Brief Opinions

Have You Ever Noticed?

Have you ever noticed that the most religious men preach hard against religion much like truly spiritual men do; that the most nonspiritual men preach all about the Spirit, also; that men with the highest degrees gain the places of prominence in the church where God calls their perceived wisdom "foolishness"; that mainstream Christianity is usually wrong about the main things; that those who loudly proclaim, "Grace! Grace! Grace!" with a religious spirit, equally impose religious laws onto the backs of their listeners?

Have you noticed that only the remnant notices these things?

How Strong is Your Religious Veil?

Do not make the fatal mistake of thinking that God will not strip us of our pleasures and everyday routines in order to bring about His greater glory. At the instant of the shedding of His blood on the Cross, the veil of the temple was torn in two; the Old Covenant was over, leaving hundreds of priests and Levites immediately out of a job, and declaring the industry that supported the temple practice bankrupt!

From the Problem to the Solution

Let us genuinely seek the solution in whole, and not just in part. It is true - in order to solve a problem, we must first realize that there is a problem; and with problems as complex as those within Christianity - problems nearly two thousand years in the making - we need to dissect and evaluate how we arrived to where we are today. Then we can see more clearly to "lay the axe to the root of the tree."

Seeing clearly and cutting off only begins the journey to solving the problem, however. As more than just critics, we must continue forward in the way that we should go, too! Constructive criticism plays a vital role, but reconstructive action is the most important! Let us be honest about asking ourselves if we are also seeking to reconstruct according to His design.

Do You Profess Jesus Christ? Let Us Take Care.

RESIST THESE:
1. Resist the temptation to stay married to traditional religious forms of your Christian church heritage.
2. Resist the temptation to follow modern-culture Christianity.
3. Resist the temptation to follow movements, Christian or not, that are not mindful of the will of God but of the will of men.
4. Resist the temptation to believe every wind of doctrine that comes along for your attention.
5. Resist the temptation to love your own life and to defend the lifestyle that the rest of the world seeks.
6. Resist the temptation to restore an America that God is taking away for the construction of His eternal kingdom within you.
7. Resist the temptation to join America's citizens in movements that appeal to America's cultural Christianity, which is not Christianity at all.

PURSUE THESE:
1. Pursue His righteous gift through believing faith as God's gift to you through Jesus Christ's finished work alone.
2. Pursue holy living through continuing repentance from your own will and a constant surrender to His will by the Spirit.
3. Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy (glorify Him by speaking His word in you).
4. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.
5. Pursue patient endurance through trials while seeking to be delivered ultimately.
6. Pursue mercy in the day of judgment that is approaching so rapidly, and extend mercy to others.
7. Pursue His joy in trial, realizing that you have already been delivered from this world and placed into His kingdom.

Truth in Love

Due to the fact that Cultural Christianity in America has replaced truth with a kind of shallow, feel-good love message, some believers are emphasizing a renewed commitment to preach a healthy fear of the Lord. This is good and commendable for sure. Indeed, we have been calling the church to real repentance for years, and continue to. However, we should be careful not to go so far in warning of judgment by righteous God that we fail to trumpet the assurance of His exceeding forgiveness. While we preach the need for our readiness to give account to Holy God even after someone has experienced saving faith through Jesus Christ, we must also continue preaching the love of God through His abounding mercy, too. God does expect righteous living, but His long-suffering patience in love has demonstrated His great forgiveness, still (I John 1:5-10).

The scriptures are replete with His admonition to live even as He lives, as well as with His overwhelming willingness to forgive time and again, by love. We should remember that God prefers to save by demonstrating His love rather than to condemn for those demonstrating their unrighteousness (Ezekiel 18:32, 33:11; II Peter 3:9). This does not take away from the fearful fact that we are both responsible, and shall be accountable to Him for how we represent Him in the earth. But it does point to our need not to forget God's love message to forgive. The Spirit of the Lord reminded me many years ago that before sin was introduced into the picture, God needed not to act as a righteous judge. Without sin there was not a need for judgment. He has always been love; but it was necessary that He become a judge at the entrance of unrighteousness.

After He has exhausted His effort through love to draw us from our unrighteousness, He WILL judge. To teach God's grace for saving without also teaching His command for righteous living or vice versa, is to fail in delivering His message in full. We are to deliver "truth in love." We are to preach and teach that God's call and expectation of a life of righteousness on the part of the believer is very serious, and not forget to declare His great mercy by love!

