BREAKING
THE BREAD OF LIFE:
FROM THE KING JAMES BIBLE
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HOW DO YOU BLESS OTHERS?
David had been established as king of Israel. He then remembered his covenant to Jonathan, and David asked about it:
2
Samuel 9:1 (KJV) And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of
Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake?
2 And there was of
the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him
unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is
he.
3 And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I
may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath
yet a son, which is lame on his feet.
David said in verse 3 that he wanted to show the kindness of God unto anyone left from Saul's family. In this we see three things:
1. David did not carry grudges. Other men would have destroyed anyone remaining from the troubling days of King Saul. A ruler who has no compassion is a tyrant and a fool.
2. David kept his word. A king who makes promises and breaks them is nothing but a bum tooth aching away in the life of the nation. Such kings often are removed violently by and by.
3. David knew that he was called to make God a blessing to Israel. His act of kindness to Maphibosheth was beyond generous. It showed to all men in Israel that the mercy of God is unfailing, unlimited, and faithful.
All who lead must take account here: Are you like David, preacher? Are you an example of the mercy of God, Daddy? This story is not here so that we can exalt David-- it is here so that we may measure our zeal for God accordingly.
Read the rest of the very touching story in II Samuel 9.
ARE WE BAHAVING LIKE A BRIDE?
Genesis 24:53 And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
You are in the Bride of Christ if you are born again.
You are the one whom Jesus Christ has clothed in pure white garments of righteousness. He has decked you with the jewels of his own holiness and the glory of things to come. Now, tell me, do you think and act like a chaste bride on her way to her wedding day?
Hmmmm
EXERCISE
1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
In the missionary boarding school I attended in Kenya we had a staff member who told us to add an "a" in front of "little" in this verse. Blasphemy. There is no "a" there in the Greek, and the King James Bible translators got it right.
Bodily exercise is almost worthless. Instead, we need to get to WORK doing things for Christ, like helping widows and doing our own repairs and gardening. If you are so busy and important that you pay people to mow your lawn, and you cannot change a battery in your Ford, then you are a slow bellied Cretian.
If you are handicapped, disregard this, though I know handicapped people who get more exercise than perfectly healthy people.
Now, get down to Wal-Mart and buy two trays of plant starts, four eight foot landscaping logs, and five bags of steer manure. Dig an eight foot square in your lovely immaculate lawn, and get some biblical exercise. You could save thousands of dollars wasted one exercise machines if you would just kneel down in God's good dirt, and get your pretty fingers dirty. There is nothing more utterly worthless than a preacher with pretty hands. The first thing I noticed about Jack Hyles was his lovely lady like hands. The rest of his troubles simply followed.
FELLOWSHIP WITH CHRIST
Philippians
3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8 Yea
doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and
do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
9 And be found in him, not
having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through
the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I
may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings,
being made conformable unto his death;
11 If by any means I might attain unto
the resurrection of the dead.
12 Not as though I had already attained, either
were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which
also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to
have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the
mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul, in the flow of thought, begins with his intentional loss of all things. He ends in verse 14 with his pressing toward the mark, an athletic term. So, what is the critical key to receiving the prize? Answer: Verse 10-11-- I must have the power of his resurrection by fellowship in his suffering. That will result in my attaining the resurrection of the dead.
You see, death and hell waiting for me before I knew Christ. After I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, I do not take a number, sit in the waiting room, and shoot up to heaven when my number is called. A true saint is someone who daily fellowships with Jesus Christ, especially in his suffering.
HE GAVE... GIFTS TO MEN
2 Corinthians 10:8 For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:
Authority, which God gives leaders in his Church, is ONLY for edification. When a pastor, Apostle, bishop, elder, deacon, evangelist, teacher, or any of the myriad of later day inventions and titles used in Christianity Inc, use their authority to excommunicate, agitate, command, coerce, dictate, or threaten any of the sheep of the Good Shepherd, that leader is an hireling and a spiritual bastard.
There is such a jerkawallah "Prophet Jim" in Florida who writes me regularly to threaten me with death, guilt, heresy, and eternal misery because I will not leap into his "River of Renewal" and prostrate myself before his lordship. This is classic in all of Charismania these days, but it is an evil beyond measure in Fundamental Baptist and Bible churches also.
The urge to breath fire and threats at sheep is Anglo Saxon perversion. It is worthy only of a Nazi religion. We have a Baptist "evangelist" in the US South who prides himself in his vicious face and a raging hateful manner when he is preaching to sheep. The man is never seen to be happy, and he works hard at making saints hate him so he can hate them back in revenge.
Here is the ONLY model of authority Christ gave his Church:
Ephesians
4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive,
and gave gifts unto men.
9 (Now that he ascended, what is it
but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He
that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he
might fill all things.)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets;
and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting
of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness
of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and
carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning
craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth
in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
I am doing an article on this in depth, but suffice it to say here that the gift-type men in verse 8 are given to the men in the Body of Christ. These gift-men given to the Church in verse 11 are to minister (serve) and edify. The fruit of their work will be unity, knowledge of Christ, perfection (maturity), and fulness in being like Jesus. Doctrine will be taught, and the truth will be spoken in love. These men will not be heads in any sense, for there is only one Head-- Jesus Christ.
Any leader who leaves this model and uses his office to dominate and control the sheep must be destroyed at once. No mercy can be shown.
May I ask you a question? What kind of Savior do we have if the bombastic bishops, and the brutes, brats, blimps, and bastards in Christendom, who thrash sheep and hug goats, are to be defined as "gifts" from Jesus?
Such a Jesus I do not know, my friend. If this is your Jesus, sir, you are a devil. Your Jesus is antichrist, and you can go to hell. I hate you. Psalm 139:21-22
Selah!
