Shekinah Fellowship and Brant Baker in the Philippines part 2

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3821465844558629585

Greg Laurie on unanswered prayers.

BE BOLD FOR THE LORD

If need be, be obnoxious. Be abrasive; be over board, gruff and disrespectful of other gods. Show no pity for false religion, have zero tolerance and no sympathy. We preach a gospel of offence. Never allow being polite or tactful to detour you from the message of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, “If you will confess me before men, then I will also confess you before my Father which is in heaven, but if you deny me before men then I will deny you before the angels of God.” If you are ashamed of him now on earth, He will be ashamed of you on judgment day.

There is no legitimate reason on this earth to shun declaring the gospel. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.

Pastor Tilson Shumate


Christian Guy Totally Owns Mormons - Watch more Funny Videos

BINDING AND LOOSING

In Matthew 18:18 Jesus said, "Whatsoever ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

In an article on "Binding and loosing," by Christian Research Institute, founded by Dr. Walter Martin the power to bind or loose was reduced to the hiring or firing of people. The article argued that Mt. 18:18 was limited only to the subject of church discipline and that Christians are in no way authorized anywhere in Scripture to bind demons. The article claims that we as Christians can only resist the devil in our own personal lives.

I see major problems with that concept of spiritual warfare. Any Christian that is active in anyway with intercessory prayer for the loosing of loved ones from the grip of Satan will understand my position. We do not merely resist the devil, we overcome him. Revelation 12:11 proclaims, "And they overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Not only did they resist the devil in their own lives, but they aggressively overcame him for the lives of others.

The CRI article made heavy reference to ‘context - context – context’ claiming the context of Mt 18:18 deals with binding or loosing people, not demons. A careful examination of the verse will reveal that Jesus said whatsoever, not whosoever - "Whatsoever ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Mark 3:27 "No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house." In context, the strong man is Satan. There are several verses in Mathew 12 and Mark chapter three where Jesus himself teaches on binding and casting out Satan.

We must put everything to the test of Holy Scripture. Do as the Bereans in Acts 17:11, "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Don’t believe any person or even an angel of light that tries telling you that you have no power over the devil. Jude 1:3 "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

I exhort you in the Lord to be mighty through God, 2 Corinthians 10:4 "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds."

In Luke 10, Jesus gave the disciples power over unclean spirits to cast them out, and in Mark 16 he gave that same power to all who believe.

Luke 10:19 "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

Mark 16:17 "And these signs shall follow them that believe: in my name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues."

Notice, ‘in my name’. That is the key to understanding Jude 1:9 when Michael the archangel was contending with the devil. He did not rebuke the devil by his own power, but said," The Lord rebuke thee." It is only by the blood of the lamb and by the word of our testimony that we can also say, ‘The Lord rebuke thee Satan’. Always keep in mind that the battle belongs to the Lord, apart from Him we can do nothing. It is in His name that we bind the work of the enemy.

Philippians 4:13 promises, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Pastor Tilson Shumate

I was there. I saw it all happen.

I had a friend from the North Country, and his name was Stephen; and because he proclaimed Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God, he was led to the market~place and stoned...

And when Stephen fell to earth he outstretched his arms as if he would die as his Master had died. His arms were spread like wings ready for flight. And when the last gleam of light was fading from his eyes, with my own eyes I saw a smile upon his lips.

It was a smile like the breath that comes before the end of winter for a pledge and a promise of spring.

How shall I describe it?

It seemed that Stephen was saying, "If I should go to another world, and other men should lead me to another market~place to stone me, even then I would proclaim Him for the truth which was in Him, and for that same truth which is in me now."

And I noticed that there was a man standing near, and looking with pleasure upon the stoning of Stephen.

His name was Saul of Tarsus, and it was he who had yielded Stephen to the priests and the Romans and the crowd, for stoning.

Saul was bald of head and short of stature. His shoulders were crooked and his features ill~sorted; and I liked him not.

I had been told that he is now preaching Jesus from the house tops. It is hard to believe.

