The life of Jesus is the life of His Church

The life of Jesus is the life of His Church. The mission of Jesus is the mission of His Church. The standards of Jesus are the standards of His Church. The truth of Jesus is the truth His Church. The holiness of Jesus is the holiness of His Church. And this all bcos He and His Church, His body, His people, are one in Him.

Blessed be the Holy name of the LORD Jesus

What is our attitude to God?

There is nothing that reveals more about my attitude to God than my prayer life.

~ B.H. Clendennen

How would you describe your attitude to God? I spose it only really matters how He describes it.

B.H. Clendennen (1922-2009)

Worth checking out his Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/BH-Clendennen/254774251316632?directed_target_id=0

Sing to the LORD with all your heart

Edgar Reich

Worldly or holy?

We can’t be both worldly and holy. What a disaster when Christians think they can be both.

Worldliness is a bad smell in Jesus nose. I met a young pastor, and by all appearances he has most things right, in doctrine and practice, but there was a smell in the spirit – the guy was in love with himself. And that is the essence of worldliness, which is the opposite of holiness.

Mixed up life – mixed up thinking

The high calling of God in Christ Jesus is the calling to be saints – called-out of the world to be separate from sin and separated unto God and holy. This is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit by the implanted Word of God. He will deal with the mixture in our lives and lead us to purity of life. He is God. A true Christian has the Holy God of Israel living in their frail body, for He has made our bodies to be His holy temple, His dwelling place, amazingly enough! Christ in you, the hope of glory!

There is a direct correlation between mixture in the heart and mixture in the mind. If my heart is divided then so is my mind. If i am not fully convinced about holiness in my heart, then my mind is also not convinced and singular and it becomes double-minded, and the double-minded man has no faith and receives nothing from God and he is unstable in all his ways (James 1:6-8). So, mixture and compromise produces an unstable mind. Singleness of heart results in singleness of mind.

The light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye be single, your whole body shall be full of light. Matthew 6:22

Mixture and confusion go together. Moral mixture is synonymous with confusion of the mind.

For the backslider:

YAHWEH shall strike you with madness, and blindness, and confusion of mind… Deut. 28:28

The reason that so many Christians are mixed up in their thinking is that they have moral mixture and compromise in their life. It may not necessarily be manifest externally, but it may be an internalized mixture – there maybe an outward appearance of righteousness, but not of the heart.

The fear of YAHWEH is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

This verse tells us that the heart and the mind are not independent of each another, that wisdom, knowledge and understanding of God are equally heart issues as they are issues of the mind. The person who is holy will also have understanding – their mind will be renewed (Rom. 12:1-2). Therefore, illogical, incoherent, irrational and contradictory thought processes and reasoning – that is, to make a hash of the Scriptures and to twist and confuse them, has its root cause in the lack of the holy fear of God. It is first a heart problem. It could simply be intellectual pride which is causing the confusion in their heart and mind. Back in the old days pride was sin.

The Holy Spirit pours the love of God into our hearts

And hope makes not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us. Romans 5:5

So, literally, divine love is poured into our hearts. Therefore, to be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be filled with divine love, the love of Christ (as distinct from mere human love).

Care about the lost

If there was someone you love, and you knew they were lost, and somehow you knew they were going to die and go to hell tomorrow, wouldn’t you fervently pray for their salvation and have an urgency to tell them about God’s offer of salvation in Jesus? We need to see lost people as only a step away from the precipice, from falling headlong into a burning hell, and then simply care enough to pray and speak the words of eternal life to them.

Epistle to Diognetus

An extract from a letter of the 2nd or 3rd century which gives a moving account of the distinctive qualities of the Christian life.

For the Christians are not distinguished from other men by country, or language, or the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity (there is no Christian culture, as such). The course of conduct which they follow has not been devised by any speculation or deliberation of inquisitive (smart) men; nor do they, like some, proclaim themselves the advocates of any merely human doctrines.

But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined, and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers.

They marry, as do all [others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all.

