The Chrexit

Isaiah 53:4-6 ESV

Surely he has borne our griefs

    and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

    smitten by God, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions;

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

    and with his wounds we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

    we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

    the iniquity of us all.

The Christian Culture

There are many people in the USA who claim Christianity as their religion. Some of them do so because their parents took them to church as children, and thus their parents claimed Christianity as their religion of choice. And, by church here I mean the institutional church, i.e. the building, the edifice, the business, and the organization of men and their denominations.

Others have joined “the church” and have affiliated themselves with the Christian faith because their friends or their neighbors did, or because it provided some socialization for them or good programs for their children, or because it was socially acceptable in their culture or socially advantageous to belong to a church, such as for political reasons, i.e. to get votes.

Others claim to be Christians because they were convinced that if they prayed a prayer (repeated words after someone else) and “invited Jesus into their hearts,” that they would now be saved, be eternally secure, and have heaven guaranteed them, and that it could never be taken away from them no matter what – no matter how they lived their lives from that moment forward. For, the gospel they were presented with was one that merely taught forgiveness of sins and of getting one’s ticket into heaven.

Yet, there are those who claim to be Christians, i.e. to be followers of Jesus Christ, because that is what they are. They have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. They have been crucified with him in death to sin, and they have been resurrected with him to newness of life in him, born again of the Spirit of God. They have been transformed from death to life and from the power of Satan to God, and they have been delivered from their slavery to sin so that they can now walk in Christ’s righteousness.

Yet, some of them have wandered off from their faith, and they are living in spiritual adultery against their Lord, and so God is calling them back to himself to return to him as their only God, their only master. He desires to revive their hearts and to restore them to himself if they will just repent of their sins and allow him to truly rule over their lives (see Rev. 2-3).

The Message and Response

The message that God is giving to all of them, which is the same message he is giving to the whole world, is that he died on that cross in order that we, by faith in him, might die with him to sin and that we might live to him and to his righteousness (See 1 Pet. 2:24; Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24).

Jesus didn’t die on that cross, in other words, just to forgive our sins and to give us the hope of eternal life in heaven with him when we die. He died to put sin to death in our lives so that it would no longer have mastery over us, and so that we would now be bond-slaves of his righteousness. For, this is what it means to be “born again.” The old sin nature has to be put to death so that the life of Christ can now rule supreme in our lives, so that we submit to Christ’s Lordship over our lives, and so we obey his teachings.

But, this message doesn’t sit too well with those who are living in spiritual adultery against their Lord, or with those who think they have their ticket into heaven and that they can just live their lives however they want. It also doesn’t agree with those who desire to remain in their fleshly lives, living to gratify the sinful cravings of their flesh. So, although some will respond to the message with genuine faith, many do not. Many get offended by it.

Some of these people, who do get offended by this message, though, know it to be the truth. And, they know that they are living in sin. And, many of them even know that the scriptures teach that those who walk in sin, who make sin their practice, do not have eternal life with God, but a fearful expectation of judgment. And, yet they continue to willfully and knowingly do what is wrong, because they work at trying to convince themselves that the truth is not the truth and that the lie they believe is the truth.

So, when they get convicted of their sin, which they sometimes do, it will strike a chord inside them, and they will resist that conviction, feeling as though they are being judged. And, so they convince themselves that God no longer judges them now that they are under grace. And, so they convince themselves that this feeling is bad and is to be rejected, because it causes distress in them. But, it causes distress because they know that what they are doing is wrong, and they know they are not being honest about it.

The Chrexit

Because so many who call themselves “Christian” are now living in sin, rejecting the Holy Spirit’s voice and his convictions of their sin, this has led into what I am terming “The Chrexit” (a takeoff on the name “Brexit”).

And, what this is is a mass exodus (exit, departure) from God’s moral standard in order to follow after the flesh. It is also a huge withdrawal from the teachings of Christ and of his NT apostles in favor of the teachings of mere humans. It is also a massive retreat from the true gospel of our salvation in favor of a cheap grace gospel which makes no demands for holiness, righteousness, obedience, faithfulness and moral purity.

This is basically the majority of what is called “Christian” in America divorcing themselves from Jesus Christ and his gospel of salvation so that they can unite themselves with “another woman,” i.e. “another lover” who will not make the same demands on them that Jesus and his gospel do.

This is them claiming their independence from Jesus Christ, so that they can rule their own lives, and decide for themselves what is permissible and what is not. This is so that they can create their own standard which appeases their flesh while convincing themselves that God’s grace allows for that.

But, this is nothing new. This has been going on a long time. It is just now becoming more massive (on a much larger scale) and more predominant and acceptable within the Christian community.

The Sin Nature

For this is from the sin nature which demands its own way, and which screams and throws temper tantrums when it doesn’t get what it wants. This is from the pride of the flesh not liking to be challenged or confronted or to have its sins pointed out, and which gets angry when its selfish and unrealistic expectations are not met by God or by other humans.

And, thus, when confronted, it vents to someone else, or it medicates with addictive sinful practices, or it turns to “another lover” who will appease and console it in its sin.

And, so all that they do, who are walking in the flesh, is keep adding to their accumulation (pile, mound) of sins and the lies they tell to cover them up. And, they hide all this in their hearts, along with all their frustrations, anger, bitterness, and resentments, etc. And, they try to ignore this internal battle going on within them, because they know they are doing wrong and they refuse to do what is right and thus to be truly free from their bondage.

