Avoiding Apostasy

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Jude 1:20-25

Jude's overall message centers around a stern warning to remain faithful to GOD even in the midst of gross immorality and deception.  Does it sound like today?  It should as it is a warning primarily for the last days of the church age.  During this time men with wicked ulterior motives will turn the grace of the LORD into "lasciviousness" while also denying the work and person of Jesus Christ.  His admonition warns that false teachers will creep into pulpits around the world and spread damnable heresies.  As a result of their demonically inspired teaching many will turn from the truth.  What a bleak picture!  What is even more is that this is a consistent caution throughout the New Testament.  Remember Jesus' warning in Matthew 24:12-13, "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."

The last verses of Jude, however, burst forth with glorious promises and directions while giving insight as to how to avoid becoming lukewarm in a cold, hard world.    As always, the instructions begin with maintaining a fervent heart of prayer.  Doing so builds faith.  It lets us see the truth that Jesus is wonderfully concerned with even the smallest details of our relationship with Him.  In prayer we grasp the promises of God in Christ seeing that in Him they are "yes and amen".  

Prayer always leads us to the next step--an upward look.  Look at verse 20, "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."  Walking closely with the LORD while relying solely on His Word through prayer always causes one keep their eyes focused on the things and purposes of GOD.  Similar to Jesus' direction on the greatest commandment, we put the Lord, consciously, in first place at all times in our life.  The point is to maintain that constant "vertical" relationship with the LORD our GOD.

From here comes the next logical step.  Remember, Jesus said there were two great commandments, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself (Matthew 22:37-39)."  Jude confirms this as his inspired letter immediately focuses on ministry to others.  Whenever the scripture discusses "upreach" then somewhere close by will be a statement of "outreach". The "horizontal" focus always follows the vertical view.  Why, because the compassionate heart of God works through our relationship to draw whosoever will to come and taste of the greatness of the grace of GOD.    God's word always seems to point to a cross-life--Jesus first and others second.

Of course, that means you put yourself at the end of the line.  The benediction (verses 24-25) shows us the focus should always be on the LORD and not on self.  He is the one who makes you faultless and not you, yourself.  He is the one who through a loving relationship is able to keep you from falling.  He is the one able to make your prayer life fervent.  Focus on Jesus wholly and there will never be concern about apostasy in your life.  How is your focus seeing that Jesus Christ is Soon2Come?

Pray for me!  I have had a hard time focusing on writing lately!!  May the LORD bless you!!!

A Sad Day In America

If each man or woman redefines what is right and what is wrong personally under the false pretext that we are not to be discerning of sin, then what need is their for a Savior that saves us from sin? This is the very reason that God's word does not change. It breaks your heart and calls you to repentant trust in Christ or you are broken when its truths fall on you. By the way--if we redefine morality personally, who are we really trusting as God?

This nation has chosen to reject the LORD of holiness and purposefully redefine sin. In essence, this is a satanic attempt to make the nation feel no need to turn to the Cross. Without the cross--there is no salvation for salvation is a work of God alone. Those caught in wrong; however, have the nasty habit of trying to change morality as Proverbs 30:20 states. "Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness."

"That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon: Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit." Isaiah 30:9-14

True and right biblical love calls us not to stay is the cesspool while calling it a beach resort, but calls us, with patient and genuine concern, to turn to Christ and His cross for cleansing. True grace makes us to see the awesome and huge price paid for our salvation and calls us to wholly yield to Christ and His LORDSHIP. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:1-2

This verse used to be printed in the front of the Bibles that were distributed to America's troops. Sad! 

His word is unchanging as He is unchanging; therefore, what is sinful in the Bible is still sinful and wicked today. Our opinions about right and wrong will not change what the LORD has said. "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."

I awoke this morning reading about Joshua encountering the pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus who was Captain of the LORD's host. I used to always wonder why He was pictured as a captain and not on officer of higher rank. Captains lead the fight personally.

I just want you to know, America, who you have chosen to ignore and fight against.

May Day! May Day! Who Will Pray?

