Tag Archives: Christianity

All things Christ

Dedication to He Who IS

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Fear The Lord The left hand of the two similar...

Fear The Lord The left hand of the two similarly carved stones either side of the west entrance to St Leonard's Church. 32432 "Fear the Lord your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name." Deuteronomy 10:20 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Let poverty envelop me,

I will serve the Lord.

Let sickness render me to death,

I will serve the Lord.

Let my limbs be limp,

I will serve the Lord.

Let all abandon me,

I will serve the Lord.

Let my life appear useless,

I will serve the Lord.

Let them rail against me,

I will serve the Lord.

May my body endure the will of the Spirit of God.  Let the Lord fill up His testimony by the sacrifice of this body.  May the Living God, the Father of Jesus my Lord, find pleasure at the life His Great Mercy has sent unto me.  I am His.  I do not belong to myself.  I do not belong to the ways of this world.  I do not belong to the desires of man.  And, by His Grace, I will stand apart to serve the maker of my soul.

Amen.

The Bridge Over Troubled Waters (The hand Up is the Same Hand of Out)

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Footbridge near Stumble Wood This bridge is on...

Footbridge near Stumble Wood This bridge is on a path (No. WC347) from Halden Lane to Stepneyford Lane. It passes over stream feeding into Stumble Wood (on the left). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Past the beginnings of a relationship with Jesus, the Glorious King of Kings, a man will find places where he falters and tumbles back into the sins he thought were left in the dark dust of the past.  He will look down at his feet as he walks and smile with joy at the steadiness of his gait.  But sometimes he finds himself tripped up by lust, greed, lies, pride, or ignorance.  It has happened to me countless times.  And I know it happens to the very best of saints.  How should the beginner be surprised if it happens to him?

There is something about this which needs to be spoken.  It is one thing to remain in sins and never seek a way out through Jesus.  When we are in that state of affairs we should expect no help when we fall.  For we are as those who are still sitting in stench and the fall we experience is nothing more than the slip of our hand as we try to readjust our sitting.  The tumbles I am speaking of happen to those who have come some distance from that stench and have learned to walk on legs of righteousness given to them by the Lord Himself.

You will slip from time to time.  Take that as a given.  So I would advise my brothers and sisters to do this:  When you are able to walk make a considerable distance from the possibility of slipping.  Add some speed to your ways so that you move as far away from sin as possible.  Now, when you slip it will not be a pattern of behavior.   It will be simply a part of the experience we share in Christ.

There is a vast difference between holding on to some sins so that you continually revert to them, and stumbling because of things which remain in hidden in your mind.  If your heart is clean and your desire to serve Him is pure, you will find His reaction to your stumbling and tripping a great deal different than what you tasted as you began this walk.

Regardless your understanding of what I have written here, take heart.  He has seen what you desire in regard to holiness.  He has witnessed your ways with perfect and knowledgable eyes.  The Lord you trusted to take you from where you started is quite able to take you from where you are.  Do not let your faith be shaken.  Get up.  Dust yourself off.  Go to Him.  Give thanks for what He has done.  Ask for understanding, wisdom, and strength.  And start walking again!

“The Way”

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This way ...

This way ... (Photo credit: tmblue)

Some mock Christianity.   They say there is nothing to this Jesus teaching and worship.  They think the mind and the habitual glorification of man is of better stock.  After all, what we have is the culmination of centuries of evolution of man.

Some play dress up, as though it is appearance which wins favor from the Living God.  They dress their words, their social standing, and their knowledge of the traditions of the Church.   They think the Church has evolved past the teachings of holiness and the coming judgment.

Some moan under the oppression of their conscience and remain in a deep and cold cave of hopelessness.  They are dressed in their own rebellion, and loathe their clothes.  Yet the two above have considerable weight in their decision to remain as they are.

And there are some who recognize the intense warfare within the soul that Jesus came to ignite.  They take their clothing (that is, they take their conscience, thoughts, and actions.) to the Lord of Life so that He can examine them and give direction, help, and renewal.  These are walking “The Way”.

Jesus spoke of “The Way” in these words:  “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.  Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” (John 7:17)  In this the fourth group prove the validity of Christianity.  They know the hatred for the ways of this world, the folly of the social gospel, and the utter contempt for groveling in our sins.  These will testify of both the power and difficulty of “The Way”.

It becomes very clear to them, the meaning of Peter’s words:  “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Peter 4:18)  The last group have, within themselves, a testimony which the other three rarely ask about.  And this is why they flounder in their confusion.  It is far easier to remain drawn to sin even though men suffer under horrible oppression.  Yet, though “The Way” is most difficult, it is by no means above us to accomplish the Father’s Will in Jesus.  For we are given strength from moment to moment so that we can over come.

In Hopes of Helping

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A cardboard box that appears to look shocked a...

A cardboard box that appears to look shocked and unhappy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I will relate what the Lord has done for me.  I hope this is helpful to others.

He came back to get me when He had let me chase after sin for a season.  During the last three years, or so, He has spoken plainly to me regarding what I must do every moment of every day.  Now, if that were the sum of my testimony about what He has done for me it would not be fair to others.  One more thing He has done that needs mentioning:

I had no teacher during those three years.  It was the voice of Jesus alone which guided me toward what was pleasing to His Father.  And as I understood I noticed Him ceasing to speak of certain issues.  And when a new issue came up about my behavior He would instruct me in that also.

