" 4. Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,. I Corinthians 13:4

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In this famous passage of I Corinthians 13(the one often read at weddings) the first mention of what Love is, makes the point that it suffers long. Some translations start by saying Love is Patient, Love is Kind, the actual literal Greek translation is Love suffers long. Does suffering bring us closer to God? Why is it that the most loving Christians I have known were also ones that had suffered much in this life. Could they actually have gotten closer to God’s divine nature through their own suffering? Were they able to relate more to His suffering that He experienced and still experiences because of ours and mankind’s sins? Sometimes I find myself wondering why He has put up with my sins and mankinds history of wickedness. He then reminds me that He loves me and He is willing to suffer long, until we come to Him with a repentant heart filled with true Love that can only come from God.

" As for me(John), I baptize you with water for repentance, but He(Jesus) who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. -Matthew 3:11


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The Holy Spirit is of vital importance to our spiritual well being. It is something that Christ gives us after we put our faith in Him(Ephesians 1:13). In our flesh we can grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) or we can be filled with Him like the Apostle Paul(Acts 13:9). Jesus said how much more would the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask(Luke 11:13). When the Holy Spirit came upon the early church they became bold witnesses of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (see Acts 1:8 and Acts 4:31)

The early church was full of the Holy Spirit, and it was evident by their zeal to share the gospel and they shared it with power. When there is a lack of witnessing with power, could we say that we have probably grieved the Holy Spirit? A.W. Tozer put it this way: "If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference." ?

"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

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Michael Reitz has a great article in Relevant Magazine titled "Is the Church Doing Anything Right". Here is a sample.

Jesus “did not stake the “success” of the Church on programs, attendance, good preaching, warm fuzzies or even the ability to adapt with the shifting culture. The evidence that the Church was accomplishing her purpose was a completely different concept: “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”
“Check out the full article here”

Come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.3 Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. - Isaiah 55:1 - 3

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God’s offer of the Word of Life, cost Him everything(death on a cross)however He gives it freely and it is everlasting. Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:13&14

" 11 "Who else among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is glorious in holiness like you – so awesome in splendor, performing such wonders? 12 You raised up your hand, and the earth swallowed our enemies. 13 "With unfailing love you will lead this people whom you have ransomed. You will guide them in your strength to the place where your holiness dwells. Exodus 15:11-13
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If we are a Christian, God will one day take us home to be with Him, “where Holiness Dwells”. I have been very encouraged by my brothers and sisters who are living in physical poverty, but who have much spiritual wealth. There is sometimes a lack of hunger in America for spiritual things. In other countries such as Mexico, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, there is a growing spiritual hunger among the Christians. Please Pray for them to keep their first love and let them be an encouragement to those of us who have taken the cross for granted.

" 19. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:19& 207KJ
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We have the means to evangelize our country; but they are slumbering
in the pews of our churches." --John R. W. Stott”

“What if reaching the world were completely up to you. How would you do it? Does the above verse still apply to Christians. I think it does. What do you think?

" But thus you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars, and smash their sacred pillars, and hew down their Asherimi, and burn their graven images with fire. For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples of the earth. Deuteronomy 7:5-6
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This verse applies to the nation of Israel; however if you read all of Deuteronomy 7, it could have applications for America and all those countries and peoples who wish to rid themselves of terrorists. Read the verses and let me know what you think. Also check out the Interesting articles at “ The New Christendom”

“Culturally understood, an antithesis is the watershed that divides two exact opposites. The issue of conflict is not particular, but universal - the two sides of an antithesis oppose each other at every point. You could use the military image of a never-ending front line. There is an eternal war raging between the adversaries, one which is total and unconditional. There is no quarter for the vanquished. Battle imagery, in fact, is crucial to any worldview, for it is in this metaphor that we find our antithesis - the very foundation of our world and life-view. Unless we adopt this metaphor of a true holy war into our worldview, any lasting victory will never be attained. We bring the message of peace; however, the Promised Land can only be entered after the spiritual Canaanites have been driven out.

" 1 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 2 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. 4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another--to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.“ Romans 7:1-4 NKJ
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The more I read of Watchman Nee the more I become convinced that he walked as close to the Lord as anyone since the Apostle Paul or John.

Watchman Nee stated the following in the “Normal Christian Life”

“Notice first that in the picture in Romans 7:1-4 by which Paul illustrates our deliverance from the Law there is only one woman, while there are two husbands. The woman is in a very difficult position, for she can only be wife of one of the two, and unfortunately she is married to the less desirable one. Let us make no mistake, the man to whom she is married is a good man; but the trouble lies here, that the husband and wife are totally unsuited to one another. He is a most particular man, accurate to a degree; she on the other hand is decidedly easy-going. With him all is definite and precise; with her all is vague and haphazard. He wants everything just so, while she accepts things as they come. How could there be happiness in such a home?