And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace....Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Daniel 3:20 and 22

Consider the followoing article before reading further:

Pentagon Taps Anti-Christian Extremist for Religious Tolerance Policy

Breaking: Pentagon Confirms May Court Martial Soldiers Who Share Christian Faith

Pentagon May Move to Court-Martial Christian Soldiers Who Share Faith

Imagine being put to death for your worship of the one true God.  It is nothing new as the blood of the martyrs has been shed for centuries.  The blood of the children of Israel has also been shed in quantities only God knows.  Also imagine being one of the soldiers following the commandment of Nebuchadnezzar.  What drives you to such devotion that you rush headlong into a hot oven knowing you will die?  What drives men to kill another person who is only guilty of worship at the command of a worldly leader?  Why do some give men mindless devotion without conscience to the point of death; furthermore, what drives them to commit horrid atrocities in the name of their cause or leader?

   

Recently, the military has again shown an Anti-Christian bias.  Recent high level meetings were conducted where the thoughts and opinions of godless men were considered.  Among them was Mikey Weinstein, of the group known as the Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF).  Take time to read his words.  Here are a few excerpts: "

“Today, we face incredibly well-funded gangs of fundamentalist Christian monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans by forcing their weaponized and twisted version of Christianity upon their helpless subordinates in our nation’s armed forces.”

"If these fundamentalist Christian monsters of human degradation … and tyranny cannot broker or barter your acceptance of their putrid theology, then they crave for your universal silence in the face of their rapacious reign of theocratic terror. Indeed, they ceaselessly lust, ache, and pine for you to do absolutely nothing to thwart their oppression. Comply, my friends, and you become as monstrously savage as are they. I beg you, do not feed these hideous monsters with your stoic lethargy, callousness and neutrality. Do not lubricate the path of their racism, bigotry, and prejudice. Doing so directly threatens the national security of our beautiful nation."

What is the purpose of thinning Christians from the ranks of the military?  Maybe they need the sort of devotion that brings men to commit atrocious acts against humanity, blindly serve a political leader, and following a man with godless ideology that comes from the rejection of the God of the Bible and His Christ.  It is hero worship to the extreme.  Men like this wish to worship anything that doesn't have Jesus attached to it.  At its heart is a world view that is anything but Christ centered.  Those who have had the moniker of a Christian and committed godless acts in the past (or present) were acting in accord with institutions or dogmas of a human design that directly opposed the very words of Christ as revealed in scripture.  These grave errors remind us to stay grounded in and focused on the Word of God.  This devotion to scripture is becoming rare today since so many "scholars" see themselves as self appointed editors of scripture while following the science of textual criticism.  The overall point is that wickedness always rears its ugly head when God and the Bible are rejected in preference of men's philosophies and opinions.  


It is certain that we are seeing a very serious situation as it relates to the reforming of the military along lines other than the values that keep military leaders and personnel in check.  When lines of morality are blurred, restraint is removed, and conscienceless devotion is encouraged men need to prepare themselves for the inevitable horrors like those committed in Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia.  In both of these situations those whose devotion to God or ethical values prevented them from indiscriminately murdering  on command were weeded out.   Those with amoral characteristics were then sought.  It created a spiritual vacuum filled with wicked violence and unobstructed immorality.  Those who would have moral objections were being destroyed or were long since removed.

Ernst Rohm--Openly Gay Leader of the Brown Shirts

In Nazi Germany there were two groups that rose to power and assumed control of the government and military.  They were a group of open homosexuals and those with occultic ideals and practices.  The world view of both of these groups was diametrically opposed to the values of a Judeo/Christian world view.  Eventually those who followed occultic teaching gained greater strength and crushed the homosexuals that assisted them in gaining power.  Without an equal, they then sought to impose their rule by any means while destroying anyone who stood in their way.  We all know that the victimization of the Jews by these two groups without conscience and Christ guiding them eventually led to the Holocaust.  Are we seeing this scenario being set up again? If so, draw yourself close to Christ and hold on--persecution is on the way.  
The Influence of Occult Practices in Nazi Germany
THE OCCULT AND THE THIRD REICH
THE PINK SWASTIKA AND HOLOCAUST REVISIONIST HISTORY by Judith A. Reisman, Ph.D.
Ernst Rohm

Recent News!
Pentagon Taps Anti-Christian Extremist for Religious Tolerance Policy

Heaven's Bread

Give us this day our daily bread.

