I Saw the Lord
Labels:
Isaiah
Remember: We will not be writing the whole portion of Scripture in the article, so you will have to have your Bible open and follow along, as I attempt an expository lesson.
8. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 6
I wonder if Isaiah had any idea how many people in all
the world and at different times would read and marvel at this account of his
calling. It is probably the chapter of this book that is most preached, only
exceeded by chapter 53. It is the personal testimony of the calling from the
Almighty that began his prophetic ministry. His calling was timely, necessary
and purposeful.
Men disappoint
us
He was being prepared during the long reign of King Uzziah,
which was for the most part good. As happens in the case of so many who taste
the blessing of God and experience success, Uzziah became proud and thought
himself indispensable. He took the responsibility out of God’s hands and went
beyond his limitations. He was not the only king, who attempted to presume the
duties of a priest. Israel’s first king, Saul, made that fatal error and
immediately lost favor with God. The road of self-importance is a dangerous one
to take. Uzziah became a leper, was placed in quarantine and his son took on
the administrative responsibilities.
…And he died, like the poor mortal being that he was.
Show us, Isaiah, the true picture of our life and end every one, and help us, oh
God, not to forget: “All flesh is grass
and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the
flower fades” (40:6, 7). In the year of Uzziah’s death, God raised up
Isaiah, to bring the necessary word from God, a living word that accomplished
His purposes for Israel in that day and continues over the centuries to this
day. This is the word that was so honored by Jesus and His apostle, Paul. It
was the one book that was preserved in its entirety in a cave above the Dead
Sea for over 20 centuries.
Six Woes
Labels:
Isaiah
7. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 5:17-30
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| Photo from "Shrine of the Book" in Jerusalem |
It would seem that the Lord is a good deal gentler in
judgment with Israel, than He is with pagan world powers. A little later in
Isaiah (13:20-22), in the destruction of Babylon, for example, it is depicted as
a place totally uninhabited forever. Not even shepherds will use it as a place to
rest their flock, never mind to feed them. The nomadic Arabian would not stop
to pitch his tent. Instead, it would be a place, where wild desert creatures,
owls, ostriches, hyenas, and jackals would make their caves and nests
undisturbed. In another example, the Lord, through Ezekiel, said of Tyre, “I will scrape her debris from her and make
her a bare rock… and you will never be found again” (Ez.26:4,21).
However with Israel, God, in judgment, remembers
mercy. The Lord will be exalted and men will be abased, and where the rich
possessed the lands, the lambs would graze and the nomad would eat (v.17). What
once was regulated by the rich landowner, has now become pastures for open
grazing. It is quite a contrast with the total destruction of other countries.
To this day, 250,000 Arabic Bedouins pitch their tents and feed their flocks in
the open fields of Israel.
God Exalted in Judgment
Labels:
Isaiah
Remember: We will not be writing the
whole portion of Scripture in the article, so you will have to have your Bible
open and follow along, as I attempt an expository lesson.
6. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 5:1-16
This message is sung by the prophet. Intimate love
between God and His people is the theme of the entire revelation of God in the
Bible. Isaiah, the prophet, sings to his well-beloved source of inspiration in
this “Gospel of Isaiah” (v.1). John, the beloved disciple, wrote his
Gospel of intimacy (“I have called you
friends,” John heard Jesus say), based on the word that he found in the Old
Testament. He learned it from Isaiah and the Psalmist, from the Song of
Solomon, from the beloved Daniel, from Abraham, the friend of God (Is.41:8),
and from Moses, whom God spoke to, “just
as a man speaks with his friend” (Ex.33:11). What John personally experienced
of the holy love of God, from being at the Savior’s side, had already been
declared in the sacred Scriptures. It was the purpose of creation.
Isaiah receives from the Lord and he ministers to the
Lord in song. It reminds me of Psalms 45, which is called A Song of Love: “My heart
overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King…” The heart of
the Psalmist overflows, as God fills it with revelation concerning the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. What the
Lord gives him, he returns to the King. In the primitive church, their primary
purpose was to minister to the Lord (Ac.13:1), and from that intimacy, the
church was edified and ministry flowed out to the world.
