Heed the Watchman November 10, 2011

Ezekiel 33

Renewal of Ezekiel’s Call as Watchman

¹ The word of the LORD came to me: ² “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, ³ and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, ⁴ then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. ⁵ Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. ⁶But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’

⁷ “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. ⁸ When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for^[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. ⁹ But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.

¹⁰ “Son of man, say to the Israelites, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of^[b] them. How then can we live?”’ ¹¹ Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’

¹² “Therefore, son of man, say to your people, ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’ ¹³ If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. ¹⁴ And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right— ¹⁵ if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die. ¹⁶ None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.

¹⁷ “Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. ¹⁸ If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, they will die for it. ¹⁹ And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so. ²⁰ Yet you Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.”

Jerusalem’s Fall Explained

²¹ In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has fallen!” ²²Now the evening before the man arrived, the hand of the LORD was on me, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer silent.

²³ Then the word of the LORD came to me: ²⁴ “Son of man, the people living in those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as our possession.’ ²⁵ Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Since you eat meat with the blood still in it and look to your idols and shed blood, should you then possess the land? ²⁶ You rely on your sword, you do detestable things, and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?’

²⁷ “Say this to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague. ²⁸ I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end, and the mountains of Israel will become desolate so that no one will cross them. ²⁹ Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the detestable things they have done.’

³⁰ “As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD.’ ³¹ My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. ³² Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.

³³ “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

CAUTION: Total Surrender to Christ May Cause Controversy June 28, 2011

Ok… I haven’t blogged all month because I’ve been SWAMPED. But in addition to all my activities and responsibilities, GOD has been rocking my world. Life as I knew it has drastically changed internally for me in recent months, and [soon enough] it will change outwardly too. I do not feel released to share publicly what God has been speaking to me, but I do feel led to share the affect it is having on me.

Twelve years ago I read EXPERIENCING GOD by Henry Blackaby and it changed my life. It taught me how to hear God speak. Here is a quote to summarize the book:

“The general teaching of Experiencing God is wrapped around what Blackaby calls the “Seven Realities of Experiencing God”:

(1) God is always at work around you;

(2) God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal;

(3) God invites you to become involved with Him in His work;

(4) God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways;

(5) God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a “crisis of belief” that requires faith and action;

(6) You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing;

(7) You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.”

These seven truths have been prevalent in my life DAILY ever since, in a continual cycle that will never cease to end.

But lately truths FIVE and SIX are challenging me at levels like never before. Again, they are:

(5) God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a “crisis of belief” that requires faith and action;

(6) You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing;

He has been showing me some things and speaking some things that are bringing me to EXTREMELY RADICAL crisis’ of belief which will one day require EXTREMELY RADICAL faith and action and EXTREMELY RADICAL adjustments in my life… WOW. Help me Jesus.

My pastor, Maurice Stargell, has been preaching a series at www.Hope-Church.tv that God has been using to rock me to my core. It is called SUN STAND STILL – AUDACIOUS FAITH: BELIEVING GOD FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE. It has broken up some fallow, inactive, unseeded ground in my heart that has now been made fertile to bloom. While I have considered my walk with God to be radical [departing markedly from the usual or customary; extreme.), lately I feel like I’m about to go to a WHOLE NUTHA LEVEL.

The word I keep hearing is: CONTROVERSIAL. God has been asking me if I’m willing to be RADICAL enough to be CONTROVERSIAL. My first response is, YES LORD! HERE I AM! But then I looked up controversial: dispute, argument, or debate, especially one concerning a matter about which there is strong disagreement and especially one carried on in public or in the press. WELL NOW! Ugh. God is specifically asking me about this at this time, but I don’t hesitate to suggest that God may be asking this of His CHURCH: “Are you willing to be CONTROVERSIAL for the sake of My gospel? Are you willing to risk it all [including your reputation] for Me?“

As God had been challenging me with this the last few months, I went on vacation to a friend’s house in Florida in early June. While there, she gave me a book that she said reminded her of me. It is called: RADICAL by David Platt. Wow. This book is right on-time considering what God has been speaking. I highly recommend the book, but beware: you cannot read it and then operate the same way. It will rock you to the core. It has no doubt caused some CONTROVERSY in the Christian world…and I’m so glad it has! We [the church] need to be shaken up!