Matthew 6:11

Imagine having plenty to eat all around while one is starving.  It simply makes sense just to take the time and energy to get something to eat rather than just sitting there waiting for the food to come to you.  Of course men are notoriously bad at doing just that--starving in sight of a full pantry.  Ask any wife who returns home after a long shopping trip and you will hear how her husband waited until she got home to eat even though the refrigerator was loaded.  I've done that a few times myself.  :)

Many claim to be starving spiritually (and they usually blame someone else--like a pastor for instance).  However, Jesus has provided more than enough for them to feast on personally.  Maybe that is why Matthew and Luke used a strange word for "daily".  It is so strange that it is not found in any other Greek text known.  It was as if Jesus said something in His native language that led them to coin a new word in order to give us a comprehensive meaning.  The word is only ever found in Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3.  It is epiousios. 

Some versions give the impression that this word is speaking about tomorrow so they render it as such.  One Arabic version reads as, "give us our bread for tomorrow".  Why?  It seems that the word sort of means to "come upon" or to "approach".  As a result, some translators have chosen to put the verse in a future sense.  However, we already have a clear example in scripture as to why Jesus chose to use such an interesting term for daily and it is certain that He had today in mind.  Jesus told us with clarity to not worry about tomorrow--there is grace and provision for today!  

Exodus 16 tells of the supernatural supply that the LORD made for the children of Israel.  Bread, called manna, literally appeared for them daily. It was just enough for the present day and those who tried to save it for the morrow soon found that it would be spoiled by then.  Heaven's bread literally "came upon" them daily! They needed only to "approach" the bread and make an effort to fetch it.

It seems that this word was chosen to remind one of the Exodus wanderings and manna gathering.  God made the needed provision, and He is still doing the same today. All you need to do is to take the time to stoop down in and gather it.  So you are starving spiritually?  Is there a Bible in your grasp?  Can you not stoop in prayer?  Quit waiting on someone to spoon feed the Word to you and make an effort to obtain that daily provision the Almighty has sent just for you!  If you choose not to eat today--of course you are starving!  

May the LORD bless you and remind you that Jesus Christ is Soon2Come!

A Sure WORD!

We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

2 Peter 1:19

The great reformer, Martin Luther, is quoted as saying: 

"Feelings come and feelings go,

And feelings are deceiving;

My warrant is the Word of God--

Naught else is worth believing."

It is so important to follow the word of GOD while weighing our experiences against its truth.  Most are so caught up today with following experiences that they are not discerning of the source.  Remember, for every act of the LORD, the devil has a counterfeit.  This is why the apostles often warned believers to test the spirits to be sure that they were legitimate.  Also, given that we are a society that is guided more by the principles of entertainment than the Word, it is even more important to measure everything by the plumb line of scripture.

Simon Peter even stresses this in the verses prior to the one quoted above.  He has just informed us of a mountain top experience with Christ--literally!  On the mountain with Jesus, James and John, he had just watch Jesus transformed in great glory.  The LORD was speaking with Moses and Elijah personally.  Peter was so stupefied that he couldn't think of a thing to say--so, as usual, he blurted out something silly.  Add to this a booming voice from the Father confirming, "This is my Beloved Son in whom I Am well pleased"  and we can see they had one special church service.  Here is his testimony in his own words:

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 

For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

2 Peter 1:16-18

Now look again at the verse 19 above.  What does the apostle balance his experience with?  The WORD!  The word that is translated as "more sure" means just that.  God's word is that which is trustworthy, stable, dependable, steadfast, and sure.  Our feelings and experiences can lead us to wrong conclusions, but the Bible is always central and focused on the truth of Christ.  

In essence, Peter reminds us that he was an eyewitness who saw and experienced Jesus first hand.  He was there on the mountain.  However, he also seems to understand that all he saw was simply a confirmation of what the Word clearly taught.  He understood that it was the same Holy Spirit who wrote the Bible confirming the mountain top experience with balance.


