Monthly Archives: April 2014

Serving a King

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I remember when I first came to the Lord.  I was told to revere Jesus as a King.  I said to myself, then to Him, “I do not know how to serve a king.  I have been raised a free man.  And I have no respect for the ways of those in leadership in this country.  How can I know to serve you as King?”

His reply to me has taken decades.  I am beginning to understand the concept of King.  I believe the full understanding will have to wait till heaven.  But there are two things that are worth saying in regard to this.

1.  I have heard many use affectionate names in public for the Lord Jesus and God the Father.  Names such as daddy, papa and so on.  They use names of familiarity.  But what about the holy Lord is familiar to us?

What a man does between he and God in private is of no consequence to me.  But the words he uses to describe what is holy in public is a reflection of his understanding.  And every time we use such names we give our understanding to others.

It is not my job to judge the relationship of a man to the Holy Lord God Almighty and his Holy Son.  But I have found some men of this nature in great error. 

How we refer to the “Great I am” says a lot about what we believe.  One such man did not believe that holiness was even possible in the flesh, let alone a command from the Holy Lord.  He openly used the word “papa” to describe his God.  And the doctrines he promoted were of the flesh.

What will be his end is not for me to determine.  But his view of God was obscured by wicked desire.  As quickly as was reasonable I abandoned his company.  We are not to entertain the doctrines of demons.

2. God is Holy.  What He has given us is for our reference.  To Moses he identified himself as “I am that I am”.  And Jesus said, “You call me Lord and rightly so.”  How should we presume to bring his holy name down to our level?  It is we who should rise toward Him.

Yet how shall we who are full of darkness understand what is Holy?  The Lord will teach us over time.  The longer I serve Him the more I understand, and so it will be for all who serve Him in the holy faith.
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Such men, as the first, put a stumbling block before those who are learning.  But if a man will continue in the way of God he will be taught what is good and true. 

In weakness and lack of understanding we are tiny and hopelessly tossed about by every breeze of teaching that comes along.  But the Lord knows your state of affairs. 

Read the Bible that you may know what is true and correct.  Then do the things it says.  Both of these will help you discern what is right and true and holy.  And the Holy Spirit of Jesus will teach you what is Holy.

Do not accept every man who speaks the name of Jesus.  Test the spirits.  Bring your lack to the Lord.  He is ever willing and able to guide you into what is true.  Only be diligent in your desire to understand.

We serve the Lord through the darkness of faith.  But in this faith we have more light in us then does the world or those who pervert the way.  Do not fear.  If you put your faith in the living God he will direct you to the holy path.

Millions have fallen away because of a lack of understanding.  They did not trust.  Therefore they did not receive.  This will not be so of those who apply themselves with great diligence.

Men study for years to become proficient in their trade which earns them money.  How long then is it right to persevere that we may gain a place in heaven?  Renew your efforts.  Give God more importance in your heart. 

If destruction is our natural reward, how hard should we struggle against it?  And if we fall away for a simple lack of knowledge, how shall we propose to stand on the holy day of the Lord?

What more can be said?  With what may a man convince the weak?  How can I strengthen you?  I have said enough.

Would you like some vinegar with that?

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Many have painted the gospel through the perspective of man’s compassion.  They focus on our need for hope, joy and compassion.  As is reasonable they see the suffering of man and turn the gospel toward them as a solution.

The broken hearted, the humble, and those discarded in this world, may benefit greatly from this purpose of delivery.  It is to these that the gospel of Jesus Christ finds the greatest effectiveness.  These perceive the need.  These are most pleased to hear it.  We remember it is written he who is forgiven much loves much.  And the Lord came to seek and to save those who are lost.

But that message does little to the man who is proud or rich in the things of this world.  Such men perceive a compassionate message as a license to sin.  They may well see the love of God as a weakness to be exploited.

There is another view of the gospel.  Those who are hungry for righteousness and desire what is good will find this other side of the gospel in due time.

While the gospel speaks strongly of compassion, tenderness, mercy and forgiveness, it also speaks strongly about the judgment to come.  The first is more pleasant to deliver.  And the relief it brings is sweet.  While the second is more like serving someone a glass of pure vinegar.  It is a severe test of a man’s desire.

Many preach the sweetest part of the gospel.  But let us not lay aside the severity of the coming judgement.  We do no one any favors by sugar coating the Word of God.

The great chasm

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Unholy is he who desires to please man.  Unholy is she who dresses to entice.  The way of the Lord is narrow; only what is holy can walk in it.

