Mayflower

Son of Hamas

2010-07-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

I've just read 'Son of Hamas' about a true
story of a Hamas leader's son Joseph who recently converted from the Muslim faith to
Christianity. If you haven't learned of him already, Joseph is an Evangelist bringing
thousands upon thousands in the middle East to know Christ.
If you can't read the book, check out the website, download videos or just listen on line.
Truely amazing and such an inspiration. Hope you are filled with joy and are inspired too!
Pass it on! I think he, Joseph, will need prayer!
God Bless
Sarah <><
The link: http://sonofhamas.com/

The book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-key
words=Son+of+Hamas+by+Mosab+Hassan+Yousef&x=11&y=23

We are living on a young earth

2010-02-18T23:43:00.000-08:00

'Billions' of years old eh? - Click this title or: go to http://www.creationminute.com/
A huge amount of evidence points towards a young Earth of less than 10,000 years. Surely in the modern days we live we would KNOW the facts? With all the 'science' and technology, it is incredible that it is not generally known that the Earth is indeed young. But it is the same as people not knowing Jesus. They look the other way and are prevented from knowing the truth. Just think, if Genesis is true (and it is), that provides us with the very foundation of true Faith. The word is God. Jesus is divine. The tri-une God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Once you surrender to the truth, repent of your sins, and ask for the veil to be lifted, it ALL becomes clear. And the glorious truth comes flooding in each day, as we loose more and more to self and gain more and more of Him.
Prayer: Oh Lord let me rest in you for safety from these dark days we live in. Satan may have dominion over this world (you can find this in the bible too!), but we can be assured of you for our protection. Lord, you are my light and salvation - from whom shall I fear: you protect me from danger. let me be guided by YOUR light. Thank you Lord, what a joy to know this! Thank you, I delight in your word. I wait for Him. Crystal clear knowledge - I pray you realise understand too. You can choose to! Amen. (Remember - Click the title or go to the link above!)
Psalm 27 (New International Version)

Psalm 27
Of David.
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh, [a]
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, "Seek his [b] face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.

9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.

11 Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.

12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.

13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
Also, on the veil - but just google it! Matt 27:51 "Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split. "

Thought for the day and praying for our Government

2010-02-15T23:39:00.000-08:00

A 'thought for the day' has taught me that even Angels are learning and the Word teaches about all things. I have often wondered how we should pray about our Government and the people in politics. From Romans 13 We learn that we must Respect governors of the day. In 1 Peter 2 we learn we should honour them - WHERE DUE.. and in 1 Timothy 2 we should pray for them.
And no where in the Bible, does it teach us that we should TRUST the government - even after the promises we have heard that they will clean up their act after the expenses affair...
Romans 13
Submission to the Authorities
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
1 Peter 2
Submission to Rulers and Masters
13Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
18Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22"He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth."[e] 23When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Instructions on Worship
1 Timothy 2
1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time. 7And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.
8I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.

Robert and Rosemary Mcauley

2010-02-12T01:28:00.000-08:00

Wow - We were priviledged to hear Robert and Rosemary's testimonies last weekend (6th Feb) at the Rhema Mission Church, Rode Heath. There are six parts - start at part 1 by clinking the title above and you will easily find the remainder parts listed on the right on the Youtube pages.

Rosemary and Robert were farmers and lived in the midst of the Northern Ireland 'troubles' in the 80s and 90s. They have a daughter who was expected to not live beyond birth due to a host of medical complications, but all these fears were disolved... the daughter is carrying out a normal life. I'm not going to tell you too much as this deserves being listened to by Rosemary herself on the link - click the title above!

WE READ HARRY but WE FOLLOW JESUS

2010-01-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

by Desi Maxwell - (all his words...well worth copying!)
Thank you Ms. Rowling. Thank you for a riveting read in the Harry Potter series. Thank you for making reading so exciting. Thank you for sharing your creativity. Above all, I want to thank you for raising some of the profoundest theological and philosophical issues. Your stories start in Privet Drive but lead to public debate. I congratulate you on succeeding where most theologians and philosophers have failed. On the one hand your story lines have carried me off into the surreal world of wizardry at Hogwarts and beyond, yet on the other hand I have been brought face to face with the concrete issues of moral choice, selfless giving, true commitment and the struggle between good and evil. You have no idea of how many times Harry has afforded me the opportunity to talk about some of the most wonderful themes in the Bible, the story of the ultimate Chosen One.

I admit readily to wearing a decidedly Christian pair of specs. Ever since my English teacher in sixth form instilled a love of books I have found reading a thrill and literature a fascinating map of human thought. I never cease to be amazed and challenged by how authors raise the big issues of life and death that the Bible deals with. A book may be shelved under ‘fiction’ in the shop or library but the contents often wrestle with the hard facts that everyone must grapple with sooner or later in life. When I wonder why this should be I keep thinking about a fascinating verse in Ecclesiastes which says ‘He (God) has set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end’ (3:11). In other words there are some things planted so deeply in the human psyche that they are irrepressible. No matter how intensely the truth may be ignored or suppressed by non-believers, even whole-hearted antagonists, of Biblical teaching, there are things indelibly impressed within us as created beings. As humans we all have deep longings and, buried throughout the created universe, God has placed signposts to the ultimate source of meaning. With this in mind I want to share some of my reflections on the saga of Harry Potter. I am not suggesting that Ms. Rowling has written a Christian tract but, throughout her narrative, themes resonate with truths that speak of an even deeper mystery.

The Chosen One

What is beyond all doubt is that from infancy through to manhood Harry Potter is the focus of all seven volumes. In 64 languages, 365 million people have traced the history of Harry. While they may now be able to compile a veritable Who’s Who? of wizardry and other unimaginable creatures, they know that the spotlight has never moved off Harry.

The Mission

Harry is a man with a mission. Like Frodo Baggins in THE LORD OF THE RINGS, he has been chosen for a very special task. As the hobbit had been commissioned to destroy the ring, so Harry’s lot is to confront and destroy the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Toward the end of the last volume in the series, he says that the knowledge of how to destroy the enemy had been passed on to him by his old headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, and now ‘I’m going to keep going until I succeed – or I die. Don’t think that I don’t know how this might end. I’ve known it for years.’ (HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, p458) For those who have even a smattering of Latin from their school days they will recognize that the very name of the Dark Lord reeks of death. (Latin ‘mors’, ‘mort’ = death) Even you never had the blessing of a Latin grounding, you will identify the last syllable of Voldemort as the same as the first syllable of mortician, the one who handles death daily.

The Last Enemy

If Voldemort is the personal antagonist, the ultimate enemy of Harry, indeed of us all, is death itself. According to JK Rowling, death is a major theme in her writing. She says ‘My books are largely about death. They open with the death of Harry’s parents. There is Voldemort’s obsession with conquering death and his quest for immortality at any price, the goal of anyone with magic. I so understand why Voldemort wants to conquer death. We’re all frightened of it.’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter#_note-25)

The Personal Pain

What is particularly striking in the last book of the series is the personal cost of the mission to Harry. Hermione and Ron may prove to be the closest of friends, Hagrid and others are willing to die for him but ultimately the task is Harry’s and his alone. There is a particularly poignant part near the end where ‘he yearned not to feel…he wished he could rip out his heart, his innards, everything that was screaming inside him’ (HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS p531)

The Final Victory

It would be rather surly of me to give away all the details of the plot and spoil the excitement for other readers, but suffice to say that Harry does come face to face with death. There is the inner agony that comes with being the chosen but there is an even stronger willingness to give himself up for the sake of others. Such self-sacrifice is a powerful theme and a key to the final outcome. If you have not read the book I shall not divulge the outcome but I can say that good does prevail.

Other readers will undoubtedly identify other themes but these five were particularly clear as I read through my Biblical specs. My mind kept toggling between the book and the Bible. In the latter I find the same five themes.

THE CHOSEN ONE – MAN OF GOD’S CHOICE

It has been said that the Hebrew writers of Scripture were the world’s first historians. They did not write about mythic giants, superheroes and heroines but told a story that involved ordinary people. The Bible is full of people, but running through its pages there is a very special line of men who are the men of God’s choice. From Abraham, through Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua and David there is a distinct line of chosen men on whom God’s spotlight focuses. The fact that they are chosen is not a reflection on their personal superiority to others but rather the emphasis is on their particular relationship with God himself. This line of chosen individuals comes to a climax and focus in the person of Jesus Christ, the ultimate man of God’s choice. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that everything in the Bible is about him. Either we are reading the Old Testament anticipating his coming or the New Testament interpreting his coming. Central to the whole unfolding drama in all its diversity is the figure of Jesus Christ.

THE MISSION – OBEDIENCE TO THE DEATH

Many terms could be mustered to describe the person and work of Jesus but if we were to be limited to only one then it would surely have to be ‘obedience’. Yes, Jesus showed love, power, mercy, grace, sacrifice and solidarity but above all ‘obedience’ is the rubric under which everything else may be subsumed. As the apostle Paul wrote he ‘became obedient to death - even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:8). Undoubtedly there was a certain historical inevitability to the death of Jesus, given his challenge to both the political and religious establishment of his day, but above and beyond this there was a clear theological indispensability. In declaring that he ‘must be killed’ (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33) he was expressing something about the will of God rather than the plans of men.

THE LAST ENEMY – DEATH ITSELF

Paradoxically it was only because of his very submission to death that Jesus was given victory over death when God raised him to life. Yet the path to resurrection victory could not bypass the humiliation of incarnation, rejection, suffering and death on a cross. Such a route demanded a conscious commitment at every step and ultimately there was no one else who could take his place. In fact, in the Scriptural account many of his disciples were not as loyal as Harry’s closest friends. However, in Jesus, the one of his choice, God launched his full frontal attack on the last enemy and broke the totalitarian regime. Having shared our humanity, Jesus died to ‘destroy him who holds the power of death- that is , the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death’ (Hebrews 2:14-15)

THE PERSONAL PAIN – JESUS WEPT

So often the person and work of Jesus has been dressed up in theological language, that the raw agony of the personal pain has been lost. The shortest verse in the Bible, ‘Jesus wept’ (John 11:35), may also be the profoundest. Though Jesus felt the loss of his friend Lazarus as he stood at his grave, he also raged within himself. Few have put it better than BB Warfield when he wrote : ‘It is death that is the object of his wrath, and behind death him who has the power of death, and whom he has come into the world to destroy. Tears of sympathy may fill his eyes, but this is incidental. His soul is held by rage: and he advances to the tomb, in Calvin’s words…’ as a champion who prepares for conflict’ (THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST, Philadelphia, 1950, p117)

THE FINAL VICTORY – DEATH OF DEATH

The outcome of this man’s conflict is one that I am free, indeed obliged, to tell you. As the man of God’s choice, Jesus Christ was not only obedient to the point of death but overcame the power of death. In him we find an answer to the ultimate threat.

I admire JK Rowling for having the courage to talk so openly about the very thing many people, and even churches, regard as a taboo. She has been willing to bring death out of the closet. We all fear death and like Adam, Voldemort and many others, quest for immortality at any price. Having pinpointed the enemy, it is even better to move from the fictional to the factual victory of Christ, now risen from the dead to reign for ever. Yes, we read of Harry but we may reign in Jesus.

Desi Maxwell Aug.13, 2007

click this title: Exclusive Religion. When will the penny drop?

2010-01-21T06:20:00.000-08:00

When will the penny drop?
..And when YOU have the revelation…: “ah Jesus means......; I understand…So, it's not all about ME. “When I totally surrender self to Jesus, the son of God, who died to save me, I will inherit eternal life and at last will come home. By His grace, I will know the real reason to why I am here – it is all for a person, Jesus.”
Instead you say” you are too arrogant to me. You are saying you are better than I am. You worship an exclusive God. You say, you have superiority over me. Why can't you accept what I believe; accept MY name - that I do it MY way?”
I can UNDERSTAND this and I don’t blame you for not trusting Jesus. Look at what the gospel says – study it for yourself. Hear Jesus’s words, not mine. Go to the book of 1 John.
You may have heard the idea about all beliefs stemming from the same source (I think the Bahai’s may support this) –The picture of a mountain where the same water comes down in different streams, all round the mountain – from one source. The mountain picture demonstrates all religions do this. So, people naturally assume that if different religions believe in what they want, keep to themselves and care for their own, this is okay, and no one will get hurt and have mutual respect. But to have this picture and believe this must be correct – assumes you can see every stream, BUT you claim to see from God’s perspective! Look, you are not God! Don’t you see that a secularist is every bit as self righteousness as a moralist? Sooner or later it leads to division. Each group looks down their nose at the other.

Religion is a set of beliefs in the fullest sense – a set of answers to the big questions. Why are we here – what is right and wrong, what will fix the human race – what are the most important thing to be doing. Everyone can not prove the answers are right – so it is by faith..

Take Issues in the public domain like: – Education, Poverty, Divorce laws… social issues... You cannot leave your religious beliefs when you come into the public domain. You can not keep them out. It is hypocrisy to think the law can suit all on each issue. The laws that work depend on what your perception is on that particular issue – for instance, divorce. Whose needs are important? The family’s? The individual? The group? People have different views.
Everybody has a set of exclusive beliefs.
So, perhaps we ought to ask ourselves, which set of exclusive beliefs can produce peace loving, inclusive, reconcilable behaviour?
One strategy that deals with the divisiveness of ‘religion’, is to look at the things about the Christian gospel that are unique to Christianity.
A Christian’s belief is different from ALL other religions. It is unique. Three things this text tells us in John 1. It will take you into being an agent of peace.
1 The origin of Jesus’ salvation.
Every Christian spirit acknowledges that Jesus has come in the flesh and is from God (Not ‘born’ but ‘come’ – he was somewhere else before he came into the world. In Jesus, God came into the world.) Jesus is God.
2 The Purpose of Jesus’s Salvation
Other religions want to liberate you from the flesh. At birth – Jesus received the body. God redeemed him from the body. Transformation of this world – the is biblical vision is unique – we become a new person in Christ, when we are saved.
3. Method of Grace. Other religions say you have to be good, to perform the truth, love God etc. If God sees this then He will bless you and save you. The gospel does not say this. He loves us.
Not that we love God, but He sent His son to suffer for those who don’t love him, who aren’t virtuous. He came to die, and we are not saved by our performance.
Jesus is a saviour who died the death we should have died. Lived the life we should have lived.

