Why Does Communion Come With A Warning Label?

Posted on April 22, 2013 by ez3728

1 Cor 11:23-26
23      For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;

24      and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

25      In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

26      For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

Those are some classic verses. Typically they are recited once a month, when a church would observe and partake of communion. Good stuff indeed.

We would do well to consider the context of the verses, necessarily recited out of the context of the whole epistle, for time-saving purposes on Sunday mornings. Paul did not write his letters for time savings purposes. He wrote them to be read as letters.

I will not go back to the how-long-is-long-hair speculations of Paul’s era versus our era. We’re not in church right now, but folks get antsy reading blogs.

Let’s start at verse 17.

1 Cor 11:16-32
17      Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.

18      For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.

19      For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.

Above, Paul is addressing the fact that there are divisions and contentions in church (go figure) – and further recognizing that the Lord would utilize those situations to validate and approve ones in alignment with the purposes of heaven. The “holy filter system” of our righteous God. He lets stuff play out, so what is pure comes to the surface and what is impure gets exposed and can be removed.

Then Paul goes on to rebuke the Corinthian church because their purposes of eating together are not the divine purposes as prescribed by our Lord at the last supper – a Passover seder, by the way.

20      Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.

21      For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk.

22      What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.

Paul is saying – you’ve made a pig-out of this communion command. One eats, others go hungry. Some drink too much. You don’t even care that some go hungry. You are just like the world, except worse, because you ought to know better. The purpose of the Lord’s supper was fellowship with Jesus, and with one another, and it was to be a sharing and divine encounter, not simply a mess hall.

Going on – here is what we hear in church on “Communion Sunday”:
23      For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;

24      and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

25      In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

26      For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

Amen. Huge. Partaking of the remembrance. Prophetically pointing to His return.

And that is where the Communion Sunday reading typically concludes, because it functions within the purposes and time schedule of a Sunday morning. But the rest of the writing of Paul is there to be read, understood, and embraced. Sunday AM ought not be our only time in the Word.

Verse 27 is the warning label that we typically don’t read – but it is there, as valid as the scriptures already read:

27      Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

Paul understood the divinity of the communion. Eating of the body and blood of Christ is supernatural. The bread does not become flesh. The wine/juice does not transubstantiate into blood. But it is nonetheless holy and sacred, to the point of the warning label. Don’t partake of the communion if you are not in right standing with God.

Looking to include rather than exclude, Paul invites us to self-examine (there’s maturity here. Sobriety. Fear of the Lord). And there’s the admonishment to examine, repent as necessary, and then partake – not to remain in denial, or condemnation, and avoid communion. PLAN A is always restoration to right relationship.

28      But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

And more warning, to the point of examples that apparently had already been witnessed by the church (v 30) – because it is that serious:

29      For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

30      For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.

WHAT???? Paul is saying that some (having partaken of the holiness of communion in an unholy state) have already, and other might in the future bring upon themselves sickness and even death? Are you kidding me? Who could make that happen? Would God Himself do that to a believer? Seriously?

Humbly. I would say yes. Here we go: the fear of the Lord stuff, again.

OT Reference – (Remember, WE are called priests now):
Lev 10:1-2
1        Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them.

2        So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

NT Reference – (God has never lowered the bar for holiness. To the contrary – Heb 12:25, Matt 5:27-28 )
Acts 5:1-6
1        But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.

2        And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

3        But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?

4        “While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

5        Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.

6        And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.

BACK TO COMMUNION – Paul tells us that critical, biblical Holy Spirit led self-examination (to the level of self-judging), is the safest early-prevention steps we can ever do, to assure us eternal rest and safety and well-being:

31      For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

And then we are assured that our loving God will relentlessly work with us on this kind of stuff, because He understands the eternal significance of, well, eternity. It trumps our good health, our current state of “well-being”. This gospel is never-ending. It is eternal. Eternity is our Lord’s priority, because He loves us so much.

32      But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

Jesus loves me. And I want to love Him back, biblically.

John 14:23-24
23      Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

24      “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

All scriptures NKJV

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Did The Cross Eliminate Our Suffering?

Posted on April 18, 2013 by ez3728

Isa 53:3-5
3        He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; he was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4        Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

5        But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
(NKJV – like all other verses)

These are powerful verses of OT prophesy regarding our Lord, His ministry, the vision and purposes of heaven. Once again validated by its inseparable pertinence to the current NT era in which we live, these scriptures contain some absolutes for us to ponder, absorb, embrace, hope in. They are inarguably about our Lord, although many Jewish scholars will attempt to point to the “messianic-suffering” as a national call. Sadly (for them) far too many of the Hebrew word constructions, and phrasing, cannot be logically separated from the scriptural intent: this is about one Man.

He (Jesus) was despised and rejected by men. He was a man of sorrows – the One demonstrating the fullness of the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom that is marked by joy. He was acquainted with grief. He was, for the most part, esteemed lowly. Mocked and scourged, and eventually crucified.

Verse 4 assures us, in past tense (He was crucified by prophetic plan, before the foundation of the world – Rev 3:8), that He has prophetically ALREADY borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, paid the price for our transgressions, and was bruised for our iniquities. And the stripes healed us. All done already – in biblical timeliness – prior to the foundation of the world. We’re invited to tremble at the Word and not manipulate it. And we ought not separate any one component of these verses from the others. Either they are all done, or all not.

Forward from the writing of Isaiah, and even forward from the actual events on the cross, we see a gospel account written in which saints (us included), continued and continue to experience a gospel life not devoid of sorrow, grief, sickness, and the ramifications of sins – both our own sin as well as that of others. Shouldn’t all the sin, sorrow, suffering and sickness have been done away with, the moment our Lord died? What’s up? I thought Isa 55 was a done deal. Huh?

2 Cor 7:9 (Paul speaks about saints being brought to sorrowing – to the point of repentance. This is after their initial salvation experience. And loving papa Paul rejoiced that the sorrow occurred – because he recognized the more important eternal fruit)

9        Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.

