Posts Tagged ‘LORD’

Stay free, be not entangled, keep focused, run the race.

Posted: December 30, 2011 in Shared Thoughts, Uncategorized, Wake Up!
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There are many things that still must come to pass before the Lord returns, things that are clearly written in scripture that we might be aware of the time and season in which we are living. These things were written so that we the Church could stand fast, and keep our focus on our responsibility of each of us perfecting our call to holiness while endeavoring to fulfill the purpose for which we have been elected/enlisted/chosen by the Captain of our salvation.

2Ti 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. (KJV)

2Ti 2:4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. (NASB)

We all have not only been called to be holy for the Lord is holy, it is both a commandment and a necessity; for without holiness no one will see God on favorable terms. Equally true is that each of us have been given a certain rank and file in the army of God whereby we are to . . . no, whereby we must labor together with other members of the body of Christ according to the effectual working of His grace given each and everyone of us. None of this has to do with God being a respecter of persons, rather it is in His wisdom that He has dispersed His gifts unto men with the seemingly greater gifts also bearing the greater responsibility. Nonetheless, regardless the uniqueness of our individual calls to ministry given by our Father, every believer’s priorities should be for His name’s sake to be wholeheartedly seeking and doing His will “according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, making increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”

2 Pe 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brothers, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, you shall never fall.

Sisters and brothers, we must make our callings certain (not in vain), for there has been given to each an everyone of us “grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ,” meaning our Lord has equipped each and every one for a unique function in His body that by having ears that hear what the Spirit is saying we can collectively work together making Christ known and warning men to flee the wrath to come. This is why we study to show ourselves approved, that we might not only rightly divide the  Word of truth, but be applying it as well, thereby proving all things as we submit ourselves one to another in the fear of God . . . for there is no place for rouge independent “Christian ministers.” That is not to say that true men and women of God at times will not feel alone, but their hearts are ever seeking others with whom they may labor to God’s glory.

Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

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Comet Elenin – the lion and not the bear . . .

Posted: October 31, 2011 in End Times
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Since early 2011 there has been much chatter across the web about Comet Elenin and what appeared to be a correlation of seismic activity with its alignment with earth. We had no shortages of doomsayers and predictions concerning the end of the world and the timing of an imminent rapture of the church . . . but we are still here. I too labored many long hours in an effort to examine all the information available and submitted it for public scrutiny with my exhortation to give greater heed to God’s word foremost.

As it seems to stand today, apparently Comet Elenin was blasted by solar winds which blew away much of it coma. Now according to various accountings Elenin was destroyed, fragmented, is deteriorating, and/or has been reduced to even less significance than the seemingly correct unbelievers of doom had said it was. At the moment Elenin is now on its way back out into the vast expanse of the universe perhaps taking with it the threat of imminent death and destruction that so many had attached with it.

For almost two months I have been sitting back and praying that God help me to rightly divide and understand what I have been observing (and not observing) in my own Christian responsibility to “watch and pray.” There have been various things I felt God was impressing upon me, but there was also a sense of waiting before the Lord as Elenin continued it course past it inner alignment with Earth and the Sun on late September 26. It appears Elenin came and made alignment with no great calamity befalling the earth . . . apart from this year’s predicted increase of solar activity, record breaking droughts in one part of the world while storms and floods make new records in other places. Currently we are having a huge snow storm in the northeast while elsewhere volcanism and seismic disturbance continue about the world . . . but seemingly with no absolute correlation to the comet.

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Trips to the Tomb / Good Friday

Posted: April 23, 2011 in Devotionals, Study!, Uncategorized, Wake Up!
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For centuries there has been much confusion when people try and reason the different accounts of Jesus’ resurrection as recorded by the apostles. The fact that they all seem to have a different story to tell does not help. Perhaps, a good way to consider their seemingly different reports is to view them like transparent overlays, similar to the one’s we have seen in books showing the skeleton, then the nerves and blood vessels, organs, muscular and finally the skin and hair.

The Gospels, similarly, are each reporting different events which had taken place around a major singular occurrence, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The fact is that these different events are recorded in God’s word and are therefore true. Perhaps the answer to the confusion is to consider that there were multiple trips made to the tomb.

The best way to determine the possible order of these Trips to the Tomb is to consider the different details that have been given about the time of day and light of the sun. Was the sun going down or coming up? These questions are actually quite easy to answer. However, we must remember that the Sabbath, like all the other biblical days, began and ended with sundown.