Another argument you may have, what about love? – isn’t it important that we just LOVE one another – You say: "let’s not talk doctrine and the resurrection" .. but, sooner or later you will come up against a barrier, a conflict, a division. So you want LOVE to your stream flowing from the love mountain? – Unless your religious impulses, confess these unique distinctiveness of Christianity mentioned above, your spiritual impulses may enslave you and turn you to hate other people.

If you accept 1,2, and 3 above, you will turn into the agent of reconciliation and peace, that is for all mankind. Surrender to Him and the miraculous will happen. It won’t be easy, but it will be right – because He didn’t make us right, but declared us right by what He did on the cross.

It is all in the bible. Ask Jesus. He will help you by His spirit to know the truth.

Solomon shows we fall short

2010-01-18T22:14:00.000-08:00

Last eve's bible study was on 1 Kings 11 (click the title above).
We learned that God had given Solomon a wise heart - at S's request. A thinking, willing, feeling centre... but as his years numbered and he became older, bit by bit, it was his heart that let him down. He had not only the Pharoe's daughter as a wife - but hundreds of others, who worshipped foreign Gods - and they persuaded Solomon to do the same. You will see 'hearts'mentioned in this first section - five times! Mark 7 - 21-23 says out of the heart comes 'evil from within'.. When we get older in our years, can't we just coast a little in life? - Haven't we learned things from our youth - can't we pass the batton? No old age brings even more challenges that we have ever faced! (This was a main point of our video from Dale Ralph Davies at Keswick last year). We face loss of health, spouse, cancer and death... Older people need ministry of God's people - They need prayer and care. Solomon turned away his heart - then his heart turned away from the Lord.... And Solomon had encountered God twice - in Chapter 3 of Kings 1 4-15 and Chapter 8 1-9 - when God said to Solomon: "Be faithful." This point is that all along God new what Solomon was going to do... and even this priviledged relationship, the intimate experience with God didn't guarantee the pure devotional relationship to God.
So what can we rely on? Well, in God's plan, He was setting the scene for the world - that through David (Solomon's father), - through David's line, would come a King, Jesus, who would be an atonement for ALL. God had this royal person in His sights, PLUS an atoning place - Jerusalem that was to come years later.. Jesus would fulfill the prophesies and overcome death and be the perfect sacrificial lamb. This is the anchor of our faith. Man has and had no power to overcome God's plan. God's promises remain! Jesus is waiting for you. He wants none to perish, but He also says that the gate is narrow and not all will find salvation. You WILL find it IF you look with all your heart, soul, body, mind - everything because Jesus is a jelous God and wants all of you. And He offers you santification for your sins. Don't listen to your feelings - and think - oh this is scary! - that is only a distraction - Satan saying beware, but don't listen to this! Repent, to the Lord, God, and know Him. Keep him close - because there's a lion that prowls.... Keep to his word (the bible), Keep praying - ceaselessly.

And you will experience joy like you never have before - and that experience will give you strength to go on and shelter under his wing, and bare the lighter yoke that the Lord offers.

"Watch you therefore, and pray, always that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." - Luke 21 v. 36.
There is nothing to fear when the Lord is here.

The Lie Evolution

2010-01-12T05:06:00.000-08:00

This title is acutally a title of a book by Ken Ham. We MUST think about evolution and not just accept it. Think deeper and question it. I find this topic surfacing in my mind once again.
If evolution has taken place our museums should be full of skeletons of countless 'transitional' forms. This is so obvious, and simple, yet it is NEVER a question that gets asked. We are so soon to accept a few mens views. Over one hundred years of intense searching only a small number of transitional candidates are touted as proof of evolution. If evolution has really taken place, where are the transitional forms? And why does the fossil record actually show all species first appearing fully formed, with most nearly identical to current instances of the species?
Even in the last few years I have noticed the BBC saying "Here is a scientist who has found a very rare fossil and this may be the 'missing link' and yet, none has been.. Don't you find it odd?
The idea - and this is all that it is, the 'theory' of evolution, proports that things develop by an (unguided) series of small changes, caused by mutations, which are "selected" for, keeping the "better" changes" over a very long period of time. How could the ability to reproduce evolve, without the ability to reproduce? Can you even imagine a theoretical scenario which would allow this to happen? And why would evolution produce two sexes, many times over? Asexual reproduction would seem to be more likely and efficient! I have taken some ideas from the Creation Science website - click on the title and be conused - if you are a believer in evolution! See also http://www.drdino.com/letting-god-create-your-day.php

Forgiveness

2010-01-08T04:52:00.000-08:00

So, we read about Forgiveness today: If you follow the link about Peter Robinson and his wife, this is a sad affair, but nevertheless an example to all of us that teaches us about repentance and forgiveness. for we are all guilty of sin and can ONLY be redeemed by sincere repentance before Jesus. Pastor James McConnell is absolutely sound in his words to the press here. Doesn't it stir you, the reader, here, to think about your own sin. Veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has described Iris Robinson as a "hypocrite" for having an affair. But can't Peter see that he, himself needs to repent of his own sin. Yes, me too! And grace is undeserved and scandulous - don't you like that? And do you, can you understand? And Jesus promises to help us, by His Holy Spirit to keep us on a road away from temptation, if we follow Him daily.

the pastor concludes to the press (follow link on title above)"We can only but pray for them and pray for them with great compassion as we would do for any sinner no matter what sin they have committed.

The Beauty of Holiness by Sylvia Britton

2010-01-01T01:38:00.000-08:00

Dear friend Sylvia - you wrote this and I just had to copy ALL and paste today. May we all strive with God's will and His spirit within us for Holiness. And may we understand the true meaning of Holiness and why we are Christ followers in the first place. God Bless you this New DAY, the first on this year 2010. Sylvia writes:

“Holiness, not happiness, is the chief end of man.” Oswald Chambers

“No attribute of God is more dreadful to sinners than His holiness.“ Mathew Henry

“…but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16

What is holiness? You probably already have some definition in mind. Definitions of holiness run the whole gamut from the hermit in a hair shirt, hidden in a remote cave, to a skirt wearing, bun capped dour woman, to those who refuse to apologize for wrongs because they don’t believe they are capable of sin all the way to legalism where there is a long list of things we must not wear, eat, drink, watch or touch. None of these things really defines true holiness.

Holiness is such a deep and multifaceted topic that I don’t anticipate being able to give it justice in a devotional. So for now, I hope to whet your appetite for more on the topic of holiness. I do heartily recommend that you begin a Bible study on holiness. The book The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges and the writings of A.W. Pink are good resources for further reading and contemplation.

In its purest form, holiness is complete moral purity. This is something that no human being has achieved or can ever achieve. So why do we continue to search after it? We continue to search because though God has made us righteous in Christ, He calls us to righteousness in our character. God has set the desire for holiness in the hearts of all His people. “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness” Isaiah 61:10.

The journey to personal holiness begins with a right view of God’s holiness.

God’s holiness is perfect. And our holy God is so holy that He is not even tempted to sin, nor will He ever tempt us to sin (James 1:13). God hates sin. Every time we sin either in word, thought or deed, we are doing something that God hates. (Psalm 119:104; Habakkuk 1:13)

Our God is a three-times holy God. So holy that Holy cannot adequately describe Him. Scripture uses the phrase “Holy, Holy, Holy” to describe God (Revelation 4:8; Isaiah 6:3). Until we begin to understand the holiness of God, we will falter in our growth toward holiness. The only way to understand His holiness is to grow closer to Him through reading His Word and prayer.

The journey to holiness continues with a right view of sin and a right view of God. One of the biggest roadblocks to living a holy life is our refusal to take sin seriously. In our minds we have divided sin into categories of serious sin and not-so-serious sin. We sometimes think of sins as “mistakes” instead of ascribing to those mistakes the moral weight they deserve in God’s eyes. We do this as if calling those sins mistakes they are not so bad and God will not judge them to be sinful. God does not categorize sin in that way. All sin separates us from fellowship with God. God hates all sin, not just some sin.

The holiness that we are called to, is what Jerry Bridges calls a “joint venture” between God and ourselves. Unlike the holiness He gives us that makes us fit for His salvation, it is not something that He will bestow on us without our effort.

There are two kinds of holiness; that which God gives and that which God calls us to. That holiness to which we are called is as dependent on our effort as anything we will ever do in life. God provides us with the impetus to live a holy life, the strength to live it and the arsenal to defeat sin in our lives, which includes the presence of His Holy Spirit.

So far we have established in this short devotional that;
·Holiness is perfect moral purity
·Sin is when we fall short of perfect moral purity in any way
·God is perfectly holy
·God hates sin
·God requires holiness in our character and daily lives.
·When we sin, God hates that sin
·There are two types of holiness; that which God gives us at salvation and that which He calls us to in our daily living.

Finally, the journey to holiness includes the daily living out of the life of Christ.

We are no longer slaves to sin, it no longer reigns in us, and we can defeat it. According to Jerry Bridges, God gives us the potential to resist sin; the responsibility for resisting though is up to us. There is no such thing though as instant holiness. Holiness is a continual journey, a constant battle and, as Jay Adams says. “It is by willing, prayerful and persistent obedience to the requirements of the Scriptures that godly patterns are developed and come to be apart of us.”

Have you stopped to wonder about why God saved you in the first place? So that you could have a great life? A place in heaven? There is a reason:

“God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him.” Ephesians 1:4 .

We were saved to be holy. Dear sisters, it is time for us to lay aside all those sins that beset us, to get serious about serving God and realize that our time here is but a moment, a blink, in eternity. To realize that God requires us to live holy lives and that He Himself will work with us to lead us into a holy life.

Holiness should concern us deeply and holy living should be foremost on our minds every day. It should disturb us and at the same time encourage us to obedience to read:
“Make every effort to ….. be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14.

A.W. Pink describes the true faith in God through Christ as “…a faith which purifieth the heart.” (Titus 1:1) one which grieves over all impurity (Acts 15:9) and one which produces an unquestioning obedience (Heb. 11:8). Is your faith leading you in that direction?

The journey to holiness consists of a pattern of living life;
· Hearing the Word taught (Jeremiah 3:15) Go to church, listen to sermons and learn in Sunday School.
· Reading the Bible (Deuteronomy 17:19) You are blessed to live in a culture where the Bible is available to everyone. Read it daily, prayerfully.
· Studying scripture (Proverbs 2:1-5) A good study doesn’t have to be costly. Use your Sunday School material or ask your church’s pastor or Sunday School director for suggestions.
· Memorizing the Word (Psalm 119:11) Challenge yourself to memorize God’s Word. We sometimes forget that memorization isn’t only for children.

I would add one more thing to Dr. Pink’s list. Prayer and relationship with God. You cannot help but be changed if you are daily in His presence.

Ask the Lord to open your heart to His Word and His Truth that Holy Living is not optional for the Christian. Ask Him to show you the things in your life that are keeping you from living out the holy life a Christian is meant to live. What is keeping you from living a holy life?
Here are some scripture references to get you started on the journey to finding out more about holiness:

Ephesians 4:30
2 Timothy 2:21
1 John 1:6
Psalm 119:104
1 John 5:3
James 1:22
Galatians 5:16
Philippians 2:12

As a friend of mine commented, holiness is more about being than doing. My hope is that the women reading this will be encouraged and challenged to find out more about holiness and how to be holy. My fervent prayer is each one reading will begin to talk to God about holiness and ask Him to open His Word regarding personal holiness.

Remember that the journey to holiness only ends in heaven in the presence of God when we are changed into His likeness, but that His will for us is to continually strive toward holiness and remain faithful in our walk with Him.

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. Psalm 29:2"

Thank you Sylvia! So this isn't just for women, but men. I pray the "holiness to which we are called is as dependent on our effort as anything we will ever do in life." - that this will be my and your 2010 manifesto as a Christian and any person willing to repent of all their sin and turn toward the true God for their salvation in Christ, to become a new person, shedding all their self each day to be renewed by his spirit. Amen

Simeon holds baby jesus

2009-12-27T21:32:00.000-08:00

Jesus's birth, celebrated at Christmas time is recorded and explained in the bible. Simeon's declaration is timely and poiniant. How the true message gets overlooked and watered down when we look at 'the world's' view of what is meant by the person of Jesus!
The Word records the witness of the infant Jesus by a devout Jew. Simeon was moved by the spirit to be in the temple as Jesus, at around 8 days old, is taken by his parents, Joseph and Mary, for circumcision into the temple. Last evening we had a sermon on this passage from the book of Luke 21-38. Our pastor, Gary Aston at WHBC reminded us that Jesus came to earth with a 'combative' purpose.
Guided by the Spirit, Simeon's own prayers are answered and he is able to witness and declare the true and real God of creation and the universe here on Earth.
King James Bible:Luke 2: 34
And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;. Click the title above for an indepth study.