I don’t know all the details of what my future holds, but I know it’s going to cause some shakin’ up of the status quo… it’s going to ruffle some feathers and will probably put me on a few people’s “lists.” But it’s not about me. As God has brought me to some CRISIS’ OF BELIEF that will require FAITH AND ACTION and require me to make MAJOR ADJUSTMENTS TO MY LIFE and my comfort level, I say YES LORD. I have spent many hours prostrate in recent weeks dying to self in order to say YES this time. I had reached a place where my own ability to surrender and obey were insufficient. It was only by the power of the Holy Spirit breaking up that fallow, unseeded ground and infusing it with His strength and ability that I could comply.

My pastor recently said, “If the vision you have for your life is something you think you can accomplish with your own ability, it’s probably not from God.” Well Amen to that. What God is saying to me through this is, “If you think you’re READY and CAN DO what I’m showing you, then you’re NOT READY.” If I thought I was ready, then “I” would do it rather than letting God do it through me. As it is, He’ll have to do it… because apart from Him I don’t have the courage and I certainly don’t have a clue. All I can do is say YES.

Jesus was controversial.

The disciples were controversial.

So why, oh why, should we think we should be comfortable and cozy?? ♥

Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.

Hebrews 12:25-29 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken-that is, created things-so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”  

By Their Fruit You Will Recognize Them… March 28, 2011

I’ve been struggling with something for a while now but have just remained prayerful about my frustrations. While I still continue in an attitude of prayer, I’ve decided to publicly express my disgust.

 

It has to do with the behavior of some Christians in the midst of adversity. I AM SHOCKED to say the least. How some Christians can behave the way they do and not feel convicted is beyond me. Am I perfect? Not hardly. But I know the conviction of the Holy Spirit and am thankful for conviction that brings repentance when my emotions get the best of me and I respond in the flesh. But in day to day life, in churches, in the marketplace, in social clubs and in social media Christians are displaying fruit. Sadly not all of it is good. And rather than seeing repentance for this “not good fruit,” it continues and continues. This I do not understand.

 

What Others Say About It

Martin Luther King Jr. said “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

 James Lane Allen said “Adversity does not build character, it reveals it.”

 

What I Say About It

If you really want to see someone’s true heart, just let adversity strike and watch how they handle it. Do they display godliness? Even if we don’t agree with someone, we still should respond in a godly way. It doesn’t mean we’ll be perfect in all we do, but we must seek God daily to help us have a godly response.

Even if someone hurts us, we should still respond in a Christ-like manner. Even if all HELL breaks loose in our lives, we should never seek to tear others down, lure others into messy behavior, try to divide the Body of Christ or seek revenge. And we certainly shouldn’t do it under the guise of suddenly befriending people we never seemed to have time for in the past, solely so we can manipulate them to “our side.”

There is only ONE SIDE we should be concerned with… GOD’S SIDE.

IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU. It’s about displaying Christ through your life. Our life is meant to be a witness… on our GOOD DAYS and on our BAD DAYS… when everything goes RIGHT (our way) and when it doesn’t… SO THAT OTHERS MAY KNOW HIM AND FIND ETERNAL LIFE.

We should display good fruit… not ROTTEN fruit. Rotten fruit smells and its appalling. Why would anyone want to be a Christian if the only ones they know stink?

The only “stinking” Christians should be doing is from BURNING FLESH (submission to God/dying to self.)  This is fragrant to the Lord. 

But ROTTEN fruit is another story.

If you’re going to insist on doing it your way and displaying rotten fruit, STOP DOING IT “IN THE NAME OF JESUS.”

 

What the Word of God Says About It

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. James 3:9-10

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Matt 7:15-16

Avoid such godless chatter, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will eat its way like gangrene…They are upsetting the faith of some. 2 Tim 2:16-18

Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. Rom 16:17-18

 

 A Final Exhortation:

Therefore, dear friends…make every effort to have him find you at peace, without spiritual stains or blemishes. Think of our Lord’s patience as an opportunity for people to be saved. This is what our dear brother Paul wrote to you about, using the wisdom God gave him. He talks about this subject in all his letters. Some things in his letters are hard to understand. Ignorant people and people who aren’t sure of what they believe distort what Paul says in his letters the same way they distort the rest of the Scriptures…so be on your guard not to be carried away by the deception …then you won’t fall from your firm position. But grow in the good will and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:14-18

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:32-36

 

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Just after I published this blog post, a friend (Christine Juarez) replied with this:

When adversity strikes, it is either a TRAINING OR A TEST. If its a training, LEARN. If its a test PASS!

