A False Peace

Sunday, June 22, 2014, 7:54 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “What the Lord Says.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Revelation 17 (NIV).

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”

…I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.

When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.

“This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.

“The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled. The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

The Filth of Her Adulteries

Taken from Her Adulteries, 6/21/14: So, who is Babylon the Great? There are many theories floating around out there on this subject. Yet, for the past eight years the Lord Jesus has been showing me, by his Spirit, that we, the USA/NYC/D.C., are Babylon the Great… and we are forcing the nations of the world to drink the maddening wine of our adulteries…

Their “peace plan” for the US/U.N./N.W.O. (Beast) is to fake uprisings (false flag operations), blame other groups or other national governments for the casualties of war, go in as “saviors” to “help” the people of those nations, take over their governments and natural resources, and eliminate all opposition, including or most especially those who are the Redeemed of the Lord, who have been bought with the blood of Christ, who hold to the testimony of Jesus, and who do not deny his name. Then it is to create a one-world order of government, one nation at a time, and a one-world unity religion (a blending of all religions into one). Their “anti-terrorist” agenda is truly an “anti-opposition” to the N.W.O. agenda. The redeemed of the Lord pose the biggest threat to this one world government (beast), which is why they must be eliminated. [See Revelation 13 for the details.]

I believe that our government, or certain factions within our government, and the Elite, wealthy, and powerful of the world are plotting the demise of America, i.e. we will fall. I believe that this union being talked about with Iran has been in the works for a long time now, that the US/U.N./N.W.O. are assisting Iran in the development of nuclear weapons, and/or else they are merely blaming Iran for what our government/U.N./N.W.O. is doing. It appears to me that our government, under the authority and direction of the Elite of this world (the Illuminati, Freemasons, Wealthy and Powerful Bankers, Satanists and/or practitioners of the Occult), plans to use nuclear weapons in some form or fashion against the people of America at some point in time. Yet, God will judge them, too. [End quotation]

World Peace

I became aware this morning of a group called “Peace Thru Music.” I had never heard of them before, so I looked them up. It was difficult, at first, for me to ascertain exactly what the goals of this group were, but little by little it began to come together. It appears to me that their goal is to try to establish world peace by bringing people together via the medium of music. They are “playing for change,” i.e. to change the world and to make it a better place, it would seem. “Religion, politics - a lot of those things seem to divide everybody. Music seems to bring everyone together.” “Music opens the door to a place where we can come together as a human race.” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6S3RTmXGRw

This search led me to playingforchange.com, which stated: “This global movement to connect the world through music has been built upon the grassroots organizing of people just like you – together we will change the world.” I also looked at peacethrumusic.org and wetheworld.org and then http://worldpeaceone.com/mission.html. “WP1 represents an intense ‘Right of Passage’ to help humanity graduate from a fearful, divisive and competitive war-driven global culture, to a ‘Culture of Friendship, Cooperation, Prosperity and Permanent Peace.’ At the core of the WP1 Movement is a ‘creative matrix’ out of which all manner of inspirational and practical ideas and activities flow, and out of which a blueprint and ‘Meta-Plan’ for a more Enlightened and Cooperative Humanity will emerge.”

The peace symbol is prominently displayed on this WP1 site. I looked that up, too. Evidently it has a history connected to the hatred and killing of Christians, death of man, Nazi Germany, paganism, mysticism, communism, evil and death, meaning “peace” without God, and that which symbolizes “the total death of all people.” www.gotquestions.org.

Cooperation and Enlightenment

So, what does all this mean? Well, taken together with what I know of our government’s, the U.N.’s and the N.W.O.’s idea of “peace,” and a “peace plan,” I would say we are headed for trouble. This “peace” movement is all over the place, including inside churches. The global effort is to bring peace to the world via uniting them together through the mediums of music, art, technology, etc. But notice with me that they speak of religion as what divides us, and so we need to bring the world into unity, which thus means unity of faith/religion, i.e. a one-world religion. Yet, they also speak of politics, which divide us, which means we need to bring all the governments of the world into unity, which thus means a one world government, alias the beast (N.W.O.). I believe this is what is meant by the emerging of a “more enlightened and cooperative humanity.”

This word “cooperation” is a key word to their success. You will find it in most of the news stories about these various “uprisings” which have been going on one after another after another throughout the world’s nations. Do you think that is just coincidence? No! These are planned and carried about by the U.S./U.N./N.W.O. This is a forced “peace” and it is forced “cooperation,” and they will remove through death any who oppose them.

This reminds me of the movie “Independence Day,” which I watched several years ago before I gave up movie watching. The other day, as we were driving down the street, there was this huge mass of cloud hovering over the street. Truly, to me at that moment, it reminded me of these space ships in this movie that were hovering low over the planet, and were preparing to strike, unknown to the unsuspecting earth people below. A group of people decided that these “aliens” were friendly, though, so they went to the top of a building with their peace signs, trying to communicate with the ship hovering overhead. It ended badly, needless to say. The space ship was not friendly but deadly.

I thought about that again today. What came to mind is that so many naïve people are getting caught up in this whole idea of world peace, really thinking this is possible, and believing their leaders that this is truly their goal. Yet, they are going to find out that “peace” is really not what is on the agenda, at least not the kind of peace we might hope for. Yet, it isn’t just world peace which is being promoted in the churches. Many leaders have diluted the gospel so much that they teach people not to take God or sin seriously, i.e. they give them a free license for continued sin. Jeremiah 6:13-14 says:

“From the least to the greatest,

    all are greedy for gain;

prophets and priests alike,

    all practice deceit.

They dress the wound of my people

    as though it were not serious.

‘Peace, peace,’ they say,

    when there is no peace.”

