Category Archives: personal

Spiritual Gifting

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This morning I took a “spiritual gifts” test.  It’s been some decades since I took such a test.  I don’t know what I found out the last time I took one.

I wasn’t too surprised to see the outcome.  Here’s the page for the test I took:  http://www.spiritualgiftstest.com/test/adult

I’m going to display the results here so that those who read the things I write might better understand the intent and gifts God has seen fit to place within me.

I don’t know how accurate such a test can be.  And I’m not sure what value they might be to others.

Administration
12
Discernment
23
Evangelism
22
Exhortation
25
Faith
35
Giving
13
Serving / Ministering
20
Knowledge
27
Leadership
22
Mercy
6
Prophecy
26
Pastor
23
Teacher
29
Wisdom
17

From Appeal to Dismissal

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“Sir, will you calm down please.  Your vile remarks are a blatant disregard for all of mankind.  Not a single one of us understands why you attack us with such liquidity.

We are only man and you are one of us.  If you will render yourself civil, we will take you back as a dear brother. 

We will apply on your behalf for lenient mercy.  And who knows, a property owner among us may give you something of your own.  Only cease your violent ranting, and speak softly to us regarding God.”

“Dear men of the world.  I cannot calm down.  It is for your sake that I am considered as cursed among you.  For unless you become even as I, you will suffer extensive loss.  This is why I show a blatant disregard for the ways of man.  And the fact that not a one of you understands spurs me on all the more.

You say you are only man, yet you could stand to inherit greatly more.  For as man you will die.  But God has proven his desire to give you eternal life.  How can this offer not be considered civil?

And sirs, you will not take me back as a brother.  Why do you choose to lie to me?  For you already treat me as an alien.  You promise what you are not willing to deliver.  Your willingness to entice with a lie, speaks loudly of the reason I have come against you.

You do not own the concept of leniency. You have only borrowed a sweet sounding word.  For there is not one ounce of mercy within you.

And I will not accept a gift of property from your filthy hands.  For by ownership, you will own me.  And I am promised vastly more than you can offer.

How can you ask for soft words from God?  You despise his leadership. The only reason you give Him glory, is that you may have a holiday every year.  You use his glory to advance your self.  And in this you make no apology.  How should I go to God to receive soft words for you?

PART 2
“We have sweet accommodations for such as you.  Pick any room you wish in the house of religion.  Then you can live at peace, spewing your venomous words.  For we have taken note that you readily even tear down those of your same kind.  Perhaps it would suit you well to live among them.

Perhaps they would give you a suit and tie.  They might even pay you a handsome sum, and give you a room in which you can dwell.

Many of them are our friends.  We will speak to them on your behalf.  They readily take bribes from us.  We will simply pay them a sum and they will do as we ask.

Since you choose not to live among us as a civil member, perhaps it will please you to accept this offer.”

“Dear worldly Man:
I am not of religion.  I am of the house of “The Faith”.  Religion is man’s way of pleasing his version of God.  But those of my house worship the Living God.  His name to us is Jesus the Christ of God.  And he does not accept the opinion of any man.

I do not desire to live out my days in peace.  I am at war with my own flesh; that is to say my own inward wicked desires.  And by the Lord’s blessing, I am at war with your flesh also.  Again you offer me something you cannot deliver.

If you find my words tearing down the house of the religious, it is to help them in purification.  It is to correct errors in their understanding.  And to enable them to reach for those things which God offers generously. 

Those who belong to God understand this.  Those who do not, are set on their heels.  And the rightful division among false security arises.

I refuse to be honored by any man.  I refuse to receive further pay for the work of God.  As the receipt of your filthy property would corrupt me, so would the receipt of their filthy honor.  See how you even admit that you bribe them.  How then are they any secure place to live?”

PART 3
“We perceive that you are a most uncivil man.  We have brought this matter to council, and with unanimous decision, we have determined to regard you as an animal.  There are some among us who are even persuaded that you are less than animal.  For even animals may be tamed and useful for our children’s joy.

We regret your answer.  And we hereby withdraw our generous offers.  Your proclivity to stubbornness has left us no choice.  We are a people of civil order, and your intent to disrupt is clear.

We have sent out orders to every establishment.  You are to be captured and disposed of by whatever means the captors think best.

If you will turn yourself over to our hands, we promise to make short work of it.  We are, after all, not the vicious people you paint us to be.  For we will not revenge our selves on your demise.  And we will not make a public display of your vulnerability.

Afterward, our children will live in peace.   For we will honor your name with obliteration.  See what a great merciful people we are.  For upon your demise, your name will not be associated with what is evil.”

“I will depart from among you when my Lord determines it appropriate.  He may still have use of me in this place, for your sake.  And you can do nothing to me that is not given to you from above.

If you succeed in hastening my departure, it will be the will of God.  He will not hold my death against you.  For you already have enough accusations waiting.

You have spoken clearly for the sake of those who will apropriate my life.  I need give you no further answer.  Do as pleases you, for it will be God who directs you now.

By His Grace

The Telling Average

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I just wrote an article about the popularity of the Gospel.  And out of curiosity, I went back to sum up the total average of visitors to this blog.  Sometimes we have a sense of things, but when we quantify, we are often even amazed at the least possible expectation.

Over the last 5 years, this blog has averaged 4 visitors per day.  There are well over 2,000 posts here.  And one would think that even the worst writing would gather more than 4 people per day.

I will gladly admit I am not a good writer.  But I have seen some people’s writing, that has become very popular despite the horrendous value of it.  So then in the pondering of this, I have come up with three possible answers.

