BECOME A STAR

Recently while reading the account of the birth of Jesus in (Matt 2:1-2) where the wise men from the East had followed a star to find the new King of he Jews, I had a certain thought. We should all strive to become a star that might lead someone to Jesus! In (Dan 12:3) we read "Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever". When we think of someone becoming a star today, most likely we think of some famous personality who has become well known through their public appearances. We might never become that sort of a star, who is considered as such by the world, but we are not of the world!

A star is meant to be seen in the heavens, and Paul tells us in (Eph 2:4-7) that God has seated us in heavenly places in Christ, so He can point to us as examples for others to follow. Of course he was speaking of our spiritual standing, but the world should be able to see a difference in our behavior as followers of Jesus! We are told by Jesus to "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven". (Matt 5:20) We know that not all stars shine forth with the same brightness, but they each have their place in the heavens, and God calls them all by name!

So each of us can become a "star" in this sense, and let our little light shine, as the chorus we learned in Sunday School tells us. Paul has a good word for us along the same lines in (Phil 2:12-15), where we are encouraged to be "bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people". As the world gets darker, we should shine forth even brighter! (Isa 60: 1-3). Even the light from a small candle can be easily seen in a dark room. So let us be encouraged in these days of great spiritual darkness, when the dark works of Satan are being displayed everywhere, even in some churches. It seems that the old fashioned gospel that tells people they are sinners in need of a Savior, has been replaced in many circles with a different gospel. This new so-called gospel in "man centered", instead of being "God centered" and tells people only what they want to hear, and not what they need to hear! ( 2 Tim 4:3-4) May God forgive us for our sin of keeping our light hidden, and start to become a "star" that will clearly point the way to Jesus as the only Savior from sin!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

THE MIRACLE OF BIRTH

According to (Eph 1:3-8) we all had our beginning in the love of God our Creator, long before we were ever conceived in our mother's womb. So that's where the real miracle began, in the loving heart of God! Most of us know a bit about how our physical life came about, by the joining of a sperm from our father with the egg in our mothers womb. Then from this small beginning, the miracle of birth continued until some 9 months later we emerged from the temporary safety of our mother's womb, into the light of day. This day of our birth was duly recorded and has been celebrated in some way every year since then! This is the brief description of how the "natural physical" birth of each one of us human beings came about. But we know from scripture that we were all born with something missing! This missing ingredient was a "spiritual" life, in (Eph 2:1-3) Paul makes it clear that we are all born into this world as little "sinners", with a sinful nature inherited from Adam. But thank God that Paul continues "But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead (it is only by God's grace that you have been saved). (Eph 2:4-5) This "spiritual birth" is also very much a miracle birth, as outlined by Jesus to a very religious man, as recorded in (John 3: 1-8). We see that Nicodemus was a religious leader from the Jewish denomination known as the Pharisees. This was a very strict group, that could be compared to any of our Conservative Evangelical Denominations of today, who adhered strictly to the scriptures of the day. Jesus made it clear that being a leader in the Pharisee Party was not good enough, but that Nicodemus must be "born again"! This requirement for knowing God, and becoming part of His forever family, has never changed since that time. Joining some church will not make you a Christian. There is only one way to become a true Christian, or a follower of Jesus, and that is by way of the "new birth". Some churches have developed different forms or traditions whereby people can become members of that particular church, but this must not be confused with actually becoming a member of God's family. There is only one way to enter the family of God, and that is by confessing our sins and receiving Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. Jesus makes this fact clear in (John 14:6), when He declared "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me". There is no way around this statement of Jesus, and it requires a "miracle of the new birth" to make it real!!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

SIGNS AND WONDERS

We are hearing much about signs and wonders lately in the area of supernatural appearances of gold flecks on hands or clothing, oil or blood spots on peoples hands, gold fillings in teeth etc. I have looked into scripture to see what I could find about this topic, and found more than I expected. In (Dan 4:2-3) we read "I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most High God has performed for me. How great are His signs, how powerful are His wonders! His Kingdom will last forever, His rule through all generations". These words were part of a message from King Nebuchadnezzar to the people of his kingdom. Then in (Heb 2:4) we read "And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever He chose". Actually we find many places in the NT where God performed miracles and supernatural signs in the ministry of Jesus and His followers.

It is important to point out that God always had a purpose or reason behind every miracle that He performed by His supernatural power. It is also important to point out that not all supernatural signs are necessarily caused by God. In the book of Exodus we see where both Moses and Pharaoh's magicians were able to perform miracles. In various NT passages we see miraculous signs and wonders performed by Jesus and His followers, as well as by Satan's followers. So we see there have always been a mixture of genuine supernatural signs, and at the same time there could be counterfeit miracles and signs! This is still the case today, and a brief study of church history will reveal that most revivals of God's power were accompanied by a corresponding move of satanic signs and wonders. Therefore we need to be cautious and ask God for discernment to know the difference between the real and the counterfeit. God has never been in the business of entertaining Christians! Much of what we see in church circles today is more "entertainment" than it is ministry. Paul warns us in (2 Cor 11:12-15) to expect false prophets and "deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ". Satan can come as an "angel of light" to deceive believers and keep them from enjoying the genuine miracles and signs and wonders sent from God to edify the Body of Christ! So let's pray and trust the Holy Spirit to keep us from being deceived in these matters! Paul gives a good word of advice in (Gal 5:16) "So I say let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature graves"!!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

THE POWER OF CHOICE

This is an interesting topic that has often been impressed on the mind of this writer for many years. Certain portions of Holy Scripture seem to always bring to mind the absolute power that accompanies our “choices”

One such passage is in Genesis chapter two where God placed Adam and Eve in the garden. There were two trees in this garden and God told them that the fruit of one of them was not to be eaten. Why were there two trees? This indicates the need for a choice, and God made it clear to them which tree they were not to choose. There were no restrictions against their eating from the tree of life, only from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God had a reason for giving them this restriction, He wanted them to completely depend on Him for their source of knowledge and not to be independent from Him, and be able to choose for themselves what they thought was right or wrong. This is the first recorded opportunity for the first created human beings to exercise their God given ability to make a choice. There had to be two trees in order for them to make that choice.

God could have only placed the tree of life there and then there would not have been a choice to be made. The tree of life, of course as we find out later in God’s Word, represented Jesus. What a different outcome to the history of the world would this have made if there had never been that chance for a choice. God didn’t want a race of created beings that only obeyed Him, like robots that couldn't do anything else, but would by the exercise of their own free will, choose to obey Him. This was always His “Divine Intention” from the beginning, that man would love and obey Him, not by force but by choice.

This has been a source of controversy in the church for years. The sovereignty of God verses the free will of man. There are scriptures that seem to support both sides of the argument. A man named John Calvin championed the Sovereignty of God, and this teaching became known as “Calvinism”. The other side of the debate became known as “Arminianism” named after Jacob Arminus. This debate still rages in some circles and whole denominations have taken a stand on one side or the other of this issue. Each side have their “proof texts” which they loudly proclaim as the truth and this doctrine has split churches and separated family members from each other.