But the grave halts not Jesus' walking to the enemies' camp to tame and take captive those who had opposed Him.

Still I do not like that man of Tarsus, though I have been told that after Stephen's death he was tamed and conquered on the road to Damascus. But his head is too large for his heart to be that of a true disciple.

And yet perhaps I am mistaken. I often mistake.

When you think that you are right, you could be wrong. And when you think that you are wrong, you could be right...

An Email From Pastor Tilson To Someone In Error

Samson,

A word of caution. You’ve begun down the road of non Pentecostal, non charismatic, (not full gospel teaching), that leads to a powerless mundane religion. I do not think that you are completely aware of what that school of thought entails. Before you make the descent I would like for you to examine carefully the ramifications and make a conscious decision of where you expect your faith to lead. If this sounds like I am talking in circles and not making sense then so be it, but it does deserve your careful consideration.

How is your Jesus? What is He like? Is He demanding and distant? Is He intellectual and soulish? Does He place heavy demands on you? Is He legalistic, requiring you to stick to the church traditions. Is He self righteous? Does He place carefully constructed religious systems on you, with rigid adherence to the laws of the religious systems?

If so, you are headed for a spiritually dead life. Here are a few things to watch out for –

#1 Gifts of the Spirit ended when the last apostle died.

#2 Speaking in tongues is least of the gifts and no one has spoken in them for two thousand years.

#3 Prophets are not for today.

#4 There are no revelatory gifts

#5 The church age does not live in Pentecost.

#6 That which is perfect has come so we have all knowledge.

#7 We have perfect understanding and do not see through a glass darkly.

#8 Embrace only those gifts suitable to their doctrine and throw out the rest.

#9 Embrace only the office of the evangelist, pastor, and teacher acknowledging only three out of the five fold ministry listed in Ephesians 4:11.

Pastor Tilson Shumate

ITS GOT TO BE REAL BRANT BAKER

AFTER SHEKINAH WITH BRANT
He changed the name to Brant Baker Ministries and then disappeared. After the show was over and everyone went home, he wanted it all back. I remember wondering where I could go to see him ministering again, but he was no where to be found.

Years later I was fasting for seven days with a friend of mine and passing out “The Big Question” tracts by Arthur Blessed in Long Beach. We met an old man that told us about an anointing that someone had, and he said it was so intense that we should not miss seeing it. He invited us to attend a special meeting that afternoon at a nearby school. His invitation had a sense of urgency about it, and he made it sound as if it were important that we be there.

When he talked about this guy with the anointing, he called him Brant Baker. But something was strange, he didn’t seem to know anything about Shekinah, or any of Brant’s prior success in the ministry. The service would start in a couple of hours, so my friend and I decided to attend.

It turned out to be a guy that I did not recognize until he began ministering. The anointing and voice was Brant Baker but it took awhile before I could bring myself to accept that this was really Brant. The Brant that I knew was good looking and had very nice looking thick brown hair. This guy had short bleached hair and looked like a transvestite.

When he called for people to come to the front for a touch from God, I got in line with a handful of others to be blessed. They were falling as he laid hands on them and prayed for them, but when he came to me, he said, “Lord it’s got to be real” and then he passed me by. Years earlier when he laid hands on me I fell to the floor and he told me that my ministry would come to pass in the last days.

Brant was right. It’s got to be real.

Pastor Tilson Shumate

Quench not-the Spirit being a holy fire: "where the Spirit is, He burns" [Bengel]
To quench is to extinguish or put out a fire. God implies the holy spirit in us is as a fire and should not be dampened.
Matthew 3:11:I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Hebrews 12:29:For our God is a consuming fire.

It is interesting to note that on the day of Pentecost the apostles saw a vision of "tongues as of fire." They then manifested forth the new spirit within by speaking in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4).

We have been given so much ability to exercise the power of God. Our freedom of will determines how much of that power we will bring forth.