Consider

1. Permitting the Holy Spirit to quicken us to the lateness of this hour with its sudden destruction, will prod us forward in the right direction.

2. Permitting the Holy Spirit to quicken us to all that God has made us to be through the finished work of Jesus Christ, will woo us toward becoming His fullness.

3. Permitting the Holy Spirit to construct us into the fullness of Jesus Christ will glorify God as He really is, and it will bring about the greatest harvest the world has ever known.

Paul's Advantage

Biblical history of the early church clearly reveals that the apostle Paul had his work cut out for him. Notwithstanding, while working among the very earliest of churches Paul had a kind of advantage over those of us who teach among God's people today.

For the most part Paul was standing against only two heretical strongholds that worked against the construction of a unified body of believers - Judaism and Paganism. Oh, how I DO envy Paul for that! Today, however, those of us who teach among the body of Christ must face ten thousand times ten thousand views, opinions, theories, traditions, forms and factions among those who claim to know God and to be known of Him. But God is faithful.

Economic Predictions

Throughout my travels among the body of Christ around the world, I have seen that most of God's people still form their opinions about our times by observing the world's news sources. While there is much we can learn there, we must remember that it is under the control of the Prince of the Power of the Air. Let us be wise, realizing the times by His Spirit. I Cor. 2:9-10

When analyzing the stability or the lack thereof of world economies, followers of Jesus Christ must consider one essential question that the average analyst does not take into account. "How do all things line up with God's timetable?"

From a worldly point of view, economies and governments will go on forever. Forecasts never cease. But for the one who knows better, he waits and watches for the coming day when God's timetable arrives to the place where He is ready for all to give an account.

True Shepherds

Someone who is gifted and called to "shepherd the flock" of God will love shepherding God's sheep. He will love to feed (teach) and guard (protect from wolves) the members of the body of Christ. It will just come natural to him since he is supernaturally gifted and called by God for this very purpose.

There are pastors and there are pastors. Some are not pastors at all, but rather they are executives over a non-profit corporation called "the church." Others are truly pastors and they will give their lives for the sheep.

I would encourage you to seek out those who literally give their lives for you. You will know them by their labor of love for the members of His body, and by the evidence of His presence and power in and through their lives. John 10:11-15

A Call to Holiness

The local church is to be a beautiful tapestry of the manifold grace of God; yet grand as that may sound, simply put, the church is His spiritual house on earth. The Bible says that each local gathering should be God's expression of Himself through the Spirit. It is only by His Spirit that this beautiful tapestry of His manifold grace comes and abides; and it is through the holy (set apart) members of His body that His Spirit works. True holiness makes way for the abiding presence and power of His Spirit. Whole-life holiness to the Lord is the open door of hospitality that we give for the Spirit's entrance. Without this we cannot expect to properly house Him, and we cannot expect to illustrate the glories of His manifold gifts of grace.

True holiness is not something that can be imposed on anyone. It cannot be legislated into anyone through laws, creeds, or commandments. One can be required to perform an outward show of holiness by agreeing to obey specific rules set forth in the body; but as it was under the Old Covenant, and still is, obedience to commandments written on stone may or may not lead to true holiness from the heart. It is holiness from the heart that makes for His abiding. Thus, we must pursue His holiness from the heart and help others in their pursuit of the same by living this example before them.

To Think About

Now is not the time for mincing words; it is not the time for bashful men to preach, who fear other men more than they fear God.
Satan’s battle is on two fronts, but his focal point has always been on the children of God.
Satan knows that when we are truly strong in Christ, then much of the lost world will come to Christ!
All believers want to “see” Him, but fewer are ready to “meet” Him!

A Moment From Chaos?

For approximately a dozen years I have been warning of a great correction and cleansing coming to the body of Christ around the world, particularly here in America. Time and again I have boldly proclaimed soon-coming riots, along with a collapse of our government, our financial system, and of Christianity as we know it. I declared all this by the Spirit of the Lord BEFORE things were as they have suddenly become - rushing toward an uncontrollable breakdown in the entire system worldwide. We are on the brink of a system break down right now. Many more people recognize this since it has become so obvious; but even so, few are ready to endure. My advice to you is to prepare in every way for what may be the most unruly disorder and unrest that this country has witnessed since the height of the Civil War. Remember. Our battle is NOT against flesh and blood, and we are not to initiate such a battle; but rather our battle is "spiritual to the pulling down of strongholds" spiritually (Ephesians 6:10-18).

Consider what James the brother of Jesus wrote to believers of his day for our time, too:

"But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." James 4:6-10