The Need for Christ
Labels:
Isaiah
Remember: We will not be writing the whole
portion of Scripture in the article, so you will have to have your Bible open
and follow along, as I attempt an expository lesson.
5. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 4
Chapter divisions are not inspired and sometimes this
is quite obvious. For instance, the last verse of chapter two, “Stop regarding man, whose breath of life
is in his nostrils; for why should he be esteemed.” connects perfectly to
the first part of chapter three. The kind counsel from the Lord prepares his
people for the deterioration of the leadership described in chapter three. As
we enter chapter four, we can easily see a continuance of the last two verses of
chapter three. In fact, the first verse begins with the word “for”, obviously joining it
grammatically to 3:26.
The
consequences of war
Verses 25 and 26 speak of war, the death of the young
and mighty and the mourning that follows. As a result, the male population has
been severely decimated and chapter four begins with a description of the
conditions. “For seven women will take
hold of one man in that day, saying, ‘We will eat our own bread and wear our
own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach!’”
My Sister Jean
Labels:
personal testimonies
The following
excerpts are from a letter, given recently to my sister, Phyllis, from a friend
of our family. She was a teenager during the years that our dad pastored a
group of Native Americans in Oneida, Wisconsin. The lady’s father helped Dad in
that work. The letter was written to this friend by our sister Jean, just a few
months before Jean went to be with the Lord in 1957. She had acute leukemia and
was 18-years-old. She graduated to her heavenly home shortly before she would
have graduated from high school. The letter came to Phyllis about the same
time, I think, that she received the document from our neighbor with Dad´s
testimony, which I have recently posted on this blog.
If you have
read, What Our Hands Have Handled, you
know a little about Jean´s story and also about how the Holy Spirit was moving
in that area in a powerful manner. I have never experienced anything like it
since. The Lord allowed Jean to profit from those days, before her home going.
If you have not read What Our Hands Have
Handled, you certainly may do so. Please let me know. Some have shared how
they were blessed through tears of joy and sadness by reading the book. The
comments have been many. It has been translated into Spanish, German, Romanian,
and, as I write, the book is at the printers, having been translated into
Bulgarian.
I am not
writing this, however, to push my book, although as I infer, I believe it would
be a blessing to you. No, I just want God’s people to know that we have a
Friend, who sticks closer than a brother and takes us through valleys, where no
human friend can be at our side. Please be sure that you have that Friend… the
Friend who died in your place and will be at your side, when you die. You will
never have another like this one.
Words and Actions Uncover the Heart
Labels:
Isaiah
We
will not be writing the whole portion of Scripture in the article, so you will
have to have your Bible open and follow along, as I attempt an expository
lesson.
4. An expository study of Isaiah,
chapter 3
Not one Word in the Bible is wasted or insignificant. Here
is a word that we might tend to overlook: It is “Behold!” Pay
attention! Take your eyes and ears off all else,
and focus on the Word of the Lord. Lay aside all the forms of media, the news, world
events, teaching and information, and focus on the prophet Isaiah, the man who
is hearing from God. What God is communicating has incomparably more value for
your soul. Be sure you get the word from God. It is a word that never dies;
that holds the same value today that it had when it was first spoken. Jesus saw
that Isaiah also spoke to the people of His day, and so we should see that the
living word addresses our generation.
Incompetent
leadership
He is presented as the Sovereign, the absolute Lord
over all… Lord over all lords. Jehovah of hosts means that He is the Captain of
unnumbered armies, which He enlists from wherever He wants to enlist them, whether
among angels in heaven or men on earth. He will not fail to carry out
everything that He has said that He will do. If God be for us, who can be
against us and, if God be against us, who can be for us. Regardless of who we
are and when we appear in history, we don’t want to have God for an enemy.
The Story of my Life
Labels:
personal testimonies
I’m sure that my dad gave them this document, not only
so that they would know his story, but with the intention of sharing the gospel
with them through it...a gospel that had nothing to do with the religion we
profess My parents’ witness and the prayers for our neighbors that went up from
our family altar every morning bore fruit. Ruby came to know the living Christ
in her later years. I’m not sure of the details, but I have heard also that
some, at least, of her children have also found the Lord and that her husband
expressed hope in Christ on his death bed.
