Monthly Archives: April 2015

The War Against “Bloody” Rebellion

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God raises up whom He chooses.  Such a man will not be of those that Man might perceive as worthy.  Such a man will be a horrifying, misshapen, miscreant of humanity.  How should this be a surprise?  Is God like man in any fashion?  (The answer, my friend, is “no”.)

Shall the war between what is Holy and what is unholy be a soft fluffy battle field?  Show me a war between men that is like this:  The warrior sharpens his sword.  He gathers with his comrades to speak of victory through blood.  Together they embolden one another.  Around the camp fire, in the night before the battle, they eat and drink together to prepare for the most excellent strength.  They conspire regarding logistics of battle.  And the stage is set within their hearts to accomplish VICTORY in the coming morning.

Now should a warrior enter the bloody violence with compassion?  Shall he apologize to his foe before he swings that sharpened sword?  Shall he ask permission to dismember that body?  Does he not swing without mercy?

Yet, consider this.  There is mercy in the forward violence.  If the warrior swings with any compassion, there will be double the suffering when his steel finds flesh.  The strike will induce suffering, not death.  In his desire for compassion, the warrior has done harm to those who have come to do battle.  And in the delivery of violence with compassion, the warrior betrays his fellow warriors in their dedication to victory.

What am I trying to say here?  I am saying that there is a vast difference between the things of heaven and the things of this world.  Those who go out among men to bring heaven to the rebellious must retain a certain mercy.  But they cannot allow themselves to be “powder puff” Christians.  We must be bold!  We must be sure of the message we bring.  We are not bring peace.  We are bringing war.

The peace we offer is like a small flame.  And we do not intend to warm the rebellious as they remain in their unholy way.  We come to burn their ways to the ground.

The woodsman goes out to cut down a tree.  He does not wield the ax with mercy.  Though the tree has only ever desired to grow and be strong, it will yield to the ax!  The man will keep his family warm.

After he has gathered the wood into his house, shall he make apology to the wood, as he sets it ablaze?  Shall he mount the wood on display only?  Shall he not set it on fire without the slightest mercy?

You who say you are Christians, yet offer the Gospel with apology.  Why do you apologize to man for the Holy Things of The Living God?  You are like the warriors who fail.  You are likened to the one who yields his sword with mercy.  You do more damage than good.

Strike!  Speak what is true without relenting or apology.  Bring the Truth to man as it was presented to your soul.  Remember the war that rages within you, as you yourself read the Holy Scripture.  Perceive the outcome of man’s unholy way.  And remember the price that was paid by the Holy Son of the Living God; that He should deliver the fire of Truth to your ragged soul!

If you are not bold, you will certainly lose the battle.  If you have mercy on sin, you will certainly injure those you speak to.  You will be an unworthy warrior in the battle for souls.  And those converts to your brand of Christianity, will further your delinquent way among men.  They too will fail to deliver the essential blows against what is unholy.

Did you know that Winston Churchill was a ruthless man?  He is held in high esteem, because of the outcome of his service.  But he was no beautiful, soft, compassionate man.  Yet look who he was raised up to fight against, Hitler.  Shouldn’t this be an example of what I’m saying here?

Hasn’t God raised up the “least” among man to fight and war against the rebellion of  man?  Hasn’t he raised up the wicked to fight against the wicked?

But I will speak, for a moment, of what the Church has done.  They have taken in the wicked, that they might be part of the “family of God”.  They have told them that they are not allowed to speak against the wicked ways of man.  They are to separate themselves and become a most compassionate and lovingly soft being.  They are to deliver a tender blow to the sins of man.  How does this compare with what I have written above?  Let the reader decide.

In the Draft From Eternity

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A truck passed me doing nearly 70 miles an hour.  I watched a little bird swoop down behind his trailer, and fly in the draft of air behind the trailer.  I didn’t know they could fly so fast.  I didn’t know they could be so bold.  I didn’t know they were wise enough to choose their toys.  But now I do.

I can be more than a man.  I can be bold.  I can be wise enough to choose my Master.  For I will follow behind him in his blazing train; caught up in His Majesty, which he leaves along “The Way”.

The truck went by with good speed.  So Christ Jesus walked by John the Baptist in the same way.  Then we see John play in the Holiness of Christ like the bird in the draft of the trailer.

“This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'”

Let us too be wise.

By His Grace

The Majestic Mystery

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From Eternity, he was Faultless.

Restrained in body, just the Same.

And since death had no claim upon him,

He bid it, “Have free reign”.

“IT IS FINISHED!”
——————–
Eternal Majesty, robed in flesh.

The Majesty of God, walked among us.

And as he hung up on the cross,

Majesty was willingly clothed with oblivion.

