Don’t let men move you. Let God alone move you
by Zac Poonen
In Genesis 12:1, we see the beginning of the building of the true Jerusalem. This began with Abraham through whom came the nation of Israel, the capital of which was Jerusalem. There would have been no Jerusalem if there had been no Abraham. We observe in Abraham something completely different from what we see in Babylon. It says, “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house to the land which I will show you.’ ” Abraham didn’t suddenly get a bright idea one day like the people in Babel, and say, “I think I have lived long enough in Ur. Let me move to Canaan and do something there.” No. His move was totally dictated by God. Abraham was 75 years old. It is good to wait for even 75 years to hear God and then move. Moses waited for 40 years as a shepherd and then moved, when God spoke to him. And think of what he accomplished! I am not saying we must wait for 75 or 80 years. All I am saying is that we must wait until we hear from God and then move. But, do you think busy 20th-century-man has time for that? No.
I am thankful that when I was a young man of 20 years, God taught me one lesson: “Don’t let men move you. Let God alone move you.” Many men have urged me to do various things – good men, including my co-workers. I listen to their advice, but I don’t move until God also speaks to me. I wait until I hear God, because I know I will end up disastrously, if I listen to the opinions of men. I am not saying we should not consider the opinions of our co-workers. All I’m saying is that the final voice we hear should be God’s. God told Abraham to “Go,” and he went. God told Moses to “Go,” and he went. God told Paul to “Go,” and he went. These are the people who accomplished something with their lives. Today people run around trying to do something or the other for God. But they accomplish nothing of eternal value. Statistics-wise, what they do may be impressive. But it’s Babylon, not Jerusalem. “Come, let’s move. Let’s do something for the Lord. Let’s make bricks, let’s make mortar, let’s do something.” You can impress men. “Let us make us a name.” And you may make a great name for yourself building Babylon – like Nebuchadnezzar did. This is happening today in Christian work and that is the message in Revelation 17 and 18. But Abraham waited for God’s “Go.”
Notice that whenever Abraham moved without the leading of God, he got into trouble. For example: We read that God had told Abraham to leave Ur of the Chaldees and to go where He would lead him. But in Genesis 11:31 we read that it was Terah (Abraham’s father) who took Abraham and moved out of Ur. But what had God told Abraham? “Leave your relatives and leave your father’s house.” But here we see the 75-year-old Abraham holding his Daddy’s hand and moving out! That was how Abraham started!! The ones who will hinder you from doing the will of God will be your relatives first of all – your parents, your brothers, your sisters, your wife and your children. Jesus said, “If any man comes to Me, and does not hate his father, mother, brother, sister, wife and children, he cannot be My disciple.” (Lk.14:26). You may want to follow the Lord. But your father or your wife may say “No”!
So Terah took Abraham, and they came as far as Haran (Gen.11:31) and settled there. That was not God’s will. Why did they settle there? That was Terah’s idea. Haran perhaps had good pasture-land for the flocks. But it was not God’s place. And Abraham settled down there with his Daddy! Abraham was a man who made mistakes – and the first mistake he made was to listen to his father, when God had already told him to do something else. So what did God do? God can easily deal with such situations. He took away Terah through death! ( Gen.11:32). Then “Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him.” (Gen.12:4).
Do you have to wait until God does something drastic like that before you move on? If God loves you, He will do something drastic like that. But if God sees that you yourself are a compromiser, He may allow you to stay on in Haran all your life and miss the will of God totally. Learn to move with God. Don’t listen to relatives who do not know God. By all means, learn from a father if he is a godly man, who knows God – but not from a father who is worldly (I’m referring to spiritual principles here). Finally when Abraham reached Canaan, “the Lord appeared to him and said ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’” (Gen.12:5,7).
And then God tested Abraham again. God tested Adam and He tested Abraham, and He will test you and me too. This time the test was through a famine in the land (Gen.12:10). What do you do when God has told you to go to Canaan and there is a famine in Canaan? You either live by the witness of your senses or you live by what God has told you through His Spirit. There is a lovely verse that says about Jesus that “He would not make a judgment either by what His eyes saw or His ears heard.” ( Isa.11:3,4). But that is not the way man lives. If we hear about or see a famine in Canaan, we make a decision immediately, by what our eyes and ears and our clever brain tell us. We decide that Canaan is certainly not the place to be in now. We need to move on. We don’t have to consult God, because we are living by our senses! That was what Abraham did: “So Abram went down to Egypt” (Gen.12:10). Who told him to go to Egypt? Not God, but his senses!
Can’t God preserve a man during a time of famine? Certainly. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord. He will not be barren even in time of famine” (Jer.17:5-8). The man who trusts in the Lord will not move until God tells him to. That was what our Lord told Satan in the wilderness when He was tempted. Satan told Jesus to turn the stones into bread. There was a famine there in the wilderness and there were no food stores around. But Jesus replied, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matt.4:4).
But Abraham did not live like that. He decided to live by bread alone. So, since there was bread in Egypt, he went there. That is how a lot of Christian work is done today too. Most Christian workers don’t go where the Lord tells them to go. They go where they can get a good salary, where bread is available in plenty. They join organisations where there is no famine of money. Egypt may be a comfortable place to be in, in time of famine. But the question is whether that is the place that God wants you to be in.
I quit my earthly job to serve the Lord full-time in 1966, and since then I have seen quite a bit of what is called “Christian work”. And what I have seen in the past 44 years is that when there is a famine in Canaan, most Christian workers move to Egypt!! If you don’t hear what God is saying to you right now, you may do the same thing when you are tested. Live by the words that come from the mouth of God, like Jesus did. His attitude was, “Yes. Bread is necessary for life. But to obey God is more necessary for life.”
