Proof and Status of the Church

Proof and Status of the Church

6/23/16

There are those in the world's societies that say the Church is on the correct path and that nothing is wrong with the stances she is taking.  On the other hand, there are those who say the complete opposite is true and that she is not following God’s Word at all.  The true answer lies within the heart of the Church and what she is doing to push back the kingdom of Satan, period.  A legitimate question is if the Church now even recognizes what the kingdom of Satan is at all and where it originates.  The truth is a telling one and should break our hearts when we find out this answer, for the Church, unfortunately, is not separating herself from the world but joining it more each day.  God wants her to repent and to return to His Word entirely so that we may fall under His grace once again.

It is a common theme that music tells the overall attitude of a society.  This concept has been in place for centuries and has crossed every musical boundary as it continues to develop and grow.  For decades Russian composers were banned from writing music that the leaders of that country would deem unnecessary or that went contrary to the feelings that they desired from its people.  Many of these composers were imprisoned, beaten, starved and left for dead in order to prove to the country, and the world, that their thoughts and patterns were incorrect and deserved the punishment that they received.

Germany faced similar musical construction habits and throughout the roaring 20s in this country music began to define a way of life for the younger generations of that time.  Elvis appeared on the “Ed Sullivan Show” and the cameras were not allowed to pan down past his chest due to the “provocative” motions and gestures that they believed were unfit for broadcasting.  There are numerous other examples that can be presented here and some of these examples seem a bit far-fetched and outrageous to many people but to a world whose job it is to isolate the human from their Creator, it is a process that has developed over time and has continued unabated.

How can God make this comparison and still be considered “hip and up with the times” of this world?  Easy, He created the world and He is the only one worthy enough to offer the entire truth about our lives and how the Church is supposed to respond accordingly to these examples.  These musical examples can also be used for the Christian music scene when describing the condition of the Church and the direction in which she is traveling and to be honest it was not until a few nights ago that God wrapped my heart around this truth and it has grieved me ever since.

As I have mentioned in past articles my love for music has always been a centerpiece of my life.  Over the span of my existence on earth I have indulged my ears and heart with numerous genre of music labels and as I have listened to these musical talents I have made quick assessments whether of not I would continue to listen to that style or not.  Over the decades of my life, I have continually returned to two of these classes of music, classical and Christian and it is the Christian side of things that God wants us to understand a few more truths when it comes to the Church.

I honestly believe that Christian artists have a love for God and even though some of these people fall away from God and become disillusioned with the truth their intentions, in the beginning, were based on God’s foundations.  This makes a statement to the fact that not all of the artists truly believe in what they are writing and singing and it gives a portrayal of the Church at the same time.  We are now seeing many pastors falling into cultish behaviors and beliefs, church denominations openly accepting the worldly standards within their constitutions and by-laws, and blatantly defying God on many levels by questioning or revising His Word to fit their earthly whims.  It is through one Christian artist that God showed me this setting and how the Church has mired herself in the worldly mud, and in truth has no desire to walk out of this mud either.

I must admit that some of the Christian music that I listened to had a profound effect on my life and then there were other Christian artists that had an opposite effect a well.  Back in the early 1980s, Christian music was in its infancy with many local tours present and only a handful of national or worldwide tours available.  One of the music artists that was considered to be popular during this period of time was Steve Taylor, a band who I went to see when I lived in Cleveland, Texas.  His music was considered to be on the punk rock side of things – including the new wave influences - which had its own individual style which many, including my parents, did not really care for.  The local Christian radio station played his songs on a slow but regular basis mainly sticking to playing them on Saturday night during the “contemporary” time; intended for the youth of the day.

This past weekend as I was listening to some classical music on the internet, one of Steve Taylor’s songs popped up on the choices on the side.  I could not believe it, most of the time all of the music choices that are over there are classical options since that is what I listen to for the majority of the time.  As soon as my selection was over and saved, I clicked on the title and within a few seconds, my mind was taken back to when I was a teenager back in the early 80s.  My mind instantly remembered the beat and rhythm of his music.  Ah, nostalgia I thought to myself.  But as the song continued God spoke to my heart and told me to focus on the lyrics of the song.  I was much obliged because that meant that I would have to start the song over again.

The song that showed up on my choices and the one that I listened to first was “Sin for a Season” which was on the “Meltdown” album that came out in 1984.  As I sat there and listened to the words, I could not believe my ears of what the words were saying.  The entire song was dealing with concepts that concerned human rights, church and pastor sins, worldly gluttony in the church, divorce defining the church’s dominion, sinful life from those who go to church, and the reaping of what a person sows all wrapped up into one simple song that came out in the early 1980s.  As the song ended, I vigorously looked at the song choices on the side and this time, there were many other choices from the same artist to which I chose from again.

The next two songs that I picked to listen to explained the exact same types of sinful examples that were present in the 1980s.  It did not take me long to remember certain newspaper stories and news broadcasts to think about those circumstances being present back then.  But God was not finished with my heart for He then began to bring back to me that those issues that were present in the 80s were still present within the heart of His Church today and that it had become worse because she had now accepted these sins as normal and wished that nothing would come of them.  The names of the songs I can give if someone wishes to know the lyrics, but I trust that you will first listen to the specific song mentioned above to serve as a reference, then when the other songs are known one will understand further the status of the church.

The truth of these examples is that it proves that the Church is asleep and just sitting around on her comfortable pews believing that all they have to do now is just sit and wait for Jesus to return.  It is this condition that the Church has operated in for centuries and while we are sitting around doing nothing the enemy’s kingdom has been gaining strength through our own pride and sinful attitudes in the name of God.  This is the proof that this type of setting is ongoing in the Church which the Church herself has converted herself from The Church to the church, which means that the church has voluntarily castrated Jesus as her Groom, a camouflaged church is a castrated church AND the status of the church has grown into another “popular” stage called beheading.

How can this claim be mentioned and warranted?  I am glad you asked because God has the direct answer for us.  With the examples of the 1980s songs from Steve Taylor, it is clear that God gave him these words way back over 30 years ago.  This means that God saw the heart of the church back then and even earlier than that for we know that God gives humans time before He gives us a Word and if we do not change God has to take things a bit further.  Let us take a look at things today and let us do a comparison to see if the Church has functioned in her mission or if she has remained as the church.

