Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Watch Out for Those Who Lead You Away from the Truth

Posted: May 16, 2015 in Uncategorized

Watch Out for Those Who Lead You Away from the Truth

November 5, 2006

by John Piper
Scripture: Romans 16:17-20
Topic: False Teaching
Series: Romans: The Greatest Letter Ever Written

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. Such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

I recall talking to a wise leader of a large missions organization about doctrinal faithfulness. He said something to this effect, “It’s crucial. And so is unity. Some people emphasize one, and some the other. Our organization is made of two kinds of people: purity boys and unity boys.” The unity boys naturally emphasize the preciousness of personal relationships and tend to neglect an emphasis on truth. The purity boys naturally emphasize the preciousness of truth and tend to neglect the nurture of personal relationships.

In fact, you could probably categorize people and churches and denominations and institutions and movements in the evangelical church today (or even in society in general) along these lines: There are those who emphasize doctrinal purity, and there are those that emphasize relational unity.

Loving People and Loving Truth

I hope you are feeling uncomfortable with that description. A good impulse inside of you would be saying right now: “Do we have to choose? Can’t it be both? Can’t you love truth and love people?” In fact, it would be an even more biblical impulse if you found yourself thinking, “I don’t even think you can love people if you don’t love truth. How can you do what is ultimately good for people if you don’t have any strong convictions about what is ultimately good?”

And yet there is no escaping the reality that people and churches and denominations and schools and even whole periods in history lean one way or the other. I think the period of history we live in is not an easy time to be a lover of truth. The most common criticism, if you stand for an important truth and imply by that stand that others should believe it, is that you are arrogant, which is the opposite of being loving (1 Corinthians 13:4), and therefore you are undermining relationships.

For many thoughtful people today the only path to peaceful relationships in a pluralistic world is the path of no truth that deserves assent from everyone. It seems on the face of it to make sense. If no one claims that what he believes deserves assent from anyone else, then we can live together in peace. Right? So peaceful pluralism and diminished truth claims go hand in hand.

But it doesn’t work like that. When there is no truth that deserves assent from everybody, the only arbiter in our competing desires is power. Where truth doesn’t define what’s right, might makes right. And where might makes right, weak people pay with their lives. When the universal claim of truth disappears, what you get is not peaceful pluralism or loving relationships; what you get is concentration camps and gulags.

Purity for the Sake of Unity

I want you to see from the Bible—and feel in your bones—the importance of being a purity boy for the sake of being a unity boy. I want you to see and feel how out of step this text is with today’s Western culture. It pictures a way of thinking and living that most of our fellow Americans would consider offensive, unloving, fundamentalistic, and out of date. It’s mainly a purity text—a text calling for vigilance in matters of truth and doctrine. But it’s not only that. In a striking way, it is a unity text. The goal of the vigilance for right teaching is to avoid Christ-belittling, self-exalting dissension.

So my hope in preaching from verses 17 and 18 is that you will be freed from any blindness or bondage to this truth-diminishing period of time in which we live. And I pray that, because of this liberty, you would know what it is to love your adversaries and that you would have fresh power from the gospel to magnify Christ in showing that love.

Let’s read again Romans 16:17-18,

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

Verse 17 gives two commands that seem contradictory, but they are joined by a phrase that shows why they are not contradictory. And verse 18 gives two reasons why these two commands are so crucial. Let’s look first at the commands in verse 17.

Watch Out for Those Who Cause Divisions

The first command in verse 17 is to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles or stumbling blocks. “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles.” So it is clear from this command that Paul is concerned about unity. He wants to promote unity. Watch out for those who cause divisions. These are enemies of unity. Watch out for them. I don’t want them to have that effect on you.

Avoid Them

The second command in verse 17 is to avoid these people. The last phrase in the verse: “Avoid them.” Stay away from them. Now the reason I said these two commands sound contradictory is that the first one is driven by a passion for unity: Watch out for those who cause divisions. And the second one is, in fact, a call for division. When you spot such a division-causing person, divide from him. Avoid him.

The Dividing Line of Doctrine

What is it then between these two commands that helps us see how they are not in fact contradictory? It’s Paul’s reference to doctrine. Verse 17: “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstaclescontrary to the doctrine that you have been taught.” The issue here is not the same as in chapter 14 where Paul is dealing with different convictions about non-essential things. There he said, in verse 5, “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” There was no talk in chapter 14 about avoiding people. The whole point was to help the strong and the weak Christians live together in mutual respect and understanding.

But now here in Romans 16:17, the approach is dramatically different. Here Paul says: Avoid them. Divide from them. Why? Because they are promoting doctrine contrary to what they had been taught. Now Paul’s response to this could have been: Well, nobody has all the truth, and everybody has a piece of it, and unity is more important than truth, and so don’t divide. And we would say: That impulse would not be all bad, would it? Unity is a good thing. Paul cares about it. His first command is: “Watch out for those who cause divisions.”

Truth-Based Division for the Sake of Truth-Based Unity

But that is not the way he responded to this situation. Instead, for the sake of unity—that is, truth-based unity—Paul calls for truth-based division. Avoid them. I don’t know how Paul could make any clearer how he relates doctrine and unity. For Paul, doctrine is the basis of unity. Without the common doctrine they had been taught, the unity would not have been Christian unity. So he is willing to call for truth-based disunity (“Avoid them.” “Divide from them.”) for the sake of truth-based unity.

