Holy, Holy, Holy

Yet another song that I have found to be rather special in my life. This lyric is based on the "Acappella" rendition. Enjoy!

"And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were] full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." Rev. 4:8

Holy, Holy, Holy

Holy, Holy, Holy
Lord God Almighty
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee
Holy. Holy, Holy
Merciful and mighty
God in three persons, blessed Trinity

Holy, Holy, Holy
All the saints adore Thee
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee
Who wert and art and evermore shalt be

Holy, Holy, Holy
Lord God Almighty
All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea
Holy, Holy, Holy
Merciful and mighty
God in three persons, blessed Trinity

Holy, Holy, Holy

Grace and Peace....

Never Fear To Speak

"And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and [unto] magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say." Luke 12:11-12

We are given a promise that, when we are placed in positions where we could give witness unto Jesus, we will be given the words that we should speak.

Being "Calvinist", one knows that God will effectively lead those people that are predestined to belong to His Son, Jesus, straight into His hands. There is no need for the overtly-emoted calls of, "Please, you must believe in Him RIGHT NOW!" The Word of God, when it goes out, does NOT come back empty ("For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it." Isa. 55:10-11

When we have the opportunity to speak of our savior, Jesus Christ, just prayerfully submit to the Holy Spirit. He will direct the words that come from your mouth. And those words will not fail to bring about their intended result.

Grace and Peace....

Ye Are The Temple Of God

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise." 1 Cor. 3:16-18

(Although, a complete reading of 1 Corinthians 3 would be useful.)

We can learn from the above passage of Scripture that we Christians are each a temple of God. We know that this includes both the spiritual aspect and the physical aspect. In 1 Cor. 3:11, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ", we see that the very base for the construction of this temple is Jesus. What Jesus did by His death on the cross was to establish a path by which His people could be brought to a saving faith which would lead to a spiritual rebirth. That path was God's grace, delivered effectively by the Word of God. We were made new creatures spiritually.

We can see by example that the physical portion is also referenced, as seen in John 2:19-21:

"Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body."

Now, some people have used this verse to show that everything from smoking, drugs, processed sugar, caffeine, red meat, etc., etc., etc., are forbidden. Is this what is being said here, or are we trying to create a new form of law? Let's see....

In 1 John 3:16, we read, "Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren." We can see God's love for us in His laying down His life for us. We show our love by laying down our lives for other Christians. It certainly appears that there is nothing special about our worldly bodies that would beg us to treat them in any way as special, or as having need of being protected. But yet, the body is the temple. We must look further.

Matthew 16:24-25 says, "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Here we see that a Christian not only must not cherish his own life, but must intentionally give it up moment-by-moment to Christ Jesus. Again, there is a deeper meaning to being the temple of God, and it is coming into focus. And, along the way, we start to see what the real source of defilement is.

As shown earlier, each Christian has a foundation that is Jesus Christ. If we look at 1 Corinthians verses 12-16, we can now see a true picture of what is happening:

"Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

The construction of the temple isn't about foods or drinks. It is about doctrine! Edification, instruction...the very act of teaching, either directly or indirectly, another of our brothers or sisters. It also means what we ourselves learn and apply to our own lives. The Holy Spirit leads us to knowledge, but how we handle that knowledge is up to us.

We see above that these actions of teaching, preaching, ministering and the like are opportunities to gain a heavenly reward. They in and of themselves do not affect salvation. That makes complete sense, seeing how salvation is not of works, lest any should boast (Eph. 2:9). No, these works are a building up that takes place after, and separate from, salvation itself. As we build our brothers and sisters up (and ourselves, too), we gain rewards, PROVIDED WHAT WE ARE TEACHING IS CORRECT!!!

I cannot stress that last little bit enough. As we read in the first section of Scripture, we are told that those that defile the temple will be destroyed. What can lead to the temple being made unclean, wasted, defiled?

Jesus Himself answered this question:

"Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." Matt. 15:11

When asked by Peter to explain what this meant, Jesus said:

"Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are [the things] which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man." Matt. 15:17-20

It isn't what goes in, but what comes out of the heart, that can defile. Some people try to say that tattoos are forbidden. Some say smoking is sinful. Others will say that alcohol is evil. But, what does the Bible say about the things that come into a man?

"Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ [is] God's." 1 Cor. 13:22-23

(Please, keep in mind that some of these things may be harmful to the body. But, that which is harmful does not HAVE to be that which can defile. Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 15.)

It is a shame that so many people try to apply the bondage of Old Testament Law to Christians. Jesus gave us freedom from the law ("Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." Gal. 5:1.) We are warned not to abuse that freedom ("For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only [use] not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." Gal. 5:13.) Instead, we are told, "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, [even] in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." in verse 14 of Galatians chapter 5.

So, to cap this off, if we teach one another that which is only from the Word of God, in the spirit of love that can only originate from God Almighty through Jesus His Son, then we can rest assured that we will not defile the temple of God, either of our brothers and sisters or ourselves.

Grace and Peace....

A Real Roadmap

Every Christian has heard this verse:

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [His] purpose." Rom. 8:28

It is a verse of promise. But, it is also a verse of definition. It defines the group of people that will receive the result of "all good things" working "together for good." That group of people is comprised of two criteria: "them that love God" and "them who are called (according to His purpose)." This does NOT mean that there are two doors to enter into the group. It shows that this group is made up of folks that fulfill both statements.

Now, it's pretty easy to see if the first part applies. You either love God or you don't. Simple. And, how do we know we love God?

"Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." 1 John 4:15-16

So, the short form answer is, we confess that Jesus is the Son of God, which proves God is in us, which means that (with God being love perfectly expressed and embodied) love is in us, which is shown to God. Wow, maybe that wasn't all that simple to say.

The second part asks, how do we know we are called?

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." Rom. 8:29-39

Now, there's a list that's a few feet long. Now, anyone can go out and get the definitions of each of those words. I'm going to do something a bit different. I'm going to try to show where each of those words might fit in while doing a little something.

• Foreknow

A person is holding an archery bow in their hand. They wish to shoot a target. They know that there is an arrow available, having made one earlier that day. Therefore, they displayed foreknowledge in that they made and knew the location of that arrow.

• Predestinate

The archer decides to use that arrow that was foreknown to be the arrow with which to hit the target. He is already thinking of how he will load and notch the arrow, what kind of shot to set up...even what he expects the hit to look like. We might think of it as planning ahead, but it is predestination.

• Called

Now, the archer makes the efforts to reach out to the arrow, and to put it into a position where it can be of use. He applies the notching and alignment. He pulls the string back and takes aim. All of these efforts that are performed by the archer could be considered as part of the arrow's calling.

• Justified

A pretty good description of what justification is states that it is the opposite of condemnation. It is the act of a judge when he tells a defendant that they are in perfect compliance with the law. In our archery example, it is the moment the arrow is release, sent speeding on it's way to the target. It is no longer just another gravity-bound object, but it is now energized, targeted and working toward it's assigned goal. It's purpose is now justified by the actions of the archer.

• Glorified

Glorification is the completion, consummation or realization of the process of salvation. The moment that arrow pierces the target, it has fulfilled it's purpose. In the same vein, the moment that we are saved, all of the efforts that God has taken on our behalf are complete, just as our salvation is complete. We go on from that point to live a new, born again, spirit-led life.

Everything will work out to the benefit of those people that love God and are called by God. And this is the powerful statement of the first verse we looked at above.

But, I would be remiss if I failed to point out a couple of things.

Isn't it amazing that the first requirement of the group above, to love God, could only be accomplished because, "We love him, because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19?

Isn't it interesting that, in the story of the archer, at no time did the arrow decide to create itself. It never evolved from a tree. It was made by the archer. It never chose it's destiny. It's existance was as the archer allowed. It was called according to the archer's purpose. It was aimed, empowered, sent out on it's way all through the actions of the archer. Yet, it was given recognizition for hitting the target.

(One would think ANY arrow could see where the glory and praise should go for making it to the target.)

God Almighty and the Lord Jesus Christ does everything for us. They have covered us since before the beginning, and will continue to do so way beyond the ending. Is it any wonder that the next verse says,

"What shall we then say to these things? If God [be] for us, who [can be] against us?" Rom. 8:31

Grace and Peace....

A Sacrifice Unto God

So, you want to give God a present.

Pretty hard, eh? What do you give the Man that has literally everything? This is not a necktie situation. Golf balls mean nothing to God, who can play the back 9...billion, if He wants. Gift certificates won't even come close.

OK, so I'm being a bit silly. But, what are the things that God REALLY wants from us humans? After all, those that are not saved are dead in spirit and sinful in flesh. Kinda hard to give ANYTHING when you are a corpse. So, a person must first be born again in order to do anything for our Heavenly Father.

But, having said that, what can we who are saved by Jesus give to God Almighty?

King David has a pretty good idea.

You see, David had just done a very bad thing. He had just had an affair with Bathsheba. She was NOT his wife...in fact, she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, a member of David's army (which was currently in the field fighting a war). David had been peeping (for want of a better word) at Bathsheba while she bathed. He got frisky, they jumped each other's bones, and presto--instant baby. Well, David called Uriah home with the hope he'd sleep with his wife and therefore make it look like the baby was Uriah's.

That didn't work out too well. It was a long-standing tradition that when a soldier came home while the rest of the army was still in the conflict, he would not sleep with his wife (out of honor to the other soldiers.) Instead, he stayed with the palace troops. This led to David sinning a second time to cover his first round of sins.

David sent word to Joab, his general, to arrange to put Uriah into a position during the fighting that would allow the army to fall back, trapping Uriah in a deadly situation. This worked.

God is never mocked. God sent Nathan to David with a parable.

Nathan said, "There were two men in a city. One was rich, with lots of flocks and herds. The other was very poor. The poor man only had one ewe. He bought it, and cared for it. He fed it from his own plate, and gave it drink from his own cup. It grew up with the man's kids, and it was almost like a daughter to the man."

Nathan continued, "Now, the rich man had a visitor from out of town. Not wanting to kill one of his own flock to provide a dinner for the visitor, he went and took the poor man's ewe and slaughtered it."

David was livid with anger! He swore an oath that the man that did this should be put to death, after he had paid back that debt four times over, because he did this terrible thing with no pity at all.

That's when God, through Nathan, drove the nail into the coffin:

"And Nathan said to David, Thou [art] the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if [that had been] too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife [to be] thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon." 2 Sam. 12:7-9

God promised punishment to David. Evil would befall his house, his wives would be taken...even the child of David and Bathsheba would die. Yet, David received mercy from God in that the sin would be taken away so that David wouldn't yet die. (Although, with all that would happen to David, that may not have been as well received by David as one might think!)

So, with all of David's world crumbling around him, due completely to his sinful actions, how can we hope to find a gift to render unto the Lord?

