Participating daily in the Kingdom coming

After this manner therefore pray: Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10

For the kingdom of God is not food and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he that in these things serves Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Romans 14:17-18

Eh, you know that ‘food and drink’ here are representative of the things of this world, whether good or bad? Food and drink is good, even God’s provision, but they are not the Kingdom.

We have been talking about the WOF ‘prosperity’ movement : nothing about that movement has anything to do with the Kingdom of God. It’s all about what the Kingdom IS NOT … food and drink, material riches, earthly power/the power of money, earthly security, love of money, love of self, idolatry of self and of leaders…………….

For the kingdom of God is not food and drink…

The Kingdom of God is not material wealth, power, fame or celebrity. Most of what modern Christianity represents and seeks for is NOT the Kingdom of God.

…righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. What are the things of the Holy Spirit? The things which Christians set their affections and energies on, are these the things of the Holy Spirit? Are these the things which are IN the Holy Spirit?

But, what a priceless priviledge to participate in the Kingdom! To participate in Christ’s righteousness, peace and joy. Kingdom means it’s HIS, and we are participating in what is His, taking up our cross daily and following Him.

Let the wicked perish at the presence of God

Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice. Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rides upon the heavens by his name, the LORD, and rejoice before him. A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families: he brings out those who are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land. Psalm 68:1-6

A friend gave me a Messianic Praise recording, and i think it was recorded at a concert in Jerusalem. They were singing, Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, as smoke is driven away, so drive them away… and i was thinking, What would Muslim people think about that, if they were listening?  What if some of them went up to the mike and asked, Are you singing about us? Are we the enemies of God you are singing about? How would our brethren there answer that question? Food for thought.

Who are God’s enemies? What a terrifying thing when God counts a person His enemy.

Two hearts beat as one

The famous photo of Adolf Hitler sitting with Grand Mufti Hajj Muhammad Amin al-Husseini.

The publicly funded Multicultural Center’s (Werkstatt der Kulturen) decision to remove educational panels of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Muhammad Amin al-Husseini, who was an ally of Adolf Hitler, from a planned exhibit, sparked outrage on Thursday among a district mayor, the curator of the exhibit, and the Berlin Jewish community.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1251145138139&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Seeing thru to the ‘other side’

Seeing into eternity is a grace. Sometimes our Father lifts the veil and we can see thru to the ‘other side’ with a clarity which surpasses what we’ve seen before. This happened to me yesterday. I know some brethren who’ve already crossed over to the other side of Jordan and gone home, some very dear to me. They are there. They are waiting for us there in a land where we’ll never grow old. Can you see that land?

When we, by faith,  ‘see’ thru the present veil, by the Holy Spirit, to see the risen LORD Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father, then we realize just how blind we have been, or how dimly we have seen Him, and the City, whose builder and maker is God.

The people who sat in darkness saw great light; and to them who sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up. Matt. 4:16

People sit in great darkness. Even many professing Christians live as if heaven is not a reality to them, still clinging to foolish idols.

Those who live in Christ have eternal life

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? John 11:25-26

Whoever lives in Christ and believes in Christ shall never die.

Whoever lives… is often misconstrued to mean Jesus qualifying that it’s those who are alive who can receive His salvation, but He doesn’t mean that. The way the sentence is worded it can easily be misunderstood and give rise to an erroneous understanding of grace.

But the qualifier of salvation, whoever lives in Christ, is vital, for there are perhaps millions who say that they believe in Christ, who do not live in Christ. They do not have eternal life.

Bear your brother’s burden

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. Bear you one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. Gal 6:1-4

Firstly, we would want to bear our brother’s burden by carrying his needs to the throne of Grace in prayer. If we are sharing his burden in secret prayer we could well be quaified to counsel him.

This bearing of one another’s burdens just happens to crop up here, in this portion of Scripture, in application to a person with a fault, but, naturally it applies to any burden, not limited to a burden of sin.

And, as this fulfills the law of Christ we know then that here is a definition of love, as love is the fulfillment of the law. Love, then is the bearing of one another’s burdens.

Where this is happening among believers, where there is real concern for one another, and private prayer daily offered for one another, Christ’s love is manifest in that fellowship.

Paul would call such brethren, …you who are spiritual : spiritual, as in, not carnal. The carnal man is too busy with his own burdens to carry the burdens of others. He thinks he is somebody, that is, he is preoccupied with himself and therefore he doesn’t bear the burdens of his brothers and sisters, and thus he deceives himself.

Pride and the voice of the Spirit

From David  Wilkerson’s blog : http://davidwilkersontoday.blogspot.com/2009/08/pride-and-voice-of-spirit.html

Let me distinguish clearly between pride and humility.

A humble person is not one who thinks little of himself, hangs his head and says, “I’m nothing.” Rather, he is one who depends wholly on the Lord for everything, in every circumstance. He knows the Lord has to direct him, empower him and quicken him—and that he’s dead without that!

A proud person, on the other hand, is one who may love God in a fashion, but he acts and thinks on his own. At its root, pride is simply independence from God, and the proud person makes decisions based on his own reasoning, skill and abilities. He says, “God gave me a good mind, and he expects me to use it. It’s silly to ask him for direction in every detail of life.”

