Ambassadors for Christ Intl. a.k.a. AFCI

2011-11-10T05:45:00.002-05:00

Addiction.

Any addiction originates from a spirit of manipulation and control or Biblically speaking from a spirit of witchcraft. It manipulates and controls the victim and anyone around them.

Witchcraft murders its victims. It uses the victim and abuses the victim. Witchcraft is an insidious monst

er. It comes with lies, deceit and steals the potential, the God-given, God-designed purpose. Witchcraft destroys the victim, the family, nation, generation and culture.

The Bible says: Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. In the 60’s there was a huge spirit of rebellion released. It resulted in, amongst other things, a spirit of witchcraft being released upon an entire generation. This manifested in addiction of all shapes and sizes. It brought an evil anointing with it that easily moved by using the medium of the music.

The manipulation and control seeped into every area of society. Witchcraft manifested in business (advertising using sex etc.), in family relations (free sex, abortions etc), in politics (legislation for selfish reasons, abortion, ungodly laws), education ( no God and prayer in schools etc), the arts ( perversion as art etc), science (twisting facts to prove evil ex: abortion) and religion. From the 60’s we got the very popular and famous musicians, artist possessed by a spirit that used them and the lives around them. We also have from the 60’s great business people who seemed to have a supernatural ability to make people buy their products. We have movie masters, writers who have a cult-following. From the 60’s came an educational philosophy that is breaking down character, values and anything that is remotely righteous and Godly. From the 60’s we also got the great charlatans of religion. New Age was not even an idea before the 60’s and until Yoko Ono most people never even heard of a “guru”. This did not spare the church. Even in Christianity we have a “New Gospel”. The true Gospel was manipulated and twisted until “getting-rich-and-famous” was heaven and “self” was the idol to whom we bow. More deception and false doctrine flooded the earth than ever before.

God did NOT give us a spirit of fear, witchcraft manipulates through fear. God gave us the Holy Spirit to comfort, teach, lead and guide. Witchcraft offers a false comfort, lies as wisdom, drives instead of leading and deception as guidance. God calls us to a life of self-sacrifice and giving-love, Agape. Witchcraft uses the self as idol, as god to whom all and for whom all are sacrificed. Witchcraft fashions a self-pity that often culminates in suicide since the victim looses touch with humanity. It cuts the victim of from normal, Godly relationships and isolates the victim in order to destroy. Witchcraft is always abusive. Our language agrees. We say: “He abuses alcohol or he abuses drugs” etc.

The only remedy for addiction/witchcraft is deliverance. Give this spirit sympathy or pity and it will rob you. It will take and take and take until it takes your last breath and then it will continue to steal your legacy.

Deliverance begins when the deception is broken, when the victim sees, realizes that they are trapped. This is the first step in AA and NA: to admit that you have a problem. There cannot be a lasting, permanent solution until the victim also sees, realizes that they are trapped in the net of witchcraft. Addicts are some of the most devious, manipulating people; the character and manifestation of the spirit of witchcraft. The more attention, sympathy, anything is given, the more this evil spirit will demand.

Second, the victim has to see, realize this addiction, witchcraft as his or her enemy. Addiction comes like a voluptuous, comforting, ego-boosting whore, leading men astray with promises of pleasure, comfort, and power. But like the Bible says in the book of Proverbs, they are soon cast into Sheol, hell. Until the victim hates this ugly, mean, vicious spirit there can be no deliverance.

Because of the deceptive nature of this spirit of witchcraft, it will often pretend to be gone. An addict will have to try again and again and again and again to be free from it. All the self-help, therapy, and AA/NA is just a band-aid; a remedy to stop the bleeding long enough to deal with underlying issues but it is not a lasting solution. The only lasting solution is deliverance.

The spirit of witchcraft has to be expelled from the victim. A divorce has to be issued and the contracts, covenants destroyed. This cannot happen without the victims consent and agreement.

Aside from the blood of Jesus, aside from the power of His Name, aside from the victory in Jesus, there is no overcoming this spirit.

2Peter2:19

Hosea 4:11

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

"Harlotry, wine, and new wine (or any substance)enslave the heart.

2Chronicles 33:6

And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

Galatians 5:20

1Samuel 15:23

Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, ... they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry.

2011-10-09T22:06:00.001-04:00

Judge Not by Marietjie Chase

Yesterday I witnessed something in a bussiness setting that seemed to be a spiritual lesson. An employee did something that was obviously not standard operating presedure. When the manager instructed the employee in the correct procedure, the response was: "Don't judge me!"

I found it a very odd response and could not help meditating on it for the rest of the day. Has that became the matra of the nation, the world, the church? Wrong and right has gone to the grave alongside logic and common sense. If there is no winners and losers, would we watch football? If all are winners and all are wonderful, what is the sense in a Nobel Prize or an Oscar or a Gold Olympic Medal? If there is no wrong or right, no judgement, then why have traffic rules or laws, for that matter?

There is judgement when you do wrong. There is praise when you do right. God wrote it in the Book, Nature bears it out and our own sense of justice inside of our being cries out for it. Our perception will change rather quickly when we are personally touched by injustice.

"Judge not, lest you be judged" the Bible says, but read the rest "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." Our discernment on a matter ought to be Godly, Biblical and objective. It may be that a religious, condemning, judgemental spirit gave birth to a lawless, faithless, foolish generation.

When our judgement is based on assumption, personal taste and preferences, we have fleshly and even evil judgement. This could cause us to side with the accuser against a brother, a sister or a stranger. Since God is the only one who knows the heart, His judgement is the only true judgement. That is the reason the Bible calls us to judge actions, or fruit. Try the spirits by it's word's, it's fruit. Discern people's motives, hearts, spirits by their actions and words but then line it up with the Bible.

There are two great extremes in this matter.

One side are the "No Judgement" camp where all discernment is taboe and even the demons may be embraced. There is no negative, no dark shadows, only light, positives, a supposed blank page.

The other extreme are those who judges everything without fear that they may ascribe the deeds of God to the enemy. The harsh, negative, condescending, condemning attitude sucks the life out of everything.

Where is the balance? Where is God's true judgement in this? Can we bring back the fear of God, please! Could we all come to a fresh appreciation that we serve God and that He does not serve us or our agendas. Then we can begin to agree with God on matters. When God clearly calls something evil in the Bible: Agree with God! Example: murder, gluttony, slander, gossip - all evil, wrong, sin. And when God does not call something evil, let us be careful to pass our own ideas of as God's.
Even the Apostle Paul stumbled over this one.

2011-09-09T13:00:00.001-04:00

Purpose

by Marietjie Chase

A good friend of ours once said: When purpose is misunderstood, abuse is inevitable. This statement have endured because it is true. Let's take a simple butter knife for an example. It is made for the purpose of spreading butter or aiding the fork in getting food in our mouths. It was not intended to double as a screwdriver, wedge, putty-knife or welding tool. It can be used for these jobs, but it will damage, break or destroy(kill) the butter knife. We need to find the original intent of it's creator to discern the purpose.

What is the original intent for creating human beings? Was man really made so that God could have something to take care of? Wouldn't that make God man's servant? Was man created so that God can have someone to be in relationship, fellowship with? That would imply that God is somehow imperfect, not sovereign and not self-sustaining. So, why did God made man, humans?

God made man to show forth His glory. Man's purpose for being is to be to the praise of the Glory of God. In the New Testament the Bible says that the church, the Bride of Christ, the redeemed show forth the manifold wisdom of God to principalities and powers in accordance with the eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus. God has a purpose, a design for making us. Eph 3:10-11

Rom 9:23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,

Eph 1:5-6 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Eph 1:11- 12 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

Hbr 13:20- 21 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Rom 12:1-2, Col 3:20)

Psa 79:9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; And deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name's sake.

Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Also see: 2 Cor 4:15-17, Phil 1:11 and 2:11, Phil 1:20.

If my purpose and your purpose is to display the glory of God, if we are to do all and be all to the glory of God, what implication does that have on our daily, practical life? What manner of people ought we to be so that God will get all the glory?

Paul writes to the Philippians and after his statement; that he does not care whether he lives or dies as long as Jesus Christ gets the glory; he continues to explain what such a life entails. In the second chapter he says: "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each regard one another..." Paul then brings Jesus Christ in as the ultimate example of self-sacrifice to the glory, honor and praise of God the Father.

How should we live then? Actions starts in attitudes, and attitudes starts in the mind. Our thinking has one of two sources: God or the evil one. It is our decision which thought and idea we will entertain, pay attention to and nurture into an attitude. "Let this attitude be in you, that was also in Christ Jesus..." When we are ignorant of the written word of God, we make it difficult for ourselves to sift through all the things that come knocking at our mind's door. We often only realize that we are of on the wrong track when the attitude gives birth to actions. An ounce of prevention is far better than a ton of regret

We have to make quality choices on a daily basis. It may involve deciding how you spend your time. Do you have snippets of time while waiting in the doctor's office, at school for the kids or on the bus? How do you occupy yourself? You could use these moments to quietly pray, read a pocket New Testament or meditate on a portion of scripture. Some other decisions may involve more difficult choices. You may have to refuse to get offended. Yes, taking offense is a choice. You may have to make a choice about the information you have about someone or some situation. Do you keep it to yourself and pray about it or do you feed the rumor mill. In all these things and many more, we can choose to fulfill our purpose by living in such a way that our lives bring glory and honor to the God we claim to serve.

Phil 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely (gracious), whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell (ponder)on these things.

Col 3:1-2 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Eph 2:7-10 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

If we desire to fulfill our purpose for existence, which is to bring glory and honor to God, we have one thing we cannot neglect to do. That is to cultivate, to protect and pursue a vibrant, growing relationship with God the Father, through Jesus Christ by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

2011-05-25T22:32:00.001-04:00

What Season Are You In??? (part 1) by Marietjie

This is for the purpose of recognising what spiritual discipline is lacking in your OWN life. No one knows the heart of another, except God. That said, many of us have a call, a vision, a destiny burning inside of our heart and neglect to realise that there is a road, a path, a process to it. Like a young person in college, we have to prepare ourselves for our destiny. In spiritual matters the chronology, the elapse of time, time spend, matters little. The passing from one season to the next also has nothing to do with the passing of a specific test, or exam. We in our inner being, with outward manifestations, are changed from one degree of glory to another. Sad to say the price required is often "too high" and people get stuck in one season. Salvation, the born again reality that awakes our human spirit to God, is free. We are born again through faith by grace and we cannot work for it. It is a gift. The growing up, the process of sanctification, require some effort on our part. The New testament is loaded with action-commands: ... pursue love... lay aside... forgive... walk in the light... do not let... The core of all these are simply this: Love God with all your being - live to honor and please Him - and love every other person as you love yourself - in other words treat people as you would treat yourself.

If you have just recently been born again, or have been born again for a while but have no other history or experience with God or other Christians, you are a newborn. You will die if left to yourself. Christianity will not "work" for you, unless you find at least two other born again believers to meet with on a regular basis.. The purpose of these meets are to praise God ( with or without music) and reading the Bible together. Focus on how much God loves you. Enjoy His presence and one another's presence. This is the only things a newborn can and should do.

Ask yourself these questions: Am I absolutely convinced that God loves me? Am I secure in His love? Do I know, that I know that I know that He loves me? If your answer is "yes" then you are no longer a newborn.

If the answer is "no" then you are a newborn. (and it really does not matter if you have been saved for many years) Just keep doing what newborns do. Stay close to at least two other, preferably more mature, Christians. Gather often and regularly to praise God and read the Bible. Read the Bible and read the Bible and read the Bible and read the Bible. Infants that does not have a hunger, desire for milk have problems and may soon die. If you have NO desire for the Bible, you may not be born again at all.

To the "parents", ministers, leaders who assist these people in their born again experience:
Now that they are born again there is some responsibility on your side. You cannot leave them alone. If you are unable to spend time with them on a regular basis, get someone else to do it. Newborns are NEVER to be left alone. Praise God with them. Love on them. Read the Bible with them. ( do not bog them down with doctrine and teachings) Let them enjoy the Bible and God's love. Let them tag along and observe your walk with God.

Too many newborns are tossed aside like some "goal accomplished" and never thrive. They actually "die" and are spoiled from ever really entering into the things of God.

The Greek word is thelazo meaning a suckling infant or baby
Scripture references: Psalms 8:2, Matthew 21:16, Ephesians 3:17, 1 Peter 2:2

If you are convinced of God's love for you and if you regularly, habitually gather with other believers to praise God, and if you read the Bible daily, maybe even have read it from cover to cover - something most people can do in about six months by reading 6 to 10 chapters a day-, if all this is part of your life and incorporated into you, then you are no longer a newborn. You are in the season of a baby/toddler Christan.

As a baby Christian, you do not speak yet. You had only the responsibility of reading the Bible and praising God so far. As a baby you will begin to love the word, the Bible. You will start to recognise some themes and patterns and as you keep reading it, it will begin to explain itself. Some understanding will come.

As the words of the Bible becomes your words and as your thinking changes to agree with the Bible you will learn the difference between good and evil. There will be an agreement from the inside of you or a disagreement that will make you very uncomfortable.

It is time for you to learn the simple lesson of obedience. There is a difference between hearing or listening and hearing and obeying. As you read the Bible and see something where your life does not agree with the Bible; change. This is a time to recognise those things in our thinking and actions that originates from the flesh, from our ungodly passions and desires.

During this season a baby Christian must begin to learn the awesome magnitude of the wonderful God that we serve. It is a time to begin to understand what it means to be born again and what the "family relationships are.

So, are you a baby-Christian? You may have been a Christian for many, many years but if you are still mostly preferring to walk and act after the dictates of you flesh and impulses from unregenerate self, you are still a baby Christian. If you have NOT learn to obey the Bible at least most of the time and have an attitude of obedience, you are still a baby. How often do you read the Bible? Have you read all of it yet? If not, you are still a baby Christian.

To the ministers/leaders of baby Christians:

They still need to be supervised all the time. Teach them to pray by praying with them. Teach them to serve by serving with them. Have patience with their struggles with the flesh but help them to obey the Bible. Help them and teach them to start to discern good from evil. Encourage a love for the Word of God. Remember you would like this to be a lifelong love in their hearts. It is paramount to focus on hearing and obeying God during this season.

The Greek word is nepios from ne = not and epos = to speak.

Scripture references: Hebrews 5:13-14, Psalms 8;2, 1Corinthians 3:1 and 13:11, Galatians 4:1&3

2011-05-25T21:26:00.003-04:00

What Season Are You in??? (part 2) by Marietjie

When a person, a christian, starts to see a pattern of being able to obey God in His Word, the Bible, in their daily life; when you read and can honestly say: I used to do that, but not anymore; you are no longer a baby-Christian.When you have learned to walk in obedience, most of the time, - yes, you still make mistakes and disobey, but this is not habitual anymore-, you are no longer a baby.

As a child you will begin to speak and tell people about your faith in God. You will begin to find some place of service, of contributing to the body/family of Jesus Christ. You are NOT ready for leadership yet. You are NOT in charge yet. But you are bringing your side, contributing, and adding strength to strength and faith to faith. You will increase in your understanding of the Bible. You will start to do things and learn by trial and error. You will learn how to discern, to tell good from evil, by making mistakes and embracing the discipline from God.

You will learn to relate to God as your Father. You will learn to go to Him in times of need and times of failure. You will learn to humble yourself before God and your fellow Christians. Pride, arrogance and self-will(rebellion) will be worked out of your character by many mistakes, fowl-ups and failures. You will need to learn from all of this or you will have to repeat the lesson over and over again. There is no"almost got it". If you miss it, you will have to do it again. It is a good idea to forgive yourself and others quickly and easily during this time. Failure to do so will hamper your spiritual growth and injure yourself.

Now is the season to be baptized and to learn about and experience the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is time to learn about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. You will have to get very well acquainted with repentance from dead works. Sin should become less and less of an issue. The concern will become: how can I please God and do His will? Your faith towards God and your walk of faith will become stronger and solidify. You will learn the basic doctrines and begin to understand your inheritance as a child of God.

The inner reality of a changed life will begin to manifest outwardly and your actions and deeds will change. You will become concerned with what your place in God's Kingdom is and what His will for your life is. You will keep studying the Bible, gather with other believers to worship God and to do the good works of the Kingdom of God. The childish, selfish behaviors of the flesh will fade as you set your goal and purpose to obey God in humility.

Most of us stay in the Child-season for a very, very long time.. We may get so used to it that we refuse to grow up. As a matter of fact very few Christians ever grow more than this because it requires that we love the opinion of God more than the accolades of men. This is the price-tag to growing from a child to a mature son of God. Has the humility of Jesus (phil2) grabbed your heart yet? Have you become so sold out to the will of God in your life that you really don't care what He does with you, or what people may think or say about it? This will tell if you are still a child or not.

To the Leader: To many children are handed the keys to the car, so to speak, and then we are full of criticism when they wreck it. Do NOT put people in leadership too soon. A willingness to serve does NOT automatically qualify one to be in charge. Children, still dealing with issues of the flesh and pride do NOT belong in a place of leadership. This creates a problem of a lack of viable candidates for leadership. Maybe God will give us a creative solution for this. We are making a mess of God's church by letting children take the place of mature sons.

Secondly, leaders, please do not circumvent the discipline of God in people's lives. There is a ton of flesh-problems to deal with. Let God's discipline have it's full course, so that people can grow up and become sons, mature sons of God as they were meant to be. Anyone who have raised children in the natural, can relate to the struggles of teenagers. They are in many ways quite capable of doing whatever it is they want to do, but lack the wisdom or experience and humility to come out of it un-injured and without doing harm to others. This is why leaders need to train them by letting them come alongside you in a mentor/intern/apprentice relationship.

The Greek word for child is "tekna or teknon and it means, child or offspring. Scripture references: Hebrews 6:1-2, John 8:39, Matt 9:2, Ephesians 5:1-2 &8, 3John1:4, Romans 8:17, Matthew 18:3-4 Romans 9:8, John 1:12, Col 3:20-21, I Thess 2:7 & 11 etc.

The mature sons (both male and female) of God have learned to embrace the discipline of the Father. They are no longer being tossed to and throw by every wind of doctrine. They sometimes seem old and stiff because of this. The sons of God, the mature sons, have learned to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit and they do as He says. Obedience is their lifestyle. They have put away childish, fleshly pursuits and are contending for the faith on a different level. These are the ones that are about the Father's business as co-heirs of an eternal Kingdom. These are the ones who do not long for popularity but have separated themselves unto God and are vessels fit for the Master's use. They know God and are known by Him.

There is a mystery in the revelation of the mature sons of God. We are all growing into maturity because in the maturity of our sonship we are the temple of God, perfectly fitted together and each doing his part.

So few actually becomes mature sons of God because the price is the same price that Jesus paid in Gethsemane.

What would it look like on earth, to have mature sons of God, ruling and reigning as kings and priests?

The Greek word for a mature son is: hious. This is the word mostly used of Jesus. Matt 3:17

Scripture references: Romans 8:13 -15, Romans 9:7-8, I Cor 6:6-18, Gal 3:24-27, Gal 4:6-7, Hebrews 5:14 Hebrews 12:5-11 etc.

2011-05-10T06:35:00.000-04:00

Absalom and David by Marietjie Chase
( 2 Samuel 13, 14:21-15:37 and 2 Samuel 16:15 - 18:18)

There is something about the spirit and attitude of Absalom that resides in us all. We get incensed, offended at injustice. We want to punish the guilty and comfort the victim. Yet, in this very appropriate sense of justice, we need to remember that we cannot judge 100% rightly. God is the only one who knows the heart.

Absalom waited for David to punish Amnon for the rape of his sister, Tamar, but David did nothing. He did not even as much as comforted the victim. He just continued with business as usual. Absalom's furry at this compilation of injustice burned, seethed inside of him until, he exacted the punishment he deemed appropriate.

It could be that this incident and the resulting punishment that David heaped upon Absalom, for the murder of his brother, caused the son to rebel against his father. ( 2Samuel15) This could have been the grounds for Absalom's judgement of David. A judgement that resulted in the conclusion that he, himself, will make a better, more righteous and fair king than David.

We all can bring to mind times and cases when we did not feel like justice were served. There was no punishment to fit the crime. We spoke against the judges, the criminal justice system and even at times against God.

What does the Bible say that we need to do? When you see your brother sin , pray for him. 1 John 5:16 Do not judge, for with the same measure you judge, you will be judged also. Matthew7:1-6. Every one fall or stand to his own master, and in many instances this is God. Romans 14:4-12. When a brother sin against you, go and talk to him. Matthew 18:15-20. ( Also see: Galatians 6:1-5 and 1 Corinthians 5:9-6:11)

God, sometimes, seem to take too long to punish the wicked. (2Peter 3:9) We want the wrong righted now and NOT in His time. Do we forget the mercy and grace of God? Do we forget that He desires all to come to repentance and in true relationship with Him? 2Peter 2:9, 1Cor 6:11

King David, a man after God's own heart, said of Absalom; even after the son's rebellion: " Be gentle with the boy". (2Samuel18:5) Could it be that the same God who loved us while we were still sinners and enemies of God, that same God loves these wicked sinners the same? (Ephesians 2:4-7) Could it be that His mercy and grace, His loving kindness is leading them to repentance as well? Romans 2:4

When we take offense at God's seeming inaction, we set ourselves up as judge even over God. ( 2 Peter 3:14-15. We step out of order, alignment and open ourselves up for the spirit of rebellion. This, the Bible calls witchcraft. 1 Samuel 15:23

Let us rather err on the side of mercy. Let us not become angry, hard hearted, crying out for vengeance, Rather, let us side with those who cry out for mercy. As Abraham, Genesis 18:17-33, and Moses, Exodus 33, also interceded before God, for a city and a nation full of rebellion and evil. Romans 12:21

In the words of Jesus:" Love your enemies. Pray for those who dispitefully use you, mistreat you. Bless those who curse you and say evil things about you. Do good to those who hate you." Luke 6:27-28

(PS. This is another chapter in the " Inside Out, Upside Down Kingdom")

2011-04-20T21:03:00.001-04:00

Not "Born Again" by Mike Petzer.

“Jesus or Paul never told people to "get born again"! You couldn't even get yourself born the first time, how you gonna get it right a second time? Jesus said to Nicodemus unless you’re born from above (meaning unless you originate from above) you would have no appetite for heavenly things! John 3:3”
Francois Du Toit, Facebook, March 7, 2011

Not “born again.”
( This is the best answer to the new herecy " all are already saved" I have seen. )

Does this make man ingenerate, eternally proceeding from God like God the Son? Or are we children of God through our natural birth only?

John 1:12-13

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

The word “become” in verse 12 means “to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being”—Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon. Can we trust John’s theology here? Surely he knew what he was writing? He tells us such a birth is not connected to the natural event of physical, human birth. F plays down the use of the word “birth” or “born” by emphasizing only the use of the word “again.” The point is that whether from “above” or “again” it is imperative that they be “born!” Clearly from the above two verses, that is not a natural birth which is being required.

To read John 3:3 as a compliment to Nicodemus, as F suggests, is to miss the obvious emphasis on the birth requirement in verses 5 and 7. Verse 5 says “he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” F would like us to see in verse 3 that Jesus is complimenting Nicodemus spiritual appetite and that this appetite is proof of a heavenly origin, but Jesus was rebuking Nicodemus and warning him that without a fundamental change to his person, a spiritual birth, he would be excluded from the kingdom of God despite his national origin and despite his obvious religious zeal and appetite for God. However ambiguous F would like to suggest that John 3:3 is, and it absolutely is not, verses 5 and 7 make the meaning abundantly clear, and it is not the one being suggested by F – Nicodemus is ignorant of the new birth and excluded from the Kingdom of God because he has not experienced it. That such a new birth requires the action of the Spirit. Since F believes in no fundamental change in man, merely a psychological enlightenment of qualities already possessed, he denies the new birth and any need for the Holy Spirit who performs it in the believer.

This begs the question, if all are possessors of the divine nature already, why preach the Gospel. I am reminded of the line from the Keith Green Song from 1979 called “The Devils Boast” – “Hey man you ain’t no sinner, you’ve got the truth within.” This is no “new” philosophy F is propagating. It claims only to “enlighten” and not to save, simply because according to F, man is already saved, no response form man is required. One wonders why this does not silence him once and for all in his, by his own reckoning, futile task of preaching.

Again, the fantastic assertion that Paul taught no new birth is thrown in for us to merely swallow, who are presumably bible illiterates or so enamored with F’s word usage that we do not question anything he says.

Titus 3:5

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

The word “regeneration” is the word “palingenesia” “palin” meaning “again,” and “genesia” meaning “birth,” thus “born again.” We are saved by the new birth here according to Paul. Salvation thus requires a new birth enacted by the Holy Spirit in order to be saved as this scripture clearly teaches.

Romans 2:28-29

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

Here Paul makes it clear that the covenant people have undergone a heart change effected by the Holy Spirit. Something natural birth into the nation of Israel, or any nation, could not accomplish. The new birth has two causing powers, namely, the word of truth and the Spirit.

