Call to Commitment

WARNING: Do not view this video if you are content with your current spiritual state. This video should only be watched by those who desire to live for Christ with every fiber of their being.

My thoughts are taken up with Christ crucified... His death in our place and how we must identify with it, in order to live our lives to the glory of God. Please study this first chapter in the second section of a new book, "We Have an Altar".

"And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it...(1 Corinthians 12:26)" We are suffering! Pray for your brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for Christ's sake. 

Part 2 of the Mark Zook story.

watch part 1

Part 1 of a primitive tribe's miraculous conversion to Jesus Christ through an "unqualified" missionary couples's obedience to God.

Pardon, redemption, reconciliation, propitiation, justification, regeneration… we are not entering some kind of deep theological study here, reserved for the intellectuals. These are biblical words, given to the common believer in the Bible, therefore we are compelled to know about them. If we ignore them and refuse to teach them, because they are unfamiliar to the common man, then we are averting the full counsel of God.

I say this, because there are people, who seem to think that there is virtue in ignorance and they glory in it. The Bible extols the value of wisdom and even a cursory study of the Proverbs should convince us of its worth: “Does not wisdom call and understanding lift up her voice?... ‘To you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men. O naïve ones, understand prudence; and O fools, understand wisdom… Wisdom is better than jewels… Riches and honor are with me… The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old… When He marked out the foundations of the earth; Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; and I was daily His delight’…” (Pr. 8:1,4,11,18,22,29,30). This only scratches the surface of the doctrine of wisdom taught from the beginning to the end of Scripture. In a parable, Jesus commended five wise virgins and condemned five foolish ones (Mt. 25:1-12).

“The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires (2 Ti.4:3)… Because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved... GOD will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false (2 Th. 2:11)… He also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone… And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night (Rev.14:10-11)… These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power (2 Th.1:9)… I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you fear HIM (Jesus, Lk.12>5)… and the Bible references go on and on, because the theme of falling into delusion and the resulting punishment is not a minor one in Scripture. I find it obligatory to join with other concerned Christians in doing the little that I can to counterbalance an avalanche of perverted teaching concerning the love of God. I just celebrated my 67th birthday, have been a Christian since two days before my 10th birthday and I have been in Christian ministry for 47 years. Within that time, I have watched apostasy make huge gains with great rapidity. It has invaded an increasing number of so-called evangelical churches and what is seen, heard and propagated in the name of Christ leaves those of us, who know better, horrified. You and I are exposed today to massive deception.

Powerful signs of upheaval in the last half century or so are seen in every area of society - in world politics, in nature, in moral values, and in economic collapse. Anyone, who will bother to take notice, can see that throughout 2010 and this far into 2011, we are experiencing a very notable upswing in the number and immensity of all sorts of disasters. Even the secular world is beginning to acknowledge it.

Two popular books have been written in the past few years and have sold millions of copies, contributing immensely to the 21st century church’s trip into apostasy. One of them is Love Wins by Rob Bell and the other is The Shack by Paul Young. Both authors are proponents of a Christianized version of universal salvation. That is serious error, for reasons that I will point out, and should be considered heresy. The authors, then, are heretics and I came to that conclusion before I went to the internet and heard Franklin Graham call Rob Bell a false teacher and a heretic. Right on, Franklin! Paul Young is no less a heretic.

Him Crucified

“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” 1 Cor. 2:2

I remember driving into Romania one time during the heat of a political campaign. Along the roads in the countryside, political parties displayed newly-hung advertisements on the billboards. Posters were stuck to many light posts in the towns and banners streamed across the streets. On them all were the faces of candidates for various local, provincial and federal offices. They looked their very best, wearing the most pleasant expressions, and bedecked with fine suits and ties. Every effort was taken to give the impression that these men and women were intelligent, friendly and compassionate human beings, worthy of the votes of the populace. “This is our candidate,” the parties declared, “Vote for this person!”