I would like to give acknowledgement to a brother Harry Miller who has gone to be with the Lord. Many years ago I read a tract he had written a tract entitled Three Days and Three Nights in which he mentioned there had to be multiple trips to the tomb. It was upon his prayerful studies and insight that I was motivated to search the scriptures  that I might further understand these things and have therefore sought to put these things down to share with others. Therefore I am humbled and thankful to be able to continue in sharing these things with fellow seekers. Nevertheless, while I rejoice in the benefits I have enjoyed from other men’s prayer and labors, true blessing become tangible when we diligently seek the truths of God for ourselves in His word. There are no promises made to the half-hearted seeker of God, be diligent therefore, be studious and seek God while He may be found.

Peace.

. . . because of the angels.

Posted: April 9, 2011 in End Times, Shared Thoughts, Study!
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Capture

For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head . . . because of the angels.

In the last few decades there has risen much confusion around this particular verse, as well as the whole of the subject matter being addressed here by Paul to the Corinthians. All the same, this verse is part of God’s Holy Word and is intended to be both informative and instructive, though tucked neatly away here in a very illuminating passage of scriptures.

Since it is part of God’s Word that never changes, believers today are still obliged to give the utmost prayerful consideration as to its application to their lives. So as lights in the midst of a dark and blind world, they may properly “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things” that they say and do, to give the glory and honor due to the Blessed Name of our Glorious Savior Jesus Christ.

Nonetheless, for a variety of reasons “believers” nowadays simply choose to ignore Paul’s two hundred and ninety-eight instructive words, (counted in the King James prior to verse sixteen) and imprudently conclude “we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.” In so doing, they treat Paul’s instruction here as completely irrelevant to them, as if it was written without reason, a complete waste of time and parchment.

Nevertheless, up until the last 40-50 years the majority of “the churches of God” did keep the custom of women wearing head coverings to some degree. This shows that most believers in today’s Church have lost the very attribute for which Paul was praising the Corinthian church in the first place, “I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

So, what was Paul saying, “we have no such custom, neither the churches of God?” Well, what was the beginning of that verse?

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Understanding God’s Anger

Posted: March 26, 2011 in Coffee House, Shared Thoughts, Uncategorized
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It has been said by some that “the God of the Old Testament was an angry God.” Now that creates a need for clarity because God never changes. That He is the same yesterday, today and forever is in fact the teaching of scriptures, but they also state that God is indeed angry with the wicked everyday (Psm 7:11), because they have made themselves to be His enemies. His word also clearly tells us that to become friends with world is to willfully engage in war with Him.

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Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.

Posted: March 8, 2011 in Devotionals, Shared Thoughts, Uncategorized, Wake Up!
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The other night I was busy working on some studies and took a break to check a few other things, email, read the latest news online and then decided to dropped by my Facebook page real quick. I really don’t use it too much; it is more of just a way to stay in casual touch with a few friends and my sons . . .  and also to shamelessly promote Gates of the City. While I was there I saw that one of my friends I met via my sons had a post that looked like a typical nonsensical YouTube link.

Now, I love this young friend and speak frequently with them, sometimes with private messages over personal things trying to encourage them. I am thankful the Lord has placed quite a fondness in my heart for this individual and therefore I usually pay attention to their status and posts. But this time the post seemed a bit odd for them, the title actually seemed to indicate mischief on the part of whoever made the link. However, since this was my young  friend, I figured I would click it to see why they posted it. All it did was change the page a bit as the picture of the link got a little bigger as YouTube links normally do, but that was it. Apparently it wasn’t a video, or if it was it certainly didn’t work. So I just clicked back, read down my FB page real quick and went back to working on other stuff.

Within minutes of going back to work I get a YIM from my friend Rhonda who shares this blog with telling me I may have a virus on my FB page. Naturally I am a bit surprise and ask her what she means, to which she asks me if I clicked “like” on a link called such and such. Now, upon re-reading the title with it removed from my other friend’s name next to it, it now appears a great deal more mischievous than before, provoking an embarrassment as now on my FB page  it reads that “William Males ‘likes’ this link.” I asked Rhonda why people create these things, what is the purpose, what are they gaining? She simply said something about it’s a type of cyber graffiti, just getting their handiwork across the web on as many “walls” as possible, because there is some sort of a ping back where they keep score I guess. I am so thankful God has given me such higher goals to press forward to.