They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life. They are poor, yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonoured, and yet in their very dishonour are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honour; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred.

http://www.earlychurchtexts.com/public/epistle_to_diognetus.htm

Glory is the goal

Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.

~ William Barclay

Give yourself to prayer

Give yourself to prayer, to reading and meditation on divine truths: strive to penetrate to the bottom of them and never be content with a superficial knowledge.

~ David Brainerd

Objectivity in reading the Bible

In reading and studying the Bible the goal must be objectivity – to study and learn objectively rather than subjectively. We must try and overcome our subjective bias and influence when we read the Word of God. For example, there are many things we have been taught regarding the Christian life and the Church which have either little or no basis in Scripture. And we have been influenced by examples set before us in preachers, pastors or leaders which are far below the par of the example set by the Apostles and Prophets of the NT. These are all factors which can influence our objectivity.

To endeavor to read objectively is to endeavor to read and understand independently of things which may influence and bias the way you read the Word. But subjective reading is when you are looking to find what you want to find – what is in your self-interest to see, as in people only seeing what they want to see in Scripture.

Objectivity:

Objectivity is a central philosophical concept, related to reality and truth, which has been variously defined by sources. Generally, objectivity means the state or quality of being true even outside of a subject’s individual biases, interpretations, feelings, and imaginings. A proposition is generally considered objectively true (to have objective truth) when its truth conditions are met and are “mind-independent” — that is, existing freely or independently from a mind (from the thoughts, feelings, ideas, etc. of a sentient subject). A second, broader meaning of the term refers to the ability in any context to judge fairly, without bias or external influence (see journalistic objectivity); this second meaning of objectivity is sometimes used synonymously with neutrality.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objectivity_(philosophy)

Objective:

Uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices: an objective critic.

Objectively:

adverb – impartially, neutrally, fairly, justly, without prejudice, dispassionately, with an open mind, equitably, without fear or favour, even-handedly, without bias, disinterestedly, with objectivity or impartiality, Try to view the situation more objectively.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/objectively

Disinterested:

Free of bias and self-interest; impartial:

In traditional usage, disinterested can only mean “having no stake in an outcome,” as in, Since the judge stands to profit from the sale of the company, she cannot be considered a disinterested party in the dispute.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/disinterestedly

It is so very vital that all preachers and teachers be “disinterested” – that they have no selfish stake in the outcome of what they preach and teach.

Objectivity is one of the greatest needs of the hour. It is the only approach to the Holy Scriptures which honors its Author.

John Calvin: theologian and killer

Geneva was a church-city-state of 15,000 people, and the church constitution now recognized “pastors, doctors, elders and deacons,” but the supreme power was given to the magistrate, John Calvin. In November 1552, the Council declared Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion to be a “holy doctrine which no man might speak against.” Thus the State issued dogmatic decrees, the force of which had been anticipated earlier, as when Jacques Gruet, a known opponent of Calvin, was arrested, tortured for a month and beheaded on July 26, 1547, for placing a letter in Calvin’s pulpit calling him a hypocrite. Gruet’s book was later found and burned along with his house while his wife was thrown out into the street to watch…

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2643336/posts

…John Calvin insisted that his men use green wood for the fire because it burned slower. Servetus was screaming as he was literally baked alive from the feet upward and suffered the heat of the flames for 30 minutes before finally succumbing to one of the most painful and brutal death methods possible. Servetus had written a theology book, a copy of which Calvin had strapped to the chest of Servetus. The flames from the burning book rose against Servetus’ face as he screamed in agony…

…Another victim of Calvin’s fiery zeal was Gentile of an Italian sect in Geneva, which also numbered among its adherents Alciati and Gribaldo. More or less Unitarian in their views, they were required to sign a confession drawn up by Calvin in 1558. Gentile signed it reluctantly, but in the upshot he was condemned and imprisoned as a perjurer. He escaped only to be incarcerated twice at Berne where, in 1566, he was beheaded. Calvin also had thirty-four (34) women burned at the stake after accusing them of causing a plague that had swept through Geneva in 1545. John Calvin’s actions were very paganistic like his mentor, Saint Augustine. Jesus and all of the Apostles would have abhorred and condemned these blatant mass murders…

http://www.biblelife.org/calvinism.htm

“9. (page 180) February 1545 – “Freckles” Dunant dies under torture without admitting to the crime of spreading the plague. His body was then dragged to the middle of town and burned.