I have had an entire lifetime to observe the
faithfulness of God in answering prayer and the sureness of the promises of His
word. Read, then, this simple testimony of a simple country preacher, who only
had the opportunity of going to grade school for six years. I have written his
complete story in a book called, “What Our Hands Have Handled” and if you are
interested in obtaining it, please let me know.
The Millennium
Labels:
Isaiah
We will not be
writing the whole portion of Scripture in the article, so you will have to have
your Bible open and follow along, as I attempt an expository lesson. Here,
very near the beginning of his book, Isaiah refers to the Millennium. There
will be more references to follow.
3. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 2
Knowing that there have been, and still are, wonderful
Christians, who do not believe in a literal millennium, I hold the conviction
that every true Christian should
believe in the literal thousand-year reign of Christ, along with His saints, on
the earth. Historically, there are many, who did not and I can understand their
conclusions, due to the fact that in their day signs did not exist, such as
those we are seeing today. Jonathan Edwards, in writing to other Christian
leaders in the 18th Century, stated that it would be impossible to
ascertain prophetical accuracy until the church drew near to the time of
Christ’s second return. He was echoing Daniel’s frustration at the end of his
book: “I heard but could not understand; so I said, ‘My lord, what will be the final end of these events?’ He said, ‘Go
your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time’” (Dn.12:8,9). Even
the tremendous intellect of Edwards couldn´t grasp them.
However, a great and clear sign appeared around the
turn of the 20th Century that had men, such as J. C. Ryle and C. H.
Spurgeon, talking about the literal fulfillment of Ezekiel 37. This chapter,
2500 years old, and many other Old Testament prophecies spoke of the literal
return of the Jews to their promised land and their sovereign self-government. This
is to happen in preparation to the literal reign of Christ from Jerusalem. “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel
from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every
side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the
land” (Ez.37:21,22). This mass movement was underway as the 20th
Century began and on May 14, 1948, Israel became a sovereign nation! On that
day, the displacement theory (the assumption that the Church had replaced
Israel) should have been thrown out the window, along with all the theories
that the fulfillment of such prophecies was spiritual, not literal.
Restoration through Judgment
Labels:
Isaiah
We will not be writing the whole portion of Scripture
in the article, so you will have to have your Bible open and follow along, as I
attempt an expositional lesson.
2.
An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 1, verses10-31
The Lord God never accepts heartless, ritualistic
religion. Isaiah addresses first the rulers of Israel in the name of the Lord
and likens them to the leaders of ancient, extinct Sodom (v.10). That is their
likeness and, as those rulers, they are headed for extinction. Their people,
the remnant excluded, are like the evil population of Gomorrah and God lets
them know His displeasure with their sacrifices (v.11).
Numerous
sacrifices, assemblies, and prayers
The Lord’s assessment of their religion must have come
as quite a shock to them. After all, they have been sacrificing to Him great
quantities of animals, but He tells them that they are worthless to Him. God is
never impressed with quantities, but always measures by quality. In the days of
Isaiah, He spoke of multiplied sacrifice, burnt offerings of rams, fat of fed
cattle, bulls, lambs, goats and incense. The Lord continues to see things His
way, when He judges the state of the church. Quantities of money, beautiful
buildings and fancy equipment are not taken into account.
God is not speaking of worshiping other gods in high
places, but of legitimate sacrifice, offered in the right places. This is
typical of the kind of worship, to which Isaiah’s book refers, and for this
reason, it is often quoted in the New Testament. Jesus said, “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah
prophesy of you: This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far
away from Me, but in vain do they worship Me” (Mt.15:7-9).
Whose Image is on Your Life?
Labels:
Important messages
I can testify of the mark of God on David's life from his youth. Even as a student in a Christian school, Dave was often called into the office to help counsel problematic students. As a teenager, the Lord began to move upon his life, preparing him for the future. For many years, Dave lived in the Republic of Ireland and gained a reputation there, as an able teacher of the Word of God. He worked with the youth and saw a gang of boys turn their attention towards heaven. Fruit still remains and even other members of their families now belong to Christ.