However, being computer savvy enough to create a good impression of being capable, yet still ignorant to all the aspects web life and warfare, I asked how to eliminate this distasteful thing from my wall and name since it doesn’t respond to my feeble efforts to delete it. Rhonda patiently explained the process where I had to change the password in order to delete it. Well, it’s gone, but the whole experience really troubled me on a few levels.

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Fulfilling The Call To Holiness

Posted: January 16, 2011 in Coffee House, Devotionals, Shared Thoughts, Wake Up!
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The Bible tells us many truths we must embrace if we are to live a life of intimacy with our Redeemer Jesus Christ; that we are to “prefect holiness in the fear of God” and also “without holiness no man shall see God.”

Because these truths apply to everyone of us, the Apostle John tells us, “every man that hath this hope in God purifies himself, even as He is pure.”

Coming to Christ and Baptism

Posted: January 10, 2011 in Uncategorized
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Since the fall of men it has been debated to the point of bloodshed what God requires of men to be found pleasing to Him. Some like Adam’s son Abel were not hesitant to offer the first born of his flock, as well as the fattest to the Lord as an offering, while Cain brought forth of his bounty from the earth as an offering. Yet it is clear from the scriptures that Abel’s offering was considered by God to be “a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.” God’s words to Cain regarding his offering was rather simple, “Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shall you not be accepted? and if you do not well, sin lieth at the door.”

Le 2:1 And when any will offer a meat [grain] offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon: 2 And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests: and he shall take there out his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour [aroma] unto the LORD.

Now many have reasoned that the displeasure God had with Cain’s offering was that it was a bloodless offering, yet scriptures tell us that God accepted such offerings. So it is clear here that the problem was not in that which was offered . . . rather the trouble was with the one making the offering. Today however, God is not asking for us to make these types of sacrifices, He is however still looking for that which Cain obviously lack in his offering to God and that for which “the Lord respected Abel and his offering.”  But on this I will touch briefly a bit later.

Since the crucifixion of Christ when a sinner yields to the Holy Spirit’s conviction that their sins have caused them to fall short of God’s righteousness in their life, that simple acceptance of God’s judgment against them is sufficient to bring them to the point where true reconciliation with the Redeemer can begin through repentance. But this is only a starting place, the beginning of a new life, a new birth where they can continue on to grow in wisdom and stature before God.

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Hallowed Be Thy Name

Posted: January 9, 2011 in Uncategorized
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Hallowed Be Thy Name

This was a message God laid on my heart concerning the deity of Jesus the Christ, the Lord’s Prayer and its exhortation for us to petition that God’s name to be hallowed, revered and feared in this fallen world. God’s people need to recognize the necessity to daily seek first His kingdom and righteousness while the long-suffering of God’s waits as with one hand he holds His love and mercy while with the other hand holding back His coming wrath and judgment on a wicked world.



Do you love me more than these?

Posted: December 27, 2010 in Devotionals, Shared Thoughts, Uncategorized, Wake Up!
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“Do you love me more than these,” Jesus asked of Peter who not too long before boldly stated “Though all men forsake Thee, I will not.”

Here Jesus was administering some much needed comfort and healing to Peter because of his earlier three denials with three opportunities to confirm his love. Yet Jesus clearly takes Peter further and instructs Peter in how He wants Peter to love Him; 1. Feed my Sheep and 2. Follow me. What blessings of the Lord that He instructs us how to pray, love, serve and worship Him.

Certainly nobody could deny Peter’s love for Christ in view of the fact that he had been willing to lay down his life for Jesus who tells us there is no greater love than that . . . however, love needs to be . . . no, actually, love must be to the honoring of its proclaimed point of affection. Godly love doesn’t merely seek its own expression; rather it pursues the gratification of the other.

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Holding the Truth in Love

Posted: December 20, 2010 in Devotionals, Shared Thoughts, Wake Up!
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Many sincere Christians have been provoked into righteous indignation by those who reduce what Paul referred to as “the Power of God unto salvation,” the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to nothing more than mere theology. In doing so they rendered it a non-effectual redemption message, because it allows people to hear about God in the flesh dying on the cross for their sins without clarifying the necessities and biblical requirements for a personal willingness to change, obey, follow, and even die to self.

When for the sake of “unity” and “harmony,” true believers make concessions with others  who make a profession of Christ, they allow the Gospel of Jesus Christ is reduced to a mere theology. However, the end result can only be that people will most likely just become members of a congregation rather than maturing members of the Body of Christ. What a snare we fall into when men care about people’s feelings and how big, “successful” and “growing” the congregation is growing, if the precepts of righteousness are having to be cast aside, the Kingdom of God is neglected, and the righteousness of God is not being properly adorn by the body of Christ?