The Bible – Read it

2009-12-23T02:39:00.000-08:00

There is a book (who runs may read)
Which heavenly truth imparts,
And all the lore its scholars need,
Pure eyes and Christian hearts
- Words by John Keble (1792-1966)

“There is no remedy for comfort like that which is poured from the bottle of Scripture.”
- C H Spurgeon

You will see writing in parentheses below – these are all quotes from the bible. Google the quotes and you will find them on the internet. Or, click the title and you can read the bible online!
This Christmas 2009, why don’t you pick up a bible and start reading? Dip in to it. Read it from cover to cover, or start at one of the Gospels – John is preferable. John begins with The Word, or Jesus. Pray to God for guidance as you read, so He may reveal His truths to you in His Word. I found it difficult to start reading the Bible on my own. I needed Christian fellowship and friends, in order that I may know Him. Scripture is ‘God breathed’. Now, more and more I am able to understand His word on my own, in delight! You can contact a Christian friend and ask them what is meant by certain passages of scripture. The Lord will guide you in everything, in getting to know him, if that is what you desire. ‘Where your treasure is there will be your heart also.’
The Bible was just a book to me, when we first started holding our bible study group a few years ago. I knew little and I certainly didn’t know how to pray. We followed the Book by Book series (Biblical Frameworks)from All Souls Church, Langham Place, London. Richard Bewes and guests took us through books like Genesis, Exodus, Ephesians, James, 1 Peter, Timothy, Galatians, Psalms, John, and Phillipians. We have also studied the last book of the bible - Revelation through a 6 month series of sermons by Mark Burch as he preached to a congregation at Willow Park Baptist Church in Canada. I attended two study weekends and went through the Book of Esther and then another year studied parts of Isaiah. Church sermons, particularly during the last five years out of the 15 years we have been attending, have also given me an insight into the character of Christ and His purpose. How many times have I thought about the incredible relevance and poignancy of hearing the word at that particular time of listening! There is no doubt in my mind, soul, heart and spirit – Jesus is the divine son of God – and Jesus came to save us from the wrath of God because Jesus suffered on the cross in our place. This is a treasure to know and to have the experience and revelation of knowing. People who don’t know this don’t know the one true God. Man is naturally rebellious and proud. Search your heart. Not until we repent and ask Jesus to show us the way, will we have the opportunity of knowing Him. And we can know Him through the Bible, through His word.
Our bible study group consists of around 10 people. We have poured over the scripture together, on a Monday evening, in one like mind and spirit and have helped each other in discovering more about Jesus. We have all been made richer with knowledge and wisdom of His words. We were simply, a group of Christian friends desiring to know more about Jesus. We have a Methodist lay preacher among us who has been great when instantly being able to refer us to specific passages, in order to cross reference. My father-in-law had been a Methodist all his life, but before we got down to really studying together, he had not been taught that Jesus is not only written about as a prophesy in the old testament, but that Jesus can be identified throughout the Old testament. The bible has helped us all in our daily lives providing us with reassurance, giving us confidence in Him, comfort and strength, and helped us to know Jesus, the tri-une God, as well as His purpose in this world. We have been blessed.
This world we live in does not provide us with the ultimate answers to life, which is why the bible was written – to give us the answer, the light and the truth. The bible explains the devil and his workings; why satan has dominion over the Earth today. We are tiny specs of dust, smaller than that – when we compare our little frail bodies with the size of the universe. And yet God loves and cares for each one of us – even He has numbered the hairs on our head. Mind boggling! How can we rely on our own strength and our own intelligence to give us the answers? Can’t we see, that all along, God has been calling us from the beginning? He calls all sinners, you and me. And we CAN be perfectly clear about what He is and who we are when we study His word. Jesus 'did not come to bring peace to the world', but to reveal himself as peace in us, by His spirit. This is a true experience of a Christ follower. Emmanuel means ‘God with us’.
My family - brothers and sister and our Indian brother, Jesus calls you to hear Him, and you can only do this by putting your pride and rebellion away and drawing closer to Him. ‘Faith comes by Hearing.’ Wake up. The time is short. The truth that Jesus offers is far greater than all the so claimed truth offered by any other, false, claims. The Bahai faith I see as guilty of all, because they do not recognise Jesus as divine. If they did, then their faith would fall apart. The Lord Jesus loves all people and wants nobody to stumble.

All has been said in the Bible that there is to say. Your identity could be in Christ and you don’t have to change a thing. If any change will come, it will be God’s will, not yours. I pray for you, my brothers and sister and close family every day, for the ‘veil to be lifted’ and your heart to be filled as mine is. I am not being patronising or big-headed because I know I am not. I speak and 'boast from God'. He has given me permission – for it is in His word. If you mock me, you mock Jesus.
Scripture promises Jesus is coming again. It could happen later today or in 1500 years time..’no one knows the time’.
Oh, just READ THE BIBLE – it is all in there – and it may change your life, heart and spirit as well, like it has me. And millions of others. The Bible is the LIVING word.

Jesus, Lord of Lords!!!!!

2009-11-02T22:44:00.000-08:00

That's my KING! - see this link by S M Lockridge
Yes, that's my King! CLICK THIS TITLE!!
Glory be to God!
His LOVE to you today!

Blessed Assurance - Let's count our blessings

2009-10-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

Blessèd assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Refrain

Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Blessed Assurance - by Fanny Crosby, 1873:

“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” Hebrews 10:21-22

Lost in His love - Wow!! A local pastor, Trevor Knight (67) gave us the following sermon (noted down quickly) thought I would share with you.. Trevor listed a few blessings that we can enjoy from Jesus..
1) Forgiveness of sins - undeserved
2) Gift of the Holy Spirit - to guide us, to live in our hearts and transform us so we may come new in Christ every day. What a joy! With the indwelling of the Spirit we don't become sinless but we will sin - less! And grow in Christ as we read His word and live out each day clinging to Him that knows, Him who comforts and Him who guides and protects our lives.

3) Foretaste of Glory

4) Wonderful Future (see song above!)

5) Wonderful foundation in the Bible - we can study this great book - see King James Version and International version Study bible, or get a Christian friend to take you through it. The Guideon bible is printed the world over.... "Seek and ye SHALL find!!"

6) Only become His Children by receiving Christ - try it - ask for forgiveness and pray - say outloud, or to yourself - Help me Lord - I want to give it all over to you. You take the reigns... and just watch how your life will change. Believe in Him - you don't have to know - just believe, at first!

7)Jesus is coming back (Acts 23) - it will be a world shaking day and it is drawing nearer each day...We will be transformed and caught up with Him - what a blessing!

The first public word that Jesus said was (Matthew Chapter 4 v.17) was: "Repent".

The first personal word He told his disciples was: "Follow" and the first pastoral word He told was on the sermon on the mount which was:"Blessed".

Read His word - and give all to Him. Trust in Him. Don't follow what the world tells you - Satan rules the world at the moment. But we know we are in the days of grace, and we can be ASSURED of this! We can stand in grace and walk our next steps in Faith in Him. Join in with your brothers and sisters in Christ. They are praying for you. More fervently each day. Because the door will close one day. His coming is iminent - we Christians can keep our heads up and watch for the signs, knowing we will be protected from God's ultimate wrath.

Repent and believe!!

Amen

Is it not time to give your life to Him?

2009-10-16T23:28:00.000-07:00

I want this. I want that, what can I do? What do I like? where do I want to go? This is the throne of SELF in someone who does not know the Lord.
It is easy for days to be lived out with "I" at the centre. But one day and there will come a day if it hasn't already, when you may say:" but I don't want that and I don't want to do this" and you begin a journey into a dark vortex. Somehow you may pull yourself out - but maybe it was Jesus who was lifting you out.... (there is a battle being waged between Satan and The Lord but it has been won already..)

You will not be able to satisfy your own all devouring ego - your self, and you could become dispairing. Because all you've ever relied on is self to show you THE way. In His word, Christ tells us - it doesn't come through someone elses' lips, this truth.... "I am the way..." (from the gospel of John).

Someone told me only recently that "I" was Satan's word and it wasn't used in the bible until Satan said it in Isaiha 14....v. 14 "I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.' The greatest and subltlist copy cat!!

Jesus said," Follow me.." (John) So - simply, ask Him who knows, the one and only true God of the universe, the triune God. Jesus who is the intecessor for you to God but they are all one. His spirit will come in to your self and take the burden of 'self' away and sit on the rightful place in your heart and lead you to life, eternal redemption. At last, you will be able to hand over the reigns - permanently!! What a relief that will be... I pray for this day for you... This REALLY works - I have been there. I know I am still guilty of putting myself before every(one) else - I did it yesterday. But I have repented and Jesus can take the highest honour at the centre of my life and we can start again. He leads me, He shows me the way - see Psalms 25 and 27. These are Jesus's words through David. He will lead you. Just try it... ask the TRUTH ful one who knows - through prayer and His word, the Bible... He is always waiting in the wings. Otherwise Satan will drag you down, repeatedly. You think you will be alright.. I've done this; I have got that; I have this; me, my, me, my, me, my - you then will get fed up and change tack because you are fed up, but then Satan will find you another carrot for your poor little worldly life.... and then that will die.....and you will be depressed again..

But when you surrender to the Lord; Jesus, when you give all to him.... read Paul because he describes it as his life having been poured out for Him as a drink offering...which is really beautiful..... 2 Timothy v 4-6. See also Phillippeans 2. The drink offering refers to the sacrificial duties of a priest. By the way did you know that all who have Christ in them - are priests? Isn't that cool???

Oh the joy of knowing Him, let it never end!!! What is there in this world that could be more nourising to our souls??? Me?????? NO!! Satan - "NO!" - it is Him, He, The Lord of ALL. Not even death can get in the way, once we know Jesus... (Romans 8, v 35-39)The One who lives above, here and in me. Blessings to you. I love you with all God's love. Amen

My prayer today for you - click this after you read the entry below!

2009-10-15T00:30:00.000-07:00

THIS ENTRY IS to all who think Christians are narrow minded and don’t see the ‘big picture’.

I used to think like this and saw myself as a 'new ager' – HA! until I knew who Jesus was and is and is to come, who He proclaims to be – Lord of Lords and King of Kings. The God who created the heavens and earth. The God who gave us free will. I am one witness to Him moving in my life..
How many times have I seen the Good News of the gospel greeted with anger and scoffing and scorn? Most people don’t want to hear the truth, let alone embrace it. It is Satan keeping them in the false safety and knowledge of the world’s view, keeping people in their net of ego, (self as ‘king’) and false idols – if they could but see it!

And some of you, you, reader, will see a fresh, when you read this, because I, and others, pray for you. I hope this, with all my heart, so He may have the glory! Just try it – let go and surrender to the God of the Bible – lose ALL of self and gain life in Him, for ever! He wants you for His own because He is a jealous God. He is a loving and patient God. He is a judging God and has plans and purpose - this is his character revealed in the Bible..
To make the act of totally accepting Christ’s gift, of His word, and receiving Him in our heart, means admitting that everything on which we based our lives before has gained us nothing. It means surrendering to a power greater than ourselves. It seems upside down thinking! Few want to surrender to anything outside of themselves. And they go on striving to find their own way when there is only One way. Actually He is IN us and has been all along.

Christians are filled with His spirit, and can claim freedom from sin. But because we are all born of Adam, we still sin. However, we know we are saved and we have a great pardoner, someone to speak on our behalf, because we have repented and will continue to repent and become new each day - so we may rejoice with the heavenly joy in our hearts! What bliss, when this is known!! Joy beyond anything the world could ever give. We pass this on to others who don't yet know Him - by His power and authority. When Christ is acknowledged in us, faith, hope and love are revealed in completeness. Oh thank you God. Go on! Try it! – say to yourself you can now let go. Listen to that small voice inside of you - you KNOW it is there!

“Father, forgive me for going my own way. Forgive me for thinking I know best and relying on what I have learned from my worldly experience and those who have influenced and moulded my thinking. Let me allow your thought, your will, your guidance into my life. I trust in you. Teach me your ways through your living word, guide me in your paths. Let me seek righteousness and give me a pure and steadfast heart from now on. I surrender to you father, and friend, Jesus.

Speak now.."

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory. for ever and ever. Amen"

“I AM the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14 v 6)

“Come follow me”
(Mark 1v17)

“Seek and you will find.”
(Matthew 7 V.7)

He loves you.
(John 16 v27)

May God bless you and keep you today.

David Wilkerson's blog

2009-10-02T23:02:00.000-07:00

Friday, October 2, 2009
SEEKING THE FACE OF GOD - by David Wilkerson; his thought for the day.

[Most days David has a wonderful message to give and Friday, his contribution is worth repeating here for you.]

In Psalm 27, David beseeches God in an intense urgent prayer. He pleads in verse 7, “Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.” His prayer is focused on one desire, one ambition, something that has become all consuming for him: “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after” (27:4).

David is testifying, “I have one prayer, Lord, one request. It is my single most important goal in life, my constant prayer, the one thing I desire. And I will seek after it with all that’s within me. This one thing consumes me as my goal.”

What was this one thing that David desired above all else, the object he’d set his heart on obtaining? He tells us: “That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple” (27:4).

Make no mistake: David was no ascetic, shunning the outside world. He wasn’t a hermit, seeking to hide away in a lonely desert place. No, David was a passionate man of action. He was a great warrior, with huge throngs singing of his victories in battle. He was also passionate in his prayer and devotion, with a heart that yearned after God. And the Lord had blessed David with so many of the desires of his heart.

Indeed, David tasted everything a man could want in life. He had known riches and wealth, power and authority. He had received the respect, praises and adulation of men. God had given him Jerusalem as the capital for the kingdom and he was surrounded by devoted men who were willing to die for him.

Most of all, David was a worshiper. He was a praising man who gave thanks to God for all his blessings. He testified, “The Lord laid blessings on me daily.”

David was saying, in effect, “There is a way of living I seek now—a settled place in the Lord that my soul longs for. I want uninterrupted spiritual intimacy with my God.” This was what David meant when he prayed, “That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple” (27:4).

You don't want Him or Need Him

2009-10-01T03:42:00.000-07:00

For the past weeks, I have been trying to show a flavour of Jesus to my sister for a long time by sending her texts; snippets through the post etc.. I live in a close, loving family with loving siblins and my oldest brother said she, my sister is perhaps fed up with me doing this and ended his comment ... She neither wants it, or "needs" it.

This struck pain into our hearts. when we all come to judgment day and dare have said something like this before our Lord - that He is not our 'need'.....just dread full.

God's Love

'God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life' (John 3:16 NIV).

God's Plan

[Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful] (John 10:10).

Without God, we think we have self to guide us, we have self to give us confidence and we have self to will us forward - but it is all in vain. Hopeless and Dead. Jesus is calling you who don't know him and He wants to keep his loved ones close. One day the door will shut and it will be too late. One day we won't be able to do His work for darkness will have come.
Surrender, child of God - give Him the glory and rest in His arms of love. Listen to the quiet voice through His word. What He did on the cross - that moment was what God planning for all along, so the cross could reveal who Jesus was, why He came and who He is, that we may all be saved. I hope humbly, I can continue to do His work, His will, in His name so He may have the glory.

John 9 v.4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

Homeschooling IS ILLEGAL in Germany!!

2009-09-25T01:01:00.000-07:00

Click on the title of this blog to get to the link!

It is political - and frightening. This article records how difficult it is to homeschool
in Germany AT THE PRESENT TIME! It reflects the mood among so called 'free' people who
pander to their statist roots of Nazi Germany. Christian men and women are persecuted for
wanting to bring up their children by schooling them themselves. To quote one line - the
german authorities do not want the "living room to be brought into the class room."

I feel very strongly that more people should know about what is going on. There is another
rising concern - about the number of muslims and their increase in power in Europe. All
end time prophesies in the bible... I just pray I may be used by Jesus, for His will. I have
confidence that living out my daily life - is given by His grace and Mercy alone and
all I need to do is to walk in Faith with Him.

So - let us join hands accross the ether, Pray, by our sovereign Lord who is the OVER COMER,, pray - our friends in Christ, and their Christian families will
strenghten in their faith and share with others who don't yet know Him - His Spirit of
REALITY, Holiness and love. We need to cling together in His spirit and be BOLD. These are perilous times - and we are all decieved and think - "It isn't as bad as that... surely!".