 

Advice if you’ve experienced ROTTEN FRUIT: http://maryloveslife.wordpress.com/2010/10/15/a-word-from-the-lord-about-noise-pollution/

Repost/Reminder: Prophetic Word for 2010 April 18, 2010

I originally posted this word in November 2009 the day the Lord spoke it to me.  Tonight He reminded me of it and gave me a little more clarity on parts of it. I have included those clarifications in this reposting.

Ten = the perfecting of Divine order. It implies completeness of order, nothing lacking. It signifies that a cycle is complete and that everything is in its proper order.

2010 is a year of being tested on what you already know and getting some things in Divine order. In other words, God is “tying up some loose ends” in our lives and bringing perfect order through the testing of what He has already taught us.

The teacher speaks when He’s teaching but is silent during the test. You may feel like God is not there, but He is quietly watching over you, waiting for you to turn your focus deep into the recesses of your Spirit where you will be reminded of all you have been taught.

There are things that may not be “sin” in themselves, but become sin because of a lack of discipline in those areas. DISCIPLINE is defined as: training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character; control gained by enforcing obedience or order. The root word is DISCIPLE which means: a convinced adherent of a school or individual. In our case that individual is JESUS CHRIST.  A convinced adherent is one who believes or consents to a particular teaching and adheres to it. ADHERE means: connected or associated to it especially by contract.

So as DISCIPLES of Christ, we all have areas of our life that, truth be told, our behavior does not line up with what we will tell you we believe. We have failed to DISCIPLINE ourselves in certain areas, which in themselves are not sin, but become sin when we don’t ADHERE to what we’ve been told by the Holy Spirit.  We all have different things that perhaps we enjoy in excess, or other things that perhaps we do not give as much attention to as we should. These are the areas we need DISCIPLINE: control gained by enforcing obedience or order.

This is the year, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to ADHERE to the things you’ve been taught and apply them, by enforcing obedience and order to the places of your life where DISCIPLINE is lacking.

New levels of provision and blessing await those who die to self interests and enforce obedience in those most subtle places that are being tested.

As you discipline your life you’ll expect instant relief from some things. However, once you begin to bear new fruit you may feel more pressure for a season. That pressure is intentional as it is the crushing of fruit that brings forth new wine.

New wine awaits…. It’s time for a harvest.

Obe-DIE-ence:  To hear, and obey…. Are you listening?

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Job 23:10  But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

Ps 66:9-10 Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard;  he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.

Luke 5:37-38  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.

Luke 9:23-25  Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.  What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

Luke 14:27 …whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Luke 14:33 …likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. 

Isa 28:23-29  Give ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech. Does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground?  When he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter dill, sow cummin, and put in wheat in rows and barley in its proper place, and spelt as the border?  For he is instructed aright; his God teaches him. Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cummin; but dill is beaten out with a stick, and cummin with a rod. Does one crush bread grain? No, he does not thresh it forever; when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it. This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.

John 15:2, 8  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Book Review: “Martin Luther, A Life” by James A. Nestingen April 16, 2010

I recently read this biography of Martin Luther for my World History class and had to do a book review as an assignment. I thought perhaps you would enjoy it and it might spark your interest to read the book yourself. 

     Enjoy!

        

          When an author writes a book, they write it with the intention of someone reading it.  Therefore they package it in a way that will be appealing to their projected audience.  But how do you write a biography about a controversial person in history, yet somehow make it appealing and marketable to a varying audience of fans and critics alike?  Well James A. Nestingen has managed to do just that in Martin Luther, A Life.  Written from an intentional neutral perspective, he is careful to pen angles of Luther’s life that are predominant in arguments both for and against this radical zealot of his time.