We have the powerful Word of God at our disposal as well as the spirit of God within us. People hear a lot of words spoken but rarely do they see the genuine power of God unless a believer is manifesting it. God wants us to use it not quench it.
I Corinthians 2:4 and 5:And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

The connection in which the exhortation, "Quench not the Spirit" occurs, shows to what it refers. The next sentence is, "Despise not prophesyings." It has to do with the gifts of the Spirit and their exercise in the holy liberty and power of the Spirit.

"Quench not the Spirit" would go further, and warns us against any attempt to shut out, or impose limits on the free action of the Holy Spirit in the gifts He has entrusted to the saints. The word quench means to suppress or stifle. "Quench not"--as if it were a candle flame,--a fire, which might be extinguished.
.
Don’t throw cold water on someone else who is operating under the power and fire of God!
Do not throw water on yourself from doing the same thing by resisting the move of the Spirit and smothering it out.
.
The Pharisees restrict the flow of spiritual experiences until religion becomes a purely intellectual and theological exercise, and the Spirit is quenched. Pharisaism was heretical in spite of its theological correctness.The Pharisee's real problem was that they drastically overvalued the role of theology in spiritual life and made theological correctness the chief religious virtue. They had a man~given confidence in their theology. Their faith became intellectualized. Their center of faith moved from the heart to the head. A sign of this was the way that they bombarded Jesus with theological questions.
.
The Pharisee's self~evaluation was that they were on the forefront of what God was doing for Israel. Jesus judgement of them was different:
Matthew 23:29-33 (King James Version)
29Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
30And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
31Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
32Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
33Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
.
Although they believed themselves to be the protectors of orthodoxy, the Pharisees were really the opponents of the Holy Spirit. All Pharisaism contains tragic elements of missed opportunities.They stood in the way of the person of the Holy Spirit at work.
They are "witch hunters" who like to point out errors and win their case.
.
On the other hand, well meaning workers in ministry want to help individuals from being presumptuous. When Christians begin to appropriate specific promises in Scripture as being applicable to themselves and nothing happens they can become very confused and disillusioned. Yes the Holy Spirit can and does speak to individuals, and it is often through Scripture. But one must use discernment, is it really the voice of God or is it presumption?
.
We want to encourage and to inspire others to move out in the power of the Holy Spirit while helping them to avoid presumption. A very fine line, if we are not careful we could 'throw the baby out with the bath water.'
.
Many people were upset with Jesus because He claimed to know the mind and heart of God, to speak directly for God, to reveal God's mind and heart towards an individual or group of individuals. Therefore they threw Him out with the bathwater! They missed Jesus Christ, Almighty God the Master Creator because of their resistance to what He was and what He was saying. They clung tightly to their orthodoxy and their drastically overvalued theology and therefore they missed Jesus for who He truly is.
.
Are we upset at those who attempt to have an active faith idealism?
.
Ephesians 3:20 (New King James Version)
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.
.
I like that, "ask or think." What are the implications of this scripture? Can we have faith with a vision? Can we think while using our minds eye to see our thoughts realized. Can we see ourselves ministering to others before it happens? Lonnie Frisbee did and look what he accomplished in his short life time.
http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=668a381a25f0c5744f51
.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
.
God does call us to serve Him. He does give us a hope for a future. If you know that you know, that He has called you to a task. And you hold that vision dear, what will be the result?
There will be opposition from those who hold to rigid legalistic rules with tight boundaries. "You can't do that! Your a dreamer!"
.
Genesis 37:5And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
.
And yet Joseph was the deliverance for all of his brothers and their kin.
Do you have a vision a dream? Are you willing to suffer the contempt of others as you pursue your dream, your vision? Will you hold true to your vision and your dream through the years knowing that our God cannot lie?
.
Titus 1:2In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
.
You know that you know, that God has planted a vision and a dream within you. A passion! Circumstances matter nothing whatsoever in the light of what God has placed within you. You know your God. You know what He has done and what He is capable of doing.
.
Sight is a function of the eyes; vision is a function of the heart. You don't see anything happening at all and yet you know that you know that God will perform that which He has promised. You see what will be.
.
You know what will be!
.
"Where there is no vision, the people perish."
King Solomon Proverbs 29:18
.
Do you have a vision? Jesus had a vision and He knew it.
"For this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth."
John 18:37
.
It is important for you to know your vision. To know what you are meant to do. What has God prepared you for?
Don't bury your dreams. Don't give up on your God given vision. You have a reason and a purpose for your life and you know it.
.
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might."
Ecclesiastes 9:10
.
Your purpose is your passion. It gives you hope and keeps you going because you know that what God has given to you to accomplish cannot be stopped by anyone! You are immortal here on earth until God's will in your life has been accomplished.
.
But you have to fight for it, you have to believe in it, you have to put your whole might behind it. You have to stay in the race and see it to completion.
You have to believe in the gift or gifts that God has placed within you. "A man's gift...brings him before great men." Proverbs 18:16.
.
"For this reason I remind you to fan to a flame the gift of God, which is in you." 2 Timothy 1:6
You have a human responsibility to fan to a flame your gift. Stir up the gift of God. No one can activate your gift but you. You have to do it yourself.
.
You do this by reason of usage, just as a bodybuilder does with weight resistance to accomplish growth. Stir up your own gift and don't seek other people's gifting. You are created uniquely to be what you are to better to do God's will. You are an original, not an imitator.
Be who you are and God's.
.
David Sloane