Paul Billheimer has written a book called “Love Covers”, in which he addresses this issue. He points out that this is one of those things that have no right or wrong side to it. Both sides represent a scriptural truth. Yes God is sovereign, and yes He created man with the ability to make a choice. He suggests that problems such as this one can only be solved by the application of more of God’s love. In the Greek language the word for this kind of love is “agape”. In scripture we find it used to describe God’s love, which is only available to humans when we come to know Him through His Son Jesus Christ, and thereby become part of His family.

Someone has explained Calvinism in the form of an acrostic, using the letters T.U.L.I.P.

The T stands for total depravity----U stands for unconditional security----L stands for limited atonement----I stands for irresistible grace----P stands for perseverance of the saints. You can see where the other camp that believed in the free will of man would disagree completely with this doctrine. Most mainline Protestant churches are either Arminian or Calvinist, or a combination of both, in their doctrine. As we stated above brother Billhiemer is undoubtedly correct when he says that the only solution to this problem is the application of more Agape type love.

As we said earlier Adam was given the choice between the fruit of two trees in the garden. He chose the wrong one, even though God had warned him that if he ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he would surely die. We know the tragic results of that one wrong choice. God gave Adam at creation, tremendous knowledge. We see the result of this when He allowed Adam to name all the animals. Have you ever considered what an awesome task that would have been? Imagine deciding what to call a giraffe or a hippopotamus! There is no indication that God helped him make these decisions so we can safely assume that Adam must have had the ability, given to him at creation.

When God formed the body of Adam from the dust and breathed the breath of life into him he became a living soul, we are told in Genesis. We are not told what kind of life this was. The writer always understood that this was the divine life of God, similar to that which we receive when the Holy Spirit comes into our lives at the moment of salvation. Recently a new thought came while reading a book about creation. The life that was imparted to Adam was “Natural” life and not “Spiritual” life like we receive when we are born again by the Spirit of God. It was pointed out that there is a big difference between the two. This writer has known for some time that there is a difference between our soul and our spirit but never considered that the life breathed into Adam by God might be natural, or soul life and not spiritual life.

The study of the tripartite nature of man is very interesting and very scriptural. We were created in the image and likeness of God, who reveals Himself as a Trinity, or a three part being, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is a truth that most of us accept by faith as a scriptural principle, but we can’t really understand it with our finite minds. One way to understand this profound truth is to compare it to common ordinary water, or H 2 O. We know that water can be a liquid, a solid like ice, or a gas like vapor or fog. Each of these is composed of the same basic elements of H 2 O. but each is uniquely different from the others. So it is with the members of the Trinity. They are all basically God and yet each one has their own unique function in the Godhead.

So our main choice as human beings is to make the proper choice between settling for only having the "natural life" we were born with, or receiving the "spiritual life", that is available to us through the "new birth".(John 3:3) Have you exercised your "power of choice" in this matter? Your eternal destiny depends on your right choice!

Sincerely Submitted.

Gramp

A SOUND MIND

These words are found in Paul’s second letter to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:7) “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind”. In the Greek this word that is translated as “sound mind” is a combination of two words, one means “safe”, and the other “mind”, hence “safe thinking”. According to Strong’s Concordance it denotes good judgment, disciplined thought patterns, and the ability to understand and make right decisions. It also includes the qualities of “self-control” and “self-discipline”. As Christians we should give close attention to this verse!

The first thing we see is that fear is a “spirit”, and it is not given by God! Therefore we know that fear must come from the enemy, and we should resist it in Jesus’ name whenever it tries to enter our life. How many Christians do you know that are plagued with all kinds of fears, except the “fear of God”, which is the only positive kind of fear? God has given us (past tense) “power”, “love” and a “sound mind”. These are all part of the package we receive when we repent of our sin and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit comes into our life to give us the assurance of salvation. We need to remind ourselves of this fact quite often,

“Self control” and “self discipline” are two things that should be evident in every believer’s life. Self control is listed as one of the “fruit of the Spirit” in (Gal 5:22-23), and Peter mentions it as one of the signs of spiritual growth in (2 Peter 1:5-8). In verse 8 he states “for if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ". Paul goes on in 2 Timothy to talk about not being ashamed of the gospel. In (2 Tim 1:9) he states the power of God “has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” This is a powerful statement about the “gospel of the Kingdom” that Paul preached, as well as Jesus, John the Baptist, and the other disciples. The “so-called gospel” that is generally preached today is something quite different. It is “man centered”, and might be called a “gospel of convenience”. It lacks the power to change lives, and give people the assurance Paul talked about in verse 12 “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him until that day”. This should be our testimony if we really know Jesus as our Savior, and are baptized in, and filled with His Holy Spirit.

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

THE WORKS OF THE FLESH

Recently we wrote an article on the fruit of the Spirit from (Gal 5:22-23), and contrasted this fruit with the gifts of the Spirit. It might be interesting to compare the fruit of the Spirit, with the fruit, or the "works of the flesh", as Paul describes it in verses 19-21 of this same chapter of Galatians. Most all of the sins listed by Paul are opposite to the fruit of the spirit, which we said represents the nature and character of Jesus. They can be thought of as forces that oppose the fruit of the spirit in an individuals life. We will show them as complete opposites by comparing them in this way.

Fruit of the Spirit Fruit of the Flesh

Love--------------------------------Hatred, Selfishness, Jealousy, Resentment

Joy----------------------------------Sadness, Grief, Depression, Self-pity

Peace-------------------------------Worry, Fear, Strife, Conflict, Tension

Patience----------------------------Impatient, Hasty, Short-tempered

Kindness---------------------------Cruel, Harsh, Rude, Pushy, Heavy-handed

Goodness---------------------------Evil, Wicked, Immoral, Stingy, Greedy

Faithfulness------------------------Careless, Unreliable, Dishonest, Disloyal

Meekness--------------------------Proud, Dogmatic, Unteachable, Judgmental

Self-control------------------------Unruly, Undisciplined, Messy, Weak-willed

We can think of the “flesh” as taking the place of the “old nature” that we inherited from Adam, and is completely opposed to the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. (Gal 5:16-18) When we are “born again” by the Spirit of God, we receive a “new nature” that is the nature of Christ. At no point does a person ever have more than one nature, an old nature before we are saved, and a new nature after we are born again! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor 5:17). In (Rom 6:4) we read “just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life”. Many other scriptures contrast walking in the Spirit with walking in the flesh. It is possible to do either one as a believer in Jesus because we still have our free will. It seems that Father God desires His family to walk with Him in obedience, even when it would be easier to walk in the flesh. (Gal 5:16-18). We see the division between a “natural” man and a “spiritual” man. (1 Cor 2:14-16) Even after we receive Christ as Savior we can still walk after the flesh and be what Paul calls a “carnal” Christian, (1 Cor 3:1-3). But this is clearly not God’s ideal for us as Spirit filled believers. He wants us to “Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Gal 5:16)