And then that husband is so exacting! He is always making demands on his wife. And yet one cannot find fault with him, for as a husband he has a right to expect something of her; and besides, all his demands are perfectly legitimate. There is nothing wrong with the man and nothing wrong with his demands; the trouble is that he has the wrong kind of wife to carry them out. The two cannot get on at all; theirs are utterly incompatible natures. Thus the poor woman is in great distress. She is fully aware that she often makes mistakes, but living with such a husband it seems as though everything she says and does is wrong! What hope is there for her? If only she were married to that other Man all would be well. He is no less exacting than her husband, but He also helps much. She would fain marry Him, but her husband is still alive. What can she do? She is "bound by law to the husband" and unless he dies she cannot legitimately marry that other Man.

This picture is not drawn by me but by the apostle Paul. The first husband is the Law; the second husband is Christ; and you are the woman. The Law requires much, but offers no help in the carrying out of its requirements. The Lord Jesus requires just as much, yea more (Matt. 5:21-48) but what He requires from us He Himself carries out in us. The Law makes demands and leaves us helpless to fulfill them; Christ makes demands, but He Himself fulfills in us the very demands He makes. Little wonder that the woman desires to be freed from the first husband that she may marry that other Man! But her only hope of release is through the death of her first husband, and he holds on to life most tenaciously. Indeed there is not the least prospect of his passing away. "Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished (Matt. 5:18).”

" In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise“ Ephesians 1:13 NKJ

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Watchman Nee stated in the “Normal Christian Life”

“If we are `in Adam' all that is in Adam necessarily devolves upon us; it becomes ours involuntarily, for we have to do nothing to get it. There is no need to make up our minds to lose our temper or to commit some other sin; it comes to us freely and despite ourselves. In a similar way, if we are `in Christ' all that is in Christ comes to us by free grace, without effort on our part but on the ground of simple faith”

He also states “Grace means that God does something for me; law means that I do something for God. God has certain holy and righteous demands which He places upon me: that is law. Now if law means that God requires something of me for their fulfillment, then deliverance from law means that He no longer requires that from me, but Himself provides it. Law implies that God requires me to do something for Him; deliverance from law implies that He exempts me from doing it, and that in grace He does it Himself. I (where `I' is the `carnal' man of ch. 7:14) need do nothing for God: that is deliverance from law. The trouble in Romans 7 is that man in the flesh tried to do something for God. As soon as you try to please God in that way, then you place yourself under law, and the experience of Romans 7 begins to be yours.”

"37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38. This is the first and great commandment.39. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
-Matthew 22:37-39 KJV
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Everything under the sun can be justified in our own eyes, most of it even by scripture. Only one thing under the Son can be justified, love God which is practically accomplished by loving people like we do our self.

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35 ----- “If you continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. “ John 8:31 ----- “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33---- Also see Luke 14:26

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- A well-known Christian researcher says the church in America today is composed of many converts, but shockingly few disciples. When you read the above verses you see why there are so few disciples in America today. For the most part we want more of the best in this life than the next. Barna also states “when Christian adults were asked to identify the most important goal for their life, not a single person said it was to be a committed follower of Christ, or to make disciples of Christ.

Other findings included that the vast majority of born-again Christians do not believe absolute truth exists. And less than 1% thought there was a connection between their efforts to worship God and their development as a disciple of Jesus.

In addition, when given 13 basic teachings from the Bible, only one percent of adult believers firmly embraced all 13 as being Biblical principles.”

I believe the best way we can change this situation is prayer. Revive me oh Lord according to Your Righteousness and Word.

"1 What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. 2 God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith. 3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen." Hebrews 11:1-3

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George MacDonald was influenced by the German romantic poet Novalis, who wrote, "We are closer to things invisible than to things visible." His belief was that Christian men and women were on a journey Homeward.

20 Pay attention, my child, to what I say. Listen carefully. 21 Don't lose sight of my words. Let them penetrate deep within your heart, 22 for they bring life and radiant health to anyone who discovers their meaning. 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do. Proverbs 4:20-27

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"The man who thoroughly loves God and his neighbor is the only man who will love a woman ideally - who can love her with the love God thought of between them when he made man male and female. The man, I repeat, who loves God with his very life, and his neighbour, as Christ loves him, is the man who alone is capable of grand, perfect, glorious love to any woman. George MacDonald

"2 Kings 6:17
Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

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When John Bunyan was in prison for preaching the gospel, he wrote a document on prayer and finished it with these lines.

“I shall conclude this discourse with this word of advice to all God's people. 1. Believe that as sure as you are in the way of God you must meet with temptations. 2. The first day therefore that thou dost enter into Christ's congregation, look for them. 3. When they do come, beg of God to carry thee through them. 4. Be jealous of thine own heart, that it deceive thee not in thy evidences for heaven, nor in thy walking with God in this world. 5. Take heed of the flatteries of false brethren. 6. Keep in the life and power of truth. 7. Look most at the things which are not seen. 8. Take heed of little sins. 9. Keep the promise warm upon thy heart. 10. Renew thy acts of faith in the blood of Christ. 11. Consider the work of thy generation. 12. Count to run with the foremost therein.

Grace be with thee.”

"It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing; the words I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. John 6:63 NAS

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Watchman Nee stated in “The Spiritual Man”. “If believers would habitually maintain the attitude of the flesh being crucified Satan could have no chance; for the flesh is Satan’s workshop.”

