving grace of Jesus Christ, but which has mostly morphed into a "soup kitchen" and the preaching seems to be given a back seat Spiritually. It is assumed that its founder William Booth would not recognize what he started.

Today there is another social gospel that has been birthed and now flourishes in most evangelical churches. This preaching centers on meeting the needs of poor and rich alike, I call it the "me gospel". It accepts the doctrine of original sin as a statement of faith doctrine but never brings it to the pulpit, so instead of sinners becoming anxious about their sin as they sit in the pew, they let the car salesman disguised as a preacher try and convince them that Jesus is what they need to iron out some of the difficulties they are experiencing in their lives. And the salesmen attempt to make Jesus relevant, so, if the audience is affluent they project Jesus as a worry remover. If they are poor they project Jesus as a wealth builder. If they are having marital problems they project Jesus as a counselor. If they have low self esteem they project Jesus as a motivator. That, my friends, is nothing more than the new social gospel at best and flat out lies at worst.

What did the Holy Spirit come to earth to accomplish? In John 16 the Word tells us that the Spirit will REPROVE the world of sin, righteousness, and of judgment. Paul says that we should, "Preach the Word...reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine". Reprove? Where do you hear any reproving from most pulpits today? Jesus didn't come to strengthen marriages, as a matter of fact he is the cause of some breakups. Some people take a financial step backward after coming to Christ. And the question surfaces that is one of the most profound ecclesiastical inquiries of our time. Can a person be saved without being convicted of his sin? Is a person saved who "accepts Christ" because he has been told Jesus will heal his marriage (etc.)? That gospel is as dangerous as any, and in fact it is using Jesus not preaching Him!

Hell is not judgment for people who had a bad marriage, or were not successful, or were overweight, or were not sexually creative with their spouse, hell is God's judicial punishment for unforgiven sinners and His offer of salvation is wholly based on the forgiveness of sins through the Sacrificial Lamb, His Son. No other message can save, but today so called preachers by the thousands are offering a false, social gospel that claims that the Sin Bearer will solve your earthly problems and the only things that you will have to forsake are the things you already don't want! Blasphemy at the core! This is a false gospel being spread WITHIN the accepted parameters of evangelical circles by polished, prosperous orators who have learned from seminaries how to attract a crowd and not how to please God.

It is the last days, brethren, and we are witnessing the prophesied falling away that is a falling away from Jesus Himself. If the average church removed all its programs for one year and only prayed and preached, so many people would leave it would default on the bank note that was borrowed from the anti-christ bank system. Today's preachers have so addicted the sheep to cotton candy and self help instructional messages that they would suffer pangs of withdrawal that would send most scurrying to another venue. And when the preacher's salary took a major hit he would abandon the sheep/bill/fold for greener($) pastures.

And finally many people who on some level see this horror, struggle to leave the church that they know God has left. Earthly relationships are hard to leave even when confronted with the Holy Spirit's leading. Choose you this day who you will serve. There is a massive opportunity to honor God. Take it or leave it.

"...and they will turn away from the truth..."

Are We Even Listening??

Listen. What do you hear? Most times we hear what we listen for and most other times we hear what the world wants us to hear. Cars, television, idle chatter, wind, music, ………..and all the other reverberation that mindlessly bounces off our ear drum and enters our consciousness on many different levels. We process uselessness, we seek to understand temporal and hedonistic information that not only doesn’t edify our spirits, it strengthens our flesh. But are we even listening to what the Spirit is saying - what is yelling in the Spirit - what is screaming out in the halls of eternity?

Demons and devils are whispering, suggesting, shrieking, and lying in the spirit realm and as these parasites attach themselves to earthly hosts are we caught listening unawares…and on purpose? Can we not hear the Spirit warning and urgently calling unto our Spirit’s that “ENOUGH OF THE GAMES, IT IS ALL COMING TO AN END”. Do you ever hear that? Do you believe that? On and on we go through the same old tired religious chit-chat with little urgency, little passion, and no tears.

Are we even listening to the voices calling from hell “GO AND TELL MY BROTHERS” or are we too busy listening to each other’s problems and the sin’s of others? Is there an unsettling in your Spirit that says “BEHOLD I COME QUICKLY” and with that eternal voice of many waters are we propelled into a life changing journey to seek Him and seek His? Oh brothers and sisters would Jesus do what we do if He was here again? He was God and He prayed! He was God and He fasted! He was God and He wept! He was God and He was poor!