In the 1980s it was very popular and well accepted to attend church and to call yourself a Christian.  Many people wanted to be a Christian and it was the item to be label with at that time; WHAT A SHAME AND A SHAM!!!  Christianity is NOT a label, it is a relationship!!  If the Church cannot proclaim the truth concerning a few issues that the WORLD is deeming to be correct, then there can be no other conclusion but that the Church is asleep and is not functioning in the livelihood that she is supposed to be.  Therefore, since we are the ones who are representing Christ and God to the world it can honestly be stated that we have castrated Jesus’ life and meaning of the Church.

What brings us to the conclusion that the church is now voluntarily beheading herself?  Given the facts that we are no longer bringing true, holy and separated life from the world we are justifying our worldly inclusions through personal and denominational Scripture interpretations through inadequate knowledge and study of God’s Word.  Preaching and teaching that God really did not mean to destroy the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah and Admah and that He has since changed His mind on this sinful and abominable lifestyle is a lie from the pit of hell.  Furthermore, if God has changed His mind about this stance then where is His apology to the people of that region?  What is He waiting for?

It is obvious that this issue and others like it have infiltrated the walls of the church and the walls of the heart of the Church well enough to make such ludicrous assumptions that God made a mistake.  You actually believe and defend that God had made an error?  Do you know what you are saying?  What proof do I have that the church has this philosophy?  The Bible states that Satan is the father of all lies.  The Bible states that Satan hates God and everything that God is associated with, which is life itself in all capacities.  This belief of inclusion of sin AND doing nothing about it into the church walls and heart deems that the church believes what the world is saying and proclaiming is true.  Therefore, by this proclamation the church is giving Satan his position back in heaven and re-elevating him back to his original name of Lucifer.

How dare I say such things???  Well, the church is allowing the world to infiltrate and then dictate what she can say and do according to worldly guidelines and laws.  The Bible clearly states that God’s ways are not the ways of mankind.  The Church is plugging the line of division within its congregations on these issues and numerous more like them that excuse the sins of the world and to bring a false sense of transfiguration of Jesus and God so that their justifications of these sins can be dismissed in the “eyes of God”.  This is a mockery of God, it is a mockery of the entire life, death and resurrection of Christ, and it waters down the Grace that covers all sins through the name of earthly equality and passiveness.  One of the verse lines in the song “Sin for a Season” states this:

                        Wealthy lips say “keep us from the Evil One”

                        While the praying hands prey with deliberate cunning

                        on the carcass of the cold

                        gonna get the Good Lord to forgive a little sin

                        get the slate cleaned so he can dirty it again

                        and no one else will ever know

                        but he reaps his harvest as his heart grows cold

                        no man’s gonna make a mockery of God

It is this passage alone that God wants His people to understand that it is this kind of portrayal to the world that He sees coming from our lives.  This song was written over 30 years ago and we are now asking sin into our hearts instead of asking Jesus into our hearts and it is through this point that God sees us voluntarily allowing the world – and us – beheading ourselves.  Because what is left is the vitality has been taken from our existence?  God is an eternal God and so is His Son.  If we through worldly means cut out the holy and true existence of Christ which is the bridegroom and the head of the Church then there is no reason why the Church should stay intact and be functioning, but it is dead.  Has this content been hard enough for you?  This is from God, not me and if you have ANY arguments concerning the Church and her status, I beg you to talk to God about it.

God loves His Church more than anyone can ever imagine with our limited and finite minds.  It is His only desire to bring every single person under His protective covering but this measure is strictly up to us.  God shall never force us to choose Him, it is strictly and completely by our own choice.  God’s laws are meant for our protection and separate us from the world, not to be included with the world.  God does represent love but in order to really understand and to keep love, obedience must be the first fact in our lives.  It is clear that our priorities have been switched from God to the world and it is through this misconception that we have allowed our enemy’s defeated kingdom to replace God’s holy and all mighty Kingdom.  God is not a legalist by any means, He is a freedomist through relationship and there is nothing more that He desires than to have a personal relationship with you.  And each and every one of you represents His children and the Church.

DLB

You Shall Surely Die

You Shall Surely Die

6/17/16

This portion of Scripture is one that strikes fear in many and controversy in others, but whatever the case it is a phrase that all of us eventually succumb.  While this phrase was not initially in our vocabulary it was introduced from a perfect state to govern our physical existence and to frighten us.  It is a gainful phrase from our enemy and one that our holy Creator despises.  Yet, humans tend to keep this phrase at a distance and ignore it until its grip takes a personal hold and even then we forget about what occurs next to the loved one, acquaintance, state or nation after the fact.  God does not want us to understand the reasons why death (consequences) comes upon us but while this thought looms over our physical beings it does not have to rule us, for He has provided us with the precious alternative to death, eternal life.

This past week was a terrible one in terms of loss of life in this country.  No matter what the circumstances may be death never comes easy for anyone especially when a loved one is present in these facts.  But death is a fact that no one can escape and one that we all need to be prepared for at all times.  It is easy to get caught up in the attitude that “I shall live forever” but while this is a common theme in our lives we must never forget that the breath that we just took could be our last.  Have you really thought about the words “you shall surely die” and what they mean to our lives?  The concept becomes startling if one understands the origins of the phrase, both before death was introduced into our existence and after; yes, there was a previous existence where death was not a part of our creation and if we grasp this truth then this phrase will hit home harder.

In previous articles, God has demonstrated His unique and holy order in which all things exist including our own Creation.  In Genesis 2:15 God’s Word states that He placed Adam into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.  In other words, the Garden was Adam’s dominion and it was his responsibility to maintain the order that God intended it had.  It was not until the next verse (Gen 2:16) that God began His explanation of obedience according to spiritual and physical consequences yet He demonstrates here the perfect order of Creation because if God had not created the earth and all of its splendor before His commands for human obedience, things would have been totally in disarray after the fall of mankind.  But as we see, God’s perfect order comes shining through and all created is affected by the will of our lives.

