Saturday, January 30, 2010
Shekinah Fellowship: Oil#links#links#links#links#links#links#links#links#links#links#links
America Has Oil In Great Abundance. So much that the cost of gas in America could be almost as low as 15 cents a gallon before gov taxes...if this Christian pastor were to be believed. You decide...Shekinah Fellowship: Oil#links#links#links#links#links#links#links#links#links#links#links
Star Wars VS Star Trek
My friends and I were bored one day during Christmas Break and decided to make a quick movie. We shot this in 30 minutes and only used 8 minutes of tape. I then proceeded to spend 3 and a half weeks putting in the visuals for the film. Special thanks to the Action Essentials 2 kit from http://videocopilot.net/
, and Jason Lee for his Enterprise model.
Watch in HD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFTUh6...
My friends and I were bored one day during Christmas Break and decided to make a quick movie. We shot this in 30 minutes and only used 8 minutes of tape. I then proceeded to spend 3 and a half weeks putting in the visuals for the film. Special thanks to the Action Essentials 2 kit from http://videocopilot.net/
, and Jason Lee for his Enterprise model.
Watch in HD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFTUh6...
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Ever think about what "your" Jesus looks like. I mean your personal thoughts about what He looks like. What color is your Jesus? Also what is your Jesus like in your viewpoint. Sure, it is easy to say that the answer is in the Bible, but in actuality everyone has a Jesus that they think that He is like. Granted it quite possibly will not be as the actual Jesus of Scripture."I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." - Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi
What I am asking is are you making a Jesus of your own design? Is he a political rebel, bent on helping you achieve national independence? Is he a Social reformer, who's main ideal is to refashion society into something more lasting and perfect? Is he a Universal expression of Love, something that no man will (or shall) reject in the end? Is Jesus an outlaw -- a peacemaker -- a troublemaker upsetting the sellers / buyers at the temple -- a psychological pitchman intent on making you feel better about yourself?
Is your Jesus real? Or is He a god you have built that you can be comfortable with.
There is but one God. There is but one Christ. and you must --- MUST ---- accept him for who he is in full, not cutting away what you don't like and accepting the leftovers.
John 4:23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
For Christians, God is not just a powerful, unseen reality, somewhere out there.
God did something highly impossible to make Himself completly relevant to humankind. He doesn't just visit the earth, He becomes human and walks on the earth and interacts with humankind on their own level of existence.
Jesus Christ is God's Son and He is also uniquely Almighty God Himself in the flesh. It is remarkable that God became a real human being and lived among us as the historical Jew, known as Jesus of Nazareth, between 6BC and AD30 in Palestine.
No one could accuse God Almighty of not doing everything possible to make Himself known and revealed in such a way that any human could have known who He is and what He thinks. God bridged the vastness of His creation in such a way as only He could make happen. He took His high and lofty majesty, His Holy and Righteous presence and deposited Himself in an organic carbon based meatbag of flesh. He choose to come down here to be with us on our level of existence.
This is the nexus point of all Christian reality. That God became man.
John 1:14
14And 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.
What was truly kewl about all of this is that Almighty God touched some humans and gave them direct revelation into what He was going to do way in the future. We call this prophesy. Reading the prophesys about this event we see that Almighty God will be a Jewish man from the tribe of Judah, in King David's lineage, born in Bethlehem of a virgin, and that this child would be Almighty God Himself.
Everything to do with God is not always smooth and uncomplicated. We humans think that everything is going to be smooth and uncomplicated if God is involved. Balony! Nothing could be futhur from the truth.
Put yourself in Jesus's mother Mary's place. Here she is, around fifteen years of age. Betrothed, as was the Jewish custom of that day and age, to a man, destined to become his wife.
Then she suddenly finds herself pregnant. This will make it appear to all around her, that she has been promiscuous. And to make matters worse, a woman found in adultry must be stoned to death according to Jewish law. Frightening and numbing would be her position in life. Her reputation in her village is surely going to be destroyed.
Holy Scripture tells it like this:
Matthew 1:18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Now her future husband is put in a very awkward position. He knows what the Jewish law requires, but he also is a just man. He knows that there is no proof of Mary's infidelity. Her demeanor suggest to him that what she has told him about an angel telling her that she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit just might be the truth, but he is not sure. He agonizes on his bed, not able to sleep, just laying there thinking about this terrible turn of events...I imagine that he eventually drops off to fitful sleep.
Matthew 1:19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
While he is thinking about privately putting her 'away.' An angel appears to him in a dream. The angel fills him in on what is up with Mary.
Matthew 1:20But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Revelation sent from God to Joseph, in his consciousness, in a dream. Wow! Can you imagine his relief and awe at what he is being told?
But still, even though now he knows the truth, his neighbors and family may not believe his story. He is still in a terrible bind of sorts.
But to him, the truth is valid, he is to take Mary as his wife inspite of what anyone thinks of the situation. On the natural, there will be those who look at Mary in discust and rejection. There will be a figurative black cloud that will follow them.
Matthew 1:24Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
He understood the truth now. All he could do is trust God, inspite of what others might think.
How many times have we been in a situation where others think ill of us. And we are tempted to try in our own efforts to set things straight.
I once had someone accuse me of a lot of things that had no truth behind them. Even so much as to go to the pastors of my church with the lies. I silently watched as my reputation as a man of God had aspersions cast against it. I watched as the recepients of the lies turned against me. But I had learned to trust in God and held my peace. I not once did anything to defend myself. For I knew that my God on His throne was greater then any lies sent against me.
Over a period of months the truth became known and the perpetrator of the attack against my integrity was cast out of the fellowship. All without me saying or doing anything.
So here is Mary and Joseph in a complicated situation. They know the truth, but will others believe the truth. To any average person, it looked like a couple of young people making up a crazy story to cover up their fooling around. Back in their day, such things were not treated lightly. Today, no one thinks much about this situation, happens all the time...right?
God Almighty comes to earth as a vulnerable defenseless baby. The heart of Christianity. The Muslim can't believe this. "Allah Akbar," God is great. They say this great God would never demean himself by becoming human. But that is exactly what happened.
Not only that, Jesus grows up and gives up His life for all of us to set us free from our sins.
John 1:29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John 15:13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Zechariah 13:6And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
We celebrate the birth of the Christ child. We say Merry Christmas to one another in refrence to this event in world history. Not 'Happy Holidays.' To those who know of the truth, it is the most incredible knowledge that God became flesh, born as a baby.
Christians should never be found guilty of saying 'Happy Holidays' when they know the truth of this event of a baby's birth. An event that changed the course of the world. An event that sent a message down through the ages to you and I. An event that was written in the stars above.
Matthew 2
1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
We are told in this same chapter of Matthew:
10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
Why? What was it about this star? It was not the star, but what they had located by the star. Almighty God incarnatio, God being in human flesh, entering the physical realm as a baby.
Jesus Christ, the God~man!
No one could make up such a story. No one could foretell of all events that would surround this birth, hundreds of years in advance and then have Holy men of God prophesy of the events.
This is what sets us Christians apart.
God did something highly impossible to make Himself completly relevant to humankind. He doesn't just visit the earth, He becomes human and walks on the earth and interacts with humankind on their own level of existence.