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Friday, October 29, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
A CONVICTING LETTER FOR THOSE WHO DESIRE THE HEAVENLY WALK (WILLIAM DEWSBURY )
CALLED in the light of the Lord to stand living witnesses for him upon the earth among the children of men: oh! the bowels of the love of the Lord which is in my heart to you, that when I was near to death, to the sight of all that saw me, as to the outward man, and scarce able to speak, I was constrained to give forth the substance of what is now sent among you, for a perfect discovery of your conditions. Seeing that many are called and few chosen, and many convinced that are not converted; therefore are these lines written, that you may truly know whether you be born again, and redeemed from the earth, yes or no.
And unto that, let every man and woman search their hearts with the light of the Lord, and it will truly manifest whether you are born again, and so feed upon the tree of life, or whether you rest in outward formal conformity to the Truth, having the heart in the earth, for that spirit will turn against Truth, as it has done. Some others are drawn to delight their hearts in the gifts, parts, and knowledge, which the Lord has given them, more than in the Lord, the fountain from where they come; and so abuse the gift, and feed upon the fruit of the tree of knowledge which puffs up, and makes man wise in his own eyes, and to say in his heart,—'I am wise and rich, and see, and want nothing,' when they are blind, miserable, naked, and need all things. Whatever any profess, as to the service of God, that are in this condition, they have an end to themselves in what they do, which grieves the Spirit of the Lord, when men and women in a talkative spirit take upon them to declare the Truth, when the Lord neither calls them, nor speaks by them; so the children born of the royal seed are burdened, (for such have turned against the Truth, and the children born of it), whom the Lord has and will ease in the day determined, when all mouths shall be closed in silence, but those which are opened by him, and not any voice be heard, but his own Spirit speaking in and through his own children, born of him, who alone seek his glory, and not anything for themselves, which must be denied. Therefore, seeing the enemy's wiles are great and many, let all dread the Lord; and those who have been led astray, wait in the heart-searching light, to see where the mystery of iniquity led them forth, and return to the light, to judge down proud exalted self which has turned against the Truth, and to bring into true poverty and abhorring of self; waiting at the throne of grace, for the Lord to raise you up in the resurrection which raised up Jesus from the dead; and in this life, contentious self is buried in death, and the true unity is known, where the Lord alone is exalted in purity, joy, love, and peace in all his, from the least to the highest growth, and all flesh is abased before him, who is worthy of all obedience, praise, and glory forever, Amen.
And all dear Friends and Brethren that love the light, and rejoice in the judgments of the Lord, to have subtle self buried in the true death, that whatsoever gifts of the Spirit the Lord gives unto you, and the enemy tempts you ever so strongly to puff you up in a self-priding spirit, in what you have received of the Lord; yet his fear is so minded by you, which keeps you in a true sense of your nothingness and emptiness in yourselves, which causes you to wait in true self-denial, for the daily assistance, and renewal of your strength in the resurrection of life in the Lord Jesus; and the more he manifests his power with you, the more empty and nothing you appear in your own eyes. And so is the true birth known, which makes self of no reputation, that the Lord may be exalted in his unlimited power, in manifesting himself in the poverty, emptiness, and nothingness of his people who are born of him, that no flesh may glory before him; but that all in truth say,—'The Lord does all in me, and through me, and the Lord shall have the glory; and I will sit in the dust at his feet with all my brethren and sisters, to serve him (through whom we are raised up to sit in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus), and his people, in what I may, while I have a being among the sons of men, to the glory of his name forever.' And this is the state of the true disciples of Christ that cannot feed on the fruit of the tree of knowledge, although in your journey and travels, dear vessels of the Lord, you see the tree of knowledge to be good, where it stands in its place, but the fruit is not good to eat and feed upon, because knowledge puffs up, but grace makes humble.
Therefore, dear Brethren and Sisters, born of God, who cannot live in any enjoyment, but as you enjoy the life and presence of God, from where every good and perfect gift comes; and, dear lambs, although some of you be, in your own eyes, the poorest among the people of the Lord; yes, sometimes your trials are so great, that you are ready to account yourselves unworthy to be numbered among the people of the Lord, and yet you dare not disobey him, neither can you live without his presence:—Oh, you dear children of God! lift up your heads over all temptations and accusations of the enemy; for your groans and cries are entered into the ears of the Lord God, who in the bowels of his love and mercies does constrain me to proclaim the day of the tender compassion of the Lord, to all you who are truly poor in your spirits. Oh! blessed are you among the children of men, for yours is the kingdom of God:—therefore be not weary of waiting upon the Lord, for in his own time he will turn your sorrows into joy, and give to you the spirit of praises for the spirit of heaviness, as he has done to many who have endured the like temptations, trials, and sufferings, under which you wait this day for deliverance; and the Lord will be the same to you. Therefore be of good comfort; for as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, so is the Son of Man lifted up in the light and covenant of life, to heal your wounds, and save you from sin, and to give you victory over the enemy in all his appearances; so that you, through faith in the name of Christ, making war in righteousness, and fighting the good fight in keeping the faith, will be made more than conquerors through his love that he will shed abroad in your hearts, which will cause you to speak of his goodness, and praise his name for all his mercies.