Does God Speak

God is really teaching me some stuff lately…and a lot of what He has been teaching me has to do with listening to His voice.

I often see people stare at me in confussion when I mention hearing the voice of God.

Jesus said in John 10:27 that His sheep KNOW His voice…so, if you are a Christian then hearing the voice of God should not be an abnormal thing…it should be a part of our daily lives.

http://www.perrynoble.com/2008/09/02/how-do-i-listen-to-god-part-one/

***

  Here are some proven methods to help you listen to God.

The Bible records God speaking audibly to people many times (Exodus 3:14; Joshua 1:1; Judges 6:18; 1 Samuel 3:11; 2 Samuel 2:1; Job 40:1; Isaiah 7:3; Jeremiah 1:7; Acts 8:26; 9:15 – this is just a small sampling).

 There is no Biblical reason why God could not or would not speak to a person audibly today.

 With the hundreds of times the Bible records God speaking, we have to remember that they occur over the course of 4000 years of human history.

God speaking audibly is the exception, not the rule.

 Even in the Biblical recorded instances of God speaking, it is not always clear whether it was an audible voice, an inner voice, or a mental impression.

http://www.gotquestions.org/God-still-speak.html

Evangelical Protestant faith has always affirmed, as a central tenet of its understanding of divine revelation, that the Word of God must have supreme authority in religion. Evangelicalism has historically held this view in close conjunction with the work of the Holy Spirit. The truth can be stated this way:
The living and true God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is supreme head of a living church, is not mute. He speaks — and He speaks clearly — by His Spirit and through His written word, the Bible.’

http://www.the-highway.com/God_Speak.html 

 

Does God still speak to us today?
Let me tell you a little story, and you be the judge.

http://abundantgiftsblog.com/does-god-still-speak-to-us-today/ 

 

 

A Religious Spirit Revisited

This spirit operates out of old religious structures and attempts to maintain the status quo, favoring tradition over a genuine, intimate relationship with God. It influences believers to live the Christian life based on works instead of grace. Similar to the Greek way of thinking, the religious spirit depends on human effort to acquire spiritual knowledge and favor from God.

God save us!