My mind went back to the Gospels and the central event of all human history. It took place outside the capital city of the little country of Israel. Between heaven and earth a body was hung for public display on a Roman cross. His face was swollen beyond recognition, disfigured from the multiple blows of fists and palms, and from a rod, with which He was beaten over the head. Blood flowed from the wounds of thorns pressed into his forehead and from gaping holes in his hands and feet, where soldiers had driven nails. On the beam just above His head, the Roman governor had commanded that a sign in Latin, Greek and Hebrew, should present the charge, for which He was executed. It read: “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”. God Almighty looked down upon the scene from His throne room in Heaven and declared, “This is My Candidate! Vote for Him!”

Since that day, the writing has been translated into hundreds of other languages throughout the world. The cross gives us a startling revelation of God’s way of publicity. Make no mistake about it, God’s way is always the right and wise way. Ever since the fall, man’s ways are perverted and twisted 180% away from the divine perception that he was given in creation. His general means of publicity is nothing less than a deception. But Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (Jn. 12:32). He was speaking of His crucifixion as an attraction, through which, and only through which, people would be drawn to Him. All humanistic religion aside, no one comes to Christ except through the cross.

As I have been ministering on the cross from place to place, some have asked that I write on the subject. Here is a tentative introduction to the subject. I will try to include in this site soon, a chapter or two. These are not the finished project, but just something to give you an idea.


WE HAVE AN ALTAR
“We have an altar, from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered without the gate. So, let us go out to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”
Hebrews 13:10-14

In the Old Testament God marked a site for sacrifice and it was forbidden that Israel should offer at any other place. Before Israel knew where it should be, God had already predetermined the place. His plans were formed before the world was created. At that spot, David interceded and a great plague that destroyed thousands came to an end. There He sent Abraham on a three-day journey to offer Isaac. There was no alternate choice, no “plan B”, regardless of the inconvenience involved in arriving. When King Jeroboam built an altar in another place, a man of God was sent to proclaim judgment against it.

The writer of Hebrews referred to “an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat”. He said that it was ours – “we have an altar” – showing it as something, which we Christians possess in common and we possess it exclusively. The Old Testament priests had no right to it, and, in fact, the whole world of religious and non-religious people must keep their distance. It has been erected by God Himself under a new covenant for true believers around the world. What can this altar be?

There is little possibility of making a mistake here; the only altar of sacrifice under the New Covenant is “the place of the skull” outside Jerusalem – Mt. Calvary, the Roman execution site, where the Author of our faith ultimately found His place. Here we must meet Him, confront His altar and extract from it all that it implies in relation to the Christian life. It is the only place, in which we can meet Him.

Mark records in his Gospel that Jesus forewarned His disciples four times of His suffering and death. The references are 8:31-32, 9:9, 9:31-32, and 10:33-34. Mark stated pointedly that Jesus made it very clear to them, without speaking in allegorical form. However, they somehow managed to escape from it, looking for some kind of hidden meaning in the message. They were simply unwilling to listen.

Just want to share with you an AP bulletin that affects every true Christian in the U S and in many other parts of the world. We lost yesterday a voice that shared with us "what the Spirit says to the church". Lowell


Home U.S. April 27, 2011

Pastor founded Times Square Church in New York City, made it his mission to bring religion to troubled area

(AP) TYLER, Texas - Rev. David Wilkerson, founding pastor of Times Square Church in New York City and author of the best-selling book, "The Cross and the Switchblade," has died. He was 79.

Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Tela Mange says Wilkerson died Wednesday in a car accident in East Texas. Mange says Wilkerson's car smashed head-on into a tractor-trailer rig after veering into another lane.

Wilkerson's World Challenge Inc. ministries confirmed on its website that he "went to be with Jesus."

Wilkerson founded the non-denominational Protestant church in 1987 in an area of Manhattan that was then riddled with X-rated movie houses, strip clubs, prostitution and drugs.