In other words, when a person departs from the doctrine that the apostles had taught, Paul sees this as a greater threat to unity than the disunity caused by avoiding such people. If we say: How can that be? How can dividing from a false teacher who rises up in the church promote unity in the church? The answer is that the only unity that counts for unity in the church is rooted in a common apostolic teaching. Isolating false teachers—avoiding them—is Paul’s strategy for preserving unity that is based on true teaching.

Joy in the Truth Is Dominant

Now let’s pause here before looking at the reasons for these commands in verse 18. I want to make a clarifying comment about both of these commands and the doctrine that connects them.

First, with regard to the command to “watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught,” it is possible to go overboard on this. I hesitate even to say it, since I don’t think this is the temptation of most churches or most Christians today. But it is possible, and there are churches and people that do go overboard.

What I mean is that they become so obsessed with spotting doctrinal error that they lose their ability to rejoice in doctrinal truth. They’re like dogs that are trained so completely to sniff out drugs at the airport, that even when they’re off duty they greet everybody that way. It doesn’t make for a very welcoming atmosphere.

The book of Romans does not make this mistake. Periodically Paul warns against doctrinal or ethical error. But most of Romans is a glorious display of the work of Christ for us and in us. So let’s ask the Lord to help us get the balance right here. We must do this: “Watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught.” But this is not the main thing we do. Vigilance over error is necessary, but joy in the truth is dominant.

There Is a Defined Body of Doctrine

Second, with regard to the doctrine, don’t miss the obvious: There is such a thing—a body of doctrine that someone can go against. Verse 17: “Watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught.” There is a doctrinal standard. There is something you can depart from. Paul refers to it in several ways. In Romans 6:17, he calls it the standard of teaching: “[You] have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teachingto which you were committed.” In 2 Timothy 1:13-14, he calls it the pattern of sound words and the good deposit. “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” InActs 20:27, he calls it the whole counsel of God. “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.”

So there is a body or standard or pattern of sound doctrine. The caution here, of course, is that we must not put every minor opinion about hundreds of Bible verses in this category so that there is no room for any disagreement at all (cf.Philippians 3:15). The pattern of sound doctrine would be a faithful summary of biblical essentials determined by how crucial they are in expressing and preserving the history of redemption, the nature and condition of man, the nature and work of Christ, the nature and word of the Holy Spirit, and the nature and work of God the Father. One of the greatest challenges in the quest for unity is deciding what belongs in this body of doctrine when Paul says, if someone departs from it, avoid him. That’s part of what the elders were working on last year in the baptism question. And which we are still working on.

Leave Room for Enemy Love

Third, with regard to the second command at the end of verse 17 (avoid them), we need to be sure we leave room for obedience to the teaching in Romans 12 that says we should “Bless those who curse you” (v. 14), and, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (v. 18), and so on.

Avoiding someone does not mean: Stop caring about him, or stop praying for him, or even stop talking to them. When Peter acted contrary to the gospel in Galatians 2, Paul did not first avoid him. He first confronted him with a view to winning him back. That kind of contact is not forbidden. What Paul commands with the words avoid them, is not no contact at all, but rather avoid the kind of contact that communicates life can go on as usual between us. It can’t. If you, as a professing Christian, persist in departing from the doctrine the apostles taught, we can’t simply hang out together like we used to.

False Teachers Seem Nice

That brings us finally to verse 18 and the two reasons Paul gives for why doctrinal vigilance is so important. Verse 18: “For such persons [that is, the persons who depart from the doctrine] do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.”

Let’s take the second one first. Verse 18b: “By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.” The word for flattery is simply blessing. Andsmooth talk doesn’t necessarily mean manifestly slippery. It just means pleasant and plausible. So the reason we must be so vigilant over biblical doctrine is that those who depart from it take simple people with them by pleasant, plausible speech that presents itself as a blessing. False teachers don’t get a following by being rough and harsh. They get a following by being nice.

Just take two examples from history: Arius (d. 336) and Socinus (d. 1604)—both of whom denied the deity of Christ. Parker Williamson describes Arius like this:

Here was a bright, energetic, attractive fellow, the kind of citizen whom any Rotary Club would welcome. Singing sea chanties in dockside pubs and teaching Bible stories to the Wednesday night faithful, this was an immensely popular man. His story reminds us that heresy does not bludgeon us into belief. We are seduced. (Parker T. Williamson, Standing Firm: Reclaiming the Chastain Faith in Times of Controversy [Lenoir, North Carolina: PLC Publications, 1996], p. 31.)

And another writer describes Socinus like this:

He was a gentleman. His morals were above reproach and he distinguished himself by his unfailing courtesy. Unfailing courtesy was remarkable in an age when even the great Protestant leaders, Luther and Calvin would use vile street language when arguing with their opponents.

This means that it will seldom be popular to resist false teachers in the church because they are almost always perceived as bringing a blessing and speaking with winsome words. They are gentlemen. And Paul says the innocent are carried away. Hence he says, “Watch out for them. And avoid them.”