He protects us from all danger. (Psalm 27) I thank Him for that. I pray He uses you and me to be active in doing His will.

Remember - Christianity is not a religion whereby we do things for God - but for what God has done for us. Glory in the Highest. We are hidden in Christ.

Amen

The New Creationism - "It seems that Earth is young after all."

2009-09-07T02:16:00.000-07:00

PysoOrg.com has a number of articles about the RATE study that question many scientific theories about how old the Earth is.... I believe with my heart we are living on a young earth! And I am not the only one, as increasing numbers of people are also leaning towards what the bible teaches.

I am not a scientist, but i am a believer in God's word - in the literal interpretation.. The Book The New Creationism mentions accumulation of salt in the oceans; sediment on the ocean floor; rates of erosion; evidence from carbon 14 dating; age and population growth of mankind; species numbers dwindling; earth's atmposphere; fall of adam and the flood.

Just investigate it for yourself - and maybe this may be a route for which you can find God - the God which is the tri-une God - the father; the son; and the spirit who lives inside all the awakened ones. I am awakened and you could be too! I pray you will be!

IF this scientific knowledge that follows biblical scriptures is true - then WHERE DOES YOUR FAITH LIE???? Go on - don't listen to me - search it yourself!

love sister Sarah, friend, and prayer person for you because God loves youxxxxx

Stick close to Jesus

2009-09-07T02:12:00.000-07:00

For He knows your heart!

God's plan

2009-09-04T23:18:00.000-07:00

If there is a book that will reveal much about man's ONE God, then it is this one (link in title) - Satan : His Motive and His methods. I find the whole book striking and clear. In it author Lewis Sperry Chafer explains the 'ages'; how ages is translated from the word 'world' on occasions in the bible. Page 48 - how man can no longer claim his conscience is sufficient to guide him to his highest destiny, since the whole race, when standing on that basis before God, so utterly failed in the past that the destruction of the flood was neccessary.

Later in History the Law was given to Moses, and still it was evident, after time, man could not keep to the letter. In the present age (from Christ's coming) man proves his separation from his Creator by his spirit of self-sufficiency and positive rejection of God. It reads:" The present issue between God and man is one of whether man will accept God's estimate of him, abandon his hopeless self-struggle, and cast himself only on the grace of God which is alone is sufficient to accomplish his needed transformation. All divine love, wisdom, and power have worked together to provide salvation for man, and when this last and supreme effort of God has been rejected, the final pleading of man must be forever past, and the long delayed judgment upon sin be exectured in righteousness." I read somewhere that 'covenant' is linked with the word 'righteousness' which was interesting.

The book goes on to say, "according to the Bible, that which satan purposed is being permited, to the extent of his ability, throughout the course of this age. Though his failure and defeat have been predicted from the beginning, it has pleased God to permit the satanic ambition to come to its own destruction, and to demonstrate its own weakness and wicked folly. No other solution is given of the present power of satan and the manifestations of his increasing authority yet to be experienced in the closing scenes of this age."

Mark Burch (pastor from Willow Park Baptist Church, Canada) reports more people have died through Genocide in the last ten years throughout the world than in the history of the world. That's not including abortion. (Rewanda, India, Africa, and so on...) Reassuring news is that satan's dominion over this age is limited in that " there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God" - (Romans 13:1) In this Scripture it is revealed that Satan, though in authority, is not wholly free from his Creator, and that any direction of the governments of the world which he exercises is by permission from God.

Therefore, the efforts of satan and man are not supreme, but must come to their predicted end when the eternal purpose of God had its realization in the gathering out from both Jews and Gentiles a heavenly people for His own name. If you hear this - come, follow Lord Jesus, God of the universe and your soul.Repent and be saved.

God THE TRI-UNE GOD

2009-08-14T23:33:00.000-07:00

God The Father.

IS the creator of all things. He is perfect in every way, righteous in judgment, and fully abundant in His love and all powerful. He rules as Sovereign Lord, over all things seen and not seen. He rescues the lost and helpless . He is the stronghold and provides complete safety for those in need. He is a consuming Holy fire - all the stars in the galaxies couldn't equal His burn - He made them and yet He shows us His tender Mercy and is slow to anger. He is Parent as comforter, provider, trainer and rebuker, consistent and persistent. He is all three - THE Father, THE Son, The Holy Spirit.

God The Son.

IS through whom all things are created and holds all things together. The Son is the image of the invisible God. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary. Jesus came to Earth as a man to redeem this fallen world. Through His obedient and sinless life He revealed the fullness of God. Through word and deed Jesus proclaimed the reign of God bringing good news to all, setting them free and opening their eyes to God's truth. Jesus Christ triumphed over sin through His death and resurrection and was exalted Lord of creation and the church (body of believers). The saviour invites all to be reconciled to God offering peace, himself, to all calling them to follow Him in the way of the cross. Until Jesus returns in His glory, He intercedes for believers, acts as their advocate and calls them to be His witness.

God The Holy Spirit. IS supreme counselor, creative power, presence and wisdom of God. The Spirit convicts people of sin, gives them new life and guides them to Truth. By the spirit believers are baptised into one body. The indwelling spirit testifies that they are God's children, distributes gifts for ministry, empowers for witness intercedes for them according to God's will and assures them of eternal life.

REFER TO YOUR BIBLE Genesis 1; Exodus 15:2-3; Exodus 34:6-7; Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Psalm 8; Psalm 23; Psalm 139; Isaiah 55:8-9; Isaiah 66:12-13; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hosea 11:1-4; Matthew 1:18-25; Matthew 5-7; Matthew 28:18-20;Mark 8:34-38; Luke 4:18-19; John 1:1-18; John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7-15; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-4;Romans 8:1-17; I Corinthians 12:4-7; I Corinthians 13; I Corinthians 15:3-8; II Corinthians 1:22; II Corinthians 5:16-21; II Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 1:15-2:22; Ephesians 3:14-21; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:15-20; I Timothy 6:15-16; II Timothy 2:11-13; Hebrews 12:7-11; I Peter 2:21-25; I John 2:2; Revelation 5:5-6, 9-10.
Above collated from Willow Park Baptist Church declaration of Faith.

2 Corinthians 10

2009-07-24T01:11:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 10
Paul's Defense of His Ministry 1By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am "timid" when face to face with you, but "bold" when away! 2I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. - New International Version.

Reading David Wilkerson's blog. It just gets to you. That through NO strength of our own, but only through the mighty weapons of God, the power of God can change our strongholds - those fortresses that have been set up in our mind once by the devil can fall away and crumble by our simple faith in Christ. Not by our strength, but by His, alone. I pray for Christ to permeate through me, and you, cleansing us, washing us clean from darkness into light by the blood He shed at Calvary.

I urge you to read Corinthians 2 and look at how it speaks to you. Jesus wants you. He loves you so much. Take up His invitation and grow by the living word. He will protect you and watch over you. No fear. No condemnation through Christ Jesus.

Thank you Lord. Amen.

The Trouble with Christianity

2009-07-12T22:51:00.000-07:00

The second in a series of six, Wheelock Heath Baptist Church is inviting friends of its congregation to learn more about the Chrisitan faith, where they can ask pivitol questions about subjects like suffering, injustice, religion, hell, science and taking the bible literally.
The second - 'How could a good God allow suffering', was informative and helped answer people's preconceieved notions about suffering.

Pastor Gary Aston lead the discussion and answered the following questions claiming not to know ALL the answers. Here is a shortened and compacted record of the questiones and answers that took place at the end of a successful evening.

Q You explained how Jesus destroys all the sad things. You also said he destroys sin, and how exactly does he destroy it?

A Sin, is rebellion against God. God is to be on the throne of our hearts. As soon as Adam and Eve disobeyed God - He was exchanged ; from Him, to ourselves: ME. Sin distorts everything. Sin is far more than disobeying a list of rules. Anger of God is raised when self is the centre of our lives. he must show His righteous nager against sin. When Jesus comes, Jesus destroys the work of sin. he died on the cross to absorb God's anger for us. If you believe in Jesus, you won't face God's anger. He promised to reverse the effects of the Fall (Adam and Eve sinning), and one day He promises to purge the world of sin.

Q How can a good God five a good reason on purpose for allowing innocent babies or children to suffer in abusive situations?

A. We can't, as humans understand a specifiic purpose; situation. According to God's plans, He is GOOD. God hasn't finished yet. Jesus has come, but the final effects we haven't seen yet. One day evil will be done away with. And the crux is - where would you ask God to stop? If he did take out evil now, where would He stop?.. I don't want to be flippent in my answer - see me afterwards who asked this question and we can talk through it..

Q Accordingto the bible, God imposed suffering on us because of Adam's sin. Therefor, does God continue to punish us? If so, do we pray for God to change his mind?

A Adam didn't know the consequences of the Fall. Though, he chose to disobey God. So, God hasn't 'imposed' suffering on us. Jesus came down so we don't have to face the consequences of sin.

Q The assumption is that coming through suffereing, results in a better person by what you said Gary.. But, what about when a person is left twisted and bitter. How is suffering useful then?

A A little suffering is Good for the soul? I am not recommending that. Suffering is NOT a good thing. We can point those people to Jesus and he can and DOES draw out the poison. Jesus is able to turn things around.

Q Why do some wicked people prosper, live long, and die happy? Why do good people suffer and die young?
A Job comes to mind here - read the book.. And in Psalm 73 Aseph writes Justice may not be done in this life. But ultimate justice will one day be seen to be done. On THAT day.

(Time ran out and the evening drew to a close.)

The Bahai Faith - Sects and Falsehood

2009-06-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

I am very grateful for being able to study the Bahai faith. It just makes me more and more sure that this faith really is of the Devil. I apologise to my Bahai brother who may be reading this, as this will appear to be an insult. It's not. I am observing and giving my opinion. I discover
there are in fact several Baha'i sects: Orthodox Baha'i Faith, Baha'is under the Provision of the Covenant, The Remey Society, Baha'is Loyal to the Fourth Guardian.

I found a Bahai from India who is fairly high up and loyal to the true cause of Bahais and he says: "The true Bahá'ís are those who are under the Shelter of the Guardian. The deviated sects are those who have turned away from the true Guardian. It is my fervent hope that soon all the friends will turn unto the living guardian of the Faith and will be submissive unto him." Written by Dr. A. Parikh, Secretary of the National (Orthodox) Bahai Council of Indiaon 27th July 2007.

Christians know the devil will try to copy Christ, as his supreme enemy - where battles are being fought all around, though we don't see them all the time. Christ has the victory - we know this from the book of Revelation. And the ultimate act here is that the Devil is claiming to be Christ (as a manifestation only, not ordination of course (denied by the Bahai faith)) and is even saying he is the father - to copy Christ's father!

The Baha’i thrust toward the unification of all religions is primed for failure, because it is evil. And, people, good people, even the writings of Baha u llah, seem 'good' on the surface... But Islam, the mother religion of Baha’i would not and could not consider Bahá’u’lláh as a prophet of God greater than Muhammad. Likewise, Christianity is committed to Christ as “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6, emphasis added; cf. Acts 4:12).

Former Bahais express their opinions thus:
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/andorra/514/

i very much feel for all those people who dream for the truth of these words from Boykin:

"National rivalries, hatreds, and intrigues will cease, and racial animosity and prejudice will be replaced by racial amity, understanding and cooperation. The causes of religious strife will be permanently removed, economic barriers and restrictions will be completely abolished, and the inordinate distinction between classes will be obliterated. Destitution on the one hand, and gross accumulation of ownership on the other, will disappear."from Boykin, "The Baha'i Faith,"

Where can my brother's hope be? Can he not reconsider? Can He not let go into Christ - pray to Christ, the ROCK of ages (that is AGES plural!)? Can he not see what is going on around him - things are not getting better in this world, they are getting worse. We have more wars than ever - kingdom agains kingdom; nation against nation.. I have hope in Christ as being my personal saviour. His spirit in me gives me sureity from Heaven. I died to live for Him, and I have this beautiful priviledge as His servant. I give Him the glory. I worship Him in thankfullness. He is my friend AND king. One day He will return. Jesus is All man and all God. He came to Earth, died and ROSE AGAIN to come down and fill our hearts with His Spirit. Everyone who believes in him.

Christianity does not depend on an organisational, government system that tries to be set up on Earth. It is just daft! -TOTALLY.
I will learn more..... May Jesus protect and lift you up, the reader, up to know Him. He is our light and our salvation. From whom shall we fear. He protects us from ALL danger.

Examine the Bible prophesies - and know the real faith, not the great faith!

2009-06-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

I mentioned the Bahai faith is dangerous - and my Christian fellow states it clearly and consicely: "Bahá'u'lláh teachings are for peace and unity of families, nations and the entire world. Bahá'u'lláh has revealed, in over 100 books, the message of God for the NEW WORLD ORDER." (the Return of Christ p.8)
There is a great deception coming (2 Thess.2). And he will fulfill in himself all that Bahá'í claims to look for in religions. He will be the great synthesizer appearing tolerant to all. It appears that the Bahá'í religion is helping pave the way for many who will come as Bahá'u'lláh did, except they will exhibit all power in signs and wonders, something that will be hard to refute without heeding Christ's warning and having him as the standard.
As Jesus said, another will come in his own name, him you will receive! The Bahá'í's are more than willing to do this themselves and they want to convince everyone else to do the same. John the Baptist paved the way for the Christ, they are paving the way for the one we know who will take the place of Christ, the false messiah. Your decision needs to be made now before you don't have a choice. Examine Christ's claims and look at what he said the end of time would be like, you may be spiritually surprised." Amen We have to remember the bible is not just a string of pearls but links in a chain (quote by John Piper, I seem to remember!)

Rock of Ages

2009-06-27T04:54:00.000-07:00

20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
Yes, us verbal diarrhoea people gifted with words must remember this! Paul was well educated, but he put all his education behind him, ditched it and prophesed to know nothing - "while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him cruicified (1 Cor 2;v1)" This is where we can be in our daily lives, alone with Christ, in communion and prayer. Hearing His words, not ours. He is calling you. Now. But this won't last forever; his invitation will cease; one day. And it will be too late.
Father I pray, the glory be Yours. may I be your servant, humbled in your presence. How can it be, you wanted me, a sinner and so stupid and a fool. i am nothing, but with you, your power lives in me and is moving mountains. I believe in Jesus Christ. My heart is lifted up and I am sanctified by His grace and mercy. You are my rock and my redeemer. "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." he said (Mark 1 v17).