James 1:18

In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures.

Here James clearly says God “brought us forth” gave us birth, not through our mother’s womb or merely by the judicial act of Jesus death, burial and resurrection, but by the “word of truth.” This is not a word that reveals that we are in fact “born again” but a word by which we are born again.

1 Peter 1:23

for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.

Again the source of our new life is the imperishable seed, sown through the preaching of the truth of the word of God.

Jesus said we are to be “born of water and the Spirit. The Holy Spirit causes the spiritual transformation within the heart of a man when he hears the word of truth and believes it.

2 Corinthians 3:6

who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

According to F’s philosophy, the Spirit is unnecessary in imparting life, because the unsaved individual, Nicodemus, is already in possession of it. He just needs a spiritual education and not a spiritual transformation.

This is a reduction of Christianity from a life changing miracle to a philosophy which isn’t needed for salvation since all already have their origin from above by natural birth alone. This is a reduction of the faith once and for all delivered to us of tragic proportions and eternal consequences!

2011-03-28T13:08:00.002-04:00

The Spirit Of Divorce.

Marriage was and is God's idea. He created it in Eden when He made them male and female in His image and commanded them to multiply and fill the earth. Marriage is an allegory, a picture, of Jesus Christ's relationship with the church, His bride and body. Ephesians 5. Marriage is a covenant and is often used in the Old Testament to explain God's relationship with Israel. Hosea, Jeremiah 3:8

The Bible says that whoever finds a wife finds a good thing and favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22
The New Testament says in Hebrews that marriage should be held in honor. We also read that Jesus will be married to the Church in the end. Committing adultery is breaking the covenant of marriage and in the law of Moses punishable by stoning. Adultery is then also the only reason Jesus gave for divorce.

Divorce was not God's idea. It was His plan that marriage lasts until death. The Bible says in Malachai 2:16 that God hates divorce. Unfaithfulness and covenant breaking is an abomination to God. Exodus 20:27,Ezekiel 17: 15

Why would our enemy NOT bring divorce as an option, temptation, as a spirit to us? Divorce destroys many. It breaks what God has put together as one. The spirit of divorce comes as a demonic oppression. This is why some folks just "wake" up one day and are almost surprised that they are divorced.

Fight this oppression like any other attack. (not to think it is as any other temptation). We have to make a choice whether we will please God and agree with Him or whether we will seek our own interests and seek our own way. (This excludes actual abuse) Often the spirit that causes divorce will lie, deceive and manipulate us to see things that is not there at all. When we come to resisting the spirit of divorce it is usually at the end of a long line of temptations and lies that we should have resisted and did not.

Looking at divorce in hindsight; It started on the first time selfish, self-centered choices were made. The Bible says that the married couple is no longer two but one. Failing to incorporate this reality in your day-to-day reality gives the spirit that causes divorce a foothold, a landing place from where to work its wicked magic. Failing to incorporate both spouses in all of their talents, personalities, gifts and strengths into the marriage unity breaks the covenant. Ruth Graham used to say if both are exactly alike, one is unnecessary. Thus opposites are often married so that we can fulfill and augment one another. This failure causes the first hairline fractures where the seeds of separation could lodge in to rupture the unity. I Peter 4:10,

A continues struggle to keep the marriage solid and fill all the cracks starts on the day of the wedding. This is what Paul spoke about when he said that those who get married will have trouble in the flesh (I Cor 7:28). This is the fight. The fight is not whether he will remake her into his idea of what a wife should be or if she does it to him. The fight is to keep from giving the enemy of God and us and marriage an opening to sow his evil seeds into our relationships. Ephesians 4:26

How does this look practically? It takes a lot of communication, patience, humility and love. Listen to your spouse. Listen to their heart and make sure you really understand. Get to know one another really well. Ephesians 4:2 Colosians 3:13 It is so sad to see people who have been married for decades and all they do is to be co-dependent. A real relationship is costly. It will cost vulnerability, time, energy and resources. There is no longer "I", "Me" and "myself" but rather"us" and "we". I Peter 5:5

Divorce is never inevitable. It is not an option for anyone who wants to please God. Resist the temptation to even entertain the thought and keep working at keeping the marriage solid. It is as important as any other daily devotional and spiritual discipline. Our marriage represents God.

Many are faced with lopsided marriages. Some caused by fear and laziness. It is easier to fight about who will do the dishes than how to split the kids and belongings after 20 years. Many of us shy away from the fights about the dishes just to have the resentment pile up on the inside for decades and then it results in a war. Peace at any cost makes a terrible marriage. God has a purpose why He put the two specific personalities, talents and gifts together. He has a work He will do through us in one another lives if we do not shrink back. Proverbs 27:17,

Getting to know one another may come through disagreements and arguments. We do not marry for peace. Tranquility and peace belong to the hermit in the cave, monasteries and convents.

2011-02-02T11:28:00.001-05:00

The Knowing of God. Marietjie Chase

My people perish. go astray, are being taken captive and led into bondage because of a lack of knowledge. This knowledge is not the learning from schooling, for then we will mostly be free and prospering. Neither is this knowledge the knowledge of the demonic or specific doctrines of the church or the Bible, for then we would have already infected the entire globe with freedom. No, this knowledge is the knowledge, the knowing of God. We, as the church, the bride and Body of Jesus Christ, do not know Him.

There is no understanding of His ways. Few know His character enough to refuse the lie when it is whispered in their ear. And even fewer knows His voice.

The knowledge, the relationship, the seeking after God; has taken second place to our inner fightings about words, doctrine, methods and interpretations. We have become so concerned with the provision for the bride that we have left her standing outside in the rain.

God reveals Himself to those who diligently seek Him... Not seeking His gifts, His justifying your point of view or behavior. He reveals Himself to those who come to Him for Himself.

Where have all the God seekers gone? The master of the wedding feast said to those who have done the signs and miracles and wonders, go away for I know you not. Do we even have an idea of where the map is that leads us to the treasure of an intimate, personal relationship with God? Have we walked with Him in the cool of the evening? Have we heeded His call into seasons of separations, prayer and fasting? Have we neglected His written word or twisted it to fit our pet-doctrine and pyramid scheme?

Where does God fit into our lives? Is He the beginning and the end? Or maybe He is just the first 10 minutes and last 2 minutes of our day. Maybe we only call on Him when the buildings starts to colapse and grey smoke and ash billows in the streets, like the monsters in a sci-fi movie, toward us. And even further away, have we reduced Him to a word of cursing that we use when we are outraged or stub our toe? Where does He fit into our lives?

Are you one of the few, the very few, who have found the treasure of being truely in Him? Have you found the sweet aroma of His presence, that makes even the darkest cloud have a silver lining? Have you found in Him a lover, a friend, a companion, a father, a brother that is there when you breath His name and even if you don't? And do you know the awesome nearness of His presence. Can you recognise His manifested presence in the quiet or in the noise? Can you tell what is Him and what is not? Do you see Him coming to you riding the clouds, enthroned on your praise and lifted high in the exaltation of your bended heart in worship?

Do you see Him high and lifted up or have your own importance clouded the picture of who and what He is? What would you answer in defense of such a relation, that made the universe, keep the stars in place, set boundaries for the waves of the sea and yet stand by while millions are slaughtered by a crazed madman, millions be dismembered and de-brained before they even take their first breath? What would you say when the lies, half-truths and deceiving visions about Him comes flooding? Do you know Him and more important yet: Are you known by Him?

2010-12-29T19:00:00.001-05:00

Mercy And Grace....

To be Born Again does not negate the consequences of one's behavior. We often encounter individuals that have a case against God because He did not bring the expected result in their lives or in a loved one's situation. Yet, the choice of man and the will of the individual are never included in the equation.

It is one thing to believe God for healing and actively participate in the healing and health of one's body but a total different story to do everything possible to destroy one's earthly temple and then blame God when the goal is finally realised. The same can be said for relationships, finances. spiritual health, child rearing, education and occupations. We cannot sabotage our own well being and then put the blame on God for not rescuing us from ourselves. This is as insane as it sounds..

God in His rich mercy does not give us what we deserve but then we start to presume on His goodness. We do not see that the grace of God is to lead us to repentance which in turn will change our behavior. We somehow deduct that the grace of God will leave us in the mess that we are in and it is acceptable. Grace is unmerited, undeserved favor. It is the favor of God, undeserved, unearned that provides us the opportunity and ability to change.

It is because we now have the Divine en-ablement to change, that we can reflect Him, just as the moon reflects the sun, that we have a greater responsibility to live dedicated to Him. We are no longer slaves, no longer like brute beasts chased by our passions, instincts and desires. We have the ability, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit who works in and through us, to say "no" to temptations and use our bodies. our minds, our lives to the glory of God.

We are no longer aimless wanderers, tossed around like garbage in a flood. We have purpose. We have direction. We have a design. And we have a sonship to live out while we are in this life. We are now to affect life, and those around us, instead of letting it have an effect on us. We are now called upon to change the circumstances instead of lying down under it. We are the people of God. We are to act like it.

Mercy, Grace, Ability (dunamis), Might, Wisdom and Understanding is indeed ours. If we have truly received Jesus Christ and exchange our sorry lives for His glorious everlasting life, we are new creations.

(Scripture references: The Epistles: Romans through Jude)

2010-12-14T11:46:00.001-05:00

His Yoke is Easy, His Burden Light. Marietjie Chase

If you are tired and weary, if life has smacked you around more than usual... when your back is in the corner and you are facing a giant... when you are trying hard to walk up straight and find yourself mostly wobbling... there is hope for you. We all go through life's ups and downs. We all face things that we really could have done without. We all carry burdens, loads and heaviness.

There is an answer for all this and it is often quoted: Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

This rest is not given indiscriminately like snow and rain. This rest, this comfort is available to all, but only applies to those who comes to Jesus. We have to come to Him and not to all kinds of other places. We will find rest with Him. He has rest for us. This is a great comfort and true, but not the truth. The coming is not all there is to it. We need to read the rest of the story that makes this "truth".

verse 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Jesus does not say leave your heavy load here. He does not offer to take your burden. He does the illogical thing. He does the Kingdom of God/Heaven thing. He says: "Take my yoke upon you" In the taking of His yoke, our weary load looses its weight and we find rest for our souls.

What is a yoke? It is a thing that you place on the draft animal's neck in order to make him obey the driver. A yoke takes the freedom of the animal and limit it to the will of the driver. It focuses the animals on the purpose in the heart of the driver. A yoke is not a piece of jewelry, it is not for show. It is for the sole purpose of getting the job done.

What is Jesus' yoke? He says to the disciples in John 5:19 "I only do what I see the Father do" and in John 8:28 and 12 :49 He says: " I only say what the Father says." [paraphrased. Also see Matt 26:39, John 6:38 and 14:10, Hebrews 10:7] This is His yoke, His burden. This is what He offers us. Take this yoke, take this limitation. Take this discipline. You will have to learn from Jesus, gentleness and humility for this yoke to fit.

God never gives us something to do without also giving us the "how-to". The "how-to" may not be a quick fix, it may not be what we want to hear but if we follow Him, we can obey ourselves out of the mess. The "how-to" is where most of us bulk and that is why Jesus said that we need to learn humility and gentleness, meekness.

This yoke of Jesus is the heart posture to have a relationship of obedience with God, through Jesus Christ by the ability/power of the Holy Spirit. It is giving up our right to our own will, opinion and agenda. It is even giving up our right to be vindicated and justified. This yoke is the yoke that led to a bloody cross. This yoke is the yoke that have one simple goal: the will of the Father.

What did Jesus say about this, simple yoke: verse 30"For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

2010-12-11T22:34:00.001-05:00

Another Jesus, Another Gospel or Another Spirit??? by Marietjie

We were in South Africa at a ministry that trained many young people to be missionaries. I was pregnant and had a toddler running around. I heard the young speaker over the the loud speaker say something that made me pick up my kid, wobble into the meeting tent, taking the diaper-bag and telling my husband that we can leave; I've heard enough. What did she say? She said: " We don't need Jesus any longer."

There have since been so many strange, odd and weird things coming through the church (global) that I am starting to loose feeling in my face from the centriphical force. If it isn't some plastic Jesus that cannot ever offend anyone or a Jesus that is some mystical force instead of a person, then we are fed an image of God that have little to no base in scripture at all. The portrait of God is distorted about as much as if Picasso, Van Gogh and some abstract artist all shared the same canvas. No wonder the church is empty and the New Age orgies are turning crowds away at the gate. We can't even agree on our God. At least in places like India, they openly say that it is many gods. Christians pretend that they all worship the same God but all you have to do is listen, really listen and you will find a cacophony of different gods.

The gospel that seemed rather simple and straight forward to me at the beginning of my journey, now seemed to have sprouted, secrets, mysteries and implications that boggles the mind. You need more than faith to believe some of the theories and fallacies that is sold as doctrine; and I mean sold. You actually have to loose your mind and crucify common sense. It seems like every Dick, Tom and Jane sucks a new teaching out of their thumbs and it almost always ridicule and/or contradict something that has been historically believed. Have we really become so brainwashed and hypnotized that we can't see that the Emperor is REALLY naked?

There is also a new sort of spirit in Christians or I dare say, supposed Christian circles. It used to be that the believers were recognised by a sweet spirit of gentleness and humility. It used to be that they would have an atmosphere of goodness, kindness and honesty around them. The value nowadays is on who can be the sharpest tongue and the best at making money or who can have the greatest attitude of slander, sarcasm and ridicule. Arrogance, pride and boasting is rewarded with lots of money and the people keep giving even when it is openly known that the leaders are sinning. Not only do we not humble ourselves, we see it as our right to swarm down like vultures on every one and anyone that we can tear to pieces. The atmosphere of suspicion and distrust is billowing like black factory smoke from the internet.

How far have we fallen?
Is the gift of God in Jesus Christ not good enough, wonderful enough, precious enough that we have to add, twist and re-interpret it. How long has it been since you have heard a simple Gospel message? The Bible that has been miraculously preserved all of these years, has become outdated to some and replaced with their own ideas and words. Why is it not good enough anymore? What is this spirit that is masquerading as the Holy Spirit? I do not know it, do you?

Simple devotion to God through Jesus Christ by the enablement of the Holy Spirit is to un-exciting for some, but it is the only thing that will last. This pool has been muddied enough.

I overheard a mail clerk at the post office while sorting the mail, when the Christian Book Distributors catalogs came out: "I don't get this" she said " how many different ways can you tell that story?"
I am starting to wonder if she was right or maybe the story that is being told is not the real thing.

2010-10-29T08:44:00.003-04:00

Time for Another Reformation by Marietjie Chase

On the 31 of October, 1517, Martin Luther wrote this pre-face to the 95 thesis' that he nailed to the church in Wittenburg. "Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at Wittenberg, intends to defend the following statements and to dispute on them in that place. Therefore he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute with him orally shall do so in their absence by letter. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. "

It seems now just like then, that there are many practices entered into the church, global and as a whole, as well as doctrines that cannot be found in the Bible. What will Martin Luther say if he would do this in our time. Maybe it is time for another Reformation.

This is what I think will have to be written:

1. Man is NOT at the center of the gospel, God is.

2. We serve, love and worship God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The name of the son is Jesus, the Christ, the Lord.(Jesus of Nazareth) There is NO other way to God but by Jesus Christ, His Son.

3. We worship and pray to God, through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit never receives our adoration or prayers but hands it over to the Father and the Son. All worship of God, apart from Jesus Christ, is NOT Christian. It does not please God.

4. Jesus did not use any of His divinity when He was on earth. What He did, he did through the power of the Holy Spirit which is available to every believer as well. He came as man, lived as man, died as man and was resurrected as man.

5. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven waiting for His enemies to become His footstool. The person of the Godhead that is now on the earth is the Holy Spirit, indwelling every born again believer and the church as a whole.

6. We are not to usurp the role of the Holy Spirit in one another's life. It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement.

7. The Holy Spirit will never force you but He can make you willing.

8. Any manifestation of the Holy Spirit has a purpose. He is not an entertainer or into showmanship.

9, There are only two kinds of people: the saved ones and the unsaved ones. By saved I mean Born Again. All other distinctions, discrimination's and segregation's are wrong and unbiblical.

10. Only those who have given their lives to God have the right to be called sons, children of God. The only way to become a son/child of God is to be born again by accepting the life - eternal life - of Jesus Christ and also giving, dedicating one's life, as a response to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to God.

11. Salvation is available to all. Not all are saved and not all will be saved.

12. We are saved by grace, a gift of God, not by works but after salvation we are designed for good works. We are not to settle in hammocks, rocking chairs and couches to await a reward of salvation. If a life, behavior, thinking and speech does not change; if all is not affected by salvation, then that salvation is not true.

13. Salvation is an experience that includes emotion. We experience God in our lives but do not make doctrine based on experience. Experience and emotion follows doctrine, not proceed it.

14. No-one is "borned"(in this flesh) into God's kingdom. God does not have grandchildren. All have a choice to make. All have to be born again. There is only one plan of salvation for all humanity.

15. The salvation of the soul, sanctification, is a process that lasts a lifetime. While the human spirit is made alive at the moment of new birth, the human soul are being changed from one degree of glory into another as we behold Jesus. The soul are generally accepted to be the person or mind, emotions and will.

16. Healing, miracles and signs and wonders are still the children's bread. It is as part of our salvation as the saving of our souls.

17. When our Lord Jesus Christ said, ``Repent'' (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. Inner repentance is worthless unless it produces various outward mortification of the flesh. Repentance is more than a simple change of mind. If you think it is as fickle and inconsequential as choosing what to have for dinner, it will have no eternal weight. It is the admitting of one's error, the resolution and determination to turn away from it and turn toward God in humble contrition. Repentance is deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, wrongdoing. True repentance will have fruit, evidence manifested. It will bring about change.

18. To the extend of the transgression, to that extend, should be the restitution and repentance.

19. Water Baptism follows repentance and is a sign of the covenant of the New Birth. The ritual of Baptism is as the ritual of marriage, yet not bride and groom but God and believer.

20. Revival is not an end in itself. It cannot, must not be a goal. We will never experience revival by seeking it or praying for it. Revival happens when a people seek the face of God with the overwhelming realization that they have no-where else to go. Desperate people begging God to intervene, desperate determined people, who will not take no for an answer... So revival is the side effect of people seeking the face of God.

21. The Bible is the word of God. You may not believe all of it or understand all of it. But changing it will not change the reality of it being the Word of God. Attempting to know God without knowing the Bible will lead to heresy. The Bible is to be understood literally unless it says not to.

22. God speaks in many various ways by dreams, visions, other people, allegory, music, pictures etc. But it all have to agree and NOT disagree with the Bible.

23. No man's word and will is above the Word of God.

24. It is right and proper to question words and practices that does not line up with the Bible. The only reason why these are allowed to continue is because believers do not have the fortitude to stand up against the arguments and persecution that will follow.

25. Relegating any part of the Bible as outdated or not for today, unless the New Testament repealed an Old Testament law, is to preach something other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

26. Holiness is still the requirement to see God. Sanctification is still the will of God for us all.

27. Character means something. Being a christian means being good as God is good.

28. One cannot be friends with the world and a friend of God all at the same time. One will hate the one and love the other. Trying to be acceptable to the world is not Christianity. By it's very essence, Christianity is offensive.

29. One cannot serve God and sin, satan and self at the same time. Death to sin, satan and self will mean life in the spirit.

30. God hates sin, all sin. There is no big and small sin. Sin is sin.

31. God is never going to change His mind about sin. The best way to deal with sin, is to agree with God about it and accept His answer for it. No matter how good we excuse or dress up sin, it will never be acceptable to God.

32. A person's relationship with sin is in direct correlation with one's relationship with God.

33. Addictions and controlling, manipulating spirits are sins like any other sin. It should be repented of and deliverance sought as with any other possession.

34. God is very concerned with our motives. The heart is more important than the actions and the reason for the actions/behavior of far more consequence than the action itself.

35. Outward appearance do not make one holy. One cannot become holy by the way one dresses, walks, worships or talks. One's actions will change but it does not in itself make one holy.

36. Prayer is still a requirement. Prayer is still what it is all about. Without prayer, individual and corporate, no-one will know the will of God. There are many different kinds of prayer. Without prayer we loose the essence of our faith.

37. It is still the will and way of God that we ask, pray in the Name of Jesus to receive anything from God. God does answer prayer. God moves on behalf of those who seek Him in prayer.

38. Fasting still benefits a believer and the abstaining from all food and drink, except water, will not kill your body but do wonders for your prayer life.

39. Love one another is still the primary command. Without love we are nothing.

40. Tithing is an Old Testament concept. Giving one's all is the New Testament concept. We give in the same measure Jesus gave: all. How much do we then give at a specific time and place? As the Holy Spirit directs.

41. In the Kingdom of God one grows and mature by what one gives out. Give money and lay up for oneself treasures in Heaven. Give energy and worship and prayer and grow in one's intimacy with God and knowledge of Him. Give ministry and service and grow in one's stature as an ambassador of the Kingdom.

42. Suffering will come to those who desire to live Godly lives. It does not need to be sought, it will come by itself. There will be suffering. To deny this reality or to dismiss this reality is heresy.

43. It is God's church. It does not belong to a man, men. It is His responsibility and He is able to take care of it.

44. All believers in a city is the church in that city. Denominations are not Biblical.

45. Our unity comes from the one God we all serve and not by any other means, conviction, tradition or doctrine. We are one because we worship one God. We ought to question anything that brings a spirit of division into the Body/ Kingdom/ Church/ Bride of Christ.

46. Church is not business. It is ministry. There is no CEO's only servants.

47. Church is not a democracy. It is a Theocracy. Find the will of God and do that. No matter how long it takes.

48. Alone, as an individual, we are not the Body/Church of Jesus Christ but only part of it. We need one another for the full expression of the Church.

49. The church does not belong in politics other than praying for the leaders. The resources wasted on political interests would be better spend in fulfilling the function of the church in society.

50. It is the churches responsibility to take care of the poor, widows and orphans, but first to those who are believers. It is not obligated to take care of lazy scammers.

51. Evangelism, the proclaiming of the Good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is the churches primary responsibility to the unsaved. We are not obligated to serve them in other ways, unless it is with the goal of bringing them to salvation.

52. If you are not being equipped or equipping the saints for work of ministry, you are failing to use the gift that Jesus Christ gave to the church, the Body, the Kingdom of God.

53.Worship is to honor God. It is never sensual or for the reason of show or a party. It is always God-focused, God-centered and God-directed ( God in three Persons) If it is not, it is not worship.

54. There is no Biblical foundation for the "five-fold-hierarchical" system.

55. There is no Biblical president for a single pastor over a congregation.

56. There are only two offices in the New Testament Church: Deacons whose primary function is to take care of physical, non-spiritual needs and elders/overseers/bishops who has the responsibility of taking care of spiritual matters.

57. Eldership is always plural.

58. Apostles, Prophets, Shepherds, Teachers, Evangelists, Helpers, Healers...etc are not titles.. These are gifts/anointings and functions in the Body/Church of Christ.

59. Those who abuse their place of trust and authority will be exposed and brought to judgement. God is a righteous judge.

60. Authority is received from God. It cannot be assumed or taken or cajoled or manipulated or bought.

61. Submission is not a dirty word. Submitting to one another and submitting to God.

62. Manipulation is witchcraft. Manipulation is not godly authority.

63. Respect is earned not demanded.

64. Those who preach heresy, those who bend, butcher and twist scripture for their own desires, needs to be exposed and addressed.

65. Preaching culture or private opinion as the word and will of God is wickedness.

66. Prophesy needs to be judged on the spot, immediately.

67. Those who are born again hears the voice of God. It is the leaders and spiritual overseers' job to help them recognise this.

68. Christians become slaves to what they yield to. We always have a choice. As a believer our will has been freed to choose and we live as the result of our choices.

69. The supernatural is real. Angels and demons are real. Yet, we do not seek these or worship these. We deal with these when they show up and seek God.

70. Possession/oppression is real and deliverance is real. It should be part of the ministry of the church.

71. Discernment is a must. If it waddles, swims and quacks it is most probably a duck. Just the same as when it exhibit a few different signs and actions of possession, it is probably a demon.

72. The enemy/devil/satan/ is a vicious legalist. He has been around for many years and although he has limited power, he still has power.

73. A watered down gospel, is not the Gospel. Making it easy creates "fake Christians" who will never stand. Rather have 5 who are truly born again and sold out for God, disciples of Jesus, than 50 who only care for God a little and honor Him as it pleases them.

74. Laziness is not godliness and apathy and in-action as sinful as rebellion.

75. Poverty has no glory. Godliness is not poverty. God does not want us poor and miserable. Piety is not equal to being miserable.

76. We do not serve God to get rich. This is heresy. Giving God, or the person who supposedly stand in the service of God, money will not make one rich.

77. Marriage, one man and one woman for life, is still a God-idea. God hates divorce. All sex outside of marriage is sin.

