Tag Archives: gospel

Really?

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You say, “All this God stuff is too complicated”.  Nice try, but the Gospel is actually very very simple:  repent or die.  Jesus paid the price for your sins.  Accept His sacrifice and honor Him by living the godly life His power offers,  or perish as a sinner.

You say, “How can I believe in what can’t be seen, heard or felt?  You expect far too much”.  Really?  Is that your excuse?  Don’t you realize how foolish those words are?

So, you’ve never felt the heat of the sun?  You’ve never laughed, cried, or sat silently pondering?  You have never seen someone live a godly life (even if just in passing)?   You’ve never seen selfless sacrifice?  You’ve never “just knew” that morning or night would appear?   You’ve never heard the words, “I love you” spoken?  You don’t know about death?  You’ve never seen how hard creatures struggle to stay alive?  And you don’t know the difference between a lie and a truth?  How shallow are we suppose to believe you are?

We could fill up every place on earth, heaven and the universe with the “proof” you say you’ve never seen.  The sad thing is, you’d still find reason to disagree.  Yeah, I’ve seen that already.

A Prayer for Today

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Forboding Malibu Creek State Park

Forboding Malibu Creek State Park (Photo credit: jasoneppink)

Holy Father in Heaven, we give You Glory for Your Holy ways.  We observe the choice You are setting in our path.  The choice of freedom or oppression hangs before our path as if a fragile cliff.  With one gentle move of Your Mighty hand America will encounter one or the other.

We consider ourselves in light of this pending choice.  We are the sum of what we have done; to abandon Your Holy commands to one extent or another.   Or we have failed to employ our whole heart, mind, soul and strength in the pursuit of Your Ways.  But we are also a people filled with hope at the generous gifts You have given us.  Each one of us having attained a certain filling of Your Holy Spirit, and each one accountable to You as to how we have employed “The Faith” You have graciously given us.

To each You present this choice.  To the holy of Your people You rightly expect more.  To the sinner just entering into Your Gospel You rightly expect more.  And to all Your people You have said “Straighten your path.  Display to Me what you desire.  The choice belongs to My people.  And I will act accordingly.”  As it has been eternally written:  13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to
devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7)

We see the choice looming before us and we ask that You clearly waken Your people with eyes and ears that only You can give.   Guide us all in this matter that we may act wisely before Your Holy Throne.  This prayer is presented to You who are a consuming fire of Holiness, purity, and love.  And we sign this petition with the Holy Name of Your Blessed and Faithful Son, Jesus.  Amen.

Origins

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A Sefer Torah, the traditional form of the Heb...

A Sefer Torah, the traditional form of the Hebrew Bible, is a scroll of parchment. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How amazingly striking is the difference in the writings of the early Church Elders and the writings of men today who consider themselves elders.  What began our faith is not the same power among men today.  We hear the constant ringing of a limp bell which touts the Love of God in Jesus.  But the dedication unto death is the blazing fire which should have strengthened that bell.

What is called the Church today hands out fuzzy blankets to a people stranded in Arctic conditions, wishes them well, then abandons them to the wiles of wickedness all around them.  I do not say this without foundation.  Purity toward the holy life has dissipated in the rising heat of hell itself among the people today.

I urge you to consider what I have posted here.  The world is not void of their writings.  Yet how many take the time to look into these things?  We have all heard the constant voice which appeals to us to remember the height from which we have fallen.

I am no more than anyone who reads these words.  Indeed, I am far less than even the saints of this day.  But why should we settle for a diluted message?  The call of God is urgent, pure, and sure.  It is the same today as it was in the beginning.  It is only the adaptation of this age which waters down the Gospel to a sweet savor of “love”.  As the love between a husband and wife has been reduced to sexual behavior between adulterers, so that LOVE of God has become dispersed to simply mean kindness or restraint from murder.

What of warriors for Christ Jesus?  What of men and women born of the Holy Spirit into a holy life?  How can what is Holy give birth to anything less than Holy?  But the world and the corrupt message of certain men regarding the Gospel have allowed any sin to attach itself to the life of their people.  How will such things become acceptable to the Holy Lord of Life?  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!  It is man who has determined, in his “eternal” wisdom, that he can change that pure message from water to tar.

Grasp and return to that message which God has delivered to this day.  He has given His very blood to keep that Word through the ages.  And we would do well to read and learn of the kind of men and women who were used by God to found our faith.  Listening to the message today and reading the message of the starting, one would think we are serving an entirely different God.

By His Grace.

