A man finally has his eyes opened by the Holy Spirit to see Jesus, and now, when he reads the Bible, he says, I believe you Lord! Finally, at last, I believe you! Forgive me for not believing you, it was so wicked of me.
When the Son of Man returns will He find faith on the earth?
Who, these days, says I believe you to God’s Son, Jesus Christ?
ian
Onesimus writes: Until very recently I knew very little about the “millennium”. It’s almost as if there it was the victim of a conspiracy of silence within the church. I’d heard of the term, and understood that it related to a 1000 year period in the future, but beyond that I was ignorant.
I have since learned that the millennium has not only been subjected to this “conspiracy of silence” it has also been the victim of conspiracy of complication, with several different theological theories being created to explain how it works out. On the whole, these theories pay little attention to the scriptural account and in effect are used to nullify the 1000 year period described in Revelation.
Click here:
http://www.revivalschool.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=3456971#3456971
People follow ‘leaders’ – what they teach, and the examples they set. That’s why teachers face a stricter judgment.
When the ‘leaders’ boldly practice sin before the people of God, then, it’s their endorsement of it, and particularly, the corporate popular approval of other leaders who are in association, who agree, i.e. a snowballing effect, they become emboldened by the knowledge that many other leaders are doing the same things and getting away with it, and prospering : and then, the sin becomes approved – it’s no longer sin, rather, it becomes ‘sanctified’, in an unholy ‘reverse sanctification’. Their consciences become seared – insensitive to the truth – to the real Jesus.
This happened to backsliding Israel, and God sent prophets to bring them back in touch with the unchanging absolute truth of God’s Word.
Spiritual pride was the sin of Lucifer, the very first sin ever recorded.
How is it legitimized (institutionalized) today?
ian
Titus 2:13 …looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…
How blessed is this blessed hope? If you are looking for Jesus’ glorious appearing then you are greatly blessed, for your heart affections are where they should be – with Him in heaven.
Hope is a joyful anticipation, expectation, and confidence. Blessed hope means a joyful, happy hope : a hope which fills you with joy when you consider it’s fulfillment.
1John 3:2-3
(2) Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.
(3) And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
The saint’s life is completely referenced to the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ – – anything in his/her life only has meaning inasmuch as it relates to THAT GREAT DAY when we bodily meet our Lord.
Everything is “defined” by this event, e.g.
* that we keep our robes white and whitened in the Blood of Christ
* how we preach Jesus, what is the nature of our gospel we preach, i.e. does it relate to the Person of Christ, or, is it incorrectly a “world within a world” – a person taking on board a new moral philosophy of life, yet divorced from the Person of Christ – they are still “in their own bubble, their own world they have created” .
* how we live, where our heart is…. everything
ian.
Christians can become like the devil, and fall into spiritual pride.
I never used to like the term “spiritual pride”, bcos there’s nothing spiritual about it ; pride is pride, but lately I’ve seen that it is a correct term, bcos Lucifer’s pride was spiritual, in the sense that he was proud whilst standing before God, with the full knowledge of God. It correlates exactly with the Christian whose been given much by God and who is proud of these gifts he’s been given and proud of who he is bcos of what God has done for him. Thus the warning Paul gives in 1 Timothy concerning the selection of Elders for the churches:
An Elder should..
…not be a new convert, lest, being puffed up into the crime of the devil, he may fall. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those outside, lest he fall into reproach and into the trap of the devil. 1Tim 3:6-7
Paul is warning that Christians can become like Lucifer, so, let’s look at how Lucifer fell:
Ezekiel 28:12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
Note:
Vs 17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness
Lucifer’s heart was “lifted up”. He realized what God had done in him, and he knew that what he was, was what God created him to be, yet somehow his heart got lifted up. The heart being lifted up is a bad thing; “up” signifies occupying a place higher than God had ordained for him. Then, his “wisdom was corrupted” bcos of his brightness : he was blinded by his own light! Began to think wrongly bcos his own glory dazzled him. Pride then distorted his understanding until he believed a lie.
Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Spiritual pride blinded and deceived him into believing he could get away with this. He must have deceived himself into thinking he could get away with it (there was no “devil” to deceive the devil) otherwise, knowing God as he did, he would have been aware that it was going to be a suicidal operation which had no hope of succeeding. Remember, his wisdom (understanding) became corrupted by his own brightness. Not by sin, by glory God had given him.
Many Christians today are falling into the condemnation, the same crime of Lucifer, just as Paul the Apostle warned was likely to happen if a new immature convert is given the opportunity to have spiritual authority.