May I say this? Though thousands of sheep are ravaged from bastardized pulpits around the world, God still has his gift-men who serve, who edify, and who decline the first place in the Lord's Church. There are yet a few gentle men who know how to thrash the devil, kick the Pope, weep with widows, and hug the sheep. If you don't have one, find one, be one, or train one up in your home.
COMPLETE
DISCUSSION OF
THE ROLE OF "PASTOR" IN 350 WORDS
Ephesians
4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and
some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work
of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come
in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
1. For the perfecting (maturity) of the saints (also in vs. 13) Since it is mentioned twice, it would seem to be the most important thing. This is not sinless perfection, as the stupid Arminians teach. It speaks of maturity. See Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
2. For the work of the ministry-- Shepherding sheep, not recruiting attendance.
3. Edify saints-- obviously by study of the Word and teaching
4. Working always toward unity in the Body of Christ-- Not organization! Not incorporation!
5. Teach that which brings the knowledge of God and the full stature of Christ.
Do you see what is NOT there? There is NO direct connection made in the New Testament between elders and deacons (mentioned later), and pastors in this passage. I feel more and more that the pastor, if a church even has one, is JUST ONE OF THE FOLKS and is there for one purpose-- to lead the assembly into knowledge of the Word of God and maturity.
A pastor does not run the show, he does not rule, he does not administer, he does not raise funds, he does not dress in preacher clothes, he does not have any approval from outside the local church except Christ, and he does not have any privacy or special status above anyone. Elders and deacons, which Paul defined in great detail, do some things the pastor does, but they are much better defined and regulated by Apostolic instruction. The pastor, when not teaching, is incidental.
I dare you to prove me wrong, USING PROOF TESTS, not presuppositions.
So, to hell with "pastoral rule," and understand this-- The "Pastor" of the local church in ALL denominations, from the Roman Catholic Church to KJV Only Fundamental Baptists, is a warped caricature of what Paul, by inspiration, gave us. If you are a modern version of a "pastor," you are a wicked impostor on the Church of Jesus Christ.
Deal with it please! CLICK HERE for more on this.
TRUST
Psalms
20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name
of the LORD our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen,
and stand upright. 9
Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.
And, some trust in Smith and Wesson. Others trust in Oppenheimer's Blue Chip Money Market fund. What do YOU trust in? Our governing lords in Washington DC trust in B-1s and nukes. In the ultimate, what do you trust in? It is not evil to lay in store for old age or a rainy day, but the key word is "trust."
Do you know what I think about this....? Ain't gonna tell you because you need to figure this one out for yourself. Each of us are tempted by something to lean on other than Jesus Christ. What is yours?
:-)
CONFESSING CHRIST
1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
Will there be anyone standing before the throne of Christ to witness that you confessed Jesus Christ before men today, last week, or any time? I am not talking about standing in the assembly of the saints, where it is friendly and safe, and saying for the 80th time, "I was borned again thirty odd years ago and glad I am." I mean, do you ever confess that you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God in Wal-Mart or at your work place?
THY SALVATION
Psalms 3:8 Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
Salvation is not of the Baptists, the Presbyterians, Pope Benny, Mary, Benny Hinn, the Four Spiritual Laws, or the Mennonites. Salvation is not defined by a "Plan." Salvation is not the Romans Road. Salvation originates from the mind of God the Father, was bought by the Blood of Jesus Christ, and is administered to the sinner by the Holy Ghost.
So, next time some puffy faced preacher claims you have to "get saved" on his terms, tell the beggar to buzz off please. If you have it, you got it from the Godhead, and if you don't have it, no one on earth can give it to you. Best of all, once you get it, no one can take it away from you.
Here are all the Bible references for "thy salvation." Ge 49:18; 1Sa 2:1; 2Sa 22:36; 1Ch 16:35; 2Ch 6:41; Ps 3:8; 9:14; 13:5; 18:35; 20:5; 21:1,5; 25:5; 27:9; 35:3; 40:10,16; 51:12,14; 69:13,29; 70:4; 71:15; 79:9; 80:2; 85:7; 106:4; 119:41,81,123,155,166,174; Isa 17:10; 33:6; 52:7; 60:18; 62:11; Hab 3:8,13; Zec 9:9; Lu 2:30
BLESS YOU
It is common for jack boot Baptist preachers to avoid blessing the people. They have learned that the offering is larger if they keep the sheep intimidated. They have learned that the altar call will be numerically higher if they threaten the sheep instead of bless them.
Thank God for giving us the tender hearted revelator, David. If David were to enter the average Baptist church today, he would be "churched" at once.
Psalms
20:1 The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend
thee;
2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;
3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.
4
Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
5 We
will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners:
the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.
6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed;
he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of
the LORD our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and
stand upright.
9 Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.
MESSAGE TO YOUNG MEN
Who is responsible to educate you? Your Dad and Mom, or your school teacher? Neither. YOU are responsible for your life. It sure helps to have godly parents and good teachers, but a real man takes responsibility for his life as soon as he figures out what is going on.
Do you read? If not, you will have a small world view. You will not have much to talk about with real men. Read about things you don't know about. Push your mind. Do you build up your body, or do you slouch around? A weak body will keep you from participating in life to the full. Do you look at the world as you move around, and do you learn anything by watching the world? You should make notes of things that really move you in any way.
Do your friends take charge of their lives, or are you friends coasting along doing as little as possible? Hang out with dead heads, and you will be a dead head too.
Don't tell me you are "called to preach." That is not in the Bible. It is Baptist and Pentecostal rubbish. Everyone is called to preach if they are born again. The Bible says you are called to be a saint, born again. Beyond that, what charges your battery? What moves you?