Rom 9:1-3 (Paul’s compassion for the Jews takes him personally into both sorrow and continual grief)
1        I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,

2        that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.

3        For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,

Rev 21:3-4 (Here we see that tears and pain FINALLY get wiped away – at the end of time, once the tabernacle of God is with men. HHY. Hasn’t Happened quite Yet)

3        And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

4        “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

1 Tim 5:23 (Paul is telling the man of God, his spiritual son Timothy, that there’s some physical remedy for Timothy’s ongoing physical infirmity, so apparently healing had not occurred from heaven, for Timothy, at least not at the time of writing)

23      No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.

Rom 8:35-39 (These glorious verses assure us that no one, no outside element, can separate us from our God, and yet these challenging components of life-in-a-fallen-world are not presented by Paul as having been eliminated from the lives of NT saints: trouble, distress, even peril or death by sword. They remained, and remain present on earth, today. Exit the Western bubble. Ask the North Korean and Egyptian Christians)

35      Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36      As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

37      Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

38      For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

39      nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Our own lives bear witness that trouble is part of our gospel. And yet/of course we win, and we win big. Still, much “stuff of life” has not changed from Old to New Testament times. It has always involved swimming upstream. It has never been a party walking with God. It has always cost everything (but not money – it costs more than money – your life):

Isa 55:1-2
1        “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

2        Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.

….. and yet walking with the Lord, in His will, remains the very best deal in town. Peter said it smartly as times got tough, to the point of crucifixion:

John 6:67-68
67      Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”

68      But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

The answer to the blog-title question is that suffering has not been eliminated (yet) because of what was fully accomplished on the cross. The good news is that our sufferings now have divine purpose. They are not for naught. Isa 55 is without contradiction. It only appears contradictory if you buy into the Western gospel, which is no gospel at all, because it defies the Scriptures. Every disease is not yet healed. Every tear is not yet wiped away. Moreover, the lion and the lamb are not yet hanging out together. The swords are not yet beat into plowshares. There is a conclusion to this adventure, and it is perfect and complete, but it ain’t quite yet. This is another reason why we want to be hastening the coming of our Lord.

Peter is writing to the saints, to saved ones.

1 Pet 4:15-19
15      But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.

16      Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.

17      For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

18      Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

19      Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

The admonishment is not to suffer outside of the will of God, not to suffer unnecessarily because of our sins – because sin brings on its own suffering. Could Peter be describing suffering WITHIN the will of God? Suffering for the sake of advancing the Kingdom, and the resistance, from the evil one, that such advancement mIght meet? Could it mean that sometimes our sovereign God might cause us to suffer, because He sees forward beyond the NOW?

One man’s opinion: I refer to it as the woodshed anointing when that suffering is from God, as our correction. It has biblical precedent:

Hosea 5:13-15
13      “When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to King Jareb; yet he cannot cure you, nor heal you of your wound.

14      For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue.

15      I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”

Hosea 6:1 (Hosea had it right. Other “prophets” were busy pulling the prophetic yoke off Jeremiah’s shoulders, proclaiming joy and deliverance, when neither were yet to occur in Israel, where correction was their portion at that time – national correction that went as far as death and judgment). Those anti-yoke prophets had good intention. But it was inaccurate and therefore ungodly, sort of like Peter telling the Jesus he loved that the cross was not for Him to die on……

What do accurate Hosea conclude and proclaim in the following chapter of his prophetic writing? Does he blame satan for the troubles of Israel?

1        Come, and let us return to the LORD; for He has torn, but He will heal us; he has stricken, but He will bind us up.

There is little eternal glory to that kind of suffering, unless/until it brings about repentance. But that is the OT, you say.

Here’s NT:

Heb 12:11-25
11      Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (to those who refuse to be trained by it, there is no peaceable fruit of righteousness, but rather ongoing and increased intensity of correction. Remember, He’ll never leave us nor forsake us).

12      Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,

13      and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

14      Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

15      looking diligently lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

16      lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.

17      For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

18      For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest,

19      and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.

20      (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.”

21      And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)

22      But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,

23      to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,

24      to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

25      See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven,

Suffering is part of the gospel plan. Jesus led the way:

Heb 5:5-9
5        So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You.”

6        As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”;

7        who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,

8        though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

9        And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

God, in His wisdom, and according to His will and way, invites us to bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar (Psalm 118). Rope down your free will to the purposes of God. Our God invites us into perfection.

The work done on the cross determined by God before the foundation of the earth, was to provide us with sufficient forgiveness as to allow us entry into the intimate place of His presence, where He can perfect Christ in us. Our God Who never changes (Malachi, someplace) has demonstrated throughout both testaments, that He has a perspective of eternity that far exceeds our perspective of anything.

The great Healer, the One with the most comprehensive and profound healing ministry to ever grace earth, prioritized, and continues to prioritize, eternity over healing, prosperity, peace in our homes, over it all.

Mark 9:43-48
43      “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched–

44      “where ‘Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’

45      “And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched–

46      “where ‘Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’

47      “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire–

48      “where ‘Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’

I am so pressed to be pressing in for the fullness of the Kingdom to come to earth. Amen. I will pray to bring it, to usher it in. I will in faith, and as led by the Holy Spirit, pray according to the purposes revealed to me. Having said that, rather than healing (I’ve experienced it, I have been involved in it, believe it, and I personally need it), rather than prosperity and unlimited provision (Amen!), rather than happy-go-lucky socks-blessed-off Christian living (my flesh says sign me up!), rather than us giddily trying to carve out or prioritize any one eventually-to-be-fully-manifested component of the completeness of the Kingdom, which by Divine design is awaiting the return and appearance of the King – is that we embrace the will of God, and experience death to self, so that our vibrantly alive spirit man arrives before the Throne some day (on time, and not prematurely), fully prepared to meet our God – with what might need to have been judged and corrected, already judged and corrected.