But, they don’t want people to know what is going on inside their hearts. And, so, if they claim to be Christians, they will keep these things well hidden so that others will not know that they lead a double life. They will keep secret their internal struggle, their secret sins, their adulteries, their plots of evil against others, etc. and they will put up a façade to try to convince others that they are following Jesus Christ with their lives.

Or, they will admit minor offenses in order to dissuade others from discovering much more sinister and heinous crimes they are committing against others in secret.

Smell a Rat

But, God knows the truth. He sees everything we do in secret. He knows all about us, what we think, what we are plotting, and the things we think no one else knows, and so we think we can get away with.

But, many people are being convinced that God no longer sees their sins once they pray that prayer. Or else they are convinced that he will not judge them for their sinful lifestyles now that they believe that they are under grace. And, so they have this false sense of security, believing they can continue on in their secret sins, while putting on a performance that they are leading good Christian lives, believing that nothing bad will happen to them.

But, that is either because they don’t know the scriptures or because they are denying the truth that they do know. For, if you read the New Testament, book by book, and chapter by chapter, it will soon become obvious that the true gospel message is all throughout the books of the New Testament, i.e. the gospel that says Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

All throughout these scriptures Christians are warned against returning to the ways they lived before they believed in Jesus. And, they are warned that if they walk in sin (in lifestyle, in practice) that they will die in their sin (Rom. 8:1-17; Lu. 9:23-25; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8).

And, these warnings God gives to us are for our good, and because God loves us, not because he is a meanie who is just critical all the time. But, he is patient with us, too, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So, he has not yet brought his judgment upon mankind and upon the earth in that destructive force of his wrath. But, he is still reaching out, calling out, warning, instructing, and inviting all to unite with him and to leave their “other lovers” behind them.

Not Taken Seriously

Yet, many who profess his name are not taking his warnings seriously. They are still playing games with God. In fact, they are trying to get God to come their way, instead. They may even try to strike a bargain with God, asking him that if they return to him, will he come along with them where they want to go, i.e. will he give his approval of their lifestyles. In other words, their return to God would thus be on their terms, not on God’s terms.

For, they have this idea or they have been given this false notion that evil is good and that good is evil. In other words, they have been convinced that the true gospel is the false gospel and that the false gospel is the true gospel. And, they have been warned that those who teach repentance and obedience are legalists, judgmental, critical, and are those who are teaching works-based salvation, which they are to avoid.

But, the real danger for them does not lie in the house of God, i.e. in his true gospel. The true danger for them lies on the top of their pile of sins and their lies to cover up their sins on which they have built this false church and this false gospel which delivers no one from slavery to sin, but which leaves them still in bondage (living in addiction), still giving way to sexual immorality, adultery, slander, spite, bitterness, envy and the like.

There is no danger for them in coming to true faith in Jesus Christ, and in dying to sin and self and living to God and to his righteousness – all in his power and strength. For, if they truly do leave their lives of sin behind them to follow Jesus Christ in obedience, they will have that burden of sin lifted off their shoulders, and they will know true freedom and peace and joy!

Again, the true gospel message is not to be avoided. It is not works-based salvation. It is understanding that Jesus’ death on a cross for our sins provided the way out for us from underneath the weight of our sin. It is understanding that God’s grace to us is not free license to continue in sin, but it is freedom from our yoke of sin which hangs around our necks and which keeps us repeating the same sinful patterns over and over again.

Much Too High A Price / Jesus Paid It All

Phil McHugh and Greg Nelson

You paid much too high a price for me, Your tears, Your blood, the pain –

To have my soul just stirred at times yet never truly changed.

You deserve a fiery love that won’t ignore your sacrifice

Because You paid much too high a price.

https://youtu.be/FeNA1NoJJH4

Saturday, March 30, 2019

Telling the Truth

A Partial Allegory

1 Timothy 2:1-7 ESV

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Our Salvation Purchased

God had purchased our salvation from sin, via his Son Jesus Christ’s death on a cross. Through Jesus’ blood, shed on a cross for our sins, Jesus, who became sin for us on that cross, put sin to death. And through his death, he opened the way for us to come to God in faith, in order that we, who believe on him, might be delivered from our bondage to sin, and so that we might have eternal life with God and entry into his eternal kingdom.

Then God presented his plan of salvation to people (to humankind). He told them that, although this was his free gift to mankind, it was going to cost them something. It was going to cost them their lives (Rom. 6:1-23).

Yes, Jesus took our place on that cross so that we would not have to face the penalty of sin, which is spiritual death and eternal damnation, and so we could be restored to God, and have eternal life with him. Nonetheless, the free gift of eternal life, which was bought for us on that cross, is freedom from our slavery to sin and freedom to walk righteously before God.

So, what that means for us is that, because of what Jesus did for us on that cross, we can now die with him to sin and live with him to righteousness, all in his power and strength within us, for this is why he died (1 Pet. 2:24).

The Argument

But, then someone, who had desired God’s salvation from sin, when told how much it was going to cost him, got very upset with God. For, he had come to believe that faith in Jesus Christ and salvation from sin was going to cost him very little. It was not his understanding that he was going to have to die to his sin and to self, and that salvation from sin meant that he would now be required of God to walk in holiness and righteousness in the power of God’s Spirit living within him (Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17).

He thought his salvation was a free ride to heaven in the sense that he could still live however he wanted to live, but that now God’s grace covered (concealed) it all from sight, so that he was free from the guilt of his sin. But, he underestimated the cost of following Jesus. So, he was defeated by his sin rather than freed from his sin, because he felt he had the freedom to continue in his sinful addictions, and all because of God’s grace, he thought.