"For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, “ Romans 6:5 NKJ

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What does this verse really mean. Watchman Nee had a great word picture to explain it in the“Normal Christian Life”

Now with resurrection the figure is different because something new is introduced. I am "baptized into his death", but I do not enter in quite the same way into His resurrection, for, Praise the Lord! His resurrection enters into me, imparting to me a new life. In the death of the Lord the emphasis is solely upon `I in Christ'. With the resurrection, while the same thing is true, there is now a new emphasis upon `Christ in me'. How is it possible for Christ to communicate His resurrection life to me? How do I receive this new life? Paul suggests, I think, a very good illustration with these very same words: "united with him". For the word `united' (A.V. `planted together') may carry in the Greek the sense of ‘grafted’ and it gives us a very beautiful picture of the life of Christ which is imparted to us through resurrection.

In Fukien I once visited a man who owned an orchard of long-ien trees. He had three or four acres of land and about three hundred fruit trees. I inquired if his trees had been grafted or if they were of the original native stock. `Do you think', he replied, `that I would waste my land growing ungrafted trees? What value could I ever expect from the old stock?

So I asked him to explain the process of grafting, which he gladly did. `When a tree has grown to a certain height', he said, `I lop off the top and graft on to it.' Pointing to a special tree he asked, `Do you see that tree? I call it the father tree, because all the grafts for the other trees are taken from that one. If the other trees were just left to follow the course of nature, their fruit would be only about the size of a raspberry, and would consist mainly of thick skin and seeds. This tree, from which the grafts for all the others are taken, bears a luscious fruit the size of a plum, with very thin skin and a tiny seed; and of course all the grafted trees bear fruit like it.' `How does it happen?' I asked. `I simply take a little of the nature of the one tree and transfer it to the other', he explained. `I make a cleavage in the poor tree and insert a slip from the good one. Then I bind it up and leave it to grow.' `But how can it grow?' I asked. `I don't know', he said, `but it does grow.'

Then he showed me a tree bearing miserably poor fruit from the old stock below the graft, and rich juicy fruit from the new stock above the graft. `I have left the old shoots with their useless fruit on them to show the difference', he said. `From it you can understand the value of grafting. You can appreciate, can you not, why I grow only grafted trees?'

How can one tree bear the fruit of another? How can a poor tree bear good fruit? Only by grafting. Only by our implanting into it the life of a good tree. But if a man can graft a branch of one tree into another, cannot God take of the life of His Son and, so to speak, graft it into us?

"knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin“ - - -Romans 6:6 NKJ

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We need to do more “knowing” and less trying when it comes to our own spiritual well being. It is good to pray that we have the power to understand and to know, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. The scripture tells us to pray "deliver us from evil", to "know Him" to "acknowledge our weakness" rather than to pray for more strength to overcome sin. It is all Jesus Christ and only through His Holy Spirit that we have life and life abundantantly. Watchman Nee stated in the“Normal Christian Life”

"How do you know your sins are forgiven?..It comes from the Lord Himself. Of course the fact of forgiveness of sins is in the Bible, but for the written Word of God to become a living Word from God to you He had to give you "a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him" (Eph. 1:17).

So our first step is to seek from God a knowledge that comes by revelation -- a revelation, that is to say, not of ourselves but of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. When Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission, entered into the normal Christian life it was thus that he did so. You remember how he tells of his long-standing problem of how to live `in Christ', how to draw the sap out of the Vine into himself. For he knew that he must have the life of Christ flowing out through him and yet felt that he had not got it, and he saw clearly enough that his need was to be found in Christ. `I knew', he said, writing to his sister from Chinkiang in 1869, `that if only I could abide in Christ, all would be well, but I could not.'

The more he tried to get in the more he found himself slipping out, so to speak, until one day light dawned, revelation came and he saw.
`Here, I feel, is the secret: not asking how I am to get sap out of the Vine into myself, but remembering that Jesus is the Vine -- the root, stem, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruit, all indeed.'

Then, in words of a friend that had helped him:`I have not got to make myself a branch. The Lord Jesus tells me I am a branch. I am part of Him and I have just to believe it and act upon it. I have seen it long enough in the Bible, but I believe it now as a living reality.' It was as though something which had indeed been true all the time had now suddenly become true in a new way to him personally, and he writes to his sister again:

`I do not know how far I may be able to make myself intelligible about it, for there is nothing new or strange or wonderful -- and yet, all is new! In a word, "whereas once I was blind, now I see"....I am dead and buried with Christ -- aye, and risen too and ascended....God reckons me so, and tells me to reckon myself so. He knows best....Oh, the joy of seeing this truth -- I do pray that the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened, that you may know and enjoy the riches freely given us in Christ.'

I remember one day in Shanghai I was talking with a brother who was very exercised concerning his spiritual state. He said, `So many are living beautiful, saintly lives. I am ashamed of myself. I call myself a Christian and yet when I compare myself with others I feel I am not one at all. I want to know this crucified life, this resurrection life, but I do not know it and see no way of getting there.' Another brother was with us, and the two of us had been talking for two hours or so, trying to get the man to see that he could not have anything apart from Christ, but without success.