1 Cor 11:31-32
31      For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

32      But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

His joy is our strength. His desire is for us to walk blessed, in wellness and healing. Amen. PLAN A. And in that PLAN A, our eternal position still trumps it all. That is not condemnation nor lack of faith. That is biblical. The cross made the way for us to make the way home to God. It is a complete and glorious work. I am happy with that. Paul learned to be content in all states. His faith did not fail him, forcing him to learn to be content in need, or prison, or heading to beheading. His faith sustained him.

2 Cor 4:16-18
16      Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

17      For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,

18      while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

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FIRE – Part 01

Posted on March 14, 2013 by ez3728

Peter prophetically and accurately declares New Testament saints as both kings and priests – a dual-mantle calling never to be taken lightly. EXAMPLE: Taking upon himself that heavy double calling prior to its time, and outside the will of God, previously blessed King Uzziah (2 Chron 26) was stricken with leprosy, separated and suffering for the rest of his life. Note to self: Don’t mess with God.

As priests, it would be wise to study some of the duties and charges of the priests. For our purposes, and quickly, let’s look at fire in the temple lamps.

Exodus 27:20-21
20 “And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.
21 In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.

Continually and forever – God was initiating and prioritizing the ministry of eternal fire. He was (and does) remain so QANA (jealous/zealous) over holy fire, that He demonstrates His qana position in both testaments:

OLD TESTAMENT – Leviticus 10:1-2
1 Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them.
2 So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.

NEW TESTAMENT – Mark 3:28-30
28 “ Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter;
29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”—
30 because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

The Holy Spirit baptism of fire is our intended anointing. Christ in us, the hope of glory. That glory-fire impartation was and remains absolutely key to the Kingdom plan, and the Kingdom work to be accomplished on earth.

Jesus made it clear that His own heart burned for our hearts to be burning:
Luke 12:49 – “ I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!”

John the Baptist declared the FIRE baptism to come as a result of our Lord, John’s baptism being the baptism of water:
Matthew 3:11
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

It therefore ought to come as no surprise that the religious spirit would make war and resist Holy Spirit fire, satan’s worst dread being Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, sons and daughters of God – Holy Spirit praying, Holy Spirit anointed people living in and under Kingdom authority. Our adversary is OK with a pretty much dry and lifeless (and even well-intended dry and lifeless) church. But a church on fire is a church against which the gates of hell cannot and will not prevail.

That’s why Jesus, in Mark 3 (and elsewhere) so sternly warns against blaspheming the Holy Spirit, a sin typically accomplished IN the church and BY the church – by ones who ought to know and behave better, accountable to understand and acknowledge the purposes, fullness and fear of God.

Nadab and Abihu are poster children for God’s wrath when we play with fire (see above). Our God does not change.

Time would not permit a longer discourse on burning bushes, chariots of fire, etc. Perhaps later – hence the title FIRE – Part 01.

Suffice to say, profound biblical revelation is fire-based:

Revelation 19:11-16
11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Our charge, priests, is to faithfully keep your own fire burning. THAT is inner chamber activity. Stoke the coals on the altar of your life. Daily. It is our salvation, our anointing, our victory.

Luke 12:35
35 “ Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;

Luke 24:32
And they said to one another, “ Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”,

(all scriptures NKJV)

 

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IF

Posted on February 25, 2013 by ez3728

IF is quite a huge word actually. It pertains to a possible condition. Random House Dictionary describes it in part as a conjunction, giving this example:

if [1]  (if)  conj.

in case that; granting or supposing that;

on condition that: If I were you, I

wouldn’t worry. I’ll go if you do.

..and as a noun, citing this example:

n.                a supposition; uncertain possibility.

 

Notable to the saints of God/students and lovers of God’s Word is that there 1455 IF’s in the New King James Bible. 884 in the OT and 571 in the NT. That would seem to imply there’s a lot of uncertain possibilities, or “in case that” situations. That is actually a good thing, because logic would tell me there’s choices to be made by people, all the time.

 

A few IF’s (we have little time for 1455 of them):

 

Gen 4:7 (the first IF that shows up is all about a choice to be made by Cain – to do right or to do wrong)

7        “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

 

Deut 30:9-20 (God is offering the Israelites blessings, on the condition that they make the choices to obey Him and His Word)

9        “The LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the LORD will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers,

10      “if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
11      “For this commandment which I command you today, it is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off.
12      “It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’
13      “Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’

14      “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
15      “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil,
16      “in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.

17      “But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them,
18      “I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.

19      “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

20      “that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

 

In Isaiah, a merciful God, already knowing that His people were guilty of sin, nonetheless extends a hand of mercy and offers them a dialogue of reasoning (“come let us reason together), then following up with an offer of blessing:

Isa 1:19-20

19      If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;
20      But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword”; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

 

IF has to do with free will, and choices. We are free to choose to press in to the Lord. It has always been that way. The unsaved, in bondage to sin, sadly have little or no choice, EXCEPT the choice to repent as the Lord deals with them, which He will, as He is not willing that any perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter).

Repentance through Jesus brings us to the glorious position of being fully forgiven. What we do with that forgiveness is then up to us. It is the entering in to a partnership of choice. Jesus spoke this to the Jewish believers:

 

John 8:31-32 – Forgiven believers were now offered the freedom of choice:

31      Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32      “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Their “believing” resulted in their forgiveness. Their choice to abide in discipleship would set them free.

 

John 15:10
10      “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

 

What we have here, and continue to have throughout the written history of God dealing with mankind (both testaments), is a love story where God voluntarily loves mankind, and then offers mankind the opportunity to choose to love Him back. Glorious. Love has to be volunteer. Spiritually, were that not the case, our walks with God would culminate as obedience, and never attain to the glory of love relationship.