Dave now lives in the same area of Vermont as his twin brother, Daniel. Daniel pastors the Swanton Christian Church and Dave contributes his valuable teaching from time to time. He also works in house construction, which might have something to do with his insight on the house of God in this message. He is also sought out as a photographer at weddings and I will add a little sample of his photography to this article. I will also introduce you, by photos, to his three sons.
(click on any photo for a larger view)
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| Jared and his guitar |
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| Jacob, the youngest |
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| Ethan, JV soccer captain |
Judah Abandons Its God
Labels:
Isaiah
1. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 1, verses 2-9
Isaiah begins a declaration in the name of the Lord to
Judah and to Jerusalem, but his message holds true in the entire world. How
clearly and with what detail God speaks to His prophet! It is a protest against
His people, but also gives counsel towards repentance. It is a call to rational
thinking, with an intention of offering forgiveness, followed by blessing. The
Lord speaks of Israel’s fall into corruption and they have become His enemies.
From sons of God they become offspring of evildoers. In the end, they will be
brought to repentance through a work of righteous judgment.
God
speaks: Heaven and earth must pay attention
The Lord wants to be heard (v.2a); He wants to
communicate, therefore throughout the Bible He commands His servants to write.
His words sweep the heavens, fall down to earth and fill all of time. He
reveals His thoughts and the feelings of His heart.
A Very Small Bookstore
Let me take you into a
very small bookstore to let you browse for a while. There are only eight books,
so you will be able to pick up each one and read its description on the back
cover. If any one of them catches your attention and you think you would like
to read it, please order it at the following email address: loelmarga@telefonica.net .
The price of each one is $6.00 or euros, plus postage, except for the Psalms
meditation book, which is $8.00 or euros, plus postage.
The Christ of the Apocalypse
Here is a small book
written with an unskilled pen. It concerns the most magnificent personality
ever to cross the paths of mortal men. I am not worthy to pronounce His name,
much less am I capable of expounding on the least of His qualities. Yet the
Psalmist commands, “Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.”
Therefore, I hope I am not too presumptuous in attempting to exhale a little of
what I have inhaled as I meditated on the Christ of the Apocalypse.
Lowell
Brueckner
Leonard Ravenhill said:
“Of a dozen books I have on the Apocalypse, this one has moved me most.”
Introduction to Isaiah
Labels:
Isaiah
Introduction
to the Prophecies of the Book of Isaiah
Chapter
1
Verse 1: The
vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw
during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
After having finished reading through the Old
Testament in October, 2014, I began an intensive study of the book of Zechariah.
I benefitted immensely, poring verse by verse over this book, rich in prophecy, concerning the first and second coming of the Messiah. I have an obligation to
share what I learn with the lambs and sheep of God’s flock and, for that reason,
I wrote commentaries in expository form on the whole book. In the same way, I gave
expository messages, wherever I travelled. I hope that the listeners and
readers have profited, as much as I have, from those extraordinary prophecies.
Dr. Shepson's Testimony
Labels:
personal testimonies
This is not a very artful presentation, but it is a tremendous testimony, written by Dr. Charles Since I am pasting scans here, there are spaces between the pages and there are eight pages altogether. Be sure not to stop scrolling before you reach the next page...
USA, Romania and Greece
Labels:
personal testimonies
August 27 through October 8
(click for larger photos)
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| Volunteers' camp at Lepsa, Romania |
Several months ago, I made a commitment to speak at a
weekend retreat for summer volunteer workers at Teen Ranch in the mountains
near Lepsa, Romania. According to camp director, Ionut Lerca, these young
people had dedicated time, throughout the camp season, not only to help with
the many chores on the campsite, but also to reach out a helping hand and a
caring heart to the campers.
The week following the retreat, families would come
from various areas of Romania to gather around the Word of God, as well as to
enjoy a time of fellowship. I requested that these dates would be placed, as
late as possible in September, so that there would be a little distance between
them and our granddaughter, Jessica’s, wedding on September 12.