Read Psalm 51.

This was a psalm written after this affair had taken place. It has incredible insight towards God, and how even Christians today relate to Him. But, for now, let's look at one passage in particular:

"For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give [it]: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Psa. 51:16-17

Our money, our possessions are immaterial. Our life is nothing. Our knowledge is trivial, our wisdom is moot. Our bodies are just chunks of clay. Even our flesh is sinful and of no value. Besides, if we are bondservants of Jesus Christ, ALL of this already belongs to Him in full!

But our spirit, born again in Jesus...now THAT is something God can make use of. But, even our born again spirit can be useless, unless it is given with a humbled heart. However, should we present ourselves in this manner, then we offer an acceptable sacrifice.

So, to borrow a couple of lines from a song (which my Beloved Wife would be happy to see me do on occasion)....

No gifts have we to offer for all thy love imparts
But that which thou desirest, our humble thankful hearts!
"All Good Gifts" from Godspell

Let us live each day, offering unto God our humble, broken spirit, given from a contrite, thankful heart. For as we offer an acceptable sacrifice unto Him, He will be forever faithful to care for us with the love and compassion that comes from the Good Shepherd.

Grace and Peace....

Accept No Substitutes

"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Col. 2:6-9

There is no doubt that, in these last hours prior to the return of the King, Jesus Christ, the powers of satan are on the move. Each day brings more news of attacks against Jesus, against His people, against Christianity, against God's people, the nation of Israel. Each attack beings more pressure to bear against those of us who are here to occupy until He returns. Be it physical attacks (such as the murder of our brothers and sisters in Asia as punishment for operating underground churches), mental attacks (like the government-directed reprogramming of Christian homeschooling families in Germany), attacks against doctrine (such as those against the Church members here in America, where every flavor of falsehood is being introduced into religious teachings), attacks against our faith (like those taking place in Europe, where the Islamic movement is systematically destroying the historic fabric of the early Christian traditions) or attacks against our hope (found throughout the world in cults such as the Roman Catholic Church, the Mormons, the Jehovah's Witness movement, etc., that try to destroy the message found in the Bible in favor of their own twisted desires.)

With the battle raging, and the bullets flying, it is important to keep our eyes on the things that are key to our daily fight. As we can learn from the Scripture above, we should:

• Walk in our Lord
• Stay rooted in Him
• Be built up in Him
• Be thankful

Things that we should be on the careful watch for:

• Wisdom and ways that are based on man's ways
• Wisdom and ways that are based on what the world thinks is right
• Vain deceits (foolish lies) that are based on man's ways
• Vain deceits (foolish lies) that are based on what the world thinks is right

In all cases, if it doesn't follow after Jesus' ways, it should be rejected.

In Jesus, we find the bodily completeness of Father/Son/Spirit. There is nothing that can be added or subtracted from this. Jesus is perfection.

The war is now! Each day is going to be filled with battle after battle. No matter if it is a small skirmish or a major offensive, as long as we follow our Lord and Savior, and reject the world and the ways of sinful man, we will overcome!

Grace and Peace....

Fasting 101

An introduction to fasting, as God desires it.

I have wondered at times what the purpose of fasting might be in the times of today. We know that the result of fasting can be to focus, if you will, our efforts upon God. In Matthew 17, we are told that some types of demons will not easily be called out of a human. These cases require prayer and fasting. Also, in 1 Corinthians chapter 7, we are told that married couples should be devoted to giving of themselves to each other, unless it is by agreement that, for a short time, they will instead devote their time to prayer and fasting. So, the short answer seemed to be that fasting was done to keep a person's attention more completely on God, to the exclusion of the base urges of the world.

However, a better explanation of what fasting is all about can be found in Isaiah 58:6-12. Let's break this passage down into the description, methods, and then the results....

"[Is] not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? [Is it] not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?" Isa. 58:6-7

So, we see that the kind of fasting that the Lord desires has a specific purpose. Actually, it is one purpose, but with four different indications here.

Purpose: to provide freedom.

1. Loose the bands of wickedness. We must remember Matthew 18:18 when we hear this. "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Fasting allows us to exercise our spiritual authority to loosen the grip that wickedness might have upon self or others. As we use fasting as a method of putting ourselves to the cross daily, we are exercising the spiritual side of our being, at the expense of the physical.
2. Undo the heavy burdens. Jesus told us, "Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light." Mat. 11:28-30. Fasting provides us a method of releasing the heavy weights that sometimes accumulate in our souls. It can allow us a clear sight of what is bothering us, and to give it to the Lord.
3. Let the oppressed go free. In Psalms 9:9, we see that, "The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble." The word oppressed means to be burdened or weighted down, to be pressed against. So, when we are under pressure, God gives us freedom. But, where does this pressure come from? Acts 10:38 show us, "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." Satanic oppression can be directly resisted and broken through prayer and fasting, as this once again allows us to put our selves to the cross and thus allows Christ to live through us.
4. Break every yoke. A yoke is a type of controlling collar, often used on beasts of burden. It serves two purposes: it allows someone to steer the beasts, and it harnesses the power of the beasts to the purpose of the one in control of the yoke. Satan can use yokes of bondage to the sinful flesh to steer us where he wants us to go (at least in his opinion) and he can harness our actions to try to make what he wants to happen to happen. Paul gave inspired instructions to us in Galatians 5:1, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." Jesus gave us our freedom through His death on the cross. Now, we should make every effort to avoid the snares that still exist all around us. And fasting weakens the flesh while strengthening our spirt.