Yet, the only true peace is peace with God. Rom. 5:1-2a says:

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”

Please know that in order for this global peace initiative to accomplish their goal, they must remove through death all opposition, and that includes believers and followers of Jesus Christ. This has been going on for some time throughout various countries in the world but it will soon come to America. Know also that America is the Great Prostitute, and thus she will fall, and she will be destroyed by fire, which could be nuclear. So, don’t play around. Know also that many who believe they know Christ because of some prayer they prayed, but their lives were never transformed of the Spirit of God, may not survive what is coming. So, if you are traveling the middle-of-the road, and you are neither on fire or cold for Christ, get your heart right with God today. If you have been putting off the decision to give your life to Christ, make that decision today while you still have today, because time is short.

What the Lord Says / An Original Work

February 24, 2014 / Based off Isaiah 43:1-44:5

This is what the Lord says to you:

Fear not, for I have chosen you.

I have summoned you by your name.

You are mine. I died, you to save.

When you go through your trials, so deep,

I will be with you; you will not sink.

You are so precious always to me.

Trust in your Lord, Savior and King.

This is what the Lord says to you:

He who gave salvation to you;

Who delivered you from your sin;

Takes your burdens now upon Him:

Forget the former things of your life.

Give of your heart not now up to strife.

See all the new things I have for you.

Walk in vict’ry. Trust in what’s true.

This is what the Lord says to you:

He who made you; who will help you:

Do not fear what humans may do.

Walk in freedom. Follow what’s true.

Drink of my Spirit given for you.

Trust in my mercy, for I love you.

I have a plan for all of your life.

Follow my ways. Do what is right.

http://originalworks.info/what-the-lord-says/

Her Adulteries

Saturday, June 21, 2014, 4:55 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “Only In Him.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Revelation 14 (NIV).

The Redeemed

Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

Awesome! This is so encouraging! I love the picture of the redeemed of the Lord joining in song together in praise, worship and adoration of our Lord Jesus Christ! I love his church, Mount Zion, over which our Lord presides. And, that is one of the biggest reasons why I do what I do. Other than my relationship with my Lord, there is nothing more wonderful to me than the body of Christ joined together in unity in Christ, giving their honor, praise and worship to their Lord and Savior. I love the fellowship of the church in the Spirit of Christ.

So, who are the redeemed of the Lord? We are those who have the name of Jesus and the name of God the Father written on our foreheads, whether literally or figuratively or both. Someone’s name, in Biblical times, represented their word (promise), but also their character. Our foreheads represent our minds, wills and thinking. To write something means to inscribe, such as in a formal and permanent record; to engrave (impress deeply); and/or to mark (influence; give identification; characteristic), etc. So, for God the Father and Jesus Christ, God the Son, to have written their names on our foreheads means that their promise of salvation and eternal life, as well as God’s divine character and will, have been impressed deeply on our minds and hearts, and have been given a permanent place and record on our thoughts, minds and will. It also means that we are now identified with Christ, that we bear his divine character, and that his mark (his influence; ownership) is on our lives.

When we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we die with Christ to our old lives of living for sin and self, we are transformed of heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and we are given new lives in Christ to be lived in the power and working of the Spirit within us, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See Eph. 4:17-24). God’s grace teaches us to say “No!” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled and upright lives in this present age (See Tit. 2:11-14). Jesus Christ died so that we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave himself up for us (See 2 Co. 5:15). When we are crucified with Christ, the “I” within us no longer lives (rules; thrives), but Christ now lives within us, and we live by faith in him (See Gal. 2:20). Sin is no longer our master, but we now walk in the Spirit and in freedom from the control of sin over our lives, putting to death the misdeeds of the flesh, and submitting to the Lordship of Christ (See Ro. 6-8).

Yet, if we claim to be in relationship with Jesus Christ, yet we continue in willful sin and rebellion against God, then we are liars, and we do not live by the truth (See 1 Jn. 1-5). God’s grace is not a free license to continue in sin. God’s grace delivers us from the slavery to sin. Amen!

Babylon the Great

A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”

A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

So, who is Babylon the Great? There are many theories floating around out there on this subject. Yet, for the past eight years the Lord Jesus has been showing me, by his Spirit, that we, the USA/NYC/D.C., are Babylon the Great. The Lord has given me, over the years, names of people and places I never heard of before. As I did the research on these names of people and places, prompted by the Holy Spirit, I learned more and more about the history of America, its true roots, and where we are presently in the scheme of things, and in relation to Biblical prophecy concerning the end of time and the rise of the beast. Right now much of this information can be researched on the internet, but that will soon go away. I did some more research today, as the Holy Spirit was prompting me to look at what the 13 stars on our Great Seal represent in relation to the naming, by Babylon, of those with whom she committed adultery.

The names Rothschild and Rockefeller have come to the forefront many times over in the past eight years, as the Lord Jesus has been showing me who truly controls our government. Evidently, these 13 stars on our Great Seal do not represent the original 13 colonies, as is taught in our history books, but they represent the 13 ruling families of the Elite of the world. Our nation never has been what it is made out to be. We were a creation of these Elite. We were created for the purpose to bring about the New World Order, i.e. to bring about the rule of the beast of Revelation. Look at the symbols on the Great Seal, which are now on our dollar bill, which is an I.O.U. of the Federal Reserve, which is a combination of government and privatized corporation. They are Satanic and of the Occult, Freemasons, & Illuminati. The layout of Washington DC is in Satanic symbols, and our government buildings are loaded with idols of false gods and goddesses. Both sides of the US government are a creation of the Elite, i.e. they control both sides. The war of politics in America is acted out for the entertainment and distraction of American citizens.