           Nestingen brings out Luther’s reputation among supporters as “an object of extreme admiration,” ‘a brilliant interpreter,” “a German hero,” “the Wittenberg nightingale and voice of freedom,” “a tender hearted Pastor,” “a theologian capable of bringing new life into the church” as well as “a brilliant poet, hymn writer and musician who almost single-handedly founded the literary tradition of the German language.”  However, he is also careful to share the not so flattering opinions of Luther such as “scathingly critical and rude,” “a wild boar ravaging his vineyard,” “the son of a whore,” “a foul-mouthed drunkard,” “a virulent anti-Semite who set the foundation for the Holocaust,” “a haunted manic-depressive,” “bent on enclosing all of life into a cast-iron authoritarian system,” as well as “a self-centered loudmouth.”  From the opening pages of this biography, Nestingen leaves the reader, fan or foe, eager to read on, certain they will learn more tidbits of Luther’s life to support their position.

          Whether intentional or not, Nestingen also paints a very prophetic picture of Luther’s future through the retelling of his past.  From his study and mastery of the Latin language since age seven, to his early training in the philosophy of nominalism, to studying the Psalms as part of his curriculum, he allows us to see God’s sovereign hand preparing the way for Luther’s destiny to unfold many years later.

          Nestingen also does an excellent job of portraying the culture and atmosphere of the time. From the inclusion of color photographs in the center of the book (stills taken from the movie Luther), to describing landscapes, clothing and traditions of the time, the reader is able to “exist” alongside Luther and the other characters of his life.

          In setting up for the peak of Luther’s revelation of grace, Nestingen makes it clear over and over again that Luther’s biggest issue was that he believed he wasn’t worthy.  Nestingen points out that despite his continual promotion in life and in the monastery, his own unworthiness haunted him and prevented him from enjoying his journey of life.  This doubt and unbelief is conveyed in such a way that many who read it will no doubt be able to relate. “Could God really choose a sinner like him?” “What in the world was a man like him doing preaching and running a monastery?” These are a few of the questions that Nestingen poses as likely to have been in the mind of Luther himself, and these are questions that often are in the mind of many Christians today who also struggle to understand God’s grace.

          But ideally, Nestingen gives insight as to perhaps why Luther carried such a burden of legalism and a deep sense of unworthiness.  Rather than just dismiss it as random thoughts, he underscores the relationship between Luther and his father and it’s affect on his adulthood.  Luther, as any young boy would, desired the approval of his father. But where it mattered most, he didn’t get it. In fact after his ordination with his father in attendance, rather than getting an approval and support of the “call” on his life, he instead received the harshest rejection of all when his father said, “I hope it was God, and not the devil.”  Nestingen sets up the rest of Luther’s testimony very strongly through this struggle that every one of us face: When we come to know God the Father, we relate to him only as we know how, which is the way we relate to our earthly father. Not until we learn who God the Father truly is do we find that no matter now good any earthly father could ever be, none could ever come close to the love, acceptance, grace and mercy of our Heavenly Father. Breaking thorough this earthly view of God the Father will be at the core of Luther’s revelation of grace.

          Nestingen also points out how Luther was drawn to the Apostle Paul and the irony of how Paul himself was known for reshaping and reforming the church, as well as being quite troublesome. Again, the prophetic sense of his being drawn to someone whose destiny was similar to the way his own would one day unfold, adds a level of awe for the reader, as most are already aware of Luther’s future.

          Nestingen points out that Luther’s revelation of grace became a personal struggle, given the legalistic and corrupt practices around him. But while his struggle was personal, his vocation was public, and his loyalty to his oath to faithfully serve the church prevented him from keeping quiet. Nestingen portrays Luther’s life of dedication, obedience, boldness and confrontation in a way that challenges the reader to want to make a difference in this world. Despite his persecution, Nestingen lets us see Luther’s determination, humanness, persistence and faithfulness to stand up for what he believed.  Even Luther’s critics would have to admire those qualities that Nestingen so brilliantly highlights in the text, almost above the message of grace that Luther carried.