 

2 Peter 1:5-7 inarguably lays out the progression from faith through obedience to love.

5        But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6        to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7        to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

 

Sadly, it can get somewhat entangled when folks are presented with doctrines that functionally say we have no choices. It emasculates the love potential of our relationship with God. If I have no choice, then am I destined to love Him, and others are destined to hate Him? If that were the case, why would God need to judge the world? After all, serial killers would simply be functioning in the pre-destined roles. They would be undeserving of judgment. They were obedient to their calling. Silly logic, of course.

Gal 5:14-18
14      For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
15      But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
16      I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
17      For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
18      But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

IF IF IF.

If I make the daily choice to love God and I choose to chase Him each day, there’s a lot of promises waiting for me. I choose that.

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According To The Power……

Posted on February 1, 2013 by ez3728

Remember: This website is One Man’s Thoughts About The King And His Kingdom.

Here are my thoughts regarding this oft-quoted verse in Ephesians (all verses NKJV):

Eph 3:20-21
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

There is no question in the minds of praying, Bible-believing saints as to the ABILITY of God to accomplish virtually anything He so chooses. He is God. He is omniscient. That is good.

Verse 20 confirms He is able “to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”. THAT is unlimited, almost Buzz Lightyear kind of superlatives: Infinity and Beyond! Exceedingly abundantly – even BEYOND what we could ask or think. I can think pretty way out there sometimes, and our God CAN DO even more than that.

The sober question then arises as to why we sometimes/typically and even often fail to see the results of prayers and petitions that we might make to our great and powerful God, even though we know (a) He is able and that (b) our particular prayers are in line with His purposes – healing, provision, miracles, deliverances, etc.

CAN DO and DOING are two different issues. Scripture shows me that, in His perfect sovereignty, God has chosen to partner with mankind in the work on earth.

I believe (this one man’s thoughts) that the key is in the words “according to” later in that same verse in Ephesians – “…according to the power that works in us”

The word “according” is best defined as “in proportion to”, “in concert with”, “concurring with” – the amount of power that works in us.

Inarguably there is no junior Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of God/spirit of Christ. The terms are used interchangeably throughout scripture. The Holy Spirit is fully mature, and eternal.

The issue is not maturity of His presence in our lives. I believe the issue is the amount of Holy Spirit in our lives. According to the amount of room we make for the presence and the abiding of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

An 8-ounce glass with 4 ounces of water in it cannot receive more than 4 more ounces of anything else.

The more of me that is in me, the more of my own will that I choose to cling to and exercise, the less room there remains for the will of God, and the presence of God.

We are called and admonished to be FILLED with the fullness of God. I believe God will go so far in His relentless pursuit of all of each of us, that if necessary He will drill some divine holes in us, to help us empty out of self.

Paul’s apostolic prayer for the saints:
Eph 3:17-19
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height–
19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Eph 4:12-13
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

Why would he be praying like this for folks who are already saints, already saved, unless he fully understand this dynamic truth of the Kingdom? Progressive growth. Progressive maturing. Progressive filling.

3:17 “…that Christ MAY dwell in your hearts….” Conditional.
3:18 “…that you MAY BE filled with all the fullness…) Conditional.
4:12 “…till we all come…..to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”. Eventual and Conditional.

Paul understood this journey is all about us making choices, putting forth conscious willing effort, to be emptied of ourselves – so that fullness of Christ might reign in us. This is the will of God. This is why I get so crazy about folks who think they have nothing to say about the outcome of their faith. What kind of love story eliminates free will? “Whosoever WILLS” has to make some provision for free choice. As Smith Wigglesworth said (he raised people from the dead), the problem is not whosoever wills, the problem is centered on whosoever won’t.

This is a daily invitation, a daily challenge. I’ve been saved long enough to recognize the cause and effect of distraction, lack of time in the word or in prayer. More of me and less of Him – fruitless. Positively – the more I choose to press into the high calling, the more I determine to (as Brother Andrew wrote) “practice the presence of God” the more of Him I realize in me, and the less of me. THAT is the heavenly Plan A.

The seven sons of Sceva obviously had some kind of prior success in their exorcism business in Israel, otherwise they would not have been in business. Our great God apparently had breathed some amazing grace on them prior to the revelation of the gospel and power of Christ, to alleviate the torment suffered by His chosen people.

But after the ascension, and once the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was manifested, things shifted in the heavenly and earthly realms.

The sons of Sceva, with good intention, determined to free someone from demonic bondage:

Acts 19:13-17
13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.”
14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”
16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17 This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

Oh my. These brothers obviously believed in Jesus, otherwise they would not have invoked His name. But greater was he who was in the world, than He who was in them. See the problem here? There ineffectiveness was “according to the power that worked in them”. Or didn’t work. God didn’t fail. They failed.

I believe the Lord has always invited, and is in fact in these trying times of preparation, inviting His saints to purposely empty themselves of self, so that Christ might reign in them, to the fullness that God has intended and purposed. In that place, we will walk in authority. Gideon tore down the backyard idols before the anointing came upon him. I am preaching to myself.

I personally do not believe we’re automatically filled up and stayed filled up. I do not see that in scripture. Otherwise we would not be told “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” – that is not simply about getting saved and then you’re filled. It’s about a purposed lifestyle of hungering and thirsting.

It’s about daily coming to the waters. It’s about praying and pressing in daily. Experience confirms there is a marked correlation between folks who have active daily prayer lives, and who SPEND their lives in God, as opposed to saints who simply are relieved they are now in the Room of Grace. Pressing in to God doesn’t mean He loves you more. We’re not about earning our salvation. But we are invited to get hungry, stay hungry, and to fill ourselves up in Him.

The psalmist vowed ”All my springs are in You” (Psalm 87:7)

I want all that I can get. I have the freedom, and the choice, to make choices.

Our God is available 24/7. I like to call it the Inconvenience Store of His presence. I have learned to love that place. Awakening the dawn. Making choices, for God, that cost me. It is a wise investment. Such a deal.