The brother who was worried about his spiritual state said, `the best thing a man can do is to pray.' `But if God has already given you everything, what do you need to pray for?' we asked. `He hasn't', the man replied, `for I am still losing my temper, still failing constantly; so I must pray more.' `Well', we said, `do you get what you pray for?' `I am sorry to say that I do not get anything', he replied. We tried to point out that, just as he had done nothing for his justification, so he need do nothing for his sanctification.

Just then a third brother, much used of the Lord, came in and joined us. There was a thermos flask on the table, and this brother picked it up and said, `What is this?' `A thermos flask.' `Well, you just imagine for a moment that this thermos flask can pray, and that it starts praying something like this: "Lord, I want very much to be a thermos flask. Wilt Thou make me to be a thermos flask? Lord, give me grace to become a thermos flask. Do please make me one!" What will you say?' `I do not think even a thermos flask would be so silly,' our friend replied. `It would be nonsense to pray like that; it is a thermos flask!' Then my brother said, `You are doing the same thing. God in times past has already included you in Christ. When He died, you died; when He lived, you lived. Now today you cannot say, "I want to die; I want to be crucified; I want to have resurrection life." The Lord simply looks at you and says, "You are dead! You have new life!" All your praying is just as absurd as that of the thermos flask. You do not need to pray to the Lord for anything; you merely need your eyes opened to see that He has done it all.'

That is the point. We need not work to die, we need not wait to die, we are dead. We only need to recognize what the Lord has already done and to praise Him for it. Light dawned for that man. With tears in his eyes he said, `Lord, I praise Thee that Thou hast already included me in Christ. All that is His is mine!' Revelation had come and faith had something to lay hold of; and if you could have met that brother later on, what a change you would have found!

For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace: Romans 8:6 KJV
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The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. The flesh brings death, the Spirit is life and peace. Watchman Nee stated in the “The Spiritual Man” .”

“A worker must observe carefully which part of his labor the Holy Spirit anoints. Then he will be able to cooperate with Him and operate within the current of His power. The worker’s duty is to discern the current of the Spirit and to follow it. A task should be discontinued if it is no longer enjoys God’s anointing, is out of His current, and creates a sluggish languid feeling.”…

And while he was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster cruse of ointment of spikenard very costly; and she brake the cruse, and poured it over his head ... Jesus said ... Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever the gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, that also which this woman hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. (Mark 14:3,6,9)
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What lesson does the Lord want us to learn from this example, so important that it would end up in 3 of the Gospels. Watchmen Nee stated in “The Normal Christian Life”

"But there were some that had indignation among themselves, saying, To what purpose hath this waste of the ointment been made? For this ointment might have been sold for above three hundred pence and given to the poor. And they murmured against her" (Mark 14:4,5). These words bring us to what I believe the Lord would have us consider finally together, namely, that which is signified by the little word "waste".

What is waste? Waste means, among other things, giving more than is necessary. If a shilling will do and you give a point, it is a waste. If two ounces will do and you give a kilogram, it is a waste. If three days will suffice to finish a task well enough and you lavish five days or a week on it, it is a waste. Waste means that you give something too much for something too little. If someone is receiving more than he is considered to be worth, then that is waste.

But remember, we are dealing here with something which the Lord said had to go out with the Gospel, wherever that Gospel should be carried. Why? Because He intends that the preaching of the Gospel should issue in something along the very lines of the action of Mary here, namely, that people should come to Him and waste themselves on Him. This is the result that He is seeking."

I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. I Timothy 1:3 NAS
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To have a clear conscience is of great benefit to our spiritual walk. Watchman Nee stated in The Spiritual Man… “ This is the secret of Paul’s life. The conscience he refers to is not that of an unregenerated person but of a Holy Spirit-filled conscience. Bold in approaching God and perfect in his communion with Him, the Apostle’s regenerated conscience give him no reproach. He does everything according to it. Never does he do anything that his conscience objects to, nor does he ever permit one item to remain in his life which it condemns. He is therefore bold before God and man. We lose our confidence when our conscience is murky. The Apostle always took pains to have a clear conscience toward God and toward men (Acts 24:16), for if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him( I John 3:21-22)”

For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me, but to do that which is good is not.."
– Romans 7:18 KJV
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No good is in our flesh. Watchmen Nee felt that many workers of the gospel were good at sharing about Christ’s blood covering our sins, past present and future; however they were not very good at sharing the full implication of the cross and denying our flesh. He stated in The Spiritual Man “ We are never asked in the Bible to be crucified for sin, that is true. It does exhort us, however, to take up the cross for denying self. The Lord Jesus instructs us many times to deny ourselves and take up the cross and follow Him. The explanation for this is that the Lord Jesus deals with our sins and with ourselves very differently. To wholly conquer sin the believer needs but a moment; to deny the self he needs and entire lifetime. Only on the cross did Jesus bear our sins, yet throughout His life the Lord denied Himself. The same must be true of us.”