But, Jesus paid much too high a price for our freedom from sin to have our souls “just stirred at times, yet never truly changed.” He deserves “a fiery love that won’t ignore” his sacrifice, because He “paid much too high a price” for our freedom from sin (1).

Thus, because of what Jesus did for us, we owe him our very lives! For, in his death, too, he bought us back for God that we might become the righteousness of God and his very own possession (2 Co. 5:21).

The person, still in discussion with God about his salvation, though, was horrified (shocked) to hear that he must give up his life to follow Jesus Christ in order to have eternal life with God. It was almost as though he had just discovered that someone had died, but someone had. He had, but not to sin, but in his sins, because he refused to believe in Jesus Christ and to deny self and sin, and to follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands.

So, this person began to attack God’s message of salvation, and he attempted to bring it into disrepute. And, he began to attack God’s messengers, too, who were bringing to him the message of salvation from his sin. He tried to demonize them and to discredit them and their message in hopes that no one would listen to them. And, this was partly to justify his own sinful addictions, too.

And, then he surrounded himself with people who would support him and his stance, and who would help justify his continuance in addiction to sin, and who would join him in attacking the true gospel and its messengers, too. He surrounded himself with others, like him, who would proclaim that God requires nothing of us other than some ambiguous “faith” for our salvation from sin; who would declare that Jesus requires no sacrifice on our part, no death to sin, no living to righteousness, and no submission to Christ as Lord.

The Evidence

But, Jesus didn’t give us a free pass to keep on in willful defiance to his commands. He didn’t cover our sins in the sense of concealing our secret sins, allowing us to continue in sinful practices while his grace hides our secret sins from public view. His free pass is a pass from death to life via death to sin and living to righteousness, all in his power and strength, and via us owning up to our sin, forsaking it, and following him in obedience.

As well, if we are truly following Jesus Christ with our lives, there should be evidence to demand a verdict of “saved from sin.” The fruit of our lives should reveal lives which are committed to Christ, to walking in obedience to him, in surrender to his will for our lives.

This is not saying we have to be perfect or that we will never fail, but the evidence should be there to reveal a life that is crucified with Christ in death to sin, and that has been resurrected with him to newness of life, focused on Jesus, obeying him, too.

But, we don’t do this in our own strength or willpower. We cannot do this in our own flesh. That is why Jesus had to die, because we, as humans, were not able to be perfect. We were not able to be saved from our sins by keeping the law. So, Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins also provided for us the Holy Spirit to indwell us, to empower us, and to strengthen us to walk in holiness and righteousness. Even the faith to believe in Jesus Christ and repentance are gifts from God and divinely persuaded of God.

So, this is not works-based salvation, as some would have you believe. For, this is not us trying to earn or to deserve our own salvation from sin via good works. This is us, in God’s power and wisdom and strength, doing the good works he prepared in advance that we should do, that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:8-10).

Testing the Spirits

So, we need to test the spirits to see if they are of God, and not believe everything we hear people say. For many out there are leading people astray from pure faith in Jesus Christ, and in doing so, they are leading them straight to hell thinking that they have the promise of eternal life with God.

So, we should examine what we hear, and from whom we hear it, and check out the evidence, the fruit of people’s lives to see if what they are saying and what they are living is in agreement with each other.

For example, many of our government leaders in the USA, and many of our church leaders, too, are promoting this cheap grace gospel which demands no death to sin or living to righteousness, because they are, in reality, working for Satan, and thus they are leading the way for the rule of the beast and his one world religion.

And, that begins by first convincing people that Jesus didn’t mean what he said when he said that we must repent of our sins, die daily to sin and self, and follow him in surrender and obedience.

So, we should watch the lives of our leaders in government, and in the church, and we should examine the fruit in their lives, the words they say, their actions, and the decisions that they make. We should observe their lifestyles, their attitudes, and the things they stand for and are involved in, too. For, we can’t always take people at face value for who they say they are, for there are many liars and deceivers out there in sheep’s clothing.

For instance, many of our government and church leaders, i.e. these wolves in sheep’s clothing, pretend outwardly that they are working for us, and that they have our best interests in mind, while secretly they are plotting how to take us down and how to destroy us and the gospel of our salvation, too. Yet, if we pay attention, and we are spiritually discerning, we will see that they are telling us the truth about what they are actually doing, but it is hidden in plain sight.

They have an agenda, and it is called “Agenda 21,” and it is to bring the entire world under the rule of this beast, i.e. this one world totalitarian government, and to bring us in unity under a one world religion. And, this agenda is in the works, and we can see it being played out in the actions of many of our government and church leaders in the world today. And, the plan, too, is to persecute and put to death those who are still preaching the true gospel of our salvation and its message, too.

So, if we are going to pray for our leaders, and for all people, we need to understand that this is what is going on right now in our world and in much of the church here in America, too.

The gospel and its messengers are under severe attack, and a replacement gospel is being accepted far and wide as the true gospel. Our leaders in government are not for the people, but they are for this rule of the beast, and that is where all this is headed. So, we need to pray for the truth to be revealed to all people, and for many to be saved from their sins before our Lord returns for his people and to judge the people of this earth.

He Lifted Our Burdens

An Original Work / February 15, 2014

Based off Isaiah 9:2-7

People walk in darkness.

They abide in their sin.

It has power o’er them.

True belief escapes them.

Jesus Christ came to save them.