False Teachers Serve Their Own Appetites

The other reason why doctrinal vigilance is so crucial, Paul says, is (verse 18a) because “such persons [the false teachers] do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites”—literally their own belly. In other words, the issue in false teaching is not a simple intellectual mistake. Behind the plausible speech and the smooth gentlemanly demeanor is idolatry, and the idol is the belly—the appetite for food or sex or human approval. Behind serious false teaching, we almost always find not merely intellectual mistakes, but worldly passions enslaving the mind.

Watch Out

So I close with a pointed call to vigilance: Watch out for smooth talkers who pastor large churches, write many books, lead wide ministries, and do not manifestly prize above their earthly good the whole counsel of God.

John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books.

http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/watch-out-for-those-who-lead-you-away-from-the-truth

Does God want His children protecting Themselves?

Posted: April 22, 2015 in Uncategorized
Tags: Biblical Church, Christian life

We have recently been discussing the right of the believer to protect themselves according to the Bible. On a personal note I choose to depend upon the Lord to protect my family and I. When I read His promises I take them at face value. I have many times prayed a blood line around our property and believe that Lord, according to His Word, has indeed stationed (or encamped) His Angels around our lives and home.

Needless to say it has been a at time heated debate – so for my readers I want to post several different views and hope to hear back you thoughts on the matter after reading each post.

Blessings

Russ (Rush) Welch

<—————————————————————————————————————->

What can we do when we are in desperate situations? Can we call on God? Can we depend on God? Can we trust in God?

These are sobering times that we live in today. Many people have lost jobs and can’t find one. Others are underemployed and are just barely making it. The unemployment rate is soaring, the stock market is highly volatile, and famine is spreading worldwide. Families are losing their homes due to failed mortgages. There are severe droughts, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, and tornadoes. And with turmoil going on in the world people are becoming desperate; even the people of God. What can we do when our backs are against the wall and we have no where to turn and we are in serious trouble?

God actually desires that we be utterly dependent upon Him and that we are in desperate need of His help. Think of a human father. What good father would not want his children to turn to him when they need help? Naturally, a father loves it when his children come to him to seek help. There is something special about having someone there for you. God is this true source and He is more reliable than any human father or mother.

God Says Call on Me For Help

God truly loves those that are His. He loves you! Listen to what God says for those who are in desperate situations and what He promises when they call upon Him:

Psalm 50:15 “and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

Psalm 91:14-16 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Psalm 145:18-20 “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.”

Isaiah 41:17 “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.”

Isaiah 55:1, 3 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.”

Isaiah 65:24 “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.”

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

Micah 7:7 “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”

God Says You Can Depend On Me

God wants us to depend on Him and not rely on ourselves. God is our Father and we are His children. Children can not make it in this world without their parents. How much more so can we not make it without the help of our Heavenly Father? If we try to solve our problems by our self then we can really do nothing to ultimately solve them. God is actually more glorified in our weakness because by His strength He is able to display His might. He stands ever ready, able, and willing to help us when we really need it but we must first acknowledge of our need for His help. We truly find freedom from worry when we learn to depend upon God. Read for yourself:

John 15:5 ““I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. “

Matthew 28:20b “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 6:25-27 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

Matthew 6:30-31 “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?”

Romans 4:20-21 “Yet he [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

God Says You Can Trust in Me

Our money says “In God We Trust” but it is hard to trust when everything seems to be caving in around us. Nothing looks like it will turn out right. At times there is no evidence that God is even with us so how can we trust in Him during calamitous times? In reality, we can sometimes not even trust our eyes…but if there is anything in this universe you can trust, it is God Almighty. It is the invisible hand that is placed in ours that never lets go. Like a parent holding their child‘s hand, God is securely caring for us, never letting us slip or fall:

Isaiah 41:13 “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you.”

Proverbs 28:26 “Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.”

Jeremiah 17:5-7 “This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.”

Psalm 32:7 “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

Jeremiah 32:27 “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?”

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Psalm 36:7 “How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”

2 Corinthians 1:20 “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

2 Peter 1:4a “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature.”

1 Chronicles 28:20 “David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.”

Conclusion

When everything seems to be falling in around us, when the walls seem to be closing in on us, when nothing in our world or in this world seems to hold any hope, when everything looks completely hopeless, just remember that God is not ever caught by surprise. He will save those who are His from calamity (Heb 7:25). He isn’t ever going to abandon us, forsake us, or leave us. If you are not one of His then you do not have such hope nor can you claim any of His mighty promises. I pray right now that you seek Him because anyone who seeks Him He has said He can be found. As it is written in Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” Second Corinthians 6:2 says, “For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” Tomorrow may be too late but it not too late right now to put your complete trust in Him, to depend on Him, to call on Him. This is my prayer for you. Please contact us if you make such a decision.

by JACK WELLMAN

Tickle Their Ears…

Posted: April 14, 2015 in Uncategorized

Mystery of the Iniquity

The Narrow Way includes your going to church on Sunday, and living the the flesh during the week. This is the American way, is it not? It’s so easy to get caught up in the world.
A popular song: “Boondocks” lyrics
You get a line, I get a pole
We’ll go fishing in the crawfish hole
Five card poker on Saturday night
Church on Sunday morning

There were drinks on Saturday, church on Sunday, and a 9-5 the rest of the week.