Margaret and I planned to leave Spain on August 27, in
order to spend as much time as possible with different members of our family
before the wedding. Because of a legal stipulation, I thought it would be
necessary to return home shortly afterwards. Upon further thought and
investigation, I saw that this condition would not apply to our trip.
Therefore, in order to make the most of it, we extended our time in the States
to September 22.
Exposé of Mormon Polygamy
Labels:
Important messages
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| An early Mormon polygamist family |
John the Baptist said, “The axe is already laid to the root of the
trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire” (Mt.3:10). John is preaching repentance and
repentance is absolutely necessary, if there is to be entrance by faith into
the gospel. Bad fruit comes from bad roots and good fruit cannot be expected
until the old roots are dug up and abandoned. What is apparently “good fruit” is
a deception, unless repentance has taken place.
The Mormons, the second fastest
growing movement on earth have been on a campaign for legitimacy among
evangelicals. This should not happen without a thorough renunciation of their
founder, Joseph Smith, and his teachings. Yesterday, I became aware of a
reopening of a Mormon museum, in which Smith’s polygamy is admitted. He had
over 30 wives and this fact is documented to the degree that the Mormon Church
can no longer hide it. However, polygamy, in Smith’s case, was preceded by
adultery, which was later justified as “polygamy”, which became, then, an
accepted practice by Mormons. The attempt to make polygamy a biblical doctrine
was only a cover-up for mass adultery. Joseph Smith had sexual relations with eleven
women, married at the same time to other men.
Dylan and Jessica’s Wedding
Labels:
personal testimonies
(please click on photos for larger images)
I
remember hearing on two occasions, people speaking of someone, who they had
never met before, but who caught their attention in a public place. They told
me that person, a woman on both occasions, “looked like a Christian”, because
of long hair and dress, and a lack of make-up and earrings. I have to say that
these are things that I also prefer to see in Christian women. However, I think
that if a Christian is only recognized by superficial things, he or she does
not need the Holy Spirit to give testimony of Christ, nor do those, who
recognize a person in this way, need the Holy Spirit in order to discern the
spiritual state. The Spirit of God gives invisible witness to the attributes of
God and Christ receives more glory from those who demonstrate what they have
from the inside out, rather than those who can only demonstrate superficial
signs and acquired customs from a certain group of religious people. Jesus
rebuked those, who were “hypocrites… and
have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and
faithfulness… straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel… First clean the
inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.” We
should be very clear about these priorities. The apostle said, “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink,
but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” What I look for
first, personally, is for concrete evidence of the life of Christ in a
believer.
Three Highways to Hell, download
We
have good reason to take a look at the three major cults, which originated in
the New England area of America in the 19th Century. First of all,
we need to be impressed with the hideousness of their history and doctrine. It
shows how far they strayed from Bible truth. They have deceived millions around
the world. When their representatives come to our doors, we will see how far we
should stay away from listening to their errors. We see that our attitudes
should be far from sympathetic to those, who offend God and incite His wrath.
The apostle John warns us seriously, “Anyone
who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God… If anyone comes to
you and does not bring this teaching, do
not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting” (2
John 1:9-10).
How
important it is for God’s people to be firmly grounded in good doctrine and to
have understanding of the essential doctrines of the faith! Never entertain the
assertions of some, who tell us that doctrine is not important. They teach that
the important thing is to live the Christian life. That is a dangerous lie! How
can you live the Christian life, if you do not know the important teachings
about what it entails? “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my
children walking in the truth” (2 John 1:3).
John
Bunyan thought that those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit end by believing the
errors of false religion. Few escape from the snares and pitfalls of the cults
once they have fallen into them. So please take to heart the subjects that we
are dealing with at this time… three important lessons concerning three
poisonous serpents from hell.
I place the link to easily find and download or print:
The Organic Church, download
Today I am offering another PDF document to help those interested in a study on the organic church. It consists of three articles that have been posted earlier on this blog. It begins with a chapter on the Laodicean Church, a church that typifies a lot of what we see in these times. Needless to say, this church does not please the Lord and He had nothing to say in her favor.