Sincerely submitted

Gramp

CHOICES

The God given power to make choices is an awesome responsibility! The scary part for those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus, is that our choices can be either good or bad, right or wrong. We were not created as some sort of robot that can only perform certain predetermined functions, but were given a free will. Along with this free will, our Creator gave us the intelligence to make right choices based on our "conscience", which might be called our God given "common sense" that is meant to help us make right choices. When we look at the world around us today, and see the type of choices people are making, we can rightly ask what has happened to common sense? It would appear that they must suffer from some sort of "temporary insanity", or a complete loss of this God given common sense. That is the only way I can explain the stupid choices that some people make, and the mess they get themselves into because of wrong choices! The ability to make choices rests within that part of us known as our "soul", which is made up of mind, emotions, and will. This is the part of us with which we communicate with each other, as compared to our "spirit" with which we communicate with God. Both our spirit and our soul are housed in our body, thus making us a "tripartite being" created in the image and likeness of God. Notice that when God created Adam, He started by forming a body out of the dust of the earth, then breathed the breath of life into him, and Adam then became a living soul. (Gen 2:7). In the NT we see references to these three parts in (1 Thess 5:23), and in (Heb 4:12) we read that only the Word of God can divide between soul and spirit. This is a very important truth for us to get an understanding of, because often people confuse these two. Our spirit and soul are not the same, although they are both invisible and easily distinguished from our body which is visible. Our "will" that we use to make choices can be likened to a common item we use often when we take a shower. It is called a "diverter valve", and is the little device that directs the flow of water either directly into the tub, or up to the shower head. This is the function of our will, and it can be either controlled by our "flesh" or our "spirit". It will respond to instructions from either source, and the results will either be the "works of the flesh", or the "fruit of the Spirit", as described by Paul in (Gal 5:19-23). So if our life is to please our Creator God we "must" live by Paul's exhortation found in (Rom 8:12-14). A proper order is that our body should be taking orders from our soul, our soul should be taking it's orders from our spirit, which should be filled and directed by the Holy Spirit of God! This is the the proper way for our lives to operate in order to please the Lord!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

THE PRESENT DAY TRUTH CHURCH (part 2)

In part 1, we compared the church to the St John River with its many various tributaries, that each adds their particular blend of water to the main stream. Every move of God through the years was meant to do the same thing to the church, however, because human nature being what it is, this didn’t always work out as God had planned. Some moves of God resulted in false doctrines being spawned by people who became fanatical about certain teaching, and carried it beyond the truth it was meant to restore. Then we had the problem of people who were involved in the last move, refusing to accept the new truth. Everyone likes to think that they are right in their particular beliefs, and therefore the person holding a different belief must be wrong. The truth is that they could both be wrong, or at least not have the whole truth on any given topic. The scripture says that now we all see through a glass darkly, or in other words, no one has all the truth on any subject. In (Deut 29:29) we read that, “the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever”. Only God knows everything, and unless He chooses to reveal His secrets to us, they remain hidden from us.

We need to learn from each other in the body of Christ, keeping in mind that we only know in part, and our brother in the Lord may know something that has been revealed to him, but not to us. This requires that we remain humble and teachable. Many church splits and divisions could have been prevented, if people would have practiced this simple truth! Pride is a very subtle thing, and often shows itself in these areas. Paul has many wise things for us to pay heed to in his various letters to the churches he had started. For example (Eph 3:1-5), (Phil 2:1-5), and

(Col 1:15-23).

If we want to be part of “The Present Day Truth Church” in these last days in which we are living, it’s imperative that we learn all we can about church history. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to you, so you won’t make the same mistakes that some others in the past have made. Then read some good books that give a balanced report of what God has restored in previous moves through the years. One that I have found very helpful is “The Eternal Church” by Bill Hamon, written back in 1981. He traces the history of the church from Pentecost through the dark ages, and gives an honest balanced report on the various restoration moves of God from Martin Luther’s time up to the time he wrote this book in 1981. It’s an easy book to read, and I believe gives an accurate picture of God’s intention for the church that Jesus said He would build! Blessings on you, as you find your place in this church in our day.

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

THE PRESENT DAY TRUTH CHURCH (part 1)

THE PRESENT DAY TRUTH CHURCH (part 1)

The church that Jesus Christ is in the process of building can be compared to the St John River. The headwaters are in northern Maine and it empties into the Bay of Fundy through the narrow Reversing Falls Rapids. Along the way many tributaries empty their flow into the main stream, such as the Tobique, the Aroostock, the Oromocto, etc. Each of these smaller rivers contribute their particular flow of water, which becomes mixed in with the water in the main river. So the water that goes out to the Bay of Fundy through the Reversing Falls is a mixture of all these rivers, and cannot be separated!

In like manner the church had its beginning at Pentecost, and continues into the 21^st century. As you study the history of the church, you find it deteriorated during the “dark ages” until God started a restoration process with a man named Martin Luther in 1517 AD. He restored the truth of Justification by faith, and began what has been called the Protestant Reformation. This was followed by many different moves of God, each bringing a particular truth that had been lost through the dark ages, back into the church. A study of church history will reveal the main tributaries to the main flow, such as the Holiness movement, the Pentecostal movement, The Latter Rain, and the Healing / Evangelist movement, the Charismatic movement etc. right up to the present day.

Each of these movements was a true work of God, designed to restore a particular truth that had been lost, back into normal church life. The chief problem with each new move was that the people, who had been part of the previous move, resisted the new thing because they felt the truth they had received was the final word from God, and they felt that they must protect it at any cost! This is as ridiculous as the Tobique River refusing to allow its crystal clear waters to mix with the water in the main river, and somehow trying to keep them from becoming “contaminated”. This way of thinking has resulted in the formation of many separate independent groups that became different “denominations” over the years.

I’m sure that God would desire a “Present Day Truth Church” that would incorporate all the various items of truth that He has faithfully revealed to the church through the years. Like the various tributaries to the St John river that are part of every drop of water that flows into the Bay of Fundy, so this church is composed of the truth that every move of God has produced over the years, and this truth cannot be separated from the whole!

More to follow in (part 2).

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

THE HERD INSTINCT

This article was birthed by my reading of the daily devotional in Our Daily Bread on Tues April 17, 2007. The writer, Mart De Haan, told the story of a flock of sheep that mindlessly followed one another over a cliff to their death! Sheep are known to be easily influenced to follow the flock, without considering the potential outcome. The scriptures often compare us to sheep, and our need of a shepherd's care. (John 10:1-18)

Like sheep we are all easily influenced by others. Just think of how many companies are trying to get our attention daily through advertising for the purpose of buying their particular products. They know that a certain number of people will respond to their adds and buy their products, so they are willing to invest big bucks in this attempt to influence us.