Our mainstream news media, including and most especially Fox News, is also owned and run by the Elite, and is government controlled. We CANNOT TRUST anything coming from the news media or what we see or hear on TV, because so much of it is fabricated, again for the entertainment and distraction and deception of the American people. The truth is that the USA is the great Satan, and we are forcing the nations of the world to drink the maddening wine of our adulteries. The USA/N.W.O. Elites of the World are taking over one nation at a time. The US military is its primary international military and police force, though they have privatized military police, too. We are not in Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine, etc. to help, except to help ourselves to their governments and natural resources. We are in all of these other nations via created “uprisings” in order to establish “Unity” governments of the N.W.O. and to remove the leadership of localized or national governments, especially those who are in non-compliance with the goals and objectives of the N.W.O.

Their “peace plan” for the US/N.W.O. (Beast) is to fake uprisings (false flag operations), blame other groups or other national governments for the casualties of war, go in as “saviors” to “help” the people of those nations, take over their governments and natural resources, and eliminate all opposition, including or most especially those who are the Redeemed of the Lord, who have been bought with the blood of Christ, who hold to the testimony of Jesus, and who do not deny his name. Then it is to create a one-world order of government, one nation at a time, and a one-world unity religion (a blending of all religions into one). Their “anti-terrorist” agenda is truly an “anti-opposition” to the N.W.O. agenda. The redeemed of the Lord pose the biggest threat to this one world government (beast), which is why they must be eliminated. [See Revelation 13 for the details.]

I believe that our government, or certain factions within our government, and the Elite of the world are plotting the demise of America, i.e. we will fall. I believe that this union being talked about with Iran has been in the works for a long time now, that they are assisting Iran in the development of nuclear weapons, and/or else they are merely blaming Iran for what our government/N.W.O. is doing. It appears to me that our government, under the authority and direction of the Elite of this world (the Illuminati, Freemasons, Wealthy and Powerful Bankers, Satanists and/or practitioners of the Occult), plans to use nuclear weapons in some form or fashion against the people of America at some point in time. Yet, God will judge them, too.

This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

ONLY IN HIM / An Original Work / February 19, 2014

Based off Isaiah 30

Woe to those who look to man’s help;

Who turn away from Jesus Christ;

Forming an alliance not in step with God;

Making their own plans, and praying not.

Willing not to listen to truth,

They close their ears to what is right.

Pleasing words are all that they’ll hear;

Feel good messages that bring cheer.

Trust in your Lord; turn from your sin.

Put your faith now ONLY IN HIM.

Do not turn to idols. They’ll not satisfy.

Jesus will save you. That’s why He died.

Your Lord will be gracious to you.

He cares all about you, ‘tis true.

He forgives you all of your sin

When you give your life up to Him.

Oh, how truly gracious He’ll be

When you bow to Him on your knees;

Turning now from your sin; walking in his ways.

He’ll lead and guide you all of your days.

Now you will sing praises to Him.

He delivered you from your sin.

You’ll tell others now of His grace,

So they may see Christ face-to-face.

http://originalworks.info/only-in-him/

Additional Resource Material (I cannot verify all of what is shared on these sites, but do believe they have some valid and worthwhile information to read and consider prayerfully): http://www.jesuschrist.com/908/; http://www.thewatcherfiles.com/sherry/america-babylon.htm. 

In Triumph!

Thursday, June 19, 2014, 6:45 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “He Lifted Our Burdens.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Revelation 12 (NIV).

A Woman

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

I am not a gifted theologian. I have never been to Bible College. Yet, I am a student of the word of God, and I do sit daily at my Lord’s feet to hear from him. Still, I do not understand all of these symbols and their meanings. Yet, I do believe the woman is a figure of Israel, not physical Israel, but spiritual Israel, the children of promise. Jesus Christ did come from Israel. He was/is the promised seed of Abraham, and he is the one who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter, yet we who are in Christ will rule and will reign with him.

Satan tried to destroy Jesus Christ, but he was not successful. Jesus Christ conquered him, instead. First he tried to have him killed when he was still a small child. Eventually he incited the religious leaders of his day to incite a riot of people to demand that Jesus be crucified. And, they did hang him on a cross to die. Yet he was resurrected from the dead, and in his death and resurrection he was victorious over sin, hell, Satan and death. Then, he ascended back to heaven where he is seated at the right hand of God the Father until the time when he comes back to judge, to receive his own, and to rule and to reign on the earth. After he left the earth, he sent his promised Holy Spirit to indwell and to empower all of us who have believed in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives.

You see, when Jesus Christ died on the cross, it was not according to the will of man that he was crucified. This was in God’s plan for his life, as well as for the lives of all humankind. When Jesus died, he took upon himself the sins of the entire world so that our sins were crucified and buried with him. And, he rose from the dead triumphant over our sins, too, so that we could be set free from the penalty of sin (eternal damnation), and free from the control of sin over our lives on a daily basis. He died so that we who live would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave himself up for us (See 2 Co. 5:15). He died, too, so that we would be crucified with him to our old lives of sin, and so that we could walk in the Spirit of God, in the power of the Spirit within us, and in Christ’s righteousness and holiness, no longer living to please ourselves, but living to please him who saved us by his grace (See Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14 & 1 Jn. 1-5, et al).

So, when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we die with Christ to our old lives of sin, we are transformed of the Spirit of God in heart and mind away from sin and to God, and we are given new lives in Christ Jesus, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See Eph. 4:24). We are thus made holy in Christ, which means we are now set apart from the world of sin, and we are set apart to Christ and to his service. “For to me to live is Christ, but to die is gain” (See Phil. 1:21). My life is no longer my own to live how I want. I was bought with the blood of Christ. Now I am to honor God with my life.

In Pursuit

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

“Now have come the salvation and the power

    and the kingdom of our God,

    and the authority of his Messiah.

For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,

    who accuses them before our God day and night,

    has been hurled down.

They triumphed over him

    by the blood of the Lamb

    and by the word of their testimony;

they did not love their lives so much

    as to shrink from death.

Therefore rejoice, you heavens

    and you who dwell in them!