          Finally, by giving a detailed account of Luther’s death, Nestingen again (whether knowingly or unknowingly) speaks of the sovereignty of God over life, and death. With the many enemies Luther made and the number of people who wanted him dead, God himself saw to it that Luther accomplished the tasks that he was born for. And when those tasks were complete, the Lord took him home to Himself.  And he points out that while many still regard him today as “the archetype of broken church unity,” “intolerant,” and “doctrinaire prejudiced,” more often he is regarded as “a symbol of freedom: the awakening of a critical spirit willing to test established powers in light of deep conviction and a divine word.”  In reading this book, both friends and foes of Luther alike will no doubt be moved by his deep levels of personal sacrifice for a cause he believed in with his entire being.

If an earthquake or tsunami hit your home today would you go to Heaven? Are you 100% sure? February 27, 2010

If an earthquake or tsunami hit your home today would you go to Heaven? Are you 100% sure????

Matt 24:3-8  “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.  For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.  You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

(interestingly enough, the city this earthquake struck in Chile is called “Concepcion” which means ‘to conceive.” and look a this historical record of earthquakes since the year 2000 and how they are increasing in number each year… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_21st_century_earthquakes )

The economy, earthquakes, tsunami’s…our foundations are being shaken. You CANNOT depend on anything except the One True God… Jesus Christ.  

Heb 12:25-27 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?  At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken-that is, created things-so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

Prov 10:25 When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.

When you have eternal life through Jesus Christ, even death can’t have you!

1 Cor 15:53-55 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

Make sure you’re going to Heaven today –> http://www.maryloveslife.org/A-Gift-for-You.html

PUT YOUR HOPE AND FAITH IN HIM TODAY! It’s not about what you can do to earn His love and forgiveness, it’s about what He’s already done on the cross at Calvary. Receive eternal life today by putting your trust and hope in Jesus.

Enjoy your comfortable home and lifestyle, but DO NOT depend on it or take it for granted. These things cannot be your foundation of peace, hope and security. Without a relationship with your Creator you will perish sooner or later. (and I’m not just talking about “going to church”. There are plenty of people who are going to church that do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ… see below)

Time is short, and I believe there is a message in this shaking:

As in Hosea and Joel, the book of Amos warns of God’s impending judgment on sin. It begins with Israel’s enemies and continues with Judah and Israel themselves. God has reached his breaking point and will not tolerate sin any longer. He calls us to account for our sins. He is even tired of the “religious show” in churches and He’s looking for sincere devotion. Simply coming to “church”, paying tithes and going through the motions isn’t cutting it.

He reminds us that He is the reason our cupboards are bare and the water has dried up. He is trying to make us hungry and thirsty for Him. No matter what He does… earthquakes, droughts, or plagues, many continue to ignore Him, going through the motions and leaning on their own strength and understanding.

But while giving His severe warnings, He continually reminds us all: SEEK ME AND LIVE! He reminds us of who He is…and who we are. We exist in the midst of a cosmos He created, and we only wake each morning because of His divine sovereignty. And He can destroy it all as easily as He made it.

I think it’s interesting that He says “They abhor him who speaks with integrity” (Amos 5:10) or as the Message puts it… “People hate this kind of talk. Raw truth is never popular.” This is so true today that leaders and pastors who walk in integrity and challenge the church with the bold, raw truth are not popular. Too many today prefer a church where they can come and hear a word to tickle their ears and then stay friends with the world and the world’s ways. The Message says in 5:14 “You talk about God… being your best friend. Well, live like it, and maybe it will happen.”

God is fed up with church being about everything but Him. It’s all a performance. It’s all a place to showcase talent rather than Him. It’s all about living the high-life and making ministry a luxury profession. The church used to be about Him and He’s letting it all fall apart to call them back to himself.

But God gives in to our cries for mercy. The remnant which does put Him first needs to pray and intercede for the rest of the church. And it is powerful how Amos makes it clear that he never sought for this job of prophet. But when God spoke, he had to obey, BECAUSE GOD WAS FIRST in his life, not the church, priests or people. And he delivered this message of judgment which brought him criticism, isolation and rejection at every turn.

In spite of God’s judgment, He still promises never to wipe out Israel (the church) completely. But He does promise to wipe out the sin. And He promises to restore the ruins left in the wake of sin. He promises the church will once again be strong, overflowing with blessings, and be fruitful… and once again accomplishing God’s purposes and not their own.