In the spiritual realm we have an enemy who is constantly trying to influence us to follow him instead of following Jesus. He is given many titles in scripture that indicate his intentions, one important name for him is "deceiver", because he is an expert at deception. Jesus warns us of the danger of being deceived in these last days. (Matt 24:4, 5, and 11) Paul also warned us of this danger in (2 Thess 2:5-12), this is a very challenging passage of scripture for us who are living in this period of time. We need to read the passage in John 10 carefully and make sure that we have made Jesus our"Good Shepherd". He is the only one who can protect us from following other voices of influence.

So the bottom line is the questions asked by Mart in his article mentioned above "Whom are we following? One another? Self-centered shepherds? Or the voice and direction of the Good Shepherd?" He closed his article with these words from an old hymn.

"Savior like a shepherd lead us,

Much we need Thy tender care;

In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,

For our use Thy folds prepare." ---Thrupp

The tendency to follow the crowd today in our world is huge! Let's listen for the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, who will never lead us astray!

Follow Christ, not the crowd!

Sincerely submitted

Gramp

NO CONDEMNATION

These words, taken from Rom 8:1 should resound in our ears like the words “you are pardoned” must sound to a prisoner on “death row” in prison who has just received the word that at the last minute the Governor has granted him a full pardon! Paul begins this chapter with the words “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus”. Every one of these words is important, and we need to look at each one carefully, if we are to really understand the full meaning that Paul had in mind.

Whenever we see the word “therefore”, we need to look back a few verses to find out why this word is used. In this case the reference is to the last two verses of the previous chapter. Here we see that Paul asked a question, and then answered it. This set the stage for this profound and awesome statement, “there is therefore now no condemnation”. Notice the little word “now”, this means right now, in our present situation, as long as we are “in Christ Jesus”. Paul uses this same phrase in (2 Cor 5:17) “Therefore if any man (woman, boy or girl) be in Christ he is a new creation----“. In this case he is referring back to verse 14 “if one died for all, then all died”. This is certainly the theme that Paul has been dwelling on in chapters 6 and 7, and wants to reinforce here in chapter 8. This brings us to the words “no condemnation” which we will explore now in a little more detail.

Who among us has never felt “condemned” at one time or another? Usually it is our guilty conscience that will condemn us for some wrong thought, or action! Even after we have been forgiven by God, when we repent of our many sins and receive Jesus as our personal Savior, we often still feel condemned. This is because we have an enemy called Satan, sometimes referred to as the “accuser of the brethren”. Not only is he the one who tempts us to do wrong, but then makes us feel condemned when we yield to his temptation. We have learned from our study of Rom 6 and 7 that our old sinful nature that we were born with, died with Christ on the cross. However we all have what Paul refers to as our “flesh”, that part of us that wants to protect “self”, and fights against the Spirit who now dwells in all believers. The Holy Spirit will “convict”, but never “condemn” us when we do something wrong! Condemnation always comes from our enemy. We need to learn to distinguish between his condemning voice, and the affirming still small voice of the Spirit of God! This is part of the process of “sanctification” that comes with maturity in our walk with the Lord daily! There is no shortcut, or easy way that I know of to arrive at spiritual maturity!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

OUR INHERITANCE

It has recently come to my attention that in all three passages of Paul’s letters that list the works of the flesh, or the sins that are so prevalent in the world today, we find a similar warning pertaining to our inheritance. Check them out, they are (1Cor 6:9-10, Gal 5:19-21, and Eph 5:3-5). In every case it is clear that those who do these things will have no part, or inheritance in the Kingdom of God. Now we have known born again Christians over the years who have been involved in many, if not all, of the sins mentioned in these passages. Does that mean they were not really saved? Or did they lose their salvation because of their sin? Before we pass judgment on these people, we need to look more closely at what is meant by this word “inheritance”. It simply means to take possession of property or an estate made available to us by an ancestor. We hear of people inheriting wealth from some relative they may never have met, but they are one of the legitimate family heirs to a portion of this estate.

When we become a member of God’s family through the “new birth” experience mentioned in (John 3:3), we become an heir of God, and “joint heir” with Jesus Christ. (Rom 8:17). This inheritance is a part in the Kingdom of God, and as Peter tells us, is reserved in heaven for us. (1 Peter 1:3-5). But we know from our study of the Kingdom of God, that it is not only future, but present now on planet earth. Jesus is King of this Kingdom, and it came to earth with Him at His incarnation in Bethlehem, many years ago. When He taught His disciples to pray in (Matt 6:9-13), He told them to pray to the Father that the Kingdom that exists in heaven, might be established on earth. As believers we are “transferred” out of the kingdom of darkness, into the Kingdom of God. (Col 1:13). If we are transferred in, then we can be legislated back out. This doesn’t affect our standing in the family of God, but can affect our inheritance. Our place in the Kingdom is determined by our conduct, and can be affected by our actions. That’s why we should pay close attention to the warnings given in the scriptures mentioned at the beginning of this article. Membership or citizenship in the Kingdom is reserved for believers who are obedient to the commandments given to us in God’s word. Remember Esau who traded His birthright to his brother Jacob for a bowl of stew? Later when he desired to have it back we are told in (Heb 12:14-17) he found no place for repentance! This is very serious business, and should call for our careful consideration, and a clear understanding of what is involved for us as believers. It seems to me that a complete break with the world is essential!!

Sincerely in Him.

Gramp

REJECTION

This is based on an article written by Derek Prince back in 1977, and published in New Wine magazine. He says one in five people in the US is affected in some way by rejection. He says "Rejection, simply defined, is the sense of being unwanted or the sense that, although you want people to love you, no one does." Many of us can relate to that definition! Rejection often begins with a "wounded spirit" in (Isa 54:6) we read about a young wife who was "forsaken and grieved in spirit". Apparently she had been abandoned by her husband, a common problem in our world today. Rejection often begins with the child in their mother's womb. For various reasons a pregnancy may be "unwanted", and the baby can feel the rejection. Satan takes advantage of this situation and plants a spirit of rejection in this helpless child. Or it can happen later in life like the woman we read about in Isaiah 54.

Rejection always brings about a reaction, which usually first shows up as "loneliness". This leads to misery, self-pity, depression and moods of gloominess. The end result is often despair or a sense of hopelessness, which sometimes ends up in a tragic death, or suicide.

Another possible reaction to rejection can be "hardness", this leads to "indifference", or an "I don't care" attitude. After indifference comes "rebellion", which sometimes leads to "witchcraft" (1 Sam 15:23), which can include any part of the occult realm, including the martial arts and yoga etc.