Religious Spirit Self-Assessment
o You believe your faith life should remain separate from your work life.
o You’re motivated to share Christ out of duty.
o You can’t relate to non-believers because you’re afraid of rejection.
o You display a “better than they are” attitude toward nonbelievers.
o You are viewed by others as dogmatic and rigid (not simply a person of conviction).
o You feel compelled to be involved in religious activity and you can’t relax in your faith.
o You often feel guilty (not the same as the conviction of the Holy Spirit) for not sharing Christ with others.
o You often engage in religious debate.
o You need a packaged presentation in order to share the gospel.
o When talking about spiritual matters to strangers, you tend to talk about your church or ask about their church involvement versus talking about Jesus and their personal relationship with God.
o You have a difficult time socializing, loving or accepting those who do not believe the way you do.
o You are motivated by your church leadership out of guilt and Christian duty instead of loving devotion to Christ.
o You discourage change, preferring religious tradition.
o You believe that the ministry gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 and Ephesians 4:11 are no longer applicable today; or, if you believe they are valid, you think that they are for religious professionals, not for you.
o You form relationships for the purpose of achieving a religious activity rather than developing community from which Christ-like ministry flows naturally.
o Your loyalty to denominational structures is greater than your commitment to the kingdom of God and the entire Body of Christ.
o You view government as an “evil empire” from which we must separate instead of influence for good.
o You don’t see the need to work with other Christian ministry groups in a common effort; you usually feel that your way is the primary way and everyone should join your endeavor so as to not compromise your belief or doctrine.

In the New Testament, the Galatians started their Christian life simply by believing and having faith in God. However, somewhere along the road, they were influenced to live their lives by focusing on rules and regulations and to live according to their own human effort. Read the apostle Paul’s words as he confronted the believers in Galatia about the effect of the religious spirit on their lives:

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?
Gal. 3:1-5

Living according to rules and regulations and by our own human efforts is a trap set by the religious spirit that we can all fall into. However, it is not the abundant life that Jesus promised (see John 10:10). In Galatians 2:20-21, Paul describes how we should live our lives: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

In the Gospel of Matthew, we also read about a rich young ruler who was prevented from making a commitment to the one true God because of the religious spirit. Although he considered himself religious because he followed the laws, he had an idol in his life that prevented him from making a total or "sold-out" commitment to Jesus.

Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." "Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, "‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’""All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth
Matt. 19:16-22.

The rich young ruler wanted to gain God’s approval on his own terms by fulfilling the law. However, Jesus cut through the religious spirit by speaking to the heart of his issue.When the Early Church expanded its leadership, it commissioned Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, to active ministry.

"The word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people" (Acts 6:7-8). Notice how Stephen began to make an impact on his city—by performing signs and wonders.

However, his work also stirred up the religious spirit, and Stephen became the first person martyred for his faith God save us from our religious spirit!

Come Holy Spirit Come

The trinity of modern day Christianity best suited to their emphasis could be described as Father, Son, and Holy Bible. A personal relationship with the Holy Ghost as a person is almost never talked about and in most cases is subtly discouraged by church leaders. When on occasion, they do teach on the Holy Spirit, the vocabulary is radically redefined.

The revolutions that have occurred in culture which have taken place in the vocabularies of technology, psychology, medicine, politics and religion have little regard for biblical truth. The terminology used in teaching on the Holy Spirit has been retranslated into a language that is foreign to that of the Holy Scriptures.

It is therefore possible for evangelical theologians to use the terminology of the Bible and historic theology, but in an entirely different sense from that intended by the writers of Scripture.

A personal encounter with the Holy Ghost has been radically redefined to diminish the expectancy of new believers to a possible warm sensation or a slightly detectable energy field.

Biblical terms that refer to the work of the Holy Spirit in Historic Christianity are redesigned in a theological framework but in direct variance with the historically accepted meanings of the terms.

A church that rejects the Holy Spirit encounter may sound as if they are in perfect agreement with those who receive the power of the Holy Ghost, while in reality they are miles apart. This language barrier of terminology has a way of replacing the manifested presence of God by establishing a false sense of unity.

The fellowship becomes nominal and frustrating because the vocabulary is in agreement but the definitions are not. Non-charismatic religion that shuns the ministry of the Holy Ghost may give the appearance of agreeing with nearly every statement the Spirit filled Christian makes but at the same time young Christians in their church’s are not taught to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They don’t even know that such an encounter with God exists.