He gave His life up for them;

Crucified; died for our sin,

So we might be forgiven,

And have life up in heaven.

Many come to know Him.

God’s love now o’erflows them.

They rejoice in vict’ry.

Their sin is but hist’ry.

We were once bound in slav’ry.

Jesus lifted our burdens;

Set us now free from Satan,

So we now walk in freedom.

Sin has no more dominion.

Praise be to our Savior!

He showed us His favor.

He took all our burdens;

Cast them all upon Him.

He is our mediator;

The Light which shines in darkness.

Counselor in our troubles;

He gives peace now in our hearts;

Joy which is everlasting.

https://vimeo.com/86854416

Thursday, March 28, 2019

(1)       “Much Too High a Price” https://youtu.be/FeNA1NoJJH4

Power Belongs to God

Psalm 62 ESV

For God alone my soul waits in silence;

    from him comes my salvation.

He alone is my rock and my salvation,

    my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

In America, the church at large, at some point in our history, exchanged our established (in working order) belief system, i.e. our walk (practice) of faith, for a new (alternative) belief system, i.e. a new walk of faith in Jesus Christ.

This new system, though, was not like the old system (arrangement, structure) (1), for it now provided access to a selling off of (a surrendering of) our sexual (or all) purity, and it permitted promiscuity of any (every) type, all under the guise of God’s grace (2).

So, this meant that God was no longer our alone Rock and Salvation, our alone Fortress, but we were being led to follow after false gods, and so our faith indeed was now shaken to the very core.

How long will all of you attack a man

    to batter him,

    like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?

They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.

    They take pleasure in falsehood.

They bless with their mouths,

    but inwardly they curse. Selah

Yet when we, the church, fell for (accepted) this new belief system, I didn’t think it all the way through. Others, like me, were probably where I was, too.

But, then, at some point in time, the Lord opened my eyes to see what was going on, to realize the lies that were being passed off as truth. He helped me to see this shift which had taken place in the church, and how very subtly and slowly these lies had been introduced, and accepted, too.

The Lord opened my eyes to where I could see that the naïve and the immature were being led astray by this new belief system, i.e. by this new walk of faith. And, that concerned me greatly. So, I was now determined (by the Spirit) to disown and to renounce this pile of lies being passed off as truth, and to return to the original gospel of the “Old Rugged Cross.”

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,

    for my hope is from him.

He only is my rock and my salvation,

    my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

On God rests my salvation and my glory;

    my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Trust in him at all times, O people;

    pour out your heart before him;

    God is a refuge for us. Selah

Now I was learning to put my total and complete trust in Jesus Christ, and to truly make him my only Rock and Fortress at all times, even in difficult and hard times which, in times past, I had, on occasion, chosen to escape my pain rather than to trust God through my pain and suffering. Now, through it all, the Lord was strengthening me, maturing me, and purifying me.

Those of low estate are but a breath;

    those of high estate are a delusion;

in the balances they go up;

    they are together lighter than a breath.

Put no trust in extortion;

    set no vain hopes on robbery;

    if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

And, hard times are definitely now upon us all. For, the church at large had accepted (adopted) this “New” belief system, which was not like the old system of faith, and spiritually and morally the church began to decline.

They, at large, also adopted the ways of this sinful world in order to attract the world to their gatherings. As well, they partnered with an evil government and the world’s system, and they turned the church into a business, marketed just like any other business with similar gimmicks, tricks, manipulations, deceptions, games, and stage productions, too.

The result, or the byproduct of this spiritual and moral decline in the church, and this acceptance of this new belief system, thus, is war breaking out against the church via those in high positions of authority in the world, i.e. via the hierarchy (ruling body) of the world, i.e. via a New World Order (one world totalitarian government of the Elite “beast” and its one world religion, too). And, the war is physical, spiritual and it is mental, i.e. they fight with weapons of deception, manipulation, and with physical weapons of war.

So, The Lord Called

So, the Lord called me, and I am sure others like me, too, to follow up behind all these lies being permeated by our government leaders and by many of our church leaders, and to expose them for the lies that they are and to proclaim the truths of God’s Word in opposition to these lies.

For, He had now opened my eyes, and he had awakened me to what is presently going on within the gatherings of the church, and within our nation’s government, and in the world, as a whole. So, I could no longer buy into the lies. For, the Lord helped me to see right through them. For, most had become quite obvious by now, too, so that they were hard to miss.

The Lord also called me (and others, I am sure) to warn the church against these dangers lurking all around us, to warn against deceptions and trickery, and to warn against falling into this trap of this new belief system which provides easy access to promiscuity of every type and the surrendering of our moral purity over to that which is impure, immoral and dishonest.

Do Not Trust in Man

So, we are not to put our trust in human beings, for many will fail us. Many will deceive, trick, use and abuse us, too.

We are not to look to humans, or to human leaders in the church or in government to save us (our nation), either, for many of them are part of this New World Order “beast,” i.e. this new ruling body of the world which is at war with the saints of God in our present day and time (See Rev. 13).

In fact, the Bible says we are to come out from among them and to be separate, so we don’t share in their sins and in their punishment. And, we are to touch no unclean thing, and then God will welcome us, and will be a Father to us, and we will be his children (2 Co. 6:14-18; Rev. 18:4-5).

Once God has spoken;

    twice have I heard this:

that power belongs to God,

    and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.

For you will render to a man

    according to his work.

It took me awhile, though, to fully comprehend the deception that was and is going on within our nation and within the church, at large.