”In the same way , count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:11
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”I have been coming to the realization that in the past I have tried to overcome sin in my own power. Thinking if I pray enough, fast enough, do this or that I could “beat” sin and the power of the devil. These methods did not work, because I was trying to do it through my own strength. Through doing a Bible study and reading Watchman Nee’s book “Sit, Walk, Stand” I have come to see that I will keep failing until I make Christ my only hope. Watchman Nee stated “Have you ever tried to save a drowning man? The trouble is that his fear prevents him trusting himself to you. When that is so, there are just two ways of going about it. Either you must knock him unconscious and then drag him to the shore, or else you must leave him to struggle and shout until his strength gives way before you go to his rescue. If you try to save him while he has any strength left, he will clutch at you in his terror and drag you under, and both he and you will be lost. God is waiting for your store of strength to be utterly exhausted before He can deliver you. Once you have ceased to struggle, He will do everything. God is waiting for you to despair ”

"21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.."– Matthew 7:21-23
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Watchmen Nee stated in his book “Spiritual Authority” that we can do things that appear like there for God but their really to make ourselves look good. That is the why God should be feared, He can judge the thoughts and intents of our heart(Hebrews 4:12). I have been thinking about how easy in America it is to do things that appear like there for Christ but they are not. God cares more about our heart and whether we submit to His authority and will. "Not our will but yours be done Lord Jesus."

"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."
– Revelation 3:15-16 KJV
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There is a grat article in World Net Daily dealing with the above verse and why the American Church needs revival. Why are Christians losing America? What are some things that we can do to bring and keep revival in our own lives? What can we do to keep our flesh crucified with Christ? Watchman Nee seemed to have a continual Revival in his life and a very personal walk with Christ. Watchmen Nee “realized that he had been crucified with Christ, that it was no longer he that lived, but Christ Who lived in him. He also realized that in order to experience the death of Christ in a subjective way, he needed to bear the cross. Although he had been crucified with Christ in fact, he also had to remain in Christ's crucifixion in his experience. He learned that to remain in Christ's crucifixion was to bear the cross by refusing to allow the old man or the flesh to leave the cross. He realized that in order for him to have such an experience, God must sovereignly arrange his environment, making it a practical cross for him to bear. This is exactly what God did throughout Watchman Nee's life.” see Watchman Nee “Revelation and Living”

"Remember how the Psalmist described children? He said that they were a heritage from the Lord, and that every man should be happy who had his quiver fill of them. And what is a quiver full of but arrows? And what are arrows for but to shoot? So with the strong arms of prayer draw the bowstring back and let the arrows fly---all of them, straight at the Enemy's hosts" Jim Elliot
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The above quote from Jim Elliot is taken from a letter he sent to his parents explaining why he was going on a missionary trip that would later cost him his life. I have been reading more about some of the heroes of the faith. They were men and women who loved the Lord with all their heart, body, mind, soul and strength. Men such as Jim Elliot, Wachmen Nee, Corrie Ten Boom, John Bunyan, and John Knox. I am praying that I could be more like that and less like the worldly American I have so become.

Mark 12:29-31

“29 Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' 31 The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

The Battle of Culloden, Scotland 1746
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The Battle of Culloden was a brutal slaughter of the Scottish Highlanders by the English Duke of Cumberland in 1746. After defeating the Scottish Bonnie Prince Charles, the English Duke slaughtered the wounded in a most brutal manner see Events after the battle . After the battle the English took away the right of the Scottish to have bagpipes, to wear their tartans, to own arms, to be able to ordain their own Pastors. Basically they tried to take away the entire Scottish identity. This brutal battle and its aftermath led many Scottish Highlanders to flee to what would soon become the United States. Some of these Scottish Highlanders settled in an area that looked like their homeland, Eastern Tennessee. 128 of these men of Scottish descent would turn the course of the Revolutionary war at the Battle of Kings Mountain, South Carolina, in 1780. They became known as the Over the Mountain Men. By 1780 the British controlled almost all the southern states. The Over the Mountain men joined about 870 of their fellow Patriots to fight 1000 British Loyalist at the Battle of Kings Mountain. These 128 Over the Mountain men took their 2 Scottish Fighting Pastors with them and it was reported that they could kill a turkey at 400 yards with their long rifles. This was a major reasons the Patriots won this battle, even though the British Loyalists had the high ground. An interesting side note is not one of the Over the Mountain men lost his life in this battle while about 228 British Loyalists lost their lives. The British General Clinton felt this was the turning point of the Revolutionary war.

There is some spiritual significance that can be gained from these two battles. First off the Scottish people lost all their identity and the things that helped make them Scottish. We need to lose all of our worldly identity and be crucified with Christ. I personally have been going through my own personal battle of Culloden against sin in my life. Christ is showing me that I need to throw off the sin that so easily entangles me. I need Him and Him only as the center of my life. He needs to be my first thought when I wake up in the morning and the last thought when I lay my head down to sleep at night. Hopefully the Battle of Kings Mountain will take place soon in my life, where Jesus Christ is truly King over every area of my life, and a revival hits me my family and friends like the Patriotic victories that followed the Historic "Battle of Kings Mountain".