78. Training of the children is the parents responsibility. It cannot ever be handed over to the church or the state.

79. God hates those who shed innocent blood.

80. It is shameful for Christians to sue one another.

81. The pre-tribulation rapture theology has very little, to no scriptural foundation.

82. Hell is a real place. Heaven is a real place. To deny either is to confuse and dilute the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

83. We cannot judge one another's relationship with God. All we can judge is the fruit, whether it is good or bad.

84. Unbelief is the opposite of faith, not fear. You can have faith and fear at the same time. It is not mutually exclusive.

85. Faith is the currency of the Kingdom of God. Yet, it is a gift received from God. Faith always includes risk.

86. Miracles, signs and wonders will follow those-who-believe, those-who-believe do not follow miracles, signs and wonders.

87 Just because someone or something do not fit the mold of tradition, does not make them evil. How can God ever do a new thing when we are so enslaved and in love with the old?

88. Sincere people can be sincerely deceived.

89. Truth pressed to the extreme and to exclusion becomes error.

90. The truth is mostly simple and will stay the same no matter how many times it is repeated. Heresy, on the other hand, is often very complicated and becomes even more twisted with every time it is retold.

91. God resist the proud but gives grace to the humble. Pride and arrogance will lead to failure, shame and insult. The ignorant arrogant is impossible to be saved, convinced of error or make peace with. There is no-one as impossible to deal with.

92. We need to know why we do things and where the traditions come from or we will inadvertently pay homage to idols and pagan gods.

93.Christianising pagan celebrations do not make it holy. Pagan rituals, holidays and celebrations do not belong in the church. Halloween is not a Christian holy day. Neither is Easter.

94. All New Age practices, Asian meditation and marshal arts has pagan religious symbols and observances in it. To participate in these, is to participate in the worship of these idols.

95. Free Masonry is a religion closely linked with Satanism.

2010-10-24T23:21:00.000-04:00

D. L. Moody, The Labors of a Single Mom

(The Legacy)

Written by by Denny Kenaston

“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth....” II Timothy 2:24-25

The words of this text beautifully describe the ministry of D. L. Moody. Moody was an evangelist gifted by God to win souls for the kingdom. Although the title “the servant of the Lord” is used quite loosely in these days, we can say that Moody served his Lord, the living God of heaven. His meek and gentle disposition allowed him to persuade tens of thousands of souls who “opposed themselves.” D. L. Moody, chosen by God to ride the waves of the Revival of 1859-60, was a vessel prepared for the Master’s use. They say he won a million souls through his evangelistic pleadings in meetings all around the world. He established three training institutions for ministers and other Christian workers. A church stands to this day with his name on it in Chicago. Thousands of books bear the name Moody Press, another reminder to us of his influence. The name Moody is a household name among most Christian’s in the English-speaking world. Why? The answer is filled with challenge and insight for all of us who desire to be servants of the King.

R. A. Torrey answered this question at a memorial service in 1923, twenty-three years after Moody’s death. The title of his sermon was “Why God used D. L. Moody.” He pinpointed seven remarkable reasons as the body of his sermon. Few men knew Moody as intimately as Torrey did. This is what he said.

Why God Used D. L. Moody

•He was a fully surrendered man. It was Moody who heard those now famous words spoken by another preacher, “The world has yet to see what God can do with one man who is totally surrendered to God.” It was Moody who said, “By God’s grace, I will be that man.”

•He was a deep and meaningful man of prayer. God gave ear to this man’s prayers in remarkable ways. In Scotland Moody prayed a prayer in utter brokenness that God would use him to bring revival to Scotland. God answered his prayer on the spot. God swept into the meeting, and all fell on their faces in repentance.

•He was a deep and practical student of the Word of God. This humble, uneducated man spent hours in the word everyday, and faith stirred in his believing heart continually.

•He was a humble man. God prepared the way for this humility by ordering the circumstances of his up bringing down lowly paths.

•He had a consuming passion for the salvation of the lost. Moody preached to souls wherever he went. His life as an evangelist was more than preaching to crowds. One by one he sought them on trains, in boats and walking down the street.

•He was entirely free from the love of money. Most people do not realize how much money goes through the hands of a man who preaches to thousands of people. This money did not affect D. L. Moody. He gave it away, and used it to further the kingdom, as I mentioned above.

•He had a definite enduement of power from on high. There was a time and a place when D. L. Moody was filled with the Holy Ghost. This is the secret of his strength. This is the reason for all the other points that I have listed.

These powerful reasons are helpful to us all as we consider our own lives and ministries.

God began to prepare him long before he had a public ministry. God works in so many different ways to prepare His servants for the work He calls them to do. His ways are past finding out, and who can understand them all? God’s mysterious plan for this servant had some very hard circumstances in it. These circumstances only make sense as you look back over the years and realize that God was preparing a servant.

Puritan Heritage

Seven Moody generations preceded the birth of Dwight Lyman “D.L.” Moody. John Moody landed in the area we call Connecticut in 1633. Motivated by the typical desires of the Puritans in those days, he set out to establish a home and to serve his God in freedom. I am sure there were some ups and downs in the generations that followed John Moody’s beginnings; however, we still see godliness in the Moody family two hundred years later. This is hard for us modern Americans to imagine, but it is because we have a low vision.

The generations on his mother’s side of the family read very much the same way. Betsy Holton’s family moved to America in 1630 and settled in the Northfield Massachusetts area. There they lived for two hundred years, serving God in the traditions of the Puritans. The family farm did not change hands for two hundred years according to the biography that I am reading. These two families were pioneers with all the character that develops through a hard working farm life. In addition, they were Puritans with all the convictions and visions of the early settlers of the new land. Mr. Moody looked back on these ancestors with gratitude as he saw traits in his own life that flowed from them.

Betsy Holton and Edwin Moody were married in 1828 in the living room of the old Holton family homestead. They enjoyed a happy, loving marriage, and God gave nine children to their union. Edwin Moody provided for the family in the same way that all the men in the Moody family did for generations: They were masons. They built stone houses, brick houses and fireplaces all over the valley where they lived. This happy life continued for about thirteen years, until providence changed the Moody home and destiny forever.

The School of Poverty

When Dwight was four years old, his father died very suddenly. The family had plenty up until this time, but everything changed overnight. This providential change in events left Mrs. Moody a poor widow with seven children and twins on the way. The family debt was large with no provision for unexpected death. Only the house survived the creditors. At first glance this looks like a tragedy hard to understand, but providence is often that way. I can only imagine the hard-working business minded man that Dwight might have been. He had all the abilities to become a prominent man in his community with plenty of material things to enjoy. God had other plans for him, his family and his struggling mother. One million souls were at stake, and no hardship was too great for the sake of them. Mrs. Moody lived to see providence unveiled before her eyes as thousands flocked to hear her son preach the life-changing gospel of Christ. I am continually amazed at how many of God’s servants are trained in poverty. God even sent His only begotten Son into the setting of poverty for training and preparation. We can learn from some wisdom here. The blessings wrought by poverty were many in Moody’s life. I want to name a few of the more evident ones for our learning.

From day one they were dependent upon God for everything. When the creditors took even the firewood away, the Moody’s only had one option: pray and trust God who knows the needs of the fatherless and widow. The children stayed in bed to keep warm until it was time to leave for school, and Mama prayed. Uncle Cyrus Holton arrived with a load of wood to warm the house and the hearts of the whole family. We only need to use our imagination to see how many times God provided for them in ways like this. The oldest son was only twelve when Father passed away. Most of us Americans know very little about trusting God for our daily needs, and our children will pay for this—you can be sure.

They did without most of the time during the early years after Father died. They had to say “no” to their flesh dozens of times in a week, and this was very good training for a fruitful Christian life. Clothes were worn and mended repeatedly. Shoes were a luxury, and the simple things in life delighted the children who vbouls over to the Master. Somehow we must find some ways to teach our children to do without, even if we have to create them.

The food was simple and very basic. Of necessity they ate the same thing many times in a month. This would go down hard with our spicy American taste buds, which demand dozens of different kinds of food to be satisfied. When Dwight came to his mother and complained about the food he received while boarding at a neighbor’s house, she sent him back to keep his agreement. The complaint was worthy—nineteen consecutive meals of cornmeal and milk. Maybe we should simplify the palates of our children and teach them to be content with plain foods.

He had to bear the yoke of manhood early in life. The boys had to go to work much earlier than most of their peers. The needs demanded that they leave home at age ten and work for local farmers all week. They returned home for the weekend and for church. I know that most of us would look with pity upon a boy burdened with such responsibilities at such a young age, but look what it produced. We are influenced by our soft society more than we realize. As I see it, we do our children a great favor if we order their lives with self-denying responsibilities.

Are you a wealthy family? Do you have a storehouse that is full with most anything at your fingertips? Most Americans are rich, but we don’t know we are. This is a very dangerous position to be in because of the many snares involved in riches. If you are rich, I encourage you to live way below your available income and give the rest away. Your children will bless you for such a decision when they get older. It is possible to be a millionaire and have no one know it.

A Godly Determined Mother

Dear Betsy Moody is one precious example of perseverance to every mother reading this article. She is an example to every single mom who longs to raise children for God without a father. “Trust in God” was her simple creed. This is also the Bible’s simple, underlying message. She could not give her children a theological education like some we have studied, but she had the reality of that theology. This is far more important. I do not know what kind of religious life the Moody home had before her husband’s death. The historical records are strangely silent about those first thirteen years. It is very possible that the tragedy of her loss and the desolation of her situation brought her to this blessed reality. She lived to see the full scope of her son’s ministry as she died only three years before he did at ninety-one. Imagine how she felt as she reflected in her old rocking chair, looking back on the hard times. She remembered the times when she was almost ready to quit and God sustained her to keep going. Now it all makes so much sense, but then it was often dark and cloudy. She followed the patterns and convictions of her Puritan ancestors when it came to raising the children. Let’s look at some of the practical methods that she used to mold a “servant of the Lord.”

Family Devotions

Mrs. Moody followed the example of her Puritan ancestors and gathered the family together each morning to read and to pray. The Moody home had only three books, but they were the most important ones to have. They were a large family Bible, a catechism and a devotional book of inspiration and prayers. With these the children received instruction in holy things. On Sunday evenings it was a family tradition to gather in front of the fireplace as mother read books from the church library. They made it, though things were far from ideal, and Dwight was weak on Bible knowledge when he left home. God was training a humble, lowly minded servant who stood in amazement when the crowds came out to hear him. He was training a servant who would not touch the glory.

Solid Church Life

Shortly after Mr. Moody passed away, Betsy enrolled the children in the Sunday school of the local church. This proved to be a great blessing to the family in more ways than can be named. The widow and the fatherless are to be under the care of the church, and Pastor Everett was quick to bring the family under his care. For a single-mom family, this is necessary. Godly men as role models provide needed examples when there is no father. Missing church was not an option for young Dwight even though his youthful heart would have longed for play after much work through the week. The family brought lunch along and stayed all day, attending two preaching services and the Sunday school. Moody looked back on the influences that he received during those “Sabbath day” assemblies with fond memories. It was here in the local Sunday school that Moody got his first taste of gathering others for Bible teaching. He often brought other children along for the classes. I am sure that Pastor Everett had no idea whom he was training when he encouraged young Dwight to go find some others to bring with him. Moody was not actually converted until after he left home, but it is evident that this pastor had much to do with the transformation of D. L. Moody.

Strict Discipline

Mrs. Moody believed in the old fashioned way of training children. A kind, loving heart to guide, and the rod to use when guidance did not bring the proper response were her methods. I was blessed to find that she was slow and careful in her discipline, taking the time to instruct while she spanked. Moody recalled the time he told her it didn’t hurt and commented, “That was the last time that it didn’t hurt.” Betsy kept the children away from evil influences, and the children did not go play away from home. She always invited the neighbor children to the Moody house for fun and frolic, to keep them from the evil.

Although Moody always reflected affectionately upon the discipline his mother gave him, he never spanked his own children. I think we can glean something here for our own homes. Moody had two very different types of schoolteachers that made an impression on him. The one was stern and demanding, giving many spankings; the other was kind and loving and gave none. Moody must have evaluated the two and decided love and grace works better than law and judgment. This choice affected the next generation of Moody children. How sad. Balance is the lesson we can learn for our homes. The Bible way is a balance of both. Our hearts should overflow with love while we guide our children into obedience and at times spank them. If we are out of balance, our children may react to that imbalance and go too far the other way.

Practical Righteousness

This is the realm where Mrs. Moody’s simple faith excelled. Down to earth, everyday righteous living was her greatest strength. This is the area we lack most in today. We stand in great need of the common wisdom of right living. We American Christian’s are full and running over with theology, and running empty with practical living. Lord, help us learn from this poor widow woman. What did she teach them during the twenty years that each one lived under her roof?

•She taught them by example and precept to give when you do not have enough for yourself. This happened many times at the Moody home. When a tramp came by or another need came to her ear in the community, she gave to the needy. Imagine the impact that this had on the children. They knew there was very little bread in the house. Then God, who is the Father of the fatherless, topped off the lesson by providing bread enough for all to eat. Let us trust the Lord and give before the eyes of our little ones. They are taking notes as the days of home life pass by.

•

•She taught them to seek first the kingdom of God in the midst of much want. These verses are easy to believe in a land of plenty, but what about the destitute? The children learned first hand that God was their Father and that He cared for His own.

•

•She taught them by precept and example that there would be no complaining in the Moody household. Consider the depth of this lesson and the impact it had on the children. They lived in poverty. There were many things to complain about. The wolf was continually at the door, and yet no complaining was allowed in the house. She knew that complaining leads to bitterness, and bitterness leads to more poverty with evil deeds standing beside it. “In everything give thanks,” was the rule of the house.

•

•She taught them the dangers of judging their neighbor. This task had some real challenges for them because they often received wrong at the hand of uncaring neighbors. The widow and the fatherless are the responsibility of the Christian community, but they are often the most neglected and despised. This happened many times during the first years of desolation. Mother guided the children through these learning experiences with righteous zeal. The children heard the words, “We will not judge our neighbor” many times when neglect was very evident.

•

•She taught them to be independent, to make it on their own. There was no welfare spirit in the home. The neighbors did not owe them anything because God was in control. You may react at first to the word independence. In the midst of poverty, it is one of the highest qualities of character. She taught the family to rise up in faith with works and meet the needs with determination. This was Moody’s strongest point of character all his days in the ministry. A wise God and a wise mother worked together to instill this in him.

•

•She taught them the sanctity of a promise. “Let your yea be yea, and your nay be nay.” This instilled a carefulness of words in all the children. When Dwight found himself in the midst of hundreds of requests, he was slow to say “yes” because of mother’s training about promises. Many times she made the boys go back and keep the promise given in a moment of weakness. We could use a good dose of this kind of carefulness and commitment in our day.

•

•She taught them about the day of rest. They called it the Sabbath in those days and practiced it very much as the Jews do. The day of rest began on Saturday evening and ended on Sunday evening. Everything changed on the Lord’s Day. Life slowed way down, and the hearts of the children turned toward spiritual things all day. This is very different from our modern day Sunday when everyone is playing, buying, selling and catching up on the work around the house. Have we lost something? I think we have.

•

•She provided a warm, affectionate home life for them. Fifty years later Moody was still reflecting with joy upon the home fires that burned in Mother’s home. It drew him like a magnet repeatedly. Though they lived in poverty, she filled their humble dwelling with the thing that means the most but costs the least—love. This tender mother gave herself in love to her children. They knew this, and it drew their respect and even adoration.

Conclusion

Don’t you just love this dear saint? I do. My heart’s respect rises up to bless her as I bring this article to a close. She is an example to every single mother who longs for godliness in her children. She passed on to her reward at the ripe old age of ninety-one. The words of her grandson seem fitting here at the end. He described her funeral service with words that crown her legacy. He said, “Her children and her children’s children and an entire community rose up to call her blessed.” As for me, I am one more voice that joyfully rises up to call her a blessed woman and a dear mother in Israel.

Taken from "The Heartbeat of the Remnant"
http://www.trousseauchest.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=229:d-l-moody-the-labors-of-a-single-mom&catid=32:devout-women-in-history&Itemid=48

2010-10-02T17:55:00.002-04:00

Faith of our Fathers by Marietjie Chase

So often we are amazed at the testimonies of those who were ill for years and then healed or of those who lived decadent lives and then saved. We are in awe at the escapes from death and the ones who survive horrible ordeals... but today I was thinking of another kind of hero. The kind who fought the good fight of faith every time sickness or decease came knocking at their door. The ones who raised their kids and paid the bills and cannot tell you how because on paper the figures says that it is impossible. The hero's when presented with the temptation to loose their lives in sin and darkness, said "no" and by God's grace stayed the course. These are the living stones who have gone before us, building a habitation for God.

If we want to know about these we have to dig a bit. These are not easy testimonies, short, one page stories. These are the ones where you read an entire Biography and get the feeling that it is still only part of the story. These are the hero's we will only honor in front of the Throne when all will be uncovered and even then we will not know of their sin - that was covered by the Blood of Jesus.

Thinking about all those whose prayer and faith paved the way for us as we stand before God, so many scriptures come to mind. Paul, talking to Timothy about the faith that was in His mother and grandmother and also in him; Hebrews 11 that says that all those hero's of faith are part of us and we are their victory. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob keeps covenant to the fourth and fifth, and yeah even thousands of generations, of those who fear Him and keep His commandments. What spiritual heritage have been handed down in your generations? Memories of Mamma praying for a pair of black shoes, of Pappa praying over me when my head was delirious with fever, of Ouma Maggie sitting on her bed, awake from pain, yet praying for each of her six children and their many children, all by name. Memories of Ouma Maria sitting at her window, drinking coffee from the saucer relaying a dream or vision or insight she had. Memories of Oupa Gert's Bible with his sermon notes in it. Memories of the twinkle in Father's eyes when he told of the souls being saved at their church and of Mother praying still. What spiritual parents can we honor? What heritage we have received? When in our stupid immaturity we are embraced by Mothers who adopted us and Fathers who accepted us. We are what we have received. And when I look at scripture: He used Angels as messengers only to sent people to "birth" people. How foolish we are sometimes to think we are our own? We are the sum of many lives and much faith.

Everyone of us, whether we admit it or not, are in the Kingdom of God because someone somewhere took a hold of God's promises and in faith and prayer fought a battle on our behalf. We are not of our own making. God have worked in many lives over many years to bring His purposes in our lives to fulfillment. Maybe we can pause and thank Him for those who have kept the faith, paved the way and shined the light for us. Maybe we can remember the parents or grandparents who were married, not always happily, for 30, 40, 50 and 60 years. Maybe we can remember the faith of the ones who taught us to pray. Maybe we can remember the ones who instilled the love for God and His word in us. Maybe we can look away from ourselves and realize, we are not our own, we belong to a whole. We are part of something greater, bigger and more enduring than our fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty or ninety years.

We owe it to these, we owe it to those for whom we are clearing the brush for; to fight a good fight of Faith; to finish well.

Steve Green used to sing:

We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness
Passed on through godly lives

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover
And the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them
To the road we each must find

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

"Find Us Faithful" Words and Music by Jon Mohr

2010-09-09T18:05:00.001-04:00

There Are Only Two Kinds of People... Marietjie Chase

Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, And let those who hate Him flee before Him.

As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish before God.

But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God; Yes, let them rejoice with gladness. Ps 68:1-3

God has always made a distinction between the righteous and the evil. He does not change. The way He deals with people has not changed. What has changed is that Jesus took all the wrath of God for those who trust in Him. Jesus became the lightning rod for God's wrath. He is an offering for sin, once and for all. He is the sacrifice for sin for all who believes in Him. He satisfied God's desire for punishment for sin once and for all, for those who believe in Him.

But for those who rejects Jesus as God's ultimate peace offering, there is no other sin sacrifice. For those who believe, there is an eternal inheritance and life in its fullness; but for those who do NOT believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, as the only way to relationship with God as Father and Lord, there remains the wrath of God. Those who choose to reject God's plan of salvation, of peace, of reconciliation, stands naked and unprotected in the full glare of the wrath of God. These are called the sons/daughters of disobedience who rebel against the love and will of God, to establish their own right standing, shouting as they go, that God is unfair, unrighteous and bad because He will not bow to their scheme of what is right, good and just.

There is still, and always will be two groups of people before God: The good and the evil/sinful.

Those who enter into a relationship, a life-exchange, with Jesus Christ; become the good and that not of themselves or their own deeds but because of what He has done.

Heb10:26-31; Romans 1:18-2:8; John 3:36; Malachi 3:18

All other distinctions disappear and are unimportant in the light of eternity. There is no race, no age or gender distinction before God. There is no separate plan of salvation for a race, gender, or age group. There is only ONE plan of salvation, only ONE Savior Jesus Christ who is the door, the gate, the mediator between God and all humans, past, present and future.

What this means practically is that we can only view people as saved and unsaved.

When we relate to an unsaved person we are relating to someone who has yet to come alive into the LIFE of Jesus Christ. We are to pray for them, be kind to them and be Jesus Christ with some skin on for them. We may be the only link they have to bring them to Jesus Christ. We also have to accept and expect to be misunderstood by them. Can the living have intimate relationship with the dead?? Can the natural mind comprehend the spiritual?? What fellowship have light with darkness?? These two will never agree.

Unsaved people are NOT our enemies. They can only become our enemies when they set themselves up as enemies of God. When they openly reject and oppose and malign God and His Christ, they become our enemies and the Bible are very clear about how we ought to behave toward our enemies and the enemies of God.

Psalms 66:3, Psalms 68:1 & 21, Nahum 1:2, Romans 5:10, James 4:4, Philipians 3:18.

2 Thesselonians 3:14-15, Matthew 5:43-45, Luke 6:27 and 35, Romans 12:20, Colosians 1:21,

When we relate to saved people, we are required by God to love one another. Does that mean that we are always going to get along?? Not necessarily. But we can never be one another's enemy's. We are part of one another. We may disagree in a million ways, we may frustrate and irritate one another, but we can never hate one another. We cannot be enemies. Whether we like it or not, we are all part of one body, the Body of Jesus Christ. We have one Father, One Savior, One King and are all going to the same Heaven. We may as well get over it and learn to bear with one another.

Matthew 18, John 13, Romans 12,Ephesians 4, Galatians 5, Colosians 3, 1 Thesselonians 5, Hebrews 10, James 5, I Peter 4, I John 4

2010-09-01T18:08:00.001-04:00

Four Largest Cults and what they Believe. Compiled from Internet Research
-Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons(LDS), Free Masons-

What Muslims Believe

Shia Muslims believe that the Imam is sinless by nature, and that his authority is infallible as it comes directly from Allah. Therefore, Shia Muslims often venerate the Imams as saints and perform pilgrimages to their tombs and shrines in the hopes of divine intercession.

No Incarnation.

The path to heaven includes confessing faith in one god, Allah, and that Muhammad is His Messenger; recitation of five prayers daily; giving alms; fasting throughout Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca. Confessing and repenting one's sins is between the person and Allah, made only to Allah and for Allah. Strict obedience to Allah's laws (conveyed in the Qur'an) and His prophet's doctrine is required. Suffering is desired by Allah to erase one's sins.

The basic beliefs of Muslims fall into six main categories, which are known as the "Articles of Faith":

Faith in the unity of god/Allah - There is no Trinity There exists only one personal god Almighty--Creator, all-powerful, ever-present, and all-knowing--formless, incorporeal spirit.
Faith in angels
Faith in prophets
Faith in books of revelation - the Qur'an
Faith in an afterlife After Death Saved souls will experience the bliss of heaven and unsaved souls the torture of hell. On Judgment Day, Allah will resurrect the dead, unite body and soul, and judge all for eternity in heaven or hell. There are seven layers of heaven.
Faith in destiny/divine decree

This is a brief guide on what Muslims are taught about Jesus in the religion of Islam.

Muslims follow the teachings of all the Prophets, from Adam to Muhammad. Muhammad was the last Prophet sent to mankind, and Muslims follow the book he was given by God, the Holy Qur'an.

Muslims respect and admire Jesus. Islam teaches that he was one of God's greatest messengers to mankind. The Qur'an describes the miracle of his virgin birth, and a chapter of the Qur'an is entitled "Maryam" (Mary) Here is the Qur'anic description of Jesus' birth:

"Remember when the Angels said "Oh Mary, God gives you glad tidings of a word from him (God) of the Messiah Jesus son of Mary, revered in this world and the hereafter, and one of those brought near to God. He will speak from the cradle as an infant and as a man will be of the righteous." She said "My Lord, how can I have a child when no mortal man has touched me?" He said, "So it will be. God creates what He wills, if He decrees a thing, He says to it only, 'Be!' and it is." (Qur'an 3:45-47)

Jesus was created miraculously by God who had also created Adam without Mother OR Father. God said, 'The case of Jesus was like the case of Adam. He (God) created Adam from dust, then said to him, 'BE!' and he came into being.' (Qur'an 3:59)

During his prophethood Jesus also performed many miracles. God tells us that Jesus said:

" I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you the shape of a bird out of clay, I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God's permission. I heal the blind from birth and the leper. I also bring the dead to life with God's permission, and I tell you what you eat and what you store inside your houses." (Qur'an 3:49)

Muslims do not believe that Jesus was crucified, but that Jesus' enemies planned to crucify him and that God raised him up to him, and the likeness of Jesus was put on another man (and they killed that man.)….(Qur'an 4:157)

…They said "We killed Jesus the Messiah, son of Mary, the Messenger of God." They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but the likeness of him was put on another man (and they killed that man.) …(Qur'an 4:157)

Neither Muhammad nor Jesus came to change the concept or doctrines of the belief in one God, but they came to confirm and renew it.