The answer is, carnal people care, people seeking acceptance by other people care, selfish and egotistical people care.

The purpose God has committed the Gospel into the hands of His people is that they might bring the glory due His name through its power to set captives free. However, it is the TRUTH, the WHOLE TRUTH, and NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH of the Gospel that sets men free. For if a person truly believes and obeys the Gospel, it places them in the “congregation of the righteous” and makes them members of the Body of Christ. Thus, true Christians are to be as the Apostle Paul said “faithful stewards” of the Gospel.

1 Corinthians 4:1 – Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Yet, today there are many liberal preachers who are growing mega churches by generating feel-good-about-yourself religious social centers. Such men, and women preachers too, are guilty of allowing the biblical requirements of true discipleship to become lost historical facts instead of present-day necessities for godly Christian lifestyles and fellowship with God.

John 8:31 – Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If you continue in My word, then are you My disciples indeed;32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.33 They answered Him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: why do You say, You shall be made free?34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin.35 And the servant abides not in the house for ever: but the Son abides ever.36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.

Luke 14:27 – And whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple.

Unless believers become true disciples of Christ, (or willingly come under the discipline and chastisement of Christ,) we are not children of God, but bastards (Heb. 12:5-8). Now this is not merely my personal commentary or opinion; this is what the Word of God says, and if we are not disciples, then we’re bastards which have no rightful inheritance to God or His Kingdom.

Hebrew 12:5 – And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as unto children, My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked of Him: 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and He scourges every son whom He receives. 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the Father chastens not? 8 But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards and not sons.

Now consider also these words –

Matthew 23:13 – But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer you them that are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore you shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

In Jesus’ statement, we can sense His disgust towards the hypocrisy of that the leaders of that present day religious system. It was a corrupt system whose leaders were failing as mediators and intercessors for people unto God, and that because its primary concern was to further their ministries at the expense of other people who were seeking God. Listen carefully to the certain fate of such hypocrites who keep back the truth – theirs is a greater damnation. And please, don’t be so naive as to think that the same hypocritical system isn’t flourishing today in the world’s present religious systems?

Servants of the Lord Jesus Christ who find themselves frustrated with this facade of Christianity being promoted by this pseudo religious system should find some relief in those words of Jesus that such “shall receive the greater damnation.” Although God is indeed long-suffering with the misplaced sincerity of the ignorant, He is “angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11). “For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be” (Psalm 37:9, 10).

While true believers will often be provoked to anger by these hypocrites who keep others from coming to a saving knowledge of the truth, God’s word tells us not to “fret” over these wicked, (Psalm 37:7).

Psalm 37:7 – Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. 10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. 11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

However, we must not “give place to the devil” in our frustrations.

Ephesians 4:26 – Be you angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil.

We give place to the devil is we engage in open slander or attack these hypocrites in a personal manner. That is not to say we shouldn’t mark these people as those “transgresses, and abides not in the doctrine of Christ, [and therefore] have not God” (II John 9). But we need to be cautious because there is a point when flippant comments become nothing more than a person attack on others. At that point, such words not only cease to benefit the body of Christ, they can and often do cause damage to those who are young in the Lord.

Therefore, don’t neglect your responsibilities as a mature Christian to both God and His Church. As true believers and disciples of Christ we must both in wisdom and with restraint “mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). BUT careful not to do so with any form of self-gratifying, personal vengeance such as slander or even an abusive rebuttal — even though you are correct. Truth must never to be used as a means of personal vengeance for the enemies of the Gospel are actually opposed to Jesus, not us. Their seeming opposition to us is only because they in opposition to the true God – just as they should only receive you IF they truly receive Jesus.

Jesus said, “If the world hate you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not Him that sent Me” (John 15:18-21).

We must hold the truth in love and only use it as a weapon “against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). We are never to use the truth to lash out at flesh and blood. Yes, many will discover the truth is in opposition to what they are doing, but we should never stand in physical opposition waving as it were the sword of truth at our neighbor. Remember, the truth is meant to be a lamp unto the feet of men and a light for their path. For it is given to be the power of God unto salvation for those that believe it. It is meant to bring life through redemption and deliverance.

Therefore, let’s earnestly, yet humbly, contend for the faith and expel the lies by presenting the truth in love for the King who has saved us, and in love for those who have yet to hear and believe.

Live for the King!

 

 

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