When do we hear the historical groans and sufferings of our Messiah? Are we even listening? Paltry and pathetic is our time with Him, and our devotion to this world is breathtakingly disgusting. The angelic beings are engaged in the final war in preparation for the glorious entrance of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and can we not even hear the sounds of the last eternal war, coming with the fury of the Creator Himself? Death in millions, wars and rumors, diseases without cures, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, corruption in government and God’s house, the study of sex in the world and the church, pornography pumped into the theatre and the home, children killed in the womb and out, and do we not hear God calling us to Himself?

The church is a playground for professing Christians to learn how to enjoy the very life God rejects. Success, finances, sex, diet, career, and not the world, the CHURCH??!! Books, teachings, videos, classes, retreats, workshops, and we still can’t stay married. Counseling based on the study of humans not God. And all the while are we listening to Jesus commanding us to tell His message as He has told it to us? The grocery clerk, your doctor, co-workers, your relatives, your neighbor, and everyone is walking toward a bottomless abyss with little if any warning. Do we not hear their hopeless situation? Are we even listening to the voice of Almighty God?

Finally, are our ears keenly bent to one day hear, “Well done thou good and faithful servant”?

Are
We
Even
Listening??

The Devaluing of Eternal Life

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

This particular Scripture is possibly the most well known one in the New Testament because it succinctly and powerfully presents the redemptive plan and purpose of God the Father. If you look closely you can see so many Spiritual elements in that one verse. God, God's love, God's grace, God's Son, faith, hell, and eternal life, all wonderfully unfurled against the backdrop of a sinner's question. Spurgeon said it was the one verse that could be preached every Sunday morning until Jesus comes. Now the scripture teaches (Heb.2:15) that sinners are subject to bondage all their lives because of a fear of death. Look at the world and notice that everything people do centers on extending and enjoying this earthly life. People exercise to enjoy and extend this life. People try and eat healthy to enjoy and extend this life. People take medication to enjoy and extend this life. People take vacations to enjoy and extend this life. People reduce stress to enjoy and extend this life. The entire mind set of lost people is to enjoy and extend this life. And now it has taken hold of the church.

The average local assembly lists a host of "ministries" that center on enjoying and extending this life. Exercise ministry, stress reduction ministry, finance ministry, single ministry, couples ministry, etc.. Where is the eternal life ministry, dedicated to the study, embracement, and preparation for the life to come? One of the basic truths in God's Word is that we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God. Think about the implications of that truth. But the church by and large has relegated those type of Biblical teachings to some type of metaphorical imagery and not practical, lived out truths that have a priority in our lives. And along comes the new evangelicals. Call them whatever you want, neo-orthodox, neo-evangelical, neo-liberal, neo-fundamentals, or more recognizable as purpose driven, seeker sensitive, and emergent movements. These streams of "Christian" thought encourage new and culturally reflective behavior that claim to be more effective in reaching the world Spiritually, but in so doing they have been stripped of the Spirituality they claim to be spreading. And like those who rejected Copernicus, these new evangelicals have rejected the Christ(sun) centered theology of the Bible and have embraced a man(earth) centered Christianity. They reject a Spiritual theology and embrace a carnal theology. And ultimately they completely devalue eternal life for an earthly life and they openly and proudly admit it and proclaim that God Himself desires us to mix with the world.

What does it take to receive eternal life? I mean think about it, what does it take to receive eternal life, because if you get that wrong you've lost EVERYTHING! Jesus said, "Count the cost" (Lk.14:28) before you become a follower of His. Count the cost? What cost? We've been taught that salvation costs nothing, but that is not what Jesus said. Yes, there are no works involved in becoming a follower of Christ, but there is an enigmatic "high cost" for every true believer. Jesus also added, "he be of you that forsaketh not all that he has" (Lk.14:33) cannot become a follower of His. We have so devalued what it means to become, by faith, a follower of Jesus Christ that these statements straight from God's mouth seem archaic and legalistic. How many sinners, if just before they recite the sinner's prayer, are asked "Are you ready to forsake all?" would repeat that simple, meaningless, and vain repetition? Oh no, they want to go to heaven and also have Jesus help fix their earthly problems, so they say the magic words and - poof! - it's painless and quick. No cross bearing, no forsaking, no persecution, and no counting the cost, and indeed many times they're counting the dollars!? And then we start out on a project to convince them that they are saved. As Jesus passed Matthew He calls out "follow Me" and Matthew leaves his tax station and begins to follow Christ. Now imagine others running up to Matthew as he walks with Jesus and they keep telling him "You know, you are following Jesus!" over and over to give him assurance. He would think they are crazy, he knows he's following his Lord.