In the second chapter, I attempt to portray Jesus as the sovereign head over His church and in the third, you will find a demonstration of an organic church. I hope that these will give you a deep desire to see it in action in our days.
To download the document, print it or simply read it, click the following link:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/70625813/Organic%20Church.pdf
Food for Sheep, download
I have previously offered three articles individually, called, 1) How Deep the Love of God, 2) Intense Desire, and 3) The Individual Call. Now, I have combined the three in one PDF document called "Food for Sheep". I am providing the link below, so that you can easily download it.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/70625813/Food%20for%20Sheep.pdf
How many times have I said, at the beginning of a message these days? "This is something that is strictly for sheep. If there are "goats" here, close your ears." People always laugh, but truthfully, in every congregation, of any size at all, you can be sure that there are goats among the sheep. Goats are not true Christians and they cannot enjoy the delights that God wants to share with his sons and daughters.
It is extremely important that the sheep are taken to pasture. Christ gave Peter a commandment to feed His lambs and sheep, showing thereby His concern for them. At tmes, we are so preoccupied in evangelizing an unbeliever or two, who might come to a meeting, or we feel the need to give advice or scold the Christians, and we forget that the sheep need to eat.
I think that these three studies, given in PDF format, will provide green pasture for true disciples of Christ. I hope and pray from my heart that each reader will receive something from heaven that will truly provide nourishment to your soul.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/70625813/Food%20for%20Sheep.pdf
How many times have I said, at the beginning of a message these days? "This is something that is strictly for sheep. If there are "goats" here, close your ears." People always laugh, but truthfully, in every congregation, of any size at all, you can be sure that there are goats among the sheep. Goats are not true Christians and they cannot enjoy the delights that God wants to share with his sons and daughters.
It is extremely important that the sheep are taken to pasture. Christ gave Peter a commandment to feed His lambs and sheep, showing thereby His concern for them. At tmes, we are so preoccupied in evangelizing an unbeliever or two, who might come to a meeting, or we feel the need to give advice or scold the Christians, and we forget that the sheep need to eat.
I think that these three studies, given in PDF format, will provide green pasture for true disciples of Christ. I hope and pray from my heart that each reader will receive something from heaven that will truly provide nourishment to your soul.
Oh, Supreme Moving Cause
Labels:
Important messages
"Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain and a
way for the thunderbolt, to bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert
in which there is no man, to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make
the ground sprout with grass? Job 38:25-27
Synchronized
water ballet
Years ago during the Olympic Games, I walked into the
room of someone watching a performance of synchronized water ballet on TV.
Sitting next to him, he expressed to me that he didn’t like the individual
efforts of the various athletes, because they tended to exalt one person, but
he enjoyed the perfect unity of the team events, such as water ballet. It didn’t
take much discernment to see that he was spiritualizing what he was watching,
comparing it to the intentions of believers to carry out the will of God.
I didn’t respond to the comment at the time, but that
rather poor example gave me much to think about and I really have meditated
over the matter. I would like to share the view that I have of Christians
involved in fulfilling God’s purposes on earth. In doing so, I am considering
Christ’s Church, which He said that He would build (Mt.16:18) and, according to
Paul, Christ would give gifts to men to equip the saints for the work of the
ministry and to build His body (Eph.4:8,12). I will make use of the same water
ballet analogy.