Wilkerson also founded Teen Challenge, which uses a biblically-based recovery program for drug addicts.

His wife, Gwendolyn, was injured in the car accident.

by A. W. Tozer

ALL UNANNOUNCED AND MOSTLY UNDETECTED there has come in modern times a new cross into popular evangelical circles. It is like the old cross, but different: the likenesses are superficial; the differences, fundamental.

From this new cross has sprung a new philosophy of the Christian life, and from that new philosophy has come a new evangelical technique-a new type of meeting and a new kind of preaching. This new evangelism employs the same language as the old, but its content is not the same and its emphasis not as before.

The old cross would have no truck with the world. For Adam's proud flesh it meant the end of the journey. It carried into effect the sentence imposed by the law of Sinai. The new cross is not opposed to the human race; rather, it is a friendly pal and, if understood aright, it is the source of oceans of good clean fun and innocent enjoyment. It lets Adam live without interference. His life motivation is unchanged; he still lives for his own pleasure, only now he takes delight in singing choruses and watching religious movies instead of singing bawdy songs and drinking hard liquor. The accent is still on enjoyment, though the fun is now on a higher plane morally if not intellectually.

The new cross encourages a new and entirely different evangelistic approach. The evangelist does not demand abnegation of the old life before a new life can be received. He preaches not contrasts but similarities. He seeks to key into public interest by showing that Christianity makes no unpleasant demands; rather, it offers the same thing the world does, only on a higher level. Whatever the sin-mad world happens to be clamoring after at the moment is cleverly shown to be the very thing the gospel offers, only the religious product is better.

The new cross does not slay the sinner, it redirects him. It gears him into a cleaner and jollier way of living and saves his self-respect. To the self-assertive it says, "Come and assert yourself for Christ." To the egotist it says, "Come and do your boasting in the Lord." To the thrill seeker it says, "Come and enjoy the thrill of Christian fellowship." The Christian message is slanted in the direction of the current vogue in order to make it acceptable to the public.

By Zac Poonen

"Let no one defraud you of salvation's victory prize, no one who indulges in assumed (false) humility and the cult of messenger-worship ... instead of keeping hold on the Head from which the whole body grows with God's increase" (Col.2:18,19 - Berkeley version).

"A people who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts, who say, `Keep to yourself, do not come near to me, for I am holier than you'" (Isa. 65:2,5).


"From among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert" (Acts 20:30,31).

To be cultistic is to be devoted to a person or to a doctrine in addition to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to make tabernacles for 'Elijah' and 'Moses' along with one for the Lord as well. This always brings a cloud that hides the presence of God. The will of God is that our lives be centred in Jesus only (Matt.17:1-8).

The last days will see an increase of cults in Christendom. Many will fall a prey to these, because they will worship the Lord's messengers instead of having a close personal relationship with Christ the Head.

In order to be saved from this danger, it is good to know some of the marks of cultism, so that we can be on guard against it at all times.

There is a difference between being part of a cult and being cultistic.
It is possible for you to be in a church where the doctrines are all basically Scriptural, and the leaders are all godly men, and yet to be cultistic in your attitudes towards your leader, your group and towards other believers in other churches. Cultism is seen, not only in a wrong doctrine, but also in wrong attitudes.

Those who are right in their doctrines and upright in their lives are often unaware of the cultism that there can be in their attitudes.

Please read an article by a man from the "brethern movement", who has it together concerning Christian loyalties. It applies to all of us, whether we are involved in a denomination, an organization, a local church or an independent body of believers.