But today we are attempting to convince people who obviously are NOT following Christ that they are. Salvation, the born again experience, completely devalued and sifted into a drive thru religious window that fits neatly into our busy lifestyles with little if any change, much less any PASSION.

Today many growing Christian circles have become obsessed with meeting people's physical needs. It mirrors the growing list of Hollywood celebrities and rock stars that soothe their conscious by doing good deeds but reject God's Son which is clearly defined as the "spirit of anti-christ". When a church makes feeding the poor their priority it is humanism. Can you imagine a group of hungry, poor people and the church people approach you and ask you to donate some money and you reply "the poor you will have with you always". "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God". They would say you were heartless, but those words came from Jesus himself. When the needs of people become the focus it rapidly obscures God's Word and worse it morphs into the social gospel. And then compromise is not only practiced, it is trumpeted as God's will. Ultimately it overshadows and in today's Christian genre's it obliterates eternal life. "What should it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul"? Could He have been more clear? Jesus didn't die so hungry people could be fed, or poor people could get money, or even so sick people could get healed. "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners". Case closed!

Now let us look at the early church, what did they preach and what did the Holy Spirit commission them to do? Peter's early sermons centered on the resurrection to such a degree that the Sadducees took them into custody, today church leaders are pleasantly invited on talk shows. But in Antioch the Apostle Paul stood up and preached a Christ centered sermon that was mostly rejected by the Jews, and as they held out salvation to the Gentiles many believed. And the Scriptures correctly state, "and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed". Notice it did not say, "as many as needed help with their finances, or needed marriage counseling, or anything in this present life". By the way, as you will take notice, the Word was spread through preaching, not feeding the poor. The Word itself is powerful and all those humanitarian efforts are good but when not held strictly in conjunction with God's message of redemption they are worthless. So what is the devil's motivation concerning Adam's race?

Rick Warren, a nice and affable man, says that God told him that as long as he was striving to help people who were in need of earthly goods it was alright to join with anyone who would work together. Muslims, Hindu's, Jews, atheists, and even open and militant homosexuals were Biblically approved by God as true yokefellows in humanitarian efforts. Now this is not a new thought process, but it is new in evangelical circles. First, think about the message that sends the people who receive the aid. They realize this food comes from Christians, Muslims, Hindu's, and a host of other concerned people and so they are grateful to them and all their gods. Talk about your mixed signals! But what does Scripture say about that? Paul clearly instructs us to keep light from joining with darkness, that is Bible 101. The devil will let you feed people, he'll let you help the poor, he'll let you fight abortion, he'll let you rail against homosexuality, and all of these things are used of God as the means to an end. But when we leave out the main reason why Jesus came, to purchase eternal life for whosoever will, we are nothing but sounding brass and tinkling cymbal. And the devil waits for the well fed sinners to join him in hell.

Now eternal life can only be fully realized when held up against eternal death. Think about it. Imagine if you had been invited to a church and you heard the gospel for the first time. Now during the week you contemplated these things in your heart and you began to get serious about the question of "Who is Jesus Christ?". And on Thursday morning a car ran a red light and you were killed and instantaneously you "awakened" in hell. Forever. This is THE question of the ages, because if it is true than NOTHING else matters. If a person who dies without Christ spends FOREVER in a place of torture FOREVER and he stays there FOREVER consciously being tormented FOREVER, well, if that is true and we say we believe it, then what are we waiting for? Why are we not flooding the streets nightly handing out tracks? Why are not all evangelical churches open for urgent prayer every night? Why are we not purchasing air time on MTV to warn these young people? Why are we saving up God's money so we can travel around the world enjoying the sights of this passing world while millions starve? Where are the tears? Where are the all night prayer meetings? Where are the constant flood of overseas missionaries being sent?

You see, we ourselves have been caught in the hedonistic web of Martha's world and we no longer have the time to seek Jesus with "all of our soul, all of our mind, all of our stength". These emergent men have completely devalued eternal life in their teachings, but have we not devalued it in our lives? Well what is God saying to us? Let us be dilegent in confronting the miserable slide away from God's Holy Word, but, let us beg God to break us and reform us into His image, lighting a Holy Spirit fire that will urgently move us out of the life we've carved in this world and into the eternal life that God is calling us into...NOW!

"For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God".

ETERNALLY!!!!

P.S. - Don't you just hate it when you come to a party, kick off your shoes, find a comfortable chair, and get ready to enjoy a good emergent/purpose/seeker rebuking and somewhere in the middle of the party we accidently step into the Holy Spirit's line of fire? They ought to give us a warning about these things!