Genesis 2:16-17 gives the command that has far reaching consequences to each one of our lives and ones that are still in effect today.  If one wishes, you can compare this one command not to eat of a single tree to the law of tithing, because God gives us so much more than we need to live on but only asks us for a smidge to give back to Him in return, but how many of us fail to even do this on a regular basis with a loving heart?  Right, not many of us follow this truth.  Anyway, God makes it vividly clear that Adam could eat from every tree in the Garden of Eden with the exception of one and with this exception He brought a command that if not followed would have dire consequences.

This specific verse, Genesis 2:17, brings into light a conversation that humans should understand concerning the relationship between God and man at this point in our existence.  As Job stated further down in God’s Word, Job understood that God would not destroy him for any unknown sin that he may harbor and since God is a complete God this means that He and Adam had talked about God’s enemy and the desire that he had to destroy Adam’s life.  God makes His laws very clear to every one of His creations and it is not God’s choice to abandon those laws, it is strictly ours.  This means that God had spoken to Adam about a condition that was foreign to Adam and one not familiar with him according to his present living status.

How can one say that God meant business with this command and that it was totally our choice to disobey?  By the time Genesis Chapter 3 rolls around this phrase of “you shall surely die” has been spoken by three created beings yet the phrase is only mentioned by One Creator to one creation.  But by the time mankind falls, it has been said by God, by Eve, and from our enemy Satan.  Now, Scripture does not mention where Adam mentioned this phrase to Eve but one knows that he must have because she used it and if Adam did not say it to her the only other source would have been God shortly after her creation.  Either way, she knew about the command and understood what God was saying and meaning.

But it was the concept of death that Adam and Eve must have struggled with or did not take too seriously because they disobeyed the command anyway, thus setting into motion a process that they did not understand until that moment.  Up until the time God passed His judgment on their lives for the disobedience that they chose to accept, Adam and Eve only had heard about death and really did not have any direct knowledge or contact with this process.  Their bodies functioned with precise accuracy and had not flaws that inhabited their attributes.  Every aspect of their lives and existence (dominion) was in a perfect state without flaw, so death or any other conceivable option of their existence was mentioned to them and not experienced.  It is difficult to fathom why anyone would wish to test the waters of the unknown when the guidelines and commands had already been put into place.  It was this process that proves that both had already come to the conclusion that their trust and faith was not completely in God, but in their surroundings.

How great a concept the term death and its explanation from God must have been to Adam and Eve, yet over time that fear and trembling of the possibility faded and then died; an ironic twist to such an eternal truth.  It has been a common theme of the world to question God when disasters occur, when wars break out or when the human race just acts plain ridiculous but as God has shared with us before it is easy to accept His ways when times are good and rolling in the fast lane, but difficult when things do not go according to the plans we believe God should have.  Don’t you think that at some time after sin came into our existence that Adam and Eve had some sort of conversation relating to this truth?  You bet they did!

We must consider the implications of what God said to Adam when He declared this law into effect because it was one that if disobeyed had a grave consequence that followed.  It is easy for our minds and hearts to understand the punishment of such acts when we already know what to expect but to receive a result to which we have no idea can be difficult to accept; thus, more likely to be a stumbling block in our future.  It is also easy for us to reprogram our thoughts concerning such commands because through our humanness we tend to exaggerate the results and consequences of what has been warned about with this exaggeration operating in both directions.  How many times have you either said to yourself or out loud “they really did not mean that”?

What were the consequences of this statement from God?  Well, it was two-fold because while Adam and Eve did not physically die at that moment a certain portion of their existence did which must have come as a complete – and real shock – to their lives. The Bible states that immediately their eyes were opened and they knew that they were naked.  The pure existence and holy state had left them and they now were subject to the natural environment that they were living in; thus, creating an entirely new condition of said existence not equal any longer to the original creation status that God had begun.  It was this portion of their lives that had died on impact and they then began to understand what being separated from God through death meant.

One very important detail to understand here is about the concept of death and what it means to our existence and what it means to God.  Up until that moment, God had not created ANYTHING that had the word death associated with the beings and other living things.  Even though Lucifer and 1/3^rd of the angels fell from heaven, their existence was not terminated, changed, yes, but not terminated.  Which means that our creation and in the manner in which we were formed changed that setting.  Satan understands that our spirit can never die but it can be permanently separated from God in such a manner that it represents an eternal death for if a created being is permanently separated from its Creator then it is a death.  Think about that for a bit.  It also places into practice the law of obedience and what it means for our existence.  Think about that for a bit as well.

This brings up the old adage of which came first, the chicken or the egg.  God’s law of obedience was established before death was a part of our lives which means if our standing changed in any way, everything up to and including death as a punishment would be a possibility in our lives but as long as we obeyed God’s command first, no harm would seek our destruction. Through humanity’s disobedience, we have allowed our lives to be subject to God’s judgment as He sees fit, for according to the laws in which He created and established He must abide by those laws.  Satan knows this!!!!  And it is this order of life’s creation that he has effectively lied to us in believing that we have the ability and authority to override God.  Imagine what Adam and Eve were thinking when they were drawing their last few breaths.

It is through the law of obedience that God established with mankind and through the choice to disobey God’s law of obedience that gives God the authority to act according to what He has put into place.  Does a person who believes in God really believe that God wished to destroy mankind during the days of Noah?  No, but according to the hearts of humanity at that time, God had no choice invoke the same conditions on those people in Noah’s days as He did to Adam and Eve.  It was the human’s sinful progression of the heart, through satanic manipulation of God’s Word that we believed that proves a scary prediction to come to pass.

The question that we now must ask and then address is this: are we facing similar conditions of disobedience today and if so what type of consequences can we expect to occur?  From the beginning of the book of Genesis, we see that God created a perfect place for a perfect creation.  At some point in time, God’s perfect creations decided to rebel and to disobey His one command (law) that governed them.  As time has progressed and as we study God’s Word, we notice that every time mankind has done things our own way, we have messed things up according to God’s laws and He must step in and put us back on the correct path.  This judgment could include death and it is this truth that one really needs to be careful about when we use the phrase “only God can judge me” because when you claim this law from your mouth, Satan has you right where he wants you.