Friday and Saturday nights are for drinking beer, and Sunday mornings are for going to church, right? Finding a country song that doesn’t mention the pleasures of enjoying a “cold one” is very rare. Country men and women love their beer. Who can blame them? After a long day of “work, work, work all day” (or at least hearing about it), even we feel exhausted. But you see…

View original post 701 more words

Have the watchmen fallen asleep or are we just blind?

Posted: March 27, 2015 in Uncategorized

There is a spiritual plum line being drawn in this nation yet so many are blind to it. There are those who cannot see the spiritual darkness that is being released from this administration. A president who disrespects Israel and bows to the followers of Muhammad and Islam. For the first time we see an American people who are blinded by smoke screen after smoke screen as well as to the dumbing down of their political and spiritual awareness.

They cannot even see what their President and secretary of State John “The Traitor” Kerry (You know the guy that verbally deserted his fellow soldiers and threw America under the bus in support of the communist party in Vietnam) are doing with regard to supporting, in an outright traitorous fashion I might add, a nation whose whole desire is to exterminate Israel and all her citizens. But let us not so blind that we cannot see that this will not stop overseas rather this darkness has begun its invasion right here during the past 6 years within our own boarders as this president has persisted in putting Muslims into key governmental offices.

People can laugh and say that is crazy but watch and you’ll look back with regret that this has happened on your watch. They are doing all this behind a smoke screen racism yes I said racism which has been fueled until it tensions are that of pre-civil rights protest because of being blown upon by the likes of Obama, Holder along with their street goons a.k.a the un-reverend Jessie Jackson and Al “Not so” Sharpton as well as others. Where racism wounds were once healing we now see bleeding wounds which they have ripped wide open. But it is again all a smoke screen so that he can continue allowing Muslim extremist to be put into place (notice his appointee to the office of Homeland security reckons his reading of the Qu’ran as an American tradition). Along with this he has positioned (via breaking the constitution of this nation) the laws and opened the boarders paving the way for an onslaught of Muslim immigration and enflamed the courts via the DOJ to persecute Christianity as hate speech and anyone who sees what he is doing as racist.

Now for years the liberals have paved the way for this presidency and the attack on nations constitutional values by causing fear among the poor and elderly with lies about conservatism until they out of fear voted to ensure that their puppet politicians where in place. Yet Puppets they are for they also will be pushed the ground by Muslim mobs once they have gained control. Yet all the while our citizens sit like frogs in a boiling pot all comfortable not noticing that the spiritual flame is being increased at a rapidly faster rate.

Wake up American for your nation is being stolen right out from under your feet…………………..

Video of John “The traitor” Kerry

Obama speaking about his respect of Islam and love of the Muslim faith

Christianity is not customizable

Posted: February 25, 2015 in Uncategorized

Be Transformed……..

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Many things in modern society are customizable; they can be twisted, tweaked, shaped and adapted to fit our own personal desires. If I but a car, for example, I can pick and choose a variety of different options so that I can have a car that does all of the things I want it to do. If I order a meal at a restaurant, I can typically have the ingredients for that meal adjusted to fit my personal preferences.

Such customization id often helpful and provides many benefits for many stations in life. Unfortunately, many of us have wrongly attempted to apply the principle of customization when it comes to following Jesus. Often without realizing it, we have the tendency to redefine Christianity according to our own taste, preferences, church traditions, and cultural norms.

Slowly, subtly. We take the Jesus of the Bible and twist Him into someone with whom we’re a little more comfortable. We dilute what He said about the cost of following Him, disregard what He said about those who choose not to follow Him, misread what He said about materialism, and functionally miss what He said about mission. We pick and choose what we like and don’t like from Jesus’ teachings and in the end create a nice, non-offensive, politically correct. Middle class. American Jesus who looks and thinks just like us.

Here’s the problem: Jesus isn’t customizable. He hasn’t left Himself open to interpretation, adaptions, innovation, or alteration. He’s spoken clearly through His Word, and we have no right to conform Him to our own lives and our own desires.

Quite the contrary. To follow Christ is to be conformed to His image as He transforms our minds and wills through His Truth. We bend to Him. We adapt to Him. Ultimately, we submit to Him as Lord. ~ David Platt Follow Me, “A call to Die, A call to Live”

Missing foundational Biblical strategy that must be put back into the play-book.

Posted: February 5, 2015 in Uncategorized

As Christians living in a world who even rejects the idea of God leave alone the fact that God is over all, we must learn to live and speak based upon the authority of His Word not our intellect. Take for example dealing with one who believes a women has a right to love and and marry another woman or man loving and marrying another main. We will never even begin to pull down this stronghold in their thinking with our intellect we must allow the world of God and Holy Spirit to accomplish this.

For the Word is clear that God has authority to define what is right and wrong, good and evil, based upon his pure and holy character . God makes clear to man that he will be judged based upon his obedience to the command God has given. God’s grace is evident, for he does not hide his law. In love, God tells man the way to life and exhorts him to walk in it.

For we do not wrestle again flesh & blood ( the corrupted thinking is the fruit of a corrupted flesh over-ruling the truth of the Spirit) but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Such thinking is a idol in ones mind lifted up in attempt to out-rule the laws of the Lord.