Paul also dealt with one mess of a church named Corinth.  They had every gift of the Spirit in operation, yet they were walking in the flesh while out of direction by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.  Theirs was an "experience trumps the truth" religion.  Paul, however, clearly reminded them that the Bible must be central in all matters of faith and not just shouting good times.  Be careful!  There are a lot who are sincerely deluded by apparitions, false miracles, signs, and wonders.  Some are experiencing visions and dreams that are contrary to scripture. If anything you see, feel, hear, taste, or touch leads you away from the blood of Christ's cross and the centrality of the WORD--run!  It is easy to see how those following signs and not biblical truth could be given over to strong delusion. Deception is a major sign that Jesus Christ is Soon2Come!

“Feelings come and feelings go,

And feelings are deceiving;

My warrant is the Word of God--

Naught else is worth believing.

Though all my heart should feel condemned

For want of some sweet token,

There is One greater than my heart

Whose Word cannot be broken.

I'll trust in God's unchanging Word

Till soul and body sever,

For, though all things shall pass away,

HIS WORD SHALL STAND FOREVER!”  --Martin Luther

Hemmed In

Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

John 11:21

Can you hear it?  Listen closely to Martha's statement above and you will clearly hear disappointment and exasperation.  She was disappointed with Jesus.  Disappointment is that feeling of anguish, unhappiness,  and/or discontentment caused by someone or something that has failed to fulfill one's hopes, dreams, or expectations.  This is, without question, the numbness that Martha is feeling as she meets Jesus four days after the death of her brother.

Why not?  Mary and Martha had sent a messenger to find Jesus and bring Him back.  Their message said, "he whom thou lovest is sick."  Could you imagine looking at the road with heartsick anticipation waiting for Jesus and the messenger to come walking around last bend in the road?  Instead, you see the messenger alone on the road.  He had to have told them how that Jesus stayed behind as if their request were unimportant.  Though Martha's statement in verse 22 showed a partial belief in the power of Christ, she saw death as an impossibility that Jesus could not overcome.  She was hemmed in.  

It seems that GOD allows us to get hemmed in by circumstances that seem insurmountable.  Think, for instance, of Moses and the Israelites at the Red Sea.  While modern day theologians would have you believe that they were at a shallow place that was open, the scriptures assure us that the Israelites were hemmed in by land and sea.  They had a cliff to either side and the enemy coming up the valley behind.  The impossibility of the Red Sea lay ahead of them.  To make it worse, God put them in this predicament purposefully.  "But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt...For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. (Exodus 13:18 and 14:3)."  God had put them in a place where there was no where to run. Scripture also tells us of the disappointment the people had with GOD and Moses.  "And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? (Exodus 14:11)". (As a side note, this is why most believers do not see God's power in local churches today.  As soon as they get a bit uncomfortable by some besetting circumstances, they run off to another church rather than wait for a move of God that breaks the yoke!  As a result, they never press on passed the problems nor experience the growth and maturity that comes as a product of GOD showing up and changing the situation for His glory.  Quit chasing a move of GOD and stand still in faith until you see GOD move.)

David also was in a predicament that had him hemmed in.  The story is found in 1 Samuel 30.  All of David's men knew that he was anointed as the King over Israel and that Saul had been rejected.  It is certain that they were perplexed when Saul was in reach of David two times prior, but David failed to act.  Now they are in Israel's enemies territory and have been sent home from the battle against the forces of Saul.  God was actually protecting David from having a bad name in Israel whether they could see that or not.  When they return to home, Ziklag, they found all of their families taken, their homes burnt, and their goods removed as plunder.  What a mess.  They were truly hemmed in and very disappointed with GOD and David.  "And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters...(1 Samuel 30:6a)."  Here again, God has brought about this situation.  Why else were none of the captives taken harmed nor any of their goods destroyed save the houses of Ziklag?