Everyone who is reading this article I want you to do something real quick.  I want you to take a nice long and slow deep breath, hold it for just a second and then let it slowly go.  Repeat that process once again.  Now, the breathing process that you just completed means that each one of you are alive; duh, huh.  Well, that also means that no matter what kind of physical condition you are in you are NOT dead.  So, it also means that since you are alive and not dead then all you know is life.  Therefore, why would anyone wish to be taken from this life we know – only know – and replace it with a process we have no idea about? Shouldn’t we be more concerned about staving off that permanent separation status the best we can?  And when we reach that point where death enters into our physical time frame, why not laugh in the face of our enemy because we know that we have defied his intentions for our life and have proclaimed God’s laws true and alive in our lives.  We know that each one of us will depart this earth at some point in time, so why not break that eternal cycle of death and live freely in peace, health, holiness and any other word that can be used for the presence of God.

Church, this is what we need to be teaching those who do not know or understand about God.  God is not here to condemn us but to provide an escape from this world and the death it brings.  There is a war that is being fought for your eternal placement, one that our enemy wishes to keep hidden from you until it is too late for you to choose otherwise.  We do not have to live under the law of death but be eternally free in Christ through His Covenant.  God cannot violate any covenant that He has established only humans do this.  But at the same time God allows us to repent and to turn from our ways and when God sees the true turning around of our hearts, He states that He will come running to you and welcome you back into His presence.  This is what the Church needs to be teaching.  It is true that God is all about love but we cannot honestly say we love God until we obey His commands first.

Church, put your situation and condition in the shoes of Adam and Eve and transcribe your heart into the position that Adam and Eve were in the few moments immediately before they allowed sin into their existence.  Then, place yourself into their shoes immediately after they sinned.  Now, ask yourself which position are you following today?  Leave the self-intentions out of the equation and honestly, ask yourself this question.  The answer is quite clear and unless we fall completely under the blood of Christ we have no option to die and to buy the lie from our enemy instead of allowing what has already been paid for to cover us.  Stop mocking God’s laws and once again purify your hearts and faithfully embrace God’s laws.  How important is this simple and short phrase in the Bible? 

It is this important: our eternal enemy used this title phrase with one added word in it and through the sly developed relationship between them convinced the perfectly created beings to lose their lives.  You could even say as a comparison of today that Adam and Eve were life-long church goers, grounded in the Word of God yet did not take it seriously enough to use the Word as their protection instead of a justification tool.  Our physical time on the earth is limited due to our playing around with God’s laws, our eternal death is irreversible as well and eternity is an unmeasured amount of time to be separated from our Creator with NO hope of ever returning to His protection.

DLB

Results of True Change

Results of True Change

6/13/16

It is a well known fact that God will change our lives if we allow Him to enter.  There is no way possible that God has entered into our hearts without there being any visible change because it will be evident through our words and actions.  A person cannot claim to have God in their lives and not have some visible change present, for God cannot inhabit a place where darkness resides.  How can the Church be silent on this issue?  Has she lost the ability to discern what is right and what is wrong?  The Bible contains testament after testament of healings and changes that Jesus did for those who believed in Him, so I guess the answer lies in the fact that the Church has lost her edge in recognizing Kingdom.  God knows this and is calling for her to stand up and be accounted for once again for His Kingdom and its advancement.

This article is going to be simple and straight to the point with no beating around the bush.  The Church has lost her edge when it comes to the spreading the true gospel of Christ and while her leaders shall argue this point their words speak a lot louder than her actions, ones which they cannot deny.  The sad point to this is that while they are arguing their points they cannot adequately define God’s Word according to their words which coincide with their actions and give definition to the world and its leader.

God has provided us with a previous article concerning hope and change and how these items cannot be complete unless He is at the center of both conditions.  When mankind allows God to steal her / his show one cannot help but have a miraculous inner change that cannot be hidden, nor does the person wish to hide this change.  Being complacent with the old state means that there has been no change and nothing has developed inside that person to warrant such language.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is summed up many times throughout the Bible, but the scripture that God wants us to understand here comes from John Chapter 9.  This is another well-known passage from the Bible and one that I have heard preached and taught over my 48 years on this planet but it is one that has a huge Kingdom concept within its words which has not been readily taught as the foundation of the true Gospel.  The first verse of this chapter says it all and it describes how one man is blind from birth and in the second verse corresponds to the human being blind of their own liking through the words of Jesus’ own disciples, and it is this point that God wants us to understand about His Kingdom and how we blindly bear false witness against Him.  Verse three sums up God’s Kingdom advancement process with verse nine beginning the results of such truth and advancement.  There are many points to this passage but it is the point of the one healed that is the important portion here.

This passage clearly states that people are born with deformities and ailments that they do not wish to harbor, but through the process of sin inherit as a property of such disobedience a long time ago.  But what God wishes for us to understand begins with verse two when the disciples, Jesus’ own companions, ask about the origins of the man’s loss of sight.  Did they not understand exactly what was going on and how things came about due to the sin that mankind created for our lives back in the Garden of Eden?  And how different is Christ’s Church today in which they cannot recognize this same sinful inheritance today?  I am glad that they asked this question because it gave Jesus a chance to explain the Kingdom of God to them and exactly who inhabits this Kingdom. 

While Jesus healed this man of his inherited blindness it needs to be clear that the emphasis should not be placed on the act but the obedience to what Jesus said to do, which reinforces the Old Testament laws that God set into motion concerning His people.  When Jesus spat in the dirt and then covered the man’s eyes with the dirt, the man had one of two choices to make.  He could have reacted violently and immediately rubbed off the mud and then asked what right Jesus had to do that – sound familiar?  Or, he could have listened to Jesus and obeyed what He said for him to do – which the man did.  It is also interesting that the man knew exactly what to do and where to go after Jesus gave His instructions, another sign that God works through the resources of mankind to advance His Kingdom.

The man immediately did what Jesus told him to do and it was this act of obedience that allowed God to fulfill the desire of the man’s wish and the act of change that Jesus did in his life.  This act is a great miracle of Jesus and through the obedience of the man God’s Kingdom advanced and then expanded through the physical and verbal testimony of the man after the fact.  It is evident that the man was known well enough that his neighbors knew that he had been blind from birth and after the miracle that Jesus did for him, these neighbors knew that the man could now see.