For I, like so many others, had been brought up pledging (vowing) my allegiance (fidelity) to the US government with hand over heart. I sang all the patriotic songs with full vigor and enthusiasm. I voted in every election, believing my vote counted. I thought our military was fighting for our freedoms and that they were our heroes. And, I thought we were the “good guys” and that others were the “bad guys,” which is what they promoted.

It took me a while, too, to fully comprehend this new belief system which had infiltrated the church, and what exactly that looked like, and what it was all about, too. For, its purpose is to destroy the church and the true gospel of our salvation, and it is to send people straight to hell while promising them freedom from their sin and the hope of eternal life with God in heaven.

Responding to the Lies

So, God began to have me respond to the cheap grace gospel, which leaves its adherents still bound in slavery to sin. He began to have me expose it, and to oppose it strongly with the Word of God. And, the door that he opened up for me to do this was the internet, where we now, temporarily, are still able to spread the truth of God’s Word and to oppose what is false.

And, there I found that there were others, like me, who also were following the “Old Time Gospel,” and who had a story to tell to the nations, which was not like the story being presented by this new belief system. For, what they were telling was the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and of our salvation. Praise the Lord for his faithful servants and witnesses!

For, this new belief system has no strings attached, i.e. nothing is required of its adherents, i.e. no repentance, no obedience, no submission and no surrender of self and sin to God and to his righteousness. But, the old system, i.e. the way of the cross, demands repentance, obedience and submission and surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives, as required for our identity with Christ, i.e. for our salvation from sin.

But, we are in the minority, we who still hold to the truths of the gospel taught by Jesus and his NT apostles. The majority, it would appear, have swung over to the cheap grace gospel, which provides easy access to sinful practices because it demands no death to sin at all, and no living to righteousness. But it, instead, coddles people in their sin and it entertains them in their sin, too, because it is all about appeasing the flesh.

But, even though we are in the minority, God is using us to spread his truths, and people are beginning to listen and to pay attention, too. Some of them may still be opposing the truth, though, and they may only be reading what we write in order to oppose us, but they are hearing the Word of God, and his Word will not return empty, but it will accomplish the purpose for which it has been sent. Amen! God still reigns supreme!

He Reached Down 

An Original Work / February 3, 2014

Based off Psalm 18

How I love You, Lord, my Rock and my strength.

My God is my fortress; I hide in Him.

He is my shield and the horn of

My salvation, whom I praise.

I have found my refuge in Him.

He reached down from heaven and rescued me;

Drew me out of waters so deep, I’d sink.

He delivered me from Satan

And my slavery to sin;

Gave me hope of heaven with Him.

My God turned my darkness into His light;

Opened up my blinded eyes; gave me sight.

As for God, his way is perfect.

He gives strength to stand secure.

I have found my vict’ry in Him.

My Lord lives! Praise be to my Savior God,

Jesus Christ, who died on a cruel cross.

He is my Rock and the source

Of my salvation, whom I trust.

I will give praise always to Him.

https://vimeo.com/86346545

(1)       A.W. Tozer’s “The Old Cross and The New” http://theway2jesus.users1.50megs.com/oldcross.html - Originally published in the “Alliance Witness” (now “Alliance Life”) in 1946.

(2)       Porneia (the root of the English term “pornography”) definition - https://biblehub.com/greek/4202.htm

For His Purposes

Philippians 1:12-14 ESV

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Not everything that is bad ends badly. As humans, we are going to go through all kinds of stuff, and it isn’t all going to be good. We are going to go through tough experiences, trials, and tribulations, as well as we may have positive, encouraging and delightful experiences, too. Some of us, for example, were abused as children. That is not good. But, God can bring good out of it. He can use it for good in our lives.

Many people are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ and for their testimonies for Christ and for this gospel, too. I have faced this much in my life. But, because of all the persecution and rejection I faced in my life, I am now on the internet sharing the Word of God with people I would have never encountered in any other way. Because of all the rejection and the persecution, which I have faced in my life, the gospel of Jesus Christ is advancing through the ministry the Lord has given to me on the internet.

So, it has all worked out for good. It has not been easy, though. It has been very hard, at times, and painful, and lonely, too. But, God has carried me through it all, and he can carry you through all of your difficulties, too, and he can turn them around for good, as well. For, he can take your hard times and turn them into a blessing. Because of your suffering, he may use you to minister his love and his grace to others in a way you never thought possible. For, God uses our suffering to prepare us for what he has called us to do, to get us ready in advance for what lies ahead in our future.

Philippians 1:15-18 ESV

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

If we are truly following Jesus Christ with our lives, and we are walking in his ways, and if we are sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fullness so that others can come to faith in Jesus Christ, too, there are going to be people who are not going to like us. And, they won’t want to be around us. Or, they may vehemently attack us or try to falsely accuse us.

But, they may be jealous of us, too, not in the sense that they want to live like we are living exactly, but they may resent our relationship with the Lord, or they may be bitter in spirit against us because we are walking in holiness, and that is an offense to many who are not. And, so they may crusade against us like the Pharisees did against Jesus in order to bring us down.

Yet, others who are bitter against us may take a different approach. They may actually pretend to be walking by faith in Jesus Christ, too, but while they are secretly engaged in sinful practices. And, they may even pretend that they are for us, and that they are with us. And, the pretense is to impress others that they are doing well spiritually, but it is a cover-up for what is really going on in their lives behind closed doors. For, betrayal is being plotted and carried out while loyalty is being professed on the surface.