Methods: How do we fast effectively?

1. Deal thy bread to the hungry. In all things we should seek the will of God, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But, here is an easy rule to be applied. If you fast through a meal, give that meal (or it's equal) to those in need of food. If you fast for a day, donate the cash saved to a food bank, or to a needy individual.
2. Bring the poor that are cast out to thy house. Use the time of your fasting to bring those in need into your house. If you can't get them to you, take you to them. Help them to find not only shelter, but the warmth and loving compassion that is part and parcel of the home.
3. When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him. When fasting, don't sit around going on about how much you are suffering due to the hunger and/or thirst. Instead, go out clothe the naked. This doesn't seem to mean just clothing, but to cover the nakedness of one's unregenerated spirit. Deliver the Word of God to people.
4. Hide not thyself from thine own flesh. This one has been debated as to the exact meaning. In my humble opinion, I tend to agree that this is in reference to one's self and one's own family (both physical and spiritual.) During the fasting, you should not make a public display of yourself, lest the fasting be not for God's glory but your own. However, this time could be potentially a fantastic time to not only lift up your family to Jesus, but to be lifted up BY your family. Fasting is a time of physical pressure and spiritual celebration. It should be shared with those closest to you.

Results: Hang on to your hat!

If we read on in Isaiah 58, we now see what happens when a person fasts with prayer unto the Lord:

• Then shall thy light break forth as the morning
• Thine health shall spring forth speedily
• Thy righteousness shall go before thee
• The glory of the LORD shall be thy reward
• Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer
• Thou shalt cry (pray), and he shall say, Here I [am]
• Then shall thy light rise in obscurity
• Thy darkness [be] as the noonday
• The LORD shall guide thee continually
• (Shall) satisfy thy soul in drought
• (Shall) make fat thy bones
• Thou shalt be like a watered garden
• (Shall be) like a spring of water, whose waters fail not
• [They that shall be] of thee shall build the old waste places
• Shalt raise up the foundations of many generations
• Thou shalt be called, The Repairer of the Breach
• The Restorer of paths to dwell in

Have you ever seen such a stack of potential blessings? All of this awaits the people that are willing to crucify their flesh, be it for a meal or for 40 days, either an absolute fast of no food or water, no entertainment, no nothing, or a lesser form of fasting, such as what Daniel did (fruits, vegetables and water.) God want us to start learning to walk on our spiritual feet. And fasting and prayer is the beginning of those first baby steps.

Grace and Peace....

Ancient Words, Modern Promise

"Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said [to be] bountiful."
Isa. 32:1-5

Isaiah the Prophet lived around the late 8th and early 7th century BC. This was a rough time for the people of Israel. It was a time of wars and rebellion, of economic hardships and social unrest. The Jewish people were lost in a never-world between faithlessness and idolatry.

Yet, even in this time, God Almighty was speaking to both of His peoples. He gave words to Isaiah to deliver to the Nation of Israel in the above passage. This had an immediate fulfillment in the coming kingship of King Hezekiah. But, this message also was to the Christians of today, as it shows, through the type of the Messiah as shown in Hezekiah.

A King is coming that shall rule with righteousness. This is Jesus. He will be the first and last truly righteous King this world has (or will ever) see.

(1 John 2:1 refers to "Jesus Christ the righteous")

His princes shall rule in judgement. That is us--the adopted children of God. We will partake of the first resurrection, either living people changed in the twinkling of an eye, or raised from the grave to our new bodies.

(In Revelation 20:6, we see, "Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.")

We see a Man (Jesus), who will be a safe place to hide against the winds, a cover against the raging storms. He will be like a cool, clean stream in the middle of a hot, dry desert. He will be a shelter to us just like a cave gives protection from the midday sun.

("My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and [he] in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me." Psa. 144:2)

We are told that those that hear and see Him will not fail in that seeing and hearing. (1 Sam. 12:16, Eze. 3:10) Those that are unsure and hasty will have a calming knowledge (Ecc. 5:2), and those that have trouble speaking will have a renewed voice, strong and sure (Jer. 1:9).

Finally, those that are vile will no longer be treated as great people (Pro. 10:23). Those that are rogues and scoundrels will no longer be recognized as gentlemen (Isa. 32:6). At last, the evil of this world will take it's proper place of submission to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

"Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I [am] God, and [there is] none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth [in] righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." Isa. 45:22-23

or

"For it is written, [As] I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." Rom. 14:11

Loving words of promise, from a Father that longs to be with us even more than we long to be with Him. Words of hope from the Man that IS hope, our Savior Jesus Christ.

Sometimes we just need a message of love and encouragement from home.

Here it is.

Grace and Peace....

Faith, Works And The Open Mouth

"But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and [your] nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation." James 5:12

We live in a very shallow time. We have had the displeasure to have a President that would ask us what the definition of the word "is" should be, in order to cover his own lies. We have Congressmen that debate what they said verses what they meant. Lawyers, police, teachers....each pushing their own agenda, each changing the meaning of words to suit their desires.

It is in this environment that we need more folks like James.

In the Book of James, we find a man that has been sent on a mission. God has placed him here to show us a deeper truth than what had been visible before. Like a diamond cutter with a lump of rock, James is led to hack away at the muck to find the precious stone beneath.

During the times that this letter was written, the Pharisees had implimented methods of making oaths that, depending on the formula used, would either make that oath easy or difficult to break. It was all in the way it was said, instead of being the FACT it was said, that gave legal weight to a promise.