But woe to the earth and the sea,

    because the devil has gone down to you!

He is filled with fury,

    because he knows that his time is short.”

When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

Satan was once a beautiful angel in heaven. But he wanted to be God, so he rebelled against God, along with many of the angels in heaven. They were cast from God’s heaven. And, now Satan is the prince of the earth. He roams the earth as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He is at war still with God, and he is still trying to destroy Jesus Christ, only now he is trying to do it by killing Christ’s servants, or by trying to kill their testimonies for Christ, or through deception within the church to try to destroy the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, although he will be allowed to pursue the children of promise for a time, and he will be allowed to tempt them, to try to discourage them, to deceive them or destroy them and their testimonies for Christ, and/or to physically put them to death, the saints of God will triumph over him by the word of their testimony, and because they are willing to die, if need be, for their faith and witness for Jesus Christ and for the gospel.

I believe the Lord Jesus has given me a picture of where we are right now, as the world, and as the people of God, in relation to all of this, though I certainly do not know the timing of all these events which will soon take place, or that have already taken place, perhaps.

In America, for one, much of the church is like the church in Laodicea – neither completely on fire for the Lord nor completely disinterested, but just kind of lukewarm or middle-of-the-road, i.e. avoiding the extremes of hot and cold and thus taking a position somewhere in the middle as a “moderate” Christian – not too radical, and not totally turned off to Christ and the gospel. Yet, this “moderate” position on Christianity is not confined only to America, but is global, and its purpose, ultimately, is to blend all religions into one.

The point or the goal of this global effort is to bring about the intersection (joining) of this “moderate” approach to faith, with the true path of salvation, of godliness, holiness, and righteousness in Christ Jesus, so that this “middle-of-the-road” approach to faith overlaps and covers over certain parts of the gospel to make it more agreeable to all. These are the parts which tell us we must be crucified with Christ, and we must die to sin and self; that we must say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled and upright lives in this present age, and that God’s grace is not a free license to continue in sin.

We are nearing the time, or else that time is now upon us when the people of the world, and of God, will be forced into a cataclysmic decision of having to choose what path they will follow, and whether or not they will compromise their faith and witness for Christ by going with the “moderate” position of faith, i.e. the path of least resistance. We will then have to choose whether or not we will stand strong in our faith, remain on the path of “crowning” achievement (See 2 Ti. 4:6-8; Jas. 1:12), and whether or not we will keep God’s commands and hold fast our testimony about Jesus, knowing full well that it will most likely cost us our lives. I believe many followers of Christ are at that place right now all across the world, where the enemy is trying to convince them to compromise and to find that “middle ground” that will be acceptable to all the religions of the world so that we can all live together in “peace” and “harmony.”  

When this time comes for us, and it will, we must know that the only way we will be able to stand our ground, to hold fast to our testimony about Jesus, and to keep God’s commands, is in the power of the Holy Spirit within us, as we learn to completely yield to our Lord’s leadership in our lives, to rest in his love, to rely on his strength, and to trust in God’s sovereign will for our lives. Yet, this is our hope:

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. ~ 2 Tim. 4:6-8

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. ~ Jas. 1:12

Wait! / An Original Work / February 8, 2014

Wait for your Lord. Be of courage.

Be strong, and take heart today.

God is always watching o’er you.

Trust Him with your life always.

Sing of your Lord. Praise His blessings.

Believe in His sovereignty.

He delivered you from your sin;

Gave you life eternally.

Rest in your Lord. Know His promise.

Beneath His wings rest secure.

Your God has a plan and purpose.

Let your faith in Him endure.

Trust in your Lord. He’ll not leave you,

Because He is faithfulness.

He will lead and guide; protect you.

In His love you can find rest.

http://originalworks.info/wait/

A Great Multitude!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014, 6:36 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “Your New Life.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Revelation 7:9-17 (NIV).

Salvation Belongs to God

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,

who sits on the throne,

and to the Lamb.”

All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:

“Amen!

Praise and glory

and wisdom and thanks and honor

and power and strength

be to our God for ever and ever.

Amen!”

Awesome! I wish I had a picture of this. This is so encouraging! We are part of this big picture. Sometimes we may feel alone, but we are not. Sometimes we may feel as though we are standing alone against the giants, but we are not. If we are the Lord’s, he is on our side. Amen! Yet, it is also so encouraging to know that there are multitudes that no one can count from all over the entire world who are standing before the throne of God worshipping our Lord, praising his holy name, and proclaiming his salvation to the ends of the earth. This picture brings tears of joy to my eyes and to my heart! If only we could see this when we are out sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with people, it should continually lift our spirits. How this should strengthen and encourage us and give us boldness in sharing the truth of God’s word with the people around us, kind of like the image in Hebrews 12 of the great cloud of witnesses standing and cheering us on in the race God has called us to run.

They cried out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Awesome! They were/are not shy about proclaiming God’s salvation. They did not and do not hide their lights under the covers. They are bold in their witness for Christ and in their worship of him. They are not embarrassed to mention his name or to share their testimonies of his saving grace, or afraid to let it be known that we serve the King of kings and the Lord of lords, out of fear of what people might think of us. They are not concerned about being culturally relevant, blending in with society, and mixing with the world in order to “reach” the world. They, in a loud voice, just proclaim the gospel as taught by Jesus Christ and the apostles. They don’t have to have any clever ways of introducing Christ or his gospel, either, in order to make it more appealing to humankind. They just shout it out as plain as what the scripture makes it, and they do so because they love their Lord and they are so grateful that he saved them out of their sins. To God be the glory!