Religion may talk of God as trinity, but their concept of God is divine principles – Life, Truth and Love. Many devout Christians have a form of godliness but deny the power of God. They may be very sincere in their mental ability to serve God, but yielding to the Holy Spirit is more than surrendering ones mental concepts of serving God for reevaluation. It is to receive a baptism from heaven.

Pastor Tilson Shumate
Shekinah Fellowship

I Wonder What Divisional Denomination Jesus Was In?

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.” Deut 6:4

How do we find our way back to a shared community that is one, living with a sense of wholeness and togetherness, celebrating our differences yet working together? How do we find a way past our differences to His church?

Romans 12:4For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

Romans 12:5So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

1 Corinthians 10:17For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

1 Corinthians 12:13For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:14For the body is not one member, but many.

1 Corinthians 12:25That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

Ephesians 4:4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

Colossians 3:15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

1 Peter 2:5Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Christianity As A Religion

It seems to me that Jesus taught the best sermon was the one that is lived, not spoken. The world and many within "the church" see Christianity as a "RELIGION", and although you can look at it from that perspective, the "real" Christianity is a life-style that is rooted in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; not adherence to a code of laws as was the case in the Old Testament. The best way to witness is to live what you believe, and be familiar enough with God's Word so that you can show anyone who asks about the "difference" that they see in you. It is not enough to simply tell someone what you believe based upon what you have heard someone else say; a Sunday School teacher, a Pastor, and Evangelist, a friend, etc. I dare say that most church members would be hard pressed to provide Scripture references for their beliefs, let alone be able to explain the plan of salvation or other basic doctrines of the Christian faith.

To compound the problem there are the differences in denominations that all claim the Bible to be the inspired Word of God and their basis for faith and practice (or at least part of the basis for their faith and practice), yet their interpretations vary widely, even within a denomination. No one in their own power can "tell" anyone else what the Word of God says, nor does anyone have a mandate from God to do so. It is our job to be prayed and studied up such that we can be empowered by the Holy Spirit in all humility to be the "light" and testimony for Jesus Christ, especially within our own families; because that is the hardest place to maintain our testimony; with those who see us, not at our "Sunday" best, but as we truly are: sinners saved by grace.

Pray for your family members. Read and study God's Word so that you will be equipped to explain not only what the Bible says, but what it doesn't say, which is sometimes far more important. Make sure that your life is right with God and that your "light" is shining brightly. And most of all, wait upon the Lord to provide you with the right time and place to share your faith, your beliefs, and your understandings; always ready, willing, and able to listen to the questions and objections that someone else may raise about your faith, the Bible, Christianity, etc. There are plenty of people out there who have been misinformed about what it truly means to be "Christian"; about what the Bible says and teaches; about the relationship of Christianity to other world religions. God tells us in His Word to develop the Christian characteristics of love, humility, patience, mercy, etc., the very characteristics of Jesus' life. His Holy Spirit will take what feeble attempts we make as a testimony and witness, and honor them with the fruit that sometimes we are all too often so impatient to harvest.

Author:
Daniel Hopkinson

Great Free Christian Music On Net Radio

http://www.crosswalkradio.com/?gclid=CIac5u6ssaYCFQcKbAodJmJqoQ

Free Biblical Hebrew Lessons

http://eteacherbiblical.com/free-lessons

Noah Webster's Version

Webster Bible Translation

The Bible is the chief moral cause of all that is 'good', and the best corrector of all that is 'evil', in human society; the 'best' book for regulating the temporal concerns of men, and the 'only book' that can serve as an infallible guide to future felicity. With this estimate of its value, I have attempted to render the English version more useful, by correcting a few obvious errors, and removing some obscurities, with objectionable words and phrases; and my earnest prayer is, that my labors may not be wholly unsuccessful.