There are very many people today exercising spiritual authority over others, who shouldn’t be, and, many practicing very un – spiritual authority over others (authority of the Gentiles, Jesus said). And this produces spiritual pride, just as Paul warned, and ends up in, ultimately, the same condemnation of Lucifer, that is, to be cast out from the presence of God, for He will not share His glory with another.
See the correlation between illegitimate spiritual authority and falling into spiritual pride?
If someone says it’s not possible for a Christian to fall into the same condemnation as the devil, then why did Paul warn about it, saying that it is possible for a Christian?
(next article , Lord-willing, How Christians legitimize and “sanctify” spiritual pride. )
ian.
This morning in our meeting one thing the Lord said thru me was about the Person of the Lord Jesus as the good Shepherd who calls His sheep : and, therefore, faith is a clear response and repentant answer to the Shepherd when He calls a person to follow Him.
The Gospel is a call from a Person, the risen Lord Jesus Christ, the immortal Lord of Glory, who CALLS sinners to Himself, and if they answer that call (repentant heart faith) then they no longer walk in darkness, but in His glorious Light, the rest of their lives.
ian.
If people don’t believe the truth, they believe lies, therefore, we need to consider the importance of the Scriptures, and why God gave them to us, and rightly divide the Word.
The Scriptures are given into the context of this world of lies we live in, under the sway of the father of liars, who loves and makes a lie, who comes as a “minister of righteousness”, and as an “angel of light” : the whole world believing lies……
… in this context we have the Scriptures given to us, who are “not of the world”, for our edification (faith), guidance, instruction, warning and correction.
ian.
Anyone who doesn’t recognize the God-given right of the Jewish people to possess the Land from the Jordan to the Sea, curses Abraham, and blesses his enemies. God is bringing the Jews back to their Promised Land, and that necessitates the existence of the secular state of Israel as a state for the Jewish people to live in, whether the Israeli policies are right or not. They won’t be right policies, and we can’t expect that, bcos the Jews won’t know God till the veil is taken away, when Jesus comes. But many Christians are deceived into siding with the enemies of Israel, denying her right to occupy the Promised Land, and they bring God’s judgment upon themselves.
ian
Rethink Conference: Crystal Cathedral, California
January 17, 2008
Robert Schuller once said: “Standing before a crowd of devout Muslims with the Grand Mufti, I know that we’re all doing God’s work together. Standing on the edge of a new millennium, we’re laboring hand in hand to repair the breach.” He made that statement in his 2001 biography, My Journey (p. 501), and today he has taken a giant step forward in seeing his dream of an all all-inclusive spiritual body come true. What’s more, Christian leaders and organizations are helping to bring it to pass.
Today, the Rethink Conference at Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral began. This three day event is hosted by Schuller and popular emerging futurist Erwin McManus.
In addition to McManus, the Rethink Conference has several other Christian leaders speaking: Gary Smalley, Henry Cloud, Chuck Colson, and Kay Warren, to name a few. While the speaker list includes several names outside the Christian camp (Larry King, George Bush Sr., Rupert Murdoch, etc.), a majority of the speakers, both Christian and non-Christian, are proponents mystical spirituality. The reason this is important to know is because Schuller’s vision of an all-inclusive global religious body cannot happen without mysticism.
It is in fact the vehicle through which Schuller’s dream will occur. He discloses a little more of this vision in his book:
“I met once more with the Grand Mufti (a Muslim), truly one of the great Christ-honoring leaders of faith. … I’m dreaming a bold impossible dream: that positive-thinking believers in God will rise above the illusions that our sectarian religions have imposed on the world, and that leaders of the major faiths will rise above doctrinal idiosyncrasies, choosing not to focus on disagreements, but rather to transcend divisive dogmas to work together to bring peace and prosperity and hope to the world. (p. 502).In order for this “bold impossible dream” to occur, change agents such as Schuller and McManus realize that Christianity needs to be redefined. Thus, the term rethink. “
http://sharecropperradio.blogspot.com/2008/01/mystical-spirituality-rethink.html
All things were finished from the foundations of the world (Hebrews 4:3), as God’s character, nature, and words are eternal and unchanging. Therefore, there is no disagreement or contradiction between the examples that God has provided for us in the Old Testament and apostolic doctrine. What we observe today in the New Testament pattern may be found (through patient examination) in the Old Testament. Sometimes, these examples exist as types or shadows of the fullness we see today (Christ openly revealed), but they are evident. There are Old Testament examples of everything we see in the body of Christ at present:
· rejection of Spirit’s leadership in favor of the leadership of men
· a royal priesthood
· plural leadership
· God speaking a corporate message to a corporate body
· the role of women within the assembly
· as full partakers of the promise
· under authority
· assuming leadership functions when male leadership is absent
· false prophets
· a falling away
Rejecting the Leadership of the Holy Spirit
The rejection of the leadership of the Holy Spirit in favor of the leadership of men is not a new sin for it has historical precedence:
“And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh; And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands,” (1 Samuel 10:17-19).