So, what is this great salvation? Jesus Christ, God the Son, came to earth, took on human flesh, suffered as we suffer, was tempted as we are tempted yet without sin; was despised and rejected of humans, mocked, spat upon, beaten and hung on a cross to die, although he had done no wrong. Why did they kill him? They killed him because he told them the truth about their sins. They killed him because they were jealous of him. They killed him because he threatened their own positions of power and influence over the people. They killed him because he claimed to be who he was and is – God Almighty! And, they killed him because they did not like his messages, because his messages challenged them to leave their lives of sin behind them, to be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and to follow Jesus Christ in obedience and surrender to his will for their lives. And, they will kill us, too, for some of the same reasons, when we dare to be bold in our witness for him.

The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. When he died, our sins were crucified with him. When he was resurrected, he triumphed over sin, death, hell and Satan. He did this so that you and I would not have to suffer the punishment of eternal damnation, eternal punishment in hell, and eternal separation from God. Yet, that is not the end of the story! Praise Jesus! He died, as well, so that we could be set free from the control of sin over our lives day by day. That is The Good News! He died so that we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us (See 2 Co. 5:15). And, he died so that we could walk in freedom from sin and in freedom to walk in obedience to him, in his righteousness and holiness, in the power and working of the Spirit within us (See Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14; & 1 Jn. 1-5).

We receive this great gift of salvation when we accept God’s great salvation into our lives by faith in Jesus Christ. This faith is realized in our lives through us coming to the cross of Christ, dying to the sins which once enslaved us, being transformed of the Spirit of God away from sin and to God, and by us now submitting to the work of God’s grace in our lives in choosing to no longer live for ourselves and for sin, but to walk in humble obedience to our Lord in following him wherever he leads us – all in the power of the Spirit within us.

These in White Robes

Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”

I answered, “Sir, you know.”

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore,

“they are before the throne of God

    and serve him day and night in his temple;

and he who sits on the throne

    will shelter them with his presence.

‘Never again will they hunger;

    never again will they thirst.

The sun will not beat down on them,’

    nor any scorching heat.

For the Lamb at the center of the throne

    will be their shepherd;

‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’

    ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

This is an awesome promise! And, these truths should fill our hearts with much hope. I look forward to the day when I am with my Lord in person, face to face, along with all those who also call on his name in faith. Although this may be speaking specifically of the saints of God who will come through the Great Tribulation at the end of time just prior to our Lord’s return, I believe there is application for all of us in the here and now, as well, as I alluded to in my comments with regard to the previous section of this passage of scripture.

We all have tribulations we go through. Some of them may be little. Others may feel “great” by comparison. Many are suffering great persecution right now for their faith and testimonies for Jesus Christ. Many, in other countries other than the USA, are being tortured and killed for their stands for Christ and for his word, and this is coming to America, too, and may have already begun. So, whether or not this is the Great Tribulation spoken of in scripture, people are suffering just the same, because they call on the name of Jesus out of sincere hearts and pure faith. They have been washed (purified; made holy) in the blood of Jesus Christ, and therefore they are before the throne of God serving him day and night, whether they are still on the earth, or whether they are presently with him in glory. They serve him because they love him, and because they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, and they are so grateful that he redeemed them from their sins. Amen!

And, they/we are encouraged because we dwell in the shelter of the Most High, i.e. he is always with us, comforting, encouraging, urging, instructing, and leading us in the way we should go. Amen! He supplies all we need. He fills us with all good things. He gives us our daily bread, his word, and fills us with the fullness of his Spirit. He continually refreshes our spirits with his words of comfort and even exhortation. He is at the center of our lives. He is our Lord. He holds us together, shepherds us, cares for us, gently leads us, speaks his words to our hearts, gives us songs of rejoicing, purifies our hearts, and he wipes away the tears from our eyes with his continual words of promise, hope and reassurances of his presence, care, concern, power, sovereignty, purpose, plan and of his will for our lives.

So, as we walk this Christian walk each day, and as we shine our lights, and share his gospel, and as we face obstacles and persecutions, discouragements and disappointments, and failings or victories along the way, we can be assured of his ever present love, care, concern, strength, and power in our lives to give us everything we need for us to keep on keeping on in the faith and in sharing our testimonies of his mighty saving grace. Amen!

Your New Life / An Original Work

Based off the Gospels / May 15, 2014

Go and make disciples of peoples,

Teaching them to obey their Savior.

Do not fear, but go where He sends you.

Tell them all of what you have heard.

The kingdom of God now is upon you.

Come, and follow Jesus, your Lord.

He will make you fishers of man.

If the people Jesus desire,

They must die to sin and to self-life.

If they want to hold on to their lives

They will lose them forevermore.

Surely you heard that coming to Christ

Means a new life in Jesus, your Lord.

Follow Christ wherever He leads.

Love the Lord with all of your heart, and

Love your neighbors as you would yourself.

Preach the gospel to all the nations.

Do not worry what you will say.

Proclaim the freedom for all the captives.

Share the light with all who are blind.

You are ministers of our God.

http://originalworks.info/your-new-life/

He is Worthy!

Tuesday, June 17, 2014, 9:09 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “Give God the Glory.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Revelation 4-5 (quoting selected passages in the NIV).

By His Will

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,

    to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

    and by your will they were created

    and have their being.” ~ Rev. 4:11

Jesus Christ, God the Son, is not only our Savior and Lord, but he is the one who created us, and it is by his will that we were created and that we have our being. In other words, we were created by God/Jesus Christ for a purpose. We didn’t just happen because two people got together and made a baby. We were uniquely designed by God. Even before we were knit together by God in the wombs of our mothers God had a plan for our lives; for who we would be, or had the potential to be. Certainly we have a free will to choose to follow him or to not believe in him, but that does not negate the fact that we are not here randomly, or by accident, nor by the will of a man and a woman. We are alive because God wanted us to be alive. And, he wants us to trust him with our lives and with our futures.

He is Able!

Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll

    and to open its seals,

because you were slain,

    and with your blood you purchased for God

    persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.