The first is obvious, I am a horrible writer.  How could I not agree with that?  I’ve reread my posts enough to know that I am ignorant of grammar and too presumptuous to be careful.

The second possible answer is that the words that I write are so foreign to the joy of men that I am willingly placed into obscurity.  This is a great possibility, for I have never been known as one who plays well with others.  Why and how should that change now?

And the third possibility is full of ponderous contemplation (Redundant yes but it sounded cool).  Perhaps God Himself has placed me in a “cave”.  Greatly distant from the eyes of man.  And I wrote concerning this in the post called “The Craftsman”.

I have seen others that write virtually the same things as I.  And the numbers on their blog are well into the two hundred and five hundred thousand views, and this in far shorter time than I have been writing. 

I could surmise rightly that I am a lousy writer.  I could surmise rightly that the way I write is so abrasive, few have the palate to eat.  But I very much like the third.  For it gives summation to the other two.

The reasons why God has done what he has done to his servant fit into a variety of explanation.  And there is no need to expose them here. 

It is impossible to take pride in obscurity.  Such a man would be considered fully insane.  Yet there is reason to be proud of the Lord Jesus.  For he is God incarnate.  And in the eternal wisdom of the Holy Father he dispenses God’s will in all creation.

There are many who will sit and count their numbers with great joy.  I recognize that is a broad assumption, but I have no reason to think otherwise.  Every Church that I have attended counts their numbers regularly.  Most of them have even displayed a little plaque at the back of the chapel to honor their victory; “Number in attendance this year 4000, number in attendance this month 400, number in attendance last week 6”.

But God has left me to count scraps from the dinner table.  He is Glory!  His wisdom is pure!  He is faultless in all his Holy judgments.  And rather than give praise or regret to myself,  I will give praise and honor to the one who lives forever by the precious blood of his Holy love for Righteousness!  He is Jesus the Son of the Most High God and the Son of Man!

May the will of God be done forever!  God alone is good!

By His Grace

Adored Distractions

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How incredibly wealthy man is, in the things of distraction.  And how incredibly impoverished he has become, in the knowledge of the One who is made him.

For decades I was angry at man, because he was so exclusive.  They spoke of tolerance and inclusion, but no matter where I turned, there was no such thing to be found among men.  So I perceived that they lived in a great and impenetrable lie.

But now a love for God has dawned within my soul, and with proof.  He is full of inclusion by His mercy, which is tolerant for my ignorance.  I find he is fully trustworthy.  I find he is unmistakably true.

And now I find a new source of anger.  It causes me boundless frustration, that the great lie of man so willingly disregards what is true.

I was incensed that they would not receive me.  Until I realized they would not even receive the Holy One.

Among men what do I have left to lose?  They have not taken from me, they have rejected me all together. (In this I do not speak of the body of Christ.) And now, why should this be surprising?  For they even reject the One who made them, for the sake of their dear and deep love for distraction.

Bring them a new distraction and they will love you.  Offer them eternal life and they despise you.  Yes they want to live forever.  But I find they are not willing to part with their sins.  Not even willing!

Am I wrong for allowing this to frustrate me?  Am I amiss for despising the ways of man?  Who crucified Jesus?

By His Grace

The RIGHT to Brood

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I just had a realization that is fully worthy of contemplation.

Every Christian blogger desires that his or her things be read.  And oh how we take note of our ministry.  And it is right that we should care so deeply about our charge to write.  For there are plenty enough worthless writings of man in the very same place.  But we hold up the Living God’s Holy Son!

I came to understand that it is just as right to brood over this blog, as it is for a Pastor to brood over that which is his.  But then the stupendous struck me.

I have a right from God’s Holy Son to brood over the work He has delivered to me.  But I brood over what has been given.  How much more is it right for Jesus to brood over the work that is HE?  He is the source.  How deeply does He desire that His things be read and understood, ingested into the soul and accomplished?

If I care about the ministry that He had delivered to me.  How much more does He care about His Living Ministry among the people of this place of testing?

Eusebius of Cesaria

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Why do men look so diligently to discredit those who write for Christ?  It is as if we look for fault before we look for Life.

I know there are wolves among us.  But is it right to treat every brother in Christ as if he is a wolf, before we embrace him as a sheep?

Can we trust the Living God in Christ Jesus to show us plainly and quickly the value of a man?  Or must we rely on man’s opinion which is full of violence and obscured by doubt?

The fruit of a man’s doing must be the proof of his heart’s allegiance.   Perhaps his words will be faulty, yet his actions may display integrity.  But look how we attack him because of his words.

I agree that words may be all we have to determine a man’s allegiance.  But let us take stock of what rules in us first.  Is our first strength mercy or is it a violent behavior?  The latter thins our ranks.  The former gives place to learning.

I write this because I see that there are those who diligently try to discredit Eusebius of Caesarea .  I would guess they pursue their desire with great abandon.

But a question comes to mind.  Were those who are diligently desiring to distrust his writings, there among the people when he wrote his work?  Why not believe the man’s word?  Why not believe the power of God to save, and the love of his holy people to endure great torment?

You people view things from this perspective; a time of relative peace and plenty on your table.  But as you inspect a man’s work, you conveniently discharge a truth; it could just as easily have been you who lived in his time.  It could just as easily have been you whose writings are now under violent scrutiny.  And make no mistake, there will be people who will scrutinize your own work with violent intent.

We are but men.  But Christ is God.  Do we dare waste our time discrediting the foundation of our faith, while there are so many souls who are abandoned to eternal death?  Is that a profitable use of our very short days?

By His Grace