There is no greater condemnation of the heart of man than the simple fact that it is the nature of the flesh to reject the guidance of the Holy Spirit in favor of the lordship of men: for this is a rejection of our intimacy with the Saviour. And yet, to this day we find saints who want God to establish earthly kings of greater spiritual influence and authority above them whom they can swear allegiance to (by their actions, if not their words), follow, and idolize.
Why then did God grant Israel’s request?
A Royal Priesthood
Just as the story of Abraham offering Isaac on the altar of God is an example of the nature of a full repentance and the coming substitutionary atonement of the Lamb of God, so too are prophets, judges, and kings a type of the coming “better covenant” and “royal priesthood” in which all saints would be filled with a new nature through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews 8; 1 Peter 2:9).
Plural Leadership
God’s desire has never been for a single man to rule over the saints in His place, no matter how they are gifted to function within the congregation of God. Notice, God sends a group of elders to Pharaoh as spiritual ambassadors representing His people’s welfare. Although it is Moses who speaks, he speaks as part of a greater counsel:
“And God said moreover unto Moses, … gather the elders of Israel together …. and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God,” (Exodus 3:15-18).
Moses was numbered among the elders: for it has always been normative for a group of elders to speak with one voice–and as one people–when expressing God’s will concerning His holy nation. Regardless of gifting and calling, all saints are subject to spiritual accountability within the assembly, and this is great wisdom, as the Old Testament scriptures first declared: “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety,” (Proverbs 11:14). The God-breathed reality of authentic assembly life is that wise counsel is a product of plural leadership.
A Corporate Message to a Corporate Body
“And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off. And Moses alone shall come near the Lord: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him. And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do,” (Exodus 24:1-3).
Even in Moses’ time, God’s message was to a people, not a person. The difference is that now, as opposed to Moses’ time, all saints are equally capable of hearing the voice of God: for this is the very substance and nature of what Christ’s atoning work accomplished (John 10:3, 27).
The Role of Women within the Assembly
A thorough reading of the Old Testament reveals that female leadership, while present, was not normative (for the accounts are rare): and as such, it conforms to every aspect of the New Testament teachings concerning the role of women within the assembly. First, the very presence of the prophetess Miriam and judge and prophetess Deborah (as two examples) are evidence of the fact that women are (every bit as much as men) New Testament members of our royal priesthood: and not behind men in intimacy and access to the Holy Spirit in any way. One characteristic of the apostate church is a profound lack of elders: and today, as in Deborah’s time) it is not unusual to find godly women demonstrating more faith within the assembly than the men. Notice in the following account, however, that God’s desire was not for Deborah to lead His army, but Barak: God does not press women into roles (elder) He reserved exclusively for men; rather, He uses Deborah’s faith to bolster the weak faith of Barak. The simple fact that Deborah does not usurp Barak’s God-ordained role, but merely supports him in his task, is proof of God’s will concerning these things: that those whom He ordains to rule over the assembly well (by serving God and others) are exclusively male. (Further documentation concerning the role of women in the assembly is found as an appendage at the end of this article.)
“And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead. And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan … and Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh,” (Judges 4:1-9).
It is a sign of the Lord’s displeasure with Israel that He judges them by the prophetess, Deborah: for apostates are often ruled over by ungodly women who desire to rule over men in the flesh (violating the clear command of 2 Timothy 2:11-12), rebelling against what God has ordained. Of course, the apostate church is full of men weak in the faith who refuse to heed the clear commands of the Lord–and these invariably turn to their own wisdom–affirming themselves by their own traditions (women elders). Where women lead and likewise assume authority in their homes that God has not granted them, children often become unruly, difficult and unrestrained (undisciplined). Consider the words of Isaiah who witnessed a similar time:
“As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths,” (Isaiah 3:12).