So many have actually been turned away from the Gospel as good intending believers wrestle with them in their own strength using “Human wisdom” as a weapon to convince them. This is where many are in error. I can stand outside ones house and hold up a sign all day long telling them they are sinning and destined for Hell and all that will do is fuel the rebellious spirit already ruling that individual’s life. David Wilkerson us to say something along the lines of “You can drag a sinner to the alter and they’ll just roll away but when they drag themselves there you can bet they are there to stay”.

In order to pull such mental and spiritual idols down we must spend time in prayer, praying that the Spirit pull down their walls of defense and begin to soften their hearts as well as time in fasting. We also must learn to pray the Word – speaking out scriptures in our prayers. Then we are to share the Word in truth coated with the Love of the Father having the discernment of the Spirit to do so.

David Platt writes in his new Book Counter culture:

Godless worldviews thus leave us with a hopeless subjectivity concerning good and evil that is wholly dependent on social constructs. Whatever a culture deems right is right, and whatever a culture deems wrong is wrong. This is precisely the worldview that prevails in American culture today, where rapid shifts in the moral landscape clearly communicate that we no longer believe certain things are inherently right or wrong. Instead, rightness and wrongness is determined by social developments around us.

He is right on with this statement. Today’s Church must return to its Biblical roots going back to the Word and studying how the first century Church impacted and changed the culture around them whereas the Church today is just the opposite as it is being impacted and changed by the culture around it.

We the Church, must wake up and take our rightful place in this world as the Lord Gods ambassadors representing His Kingdom and take a true stand to see the homosexual agenda stopped in its tracts, see to the ending of abortion and defend marriage. We must seek to stop the ever trending gospel of self-help and return to the first love of the Church seeking to see His kingdom established here on earth. But in doing so we must first shed our love and desires for the things of this world – but that is a post all in itself for another day….so stay tuned!!!!

~ Russ Welch

What does a “Luke-warm” Christian look like?

Posted: January 29, 2015 in Uncategorized
Tags: Book of Acts Church, Francis Chan, lukewarm Christian, radical disciples

Here it is 3:22 am in the morning and I am wide awake with a troubled heart. I had a terrible night sleeping as my heart was heavy with the thought of all of our brothers and sisters being slain in the Middle east and in part of the continent of Africa by Muslim extremist. I wonder how many Christians in this nation are burdened by this fact or are they so busy worrying about their own little world that the passion of the Lord for His Children around the globe has not found its way into their hearts. Just looking at my 10 year old son and thinking of the little ones who even though giving the opportunity to renounce Christ and bow to a false god, willingly accept death rather than renounce their Lord.

Are our Children being raised with the same reverence for the Holy God we serve or are we simply raising up an army of lip service saints unwilling to face the true call of Christ. After all what is the message today coming out of main-stream Christianity in this nation? Is it not in large but a message of self help, personal financial wealth built around the theme of all that God will do for you rather than the true message of the Lord of what we should be doing for our neighbors out of our love and gratitude to a Holy Loving Father in Heaven? We even have churches putting on seminars about retirement plans were as Jesus taught that we are to store our treasures up in Heaven.

Is it not sad to anyone else that we live in a day when sacrifice is a foreign word in much of the Church. In fact I would dare say that much of the call to follow Christ put forth by Jesus Himself has been greatly watered down to a point where one would have to ask the question are such people who answered the modern day call really followers of Christ at all?

Everyone seeks the blessings yet few want to be in the position to empty themselves for another. People understand the word servant in that “isn’t that what others do”? One needs but to look around and listen to other Christians talking to see that so many seem to have a dim flame of the passion at best for the lost whereas the first century Church had a bright burning FLAME.

Now I can say with full confidence that it is not because the Bible had changed over time rather that the content or delivery of message of the Bible has been twisted to suite a people who want to live in comfort rather than living a life sold out to the One who brings true comfort to those in need. I know there will be those who flare up and call me out as judging others and so be it but I write this not to judge anyone rather to judge the message of the modern day Church against the message taught in the Word. I ask with with and in the authority of Gods Holy Word where is the fruit of ones salvation?

Have we become so spiritually blind that we can not see that this nation right now reaping what it has spiritual sown for the past 50 plus years? Have we gone to far? I would emphatically say no, for the mercy of God is there still waiting for His House to humble itself, repent for its neglect and love of the world and turn back to Him as its first love.

Ye the hour is urgent and we must turn back to the foundational teaching of our faith as found in the Word of God from which we can clearly see that the radical call to follow Christ has not changed. For at this time I would I dare say that if Paul or Peter where alive today they would rightly dispute that what some consider today as being an overly radical follower of Jesus Christ was in fact normal Christianity in the first century. Or the real question to consider would they even recognize the average go to Church on Sunday believer as a true follower of the Master they submitted and committed their lives to follow even unto death.

So in light of how Jesus called people to follow Him and the definition to which Christ said would define a true follower, one must ask Am I a “Luke-warm Christian”. The following is a list of what might be considered a Luke-warm Christian was derived from Francis Chan’ book Crazy love as he explored this very subject:

1. Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe “good Christians do, so they go. (Isaiah 29:13)

2. Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church…as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right? (1 Chronicles 21:24; Luke 21:1-4)

3. Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives (Luke 6:26; Rev. 3:1; Matthew 23:5-7).

4. Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one (John 10:10; Romans 6:1-2).

5. Lukewarm people are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for “extreme” Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call “radical” what Jesus expected of all His followers (James 1:22; James 4:17; Matthew 21:28-31).

6. Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion (Matthew 10:32-33).

7. Lukewarm people gauge their morality or “goodness” by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street (Luke 18:11-12).

8. Lukewarm people say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money, and thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives (Luke 9:57-62).

9. Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn’t really possible for the average person; it’s only for pastors and missionaries and radicals (Matthew 22:37-38).

10. Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with. There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached (Matthew 5:43-47; Luke 14:12-14).

11. Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money and energy they are willing to give (Luke 18:21-25).

12. Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today’s to-do list, this week’s schedule, and next month’s vacation. Rarely, if ever, do they intently consider the life to come. Regarding this, C.S. Lewis wrote, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this” (Philippians 3:18-20; Colossians 3:2).

13. Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor. They are quick to point out, “Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only that the love of money is.” Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel “Called” to minister to the rich; very few feel “called” to minister to the poor (Matthew 25:34, 40; Isaiah 58:6-7).

14. Lukewarm people do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty. They want to do the bare minimum, to be “good enough” without it requiring too much of them. They ask, “How far can I go before it’s considered a sin?” instead of “How can I keep myself pure as a temple of the Holy Spirit?” They ask, “How much do I have to give?” instead of “How much can I give?” They ask, “How much time should I spend praying and reading my Bible? Instead of “I wish I didn’t have to go to work, so I could sit here and read longer!” (1 Chronicles 29:14; Matthew 13:44-46).

15. Lukewarm people are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God (1 Timothy 6:17-18; Matthew 10:28).

16. Lukewarm people feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America. Just as the prophets in the Old Testament warned Israel that they were not safe just because they lived in the land of Israel, so we are not safe just because we wear the label Christian or because some people persist in calling us a “Christian nation” (Matthew 7:21; Amos 6:1)

17. Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don’t have to trust God if something unexpected happens-they have their savings account. They don’t need God to help them – they have their retirement plan in place. They don’t genuinely seek out what life God would have them live – they have life figured and mapped out. They don’t depend on God on a daily basis – their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn’t look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God (Luke 12:16-21; Hebrews 11).

18. Lukewarm people probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn’t be more wrong (Matthew 23:25-28).

Written by Russ Welch

2015 A Joseph Type Year

Posted: January 28, 2015 in Uncategorized

Prepare – Prepare – Prepare

God is speaking to His kingdom seeking men and women to make some specific preparations for the near future.

The love of God is perfect and complete. The provisions of God are also perfect and complete. There is no end to the love God has for His people, and likewise there is no end to the provision God has for His people. Yet for many people including Christians there are times and seasons when the provisions seem lacking and insufficient. Assuredly there is no lack in God’s resources of provisions, so why the lack? We know that we cannot blame God for our lack. We also know that because he is defeated, the devil cannot take or hinder unless he is allowed by our beliefs or actions, mainly by our lack of exercising the authority we have over him in Christ Jesus.

That narrows the problem down to human beings as the cause of hindrances and disruptions that cause the lack of provision for the people of the world. The reality is that man in Adam was given the job of managing all of God’s resources on Planet Earth. Mankind in general has not done a good job of managing God’s world for Him.

As a result of the imbalances created my man’s mismanagement of God’s provisions the world is currently in grave disorder.

There are some primary world management decisions that now urgently need to be made at the level of our individual life business matters.

Up until the fresh revelation of the true gospel of the kingdom came about in many pure hearted holy sons of God, there was not a people on earth who could rule the business of life and world management according to the plan of God.

We can always expect that people, who do not seek the kingdom of God and do not love and honor God, will not manage their lives and subsequently the world according to the will and plan of God.

Fallen mankind will always manage the assets and provisions of God with natural human thinking and earthly wisdom which are always infected with some level of need and greed. The unmet need for God within the people causes a vacuum of real joy and satisfaction in their lives. Their lack of deep joy and personal satisfaction leads to strong desires for pleasure to fill that void. The worldly people will manage their provisions and assets for personal pleasure instead of seeking God’s direction for managing the business of their lives. Collectively, as the people mismanage their lives they mismanage the assets and provisions of the world.

Urgent Kingdom Management for 2015

Good times with increase in money and goods will cause natural minded people to live more extravagantly and to be at ease during the current season of increase. Without the ability to hear from God, the natural assumption for many will be a false belief that the future will continue as today. When sudden changes come about they will be unprepared and suffer greatly as a result.

The good times of this short season are for the preparation for the hard times ahead.

Probably many if not most of you reading this are familiar with the biblical account of Joseph in the book of Genesis. Joseph was told of a coming good year followed by seven very lean years. Through a series of extreme trials and finally favor with the leader of the nation he was given place to prepare the nation by storing huge amounts of grain during the plentiful harvest of the good time to provide for the nation and others in the area during the years of famine. The result was the survival of many people and that all the land and money was brought to the leader of that nation in trade for food to sustain their lives. Israel (Jacob) and all of His sons (Joseph’s brothers) and their families with all that was with them were also fed and sustained through the time of famine.

Today God is speaking to those with ears to hear, His kingdom people, as to how to prepare in the good season of bountiful supply for the hard season that is coming. IT IS URGENT THAT GOD’S KINGDOM PEOPLE SEEK GOD’S DIRECTION NOW AS TO WHAT PART HE HAS FOR THEM IN THIS TIME OF PREPARATION. Only by hearing and seeing in the Spirit what God is doing and what our part is in it, can we know what we should do in preparation.

These seasons including the good and the hard times are steps into the greater fullness of the kingdom of God on earth.

This is all part of the great transition and transformation taking place on Planet Earth. The words of God regarding the restitution of all things for all things is at hand. The harvest of the world includes the cleansing of the filth of the earth and the eventual end of all things that are not planted by God. Then the planting of the LORD shall come forth upon the land and the kingdoms of this world shall be the kingdoms of our God. The holy purified sons of God will manifest the fullness of Christ Jesus King of kings and Lord of lords upon this earth and of His kingdom there shall be no end.

The restoration of the kingdom of God on earth began at the cross of Christ Jesus. Adam had given the kingdom rule to Satan way back there in the Garden of Eden. Christ Jesus began the process of restoring the kingdoms of earth to the rightful owner at the cross. Mankind must first be restored to the status of pure holy sons of God to effectively bring forth the rule from heaven on earth to restore the kingdom of God.

Spiritual Preparation

God has been calling out and preparing a people for a long time. We have now entered a season of final preparation. Absolutely nothing that defiles, nothing that is apart from the perfect holy love and power of God can remain in the mature people that are prepared by God to rule and reign in the kingdoms of this world. All frivolity and foolishness of self-interests and need are washed away in the magnificent glory of His absolute all-consuming love, transforming frail human beings into holy men and women as heaven filled beings on earth – literally the collective Body of the Son of God. One perfect Son of God on earth and in heaven.

This is not just preparation for survival. It is preparation to live and move upon earth wholly by the will and power of Spirit God. True citizens of heaven growing forth on earth walking in the Spirit and glory of the living God bringing heaven’s perfect order to all systems and all creation in and on Planet Earth according to the perfect will and plan of Almighty God.

Personal Preparation

The perfect pearl has come. The treasure has been found. Give all we have and all we will have into the hands of the living God. Buy and sell, do business under the direction of God by the Spirit. Hear all that He is saying to you and hold back nothing from Him. Plow, plant and harvest as God says when and where He says. Move into the center of His will and presence whatever it takes and wherever it is. Bask in His presence and trust in Him with your whole heart. Seek only His kingdom and His righteousness. Quickly abandon all pleasure seeking and began fully kingdom seeking. Serve mightily and do not move where or when God is not saying. Waste nothing and have no relationships with people that God does not establish. Lean NOT to your own understanding but seek Him in all matters.

There is no set formula for everyone. Do not listen to the naysayers or the merchandisers hawking their end time stuff. Nothing is too big for God. Throw off all limitations and move heartily in all that you do for it all is unto the Lord and not unto man. You are dead and your life is hidden in Christ and is now going to come forth in this season of great activity and prosperity for the purpose of preparation.

Corporate Preparation

Connect tightly where God’s love and guidance has taken you. God will lead you to leave ALL CLOSE CONNECTIONS with those who follow the enemy. This may include some family and some long term relationships. Do not expose the king’s treasury to those who are not sanctified by the fire of the Spirit of God. Do not linger in close connections with anything or anyone who is not truly seeking the kingdom. Be prepared to join with others to quickly enter into corporate endeavors of kingdom business and supply. THE SPIRIT OF GOD CAN GUIDE YOU IN ALL OF THESE ADJUSTMENTS.

Bringing it all down to two simple words of guideline or direction: HEAR and OBEY!

Hear God in your spirit. See what He is saying and doing in your spirit. Move quickly with precise actions in perfect accord with what and when God is saying. Do not fear isolation or separation and be ready to make corporate adjustments with kingdom partners but do not fear independent actions when God calls for it. God will blend things together and bring along those who should be there as the work is being done.

Abandon and disregard all previous training and experience that does not align with the reality of the kingdom of God coming forth in your life. Allow the Spirit to work in you miraculously and gloriously far beyond where your natural mind or your previous training could possibly take you.

Love – Love – Love

Love God – Love His people – Love the workings of Holy Spirit in your life.

You are on a journey of love. Be sensitive every moment in every encounter to only move toward love. Love will guide you like sonar in sub marine animals and submarine vessels. Love will radiate from you and will bounce back a signal of love when it meets love. When it does not meet love it will bounce back a different signal of uneasiness or contention. Love is a discerner of hearts that bypasses natural signals which can be falsified. True love from God recognizes love in others and is drawn to it as deep calls unto deep.

Spiritual discernment can provide specific details of that which is ahead and yet unseen. Much like radar that can feed back detail information about a situation that is yet unseen to the natural eye. Also Holy angels can feed back detail information like a digital imaging device on a drone. Also similar to modern drones, angels can intervene to powerfully affect the situation. The spiritual provisions from God are capable beyond human understanding. They are unlimited and are only made available to the fully mature Sons of God to carry out His will and ways to establish the kingdom of God on earth.

There can be no self-life and no will or agenda apart from God in His mature Sons. There can be no other allegiances in the heart or life of the Sons of God. The only seeking of the heart of true sons is God and His kingdom.

Ron McGatlin
www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

A season of decreeing and reaping what is sown.

Posted: January 20, 2015 in Uncategorized

The Lord said that 2015 was a year to decree a thing according to His will so for my family I decree the following scriptures “We are the lenders and not the borrowers….we are the head and not the tail……the devourer has been rebuked, cut off and stopped” (Deut 28:12-13, Mal 3:11)

Of course these blessings are tied to the position of obedience as it states in Deut 28; And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. And Malachi 3:11 is tied too: Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts.

Sadly many today want the blessing yet they run from the sacrifice of obedience. Yet when one totally surrenders to the leading of Holy Spirit after a while obedience is not a burden rather it becomes natural as the spirit man is built up to rule over the flesh. It almost become second nature. But don’t get me wrong once you have one victory over one area, Holy Spirit will keep you humble as He points out yet another area of the flesh which is rebellion.

The good news is that God the Father is filled with mercy and grace, as we trip and fall He pours His mercy out on us and backs it up with His grace to empower us to get up and move forward. It is the position of surrender for which He looks for, a condition of the heart, rather than the outward signs of obedience which are done yet with a bitter heart.

So don’t think that His blessings are withheld or taken away for a slip up for they are not. But they are withheld from those who have a selfish heart seeking what they may gain with no love or reverence for the Giver.

It is like the child who is rewarded even though they didn’t get and A or maybe not even a B, for the parent saw that they gave it their best. With that reward the good parent continues to encourage the child to try a do better next time.

With that being said let us rejoice in our God, for even as the better parent, our loving God will give the child as many resources as necessary to help them in their struggle to reach the finish line. And surrender Him all praise, glory and honor for God the Father has given us the best in His Son and in Holy Ghost.

When thou didst say “Seek My Face,’….Thy face, O Lord I will seek” (Psalm 27:8, NASB).

God wants us to enter into a new relation with Him. Not just like a little child, full of requests for things from his father, but as a mature son or daughter who knows the Father, is in tune with the Fathers will, begins to think and act like the Father, and can take responsibility in the Fathers kingdom.

So dear brothers and sisters as I started this post out I mentioned that entering this year I kept hearing the Lord say “This is a new season, a season of decrees happening quickly, a year of My suddenlies falling like a heavy rain”

It’s really not that hard – study the Word of God, spend time in prayer with Him, ask Holy Spirit to show you how to gain a deeper and closer relationship with the Father then start decreeing according to His will and purpose. In closing I want toi decree a few more things over my family as an example for you:

I decree for my house (my wife, son and myself )a new season of closeness to God the Father, a year of greater and deeper revelations, a years of being in-tune with the Fathers divine purpose and Will for us on a daily basis. I decree that this shall be a year of expansion, enlarging our area of Kingdom influence to the glory of our God.

I decree 2015 to be a year where we see 100 fold expansion of souls coming into the Kingdom by our spreading the message of the Kingdom of God with unadulterated purity, bowing not to the fear of man rather with Holy reverence to our God.

I decree this to be a year where besetting sins are defeated and His Righteous Holiness shadows our lives day and night like a tight fit coat.

I decree and call forth as the Father has shown me in the Spirit that this shall be a year of expansion financially to meet those needs according to His purpose. I decree a year of greater discernment to see the enemy plans before hand and Heavenly wisdom to cut the enemy plans short.

Brothers & sisters, we will reap based upon what we sow…..Please keep in mind that our words have power and they are likened to spiritual seeds. What are you planting for this New Year will be the harvest you shall reap.

I was sharing with my sister Roxanne the other day about the power of praying forth the Scriptures for Gods Words contain power. Do you recall Elijah praying for the heavens to close up and the rain to cease and the rains stopped?

Now Elijah the Tishbite was a prophet from the settlers in Gilead. “I serve the Lord, the God of Israel,” Elijah said to Ahab. “As surely as the Lord lives, no rain or dew will fall during the next few years unless I command it.” (i Kings 17:1)

Now Elijah was praying for the Word of God found in Deut chapter 11 which reads; “And then the Lord‘s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain…” (Deut 11:17).

So again friends, there is power in Gods Word and when we combine it with our prayers miracles, signs and wonders begin to happen around us. We can sow the promises of Gods Word into our lives!!!

What are you going to plant this year friends……… I challenge each of you to Decree a thing according to the Will of the Father with unwavering faith and watch as the miracles, signs and wonders of Heaven appear around you as a witness to your walking according to the Fathers heart’s desire…..

The End of the Age of Grace Is at Hand

Posted: October 28, 2014 in Uncategorized

Radical Disciples - A Remnant Revolution

I am not a prophet. In-fact, I do not even have the gift of prophecy. Instead, I am a Christian who reads the news each day, including the prophetic news websites and I consider myself a “watcher on the wall.”

As such, I feel the need to sound the alarm. The signs in the world today all point to the end of the Age of Grace and to the imminent arrival of the Rapture. We are, quite literally, in the very last moments of the opportunity that mankind has to find salvation through repentance of sin and faith in Jesus as the Savior of the world. At this moment eternal life in heaven with Jesus is a free gift. Very soon now that will change. Salvation will still be attainable, but at a very high price.

The vast majority of people seem to feel exceptionally uncomfortable when I mention the…

View original post 3,961 more words

Radical Disciples – A Remnant Revolution

Latest Posts

Categories

Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category