WHO IS SAYING WHAT - literally or figuratively - or spiritually??

2009-06-27T03:28:00.001-07:00

Just gotta copy this: Follow the link, by clicking the title. This is so well written - easy to understand - better than babble I do sometimes! I copy this with Christ's love, if it be His will. Oh Lord, I thank you for your word. Your true word.

BAHA'IS AND BIBLICAL PROPHECY
The Baha'is claim that Baha'u'llah is the fulfillment of the biblical prophecies of the return of Christ.9 Taken literally, of course, the biblical prophecies of Christ's return do not fit Baha'u'llah. The Bible speaks of Jesus Himself returning in the skies before the entire world in a cataclysmic fashion to judge the living and the dead (e.g., Matt. 24). By contrast, Baha'is recognized as the "Christ" another person (Baha'u'llah) who came into the world in relative obscurity through natural means (i.e., conception and birth).10How, then, can the Baha'is claim that Bah'u'llah fulfills the biblical prophecies of Christ's return? They can do this only by insisting that the literal meaning is to be ignored. According to Baha'i doctrine, Jesus' description of His second coming in the Bible should be understood spiritually rather than literally. That is, the text of the Bible is said to have some symbolic meaning which is contrary to the ordinary meaning of the words used.
Literal and Symbolic
The Baha'is do not, however, follow this line of interpretation consistently in their reading of the Bible. Whenever they find a biblical passage that clearly states that Jesus will return at the end of the world in a way contrary to Baha'u'llah's arrival, the Baha'is simply assert that we should not take that passage literally. No reason for this assertion is ever produced from the text of the Bible itself. However, on other occasions where a literal interpretation might seem to the Baha'is to support their views (e.g., Dan. 8:13-17),11 they do not consider interpreting the passage nonliterally.This sort of clip-and-paste view of biblical interpretation proves very little. After all, by the same rationale one could "prove" that any number of different individuals was Christ returned. Accepting as literal only those texts which seem to fit one's doctrinal views while pleading for a nonliteral interpretation for passages which contradict one's position is a favorite tactic of pseudo-Christian groups. For example, this interpretive technique is employed by the Unification Church to show that Sun Myung Moon is the Messiah.12With this method of interpreting biblical prophecy Baha'is employ circular reasoning (in which the arguer assumes what he or she is trying to prove). Because the Baha'i accepts Baha'u'llah's claim to fulfill Christ's second coming, he (or she) thinks he is justified in interpreting biblical prophecies symbolically which, if taken literally, would disprove Baha'u'llah's claim, but if taken nonliterally can be used to prove it.13 Thus, probably without even realizing it, the Baha'i is assuming the very point that he is trying to prove in his citing of biblical prophecy.

My brother does believe in a supremely false God DEATH IS SIN

2009-06-27T00:42:00.000-07:00

The more I look into my bible, the greater I believe my responsibility is to try and set Bahai's free in Christ. WAKE UP!! I call. i pray. With all my heart. I know it is only Jesus who will set people free - what ever and where ever they come from. not my will, but Your will be done.

Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden were tempted and gave in. First, Eve, to a beautiful looking fruit. The serpant said to Eve: "You won't die, surely...", when God had said "if you touch this fruit, you will die." Death hadn't happened then. No thing died. DEATH IS SIN. There was NO SIN, but LIFE, and the LIVING, before this. So when Adam and Eve committed sin, by their own will, and not God's, they were done for. Not just them, but the entire human race to come. You and me. We are in sin. Unless we turn to the Lord, repent. Only then do we find freedom in Christ. We know it, whether we feel it or not, we just know and it is so strange to me that people can't see it unless they themselves have Christ's spirit in them. A supernatural happening, but it happened to me. All I can be is to be thank full and praise God, and do His will, not mine. I try to keep to his will, but don't because I am a decendent of Adam - the curse. But when I repent, truly repent, The Christ fills me again with his fountain of life and I can go on. it is a journey..hopefully I can open more and more each day to Christ. So, there is NO ROOM for any other God. Focus on Jesus. The devil will tempt us away, but we hold on with all our might ( with God's help) to the tri-une God. The one who was, is and is to come. The narrow straight path. God's son came to Earth and died to leave his spirit in those whom he has touched - He wants us all and He is a jelous God. He is the middle pillar. In the midst. In our midst. The devil or words from so called religous leaders of the Bahai faith will use Jesus's own words...."Seek and you shall find." Well let me tell you here, I am seeking and searching and The Lord leads me back to Him allways. That is His promise. You see, the devil knows the words of God. He is crafty - perhaps more crafty than He was in Adam and Eve's time. He has had time on Earth to think. He found and has found many people to do His work. They are blind, claiming to see, but they see not. Search for a relationship with Christ. Follow His word. Let Him teach you, show you His paths of righteousness and He will protect you from danger - including The Bahai Faith, because it is dangerous.
Ephesians. 1:19-22 "and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church." Christ was alive when the gospels were being written and He knew His word. If the devil does, then Christ will, right?
To quote:
"One God has given men one Faith through progressive revelations of His Will in each age of history and Bahá'u'lláh reveals the will of God for men and women of the present age. This basic belief enables Baha’i’s to unite and work together in spite of different religious backgrounds."( BAHAI PUBLISHING TRUST WILMETTE, ILLINOIS)
He (Bahá'u'lláh) sets forth a new principle for this day in the announcement that religion must be the cause of unity, harmony and agreement among mankind. If it be the cause of discord and hostility, if it leads to separation and creates conflict, the absence of religion would be preferable in the world."( Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'í World Faith: Selected Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1976. p. 247.)
To quote a Christian friend (a true Christian friend) "It's hard to take someone seriously who wants to unite all religions and then says the one that is not cooperative with the others would be better off gone. Any one religion can be implemented as a unifying principle for mankind and we would have that harmony they seek, even if the religion was false. If all religions are from the same God and there are disagreements (of which there are many) than whose to say that one is to go. I wonder which one this would be? Who decides? I won't leave you guessing, the only ones that would not co-operate with this type of surrender into milk toast would be Christians. Why? Because we believe there is absolute truth and there is falsehood. If we stand to our convictions we can't compromise what Christ taught."
I could end here, but reading the leaders writing from the bahai faith to me, is just like being tempted to eat a beautiful looking fruit. Look at their words, sedducing, silky, it's all air, and poison. Jesus, the son, came back in the form of His spirit at pentacost. His saving, living spirit. When did Bahaullah 'live'. He ONLY died - DEATH IS SIN. Oh, and of course Bahaullah was BORN INTO SIN. Jesus, of course, was not because of How He came to Earth, through a virgin, Mary.

Part 2 b - My brother believes in a false prophet

2009-06-21T23:03:00.000-07:00

Further notes to add to part 2 - "Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits"means that we souldn't believe everything we hear just because someone says it is a message inspired by God. there are many ways to test teachers to see if their message is truly from the Lord. One is to check to see if their words match what God says in the Bible, the living word. Other tests include their commitment to the body of believers, their life-style, and the fruit of their ministry. But the MOST important test of all, says John, is what they believe about Christ. Do they teach that Jesus is fully god and fully man? Our world i s filled with voices claiming to speak for God. Give them these tests to see if they are indeed speaking God's truth. Are they Bahais? Nope, they fall, sadly on the Most Important hurdle.

My brother believes in a false teacher part 2

2009-06-21T22:11:00.000-07:00

Last night, I explained to my Christian friend, my brother doesn't acknowledge Jesus is God fully, and man fully, but he just goes to explain how Bahai faith is "true". My brother says "Jesus is true and he believes in the bible, that it is true and just a question of interpretation. " He asks me for my understanding of what he believes.

Because the spirit of Jesus, God's Holy Spirit, is in me and guiding me now that I am born again; gave me new life, I can see clearly that my brother is standing outside of Jesus. My friend reconfirmed what I know - "Yes, Sarah, Look at 1 John 4 v.2:" 1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."

My brother would disagree...he says, Oh, but look at the 'fruit' I produce (have you learned about the fruit from the tree in Genesis - did it look bad?" My brother says - Look at my son - isn't he fruit - from my beliefs. I would agree that my brother's son is a lovely person and God is big enough to give love abundantly to those who aren't Christ followers. God works in all. My brother's son is no better than the 'fruit' produced by my non-Christian twin sister. All our siblings sons and daughters are lovely people. So this does not differentiate anything. See, this is what is says in my notes (NIV):
Most of the eyewitnesses to Jesus' ministry had died by the time John composed this letter. (1 John). some of the second- or thir generation Christians began to have doubts about what they had been taught about Jesus. Some Christians with a Greek background had a hard time believing that jesus was human as well as divine, because in Platonic thought the spirit was all-important. The body was only a prison from which one desired to escape. Heresies developed from a uniting of this kind of Platonic throught and Christianity.
A particularly widespread false teaching , later called Docetism (from a Greek word meaning "to seem"), held that Jesus was actually a spirit who only appeared to have a body. In reality he cast no shadow and left no footprints; he was God but not man. Another heretical teaching, related to Gnosticism (from a Greek word meaning "knowldge") held that all physical matter was evil, the spirit was good and only the intellectually enlightened could enjoy the benefits of religion. Both groups found it hard to believe in a Saviour who was fully human.
John answers these false teachers as an eyewitness to Jesus' life on earth. he saw Jesus, talked with him, touched him - he knew that Jesus was more than mere spirit. In the very first sentence of his letter, john established that Jesus had been alive before the world began and also that he lived as a man among men and women. In other words he was both divine and human.
Through the centuries, many hetetics have denied that Jesus was both God and man. In John's day people had trouble believing he was human; today more people have problems seeing him as God, But jesus' divine-human nature is a pivotal issue of Christianity. Before you accept what religious teachers say about any topic LISTEN carefully to what they believe about JESUS. To deny either his divinity or his humanity is to consider him less than Christ, the Saviour.
The Bahai faith dismisses the pivotal point here, they jump over it like a small hurdle and lollack in a balmy world of softness, light, 'good fruit', peace, 'understanding', unity in their own bubble - not God's heart in them.
Reading more about the Bahai Faith it physically makes me feel nauseous. I do understand where they are coming from. They are locked inside a bubble with their own reasoning. Jesus, as the divine son of God, lived here on Earth - God planned it from the begining. He is the author, creator God and the only way you can see it is to be obedient to the truth and have His spirit inside you. You are dead, if you don't. I didn't understand and I really wanted NOT to know Jesus at one time, I tried to resist, but then I surrendered and something supernatural happened to me. I am not the only one. I love my brother and if you are a Christian I ask you to pray for him and his family. May be one day, Jesus will make him see.

My brother asks me: "Would you agree that the spirit of Jesus' teachings: is to strive for peace, to lead a good life and be accepting to peoples of all beliefs. Would the Jesus you believe in object to this from Baha'u'llah: "Oh peoples of the world! Consort with the followers of religions in a spirit of friendship and fellowship". I can have friendship with my brother - more than that - love. The love of God. But fellowship, though I understand my brother, is not possible, I am not able, because I follow THE ONE whom He sent.

My brother follows a false teacher Part 1

2009-06-20T07:14:00.000-07:00

My brother is a believer and follower of Baha'u'llah and several times we have clashed in our beliefs. I love him dearly, as a sister and friend. He is quite happy for me to have my beliefs, but I AM NOT happy for him to believe what He believes, nor any other non-believer. And I pray for all those close to me in relationship - as brothers, sister, and son AND SO MANY OTHERS!. That they may know Him as the way, the truth and the life.
I take this opportunity as a platform to express both mine and my husband's viewpoints, under the guidance of our Lord Jesus Christ, I pray.
The bible clearly states: "1Pet 3:15- But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.
2 Tim 4:2- Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
2 Tim 2:24-26- And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will."
The link above is from a website written by Mike Oppenheimer to counter attack false teachings.
I am grateful for my brother sending me a book entitled "Christ's new name." because it gives us a chance to defend our faith and point out the subtleties and false teachings and arise every step as you read. We flicked to page16 talking about Elijah returning to herald the coming of the lord King James BibleBehold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:"
Now, this "Christ's New Name" book suggests "Strangely", even John declared that he was not Elijah - which tells us pretty plainly that John himself, states He wasn't Elijah - but the Ba'hais twist it up and go on to say, well Jesus said John was Elijah. They are reading from a passage in Matthew: American Standard VersionAnd if ye are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, that is to come." - Why, yes, you think Jesus is saying John is Elija here - BUT he is using it as a turn of phrase. He says this because recently he has lost his good, close friend John to an evil ruler, Herod, whose wife persuaded to him to cut of John's head and put it on a platter. Jesus was making parallels to Elijahs time when the Evil King Ahab and his idol worshipping evil woman Jezzobel persecuted Elijah. The New International Version translates it with clear meaning: New International Version (©1984) And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come." Subtle isn't it - note THE Elijah..... can you see? Let me quote the notes in the N I V: "John was NOT a resurrected Elijah, but he took on Elijah's prophetic ROLE - boldly confronting sin and pointing people to God (Malachi 3:1. See Elijah's Profile in 1 Kings 18.)
King James BibleBehold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
This book: "Christ's New Name" must be read and refuted by more Christians. Another part it says, (I Paraphrase) the Jews didn't acknowledge the Messiah (both mentioned in The Bible)in the same way Baha'u'llah is not recognised by the Christians today. We will all know when Jesus comes the second time when 'every knee shall bow'.

LIFE FOR EVER

2009-06-05T23:57:00.000-07:00

John 14; 4-6 “And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
This 'caught' and, 'captured' me a few weeks ago, that Jesus is LIFE, living, alive for eternity. Jesus has no part in death, though He died for his father so we might live too. And I really got it again this morning.
I woke up, reluctant to rise, for it was raining - it has been sunny and calm for a good while, then, this morning; It was cold, raining and generally unpleasant. But God did not create the Earth so that it would rain. Rain happened after Adam's sin. When God created the Earth, he branded it "VERY GOOD", and there was no rain then. Plants absorbed their moisture from the Earth underground and obtained moisture from the steamy atmosphere. But to start afresh, because of all the sin that had spread about the world, He brought the flood and gave His man a second chance. (We know He is the God of the second chance). He left a rainbow as a sign He would not bring that kind of destruction to the Earth again. A sign, in rememberence of Him and He alone is OUR God to worship. That's why He sent His son, Jesus, and His spirit to live in us, to tell us in detail what, where, who, and why He is; so we might be obedient to Him. He has allowed us to know Him, if we choose to, once He has called us OUT, to learn more about Him through His word (THE BIBLE), and gain His wisdom, His TRUTH, His WAY and His Life.
That's right, NO death, no darkness, no sin, no evil - He turns away from ALL that is blemished with the slightest soil.
Jesus has us covered by His blood, by what He did on the cross.
I am so thankful for this - and know it! May I always be guided by His light. May you come and join in! I pray!
Jesus, He is gathering us together, all over the world. We are in despair sometimes, listening to the cries of people who do not yet truly know Him. They can have peace in their hearts. It takes what seems like a massive jump. Well JUMP - go on, SURRENDER!! - you actually have nothing to loose, only death. Once you've done it you will rejoice, be filled with JOY and peace. You will know compassion. You will know His saving grace. And there are others you can share it with. We need to remain alert and watchful, praying we will not be caught out by people who think they know, and don't - even some vicars, ministers and preists - i've met them. But we will never be trapped because we know the One who guides us. Our prayers four ourselve sand each other, are needed to stay in situ. To stay focused in Jesus. Let Him control you, speak to you and live in you, because He is THE LIFE. AMEN

Thank you Lord - join in the worship.