You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,

    and they will reign on the earth.”

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

    and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

    be praise and honor and glory and power,

for ever and ever!”

The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Amen! He is worthy because he is God! He is worthy because he left his throne in heaven, humbled himself by taking on the form of human flesh, and was willing to suffer all the things we humans suffer, including temptation to sin, though he did not sin, and the suffering of physical pain, disease (perhaps), rejection, persecution, hatred and death. He is worthy because, although he was/is God, and he could have chosen not to do this, he willingly went to the cross, died a horrible death, and took upon himself the sins of the entire world, taking our punishment for sin upon him. He is able because he was resurrected from the dead, triumphant over death, hell, Satan and sin. He conquered sin in sinful man so that we could go free from the control of sin over our lives, and so we would be free to walk daily in his holiness and righteousness in the power and working of the Spirit within us. There is not anything beyond his power to do so, for he is God!

He is worthy, not just because he died for our sin, but because of the effect that has had on human lives. In other words, he didn’t die just so we could go to heaven one day. He bought us with his blood so we could be set free from slavery to sin, and so we would be separate from the world of sin and set apart unto him and to his service. Jesus Christ died so that we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us (See 2 Co. 5:15). His grace teaches us to say “No!” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled and upright lives in this present age (See Tit. 2:11-14). He died so we would die with him to our old lives of living for self and sin, so we would be transformed in heart and mind, and so we would walk in his Spirit, in his holiness and in his righteousness (See Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; & 1 Jn. 1-5). This was his plan and his purpose for our lives! We are supposed to be different from the world, not like the world.

He is worthy, as well, because, by his death and resurrection, he made his followers to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God. Serving God, though, does not mean merely following a set of guidelines or rules. It is not merely being “good deed doers.” It is also not necessarily serving in some capacity within the institutional church. It is not just doing what we feel like doing for God, either. He is not interested in the things we are willing to sacrifice for him while we hold on to what we don’t want to yield to him. He wants our obedience, not to a set of rules, but to him, to his teachings, to his leadership, guidance, direction and purpose for our lives. He wants us to say, “Here am I. Send me!” He desires that we be living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, which is our true and proper worship of him, no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but being transformed in the renewing of our minds so that we can approve what the will of God is – his good, pleasing and perfect will (See Ro. 12:1-2). He wants our all on the altar. That is why he died!

Give God the Glory

From the very beginning of creation God has put within mankind the knowledge of God. God made himself known through his created works. When we look at the sun, the moon, the stars, the heavens above us, the trees, flowers, birds of the air, the sea, and man, we can see God, not that God exists within all of his creation, but rather that his creation reveals his divine character, being understood through what he has made. We see all his beauty, his love and his power, etc., so that mankind is without excuse, even though he may claim he did not know there was a God who created all this. It is not that mankind does not know, but rather that he chooses to suppress what he does know about God, exchanging the glory of God for an image in the form of corruptible man, etc. (See Romans 1:18-23 NASB)

So, the heavens above proclaim to mankind that we must give God the glory, and we must honor his name as holy. He has given man a free will to choose him or to not choose him. If we choose to live in the image of corruptible man, in which we were born into sin, we will die. But, if we choose, by God’s grace, through faith, to exchange the corruptible man for the glory of God, i.e. to accept God’s invitation to his great salvation, then we will live. He will light our lives with his righteousness, give us his wisdom, refresh our souls, and give joy to our hearts through his pure and enduring word, which is more precious than gold. When we keep his word, we receive great spiritual rewards. So, we should pray that we would continue in Christ, in keeping his word, and that we would not allow sin to rule our hearts ever again, so that we may walk in all of his ways from this day on and forever more.

Give God the Glory / An Original Work

Based off Psalm 19 / March 10, 2014

All of creation now proclaims:

“Give God the glory; honor His name!”

Each day the stars in heav’n above

Show forth His wisdom; tell of His love.

They do not speak. They have no voice.

Yet, they declare we have a choice:

“Worship the God of heav’n above;

Believe in Jesus; trust in His love.”

God’s word is perfect, just and good,

Refreshing souls who trust in the Lord;

Makes wise the simple; radiant -

Lighting our lives with God’s righteousness.

Joy to the heart His words now speak;

Pure and enduring, now we seek.

They are more precious than our gold;

Sweeter than honey; never grow old.

Keeping the word brings great reward.

By the word Jesus speaks and He warns,

Convicting hearts of all their sin;

Forgiving all who call upon Him.

Praying You keep me, Lord, from sins.

May they not rule my life again.

Then will I walk in all Your ways,

Following Jesus all of my days.

http://originalworks.info/give-god-the-glory/

By Reputation Only

Monday, June 16, 2014, 5:50 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put this song in mind:

Give God the Glory / An Original Work

Based off Psalm 19 / March 10, 2014

All of creation now proclaims:

“Give God the glory; honor His name!”

Each day the stars in heav’n above

Show forth His wisdom; tell of His love.

They do not speak. They have no voice.

Yet, they declare we have a choice:

“Worship the God of heav’n above;

Believe in Jesus; trust in His love.”

…Praying You keep me, Lord, from sins.

May they not rule my life again.

Then will I walk in all Your ways,

Following Jesus all of my days.

http://originalworks.info/give-god-the-glory/

You Are Dead

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 

What does it mean to be dead? It means to be deprived (robbed) of life (soul; vivacity; readiness; willingness); inanimate (inactive; apathetic; lethargic); resembling (having the appearance of) death; bereft (deprived) of sensation (feeling; awareness; discernment); numb (asleep; unconcerned) (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dead). Since the next sentence calls for them to wake up and to strengthen what remains and is about to die, I would suggest that “dead” does not mean completely dead, but just mostly dead; a little bit alive. In other words, the church had a reputation of being spiritually alive and active in the Spirit, walking with the Lord, living holy lives pleasing to God, and obeying his teachings, yet they were actually inactive in their spiritual walks with the Lord, apathetic about their relationships with Jesus Christ, and lethargic about following Christ and his teachings.