N. W.
New Haven, September, 1833.

http://www.jesusfilm.org/film-and-media/watch-the-film?al=e

Who Is Your Jesus?

http://kerussocharis.blogspot.com/2010/12/is-radical-jesus-of-michael-moore-and.html

Well Known Pastors Have Forsaken The Great Commission From Their Pulpits

And that is evil...

http://ceruleansanctum.com/2011/01/great-commission-anyone-care.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+csrss+%28Cerulean+Sanctum%29

Extention Of Presence

My Room mate Alain and I talked about this back in the early 90's. J Vernon Magee has extention of presence through his "Bible Bus" Radio teaching ministry over the radio. Even though he is no longer physically present he is digitally present and people are still responding to his ministry. Does this go towards a greater reward in heaven for him? Adrian Rogers teachings are still here on the radio even though he is not.

Every Christian should have a website ministry or some sort of extention of presence.

And now my conversation with Alain has gone mainstream...

"Dave Winer's call for Future-Safe Archives goes mainstream in Rob Walker's NY Times Magazine cover story on how the Internet can provide a certain kind of immortality to those who are prepared. To illustrate how digital afterlives might play out, Walker cites the case of 34-year-old writer Mac Tonnies, who updated his blog on Oct. 18, 2009, sent out some public tweets and private messages via Twitter, went to bed and died of cardiac arrhythmia. As word of his death spread via his own blog, Tonnies's small, but devoted audience rushed in to save his online identity. 'Finding solace in a Twitter feed may sound odd,' writes Walker, 'but the idea that Tonnies's friends would revisit and preserve such digital artifacts isn't so different from keeping postcards or other physical ephemera of a deceased friend or loved one.' Unfortunately, how long Mac Tonnies's digital afterlife will remain for his Web friends and parents is still a big question, since it's preserved in a hodge-podge of possibly gone-tomorrow online services for which no one has the passwords. Hoping to fill the need for digital-estate-planning services are companies like Legacy Locker, which are betting that people will increasingly want control over their digital afterlife. 'We're entering a world where we can all leave as much of a legacy as George Bush or Bill Clinton,' says filmmaker-and-friend-of-Tonnies Paul Kimball. 'Maybe that's the ultimate democratization. It gives all of us a chance at immortality.'"

Chrislam A New Religion?

http://www.standingforgod.com/2010/12/the-chrislam-movement-in-the-apostate-church/
http://www.johnthebaptisttv.com/2010/12/03/the-chrislam-movement-comments/

Religious Activity And Religion

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/04/holy_week.html#photo31

Could you forgive?

Luke Rodolph stood on the rim of Upper Silas Canyon, enjoying the magnificent view that stretches all the way to Lander.About 300 feet below him, Peter Absolon was climbing a new route up the cliff face of Leg Lake Cirque.The two would never meet, but in a matter of moments, they would be forever linked. One would be dead, the other torn by regret.

http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/08/29/news/top_story/9d8f833439d94449872573460006247b.txt

http://www.bibletruths.net/Archives/BTAR178.htm

http://members.iglide.net/jdurr/ProphecyNewsContent/Articles/2007/Jesus-Tomb.html

http://www.urbana.org/_articles.cfm?RecordId=226

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1990/736_Jesus_Name_Made_This_Man_Strong/
http://bible.crosswalk.com/

http://www.jesuswalk.com/

http://www.e-sword.net/

Angry At God?

It seems that more religious people are less likely to feel angry at God and more likely to see his intentions as well-meaning, Exline's research found. In studies on college students, atheists and agnostics reported more anger at God during their lifetimes than believers.

http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/01/anger-at-god-common-even-among-atheists/?hpt=C2

Why WWJD Bracelets Are Totally And Utterly Useless To Anyone

Found on the net:

Powerbalance being forced to admit their bracelet is useless, can someone notify all those people wearing wwjd bracelets as well please.
Ok...I will notify them.

Here is why the WWJD bracelets are totally and utterly useless to a Christian. Sorry Bob S, the truth is the truth...you can't go against the scriptures even if it lines your pockets with this world's gold.