Eph 3:20-21
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, ACCORDING TO THE POWER THAT WORKS IN US,
21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

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What To Hate

Posted on January 26, 2013 by ez3728

The New International Version of the beloved scriptures puts it this way:
Heb 12:14 – 14
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

It is pretty much an inarguable truth, not open to speculation or debate. The entire book of Hebrews was written to encourage Hebrew (Jewish) believers, who were becoming discouraged, as things were not shaping up quite like they thought they would. Their Messiah Jesus was delaying His coming, persecution was ongoing and increasing, and to make matters worse, they had become dull of hearing (Heb 5). In other words, they were on a dangerous downhill slide into sin, and the unnamed writer was wanting to both encourage as well as warn them.

The ENCOURAGEMENT was about the invitation and ability to come boldly (“boldly” being NKJV, again better said in the NIV: with confidence) before the throne of grace, even in time of need (Heb 4:16).

The WARNING was to not be as Esau, selling out their future eternal reward for some kind of temporal relief and/or pleasure in their current state (Heb 12:16).

Added to that is that their/our God wants mankind, and He wants to have all of each man that He has. So in His love and determination, He will correct and discipline, as He has always done to those who are His. Our God understands our potential destiny in Him, and He is determined that we discover it and fulfill it. The only one who can mess up someone’s walk with the Lord, is that very person.

Heb 12:11-16 (NIV)
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
(if we refuse to be trained by His discipline, it will still be painful, but will remain unfruitful)
12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. (We’re to do that)
13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (pretty clear. No holiness, no reward of being in His presence)
15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. (there’s a textbook example of failure. Esau)

Unholiness will destroy any person. It simply works that way.
Peter, after writing of the amazing grace prophesied by the Old Testament prophets concerning us (NT saints) then proceeds to tell us how we can cooperate with the plan of grace:

1 Pet 1:13-17 (NIV)
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.
15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.

The absolute fullness of God’s grace will become evident when our Lord Jesus is revealed in the fullness of His glory, upon His return. Meanwhile, we have sufficient grace to choose holiness, and to walk in holiness, and to flee unholiness. And flee we must.

I firmly believe that the outpouring of satanic influence upon the entire world will increase as the days prior to the Lord’s return shorten. It only makes sense. And these days are times for the saints to learn to hate evil – to identify it early, and to flee temptation. Stronger than us have fallen. Restoration is a great and glorious thing, but I have seen many successfully stand up after falling hard, but with permanent scars on their knees. I have seen others so disheartened, discouraged, hard-hearted, or even mad at God, as to refuse to get back up.

Heb 3:12-19 (NKJ)
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;
13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,
15 while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses?
17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?
18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?
19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Written to the brethren, we’re warned about a departure from light into darkness. I cannot depart from a place that I have never been. That tells me I have a choice, and that in that choice is the potential to leave, and abandon, my salvation. Verses 14-19 point to such example. 1 Cor. 10:1-11 further confirm this truth. This is the dark purpose for the demonic deception of sin. We need to hate sin. Love the sinner who is sinning. But hate sin. Hate it in others. Hate it in yourself. Flee from it.

Under the misconception of “tolerance” or even “mercy” we can fall into the trap of not hating sin, or evil, enough. That is contrary to the commandments of God.

My prayer is that I/we learn to hate evil, understanding its wicked fruit. Sadly, I admit that sometimes I don’t hate evil quite enough. I may disapprove of it, but I need to hate it with a godly hatred. Our God crafted in us an ability to hate. It has holy purpose. It is for our survival and to assure our effectiveness as representatives of a holy God, and it is to secure our reward.

Prov 8:13 (NKJ)
13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.

Amos 5:15 (NKJ)
15 Hate evil, love good; establish justice in the gate. It may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Ps 97:10 (NKJ)
10 You who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; he delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.

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THE LAYER CAKE OF BIBLICAL REVELATION

Posted on January 20, 2013 by ez3728

Ps 19:7 (NKJV – as are all other scriptures)
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

The word of God is absolutely perfect and infallible, and we would do well to embrace and accept that inarguable truth. In a recent post, I mentioned my own hesitancy to insert a link to a particular site, not because of some exclusivity or high attitude on my part, but simply because not knowing the writer of that site, I had no absolute assurance of the accuracy of their historical statements. In other words, all other writings other than Scripture pretty much warrant and even dictate careful and prayerful scrutiny as to its truthfulness and infallibility.

Prov 14:15
The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps.

Meanwhile, our great God provides us with a “BOOK” that is complete, accurate, and proven – time and again. Historical facts that in the past may have been heatedly disputed and contradicted by unbelievers and pundits, skeptics and critics, eventually are proven accurate and true by the weight of new scientific, and archaeological findings and supportive new discoveries of historical writings that simply could never have been “planted”, over thousands of years, to serve as shills in support of the Bible.

The Bible is THE perfect book, and believers would do well, as also save a boatload of time and energy, to embrace that fact. And it is a magical, “revelationary” (new word) book that only God could have breathed into existence, through the writing instruments of submitted and holy men.

1 Pet 1:10-11
10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,
11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

Peter is saying that our salvation, the majesty of our Savior Christ, the glory of His (at that time) still-to-be-revealed salvation was prophesied thousands of years earlier by the writers of the Old Testament.

And then we get to Jesus, Who Himself testifies of the accuracy and permanence of all Old Testament prophesy and writing:

Matt 5:17-18
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
18 “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

“Assuredly”, our Lord says. EVERYTHING He said was “assuredly”, so for Him to emphasize the sureness of this particular word, He adds a word that could be placed before everything He said. Assuredly. You can bet on this one, beloved. It’s all going to come to pass, so no sense wondering about its happening. Every jot and every tittle – not only every word, but the smallest written characters, and the punctuation.