Jesus used James to deliver a simple truth. Even our very words should be based completely on the faith given us from God Almighty.

If we are following the lead of that faith which is placed within us, we can use our words and our actions to show the trust we have in that faith. This becomes an outstanding witness to those around us. When it says, "But above all things, my brethren," we are shown how important this message really is. It isn't the swearing of an oath that is wrong per se, but the fact that we are not showing our faith when we try to manipulate a situation by our own words.

We are told to "let your yea be yea; and [your] nay, nay" so that we can show our faith to others by the security of our words. A Christian should be able to show themself as being above and beyond the expectations of the world. We can do this work by being so committed to our Lord, that we have no need for any greater demand of promise beyond a simple "yes" or "no."

James also delivered a warning, that to try to rely on our own oaths and such could set us up for the "fall into condemnation." If we make an oath to another, who are we to guarentee that we can fulfill this oath? God is the only one that can decide what and where we go. If we make a promise to be at point "A" and we fail to make good, those that have seen our failure can use this as a point of condemnation against us. We must walk in faith with our Lord Jesus moment by moment. Let our lives play out in accordance to God's will. Let our simple answers not be puffy oaths and self-centered promises based on our choices. Instead, let our yes be yes, our no be no, and let everything be based solidly on "Thy Will Be Done!"

Grace and Peace....

Let's Get Sheepish!

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand. I and [my] Father are one." John 10:27-30

We've heard that Jesus is the Great Shepherd. We know that we are His sheep. But, what does that really tell us? Well, we know that sheep are not the most intelligent creatures on earth. They tend to fall into streams and drown if not kept under the shepherd's watch. They make a great snack for hungry wolves. By and large, they are high maintenance animals. Just like us Christians!

However, there are a few traits seen here that are important to us.

1. We hear His voice. This is not something that everybody can do. We have the ability to hear Him when He talks to us.
2. He knows us. We aren't just a walking cotton ball factory. He knows each and every one of us as an individual.
3. We follow Him. We recognize His voice, and we follow. We don't try to set our own course, lest we become wolf kibble.
4. We have been granted eternal life. This is a gift from Jesus to us, and it is nothing we've earned of our own works.
5. We shall never perish. When the Almighty God, the first and the last, the Alpha and the Omega gives you the promise that you will NEVER perish, you can take that to the bank!
6. No one can remove us from His hand. We belong to Jesus permanently. You can't fall out of His hand, fall away from His promise, fall to the side from Him. There can be no further discussion about "once saved, always saved." It is a stated fact by the Son of God!
7. We were given to Jesus by God. We are set apart from all others for the purpose of belonging to Jesus.
8. God is greater than ALL. So, why should we even worry?
9. No one can take us away from God the Father. We are the most secure creatures in the whole universe and beyond.
10. God the Father and God the Son are one! We abound in the riches of God, and we walk in the light of God. We are blessed sheep indeed!

Let's make it our goal to follow the voice of our Shepherd every moment of every day.

Grace and Peace....

Walk The Walk

Wow, it sometimes just gets old....

I have occasion to visit various Christian bulletin boards. You can find a lot of news and information in places like that. There's some good teaching to be had. But, there is one area that just never ceases to be a growing cancer in the Christian community. And that, my friends, is the unwillingness to forgive people who commit "horrible" sins.

Now, as an example. Once again, a story of a pedophile has hit the mainstream media. In this case, local citizens burned down the house of a male pedophile and his wife. She was killed by the act of arson. So, a man that has, by law, paid his debt to society, is threatened with death, has his wife murdered, has his property destroyed. The overwhelming response from the Christian community on this one particular board?

He should never have been released. He should either still be in jail, or he should have been put to death. His wife should have known better than to stay with him. There were children in the area, so he should never have tried to move into the community.

In other words, it was all his fault. He got what he deserved.

This pile of baloney coming from Christians.

Let me show you something that Jesus taught ALL of us that speaks to this very issue.

"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Mat. 6:9-15

Jesus showed us that part of the very basic structure of our every prayer is the reminder that we MUST forgive others in order to receive forgiveness. This isn't an option. It is a requirement. There are no "ifs" or "maybes" or "onlys" about this.

This is also clearly a statement of cause and effect. "Forgive us...as we forgive." One has a controlling over the other. If we forgive everything and everybody that has offended us, we can rest in the comfort of knowing that Father will forgive us in every way. If we refuse to forgive....

I'll let the reader use their own understanding to finish that sentence.

So, then, why do so many Christians seem to miss this point?

Well, as far as I can tell, it generally comes down to one of two reasons.

First reason stems from trying to say that one type of sin is either better or worse than a different type. You've seen this before. A Christian might well be found saying, "Well, I may have told a lie, but it isn't like I killed someone."

This type is one of pure arrogance. My sins aren't NEARLY as bad as his sins.

"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye." Luk. 6:41-42

Jesus has a word for people like that: HYPOCRITE! What does God's Word say about hypocrites?

"He also [shall be] my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him." Job 13:16

Hypocritical actions like this, when done by a Christian, will degrade the daily fellowship between that person and God Almighty.

The other reason that people refuse to give forgiveness is that they cling to the offense. They enjoy having something to hold against another. They find pleasure in the hurt of the situation.

In other words, they've made the offense into their own private idol!