So we see from either of these reactions to rejection, the consequences to the person's spirit can be devastating if not handled properly! Every solution to every problem we might have in our life, is found in the "Cross of Jesus Christ". That may sound like too simple an answer, especially to anyone who still has a "natural mind" (1 Cor 2:14). The cross can be considered as God's "exchange centre", where we can exchange our old sinful life for a completely new one. Here are a few aspects of this exchange according to brother Prince "1/ Jesus was punished for our sin that we might be forgiven, 2/ Jesus was wounded for our sicknesses that we might be healed, 3/ Jesus was made sickness itself that we might have health, 4/ Jesus became poor for our sakes that we might have His wealth, 5/ Jesus died our death that we might have His life." Acceptance is the opposite of rejection, and (Eph 1:6) tells us we are accepted in Jesus. We need to make this declaration to Satan and his powers of darkness often, and follow these simple steps to completely defeat rejection in our lives. 1/ Forgive all those who have rejected you. 2/ Lay down bitterness, resentment, hatred and rebellion. 3/ Accept the fact that you are accepted in Christ, and that God accepts you. 4/ You have to accept yourself. If rejection has been a problem in your life, following these simple recommendations should defeat the enemy, and bring victory in this area of your life. Make a declaration using these truths, that you can declare boldly before all the powers of darkness, and God's angels of light, and expect to see a definite change!

Sincerely submitted

Gramp

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

In the gospel of Luke,(Luke 10:25-37), we read the story Jesus told, that has come to be referred to as the parable of “The Good Samaritan”. Verse 25 starts out by stating “A certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying teacher what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” After Jesus referred him to the scriptures about loving God and loving your neighbor as you love yourself, he replied with the question in verse 29 “and who is my neighbor?”

Like all the parables that Jesus told, this one is a classic. After telling the story he asks the lawyer a question in verse 36, “which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers”? The lawyer answered correctly “the one who showed pity and mercy”, to which Jesus then replied “Go and do likewise”.

The Lord sends us “new neighbors” all the time, not because we move into a new neighborhood, or have someone move into ours, but simply by bringing some needy person across our path.

Look around you for someone who needs your help, mercy, and love! They are your “new neighbors”!!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

CHRIST IS SUPREME

We read in (Col 1:15-20) about Christ being involved in the creation of everything. He is "the visible image of the invisible God", and "is supreme over all creation". Along with being the creator of all things, He is also the one who "holds it all together" (verse 17), and is also the "head of the Church, which is His Body" (verse 18). That surely qualifies Him as being supreme, in my estimation!

It would seem to be impossible to over emphasis the place of Jesus Christ in our world. And yet many people never mention His name, except as a swear word. It is now not "politically correct" to mention His name in public, especially in prayer, in case you might offend some followers of a different religious group. What ever happened to our religious rights? Since He is "the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can come to Father God except through Him" (John 14:6), and some day "every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father"; it seems to me we should be able to acknowledge Him publicly! I believe that we, who are followers of Jesus, have been deceived into being silent too long on this important issue. It's time that the Church of Jesus Christ came alive to our responsibilities of being a vital witness for Him, and start to speak out in the public forum!

I read an article recently by David Wilkerson about the need for "trouble makers in the Church", like Paul and Silas were, as recorded in (Acts 16:16-40). They caused a riot in the city of Philippi, were locked up in jail, then at midnight they were singing and praising the Lord, and God caused an earthquake that shook them all free from their chains. It's a very interesting story that we should read often to encourage us as to the type of trouble makers we should be. I'm not suggesting we should become law breakers, but we could probably be a lot more "pro-active", and not as "passive", as we have been in the face of the ungodly forces at work in our country in the past few years!

If we believe all the scriptures that declare the supremacy of Jesus Christ, why don't we start to declare them to our public elected officials, and hold them accountable for the mess our country is in morally, socially, and spiritually? We need to speak out for the sake of our families!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

LARGE PRAYERS

The scriptures would seem to indicate that we should make our prayer requests large, so large in fact, that when they are answered we will know it has to be an act of God. Most of us don't offer large prayers because our knowledge of God is too small. We somehow think that He is too busy looking after the affairs of this great universe to be concerned with our requests, so we make them small. However this is a misunderstanding of scripture, in fact it is completely opposite to what Jesus taught in His "sermon on the mount" recorded in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. For example read and believe (Matt 6:33)

I recently read a story of a young boy who wanted a small toy stage coach for Christmas, that he had seen in a store. He begged his mother to buy it for him, no other one would do. So on Christmas morning, sure enough, that little stage coach was there for him. His older brother said to him "you did a dumb thing to insist on that little coach, mom had bought a larger one for you, but when you insisted on that one, she took the larger one back and exchanged it for that smaller one". Suddenly the small stage coach didn't seem so appealing!

Sometimes we are like that with God. We think we want something, and beg and plead for it until finally He might give us what we begged for, when He really had something much larger in mind for us. Phillips Brooks once said "Pray the largest prayers. You cannot think a prayer so large that God, in answering it, will not wish you had made it larger". Large asking results in large receiving!

"Do not presume to know what's best

When you begin to pray;

But say to God 'your will be done'

Then trust His perfect way."---Sper

This thought is based on the devotional from Our Daily Bread for April 4, 2007.

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

CHARACTER MATTERS

I recently read a book by this title written by Mark Rutland, the president of Southeastern University in Lakeland Florida. In the first chapter he talks about how people in our 21st century society have lost the whole concept of the word character.

The English word “character” comes from a Latin root that means "engraved”. The idea is that of a rough piece of granite that can either be carefully sculptured into a beautiful statue or a building stone of some sort, or can be chipped carelessly away to a worthless piece of rubble. Character, the composite virtue and value etched into that stone by the sculptor, will define its worth! Virtues like courage or modesty can be learned by children if they are properly taught and modeled by the older generation. A culture rests on its virtues, and these virtues can be taught.

The very word “virtue” derives from another Latin word for “strength”, virtue is really restrained strength, or strength under control. There is power in virtue, and virtue in power when it is used to impact others for good! Character matters, and virtue is the strength of character. The danger is not so much the lack of virtue, as it is wrong virtues. As a society defines its virtues, it in turn is defined by its virtues. “Twisted virtues mean a twisted culture.”

If a society hopes to elevate its character, it must first carefully define its virtues. Many in our world think there is nothing worth dying for, but they are wrong. There has to be something worth dying for or else the cross of Christ is a sick joke, and Tienanmen Square was a parade of fools!

God can teach us virtue, but we must want it. Now is the time for character! Persons of virtue with the power to touch this tired culture with transforming grace, will not just happen. We must be intentional to produce them, teach them, and carve them with care on the soul of our nation! That is what “character” is all about!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

MISCONCEPTION

Lately I’ve been thinking about several areas of church doctrine that are questionable in my mind, and are based more on “man-centered” theories rather than being “God centered”, based on the word of God. At first I started to use the word “deception” to describe how I felt we in the church had been led astray from the truth, but now I wonder if a better word to use might be “misconception”. The dictionary tells us that the word “conception” means the act or faculty of conceiving; that which is conceived; an idea; a notion; plan, or invention. And “concept” means an abstract general notion, or idea; also any notion combining elements into the idea of one object. Then of course when we add the prefix “mis” we have a word that means a wrong or false conception. I believe that is exactly what happened in the formulating of some of our more popular church doctrines.