10. (page 180) 1545 – Following the incident with Dunant, several more men and women were apprehended including a barber and a hospital supervisor who had “made a pact with the devil.”

11. (page 180) March 7, 1545 – Two women executed by burning at the stake (presumably for the crime of sorcery, i.e. spreading the plague). CALVIN INTERCEDED apparently to have them executed sooner rather than later after additional time in prison. The Council followed his directive happily and urged the executioner to “be more diligent in cutting off the hands of malefactors.”

12. (page 180) 1545 – more executions, tortures carefully watched to prevent death. Most of the tortured refused to confess. Means of death varied a little to include decapitation. All under the crime of spreading the plague. Some committed suicide in their cells to avoid torture, afterward the rest were handcuffed. One woman then through herself through a window.

13. (page 208) 1545 – CALVIN HAD the magistrates seize Belot, an Anabaptist (against infant baptism) for stating that the Old Testament was abolished by the New. Belot was chained and tortured.

14. (page 180) May 16, 1545 – The last execution concerning the plague outbreak, bringing the total dead to 7 men and 24 women. A letter from CALVIN attests to 15 of these women being burned at the stake. CALVIN’S only concern was that the plague had not come to his house.

15. (page 189) April 1546 – Ami Perrin put on trial for refusing to testify against several friends who were guilty of having danced. She was incarcerated for refusal to testify.

16. (page 190) July 1546 – Jacques Gruet was accused of writing a poster against Calvin. He was arrested and tortured until he admitted to the crime. He was then executed.”

http://www.amazon.com/Calvin-Biography-Bernard-Cottret/dp/0802842895/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265068601&sr=1-1

The things which must be

After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up here, and I will show you things which must be hereafter. Revelation 4:1

Paris Reidhead comments on dead church

The HOLY Scriptures

You know, i think one of the most blatant signs that Christians are drifting away from the reality of the real Jesus is the way they use Scripture – their attitude toward it.

We need a mighty revelation of the fact that the Words of God are indeed the Words of God, they are not the words of man. There is only one book in history which is the Word of God, and all other books are the word of man.

But we often fail to make this distinction between the words of man and the Words of God. When we elevate man’s words then we unwittingly lower God’s Words. The human ego would much rather prefer to spout his own words than the Holy Scriptures.

Generally, there is a lack of spiritual authority among us bcos we aren’t fully convinced of the absolute authority inherent in the Words of God, the Holy Scriptures.

There needs to come a holy thunder in our preaching and teaching of The Word.

You know, if we rightly divided this then there would be no man elevated in the Church. Only Jesus Himself would be elevated, for He is the Word of God.

Jesus never takes second place to something else

But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt. 6:33

Jesus never takes second place to something else – He never plays second fiddle.

If you seek the Kingdom – the King, FIRST, then you get two things: You get the King and His Kingdom, and you get all the things you NEED to live for Him, freely provided to you from the Father.

But if you don’t seek Him FIRST, but rather He is second or third in your priorities, then you strike-out on both counts: You don’t get His Kingdom and you don’t get His provision for all the things you need.

So, be a real man or woman of God and seek first the Kingdom. Rearrange your priorities so that it is indeed Him you seek first, before anyone or anything else.

It will take the exercising of spiritual authority over yourself! Self-discipline and commitment – taking up your cross.

The only reason Christians are worldly, fleshly, carnal, defeated and lack the power of the Holy Spirit is that they don’t seek first the Kingdom.

Our relationship to the King must come first in our life before all else, and when it does then we find He orders and crowns our life with His beauty and glory.

AOG and Mormons

http://standupforthetruth.com/2013/09/byu-newspaper-reports-interfaith-discussion-with-aog-superintendent/

A god that resembles yourself

Desiring to know God apart from scripture invariably results in knowing a god that resembles yourself.

~ source unknown