Finally, what is the battle for you? Jesus Christ knew exactly what he had to accomplish. Real men learn to engage in the battle for righteousness. If you don't know what that is yet for you, start reading about issues that affect the saints of Jesus Christ and his Church. Don't wait on your pastor to tell you what to do next. Many pastors are just taking the line of least resistance and are timid warriors. Find out what the battle is for you, and get into it. If you cannot get into the battle, carry ammunition for real spiritual soldiers. Be sure you are in good company.
Read your Bible like a war manual. When I was in the Army we had codes and rules for action. We had to learn those so that the commander could give a command in a few words, and we could fill in the rest of the order from our knowledge of the rules of engagement. Do you know enough Bible to act when your Captain, Jesus Christ, gives you an order?
Now, stop waiting for someone to take you by the hand and tell you what to do. Go find out what God has for you. Be faithful, be strong, be like Jesus.
2
Timothy 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that
he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
DO YOU REALLY TRUST THE HOLY GHOST?
Hebrews 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
Thus, we ask the jack boot Baptist preacher, "If the law cannot make people sinless and pure, why do you have so many traditions and standards which you enforce? Why do you not teach biblical truth and trust the Holy Ghost to apply it to the life choices of the sheep?"
Answer: Because you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, and this results in your distrust of the Holy Ghost. You ought to get to know him-- he does a very fine job of regenerating his people. You too could be a new person and live without law.
MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS
Ezra 4:4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah,
and troubled them in building,
5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate
their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius
king of Persia.
6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign,
wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
If you tell those outside the Body of Christ about your grievances with saints inside the Lord's family, you are the enemy of Christ. You are Antichrist. If you have something against your brother, Jesus tells you what to do with it:
Matthew
18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his
fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy
brother.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more,
that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17
And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect
to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
There is no other alternative. If your pastor has another plan, based on some Baptist tradition, or his own notions, he is a fraud. Obey Jesus.
"I WISH WE'D ALL BEEN READY"
Revelation
16:17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a
great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great
earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake,
and so great.
19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the
cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God,
to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
20 And
every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
21 And there fell
upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent:
and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof
was exceeding great.
Isaiah
2:11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall
be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
12 For the
day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and
upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:
13 And upon
all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks
of Bashan,
14 And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that
are lifted up,
15 And upon every high tower, and upon every
fenced wall,
16 And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant
pictures.
17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness
of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
18
And the idols he shall utterly abolish.
Now, watch this video of one large building falling, and multiply it by millions of buildings and monuments around the world. Christian, your friend whom you will not give the Gospel will be screaming and running in the streets in terror, while you are safe with Jesus in heaven. Who needs to hear from you about Jesus Christ?
Now, listen to a grown man go to pieces as the WTC falls. And, listen to your friend one day after the Rapture of the Lord's Church. Do you care?
FEAR GOD AND EXALT JESUS CHRIST
Revelation 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
First, did you do anything this day, or change your course in life in any way, that showed God that you fear him? Did you lift your foot off the accelerator pedal because you feared the cop, or to the glory of God? Who do you really fear?
Second, did you worship Jesus today, the maker of all things? Fundamentalists of all sorts, indeed, all Bible believers, seem to become so engrossed in their standards, rules, and doctrinal distinctions that they come to see worship of Jesus as childish. Worship is NOT an attitude. Worship is speaking about, and to, Jesus Christ. Notice....
Acts 8:4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
When you speak about Jesus Christ without including yourself in the picture, that is worship. When you feel you have to include YOU in the discussion, you are not worshipping. Hmmmm
John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Lift up YOU, and nothing will happen. Lift up Jack Hyles, Lee Roberson, Some "Plan of Salvation," or even wave a Bible but not read from it, and you are not exalting anyone but man. Try this: "This is Fred Smith. Let me give you the PLAN of Fred's life. Ugh! Can you just exalt Jesus Christ as God and as the source of all power and all glory, or, as in Rev. 14:7 above, as the creator of all things? Let the Holy Ghost decide what to do with the listener. Just worship.
Now, here is the scary part-- Can you worship Jesus Christ in the check out lane of Wal-Mart? If not, you are a hide bound traditional Christian who cannot talk about Jesus unless he is sitting in a padded pew and under the close supervision of a fat face preacher. When the preacher calls for worship, you squawk, "I bin saved fer 23 years and glad I am." It is all about you, and all done in one breath, just about nothing there really.
And, I will not let you Lutherans and Reformed folks off the hook. Tell me, can you worship Jesus Christ without and "order of worship" in front of you? Does that thought terrify you? If so, I don't think you really know who Jesus is. And, you Pentecostals and Charismatics-- Can you worship Jesus Christ without four cute worship leaders and a boogie piano thumping away? Can you worship Jesus in English, or your national tongue, without blubbering away in some tongue you don't understand? Do you dive into "tongues" so you will not have to think?
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
There is it again-- Fear God (his commandments) and exalt Jesus.
Revelation 19:5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
If you are born again, you will spend eternity worshiping and exalting God and Jesus Christ. Will you have any idea how to do that by the time you step through the door of death into the Father's throne room? I can hear you, "Ah, well now, it sure is good to be here Lord, Ah, give me a minute, and I will get my thoughts together Lord...." OK, I have a weird imagination, I admit, but how do YOU use your imagination besides watching that tube in the corner of the living room? Sit still for a minute, and tell God what you like about him-- tell Jesus Christ why you love him. "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness..."
SALVATION IS NOT BASED ON OUR REPENTANCE
Nothing we have said in recent months is of higher priority than the following:
LETTER FROM A READER:
Steve:
Please give me your thoughts on "confession."
As a former Roman Catholic, I was taught that I had to participate in the sacrament of penance, and confess my sins to a priest, and do what he told me in order to be forgiven. I know now that my forgiveness is complete in the shed blood of Jesus Christ: that my sin debt has been paid, and that God is satisfied with this once-for-all atonement. (Isaiah 53:11; 1 Peter 3:8; Heb 10:10, etc.)