" Battles are sometimes won by generals; wars are nearly always won by sergeants and privates.” -F.E. Adcock
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The above quote made me think about why Jesus picked who He did to be His disciples. They seemed to fit the mold of some of the best "grunts" that ever faught for the United States Military, Smedley Butler, Audie Murphy, and Alvin C. York. Common men with uncommon courage and the heart of a servant. Is it better to desire to be an armchair General or a Grunt? "But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Matthew 23:11"

"“Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man.” -George S. Patton
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Patton was probably not a Chritian in the orthodox sense of the word. Even so, the way he fought physical battles in WWII is probably the way the church should fight spiritual battles; always on the offensive. I have been thinking about Patton’s quote about fortifications. It often feels safe inside the Church building/ fortification; however the real Church is out there in the fields. Our brothers and sisters in Christ in China meet in farm fields, peoples homes, wherever people gather. I have read of Pastors there who spend days walking sharing the Gospel from one community to another with no sleep or place to lay their heads. They have seen much revival by not getting comfortable in a big church building or erecting a monument to themselves.

"The BIBLE is the rock on which our Republic rests."
Andrew Jackson
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I have been pondering the recent abductions of all these American Kids. Why has this been hapening more. Could it be because of the Liberalistic Church's that have destoyed moral discipline and encouraged pernicious forms of sexual vice, drugs, and pornography. They have said the Bible is not really the word of God and not the ROCK on which our Republic was built. The Lord has been showing me that it is time to for me to clean up my own life, so that I can influence others for Him.

Matthew 5:16

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men”

"Moral courage is the most valuable and
usually the most absent characteristic in men."
George S. Patton
______ __________ __________ _________

We do not think it strange for a soldier to give up his life for his country, or for an Olympic athlete to exert himself incredibly in order to win a medal. The world esteems a business man like Bill Gates who gives it his all, to be successful. Is not Jesus Christ worthy of our all, more than any of these other causes.

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."
Steve Prefontaine
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The Spiritual Battle We Face
We are in a Spiritual Battle far worse than any physical battle ever fought on the face of the earth and we need to prepare for it. There are many spiritual things we can learn from the best physical fighting force on the planet, the Navy Seals. When the seals face trouble they head for the water, when Christians face trouble we should head for the word of God. Seals work in small teams; Christians should never work alone and have a buddy/disciple. The Navy Seal only takes orders from the Commander in Chief (the President). Christians should take their orders from Jesus Christ and His Word. The Navy Seal is a humble warrior, sometimes the only person who knows the incredible things they do is the President. For some Christian's, the only person who will know what we do for God's Kingdom is Jesus Christ our Lord. This spiritual battle we face is listed in Ephesians 6:10-19.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,”

Since I did not know any HTML code before starting this Blog last Friday, I am researching some other pages and getting tips. So posting may be light.

Ephesians 3:14-19
When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God

The Power of Prayer

Mark 11:17
And He taught saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but you have made it a den of thieves.

I just got back from our Church and the Men's prayer meeting. God loves to hear from His children so much, that He answers our humble prayers in a mighty way. Our Church here in Tennessee, has not had a head pastor for about 7 months. We have a 69 year old retired pastor who is always at prayer meeting and now leads our Sunday Service. This past Sunday he spoke about the Samaritan women who had 5 husbands and was living with a man that was not her husband(John 4). She came to see Jesus as the true Messiah. It was a simple presentation of the Gospel, not with fancy words of wisdom. After he finished presenting the gospel, about 20 people gave their life to the Lord. Please pray that these new Christians would grow like the seed planted in the good soil and that God would continue to bless Pastor Shelton and our Church. May God bless you, your family and your local Church.

God’s Power through Multiplication and Making Disciples

From early in the scriptures we see that God is concerned about multiplication. In Genesis 1 verse 28 it states “And God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth….. “ This is a very important concept and is repeated a number of times in the New Testament as the key to reaching the world for Christ. The Devil has let addition happen in the Churches because he knows all to well if the saints grasp the concept of multiplication they will be radically changed and reach the world for Christ. When Jesus gave the parable of the sower he stated the seed planted in the good soil would increase by 100 times, 60 times and 30 times, not that it would add 100, or 60 or 30. “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” Matthew 13:23

In Matthew 28 verses 18 through 20 Jesus states “..All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." There is much to be learned from these three verses that are essentially repeated in some form in Mark 16 verse 15, Luke 24 verses 47 through 49 and Acts 1 verse 8 and 9.

Let us look at these verses in Matthew 28 verses 18 through 20 more closely. Jesus said: “..All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth, “ I heard one preacher say that All is All and that’s All that All means. Think of that, All authority/power has been given Jesus on Heaven and earth. All the armies of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, all the angels, all of His power that created the Universe are at His command to carry out these verses. “Go therefore and make disciples of All the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe All that I commanded you”. All that I commanded you includes each person being a Witness, because right before He states All that I commanded you, he states go and make disciples of all nations.