And, they may, on the surface, even be preaching the same gospel we are, i.e. the one Jesus and his NT apostles taught, but it may be a façade to impress people, to deceive people into thinking they are living righteously, and as a cover-up for something underhanded, devious and despicable which they are doing undercover to try to dissuade others from us or to try to discredit us so that people won’t like us, but so they will like them.

Philippians 1:19-26 ESV

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

Life has its ups and its downs. Some days are good. Some days are not so good, i.e. they are filled with troubles, heartaches, difficulties and pain. And, this applies to all people. And, then when you add on faith in Jesus Christ, then there are added sufferings, too, such as rejections, persecutions, false accusations, abuse, mockery, and slander, etc., just because of our walks of faith, and just because of our testimonies for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But, we have to not let these persecutions undo us. We have to realize that Jesus promised us that following him would be like this. And, we have to trust him through it all. We have to believe that he truly does work all things for good for those who love (obey) him and who have been called according to his purpose. And, we have to trust in his sovereignty over our lives, and believe that what we are going through is not without purpose or meaning, and that our Lord can carry us through it all.

Following Jesus Christ, therefore, means laying it all down for him. It means that truly to live is for Christ but to die is gain. And, this isn’t just talking about physical death when we go to be with the Lord, but it is talking about death to sin, and death to self, and being willing to be hated, persecuted, mistreated and falsely accused for the sake of the gospel in order to see other people find true freedom from addiction to sin in Christ.

But, I can attest to what Paul expressed here in that he was torn between wanting to be with his Lord and remaining for the encouragement of the saints of God, i.e. his fellow believers in Jesus Christ. And, the older I get (I will be 70 this year) the more I long for my heavenly home and will be glad for the day when Jesus takes me home to be with him. Yet, I know I will remain as long as my Lord still has work for me to do here, and as long as I can still be an encouragement to others in their walks of faith, too.

Philippians 1:27-30 ESV

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

And, this is the encouragement we should be giving one another for the time we have remaining on this earth. We should be encouraging one another to let our manner (our habits, our practices) of life be worthy (praiseworthy) of the gospel of Christ. And, what is the gospel? It is that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness – all by his grace and in his power and strength. So, we should be encouraging one another to daily die to sin and self, and to daily live for Jesus, and to walk in holiness and in obedience to our Lord and in submission to his will and purposes for our lives.

And, we should be encouraging one another to remain steadfast in our faith and in our practices, that they may be for the glory and praise of God. And, that we should be united in mind and heart with one another, but that mind being the mind of Christ, and not the thinking of humans. And, we should be urging one another, too, to not be afraid of persecutions and opposition, but to be strong in the Lord and to daily put on that armor of God with which he has supplied us so that we can fight off Satan’s evil attacks against us.

For, suffering for the sake of the gospel has been granted unto us by our Lord. For, through suffering we are humbled, we cry out to God, we learn to rely on him and not on ourselves, we are being made holy, God is pruning us, and he is making us into the people of God he wants us to be for his praise and glory and also for the advancement of the gospel. So, be encouraged! If you are suffering for Christ, let God use it for his purposes.

He Lifted Our Burdens

An Original Work / February 15, 2014

Based off Isaiah 9:2-7

People walk in darkness.

They abide in their sin.

It has power o’er them.

True belief escapes them.

Jesus Christ came to save them.

He gave His life up for them;

Crucified; died for our sin,

So we might be forgiven,

And have life up in heaven.

Many come to know Him.

God’s love now o’erflows them.

They rejoice in vict’ry.

Their sin is but hist’ry.

We were once bound in slav’ry.

Jesus lifted our burdens;

Set us now free from Satan,

So we now walk in freedom.

Sin has no more dominion.

Praise be to our Savior!

He showed us His favor.

He took all our burdens;

Cast them all upon Him.

He is our mediator;

The Light which shines in darkness.

Counselor in our troubles;

He gives peace now in our hearts;

Joy which is everlasting.

https://vimeo.com/86854416

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Slaves to God

Romans 6 ESV

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. This is the essence of the gospel of our salvation – always has been, and always will be! When we come to believing faith (God-given faith) in Jesus Christ, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and we are resurrected with Christ to newness of life, that we might walk in it, in righteousness and holiness. So, how can we, who have died with Christ to sin, continue to live in sin? Nay!

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Jesus did not die on that cross that horrible death merely to forgive us our sins so we can escape hell and go to heaven when we die. He died on that cross to put sin to death in our lives, that we would no longer walk in bondage (slavery, addiction) to sin, but so we would walk in holiness.

For, when Jesus died, he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. And, it is the same for us in that we must consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Thus, this is saying that faith in Jesus Christ means putting sin to death in our lives and walking in obedience to our Lord in his power and strength within us. For, this is why Jesus died!

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Ok, we need to understand here that not everyone is teaching this. Not everyone is teaching that our salvation is for the very purpose that sin would no longer have dominion over our lives, but that we would now be under the control of righteousness and the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Many people, in fact, are teaching that God requires no repentance (turning away from sin), no submission to the Lordship of Christ, and no obedience to the Lord, too. They have reduced faith in Jesus Christ to a mere profession of (ambiguous) faith and a belief that Jesus merely forgives sin and promises us heaven when we die, but that nothing is required of us in the way or holiness, righteousness, morality, honesty or faithfulness.

So, we need to understand that God’s grace is not a free license to continue in slavery to sin. For his grace, which brings salvation, demands that we say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts and that we live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s soon return (Tit. 2:11-14). For, our salvation from sin is deliverance from our addiction to sin!!