Much of what I hear on radio preaching, and in Baptist churches, regarding confession, seems like repackaged Roman Catholic teaching: basically, that my sins are forgiven when I confess them. Granted, there is no priestly intermediary, but the results are the same. If I believed this, I would be on the same treadmill of working for my salvation, and hoping that I would not die with any unconfessed sin.
I believe that Jesus Christ is infinite God, and that his shed blood is enough to pay for all the sins of all men of all time, and that I entered into this blessed state of being forgiven when I put my faith and trust in him; when I "believed on the Lord Jesus Christ...." Think about it: forgiven! And, "...it is finished." This is thrilling, isn't it?
I also hear a lot about 2 Ch 7:14, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." But again, this means that my sins remain unforgiven, and places me back under the wrath of God, unless I:
1. humble myself
2. pray
3. seek God's face
4. turn (repent)These are all good things, but again, all my sins were washed away when I came to Calvary. So, this teaching on confession is troubling.
Would it not be correct to teach that a believer should walk in holiness, through the power of the Holy Spirit in them, and that they should repent when they sin, and to thank God for the forgiveness that they have in Jesus, instead of teaching confession in order to get the sin forgiven? This is not a license to sin; if a person feels liberty when they sin, they have never met the Savior. I know that 1 John 1 is used to teach the ongoing confession of sin, but in light of the other NT scriptures, I think this must have to do with a sinner that has repented toward God - he has confessed that he has sinned, instead of denying it, and going on thinking he's not so bad, etc.
Well, I would like to hear your thoughts on this. Please shoot me a note when you get a moment.
Thanks,
Paul V________
Brother Paul V. answered his own question really. Nowhere in the Bible is salvation made contingent on repentance. The Pope, Baptist preachers, and everyone in between, teach that repentance is essential to be saved. It is an ongoing blasphemy of Fundamentalists that makes salvation dependent on my repentance.
There has never been a sinner who was born again who did not understand his sin was damning. On the other hand, there has never been a sinner saved who did ANYTHING to participate in his salvation except to believe in Jesus Christ. The sins were washed away before he ever knew about them on a Wednesday evening, outside Jerusalem, about 2000 years ago. The last Passover was Jesus Christ himself, and I can only believe it happened and praise him for applying the Blood to me.
John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Romans
10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart:
that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11
For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
What John reveals as the Gospel to lost sinners, Paul later teaches to saved people, and there is not one word about repentance. There IS teaching about "confession." This "confession" is NOT about your sin-- It is "confession" that Jesus Christ is the Son of God--
NOWHERE ARE YOU TOLD TO CONFESS TO MEN THAT YOU ARE A SINNER-- YOU ARE TOLD TO CONFESS WHO JESUS CHRIST IS TO MEN.
Confession is not made to a priest or at a Baptist altar call. Jumping into the "River of Renewal" or "praying through" never saved anyone. Confession is made in the check out line at Wal-Mart or Monday morning at the office to the lost.
Matthew 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
This is NOT repentance before God! It is confession in the market place. There is much justification for teaching that a profession of faith is false if that profession is not followed by public confession of Christ. There is NO biblical grounds for saying a profession of faith is false because the sinner did not wail and weep over his sins at an "old fashioned altar."
Did Peter understand he was a sinner? Answer- YES: Luke 5:7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
Did Isaiah know he was a sinner: Answer- YES: Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
But, Peter was not blessed by Jesus for confessing he was a sinner. Jesus simply ignored Peter and kept teaching him. The blessing of Peter came, not after confession of sin, but after confession before men of Christ as the Messiah in the flesh.
Matthew
16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered
and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered
and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not
revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also
unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
John
11:24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he
(her dead brother) shall
rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
25 Jesus said unto her, I
am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead,
yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never
die. Believest thou this?
27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that
thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
Confessing sin never saved anyone. Jesus' Blood saves anyone who is genuinely born again. And, I shall be brutally blunt-- any preacher, Pope, or raving evangelist who teaches that repentance of sin saves you, that mongrel teacher is damned to hell.
My question to you is, "Who is Jesus Christ"? If you can in all sincerity and faith answer as Peter did in Matthew above, you are born again. You have NOTHING left to do to "have life through his name." John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Now,
go confess it-- tell someone what you believe about Jesus Christ, someone who
is NOT a church house friend. If you refuse to speak, confess, of Jesus Christ,
you are not born again- You are still in rebellion against the truth. Psalms
107:2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand
of the enemy;
____________________
Pray for us. We will be damned to hell by the Inquisitors of Eastern Tennessee for the above biblical teaching. That is the way with mongrel religion. Liberate the saints from false teachers and their grip on the sheep, and the wolves howl. :-)
LARGER VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE
COME, LET US REASON TOGETHER....
1
Church per 6153 Christians...
1 Mosque per 67 Muslims...
Some
Bible believers will shrug this off as unimportant since Orthodox churches are
dead, and furthermore, they are not BaBtists, right? My dear jerk, consider....
It was the Greek monks of the Eastern Orthodox church in Constantinople, in about
1200 AD, who fled from the Muslim invasion of their city, with the Greek manuscripts
of Antioch under their robes. Not jewels, not gold-- But the Word of God which
Erasmus used to compile the foundational text for your King James Bible.
Now, here are Coptics, Orthodox, superstitious too much, far from their roots, but still bearing the strong taste of the salt of the Gospel. They are dying and suffering at the hands of the Islam pagan mob of Egypt. Think, and be careful. Islam intends to drown the world in its own blood-- Los Angeles and Northampton are just a little way down the list from Luxor, Egypt.