What do you think of the person who says, "My parents were members of this denomination. I was born in it. And I'll die in it." "Oh," you say, "I think he's wrong to talk like that:" "Yes, but why is he wrong?" "I suppose because he assumes his denomination is right and will always be right." "Well, then, to what denomination or group should he be loyal?" "I guess he shouldn't be loyal to any denomination, because no denomination is perfect." "One final question. If he shouldn't be loyal to any denomination or group of Christians, to what should he be loyal?" "He ought to be loyal to the Lord and to the principles of His Word." Yes, of course! That is the only correct answer. It is a mistake to develop an undying loyalty to any Christian fellowship, no matter how scriptural it may be at the time. Even suppose that you reject the whole idea of denominations. Suppose you meet with Christians who refuse any sectarian name. Suppose, for instance, that they speak of themselves by the innocuous name of "the assemblies." They seek to adhere to the teaching of the Word. Shouldn't you throw in your lot with them permanently and be loyal to them alone? If you do, you will find yourself in a difficult position. You are committed to a group that will almost inevitably change over the years. This has been the history of almost every Christian fellowship. Liberal tendencies creep in. Zeal and freshness give way to formalism. A denominational hierarchy develops. Soon you can write Ichabod over the whole thing-the glory has departed.

Then again, if you are loyal to a group of assemblies, the question always arises, "With which particular ones do you agree?" There are wide differences among any group of local churches, just as there are wide differences among individuals. Some are open, some are exclusive. Some are conservative, some are liberal. Some have a pastor who presides over the congregation, others repudiate a one-man ministry. No two assemblies are exactly alike. So there is a real problem. To which assemblies are we to be loyal? Are we to blindly subscribe to all the assemblies that might be listed in a semi-official address book? It seems obvious that we cannot consistently do this. We must judge each individual assembly by the Word of God, as far as our own personal affiliation is concerned. Here is another problem. If my loyalty is to a particular group of local churches, what is to be my attitude toward other Christian groups that might in some ways be closer to the New Testament pattern than mine is? How do I evaluate them? Do I simply wave them off by saying, "They are not among 'our' assemblies." Do I accept or reject them by whether their activities are reported in one of "our" magazines?

Gal 1:10 “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? or am I striving to please men? if I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.”

1Co 7:23 “Ye were bought with a price; become not bondservants of men.”

It is true that at times, when Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God, He included that which is external and visible. That is especially obvious in the parables of Matthew 13. Almost the whole chapter demonstrates that not everything, which visibly and tangibly relates to the things of God, is in truth of eternal value. The chapter begins with the Parable of the Sower and it shows that not all the seed of the Kingdom brings eternal fruit. He spoke of the Kingdom as a net that caught good and bad species of fish. He taught that the Kingdom is as a treasure in the field. The whole field is bought to be able to possess the treasure, but of course, not all the field is the treasure. He affirmed that among the good wheat, useless tares would grow. He illustrated how a grain of mustard grew in an abnormal way, above the intention of the one who sowed it. In the same way, the leaven is mixed into three measures of meal and the size exceeded its substantial value.

Nevertheless, before the Pharisees, when it came time to separate that which was external and visible from that which was internal and spiritual, Jesus said to them, “The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with visible display, nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts]…” (Luke 17:20-21, Amplified Version. Note: The Greek preposition translated here within is only found in one other place in the New Testament. It is where Jesus said, “Cleanse first the INSIDE of the cup and of the platter…” Mt. 23:26.) Before Pilate, Jesus reduced things to their lowest terms to announce,“My kingdom is not of this world…” (John 18;36).

The most extreme and fanatical conclusion to which a group of people can come is a conviction that their organization or religious society is an exclusive representation of the Kingdom of God on the earth. Therefore, the only way to be saved, they believe, is through their organization and to leave its cover is the same as abandoning Christ and His gospel. It deserves the complete devotion and loyalty of its members. If you are there, everything that is necessary to life and godliness is provided, so there is no reason to look elsewhere. They are the body of Christ and the family of God. There are people who believe just that and without a doubt they are under a total deception. I hope that few who read this article have fallen into such a deception.