This person is unteachable because he already “knows it all.” He might listen to someone who is higher in authority or better known than himself—but not to someone he thinks is inferior.

Not one word a proud person receives is of God! It is impossible for him to judge righteous judgment—impossible to speak God’s mind—because the Holy Spirit is not present in him to bear witness to truth. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

Pride is independence—humility is dependency. The humble Christian is one who makes no move, no decision, without counsel from the Lord. The Bible says the steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord, but he cannot order the steps of an independent spirit. This is all to say—God wants full control—give it to him.

“God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6).

Dear evangelical brothers,

how do you explain away this Scripture?

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall deliver the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
James 5:13-15

What light could this shed concerning the 1st Century understanding of sickness in Christians?

Why would it be considered bizarre today, in many circles, if a Christian actually obeyed this command and called the elders of the church to come and pray for them, if they were seriously ill, anointing them with oil, believing that God will answer and raise them up?

Rich man, poor man

Jesus calls some of His own rich, and He calls some poor.

I know your works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but you are rich) …  Rev. 2:9a

Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked...  Rev. 3:17

If Jesus says you are rich, that’s very good. If He says you are poor, that’s very bad, a dreadful condition.

Obama is

100 percent for everything God states in the Bible He will destroy…

From: http://johnmcternansinsights.blogspot.com/2009/08/daily-digest-august-18-2009.html

He’s not alone.

Copeland still not content with food and clothing

And having food and clothing let us be with these things content. 1 Tim. 6:8

Hello. Hello. Is there anybody there??

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/us/16gospel.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=copeland&st=cse

Jesus says :  Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. Don’t seek the wealth of the world, as the pagan do.

Copeland says:  Seek first money, and lots of it, seek to be rich in this world. Don’t be content with food and clothing and the Father’s provision of all the things you need, No, seek for more!

So, who is right, Jesus or Copeland? Millions are hoping that Copeland is right and Jesus is wrong.

If Jesus came to the Copeland convention and taught, Seek first the Kingdom, don’t seek wealth, be content with food and clothing,  they would laugh Him out of the joint. They already mock His words.

I don’t let anyone get me down

I’m filled with the joy of the LORD.

I take the Bible far more seriously than i do any mere man or woman, no matter how ‘great’ they are supposed to be.

How about you?

Ayatollah sees global Islamic ‘Mahdi’ army. Calls for Muslim nations to unite militarily under messianic figure

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=107234

The Beast – the digital connection

Rev 13:17  And that no man might buy or sell, except he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

The issue of internet security and how we are losing the cyber war to cyber criminals and how the future of internet commerce is ‘unsecured’ at present, seems to be popping up with regularity.

Seems to me that the internet is destined for a stricter regime, and ultimately will be controlled by some government, a global police. Individuals will need a personal identity, and this will ultimately need to be in the form of biological recognition. Computers can only biologically identify individual users if the user has consented to that.

Get the world totally dependent on the internet then, whammo,  …no man might buy or sell, except he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

How much faith is in you?

And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, Put your hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands. And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD’S deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for you shall smite the Syrians in Aphek, till you have consumed them.

And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Strike  the ground. And he struck three times, and stopped. And the man of God was angry with him, and said, You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria till you had consumed it: whereas now you shall strike down Syria but three times.
2 Kings 13:15-19

The king of Israel wasn’t an unbeliever, but he was a half-hearted believer. He had faith, but not enough faith to ‘get the job done’.

These are written for our instruction and admonition. May we NOT be like the king of Israel in the things of the Kingdom which have been entrusted with us. Not half-hearted.

So glad

that you understand the Lord’s ways and that you see the importance of obeying Him. It is not wise to follow what other Christians are doing just because it ‘works’ or it is ‘the accepted way of doing it’ etc. We have to follow the New Testament and the pattern, or example, the Apostles and disciples of our Lord Jesus set there. Every thing has to be tested and judged, as the Bible says.

Part of an email from my wife Sheela to a young sister in Christ.

Life is tough, but Jesus is ‘tougher’

John 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

1 John 4:4  You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Romans 8:37  …in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Mount Gilboa

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/132895

You feel guilty because you ARE guilty

First, we need to recognize that guilt is real. Shame and guilt are not just feelings that need to be eradicated, as a secular psychologist would tell you. No, you feel guilty because you are guilty. Your conscience is bothering you because you’ve violated the law of God written on your heart.

Complete article here:

http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/christian-living/wrestling-with-forgiveness

Understanding

In every facet of our life, in every matter we have to deal with and make decisions over, in every interaction with others, we act according to our present understanding.

We believe that our understanding of every thing which pertains to this life should be a Biblical understanding. I don’t mean ‘Biblical understanding’ solely in an academic sense, but rather in Spirit and Truth, in our personal character, the sum of our life.

To be lacking understanding in anything tends toward confusion and instability, and worse, even to disobedience.

God put the desire to understand deep within our hearts.

Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither turn away from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve you: love her, and she shall keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting get understanding.
Prov. 4:5-7