The favorite "ministry" of the evangelists of Allah in Egypt is to kidnap Coptic Christian girls, rape them, and send them home mentally destroyed. Now, tell me, when is the last time YOU talked about Jesus in public. Allah's servants boldly kill and rape for him-- will you speak of the alternative-- the love of Jesus Christ? If not, you are not born again, and you will soon embrace Islam. You either "earnestly content for the faith," or you are damned to hell.
2
Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to
the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every
high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Footnote:
Sanet Khalil told me that his father in law was an Coptic evangelist in Egypt
in the 1970s. Though the man was Coptic, he went from village to village, home
to home, holding Bible studies and teaching that Christianity was only about faith
in Jesus Christ. Some of you will not believe this. I do. I believe Christ is
outside of Christendom knocking to be let back in. If ANYONE who seeks him will
go out of the door offered the Philadelphian saint (Rev. 3), he will find Jesus
outside the camp gathering his flock for the last exodus. Some of you dear bigots
will be very shocked to learn who is outside the camp with Jesus.
Also, I must ask you, have you walked through the open door before you? Jesus is out there waiting for you. Jesus has again been cast out of the temple. Do not assume Jesus is inside your favorite group. This is the last age of the Church, and Jesus is OUTSIDE. Be careful.
HYPOCRITES WHO SECRETLY FEAR THE SEEKING SAINT
Romans
12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God.
The spirit of a saint belongs to the Lord. Romans was written to believers at Rome, so this text has nothing to do with the unsaved. The issue in this text is the body and the mind.
THE BODY is to be offered up as a living sacrifice. That means we do not kill ourselves or punish our physical bodies to be more spiritual. We LIVE in them, but God wants control of them. If God controls your body, it will be holy. That is all verse 1 is about. Add nothing to it please.
THE MIND, ah now, that is different. If a man in Christ reads and studies his Bible faithfully, his mind will be "renewed". That is how the Holy Spirit changes our minds. But, if that same man goes around to his pastor and asks a question about some Bible text, and if that text contradicts the pastor's teaching or his conduct, what happens? The pastor will attack the man and tell him he needs to "get under authority."
It is even more deadly if a lady in Christ reads something in the Word and asks a question of another lady or the pastor's wife. That lady is attacked at once by the bawdy women in the local church, and she will be called names behind her back.
In Fundamental and Baptist circles today the believer is NOT to think. He is taught that he is to commit mental suicide as regards the teaching in the local church. Certain men are "called to preach," and those not thus called are to sit in silence and in awe of the preacher, not the Word of God.
What is the result, and you preachers better meditate on this long and hard? The saints come to see their mind as dangerous, and they sacrifice their minds to the jack boot preacher and believe nothing unless he teaches it. Furthermore; they, like Roman Catholics, come to believe that they are not appointed by God to understand the deeper things of the Word of God on their own, and they stop reading their Bibles.
What Baptist jerk preachers accomplish by bluster and bombast, the Dallas Seminary boys accomplish by parcing the Greek and blabbering about the "deeper meaning". This does the same thing to the hearer-- it squeezes his brain out and flushes it down the toilet of scholarship.
When preachers today try to convince people to read their Bibles it is with false zeal, for these preachers are secretly delighted that the saints do not know enough Bible to catch the preacher teaching works salvation, how to sin, and tithing, etc.
If you have a preacher like this, and if you do not leave that local church, your kids will be dumb as snot, and you will lose them one day when they realize how they have been mentally raped at the church house. All over the USA, indeed, the world, sit men who hate preaching, men who are born again but will never go near a Christian assembly again. They were attacked by an alpha wolf for thinking. Sometimes they were even attacked by the alpha wolf's alpha female wolf-- I know how this feels.
Verse 2 above makes it very clear that YOU are responsible for YOUR mind. If you hand it to your pastor you are blaspheming God.
Now, go do the right thing.
The Heavens declare the glory of God!
Psalms 19:1-2 <
Have you ever been out in the country on a cold winter night when the air is clear and lifted your eyes unto the heavens to look at the stars? It is an amazing sight to behold the millions of millions of stars. If you have seen the Milky Way, you know there are even more stars than we can imagine.
It was God's promise to Abraham: He told Abram to count the stars of heaven to find out how many there would be in his generations. We now know that there are billions of stars. The better our telescopes, the more stars we find. The more stars we find, the more insignificant we become.
Likewise, God's mercies are innumerable. When we dive deep into the depths of scripture, we continually find promise upon promise buried inside yet another promise that God will sustain us. When we gaze upon the stars and the depth of space, we continually discover more and more stars buried deep among even more stars. This is the depth of God's promises to us!
How small we are in this large universe God has made for us! How great is our Lord that he would condescend to creatures of such low estate! Great is God's goodness to us who are as the grass that flourisheth and fadeth away! Great is our savior that he would come to this mere dot we call earth and shed his holy blood on Calvary for our sins!
Great should our rejoicing be that God loved us so much that he sent his only Son to die for our sins!
Great should our rejoicing be that our Savior rose from the dead and now sits on the right hand of God -- interceding for us!
We who like worms upon this earth are but specks in the immense universe that surrounds us.
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!
Author - Mike Van Nattan
MY WORD!
Deuteronomy 10:20 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.
The point of reference of any born again saint must be God himself. If you cannot prove your case, you cannot vindicate your name, or you cannot declare a thing as true without a tinge of conscience before God, you are wicked. We have this way of affirming facts and truth and saying, "As best I know," or, "At least that is the way I heard it." Many other qualifiers are used by us tricky sinners.
My friend, we need to speak as the oracle of God himself. If we cannot be sure we speak the truth, we should shut up and wait until we are sure of ourselves.