2009-05-27T23:19:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 2:14
Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

Just follow Him, His word; pray; keep focused on Him and He will reveal to you this knowledge. Glean how to do this by following His word and it IS that simple. Open your mind, trust in Him, ask and it Will be given. Thank you Lord for Victory. Nike - I think it is called. Triumphant Victory in Life as well as OVER death. Jesus is Life and that does not include death. God hates sin and He turns from it. He loves obedience, a humble heart.

On my morning walk it was dull and rainy when I started out and I wondered if I should take my raincoat. I left it at home. After praising and thanking God, by the time I returned home the morning had burst open and it was blue skies and sunny. And we go on.

Give Him the glory. Even in knowing Him, He has the glory. Everything we are it is to Him we die and get renewed with a pure heart and steadfast spirit.

We are gathering together; those who have their names written in the lambs book of life. We build each other up and call out to the lost in our prayers and as we live out our life. To take the veil from the faces of those who don't yet know Him.

A precious, precious knowledge. Thank you Lord. Amen

Thank you Lord for this message...

2009-05-25T22:40:00.000-07:00

"The text we're looking at this weekend paints the devastation that is coming to a world that is drunk on the potions, libations, cocktails and "dainties" that an anti-Christ world system is pouring. The great "Babylon" comes crashing down; imploding upon itself, and all those who have drunk from her goblet will face the same horrific end.... Serious stuff!

Revelation 17 [study]
Chapter 17
The Woman and the Beast1One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.2With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”
3Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.4The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.... (more)

...thank you Lord for this message from Mark Burch at Willow Park Church in Canada. From the begining of this year till June you can find excellent sermons here on the book of Revelation. A real gem stone - literally. How REAL this all has become for me.. Jesus is the King, alive and triumphant - that in heaven there wages the battle at this moment - the final battle where Jesus has already won.

Angels and heavenly hosts of our our Lord, are taking care of believers here on Earth. As believers we need to hold on like never before, staying in the middle of the hurricane that is ensueing. Be still and Pray. Repent and be baptised in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will give you not only comfort but insights into how great our God is and how He is watching over us. We are gathering together. His people - are you written in the lamb's book of life?

It has become clear to me why we are given the faculties we have - so we can know and understand Him - with a brain! And, we are given righteousness, judgement, a pure heart and renewed steadfast spirit - all we have to do is believe, ask and it WILL be given. We can walk on the straight path, the narrow way and be guided in His wisdom. His word (the bible) is Jesus's message to us and if we don't study it and sink into it we will miss out. Once we have been saved, we go ON, and it just gets more awe inspiring! We continue the journey and are renewed each morning by the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.

The devil will try to scupper God's plan. But Satan knows his time is nearly up and is writhing his tail. BUT the devil will not harm us because we are blessed with ultimate sanctury. We need not panic, because God is fighting on our behalf. We just need to co-operate, in choosing to obey His word. We are human and we do sin - that's just how it is, but we can be forgiven and are loved and be strengthened in God each day.

Amen Crown picture by me (!) for Holiday Bible Club at Wheelock Heath Baptist Church.

Covered by the blood of the lamb

2009-05-20T22:50:00.000-07:00

The Word speaks of our sins being taken from us far away - as far as from east is to west. (see link - Psalms 103;12). So great is his love for those who fear him, as far has he removed our transgressions from us. This is a big relief - for me - I can say:"PHHHEEEW!" :) )He has us covered. What a blessing. What freedom we can have in Christ. ALL our sins, when we repent and declare He is our saving grace. Each day we call on Him to refresh our souls and our bodies. Fall afresh, Oh Lord! Each day becomes a new summer. Asking him to teach us His ways, and through His word and Him speaking to us (somehow! - I haven't heard audible voices, but words seem to echo in my head, as if to guide me in His wisdom). May you be touched today by His spirit. Now. Be still and know He is Lord.

It IS a grim world out there, that prowling Lion seems to be slinking about more and more Acts 17 v12. We need Christ as if never before to help keep us self controlled and alert. Even the smallest worry we must take to Christ and place it at His feet for Him to touch, cleanse, and heal. He is more powerful than the fallen one and by His purity, touches clean, all in His way. It's stunning to think about and realise! Nip it in the bud as SOON as you see a blemish - anywhere.

Temptation - C.S. Lewis wrote: "No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because he was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means--the only complete realist."

A useful link for group Bible studies

2009-05-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

Irish born evangelist, speaker, Desi Maxwell deserves a recommendation. Desi is well-known and you will him regularly on UCB radio http://ucbmedia.co.uk . He is extremely knowledgable about the Jews and Israel and has created several courses for bible study groups.

Prayer and thanksgiving

2009-05-16T05:42:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful for knowing Christ. Each day,it seems, another revelation from His word hits me. Everything I owe to Him. I surrender to Him.
Why do I tell you? - because He will also touch YOU.
He is our creator God; His word is true.
If you believe in Him you can delight in Him, in His will - everything in His will, not 'mine'.. even though we go through challenging times. He is the comforter and Lord of all. A few years ago, I could not have believed I would be writing these words! What a load of rubbish I would have thought.
What was it that transformed me? It was a willingness to let go into Him, surrender, and be prepared to give everything of myself up and allow a death in me. It brought me new life and an incredible growing desire to be close to Him, read his word, pray by myself, fellowship with other believers and simply be open to Jesus, each moment. If I stumble, I search for Him to pick me up. If I go off to a siding, He brings me back so He can be 'in the midst'. It JUST WORKS. He made me. I'm so humbled, calmed, and thrilled to know Him.
Discovering Genesis to be true - that He made the Earth in Six days and rested on the seventh, has been illuminating. The flood has been explained to me by His word, and people like Kent Hovind and Ken Ham. (Listen, no human is perfect, nor was any prophet in the bible - but we can gain truth from them!)
This morning I listened to the above link - a sermon from the pastor at Willow park church in Canada and I learned about 666. Now, it makes perfect sense. SEVEN is a divine number. SIX is a number that just misses the grade. So to have a 'trinity' of the numbers 666 to describe Satan seems true. (will explain in antoher blog) That the Earth was made in 6 days - it's the EARTH - that us Christians are in this world but not of it.
God Bless.

Trust

2009-05-14T23:06:00.000-07:00

Psalm 62:8 (New International Version)
8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah

All times, trust - even when we have a compelling urge not to! This is the battle in the mind that will always be there in born again Christians, we were told by our bible study teacher last night - and don't you know it!
Lord make us pure in heart and give us a renewed steadfast spirit (Psalm 51). Dear Lord, let us have confidence in you and you alone. You are my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear. (Psalm ..) Your word is the word embedded in our hearts so we act according to your will as your spirit lives in us. Thank you for falling afresh on me today. Cleansing and allowing me to trust in you.
Selah.

Willow Park has some fabulous messages for us!

2009-05-07T04:19:00.000-07:00

Joel Feddersen tells about how he gets freaked out with willies!
LINK:http://my.ekklesia360.com/Clients/waspPopup.php?theFile=http://www.willowparkchurch.com/mediafiles/-sermon-video-050309-scott-lanigan.flv&w=480&h=352 REVELATION 13: v1-11
The messages I heard here are:, (if you don't have time to listen)

- The love of Jesus is stronger than any sure thing this world can offer.

- Satan mimmicks God.

- the beast of the sea represents the state of the heart. We've removed God(Jesus) from the centre of our life.

- Self confidence is useless without God confidence.

- Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Satan is the joker (Batman)

- In the beginning God.

- If you associate with people as seeing God as something they can use or control, run away, quick!

-Temptation is always here, but the Lord will always give you a way out.

- Where is your heart at?

- Look out for the deadening spirit of hypocracy in this 'world'.

- We are like a child before our God.

- As water reflects the face, so a man's heart reflects the man - from Proverbs.

HYMN/SONG: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZBPD-T20t0

Prayer: Live and breath and act and love through me today Lord. Amen

Luke 21 v.36

2009-05-01T01:55:00.000-07:00

Luke 21 v.36

Watch you therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. American King James Version

'Dwell in the realm of Prayer' . May you read the bible and stay in His word. To pray is to be in His fathers house. I pray you, the reader are saved. All of us, are required to actively repent and submit TOTALLY to Him daily. Our Lord Jesus. He died for you and me, so we might live. Let yourself be snatched (Jude) so you can give your ALL to Him and follow Him. This is real. He is the Living God. Live in the fruit of the spirit (Gal 23). Knock and the door will be opened. Seek and you WILL find. (Luke) So important right now. Know Him and ask Him to be with you. He WILL, not can, but WILL save you. Listen to His living Word. He created a perfect world and because of sin, our sin, from that moment Earth began to die. He will give you His light, His living spirit, He will heal because of your faith in Him. Please, ask Him and learn to know Him. Cling to Him and pray for others everywhere. NOW. Loving God, Lord Jesus, may we stand before you clothed in your righteousness when the time comes. Holiness means to be set apart. He will make you a new creation, now. This message is urgent. And yet we can remain at peace, self controlled and alert, bathed in His Love. Amen

Creation v Evolution

2009-04-24T02:42:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been looking into evolution and creation. THEY ARE BOTH THEORIES. How many schools in the UK take "The theory of Evolution" as in fact FACT??. No one seems to question it. All those students looking in their text books, seek to learn everything they see and take it as RED. Since my study, I have discovered there is more evidence to support Creation than Evolution – and this is backed up by MANY highly qualified and practising scientists. I've learned about the theory of thermodynamics - interesting... Yes, they are mostly Christians, but not all of them. John F Ashton edited “In Six Days – Why scientists choose to believe in Creation.” This book shatters the idea of evolution.
So, FACT The Earth is decreasing its magnetic field. Look into this – I'll leave this here to hover for you! See DR Humphreys, “The Earth's Magnetic Field is Young”. 1993 http://www.icr.org/
FACT. Fossils discovered now we can tell how they died - clear evidence of rapid burial. Common vertebrate fossils show rigor mortis and postures indicative of asphyxiation—sudden smothering of the animal (e.g., Archaeopteryx and dinosaur fossils in the quarry at Dinosaur National Monument). This could suggest a catastrophic flood (OH Noah!!)

FACT: the moon is moving away from the Earth by about 2” every year. If you work your way back in time to 1.4 billion years you have a moon that was touching the Earth! ??
FACT. Scientists are discovering rapid formation of coal, oil and natural gas.
FACT. Huge formation of geological features such as the Grand Canyon.

FACT. Trace the path of Niagra Falls and discover around 4 and a half thousand years ago it could well have been formed at a natural delta - where the flood happened!
FACT. The Sahara is known to be around 4.5 thousand years – so why aren't there more deserts like the Sahara if the Earth is older??
FACT. Growing evidence of the flaws in the theory of evolution.
FACT. We know the population in millions of years in the year 1500 was 300, in 1650-550, in 1800 – 1000 and so on till 1990 – 6000. Predicted to be 10000 million in the year 2080. So if you go back in time working on the same principles.. 1000 – 250, 0 – 100, -Minus; BC - 1000 -50, and -2000 – just 1 million. This fits with the bible. With His word.
Way back thousands of years People used to live MUCH longer because the air quality was so much better – more oxygen. Oxygen therapy is used today for sports injuries and medical conditions... Look at all the characters of the old testament. We are living longer than the Romans because we eat more healthily and with medicine we can fight disease more successfully.
I have more to write - about what the bible says, which God willing I can leave for another day.
Evolutionists have not come up with any specific scenarios (quote from John P Marcus, Biochemist.) that would explain how life arose from non-living chemicals. The stories that are put forward are like fairy tales with some science thrown in to make them sound educated. One popular biochemistry textbook admits that there is no physical evidence for the transition of life from non-life....Without having witnessed the event, it seems unlikely that we shall ever be certain of how life arose. As J Bergman PHD said:”If God is God, then what He has said must be true. I believe that if we test it, our reasonable faith will be strengthened. (1 Peter 3:15)

The bible was written as His word of Truth - why should He lie - He spoke of a six day creation, literal days . They could not have been created eons apart because how could one day's worth of creation, survive all those years before the next day. I believe he gave a day of rest to make a pattern for mankind. And it makes so much sense to me - and all Christ followers. IF we surrender to His will, fall off our own cliffs, take a leap of faith, go into Him we can only gain. paul said to Die is Gain. To Live is Christ. - source: Philippians 1:21 yes, it is scary and the feeling is vulnerability but those feelings are SOON overcome by Christ in us, who comforts us and gives us strength to go on. Everything in Him. I pray I cling to him for the rest of my days. This moment. Amen.

HOW did it all begin?