Life

I Jn.1:1-2 - That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; For the life was manifested and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.

Life. What is life? Does a rock have life? It was created by the Life Giver and it exists, but does it have life? In the scientific arena "life forms" act in a variety of ways. Some breathe, eat, swim, fly, hear, see, and thousands of other varied behaviors. What then ties all plants, bears, birds, bacteria, fish, microbes, man, and all other life forms together? They all reproduce, rocks do not.
But there is something different about man. A man has a consciousness about a purpose, a God, and an afterlife. A polar bears never stops, looks around, and wonders "Who am I?". "Where will I go when I die?" "Is there a God?" But all those questions haunt man because we were created in God's Spiritual image, and we are a Spirit inside a body who was separated from God through Adam. Not only is there a faint but residual knowledge of God, God Himself draws us, unlike all other life, and we are lost until regeneration.
But when John refers to the Word of Life and eternal life he isn't speaking just of the type of life that separates us from animals. He is speaking of the life that comes directly from God only through Jesus Christ - The Word. And this eternal life IS Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life..." John said, "He who hath the Son hath life". Paul proclaims, "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear...". The Scriptures give us a limited view of what we will be in heaven. I Jn.3:2 - Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him...". So life is in Christ and real life can only be found in Him. Oh Blessed Jesus, we never knew life until we met You. I thought life was having fun, partying as the world puts it. Drugs, immorality, drinking, and all the things of death that masquerade as life were my life...and then He revealed Himself to me. My mother was choir director, I went to VBS, and I was confirmed. But I never knew life because I had never known Him. I hope you never get so sophisticated and theologically proper that you can never rejoice in just knowing Him. Take some time out from chasing the emergents and all the ecclesiastical three ring circus and simply, but oh so deeply, worship Him for Who He is and that He has granted His life to you and me. To say I did not deserve it is to take more credit than I deserve. I have life, real life, eternal life, and this life is in my Lord and Savior...Halleluiah!!
So right now, like a hot air balloon moored to the earth, untie your mind for a while and soar into the realm of the eternal! All the books written about Jesus; all the discussions about Jesus; all the sermons about Jesus; all these things put together cannot even touch the hem of His garment about who He really is. Jesus promises a "new heaven and a new earth", but the one everlasting constant is Him. "So shall we ever be with the Lord" and "To be with Christ, which is far better".
Careful now, don't let the Spiritual air out of your balloon. Why do we worry about anything when we have eternal life? Why do we accumulate the things of this world when we have eternal life? Why are we entertained by this world when we have eternal life? Every morning we should pause and reflect on the distinct possibility that we may see Jesus, the Risen Christ, today. Not an exaggeration, not hyperbole. That one day sails on the ocean of time, coming ever closer to your harbor, and the Captain of your salvation will come for you. Are you still soaring? Once in a while let your balloon descend to this earth just long enough to invite someone in with you and then return to the life giving heavens where our Master lives. This world seeks to pop your balloon, and many of God's children are content to sit in their balloon, tied to the earth. God wants to breathe His Spirit into your balloon again and lift you off of this carnal world. Are you a little frightened? Are you scared of heights? What if you crash? Good, good, good! Jesus wants you to completely trust Him and not yourself. Real faith can seem dangerous! Aren't you tired of the "same old"? If something doesn't change, we will be in the same place next year at this time.
Remember, no one wants to climb into a balloon that is just like theirs - tied to this world. Everyone is really looking for a balloon that can FLY! In the coming year why don't you and I cut the ropes, shout for joy, and begin a fresh journey that will not only change our Spiritual altitude, but will glorify our Blessed Hope who remains high and lifted up. On eagles wings let us rise to meet the One for whom we long. As the song says, "There's more to this life than just livin' and dyin'!". I believe with all my heart that Jesus, in the powerful voice of the Holy Spirit, is calling His Bride to "Come up, hither!". The pitiful and lost world needs to see -

FLYERS - NOT BUYERS!!! SEE YOU IN THE CLOUDS IN 2006!!

I Jn.5:20 - And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. THIS IS THE TRUE GOD, AND ETERNAL LIFE!