Grace for Fools

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English: Hay meadow near Dolanog Freshly mowed...

English: Hay meadow near Dolanog Freshly mowed hay meadow seen in early evening light, seen from the B4382. Dolwar Hall farm SJ0714 can be seen in the middle distance. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the country side I walked; timid through the night, but stronger in the dawn.

No fear at horror’s sounds; screeching through the air, or growling in the grass.

Bolder steps turned to confident strides; a willingness to leap within these tired bones.

Then a city appeared over the crest of a hill.

 

Through its gates I walked; upright back and confidence from the respite from war.

No one checked for weapons; that invisible proof of salvation hidden in my heart.

How should they suspect or investigate; no one here carries the mark I bear.

Past all stores and temptations I moved.

 

Then, from nowhere, a stabbing; my back was turned and I did not perceive attack.

My weakness exposed; vulnerable was I and did not prepare, distracted by the wares.

Sinking deep the wound was great; a sin appeared and the blood of man soaked my cloak.

I staggered through the alley.

 

Knowing nothing but the Gospel; my knees pounded the dust with sudden thrust.

A crying out to the One Who Is; a healing balm, nursing hands.

Even while the blood still flowed; legs found strength, beginning to run.

The exit gate in view came quickly.

 

Fools will step with careless stride;  the way of simple man open to attack.

Less is the weakness than the power of hope; that marvelous Grace He wields so well.

The night’s embrace outside the gate; humiliation abounds while healing starts.

I stagger through the field once again.

 

By His Grace!

Phenomenology Response

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Chart about the Hegel's "Phenomenology of...

Chart about the Hegel’s “Phenomenology of Spirit” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sometimes (actually more often than not) the Lord directs our words with a specific flavor when we converse with others about the nature of Himself and the Gospel.  I wanted to share His reply to an individual who is searching out the meaning of (or in) life.  Perhaps you too will find it interesting and useful:

Chinny:  I had never heard of phenomenology.  But the concept has rattled around in my mind for decades.  I didn’t think the world would have a word for what comes natural.  But, go figure.

Every man can approach an understanding of life from any aspect he chooses.  Who am I to say we are wrong as we search out the truth.  On the other hand, when we find a helpful directive, it is wise to attempt to share what we know.

Please allow me to respond to the concept of understanding the ultimate meaning of and in life.  If we are striving to understand or grasp the absolute truth of any subject, we may toy with lesser values in the beginning.  But there is a place where diluted materials stop providing information.  I have reached that lack of answers years ago.  And was forced to turn to pure materials to develop a pure understanding of what is pure and true.  Scientifically speaking, we get the answers we deserve according to the purity of the experiment.

People, in their best basic format, are full of misunderstandings, differings of opinions, and tossed about by all kinds of misinformation.  It seems a bit crude to me that we should strive to understand the perfection of God truth by linking together a mass of fallible knowledge.  Therefore, I would suggest that we would be better served in our quest by searching out the purest truth available to man.

The truth we seek should not be a peaceful and joyfilled understanding.  We have both established that man’s relationships will be full of turmoil.  So we surmise that any understanding of purity will necessarily be a bit disquieting to a tumultuous creature.  Only after repetition and learning can we hope to endure that truth with any sense of peace.  In other words, we come to understand the value of purity by experience alone (assuming that we have found what is pure and make it our specific target of bending our will.)

This is a very difficult subject, as is proven by the amount of words men have employed to research it.  I believe you and I are on the cutting edge of balance between true discovery (of a personal nature).  Now what remains is the ability to willingly approach the subject minus that sickness of pride that attends every man.  Don’t misunderstand that comment about pride.  It lives quite vibrantly in every one of us, and often goes undetected by our own perception.  It is quite obvious to others, however.  And, in the end, we find that we have not reached the fullness of understanding simply for lack of true humility.

I hope I have added something to the conversation here.

Look! I’m a bird/snake.

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Teradactyl

I have begun posting in a philosophy forum.  I had tried this before and only managed to irritate both the readers and myself.  I find it so very interesting how hateful the human heart is to the message of the Gospel.  I’m not casting stones at those who railed against the words.  I’m just making an obversation.  This time I’ll try to be as subtle as a Tiger moving through the grass toward his prey.  Time will tell if the Gospel can sneak up on a man.

This brings up the subject of experience.  There is a time for everything in the way of teaching.  And it takes experience to learn to limit one’s words to match the ability of the student.  Isn’t this true in everything to do with man’s learning?  “Wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”  What kind of animal might that look like?  A snake with wings?  Or a bird with reptile feathers?