For example we can take the teaching of a “secret rapture”, which is based on a vision given to a young lady back in 1832, in which she apparently saw Jesus coming in the clouds and “catching away” His bride, the church who was looking for Him to come at “any moment”. She was part of a group led by a man by the name of Irving, who had been put out of the organized church because of his questionable beliefs. This was a very “subjective” experience, and has no basis in scripture, but was received by many as the truth. This has become the core of the popular teaching known as the “Pretribulation Rapture”, which declares that Jesus will come back at any moment to take his church out of the world before the great tribulation under the Antichrist occurs. This teaching is in direct opposition to the plain teaching of Jesus, and others in the scriptures, and I suggest to you that it is a prime example of a case of “misconception”!

While a passage of scripture can have more than one application, it can only have one meaning, and that meaning was determined by the author at the time he penned those words under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. (2 Tim 3:16) We cannot take a scripture out of context, or apply a meaning to it based on our 21^st century understanding of the English translations, or even worse, to use the scriptures to prove the meaning of some particular theory. This will result in a “misconception” every time, and lead to much unnecessary confusion and divisions in the body of Christ. If we could learn to ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand the real meaning of the scripture, whenever we read it, and not take what we have been told it means, I’m sure we would reach maturity in the Lord much quicker!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

DECEPTION (part 3)

God has always desired a dwelling place on this planet where He could have fellowship with man. Before the fall it was in the Garden of Eden, where he had communion with Adam in the cool of the day. Then we see it was with Moses and His people in the “Tabernacle” in the wilderness. Then in the “Temple” that Solomon built in Jerusalem, although a temple built with hands was not His choice, He did dwell in the “Ark of the Covenant” in the Holy of Holies. Then we see His supreme effort to dwell with man by allowing His Son to be incarnated in human flesh here on planet earth, so that He could become “Immanuel”, or “God with us”. Jesus was His “Temple or Sanctuary” on earth for some 33 years. It was not until the age of 30, when He was baptized in the Jordon river by His cousin John, that the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and the Father’s voice was heard from heaven saying “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:10-11). From this time until He “gave up the Ghost” on the cross of Calvary, He was the very image of the invisible God, in whom dwelt “all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col 2:9). Jesus was the “pattern Son” that the church, which He said He would build (Matt 16:18), and which was to be His body on earth after He ascended back to heaven, were to pattern themselves after.

The apostle Paul gives the best description of the church in his letter to the Ephesians. In (Eph 2:19-22) we see the church called a “household of God”, “a Holy temple in the Lord”, and a “dwelling place of God in the Spirit”. This is clearly God’s intention, to have a dwelling place here on planet earth, where He can commune with His “new creation” of adopted children. The church is to be the “companion” for His Son, not only now in this “present age”, but also in the “age to come”. The church is to be “filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:19), and be the vessel here on earth for the “abode” for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to dwell in. (John 14:23). This is the same Greek word used by John in (John 14:2) which is translated there as “mansions”. This is a clear reference to our bodies which Paul calls the “temple of the living God” in (2 Cor 6:16), and not some “mansion over yonder” as we have been told that Jesus has gone to prepare for us. At the present time Jesus is seated next to Father God on His throne making “intercession” for us. I imagine the theme of His intercession is that we, His children, will be strengthened by the indwelling Spirit, and learn how to function as mature “sons of God” in this dark, ungodly age in which we are called to be “salt and light”! We trust these articles on deception have cleared up some things for you.

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

DECEPTION (part 2)

We see in (Rom 5:17) that we will “reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ”, and then in (Rev 5:10) we read that we shall reign as kings and priests “on the earth”. This whole idea that we are transported to “heaven” either by death or by the rapture to be with God is not a scriptural concept, as I now see it. We have been led astray by man’s teaching and by many songs that talk about going to heaven as a place located somewhere “over yonder” where Jesus has gone to prepare a “mansion” just over the hilltop in the corner of “glory land”. I’m sorry to have to be the one to burst your bubble, but all that we have been told is not according to the word of God.

This deception, as I mentioned in part 1, goes back a long way, and is part of Satan’s way of sabotaging the plan God has for His true Church. The whole teaching about a “secret rapture” and how Jesus is coming at any moment “for” His saints, to transport them to heaven to be with Him for 7 years in order to miss the “tribulation”, is not scriptural! Read (Matt 24:15-31) carefully, especially verses 22, 24, and 29, and see that we the “elect” will be there during the “great tribulation”. Jesus returns to “shorten” the time for our sakes by doing away with the Antichrist when He appears “on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”. There is not one verse of scripture to tell us Jesus is coming “for” his saints, but many to tell us He is coming “in” and “with” His saints, and we will go up to meet Him in the air. Not to be taken to “heaven”, but to return to earth to rule and reign with Him through eternity. The reason the “Pretribulation Rapture” has become so popular is because it does not require us to suffer any persecution, or to grow up unto maturity. Scripture is clear that both of these are required of us by our Creator. The whole Pretribulation thing with the secret rapture, and Jesus coming "for" the saints, is all part of this major deception plot of the enemy to get our attention off what the Lord wants us to concentrate on now! His plan for us is to realize our responsibility as “sons of God” and start to learn how to be over comers. In (Heb 5:12-14) we learn how we are to become mature believers, by feeding on the solid food of God’s word, and not just the “milk”, which is meant only for babes in Christ. This maturing is a process that starts with receiving Christ as Savior, and progresses to “know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph3:19). This process is known as “sanctification”, which is another word for “holiness”, or the separation from the world system which is under the control of our enemy, “the god of this age”. (2 Cor 4:3). Study these scriptures carefully like the Bereans did in (Acts 17:11)!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

DECEPTION (part 1)

The more I study the scriptures, the more it becomes clear to me that the church has been deceived in so many areas. I have mentioned in previous articles some of these areas of deception, and would like to draw your attention to another. We must keep in mind that we are involved in a “cosmic war” between God and Satan that has been going on for thousands of years. We enter this conflict the moment we are “born again” into the family of God and become an heir, and joint-heir with Christ of all things. Satan is now our enemy too, and deception is one of his many tools that he uses to try to keep the church from being what God intended it to be!

From the very beginning God’s intention was to have a family of beings like himself that he could have fellowship with. He has always lived in “community” with the Son and Holy Spirit, in what we call “The Trinity”, but it seems he wanted to enlarge his family. We read in Genesis how he created Adam in His image and likeness, and then brought forth Eve from Adam’s side, to start the first human family on this planet. God’s desire was always to come and dwell with man on planet earth. We see this in Genesis where we read how He came down to fellowship with Adam in Eden. Then when we read the last few chapters of Revelation we see The heavenly Jerusalem coming down from heaven to apparently hover over the earthly Jerusalem as a home for the redeemed throughout eternity!