False Prophets and the Falling Away
Whenever believers turn from the word of God to embrace their own desires and traditions, inventing their own commandments, they are stripped of their strength–for the fruit of the word of God is mature disciples and just as faith matures—so too does the word of God grow up elders to stand like mighty oaks along the stream of living water (Matthew 4:28). Likewise, where this water no longer flows, spiritual malnourishment results: and men’s strength (God’s wisdom) is stripped away. It is the Lord who keeps our homes and fortifies our cities, and if we should forget this, He will remove the operation of His divine influence from among us (Psalm 127:1): “I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent,” (Luke 12:48; Revelation 2:5). This echoes the words of Jesus who said to those whom rejected Him face-to-face: “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof,” (Matthew 21:43). It may be a reliable principle to consider that God will remove even their former (spiritual) knowledge from those who have chosen to pursue other lusts: “For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them,” (2 Peter 2:21). (See also, Job 12.) Therefore, it is no wonder that we find no strong men among the apostate assembly of Isaiah 3:
For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water, the mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, The captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator,” (Isaiah 3:1-3).
Far worse than a famine of bread and water, however, is a famine of “hearing the words of the Lord”: the antichrist will rise in a time of general apostasy in which elders of the faith will be few, and it will be common-place for them to be attacked with careless, malicious words as the wicked are given over to a strong delusion (Amos 8:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11). The fact that the son of perdition will “oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God … so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” is an indication that he will rise within the church (so-called), attributing to himself the Divine character and honor that is reserved for God alone (2 Thessalonians 2:-4). As forerunners of his demonic ministry, Nicolaitans will prepare the way for this deception, being tares among us: notice, they claim to love God, while actually opposing Him; and they overcome the people with false doctrines that establish traditions and commandments that God has not inspired (Revelation 2:6, 15). Filled with a hunger for worldly things, the self-appointed leaders of this time will divide and feast upon the church of God (denominationalism), leading men to themselves rather than to God (personality cults) (Matthew 23:2; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 3:3-5). The apostolic record suggests that the final state of the apostate church will be one that is absent of believers—for the ungodly will speak against the words of the prudent (the revelation of Christ)—and eventually remove those who profess Christ from their midst:
“I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church,” (3 John 1:9-10).
Appendage to The Role of Women within the Assembly
Mature women, of course, are commanded to “teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed,” (Titus 2:4-5). Men may teach women concerning the words of God, but they are obviously not fit to model the role of wife or mother as an example for younger women to follow: and so mature women are the most fit teachers of younger women concerning the words of God in these things. God’s words establish boundaries for both men and women within the assembly. (This is not to infer that women in New Testament assemblies cannot speak or teach out of the context of their relationship with God at all, but rather that they must acknowledge that God has not called them to function as the overseers of men: and any who attempt to function in this way may be commanded to silence, per 1 Timothy 2:11-12.) In Acts 18:26, Priscilla assists her husband, Aquilla, in expounding the word of God more perfectly to Apollos: yet, it should be noted that this was private conversation in the Lord and not public teaching.
“Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement,” (1 Peter 3:10).
Immediately after demonstrating his authority to command silence on the part of women who were not adorning themselves with a meek and quiet spirit, being in subjection to their husbands, Paul writes, “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant,” (1 Cor. 14:37). Just as the commands of the Lord concerning a man’s conduct in his own home either qualifies or disqualifies him as an elder of the faith among the assembly (1 Timothy 3), so too does the influence of the Lord’s commands concerning the appropriate conduct of women within their homes and in their marriages extend to the assembly. Women are as much to be in subjection within the assembly as they are within the home. Therefore, where women adorn themselves with godliness, we are certain to find three examples of the divine influence working in their lives: a reverence for their husbands, a pure heart and chaste conversation in the Lord, and a ready willingness to defer to the operation of the Lord’s authority through elders of the faith.
As proof of this, consider the daughters of Philip who, although prophetesses, were not led of the Lord to prophesy to the apostle Paul; rather, the Lord brought a prophet to their home when He desired to speak to Paul through the divine unction:
“And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy. And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles” (Acts 21:8-11).
Mark Finger
John 14:5-6
(5) Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
(6) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Who is living in the way these days, and going Jesus’ way?
Very few, sadly, who are moving forward in The Way, in Jesus’ way, bcos so few have lives that are compatible with the Jesus of the Bible : we could say, “incompatible christianity” with Jesus of Nazareth (Rev.3:16).