So, how did the church get this way? – Little by little they allowed the teachings of humans to usurp the teachings of Christ and those of the apostles. Gradually, and over time, they accepted more and more of the world’s thinking, reasoning, philosophies and practices to creep into the church and into its way of doing things. They replaced the teaching of God’s word with books written by men. They substituted true worship of God with showcases and entertainment disguised as worship in order to draw the world into the “worship” services. They diluted the gospel of Jesus Christ to make it more pleasing, acceptable and palatable to the people of the world. They bought into lies that told them that they were to blend in with the world (culture) around them so as to “reach” the people, and so they would not be such an offense to the world. They also bought into the lie that tells them that God’s grace makes allowances for their sins and that it requires nothing of them whatsoever. Yet, Jesus died that we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us.

Wake Up!

Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. 

The church I am talking about here is not the church of Sardis, though, but the church of today in America. It is mostly dead, i.e. it is a little bit alive, but it is about to die. It has a reputation of being alive, though not necessarily spiritually alive, but rather of being enthusiastic, fun, entertaining, accepting, tolerant, non-judgmental, casual, non-threatening, and authentic. And, some people confuse that with being spiritually alive. Yet, because the church, for the most part, has blended in with the world, society, and the culture around them, in order to fit in and to not stand out, so that they can “reach” the people of this world - but for what? - they have become insensitive to the voice of the Spirit, not discerning about sinful thoughts, attitudes and behaviors, and unconcerned for the people of this world who are lost and dying in their sins without hope of salvation.

So, Jesus is calling out to his church, and not just in America, but everywhere the church has gone to sleep (has become spiritually inactive and apathetic), and he is saying “Wake Up!” “Pay attention!” “Listen to Me!” He is calling out to his church to get back to the basics, i.e. to the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, and to the Word of God, and to the spreading of the gospel of salvation as taught by Jesus and the apostles. He is saying to us to stop putting our trust in humans and in humanistic philosophy, man-made religion, teachings of humans, and business marketing schemes and techniques for how to grow our churches, etc. He is asking for us to be discerning about what we believe and follow, and to do so by testing what we see and hear against the Word of Truth, and in prayer via the witness of the Spirit in our hearts. He is saying for us to throw off everything that hinders (our spiritual walks), and the sin that so easily entangles us, so that we can run with perseverance the race marked out for us by God himself. He wants to revive his church!

Like a Thief (Taken in part from Things Are Heating Up, November 20, 2013)

But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

None of us knows the day or the hour of the coming of the Lord, but what we do know is that Jesus Christ will not return for us until the “rebellion occurs” and “the man of lawlessness” is revealed. This is what scripture teaches. Exactly how he will be revealed it doesn’t say, but I believe we will know it when we see it, because “He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” So, what exactly does this mean? Remember that God’s temple is now the body of Christ, the true church. And, proclaiming himself to be God may not be literal, but figurative, i.e. this could have to do with him taking the rightful position of God/Christ in the church as the head of the church, which is, by the way, what the church has allowed via the 501c3 status underneath the authority of the U.S. government, but that is just in the US, not in the world as a whole.

A “rebellion” is “an organized attempt to overthrow a government, or other authority, by the use of violence” (Encarta). Now, I know that rebellions have been going on for generations. Yet, let me share with you what the Lord Jesus is showing me here. The US and their allies and the global elites of this world have been plotting the takeover of the world for some time now. And, they have systematically been taking down the governments of nations one at a time for several years now via false flag operations, man-made disasters/storms, orchestrated uprisings and internal conflicts within nations; and via the killing of innocents and Christ’s true servants and witnesses, and blaming others for their dirty work. We can’t trust anything they say or anything we read or hear in the mainstream media these days. This recent chain of events in Iraq, for instance, is the working of this New World Order.

The US is meeting again this week with Iran in Vienna, supposedly to negotiate Iran’s nuclear program, i.e. to try to get Iran to cease with moving forward with their nuclear activities and ambitions, yet I believe the US/N.W.O. is moving ahead in this area. Nearly every time the Lord has shown me anything related to our negotiations with Iran he has shown me that what we blame Iran of doing is really what we are doing. Last November the Lord gave me a picture that these meetings are really about stopping the progression of the gospel of Jesus Christ from spreading, i.e. the goal is to stop the proselytization of the gospel, and it is about the murdering of those who are spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, because we (and the gospel) are the biggest threat to Satan’s kingdom. And, the goal of the UN is to make the nations of this world bow to the rise of the New World Order Beast to global power, and to do so through threats of and violence against people and nations, and also targeting Christ’s true servants and witnesses – “those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus” (See Rev. 6:9; 12:11, 17; 17:6; 19:10; 20:4).

Imagine with me the world of politics as a gigantic chess board. This New World Order Beast is coming into power, so for the N.W.O. to truly rule the entire earth, the opponent’s chess pieces must either be removed, taken out, or blocked from moving any further, if I understand the game correctly (I am not a chess player). The pieces are moved around on the board until all are in position and then “checkmate,” i.e. the total defeat of the kings of the world so that we are all brought underneath this one world government. And, that is what is going on presently. They will remove anyone who stands in the way of their rise to power or who presents a threat to them in any way. Many stories we read in the news, blamed on other people, are really stories of the “0pponents’s chess pieces” being removed or blocked from any further moves. And, this includes the murdering of Christians in an attempt to halt the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but that is futile. As well, they create stories to cover for their dirty work, even by blaming the dead for acts they did not commit. This calls for much wisdom and spiritual discernment.