And all dear children of the Lord, who witness in measure that you are truly baptized into his death, and so are made partakers of his resurrection, as is before written, which is the life that worships him according to his own will, and so is truly accepted of him,—watch and pray, that you may be guided in the power of his Spirit in all your ways; and be careful that not any be hasty to utter words before the Lord, neither suffer any sighs or groans, or anything to be heard to pass through you, but as you have the seal of the Spirit of the Lord, that he requires it of you; this I am commanded to lay as a charge upon you, that so all flesh may be truly silent before the Lord, and not any voice be heard, but the living Spirit of the Lord speaking in his people, which, you that wait in the fear of the Lord, and mind his leadings, may truly know; as it is written, so do his children witness,—'He that has my word, said the Lord, let him speak my word faithfully; is not my word like a fire and a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?' Therefore, all mind to feel the word of the Lord speaking in you, that the pure burning life of the Spirit may be tasted and felt in whatsoever you be exercised in, that so you may be fully assured it is not your own work, as man speaking of God, but the Lord alone uttering his own voice in the forcible power of his own Spirit, in what you are exercised in, whether it be to pray in sighs, or groans, or in words, or to speak in exhortation or praises. You are not to quench the Spirit of the Lord in this his day, that he is come and does appear, in giving diverse gifts unto his people, in his appearance, as he did among his disciples who waited at Jerusalem for the pouring forth of his Spirit from on high; but they that were strangers to the work of the Spirit, could not taste the life that spoke in them, but said, they were mad, and full of new wine; but the Lord justified them, it being the work of his own Spirit, and although he gave unto them various gifts, yet all in the unity of himself, in which they sacrificed, in returning to the Lord his own with advantage, to the glory of his great name, as his children do this day. Blessed be his name forever, that out of the mouths of babes his praise is declared, in their measures, as it is with those of higher growth in the Lord; and so do the faithful laborers reap the fruit for which they travail, that all the people of the Lord may be filled with his Spirit, and in the exercise and leadings thereof, become a body of living ministers, and a family of prophets; the strong leading the weak by the hand and in tender love, building up one another in their most holy faith, which gives the victory over the world, to reign in the heavenly dominion, which causes the children of the Most High, in the authority of the Lord, to say to the greatest persecutors,—'0h man! do what you have power, the God whom we serve is able to deliver us out of your hand; but if he will not, we are resolved in his strength to suffer what he permits man to do;' and this is the holy resolution of all that are born again, and cannot hide your heads in the time of persecution, because you are born of the royal seed, and have overcome the beggarly, cowardly, earthly spirit, through the blood of the Lamb, and the word of your testimony, and no more love your lives unto death.
And all dear chosen vessels of the Lord, seeing he has manifested his grace so largely to you, with all diligence be obedient in walking suitably to his love and mercy received; that as living witnesses for God, you may shine forth in the beauty of holiness in all your ways. And be careful in keeping your meetings at the time appointed, every one endeavoring to be the first at the meeting, that so not any give way to a careless spirit, as some have done, and come to meetings when others have been a considerable time together, and so become a burden to the diligent and obedient servants of the Lord; thus, the meetings are not so profitable to your comfort, as when you meet diligently at the time, waiting in the fear of the Lord to feel his sweet presence, which will keep you awake in the life of his own Spirit, to the glory of his name, and the comfort of one another, which will cause you to prize the opportunities God gives to you, not knowing how soon you may be deprived of them. And be tender one over another, and watch over one another with a pure single eye, and every one see the beam cast out of your own eye, before you go to spy a speck in others; and if any brother or sister offend, you that know, speak to them privately, in all tenderness, to restore them; and this know, ' whoever turns a sinner from the error of his ways, saves a soul from death, and hides a multitude of sins.' But if they will not hear, take two or three more, and speak to them again in the spirit of meekness, waiting, and seeking the Lord for their recovery; but if they will not hear, but persist in wickedness, then acquaint the church, whom the Lord in his wisdom will order to deal with them for his own glory.
.
And unto that, let every man and woman search their hearts with the light of the Lord, and it will truly manifest whether you are born again, and so feed upon the tree of life, or whether you rest in outward formal conformity to the Truth, having the heart in the earth, for that spirit will turn against Truth, as it has done. Some others are drawn to delight their hearts in the gifts, parts, and knowledge, which the Lord has given them, more than in the Lord, the fountain from where they come; and so abuse the gift, and feed upon the fruit of the tree of knowledge which puffs up, and makes man wise in his own eyes, and to say in his heart,—'I am wise and rich, and see, and want nothing,' when they are blind, miserable, naked, and need all things. Whatever any profess, as to the service of God, that are in this condition, they have an end to themselves in what they do, which grieves the Spirit of the Lord, when men and women in a talkative spirit take upon them to declare the Truth, when the Lord neither calls them, nor speaks by them; so the children born of the royal seed are burdened, (for such have turned against the Truth, and the children born of it), whom the Lord has and will ease in the day determined, when all mouths shall be closed in silence, but those which are opened by him, and not any voice be heard, but his own Spirit speaking in and through his own children, born of him, who alone seek his glory, and not anything for themselves, which must be denied. Therefore, seeing the enemy's wiles are great and many, let all dread the Lord; and those who have been led astray, wait in the heart-searching light, to see where the mystery of iniquity led them forth, and return to the light, to judge down proud exalted self which has turned against the Truth, and to bring into true poverty and abhorring of self; waiting at the throne of grace, for the Lord to raise you up in the resurrection which raised up Jesus from the dead; and in this life, contentious self is buried in death, and the true unity is known, where the Lord alone is exalted in purity, joy, love, and peace in all his, from the least to the highest growth, and all flesh is abased before him, who is worthy of all obedience, praise, and glory forever, Amen.
And all dear Friends and Brethren that love the light, and rejoice in the judgments of the Lord, to have subtle self buried in the true death, that whatsoever gifts of the Spirit the Lord gives unto you, and the enemy tempts you ever so strongly to puff you up in a self-priding spirit, in what you have received of the Lord; yet his fear is so minded by you, which keeps you in a true sense of your nothingness and emptiness in yourselves, which causes you to wait in true self-denial, for the daily assistance, and renewal of your strength in the resurrection of life in the Lord Jesus; and the more he manifests his power with you, the more empty and nothing you appear in your own eyes. And so is the true birth known, which makes self of no reputation, that the Lord may be exalted in his unlimited power, in manifesting himself in the poverty, emptiness, and nothingness of his people who are born of him, that no flesh may glory before him; but that all in truth say,—'The Lord does all in me, and through me, and the Lord shall have the glory; and I will sit in the dust at his feet with all my brethren and sisters, to serve him (through whom we are raised up to sit in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus), and his people, in what I may, while I have a being among the sons of men, to the glory of his name forever.' And this is the state of the true disciples of Christ that cannot feed on the fruit of the tree of knowledge, although in your journey and travels, dear vessels of the Lord, you see the tree of knowledge to be good, where it stands in its place, but the fruit is not good to eat and feed upon, because knowledge puffs up, but grace makes humble.
