Discernment: NOT optional by Marietjie Chase

There was a time in the mid eighties in South Africa when thousands of people lost millions of rands in a scheme that involved rotting milk. The basic concept was that people bought a culture and recipe from a company, which then bought back the envelopes of dried product. (in essence just dried rotten milk) The story was that they were using the product in the manufacture of cosmetics. When it turned out that it was only an elaborate scam and the so-called product were stinking up warehouses some laughed and some wept.

We are warned by Jesus and almost every book in the New Testament that false teachers, lying spirits and false Jesus's exist. We all think we cannot be deceived and perhaps that is at the root of deception. Our pride and arrogance leads us into deception. "Be careful you that think that you stand..." Humble yourself. God won't do this for you.

Another root issue is ignorance. Immaturity is only cute in babies because of their innocence. Immature adults are disgusting. Ignorance is also not a mark of some super spirituality. Desire the unpolluted word of God like newborns desire milk, so that you can grow by it.

What is this thing that the study of the Bible is no longer being esteemed as necessary? Do we really think that all our subjective experiences can replace scripture? This smells like rotten milk to me.

Understanding or hearing something does not equal obedience. Just because we understand that we are to obey the speed limit does not mean that we are doing it. We can only mature spiritually by obedience. You will stay an eternal infant in the Body and Kingdom of Jesus Christ unless you study the Bible and obey it.

There are no shortcuts. There are no quick fixes. You cannot escape the disciplines of Christianity. If you do, you will end up with something other than the real thing.

The mature are those who have their spiritual senses exercised, trial and error, to discern both good and evil. Let's not make the mistake to embrace every soft woolly thing we encounter. We may be hugging a wolf.

Focus on the pursuit of God. Read and study the Bible. Pray. Listen to more mature believers and go and assemble with the church - not to 'set them straight' but to learn.

Don't be foolish beloved. We have a real enemy that really, truly hates us. We cannot afford to be undiscerning.

Another Gospel??  by Marietjie Chase

In Africa the Zionist has mixed ancester worship with christianity and came up with a growing religion paletable by many. In the West the church took the humanistic phylosophies of "man-at-the-center" and created dozens of doctrines with it. Slippery stuff with half truths that does not take the whole counsel of the Bible in consideration. Some ignore the spirit of the Word, some ignore the letter of the word and some ignore the person of the Word(Jesus).

The Bible is to be understood literally unless it says not to. It cannot be any simpler than that. When people re-write scripture to suit their doctrine, we hover at the precipice of herecy. When we use greek and Hebrew vocabulary to brow beat people into agreement, we leave little difference between ourselves and cult leaders who make themselves authority over simple, broken people. We cannot bend, butcher and twist scripture and overemphasise some to the neglect of others to make our point. This is wrong.

Man is NOT at the center of the gospel message, God is. It is not how wonderful and great you and I are, but how great and awesome He is. God did not, does not and will not change. He still loves the world, the people, but hate, yes absolutely hate, sin. He still allow us, each individual, to choose the path and purpose for us. Does He have a plan and purpose for us? Most assuredly, but He NEVER forces Himself on anybody. HE is GOD.

To preach a gospel where man has to work his own salvation out by works and self abasement apart from God, where we have some pecking order of holiness and judging people according to our understanding, where one has to join an anxiety club of fear, misery and poverty to prove your piety, is off the deep end.

But on the other hand to preach a gospel where all is well and man has no responsibility, we just float through life like debris in a flood, where everyone is saved but just don't know it yet and man is at the center of all that is happening, where you're ok and I'm ok and sin has no more relevance since it is all already covered and we can just live however we want to...., well, this is as much of the wall and crazy as the other stuff.

All of this is humanism mixed wth christianity. man either become his own way of salvation or the second teaching make God Himself bow down to His creation.

Salvation, being Born Again, is not the end, but the beginning of our best life. We are not saved to float around aimlessly but to grow into the purpose and calling of God for our lives. We are created, designed for good works. Our focus therefore becomes what God is doing and being a co-laborer with HIm. Our focus is not our own self, sin or satan. Our focus is God and what His will is. Here comes the rub though. Most people do not want to spend the time and energy, the effort to pursue an intimate relationship with God, though Jesus C hrist in the power, ability of the Holy Spirit, so that they can hear Him in order to understand what the will of God for them is.

Having the image of Jesus Christ formed, duplicated an and through us is process that takes time. Living by the promises of God requires faith. It is easier for the 'self' to live by rules, principles or totally without restrained, following every whim, lust and passion. To live in relationship with aHoly God and for His plan, cost something.God's promises are inherited by faith, and faith is energized by love. Without faith no-one will see God and without love no-one can have faith. In the last days; says the Bible, the love of many will grow cold.



The gospel of Jesus Christ will pro-create after its own kind ( the life is in the seed) and something that is not the Truth will also pr-create after its own kind but it will mutate with every 'generation' and in the end it will be a monster.