CHRISTmas Misconceptions Addressed: Dec 25th, Xmas, Happy Holidays December 25, 2009

Every year I find there are a few “touchy” subjects among Christians and non-Christians alike. Many argue about celebrating Christmas on December 25th, claiming it to be a pagan holiday celebration. Others get upset when the term Xmas is used in place of Christmas, claiming it cancels out Christ. And finally, in todays culture more and more people are being forced to use Happy Holidays in place of Merry Christmas so as to not offend anyone.

Here’s what I found when I researched these concerns:

DECEMBER 25^th

There is a DVD called “Bethlehem Star” (http://www.bethlehemstar.com/) and it reveals scientific & historical research about the alignment of the stars, the moon, the sun, the planets, the constellations, etc back in the year Jesus was born. They provide Scriptural proof for each star, planet, constellation studied and it is all in the Word.  Because of the alignment of these various things which can be traced from historical records they found that when the “star” appeared and the Magi (wise men) followed… based on the distance they had to travel, etc… the day they arrived and brought gifts to Jesus in the manger was our equivalent of Dec 25!  This day had no significant meaning to anyone back in that day, therefore celebrating on Dec 25 was not intentional because of this. The Roman Catholics are the ones who began the practice of celebration on Dec 25 almost 300 years after Jesus birth. But regardless of why they decided to celebrate on this day, evidence now exists to show God’s sovereignty in the midst of it all!  Man thinks he picked the day, but God divinely purposed it all along!

In addition to December 25th likely being the day the Magi visited Jesus in the manger, it also may be the date of His conception!  Here is a link to some research on this: http://www.revneal.org/Writings/jesusbirth.htm

XMAS

I also recently learned that the words “Christianity” and “Christmas” have been abbreviated for more than 1,000 years and the tradition does not symbolize disrespect or anonymity. The “X” in Xmas is from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the word Χριστός, Greek for “Christ.” References in Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as early as AD 1021 show Christ referred to as “XP” or “Xt”. The letter χ used in ancient abbreviations is still widely seen in Eastern Orthodox icons depicting Jesus. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas)

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

According to Merriam-Webster.com:

Etymology of Holiday = Middle English, from Old English hāligdæg, from hālig holy + dæg day

Date: before 12th century

1 : holy day
2 : a day on which one is exempt from work;

3 chiefly British : vacation

4 : a period of exemption or relief <corporations enjoying a tax holiday>

From this definition of holiday, we can see that its root meaning and primary meaning are HOLY DAY.  So if you find your environment insisting you not say Merry Christmas…. just say Happy HOLY DAY instead! Because that is indeed what it is!

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So while I prefer “Merry Christmas,” on this day December 25, 2009, I am free to say Merry Xmas, Happy HOLY DAY and still know that it’s ALL ABOUT HIM!

(Oh, and Happy Birthday Jesus!)

“God is…” A Spoken Word (My Theology of God) December 3, 2009

One of my classes this semester was “Systematic Theology I” where we studied the Personhood of God. (Systematic II is about Jesus the Son, and Systematic III is about the Holy Spirit.)

As a requirement for the class, we had to give a 2-3 minute presentation of our theology of God.  So last week I began to write some thoughts regarding what I believe about God.

I started by writing down His attributes.  As I wrote, to my surprise everything started rhyming! (Now I’ll admit that writing is a gift and passion of mine. But I write non-fiction biblical truths, not poetry, songs or spoken words. BUT GOD DOES!)

I was so excited by the time I was done I could hardly contain myself. Literally within 45 minutes of sitting down to write my theology of God, the below “spoken word” was birthed.

KEEP IN MIND:  This is a “spoken word” and therefore is more powerful when it is “heard” rather than “read,” as the tone and rhythm in which it is delivered adds a lot to it. Perhaps the Lord will one day use me or someone else to record this word in audio or video format. If delivering a word of this nature is something you are gifted at, please contact me.

A WORD OF CAUTION: Those steeped in Arminian beliefs probably won’t like this. Calvinists, on the other hand, will love it!

“God is…” -  by Mary Held

God is….

God is a person, the absolute authority…

…He is all-powerful and all-knowing even more is He.

Ever-present, He’s where you are, but always He is here with me…

…not unaware of anything, even things we say “How can this be?”