1 Peter 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Now, some preacher is reading this and agreeing. But, you sir, when you preach on this or that Bible text, do you declare the interpretation of the Word of God as if you have absolute understanding of all things in the Word? This is also an evil trend today in which preachers define and divide the Word in such a way that the hearer trusts the preacher more than the Word of God itself. You, sir, could go to hell for that, for you are adding to his Word when YOU end up a higher authority than the Word itself. Revelation 22
BESIDE STILL WATERS
Lying down, being lead, walking, feasting, with the Shepherd, and finally being followed by the Good Shepherd as he loads on the goodness and mercy......
Romans
8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against
us?
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how
shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
It is a wicked and perverse generation in 2005 / 2006 which is driven by a lust to produce, to get numbers, to build a bigger edifice-- for what? It is time we took off our shoes and stood still, for we are on holy ground. We ARE the temple of the Holy Ghost, and God is content to dwell in us.
Malachi
3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened,
and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared
the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
17 And they shall be mine, saith
the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them,
as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Did you talk about Jesus today, to your kid, in the market place, anywhere?
THE COMFORTER HAS COME
And, NOT at TBN
John
14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that
he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world
cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him;
for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
You can tell you are in a false church under the "ministry" of an hireling by this question: Is it a comfort to be with those saints? If it is aggregation and pain, they are devils.
John
14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in
my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you.
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give
unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.
You see, dear saint, my Jesus, who is YOUR Jesus, is in the business of bringing peace, and that peace comes to YOU as you open God's Word and read and listen to the Comforter. Truth and peace is NOT the private property of scholars and pulpiteers. It is YOURS for the taking.
John
16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away:
for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I
will send him unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of
sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
You don't need to wait until Sunday morning at altar call time to hear from the Holy Ghost-- he is there IN YOU trying to get your attention any time you listen. Sin, and righteousness, and judgment. If you don't hear about it from the Holy Ghost, it is not from him at all. Those accusations from the pulpit, the bombast and the bellowing-- they are the babblings of an hireling. So, listen for the voice of the Comforter, and you will hear from him.
Can he speak through a faithful pastor? Of course, but ONLY if that pastor comes to you in a spirit of personal love for you the sheep of the Master. If that pastor never shows at your front door, if he only blasts you from his bully pulpit, he is a devil, not a servant of the Comforter.
I
bring, I bring
Rich gifts to thee...
ALONE AT CHRISTMAS
When the pagans celebrate there are two emotions in the heart of the saint who stands back and refuses to bow to the baby god, Marduk and his mother Ishtar (the origins of the antichrist Mary and Jesus of Christmas). The first emotion is peace from knowing that one is walking orderly before his God. The other emotion is the feeling of being left out. "Oh no," you cry, "I am delighted to be alone." Well, you need to deal with the truth here.
Being right with God means being left out. David spoke of this when he was alone fleeing from his adversary. David knew he was right with God, but he still felt lonely:
David missed the sanctuary, but at that time the sanctuary was overrun by wicked men. Asaph felt depressed seeing his wicked neighbor prosper while he struggled:
Psalms
73:3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.
5
They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them
as a garment.
7 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart
could wish.
Then Aseph went up to the house of the Lord and understood:
Psalms 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
Psalms 73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.
Being alone causes us to become bitter or to draw near to God. I trust you have found your God precious this year during the "jolly" season.
The wicked who have alloyed Jesus Christ with Babylonian paganism at Christmas have a fearful prospect, as in Asaph's day:
Psalms 73:27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.
So, while you are alone, draw hear to God. The act of dividing the sheep from the goats is the shepherd's way of making sure he and the sheep are totally given to each other.
"He
promised never to leave me;
Never to leave me alone."
CHOOSE A DAY
THE
DAY OF VICTORY IN BATTLE FOR JEHOVAH
Judges 4:14 And
Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered
Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down
from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.
THE
DAY OF EXALTATION OF JEHOVAH GOD
Psalms 118:24 This is
the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
THE
DAY GOD DESTROYS HIS ENEMIES
Jeremiah 46:10 For this
is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him
of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made
drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north
country by the river Euphrates.
THE
DAY GOD JUDGES HIS REBELLIOUS PEOPLE
Lamentations 2:16
All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the
teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked
for; we have found, we have seen it.
THE
DAY BEFORE MESSIAH CHRIST COMES IN POWER AND GREAT GLORY
Ezekiel
39:8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof
I have spoken.
Pick a day-- The choice is yours.
You are not destined to be kicked or blessed by God according to his whim and fancy, as the murderer John Calvin taught. You are not God's little robot living out the results of a morbid divine mind. God has given you all the choice you can possibly use. How will you use this blessing?
You must choose, this day, how it will be with you. Will you exalt God and be his friend, or will you rebel against God and see what that day is like?
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
LITIGATION
Ezra
4:4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and
troubled them in building,
5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate
their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius
king of Persia.
6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign,
wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
I believe that the day is not far off when churches and preachers will start suing one another. We have seen all manner of violence in churches, from beating Mexican kids to slapping each other in the aisle. A Fundamental Baptist church near us went through a period when a fist fight would break out every Sunday after church service. It got so bad that the Police had to send a car to be on hand to stop fights every Sunday. It is only a matter of time before the courts will be hearing preachers accuse one another of mythical matters.
I also fully expect that church leaders will finger one another to Caesar's goons, such as Homeland Security, the FBI, and the local sheriff. The vicious neo Nazi temperament now rising in pulpits must be fully seen, and Satan will certainly assist the process.
A preacher's wife in Tennessee told a friend of ours, "I hate the Van Nattans." What a blessing. It is not much use serving the Lord if you cannot have the right people for enemies. Jesus was hated, not by Caesar or Pilate or even Herod. He was not hated by actors, gladiators, or the Hellenistic Greeks and the Gnostics of Alexandria. Jesus was hated by the Fundamentalists of his day-- the men who claimed to be the bearers of the truth as delivered in God's Law and Moses. The problem is, it can get deadly, for, as with Jesus, Fundamentalists will attack and do you harm one way or other. They are vicious.