Therefore, dear Brethren and Sisters, born of God, who cannot live in any enjoyment, but as you enjoy the life and presence of God, from where every good and perfect gift comes; and, dear lambs, although some of you be, in your own eyes, the poorest among the people of the Lord; yes, sometimes your trials are so great, that you are ready to account yourselves unworthy to be numbered among the people of the Lord, and yet you dare not disobey him, neither can you live without his presence:—Oh, you dear children of God! lift up your heads over all temptations and accusations of the enemy; for your groans and cries are entered into the ears of the Lord God, who in the bowels of his love and mercies does constrain me to proclaim the day of the tender compassion of the Lord, to all you who are truly poor in your spirits. Oh! blessed are you among the children of men, for yours is the kingdom of God:—therefore be not weary of waiting upon the Lord, for in his own time he will turn your sorrows into joy, and give to you the spirit of praises for the spirit of heaviness, as he has done to many who have endured the like temptations, trials, and sufferings, under which you wait this day for deliverance; and the Lord will be the same to you. Therefore be of good comfort; for as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, so is the Son of Man lifted up in the light and covenant of life, to heal your wounds, and save you from sin, and to give you victory over the enemy in all his appearances; so that you, through faith in the name of Christ, making war in righteousness, and fighting the good fight in keeping the faith, will be made more than conquerors through his love that he will shed abroad in your hearts, which will cause you to speak of his goodness, and praise his name for all his mercies.
And all dear children of the Lord, who witness in measure that you are truly baptized into his death, and so are made partakers of his resurrection, as is before written, which is the life that worships him according to his own will, and so is truly accepted of him,—watch and pray, that you may be guided in the power of his Spirit in all your ways; and be careful that not any be hasty to utter words before the Lord, neither suffer any sighs or groans, or anything to be heard to pass through you, but as you have the seal of the Spirit of the Lord, that he requires it of you; this I am commanded to lay as a charge upon you, that so all flesh may be truly silent before the Lord, and not any voice be heard, but the living Spirit of the Lord speaking in his people, which, you that wait in the fear of the Lord, and mind his leadings, may truly know; as it is written, so do his children witness,—'He that has my word, said the Lord, let him speak my word faithfully; is not my word like a fire and a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?' Therefore, all mind to feel the word of the Lord speaking in you, that the pure burning life of the Spirit may be tasted and felt in whatsoever you be exercised in, that so you may be fully assured it is not your own work, as man speaking of God, but the Lord alone uttering his own voice in the forcible power of his own Spirit, in what you are exercised in, whether it be to pray in sighs, or groans, or in words, or to speak in exhortation or praises. You are not to quench the Spirit of the Lord in this his day, that he is come and does appear, in giving diverse gifts unto his people, in his appearance, as he did among his disciples who waited at Jerusalem for the pouring forth of his Spirit from on high; but they that were strangers to the work of the Spirit, could not taste the life that spoke in them, but said, they were mad, and full of new wine; but the Lord justified them, it being the work of his own Spirit, and although he gave unto them various gifts, yet all in the unity of himself, in which they sacrificed, in returning to the Lord his own with advantage, to the glory of his great name, as his children do this day. Blessed be his name forever, that out of the mouths of babes his praise is declared, in their measures, as it is with those of higher growth in the Lord; and so do the faithful laborers reap the fruit for which they travail, that all the people of the Lord may be filled with his Spirit, and in the exercise and leadings thereof, become a body of living ministers, and a family of prophets; the strong leading the weak by the hand and in tender love, building up one another in their most holy faith, which gives the victory over the world, to reign in the heavenly dominion, which causes the children of the Most High, in the authority of the Lord, to say to the greatest persecutors,—'0h man! do what you have power, the God whom we serve is able to deliver us out of your hand; but if he will not, we are resolved in his strength to suffer what he permits man to do;' and this is the holy resolution of all that are born again, and cannot hide your heads in the time of persecution, because you are born of the royal seed, and have overcome the beggarly, cowardly, earthly spirit, through the blood of the Lamb, and the word of your testimony, and no more love your lives unto death.
And all dear chosen vessels of the Lord, seeing he has manifested his grace so largely to you, with all diligence be obedient in walking suitably to his love and mercy received; that as living witnesses for God, you may shine forth in the beauty of holiness in all your ways. And be careful in keeping your meetings at the time appointed, every one endeavoring to be the first at the meeting, that so not any give way to a careless spirit, as some have done, and come to meetings when others have been a considerable time together, and so become a burden to the diligent and obedient servants of the Lord; thus, the meetings are not so profitable to your comfort, as when you meet diligently at the time, waiting in the fear of the Lord to feel his sweet presence, which will keep you awake in the life of his own Spirit, to the glory of his name, and the comfort of one another, which will cause you to prize the opportunities God gives to you, not knowing how soon you may be deprived of them. And be tender one over another, and watch over one another with a pure single eye, and every one see the beam cast out of your own eye, before you go to spy a speck in others; and if any brother or sister offend, you that know, speak to them privately, in all tenderness, to restore them; and this know, ' whoever turns a sinner from the error of his ways, saves a soul from death, and hides a multitude of sins.' But if they will not hear, take two or three more, and speak to them again in the spirit of meekness, waiting, and seeking the Lord for their recovery; but if they will not hear, but persist in wickedness, then acquaint the church, whom the Lord in his wisdom will order to deal with them for his own glory.