The neighbors then asked what had occurred that he could see and it was an immediate response from the man that solidified the advancement of God’s Kingdom and gives us an example of how God’s Kingdom should operate.  ANY testimony of healing is a sign of restoration and is the reason why God gave us His Word to understand.  ANY testimony of this type of change from the world’ grip to a true freedom in God is another prime example of what God’s Kingdom stands for.  ANY process which takes a person from the confines of this world and places them into a godly state represents Satan’s worst nightmare because that person now understands what held them captive for that period of time in their life.  This changed status of the person also poses a greater threat to Satan’s establishment and therefore a push backwards on his kingdom.  It is this change in our lives that Satan deems to keep from us and is the sole reason why he is out to wipe us off the face of the earth as quick as possible.

There cannot be any question that the act that Jesus did in this passage was a miracle of God and represented a healing from the Hand of God.  There is also no question that healing is a part of the restoration process and plays an important AND vital part in God’s Kingdom but many times we have asked for God’s healing in our lives and once that healing has been received we have kept our restoration silent.  While the Kingdom has advanced in our lives we have failed to further God’s life into others, so we have limited God which if one really wishes to be honest, is exactly what Christians are doing who have been saved yet sit in their pews and do nothing else but wait for Jesus to return.

The power of the Word comes from our mouths and actions and if we demonstrate the kind of response that the blind man had in John Chapter 9 there would be no stopping God from gaining tremendous ground without cessation over a dying world.  It is this specific message of the Gospel that our enemy truly hates – through the original definition of this word – and one that represents everything that God has wanted His prized creations to understand.  God is love and He is all about healing, repentance, and restoration but unless we obey His commands we can never see the true results of this glorious miracle.

Church, this is a prime example of how important obedience to God really is to our lives.  Each day we turn on our information boxes and see that someone has once again taken matters into their own hands to advance their own agenda.  This is not what God wants for our lives and yet we embrace its owner as the answer for all our needs while crying over the woes that we have in truth promoted.  Church, your mission is clearly defined and adequately provided for and it is our responsibility to teach a dying world that there is an ultimate Savior that loves us and wishes nothing but our eternal blessedness at all times. 

But if the Church does not regain the knowledge that she is a warring instrument for our eternal status, our effectiveness will flicker out and represent nothing.  God’s Word cannot return void which is exactly the opposite of what we are doing if we are not out verbally proclaiming of what He has done in our lives to the world.  As the song from Hillsong ministries states, Creation itself hangs on the very words that God has spoken, why can’t we be doing and proclaiming the same?  Because if we do, we shall see the complete results of the changes that God performs in our lives and shall be eager to mention this Work in our lives.

DLB

Fighting Against or With the Word

Fighting Against And With The Word

6/11/16

There have been countless arguments concerning God and His Word over the millennia and sadly that trend shall not cease.  Mankind is at center stage of this argument and while they speak the loudest against God, we fail to understand who is behind this disagreement and who is in control of everything that we know about life.  It is God’s desire that all life come to Him and to live under His Covenant of eternal life.  It should be all sufficient to know that God cannot change His ways or laws but we have strayed so much that we would rather believe the defeated enemy instead.  God beckons us to return to His folds and that no matter what we have done in our past, He is faithful and just to forgive and to restore.  But we must understand His Word and what it means for us to know what He is saying to His people.

How many of you have argued with your parents about a certain issue?  I have to admit that there have been many times that I did and for the most part always came out the loser, and some of these arguments came after I had left behind my teenage years.  Yeah, it upset me at the time but as the situation dimmed, the emotions drained and the scenario played out I found out that they were correct about things and that my arguments had been false and weak at best.  It is easy for us to believe that we know everything there is to know when it comes to our lives and to our surroundings.  On the other hand, it is difficult for us (our pride) to accept the fact that there are certain details about the argument that we do not know about that if allowed to occur could change our lives dramatically.  It is this concept that we tend to hang on with God and how we “define” His Word as it is spoken and there is no question that we love to argue His content in order to please our personal views.

One of the most contested topics among the world's thinking today is that of the nation of Israel and her existence within the world.  Just a few short decades ago, Israel won her right to claim itself as a sovereign nation.  Immediately, the Arab nations began their assault on this tiny strip of land and through their numerous defeated efforts they do their best to destroy the nation that has been defined by God.  It is not surprising that the mainstream media and all other faceted world organizations seek to condemn Israel for their existence, for they do represent a nation that is of God and through this foundation represent a total denial of worldly standards; yet it really fascinates me that the world democracies cry out against the only democracy in the Middle East, this can only mean that these crying democracies have a different leader than Israel.

Many governments state that Israel is a bully and demand them to stop all “aggressive” measures against their neighbors.  It is a call that is heard daily and comes from many of the top leaders around the world as well.  Some governments recognize that the military might of the Israeli defenses are far superior to others around them and some claim that Israel should fight fairly with their enemies and not be such a suppressive nation.  These leaders have got one concept correct, the fight between Israel and her enemies is not a fair fight but it is a fight that they cannot do anything about because the decisive factor in this fight is God and there is nothing that any enemy against Israel can do to sustain such a relationship.

God’s Word states very clear that Israel was created by Him and that those who are for this nation shall be blessed in every measure accountable.  Being a complete God, God also states that whoever votes against Israel in their stance for life and survival shall reap those rewards from the Lord Almighty as well.  One cannot curse Israel without God hearing that voice and it is that voice that God recognizes each time it is raised.  It is God’s Word that cannot be changed once it is spoken and it is His promise of protection over Israel that we need to understand shall never change.  This is the first example that mankind should never fight against God’s Word because whoever does so shall lose every time.  Be very careful and knowledgeable concerning the side that one chooses, for if you chose the incorrect side of God, be prepared for a rough ride ahead. 

The Bible makes it very clear that once God has spoken something or even thought about it, that action cannot be changed nor can it be void in any shape or form.  This example comes from the entire chapter of Isaiah 55 and accumulates with this truth in verse 11 when it states that the voice of God can produce nothing but truth and shall not return void on any level.  It can only return in what He pleases and He can only be pleased when life is spoken and proclaimed for that is all He can give to creation.  There is not one example of death that God can give in return, that was our choice to bring death and sorrow into our existence.  This is a powerful proclamation that God makes here and one that sets into play what is at stake for if He cannot produce anything but life then there is a force out there that can only produce the opposite.  Since God cannot compromise in ANY situation, this proves that someone out there does not wish for us to live in pure and eternal life, because any return beside life would be considered a void.