Jesus Christ is God's Son and He is also uniquely Almighty God Himself in the flesh. It is remarkable that God became a real human being and lived among us as the historical Jew, known as Jesus of Nazareth, between 6BC and AD30 in Palestine.
No one could accuse God Almighty of not doing everything possible to make Himself known and revealed in such a way that any human could have known who He is and what He thinks. God bridged the vastness of His creation in such a way as only He could make happen. He took His high and lofty majesty, His Holy and Righteous presence and deposited Himself in an organic carbon based meatbag of flesh. He choose to come down here to be with us on our level of existence.
This is the nexus point of all Christian reality. That God became man.
John 1:14
14And 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.
What was truly kewl about all of this is that Almighty God touched some humans and gave them direct revelation into what He was going to do way in the future. We call this prophesy. Reading the prophesys about this event we see that Almighty God will be a Jewish man from the tribe of Judah, in King David's lineage, born in Bethlehem of a virgin, and that this child would be Almighty God Himself.
Everything to do with God is not always smooth and uncomplicated. We humans think that everything is going to be smooth and uncomplicated if God is involved. Balony! Nothing could be futhur from the truth.
Put yourself in Jesus's mother Mary's place. Here she is, around fifteen years of age. Betrothed, as was the Jewish custom of that day and age, to a man, destined to become his wife.
Then she suddenly finds herself pregnant. This will make it appear to all around her, that she has been promiscuous. And to make matters worse, a woman found in adultry must be stoned to death according to Jewish law. Frightening and numbing would be her position in life. Her reputation in her village is surely going to be destroyed.
Holy Scripture tells it like this:
Matthew 1:18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Now her future husband is put in a very awkward position. He knows what the Jewish law requires, but he also is a just man. He knows that there is no proof of Mary's infidelity. Her demeanor suggest to him that what she has told him about an angel telling her that she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit just might be the truth, but he is not sure. He agonizes on his bed, not able to sleep, just laying there thinking about this terrible turn of events...I imagine that he eventually drops off to fitful sleep.
Matthew 1:19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
While he is thinking about privately putting her 'away.' An angel appears to him in a dream. The angel fills him in on what is up with Mary.
Matthew 1:20But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Revelation sent from God to Joseph, in his consciousness, in a dream. Wow! Can you imagine his relief and awe at what he is being told?
But still, even though now he knows the truth, his neighbors and family may not believe his story. He is still in a terrible bind of sorts.
But to him, the truth is valid, he is to take Mary as his wife inspite of what anyone thinks of the situation. On the natural, there will be those who look at Mary in discust and rejection. There will be a figurative black cloud that will follow them.
Matthew 1:24Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
He understood the truth now. All he could do is trust God, inspite of what others might think.
How many times have we been in a situation where others think ill of us. And we are tempted to try in our own efforts to set things straight.
I once had someone accuse me of a lot of things that had no truth behind them. Even so much as to go to the pastors of my church with the lies. I silently watched as my reputation as a man of God had aspersions cast against it. I watched as the recepients of the lies turned against me. But I had learned to trust in God and held my peace. I not once did anything to defend myself. For I knew that my God on His throne was greater then any lies sent against me.
Over a period of months the truth became known and the perpetrator of the attack against my integrity was cast out of the fellowship. All without me saying or doing anything.
So here is Mary and Joseph in a complicated situation. They know the truth, but will others believe the truth. To any average person, it looked like a couple of young people making up a crazy story to cover up their fooling around. Back in their day, such things were not treated lightly. Today, no one thinks much about this situation, happens all the time...right?
God Almighty comes to earth as a vulnerable defenseless baby. The heart of Christianity. The Muslim can't believe this. "Allah Akbar," God is great. They say this great God would never demean himself by becoming human. But that is exactly what happened.
Not only that, Jesus grows up and gives up His life for all of us to set us free from our sins.
John 1:29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John 15:13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Zechariah 13:6And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
We celebrate the birth of the Christ child. We say Merry Christmas to one another in refrence to this event in world history. Not 'Happy Holidays.' To those who know of the truth, it is the most incredible knowledge that God became flesh, born as a baby.
Christians should never be found guilty of saying 'Happy Holidays' when they know the truth of this event of a baby's birth. An event that changed the course of the world. An event that sent a message down through the ages to you and I. An event that was written in the stars above.
Matthew 2
1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
We are told in this same chapter of Matthew:
10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
Why? What was it about this star? It was not the star, but what they had located by the star. Almighty God incarnatio, God being in human flesh, entering the physical realm as a baby.
Jesus Christ, the God~man!
No one could make up such a story. No one could foretell of all events that would surround this birth, hundreds of years in advance and then have Holy men of God prophesy of the events.
This is what sets us Christians apart.
Monday, January 25, 2010
The above picture for this blog was painted by me (David Sloane). I copied one of my favorite artist.
Find the original on Google images.
Look closely. It turns out that the figures of God, His angels and even the soon-to-be-created Eve under His arm form a nearly perfect cross-section of the human brain.
While some might dismiss this as a coincidence, experts suggest that it would be harder to explain that this was not Michelangelo's intention. Even complex components within the brain, such as the cerebellum, optic chiasm and pituitary gland can all be found in the picture. As for that sassy green sash running down the pons/spinal column/dude-holding-God-up, it follows the path of the vertebral artery perfectly.
Along with drawing, painting, sculpting, St. Peter's Basilica building and generally being among the universe's top bananas, Michelangelo counted cadaver dissecting as a favorite way to pass the time. He was so mad about corpse-cutting, in fact, that a friend once presented him with a perfectly formed dead Moor as a gift.
Seems as if Michelangelo feels that Almighty God is the ultimate 'Brain' behind the reason and purpose of creation and wanted to do an 'easter egg' of this fact in his painting of God.
So kewl!
Find the original on Google images.
Look closely. It turns out that the figures of God, His angels and even the soon-to-be-created Eve under His arm form a nearly perfect cross-section of the human brain.
While some might dismiss this as a coincidence, experts suggest that it would be harder to explain that this was not Michelangelo's intention. Even complex components within the brain, such as the cerebellum, optic chiasm and pituitary gland can all be found in the picture. As for that sassy green sash running down the pons/spinal column/dude-holding-God-up, it follows the path of the vertebral artery perfectly.Along with drawing, painting, sculpting, St. Peter's Basilica building and generally being among the universe's top bananas, Michelangelo counted cadaver dissecting as a favorite way to pass the time. He was so mad about corpse-cutting, in fact, that a friend once presented him with a perfectly formed dead Moor as a gift.
Seems as if Michelangelo feels that Almighty God is the ultimate 'Brain' behind the reason and purpose of creation and wanted to do an 'easter egg' of this fact in his painting of God.
So kewl!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Brant Baker would say, "I have learned to yield to the Holy Spirit. Brant Baker has nothing to offer, it is all Jesus. I am nothing at all. If God can use a nobody like me He can use anybody."
Oral Roberts said. "I have been asked many times what the anointing is. I searched the scriptures for every instance when individuals or groups felt God's anointing. I saw that by experiencing the presence of God, they were able to do mighty exploits for the Lord. I saw, too, that when the anointing of God's Spirit did not rise up in them, they were as ordinary in themselves and in their works as any of us are today. There was no halo around them. They were not superman or super women. Thet were believers but still flesh and blood.