He is the Source of everything, Creator of the breath we breathe…

…Author of our destinies, Composer of the songs we sing.

He choreographs our dance of life, through peace and strife…to refine our life…

…He puts us under the knife…of Love that bites…But carries healing…

…by bringing us down to a place of kneeling,

…when even in the midst of our squealing…

…He is peeling and revealing.

Through the gift of Grace that saved us, He continues to maintain us…

…As we insist on being complainers, but like the Israelites He sustains us…by His Love & Grace,

…pursued by His chase, we run this race…

… trying to shed even a trace, of self… and the cross, embrace.

This Grace we can’t resist, as by His love he does persist…

…ever constant in our midst, our hearts He alone can twist…

…to the direction of His pleasing…

Through circumstances He’s squeezing, and in the midst of our wheezing…

…and our pain not easing…we surrender….

…no longer a pretender, or offender, now tender, we finally submit …

…to our Defender, of every gender, in His Splendor, He’s the Sender…

…of Himself… as the Son and Holy Spirit.

This great love, He poured out from above, a love so great that He gave,

…His only Begotten Son… revealed by a dove…

…as ransom for our wrongs, as an example of how strong,

…and just how much He longed, to rescue us from the grave.

This love will never change, even if we become estranged, short-changed, or deranged…

…it won’t be long-range, because He can rearrange… our hearts…

…through circumstances prearranged… He causes change, so we remain…

His… His Children, His Beloved, His Chosen …for it is frozen …in Eternity.

Though we sin, we have no power, to undo what was done in the hour …of our salvation.

We limit blessings we receive, when to our sin we choose to cleave…

…because we are naïve, and the enemy has deceived, through the tricks he has up his sleeve,

…and therefore now we grieve… as we conceive… the consequences of our disbelief.

But just like His love, He is Eternal, no beginning and no end…

…He never will suspend,

…His love and pursuit of His friends….

…He will not relent…

…until he apprehends…

…those whom He predestined.

God is…

©Copyright Pending. All Rights Reserved.

[NOTE: I am sharing it here to bless you now, but notice that copyright is pending, all rights are reserved and it cannot be used without permission. I appreciate your integrity and faithfulness to honor this. (oh, and another thing I believe about God… is that He is faithful to bring all things that are hidden into the light, so if anyone does decide to use this and call it their own, He will be faithful to reveal it.)]  <grin>

Prophetic Word for 2010…. November 24, 2009

A fresh word from Heaven… hot off the press this morning. It’s definitely for me. Is it for you too?

Ten = the perfecting of Divine order. It implies completeness of order, nothing lacking. It signifies that a cycle is complete and that everything is in its proper order.

2010 will be a year of being tested on what you already know and getting some things in Divine order. In other words, God is going to use 2010 to “tie up some loose ends” in our lives and bring perfect order through the testing of what He has already taught us.

The teacher speaks when He’s teaching but is silent during the test. You may feel like God is not there, but He is quietly watching over you as you turn your focus deep into the recesses of your Spirit where you will be reminded of all you have been taught.

There are many things that are not “sin” in themselves, but become sin because of a lack of discipline in those areas. DISCIPLINE is defined as: training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character; control gained by enforcing obedience or order. The root word is DISCIPLE which means: a convinced adherent of a school or individual. In our case that individual is JESUS CHRIST.  A convinced adherent is one who believes or consents to a particular teaching and adheres to it. ADHERE means: connected or associated to it especially by contract.

So as DISCIPLES of Christ, we all have areas of our life that, truth be told, our behavior does not line up with what we will tell you we believe. We have failed to DISCIPLINE ourselves in certain areas, which in themselves are not sin, but become sin when we don’t ADHERE to what we’ve been told by the Holy Spirit.  We all have different things that perhaps we enjoy in excess, or other things that perhaps we do not give as much attention to as we should. These are the areas we need DISCIPLINE: control gained by enforcing obedience or order.

Prepare now for the year of testing…. 2010.  And prepare, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to ADHERE to the things you’ve been taught and apply them, by enforcing obedience and order to the places of your life where DISCIPLINE is lacking.

New levels of provision and blessing await those who die to self interests and enforce obedience in those most subtle places that are about to be tested.

New wine awaits…. and new wine comes from new fruit.