Do not the fool by the prosperity of the wicked.  By decree they are allowed to walk close to the path.  Even if they stretch their feet to be near the path, they are by no means on it.

What is holy is life.  What is unholy is death.  What man can divide between the two?  Such wisdom comes from God alone.

Man will say he loves.  But his life is apparent by his appearance; desire for this world and a love of self dresses them. 

The love of God is full of wisdom, discernment, holiness, justice, righteousness, mercy, propriety and continuity.  The division between what is holy and what is unholy is eternally fixed.  It is divided by an endlessly deep chasm.

If some man would walk the narrow way, he must receive from God.  It cannot be that a man should read and do.  The good things he may read are not from man.  They are delivered by He alone who has life to give.

End of ages

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The question has been asked, “What is man that you are mindful of him, the Son of man that you care for him?  Truly a ponderous question.

Who are we that God has created such a place as this?  And who is Christ Jesus that he should be sent to fulfill a new covenant between man and God?  He was even required to seal this new covenant with His blood.

We are witness to how creation moans and groans for a place of fulfillment.  And we ourselves look for a hope, indicating that we have not yet received that for which we hope.  Our hope finds fulfillment in the end of this age; and that by the beautiful sacrifice of he who was sent, even Christ Jesus.

But the writer of Hebrews tells us something marvelous.  Christ Jesus has come at the end of all ages in regard to creation.  “But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.”  ( Hebrews 9: 26)

We take note of the fullness of Christ’s sacrifice.  That he has, once and for all,  offered himself.  In his work for the Father creation finds fulfillment.  At the end of this age then, creation becomes complete.

From our moment of Transfiguration we enter into the perfect rest of God.  Who then are we that we should be considered?  We become the fulfillment of God’s creation as we are dressed completely in what is perfect and true.  We are the Bride of Christ for the sake of his glory.  Our Transfiguration will become final act of creation.

This adds purpose to the gospel.  All the more urgent is our need to witness and testify.  We speak of death.  But the sacrifice of Christ speaks of life, the eternal peace of God, and the end of creation; the work of establishing eternity.

There will not be another opportunity to secure your place among the people of God. There is destruction. There is no purgatory. What you do now is what you will be forever. Those who worship Christ Jesus, learn from him what is holy, and obey according to the father’s will, these alone will enter his time of rest at the end of all these creation ages.

Many men

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Many men do the things that are good.  Thousands and millions, even now, give praise to God through Christ Jesus.  Forced to their knees in prayer by the Holy Love that is Christ, they give earnest prayer that their life might come to reflect the will of the living God.

His holy law is written on their hearts and seared into their mind.  And before the world awakes, these have come before Him that they may be prepared for the things the day will bring.  He will honor what is His.  And as he gives to them, they receive.

The world will see them all day long.  The world will see the witness that glows in all their actions and speech.  The world will know these men are different.  But they will not understand the reason or means for it.

Thousands and millions have received.  But millions and billions are yet blind, deaf and righteously infirm.  They do not have foundation of life. 

It is for the sake of these dead that Jesus has given what is His.  It is for the sake of the millions and billions that He dresses His people in righteous behavior.

Not one of His people were born righteous.  They are of those dead; those millions and billions of lifeless souls.  Their eyes have been opened and their ears released to hear. 

If you would be a part of them then ask.  Appeal to God.  Seek His face while it is yet dark.  Go into a secluded room.  And ask.  Make it your habit to seek the face of the Holy Lord.  For God is not willing that any should die.

He searches the earth to listen and to see. 

Finding those who bend a humble knee.

Those who cry out loud, “God forgive me!”

These catch the attention of HE.

Persuasion from heaven

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A man cannot expect to persuade the men of the city by going out into the desert to preach to rocks.  Who would hear him that they may understand?

And if the man himself is not persuaded, he only testifies without knowledge.  He will only persuade to the sum of what he has.

But if a man has been to the desert to be persuaded, then what he has is more than the sum of men.

Such a man will find himself driven to the city to bear what he has received.  And the strength of his persuasion will persuade.

What he has received will not be hidden.  His understanding will mark his persuasion with fire.  Without effort or false intent he will speak living words. 

Let the people of the Lord Jesus cease persuading until they have gone out into the desert to be persuaded themselves.  Let us go and receive the best of heaven.  Why waste time persuading with what is the best of men?

May the Living God grant understanding.