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

We are either slaves (addicted to) righteousness or we are slaves (addicted to) sin. This is not saying we will never sin again, though. What scripture teaches with regard to this is that it all comes down to lifestyle. It all comes down to what we practice. For what we practice reveals what we really believe (Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 5:19-21).

This is not about perfection! This is not legalism, either, and it is not works-based salvation. For, what we practice also shows where our allegiance truly lies, either to sin and self or to God and to his righteousness (Gal. 6:7-8).

I can’t tell you, though, where God draws the line, i.e. how he determines who is a slave to righteousness and who is a slave to sin, since we all have the propensity to sin against God. But, it seems to me that if someone is wanting to know how far is too far, that he or she is probably already living in sinful addiction. And, it is God who judges our hearts and who knows where our allegiance truly stands. He knows whose hearts are given to him.

The point of all this, I believe, is that if we are truly in Christ, by faith in him, we will want to obey him. We will want to walk in holiness. Yet, this is not saying, again, that we will never fail, or even that we may not ever wander off from our pure devotion to Christ for a time (See Rev. 2-3) and need to be brought back to repentance and be renewed and restored to our Lord.

But, if we begin with the premise that we don’t have to repent or obey Christ, then that is a false premise and a false faith of the cheap grace gospel. If we begin thinking that once we have believed in Jesus that heaven is secured for us and so it doesn’t matter how much we sin from that point forward, then again that is a false faith which will end in death, not life.

For, true faith in Jesus Christ, because it is God-given and God-persuaded, submits to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and it forsakes our old lives of living for sin and self, and it walks in the Spirit in obedience to Christ and to His Word, not in absolute perfection, but in lifestyle, as a matter of course.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So many people quote this last verse, but out of context. They quote it in the context of a gospel presentation followed up by a prayer to receive Christ, and that once that prayer has been prayed, then they congratulate that person that they are now in God’s family, that heaven is secured for them, and that nothing can ever take that away from them.

They quote it in the context of a faith that says once that prayer is prayed then all sins are forgiven and therefore their debt was paid and now that they have received this free gift of salvation, they are guaranteed eternal life with God no matter what they do from that point forward.

But that isn’t what this is saying, not exactly, though that is partially correct. But, we have to read it in the context of the whole chapter and even in the context of this last paragraph. For, what this is saying is that this all comes down to whom we are in enslavement, and to whom we obey as a matter of practice in our lives.

For, if we are walking (living in) sinful addiction to porn, adultery, lust, gossip, gluttony, slander, lying, stealing, etc. then that is who we are obeying, and that is who is our master, and the result of that is death. But, true freedom in Christ is not free of righteousness, but it is slavery to righteousness, to which we obey, and that results in eternal life.

So, when it says here that the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord, we have to read this in context!!

For, it is talking about sinful practices. It is talking about living in sinful addiction to lust, porn, adultery, lying, cheating, stealing and the like. The wages of slavery to sin (to the one whom we obey) is eternal death. But, the free gift of God is freedom from our slavery to sin and it is slavery to righteousness, and that is what results in eternal life with God.

He Lifted Our Burdens

An Original Work / February 15, 2014

Based off Isaiah 9:2-7

People walk in darkness.

They abide in their sin.

It has power o’er them.

True belief escapes them.

Jesus Christ came to save them.

He gave His life up for them;

Crucified; died for our sin,

So we might be forgiven,

And have life up in heaven.

Many come to know Him.

God’s love now o’erflows them.

They rejoice in vict’ry.

Their sin is but hist’ry.

We were once bound in slav’ry.

Jesus lifted our burdens;

Set us now free from Satan,

So we now walk in freedom.

Sin has no more dominion.

Praise be to our Savior!

He showed us His favor.

He took all our burdens;

Cast them all upon Him.

He is our mediator;

The Light which shines in darkness.

Counselor in our troubles;

He gives peace now in our hearts;

Joy which is everlasting.

https://vimeo.com/86854416

Monday, March 25, 2019

The Guest

An Allegory

A Practical Illustration of James 1*

The Cast:

Me/I – Jesus Christ, and to some extent his gospel messengers

The Woman – the false church, man-made church, or individual lives

The House – her stance, position, lifestyle, practices, mind and heart

The Story

Given to me by the Lord via a dream

I Was Invited

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” Vv. 5-8

I was at someone else’s house as an invited guest. It was not my house. I did not live there. I was a visitor, a caller, a stranger. I was invited (given an opportunity) by a woman – by the owner of the house – to spend the night upstairs, and so I did. I spent (defeated) the night (the darkness) upstairs (in the mind, thinking and attitude of this false church, or in the mind of this individual’s life), where self, pride, and sin reigned supreme.

But, as soon as I did that, I was ejected to the downstairs, i.e. to a place of humility and lowliness, of being despised and rejected because I had told her the truth, and she didn’t want to hear it (see vv. 2-4, 9-12). But, this is all part of our faith being tested, which produces steadfastness in us, and that works in us its full effect, so that we can become mature and complete.

I asked her to permit me to go back upstairs (into the recesses of her mind) to examine self, pride and sinful practices going on there – which included practices of sexual perversion, lies and adultery – to examine for her how it all came about, and the detailed plan of action she had for her own life. But, she refused (denied, declined) further access to her mind. Instead, she set an upper limit, a barrier to further access to her mind (thinking, attitudes).