Matthew, Mark and Luke all relate the story of the Sadducees who had decided to query Jesus about resurrection – because in their religious and argumentative posture they had conjured up a scenario that they deemed a perfect trap for any proponent of life after death. In other words, they figured if this Jesus-guy was telling truth, there was no way His “philosophy” could coordinate with their theology, which they deemed infallible. They asked Jesus about a woman who had been consecutively married to seven brothers. Feel free to read the whole dialogue, but for now we can come to their conclusive question:

Mark 12:23-31
23 “Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.”
24 Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?
25 “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

HELLO. And WOW. How amazing an answer is THAT???? First our Lord explains to them that these “masters of scripture” knew nothing. Their question was based on ignorance, bound up by religiosity. Granted, there were revelations yet to be revealed – which the Lord speaks forth during this dialogue – but nonetheless their question was faulty because their scenario was faulty, because their faith was faulty. And here’s the knock-out to me – Jesus goes and quotes a Scripture that on some levels might even appear to be casually (if at all) relating to eternal existence. Jesus is pointing to the “I am” position of God as proof of resurrection!

26 “But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?
27 “He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.”

See what’s happening here, for US? Jesus, was testifying that His Father God – by declaring Himself the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – was literally confirming resurrection. THAT ought to blow our minds completely. What Jesus was revealing, and continues to reveal by His perfect employment of scripture, is that EVERY word of God is perfectly perfect, and perfectly purposeful and perfectly revelatory. It ALL is intended for Kingdom revelation. NOTHING should be taken casually or carelessly. We’re to be looking deeper, digging deeper – not for the sake of digging itself, and certainly not to become knowledge-banks of biblical trivia. God has provided for us deep and gloriously unfolding revelation, through His Word, that we might know Him better, appreciate Him more, and better understand that glory of the Kingdom plan. He has purposely and gloriously hidden truth in plain sight, and wants to reveal it to those who, by His grace and through His Spirit, have made and continue to make the sincere and humble effort to dig.

Further to this thought (stick with me on this), at the conclusion of this Jesus/Sadducee dialogue (as related to us in Luke) we see that THEY were finished dialoguing with Jesus, but HE wasn’t quite finished dialoguing with them.

Luke 20:40-44
40 But after that they dared not question Him anymore.
41 And He said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David?
42 “Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,
43 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ‘
44 “Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?”

Here we go again! Jesus goes back to Psalm 110 and clearly challenges their perspective of eternity by establishing His own supernatural pre-existence to King David, whose body was long ago deceased and buried. And He accomplishes this by simply asking about how someone yet-to-be (physically born) could prophetically be called LORD by one already born.

So what are we getting to here? We are getting to something a level deeper than the already deep issues of life and death, burial and resurrection.

The revelation that has been sticking with me recently has been the absolute multi-level revelation of all scripture. We are to eat the whole scroll. Absorb it. Ponder. Meditate. Study. Look deep into it, so that our Lord, by His Spirit, might reveal to us way more than simply one layer of truth. It is a treasure chest of layered revelation, available to any and all who will dig in sincerity and humility.

Every single word has eternal purpose.

There is a place in God, in His word, that He reserves for those who will delight in that word, understanding that precious revelation of the King and the Kingdom come from a willingness to dig deep.

Ps 111:2 – The works of the LORD are great, Studied by all who have pleasure in them.

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The Joy Of Nakedness

Posted on January 4, 2013 by ez3728

“The Joy Of Nakedness” – How’s THAT for a blog title?

God is so amazing – everywhere, all the time, always God, knowing it all, seeing it all.
It makes great sense that openness is part of His creation plan, and when this whole place gets wrapped up, it will once more be a situation of complete openness.

Scriptures are (NKJV)

Luke 8:17
17 “For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.

Nothing.

It will all come out in the wash. All will be exposed. This should be a great relief to those who, by the grace of God, walk in integrity and often do things that cost them, because they love God and they love His righteousness.

There will surely be a reward for the righteous, just as there will surely be a reward for the wicked. This should motivate us, excite us, challenge us – in life, in our spiritual walk, in business, in all relationships.

Our vindication ought to come from this place of naked honesty before our Lord:
Ps 26:1-2
1 Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the LORD; I shall not slip.
2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my mind and my heart.

That is the psalmist crying out for a holy audit. Accountability partners and groups are swell. Accountability to the Lord, praying to invite His examination light, is key. We are not walking this walk on a cultural level. There is no sliding scale for holiness. We are accountable to the Lord, His standards, and His Word, which endures forever.

God knowing it all, these following verses sometimes can seem ludicrous. Are you kidding me? God walks in HIS garden, among all the trees HE created, and He asks Adam (who He created) where Adam is?

Gen 3:8-10
8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

That “where are you” was not a questions. It was an invitation, by God, for Adam to come clean.

Likewise, the Lord appears to Moses, to call him to service, and while Moses is speculating about the impossibility of the situation and his unlikely qualifications for the call, God asks Moses what Moses has in his hand. Are you kidding? Didn’t God know what was in Moses’ hand? I vote yes.

Exod 4:1-3
1 Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.'”
2 So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A rod.”
3 And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.

Moses fled from his own potential. O God let us not flee from ours.

What a huge relief – God knowing all, always. We are invited to come clean, walk clean, be clean. Naked in the sight of God, and OK with that nakedness. Not ashamed of our humanity, or our foibles, or even our sin. The only sin God really can’t stand in us is unconfessed sin. That remains unforgiven sin.

The shakier this world becomes (as our Lord shakes it as promised – Haggai 2:6 and 7 and Hebrews 12:26) the more critical it becomes that we have no secrets from God. We’d do well to realize that we really can’t possibly have any secrets from God – but our enemy would want to encourage that kind of misconception and darkness – to get us behind a tree as our great God walks through the garden of our lives.

Our integrity, by His grace, will preserve us.