A prime example of God’s voice and how it cannot return void is given to us in the first chapter of the Bible when Genesis Chapter 1 starts by giving the definition of the creation of this world.  In verse 3 of this chapter God speaks and light is given to a darkened place.  This sole act should show that God represents everything that is good.  When people or anything is present in darkness their abilities are limited and hindered because of the lack of light to see.  Yes, our eyes can adjust to the darkness but if detailed information is needed about anything light must be administered in order for the truth to be revealed.  With the proclamation in Genesis 1:3, it states that God wishes for all of His creation to share in the fair fight against the enemy that is all around our lives.  God also demonstrates how important seeing is and how necessary a constant source of light be in order for us to survive.  This is why it is so important that we understand and keep close to our heart the truth about light because it is the first source of life that God gave to us and it represents our only salvation against the darkness.  It is stated in the New Testament that Jesus is the light of the world and in John 8:12 He proclaims this truth and presents to us the importance of light in our lives.  There is no coincidence that God created light first and the claim that Jesus made in this verse about being the light to the world, for only light can start every life process and if it is not present all sustenance of life ceases.

This is the same Word that Isaiah 55 is referring to, the one that is spoken and everything falls immediately in its created place. It is the same Word that is proclaimed when God speaks into the creation of Israel and sets into motion her existence as a divine origin.  Right from the beginning of our existence God has spoken things into being with simple and straight forward words, so why would we believe we have any groundwork to argue this commanded authority?  It is not our job to find ways around God’s Word in order to pacify our whims and wants, but to study His words and to know their meaning and then apply them to the dying world with a pure and righteous heart.

Living in the Word of God is what God wants us to do and has always intended how our lives would be, not subject to a slave condition that the world can only offer.  Fighting against the Word of God is exactly what our enemy wants so that he can ensure that we continue to suffer the world’s existence.  It is through our choice of living that will prove to those around us what is most important about our life, God or the world.  It must be declared that there is no way possible that the enemy shall ever out duel God so why fight for a losing cause?  For when a person fights against God, all they are doing is proving God’s Word correct; think about that for a moment.  It is through the heart that we either deem ourselves in a fight with the Word of God or if we are living through the Word of God.  Yes, we may never fully understand every letter that God has provided for us but it would be a gross dereliction of our creation if we did not try our best to conform to His ways at all costs. 

A question that the Church is ignoring is this: why is the world allowed to mock God and all of His servants with no reprisals in return?  The Bible addresses this issue clearly in 1 Kings when the prophet Elijah is dealing – and dueling – with the prophets of Baal.  God has shared with us this setting previously in a few articles but we must understand a truth here, one that the Church is not performing because she has voluntarily asked Satan to tie her hands.  When one studies the story in 1 Kings Chapter 18, we are given a picture of how Elijah’s social society was set.  It is obvious that the prophets of Baal believed they had the upper hand and used this belief to advance their agenda.  It is also distinct that they were allowed to manipulate the children of God through their beliefs, a setting so clear today.

But what did God have to say about this act and dare that the prophets of Baal decreed?  Elijah challenged them to a duel and Elijah was polite enough to allow them to demonstrate their abilities first.  It was this act along with the words of Elijah that set the tone for God and His supernatural authority to show itself in a manner like no other.  The prophets of Baal and their followers began to dance and sing with loud praises towards Baal, yet nothing was occurring with the sacrifices and altar that they had prepared.  Elijah even stood up and yelled to them to sing and dance louder in case Baal was busy doing something else at the moment and that they needed to complete this louder act in order to grab his attention.  The end result was that Baal never showed up and all of their natural and worldly efforts were left on the earth floor dried up and dead.

Then, God showed up immediately after Elijah began praying and He consumed not only the sacrifice that Elijah had prepared for Him but also the altar, the fuel for the sacrifice, the water, and even the dirt around the altar, totally consuming the area in a show that He alone is almighty and has complete authority over the children of Israel.  It is this point where the Church has lost her capital “C” as Elijah so vividly and accurately demonstrated to the worldly prophets and it is also the point that God wants us to understand here in this article that the Church was not created to be mocked, to be placed in a corner and considered to be the problem of the world.  If anything is to be mocked it is the prince of this world and the kingdom that he so desperately wants us to accept; just as Elijah did a long time ago.

It is this act by Elijah along with all of the other examples we have in the Bible that we need to study and understand what our job actually is in the world.  I know that God has shared with us a number of examples to demonstrate this truth about our existence and mission but through the example of Elijah in 1 Kings 18 we have the complete example of the purpose and title of the message that God wants us to hear.  God wants His Word to be fought with and not against.  It is the world’s compendium to fight against God and it is our eternal enemy’s code to fight against his most hated adversary (God) and the creations God so wants to live with Him.  It is the most important concept that we need to understand that if we are not fighting the world WITH the entire Word of God then we are automatically fighting AGAINST God WITH the world.  There cannot be any mixing of God and the world and He makes these claims adamantly clear from Genesis 1 through Revelation 22.

Why do we allow our selfish and human pride to dictate so much of our lives that we quickly turn from God and embrace the ways of the world?  If you wish to look at this example from another angle, then here you go.  One can easily say that the example in 1 Kings is a warning to the people of Israel.  Because Israel's beliefs had grown so much, enough to physically warrant a challenge to God and His authority of sacrifice, it is also factual that God’s actions served as a warning to them.  Anytime God manifests Himself through fire it is a warning because e all know what fire does to objects when it is present.  With a physical fire there is not much left of organic matter after the fire has ended and while this type of fire is only one kind that God can use, it makes its point to the people and should have opened their spirits back up to God.

When it comes to God’s children, He means business on ALL levels because He fully understands what is at stake when it comes to our existence.  This nation and those others throughout history have had countless warnings from God to repent and to turn our hearts back to Him.  But as the children of Israel so frequently demonstrated in the Old Testament, we have fallen away and voluntarily turned our hearts to the world and have shunned God for the sake of worldly acceptance.  We can no longer afford to ignore these warnings for one day they shall stop and when they do – and through our blinded hearts – great tragedy shall come to our shores, both physically and spiritually. 