I focused on Luke 4:18, Jesus said to the people in the synagogue in Nazareth,where He had grown up:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor,
He hath sent me to heal the broken hearted,
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty them that are bruised.
The revelation came to me that the anointing is a time when God separates you from yourself and fills you with His glory so that when you speak it's like God speaking, and when you act it's like God acting. You are yourself, but you are not yourself. I mean, you have not taken leave of your senses. Still, you are keenly aware that another self-the Spirit of God Himself-has taken over and is, at that time, in full charge of you, and you are acting under His divine unction or guidance and power from above.
The glory of the Lord that comes upon you at the time of anointing removes all fear, fills you with a holy boldness, and gives you revelational knowledge of how and what to do. It is an incomparable experience. God who is in you is now flowing up by His Spirit from your belly area (your inner being) and giving you a covering that Satan cannot penetrate (see John 7:38-39).
The difficulty that I have when the anointing comes upon me...in the heat of this experience I have an insatiable desire to literally drive the sickness or disease or demon or fear or poverty or any other destructive power out of the person. I confess it is a driving force possessing me far beyond any powers of my own. My normal compassion appears to be multiplied a thousand times. My urgency to rid the person of the tormenting power of Satan almost consumes me.
The tangible presence of God- is not mine. It belongs to God. The prophet Elijah said, "Let God be God" 1 Kings 18:24. That is exactly what I had to learn to do"
God loves us. God will move through each of us.
And these signs shall follow all who believe, they shall lay their hands upon the sick, who will recover.
Mark 16:17
We read the scriptural accounts of healing miracles and we wish Jesus were here to cure the sick in our day and age. With more and more hospitals being built, doctors unable to keep up with the needs of an increasing population, and many illnesses still considered incurable, we could certainly use this charism of healing.
The Good News is, we do have the healing love of Jesus Christ with us today. The gifts of healing manifested by the Lord have been delegated to each person who accepts Jesus as his Savior, believing him to be the Son of God.
Before He was crucified, Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, he will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father" John 14:12.
Jesus was telling the disciples that ministering to the blind, the halt and the lame was not going to stop when He was no longer visible. The commission to carry on the healing work was given to "whoever believes in Him. The works would be even greater because they would no longer be performed by one man, but by everyone who professes Jesus as Lord.
Jesus made us extensions of Himself in order that multitudes of people could be touched and cured by His love. He has no hands to lay on the sick but our hands. If, as Christians, we really believe the Lord dwells within us, then it should not come as a surprise that we can pray for the sick and they will be healed. We merely provide the vehicle through which the love of God can shine forth.
Christians are accustomed to thinking that the gift of healing is reserved for certain individuals who receive a supernatural calling from God to go forth and heal. All of us can pray over the sick. Whoever means whoever. "Whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, he will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father."
You have been called, you believe in Jesus Christ. So you see, you fit the equation. Conditions are right for you to start praying over the sick with an expectancy to see God heal them. Try it. Go out and pray over sick people and see what takes place.
David Sloane
Oral Roberts said. "I have been asked many times what the anointing is. I searched the scriptures for every instance when individuals or groups felt God's anointing. I saw that by experiencing the presence of God, they were able to do mighty exploits for the Lord. I saw, too, that when the anointing of God's Spirit did not rise up in them, they were as ordinary in themselves and in their works as any of us are today. There was no halo around them. They were not superman or super women. Thet were believers but still flesh and blood.
I focused on Luke 4:18, Jesus said to the people in the synagogue in Nazareth,where He had grown up:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor,
He hath sent me to heal the broken hearted,
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty them that are bruised.
The revelation came to me that the anointing is a time when God separates you from yourself and fills you with His glory so that when you speak it's like God speaking, and when you act it's like God acting. You are yourself, but you are not yourself. I mean, you have not taken leave of your senses. Still, you are keenly aware that another self-the Spirit of God Himself-has taken over and is, at that time, in full charge of you, and you are acting under His divine unction or guidance and power from above.
The glory of the Lord that comes upon you at the time of anointing removes all fear, fills you with a holy boldness, and gives you revelational knowledge of how and what to do. It is an incomparable experience. God who is in you is now flowing up by His Spirit from your belly area (your inner being) and giving you a covering that Satan cannot penetrate (see John 7:38-39).
The difficulty that I have when the anointing comes upon me...in the heat of this experience I have an insatiable desire to literally drive the sickness or disease or demon or fear or poverty or any other destructive power out of the person. I confess it is a driving force possessing me far beyond any powers of my own. My normal compassion appears to be multiplied a thousand times. My urgency to rid the person of the tormenting power of Satan almost consumes me.
The tangible presence of God- is not mine. It belongs to God. The prophet Elijah said, "Let God be God" 1 Kings 18:24. That is exactly what I had to learn to do"
God loves us. God will move through each of us.
And these signs shall follow all who believe, they shall lay their hands upon the sick, who will recover.
Mark 16:17
We read the scriptural accounts of healing miracles and we wish Jesus were here to cure the sick in our day and age. With more and more hospitals being built, doctors unable to keep up with the needs of an increasing population, and many illnesses still considered incurable, we could certainly use this charism of healing.
The Good News is, we do have the healing love of Jesus Christ with us today. The gifts of healing manifested by the Lord have been delegated to each person who accepts Jesus as his Savior, believing him to be the Son of God.
Before He was crucified, Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, he will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father" John 14:12.
Jesus was telling the disciples that ministering to the blind, the halt and the lame was not going to stop when He was no longer visible. The commission to carry on the healing work was given to "whoever believes in Him. The works would be even greater because they would no longer be performed by one man, but by everyone who professes Jesus as Lord.
Jesus made us extensions of Himself in order that multitudes of people could be touched and cured by His love. He has no hands to lay on the sick but our hands. If, as Christians, we really believe the Lord dwells within us, then it should not come as a surprise that we can pray for the sick and they will be healed. We merely provide the vehicle through which the love of God can shine forth.
Christians are accustomed to thinking that the gift of healing is reserved for certain individuals who receive a supernatural calling from God to go forth and heal. All of us can pray over the sick. Whoever means whoever. "Whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, he will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father."
You have been called, you believe in Jesus Christ. So you see, you fit the equation. Conditions are right for you to start praying over the sick with an expectancy to see God heal them. Try it. Go out and pray over sick people and see what takes place.
David Sloane
From The Preserving Respectability At All Cost For Manmade Constructs In Ministry Files:"Tom Papania has slandered my name and has even impersonated me in a lame attempt to try to discredit me. He has also harassed and threatened the lives of my friends. Yet, in a June 2009 e-mail to a correspondent Focus rep Timothy Masters stated that "we have no desire to launch an offensive of any kind against Mr. Papania." So there you have it. That's the kind of service you get from a multi-million dollar organization. They have no desire whatsoever to protect the public from a wolf."
Brian Karjala
Who Do You Trust?
As I got up early this morning, seeking what to post today, I believe that I was lead to this theme,"Who do you trust?"
What leaders in the church do you still look to as examples of people that you would follow as they follow Christ…because you believe they really are following Christ?