John Bunyan's Confessions
Labels:
Important messages
Some sincere pastors and teachers have “goat-phobia” and I hope that I can
include myself in their number. What I mean by “goat-phobia” is that we
hesitate to state some things, which are very true, but we are afraid that
people, who feign Christianity (goats… Mt.25:32), might take advantage of these
doctrines to justify themselves. The subjects can be quite delicate and they are
meant to feed and comfort the sheep. The “goats” need awakening and conviction
of sin; comfort is not on the menu for them. So, I have hesitated, but now I
want to share a page and a half of a very rich offering from John Bunyan…
Grace
Abounding
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| John Bunyan 1628-1688 |
Of all the temptations that ever I met with in my
life, to question the being of God and the truth of His gospel is the worst,
and the worst to be borne; when this temptation comes, it takes away my girdle
from me and removes the foundations from under me. Oh, I have often thought of
that word, “Have your loins girt about with truth”, and of that, “When the foundations
are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
Sometimes when, after sin committed, I have looked for
sore chastisement from the hand of God, the very next that I have had from Him
has been the discovery of His grace. Sometimes, when I have been comforted, I
have called myself a fool for my so sinking under trouble. And then, again,
when I have been cast down, I thought I was not wise to give such way to
comfort. With such strength and weight have both these been upon me…
The Church - A living Body
Labels:
Important messages
A few days ago, I wrote an article called “The Individual Call",
in which I had comments about the Laodicean Church. The church continued to
function even after it had abandoned Jesus, and at the same time rejoiced in
being “rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing”. See the
self-sufficiency: “I have become wealthy” and in the satisfaction that it
gives: “I have need of nothing”. I can’t enjoy it with them, because my eyes
have seen the invisible and my mouth has tasted the sweetness of heavenly
honey.
Few Christians these days know
anything about a church that is not under man’s control, where only Christ is
the architect with the plan and is building His people beyond human knowledge.
I mentioned that I had written more fully about the church in the book, God
Made the Country, and I thought it might be good to post the chapter that
I referred to. It will give an idea of the true church and how it functions,
even in modern times, if Christ is the Head and has the control.
GOD MADE THE COUNTRY
Chapter 16
THE CHURCH – A LIVING BODY
“(The Father)
put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all
things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in
all.” Ephesians 1:22-23
A
Christian of German descent in Wisconsin was reading a small-town newspaper
from North Dakota. His eyes scanned the church announcements and suddenly he
felt a compulsion to pray for one of these churches. It seemed strange to him,
because the church wasn’t of the same denomination as his own church and he had
never visited it. Every year he drove 500 miles to North Dakota to help
relatives (who sent the paper to him) with their harvest. Months later, during
the next harvest season, in his curiosity to discover the reason behind the
strange desire to pray, he walked into the little church in Finley, ND.
J W's Hatred of Truth
Labels:
Important messages
The
love of the truth
How important is truth? How important is it to love
truth? I cannot think of anything that is more important. The opposite of truth
is falsehood and falsehood invalidates every good thing. Joy, peace, humility,
righteousness, and all the other virtues in the world, have their counterfeits.
Even love, if it lacks truth, becomes a false love and is
probably the most deceptive of the whole spectrum of lies.
Love is of vital importance in Christianity to the degree
that the person, who does not walk in love, according to the Apostle John, “does not know God, for God is love” (1
Jn.4:8). The Apostle Paul ranks love above all gifts and virtues: “Now abide these three, faith, hope, and
love; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Co.13:13). Because this is so
and because the father of lies understands its power, he comes under the guise
of love and today millions of people are deceived… in the name of love.
Paul calls truth the
girdle of the armor of God (Eph.6:14) It ties the whole armor together and
without it, everything falls apart. Truth stands by itself and because of the
virtue of its very name, it cannot deceive. Truth reigns eternal. Christ
proclaimed, “I am the truth” and therefore everyone, who comes to Christ, must
face truth: “He who practices the truth
comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought
in God” (Jn.3:21).
Very carefully consider the following warning of Paul
to the Thessalonians and you will see that God values and loves truth more than
He loves men! “That lawless one will be
revealed… the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with
all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness
for those who perish, because they did
not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence
so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be condemned who did not believe the
truth…” (2 Thes.2:3-12).
The Individual Call
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Important messages
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone
hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with
him, and he with Me.” Rev.3:20
The
Laodicean identity
What we are considering in this lesson is a call of
Christ from outside the Laodicean church. From the very beginning of this
lesson, I would like you to notice two Greek nouns. One is apostasion and its feminine form is apostasia. The first means divorce
and the second means apostasy. They
are obviously very closely related in definition and a common meaning would be separation. When Paul speaks of an
apostasy in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, he is speaking of an end-time condition in the
church, which can easily be interpreted as a divorce from Christ… a bride gone her own way.