The Time is Fulfilled

Mk.1:15 - And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

These words of Jesus announced the closing of one dispensation, or time period, and the opening of another. The law of Moses was now fulfilled, and the good news of Jesus Christ was here. God had come as a man and He would pay the price for all of man's sin, and "whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life". God has shown incredible grace and mercy to a sinful and rebellious creation, paving the way for all who believe on Jesus as Lord and Savior.
But just as that period of time was fulfilled, this period of infinite grace is rapidly coming to an end. Just as God closed the door to the ark that would save Noah and his family, God will close the door to salvation. One day, maybe soon, the last person will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and the invitation will be withdrawn and no one else will be let in. WHAT A SOBERING THOUGHT! Have you ever pondered the notion that God could have closed that door before you and I were born again? It should frighten us and at the same time fill our hearts with resounding praise for our Father's grace and longsuffering!
Time. What is time? In its scientific definition it is the measurement of motion. But Spiritually, it is a sacred and precious commodity that even in Christian circles is being poured out on ourselves. Let us ask ourselves this piercing question: Is there anything we spend less time on than alone time in prayer with our Lord? Well time is running out. Watch the news and see Israel making pacts with its neighbors. See pestilence sweeping whole continents. Although 250,000 Africans die every month from AIDS, malaria is the number one killer. Watch the world try and create peace by the fallen cunning of man's mind. Watch a Christian president represent democracy as the new gospel. Watch the evangelical world solicit funds and promise a slot machine return. Watch pseudo-Biblical scholars teach that the New Testament hints at another chance for dead sinners. Watch as slick salesmen market a new and appealing gospel that induces a self-aggrandizing response that resembles more of a multi-level sales force than a separated, crucified, and blood washed body.
Look at Rev.6:8. God says there will be a pale horse, ridden by Death, followed by Hell. Now look at the power that was given to him. This Arch-demon will cover the earth killing with the sword, hunger, death, and the beasts. We are covered with violence, both with war and violence among all peoples. Thousands of our brothers and sisters in Adam will die today of hunger. Death will visit millions, both in and out of the womb, but I draw your attention to the last phrase in the verse, "with the beasts of the earth". Look how many deaths are related to animals. AIDS(monkeys) - Malaria(mosquitoes) - Madcow(cows) - and many bacteria. And now we are being told that if the bird-flu ever spreads it could be a world wide pestilence.
Although there is coming a period of time on this earth that will be, according to Jesus Himself, more horrible than ever has or will be, the dark events are beginning in embryonic form to unfold now. Not just demons, not just arch-demons, not just principalities, not just powers, not just rulers of darkness, not just spiritual wickedness in high places, but Lucifer himself is beginning to personally take charge of these last days. The apostle John revealed that," (The)Antichrist shall come, even now are there MANY antichrists, where we know that it is the last time".
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are in a war. Not a physical war, not moral vs. immoral; not conservative vs. liberal; not Christian vs. Muslim; not an American war; not Iraq, Iran, or any other country, it is a vicious war, unseen by human eyes, and the pathology of this war is infinitely more savage than all the wars of human history combined. It is a war that will see THE Antichrist make his appearance and deceive THE ENTIRE WORLD(except for a very few). This is a war that began in heaven between God Almighty and Satan himself, and its conclusion has begun. The end of this war is coming, but it will get far worse before it is over.
What is our place in this war? Paul says,"We do not war after the flesh: for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds". No guns, knives, missiles, bullets, tanks, or any manmade instrument of war can be used in this war. The name of Jesus; the Blood of Christ; The Word of God; and most importantly PRAYER. We must drop to our knees, not just figuratively, but literally in warfare praying. God is beginning to raise up a remnant of believers that are now in Spiritual bootcamp. They are separating from this world and seeking to be used of God both here on earth and in the Spirit. Believe it or not, the "in the Spirit" part is the most difficult.
The time is now. We are living in the very last days and we must not waste the time that our Heavenly Father has granted us. The souls of men hang in the balance, and unless there is a great revival in the church millions will be lost that might have been reached. And there will be no chance for revival if there is no revival of prayer. I encourage you, whoever you may be, ask God to start a revival of prayer in your own life. At this point it is counter-productive to look at others, we are all "captured" by the culture and we need God's power to escape. Not until then will the world see the glory of God revealed through His church. There is inherent power in the truth, but there is also added power in a Spirit filled vessel as he or she spreads the truth. And this is never to draw attention to ourselves in any way for we must never hold men's personages in admiration. We must continually and deeply keep our focus on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, for in Him we live and move and have our being. And if the entire world falls away from the truth let us not be moved from serving Him who IS the Truth!
PRAY - PRAY - PRAY Try rising 1/2 hour earlier in the morning specifically to pray and let the Lord start in you and me a revival of prayer that will be used of the Spirit of God to draw a host of believers to follow.

May Jesus Christ our Lord be praised !