This whole idea that heaven is located somewhere “over yonder” as a geographical location that we will all go to when we die, is all part of an enormous deception, as I am beginning to see it. This has been designed by our enemy to get our attention off the earth as our inheritance. (Matt 5:5) Instead of God transporting us to heaven to be with Him, His plan is to transport heaven down to planet earth so He can abide with us here for eternity. I know that sounds like “heresy” of the highest order, but before you tune me out, let me show you a few scriptures. In (Rev 5:10) we read that He has made us “kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth”. We have already pointed out (Matt 5:5) where Jesus said the meek shall “inherit the earth”. Check out the many other references to earth as being our inheritance, and I’m sure you will see what I mean. If we could just learn to read scripture for what it is, the very word of our Creator God, and ask the Holy Spirit to interpret it for us and not depend on some man’s opinion, we would begin to see how much we have been deceived! We will continue this in part 2, and it may become a series!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

BIG CHURCH or SMALL CHURCH ?

As you know, if you have followed this blog lately, that the subject of church has been a major topic. This week I ran across a statement that grabbed my attention, here it is "A small church with a big vision has greater impact than a big church with a small vision"! Read it over a few times before you decide that Gramp is just not in favor of large churches. This statement is not about the size of churches, but about their vision! It's only common sense that a big church with a big vision would have a greater impact than a small church with a big vision. Right?

What makes a church "successful" in the eyes of God? Is it their large buildings? Is it their multi-million dollar budgets?---I think not! If we read Paul's first letter to the church he planted in Thessalonica we get a true picture of a church that is having a great impact on their city. "And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May He, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again with all His holy people." (1Thess 3:12-13). God looks at the heart of a church to see if they are "successful", and here Paul mentions two characteristics that are vital for a successful church---"love for one another" and "holiness". Sad to say, in many churches today we don't see much of either of these two essential requirements!

In our western 21st century culture, we are taught that looking out for number one is important, and independence is seen as a virtue to be attained at all costs. This is completely opposite to the teaching of scripture, for example read (Phil 2:1-5), and (Col 3:12-17) to see how church members should relate to each other. Then when people in the world see this, they are more apt to be interested in hearing the "Good News" of the Gospel! So no matter what size of church you are part of, and you definitely should be part of one, (Heb 10:23-25), let us all strive to meet this scriptural standard laid down by the apostle Paul. Then when God looks at our local church, He will be pleased with our church heart, no matter how many people attend the services!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

SOME THINGS SATAN HATES (part 5)

Another thing that I'm sure he hates is "cleanliness and order". Our God is a God of order, as can be easily seen when we consider the perfect universe that He created. If it were not for this perfect order, the space exploration program would be impossible, and we would never be able to predict future times for simple things like "tide tables"! There is an old saying that "cleanliness is next to Godliness", it may not be a quote from scripture, but is a true statement none the less! When you consider things like "disorder, confusion, and chaos", which often surround ungodly people who are part of Satan's kingdom of darkness, you can easily see that these things are completely opposite to cleanliness and order. This is one way of detecting things he hates, by simply considering some of the attributes of God. Since Satan is the avowed enemy of God, and because he has no power to come against God directly, he does all he can to prevent the extension of the Kingdom of God on planet earth. We often see this in things that are completely opposite to the attributes or character of God.

The Bible mentions "unclean spirits" in several places, such as (Mark 1:26-27, and 9:25). These unclean spirits were demons, or disembodied spirits, that are part of Satan's kingdom of darkness on planet earth. They are invisible earth bound creatures, which seem to like to inhabit the physical bodies of humans or animals.(Mark 5:1-13). In the OT we see many times the distinction between objects that are declared by God to be unclean, and those that are considered by Him to be clean. God's people were always warned to abstain from anything that was unclean. The same goes without saying for God's people in the NT, and for all of us living today who are followers of Jesus. There may be some questions concerning certain things today that are considered unclean, but the Holy Spirit who indwells us as believers can be depended on to show us what to avoid!

I'm sure we have all had the experience of driving through the country on some back road, and seeing the contrast between houses and dooryards that are neat and tidy with lawns and flowers etc. and yards that are completely the opposite, with junk and garbage everywhere! There is a good likelihood that unclean spirits are involved in such a situation. Let us who know and follow Jesus, let our light so shine wherever we are, that there will be no question which kingdom we are part of!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

SOME THINGS SATAN HATES (part 4)

6/ Another thing that Satan hates with a passion is "humility"! This is a very interesting Greek word that was used by Paul in his exhortation to the elders of the church at Ephesus (Acts 20:19). According to Strong's #5012 it is composed of two words, one meaning "humble", and the other meaning "mind". And in English it can mean---modesty, lowliness, humble-mindedness, a sense of moral insignificance, and a humble attitude of unselfish concern for others. It is a total absence of arrogance, conceit, and haughtiness. Is it any wonder that Satan would hate it? It describes an action on the part of followers of Jesus, that is the exact opposite of everything he stands for!

We are seeing clearly, as we list these things that Satan hates, that there is no way we can prevent being in conflict with him, if we really choose to become a follower of Jesus! Take time right now to read carefully (James 4:6-10), and also (1 Peter 5:5-11) for clear instructions for dealing with Satan. Notice that in both of these passages the authors stress the importance of "humility", and in each case we are told to "humble yourself"! This is something that God will not do for us! He gives us lots of instructions in His Word for us to know how to humble ourselves, but it is up to us to carry them out.

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul gives some good advice that is applicable to all of us as followers of Jesus.In chapter two (2 Tim 2:15-23) he gives good advice on various things, and then in verse 24 we read "A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change these people's hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants." This passage describes the strategy of Satan quite well. He is holding people captive to do his will, and the only hope for them is that if we, as followers of Jesus, will "gently instruct" them in the ways of Satan. This requires that we "humble ourselves", and submit to the Holy Spirit who indwells us, to know how to gently lead people to Jesus. Then they will be able to "escape from the devil's trap"! This is the overall purpose of "humility" in our lives, as I see it.

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

SOME THINGS SATAN HATES (part 3)

5/ "Spiritual Unity" is another thing that Satan hates, and has done everything he can do to prevent true unity in the Body of Christ over the years. Even in the OT he was always active trying to get God's people to worship the idols and the many false Gods that the nations around them worshiped! Satan has never changed his tactics much since that time. The "True Church", which is the Body of Christ in the world today, is continually being tempted to worship the idols of the world system that they have been delivered from. The Greek name for church is "Ecclesia", which means "called out ones". In other words when we are born again into the family of God, we are called out from the ungodly world around us, and become part of the one True Church, that Jesus has been in the process of building for some 2000 years. Satan has always hated the true church, as we mentioned back in part 1, and has tried in various ways to form a counterfeit false church.

We have written several articles on unity, and there is a true unity of the Spirit of God, which is identified in scripture by the Greek word "koinonia". This word is used in (Acts 2:42) and is translated "fellowship". This true unity is only possible between people who have been born into the family of God, and thus became part of the true church. Satan has a counterfeit "Ecumenical Movement" which he has been promoting for years now among members of the "false church". This movement would like to see all Christian denominations join together with other world Religions, to form one big "World Wide Church". After all, they say, we all believe in one god, and all roads lead to heaven, why should we not be united? This type of "unity" will never achieve koinonia, or God's type of unity in the Spirit, simply because it is prompted by Satan. People who have never been born of the Spirit can be easily convinced that surely this is a good thing. Scripture teaches that we can not be part of two separate kingdoms, Satan's kingdom of darkness, and God's Kingdom of Light! (Col 1:11-14). So let's be clear that we will have nothing to do with this false church, or this false system of "unity" that Satan is trying to set up as a counterfeit for God's true unity of the Holy Spirit! Remember, Satan hates God, he hates God's people, and he hates true "koinonia", or unity of the Spirit!