It was just prior to the siege of Jerusalem. The Israelites had refused and rejected the righteous correction of their God, the One with whom they had made a covenant. He had warned them time and again, and they had flipped Him off, time and again. He would be whistling for the fly (Isa 7:17-18), calling in a cruel enemy nation to besiege, conquer and enslave them. They would be resorting even to cannibalism (Jer 19:9, Lam 4:10).

And who would be safe?

Isa 33:14-16
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: “Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”
15 He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil:
16 He will dwell on high; his place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure.

Fully clothed in the righteousness of God is being naked before God. Go figure.

Ps 26 (again)
2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my mind and my heart.

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2013

Posted on December 31, 2012 by ez3728

Solomon said it most accurately (all scriptures NKJV):

Eccl 5:7 – For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.

Sometimes research and deep pressing in to the writings of other man can reveal insight and truths. God will reveal things to us, through others, that we might appreciate our need for others. It is part of the divine plan for community. Prov 18:1 warns us against withdrawal from others.

Other times research and deep pressing in can become a crazy-maker. Sadly, the Talmud and the Mishnah each contain both truth and madness. The Jewish intellectuals, in denying their Christ, have spend countless hours over two thousand years theorizing, speculating, arguing, accusing, justifying, and denying that their God sent them their Savior, in Jesus Christ, at the appointed time, in the appointed place, to say and do the deeds appointed for Him to accomplish. Those Jewish writings accuse Jesus of embracing Egyptian magic, illegally proclaiming the name of YWYH, having been the illegitimate child of an affair, and more. I hesitate to insert web links into this blog, but would offer you the option of your earn Google searches, were you to be so inclined.

God has never been mocked. Throughout Scriptural account, the Lord has dealt fairly with mankind, while mankind has typically failed to respond fairly to God:

Ezek 18:25
25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?
26 “When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies.
27 “Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive.
28 “Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
29 “Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair?

That remains the complaint of man: The ways of the Lord are not fair.
As a result, mankind (particularly religiously-motivated mankind – Jew, Christian, Muslim, you name it) continue to invest countless hours foolishly trying to argue and intellectualize themselves against God – always to their destruction. It is not simply an issue with Jewish scholars. It is a mankind issue.

2 Pet 3:14-18
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;
15 and account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation– as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,
16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

God Himself purposely sharpened both edges of His Word, so that it would cut the humble and sincere in such a way as to circumcise their/our hearts and minds, and meanwhile it would slice and dice all of the philosophy of mankind, cutting deep into the madness of thoughts and intents that would purposely rage against God’s truth.

There is a place in God where we can grow in simplicity and truth, in grace and true knowledge, where we can avoid the pitfalls of religious madness and intellectual confusion – even though man will continue to spew forth vast amounts of writings and speculations. It is a work of Satan that would inspire such rantings.

I believe this verse in part describes the satanic agenda of spiritual noise:
Rev 12:15
15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.

Thankfully, it is the Word of God that endures forever, and that Word tells us that God is more than able to safely maintain that which is His – His people – throughout all ages.

And at the same time, God Who is not mocked, has always allowed the proudly religious, the argumentative, the charlatan, the pseudo-intellectual, and all others who would rage against Him, to continue to rage. Their time comes.

Ps 2:1-5
1 Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the LORD shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure:

God continues to move upon mankind as He has always moved upon mankind – by His Spirit. This “true Christianity thing” is centered upon a born-again, Spirit-led, Spirit-activated, Spirit-responsive lifestyle that is anchored in the clarity of Scripture, thankfully not requiring the madness of confusion of the incessant writings of men – writings oftentimes only written in vain attempt for an end-run around the clarity of God’s Word.

Keep your eyes looking upward. Stay in prayer. Spend spend spend your life building your Spirit-led relationship with God. Pray in the Spirit. Live in the Spirit. Soak in the Word. That is the formula for success.

Creation is not waiting for a revelation of the church. It is waiting for something more profound, more supernatural, and more mystical than that:

Rom 8:14,19
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

ALL THAT SAID, with all that prelude to the clarity and simplicity of God’s revelation, I say this: There are some deep truths in the writings of the Jewish scholars that should not be excluded, and ought not be discounted. The noise of writings that CONTRDICT Scriptural truth in no way ought to cause to us miss out on the revelations of God that CONFIRM spiritual truth, and sometimes offer us deeper insight into the majesty of the creation plan of our great God.

I would go so far as to proclaim an additional beatitude – a thought backed up by the lives of Abraham, Moses, David, Paul, and many others who were not only not afraid to chase God wildly, but were also not afraid and not so religious that they would fail to press in to spiritual revelation that oftentimes appeared to contradict the spiritual status-quo of their time.

Blessed are those who would press in, having no religious agenda, but indeed having a solid foundation of scriptural understanding, so that they can then carefully and prayerfully proceed to uncover the truths that our God has established in His divine creation process, speaking to us, once again and as Paul mentioned, in some things hard to understand.

But they are understandable.

The Jews cite 13 as a profound number.
The gematria of the word three letter Hebrew word for ECHAD, as recited in the Sh’ma – GOD IS ONE (“Echad”), is the number 13. (Jesus recited Sh’ma in Mark 12:29)
The gematria of echad – אחד is thirteen:
א = 1
ח = 8
ד = 4
———-
Total: 13

The Hebrew male is considered OF AGE when he turns 13. He is regarded by his community as a man, able to participate in the religious duties of a man, accountable for his actions and decisions as a man. It is a number of graduation, of shifting into a place of maturity. Bar Mitzvah.

5773 vs. 2013 – Yes the Hebrew calendar differs from the currently observed world calendar. But God has proven many times that He will and can and desires to work within all the systems of man. AN ASIDE: I believe the acts of 9/11 did not haphazardly occur that particular month and day. First, it was America’s self-designated phone number for emergency. Second, read Jeremiah 9:10-13. Sadly, verse 9:10 was ignorantly/proudly/prophetically proclaimed as a motivation for the plan to rebuild on the World Trade Center site. God knew that plan 9:10 of plan of America in advance of 9/11. That is another sorrow…..