Walk in White

Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

The church in the US still has some life left in it, though. We still have people here who have not compromised with the world and with a diluted gospel and with man-made religion overriding the Word of Truth and riding over top Jesus Christ as the true head of the church. They are faithful followers of Jesus Christ, committed to their Lord, who listen to his voice, and who follow him wherever he leads them. They have come out from the world and have separated themselves from the sinful practices of this world, and are set apart to Christ and to his service. They live by faith in Jesus Christ and walk in the Spirit by his grace. The Word of Truth is what they follow, and not the teachings of humans. They follow the true gospel of salvation as taught by the apostles, and not the diluted version created by man. They have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven, and they walk in Christ’s purity, righteousness and holiness – all in the power and working of the Spirit within them.

The church in America needs to strengthen this life that remains, turn from her sins of spiritual apathy and lethargy, and hold fast to the Word of Truth, for the time is short.

ONLY IN HIM / An Original Work / February 19, 2014

Based off Isaiah 30

Woe to those who look to man’s help;

Who turn away from Jesus Christ;

Forming an alliance not in step with God;

Making their own plans, and praying not.

Willing not to listen to truth,

They close their ears to what is right.

Pleasing words are all that they’ll hear;

Feel good messages that bring cheer.

Trust in your Lord; turn from your sin.

Put your faith now ONLY IN HIM.

Do not turn to idols. They’ll not satisfy.

Jesus will save you. That’s why He died.

Your Lord will be gracious to you.

He cares all about you, ‘tis true.

He forgives you all of your sin

When you give your life up to Him.

Oh, how truly gracious He’ll be

When you bow to Him on your knees;

Turning now from your sin; walking in his ways.

He’ll lead and guide you all of your days.

Now you will sing praises to Him.

He delivered you from your sin.

You’ll tell others now of His grace,

So they may see Christ face-to-face.

http://originalworks.info/only-in-him/

Some Among You

Sunday, June 15, 2014, 5:55 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song “He Lifted our Burdens.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Revelation 2:12-17 (NIV).

Double-edged Sword

“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. ~ v. 12

This brings to mind this passage in Hebrews 4:12-13:

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

The purpose of these letters to the churches is that Jesus Christ, the living Word, is judging the deeds, thoughts and attitudes of the heart of these churches, he is letting them know that he sees what is going on, and he, as well, is letting them know they must give account.

For and Against

I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.

Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ~ Vv. 13-15

It appears to me that this church was divided. There were those within the church who were the true followers of Jesus Christ, who remained true to his name. Yet, there were also those among them who compromised the faith, who taught what was in error, and who encouraged sinful behavioral practices, all in the name of “God’s grace.” So, while Jesus was able to commend some in the church for their faithfulness to Christ and to the gospel, there were others among them for whom he had only words of rebuke and correction.

His charge was that some among them held to the teaching of Balaam, and that others held to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Balaam and the Nicolaitans shared a common thematic element, which was “compromise”. They either compromised with pagan (non-Christian) society or they compromised with worldliness, which are essentially the same thing. They blended their Christian faith and practice in with worldliness and with worldly patterns of behavior. This “compromise” set the stage for “spiritual” liberty that gave them permission to practice idolatry and immorality. And, they taught others to do the same.

Where You Live

I see the church in America in pretty much the same situation as the church in Pergamum. We have people in the church in America who are true followers of Jesus Christ, and who are faithful to him, even in the face of severe persecution. They remain strong in their faith, committed to the Word of God, and to the gospel of salvation. They don’t compromise with the world, but they commit their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ to follow him in obedience and in surrender to his will for their lives. They are grieved over the state of spiritual adultery in much of the church in America, and they are in much prayer for revival. They have not forsaken their first love, but choose to follow him wherever he leads them.

Yet, there are many within America’s churches who are Christians in name only, or who have fallen back into following after the ways of the world, and after the flesh, after having made commitments to follow Christ with their lives. Many of these are in leadership positions within the church, and they are definitely following the way of Balaam and that of the Nicolaitans. They compromise their faith and practice with worldliness and with paganistic society, trying to become more like the culture around them in order to “reach” the people of the society in which they live. They have turned the church into Big Business, adopting worldly means and practices, marketing schemes and gimmicks, in order to draw in large crowds of worldly people into the church, but not through salvation.

As well, they have diluted the gospel of Jesus Christ to make it more pleasing to the senses, and more palatable to its listeners, and more acceptable to the world, so that many more will “get saved.” - Or, so that many more will join their churches. But, are they really saved? If all we do is teach people that praying a prayer gets them the hope of heaven, but we don’t teach them that Jesus died to free us from the control of sin over our lives day by day, and that he died so that we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us, we have sold the gospel short. Many of these leaders cheapen the gospel in order to make people feel better about themselves, which also gives them the impression that they have the freedom to continue in sin, because of God’s grace.

Yet, we need to teach people that coming to Christ means death to sin, it means being transformed of the Spirit of God away from sin to God, and it means we now walk in the Spirit, in Christ’s righteousness and holiness, set apart from the world of sin, and set apart to God and to his service (See Ac. 26:1-18; Ro. 6-8; 2 Co. 5:15; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14 & 1 Jn. 1-5, et al). For to me to live is Christ.

The Sword of His Mouth

Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. ~ V. 16

The church collectively must repent of the sins of some who have a strong and powerful influence within the church in teaching and practicing what is in error. This means that the church, as a whole, must turn from permitting and allowing these things to go on, or else they must turn from following after the flesh, to following after the Spirit. If they do not, Jesus Christ will come in judgment and he will fight against those rebellious ones.

The Hidden Manna

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it. ~ V. 17

We need to listen up to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. If we are victorious over sin and Satan, by the blood of Christ, and by our testimony for Christ and his gospel, all in the power and working of the Spirit within us, we will be blessed with 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.

http://originalworks.info/he-lifted-our-burdens/