It is very easy for us to get into a priest laity mentality. Let the pastor and a few Sunday school teachers do all the sharing of the gospel and the work of the Lord. We do ourselves a great disservice when we see someone who likes to share the gospel and tell them they should become a missionary or preacher. We all need to be sharing the gospel; we all need to be missionaries, we all need to be disciples. We need to ask those who have a gift of sharing to teach us how to better share our testimony. This could be why we lack power in our Christian lives and in the modern church. We often want our needs met, more than the will of God to be carried out, accomplishing neither. “ and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." He is with us even to the end of the age. This should encourage us, even when we do not "feel" His prescence, He is there to help us with all His power.

Why multiplication is better than addition. Right now according to statistics only 20% of those who do the sinners prayer, remain in a Christian walk (going to church, reading their bibles and praying on a regular basis) 80% of those who make the sinners prayer fall away. I believe the main reason they fall away is they are not taught to make disciples or to multiply. Lets look at some math facts.

Please do not take me wrong, My intention is not to belittle the great evangelists that God has sent us but for all of us to do our part in the Great Commission.

In one column we have what I call the Addition Leader in the other we have the multiplication Evangelist otherwise known as the 1rst century Christian. We will look at a 33-year period.

The Addition Leader

The addition leader preaches the gospel but does not teach others to make disciples. Let’s say he is a gifted evangelist and preaches to one million people a year, 30% become Christian so that would be 300,000. At the current rate of only 20% of those staying in the Christian faith that is 60,000 true Christians a year. If you times that by 33 years, the addition evangelist sees 1,980,000 people truly becoming a Christian and 33 million that hear the gospel message.

The Multiplication Evangelist or the first Century Christian/Disciple

The multiplication evangelist obeys Matthew 28:18-20. If only one person set out to disciple 1 person a year with this message and teach that one person to reach one person that means 2 people are reached in the first year. (I pick the number of disciples as 1 a year because I believe the physical world often paints a picture of the spiritual world. On average women can give birth to only 1 child a year. You may see 5,000 saved in one day like Peter, but you can probably only disciple one person a year effectively. Also we were born to reproduce physically and spiritually. God was very harsh to men who were unable to reproduce. They were not allowed into the Temple area. ) 4 people the second year, 8 the third year, 16 people the 4th year, you get the picture. You double your amount every year which is over 1 billion the 30th year, 2 billion the 31 year, 4 billino the 32 year and 8 billion by the 33rd year.

We only have 6 billion people on earth right now and we can see through multiplication we should be able to reach the world in less than 33 years. If you start with a church of 512 you can cut 9 years off the time. Or if all the Christians in the world today grasped the concept of making disciples, just think how soon the world could be reached. The addition leader or kingly priest eventually took over for the multiplication evangelist in about 200 to 300 AD. The start of this process seemed to happen as the Jewish servant roots of Christianity were neglected and replaced by what I call Gentile leadership principles. It was accelerated in the past century by giving a health, wealth, prosperity gospel(which is really another Gospel) instead of using the law of God to be a schoolmaster to bring people to Christ. The early Jewish church was very familiar with the law and its purpose to lead people to Christ. Christ Himself, never backed away from the law to show people their sin. John Wesley encouraged that the law be preached 90% of the time and grace be preached 10% of the time.

Lets look at this concept of Gentile leadership principles. Gods word states that God loved Jacob but hated Esau.(Malichi 1:2 and 3 and Romans 9:13) Esau exchanged his birthright for a single meal. Jacob become Israel, Esau’s descendants became Gentiles and the enemy of God and Israel. Every chapter in scripture has an important meaning. One of the more interesting chapters in scripture is Genesis 36. It talks about the descendant of Esau. For the first time in scripture we see titles given to men. Esau’s children started out as Chiefs then by the end of Genesis chapter 36, they were a bunch of little kings. I believe this is a characteristic of man that started with the enemy of God. Satan wanted to ascend higher than God’s throne. God should be the King, but men always want an earthly king or little kings to meet their needs and protect them. Even the Israelites eventually wanted a man king and God gave them what they wanted in Saul, a handsome hunk. God then gave them what they needed in King David, a heart of gold but a little on the small side. God often gives us what we want to show us what we need. This also goes to the heart issue, man often looks at the out-word appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

In looking at the history of the church, Satan could not defeat it through killing it, so he brought in another gospel. Satan took Christ as the only way between God and Man and made the Church leader to be the way between God and man. Satan took the priesthood of all believers and made the Church leader the priest. Satan took what Gods word said as all believers being Saints, too only a few who worked their way to heaven as saints. The true church recovered much of the truth of grace during the reformation, however it never quite gave up the leadership style of the kingly priest. We want the pastor to provide our needs, instead of God. We want the pastor to minister to the hurting members of the church instead us getting in the trenches and helping.

I believe it is also a natural inclination of mans heart to be prideful. Instead of relying on Gods Holy Spirit, teachers of the word can start to think their the main attraction. When you look at the wasteland of former preachers you have to wonder what went wrong. The scripture states a man reaps what he sows. You could be the hardest working preacher; however, if you never grasp the concept that your are supposed to teach others to be disciples, you will reap what you sow and fail.