Would this not describe the situation in Laodicea? Christ
is outside seeking entrance and inside, the church is operating without the
presence and direction of the Lord. One of the evidences of the divorce is that
the mentality of the church is very different, even opposite, from the mind of
Christ. The church says, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of
nothing”; Jesus says, “You are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and
naked.” Not long ago, a believer told me that he had come out of a certain
group thinking that he knew just about everything. Shortly thereafter he joined
a good Bible study course and very humbly confessed, “I found out I knew nothing.”
The light of truth is painful to our spiritual eyes, when it gives us an
accurate picture of our condition.
Roots of Seventh-day Adventism
Labels:
Important messages
Miscalculated
prophecies and a blow in the head
In eight words, this is the story of the roots of
Seventh-day Adventism. It is the second in a series of three articles, in which
I am making an attempt to give the reader a basic knowledge of three major
cults, all having their origins in the United States. They are the Mormons, or
more formally, The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. The second cult is the Seventh Day Adventists and the third sect is the Jehovah Witnesses. I
entitled the first article, “The God of Mormonism” and you can read or review
it at the following link: http://calltocommitment.blogspot.com.es/2015/06/the-god-of-mormonism.html .
Let me list a
number of characteristics and ideas that these three groups have in common.
1. The founders had unstable spiritual beginnings that show no evidence of a biblical new birth, therefore they are not born or taught by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said that without the new birth it is impossible to “see” the Kingdom of
God (Jn.3:3). The apostle Paul tells us that the “natural man”, that is, man
alone without the Holy Spirit, cannot understand the things of God (1 Co.2:14).
Any person in that position is doomed to be led by his own mind into multiple
kinds of error (not to mention the fact that demon spirits will capitalize on
the attempt.). You will see all of them making an effort to fit the unspeakable
mysteries of God into the natural human mind, and rejecting all that their mind
cannot contain. This is the basic problem.
2. All
of the founders of these sects were people exposed to the gospel, but who rejected
the established churches of their day. They were anti-church people, who found a
new revelation. They taught that the churches were going in the direction of apostasy and could not guide their flock into truth.
3. The founders were largely ignorant
people with no good theological background or training.
4. You will find that none of them accept
or teach salvation that comes purely by the grace of God. They are all “works”
oriented.
5. All of them point to and are highly
dependent upon extra-biblical literature and teaching, without which no one can
be properly enlightened in their particular views of Christianity, and they
emphasize experiences, such as visions and dreams, through which they received
light concerning their callings and claims.
6. Physical and outward things, such as
food, days, baptism, and many like things play an important part in their
presentation of “salvation”. Authoritarianism plays a huge role in their
government and no kind of individualism is accepted. No move is made without
the express approval of leadership. A personal relationship with God and the
personal leading of God is not tolerated.
7.
They
all experienced rapid growth and today number in the millions on a world-wide
basis.
A Romanian Hero
Labels:
personal testimonies
 |
| Nicolae Moldoveanu (1922-2007) |
Romania is rich in heroic Christians. Usually we look
for outstanding men and women of God in the distant past, centuries ago, in
times so different from our own that it is difficult to identify with them.
However, in Romania some of their heroes are still
alive and others have not left this world so long ago. We know of them from the
testimony that they have obtained in the middle of the Twentieth Century. Who
has not heard of Richard Wurmbrand, the Romanian Lutheran pastor of Jewish
descent? He was tortured for his faith for 13 years in a communist prison,
while his wife worked like a man in the construction of a state canal.
Songs
composed without paper or pencil
I listened today to an interview with Nicolae
Moldoveanu. Observing the man in the video, he probably would not have liked
the title of this article. I would explain that I did not write it for him, but
for the legacy that he left behind, demonstrating the fact that God is still
doing His work of grace in the lives of individuals and the glory goes entirely
to Him. Outside of Romania, he is not as well-known as Wurmbrand, but just the
same, he is a hero of the faith. He was born near Sered River in Moldova. In
the year 1938 at the age of 16, he was converted to Christ. In 1940, he wrote
his first Christian poem and began to arrange songs, as well. Still a teenager,
his compositions were used in Christian songbooks.
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