So, it is even more urgent to start House Churches where the saints can quietly sequester themselves in safety. Also, home schoolers need to be less eager to be part of local church associations and umbrella agencies run by jackboot pastors.
1 Thessalonians 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
By the way, here is what we conclude about the preacher and his wife who hate the saints:
1
John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the
brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
15 Whosoever hateth
his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding
in him.
The preacher and his wife are damned to hell. I am not happy about that, in fact, it is frightening, for I had sweet fellowship with the man, at least I thought so. Please pray for this preacher and his family, for they need to repent and be born again and cleanse their souls in the Blood of Jesus Christ.
STANDARDS
Colossians
2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the
tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
9
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
10 And ye are complete
in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11 In whom also ye
are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body
of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 Buried with him
in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation
of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your
sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him,
having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing
it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made
a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Let no man therefore
judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon,
or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body
is of Christ.
18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility
and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen,
vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
19 And not holding the Head, from which
all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together,
increaseth with the increase of God.
20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ
from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject
to ordinances,
21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
22 Which all are
to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
23
Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting
of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
Touch not, taste not, handle not. These are issues that are nobody's business except you and the Holy Ghost. If a pastor, deacon, bishop, college president, or any other alleged "man of God" claims the right to make life rules for you, you will be in bondage to man if you submit. Godly servants of Christ may, indeed, MUST teach the Bible. Your job, not theirs, is to apply the teaching and come up with YOUR OWN standards. Even then, if you get the notion that your personal standards are superior, or if you think they are going to make you holy, you are deceived and wicked. Standards, when they are mine, simply help me keep my eyes on Jesus Christ who is the Savior.
Put is another way, millions of people will go straight to hell who have very high standards of conduct. Only the Blood of Jesus Christ saves us. Keep that fact and your standards completely disassociated with one another. Also, again, you have NO business evangelizing your standards. I don't want them-- keep them to yourself please.
"WE KNOW"
1
John 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward
God.
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments,
and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
23 And this is his commandment,
That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another,
as he gave us commandment.
24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth
in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth
in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
There are only two parts to the commandment Jesus gave us.
Baptist standards be damned. Burn the Bob Jones Rule Book. Beka Horton's campus cops are devils. Your preacher's picky rules are rubbish. Tithing will get you no closer to God. Church membership will only make you proud of your standing outside of Christ. Being able to speak in tongues proves nothing, except maybe that you are a gullible fool to let Satan take over your mind.
And, the works of Moroni, the Kingdom Hall, the Worshipful Master of the Lodge, SDA vegetable weenie, Hebrew Roots, the Whore of Rome, ALL Reformation creeds, and all Reconstructionists be damned to hell also.
If you believe on the name of Jesus Christ, and you love the brethren, that is, those who do not work for their salvation, you may KNOW that you dwell in him, and he dwells in you. Any preacher or Pope or tin horned elder from Salt Lake City, or any other high tooley muck potentate who tries to cast doubt on you standing with Jesus Christ, must be slapped fiercely for his crass temerity.
Let's talk about mystics-- not New Age mystics, TM freaks, and Eastern Buddhists etc. Many Fundamental Baptist preachers are mystics. They do not like to leave the Gospel at simply believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. They want a spooky faith-- altar calls, a spot in a church house to get right with God, wailing, 16 verses of Just As I am, weeping, "no one looking around please", feelings, lists, magic words of approval and invocation. All this blasphemes the simplicity of the Old Testament thought of "know the Lord" and the New Testament simplicity of, "Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief."
Know the Lord, my friend.
GIVING
Deuteronomy 24:20 When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
Some of your gatherings, in pay checks, or in olives, belong to the widow, the fatherless, and the stranger. How are you dealing with this principle of God's provision for the needy? Tithing at the church house is not a biblical imperative in the Church age. We are to give according to our blessings last week.
1
Corinthians 16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given
order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.
2 Upon the first day of the
week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that
there be no gatherings when I come.
There is NO other plan for giving in the Epistles. Tithing is cheap religion, for those who tithe in modern churches have the mongrel notion that all their giving is rolled up in what they dump into the offering plate. The widow in need down the street can go to hell. My preacher demands all my giving come into his control. What blasphemy of the Apostolic instruction. Ain't it a shame the Holy Ghost did not know how important your preacher's wallet is when he inspired the writing of the New Testament.
Luke 18:22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
Luke 3:11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
Matthew 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
2
Corinthians 9:1 For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous
for me to write to you:
Verse 6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall
reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly,
or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
This principle of giving was NOT given by Paul so that your preacher could use it to force you to give to fill his big fat belly or build a new building. Paul encouraged the saints at Corinth to give for poor ordinary believers in another local church who were having serious troubles surviving. When is the last time your preacher took an offering for saints in trouble far away and gave all the offering to those saints? Never maybe?
So, don't allow that four flusher bastard to rob you of the joy of helping saints in need. Stop filling that offering plate, and give directly into the hands of the saints in need. If your preacher has a big belly, he is NOT one of them.
Furthermore; give cash in the offering so the jack boot preacher will not know how much you gave. It is NOT his business. Indeed, if you want any reward from Christ for your giving, You are forbidden by him to let ANYONE know how much you gave.
Matthew
6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself
shall reward thee openly.
Let me be brutally blunt with you vain and arrogant Baptists and Pentecostals-- When you get to heaven, you will get NO reward for anything you gave to the local church which was entered on a list, a record, or for which you got a tax receipt. If you don't give a damn if you ever hear Jesus Christ tell you what HE thought of your giving, then wave your cash in the air and bask in the glory the preacher, church treasurer, and the IRS deduction.