“And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears”(Acts 20:25–32 ESV)
There have always been wolves among us and always will be until Jesus returns. Make that 'fierce wolves.'
Matthew 7:15[ A Tree and Its Fruit ] "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
Matthew 10:16I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Luke 10:3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
Acts 20:29I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.
Pastor Chuck Smith made an appearance at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa last Sunday and led a rousing version of "Great Is Thy Faithfulness". He looked strong and appeared to be recovering well.
The fruit from this tree has been consistently good in comparison to the fruit of other trees. This man of God has taught so many to know the Word of God and to love Jesus. He ushered in the greatest spiritual revival of the 20th century in America. I trust him. Not as an ordinary man. But as a man of God. Like all of us, he has had his moments. But over all he is running the race in exemplary fashion. I trust him.
There are others that I don't trust.
For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.Luke 6:44
Who do you trust?
Can we trust everyone in ministry?
Beating Up a Straw Man to Claim There is No Hell
Here's a nifty trick used by almost ALL false teachers. Ignore the clear teaching of the Bible and build a straw man argument based upon a distorted view of the evidence (in this case via suppression of clear Biblical data). Then beat up on the straw man that you've constructed (that shouldn't be because hard straw men don't fight back). Once the straw man is good and dead then assert your own position as if it were the truth.
That's precisely what's happening in this video put out by the "New Covenant Group" that claims there is no hell. Pay REAL CLOSE attention to the fact that NONE of the passages where Jesus teaches the doctrines of God's wrath and eternal punishment are discussed. Instead, there is only an appeal to an artificially constructed Jesus that was built using only partial data and warped human reasoning.
"Then [Jesus] will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:41–46)
Who do you trust?
Exploiting The World's Poor With the Prosperity Heresy...
As I got up early this morning, seeking what to post today, I believe that I was lead to this theme,"Who do you trust?"
What leaders in the church do you still look to as examples of people that you would follow as they follow Christ…because you believe they really are following Christ?
“And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears”(Acts 20:25–32 ESV)
There have always been wolves among us and always will be until Jesus returns. Make that 'fierce wolves.'
Matthew 7:15[ A Tree and Its Fruit ] "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
Matthew 10:16I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Luke 10:3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
Acts 20:29I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.
Pastor Chuck Smith made an appearance at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa last Sunday and led a rousing version of "Great Is Thy Faithfulness". He looked strong and appeared to be recovering well.
The fruit from this tree has been consistently good in comparison to the fruit of other trees. This man of God has taught so many to know the Word of God and to love Jesus. He ushered in the greatest spiritual revival of the 20th century in America. I trust him. Not as an ordinary man. But as a man of God. Like all of us, he has had his moments. But over all he is running the race in exemplary fashion. I trust him.
There are others that I don't trust.
For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.Luke 6:44
Who do you trust?
Can we trust everyone in ministry?
Beating Up a Straw Man to Claim There is No Hell
Here's a nifty trick used by almost ALL false teachers. Ignore the clear teaching of the Bible and build a straw man argument based upon a distorted view of the evidence (in this case via suppression of clear Biblical data). Then beat up on the straw man that you've constructed (that shouldn't be because hard straw men don't fight back). Once the straw man is good and dead then assert your own position as if it were the truth.
That's precisely what's happening in this video put out by the "New Covenant Group" that claims there is no hell. Pay REAL CLOSE attention to the fact that NONE of the passages where Jesus teaches the doctrines of God's wrath and eternal punishment are discussed. Instead, there is only an appeal to an artificially constructed Jesus that was built using only partial data and warped human reasoning.
"Then [Jesus] will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:41–46)
Who do you trust?
Exploiting The World's Poor With the Prosperity Heresy...
The Prosperity Gospel from The Global Conversation on Vimeo.
OOO
ooo
Is Jesus Back Walking the Earth And Making Statements?
The voice in this video claims to be Jesus Christ himself.
The REAL Jesus, the Biblical Jesus warned us that this would happen.
Luke 21:8 And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.
A CA Christian in Santa Monica
Church authorities not to discipline Dutch 'atheist' pastor
Utrecht, Netherlands (ENI). Two regional church authorities in the Netherlands are reported to have decided to take no disciplinary action against a self-proclaimed atheist pastor, Klaas Hendrikse.
The decision of the authorities in the southern Dutch province of Zeeland was published in a letter to their congregations, the Protestant daily newspaper the Nederlands Dagblad reported on 24 March.
The church authorities said disciplinary proceedings against Hendrikse, who is a pastor of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, would be likely to lead to, 'a protracted discussion about the meanings of words that in the end will produce little clarity'. The letter also noted that people have debated the issue of 'God's existence' throughout time.
Hendrikse gained attention with his book published in November 2007, in which he said that it was not necessary to believe in God's existence in order to believe in 'God'. The Dutch title of the book translates as, 'Believing in a God who does not exist: manifesto of an atheist pastor'.
In his book, Hendrikse recounts how his conviction that God does not exist has become stronger over the years.
'The non-existence of God is for me not an obstacle but a precondition to believing in God. I am an atheist believer,' Hendrikse writes in the book. 'God is for me not a being but a word for what can happen between people. Someone says to you, for example, 'I will not abandon you', and then makes those words come true. It would be perfectly alright to call that [relationship] God.' "
http://www.eni.ch/featured/article.php?id=2861
Who do you trust?
Here is a story of a group in Nigeria that is blending Christianity and Islam. They call it Chrislam.
The Gospel-less Gospel Presentation
Not too long ago Christians used the "4 Spiritual Laws" to explain the Christian faith. Today we now have an Emergent influenced witnessing tool that utilizes 4 circles to try to explain the Christian faith (this 4 circles presentation is all the rage among college students). The big problem with this new tool is that it completely misses the point about Biblical Christianity and sinful man's need for a savior and Christ's death on the cross for the sins of the world. Instead, this is some squishy eco-friendly Jesus presentation where you can choose to make Jesus the leader of your life so that He can work through you to bring healing and restoration to the world.
Here is a You Tube video of this new Emergent Gospel-less Gospel presentation:
Who do you trust?
2 Samuel 22:3The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
2 Samuel 22:31As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.
We trust Jesus.
Psalm 2:12Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Psalm 5:11But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
Psalm 7:1O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust.
Psalm 18:30As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
Psalm 20:7Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
Psalm 37:3Trust in the LORD
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Most of us older folks take our time getting back to someone who has called us. But young people expect response from one another in minutes. A hugh generation gap. http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/article.php/3859801/For-the-Young-Reality-is-Already-Augmented.htm
Friday, January 22, 2010
High Quality "Loose Change Final Cut" Hi fidelity Movie:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8797525979024486145#docid=4751337476676565266
http://www.elijahlist.com/
In addition to all the ads they even have a place where you can donate to them
https://www.elijahlist.com/donations/donation.php
Ok...so what I am wondering is at what point are we not trusting in God for provision and at what point do we perform our human responsibility to make an avenue through which God can bless us with His provision. I am not against them doing what they feel comfortable in allowing on their own website.