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Saturday, October 23, 2010
Being Led by the Spirit
By Robert Thompson
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
How many Christian people look to the Lord continually to guide their daily lives? How many believe that Christ will direct our lives down to the smallest detail if we will look to Him? I know Christian people often say "the Lord told me this or the Lord told me that." It is my opinion that this really happens.
But will Christ really guide us to this extent? I believe He will. However, He guides the believers in many different ways. To some, it is an inner consciousness. To others, He speaks as they read the Word. Yet there may be others who hear a voice, or experience dreams or visions.
Then there are folks who commit their way to the Lord constantly, trusting that He will direct their paths, even though they do not hear from Him very often. He does guide such because of the promise in His Word
My point is that we Christians do not have to go about blindly. Christ will guide us in every decision if we ask Him.
I think I am correct that the adherents of the Muslim religion to a great extent follow the Koran with little or no feeling of the Presence of God. Maybe I am wrong in this. But when we Christians are sternly obedient to Christ and look to Him continually throughout the day and night, we experience His Presence. I doubt seriously that the practitioners of any other religion can experience the Presence of the true and living God as can an obedient, prayerful Christian.
How could they? Are there two Lambs of God that take away the sin of the world? Are there two Trees of Life? Are there two Ways to the Father; two Truths of the Father; two Lives of the Father? I don't think so.
I have been seeking Christ fervently for sixty-five years. I look to Him in all things. He is very real to me. He will be just as real to anyone who looks to Him on a daily basis.
If I am hearing the Spirit of God correctly, terrible times are coming to the world. I do not have to recount here the horrible things being done to people in our day. In this week's issue of Time magazine (August 9, 2010) there is a picture on the cover of a beautiful eighteen year old Afghan girl, Aisha, whose husband cut off her ears and nose because she fled from what she termed "abusive inlaws."
The Bible says, "He who loves his wife loves himself." We seem to have a difference in philosophy here!
We know about the millions of babies aborted (murdered) in the United States alone.
How long can God refrain from bringing tribulation upon such horrors, as well as upon the abandoned revelries taking place in the so-called Christian nations?
Well, I believe the Spirit is saying that Divine judgment soon is to fall on the world. If we are going to stand in Christ we must be following Him, listening to Him, obeying Him, continually, day and night.
Many Christians think they can be led by the Bible and do not need to hear from the Lord. Such may have a religious spirit. They do not realize that the Bible is the sword of the Spirit, not the sword of the Christian. They are like the Pharisees when Jesus was standing before them. They were looking down at the scroll of the Law when the Author of the Law was there waiting for them to look up to Him.
The new covenant is not of the letter, as was the Law of Moses, but of the Spirit. This means that the words of the New Testament can be guided, applied, and enabled only by the Spirit of God, not by the mind of the Christians.
When the words of the New Testament are guided, applied, and enabled by the good intentions of a Christian leader they kill. They "cut off the ear" of the hearer, just as the disciple of Jesus cut of the ear of one of those who were arresting the Lord Jesus.
I do not know if Jesus has always been as close to us as He is today. I do know that in the case of Laodicea, the last of the seven churches of Revelation, He asked to be admitted into our life. I believe He is knocking at our hearts today. He sees the violent destruction approaching the United States because of our turning away from Christ. He is ready to help each person who will look to Him so he or she is not carried away in the flood of chaos on the horizon.
As I see it, the greatest need we Christians have today is to learn to listen to Jesus. Christ sits as King of the flood and He is more than willing and able to guide and keep each individual in the time of trouble, just as He kept Jeremiah when the Babylonians were destroying Jerusalem.
But is God really willing to speak to us and guide us in a personal manner? Think about the Old Testament. In how many instances did God speak to the Israelites and guide them? Just think about that! And they were not born again. The Spirit of God came upon some of them at times, but the Spirit did not remain in them as He does in us.
How about the New Testament? Did angels speak to people? Were the Christians of those days led by the Spirit of God? We know they were from the many accounts in the New Testament, particularly the Book of Acts.
"But," some maintain, "now that we have the Bible we do not need to hear from God." Well if such wish to live a dry, religious, Christian life, that is their privilege I guess. But I think if they would look up from the text (which the Pharisees were unwilling to do) they would find that the Author of the text is waiting for them to look directly to Him and bring their concerns to Him.
I am writing these words under an unusual compulsion. I do not know how soon disaster is going to strike the United States; but the Spirit is warning that each of us must draw closer to Jesus. We must learn to look to Him as we never did before. He wants to keep us in His Presence at all times so we will not panic and lose our faith when we see the terror soon to be unleashed on our land.
No Christian, man or woman, boy or girl, will be able to stand in the coming days of the United States until he or she has a strong inner relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We must be aware of Him constantly, always being guided and enabled by Him. Otherwise the growing spiritual darkness will overcome us and we will find ourselves thinking, saying, and doing things that are against God's will for us.
Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Romans 8:14)
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
How many Christian people look to the Lord continually to guide their daily lives? How many believe that Christ will direct our lives down to the smallest detail if we will look to Him? I know Christian people often say "the Lord told me this or the Lord told me that." It is my opinion that this really happens.
But will Christ really guide us to this extent? I believe He will. However, He guides the believers in many different ways. To some, it is an inner consciousness. To others, He speaks as they read the Word. Yet there may be others who hear a voice, or experience dreams or visions.
Then there are folks who commit their way to the Lord constantly, trusting that He will direct their paths, even though they do not hear from Him very often. He does guide such because of the promise in His Word
My point is that we Christians do not have to go about blindly. Christ will guide us in every decision if we ask Him.
I think I am correct that the adherents of the Muslim religion to a great extent follow the Koran with little or no feeling of the Presence of God. Maybe I am wrong in this. But when we Christians are sternly obedient to Christ and look to Him continually throughout the day and night, we experience His Presence. I doubt seriously that the practitioners of any other religion can experience the Presence of the true and living God as can an obedient, prayerful Christian.
How could they? Are there two Lambs of God that take away the sin of the world? Are there two Trees of Life? Are there two Ways to the Father; two Truths of the Father; two Lives of the Father? I don't think so.
I have been seeking Christ fervently for sixty-five years. I look to Him in all things. He is very real to me. He will be just as real to anyone who looks to Him on a daily basis.
If I am hearing the Spirit of God correctly, terrible times are coming to the world. I do not have to recount here the horrible things being done to people in our day. In this week's issue of Time magazine (August 9, 2010) there is a picture on the cover of a beautiful eighteen year old Afghan girl, Aisha, whose husband cut off her ears and nose because she fled from what she termed "abusive inlaws."
The Bible says, "He who loves his wife loves himself." We seem to have a difference in philosophy here!
We know about the millions of babies aborted (murdered) in the United States alone.
How long can God refrain from bringing tribulation upon such horrors, as well as upon the abandoned revelries taking place in the so-called Christian nations?
Well, I believe the Spirit is saying that Divine judgment soon is to fall on the world. If we are going to stand in Christ we must be following Him, listening to Him, obeying Him, continually, day and night.
Many Christians think they can be led by the Bible and do not need to hear from the Lord. Such may have a religious spirit. They do not realize that the Bible is the sword of the Spirit, not the sword of the Christian. They are like the Pharisees when Jesus was standing before them. They were looking down at the scroll of the Law when the Author of the Law was there waiting for them to look up to Him.
The new covenant is not of the letter, as was the Law of Moses, but of the Spirit. This means that the words of the New Testament can be guided, applied, and enabled only by the Spirit of God, not by the mind of the Christians.
When the words of the New Testament are guided, applied, and enabled by the good intentions of a Christian leader they kill. They "cut off the ear" of the hearer, just as the disciple of Jesus cut of the ear of one of those who were arresting the Lord Jesus.
I do not know if Jesus has always been as close to us as He is today. I do know that in the case of Laodicea, the last of the seven churches of Revelation, He asked to be admitted into our life. I believe He is knocking at our hearts today. He sees the violent destruction approaching the United States because of our turning away from Christ. He is ready to help each person who will look to Him so he or she is not carried away in the flood of chaos on the horizon.
As I see it, the greatest need we Christians have today is to learn to listen to Jesus. Christ sits as King of the flood and He is more than willing and able to guide and keep each individual in the time of trouble, just as He kept Jeremiah when the Babylonians were destroying Jerusalem.
But is God really willing to speak to us and guide us in a personal manner? Think about the Old Testament. In how many instances did God speak to the Israelites and guide them? Just think about that! And they were not born again. The Spirit of God came upon some of them at times, but the Spirit did not remain in them as He does in us.
How about the New Testament? Did angels speak to people? Were the Christians of those days led by the Spirit of God? We know they were from the many accounts in the New Testament, particularly the Book of Acts.
"But," some maintain, "now that we have the Bible we do not need to hear from God." Well if such wish to live a dry, religious, Christian life, that is their privilege I guess. But I think if they would look up from the text (which the Pharisees were unwilling to do) they would find that the Author of the text is waiting for them to look directly to Him and bring their concerns to Him.
I am writing these words under an unusual compulsion. I do not know how soon disaster is going to strike the United States; but the Spirit is warning that each of us must draw closer to Jesus. We must learn to look to Him as we never did before. He wants to keep us in His Presence at all times so we will not panic and lose our faith when we see the terror soon to be unleashed on our land.
No Christian, man or woman, boy or girl, will be able to stand in the coming days of the United States until he or she has a strong inner relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We must be aware of Him constantly, always being guided and enabled by Him. Otherwise the growing spiritual darkness will overcome us and we will find ourselves thinking, saying, and doing things that are against God's will for us.
Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Romans 8:14)
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Question: "What is sola scriptura?"
Sola Scriptura?
What is it, and why do people "fight" for it?
What is it, and why do people "fight" for it?
The phrase sola scriptura is from the Latin language meaning: "sola" - having the idea of "alone," "ground," "base," and the word "scriptura" - meaning "writings" referring to the Scriptures. Sola scriptura means that Scripture alone is authoritative for the faith and practice of the Christian. The Bible is complete, authoritative, and true, i.e. "closed canon".
While "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" these same scriptures do not support the idea of "scripture alone". The scriptures teach us that Christ is still alive today and is able to teach us and speak to us as clearly and as powerfully today as He did two thousand years ago.
"...from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works". 2 Timothy3:15-17
This is the Scripture that is most usually used to support this belief. Those who would use this passage to advocate Sola Scriptura argue that this passage teaches the "all sufficiency" of Scripture because it says it is "thoroughly furnished unto all good works".
The scriptures Paul was referring to here was the Old Testament as the New Testament had not been written when Timothy was still a child, so if this passage is going to be used to set the limits on "inspired authority", the entire New Testament would have to be excluded.
Sola Scriptura teaches scriptures alone is the rock in which they stand and use only the scriptures to discern the truth with their own understanding but these very scriptures testifies against them saying Christ is The Word and He is the Rock and not the scriptures. (John 1:14, 1 Corinthians 10:4) I have read that there are over 30,000 different Christian sects today and this is the reason. Everyone views scripture through their own eyes rather than being led by the Holy Spirit. If it was meant to stand alone, why are there so many books to explain it and why can't all those that read it come to the same conclusions? Interesting to note that before the Bible was published in 1516 there was far less than 100 Christian sects. It took 1500 years to get 100 different sects, but only 500 years to get to 30,000, most of them strongly defending the doctrine of sola scriptura!
Let me be clear, this is not to take away from the inspired scriptures we are so blessed to have today. The Holy Spirit moved on men to write the scriptures speaking of Christ who is the Word. (John 5:39)(John 1:14) It is so precious when the Holy Spirit starts opening up the scriptures to us, shedding wonderful Light in our spirits. We can then truly understand and "see" with our spiritual "eyes" what the writer saw as the Holy Spirit inspired them to write it. Our spirits soar as we are in communion with the Holy Spirit seeing these things, a new Truth, a new Light that we had never seen before. This is one of the ways we hear His precious voice as he promised in John 10:4-5-27-28. We can also hear His voice in the same way while listening to a sermon or to a teacher, but it is the Holy Spirit i.e. the Spirit of Truth that is giving us Light.
But most importantly, He has the ability to speak directly into our spirits and show us His Truth even if we have no Bible available to us. He was able to speak to those in the Old Testament as He did to Abraham, Moses, David, etc. before there was any "word" written down. How much more is He able to us now if our spirits have been made alive (born again) and have available to us the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to led and guide us.
The scriptures without the Holy Spirit are just words written on paper, there is no life in them of themselves. Only Christ can give life, for He is the Life giver. He IS the Word. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life only HE can pierce and divide asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and only HE is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, as Hebrews 4:12-13 says.
Jesus told His disciples that there was much more He had to say to them, but they were not able to hear it yet, they needed the Holy Spirit i.e. the Spirit of Truth to be able to "handle" those things. He does not tell them to studying the scriptures to learn of these things, yet when the Spirit of Truth came He was able to show them the true spiritual meaning of the scriptures as ONLY HE was able to do. Trying to do that in our flesh will only bring us under the law of sin and death.
There was none that was more schooled in the scriptures than Paul had been, yet through them, he felt justified in persecuting the Christians. It took Christ through the Spirit to teach him the truth. He spent three years alone in the wilderness and was taught by the Lord through the Spirit. He did not learn these things through the writing of the apostles that we are blessed to have today as scriptures, but directly through the Holy Spirit. But when he finally did meet with the apostles he found that what he had learned was confirmed in them.
In Acts chapter 10 starting in verse 9 we see the account of a great struggle Peter had. He had been shown a vision that was obviously contrary to the scripture he had known and faithfully followed. He had "doubted in himself" about this. But in the end he followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and in the process Peter learned the meaning of the vision. This would have been a stumbling block for those that hold to doctrine of "sola scriptura" which teaches them that it is the scriptures alone that is to guide them in these things. It would have required them to immediately declare the vision as being false not waiting on the Holy Spirit to speak, and would not have allowed them to follow His leading rather than the scriptures.
But Peter would have been in disobedience to the Lord if he followed what he "knew" of the scriptures and had not followed the leading of the Holy Spirit. Much damage has been done today with this type of teaching.
But, Peter had an advantage; he had seen Jesus do this very kind of thing time and time again. There are countless times that it "seemed" like Jesus was disobeying scripture. They did not understand that those things that where once done in the flesh in the Old Testament were just "pictures" of what is now being done in the Spirit. Your mind can not understand this, it is only spiritually understood. Only the Spirit of Truth can open this up to any of us. This is still happening today with the New Testament...they think they know exactly what it is saying...it is so "clearly written", but miss completely the intent of the Holy Spirit at the time it was written. Again, much damage has been done because of it. Over 30,000 different "ideas" of what it all means...when we have the Holy Spirit that could make it all so clear to us, if we would just TRUST HIM and let Him lead us rather than the "letter" that "killeth". "Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." - (2 Corinthians 3:6 KJV)
Paul said in Romans 8:14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God". It is clear in the scriptures that we are to be led by the Spirit of God and not in the scriptures themselves. The scriptures are a witness of the Spirit and written by Him, but it is NOT the Spirit.
Those that would stand on scripture alone would rather follow a set of laws found in them rather than submitting their lives and their wills to the Lord to be led by Him, in this way it is easier, it doesn't cost them as much. They cannot hear a clear word from the Lord because their own fleshly/carnal life drowns out the voice of the Lord. To be led by the Spirit, one must be willing to die to their fleshly/carnal life submitting their own will to the Lord with its wants and desires, leaning not on their own understanding any more but trusting only in the Lord for His guidance. Then He is able to reveal truth to them by His Spirit and open up the scriptures to them and He will lead them in His paths.
Those that subscribe to the views of sola scriptura do not believe that Lord will continue to speak a pure word to His people today. It is said by them that anything the Lord has to say He has already said in the scriptures and it is "closed now". They believe there will be no more inspired word from the Holy Spirit. While it is true that types and shadows of the truth are in the scriptures but not all have been expounded or understood through the Holy Spirit yet. To believe that we now know everything there is to know about the Lord and His scriptures is not true. If John 21:25 says the world could not hold in books all the things Jesus did, how much more can they not in the natural hold all there is to know about him? But through the Spirit, He able to continue to shade light to us, precept upon precept as he did with the apostles in the first century.
As stated above, any servant of the Lord that would be willing to die to self and all pride, and die to their own thoughts, wants and desires, as Paul did, the Lord is able to bring forth a pure word through them. The reason it is not done or "seen" as much in today's "Christianity" is not because the Lord would not do it (or has become too weak to do so), it is because there has been no death to self and putting aside all wants and desires apart from what the Lord would give them. And when they do see a pure word spoken through the Holy Spirit they do not believe it and want to "crucify" those that it came by because they have nothing to discern it with, they choose to be led by the "letter" rather than the Holy Spirit in the exact same way the Pharisees did. That is exactly what Jesus said they would do.
These "Christians" only "see" their own inabilities and make judgments on that, no faith that the Lord is able to conquer their flesh and bring them into perfection hearing His voice clearly and following Him. They then turn and judge other people in this same way. They cannot afford to believe others can come to this place in the Lord; it would expose their own shallowness.
This is the same sin of unbelief that the Children of Israel had. They did not trust in God and could not believe that through God they could conquer their enemies and enter into the Land of Canaan where milk and honey flowed. God was angry with them and they had to spend 40 years in the wilderness because of it. Important to remember that all those that did not believe, died in the wilderness and never entered into the Promised Land.
There was none that was more schooled in the scriptures than Paul had been, yet through them, he felt justified in persecuting the Christians. It took Christ through the Spirit to teach him the truth. He spent three years alone in the wilderness and was taught by the Lord through the Spirit. He did not learn these things through the writing of the apostles that we are blessed to have today as scriptures, but directly through the Holy Spirit. But when he finally did meet with the apostles he found that what he had learned was confirmed in them.
In Acts chapter 10 starting in verse 9 we see the account of a great struggle Peter had. He had been shown a vision that was obviously contrary to the scripture he had known and faithfully followed. He had "doubted in himself" about this. But in the end he followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and in the process Peter learned the meaning of the vision. This would have been a stumbling block for those that hold to doctrine of "sola scriptura" which teaches them that it is the scriptures alone that is to guide them in these things. It would have required them to immediately declare the vision as being false not waiting on the Holy Spirit to speak, and would not have allowed them to follow His leading rather than the scriptures.
But Peter would have been in disobedience to the Lord if he followed what he "knew" of the scriptures and had not followed the leading of the Holy Spirit. Much damage has been done today with this type of teaching.
But, Peter had an advantage; he had seen Jesus do this very kind of thing time and time again. There are countless times that it "seemed" like Jesus was disobeying scripture. They did not understand that those things that where once done in the flesh in the Old Testament were just "pictures" of what is now being done in the Spirit. Your mind can not understand this, it is only spiritually understood. Only the Spirit of Truth can open this up to any of us. This is still happening today with the New Testament...they think they know exactly what it is saying...it is so "clearly written", but miss completely the intent of the Holy Spirit at the time it was written. Again, much damage has been done because of it. Over 30,000 different "ideas" of what it all means...when we have the Holy Spirit that could make it all so clear to us, if we would just TRUST HIM and let Him lead us rather than the "letter" that "killeth". "Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." - (2 Corinthians 3:6 KJV)
Paul said in Romans 8:14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God". It is clear in the scriptures that we are to be led by the Spirit of God and not in the scriptures themselves. The scriptures are a witness of the Spirit and written by Him, but it is NOT the Spirit.
Those that would stand on scripture alone would rather follow a set of laws found in them rather than submitting their lives and their wills to the Lord to be led by Him, in this way it is easier, it doesn't cost them as much. They cannot hear a clear word from the Lord because their own fleshly/carnal life drowns out the voice of the Lord. To be led by the Spirit, one must be willing to die to their fleshly/carnal life submitting their own will to the Lord with its wants and desires, leaning not on their own understanding any more but trusting only in the Lord for His guidance. Then He is able to reveal truth to them by His Spirit and open up the scriptures to them and He will lead them in His paths.
Those that subscribe to the views of sola scriptura do not believe that Lord will continue to speak a pure word to His people today. It is said by them that anything the Lord has to say He has already said in the scriptures and it is "closed now". They believe there will be no more inspired word from the Holy Spirit. While it is true that types and shadows of the truth are in the scriptures but not all have been expounded or understood through the Holy Spirit yet. To believe that we now know everything there is to know about the Lord and His scriptures is not true. If John 21:25 says the world could not hold in books all the things Jesus did, how much more can they not in the natural hold all there is to know about him? But through the Spirit, He able to continue to shade light to us, precept upon precept as he did with the apostles in the first century.
As stated above, any servant of the Lord that would be willing to die to self and all pride, and die to their own thoughts, wants and desires, as Paul did, the Lord is able to bring forth a pure word through them. The reason it is not done or "seen" as much in today's "Christianity" is not because the Lord would not do it (or has become too weak to do so), it is because there has been no death to self and putting aside all wants and desires apart from what the Lord would give them. And when they do see a pure word spoken through the Holy Spirit they do not believe it and want to "crucify" those that it came by because they have nothing to discern it with, they choose to be led by the "letter" rather than the Holy Spirit in the exact same way the Pharisees did. That is exactly what Jesus said they would do.
These "Christians" only "see" their own inabilities and make judgments on that, no faith that the Lord is able to conquer their flesh and bring them into perfection hearing His voice clearly and following Him. They then turn and judge other people in this same way. They cannot afford to believe others can come to this place in the Lord; it would expose their own shallowness.
This is the same sin of unbelief that the Children of Israel had. They did not trust in God and could not believe that through God they could conquer their enemies and enter into the Land of Canaan where milk and honey flowed. God was angry with them and they had to spend 40 years in the wilderness because of it. Important to remember that all those that did not believe, died in the wilderness and never entered into the Promised Land.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Forgiveness Received by Seeking Christ’s Life
(The following lesson is taken from the book “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God”- Steve Bray)
Jesus said, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit... Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matt. 7:18, 20) Jesus is describing how the wholly sanctified children of God are able to receive a new nature that does not bear bad fruit. And praise be to God, our Lord is now able to purify our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit and then produce a Christ like nature from within our eternal souls while we walk in a mortal body. (2 Pet. 1:3-4)
Continue Reading Here
Jesus said, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit... Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matt. 7:18, 20) Jesus is describing how the wholly sanctified children of God are able to receive a new nature that does not bear bad fruit. And praise be to God, our Lord is now able to purify our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit and then produce a Christ like nature from within our eternal souls while we walk in a mortal body. (2 Pet. 1:3-4)
Continue Reading Here
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