2009-04-10T23:23:00.001-07:00

The link is one of many now available on the internet from people who smash the evolution theory. Our family have been looking at the possibilities and The Bible's truth comes up trumps each time. Take the deserts. - The largest, The Sahara is known to be around £4,500 years old - so if the Earth is billions of years, how come there are no more deserts? Look at the moon. We are told by scientists that the moon travels away from the earth by two inchest each year. It has a control on the tides as we all know...Well, if you go backwards in time,, 'just' 1.4 billion years ago, the earth would be actually touching the moon! Huh? Does this make sense? Now, my daughter is convinced by this third point. The population growth has soared only in recent times - so we would have ALOT more people, if the Earth was older - check the figures on the internet! How can we be related to bananas, or a rock? Now, the grand canyon - caused by a river eroding it's banks - REALLY?? They've found possible traces of Noah's ark on the A.... mountains and giant stones with holes in them that were used to hang round the Ark, to keep it steady - it didn't have to go anywhere, just on the water and down again! Water was under the rocks before the Flood, and much of the waters came from below. There was an ice sheet above the air (firmanent - look at Kings James Version - will attach it below), which maybe melted. In the beginning the oxygen was greater - people lived a lot longer, people had less disease, because the breed was a lot purer. Adam lived hundreds of years. His son Cain actually married a sister. The Bible says: v.17 "And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived" He "Knew" his wife to me implying a very known family member! Genesis 1"6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 11 " Finally (but there is lots of great arguments to the false theory of evolution on the net), the so called BIG BANG theory happened fast - as fast as CREATION! Cept the BIG BANG they say it came from the size of a small dot - Yeh, really?? Ray Comfort has a book out called Scientific facts in the bible. In there you can see that the Earth is round - mentioned twice in the bible as 'the circle' of the earth..Isaiah 40:22 Also, must mention this - evidence of giant human bones have been unearthed - fossils of them. They are not mentioned in any Smithsonian museum (Including the museum of natural history!!) - I couldn't find them on the internet in these museums - but they can be found on many other credited sites! The Bible even predicted the 'increase of knowledge' in the end times - REF:Daniel 12: 4 – “But you, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book [so no one could understand its meaning], even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro [world travel], and KNOWLEDGE shall be increased.” The BIBLE is the inspired word of God! Be amazed! Read the bible and see how God kept the line of David alive through the scriptures - amazing. Look at the prophesies - of Jesus, in the old testament. Jesus is featured in ALL the books of the bible - it doesn't take a genius to see - I can! Help is on the internet! See in Leviticus about purity, and seriousness of sin - and look how Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for all!!

Knowing our Lord on Earth

2009-03-24T06:29:00.000-07:00

Jesus, all man and all God, asked, in the garden of Gestheneme for 'the cup' to be taken from him. He went to the garden to be with God and he just got , metaphorically, 'the cup' in his face - The Cup is talked about in many places of the old testament. You'll find it in Isiaha 51... The Cup - The wrath of God - all our sin and rebellion including refusing to believe in Him, all our iniquities - the cup WE should drink. We are ALL sinners. But He did drink the cup, and for ALL believers in Him we have been saved, by Him dying for us.

Yes, he was forsaken, but not forever - he rose again and went to SIT DOWN at the right hand of God.

And He Has saved all those by our free will - by our choosing to hear His call, His invitation (which is now to you) . As Christians, we have the armour of God (Ephesians 6), protecting us, the graceful spirit dwelling in us and this is lived out in our daily lives. We can experience the truth, not just know about it. Well, it is working for me and all I can give you is my word - and His and millions of others - before it is too late!

What we have gained on this world is rubbish - Considered Loss for the Sake of Christ Why did Paul throw away all his pride? It is because Christ Jesus is incomparable to it. And that what profit he had before has actually become a loss for him now. Because of his merits, he was hindered from realizing the grace of God that is received through Christ.What profit he had in the past, Paul explains that it makes it hard for him to take hold of what is greater. So he threw them away in order to gain Christ. If we relinquish all to him...WOW What ever your journey - you can always give yourself to Him now. Only then we can be any USE to him.
We are really not different from Paul, we are here for a reason. We are here because God has use for us. In the spectrum of God's kingdom there remains a use for us, his servants, and that is why, and the only reason why, we remain here on earth. Our citizenship is in heaven (Ephesians 2:19), but while we remain here as ambassadors of Christ, (2 Corinthians 5:20) we have a use in God's kingdom!
"Live your life and forget your age." Frank Bering
"Life is not measured by length but by depth. Birthdays tell us how long we have been on the road, not how far we have travelled." Vance Havner
"Let us endeavour so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." Mark Twain

Recent blog from David Wilkerson - amazing!

2009-03-22T03:01:00.000-07:00

PEACE WITH GOD
Jesus died on the cross to purchase peace with God for me—and he’s in heaven now to maintain that peace, for me and in me. The peace we have with God through Christ distinguishes our faith from all other religions.In every other religion besides Christianity, the sin question is never settled. Sin’s dominion simply hasn’t been broken. Therefore there can be no peace: “There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked” (Isaiah 48:22). But we have a God who provides peace by pardoning sin. This is the very reason Jesus came to earth: to bring peace to troubled, fearful humankind.How does Jesus maintain God’s peace for me? He does it in three ways:- First, Christ’s blood removed the guilt of my sin. In this sense, Paul says, “He is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14). Jesus made peace for me through his blood.- Second, Christ maintains my peace and joy in believing: “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Romans15:13).- Third, Jesus causes me to rejoice at the hope of entering glory: “We…rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2).Simply put, peace is the absence of fear. And a life without fear is a life full of peace.When Jesus ascended to heaven, he didn’t just bask in the glory that God bestowed on him. No, he went to the Father to maintain the hard-won peace he achieved for us at Calvary.Our Savior is alive in glory right now. And he’s both fully God and fully human, with hands, feet, eyes, hair. He also has the nail scars on his hands and feet, the wound in his side. He has never discarded his humanity; he is still a man in glory. And right now, our man in eternity is working to make sure we’re never robbed of the peace he gave us when he left. He’s ministering as our high priest, actively involved in keeping his body on earth full of his peace. And when he comes again he wants us to “be found of him in peace” (2 Peter 3:14).When I sin, my peace is interrupted in two areas. First, my conscience troubles and accuses me, and rightly so. But, second, Satan’s accusations put fear in me. I believe these are the two primary areas where Christ’s intercession applies to us.First, my high priest won’t permit my conscience to hold me captive. Nor will he allow Satan’s accusations against me to go unchallenged. Christ is my advocate with the Father against every accusation from hell. What is an advocate? It is simply “my friend in court.” For Christians, this friend in court is also the son of the judge. In addition, our advocate is our brother. In fact, we are set to inherit the judge’s fortune along with him.

Prayer for YOU

2009-03-17T23:40:00.000-07:00

Take me Lord! Pick me up and use me for your work, not mine. Your will, not mine. This attitude is the one to have. If we ask God to let us go from the world's trappings, so we can discover safe harbour in Him we will become more like our Lord Jesus and be blessed. Prayer is vital. Spending time, His time, being with Him, clinging to the Cross, to Jesus is what we should do, in order to stay in His presence. Read his word. Be guided. Grow in Faith and obedience. Trust in Him. Ask for this and He will give. He chooses us, He calls us to follow Him. We can repent with our ALL, and by doing so we are cleansed, forgiven and able to be what He intended; His children. Learn to know Him. Ask to know Him. You will be saved. We are living in the last days. Judgment day will come to us all. By the blood of Jesus. His sacrifice; the shedding of His blood, we have been redeemed. What a saviour! Glory be to the Lord, on the Highest. I pray you will know Him. He lives in me by His Holy Spirit and I am SO thankful. I can share this with millions of Christian brothers and sisters living, and even those who have passed from this Earth and it is glorious to know. Thank you Lord. May the reader of this be saved like me. May they read his word (The Bible). May they experience your treasures and come home to you. Now Lord. Amen

Random Pictures taken at home

2009-02-21T12:10:00.001-08:00

Jesus - His Death to SAVE US

2009-02-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

Mark 15 – New International Version
Jesus Before Pilate
1Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
2"Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate. "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
3The chief priests accused him of many things. 4So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of."
5But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.
6Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9"Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, 10knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
12"What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.
13"Crucify him!" they shouted.
14"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"
15Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
16The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" 19Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
The Crucifixion
21A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 23Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
25It was the third hour when they crucified him. 26The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.[a] 29Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30come down from the cross and save yourself!"
31In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! 32Let this Christ,[b] this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
The Death of Jesus
33At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"[c]
35When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."
36One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.
37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and[d] saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son[e] of God!"
40Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
The Burial of Jesus
42It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 44Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
Gary Aston preached on the above passage from Mark's Gospel last night. It was awesome. He noted many of the following.Sunday 1st February 2009
Jesus's love for us is in his suffering – this is key, think about it and understand. He had the self-control to die for us. For our sin He died so He might save us, if we believe in Him and surrender to Him. From 12 mid-day till 3 in the afternoon there was darkness, which is when there was no light and Jesus spent that time in death and hell. At that moment of his death the temple curtain was torn in two – so there was no need for animal sacrifices anymore. Man had access to God via Jesus. People had no objection about Jesus being a teacher, but when He said he was the son of God – that was blasphemy.
We see all the mockers, and even religious leaders calling Him names – we still have that today. The Roman centurion was significant. He was the first unbeliever to recognise who Jesus was seeing His death physically. Mary was told some time before as Jesus was an infant – by Simeon, that Mary would experience suffering as a mother for her son, so she knew this moment would come. Anna and Simeon recognised Jesus as the promised one.

Prayers - Hebrews 13:20

2009-01-25T08:34:00.000-08:00

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everythng good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen

learn Leviticus - we are!

2009-01-25T01:43:00.000-08:00

Our bible study group has been putting off learning about the book of Leviticus. But when you really analyse it together you can see the holiness of it. See, just at the begining...as soon as the Tabernacle is set in Exodus, we go straight in to the next book, of Leviticus, with: "The Lord called.." So, we have the burnt offering of propitiation (bears the anger of God for us). The Grain offering was 'dedication' - Jesus was perfectly dedicated to His father. The Sin offering - was CLEANSING - which is what Jesus 's blood does for us - Life poured out in death. The Guilt offering was REPAYMENT - He paid our debt to God. Then, finally The fellowship offering (the sweet aroma) and in Jesus, we have the felloship of His Spirit. Each offering is a different aspect of the manisfestation in Jesus. Wow. The repentant person gives his sin via the laying of his hands on to the unblemished animal which in turn takes on the burden of that sin, in order for the man to walk away cleansed. This is what Christ has done for us. Of course, these animals did not solve the ultimate problem of sin. The problems of the universe need a deeper solution than the blood of these animals. These burnt offerings were each a kind of prophecy saying that one day the Lamb of God Himself would come to be the final and ultimate sacrifece, the Lam who would take away the sins of the whole world. See Hebrows 10:1-6. The Law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifieces repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. ..."Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.