The above website is an example of commercial endeavor coupled with the traditional 'donate' model. How much does it cost for a domain name and a web hosting service for a year? And how much time does it take a webmaster to maintain the entire package? You would be surprised, not very much at all. The monetization of all the ads and sponsored links brings in more then enough to maintain the site.
I am seeing more sites caving into the monetization of their websites, good Christian websites.
Which makes it all the more rewarding to me personally when I click on a link and there is nothing to be seen to draw in funding from any visible source.
I try hard to keep this site from any distracting attempts to put the touch on anyone's wallet.
I am not alone in this thinking about all of this. I recall sitting in the pew the day that Pastor Chuck Smith triumphantly declared that Calvary Chapel had just purchased the radio station KWVE. He told, joyously, all of us, "Now we won't have any more commercial interruptions, just worship and teaching of the Word of God. Everyone was cheerful and clapped about that because Calvary had to purchase air time on a nearby commercial station (KYMS) with the typical station interrupts.
If you listen to KWVE today...well you get the point. Somewhere along the line he must have sold out to the $$$ aspects out of necessity...
There is a big juggling act to perpetuate things that all of us do in the name of Christianity. One man that I have the deepest respect for in this area is Oden Fong. Never have I seen him put the touch on his congregation. He has an offering basket in the back table of his services and never even mentions it. The man is a man of God who I have seen give away $$$ to others after his own needs are barely being met. From my vantage point he has always truly trusted in God for his provision. His personal life is a testimony to Godly giving! As you can well imagine Oden has deeply effected me by his living example of giving, in fact it is humbling.
When I was Mustard Seed Faith's roadie I found out that the band played in places where big offerings were taken on their behalf and the pastor of the church would hand Oden an envelope for playing at his church. We all would go out to eat and Oden would open the sealed envelope, in it would be just a check for $15.00. It had to have cost around $300.00 in travel expenses for the band to play at that church and the pastor took full advantage of the band. He used them to promote his own ministry. This actually happened to all of the Maranatha bands, even some big names that you would be amazed to find out had taken full advantage of the early Jesus People bands.
Greed in ministry is never supported by Jesus Christ, never. But ample provision is.
Which brings us back to my question, at what point are we crossing the provision line?
I have worked next to Benny Hinn's home for around 15 years and I worked on that small industrial building on Dyer in Santa Ana where TBN got it's humble start. I have personally witnessed TBN going from barely having enough to having way to much $$$. Today Benny has to be guarded by Black Water because he is worth so much etc. And TBN has real estate and assets all over the place. Is this what Jesus desires in ministry?
I am more comfortable with just being a 'tent maker' like Paul and doing what I can out of my own resources and allowing the blessing of Google for providing this site and bandwidth to us. To seek for gain beyond this is not something that I am comfortable with.
To be fair, others have been called to amass $$$ to distribute as the Holy Spirit directs, I am not in that calling...nor would I want to be.
What I do here is not something that I desire to be taking $$$ from others for. There will be accountability in one sense.
Lets look at just a few examples of God's "Blessings."
Genesis 26:12-13
12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. 13 The man became richer and richer, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.
Genesis 24:34-35
34And he said, I am Abraham's servant.
35And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become rich: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and male and female slaves, and camels, and asses.
Genesis 24:1
1And Abraham was now old, and advanced in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
Job 1:20
Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said:"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart.The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."
Pastor Chuck Smith would tell us kids,way back when, "The calling of God is the enabling of God. When God guides God provides."
I add to that a saying that I heard or read somewhere once, "God does not call the qualified, He makes those whom He calls qualified."
For any of us to stress over what God has called us to is so foolish. To try and make a way for ourselves and not trust in the Great 'Way Maker' is just wrong!
To sit there and try and figure out a way to "monetize" ourselves in ministry is wrong.
Pastor Chuck Smith told us kids, "What you have to do to create a ministry is what you have to do to keep a ministry."
I know of very large ministries that some men have built that need to use every avenue of fund raising to perpetuate themselves. They even hire 'experts' at fund raising to guide them in their carnal appeal to the sheep for funding. You know them, the ones who are always sending you email with special offers etc...
I am wondering if, in fact, it ever was the intention of God to have them build such large ministries. I once told some men of God, during one of our Desert Ministry weekends, "If it were possible for God to die, and He did die, I believe that the large ministries would continue on as they are, unchanged by it."
They don't actually need God's help, they have built the machinery to gather in funds without Gods help. So nothing changes.
My pure logic has always been that if God freely gives to us salvation and eternal life along with His Word, then how can we justify ever 'marketing' these things?
Seems to me that if you were poor you could not purchase any of the things that are being marketed. You would be hindered to have access to the seminars, CDs, DVDs, Bible cruises,etc.
Matthew 10:8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
If anyone will benefit from what God has invested in anyone's ministry, it is only because of what God has invested in them. It is something that comes freely from God in essence. So then, how can anyone think of marketing what God has invested in them?
If a book that someone has written will "Bless" me and help me in my walk with God, then it must contain Words from the Holy Spirit in it, right? Because certainly the words of earthly mankind will not benefit me over and above those of the Holy Spirit.
Does the Holy Spirit charge us $$$ to receive from Him?
Then how can we justify selling His Words to us to others?
Deuteronomy 8:3He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
So important that God "Humbled" them to get the point across!
Matthew 4:4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "
The person of the Holy Spirit speaks what He hears the Father speak and freely speaks to us what He hears.
John 7:38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."
The Holy Spirit is that living water within us that flows out to others. Are we to charge admission for the flows benefit to others?
Should we come up with differing schemes to monetize the flow?
Acts 1:16and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus—
Notice that Peter does not charge anyone for this information and nor did King David when he spoke for the Holy Spirit. Should we charge for what the Holy Spirit speaks through what we teach or write?
There has been a hugh compromise in the trusting God for provision department these days. Seems like everyone in ministry is on the take in one way or another in very subtle ways and some not so subtle.
It is only every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God that we are to live by...and by our food bread.
Matthew 4:4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "
I don't live by your word, nor do you by mine, but on every Word that comes from the mouth of God. I don't expect to pay for Words from the mouth of God that ministers package and promote.
Now on the other hand, there is a practical side of all of this. There are legitimate needs in ministry, such as paper and labor for bibles to be provided to others. Means of conveyance for Gods Word to reach others. Buildings to meet in and maintenance of them etc...And of course if a man of God dedicates his life to the ministry, he and his family have financial needs that must be addressed so that he can perform his ministry.
There must be a balance. Unfortunately most don't want balance. A lot of ministries get wealthy and all the principles of those ministries get wealthy. The whole family floats on the ministries marketing tools. And they usually live above the level of their congregation economically.
Greed in ministry is something to be feared as men of God. It is way too easy to convince ourselves that God is blessing us as we continue to market what God has intrusted to us, seeking to increase our $$$ intake anyway that we can.
I choose to stop the nonsense. You won't find anything of God to buy from us, but you will always have free access to anything here. Let others market the Word of God that the Holy Spirit has given to them...we have no desire to store up wealth and to live as rich men do.
Matthew 6:26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Luke 12:17-19 (New International Version)
17He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
18"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
20"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
21"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
"May you always have Just Enough."
I truly am thankful for the wonderful blessing that Google and staff freely extends to us for providing this blog space, asking nothing in return from us. The law of sowing and reaping is working for them...