I've seen some that claim that a political motivation is what pushes them to seek revenge. Some say it is the "moral" thing to do. Others have said it involved a "personal" event, and therefore they can't turn it loose.

Well, I hate to be the one to break this news. But, when you so love your offense that you are willing to ignore your Savior's words; when you crave vengeance so deeply that you give up fellowship with God, then you have an idol that would make a golden calf cringe!

"Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?" Ezk. 14:3

OK, I admit, an idol is normally something made of stone, metal or wood. But, as in the verse above, we see the effect of an idol is located in the heart. And that is my point here. When we refuse to obey Jesus' instructions to forgive others, we are in a way worshiping the created thing (the unforgiven offense) instead of the Creator. And this will ruin the day-to-day fellowship between saved and Savior.

So, maybe it's time for some of our brothers and sisters to grow up a bit. God will allow things to happen to us that we won't like. It's part of our growth. However; God has even given us the promise that it won't be anything that doesn't lead to something for our better:

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose." Rom. 8:28

Forgive, and be forgiven!

Grace and Peace....

The Election of the Saints

Here's are some unpopular statements in these end times: God has already choosen who will and who will not be saved. He has already decided who will be a people belonging to His Son, Jesus. God has already decided who will and who will not go to hell.


How could I possibly say something so mean, so unfair as that? Well, let me start this off softly, and see how we go from there.

Although all of Romans the 9th chapter is very applicable, let's chew on the section from 9:6 through 9:13....

Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, [are they] all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

For this [is] the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. And not only [this]; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, [even] by our father Isaac;

(For [the children] being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." Rom. 9:6-13

I broke this passage up a bit to help us break things down a bit.

The first section shows us a bright shining truth. The summary is, "they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel." Now, this could get confusing if we let it, but we don't need to panic. Paul is telling us that the groupings and labels of this earth don't necessarily apply to things of God's. Just because a person is a Jew doesn't make them a Jew in God's eyes. A lot of people have converted to the Jewish faith, but that means nothing to God. Nothing of man's doing has any bearing on what is real in accordance with God's standards.

So, point one is: What you think you are means nothing when compared to what God says you are.

Second section is a reminder of how God had told Abraham and Sarah that He would provide them a son. But, they decided that God wasn't going fast enough, or maybe God had forgotten or who knows what they were thinking. But, the key is that they tried to take steps that were never given to them to take. Sarah had Rebecca go in to Abraham, and to make with the baby thing *smile*. So, the result was that two sons were born of Abraham's blood.

Now, let's jump over the third section and see what the last part says.

"Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated" is the biggie here. This verse is powerful to the point where many Christians refuse to give it the respect due it. How? Simple. The next time someone starts talking about how God loves everyone, or how God could never hate a person enough to let them go to hell, or other such questionable ideas, ask them why God loved Jacob and yet hated Esau. If a person believes in the free will of man, the God is love doctrine or other false doctrine, this verse is a bear trap. Under those types of doctrines, there is no good answer. However, for those who have had their eyes opened a bit, the reason is in the third section. So, let's jump backwards to the part we skipped and see if this clears up things for us.

Ah, HA! The answer is there. But, if that last little Jacob/Esau thing was Biblical dynamite, this verse is pure Uranium-238! The key ingredient here is....

"....neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth...."

So, why did God hate one and love the other. Well, it isn't because one was good and the other was not. Like it says, neither has done good or evil. It also says that it had nothing to do with works. It WAS so that God's purpose would stand. And, it WAS due to Him that calleth. So, we see that God made these final choices as He saw fit, completely based on His reasons, so that His purpose "according to election" would stand.

Now, we have it almost figured out. Just one more tidbit to work out, then we can assemble the puzzle.

"According to election." What does that mean? In the Greek, it would be rendered as "by divine selection." The word for election is "ekloge" (εκλογην). It can also mean choice. So, let's tie the threads together.

In this passage we learn that a person is only properly defined by what God wants them to be, irregardless of their heritage, their position, their titles or any other man-based thing.

We see that God's will is always going to be done, no matter how much we try to put our own thumbs into the pie.

Finally, we see that we are called by God to fulfill a place in His will. This placement has nothing to do with us, what we are, who we are...nothing. It is also without any care to what works we may or may not do. We do what God has planned for us to do strictly because us doing what we've been chosen to do presents God's purpose in such a way that He receives all the glory and praise that comes from the actions we take.

Once again, when we look at God's Word, we see that everything is following His will exactly.

Grace and Peace....

Wedding Day

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give him the glory. For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready." Rev. 19:7

Wedding Day
Lately I've been thinking as I look all around me
I see by the signs that we're soon going to be leaving
The bridegroom is coming to take us all away
May be tomorrow, but I pray that it's today

And we will fly away in the twinkling of an eye
Leaving all our heartaches and telling them all goodbye
Yes we will fly away when he hears His Father say,
"Jesus, go and get your bride, today's your wedding day"

Now when we see the bridegroom in the clouds in the sky
Will he be telling you hello or telling you goodbye?
Oh, be sure and be ready to meet Him face to face
We've got to fight the good fight, we've got to keep our faith

And we will fly away in the twinkling of an eye
Leaving all our heartaches and telling them all goodbye
Yes we will fly away when he hears His Father say,
"Jesus, go and get your bride, today's your wedding day"

And we will fly away in the twinkling of an eye
Leaving all our heartaches and telling them all goodbye
Yes we will fly away when he hears His Father say,
"Jesus, go and get your bride, today's your wedding day"

This song has struck me as having a very special meaning in these last hours. Let us always give glory to God Almighty and His Son Jesus Christ, that very, very soon the wedding day will be here!