We often echo Thomas’ words in our hearts when we’re seeking direction, ..how can we know the way to go? And the Holy Spirit gives us the words of our Lord, I am the way…
The way forward is a Person – – He’s personal, not a formula.
..Without me you can do nothing.. Jesus said. Therefore, with Him, we can do all He wants us to do, as we walk in The Way.
ian.
Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, will be guilty of the body of the Lord and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and in this way let him eat from the bread and drink from the cup. For he that eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not judging correctly the body of the Lord. Because of this many among you are weak and sick, and many have died. For if we judge ourselves correctly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord, in order that we may not be condemned with the world.
(1 Cor. 11:27-32)
This tells us that, ultimately, Jesus will kill one of His own, a Christian, if they take the Table of the Lord in an unworthy manner, for then they are bringing judgment upon themselves.
If that startles you, then please read it again, as that is what Paul said.
Please note, this is not a matter of satan killing people.
In the Church in Corinth many were weak, and sick, and many had died, bcos they did not judge themselves correctly and went ahead and partook of the Table of the Lord anyway.
This tells us also how serious a practice the Table of the Lord is to Jesus Christ, that He would kill Christians over it.
The Lord Jesus doesn’t take it lightly, and neither should we.
And, if it’s a life or death matter, then how wonderfully Divine and gloriously blessed is the appropriate practice of it!
1Cor 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion (fellowship, participation) of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
Are those who are judged in this way (who died) saved?
Yes.
For if we judge ourselves correctly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord, in order that we may not be condemned with the world.
The purpose,then, for such a drastic judgment on regenerated Christians is that they should NOT be condemned with the world.
ian.
Mark 8:38 For whosoever is ashamed of Me and My words among this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him, whenever He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.
Where is the confidence these days in the testimony of who Jesus is, and in teaching what He commanded?
Note that our Lord refers here to a tension between the current wicked generation and the stance of a disciple : whether the disciple will be embarrassed about Jesus before a mocking generation : whether the disciple is truly ABOVE, in Christ, this dead world, and, therefore, walking in the authority of Jesus’ name?
The very fact that JESUS is not preached (only referred to as a support to justify one’s teaching/philosophy) tells us that this “being ashamed of Jesus and His words” is the normal thing these days. May it not be so among His elect.
ian.
The church is a “body” a living organism — compare with our natural body, our human life, for it’s one of constant change, we could say that we are always doing what we need to do, and these needs vary from moment to moment, e.g one moment we are caring for the body, another time defending or safeguarding, another time doing preventative maintenance stuff, so much happening. – reactions , initiatives , …… but thru it all we should be learning and growing.
This explains the living nature of Jesus’ church : the leading of the Holy Spirit is something like the care we have of our own bodies, sometimes the body needs different things. It’s one long experience, facing different needs and situations and even crisis’. Us “being” the church and “doing” church together is as experiential as a day in anyone’s life, for if it’s not, then it’s a dead form, having no reality in relation to our Living Head.
The true leading of the Holy Spirit corporately in our gatherings is Him doing what He says needs doing, and what needs to be addressed at each moment.
As we enter the darkest days of history, it will be imperative that we are being what we are supposed to be and to be doing what we’re supposed to be doing, ordered by the Lord.
We understand there is a sovereign purpose for each of us in the place where He has put us.
We need to live our life in a “new and living way” : no two days, or two meetings will ever be the same — if our eyes and ears are open to the voice of the Lord, and what He wants us to do. It’s not about trying to be different at all. Such reeks of self-servingness.
It’s about knowing a Person, corporately, as His Body, and moving with Him.
Unless the Lord wants it done
Ya better not spend another day
Building anything that will stand in His way – – Keith Green
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Mark Finger wrote:
…and those who profess the false love doctrine (tolerate everything and play the political correctness game instead of honoring the words of the Living God) are not only paving the way for a universalist agenda and an ecumenical, one world religion, they are impacting the minds of repentant Christians whose minds need to be renewed to the word of God.
Rev 2:23 I will kill her children by death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
Jesus searches minds and hearts. His people will fully realize this when they see those who misrepresent Him drop dead, killed by Jesus. He searches minds and hearts and He is willing to kill those who misrepresent Him, who bring shame to His name and do not repent.
He searches our minds and hearts. Our minds and hearts should be His, His habitation.
Rom 14:12 So then each of us shall give account concerning himself to God.
What’s it gonna be like that day soon when you and I come and bow before the Throne of God, and see the Lord Jesus face to face, and give an account for our life?