Now I have reached a point of understanding that seems to please the Father enough to suffice.  There are many more things to build on, to say the least, but they will become a testimony of what is “more”.  I am not saying I have arrived at a holy life.  I am saying that it was the leading (the direct leading) of Jesus that has brought me to this place.

I mention these things because many of my brothers and sisters struggle against many sins and difficult times.  I want to encourage you to seek His face with all patience and humility.  I know you already do that.  But I urge it all the more.  He has taught me to listen to “what is.”  I mean that He taught me to look for Him in the present, for the present is what eternity is.  He has allowed the memory of what I have done to remain as He has uncovered the reasons for it and shown me the proper way to live my life.  I hear His voice less clearly now.  But there is absolutely no loss.  For He has taught me how to live what His voice was urging me to attain.

Was there a formula I used to get here?  The answer is a yes and no.  These things you have known from the beginning:  Read your Bible, pray, then do what the Bible and answer to prayer says you should do.  If there is a formula that is it.  Seek the will of the Holy Father in Heaven and do not lean on your own understanding.  Don’t rely on man’s version of Christianity (psychology and the watered down gospel of the day).  But seek the pure will of the Lord.  He will show you what is necessary.  And if you do not have a worthy teacher in Christ, Christ Jesus Himself will show you.

He once showed me a vision to give to another:  I saw a box with eyes and arms with its hands folded in prayer.  He commanded me to fold my hands like that and speak.  What my lips spoke I relayed to the man, “Though they are led in darkness, yet will I lead them out.”  So I can say with great confidence, take great heart in the Lord you serve in faith.  He is willing to lead you to the Father.  He is willing to give you the prosperity of eternity.  And He is quite able to accomplish what He has promised He will do.  Only be patient and humble while you wait for Him to arrive in that certain moment of eternity which is called “today”.

By His Grace.

Rise Up!

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Dove of the Holy Spirit (ca. 1660, alabaster, ...

Dove of the Holy Spirit (ca. 1660, alabaster, Throne of St. Peter, St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If my brother stood beside me while we spoke of the beautiful things of Christ, and someone were to accost him in that moment, would I stand idle?  Would not my hands draw blood?  If I were able to defend I would indeed defend.  Should a soldier stand by silent and motionless as the enemy attacks his fellow soldier?  NEVER!  Now my brothers are attacked.  Now they suffer loss.  Now they cry out to the Living God for help.  And I will not stand by idle.

But we do not war against the flesh of our enemy.  We war through prayer and the confidence born of belief in the Son of God.  Silently to our ears comes the attack.  Sightless eyes look and do not perceive their approach.  A blow is delivered and the brother staggers.  Horror and deep guilt assail our brother, and he falls to his knees.  Only he knows the pain he endures now.  He cries out for help.  In his plight he cries to our flesh and our ears hear him.  We can see him as he cries.  Shall we do nothing?  May it never be.

Are we prepared in spirit to pray for him?  Are we ready to reach out a holy hand to lift him to his legs again?  Have we overcome by the blood of the Lamb enough to drive away what assails and nearly defeats him?  Are we ready, at a moment’s notice, to apply the power of our God to those who scream out for help?  The time of preparation is not upon us when our ears and eyes perceive his need.  The time to prepare is upon us now.

Who will be available to render the help of the Holy Spirit to those who cry out to us?  Who will have made himself ready and able to give the help requested?  Who, of us, is living filled with the Holy Spirit?

In this age of utter wickedness how can we walk one more moment void of the power of Christ?  We are not set apart and cleansed from our sins so that we can smile and “have a good day”.  We are separated from the ungodly wickedness around us so that we can work, by the power of God, the things of God!  Who will rise up and take hold of the things necessary?   Who now sits idle while our brothers suffer under hideous rule of sins?  Who will stand in the gap, ready and able to come to their aid as they cry out?  Where has the Church of God gone that men should find no help in their time of need?   Have we retreated to silent amazement as we watch men die?

By His Grace.

Is it Soup Yet?

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I watched the movie about the Apostle John last night.  And as I suck down on my first cup of coffee I ponder what I take away from the encounter.  Among the things taken from that movie, one item stands out clearly.  There is a people of God who will suffer greatly under the hands which belong to those who worship the beast.  This is why I write.  This is why I pray.  This is why we support and spread the Gospel with vigor.

When I first began to speak for the Lord, it was to simply tell the story in the hopes that others would grasp its meaning to themselves.  But now I see two additional elements.  Now I see the Gospel itself as a defence toward the ungodly; they attack our beliefs and we return with the message of Christ Jesus.  And I see the telling of the story of Christ as a way of encouraging those who struggle to gain a foot hold as they encounter the things which are sure to come because of The Way.

I wonder, am I able to endure what is coming upon the Lord’s people?  I guess the answer is yes.  For He proves to us that He is sufficient for the moment’s cause.  But I am reminded that it is never a bad thing to be prepared for all eventualities.  The lord of flies is after our destruction.  And it is only a matter of time before killing us becomes legal again.  It doesn’t take a prophet to see that society is headed in that way.