We must grasp a truth here and it is this, God shall not come up to us and directly and verbally speak in a loud voice that rings over our entire nation saying “Repent, for what you are doing is wrong” or something along those lines.  What God will do is project His heart into a few lives who are listening to Him that will stand boldly to proclaim what is ongoing and what God sees in that nation’s heart.  Through these people, He will use to say that repentance is needed and for those in question to return to His ways.  As with many examples in the Bible, God shall expose our sins to everyone around and will call us out through His holy, pure, and mighty way to whatever extent He deems cleansed.

God clearly states that He wants His children to make a bold stance against the world through His Word.  The sad reality of this truth is that the Church has used her authority in a gross manner not abiding within the laws of God but through their made up constitutions that condemn without repentance.  If you recall the acts of Jesus, He never once rebuked those who had a heart for learning about Him or His Father, but it was the ones who controlled the religious order of the day that He attacked, just as Elijah did with the prophets of Baal.  Jesus continually showed people of their sins but loved them enough not only to tell them about their sins but to teach them not to continue in their current ways.  How is this teaching them?  Jesus understood the human heart enough to know that when people were hurting enough and when addressed in this state they would seek God according to their hearts and not their flesh.  Jesus also knew the human well enough to know that once they had this desire that they would voluntarily seek God in their own manner as well AND change their ways to please God not themselves; then take the fight to the world with the Word of God.

Can the Church say that they are taking the fight to the world with the Word of God in their hearts?  Not if they are honest!  She has incorporated the world so much into her walls and weaved the world’s lusts into her heart so completely that all she can represent is a church, not God’s Church.  And since we are being honest here, she probably does not even grasp the truth between the difference of being a church and being the Church.  There are two kingdoms at war for your eternal placement! These two kingdoms can NEVER mix in any form, shape or movement!  Any reference to the mixing of kingdoms of any kind is a direct, 100% lie from the pit of hell and should be rebuked immediately.  The church should repent and reclaim the capital “C” in her name, for it is rightly hers to own and inhabit.  Once this occurs she can again perform miracles as Elijah did when he called upon God to show the people His glory.  Elijah knew what it meant to fight with the Word of God and that is exactly how God wants us to fight as well.  It is a fight, it is a war whether you like it or not.  There is nothing easy about this fight either, for your eternity is at stake.

So, what is the answer to the question of with what are you fighting with?  Are you fighting with the world that automatically guarantees an alliance with our enemy or are you fighting alongside the Almighty Creator and His infinite amount of wisdom and purity against the world?  It is through this gift of choice that brings this answer to a simple and clear conclusion.  God shall never force His word into or onto our lives, it will always be our choice to accept Him or to reject Him.  It is kind of difficult for us to acknowledge something about this process of choice, because whether we deem God as our Lord and Savior or not, the gift of our decision originates from Him and no matter which decision we make, He still calls us His own and longs to be with us every second of our lives.

DLB

God Wants To Be Worshipped

God Wants To Be Worshipped

6/4/16

The title of this article should come as no surprise to anyone who believes in the authority of God.  It also should ring some bells in the land of atheists as well for all sides of the spectrum will be represented when this phrase commences.  God is a holy and orderly God, one that requires His children to live and act in a certain manner, separated.  It is through this separation process that He wishes for us to understand well enough that we worship Him in the same manner, separate from other types of worship.  The way we worship God is a concept that many of us need to stop and think about before we attend any other type of service where worship is proclaimed, for to God it must come totally from the heart.

Over the past few decades or so, there has been a significant rise in the number of praise bands and worship leaders that have come onto the church scene.  There have been thousands of recordings of these songs and hymns during this time period and while many of these songs are divinely inspired and bring us closer to God, we must contend that all actions of these presentations should be conducted through true and holy worship instead of worldly aspirations.  It pains me to think that any worship leader could stand before a congregation and present the message of God through a worship setting but voluntarily live in an ungodly lifestyle.  It is through this type of belief and allowance that we have either become careless with the meaning of the word worship or we have never understood its meaning at all.

The Bible presents us with many methods and examples of worship and while not all of them strictly are demonstrated through music God’s Word is quite clear about our lives being sanctioned through worship and how obedience is its trigger for successful worship.  Hey, can anyone take a guess as to where I will be referencing my biblical examples?  You got it, Genesis.  God continues to amaze me with all of the information that this first book of the Bible contains and how much of this important information many of us have overlooked or not even realized.  It is this information that allows us to begin to understand God and how He wishes us to live out our days on this earth. 

This information also gives us the tools of how important it is that we know what our lives mean and how God sees us through His eyes through our obedience.  This information should arrest our habits and throw them out the door especially when we understand just where worship begins and how it should be expressed.  When we hear the word worship being used many of us immediately think about music.  There is nothing wrong with this thought for music is a part of worship and it is mentioned several times throughout the Bible as a form of communication to God. 

Many times in my younger days I had many instructional lessons from my parents, and as anyone who personally knows me those instructional moments had a purpose, and that purpose was to keep my mischievous mind under control.  But as most of us must acclaim, when these instructional periods presented themselves to me I was already beginning to plan how I would get around this information.  Not knowing exactly what I was setting myself up for when I got caught afterwards.  Now, I did not do this all of the time and at one point some of my ignorance towards these sessions actually came back to bite me and I had to learn things the hard way.  But it was through this disobedience of mine that I have witnessed in my own children and many times now, I wish I had stayed away from those rebellious moments of my youth. 

Ever heard of the phrase “worships the ground they walk on”?  It is this concept that comes into play here during this passage of the Bible that we are about to discuss.  I know that there have been a few people in my life that I have had this type of admiration for and according to my parents it has shown through me even when I do not see it myself.  It is this type of relationship that should be in place when we worship God and if that closeness is present in our worship then we shall have the same type of closeness and obedience in the remaining portions of our relationship with God as well.  And if we do not and the other parts are unequal, then we cannot be equally yoked with God then, and something has to give.  One cannot worship in this manner until one accepts the relationship in like manner.  In human logistical calculations and mannerisms this can lead to huge problems but when applied in the holiest of applications with God can result in the perfect communal relationship that has no boundaries.