2013. May it be a coming of age of the Spirit-led sons and daughters of God. May it be a year when God moves notably, obviously, and mightily upon those who would conscientiously turn to Him in even greater measure. Whatever depth of relationship we have already attained, may it go deeper in Him.

May 2013 be a release of bounty upon the truly faithful – the ones who have been through the wilderness of God, who have pressed in to Him, and who vow to continue to press in to Him. Love the Lord, oh you saints.

Ps 13
1 How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
4 Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
5 But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me.

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Posted in Communion, Eternity, Everything, Fear of the Lord, Movement of God, Old Testament, Personal Relationship, Prayer, Repentance, Salvation, Sin, Suffering | Leave a comment

Restorers Of The Streets To Dwell In.

Posted on December 15, 2012 by ez3728

Columbine, then Aurora Colorado.
Oregon Shopping Mall Gunman – but that gets trumped in one day by the events in Newtown Connecticut. 28 Dead.

Are we living in some kind of social horror movie?
Yes and no.

What we are living in is a society that has evicted prayer from school, chosen to regard (and even embrace) abominable sin as alternative lifestyle, and justified perverted and deviate and gratuitously violent entertainment as freedom of speech.

The word of God is forever true. The psalmist reveals the following to us:
Ps 12:8 (NKJ – as are all the scriptures herein)
The wicked prowl on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

THAT is un-negotiable truth.

The result of vileness being exalted, regardless as to the intellectual, social, or humanistic motive, is guaranteed disaster. Freedom does not mean freedom from God’s laws.
We are just beginning to reap the crop that has been sown by our national sinfulness. That being the case, I personally see no solution other than repentance.

God made the heavens and the earth. He declares that clearly in His word.
Ps 24:1-2
1 The earth is the LORD’S, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.
2 For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters.

Once again, whether or not we choose to believe the creation account in no way diminishes its truthfulness.

OK – so if God created it all, then how come He lets all this evil occur?
“WHY GOD?” Why would You allow innocents to suffer because of the sin of evil men?

God has given man stewardship over His (God’s) creation.
Ps 115:16
16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S; but the earth He has given to the children of men.

Ps 115 tells us that we are accountable for that stewardship, to rightly live on earth, govern, rule and reign righteously. It is our corporate responsibility to not open spiritual portals for wickedness by neglecting or refusing God and His laws. And sadly, we have. And what we’re seeing in our society is what happens.

As saints, we can rest in the understanding that life does not end with the death of the body. At the same time, life is particularly precious and we are never to callously or religiously write off the untimely death of anyone, particularly the young and the innocent, as something that simply happened, so let’s move on.

History has proven that wicked men carry out wicked plans, and the innocent suffer.

On the upcoming great and dreadful Day of reckoning, I believe we will be accountable for our individual lives including the roles we have actively or passively played in the influence and acceptance of good and evil.

We’re called to lift up our voices, to cry out against injustice, to preach and speak righteousness, to warn every man, to pray and repent for the sins of our nation, to comfort the broken-hearted, to stand up against the oppressor.

Our gospel, Christ’s gospel, is a gospel of resistance to evil – it goes beyond our own little lives. We are called to be the salt of the earth, to keep it from rotting.

The solution is not more or less guns, or gun laws. Or counseling. Or security checks. The earth is getting more and more wicked as time marches on. We are on a biblical trajectory towards end-times activity that will cause many to be offended (Matt, 24:10), have their hearts grow cold (Matt. 24:12). We will see an increase in deception (1 Tim 3:13).

We will see more and more rebellion, more hedonism, more sin.
2 Tim 3:1-5
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

And the Lord, knowing all this, has called us here for these times – to be the light of the world. To pray, to love, to be portals for the glory of God.

Ps 24:7
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.
His intent and purpose is to come into this world through us.

Edmund Burke, who lived during the tumultuous and revolutionary 1700’s, stated the following:
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

Paul the apostle, when speaking about ministers not being compensated for their labors quotes the proverb about not muzzling the ox while it is treading the grain (1 Cor 9:9), and then rhetorically asks – “Is it oxen God is concerned about?” Paul was saying the natural truths are expressed to reveal to us Kingdom truths. In that light, try this one on:

Eph 4:28
28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

I am spiritually challenged by that verse, and contend that we are thereby charged to take upon ourselves the assignment and invitation to embrace and receive and live in a WHOLE LOT GREATER MEASURE OF GODLINESS AND ANOINTING than is “simply” required for US to make it through this life acceptably, for ourselves and our immediate loved ones to make it into eternity. We’re to be pressing into God so that there might be an abundance. Out of our bellies – rivers of living waters. Having plenty of “Kingdom Overflow” to bestow upon others. Laboring towards that goal.

I believe the Lord is looking for men and women who will recognize the peril of our days, and will respond by no longer living dainty little Christian lives in such a manner as to simply make it, and maybe have their wives and kids “make it”.

I believe relentless-God is at this time calling forth an army of lovesick warriors, Holy Spirit terrorists who will put to flight the forces of evil – Spirit-led, Spirit-empowered, and Spirit-possessed saints who will fulfill the call to be the salt of the earth.

My “victorious eschatology” is that we’re living in a world heading south, rather quickly. And things will get tougher and more challenging. And God will filter and test His people until we get to the place where we were supposed to be all the time – completely desperate for Him and His purposes, only. And He will return and straighten all things out, and those who did not love their lives even to the point of death will be victorious (Rev 12:11). THAT is the only truly victorious eschatology, and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. My bible tells me some tough stuff has yet to occur. Hey – day by day current news confirms the increase in tough stuff.

I want to be walking in as much Kingdom I can walk in.

We’re invited to consecrate ourselves to a life-long, day by day fast from selfishness, determining to make a dent in this world, and by His grace to stand against wickedness.

Isa 58:6-14
6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words,
14 Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

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