Sincerely submitted

Gramp

SOME THINGS SATAN HATES (part 2)

In part 1 we mentioned three things that clearly he hates with a passion, namely individual believers in Jesus, human families, and the True Church.

4/ Another big one that Satan has tried his best to pollute and destroy is "Modesty, and Sexual Purity". Especially in the last 50-60 years, some of us senior citizens who have been around for several generations can easily see the effects of his work. The scriptures are very clear that believers should hold a high standard in both of these areas. When ever we see people's behavior going directly opposite to that outlined in Scripture, we can safely assume that their actions are being prompted by Satan!

Take the matter of "modesty" for example, in (1 Cor 12:23), where Paul compares the human body to the Body of Christ, he says "and the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen". That comes across to me as a very clear commandment on how we should dress in public. Yet we often see Christian women in public that apparently have never read these words of instruction from holy scripture. We have seen several cases lately where women were exposing parts of their anatomy that should only be seen by their husband in the privacy of their own bedroom. The world of fashion and entertainment are no doubt to blame for the drastic decline in this area of modesty, but followers of Jesus have no business following these worldly patterns! It would seem to me that good old "common sense" should dictate the way ladies dress in public, but I realize that common sense, as I use the term, is in short supply these days! It is very grieving when you see how some mothers allow their pre-teen daughters to dress like "street walkers", applying their trade on some uptown street!

Satan didn't invent human sexuality, God did, for a very good reason, and with clear instructions as to how and where it is to used. Satan can never create anything, he only attempts to pollute or counterfeit something that God created for good. This is very evident in this whole matter of human sexuality. Scripture is clear that sexual intimacy was meant to be practiced only between a husband and wife, as part of the "marriage covenant" they entered into before God, in the presence of family and friends. Any sexual activity outside this covenant was strictly forbidden by God, with death to the offenders in the OT law. God's principles never change, but thank God His grace is sufficient to cover our offences under the New Covenant, when we repent and ask for forgiveness!! If we can understand that any temptation to break these conditions laid down in God's Word regarding modesty and sexual purity is being put forth by Satan, we need to apply the truth given in (James 4:6-10), and also in (1 Peter 5:6-11). Do this and you can live a life pleasing to your heavenly Father!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

SOME THINGS SATAN HATES (part 1)

There are a some things I believe Satan actually hates, so we will attempt to identify a few.

1/ If you are a "born again" member of God's family, you are #1 on his hate list. He doesn't mind people who only claim to be a "Christian", but continue doing the things that sinners do. These people are still part of his kingdom of darkness, and actually he delights in them calling themselves Christians, because their lifestyle brings reproach on the Body of Christ. Satan hates God with a passion since he got put out of heaven for his rebellion millions of years ago! He was created as one of the "Big Three" Archangels, his name before his fall was Lucifer, and along with Michael and Gabriel they had rule over the entire heavenly host of angels. Because God will only permit one perfect will in heaven, He had no choice but to banish Lucifer from heaven after he tried to exert his will against God's. (Isa 14:12-17) and (Ezek 28:12-19). He apparently chose earth as his temporary abode, and soon after God started to populate earth with human beings he continued his war against God by successfully tempting the first humans to rebel against their Creator and disobey the only restriction He had put on them. (Gen 2:15-17, 3:1-7). Because he can't do anything directly toward God, he takes out his wrath on God's children!

2/ It seems that "families" are high on his list of things to hate and try to destroy. When we consider the divorce rate, and the number of single parent families in our society, we can easily see Satan's hand in this problem. Families consisting of a godly husband, a submissive wife and mother, and obedient children has always been God's ideal. (Eph 5:21-33, 6:1-4) Satan has done every thing in his power to destroy them completely from the face of the earth.

3/ The "True Church" that Jesus has been in the process of building for some 2000 years has certainly been an object of Satan's hatred. In the beginning he used the religious Jews to persecute the church, also much persecution came from the Roman Emperors. Then under Constantine he changed his tactics and encouraged the church to become part of the Roman Empire, and include many heathen practices in their worship and church structure. Constantine began the custom of building large cathedral type buildings, patterned after heathen temples. Prior to this time believers met in homes regularly for fellowship, prayer and teaching. They held larger meetings in the Jewish synagogues, or the public rooms attached to the Temple in Jerusalem. (Acts 2:42-47) Their church structure apparently consisted of Elders and Deacons to govern the local churches, under the supervision of Apostles like Paul, Barnabas, Timothy, and other traveling ministers. The elaborate structure of Bishops, Archbishops, Cardinals etc. to govern this "false church", was never part of God's plan for His "True Church". We can see the hand of Satan through the years attempting to prevent the true Church from functioning as an agent of God's Kingdom on earth!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

ORPHANS OR SONS

A recent study of Romans 8, plus some other teaching on what it means to be a son of God, has caused me to rethink this whole matter. The church has been very cautious about this area because of a certain error that came out of a move of God back in 1948. This move took place in North Battleford Sask, and attracted attention from Christians from several nations. The truths that were restored to the church at that time had a lasting positive effect on certain segments of the church, while at the same time were ignored, or seen as heresy by others. It is commonly referred to as “The Latter Rain” movement, although the original people involved refused to use that name, and simply called it “The Move of God”.

The controversial teaching that came out of this move had to do with the revelation of the sons of God from Romans 8. It became known as “The Manifest Sons” teaching, and some of these men went so far as teaching that it was possible to reach the level of perfection that would allow them to overcome even the last enemy which is death. In other words they believed they could overcome death in these mortal bodies. In the 60’s several of these men died in a plane crash, thus disproving their theory. But the controversy over the place of the “sons of God”, and “the over comers” in the body of Christ still rages in certain circles. It is clear from reading the first few chapters of Revelation and Romans 8 that not all believers are “over comers”. And then we have the teaching of Jesus about the 30, 60 and 100 fold believers. How to handle all this without becoming classed as a “Select of the elect” believer, is a major problem, as I see it!

This controversy shouldn’t keep us back from looking into the subject of what it means to be a “Son of God”. We are “adopted” into the family of God at conversion, and thus become children of God, “and if children then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Rom 8:17). Read (Eph 1:3-14) and meditate on this truth of what all it means to be “in Christ”. This might give us a better understanding, and appreciation for the fact that we are privileged to be considered by our Creator to be accepted as His children. This fact has eternal benefits for us, and we should never be guilty of taking it for granted. It is a gift from our Creator, and is entirely by “grace”, and not possible to be earned by “good works” of any sort or amount! (Eph 2:8-10). This is truly “good news” that we should be spreading to all we can in these “perilous times” that we have been called to live in!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp