Forgiveness is sometimes the hardest thing

I learned the value of forgiveness, many years ago. That doesn't mean I'm accomplished in it.

New trials pop up every day, tempting one to harbor contempt and some of them are really hard to overcome. Nobody on this earth, is perfect. Not by a long shot.

We run up against people who seem to think themselves perfect, looking down their noses at anyone they view as 'under' them. I'd have to say that when this attitude is directed at you, it becomes the hardest temptation to overcome.

Don't do as I do, do as I say? :) I guarantee, if there's anyone who understands, it's me.

Remember who you are and remember who is important. Your Lord's opinion of you counts a whole lot more than that of your neighbor. Hang in there and remember your reward has nothing to do with this world.

One Accord

Moving in one accord. Have you ever watched a field of tall grass or wheat, in the wind? It's mesmerizing, to watch what almost looks like waves of the ocean. As the wind blows, so goes the graceful, gentle stems as they all sway together, in the same direction.

This is what 'one accord' means. A church moving in one accord, is a thing of beauty. From God's point of view, very much like watching that field.

When one or two cause discourse, it would be like watching a clump of that grass, suddenly working against the wind and causing entanglement. That's what a grumbling, complaining, gossip does for a church.

If only every member would actually read and follow the Word, and all that it says about the believer. How lovely that would be.

The Condition of the Church

To talk about the present day condition of the church, I suppose I ought to draw the distinction between the body of Christ, and the church congregations.

The body of Christ is doing just fine. :) It is, however, getting harder and harder to find them in church congregations.

The true believer is keen to little 'off tracks' around them and sometimes it gets alarming. Remember, you can read descriptions of today's churches in Revelations. Things really haven't changed that much.

There is, however, a new stage before us. The one world church. Many of us see it happening right before our eyes.

Read what Paul said about these things. It truly is, up to us to speak up. If they won't listen, we are to leave. It's that cut and dried.

You see, Christians get things confused. They confuse spreading the gospel and letting their light shine, with begging and striving with un-believers. Check out those things Jesus told us to do. Striving isn't in the orders, at all.

It has always been a hard struggle. Remember what Jesus said about putting your own family before Him? That was a physical demonstration of the spiritual struggle, we experience today. How can we just turn a blind eye? Well, we can't but we also cannot win over people with arguments.

Back to the original discussion. I find it so easy to get side tracked.

In the last few years, my daughter, grandson and I have moved out of the state and then back home again. The condition of the church, has become a huge discussion point in our family. We've witnessed it, as strangers in a new town. Then moving back home again, brought yet another new light on the subject, as we discovered this strange phenomena is everywhere.

The 'watered down' and the 'rock concert on Sunday morning'. Where did all that come from? My latest and loudest experience, in a visit to a new church, even had a fog machine on 'the stage?'

Since when did the podium become a rock band stage? The effort to reach out to the youth, has brought the church down to the level of that youth, instead of standing like a rock. When did the church stop letting it's light shine, and replaced it with strob lights and fog machines? Where did the foundation go?

It's true, we don't have to be stick-in-the-muds but somewhere along the line, some churches not only crossed over the line, they completely became absorbed into the social scene, that one can't tell the difference.

Did God call us His peculiar people? What's so peculiar about a rock band? Were we not told that we are on this world but not in it? Well, it seems to me a lot of folks, calling themselves Christian are pretty much 'in it'.

You know that old saying, " If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck"? From my point of view, what looks like a church on the outside, looks like and sounds like a rock concert on the inside. I take that back, most of these places don't even look like a church on the outside.

And what happened to church names linking it to Christ? Words like 'Christian', 'Temple', and 'Church'. 'Church on the Rock' was already getting away from the main theme but to Christians, had the familiar symbolism. 'Faith Community' does not tell me it's a church of Jesus Christ. "Faith" doesn't label the building, it could be faith in anything.

I've heard a rumor that Calvary Chapel wants to get rid of the 'Calvary' part. Any body else noticing these little baby steps, leading us away from anything resembling Christ? Do you suppose these baby steps are leading up to one giant step towards the melting pot called 'the one world church'? Sneaky. Sneaky like the snake!

Remember the sly words of satan, "Surely you won't die". You see, satan relied on the fact that Eve never experienced death and took it to mean a physical thing. In actuality, God was talking about a spiritual death. Just a slight slip of the hand and he had Eve on the wrong thought pattern.

The devil isn't dumb, folks. He's smarter than you and I, for sure. He knows everything God knows. Think about that. He sure knows how to make something seem so innocent, while in actuality, it's death.

Is your church forgetting Jesus? Is your church not talking about salvation? Not talking about salvation from what? Speak up and if you don't get a possitive reaction, get the **** out of there. Don't let your children get watered down with the crowd. You're always safe with the foundation of the church, and Jesus being the head.

It's time to go back and read through the NT. It's time to compare what we see today, with those things Paul talked about. It's time for the sword.

If you knew me, you might sometimes wonder if I'm Christian at all. Why? Because I'm a rough old coot and see things straight forward. On top of that, I'm out spoken to the point of hurting feelings. When it comes to Jesus, I'll step on your toes any day. If it has to be that way, it's Him and me against the world.

What's more, I don't push my faith on people, I don't insist they see it my way. If I'm talking to someone who flatly disagrees with me, I flatly tell them, "When misery takes over your life, look me up".

Be strong, folks. Be like Jesus. Study His every move and see things the way He did. Remember, He turned over some pretty heavy tables and went on a rage, but He saved it for last.

I'll tell you a little story, that happened to me when I was around 30 years old. I had just conquered a sickness in my body, had finally discovered the secret. The very next day, came my temptation in the form of a man. I guarantee, I was talking to satan embodied.

My young daughter came running into the house, telling me there was a man outside that wanted to talk to me. I thought that was peculiar because why didn't he knock on the door instead of sending a child to get me. I went out and discovered a man, standing outside the fence.

He told me he had found his wife in bed with his best friend. Not only was there a divorce but his children all left him. He was on his way to kill himself. He asked if I could help. Of course, I said 'yes'.

I invited him to come into the yard and sit at the picnic table, then sent my daughter to get some cokes. The man unloaded his sad story and I told him about Jesus. On several occassions, I tried to lead him in prayer but it just wasn't happening. Finally, he DID IT ! He said, " I know how you can help me." I said, "How?" He said, "Go to bed with me". I said, "You asked for my help. I've given you the answer. I've done all the Lord requires of me and more. Now go kill yourself".

My daughter and I, went back into the house and by the time I had walked in the door and turned to see the man, there was no sign of him. To this day, I don't believe there was a man.

See? It's not hard. :)

You, as part of the body of Christ, know the truth. It's right there in your hands. Stick to it and don't be swayed, not even by a wayward pastor. He's the pastor, not the embodiment of Jesus.

And if you can't find a true church, start one yourself, in your own living room. Nobody ever said you had to attend a huge, expensive building, to be a church body. Jesus said it only takes 2.

Hanging in There

The closer we get, to going home, the harder it's getting to just hang in there. Temptation to stray from the foundations, is in our very churches.

This is not the time to rest, it's the time to sharpen the discernment and watch every word and action. Our adversary attacks constantly, from within and without.

More and more, we find ourselves not going through the valleys and back to the mountain top but rather in a constant, none stop battle. It's surely not going to let up now.

Carefully watch that spirit of gossip, as it spreads into and blends with so many other evil spirits, keeping our eyes on the ground instead of in the air.

It's time to rely on the Lord, absolutely and totally. It's time to gird yourself up and learn what it is to run the good race.

The church age, what was once a mystery to the Israelites, is coming to a close and as the bridesmaids, we need to keep ready.

God bless you all.

Talking about the job of the Church and its Pastor

This is an excerpt  from a recent email I sent. I thought the message was good enough to share.

People are confused about this idea of judging. If you read it again, you'll see where Jesus was saying 'judge not lest ye be judged by the same measure'. I'm not a prostitute and could easily stand up to judgement by that measure, so I'll judge it all I want. He wasn't saying not to judge, He was saying you'd be a fool to judge something, if you yourself are also guilty of the same sin.

When it comes to protecting your home and children, you most definitely stand up and judge. You don't let evil into your home, just because you think it's bad to judge it.

Even Jesus judged the churches. You read it in Rev. He judged them to chastise them. True believers are to be accountable one to another. That helps us keep on the straight and narrow.

We have a commission, read in the end of Matthew. A commission is a commandment and the commander is Jesus. As an army of Jesus, we are to carry out His orders, as good soldiers. We can't carry out His orders without first knowing what they are and then standing on the narrow line, judging whether we are still on that line and what threats there are.

We must remember to shake the dust off our feet. Jesus never demanded people to believe Him. He left that up to the Holy Spirit and since Jesus is our model to follow, we do the same. 

We are to let our light shine. We cannot force people to see it. Therein, lies the commission to the church. The church is to let it's light shine. How can the light shine, if it is buried in a mountain of flash and noise?

We, as a church, must keep the coming threats in mind, and remain steadfast. These church bodies, making loud noise, to attract the unbeliever, is chasing away the believer. That's not what the church is all about. We are not to seek popularity,we are to uphold one another and be there for the edification of the believer.

Just as in Paul, James and the others, we have evangelists that travel and teach and help to keep the church bodies in line. As a church body, the church is not expected to become evangelists. The church is the edification of the believer. That's it's job!

So many, have confused the lines, trying to be all things to all people and that means it's no longer the church. It's just become a popular local club.

Yes, the One World Church is already forming. We as Christians, must draw the line.  The line in the sand, is so easy to step over. So easy to obscure the line and make it hard to distinguish it. We have to keep our discernment sharp, our eyes open, our hands open but our minds must be guarded.

The attack on the church, is coming from outside as well as inside. If we had stuck strictly to the teachings, those things would have been cleaned out of the church, as fast as it showed up but....instead of standing fast, the kind hearted church has shown leniency toward blasphemy, giving it one more chance to become a part of the church. In other words, when someone in the church tried to bring in false doctrine, even when reported to the pastor, the pastor would advise and think all is well. Instead, it was up to the church heads to rid the church of this evil. They did not. They forgot they were dealing with evil spirits and not that person's face.

When I see a church built like a massive castle, I wonder. Remember that God's design for His Temple was big for sure but it was also a simple design. It was not to flatter the world but to house God.

When the Temple was opened to all mankind, it was then housed in us. We too, are not designed to flatter the world, God in us, is a hidden treasure. Those who would have Him, are to seek Him. If not, they don't belong to Him.

The hardest thing for Christians, is turning others away. They forget to understand all that Jesus taught us. All. Not just the flowery parts.

True love does not let the child play with the snake. The child is admonished, punished until he understands not to play with the snake. For his own good. We don't stand by and hope the child will understand, before it's too late, for fear of hurting his feelings.

Why does the Army, punish traitors? Is it not for the sake of the army? And more so, for the country? Should we let one misbehaving soldier cut the throats of millions of people, for his own selfish good? That's the kind of love we have from Jesus.

He gave us all the same chance. Just as He said, many times, concerning the parables, those who have ears will hear, meaning there are those who will never hear.

Christians, have the hardest time understanding there are few of us and that most of mankind will go down the tubes, by their own decision. We cannot stop them. We can only spread the Word, let our light shine, be an example and let the Holy Spirit do HIS job. None of us, have the shoulders to carry such a burden. Some are lost. Plain and simple.

Have you ever thought why the great flood? You remember the sons of god mating with the daughters of man? Doesn't that imply that something super natural happened on this earth? Something that infiltrated the blood line of man? Wouldn't that be a good reason to wipe it all out and try again?

And later in recorded history, these giants showed up again. There was something unnatural about them-their size and demeanor was different. It was said, these giants killed just to kill and consumed humans. They were that kind of 'feared'.

If this unnatural thing happened again and infiltrated mankind again, doesn't it make sense we have those descendants among us today? And if we acknowledge this, doesn't it also make sense there are humans who are not of God and never will be?

We accept these words, because they are mentioned in the Bible: principalities, angels of darkness, evil spirits and demons. And yet we somehow dismiss these things, as though they are fable. If we can acknowledge the power of these things, and their reality, maybe then we can see this world in the right light. Maybe then we can realize they may be sitting right next to us in church.

If not for these unseen things, we wouldn't need discernment. But we do need discernment and should rely on it heavily and trust it.

God calls us His 'peculiar people'. That's not just the Jews. We will always be seen as peculiar. That's fine with me. :)

I know what you mean when you yearn for a Holy BATH!!!!! Those seem few and far between. I wonder if it's not because of what the world thinks about it. That would be sad.

I happen to know the Assembly of God does believe in this. Must they always wait for the next evangelist? Are the evangelists still making the rounds???????

Remember this is the blessed generation. We got to see it forming, while knowing what it is. That's really something. It's heart breaking and exciting, at the same time. But remember what the first believers lived through and count it all blessings. They saw the beginning. We see the end. And just think, that ties us to them.

The church age is drawing to a close. What comes next is far beyond our expectations. And  for me, this is so exciting because I get to go to the millennium with stories of what I witnessed. We know the history of the church, right up to the end. We will be the story tellers, for those born under Jesus' rule.

Think about it. Children born into a perfect world, who will still be alive when the devil is loosed for a short time. Won't it be up to us to teach these children, in the face of no evil on this world? Won't it be hard to convince them of what temptation is like, what it feels like, what it looks like and what it really means? It will be like trying to teach a 3 year old about the sins of this world. How will they conceive of it? It will be up to us to convince those children to stand strong, when the final test comes.

So just for our own sakes, we better learn to stand on the straight and narrow, but we better be strong now, so that we will have the backbone to teach a whole new generation. Not too many think that far into the future. I sure do.

Just think. This will be like teaching a child that his loving pet snake, will one day turn on him and kill him. If the snake had never done such a thing, how would you convince that child to watch for the signs? A child who has never experienced a thorn, never been sick or wounded, never heard a harsh word, had never been threatened by anything.

We will be telling them stories about a world they've never seen and would have a hard time believing us. Some of them will be 1000 years old, when the temptation is unleashed on them, one last time.

So, whatever you do today, let it be steadfast in the Word, regardless of what the world is doing.

You remember that song about the day of rapture? The one describing people still sitting in the church? Cry for those. I'd say the largest left behind congregations will be listening to rock music. Sorry, it just popped out.

Oh, something I just thought of. A Pastor is a shepherd. Hard for him to keep up with his own flock, while tending to his neighbors strays. Strays will, by nature, mingle with the tended flock. They feel safe in numbers. So a pastor should remember what he's all about and what his job is. We have evangelists for the job of recruitment.