It’s time for a harvest.

Obe-DIE-ence:  To hear, and obey…. Are you listening?

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Job 23:10  But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

Ps 66:9-10 Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard;  he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.

Luke 5:37-38  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.

Luke 9:23-25  Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.  What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

Luke 14:27 …whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Luke 14:33 …likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. 

Isa 28:23-29  Give ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech. Does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground?  When he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter dill, sow cummin, and put in wheat in rows and barley in its proper place, and spelt as the border?  For he is instructed aright; his God teaches him. Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cummin; but dill is beaten out with a stick, and cummin with a rod. Does one crush bread grain? No, he does not thresh it for ever; when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it. This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.

John 15:2, 8  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

The Bible Speaks for Itself… October 10, 2009

So this semester in school I again find myself in awe of how all five of my classes seem to “jive” even though I didn’t necessarily realize they would. Some of you may be aware of how ON THE LAST DAY TO CHANGE CLASSES WITHOUT A FEE, God divinely led me to switch my schedule. This resulted in one of my classes being “Contextualization of the Gospel”  (which is all about planting multi-cultural churches…LOL…as I happened to be doing right now anyway!) and the other resulted in my work with planting http://www.Hope-Church.tv being used as my INTERNSHIP! (God is so amazingly cool I can hardly stand it sometimes!)

But as for my other three classes, I pretty much took them 1) because they are required and 2) they fit in my current schedule. But these three classes are turning out to be so interconnected it is amazing! One of them is Apologetics, which is learning to give proof for what you believe and being able to defend the truth (God, the Bible, etc.) The second class is Systematic Theology where we are currently studying the personhood of God and all the ways He reveals Himself to us. Well, needless to say… understanding all the ways He reveals Himself is essential to giving proof He exists and defending what you believe! So in both classes I find we often are discussing many of the same things! Finally, the third class is Principles of Science. Now to be honest, I really felt that this was the most odd ball class of the group. It would seemingly be chosen as “Which one of these doesn’t belong?” But oddly enough, or rather “Godly enough,” in this class we spend much time discussing how science can be used to PROVE God exists and that the Bible is true! We discuss nature, space, galaxies, power, energy and how God reveals Himself clearly to mankind through these things. WOW! So all three of these classes are basically rehearsing the same material but from different perspectives! Is God cool or what?

So I wanted to share something so cool from my Systematic Theology textbook (by Stanley M. Horton). It is about evidence of the authenticity of Scripture. Check this out:

“The Bible provides convincing internal testimony to its unique authority as a message from God. It is the positive internal evidence of a Divine origin which gives power and authority to the claims of the Bible. The Bible displays an amazing unity and consistency in its content considering the great diversity in its writing:

• It was written over a period of approximately fifteen centuries
• It was written by more than 40 authors from varied walks of life (politician, fisherman, farmer, doctor, king, soldier, rabbi, shepherd, and others.)
• They wrote in different places (the wilderness, the palace, prison, etc.)
• They wrote during varied circumstances (war, exile, while travelling, etc.)
• Some wrote history
• Some wrote law
• Some wrote poetry
• Literary genres range from allegory to biography to personal correspondence
• All had their own backgrounds and experiences
• All had their own strengths and weaknesses
• They wrote on different continents
• They wrote in three languages
• They wrote about hundreds of topics

Yet their writings combine to form a consistent whole that beautifully unfolds the story of God and His relationship to humanity.”

WOW, huh?

To top it off, the text goes on to remind us of the Bible’s “survivability” over time:

• “The Bible has not just survived, but thrived
• It has faced numerous periods in history of ecclesiastical restraint
• It has faced many governmental attempts to eliminate it
• It has faced numerous organized efforts to suppress or exterminate it
• The Bible received more veneration and adoration than any other book
• The Bible has also been the object of more persecution and opposition than any other book

Only if the Bible is indeed God’s redemptive message to humanity is its indestructibility not so amazing: God has kept His omnipotent hand on His Word.”

So next time someone you know is trying to tell you that the Bible isn’t true or real, you can remember these facts and be better equipped to defend what you believe. Because truth be told: the Bible needs no defense. It speaks for itself. (or should I say “God speaks for Himself!) WOOHOO!

Mary