Be accountable to Him now, and save yourself the horror on that day, for it will be unspeakable terror for those who have not repented.
To those who have repented, and have believed to the saving of their souls, that day is what we long for, when we stand before Jesus, and see Him face to face. He is our blessed hope.
ian.
The 1st century Mediterranean region was a little bit like India is today : religion was life, idols everywhere, and merchandising religious items, trinkets and charms was an industry, even among the Jews to a degree.
Yet, the early church totally and comprehensively resisted the idea of merchandising the Word of God.
If Paul had followed the example of other religions at the time, instead of making tents, he could have set up a scribes workshop and made an industry of selling his epistles – could you imagine him doing that and justifying it as “living from the gospel”?
It’s even more poignant that Paul acknowledged that he was THE Apostle to the Gentiles, meaning, he was aware that his ministry would be the most significant one in the world ; he knew that, yet still, he didn’t write generic books to Christians in general, but rather letters to those he was in relationship to.
Knowing he had the most significant ministry in the church age, why didn’t he write general books (scrolls) on doctrine, “The Doctrine of Paul”, and have them copied as a commercial venture, and sent out and sold all over the known world? Knowing that he could “live off the gospel” by doing that, and make a comfortable income? No, he would of called that merchandising.
He wouldn’t even write to people he didn’t know, let alone put his books on the market.
Our Lord condemned merchandising in the temple. Where’s the temple today? It’s the Body of Christ.
Ian.
Paul knew Jesus better than anyone we know of, even better than the Apostles who had known Jesus in the days He was here on earth in His physical body.
Some people look at Paul’s letters and they think of him as a “theologian” ; angry people think he was a “legalist” ; neither are true.
Paul’s letters express the truth – beliefs – faith that proceeds out of the heart of a person who REALLY knows Jesus Christ, in Spirit and Truth : he is an example of what knowing Jesus “looks like” , in word and deed : teaching and life-example.
Paul’s heart cry was “..That i might know Him..”
Who wants to know Jesus these days? And, how do we know that a person knows Jesus? Because they are “kindred spirits” to the Apostles, living as they lived, having the same character, and teaching exactly what they taught and preached. That’s the “reference point” by which we judge which “jesus” a person has : whether real or counterfeit.
Oh, many claim to know Jesus, and many claim to be like Him. Jesus gave us the Apostles as a reference point as to what knowing Jesus “looks like” in real life examples.
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Rom 1:18-32
(18) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.
(19) Because that which is known of God is manifest among them, for God has shown it to them.
(20) For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things made, both His eternal power and Divinity, so that they are without excuse.
(21) Because, having known God, they did not glorify Him as God, or give thanks, but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened.
(22) Professing to be wise, they became fools,
(23) and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for a likeness of an image of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and reptiles.
(24) Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of the own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies among themselves,
(25) who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
(26) For this reason God gave them up to passions of dishonor; for even their females exchanged the natural use for that which is contrary to nature,
(27) and likewise also the males, having left the natural use of the female, were inflamed by their lust for one another, males with males, committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the recompense which was fitting for their error.
(28) And just as they did not approve to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do the things which are not fitting;
(29) having been filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, greed, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness; they are whisperers,
(30) slanderers, hateful to God, insolent men, proud, braggarts, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
(31) without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
(32) who, having known the righteous judgment of God, that those practicing such things are worthy of death, not only do them, but also approve of those who practice them.
What do sinners know?
And, therefore, what case does God have against them, by virtue of what they already know about God?
This passage makes it very clear that all men do know who God is, and do understand His nature (all of His qualities, love and judgment).
Therefore, no man needs to be convinced of these essential qualities of God so that he will turn to Him. To say so is a mockery of God bcos it is to reject His Word (above), and, it presents a false view of what a sinner is, that he has some sort of innate nobility (the noble savage) and he just needs to be convinced that God is good and can be trusted. But he already knows that God is good and can be trusted, so that’s not the issue.
Of course, he may deny this, and bring all sorts of accusations against God, but he knows he is lying. Should we pander to the lie?
As teachers, therefore, we must never pander to the fallen nature of man, so as to justify his lies.
The only issue in the whole world is whether a man loves darkness or the Light in Jesus.
John 3:19-21
(19) And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness more than the light, because their works were evil.
(20) For everyone that does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works be exposed.
( And that’s my whole point, above. This verse proves what a sinner knows – he knows he’s wrong and doesn’t want his sin exposed bcos he doesn’t want to part with it. )
(21) But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”
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Ian Vincent 