In all three instances GOD hemmed the people in by seemingly impossible situations.  God, however, was about to magnify Himself.  Have you ever thought about that term, magnify the LORD?  How can GOD be magnified any greater than He already is?  Really, He can't.  However, our self imposed limitations on His power and glory can cause us to diminish Him.  God put them in these places, places where there was no where else to go, so that they would look to the only possible solution--the infinite power of the Omnipotent One!  God brought the disappointment to teach them that He was even greater than the limited hopes they had envisioned.  He was greater than the Amelekites that sacked Ziklag.  His power was more awesome that the seeming impossibility of the Red Sea and Pharaoh's army.  He was even greater than 4 days in the grave.  Are you hemmed in?  Then follow the directions of Psalm 34:3! Just maybe GOD has done it purposefully.  Look to JESUS for the answer and know that He is Soon2Come and address the fears and disappointments you have!

O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

Psalm 34:3

No Fooling!

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

Psalm 53:1

The joke for a while has been that April Fools Day is also International Atheists Day.  However, God's assessment of those who will not believe in Him and His work of redemption is not a joke but a sincere indictment.  Why?  What is it about one who will not believe which makes scripture to proclaim that they are acting foolishly?  Let's explore three scriptural reasons that atheism, which is nothing more than a irreligious faith, is seen as absurd: God has already been revealed to them, their thought pattern is profoundly irrational, and they are sadly cut off from hope with nothing to look forward to but a judgment they deny exists.

King David wrote, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard (Psalm 19:1-3)."  He clearly understood what everyone knows in their heart and what science is just now catching up with--there was an infinite mind that designed all there is. What is more is that the creation seems to center around man to the point that a term, anthropic principle, has been coined to explain it.  The universe was created with man in mind.  Furthermore, the Bible tells that man is also eternal.  Humans will either spend that eternity in the presence of God or in utter hopeless judgement.  In short, God put eternity and a knowledge of Himself into the heart of every man, woman, and child.  Both Psalm 14 and 53 state that the fool has denied that internal witness of eternity and said in his/her heart that God is not real.  Having met many atheists, I have never met one--not one--who was always atheistic.  If you listen or ask you will hear about when they stopped believing and why.  From their childhood it was understood that there was something more than this temporal world, but sad circumstances usually led them to deny what they already knew deep down.  All atheists train themselves diligently in unbelief.

The apostles agree with the assessment of King David and add to his insight by showing that atheists irrationally ignore evidence of God so that they can maintain their deluded paradigm.  Paul states, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools...(Romans 1:20-22)."  Claiming to be educated, reasonable, and rational, atheists interpret all data with an anti-supernatural bias that disallows God's intervention or existence.  This leads to a situation where telling confirmation of the spiritual world is willfully ignored.  Their foolish reasoning can't see evidence for GOD because they have lied to themselves that there is no GOD so all evidence for God is not evidence at all.  It makes as much sense as a dog chasing its tail--is that reasonable and rational free thinking?  Peter enhances this idea by stating, "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men (2 Peter 3:5-7)."

Did you notice Peter's last statement?  They have nothing to look forward to but judgment--one they will realize is true and real, consequently, too late. His astounding insight to the last days, days in which we live, shows four major tenets espoused in nearly all academic circles who tend to cling to atheism: Universalism, Naturalism, Humanism, and Anti-supernaturalism.  Look carefully!  They are all found in this one chapter.  What these demonic lies essentially do is leave the atheist without hope.  "We are all just random arrangements of molecules in a universe that comes from nothing with nothing to look forward to. There is no morality, no eternity, no God so eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die", they believe.  No God means no salvation which clearly means no hope for time and eternity. 


This also creates a conundrum for those who do know there is a God but do not acknowledge Him nor His salvation.  Without Christ, those who believe there is a God and adhere to a false religious belief and those who deny the clear existence of God are in the same condition--lost.  "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble (James 2:19)."   There is hope and only one hope.  His name is Jesus Christ the suffering Savior of Mount Calvary.  That is why He stands out as no other: a virgin born miracle worker and man/God with power over nature and death, whose grave is empty still today.  He alone is man's one God given hope.  Won't you do the wise thing redeeming April 1st and making it a day God created for wisdom?  Remember, Jesus is Soon2Come!!