Some of you have heard of the old song by Keith Green “To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice”.  It is one of my all time favorite songs and it means so much to my life.  Even though Keith Green tragically left this world many decades ago this song still resonates through the Christian music world, as it should.  Some producers and pastors ridiculed Keith for writing such a song, so much so that his record label almost did not record it because of its “controversial” words.  Well, according to the Bible Keith got it correct and it speaks nothing but the truth, all in God’s holy order.  If you are not familiar with this song and the words that accompany it or if you have not heard its message in a while, I ask that you locate it on the internet and allow its message to fill your hearts.  It is a wonderful testimony to God’s order and His desire and foundation to have a relationship with us.

Genesis 2:15-17 forms the beginning of how God wants mankind to worship Him and it all stems with obedience.  In this passage God has planted Adam into the Garden of Eden and has shown him everything that he needs to do according to the maintenance of the area.  As God and Adam are talking they come to a point where God states to Adam that he is free to eat of any tree in the Garden and it shall supply every need for meat.  But God also states that there is one tree that he should not eat from and that was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  As soon as God makes His statement about the tree to Adam, He immediately states the punishment that would come if Adam ate from this tree.  Notice there is nothing stated about touching it, looking at it or even trimming and keeping its appearance up, only that mankind should not eat from it. 

This statement suggests that there was some kind of edible articles that were on this tree, the Bible does not specifically mention any specific type of article and I am not going to speculate its type either but there was something concerning the tree that mankind would deem edible.  And, why would this particular passage have anything to do with worship in the first place?  Because it establishes the relationship God has with humanity and how we were created for worship through obedience, for up until this point it is recorded that God has been introducing Adam to what is around him and this passage serves as the first law that God gives to mankind.  If God did not establish this law then there would be no accountability for mankind and God would have allowed mankind to just run around as he pleases not caring about what would occur; no guidelines present means haphazard lifestyles and that type of living would not be conducive to God’s holy order.  God is very specific here when He is instructing Adam about this tree.  It is not a complicated or convoluted command, it is simple, direct, and God goes straight to the point. 

This one command sets into motion the concept of a relationship with God, that it is individual and personal and there is nothing else like it in all of creation.  It is through this personal relationship status is defined how worship is established and developed as well.  Even though there is nothing stated about the specifics that Adam and Eve had with God concerning the acts of worship one can process correctly the order in which this subject was presented.  Adam and Eve did have a mind and a process of choice to think; after all, they were human in nature.  They had the capability to reason and to figure things out on their own, through the conversations that they had with God during this time.

It is not about the fruit of this tree that one should be confined with anyway, it is the origin of the command that God gave to Adam, do not eat from it that should be taken as fact.  God had established a specific order with everything in the Garden, including the one item to not eat from.  This was the first lesson in obedience that God gave to mankind and given the mind of mankind, you know Adam had to wonder why God had made such a command.  Most of us know that the Old Testament was about obedience and how important it was for us to obey the laws and commands of God.  This obedience was included when it came to the act of sacrifice as well and it is demonstrated through the examples of Cain and Abel, two of the sons of Adam and Eve.

As parents, it is our duty that we wish to hand out as much information about what and what not to do to our children.  As I mentioned above some of that shared information is not readily accepted by children and sometimes they ignore it long enough until a specific situation comes along and reality hits them square in the face.  This occurred in Cain and Abel as well and we have a perfect scenario of how this personal relationship and obedience led to a perfect worship relationship and one that was imperfect and rejected.  It hurts us when they choose not to heed our warnings or advice but we must marvel in this gift that God has given us because it represents a returning point that we can look upon and allow restoration to occur.

We must never forget that when God created us He did in such a manner through His spirit and therefore we are spirit.  John 4:24 says it all when John records that God is spirit and whoever worships God must do so in spirit and in truth.  Worshipping is obeying God and everything that He has set into motion, which means that this serves as the foundation of relationship and therefore reinforces the commandment that God physically writes down in Exodus about not having any other gods before Him.  What has He set into motion?  Everything that we know about life, whether it be our own life or the trees, fish land, etc.  We were created to be spiritual leaders through our creation itself and we were deemed to be as such through our worship of our Creator and Father.  Since God’s Word cannot in any way be or become void, it is always and shall always be composed of life, which means that worshipping and obeying go hand in hand with life.

Adam and Eve within the Garden obeying God’s statement of keeping and dressing His Garden is a sign of worship.  Obedience is the foundation of worship and it serves as the backbone to the grace that Jesus provided for us through His birth, life, death, and resurrection.  If we do not obey God’s foundational laws concerning His Word, then there is no possible way that we can fall under the grace of Christ, it just cannot work.  The boundaries of Covenant were set into motion in the Garden of Eden and as we can clearly see ANY variation of this obedience throws off the entire relationship status we have with God and automatically places us into a category of rebellion and thus subject to the attacks and destructive natures of our enemy.  THAT is how important obedience is to our lives and when someone challenges you about the laws of God, refer them to this setting, then remind them of their children and how they want the best for them at all times.

The important thing we must realize here is this: as Adam and Eve found out when we voluntarily choose to disobey we will eventually leave the covering of grace, to expose the radical sin that we gladly possess to the eyes of God and it is at this point where He must act.  Why Adam and Eve first chose to place their attentions on themselves instead of God and worshipping the area that they lived in, I cannot say exactly but what I can safely say is that I have fallen into the same choice situation before and I have failed miserably.  And if this person right here can fall, I can understand some type of setting being presented for them to project the same type of response.

Obedience and worship cannot survive without each other, for our existence was created so that both of these portions of our lives may be freely demonstrated towards our Creator with each breath we take.  We are lucky because God made us in such a way that we have the option to choose the life that He originally desired for us until we draw our last breath.  We also know that we are not guaranteed tomorrow which means that it is vitally important that we choose God today and not delay our decision.  A couple of weeks ago, one of my cancer survivors daughter was coming back to her home when for some reason lost control of her car and rolled multiple times and instantly killing her.  This event presents a tragedy and one that is hard to understand but one that should place the importance of us being right with God at all times.  Think on these words from the Lord and take to heart the call for repentance, obedience and worship so that He may restore us back to His true creation.  God wants nothing more than to have a relationship with us and for us to live in perfect peace under His Son’s grace, for it takes unconditional obedience and true worship to exist in our lives in order for us to be complete.

DLB