“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.”
———————————–
The Christ of God is risen from the dead!

He is seated forever at the right hand of the Most High God!

Let all the world hear the proclamation!

To those who know:

Do not seal it up!

The Christ is God forever!

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

By His Grace

Marginal Christianity 101

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Have you settled for social Christianity?  Do you go to church like a good little boy, because it’s what we’re supposed to do? 

It is socially acceptable to have a painting of Jesus on a wall in your house.  It’s even okay to have a worn out looking Bible on the coffee table.  And if somebody has an emergency it’s okay to pray some kind of helpless prayer.

All the while such people use the Holy Lord’s name in vain.  They keep what they know about the Gospel to themselves.  You may occasionally find them in a Christian book store.  But you’re not likely to find them living a holy life.

Is this what you’ve become?  Is that what Christianity means to you?

I’m not going to browbeat you.  And I didn’t write this to make you feel bad.  But I want to help you examine that kind of Christianity.

Why would anyone be satisfied with some small settlement for eternity, when he could have been a son of God?  Why would anyone do something at the marginal levels, when they have the promise of the Holy One to help them aspire to greatness in the kingdom of God?

You do realize, don’t you, that we’re talking about eternity here.  At 100 billion billion years, you would still be considered a child.  That’s a long time to live with a regret.  For your sake, I’m speaking like a man, in that there might be what can be called marginal Christianity.

Personally I don’t believe there is such a thing as marginal Christianity.  Because I don’t recall a place in the Bible where God says that’s okay.

Instead, I find list after list of description belonging to those who do not receive eternal life.  So that begs this question, why would any sane person want to play games with eternity?

I know what the problems are my friend.  If you start talking about God you lose friends, and fast.  You’ll be forced to give up a lot of pleasures.  You will likely have difficulty with your spouse.  If you have teenagers, they are likely to think you have gone insane.  You may lose your job.  Even your many friends at church may turn their face when they see you coming, just like you do to God’s people now.

But if you want marginal Christianity, have at it.  What am I going to do, tie you to a chair and beat you with a rubber hose?  It’s entirely your choice, isn’t it?

But have you considered what’s at stake?  You may lose everything on this earth.  But you gain an unspeakable joy forever.  You may be driven to the place where you do not have one single friend.  But for eternity you will have a family who will never desert you or accuse you of any wrong.

You will suffer anguish over the things you have done.  That’s what repentance provokes.  That means you lose a lot of sleep.  But isn’t that why you have seared your conscience with a hot iron?   You have cauterized your shameful history, lest it bleed out into your mind.  For you can’t put up with any guilty thoughts.

You don’t look back at the bad things you’ve done, because you can’t take the shame of it.  But if you don’t join with Jesus, God will show you these things himself.  And when he does that, there will be no opportunity for you to make repairs.  And at that point there is no more offer of forgiveness.

But you’re welcome to keep your marginal Christianity.  You will not do harm to eternity if you are not there.  No one in the kingdom of heaven will talk bad about you.  My friend, they won’t even remember your name.

The people who are disobedient to the Gospel, do not have eternal life.  But you can keep your marginal Christianity, while so many strive with all they have to enter in.  Just where did you expect to fit in?

By His Grace

Relinquish With Joy

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The world looks on compassion as a weakness.  They consider that a weakened man cannot sustain his hold on the things he has.  So their hideous greed approaches, emboldened.

Let them take the things their eyes see.  For they do not perceive the Christ of God.  But let your precious belongings be those of Christ.  For these things you will keep though you die.

They cannot steal what they cannot perceive.  They will not take those things which are distasteful and worthless to them.

But let the man add to his treasures, those things of Christ Jesus.  Amass the things that are unspeakably beautiful.  Pile up the things that are eternal.  Become a connoisseur of what is Holy. 

No one will touch your riches.  And you will find yourself void of fear to protect.  Sleep will be peaceful.  And you may even encourage the thief to take more.  For the things of this world can only detract from the riches you are amasing.

If the wisdom of our Holy Lord is determined to take from us all that can be held, how does the man of God say no? 

“No” comes from the lips of the one who is not yet complete.  The weakness in him causes him anguish to consider relinquishing what is filthy.  How can it possibly be right that a Christian should do such a thing?

By His Grace

Psalm 14

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1 Only fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;
not one of them does good!

2 The LORD looks down from heaven
on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
if anyone seeks God.

3 But no, all have turned away;
all have become corrupt.a
No one does good,
not a single one!

4 Will those who do evil never learn?
They eat up my people like bread
and wouldn’t think of praying to the LORD.

5 Terror will grip them,
for God is with those who obey him.

6 The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed,
but the LORD will protect his people.

7 Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?
When the LORD restores his people,
Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.
(New Living Translation)

By His Grace