Luke 6:38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Do we take, or do we give in ministry?
Here is what apostle Paul had to say:
Paul said in I Cor. 9:18 "that I preach the gospel without charge", II Thess 3:8-9 "we did not eat any one's bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you. It was not because we have not that right, but to give you in our conduct an example to imitate." Jesus told His ministers when He sent them out "Freely you have recieved, freely give".
David Sloane
Shekinah Christian Fellowship
Truth seeker
John 8:32And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
But even unto this day, when Moses is
read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless,
when it shall turn to the Lord, the
vail shall be taken away. (2 Cor. 3:15~16)
What does it mean here to turn to the
Lord? When I try to keep the law I am
turning to the law, not the Lord. Many
people today claim to serve God, but
are serving the law. We must live spiritual
life not through the law but through
receiving the heart of God.
Verse 17 says, "... and where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." For
example, I would not feel free if I were
at your house. I would be afraid that you
would be uncomfortable if I rested on
your bed, and I would be careful and
worried that you might be upset if I were
to take the water out of your refrigerator
to quench my thirst.
If your heart and
mine become one, we are comfortable
and free no matter what we do. We are
free if we have the spirit of God because
we then have the same heart as
God. One who tries to keep the law can
never gain liberty in front of God. No
matter how well he keeps the law, he
cannot gain liberty before God. There is
true liberty where the spirit of the Lord
is.
God recorded the first law on tables
of stones, but He recorded the second
law in our heart. He puts His heart into
ours. If God puts the heart to hate adultery,
to hate stealing, and to hate hatred,
we will be led by that heart and we
can live like God. You cannot live like
God when you are led by the law, but if
you receive the heart of Jesus, your life
is automatically changed into a beautiful
and blessed one.
read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless,
when it shall turn to the Lord, the
vail shall be taken away. (2 Cor. 3:15~16)
What does it mean here to turn to the
Lord? When I try to keep the law I am
turning to the law, not the Lord. Many
people today claim to serve God, but
are serving the law. We must live spiritual
life not through the law but through
receiving the heart of God.
Verse 17 says, "... and where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." For
example, I would not feel free if I were
at your house. I would be afraid that you
would be uncomfortable if I rested on
your bed, and I would be careful and
worried that you might be upset if I were
to take the water out of your refrigerator
to quench my thirst.
If your heart and
mine become one, we are comfortable
and free no matter what we do. We are
free if we have the spirit of God because
we then have the same heart as
God. One who tries to keep the law can
never gain liberty in front of God. No
matter how well he keeps the law, he
cannot gain liberty before God. There is
true liberty where the spirit of the Lord
is.
God recorded the first law on tables
of stones, but He recorded the second
law in our heart. He puts His heart into
ours. If God puts the heart to hate adultery,
to hate stealing, and to hate hatred,
we will be led by that heart and we
can live like God. You cannot live like
God when you are led by the law, but if
you receive the heart of Jesus, your life
is automatically changed into a beautiful
and blessed one.
Witness
I'd like to briefly talk with you about witnessing...
Precisely what it is and the necessity of every believer to be involved in it. First off, it need not be the daunting task that we tend to make it. Witnessing is simply sharing our wonderful Savior with others. It may take a variety of forms, both overt and covert, depending on how the Spirit of God wants to move in and through us at any particular time, as He sees the need...and that's really the key to understanding what witnessing for Jesus is all about- yielding to the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to use us as He wills.
As we walk in the Spirit, He will bring us opportunities to share Christ with others. He may have us simply share a word with someone, or a simple kind deed- planting a seed, as it were. Then, in the future, He'll send other believers that person's way, until finally, in God's time, the person, feeling the mighty convicting power of the Holy Spirit, will see their spiritual need and surrender his or her life to Christ.
Or the Lord may use YOU to actually lead someone to Christ, after having dealt with that person over a period of time. You never know. The results are up to God, but we must do our part. Again, it's about being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and being open to minister as He leads. Acts 1:8 says...
"Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth". We need to realize that we ARE living witnesses of the life of Christ as we walk with Him. My old pastor once said to me, "there are two things we can't do in heaven- sin, and witness...
Which do you think He left us on the earth to do?"... As we prayerfully look to Jesus and ask Him for opportunities to share His love with others, we'll be amazed at how He sends people our way- lost, hurting people who need the wonderful, unconditional love that only Jesus can give. May God richly bless you!
pastor Jim Ewing
Precisely what it is and the necessity of every believer to be involved in it. First off, it need not be the daunting task that we tend to make it. Witnessing is simply sharing our wonderful Savior with others. It may take a variety of forms, both overt and covert, depending on how the Spirit of God wants to move in and through us at any particular time, as He sees the need...and that's really the key to understanding what witnessing for Jesus is all about- yielding to the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to use us as He wills.
As we walk in the Spirit, He will bring us opportunities to share Christ with others. He may have us simply share a word with someone, or a simple kind deed- planting a seed, as it were. Then, in the future, He'll send other believers that person's way, until finally, in God's time, the person, feeling the mighty convicting power of the Holy Spirit, will see their spiritual need and surrender his or her life to Christ.
Or the Lord may use YOU to actually lead someone to Christ, after having dealt with that person over a period of time. You never know. The results are up to God, but we must do our part. Again, it's about being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and being open to minister as He leads. Acts 1:8 says...
"Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth". We need to realize that we ARE living witnesses of the life of Christ as we walk with Him. My old pastor once said to me, "there are two things we can't do in heaven- sin, and witness...
Which do you think He left us on the earth to do?"... As we prayerfully look to Jesus and ask Him for opportunities to share His love with others, we'll be amazed at how He sends people our way- lost, hurting people who need the wonderful, unconditional love that only Jesus can give. May God richly bless you!
pastor Jim Ewing
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The Lord Bless Thee
Numbers 6: 24-26.... "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."
This has been called the Aaronic benediction because God had told Moses to speak it to Aaron and his sons. The first time I actually heard it was when, as I was watching on TV, Pastor Chuck Smith sang it to his Calvary Chapel congregation at the close of a service. I later learned that he did that every time. Isn't it absolutely beautiful? You can 'dig into' this benediction (study-wise) without spending a whole lot of time, and yet it is so rich. I want to bring it right to us today...
."The Lord bless thee"- To bless is to confer divine favor upon, and it is the Lord Himself who bestows His own blessings upon us, His beloved children. If you have received Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are His child, and whether you realize it or not, you are the object o f His great affection...
Sometimes this truth hits me so hard, I can barely take it all in! Because of Christ, I am in His favor!...
"and keep thee"- The believer is 'kept' by the power of God. We sometimes fear that we will somehow fall out of favor with God as we hit the severe bumps and take the many blows that life has to offer, or when we feel less 'spiritual' some times than at others, or the times our behavior is not as it should be in every circumstance...
What keeps you at those times, and at every single moment of your life? The power of God! I love the way the Rev. R. Brant Baker put it one time, "If this or that or the other happens in my life, He will keep me, and if He didn't keep me, I wouldn't have been kept!" Brant understood the keeping power of the Lord in his life. Do we?....