Why WWJD bracelets are totally and utterly useless to anyone (You have to scroll up when you land on this link)

An Old Video

"In 1996 a team from Ted Haggard’s New Life Church [in Colorado Springs] flew to Mali and began furtively anointing entire towns with cooking oil..." - from "Fighting Demons, Raising the Dead, Taking Over the World"

He Does Not Like It When I do This

But he is such a great writer of our time! And there are so few of them out here in blog land that can write half as good as he does...

Here is his publicly available link that anyone can find through Google. http://lunarskeletons.blogspot.com/

Check him out, he is worth it.

First Post Here 2006

http://shekinahfellowship.blogspot.com/2006/12/sign-every-christian-should-display.html#links (On arrival scroll up)

Prophetic Times

Roger Oakland and John Higgins will be giving a Biblical Update of the prophetic times we live in. The update will be at 10:30 PM in Tempe, Arizona. It will be broadcast live, under Church Service Broadcasts, by clicking here.

And there is this:
http://www.daveramsey.com/momentum/our-approach/
How to fleece?

Norm's Restaurant

I go to Norm's Restaurant for breakfast on New Years day because they have a Filet Mignon breakfast special at this time of the year.


As my wife and I were seated we passed an old acquaintance who I had met there in 1990. It turned out that he was to be our server.


We ordered and he left the table. My wife mentioned that he seemed terse and distant. When our food finally arrived it was stone cold. A cold steak and eggs breakfast was not what I had come here for.


Then I started to realize something. I used to attend Oden Fongs tuesday night bible studies throughout the 90's. After the study a lot of us Christians would go to Norm's Restaurant, which never closes, for some food and fellowship.


We would all witness to the staff of the restaurant. Mainly Candy and her two brothers, Hector and Louis. We were not an easy crowd to take care of, especially with all of the separate tickets and order changes etc. Usually we would fill about three large booths in the back.


Because we were so difficult to serve I always would make sure that we left a big cash tip on the tables to compensate for our being a tough bunch to serve. It often would be about $30.00 or more usually.

Then after a while I started to notice Louis ignoring me for apparently no reason. Some one else mentioned that they had noticed her ignoring them also. Louis had mainly been our server when all of us Christians got together along with the server Hector.

Fast forward to the 2000's. One of the brothers who was always present after Oden's bible study got into some trouble with a non~believer. They had some kind of personal troubles and the girl called one of my close friends for advice. She said, among other stuff, that her boyfriend had been caught by her lingering around the table in the restaurants after she would leave a cash tip and walk away. So a few times she looked back, only to see her boy friend pocket the tip before following her.

FLASH!

I went to Louis to ask her if there had ever been any tip after us Christians would leave. Her reply to me was, "I don't want to talk about it!"

So here it is 2011, twenty something years later, and Hector treats me bad because he knows we Christians didn't leave tips. I think, looking back in my memory that this guy was stealing the tips. He was always the last person to leave the tables when we left...

This character cast an evil shadow upon our Christian witness because of his greed! I can only wonder if he stumbled these people from ever coming to Christ.

And now I get an undeserved cold breakfast because of what he has done in the past.
Shame on him.

I wonder how far reaching ours sins are?

Thank God we enter this New Year with a Savior to rely upon, cling to and trust in.

There Were Giants In The Land

Genesis 6:4There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Numbers 13:33And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Deuteronomy 2:11Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites called them Emims.

Deuteronomy 2:20(That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;

Deuteronomy 3:11For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.

Joshua 15:8And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:

Mount Sinai Has Been Located

Caldwell Family discovers Mount Sinai in 1992:
http://splitrockresearch.org/content/123/Our_Story/Caldwell_Biography
http://splitrockresearch.org/content/102/News/Press_Release

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2dJ1KfftqY

Leaked Docs:
http://www.newprovidencebc.com/Mt%20Sinai/Biblical%20significance%20of%20Jabal%20al%20Lawz.pdf

Ron Wyatt discovers Mount Sinai in 1984:
http://www.wyattmuseum.com/mount-sinai-02.htm