A SMILE IN ADVERSITY

by Raquel Ehmer



I was born in Cacahuatepec, Oaxaca, Mexico, where my parents were missionaries. I was the fourth child, following three boys. After me three more girls were born and another boy. We were brought up in the ways of God. I am so thankful to have had parents, who taught us early about Him.

I was still young (six-years-old), when I realized that I was a sinner and needed a Savior. I remember, I was playing outside under a big tree. My older brother, Steve, told me that if the tree would fall on me and kill me, I would go to hell, because Jesus hadn’t saved me. That shook me up and I didn’t feel like playing anymore. I wandered around our yard, pondering what I should do. I finally went to find Mom. She took me into Dad’s study, where she explained to me that everyone was a sinner and needed to be saved. When she asked me if I wanted to pray to Jesus to ask Him to save me and live in my heart, I became excited. I was very happy after praying. I wasn’t afraid of trees falling on me anymore, because Jesus had saved me!

A few days later, I was in school and the teacher was leading devotions. She said, “It isn’t enough to ask Jesus into your heart. It’s also important to make right the things that are wrong in your life and ask people you wronged for forgiveness.” That wouldn’t be easy, but I started to ask forgiveness from everyone, who came to mind. The hardest thing for me to confess was stealing a chocolate bar from my friend, Merry Elva. I saved that confession until last. It was difficult, but after it was done, I had peace.

In 1979, my family moved to Minnesota and then, seven years later, to Germany. There, I met and married Tom Ehmer. We settled down in a town near Augsburg in Bavaria. In 1994, a little baby girl, Jessica, was born to us. On June 14, l995, she was seven-months-old and I read a child devotional book, written by Joni Erickson Tada. It had a special prayer: “Please be with my daddy today; he has so much to think about. Be with him in a special way.” I thought to myself, “That does not really relate to us today,” without realizing how much we all would need the Lord’s presence in a matter of hours and in the months to come.

Plans suddenly smashed

Here are my first and only poor attempts at poetry.

HEAVEN´S KING ANSWERS PRAYER
Into God’s sanctuary, from a desperate heart comes a plea,
It echoes through its sacred halls, floats over the glassy sea;
It is carried by angels’ wings, upon living creatures’ wheels,
The only voice in a silent heaven, to the altar of incense it steals.

Holding a golden censer, a heavenly apothecary waits,
Mingling with incense those simple words, an unearthly aroma creates;
So it ascends to God’s throne, now let the earth beware,
The awesome power that will fall from above, when the King of heaven answers prayer.



GOD IS OUR INHERITANCE
1. There is a nation of princes and priests,
Who gain nothing through temporal investment;
Who set down no roots in this world’s poor soil,
But inherit God’s will and testament.

2. These royal priests have a high call and aim,
To walk down halls of infinity;
To gaze on endless and limitless beauty,
To know the heights and depths of divinity.

(Chorus)
God is our inheritance
His presence is our aim.
God is our inheritance
We revel in His name.

Note: Self-love is the philosophy of anti-christ. It prepares people for his reign.

Can We Love Ourselves Too Much? by Dan Denk
(From “His” student magazine of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship – 1982)

I may as well admit it from the start. I do love myself. Most people love themselves, I think – even those who complain and who seem to have low self-esteem.

What troubles me is that I’m told I need to love myself more. I need to improve my self-concept, become self-fulfilled, self-actualized because “a poor self-concept is the source of all our problems and “you must love yourself before you can really love others.”

It’s time to take another look at the psychology of me-ism. Has it been adopted as Christian teaching when perhaps it is pagan? Is it harmonious with the teaching of Scripture about self, its problems and solution?

When doing extensive counseling as a teacher at a Christian college, I talked with Doug one day (as I had many times before).

He was feeling down on himself again, overwhelmed with his own shortcomings. He was socially awkward. He seemed to be in his own world.

On previous occasions I had tried to help him improve his self-concept. It would work for awhile-then he would be in the pits again.