The Muslim belief of Jesus is between two extremes. The Jews, who rejected Jesus as a Prophet, said he was not the Son of God. The Christians, on the other hand, consider Jesus to be God's son, and worship him as according to that belief. Islam considers Jesus to be a righteous Prophet, but do not worship him. Rather they respect him as they do all Prophets, such as Abraham, Moses, Joseph, etc.

Jesus was a righteous man with a divine message, sent to all mankind. Any contradiction to this among revealed religions is seen in Islam as a man-made element introduced into these religions.

What Jehovah's Witnesses Believe

The human soul is NOT immortal.

There is no such thing as hell. Witnesses also have a slightly different view of heaven than mainstream Christianity. Based on their reading of prophetic books like Daniel and Revelation, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that only 144,000 people will go to heaven to rule with God and Jesus. The remainder of the righteous will enjoy paradise on earth - a restored Garden of Eden in which there is no sickness, old age, death or unhappiness

A belief that is unique to Jehovah's Witnesses is that the eschatological events predicted in Revelation began in 1914. This is when God gave Jesus his Kingdom, and Jesus has been ruling from heaven ever since. At this time Jesus threw Satan and his demons out of heaven and down to earth, which is why, according to Witnesses, the world has been getting progressively worse since 1914 The kingdom of God (last days) came to earth in 1914 with the start of the Great war.

The four horse man of Revelations 4 were sumiltaniously released in 1914, replacing the white Horse with a horse named "Hades"..

Babylon already fell in 1919.

Jehovah's Witnesses disagree with the mainstream Christian belief that Jesus was "fully God, fully man." Witnesses teach that Jesus was not God, but rather God's first creation. Jesus existed in pre-human form as God's agent of creation and God's chief spokesman (the Word), and took on human form as the man Jesus by means of a virgin birth.

The Watchtower Organization teaches that it is God's sole earthly representative

Jehovah’s Witnesses are controlled by a "Governing Body" which they claim is the "faithful and discreet slave" spoken of at Mathew 24:45. This group consists of 10 to 15 mature men that, Jehovah’s Witnesses are told, have direct guidance from God. The Governing Body in turn instructs followers with this guidance through the pages of the Watchtower and other publications. Jehovah’s Witnesses are told by this "Governing Body" that Scripture alone is insufficient to understand the things of God. One needs the Watchtower Society and the literature it publishes to properly understand the Bible. ("Jehovah God has also provided his visible organization, his "faithful and discreet slave," made up of spirit-anointed ones... Unless we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do. Watchtower, December 1, 1981 p.27) They are the instruments God is using to teach the world the deeper things of the scriptures. People are not to think for themselves but instead submit to the Watchtower Society teachings. (" But a spirit of independent thinking does not prevail in God’s organization, and we have sound reasons for confidence in the men taking the lead among us. Watchtower September 15,1989 p. 23) Jehovah's Witnesses believe they are the only people on earth that are serving God and the only ones that will be saved. They dare not question the teachings of the Watchtower Society; one who questions the Watchtower Society is considered to be weak in faith and could be disfellowshipped.

Members who are found to be unrepentant of violations of Watchtower rules by these elders, are disfellowshipped. Jehovah’s Witnesses can be disfellowshipped for a number of rule violations: premarital or extramarital sex, using alcohol excessively, using tobacco products, celebrating Christmas, reciting the pledge of allegiance, lying, stealing, joining the military, speaking to a disfellowshipped Witness, reading religious material not published by the governing body, or running for political office just to name a few. Fellow members are then required to shun him/her completely, having no contact even if the disfellowshipped person is a family member. (Some allowances are made if the family member is living in the same household).

What the Mormons/ Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints/ Believe

Unlike Christianity, Mormon teachings are not plainly visible. Only when you join their group (a new member cannot enter a temple by the way), then do you found out all the rest.

There is No Trinity.

God is our Heavenly Father. The Mormon church sees God as the Supreme Being of the universe. However, He gradually acquired that position over a long period of time by living a perfect and righteous life. God the Father has a body (flesh and bones). Brigham Young taught that Adam actually was God and the father of Jesus Christ.

The Mormon church views Jesus and Satan as spirit brothers and sons of God. God put forth His plan of salvation for the world, and Satan proposed his own plan. Jesus accepted the Father's plan and offered to implement it as the Savior. The Father chose Jesus, and the spirit of Jesus was given a body through the virgin Mary. He was crucified on a Roman cross, and rose from the dead three days later to establish His deity. The character and life of Jesus is attainable by anyone who performs at such a righteous level. Mormon leaders have taught that Jesus’ incarnation was the result of a physical relationship between God the Father and Mary. Mormons believe Jesus is a god, but that any human can also become a god. Jesus is not omnipresent.

Salvation can be earned by a combination of faith and good works. The Mormon church holds that Jesus Christ overcame physical death and guaranteed physical resurrection to all mankind. However, spiritual death can only be avoided through personal obedience of God's commandments. Forgiveness of sins requires faith, repentance and baptism by an approved Mormon priest. The practice of baptism for the dead is an extension of this belief, in which Mormons are baptized in proxy for those who have died without proper baptism.The first principles and ordinances of the gospel are faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Church of Jesus Christ, which existed here on the earth in ancient times, has been restored to the earth through a prophet. The priesthood authority of God necessary to act in the name of God and to perform church ordinances exists in His Church today, just as it did in the original Church. God reveals His will to prophets today, just as He did anciently. Each one of us has a special purpose on this earth. Families can be together forever. By serving others, we become more like Jesus Christ and come closer to God.

The Church Mormons believe that all Christian churches are apostate (false), and that all Christian ministers are hirelings of Satan (this is evidenced by one of their secret Mormon ceremonies). They believe that the real Church of Jesus Christ did not prevail against the devil and thus the true teachings disappeared. Each Mormon must annually pass an interview process that, if successful, rewards him or her with a 'temple recommend' in the form of a small ID card which allows him or her to enter the temple.

The Bible and the Book of Mormon are the word of God. Mormons believe that there are in fact four sources of divinely inspired words, not just one: 1) The Bible “as far as it is translated correctly.” Which verses are considered incorrectly translated is not always made clear. 2) The Book of Mormon, which was “translated” by Smith and published in 1830. Smith claimed it is the “most correct book” on earth and that a person can get closer to God by following its precepts “than by any other book.” 3) The Doctrine and Covenants, containing a collection of modern revelations regarding the “Church of Jesus Christ as it has been restored.” 4) The Pearl of the Great Price, which is considered by Mormons to “clarify” doctrines and teachings that were lost from the Bible and adds its own information about the earth's creation.

The Holy Ghost is real and He can help us to recognize truth when we find it. The first principles and ordinances of the gospel are faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Church of Jesus Christ, which existed here on the earth in ancient times, has been restored to the earth through a prophet. The priesthood authority of God necessary to act in the name of God and to perform church ordinances exists in His Church today, just as it did in the original Church. God reveals His will to prophets today, just as He did anciently. Each one of us has a special purpose on this earth. Families can be together forever. By serving others, we become more like Jesus Christ and come closer to God.

Afterlife: The Mormon church maintains that although there is temporary punishment for those that are most wicked, Jesus Christ will establish a new kingdom that will consist of different levels or kingdoms in the afterlife: the celestial kingdom, the terrestrial kingdom, the telestial kingdom, and outer darkness. If the person lived by a satisfactory standard, (including the fulfillment of Mormon temple obligations) that person has the potential to become a god in the after-life. The person can also produce "spirit children" to populate a world of his own (like God did with the earth).

Marriage and Family: Celestial marriage refers to a type of marriage which Mormons believe is intended to last beyond the grave and through eternity. "Celestial" means "heavenly," and indeed, a celestial marriage is a heavenly marriage. This does not indicate a marriage that takes place in heaven, but rather a kind of marriage that is heavenly in nature; it is divine in its origin and potential.

Mormons assert that for a celestial marriage to occur, several key steps must be followed. First, the man and woman must be sealed, or bound, by one holding the authority of God to perform such sealings, which can only take place in Mormon temples. Second, the couple must seek, with all their hearts, to individually and jointly follow Jesus Christ. Third, the sealing must be confirmed by God through His Spirit.

LDS The Thirteen Articles of Faith:

We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul-We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

What Free Mason's Believe

Masonic leaders readily admit that Freemasonry is actually a religion, not merely a "fraternal, social, civic service organization." Joseph Fort Newton (1880-1950), an Episcopal minister and recognized authority in the Masonic world, said, "Masonry is not a religion but Religion -- not a church but a worship in which men of all religions may unite."Henry Wilson Coil is the author of the encyclopedia that many lodges now accept as their authoritative source (Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia). Coil says that if Freemasonry is not a religion, nothing would have to be added to make it such, and that the religious service at the funeral of a Mason is evidence enough that Freemasonry is a religion. But the fact that Freemasonry is religion would not necessarily condemn it, except that the views of the Masonic religion are in open conflict with Biblical Christianity, so much so that, in our opinion, a knowledgeable and committed Mason could not possibly be a true Christian. In fact, Freemasonry even sees itself as superseding and unifying all religions.Freemasonry at its core is not a Christian organization. All members must believe in a deity. One must believe in the existence of a “Supreme Being”, which includes the “gods” of Islam, Hinduism, or any other world religion; people of all faiths, even if they use different names for the ‘Nameless One of a hundred names,’ There is no exclusivity in Jesus Christ or the Triune God who is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;

Masonry was originally a means by which people in the occult could practice their "craft" and still remain respectable citizens. The official publication of "The Supreme Council 33" of Scottish Rite Freemasonry is titled New Age. Some church denominations are also led by avowed Masons. For example, a 1991 survey by the Southern Baptist Convention Sunday School Board found that 14% of SBC pastors and 18% of SBC deacon board chairs were Masons; it is also estimated that SBC members comprise 37% of total U.S. lodge membership. (A 2000 updated SBC report found that over 1,000 SBC pastors are Masons.)

The Shriners are a fraternal organization and its members are bound by oaths of loyalty. The membership is limited to men that are third degree, or master Masons.

According to Freemasonry, a person will be saved and go to heaven as a result of his good works and personal self-improvement. Through symbols and emblems, Masons teach that man is not sinful, just “rude and imperfect by nature”. Human beings are able to improve their character and behavior in various ways, including acts of charity, moral living, and voluntary performance of civic duty. Humanity possesses the ability of moving from imperfection toward total perfection. Moral and spiritual perfection lies within men and women. Masons think that salvation refers to being brought from the material to the spiritual; i.e., when man returns to "his forgotten inherent spirituality." Masons believe that the degree of Master Mason is symbolical of old age, which allows a person to happily reflect on a well-spent life and to "die in the hope of a glorious immortality." Because they deny the reality of sin, Masons see no need of salvation in the Biblical sense. They see salvation as a step-by-step enlightenment, which comes through initiation into the Masonic degrees and their mysteries. In the 19th degree of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, the initiate is told that attachment to Masonry's "statutes and rules of the order" will make him "deserving of entering the celestial Jerusalem [heaven]." In the 28th degree, he is told that "the true Mason [is one] who raises himself by degrees till he reaches heaven" and that one of his duties is "To divest [him]self of original sin ..." Masons clearly teach a salvation by works, or character development, not a salvation by faith in Christ alone. Even in the 32nd Degree, a Mason never can nor will find the "light" he is looking for.

Only men (of at least 21 years of age) can be Masons. There is the Order of the Eastern Star for Master Masons and their wives; the Order of De Molay for boys; and the Order of Job's Daughters and the Order of Rainbow for young girls.

The Bible is only one of several “Volume(s) of Sacred Law,” all of which are deemed to be equally important in Freemasonry. Jim Shaw, a former 33rd degree Mason, says that Masonry is not based on the Bible (referred to as "The Great Light"), but on the Kabala (Cabala), a medieval book of mysticism and magic. Henry Wilson Coil also admits that the Kabala's teachings can be seen in some of the mystical and philosophical degrees of Masonry. Albert Pike the man responsible for virtually rewriting the Scottish Rite degrees into their present form, said that the Masonic "search after light" leads directly back to the Kabala, the ultimate source of Masonic beliefs. Albert G. Mackey, co-author of Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, is also one of Masonry's highest authorities. In his Manual of the Lodge, he traces Masonic teaching back to "the ancient rites and mysteries practiced in the very bosom of pagan darkness. ..." (Albert G. Mackey, Manual of the Lodge, Macoy and Sickles, 1802, p. 96).

The Bible is an important book, only as far as those members who claim to be Christians are concerned, just as the Koran is important to Muslims. The Bible is not considered to be the exclusive Word of God, nor is it considered to be God’s sole revelation of himself to humankind; but only one of many religious sourcebooks. It is a good guide for morality. The Bible is used primarily as a symbol of God’s will, which can also be captured in other sacred texts, like the Koran or Rig Vedas.

Masons do not adjust their beliefs to fit the Bible, the Bible is adjusted to fit their beliefs.

When quoting from the Bible, references to Christ are omitted, and prayer is never allowed to be offered (in a "well-ordered" lodge) in the name of Jesus Christ. Freemasonry does not believe that Jesus Christ is God, nor that salvation is available only through Him (cf. 1 Jn. 4:3). Freemasonry is a religion without a Savior.That Jesus was not the Christ, but that He had attained to the state of "Christ-consciousness" available to all mankind, is again part of Masonry: "Jesus of Nazareth had attained a level of consciousness, of perfection, that has been called by various names: cosmic consciousness, soul regeneration, philosophic initiation, spiritual illumination, Brahmic Splendor, Christ-consciousness" (Lynn F. Perkins, The Meaning of Masonry, CSA Press, 1971, p. 53).

Manly Palmer Hall, another of the great authorities on Masonry, writes, "When the Mason ... has learned the mystery of his Craft, the seething energies of Lucifer are in his hands. ..." (Manly Palmer Hall, The Lost Keys of Freemasonry, p. 48).

Excerpt from Jim Shaw's book: The Deadly Deception, pp. 99 - 109

In order to receive the 33rd Degree it was necessary to go to Washington. D.C. The initiation and related functions were to last three days. ...

...I flew into Washington National Airport and took a taxi to the House of the Temple on Northwest 16th Street. Upon arriving at the Temple I was met by a receptionist who asked if I were there to receive the 33rd Degree. I was surprised to find a women in those sacred Masonic precincts, but said that I was and showed her my letter from the Supreme Council. She then told me that in order to receive the degree, I would be expected to make a "minimum donation" of a very large amount of money (at least it was a "very large" amount for me). This took me completely by surprise for there had not been a word about any such "minimum donation" in the letter sent me by the Supreme Council. I didn't carry that much money with me and had left my checkbook at home but was able to borrow the money from one of the other men and gave it to her. We candidates were all unhappy about this unpleasant surprise and grumbled to one another about it, but were not unhappy enough to forsake the degree over it. We were too close to the "top of the mountain" to turn back at that point.

THE TEMPLE ITSELF

The House of the Temple is quite impressive - a bit awesome, really. Standing large, grey and silent on the east side of Northwest 16th Street, between "R" and "S" Streets, it looms very wide and tall from the curb. There is a huge expanse of granite pavement in front of it, including three levels of narrowing steps as the entrance is approached. Flanking the entrance are two Sphinx-like granite lions with women's heads, the neck of one entwined by a cobra and decorated with the "ankh" (the Egyptian symbol of life and deity).

Adorning the neck and breast of the other is an image of a women, symbolic of fertility and procreation. In the pavement, just in front of the tall bronze doors, are two Egyptian swords with curved, serpentine blades and, between the two swords, brass letters, set into stone, saying, "The Temple of the Supreme Council of the Thirty-Third and Last Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite."

Over the tall, bronze doors, cut into the stone, is the statement, "Freemasonry Builds Its Temples in the Hearts of Men and Among Nations."

High above the entrance, partially concealed by stone columns, is an elaborate image of the Egyptian sun god, backed with radiating sun and flanked by six large, golden snakes.

Inside is elegance: polished marble, exotic wood, gold and statuary. There are offices, a library, dining room, kitchen, Council Room, "Temple Room" and a large meeting room. This room is like a luxurious theater, rather elegantly furnished and decorated.

The ceiling is dark blue, with lights set into it to give the appearance of stars. These lights can even be made to "twinkle" like stars in the sky. There is a stage, well-equipped, and it is all very nicely done. But the thing that is most noticeable is the way the walls are decorated with serpents. There are all kinds; some very long and large. Many of the Scottish Rite degrees include the representation of serpents and I recognized them among those decorating the walls.

It was all most impressive and gave me a strange mixture of the sensations of being in a temple and in a tomb - something sacred but threatening. I saw busts of outstanding men of the Rite including two of Albert Pike, who is buried there in the wall.

INTERVIEWED BY THE SUPREME COUNCIL

The first day was devoted to registration, briefings and interviews. We were called into one of the offices, one at a time, and interviewed by three members of the Supreme Council.

When my turn came I was ushered into the office and seated. The very first question I was asked was, "Of what religion are you?" Not long before this I would have answered with something like, "I believe the Ancient Mysteries, the 'Old Religion,' and I believe in reincarnation." However, without thinking at all about how to answer, I found myself saying, "I am a Christian."

Then, to my sup rise and theirs, I asked them, "Are you men born again?" The man in charge quickly stopped me by saying, "We're not here to talk about that - we are here to ask you questions."

After they sent me back out I sat down and thought about it. When the next man came out, I asked him, "Did they ask you if you are a Christian?" He said, "Yes, they did."

"What did you tell them?" I asked, and he replied, "I told them 'Hell no, and I never intend to be!'"

Then he said a strange thing to me, "They said I'm going higher," and he left through a different door, looking pleased.

BECOMING A SOVEREIGN GRAND INSPECTOR GENERAL

The second day was the day of the actual initiation, held in the theater-like meeting room. Those of us who were receiving the degree were seated and the ceremony was "exemplified" (acted out in full costume) before us, in the same way that we had performed the lesser degrees of the Scottish Rite all those years. The parts in the exemplification were played by men of the 33rd Degree.

The representative candidate was dressed in black trousers, barefooted, bareheaded and draped in a long, black robe that reminded me of a very long, black raincoat. He had a black cable tow around his neck but was not hoodwinked. During the initiation he was led around the stage, conducted by two men with swords, as the degree was performed for us.

Instructions and signs were given. Upon the altar were four "holy books" (the Bible, the Koran, the Book of the Law and the Hindu Scriptures). At one point the "candidate" was told to kiss the book "of your religion" and, representing us all, he leaned forward and did so. I remembered the First Degree initiation, when I was told to kiss the Bible, and at that moment something came full cycle. It was the final such kiss to be a part of my life.

WINE IN A HUMAN SKULL

When it was time for the final obligation we all stood and repeated the oath with the representative candidate, administered by the Sovereign Grand Inspector General. We then swore true allegiance to the Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree, above all other allegiances, and swore never to recognize any other brother as being a member of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry unless he also recognizes the Supreme authority of "this Supreme Council".

One of the Conductors then handed the "candidate" a human skull, upside down, with wine in it. "May this wine I now drink become a deadly poison to me, as the Hemlock juice drunk by Socrates, should I ever knowingly or willfully violate the same" (the oath).

He then drank the wine. A skeleton (one of the brothers dressed like one - he looked very convincing) then stepped out of the shadows and threw his arms around the "candidate." Then he (and we) continued the sealing of the obligation by saying, "And may these cold arms forever encircle me should I ever knowingly or willfully violate the same."

The Sovereign Grand Commander closed the meeting of the Supreme Council "with the Mystic Number," striking with his sword five, three, one and then two times. After the closing prayer, we all said "amen, amen, amen," and it was over.

................cont...........

THE WORDS HAD MEANING NOW

On Thursday evening we gathered at our home Temple and dressed for the ceremony. It was always a most solemn occasion and seemed a little awesome, even to those of us who had done it many times.

Dressed in long, black, hooded robes, we marched in, single file, with only our faces partly showing, and took our seats.

There was something very tomb-like about the setting. The silence was broken only by the organ, playing mournfully in the background, and there was no light except for the little that came through the windows. After the opening prayer (from which the name of Jesus Christ was conspicuously excluded), I stood and opened the service.

As I had done so many times before, I said, "We meet this day to commemorate the death of our 'Most Wise and Perfect Master,' not as inspired or divine, for this is not for us to decide, but as at least the greatest of the apostles of mankind."

As I spoke these words that I had spoken so many times before, I had a strange and powerful experience. It was as if I were standing apart, listening to myself as I spoke, and the words echoed deep within me, shouting their significance. They were the same words I had spoken so many times before, but had meaning for me now. They made me sick, literally ill, and I stopped.

The realization of what I had just said grew within me like the rising of a crescendo. I had just called Jesus an "apostle of mankind" who was neither inspired nor divine! There was a silent pause that seemed to last a very long time as I struggled with a sick smothering within.

When I was finally able, I continued with the service and we gathered around a large table across the room in marching order. The table was long, shaped like a cross, and covered with a red cloth which was decorated down the center with roses.

A BLACK COMMUNION

Once we were assembled at the table, I elevated (lifted high) the plate of bread, took a piece, put my hand on the shoulder of the man in front of me, gave him the plate and said, "Take, eat, and give to the hungry."

This continued until all had partaken of the bread. Then I lifted up the goblet of wine, took a sip, and said, "Take, drink, and give to the thirsty."

Again, this continued until all had partaken of the wine.

Then I took the bread, walked over to the first row of spectators and served it to the man previously chosen for the honor of representing the rest of the Lodge

As I handed it to him I again said, "Take, eat, and give to the hungry."

In like manner I served the wine to him saying, "Take, drink, and give to the thirsty," and he sat down.

After this we took our places at the table shaped like a cross and sat down. The setting was dark, our long, sweeping robes were solid black, our faces nearly concealed in the hoods, and the mood was one of heavy gloom. The Christ-less prayers and the hymns we sang fit right in. The one word that would describe the entire event would be "black." It was, indeed, a Black Communion - a strange Black Mass.

EXTINGUISHING THE CANDLE

There was a large Menorah (candlestick with seven candle holders) in the center of the room, with seven candles now burning.

Standing again, I said, "This is indeed a sad day, for we have lost our Master. We may never see him again. He is dead! Mourn, weep and cry, for he is gone."

Then I asked the officers to extinguish the candles in the large Menorah. One by one they rose, walked to the center of the room, extinguished a selected candle and left the room.

Finally, with only the center candle still burning, I arose, walked sadly to the Menorah and extinguished the last candle - the candle representing the life of Jesus, our "Most Wise and Perfect Master." We had dramatized and commemorated the snuffing out of the life of Jesus, without once mentioning his name, and the scene ended with the room in deep silent darkness. I walked out of the room, leaving only the darkness and the stillness of death.

Once again, the single word best to describe it would be "black."

All through the service I was shaking and sick. I have never felt so sad. I had stumbled over the words but, somehow, I made it to the completion of the ceremony and went back to the dressing room. I still didn't know much about praying but felt that I had been sustained by the Lord through it all.

THE FINAL PARTING

Back in the dressing room we hung up our black, hooded robes, put our street clothes back on and prepared to leave. Less than two hours had passed since I arrived. But what had happened in that period of time had changed my life forever.

Still sick in my heart, I changed clothes without a word to anyone. The others asked me what was wrong. But I couldn't reply.

They reminded me that I had acted as Wise Master so many times before, that I was known for my smooth performance of it, and they asked what had gone wrong.

I was choking on the awful reality of what we had said and done, the way we had blasphemed the Lord, and the evil, black mockery we had made of His pure and selfless death. With weeping welling up within me. I could only shake my head in silence and walk out.

Mike was waiting for me at the door, expecting to get a ride home, and he asked, "What's the matter, Jim? Are you sick?"

Finally able to speak, I quietly replied, "No, Mike, I'm just sick of all this."

"IT ISN'T RIGHT"

I started down the wide steps in front of the large Scottish Rite Temple, realization and conviction growing within me, reached the bottom step and stopped. Turning around, I looked back at the huge, granite building and slowly studied the words, carved in the stone across the top of the entrance: "ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE OF FREEMASONRY."