Grace and Peace....

Good Cop, Bad Cop

How many times have you watched a "police drama" on television only to find yourself face-to-face with the ol' "good cop-bad cop" routine? Well, it's an oldie but moldy for TV, but it still has a place in modern Christianity.

"And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." Jude 1:22:23

When we Christians are sent out to deliver the witness of Jesus Christ, we are given the choice of how that message is presented.

Here, we are shown that it is perfectly legit to be compassionate with our yet unregeneraged friends. We can present the Gospel with kindness, sensitivity and care. Love can be a driving force in our goal to plant the seeds of hope that are from the Word of God.

However, we often forget that we can use the other side, too. It is perfectly OK to scare folks with the honest truth of what the unsaved have to look forward to in the afterlife. Separation, fear, pain...all eternity in a lake of fire, tortured and tormented with out end. If this is what the Holy Spirit leads you to use as the way to present the Word of God, then by all means, do NOT resist!

In either case, or any variation between the two, just remember one thing:

"So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase." 1 Cor. 3:7

A Christian does NOT save people. That is God and God alone that does that. We merely stand as a witness to What God the Son has done. If we try to "win a soul" by our actions, we are deluding ourselves. We present. Jesus saves.

Grace and Peace....

Without Excuse

"For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [Him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things." Rom. 1:20-23

I've often seen the question being asked, "God wouldn't really send people to hell if they were (mountain dwellers, Amazon forest people, desert nomads, trapped at the South Pole, etc, etc.) and had never heard about Jesus, would He?"

Paul addresses that question (which is proof of just how long it has been around!) He tells us that the creature knows the Creator. Even if it isn't by a message preached from the Bible. Everyone knows God. They can see proof of His existance in the invisible things, such as how a star is born, how atoms hold themselves together, how a baby is formed in the womb. These things should clearly point to God, and they should lead all of His creation to know Him.

But, having seen these things, sinful man refused to admit that God IS! And they really refused to give Him the glory for what He has done.

Instead, they looked into their own evil imaginations. They dared to claim to be wise. They claimed to be intelligent. They came up with ways to worship the creation instead of the Creator. They made idols of those created things, and empowered them with the power and glory that belongs to God and God alone!

There are people all over the place that make an idol of man. Be it in a New Age sense (pushing the "enlightened man", or the "indigo child" or the "many paths") or in a sensual way (movie stars, music groups, the rich and the affluent.) We push the animal as idol by false religions like PeTA and Greenpeace. We glorify it by believing the false doctrine of evolution, critical thinking and "scientific" forms of reasoning (that are anything but scientific.)

In every way, mankind will accept anything as long as it doesn't make him believe in God Almighty and our Lord Jesus Christ.

And for this, all mankind stands guilty of sin, without excuse.

This alone is enough to condemn ALL humans--past, present and future--to the fiery pit of hell for all eternity.

Yet, to mankind, God offered the most sacred gift ever. He offered the life of His beloved Son, Jesus. He gave Him as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of those that would be His people. He even made it possible for man to turn from those ignorant urges to worship the creature instead of the Creator by giving us His precious faith. God is literally reaching into the graves of men, and pulling them out into a new, spiritual life.

With the blood of Jesus cleaning us of our sins, we will no longer need worry about standing before God, being judged for our sins, without excuse.

Grace and Peace....

Barukh Attah Adonai

The above is a blessing in Hebrew that is recited over meat, dairy and non-wine foods. Transliterated, is says:

Barukh attah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam,
shehakol niheyah bidvaro.

The translation is, "Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, who by His Word brings about all things.

Now, compare this with the following from the book of John:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made." John 1:1-3

A Hebrew blessing from thousands of years ago that talks of how God brings about all things by His Word. And, a book from about two thousand years. They both point to to one thing as being the active agent of creation of God. And who or what is this Word?

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 1:14

We know now that the Word became a human, made of flesh and bone, yet still being the agent of creation of God Almighty. And that person had a name and a purpose. His name was...

"John bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, This was He of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for He was before me. And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, [but] grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." John 1:15-17

And His purpose?

"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared [him]." John 1:18

Jesus Christ was the Word of God made flesh. He came to lead people to a knowledge of a God that they had never seen. How did He do this?

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6

Jesus created a way for man and God to be reconciled. It requires accepting the fact that Jesus is the only way to be with God, that Jesus is the total truth in all things and that life eternal is available through Him.

Jesus taught us that our flesh is filled with sin, and our spirit is dead. But, He also gave us hope:

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3

When we submit to Jesus as our Lord and King, when we turn away from our sinful ways and ask to be forgiven of our sins, when we follow Jesus in our lives, we can be born again with a new spirit...a spirit that is acceptable in the sight of God Almighty.

Pray this day that you may be reborn by the Word that brings all things.

Grace and Peace....

The Giving Of Thanks

"Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name." 2 Sam. 22:50

"Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people." 1 Ch. 16:8

"So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations." Psa. 79:13

"O give thanks unto the LORD, for [he is] good: for his mercy [endureth] for ever." Psa. 107:1

"But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. 15:57

"Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;" Eph.5:20

"We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you," Col. 1:3

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." Col. 3:17

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 The. 5:18

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name." Heb. 13:15

"Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned." Rev. 11:17

These are just a tiny few verses that point to one of the most important aspects of a Christian's life. We are to give thanks. For everything and everybody, for the good things and the bad, from life until death and beyond.