The Christian life

2009-01-15T22:19:00.000-08:00

Bible Reading: Genesis 12. 1-9 - from Park Evangelical Church - a 'MUST READ'
The Christian life is a journey from out of darkness into God's marvellous light. From out of unbelief, to faith in the Living God and the One God sent to be our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus. John Bunyon portrayed it like that in his book Pilgrim's Progress. That journey is wonderfully illustrated in the calling and life of Abraham.
If there was a list of the 100 most significant and important people in world history, then number one would have to be Jesus Christ, and after Him I reckon would come Abraham. He's one of my favourite Bible characters, and what makes him such an important person is his place in world history.
He is the father of both the Jewish nation through his son Isaac, and the Arab Muslim nations through his other son Ishmael. But even more important, he is called in the NT "the father of all true believers". Paul says in Gal 3.29 "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
So where does he come in the road map of history. After God created the world, and man chose to go his own way, the earth became so wicked and corrupt that God destroyed all of mankind in a global flood except for those who were saved by in the ark, Noah and his family.
This was a new beginning for mankind, but again it was not long before the knowledge of God became distorted and corrupted again. All the world was then of one language and they united together in their idolatry to build a tower at Babel. A tower that represented all man's glory, and all man's achievement but had no place for the true and living God.
So to weaken the grip of idolatry, God confused their languages, dividing people into nations and causing them to scatter across all the world. The scene was now set for a new beginning for the world. God would build his own nation. God's own people, a people belonging to God, a holy nation, a chosen people to whom He would reveal himself and a people who would keep the knowledge of God sacred.
A nation that would have a sacred trust. A responsibility from God to hand down from father to son, from mother to daughter, from generation to generation all that He revealed about Himself. A nation out of which would come prophets, priests and kings who would maintain the true and only faith against all opposition, all corruption, until the time when God's son should come Himself and reveal the Glory of God to the nations.
And then the nation itself would give way to that which was even more glorious, the Church. A spiritual nation that is not defined by geographical boundaries, or racial prejudices, or language differences, but one body, united together by one Spirit, in one faith, called to one hope and worshipping one Lord.
And it all began with one man. Abraham is the beginning of all that. One man to whom God would reveal himself, His truth, His grace and through him establish a family that would grow into a nation, a nation through whom the Saviour of the world would come.
But He is more than just the beginning of that glorious work.
Abraham is the prototype believer. He is the first example in the Bible of a true believer. There were other believers before him but He is God's chosen example of how every man, woman and child is brought to a knowledge of God, and saved, and then goes on to live and serve the Lord. Right at the beginning of the Bible, we have a complete life story of a true believer, who was to be the father of all believers.
So in the study of God's grace towards him, his life, his trials, his faith, his obedience, his prayers, and his faults and failures, we have a very practical illustration of the life of faith and of God's grace towards us. So how did it all begin?
1) It began with the sovereign gracious calling of God.
We journey back 2000 years before Christ to the city of Ur of the Chaldees. Now a famous archaeological site. Situated in Persia, modern day Iraq.
They have thoroughly excavated it and discovered, exactly what the bible said about it. That it was the centre of a highly developed civilisation, with a complex system of government, a well developed system of commerce, it had streets, drains, two story houses and a great temple tower dominating the whole city.
It was an idolatrous city and Abraham and his family were thoroughly immersed in it's life.
God says this of Abraham in Joshua 24.2 "Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods."
And in Isaiah 51 God says: 1. "Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
"Remember" God says "where you came from". "Remember the miserable pit, the quarry, the hole in the ground. That's where I found Abraham, his heart as hard as rock."
Where did God find you? Remember the words of Paul to the Ephesians.
2.1 "As for you , you were dead in trespasses and sins".
2.12 "Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world."
5.8 " you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord".
My friends, we forget. We forget the magnitude of God's grace towards us. We forget how God saw us at one time, what we once were in His sight, what you maybe still this very moment.
Remember God's grace. Do you ever take time to think and reflect upon what you might be this evening if it wasn't for God's grace towards you. Where you would be, what you might be doing, what sort of person you might be, what scale of values you would be living by and what ambitions would be driving you. How your family would be organised, and what would be your attitude to life and to death? Don't forget the sovereign grace of God towards you.
And how did that grace come? How did it come to Abraham?
It came out of a clear blue sky. There was no build up, no preparation as far as we can tell. One day the glory of the true and living God appeared to Abraham. God revealed Himself to Abraham.
Stephen tells us in his sermon Acts 7.2 "Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran."
Abraham saw the glory of God. God revealed himself to Abraham. It was all of God's doing. Abraham did not chose God, God chose Abraham. It was a personal call. And it is the same with every true born Christian.
Jesus said just the same concerning his disciples. "You did not chose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last."
Like Lydia by the river in Philippi. "The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message". The faith that brought you to Christ began when God began to reveal the glory of His Son to your heart. When Jesus suddenly becomes real to you and you see His glory, the glory of the One and only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. That's where the glory of God shines in all it's splendour, in the face of Jesus Christ.
When Peter exclaimed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God, what does Jesus say to him? "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
This is what happened to Abraham. This is what happened to Paul. Paul speaks of "Christ being revealed in Him." That is the new birth, conversion, when we see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
A Christian is a person who has had an encounter with the living God through Christ, the way, the truth, the life. This is where the journey begins. We have not begun until we have seen Jesus as the glory of God, the only way to God, the full truth about God, the very life of God.
Do you remember the time when first you saw the glory of God? When your heart was strangely warmed? When you saw Jesus, not merely as a person of history but as a living Saviour? When you looked upon the cross for the first time and realised your interest in the saviour's blood? To you who believe He is precious.
2) The call was to separate himself, to leave.
Gen 12.1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you."
God called him to undertake a journey. A journey that had a destination. Abraham was called to leave his country, his people and his Father's household. To get out of where he was and go to a place that God would show him. Abraham had to leave his idolatrous city. Like Christian in Pilgrim's Progress, he must leave his home town because it is doomed to destruction and make a journey to the celestial city of God.
Now like Abraham we have been called to undertake a journey. Christians are people who are going somewhere. It's like getting on a train. A train whose journey's end is to be in the very presence of God and live with Him. "Our God is the end of the journey". Our journey is a journey of faith. I think that's why I like the story of Abraham so much. It is so much like my story and your story as a Christian.
The story of God's amazing grace and the story of a man who followed God without knowing where it would take him. He followed faithfully but he made his mistakes as well.
His story, just like our own is marked by failure and inconsistency, yet through it all, he is chosen by God, and God will bring him into his inheritance.
The first step in that journey towards God is a step away from this world. ""Come out from among them and be separate", says the Lord. " 2Cor 6.17 The world as the organisation of life apart from God, is no longer to be our home. James says "Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." James 4.4 John says "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-- comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives for ever." 1John 2.15-17
The Bible calls that repentance. Repentance is not an emotion, it is not something you feel. It is somethi ng you do. It is a decision. It is deciding you have been wrong in thinking that you could manage your own life and be your own god in this world. It is deciding that you have been wrong in thinking that all you needed was to have a good education, a good job and plenty of money. It is deciding that you have been wrong about God and only the Bible tells you the truth about yourself and the world you live in.
Repentance is the decision to follow Jesus Christ and become His disciple on the path to knowing God. It's saying "No" to the way of life you see all around you and "yes" to God as you set out on a new path to know the true and living God. The journey begins with leaving. You have not begun the journey until you have left. Until you have turned your back on the world.
Now this is very searching. A person may claim to have seen the glory of God like Abraham. They have seen that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world. They say they are converted, born again. But the reality of that is not in the profession but in the fruits.
Have you left the world? Have you left those sins that characterised your life in the world. Have you started on the journey? Has your heart been captured by God, so that you want to serve and honour Him with your life. God issues to us a call and a command to leave, to go, to make a break with the past and to launch out in faith, trusting him. That's the challenge!
And when we obey, we begin on God's program for our life. A journey that will take us we know not where.
Peter the fisherman could never have imagined that he would preach to 1000's. Martin Luther could never have imagined that his faith in Christ would lead him to be the instrument that would transform all European history. Or that C.H.Spurgeon, when he responded in that little village Church would have become the chiefest of preachers in modern history.
And maybe in your life, though nothing so dramatic, but doors of opportunity have opened and your life has gone in a direction you could never have imagined. Just like Abraham, no-one could have imagined how his life would be transformed by God's call. And this is your calling, to leave the security you have made for yourself in the world, to leave the sins that characterised that life and to go forth trusting God, to lead you, direct you and provide for you. Have you obeyed that call?
3) The call came with great promises.
What enabled Abraham to leave the security and comforts of Ur and respond to God's call? It was the promises God made to him. Gen 12v2 "I will make you into a great nation". "I will bless you". "I will make your name great." In compensation for leaving your own country, family, friends, wealth, I will provide for you. "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse". Promises of protection and safety.
And perhaps the greatest promise of all: "You will be a blessing, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
Hidden there was the promise of the Saviour. That through Abraham would come the Saviour of the world.
All these promises begin "I will". This is what God would do. His sovereign intention. His divine purpose.
The promises got bigger as he responded with obedience .
When he was in Ur of the Chaldees, God's promise was "Go to the land I will show you". He journeyed to Haren. Half way. Stayed there five years.
Then he journeyed on. When he arrived in the land, God's promise in v7, To your offspring I will give this land."
then when he acted in a truly Christ like way by offering to Lot wherever land he wanted, God's promise came again. 13.15 "All the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring for ever."
Are the promises of God to you getting bigger? Better? The only way to be happy in Jesus is to trust and obey. The promises get bigger.
4) The calling brought new objects into his life.
a) A tent. v8 It was deeply significant. "By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." Heb 11.9
A tent has no foundations, it's tent pegs can be pulled up. His life under canvas symbolised his new life. He was like a stranger in a foreign land.
That's how we are to live. Not living by the standards of those around him. Not putting down roots, not allowing our love for our home, our work, even our family, to stifle our ambition to serve God. Not allowing social issues to become so large that we forget the priority of spiritual things. But moving forward in one direction, towards the city of God. Pilgrims but not tourists.
There is a tourist mindset among some Christians that is counterproductive to a spiritual life. It's going here, there and everywhere, with no particular commitment to anything. It's a weekly visit, if you have enough time to fit it in, to some attractive religious site of particular interest. A weekly jaunt to church, or to a CU meeting or to some special service, to hear a special speaker, or to get some new experience. It's the "Do London in one day" mindset. Visit all the high spots and then think that you have done London. Many Christians today have the tourist mindset, they are impatient for instant results. But the Christian life is not like that. It is a journey in one direction. It will only bear fruit when we commit ourselves to going in one direction all the time. It is long obedience in the same direction that produces fruit and a life worth living.
b) An altar. When arrived in Canaan, and came to a place called Shechem, he built an altar. Gen 12.7 When he moved on to Bethel and pitched his tent, he built an altar. v8 Wherever he went he built altars to the Lord. He sanctified each place he was in. He made it a place of worship.
And that is just what we are to do. To sanctify every new place, every new situation, every new chapter of our life. Not waiting for the idolatrous Canannites to leave the land, v6. Not waiting until things are perfect or easy. But honouring God where you are now, in the situation where He has placed you, in the midst of present trials. Build an altar. By faith build an altar and worship God and trust Him.

2009-01-15T22:14:00.000-08:00

The resurrection of the body, the final judgement of all mankind by our Lord Jesus Christ with the eternal punishment of the wicked, and the eternal blessedness of the righteous. Passages for study: John 14:1-6, 5:24-29, 11:21-27; Acts 1:6-12; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:11-14; Revelation 1:4-8, 19:1-9,21

I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life 1(A) "Let not your hearts be troubled.(B) Believe in God;[a] believe also in me. 2In(C) my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that(D) I go to prepare a place for you?[b] 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you(E) to myself, that(F) where I am you may be also. 4And you know the way to where I am going."[c] 5(G) Thomas said to him, "Lord,(H) we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" 6Jesus said to him, "I am(I) the way, and(J) the truth, and(K) the life। No one comes to the Father except through me.

Acts 1:6-12 (New International Version - UK)
6 So when they met together, they asked him, Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?
7 He said to them: It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
11 Men of Galilee, they said, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven।

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (New International Version - UK)
The Coming of the Lord 13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.
14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever.
18 Therefore encourage each other with these words।

Titus 2:11-14 (New International Version - UK)
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
12 It teaches us to say No to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self- controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
13 while we wait for the blessed hope— the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ,
14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good।

Revelation 1:4-8 (New International Version - UK)
Greetings and Doxology 4 John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne,
5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father -- to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

7Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.

8I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

Luke 18; v9-14 - Get right with God

2009-01-12T22:40:00.000-08:00

The Parable about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9Jesus[d] also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves, thinking they were righteous, but who looked down on everyone else: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘O God, I thank you that I'm not like other people—thieves, dishonest people, adulterers, or even this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of my entire income.’
13“But the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even look up to heaven. Instead, he continued to beat his chest and said, ‘O God, be merciful to me, the sinner that I am!’[e] 14I tell you, this man, rather than the other one, went down to his home justified, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be exalted.”

These two men both want their consciences cleansed. The first man - the focus was not God, but himself. he exaulted himself; had no humility. False confidence. In his desire to self justify himself he despises others. He reckoned God should accept him on his terms.
Jesus says it's not about that. Christian faith is not about what I must do but what God has done.
Many so called Christians end in this trap. We must not hide from our guilt but must be responsible for what we see in ourselves. Humble ourselves and ask to be put right with God. We need to look at what we are doing about the blood of Jesus Christ. He gave us the wonderful gift of forgiveness - His death for our life. Our attitude ought to be..."Accept me Lord, because you're merciful. We don't deserve it." This is not at the heart of the Christian faith, sadly. (All not my words - listened to a tape from All Souls Langham place, last evening.. in our bible study" May be useful to YOU!

Shedding light on The Parable of the Lost Son

2009-01-08T08:08:00.000-08:00

The Parable of the Lost Son 11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.[b]'22"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'28"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'31" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

So you've read this probably many times, or heard of it. this Father can be compared to God. Two sons: one cuts loose (like many of us do! cut loose, from our homes and what we know, for so called freedom.) Then the other son, an establishment figure - like many we see - those who choose to stay at home, and enjoys his 'religious', good, life, BUT looks down on others as he is obviously self righteous and sees himself as morally superior over other people. Here we have a deceptive contrast between the wto brothers. Both we find out is loved - and equally welcome - by their father. the younger brother, leaves home to find freedom, squanders his money and it runs out. He chooses to goe home - home is a place of belonging and acceptance - that place where we find God. His love is unconditional. The Father in this story is so happy he RUNS to his son and KISSES him - How do you experience God's kiss - has God ever 'kissed you?' He has me!! Thank you God! The son says 'Sorry' - have you said sorry - it's something to say to God EVERY day! In the Lord's prayer we say 'forgive us Lord...' The generosity of the father is overwhelming - in this passage and in our lives - if we can but see it. Jesus (for HE IS GOD) has paid the price for us to go home. We won't go to heaven if we think we are good.Here endeth the message! Do you get it? Please take every opportunity to read the bible before it is too late! His word - gives light and salvation for He IS. Amen

Come People Come People Come

2008-12-29T23:06:00.000-08:00

As the Word says, "Repent and be baptised.". Know him through His Word. (The bible). Read the bible. Find out what it means. Pray for meaning. Pray for your life. So you may live with Jesus. Jesus is our redeemer. He provides us with the way. He is our light and salvation. From whom shall we fear. He protects us from danger.

16th December 2008

2008-12-15T22:40:00.000-08:00

David Wilkerson tells us we are so busy doing, we know less and less about our creator and don't spend enough time in communion, with Christ, keeping the feast...

Dear Lord, may I keep the feast, stay hungry for you. Keep me awake for THAT day, which I believe, along with my brothers and sisters, will come 'soon'.

We had a superb bible study last evening, fellowshipping with my dear friends. We enjoyed mince pies and a glass of mulled wine before listening to a DVD of John Lennox at Keswick this year, preaching on 1 Thess ch4/5. WOW!

Good link! David Wilkerson's blog

2008-12-15T00:55:00.000-08:00

have you heard of:
http://davidwilkersontoday.blogspot.com/
check it out.

GREAT LINK for women who follow Christ

2008-09-16T06:25:00.000-07:00

So, here's a good link for Christian women EVERYWHERE!!

http://christianhomekeeper.com/2008/08/20/the-homekeepers-journal-join-me/

Psalm 62 re-iterating a sermon lead by Gary Aston Sunday, September 7th 2008

2008-09-10T22:24:00.000-07:00

Psalm 62
1 My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
3 How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down— this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse. Selah
5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God [a] ; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah
9 Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
11 One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong,
12 and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.
Who or what will be your refuge when everything around you begins to shake?
This Psalm is all about being dependent upon God. Everything else can let you down or crumble. He is the bedrock in which you build everything.
Your soul can stay in tact because it is rooted in Him. In Jesus, your soul can find refuge.
Did you know the Psalms tell of Jesus and David who wrote many of the Psalms prophesie about Jesus's coming. If you don't know much about the bible – to find out more, just ask Him and read His word!
Being in Christ is the cure for living in this modern age and even through suffering we can be filled with joy.
This psalm spells out these following false refuges – a place to go for rest, safety and security:
Other people. “with their mouths they bless; but in their hearts they curse.” v.4. You ultimately can't rely on another person alone, nobody can give you the total security you need to live this life.
Self. David recognised he was just a “leaning wall, a tottering fence” v.3. without God to give him refuge.
Status and position. “lowborn men”v.9. those who are honest hard working, humble even, who find all meaning in what they do.. can imerse themselves in work – but what happens when their work is taken away? David says the lowborn – is, but a breath.. “Highborn” those who command worldly respect, seek their status as a refuge; people who are proud and secure in what they 'have' – material things.
As Christians, we follow a homeless saviour followed by a linch mob – then he says “come follow me”. On the outside it seems madness to even go there! But this world can't see – it says so in the bible! It's upside down to follow Jesus and his light – that Johns gospel talks about. So when everything around you begins to shake, find solice in the true redeemer and set your heart on Him. He never lets you down on His promises (they are in the bible too!) He is always here to find shelter in, under his wing. He is our rock we cling to – and it is necessary to cling!
I long to share my heart with those who are close to me, who don't know Jesus yet and I pray you will be touched by His holy power. The bible explains it all and the truth becomes known via meditating on The Word and prayer.
By Sarah Baskerville re-iterating a sermon lead by Gary Aston Sunday, September 7th. Please pass this on!

2008-09-06T04:35:00.000-07:00

1) Write about a time when you waited for something from God.

2) Are there times when you feel weary? In light of the scripture today, what are you going to do with your weariness in the future?
3) Is there something, some area of life, where you need God to renew your strength?