"the Lord make His face shine upon thee"- in acceptance and favor, which, remember, we always have- Ephesians 1:6..."He hath made us accepted in the Beloved", and CHRIST is the 'Beloved"- we are accepted because of His sacrifice....
"and be gracious unto thee"- Every Christian is a recipient of God's grace- that means you and that means me!..."The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee"- bestowing upon us the beauty of His Glory and indescribable Presence....
"and give thee peace"- not the absence of turmoil, or of unsettling events, but His Peace...'And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:7)...'Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid' (John 14:27)......
Beloved, this benediction is my prayer for each and every one of you-
En Agape, pastor Jim
Friday, January 15, 2010
Bible Possibly Written Centuries Earlier, Texts SuggestsUntil now, many scholars have held that the Hebrew Bible originated in the 6th century B.C., because Hebrew writing was thought to stretch back no further. But the newly deciphered Hebrew text is about four centuries older, scientists announced this month.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Angels 
Little childlike naked babies with bows and arrows flying around with wings on their backs? Or perhaps misty foggy apparitions of beings that are not clearly seen, just hinted at. None of these. Angels are just like us humans in appearance only they are spirit beings. Those to whom they are sent can see them. And at times they can't be seen by others around them, but they are there just the same.
Let's search out the texts of the Biblical Scriptures and allow the words to paint a picture of those spirit beings known to most as "angels." Is the image conjured up by this word in you mind the same as that portrayed in the words of the text of the Scriptures?
One of the first appearances of these "men" occurs in a meeting between Abraham and three very important people in Genesis 18:
Genesis 18:1-8
Genesis 18
1And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
3And said, My LORD, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
6And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetch a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
Here we see Abraham displaying typical eastern hospitality. When he saw the three men he constrained them to wash their feet and take food and drink. Then, in keeping with the eastern culture, he served them and waited upon them but did not eat with them. But the most amazing aspect of this record is that the three men he spoke with and provided for were no less than the Lord Himself and two of His top aides.
These three individuals are described as "men." Furthermore, they sat down in the shade, washed their feet, and then enjoyed a good meal of veal with bread and butter and washed the whole lot down with fresh milk! We can assume that these men wore clothes and appeared, more or less, as normal people.
The lesson from this is that the Lord resembles a man. Or, looked at the other way around, men resemble the Lord. Remember in Genesis 1:26 during the creation we read: "Let us make man in our image: after our likeness." This informs us that our "image" and our "likeness" is fashioned after this person called Elohim, and more often referred to as Yahweh or Jehovah in the Hebrew tongue."
Many believe that God, being a spirit, does not have form. But, just as the angels are referred to as "ministering spirits," they are always called "men" and appear as "men."
In This passage, the Hebrew word for Lord is Jehovah; and, in the course of the chapter, Jehovah (Lord) appears no less than 12 times. So one of the men Abraham entertained and then had a discussion with was no less than Jehovah Himself, the Master Creator Almighty God.
After the three had finished their meal, they continued on their journey towards Sodom. Abraham had a rather feisty debate with the Lord and endeavoured to make a bargain with Him. However, the other two men journeyed on alone. We learn from the ensuing passage:
Genesis 19:1-5
Genesis 19
1And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
2And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
3And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
4But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
5And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
Once again we see from this record that these two "messengers" were mistaken for ordinary men. Firstly, Lot sees them and offers his hospitality to them. They at first refuse before accepting his invitation to food and a bed. These men, although spirit beings who abide not on this Earth, obviously have good appetites, for they enjoyed a hearty meal for the second time that day.
The entrance of these men into Lot's house is not lost on the rest of the inhabitants of Sodom, for they all gather around Lot's abode and insist on meeting the two men so that they might "know" them. This tells us that these two angels, apart from appearing as men, must have been extremely attractive individuals in order to have caught the attention of virtually everyone in the town!
We are told in other places throughout the Old Testament that these "men" or "messengers" are created spirit beings. We are also informed that they existed far beyond the creation of this present world as we know it.
Concerning "angels" in Psalm 148:5, we read:
Let them praise the name of the Lord.
For He commanded, and they were created.
And in Psalm 104:4 we are told:
Who maketh His angels spirits:
His ministers a flaming fire.
In Job, Yaweh is debating the creation of the world and says, concerning angels:
When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.
Book of Job 38:7
The "sons of God" are angels which are created spirit beings. But as we have seen, they can appear as men and look and eat and drink and talk just like human beings. To emphasise that these spirit messengers, or agents, are men, I would like to present a few more brief records. From the Book of Daniel, the names of two of the leading entities in Yaweh's host are provided:
Daniel 9:21-22 (King James Version)
21Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.
22And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
We learn from this passage that these agents have names and can fly, i.e. move very fast. Being spirit, they are not restricted to the laws of physics as we are. We see that this messenger's name is Gabriel. His main duty is to deliver messages, as he does in many places, especially in the New Testament. He is accompanied by another messenger whose name is Michael. His job seems to be the security aspect of the mission, as we see from this next extract:
Daniel 10:4-6; 11-13
4And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel;
5Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:
6His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
11And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
12Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
13But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
This man, who is still Gabriel, appears here not quite in ordinary clothes but in some beautiful raiment. Again he reiterates that he has been "sent" to inform Daniel regarding events which are to take place in the latter days. But then something unusual occurs. He tells Daniel that, while en route, he was impeded in his journey by a "prince of Persia," who held him up for 21 days. Apparently this prince of Persia is another spirit being, but an evil one. For Michael, the military aide, had to come to the assistance of Gabriel and remove this other evil agent so that Gabriel could accomplish his mission.
This provides some interesting insight into the realm of the spirit world. Again, Gabriel is a man sent on a mission to deliver information to another man, Daniel. He is ambushed by an obviously powerful evil angel named the "prince of Persia." Yet another celestial being, a military man by the name of Michael, comes to the rescue and clears the way for Gabriel to continue on and deliver his message.
All the personalities involved in this saga are men. Not human, flesh-and-blood men as we are. But spirit beings. Men of a different nature to us but men nevertheless. Because they are spirit beings they can travel faster than the speed of light and commute between Earth and wherever their celestial abode is.
Now we move forward to the time of the Gospels and briefly look at some of the appearance of these men in the days of the Messiah and afterwards.
In the first chapter of St. Luke's Gospel we are given the story of the birth of John the Baptist to his heretofore barren mother, Elizabeth, and her priest husband , Zacharias. While he carried out his priestly duties one day, an angel (Greek: aggelos: "messenger" or "sent one") appeared to him:
Luke 1:8,11,19
8And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
11And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
19And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
Later on in this same chapter this same man, Gabriel appears to Mary and informs her that she will shortly give birth to the Messiah. Mary was probably only a young girl between 14 and 18 years of age at the time. But what she saw and what Zacharias saw was a man who then proceeded to have a conversation with them just as he had done with Daniel in the earlier account.
We now move forward 33 years or so to the time of the death of the Messiah. Some of the women returned to the tomb where His body had been lain in order to embalm it.