Our thanks can be considered a form of sacrifice, if you will. It is a gift that we freely bring to the altar of our God. If we try to offer it when our heart isn't behind it, it is worthless. On the other hand, if we offer it from a heart that bows to Him, it blesses both the giver and the Receiver.

Giving thanks gives us a tool to remain humble as we see all that God Almighty and the Lord Jesus Christ has provided for us. It can rescue us from our depressions by letting us see the sunshine that is behind the storm clouds. Saying "Thank You" can restore our soul like a cold glass of water on a hot summer day.

Let us forever say, "Thank You, Lord!", for He is worthy of our thanks.

Grace and Peace....

A Warning To Israel

The government of the State of Israel is attempting to do something that is very, very wrong in God's eyes. They are attempting to give away the land that belongs to God in order to purchase peace. Not only will this bring God's wrath against His people, but any peace so purchased will not last! I pray, Lord Jesus, for those people of Israel that will come to know you as Messiah while there is still time.

"How do ye say, We [are] wise, and the law of the LORD [is] with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he [it]; the pen of the scribes [is] in vain. The wise [men] are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom [is] in them?

"Therefore will I give their wives unto others, [and] their fields to them that shall inherit [them]: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

"For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when [there is] no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.

"I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: [there shall be] no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and [the things that] I have given them shall pass away from them. Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.

"We looked for peace, but no good [came; and] for a time of health, and behold trouble! The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein. For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which [will] not [be] charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.

"[When] I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart [is] faint in me. Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: [Is] not the LORD in Zion? [is] not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, [and] with strange vanities?

"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." Jer. 8:8-20

The harvest is just about over. Jesus has almost finished His harvest of believers. Summer is drawing to a close--the season of the Age of Grace is in it's final seconds. You REALLY don't want to be part of those whose only comments after the rapture will end with, "...and we are not saved."

Grace and Peace....

That Nasty "C" Word

OK, I've just had a lovely time reading over several other forums and blogs that all had one thing in common. They all hate Calvinism.

Calvinism is a label that is, rightly or wrongly, attached to a set of doctrine that has the sovereignty of God as it's focus. It was named after John Calvin, who taught this system of biblical interpretation during the 1500's, during the time of the Reformation (which was when people started to wake up out of the Dark Ages, and to fight the antichristian teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.)

From the 1500's until then late 1800's, these teachings were seen for what they were (and still are)--Christian doctrine that is based 100% on the Holy Bible without any additional rules or restrictions from sinful man.

For some people, these teachings are too hard to take. They remove all the power from man give it all to God. Mankind in general hates to be reminded that they are subject to the will of God in all things and at all times.

Let me tell you about the five basic points that compose Calvinism. They are:

Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace
Perserverance of the Saints

As you can see above, the first letters make a nifty little way to remember the five points: TULIP.

Total Depravity is a fancy way of saying that man is completely sinful. A man might not sin as much as he could, but he has sinned more than enough to make him vile in the eyes of God. (See Mark 7:21-23, Jer. 17:9, Rom. 3:10-12, Rom. 6:20, 1 Cor. 2:14, Eph. 2:3 and Eph. 2:15 for some examples.)

Unconditional Election recognizes that God calls people to salvation not because of what they did, but simply because of His own will. It also means that God had a plan for mankind since before the world was created, and therefore He isn't just looking into a crystal ball and seeing who might follow Him in the future. (Eph. 1:4-8, Rom. 9:11, 15 and 2, John 1:12-13 to name a few good references.)

Limited Atonement means that Jesus died for His people only, not for everyone in the world. Not that His blood couldn't pay for everyone's sins, because it easily could. No, this says that His blood is for the elect (His people), where it was effectively used. Otherwise, if it was intended for all, and yet some people never answered His call, then that blood was wasted. (Check out Mat. 26:28, John 10:11,15, John 17:9, Acts 20:28, Eph. 5:25-27 and Isa. 53:12.)

Irresistible Grace says that when God calls someone to be one of the elect, they can't refuse. They may not accept Jesus at a time that we humans would think they should. But, when it is time, they will accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. This also proves that not only the person, but the time and the method are completely God's choice. (Rom. 9:16, Phi. 2:12-13, Acts 13:48 and John 1:12-13 are good places to see this in the scriptures.)

Preservance of the saints. This is also known as "Once saved - Always saved."

This is the natural conclusion that is reached when one realizes that it was God that calls us, God provides the sacrifice (through the death of Jesus on the cross), God provides the faith...God does it all for us. Since our salvation originated in God and not man, it is kept by Him. And, let's face it. If God does something, there's NOTHING that overpower God! Therefore, once we are saved through the blood of Jesus, it can never be lost. (John 6:47, John 10:27-28, Rom. 8:1, 1 Cor. 10:13 and Phil. 1:6 are some good starter verses.)

That's the summary of Calvinism. There are many, many more references for each point, and many, many books and studies on this doctrine. But, I'll leave that for you to research. Just remember: we who would be labeled as "Calvinist" are guilty of putting God above man. Most of those who disagree with us tend to make man stronger than God. They say man is good enough to seek God, that man has the ability to choose to be saved, that man can sin enough to lose his salvation.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Eph. 2:8-9

I'm quite happy in the knowledge that God Almighty and the Lord Jesus Christ are completely in control of my salvation. Where I would fail, I know they will see me through til the end!

Grace and Peace....