Something came clearly into focus in my understanding and I made a decision. This crisis point in my life, one which had required so many years for me to reach, passed in seconds. The truth was revealed and the choice was made - a choice that would be the difference between darkness and light, death and life, one that would last for eternity. Looking up at those words I had walked under so many times, words of which I had been so proud, I spoke to myself out loud. It was as if I were the only man in the world as I heard myself say, slowly and deliberately, "It isn't ancient, it isn't Scottish, it isn't free, and it isn't right!"

2010-08-14T19:10:00.002-04:00

God is God by marietjie Chase

God is God. He is in control. He has NOT abdicated or gone on vacation. He did not delegate His position and has Not abandoned us. He has not made other little gods to help Him be god and He is not uncomfortable at being God.

The president, government, doctors, your spouse, boss, teacher or pastor is NOT God. You give them due respect but they do NOT deserve your worship and first place in your devotion. We misunderstand submission and get lost in a quagmire of idol worship until we find ourselves choked in circumstances we cannot comprehend. When we de-throne God in our hearts, we play with fire. What is it that you give the most time, money and energy to? What occupy most of your thoughts? When you have decisions to make, what are you thinking? Maybe you think: " I wonder what my mother/father/pastor/friend/etc would think or say?" This is placing that person in the place of God in our lives. Some may say, and this is maybe more often true, I don't think of anyone else; I just do what is right for me. Well, then you worship at the altar of self.

Jesus said: "I delight to do Your will O, God"

When we worship God in spirit and in truth, we live for His will. We desire to please Him first and foremost. Our concern is first with what God wants. Our submission is first to Him. We commit our lives, and all that it entails, to Him and trust Him with it. We ask ourselves what God would have us do. We search the scriptures and pray for answers. We obey God. The Bible says that those who have a heart postured at obedience, will know the will of God. We have faith, trust and peace with His will for us.

When God is God in our lives, we do not call the shots. We do not demand from or command God. We do not make plans, or do things, and then demand God's blessing upon it. We do not walk in presumption and then get angry because God does not fall in with our plans.When God is God we walk in humility, honesty and uprightness before Him.

There is nothing wrong with asking, in humility, when we do not understand, like Mary did. It is when we get angry at God, when we get offended at His godness, we step out of submission and into rebellion. When we do not understand, we find peace in the fact that because He IS God that He has all things in control. That He has a plan and a purpose and that we and all that concerns us, is safe in His hands.

Could we believe that? Could we believe that God is God?

The question still re-vibrates through the ages: "Who are you and who is your god?"

2010-08-14T18:47:00.002-04:00

The Unchanging God by Marietjie Chase

The way I hear some folks talk you would think that there are a few hundred different god's who send their son to die on a cross. The way people relate to God and make Him sound like; makes one think that He is like us and made in our image...That is obviously putting the cart in front of the horse.

Not only is He an eternal, everlasting God, He also does not change. He is forever the same.

Before we go and make a god palatable to us, a god that fits our box, let's find out who He really is. Let's just simply look at what is already revealed. God says of Himself :"I am the LORD, I change not." Malachi 3:6. In Numbers 23:19 He says: " God is not a man, that He should lie, nor the son of man that He should repent.” Hebrews 13:8 says: "Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever." Since God is God, we can only know Him by what He reveals of Himself. "Going through a long line of prophets, God has been addressing our ancestors in different ways for centuries. Recently he spoke to us directly through his Son. By his Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end. This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God's nature. He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words! " Hebrews 1: 1-2 When we study the Bible to know God, we will see who He is. When we see how He deals with people in the Old Testament we get to know Him. This does not mean that our own History with God should be discounted. Just remember that because you are involved, that it is subjective. Still, let us agree with Paul when he says:"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;" Phil 3:10

Some folks think there is an Old Testament God and a New Testament God. This is deceiption. There is only one God. God did not change. Who He is does not change. He demanded sacrifice for sin in the Old Testament and He demanded sacrifice for sin in the New Testament. In the Old Testament it was bulls, calves and steers in the New Testament He provided His own sacrifice, His Son, Jesus Christ. He was a Holy God in the past and is still a Holy God. He hated sin then and still hates sin. He loved His people then and He loves His people now. Those who neglect any part of the Bible will have a dilusional idea of God.

God does not change, He does not mature, He does not grow. What changes, is our relationship with Him as we get to know Him better and more intimately. We are the variable in the equation. God is the constant. The old hymn writers knew this: "A Mighty Fortress is our God," "My Anchor holds...", " On Christ the solid Rock I stand..."

For some of us who are constantly being shaken by the waves of ever-changing life, we find comfort in this. God will never change. He will be our anchor, our sure foundation, since in Him, there is no shadow of changing. The world may change, the sun, moon and stars may change but God will never change. The God that was there at creation is still the same God whom we worship today. The God who is going to be there at the end is the same God we are relating to today.

We can hold onto this. We can find a footing in this. We can find our balance in this. God will not change and He will always be there..

Thank You Father, that You are a Solid refuge and an unchangeable Fortress.

2010-07-25T20:04:00.001-04:00

Everlasting Father...Marietjie Chase

Jesus said that before Abraham was, He is. The Bible says that Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. We call God Eternal God, Everlasting Father but do we really believe this? When God revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush, He called Himself " I Am".

God created 'Time" for us. Elementary science explains time as we know it, chronological time, as something that comes from the earth rotating around it's own axil, days and hours, and from the loop that the earth makes around the sun, years. Months comes from the moon's rotation around the earth. All this was created "in the beginning..." by God. The Creator is bigger than the created. He is outside of this thing called time. Yes, sometimes He deals with years, days and hours for our benefit, but He is NOT trapped in Time. God is eternal, without end or beginning. He holds the universe in His hands.

What is the implications of this?

It explains a lot of things for me. God can see way more of our past, present and future than we can. The view is almost like what we see in relation to what an ant sees or the kids in " Honey, I shrunk the kids". Because God is everywhere, past, present and future at once, it makes sense that He will know the end from the beginning. It explains prophesy. It explains why God can call the things that are not as though they are. It explains why Gideon hiding in the winepress were addressed as a "mighty warrior".

It explains co-crucifixion. The instant I accept Jesus Christ as my personal savior and Lord, I am crucified with Him. God sees it all at once. When I call upon the name of Jesus, my life becomes His and His life becomes mine. Then in this way I died and I am no longer a sinner but a saint. I have died with Christ and am no longer a slave to sin. The crucifixion of Jesus is not history. It is as real as it was when it happened. That is the reality of being outside of time.

It explains how the blood of Jesus, spilled 2000 years ago, our time, can still redeem sinners. The blood of Jesus, is now. It is timeless. It does not grow old or powerless because it is not bound by time. It is ever-present to free whosoever will believe in Him. It is ever present to cleans us and sanctify us from all spot, wrinkles and shortcommings.

And I am sure that meditating on this attribute of God, this revealed truth about the God that we serve, will bring more light to us...

Jesus said to the Sadducees: " You are mistaken because you do not know the scripture nor the power of God." And today, because so many preaches their pet-doctrine instead of declaring God, few actuallly knows Him. Just listen to what people say and how they talk before and about God. Had they known Him by what He has already revealed, the reality of their lives would be different.

Man is NOT the center of Christianity, God is. Theology is the study of God. When we talk about Him or make doctrine, we need to at least know God.

2010-07-06T09:45:00.000-04:00

Sin and Sins; there is a difference by Michael Engler

There is a vast difference between “sin” and “sins”. It is therefore imperative we understand the difference before entering any discussion on whether we are free or not. We simply must clearly understand what we are freed from and how it came about. Rom 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all man for that all have sinned.” Adam sinned when he chose Satan’s words over God’s. Sin entered into Adam by obeying those words and the result was a changed nature that affected his spirit, soul and body. From that moment on, man has passed this nature to his offspring through the flesh. Rom. 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” Rom. 7:22-23, “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”

Therefore, we are born with a spirit and soul that are basically innocent but independent from God and a body in which dwells the law of sin. Sins then are different from sin in that sins arise from the sin nature in our flesh just as fruit is borne on a tree. Sins occur when we choose to obey the lust of the flesh rather that what we know to be right. This is also where the law enters the process. God’s law defines right and wrong and gives sin its power with regard to our conscience. There is no loss of innocence when my flesh covets until the law says “don’t covet” and I do it anyway. Therefore, sin abides in the flesh and shall be with us until the resurrection buts sins abide in the conscience and have consequences in this world, in my flesh, in my mind and in my spirit. To free us God had to deal with “sin” and “sins” as well as man’s relationship to the law.

So what has God done about this wretched situation? Did He destroy sin so that it no longer exists? Did He destroy the law so that it has passed away? Did He change His mind about what is right and what is wrong? Has God decided to have fellowship with sins? Does God no longer mind if His children live like demons as long as they have clear consciences? Rom. 6:2, God forbid! How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer therein?” Notice sin did not die but we died to it. Rom. 6:6, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” God placed us in Christ and we were crucified together. Our flesh died with His so that the power sin held over it might be brought to nothing.

Furthermore, Jesus’ identification with us did not stop there, but we were also raised together with Him so that we share the same spiritual life and righteousness He has. God has placed the life of Jesus in our spirit so that we may bear the image of the last Adam just as we have borne the image of the first. God gave us this Life and righteousness in an earthen vessel and because that vessel, although purchased, has not yet received the fullness of the resurrection, sin remains in the flesh and must be overcome. God’s intention is that this Life would be the source of our power over sin through our walking in fellowship and relationship with Him. Rom. 6:11-18, “… reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but yield yourselves unto God as those who are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid! Know ye not the to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness.” This clearly indicates the believer has a choice to either yield to the promptings of sin in his flesh or to rule over it by yielding the body to the promptings of God.

Man’s problem was that he could not justify himself through the law because of the weakness of his flesh. Therefore what the law could not do, God did by sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin. God has condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness that the law demands might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit (Rom. 8:3-4). Therefore, again, the law did not die for the law of God is good and righteous and true, but we have become dead to the law (Rom. 7:4) and are to no longer try to use it as a means of obtaining righteousness. Rom. 3:20, Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Trying to keep the law through human effort actually stirs up sin and leaves us under the curse.

Why then must the law be removed as man’s means for salvation? Rom. 4:13-16, “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect. Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed…” If it is by works then only the strong will make it. But the law has proven that none of us are strong enough so it is by grace so all may receive the promise.

So we died in Christ both to sin and to the law of our own works and have been also raised up in Him with His very own life in us. Now we are made righteous with His own righteousness and “…old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” Because of the gift of righteousness, we have become the temple of God and what was impossible under the law because of sin, has now become a reality for us: in that He has given us His Spirit to dwell in us. His own presence within us now empowers us to walk in the flesh without being sin’s slave.

The knowledge of God’s acceptance of Christ’s blood in the heavenly holy of holies has purged our conscience of dead works, restoring our innocence and fellowship with God. We can now walk in the nature of God instead of the nature of sin. Since we have switched fathers, we can do the good works preordained by God for us to walk in. We are no longer under the law but are under grace. However grace is not an excuse for sins but a deliverance from their power because we know and believe in the love God has for us. Confessing our sins is not a way of changing God’s mind about us, it is the means of our cleansing our conscience from the power and control of sin and death through guilt. Know this: if I can make you guilty, then I can control your life through fear. But if through faith in Christ’s blood and the love of God, you can free yourself from the power of guilt and the torment of fear, then sin cannot control you. Keeping the law cannot do this for us. Only faith has the power to change our behavior from within by our obedience to love and the working of the Holy Spirit.

2010-06-30T22:30:00.002-04:00

Rebellion and Submission by Marietjie Chase

Before we can consider rebellion and submission we have to have a look at authority.

Authority in the Old Testament was rule, reign, govern, to have dominion as in Genesis 1:18 where it is said that the sun have rule/dominion over the day and the moon have rule/dominion over the night. In the New Testament the word is excousia meaning the right, liberty, permission, allowed, ability and jurisdiction. John 1:12

There are true authority and false authority, also called usurped authority. Like with all the enemy's counterfeits, it takes discernment, humility and a heart tuned to the Holy Spirit to discern the difference. I did not list a thorough knowledge of the Bible since the interpretation of the scriptures are used by both true and false authority. Malachi 3:17-18 , Colosians 2:4, 1Thesselonians 1:5, 2Timothy 2:15.

All true authority comes from God. It is received from God as Jesus said that "all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me." Matthew 28:18 There is no such thing as taking authority or assuming authority in the Kingdom of God. Authority is always received from above. False authority is taken not received. John 19:11, Romans 13.

There is no hierarchy of authority in the New Testament. No person has the dominion over another person. We have been given authority over the enemy and all his works, over the earth, over sin but not over one another. Genesis1:26&28, Psalms 8:6, Romans 6:12, Luke 10:19 Jesus is the head of the Church, His body, and the government is upon His shoulders. Jesus is the head of every individual and there is no "Moses" needed to go between each of us and Jesus. We are a Kingdom of kings and priests. Jesus is the only High Priest, the only Chief Shepard, the only head of this church. Any form of church government that gives pre-eminence to men rather than Jesus is unbiblical. Matthew 4:10, 6:24, 2Corinthians 1:24, 1Peter 4:11, Revelations1:6

So how does true New Testament Authority looks like? Like Jesus.

He is a servant-leader. He laid down His life for the Church. He loves us and proves His love by giving His all. He is totally submitted to God the Father and in that He is so submitted, was given authority. John 12:49, 14:10 He was submitted to His early parents and yet was about His "Father's business." Jesus never demanded His rights. He never pitch a fit when His plans was frustrated. He never handled the word of God or the gift of God deceitfully. He allowed those who followed Him to leave, if they so chose and loved them anyway. Yet, he stood up to the religious crowd and did not let them kill Him before God's time. Elders/overseers are to serve, not being served. Deacons are to serve, not being served. Husbands are to serve, not being served, Parents are to serve, not being served. This in itself is a good test of true authority. Is this a loving caring, serving person or are they harsh, demanding and lording it over the people? ( Philippians 2:5-8; Ephesians 5:25-27; Matthew 20:23-26, 23:1-12; Colosians 1:25)

Once authority is confirmed to be true, God-given authority in the Spirit and attitude of Jesus, what should our response be? There is only two responses to true Biblical, God-given, God-ordained authority: submission or rebellion.

Rebellion comes in many ways and is not always apparent. James Dobson, in his books about child-rearing, speaks about the rebellion of the passive aggressive youngster, that needs to be brought into the open so that it can be dealt with. There is passive-aggressive rebellion in all of us. Ex. When the speed limit is 65 and we go 75 to "keep up with the traffic". Some cannot obey any posted sign. When a sign says "Do not park in the drive way" something makes them park there.

This is not to be confused with those gifted individuals who thinks outside of the box. Thanks to these God-given talents, we have many inventions that ease our life. There are also the person who sees the ridiculous in anything and makes us laugh.

What is rebellion then? Rebellion is the heart attitude or posture against what God has given, said or established. It is doing it "my-way". It is rejecting God's plan, God's way and seeking to establish your own. It is knowing to do right but willfully choosing to disobey. Isaiah 14:13-14 (American Standard Version) " And thou saidst in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit upon the mount of congregation, in the uttermost parts of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." Romans 10:3, Ephesians 3:1-3, 2 Kings 17:15, Jeremiah 18:12, Hosea 4:8, Mark 7:9

I Samuel 15:23 says that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. Dave Wilkerson says that "the witchcraft of rebellion begins with a little root of bitterness! " and " ends in a lack of reverence for Jesus! Acts 8: 18-23 and Matt 21. (http://www.tscpulpitseries.org/english/1990s/ts900305.html)

Rebellion in wanting to be a spiritual "mover and shaker" without submitting to God, without paying the price but taking a shortcut. We have seen a flood of rebellion against God and His word in recent years. There are strange and extra-Biblical doctrines and some re-writing scripture to the advantage of their own pet-doctrine, pressing the truth to extremes. Romans 10:3, Nehemiah 9:16-18, John 7:16-18, Colosians 2:18-23

The spirit of pride and arrogance thrives in the rebellious. It is very much a heart attitude of a stiff neck and unyielding mind. Rebellious people seldom listens and is not easy to be entreated. Rebellion fains submission to get its own way. It does not know what mutual submission means and are afraid of it. Most rebels lack an understanding of God's agape-love and are riddled with fear. A rebellious spirit will always spark competition since there is no humility in it. It is filled with, what one precious intercessor calls, the spirit of "yahbut". It cannot be corrected since it will agree that it is at fault and then follow it with "Yah but..." and a deluge of words defending the position. Rebellion do not know true repentance and the apology will be insincere and surface. 2Timothy 2:24-26, Colosians 3:11-13, James 3:16, 2 Peter 2:9-11.

A rebellious person lacks the courage to do what is required and finds a way to make it easier on his/herself. There is a fear of men to the point of desperation and the biggest crisis is public humiliation. A rebellious person always has his or her own agenda. Watchmen Nee wrote in his book on Spiritual Authority that when one enters a meeting or church fellowship, to discern who the authority is and to submit to them. This is a heart attitude of submission. It is an attitude of preferring one another above ourselves.

God's Plan or how He desire for us to respond to God-given authority: Submission.

Submission (hupotasso) means to get under and lift up, or to put in order. Submission does not mean, "to obey." The Greek word for "obey/obedience" is hupakoe, which means to listen to or to harken to. Submission (hupotasso) means to get under and lift up, yield, to arrange in order, to place oneself at the disposition of. It can also be a military term referring to the equal sharing of tasks, to support, to fulfill one's part of the assignment. Another good definition is, “To come along side as to give meaning.”

Submission says: " I have faith in God to be who He said He is and to do what He says he'll do". Submission says: " I will not fear but trust." Submission says: " I can forgive because i am forgiven". Submission says:" I need you as you need me".

Submit to God, resist the devil and he shall flee from you. Submission is an attitude of humility that says: I am dependent upon you. I can submit to God and the enemy flees because I am not standing in my own strength and pride and arrogance. I am submitted to God, dependant upon God and my life and interwoven with His. When we truly inter submit our common strength increases. The Bible says one can put a 1000 to flight but two put 10 000 to flight. Trust, love, humility, forgiveness, freedom and unity is found in the hearts of those with a submissive attitude.

Biblical submission does not mean, hiding who you are so that someone else can take over your life. It is not allowing bullies to rob and abuse you. It is not letting someone else living your life for you. It is not subordination, nor slavery. It is not placing someone over you in the place of God. It is said that Sarah called Abraham lord but it is a term of respect not of slavery.

The New Testament says in Ephesians 5:22 Submit to one another. To that Paul adds that wives are to submit to husbands, children obey their parents, and slaves obey their masters . Volitional submission is required from all Christians. Interestingly, the original Greek reads, “Wives to your own husband...” The verb understood from verse 21, rather than stated should be “Subjecting yourselves to one another, wives to your own husbands.” However most English translations do not show a connection between these two sentences. The pre-eminent New Testament concept of submission deals with mutual respect. It never conveys the loss of one's right to make choices. It’s a compatible rapport of interdependence with another person – one that promotes complimentary harmony, partnership, and admiration. Paul viewed marriage as a reciprocal proposal, “ONE TO ANOTHER,” and “in like manner,” which means a mutually loving sacrifice, not domestic tyranny. When submission is no longer voluntary then it becomes obedience – and that’s a different “word” entirely. God didn’t tell wives to “obey” anyone but God. Only children are to obey -- their parents. Married partners submit; -- that command is to submit to each other -- “as to the Lord.” 1Corinthians 7:4, John 13:34,

Because of misinterpretation and misapplication of scripture the church have taught in the past and some still do, that submission means the lack of opinion, the silence of opposition or difference and absence of debate. Mark 7:9 The New Testament does not teach this. The Unity of the Spirit is not something we arrive at because one person makes the decisions and the others follow. Ephesians 4, Phillipians 2:1-3 That is a kingdom or a fiefdom and that is not what New Testament submission means. We are all co-laborers and we all obey God, His Word and His Holy Spirit. When we elevate a person to be our "Boss" or our King we usurp God's position in our lives. This is idolatry. The purpose of submission is not for one person to be designated as superior “dictator and boss” with another as inferior. We are not to place anyone in the place of our only Lord, Jesus Christ. No husband, father, church leader or political leader deserves that place. We revere, worship and obey only One and that is God, through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are never to put ourselves in bondage to another human, but in genuine agape (God given sacrificial love) we submit to one another. 1 Peter 5:5, Galatians 5:1& 13, 1 Peter 2:16 & 18-19, Romans 12:5-17.

We have missed the full manifestation of the church of Jesus Christ because we cannot see the truth about submission. We cannot comprehend a true plurality of inter-submitted leadership and so go borrow the world's business model for church, at worst, or the Old Testament levitical system of priesthood, at best. We cannot function properly in the Kingdom of God without submission. Galatians 5:13, 1Corinthians 12:24-26, Ephesians 4, Titus1:5,

What happens when we misunderstand submission? We strip ourselves of our God-given role in His purpose and plan. Our submission to God gets sagwayed into submission to a man or ministry. We disobey God since we do not fulfill our destiny and His plan for our life. We enable the flesh of our "boss" in that they receive authority not given to them by God and so we partake of their downfall. Misunderstood submission has caused as much trouble in the church as domineering leaders have. Galatians 5:1, 1Corinthians 7:23, Romans 6,2 Peter 2:19

The Bible (John 13 :3-4) says that Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. It is when we are secure in our identity and purpose in God that we are at liberty to serve, and submit one to another.

2010-06-01T16:58:00.005-04:00

Marriage Vows by Marietjie Chase

Because we just celebrated our twenty third anniversary, because our oldest son (Steve's son from BC) is getting married this weekend and because I came across our wedding video this past Sunday and watched some of it, my mind has been on Marriage Vows. We were so young, so innocent. How little did we know. I can remember that I did not really care about what the preacher said or what the ceremony was like. I had a pretty dress and was getting married. I was in a hurry to start our life together.

But with maturity comes understanding. I now understand that God takes vows serious, even if you take them in ignorance. He is a covenant keeping God. Remember the Gibeons that tricked Joshua into making a covenant with them and then Joshua did not keep the covenant. David, the man after God’s heart, later came and rectified this. The Bible says not to swear falsly and if you promised something, even if it is to your own hurt, that you should keep the promise. Marriage vows is a covenant.

This covenant is not only between husband and wife. It is also between husband, wife and God. And so the Bible says that a threefold cord is not easily broken. But this covenant is not only between husband, wife and God but also includes every child that is brought to life by this union. The generations to come will be blessed by those who keep covenant and will be cursed from those who break covenant.

The Bible says in Malachi that God hates divorce. There is few things that is put as plainly as this to tell us what God hates and abhores. It is clear that divorce can never be an option for those who seek to please God.

So in the light of all this would a marriage covenant, marriage vows that reads like this, be better?

Minister to both Groom and Bride: “Do you both promise to place God and His word first in your individual lives and in your marriage?”

Bride and Groom: “I do” and “I do”

Minister to the Groom: Do you,......, promise before God and all these witnesses, to take ,......, as your wife, to forsake your father and mother and cleave to her, to love her, to cherish her and to lay your life down for her, even as Jesus Christ gave Himself for the Church; for as long as you both shall live.”

Groom: “I do”

Minister to the Bride: “Do you, ....., promise before God and all these witnesses, to take, ......, as your husband, to honor him, to respect him, to adapt yourself to him and to submit to him even as the Church submit to Jesus Christ; for as long as you both shall live.”

Bride: “I do”

Maybe we can prevent some divorces by changing how the marriages start.

2010-05-05T16:47:00.002-04:00

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.

2010-05-05T16:45:00.002-04:00

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.

2010-04-07T08:57:00.003-04:00

Great Awakening: Is a new one taking place outside the West?
By Ken Camp
Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Members of a Messianic Jewish congregation in Almaty, Kazakhstan, worship at a Saturday-evening service.

DALLAS (ABP) -- Some observers of religion assert a socially transforming spiritual movement is sweeping the globe, resulting in 82,000 conversions to Christianity a day. But only 6,000 of them are in Europe and North America.
"I believe we are in the midst of a great spiritual awakening. But when it's mentioned in the United States, it's generally met with blank stares, because it's not happening here," said Jim Denison, president of the Center for Informed Faith, based in Dallas.

Denison, theologian-in-residence with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, believes "there is a Fifth Great Awakening occurring in our world today."

Some historians debate whether two, three or four awakenings have occurred previously, and Denison has no interest in splitting hairs over the number. He's more concerned about why it's happening now in the developing world and not in Western Europe and North America.

Common conditions
In a nutshell, he sees two conditions common to previous awakenings -- concentrated prayer and a tremendous sense of desperation.
"In the United States, we're not desperate enough -- at least, not yet," he said. "We live in a culture that views God as a hobby."

Rebecca Niogotsi (center) and other members of Sharon Baptist Church in Pampierstad, South Africa sing and dance outside after worship..

Spiritual awakenings "always seem to start in small groups," church historian Alan Lefever observed, noting that spiritual movements often begin in Bible study groups or small prayer groups.

But the groups of Christians don't stay small. When the First Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s swept through colonial America, altars filled with penitent sinners who responded to the appeals of George Whitefield and to sermons such as Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." Some historians assert up to 80 percent of the colonial population became identified with a Christian church during the period.

During the Second Great Awakening of the early 1800s, Baptists and Methodists in the United States doubled in size, Lefever noted.

"The numbers say something significant happened," said Lefever, director of the Texas Baptist Historical Collection. Spiritual awakening results in increased religious interest, and that is reflected in numerical growth, he said.

Social transformation
Positive societal change also marks genuine spiritual awakening, Lefever noted.

"In the Second Great Awakening, bars closed, and houses of ill repute shut their doors," he said, adding the change in moral climate generally was not legislated. "People quit going to those places."

Denison similarly points to two marks that distinguish spiritual awakening from localized revival: "Awakening is an enduring movement, as opposed to a single specific event. And awakening is a spiritual movement that produces social transformation. It's across society, not just in a single community."

Clearly, the First Great Awakening and the Second Great Awakening met both criteria. Beyond that, historians and students of spiritual awakening lack consensus.

Some church historians trace the beginnings of a Third Great Awakening to the businessmen's prayer movement that produced 1 million Christian converts in 1858. During the Civil War, about 100,000 soldiers came to faith in Christ.

Others claim the Third Great Awakening began in the late 1800s and ushered in the Progressive Era and the Social Gospel movement. Social reforms such as child-labor laws and the anti-alcohol movement grew out of that atmosphere.

The spiritual movement that swept through Wales in 1904 may have been a continuation of that awakening. Or, according to some experts, it may have been a Fourth Great Awakening.

Other observers assert a Fourth Great Awakening occurred in the mid-20th century, beginning with the youth revival movement after World War II and continuing through the rise of the Jesus Movement and charismatic renewal.

Two former Muslims pray to Jesus in Nairobi, Kenya.

Hunger for justice
Count evangelical social activist Jim Wallis among that group. And he believes the time is ripe for another socially transforming spiritual movement in the United States.
"I regard the black church's leadership of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s as another 'great awakening' of faith that changed politics," he writes in The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post-Religious Right America.
Wallis stresses the link between spiritual renewal and social justice.

"Two of the great hungers in our world today are the hunger for spirituality and the hunger for social justice," Wallis writes. "The connection between the two is the one the world is waiting for, especially the new generation. And the first hunger will empower the second."

Wallis points out that, during 19th century American evangelist Charles Finney's altar calls, when new converts expressed their faith in Christ, he also enlisted them to work for the abolition of slavery.

Justice Revivals
Wallis hopes a series of what he's calling "Justice Revivals" can recapture that marriage of spiritual dynamism and social justice. The first citywide event, involving more than 40 churches in Columbus, Ohio, birthed church-based employment services in areas plagued by poverty and unemployment, he noted.

Another Justice Revival scheduled Nov. 10-12 in Dallas has been endorsed by churches across the theological and political spectrum, including leaders of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Dallas Baptist Association and Dallas Baptist University.

Organizers hope the event will inspire at least 200 churches to create partnerships with public schools and advocate for 700 new permanent housing units for the city's homeless population.

Both aspects -- spiritual grounding in prayer and worship, along with concrete acts of social justice -- are essential, Wallis noted.
"Apart from the accountability of a commitment to social justice, spirituality can too easily become narcissistic. It can become spirituality as a commodity serving only me," Wallis explained in an interview.

"On the other hand, social activism that exists without it being grounded in spiritual soil can degenerate into despair that leads to frustration, anger, hatred and even violence."

Reflecting on Denison's observation about prayer and desperation being conditions common to previous awakenings, Wallis suggested desperation exists in the United States, and prayers have been offered, but the two have not been wedded.

"Maybe we haven't been praying about the things we ought to be desperate about," he said.

An evangelical church in Nairobi, Kenya, attracts thousands of worshipers every Sunday.

No easy recipe
While students of revivals believe certain conditions lead to genuine spiritual movements, they emphasize great awakenings cannot be manufactured.
In the United States, nothing in the 20th century -- or so far in the 21st century -- has matched the early great awakenings, Lefever observed. He believes in part the tendency of over-analysis -- "dissecting how the Lord is moving" -- may have played a role.

"No one in the middle of a spiritual awakening ever says it is a spiritual awakening," he said.

But in recent decades, some Christians have been so quick to try to replicate results and find a formula for spiritual success that they may have squelched genuine renewal, he asserted.

"We want cookie-cutter everything. If XYZ works in one church, we think anybody who does it will have the same results," Lefever said.

Different cultures
Perhaps even the way spiritual awakening is defined should be reexamined.

The social transformation that accompanies renewal in one part of the world may look totally different on the other side of the globe, Baptist World Alliance General Secretary Neville Callam said.

The "ripples are easier to see" in some societies than in others, he noted.

"We cannot tell God how to operate," Callam said.

Whether they ultimately will be seen as great awakenings may best be judged in hindsight, but unmistakably, the church is "on fire" and experiencing tremendous growth in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America, he noted.

In Argentina and Brazil, young people have been the first to embrace the movement of the Holy Spirit, he pointed out, suggesting perhaps they feel less apprehension than their elders about the negative baggage of Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement.
"We do not need to fear the Spirit," Callam said. "After all, is he not the third person of the Trinity?"

Ken CampThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it is managing editor of the Texas Baptist Standard.

--
Edmund C. de la Cour, Jr.
First Baptist Church of Pocasset
Post Office Box 1080
Pocasset, MA 02559
Church: 508-563-3164
Fax: 508-563-3020
http://www.pocassetbaptist.org/

2010-04-07T08:49:00.001-04:00

Pursue The GROOM by Marietjie Chase

There is a need for the Church/Bride of Christ to be reconciled to the Groom. It is frustrating when you do all that you know how and He still does not respond. That is why many have walked away from organised religion. What is the answer to this?? STOP the pursuit of all the other things and pursue the Groom...!!!

" When we become people of one thing, we are not easily offended by the Lord,..... We are not quickly alienated by distrust for His motives. ..... By being people of one thing, we help to immunize our hearts against that sense of betrayal the enemy would like us to buy into. " Mike Bickle in After God's Own Heart.

Abiding in the Vine, Jesus said, for without Me you can do nothing. I would push it a bit and say if we are not abiding in Him, if it is NOT Christ in you the hope of glory, then we ARE nothing. The BEING comes first. We cannot be by doing but we can do because of who we are.

When we become intimate in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ by the power and ability of the Holy Spirit, His seed in us procreate according to it's own kind. It will bring forth the fruit of the Holy Spirit and change us from one degree of glory into another.

It is NOT by our own effort. We cannot make ourself into His image any more than a flower can make itself red, yellow or blue. It IS not of ourselves so that we can boast and become pharisees condescending upon others glorying in our own ellevation. It is as we pursue Him, when our entire attention is focused upon Him and the glory that He has starts to reflect of off our faces that we become the dwelling place of God's presense.

Paul said that he no longer judge himself. This is what he was talking about. Our hearts, minds, will and emotions... our very being... gets so wrapped up in the beauty and splendor of the KING that we loose the importance of our self and our own little agenda.

When we can unite not in our agreement in doctrine or methods or common enemy but by the magnificence of our common Lord and King. When we behold His beauty and our eyes are turned to Him as we adore Him and open our lives and hearts for Him; we are truely His Bride.

"AND the things of this earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."

2009-12-20T14:59:00.000-05:00

A New Generation - Marietjie Chase

When David accepted the challenge to go kill the giant, Saul tried to fit David into his own suit of armor. It did not fit. David did not fit Saul's mold. Remember Saul was "the-peoples-choice". There is again a Davidic spirit released in the people of God. There are those who have been building a history with God on the back pasture, where they learn to trust Him and are not poluted with man's way of doing things. These people, young and old, male and female, from every race, tongue and nation are again crying out; " Is there not a cause?!!!"

They do not fit the mold. These people do not share the same spirit of fear that now makes christians cower and bow to the forces of evil. These are not schooled in the ways of religion and as a matter of fact have no use for religion. What makes them different is that they know God. They truely know God and will not be convinced to believe the lies about Him that are preached. They are convinced of the greatness of their God and know that God have not gone to sleep. They are not afraid of the challenges and will not go silently into the night. They will not be quiet. They will not bow to man's ways and the flesh.

They are not aware of or ignore the "older-brother" spirit that comes against them because their focus is on pleasing God. They have layed aside the fear of men. They have laid aside the concerns for this life. They have laid aside the affects of the systems of this world. They have wasted their lives...on Jesus.

These are the ones who are building a new dwelling place for God. These are the ones who have turned to focus one ONE THING only: GOD!!

2009-10-22T08:47:00.001-04:00

LOVE - AGAPE

God is Love John 4: 8
Jesus Commands us to love God and love people as ourselves. John 15:12, 17 and 13:34

Love- agape is a self sacrificing type of love. Love that is found only in God and through God. The love of God. A Charity. A giving, benevolent love. God so love the world that He gave...

Let us love one another for love is from God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows, experience God. The one who does not love like this does not know God.

God gave us an example, a demonstration of this kind of love when He gave His Son to pay the penalty, punishment for the sins and mistakes of the entire world. If God loves like this and we call ourselves children, sons of God, then we ought to love like this as well. When we love we are doing what God does and He is in us and works through us. Because we know and believe that God loves us, we are part of God and His love for us and in us, can love like He does. When we find ourselves loving in this benevolent, self-giving way, it is prove of God living inside of us and of us living and existing in God. By this, love as a way of living, we become God's ambassador's, God's representation in this world. John 15:13

There is NO fear in love. Fear includes punishment, but love has NO punishment. Living in Love is better than prophecy, more excellent than any spiritual gift. It is a fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Love is the vehicle, instrument, channel for Faith and without love faith is ineffective. There is NO slavery in Love but we willingly serve as slaves to one another because of love and in this we fulfill the entire law. Love never ends and will continue into eternity.

How do we love one another? By obeying God. Those who love and obey God also love those who are born of God. Jesus demonstratyed His love for God, the Father, through His obedience. John 15:10 and 14 : 31.

I John 2 through 5; Romans 8:28, 37-39; II Corinthians 5:14, I Corinthians 12:31 though 13:13; Ephesians 5: 1-2 and 5: 25; Romans 13:8; Galasians 5:6 and 22

2009-09-27T11:46:00.000-04:00

A revealing God. by Bob Mumford http://www.lifechangers.org/

The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin. Exodus 34:6,7

Because God is a Spirit we cannot see or know Him unless He chooses to reveal Himself. God once let Moses see part of Himself. Moses had asked to see God’s glory, which would be to see all of who God is. God explained to Moses that anyone who saw all of His glory would die. What a way to go! However, He let Moses see a specific aspect of His glory that He most wanted us to know.

What God showed Moses was the essence, or the very heart, of His character. I like to call this God’s DNA. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the material inside the nucleus of all living cells that carries genetic information. DNA predetermines inexorably most of the physical, mental, and personality characteristics of offspring. God’s DNA determines everything He does and contains the code to understanding who He is. God could have shown Moses His power and greatness, but He wanted Him to know the deepest part of His heart – the “real” Him.

If you want to truly know and understand Who God is, then become familiar with these seven strands of God’s DNA:

➢ Compassion

➢ Grace

➢ Slow to anger

➢ Mercy

➢ Truth

➢ Faithfulness

➢ Forgiveness of iniquity, transgression, and sin.

Our journey up the Agape Road means being willing to be transformed by God’s DNA until it becomes our DNA. One of the most difficult things about God’s DNA is learning to receive and enjoy it. Our nature wants to earn, perform, and do religious things to gain His blessing because in our religious activity we are really trying to control Him. My primary goal in writing this book is to increase your capacity to receive the love of God, to expand your experience in loving Him, and to see His love for others cultivated in you. We all have ideas about how we want God to love us – I challenge you to allow God to love you the way He wants to!

Christ came as a living picture of God’s DNA. The only way the world can see God’s hidden nature or what He is actually like is in a living Person, Jesus Christ. In this age, the only visible repository of that DNA is in His people who have learned to walk the Agape Road.

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

Let’s look more closely at the seven aspects of God’s personality:

Compassion is the quality of understanding the suffering and weakness of others and wanting to do something about it. Compassion is more than pity or empathy; it is an inward affection and tender mercy. The Greek word from which compassion is derived means literally “from the bowels,” denoting the seat of emotions, inner parts, or belly. It is a visceral heart reaction.

Graciousness or grace is the very source of understanding God’s Person. It means to find favor, kindly, friendly, benevolent, courteous, disposed to show or dispense grace and forgive offenses, and to impart unmerited blessings. In the Bible, it is usually used of God in His relationship to the sins and shortcoming of humanity.

Slow to anger (longsuffering) is fortitude, forbearance, or patience. It means it really takes strenuous effort to get God ticked off! Most of us think God as edgy and slightly irritated with the way we mess up, hence our continual need to apologize for every little misstep. Few distortions of God’s person are as pervasive, subtle, or numbing as this one.

Mercy is tenderness of heart and actions in which God looks past what is wrong in us and treats us better than we deserve. The Hebrew word is hesed, which means loving-kindness, steadfast love, loyalty, and faithfulness. It is compassion or forgiveness shown towards an enemy or person in one’s power. Mercy is compassion in action. Mercy is taking notice of one in need.

Truth is conformity with fact or reality. The word also implies that which can be trusted to be steady and unchanging. Jesus said He is the Truth. Truth is a Person–One who shows us ultimate reality and can always be trusted to be the same.

Faithfulness is fixed, determined love, to be kept, guarded, watched over, and preserved. It is steadfastness, firm adherence to truth and duty, true to the facts or the original, allegiance, careful to observe all compacts, treaties, contracts, or vows, true to one’s word. Faithfulness means that God will always do what He said and fulfill what He promised. This is a kind of faithfulness that does not come from a feeling but from God’s determination to stick by us no matter what. He was so serious about it that He swore an oath and gave us His word that He would never change. Therefore, He has no choice but to show us mercy!

Forgiving means pardoning, remitting, disposed to forgive, and inclined to overlook offense, mild, merciful, and compassionate as a forgiving temperament. God pardons us when He could and should give judgment. God, as Father, took care of all our failures in His Son, Jesus. God forgives because it is His character. He forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin. This includes every kind of sin, not only what we do, but even who we are.

These seven things are not what Father God does but who He is. Receiving the Father as He is self-revealed and wants to be known is the first step on the Agape Road.

QUESTIONS AND THOUGHTS

• How has Jesus shown Himself to you as having God’s nature?

• Think of someone who has hurt or offended you and write a prayer using these qualities.

• Describe how your relationships might be changed if these were practiced.

• When Moses asked to see God’s glory, what do you think he was expecting?

• When we speak of seeing God’s glory today, what do you think we mean by that?

• How do you think God expresses His DNA towards you?

2009-08-16T14:23:00.003-04:00

Five Fold Hierarchy Heresy

.....As God has called you, live up to your calling. Accept life with humility and patience, generously making allowances for each other because you love each other. Make it your aim to be at one in the Spirit, and you will be bound together in peace. .... Ephesians 4:4-6

We ought to question anything that brings a spirit of division into the Body of Christ/ Kingdom/ Church/ Bride of Christ. We are all ONE. We need One Another. We are all ONE body, many members but ONE body. If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it.... and if one member is honored, all members rejoice with it... there is a more excellent way .... seek Love: Agape.

Ephesians 4:11 are jobs ( job descriptions) not titles. Some He gave a function, or "being" to be.... These are not titles or honors or medals or awards or a system. This was never meant to be some christian pyramid system of control and honor. There is no Levitical priesthood hierarchy in the New Testament. We are ALL kings and priests but our functions, roles and purposes in the Kingdom differs. We are all to humble ourselves and submit to one another. The authority of the believer is not over people, but over the works of the enemy.

The "five-fold" heresy comes from one single verse pulled out of context. Paul could have gone on and extend his list to helps, mercy etc. He was speaking of the Body being one and each one given a gift of grace or grace according to the gift of Christ...He gave gifts to men... as examples of these Paul mentions the five following gifts. There is no implication or hint that this is a hierarchy or system or an "authority" structure. To infer this from this passage is heresy.

Continue to read the rest of the chapter.. or book... It is clear that the whole Body has to grow up and mature with Christ as the head. From the head each part is directly connected and receive life to grow by the proper functioning of each individual part. V25 ... let each man..., for we are all parts of the same body... Here Paul is still continuing on his theme of One-ness.

I Corinthians 12.. again is about the One-ness of the Body of Christ. The gifts listed here are different from the Eph 4 list. So why not call it an eight-fold ministry.

In Romans 12, the passage actually starts out with (verse 3) a warning against the conceited arrogance now so rampant in the Body of Christ. Be humble. But here these "gifts" listed are actually called functions. And the list contains, prophecy and teaching... If we read the entire chapter, it is not about establishing some pecking order but simply to say that we have gifts that differ and that we are all One and must submit to one another in brotherly love,... give preference to one another in honor...

If Eph 4, I Cor 12 and Rom 12 were meant to establish an authority structure, God would have said so, clearly. He has no problem giving Moses very detailed instructions about the first Levitical priesthood... that ; by the way; is a thing of the past. Also the list of gifts would have been the same. It never says anywhere in the New Testament that all are under the authority of a certain gift. It is simply not there. It does say that ALL, that means everyone, needs to function in their gifting, while submitting to one another. There is NO longer a human mediator or authority. We are all face-to-face before God through Jesus Christ.

Do I propagate anarchy in the church? NO, instead the opposite. All in humility and love (agape) submitting to one another. We are all on even plane before God. I Cor 12 says plainly that an eye is an eye and an ear is an ear, both needed and important, both submitted to each other and the one not under or over the other in authority or control.

The only offices in the church are on a congregational level. One for the spiritual well being of the Body and one for the physical well being of the Body. The offices of elders/overseers and deacons are explained in Acts 6. Deacons [gr.diakonos: those who labor in the dust] are the physical servants of the congregation. Elders/ overseers are those who minister the word and devote themselves to prayer.

The instruction to submit to one another is in the same spirit and flow of the rest of the New Testament. The law of liberty of life in Christ Jesus made us free from the law of sin and death; Not so that we can run around and get ourselves entangled again in some sort of man made slavery, or into all kinds of sin and lust, but so that we can now have the power and ability to complete our God ordained destiny. Submit to God and one another by the power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ and fulfill your purpose and function in the Kingdom of God.

2009-07-30T22:09:00.002-04:00

What is "Born Again"? by Marietjie Chase

Prior to being Born Again a human is a dual/two-part being. The spirit- human spirit- though present, is dormant, inactive, dead. And if the human is indeed a spirit who lives in a body and have a soul; then those who are NOT born into the Kingdom of God, born of the Holy Spirit, then they are indeed dead.

At the moment of " New Birth" our human spirit comes to life and we take our first breath of the HOLY SPIRIT. The instant this happens, we become like God, a trinity/ a three-part-being, created in His image to be in fellowship with HIM. We are new creations. We are born from above. We have abilities, gifts and life(zoe) that does not end with body and soul. We have a whole being, not just two thirds.

Growing up into all God wants/purposed us to be is the Salvation of the Soul. After we receive new life in our spirit, we are now equipped for the process of Salvation of the Soul. Our Body is now the servant and not the master. We begin the task of re-ordering our lives. The body has to become subject to the spirit, through the soul. The soul having submitted itself to our spirit. (the human spirit albeit now filled and glowing with the life and spirit of God)

Our spirit is the God part in us. In Genesis, God breathed His Spirit/breath into Adam and he became a living soul. After the fall/sin in Eden, the Spirit of God withdrew from humans, making man the living dead. Since the soul has no "spirit" to submit to in this state, it takes it's cue from the physical body, to care for, please and serve it. The flesh grows in it's demands, since lust is never satisfied. Legitimate needs and pleasures given the wrong place becomes lust. This is the flesh: when soul serves this body instead of this body serving soul and spirit.

The will of man, that is seated in the soul, makes decisions aided by the mind and emotions. It really does not matter what agency - mind or emotions- brings the convincing. The beauty of God's design in humans is that even the retard, the brain dead, the 'dog' have emotions. Reaching the will through the mind may be more feasible in Western Society or the Orient but when you deal with Africa, or the Islands of the sea or less educated societies, (where the mind has not been elevated to the point of idolatry) the emotions becomes the avenue to the will. Once the will is reached, a decision, by the will, is made to either accept or reject Jesus Christ and His sacrifice and in the process either accept or reject God's New Covenant.

When the will makes this decision and it is uttered through the voice using the breath and physical body, the Spirit of God enters the spirit of the human and life ( zoe) results. This person who receives this life(zoe) will never die. This human spirit, once made alive will never die. It cannot be made "un-born" or "un-alive" anymore. So, the people who never accepted God's offer of LIFE are dead and if their physical bodies die in this state, they will NEVER live(zoe). If they are made alive, they will never die. In this life, this existence, we have the opportunity to spread the LIFE of God.

He that has the SON ( Jesus) has the life (zoe). He that does not have the Son does not have life. If you believe in Me(Jesus), you will live(zoe) though you will die( this bios).

For those who are not born again, whose spirits are dead and who are in enmity to God, this life in this earth is ALL they have. For those who are born again it is just a part- a passing through - a sojourn; just a small part in a so-much-better, so-much-better whole. No wonder the flesh - those whose souls serve and cater to the body- are in enmity to God. It is the boss, spoiled, over -indulged and now it knows that when the spirit is quickened/ born again, that the body will become the servant; no longer pampered, but now disciplined.

The soul is in discomfort since the pattern, habit, status quo has been disrupted. Catering to the flesh, has it's reward for the soul, yet the posture of worship to God through the spirit is foreign. Change is resisted since humans are basically lazy. Laziness and change does not co-exist.

Pre-New Birth - Born-Again- B/C (Before Christ) nothing really matters. It does not matter what you do. You will damage your body and soul and make it less useful but in the scope of eternity it does not matter. Once you are Born Again, you are starting to build, to live eternity. Everything has meaning. Nothing is wasted. Everything has value.

There is only two kinds of people walking this earth: the living dead and the living living. Those who does not have the life of God in them are dead while they live. Those who have the life of God in them will never die though their bodies may stop functioning.

2009-06-20T09:28:00.004-04:00

Kingdom Principles by Marietjie Chase

For the past few days, I have been meditating on Kingdom Principles: stuff that should be obvious but are not.

In the Kosmos if you want to become wiser, bigger, richer or better, it depends on how much you can take in or add to your life. You labor to take in knowledge, money, food, honor, etc. In the Kingdom of God you grow and mature by what you give out. Give money and lay up for yourself treasures in Heaven. Give energy and worship and prayer and grow in your intimacy with God and knowledge of Him. Give ministry and service and grow in your stature as an ambassador of the Kingdom.

Often what happens in the Natural/Kosmos precedes the same thing happening in the spiritual/Kingdom of God but often the opposite is required. When the Kosmos is moving in one direction, the Kingdom of God is often moving in the direct opposite direction. Right now the whole world/Kosmos is moving toward a "one-world" system. It is becoming one centralized, connected, interactive, interdependent unit. The word of the Lord and direction of the Holy Spirit for the Kingdom of God is to de-centralize. Go smaller, NOT bigger. Multiply!! Replicate!! Hundreds of thousands of smaller works instead of huge mega structures.

This will require a re-thinking of our "church" set up. Pastors - Who are they? What are they? How are we to relate to them physically and spiritually? The office of "pastor" has been out of order in the church for too long. We need to re-think, re-pray and receive a new revelation on this...

A small group of about 5 families cannot financially support a full-time pastor. Pastors have to either take a secular job or pastor several small congregations. Which begs the question: should the pastor be paid by the congregation at all. maybe that is just another Old Testament, "levitical" thing we kept for lack of something better.

Are you still a shepherd/pastor when you oversee several smaller groups? Or does the fact/action of traveling make you an "apostle"?

Could one of the more mature/experienced members with a full-time job be a shepherd/pastor? maybe members will grow up faster if more of the ministry is done by the members instead of the hired help/pastor.

Our current church system makes me think of the time in Judges 17 when each did what was right in his own eyes and some paid the Levite to be their priest.

Could we be brave and courageous enough to chance what is? Could we cross the bridge from tradition to blind faith? Where is God's Elijah's, Daniels, Deborah's and Esters? Are they ever going to come out of the caves, backside of the wilderness or prison?

There is a new Reformation coming - No, it's already started. Will we go with the flow or try to hold back a tsunami with our bare hands?

2009-05-31T09:42:00.006-04:00

The Kingdom of Heaven/God by Marietjie Chase

The revelation of the Kingdom of God/Heaven, I am starting to realize, is not just another signpost or event in this journey , nor is it the next restored reality/truth to divide about. If Jesus spoke about this so often and seemed to keep going back to it; and then the apostles in their epistles, brought this down in more bite- size daily applications, it is in fact our life. Some wrote books on it, and that is important to help us think this through, but it is not even about the thinking part. It is not about knowledge or being right. It is not about structure, authority and methodology. It is not a truth that excludes all the others. It is not something to get fanatical about.... Jesus told stories to try to bring it to people: The Kingdom of Heaven is like... He said this over and over and over again.

So what is it? As I begin to see it, it is a changed heart and mind. It is the reality of seeing God's way, living God's way. It is to "not let the world/kosmos squeeze you into it's mold". It is to let the love/agape of God rule and reign in our hearts and minds. It is to love/agape the Lord our God with ALL our heart, soul, mind and existence.

"So?"

Well, it is easier said than done.

We, humans, have a sin-stained "action and re-action" attitude about life. We have our own inbred, yeah I mean inbred, sense of justice. We have a balance, an equilibrium, that helps us survive and succeed in this world/kosmos system. But in order to live in the Kingdom of God we have to let all this go. Yeah, let it go.

There is a new attitude, a new "breeding" that has to happen. Meditation on what Jesus said, what the Apostles said, brings us almost always to the conclusion that this cannot work in this world/kosmos. So we sit with this dichotomy that we would like to live and obey the New Testament but the Old Testament thinking and living fits easier in our polluted attitudes. We therefore keep parts of the old and embrace that of the new that we dare to swallow. None of us, or maybe I should say few, has yet to bet the farm.

What would make us see, really see, that the new is better? Would it take some cataclysmic event to erase our systems/kosmos/world that we so desperately cling to? This to, would not seem like the mercy and grace of God but it would be; wouldn't it?

____________________________________________________________________

Meditations

"Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, because the one who is least among all of you is the one who is greatest."

"Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure-- pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return."

In the same way, the last will be first, and the first will be last, because many are called, but few are chosen."

For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has showed no mercy; and mercy rejoices against judgment.

"But he said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them

2009-04-19T13:46:00.004-04:00

WARNING!! DANGER !!!

Abuse, any abuse, that brings a wound in our person, spirit should be viewed as serious. If we keep the offense, it will fester into a wound, hurt feelings. Woundedness and hurt feelings, when not taken to the foot of the cross, will bring you to a place of overcompensation, which is arrogance. Arrogance when it is complete, mature and fulfilled leads to self-deception. Self-deception leads to heresy since the "glass" through which the truth is viewed is distorted. The result is mixture. Some of what we believe and release, say is the anointed truth of God but some comes from another source.

This is the trap that now ensnares the church, body of Christ, believers. Too few of us has the ability to discern between the truth and the junk. We are to enthralled with the personality, charisma and to lazy to find God for ourselves and study the Bible for ourselves. If you take everything a someone teaches, without weighing it against the witness in your own spirit, - which comes from your own personal relationship with God and study of the Bible - you will be deceived. We ought to search the scriptures to have enough of a deposit of the Word in us and have enough of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, that we can sieve what is taught to separate the anointed truth from the other "stuff."

So how do we avoid the seed of self-deceit? (If you are self-deceived you would not know it.) Deal with the offense. Learn to forgive and love(agape) your enemies. This DOES NOT mean staying in the abusive situation. Remove yourself from the abuse but for you own sake, forgive. Run from the abuse but also deal with the residue of it in your heart and spirit. Unforgiveness is sin. Deal with the offense, unforgiveness as with any other temptation: War against it. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the scriptures to war and overcome. Eph 6 calls it the "sword of the spirit" for a reason. Jesus wielded this sword most effectively in Matthew 4.

2009-04-07T13:30:00.002-04:00

Don't Run From Your Giants
by Judy Jacobs

Most of us would do anything to avoid life’s trials. But God always brings good out of the hard times we endure.
Know this: There will always be an opposition to your mission. Whenever you step out and begin to walk in obedience to God, there is going to be some kind of opposition from the devil. As soon as Jesus was baptized by John, He had to face temptation in the wilderness (see Matt. 4:1; Mark 1:12; Luke 4:1).
Your opposition and adversity will take different forms at different times. Today you may be facing a health problem. Last year you may have been in a financial bind. Two years ago perhaps you lost your job.
Later on you might have a lot of trouble with your teenager or conflict in your marriage or a difficult relationship with someone on the job. Sometimes your opposition is discouragement, sleepless nights or the stress of having too much to do.
God never promised that you were going to float along on this journey of life, smelling roses and never having another problem from the day you were saved. He did promise, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you" (Is. 43:2, NKJV).
Get it through your head that trials, tests and all kinds of difficulties are inevitable. God will allow as many of them as you can handle, and He always knows how much you can handle. Your part is to decide now that you are going all the way with Him, regardless of how much it hurts.
Usually, by the time you realize what's happening, it's too late to turn back anyway. You can be sure that He will train you and strengthen you every step of the way because He wants you to be able to take every step in 100 percent faith. Always remember that it is the devil who brings the temptations, but God brings the tests. It's all for your benefit. It's all for your growth.
The devil brings temptations to drive you away from God, but God will help you resist them, and He will manage to convert those temptations into soul-strengtheners. They become opportunities for your growth.
God brings you into tests and trials, and they may seem counterproductive at first. But He's doing it because He loves you, so you can be pruned and shaped as you grow closer to Him.
Paul said it like this: "Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us" (2 Cor. 1:9-10).
Paul wanted you to know that even though you may feel as if you are facing death right now, if you just keep standing, God will deliver!
Giants in the Land
When the 12 spies came back to report to Moses about the promised land, the fearful ones reported that there were giants in the land (see Num. 13:32-33). Their report was enough to deter the people from making the effort to take the land that had been promised to them by God.
Is your promised land occupied by giants at the moment? Do they have names such as "insecurity," "insignificance," "unemployment," "deficiency," "sickness"? Who could possibly conquer territory that's being held by giants? Are you tempted, like the Israelites, to hold back and stay safe?
You should know that if you do that, your giants will only get bigger. They're not going anywhere unless God drives them out with His mighty right hand.
As a matter of fact, those giants are supposed to be there. They are letting you know you are about to come into your greatness and into your promised land—if you will stand up and fight.
Some of us started out fighting. But then we started looking at the problems. We started looking at the giants. Stop looking at the giants, and start looking at God. He's bigger.
God wants to show you, both by helping you through hardships and by delivering you from them, how powerful and faithful and loving He is. He is the lily of the valleys (see Song. 2:1). But how will you know that He is the lily if you don't have any valleys?
He is the "Bright and Morning Star" (Rev. 22:16). But how will you know He is shining so brightly if you have never encountered any darkness?
He is the deliverer. But in order to deliver you, God has to have some kind of tribulation to deliver you from! He is the healer. But how will you know that He is the healer if you don't ever experience His healing touch?
Opposition and adversity, even the fiercest kinds, are never completely bad. In fact, God always turns around what seems to be meant for evil into something good (see Rom. 8:28).
It's always worth it. You can say that with two black eyes. You can whisper it with bleeding tonsils. You can give thanks from the bottom of a pit.
And even if, like John, you have been thrown into hot, boiling oil and then left for dead on some remote island, it is there that you will receive your greatest revelation (see Rev. 1:9).
What are some of the good things that God will bring out of our difficulties?
Good training. Hard times provide us with training. In order to become mature, we need to be trained. We need to get past our tendency to whine and complain about how unfair it all is. We need to get on with the business at hand, learning to respond quickly and obediently to whatever God sends into our lives.
As Joseph Garlington says, sometimes God will say to us: "OK. This is first grade." If we say back to God, "What if I don't like first grade?" He will say, "Then you get to repeat it." I don't know about you, but I want to learn my lessons, learn them well and move on.
The Israelites may never have learned this lesson, although we can learn from their mistakes: "They said to Moses, 'Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?'" (Ex. 14:11).
Moses responded to them: "'Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today.' ... The Lord said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward'" (Ex. 14:13,15).
In other words, the people of Israel had to stop their pointless complaining and obey what God already had told them to do. The Red Sea parted, and they escaped from the Egyptians. When they stopped complaining and followed orders, their dire straits turned into a wonderful deliverance.
In their case, this lesson didn't stick with them. Forty years later, they were still whining (see Num. 20). Sad to say, such lessons don't always stick with us either. But maturity-training is still one of the best reasons for having trials. It's as if God has put all of us into His heavenly boot camp. Our latest trials are part of the training process.
Isaiah 30:20 encourages us to believe that "though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers."
Good opportunities. For Christians, adversities turn into opportunities. Hardships give us opportunities to walk in our authority in Christ Jesus (and, putting it the other way around, they give us fresh opportunities to see God's authority at work).
When the devil tries to bury you in bad stuff, that's when you have the chance to bury him deeper than he could ever bury you. As you lean on God's promises and proclaim His faithfulness, you become an overcomer.
The greatest opportunities for victory arise out of the hardest trials. It's enough to make you want to shout His praises for not sparing you!
I'm glad God allows me the chance to exercise my authority in Christ. He wants me to participate with Him in ruling in the kingdom. That can't happen if He just lets me keep "sitting pretty," free from trials and tribulations.
Obvious grace. Unfair circumstances, unfriendly accusations and ill health provide us with a perfect opportunity to manifest the grace of God. When we are presented with challenging situations, we cannot escape unless we lean hard on His grace.
Remember what Paul wrote to the Corinthians? He told them that they had been saved so that the life of Jesus could be manifested in their bodies (see 2 Cor. 4:10). In other words, while they were still here on the earth in their weak bodies, they were supposed to show forth the glory of God—in the midst of and because of their adversities.
Next time that jealous neighbor of yours becomes a mudslinger, watch God work in you and through you as you respond in wisdom and love. The experience may not be much fun, but you can expect God's grace to supply you with the right attitude and the right words.
Next time you can't sleep at night, ask for His patience and perspective. Next time you hurt all over and your boss tells you to work late, receive God's help to persevere—with joy.
The 20th century Scottish minister Oswald Chambers said, "You did not do anything to achieve your salvation, but you must do something to exhibit it. You must 'work out your own salvation,' which God has worked in you already" (Phil. 2:12). The adversities God allows in your life allow you to demonstrate His grace.
Good motivation. Without some compelling reason, most of us prefer to sit tight and hope for the best. We don't want to dive into the fray where we might get hurt.
But God loves us too much to let us commit the "sin" of satisfaction. He wants us to be involved. To get us off the sidelines, He sends us adversities. It's a rude awakening sometimes.
You might be just bobbing along, floating down the river of your little life, when suddenly you hear a roaring noise. Around the bend, there it is. A waterfall!
You weren't really praying before, but brother, you are now. You were half-asleep just a minute ago, but sister, you are now wide-awake. You are motivated, and you will stay motivated for a while because you are in the middle of a crisis.
Have you noticed the way Romans 10:17 reads? "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Faith comes by what you have heard (past tense). Faith comes by hearing and hearing and hearing.
Everybody needs repeated, frequent—even continual—prodding and urging to step out in faith. That is why it is so important to keep the Word of God in your heart and mind.
Listen to worship music; listen to the Word of God being preached by an anointed man or woman of God. If possible, listen on your stereo, in your car, in your office—anything to keep your faith built up—and "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17). Adversities keep us walking in faith.
In 1993, our ministry operated out of a one-room office in downtown Cleveland, Tennessee. We were paying $75 a month for that place, and we had to believe God for even that small amount of rent money.
One weekend, we were hit with a heavy rainstorm, and we lost our computer because the ceiling leaked. We had only one computer, and we lost it.
After that, we had had enough of small-faith mentality. We became determined to pray for the best God had for us. Before long, God worked a series of miracles, and we found ourselves the owners of the beautiful ministry center on a hillside that we have today. I'm glad the roof leaked in that old office.
Sometimes you have to step out on nothing and watch God turn it into something. You have to trust Him to take what the devil meant for bad and turn it into good. You have to stop running from your giants, stand strong and watch God defeat them.

____________________________________________________________________

Judy Jacobs is a recording artist, ordained Pentecostal minister, teacher and sought-after conference speaker. She is also the founder of His Song Ministries and the International Institute of Mentoring and the host of the TV program Judy Jacobs Now! Her latest book, Stand Strong, is available through the Web site, strangdirect.com.

2009-03-28T12:27:00.000-04:00

"The Cup: Spiritual Maturity is to Drink Deeply of the Cup of Christ."

by Francis Frangipane Mar 4, 2009

The Death of Ambition
When I first came to Christ, the Lord gave me a dream about my future. I thought that everything the Lord said was supposed to occur immediately. I didn't know of the work of preparation and dying to self, of learning patience and maintaining vision through testing, that would occur before God's promise would find fulfillment. Consequently, I was filled with ambition. Ambition is the first motive that arises in the spiritually immature. I was like the disciples who, a few days after Jesus' resurrection, were already asking, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the Kingdom...?" (Acts 1:6).

Ambition is very deceptive. It can seem just like obedience, yet because we don't truly know the Lord, the voice we find ourselves obeying is not God's, but our own. Our vision can actually be from God, but our motive be self. Consequently, where there is ambition, James tells us there will soon emerge "disorder and every evil thing" (James 3:16). Why? Because we begin thinking we can accomplish the will of God through the strength of man. We are seeking a breakthrough; God wants to give us brokenness.

The spiritually immature do not recognize their immaturity because they are immature. Thus, they become impatient, fearful and demanding. Because pride blinds the ambitious, we presume we are ready for greater assignments in God. In fact, we become a harder assignment for those who work with us, for our actions continually generate strife.

Ambition seeks to put to death what stands between it and spiritual fulfillment. Yet, it is ambition itself that must die to reach fulfillment. Webster's tells us that ambition is "an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as wealth or fame, and the willingness to strive for it." The word translated "ambition" in the New American Standard is rendered "strife" in the King James. Truly, ambition is a major cause for strife, church splits and conflicts within the Church.

I thought having a promise from God was the same thing as receiving a commandment from God. I did not understand what I personally lacked in character or what I needed to attain concerning faithfulness, becoming a bond-servant, and possessing a grateful heart. These things needed to be worked in me before God would truly begin to fulfill His larger promises and opportunities. What I became for God was more important than what I did for Him.

Today, I am living in the spiritual substance of what was just a dream thirty-eight years ago. My ambitions have suffered greatly, yet my dreams are being fulfilled. While I have not yet arrived at the greatest aspects of my calling, I understand the difference between ambition and true leadership and it is this: Ministry is not a call to lead, but to die.

Every advance that I have made spiritually was preceded by an opportunity to die to self. The power in my life comes from where I have died to self and now live unto Christ.
Do you want to advance spiritually? The gateway to resurrection power is crucifixion. God will arrange opportunities for you to die to self. You must discern them. Dying to self and its ambition is the means of reaching true spiritual fulfillment. If you react to the opportunity to die with fleshly anger or resentment, you will fail to reach fulfillment. However, if you can maintain your vision even while your ambition dies, you will succeed.

Christ Living in Us
Having a true vision is not the same thing as having a godly motive. A person could have a vision directly from God, yet be driven by self-promotion and ambition in seeking to fulfill it. Jesus preached that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. This is vision. But He also taught: "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross..." (Matthew 16:24).
If we will follow Jesus, notice we each have been given our own unique cross: "let him take up his cross." God has a cross specifically designed to crucify our fleshly ambitions en route to reaching our vision.

Consider Joseph: God had given him a dream of his future, but rather than quietly ponder the divine experience, he exalted himself to his ten older brothers. He assured them that one day they would each bow, like stacks of wheat, in subservience before him. His fleshly immaturity awakened a fleshly, even diabolical plot among his brothers: they sought to kill him. Joseph's vision was from God, but his motives lacked character, and his actions nearly cost him his life (see Genesis 37).

Yet, God was with Joseph, even in his lack of spiritual knowledge. And we should rejoice, for God is with us as well, even in our immaturity and ambition. Yet we should also understand: A true vision will kill you before it will fulfill you. Joseph had to learn to trust God in whatever circumstance or injustice he found himself; he had to become patient, serving others until the time arrived when his dream bloomed into reality.

"Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him."—Psalm 105:19
Consider: the Almighty could have certainly brought Joseph to Egypt by a less threatening route. Joseph could have grown to maturity among his family without being sold into slavery. Since he was given the gift of dreams and interpretation, the Holy Spirit could have simply given him a dream and told him to move to Egypt (as He did another Joseph centuries later). Once safely there, Joseph's fame at dream interpretation would have reached the ears of Pharaoh at precisely the right time, say the morning after the king's night of ominous dreams. Joseph, the "dream merchant," would have been positioned in the right place at exactly the right time.
Instead, God brought him to Egypt thirteen years earlier than needed. The young man had to face and overcome repeated experiences with dying inwardly to self. He faced betrayal and abandonment; he was enslaved, tempted sexually, slandered and imprisoned. How hopeless could his situation be? Yet, he then faced the challenges of being forgotten. In spite of all these things, Joseph trusted God and grew in both wisdom and spiritual integrity.

God didn't merely want a man to interpret dreams, but a man who could rule his heart when it suffered abandonment, injustice, slander and rejection and betrayal, and still remain the man of God regardless.

Joseph kept his heart free from the bitterness that overwhelms the soul when one suffers repeated heartache. Yet, Joseph never let his wounding cause his heart to harden or keep him from trusting God. He was a man who wept when he finally saw his brothers. These were the men who laughed while he cried to them from the pit, then would have left him to die a long, agonizingly slow death had not a caravan passed by and Joseph been sold to traders. Joseph could have had his revenge - off with their heads! But the Scriptures record that five times Joseph turned away and wept in the discourses with his family; once he "wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it" (Genesis 45:2).

Joseph was a man of character, a man whose ambitions died but whose vision lived. He drank the cup given him by God, and his dream became a reality. Jesus drank the cup given Him, and we experienced salvation. But each of us has a cup to drink en route to our destiny. There will be no shortcuts to power. We will swallow the full dregs, and though it kills us, we shall live. Yet, it shall not be us, but Christ living in us.

Leadership is a Call to Die
In Matthew 20:17-19, Jesus sought to prepare His disciples for the hardships that awaited them. He warned that a time was coming when He would be mocked, scourged and crucified for the sake of redemption. In the midst of this utterly sober warning, incredibly, the mother of James and John requested of Jesus fulfillment of her family's ambitions! She said, "Command that in Your Kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left" (verse 21).

She's thinking advancement, position and place; Jesus is thinking scourging, mocking and death. She's looking for the crown; Christ spoke of the Cross. Jesus' answer speaks not only to silence her ambitions, He speaks to ours as well: "You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" (verse 22).

Amazingly, they said to Him, "We are able." In truth, they hadn't any idea of the price that was to be paid. It was only pride, ignorance and ambition talking. Yet, listen to how Jesus answered them: "My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father" (verse 23).

Hear this, you who desire true spiritual fulfillment. Jesus was telling them, I cannot fulfill your ambitions. I can only show you how to die. Yet, even in their immaturity, Jesus knew they would overcome. He assures them, "My cup you shall drink." They would outgrow human ambition and become great examples for us. And we too shall drink His cup. Jesus describes the elements of that cup as He continued, again slaying the dragon of ambition:
"Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (verses 27-28).

If we will advance with Christ, consider the words He uses to describe the doorway into power: "slave...serve...ransom." Notice He didn't point out the rewards, which are many; He showed them the way to true resurrection power. Give yourself as "a ransom" for the sake of your family, your church or city. Position yourself in prayer, fasting and faith for others. Stand in the gap so others might live. This is the cup that leads to spiritual fulfillment.

But let me assure you, this is not a gloomy path; this is the path to the life of Heaven. For when Christ lives in us, He comes with an overwhelming, sustaining joy. The Scripture says that looking at the joy set before Him, Christ endured the Cross (see Hebrews 12:2). The Cross delivers us from the prison of self-absorption; it releases us into the true reality of God, in whose "presence is fullness of joy" and in whose right hand are "pleasures forever" (Psalm 16:11).

One may argue, "You don't understand, Francis, I've been hurt." Yes, we all face heartache and disappointment, and the pains we experience can be deep. Yet, in seeking justice for ourselves, we must guard against the voice of self-pity. Indeed, self-pity keeps all our wounds alive. Instead of carrying the cross, we carry the offense. We must rebuke self-pity and command it to leave. We are followers of Christ! Therefore, forgive the offense and let it go. This is not a deep truth; it is the basic path of Christ!

Paul wrote of the source of miracles and virtue in his life. He said, "...that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted...but not crushed...always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus might be manifested in our body" (2 Corinthians 4:7-10).

What is this "dying of Jesus"? It is dying in the manner Jesus died: when offenses come, when we are struck with injustice, when people fail or even betray us, we position ourselves in redemption; we pray the mercy prayer, "Father, forgive them." The only way ambition can be fulfilled is if we are ambitious for Christ to be revealed through us.

Paul continued, "For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you" (2 Corinthians 4:11-12).

Beloved, death has a work that it accomplishes in us. Is this not exactly what we desire above all things: "the life of Jesus...manifested in our mortal flesh"?
Paul says, "So death works in us." In the hands of our eternal Designer, death is not our enemy; it actually becomes an ally in the transformational process of our souls. It performs a work in us we cannot otherwise fulfill. For the death of our old self leads to the manifest life of Jesus.
Here abides true spiritual fulfillment, not in our striving to create a place for ourselves, but in laying down self to create a place for Jesus.

Leadership is a call to die. Spiritual maturity is to drink deeply of the cup of Christ.

Francis Frangipane Ministries of Francis Frangipane Email: francis1@frangipane.org

2009-03-15T14:42:00.007-04:00

SPIRITUAL SURVIVAL -------

In our days, I dare say the last days, we arrived at the edge of a precipice that the church has never before experienced. It seems some have gone to sleep and are letting the political tide drift them to who knows where. Some of us are fighting a battle we feel we cannot win. Some see the danger and are ringing the bell. People are like animals in a fenced yard sensing the eminent danger and circling but all we accomplish is to kick up the dust.

When Jesus' time here on earth drew toward the end, he became increasingly concerned for His disciples well fare. We read His prayer in John 17 and the last teaching to the disciples/apostles that span from chapter 13 through 16. This was His farewell address to them and if we read this and meditate on it we see a few survival techniques that He brings to their attention.

First: Let's wash one another's feet. What does that mean? In one of Paul's epistles he wrote, in love (agape) serve as slaves to one another. This is practical. There is no reason, we, Christians cannot be a village, a community. Do we even know the practical needs of those we are in the Body of Christ with us.

Don Fransisco sang it years ago: "I don't care how many buses you own, or the size of your sanctuary, it doesn't matter how steep your steeple is, if it's sittin' on a ceme- tary I don't care if you pave your parking lot, or put pads upon your pews, What good is a picture perfect stage, if you're missin' all the ques I don't care if your pastor's super powered, and your program's always new What you need is love and truth Men are gonna come to you, It doesn't matter that you know the Bible, if it's all just in your head, the thing I need to ask you, is that have you done the things I've said: Do you love your wife For her and for your children, are you laying down your life What about the others Are you living as a servant to your sisters and your brothers, Do you make the poor man beg you for a bone Do the widow and the orphan cry a-lone."

Jesus said that even as He loved us, we need to love one another. How did He love us? He gave His life for us. That means His all. BY THIS shall all men know that we are His disciples, if we love one another. Jesus comes back to this point over and over again: Love God and love one another.

Second: Believe! Believe in the Father, Believe in Jesus. Believe means to trust and obey. Jesus said we will do the same works that He did if we believe. Unto believers it was given in Mark 16 to lay hands on the sick , to do signs and miracles etc. We who believe are suppose to do these things, not a select few. Be foolish enough to take God by His word and act on it. Lay hands on the sick and heal them. It is the least we can do. Stop running all over the place and do it yourself. Like when the disciples came to Jesus with the complaint that the 5000 plus followers were hungry in the wilderness and He said: " You feed them." This is not the time to debate doctrine and pontificate the pro's and con's. Do the stuff. If you believe, do it!

Third: Jesus introduce the Holy Spirit to them and explain the purpose and the place of the Holy Spirit to them. The orphan spirit that have christians live as though our God is dead, has permeated the church because we do not know how to draw on the Holy Spirit. We have this Holy Spirit right here upon the earth. We have Him living inside of us. Learn to rely on Him. Yes, it is by trail and error and we look and sound like fools while we are learning but the alternative is even more disastrous. We are so inclined to have a human Moses, - pastor, prophet, teacher, - that we have not learned to discern His voice. Come on Church, get of your lazy lowers and start getting into God so that you also can hear His voice and OBEY it. You will not hear if you are not willing to obey.

Fourth: Jesus said, if you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you will and it shall be given unto you. We have to know the Bible more deeply than just what we hear in church. You and I need to know the book. It is very simple. Read it, meditate on it and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. Let it settle in your heart. If you have to memorize it for this to happen then do it. This is your civil defense. This is your "Boot Camp". The Word and prayer. Yes, it sound so simplified but it is still true. Get on your knees and pray. Pray the scripture if you do not know what else to pray. Pray through the New Testament. Let the Holy Spirit lead you through it. Learn to pray. Learn to seek God's face in prayer.