It was as though she was hiding something she didn’t want me to see (although God sees it all). She had said she wanted help, she needed wisdom, but when I helped, then she cut off all access to further help.

The only view into her mind she would provide for me now was through what was visible to the naked eye, i.e. via her history of addiction to sin (her cycles), and via this obvious barrier she had erected to keep me from examining her mind again. And, it was also through an unfriendly, immovable opening into her heart, which was very slight, vague and indistinct, and it was through her continued obvious quenching of the Holy Spirit’s voice to her.

For the Children

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” Vv. 12-15

Then, I saw children (the immature) lining up (teaming up, in an alliance) to get their hair (authority over their heads) cut (censored, amended, reduced, edited), i.e. to get the authority of Almighty God censored and edited out of their minds (thinking, believing, and attitudes).

For, the false church, in denying what Jesus Christ did for them in defeating the darkness in their minds, and in refusing him further access to their minds, also removed his authority from over their minds, too. And, thus, this is what they are passing along to the children (to the naïve, the immature).

But, these haircuts were unfamiliar to me, i.e. they were not the same kind of haircut that I had received from God, which was a cutting away of the flesh, i.e. of death to sin. Theirs was subject to no limits, no restrictions, no commands. Mine was subject to repentance, a walk of obedience to Christ and submission to the Lordship of Christ, all in His power and strength.

But, they wanted me to get my hair cut like theirs, but I told them that I already had mine cut (i.e. the cutting away of the flesh; death to sin). They want Jesus to be like them. They want the gospel’s messengers, too, to reject the true gospel and to follow a gospel of men (See vv. 9-11).

Then, I noticed that towels (cloths) or burp (expel gas) cloths (essence of something, coverings) were being used for the children. Although they had been washed, yet when someone flung (tossed) them somewhere, a bunch of them were covered in snot (see vv. 5-8).

The essence, thus, of what is being used for the children to wipe out their sins is leaky, not secure, malfunctioning and covered in snot. It provides a mere interruption to sin, on occasion, on a temporary basis, but it does not put sin to death. It provides no permanent solution for the eradication of sin from one’s life. It is mere vapor (smoke, nonsense), because it is based in the flesh, not in the Spirit. This, my friends, is the cheap grace gospel.

But, this is being tossed around among the immature, this wind of teaching, this vapor, as though it is The Truth. But, it is nonsense. And, so many of the immature (the naïve) are buying into it because it sounds good and it feels good, and because it comforts them in their sin and it gives permission to continue in what is snotty – prideful, contemptible, disrespectful to God, and slimy – foul, despicable, devious and untrustworthy. But, this is their covering (concealment) for their sin, this cheap grace gospel (vapor).

In the Kitchen

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” Vv. 22-25

Now I was in the kitchen of this woman’s house. The kitchen is where food (the Word of God) is prepared and served so that people can eat (partake) in it. And, I was adding shelves into her cupboard to make space (opportunity) for the tea and coffee to be shelved (put away, discarded, and abandoned).

For the tea and coffee (like dirty water) were dry (withered, waterless, Spirit-less), perfumed (scented), leaves (departures from the truth), and a mixture of truth and lies when combined with “hot water” (trouble, sin). They are a shrub (hedge), i.e. they hedge, evade, circumvent the truth. They are two-sided fruits, i.e. a mixture, being tossed back and forth by the wind (gas, vapor) of false teaching. This is the half-truth half-lies gospel.

The cheap grace gospel is also influenced heavily by East Asian or Middle Eastern religions and their beliefs and practices, too, i.e. many teas are cultivated in China and Japan. And, it gives permission to its adherents to continue in their sinful addictions (to remain in the hot water). This sounds a whole lot like the warnings in scripture with regard to not drinking the cup of demons, for we can’t drink the cup of the Lord and of demons, too.

So, this is about Jesus Christ providing the “shelving” (the putting away) of all filthiness and rampant wickedness, so that we can receive with meekness (humility) the implanted word, which is able to save our souls (vv. 19-21).

Through his death on a cross, he put sin to death on our behalf, so that we can die to sin and live to Christ and to his righteousness; so that we can put away all that wickedness and cheap grace, too, which permits us to continue in “hot water,” i.e. in our sinful lifestyles (practices, addictions).

But, just as I got everything arranged inside this cupboard, i.e. just as soon as I had finished the work of shelving the tea and coffee, i.e. of putting sin to death on a cross, then someone came along who wanted to change it, to alter it, to say that we don’t have to obey the Word, that we can just listen to it, but we don’t have to do what it says. But, I let them know this work was complete and that it can’t be altered (see vv. 16-18).

He Reached Down 

An Original Work / February 3, 2014

Based off Psalm 18

How I love You, Lord, my Rock and my strength.

My God is my fortress; I hide in Him.

He is my shield and the horn of

My salvation, whom I praise.

I have found my refuge in Him.

He reached down from heaven and rescued me;

Drew me out of waters so deep, I’d sink.

He delivered me from Satan

And my slavery to sin;

Gave me hope of heaven with Him.

My God turned my darkness into His light;

Opened up my blinded eyes; gave me sight.

As for God, his way is perfect.

He gives strength to stand secure.

I have found my vict’ry in Him.

My Lord lives! Praise be to my Savior God,

Jesus Christ, who died on a cruel cross.

He is my Rock and the source

Of my salvation, whom I trust.

I will give praise always to Him.

https://vimeo.com/86346545

Saturday, March 23, 2019

*https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1&version=ESV