Luke 24:1,2,4
1Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
2And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
4And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
These two beings entered into a discussion with this group who had come to embalm the body of the Messiah. In all of the other Gospels we find a similar
account. People arrive at the tomb to find it empty, but meet two men in white clothing who divulge certain information to them. Again jumping ahead a few more years into the century AD, to the account of the movements of the original followers of the Messiah, who were then labelled "Christians," there are numerous accounts of these spirit-men appearing to the disciples in order to give direction or help them out of difficult situations. Always these messengers are described as men.
Conclusion:
Throughout the entire text of both the Old and New Testaments there are almost 300 mentions of these celestial beings. Always they are described as men. Sometimes they are mistakenly treated as ordinary human beings. These men ate and drank on occasion and usually were clothed in white shining raiment. Some of the time they appear in twos. Gabriel is the one who is sent to deliver messages and he is usually accompanied by another being who is named in some instances Michael. It would appear that this latter gentleman is sent along as security for Gabriel. What we might refer to as "muscle." We are also told that these entities existed long before the world, as we know it, came into being. They are created spirit~men as opposed to human beings.
So do the Scriptures describe another world wherein exists a different form of life, possibly superior in intelligence and power to that of our world? Yes indeed. These are men who look like us and their abode is a place called "Heaven," which seems to be some considerable distance from our planet. Are they benevolent towards mankind and interested in helping us in our times of trial? The answer is yes. So the leader of this celestial group is well~disposed towards mankind? Yes. His name is Yaweh, although sometimes He is called Elohim, and He definitely seems to want to help mankind.
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Book of Hebrews 13:2
If You Are Late In Coming Here And Want To See What You Missed You Will Find This ButtonOlder Posts At The Bottom Of Each Page. Use It To See Previous Postings.
Friday, January 08, 2010
I honestly believe that the "Nephilim" constructed this amazing device. The Nephilim constructed great monuments, using impossibly Hugh stones, around the globe that perfectly line up with the stars to tolerances that we today can not even achieve. Why, we can hardly lift some of the stones and assemble them with the same accuracy the Nephilim produced. The Antikythera mechanism solved! A device so astonishing that its discovery is like finding a functional Buick in medieval Europe.
BrOkEn CiStErNs
Dear people of God, I was literally in tears as I prepared this message today. Looking out at the Body of Christ, and especially at the leadership- not with a critical eye, but with an aching heart- I am weeping with the prophet Jeremiah, "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken Me, the Spring of Living Water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water" (Jeremiah 2:13).
I pray as I give this message that it is received by believers as their hearts are reaching out to Christ in the most sincere way, that they- WE- all of us together- would seek nothing but His Own Heart at this very moment...
In the passage here, God's heart is grieved as He watches His own people seeking after other things than Himself. He knows that only HE is the true spring of living water. He created man with an unquenchable need for Him, and we were designed in a way that we require Him ultimately and Him alone. He knew that nothing of our own devises would ever satisfy the genuine longing that He put in our heart for Him, yet here He is, watching His beloved children attempt do just that...
Now Jeremiah, as you know, was called 'the weeping prophet' because he could actually feel the pain in God's heart for His wayward people, as he was constantly calling them back to Him. It was a very deep, intimate calling that Jeremiah had. It was also very intense and painful, but it was God's call on his life, and he was faithful in it throughout his life. "They have forsaken Me, the Spring of Living Water, and have dug THEIR OWN cisterns- BROKEN cisterns that CANNOT hold water". What was a cistern for? For holding water!
What can you do with a broken one? Leaving God and going our own way, even in 'small areas' in our life, will always prove to be a 'broken cistern'- always!.....
I have watched as some of Christianity's leaders today- people who probably started out with a passion for Christ and Him alone, falling prey to the 'good life', the 'comfortable life', the 'way of least resistance', or the 'prosperous' life. They got a taste of the gold, and slowly began to go after it, then they began to run after it, then to crave it. They have forgotten their Lord, though they use His name all day long!
They have dug their own cisterns, and all the while God's heart grieves for them! Look at Israel throughout the old testament- starting with God's promise, then bragging that "we will do all that the Lord our God has told us!", then falling away and following their own devises- again and again and again. Turning their backs on the very One who would gladly have given them all their heart's desires if they would only seek Him... yet their God would bring them back every time, many times through extreme pain and suffering....
I'll tell you that today's new believers are being cheated! How will they grow in grace? How will they stay passionate about their Savior when God's 'leaders' have gone their own way? Where is the proclamation of the cross? Why won't God's ministers preach Christ as He is, not as we would have Him? How will the Savior's wonderful Presence ever come forth, when His preachers are more interested in manufacturing their own cheap imitation of it? Who are they fooling? Beloved, the world TODAY needs to see Jesus!
Not our own impression or imitation of Him, but HIM! He is here, and He is here now! Covet His Presence in your life, and covet to have the grace to show Him to others. Only He can heal this lost world. Look only to Him.
En Agape,
pastor Jim Ewing
I pray as I give this message that it is received by believers as their hearts are reaching out to Christ in the most sincere way, that they- WE- all of us together- would seek nothing but His Own Heart at this very moment...
In the passage here, God's heart is grieved as He watches His own people seeking after other things than Himself. He knows that only HE is the true spring of living water. He created man with an unquenchable need for Him, and we were designed in a way that we require Him ultimately and Him alone. He knew that nothing of our own devises would ever satisfy the genuine longing that He put in our heart for Him, yet here He is, watching His beloved children attempt do just that...
Now Jeremiah, as you know, was called 'the weeping prophet' because he could actually feel the pain in God's heart for His wayward people, as he was constantly calling them back to Him. It was a very deep, intimate calling that Jeremiah had. It was also very intense and painful, but it was God's call on his life, and he was faithful in it throughout his life. "They have forsaken Me, the Spring of Living Water, and have dug THEIR OWN cisterns- BROKEN cisterns that CANNOT hold water". What was a cistern for? For holding water!
What can you do with a broken one? Leaving God and going our own way, even in 'small areas' in our life, will always prove to be a 'broken cistern'- always!.....
I have watched as some of Christianity's leaders today- people who probably started out with a passion for Christ and Him alone, falling prey to the 'good life', the 'comfortable life', the 'way of least resistance', or the 'prosperous' life. They got a taste of the gold, and slowly began to go after it, then they began to run after it, then to crave it. They have forgotten their Lord, though they use His name all day long!
They have dug their own cisterns, and all the while God's heart grieves for them! Look at Israel throughout the old testament- starting with God's promise, then bragging that "we will do all that the Lord our God has told us!", then falling away and following their own devises- again and again and again. Turning their backs on the very One who would gladly have given them all their heart's desires if they would only seek Him... yet their God would bring them back every time, many times through extreme pain and suffering....
I'll tell you that today's new believers are being cheated! How will they grow in grace? How will they stay passionate about their Savior when God's 'leaders' have gone their own way? Where is the proclamation of the cross? Why won't God's ministers preach Christ as He is, not as we would have Him? How will the Savior's wonderful Presence ever come forth, when His preachers are more interested in manufacturing their own cheap imitation of it? Who are they fooling? Beloved, the world TODAY needs to see Jesus!
Not our own impression or imitation of Him, but HIM! He is here, and He is here now! Covet His Presence in your life, and covet to have the grace to show Him to others. Only He can heal this lost world. Look only to Him.
En Agape,
pastor Jim Ewing
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)