Jesus warns of coming persecution. The warning is going out again! Troubled times is at our door. Get ready! it is not time to go hide in a hole. It is not the time to reach for more entertainment. Get ready! Prepare yourself, for "in the world you have tribulation but take courage; Jesus overcame the world."

2009-03-11T09:22:00.005-04:00

FEAR!!! by Marietjie Chase

In times like these we need to deal with fear. It is a mistake to think that fear is the opposite of faith. true that fear can keep and stop people from obeying the will of God but we never see Jesus being very harsh with anyone who feared. He encouraged them." Don't be afraid", "Fear not."

When it comes to unbelief it is quite another story He rebukes them for unbelief. Unbelief is faithlessness, uncertainty or distrust. The negative of being persuaded and convinced. It is closely related to doubt and disobedience which is to be without persuasion. Heb 3:18-19, John 3:36. Doubt and unbelief is the opposite of Faith, not fear. Fear's opposite is courage.

Unbelief brings judgement John 3:18 and is called evil Heb 3:12.

Fear and faith can exist simultaneously in a person, Mark 5:33-34 and I think of Gideon who obeyed scared. It is possible to obey afraid. It is possible to belief while being afraid. Faith gives us confidence but during the process we can still be afraid. Fear does not necessarily cancels out faith. II Cor 2:3, Ephesians 6:5, Heb 4:1.

God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, timidity or cowardice, but if we find fear in us, it does not mean that we have no faith. It simply means that we lack courage. Fear is cast out by love (agape). John 4:18. Fear is our indication that we lack a revelation of God's perfect love. Do not throw away your confidence, it has great reward, Paul warns. We need to be persuaded of the integrity of God, but we also need a revelation of His love. If we are sons and the spirit of adoption is in us and the spirit of love (agape), then we will get rid of the spirit of fear.

Faith comes by the voice of God and to gain faith we need to spend time seeking His face. Prayer and fasting may help with this. We need to seek His presence, we need to behold Him. No amount of repeating scriptures, or looking at our past, shaky future or the terrible odds against us will build faith. We find faith only one way, "by the Rhema word of God" Remember what happened to Peter, once he took his eyes of Jesus, he sank. Keep our focus on Jesus. Keep our faces locked into His face. Let the things of the earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

How will you hear His voice if you do not seek out His presence?Spending time in His presence will also bring us to a greater revelation of His Love. For God is love and abiding in Him is also abiding in love. As we pursue God we will also be filled with His love.(agape) God is love and the one who lives in God lives in love. Fear, fearfulness, timidity, cowardice, the spirit of slavery will fall off like the access baggage they are.

Eph 3:14-21.

I pray the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth derives it's name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power - dunamis- divine inherent ability Acts 1:8- through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you being rooted and grounded in love (agape) may be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love (agape) of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power - (dunamis- divine enablement- Acts 1:8) - that works within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

2009-03-05T11:18:00.004-05:00

The Root of The Spirit of Fear by Marietjie Chase

Reading through Romans I came upon this verse in the eighth chapter, the 15 th verse: "We have not received the spirit of slavery, leading to fear but a spirit of adoption as sons (spiritually which includes both genders) by which we cry Abba! Father!" That made me think of II Timothy one verse 7: "God has not given us a spirit of timidity -cowardice, fearfulness - but of power (dunamis) and love (agape) and discipline - a sound mind, self-control and moderation-."

See how the spirit of fear has it's roots in the orphan/slave spirit. Slaves and orphans has no inheritance, no protection, no security, no confidence and are left to fend for themselves. Spiritual slaves are often legalistic and concerned with what is right since they find comfort and security in this. They are always trying to do what is right since they think that they will by that, find the acceptance they so desperately crave. John 14:16-18 Jesus states that He will not leave us as orphans but will send the Holy Spirit as comforter - He is also our teacher, reminder and companion. In Psalms 27: 9-10 it says that even if my father and mother forsake me God will never.

Galatians 3:23-29 and 4:1-4 says that slaves and immature sons have a lot in common. Immature sons are tutored by the law until maturity. Mature sons enjoy the inheritance of the father, immature sons enjoy the positional inheritance but does not yet see the inheritance. True sons of God are not afraid of the Father's reproof, but embraces it since it leads to maturity. Notice how often Jesus rebuked, reproofed the disciples. Children do not raise themselves.

We have very few true fathers in the Western, One-Man-Show, Church and even if we find one, we have made it so easy for people to run from congregation to congregation, that they never get the fathering needed to mature. So we have bunches of orphan/slaves running around with no real roots, power, love or self-control. This caused the church to be so feminine that true men seldom feel at ease in these places. Part of the reason for the abuse of women in the Western Church is that the pastors have a feminine spirit produced by the absence of fathers in the faith. They are feminized and are intimidated by the women since they are trying to "mother" the church instead of "father" the church, since this is all they know. A pastor or father that has a slave/orphan spirit uses people instead of investing in them. It sacrifices it's children to the needs of self. It does not tolerate intimacy or genuineness, realness. This is the opposite of the spirit of adoption.

If we are going to successfully deal with the spirit of fear, lack of love and power in the church we have to deal with this orphan/slave spirit and part of the answer is to change the structure, mindset and methodology of the church. We have raised a couple of sons and have still two in the house. These boys needed their mother when they were young but there comes a time when a young man yearns for the fathering of a father. Maybe the old ways of making a knight had something to it where a boy stayed with the women folk until the age of eight and afterward was raised by men.

Changing our style of church will only help if we also "father" people into maturity and produce mature sons (spiritually which includes both genders) to continue the family business. At the age of 12 Jesus separated Himself from His mother with these words: "Did you not know that I have to be about my fathers business." Luke 2:49

2009-02-17T12:12:00.003-05:00

Lord Change Me!!! Marietjie Chase

Reading through Paul's epistles I notice that he speaks a lot about the unity of the Body of Christ and also about the things we do. In some he uses the term" and not of ourselves" so often it is like a refrain: " not of ourselves, but of God, Not of ourselves but of God." I love II Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything you may have an abundance for every good work.

Our God always have a purpose. He is never random. We seeing through a glass, a muggy glass, do not see clearly yet but He does see clearly. That is the reason we are admonished not to judge one another, over and over and over again. Running around pointing the finger at everyone just serve to bring division. It seems that arrogance, flesh and immaturity does not recognize the inconsistencies at it's own door. Neither can it. We need one another for that.

Appearance means nothing. Knowing that we are judged by our actions, deeds and fruit some may seek to keep appearances. The heart dictates the actions. Not the other way around. If we have an unhealthy heart and force ourselves to do the right action we become religious and subject to yet another set of laws and miserable. Seek rather to change the heart by pointing it towards God and by letting the love and grace of God change it. The deeds, actions, fruit or appearance only serves the purpose of exposing what is in the heart. James said that our words reveals our faith. But our works cannot create our faith. Our faith, our righteousness, our love and goodness all comes from God. And the more that we fellowship with Him, the more we become like Him. Our ambition, our only ambition, is to be pleasing to Him.

We cannot judge people by the flesh. We cannot know what is in the heart. We are free to judge the actions but not the person. Our deeds will be judged. "Who we are" is already dealt with once we accept Jesus' finished work and enter into the kingdom of God. Our "who" is hidden in Christ in God. We are His workmanship. We are His Body. We are what and who He says we are. For this reason we are not to judge one another. I Cor 4:3-5

Only God knows the motives of the heart. What we are to judge is the deeds, the actions of those around us. Does the deeds, actions line up with the word of God? The deeds follow the reality from within. The fruits tell of the tree. We do what we do because we are what we are. Out of the heart of man flows his deeds. I Corinthians 11 speaks of examining our own hearts and even in this we are limited since we do not always know ourselves. We can only do according to the light that we have.

We are changed not by looking at our failures or the punishment for our shortcomings but by looking at Him. The beholding, focusing, vision of the glory of the Lord in Christ Jesus, revealed by His Holy Spirit is what changes us. No amount of self- effort can do it. Our diligence, our discipline, balances on our pursuit of a relationship with God though Jesus Christ by the ability of the Holy Spirit. This one thing is our only and entire pursuit. Single-mindedly we seek His face and in this we are changed from one degree of glory into another.

II Corinthians 4: 6 God's light shines in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

It is God, not ourselves...

2009-01-04T13:15:00.003-05:00

Addressing Some Basics... by Marietjie Chase

Two problems in the church that needs addressing. We cannot keep fighting about "who -is-right" and "who-is-wrong' until we have or because we have to address these two things.

Number One: Most born again believers, Christians, Kingdom believers, saved, baptised and filled-with-the-Spirit, children of God do not know how to recognize His voice. We have no ear to hear and most have no heart to hear. A heart to hear is a heart set at attention to obey. Even if we were aware of His voice our inclination is to dismiss it and stay in our safe little comfort zone. This needs to be addressed. We need to learn how to hear His voice for ourselves. We cannot run to Kim Clement, Chuck Pierce, Barbara Yoder or Pat Holleran if we need to know whether we should buy a new car or fix the old one up. We need to hear Him for ourselves.

Learning to obey Him comes very much like walking to a baby. First you sit, then, crawl, then walk. In every stage you stumble, fall, get hurt, look like a fool and move on. We cannot love ourselves and our reputation and still learn to obey God. Every one who knows His voice and hear Him; yes even the world known prophets; will tell you of the times they were " flaky" because they were learning to hear God. Missing God is part of the process. People who are in the process of learning to hear God looks foolish. They may announce something and two months later turn back. We need to support and love them. They are in the process of learning. No one has ever walked on water by staying in the boat.

The second and just as important issue that needs to be addressed is the process of getting from the promise to the fulfillment. Steve used to say that between the prayer and the answer God makes the saint. Once we are sure it is a word from God there is some response required. Most of the time we need further instruction. Even Mary, the mother of Jesus, asked: How can this be? The further instruction most often has to do with time, place and method. Once Gideon was sure of the instructions He worshipped. He did not abandon His relationship with God for the task. Give God what He wants first.

Sometimes God says: Wait. Just as conception and gestation takes time, some time we have to wait to see the fulfilment of God's promises. We cannot become distracted and chase butterflies. We got to stay focused and let the vision shape the man (or woman). Jesus already knew at the age of 12 that He had to be about His Father's business but did not start His ministry for another 18 years. Joseph knew at a very young age what his destiny was suppose to be but it took 13 years of slavery and imprisonment before the fulfilment. Yet, Joseph kept his heart set upon God.

It is impossible to live out the Second without the First, since we need to know His voice to do His bidding. It goes without saying that both these are faith issues. It is impossible to hear and obey consistently without faith. It is also a self-sacrifice issue. There is no hearing and obeying if we are still loving our lives.

2008-12-16T12:16:00.003-05:00

Small, Still Voice by Kim Clement

Our quest to be directed and guided by God is filled with passion, questions, confusion and even anger. When you discuss the fact that God does speak to people and if you ever claimed to have heard from Him, most people think you're crazy. Lily Tomlin once said, "Why is it when we talk to God, we're said to be praying, but when God talks to us, we're schizophrenic?" Maybe we're so desperate to hear God's voice, that we've established in our minds how and in what shape He should appear. God is candid, humorous, mysterious and oftentimes blatantly mischievous. Using a burning bush to capture Moses; frogs, lice, flies and locusts to speak to the stubborn Egyptians; or speaking through a donkey to capture the stubborn prophet, is typical of something I would do if I were God. Yes, He's serious about the people on this Earth, and especially His people, but if you lock into that one aspect of His character and personality, you're lost, because when He does appear in these various other forms, we are blind to the fact that it could be God. God said it well when He vindicated His servant Moses in the presence of Miriam and Aaron after their accusation; Numbers 12:4-8 "...with My servant Moses...I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings...and he sees the FORM OF THE LORD."

In other words, Moses knows the various forms of God and recognizes them. God appears in various forms and it's delightful to discover Him speaking to you through a bird, a billboard or a cloud formation. Read on and enjoy your journey.

When Elijah the prophet wanted God to speak to him regarding his crisis, we are told that God passed by in an earthquake, whirlwind and fire, but that God was not in these various elements. Elijah hid himself and then there it was... a small, still voice. What is a small still voice? Small things. Ever heard the saying "stop and smell the roses"? God validates His presence in our lives through small, extraordinary events. The greatest problem in hearing God's voice is busyness. To be busy is simply to be occupied with one particular activity. In the case of Elijah, he had hastily retreated upon hearing Jezebel's order that she was going to see to it that he was destroyed within a 24-hour period. This will surely preoccupy your mind. When this happens, we tend to focus all of our attention on the issue(s) at hand, and our perception and awareness of anything outside of this matter is either distorted or completely redundant. "Seek me and you shall find me. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears me, I will enter in." Our problem is that we're constantly looking for a quick solution, and we have already given the prerequisite for the solution. What we call a coincident may actually be God appearing to us and mysteriously sending a message. Why not?

Most people expect God's communication to be highly spiritual and on a level that only very few can comprehend, when in fact, He is closer to you than you think. Why wouldn't He use the common things around you to communicate with you? How fun! Instead of God appearing to Abraham in a glorious form, He comes to his front door as three people. These three men look like common, ordinary men, but Abraham immediately realizes that this is God hidden in one of these men. In the end, the Bible says that Abraham stood before God and spoke to Him. Two of the men (angels) went on to Sodom and Gomorrah and God stayed with Abraham. When Jesus was born in a manger, no one was there to greet Him but a few animals. Later on, a number of stargazers see a star in the sky that is shining brightly and they decide to follow it until it places them immediately within reach of the newborn King.

WHEN IT'S CRYSTAL CLEAR
In Anaheim, California, Mavis Jackson drove past the Crystal Cathedral. For twenty years, she said the same thing: "Someday I'm going to go there." One Sunday morning, she did. Putting on her best outfit, she simply decided, "Today is the day." Getting there early, Mavis took a seat in the middle and watched the huge 3000-seat mega-church fill with people. She was awed, as the majestic voices of the choir seemed to encircle her. She marveled at the manner in which a huge section of the glass ceiling slid open at the start of the service as if to invite even the birds to worship. At the end of the service, Mavis stood up and waited for the aisle to clear. Trying not to sound too excited, she said to the young lady who'd been next to her, "I am so glad I came today. Wasn't it wonderful?" The young woman nodded. "Are you from here?" asked Mavis. "No, I'm from the Midwest," said the young woman, adding, "I'm actually here on a mission. To find my birth mother." There was a pause. "I know how you must feel," said Mavis, "A long time ago, I had to give up a little girl for adoption. I didn't want to.... but..." Another pause. The young woman looked deeply into Mavis' eyes. "Do you...remember her birthday?" "Yes," said Mavis cautiously. "October 30th." "That's MY birthday," gasped the young woman. What are the odds of that?
They sat down. The young woman introduced herself as Cheryl Wallace. Cheryl explained that for years she had been haunted by the lingering uncertainty of not knowing who her birth mother was and, more important, why her mother had given her up. In her small Midwest town, everyone was discouraging. "You're looking for a needle in a haystack," counseled the town clerk. "There's no trace of her." Eventually, a suggestion from someone who thought she'd once heard that Cheryl's birth mother had moved to Orange County, California, led her to this time and place. Even on her most optimistic days, Cheryl never could have forecast such a remarkable outcome - that such uncertainty would end with such certainty, in a manner that only God could have made happen. And when they confirmed that their wonderful miracle was true - that they were long lost mother and daughter - they knew that Mother's day would never be the same again. When God Winks at You — by Squire Rushnell

SMALL AND STILL 'VOICE''

Small' denotes something quite insignificant and of restricted dimensions. ‘Still' represents something motionless, stationary and subdued. Once you realize that when God speaks to us, it could be so insignificant to us that we basically ignore it. Did Moses ignore the bush that burnt? Yes, he almost did. In Exodus it says that he walked by and said, "I will now turn back and see this great sight and why the bush does not burn up." Even more importantly, the Bible says, "So when the Lord saw that he turned back to look, God called to him." I often wonder how it would've turned out if Moses had not turned back. He was continuing on his journey and could quite easily have continued without ‘turning back' to SEE (perceive spiritually). Had Moses not turned back, would God have called out to Moses? You have to understand that when God hides in something small and still, unless you turn back to make a more serious observation, you may never hear the Voice that is in that insignificance. To me, the greatest reward is the journey I am on and the people God has given to me on this journey. While Jesus was on His journey to accomplish His mission, He found people on the way that journeyed with Him. Finally, at the end of His life, as He was about to accomplish the greatest sacrifice ever and become the reward for humankind, He was alone and on a cross. The closest voice to Him was the most unexpected. Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Silence. Suddenly, He hears someone a few feet from Him whispering in agony, 'LORD, remember me when you come into YOUR KINGDOM." The words alone were the voice of God, affirming that He was indeed still Lord and that He had a KINGDOM. When we feel forsaken by God simply because in our battle we don't hear Him bellowing from open Heavens, just stop and listen to something or someone very close to you, even a child, and you may hear Him affirming your destiny.

Christ was born with insignificant animals around him and died with insignificant animals around him - different kinds of animals, but certainly not the cream of the crop. Look around you and look past what you deem insignificant and ... listen. He's everywhere and longing to speak to you.
Where else can peace be found, but in the message of Jesus? You can work for peace with toil and pain and you shall never find it. Some try to be silent while others need company, hoping that it will bring them peace. Peace is nowhere to be found, but in Him, of whom it is said, "This man shall be peace." And what a peace it is, warriors and lovers of God. It is peace like a river, and righteousness like the waves of the sea. It is the peace of God that passes all understanding, which keeps our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord. This sacred peace between the pardoned soul and God the pardoner; this marvelous unity between the sinner and his judge, this was it that the angels sung when they said, "Peace on earth." No greater proof of kindness, between the Creator and His subjects, can possibly be afforded, than when He gives His only begotten and well beloved Son to die.

I would like to wish you peace that passes all understanding this Christmas from Jane and I, our family, and our team. We pray what the angels sang, "Good will to man," for you and your beloved family.

Merry Christmas,Kim

2008-11-29T18:46:00.003-05:00

Surrendering of All by Marietjie

Galatians 2:20 It is no longer I that live....
I have been crucified with Christ...
You are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. Col 3:3

My person - not my personality have died.

The "in Him" 's cannot be realized as long as we are still "alive" in our flesh. As long as I cling to my own person and will and rights, I am not buried 'in Him".

The"one another" 's will be almost an impossibility; unless we are satisfied with faking it; until we believe and live the "I am dead" revelation.

Those who are dead, empty of self, can be filled to overflowing with Him through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The indwelling of Christ brings with it a load of benefits: - The will of God, The power of God, The redemption of God, The purpose of God, The love of God, The grace of God, and all that is Jesus Christ to the point of this mortal body becoming quickened, made alive by the same power - the fullness of the Godhead.

The person is crucified with Christ. The personality is alive to God. The person with the sin, self and flesh.... The person of Jesus Christ was crucified and so were you and I. My personality, the way I am or my hard wire, is still living but now these members of mine that is on earth are only alive to God. My person is dead. Christ in you the hope of glory Col 1:27, 2:20

So how should we live then?? Collosians 2:6 As you have received Christ walk in Him. Walk by the Spirit of God. Be led by the Spirit of God instead of driven by our ambitions, traditions, insecurities, fears and self. Religious spirits are will-worship, self-worship. Those with a stronger, more stubborn, more tenacious will, is better at being religious than others. Let there be less of me and more of Him. Live every moment by His Spirit. Live by His anointing. " Whatever is not by the Anointing, the Spirit of God is Anti-Christ." Dale Frasier.

How do we live now? Col3 If we are raised with Christ... seek the things above... for you died and your life has been hidden with Christ in God. If this is truly true, then I cannot go outside of Christ. Whatever I do outside of Christ, His Spirit, His anointing will accomplish death. There is only life inside of Christ. Like a child or person that is allergic to everything has to live in a plastic bubble, we also have our life inside our bubble. To go outside of our limit will not only cause us to loose "life" - zoe- but spread and proliferate death and darkness.

Put to death the parts, the members, the attachments that are on the earth - this temporal realm. Romans 6 shows us that we are dead to sin and should reckon ourselves to be dead. Romans 7 shows us that we are dead to the law, religion and it's will-worship but Romans 8 shows us the New Life in Christ Jesus that is now ours to manifest. Most of us has no problem with Romans 6. Although we still want to accomplish this for ourselves and so land squarely in Romans 7. From there the controversy about the interpretation of this chapter. Those who wants to live in Romans 7 will live in it - always trying but never overcoming, since the doing or trying to do the will of God and living the Christ-life in our own will and strength will always bring us to the point of crying out:" who will deliver me from this body of sin?!". Jesus has already done it.

Living by the law, tradition and religion is as much " death"( separation from God) as living in sin. It is only as we reckon ourselves dead... Paul said; in me, in my flesh, in my person, dwells no good thing.....only as we see ourselves dead can we take on the new life - this Christ Life. Only as we let go, can we enter.

God said in the beginning that a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. There can be no cleaving without first a leaving. If we want to be one with Christ Jesus, if we want to cleave to Him, we have to leave sin, self and satan. (self = will-worship, religion, our own efforts)

Jesus said: "Take up your cross and follow me". What He was saying was: I am dying to myself. I am being killed in my person and do as I do. Come follow me to death to self. The Bible said that Jesus had no sin and that Satan had nothing in Him but He still had a self, a person and that is what we see in Gethsemane. " Not my will but Thine." And in Hebrews: " Though He was the Son, learned obedience by the things that He suffered." And Paul saying that he must fill up what was lacking in Christ's suffering. Christ's suffering for "self"s crucifixion He did for Himself and so must each of us. We must crucify ourselves and our own passions and desires, so that He may live in and through us. This suffering is the "cross" of each of us. "Death-to-self" we must do. How? By faith and grace,by giving over and giving up, by letting and let not, by the permission we give or not give.... let not sin dwell in you. Let love be multiplied...etc.

Put to death... This is my job and your job. God won't do it for us.

I am dead. You are dead. Our lives are hid with Christ in God!!

2008-11-29T08:07:00.004-05:00

EPHESIANS 4 : 7-12 by Marietjie

If you are not being equiped or equipping the saints for work of ministry, you are failing to use the gift that Jesus Christ gave to the church, the Body , the Kingdom of God. If you reckon yourself to be part of the five(four)-fold ministry - doma gifts- , are you equipping the saints for work of ministry?? This does not say that the apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastor-teachers should do all the work of ministry. They are to equip the saints to do it. Any work the doma gifts does, is to have the sole purpose of demonstrating to the saints how to do the work of ministry.

The Bible never, in the New Testament, teaches the one-man-show method. It always speaks of more than one elders. It always speaks of bringing all into maturity. There is no New Testament scripture for keeping people in eternal infancy, dependant on a human leader to "moses" them. We are constantly encouraged and admonished to grow up into all that Jesus has completed for us.

Religious empires belong to the Old Testament paridigmn with little to no basis in the New Testament. We are all equal; though differently gifted, each looking out to help and assist one another. The Beehive method of church is totally man made.

We cannot pick and choose pieces of the Old Testament/Covenant to carry on because it suits our human sensibilities. We either embrace the New Covenant and the new way of thinking or not. Does the writers of the epistles in vain warns against this? For the Jews of the first century church it was circumcision that they had a hard time letting go off. Today we cling to tithing, a pastor-priesthood and temple(church)-worship.

Have we really so little faith in God , that we have to have these security blankets???

2008-11-29T07:39:00.002-05:00

Jesus's first miracle that is recorded, was to change water into wine. Now water speaks of life but wine is more than life. It is a New Testament type of the Holy Spirit. Wine also signifies happiness, freedom, and fun. The problem with most religious legalists is that they take the wine and turn it into water and so become Anti- Christ or Anti-Anointing.

The Holy Spirit cannot be predicted or controlled. He does what He wants. - which is in essence what the Father and the son, Jesus Christ, wants. Men, mankind, humans are not easily controlled by another when they are full of wine, drunk. Yet the New Testament teaches us to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.

Be under the influence of the Holy Spirit as often as an alcoholic will run to booze. This will make you a disgusting person to anyone who has a religious, legalistic, controlling spirit and you will be mocked and discounted as crazy. But then just go back and do as an alcoholic does and drown your sorrows in the Holy Spirit. Be totally inebriated with the Holy Spirit.

If you keep doing this, it will soon begin to affect your personality and even your physical body. You will begin to exude typical "alcoholic" behavior and your body will loose some of it's "normal" functions - where "normal" is defined as that which the majority are and does". You will begin to walk and talk like someone who has a habit or addiction - led by the Holy Spirit. You will loose your appetite for that which once were appetizing. You will want to associate with other "drunks" - Holy Spirit junkies. Your life will be consumed by this "substance". Your family and friends may want to run an intervention to keep you from fanaticism and deception. They cannot comprehend why you would want to do this to yourself. Soon you will be joined by some and ostracised by some.

A wise man once said: "Believe it or test it." If you do not believe it you will find yourself judging it and judging always includes pride.