GET
INTO THE BATTLE,
CARRY AMMUNITION,
OR GET OUT OF THE WAY.
(Rough
video clips-- no children please)
I am sick of meeting and hearing about Christians and preachers who don't have a clue what the real battle is. They hide out in their offices and their anteceptic cloisters, while on the street, Satan is taking the high ground. The final outcome is the Lord's, but many of you preachers are losing battles every day of your life.
2
Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to
the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every
high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6 And having in a readiness
to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
The battle Paul us talking about is not fought in the sheep cote, the local church gathered. It is supposed to be the battle in the market place. Because idiot preachers have turned the sheep fold into a war zone, sometimes Satan wins-- Is he winning in your acre? The sheep get shot at by YOU, and the wicked never see you. Do you believe that "revenge" is part of your job? Spiritual warfare is deadly, and I gather some of you cannot take the heat of meeting the adversary in the market place of on Mars hill. Most of you refuse to take the scourge of thongs to cleanse the temple of the wicked-- you whip the sheep instead. Short rounds.
Revelation 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
When you war against the sheep instead of the wicked, you are antichrist in person.
So, the war is in the church house, and you are the worst offender, preacher.
James 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
Get your eyes out of the porn sites, get your nose out of the feed bag, and get out into the market place for Jesus Christ. Get down to the cafe, and meet the publicans and sinners. Jesus is already there waiting for you.
Here is the war on the world's street corner, the Web:
Now, here is your enemy-- What will you do about it?
Watch this-- Who is in charge here?
Trivializing of the truth about Satan from the wrong Bible and fantasy
Here is an urban hick who posted his best effort on Google Video. It is not the deepest thing I have ever seen. So, how is it, preacher, saint, that you stand out-- outside the safe confines of the church house? How about posting something on the Web, the world's street corner? Even "preacher" Skyler from Alabama is on the world's street corner already. Time to catch up, preacher.
Some men train young men to be warriors, to know what they believe, while other men have endless altar calls which tip young men into hell and rebellion. The problem is, preachers do not love sheep, and they do not invest their lives in other men. Here is what happens.
War? Jesus Christ is THE one to blaspheme. Your Savior is under attack every moment of the day around the world. Are you in the battle? HOW are you in the battle?
The last war will be won soon.
Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
In the meantime........? Satan has his loonie army Satan's people
Satan's troops attack Christmas, which is not Christian anyway. This shows that hate for Christians is hate for the culture salt involved.
The Indian Government is doing nothing about attacks on Christians.
And, in Indonesia In the UK AP attacks pastor after he died.
Sweden defines sin, and righteousness, and judgment
At war in the school house in Kentucky We are the new Taliban
Fundamentalists defined. This would be funny if it did not look so much like disinformation from some political force from above.
Jimmy Carter attacks Fundamentalists
Reconstructionists make trouble for us
Like
I said, WE ARE AT WAR.
Get into the battle, carry ammunition, or get out of
the way.
BACK TO FATHER
The prodigal son had done it all. He had partied and been the big man around town. He had been popular and proven that leaving his father and going out to take care of number one was a great plan. Until the cash ran out....
This man ended up slopping hogs, which for a Jew is about the end of the line. And then, this poor fellow realized the hogs were eating better than he was. He came to the conclusion that his father might take him on as a slave. He would work for his father and earn some coins and at least eat and live like a slave. This is the good works, the Mass, the Hail Marys, and the slave labor of the Roman Catholic Church, Mormon mission, Jehovah's Witness, Hebrew Roots, Baptist Standards, and Seventh Days Adventism. Work like a slave, keep the law, and maybe God will toss you a dry morsel and give you a cot in the corner to sleep on.
If you come to our Father in heaven in true repentance, our God has altogether different plans for you my friend. Watch this poor boy crawl up to his Daddy in repentance and brokeness....
Luke
15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's
have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise
and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven,
and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as
one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when
he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and
fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I
have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called
thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe,
and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And
bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24
For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they
began to be merry.
It is not enough to jabber a little prayer some fast talking church worker helps you say. Receiving eternal life, or being restored to fellowship with Christ, is the result of YOU coming to the end of yourself-- hopeless-- nowhere to turn to for help. Then you go broken hearted to God and repent of your sins. God wants you to bring NOTHING to him. His Son, Jesus Christ, has paid the price for all your sins.
God is not only willing to save you, he is EAGER to have you for his child and friend for all eternity. But, you have to have used up all your options. You must be convinced that Jesus Christ's death for your sins, and his resurrection so you can live, is the ONLY hope you have.
Do you believe that? Yes? Then, go talk to Father about it right now.
Pass me not.... Chinese
LET YOUR LIIGHT SO SHINE....
Matthew
5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;
and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is
in heaven.
When the first missionaries of the Sudan Interior Mission entered Ethiopia, they went to Emperor Heile Salassie and asked his permission to go down country, into the Sidamo and Walamu area, and preach the Gospel. Heile Salassie professed to believe that Christ was the only way to have peach with God. He also understood the Gospel rather well. He knew also that the missionaries might not be welcome in the south of Ethiopia due to the paganism and animism dominating the tribes there.
Heile Salassie came up with a device that he felt would work. He told the missionaries to greet leaders in the south and tell them they were "light bearers." The Emperor also told the missionaries to always carry a lamp on their saddle as they rode about on mule back. This was to be their identity mark with the animists.
It worked, and the SIM was able to open the whole south of Ethiopia for Christ as the Holy Spirit lead them.
How do you let your light shine? What is there about you that openly identifies you with Jesus Christ, the Light of the world? We are to find ways to distinguish ourselves as believers in Jesus Christ, and we are to be light bearers. Let's get on with it.