To really be a disciple maker can help keep a check on your heart. God’s word states the heart is deceitful above all things. It is very easy to hide behind ministry when it is really to make ourselves look good. If you are making disciples you are really making someone to replace you. That can be very humbling. If you are just adding people to your church you can start to think that you are indispensable. If you ever think you are indispensable read Exodus 5 where God was ready to kill Moses.

In Acts 1 verses 5 through 9 we see the key to the power and the key of where to start witnessing.
5 for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
6 And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; 8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." 9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight."

The key to us being a witness is by the power of the Holy Spirit. The key of where to start witnessing is where you are. The disciples in the first century were in Jerusalem. They started there and then went to the surrounding community then to the ends of the earth. They understood that "God so loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him shall be saved”. It states that by Acts 17:6 ".. These men who have upset the world have come here also". It states in Romans 1:8 that the whole world had heard of the faith of the Romans. Collisions 1 verse 6 also states the first century Christians reached the World. How did these first century Christians reach the world without the aid of radio or Television.

1.They were committed to the Word of God (which included church discipline, the teaching that those who live Godly through Christ Jesus will be persecuted, and the lost would suffer forever in Hell, and to store up treasures in Heaven and many other truths.)

2.They were committed to PRAYER.

3.They were committed to reach everyone with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and once that person became a Christian they were committed to teach them all that Jesus taught them.

4.They were not committed to the kingly priest attitude but of being a servant and the priesthood of all believers.

5.They were committed to each other and they were unified, as believers in Christ, not divided up into 181 different denominations. They did not have the time to argue the nuances of pre-destination because they were to busy reaching the world for Christ.

The Word of God

But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the of God. Matthew 4:4

“But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” Matthew 13:23

He replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice. “ Luke 11:28

And the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve table. But we will devote ourselves to prayer, and the ministry of the word.” Acts 6: 2 and 4

“Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word”
Acts 8:4

Prayer

“And they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to cast out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and seats of those who were selling doves; and He would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple. And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations? But you have made it a robbers DEN.” Mark 11:17
NOTE: I would hate to be the church leader at a church that does not have a regular prayer meeting and have to face Jesus with the reason.

“Pray without ceasing” 1 Th 5:17

To this end also we pray for you always that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power. 2 Th 1:11

Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you. 2 Th 3:1

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thank, be made for all men. 1 Timothy 2:1

A great way to obey I Timothy 2:1 is for the younger people to pray through their yearbooks. Older people can pray through the white pages of your area phone book, pray through the church directory, pray through your work phone list. Pray for revival for all your area churches listed in the yellow pages. During the day pray for everyone you see and by name if they have a name tag. They all need prayer. A sample prayer would be” Father God I bring all these people by name up to the throne room by the blood of Jesus. Pour out your holy spirit upon them and convict them of their sin, Your righteousness and the coming judgement. You died for these Lord Jesus, please speak to them to repent of their sins and believe in their heart that your are Lord and came in the flesh to take the penalty of sin. Show me the words to say to them or the actions to take that will help lead to their salvation” Those you know that are Christian, you could pray that God would revive them according to His word, His righteousness, and His lovingkindness.

Reaching Everyone with the Gospel

“And as you go, preach, saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 10:7

“And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.” Acts 10:42

“But we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness.” 1 Corinthians 1:23

“How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And who shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14

A great way to get the Gospel out is to write your testimony and pass out your testimony. A good web site for making out your testimony is through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ at: WWW.5clicks.com

Priesthood of All Believers

From early in scriptures, God meant for all his people to be priests, serving before Him. “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.” Exodus 19:6

“You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. “ 1 Peter 2:5

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a HOLY NATION, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim, the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

They were committed to each other

“And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness. And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.” Acts 4:31, 32, 33 and it is not by accident these verses were placed together.

“Contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.“ Romans 12:13

We are encouraged to pray for Those In Authority
I urge, then, first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. I Timothy 2:1 & 2

Sample Prayers for Leaders and Those in Authority
Father I give you thanks for these leaders and ask that your mercy be upon them. Let your Holy Spirit be poured out upon them and convict them of their sins, Your righteousness and the coming judgment. Bring comfort where they need comfort, bring healing where healing is needed, help them to be strong and courageous when they need to take a righteous but un-poplar stand. I pray that you give them wisdom and let them be a blessing to the nation of Israel and not a curse. I pray that prayer, the Ten Commandments and Jesus Christ would be brought back into public schools and that Abortion would become illegal in America and Israel. If new men and women need to be elected to bring that about, I pray that you make it happen for your Great Name’s sake. Make these men and women more like Jesus Christ show them Your will. I ask that you pour your Holy Spirit on them and save the unsaved ones and give them wisdom. I give thanks for and plead your mercy for :

President George W. Bush
Vice President Dick Cheney
National Security Advisor Dr Condoleezza Rice
Presidents Chief of Staff Andrew Card
Environmental Protection Christie Todd Whitman
Homeland Security Tom Ridge
Management & Budget Mitchell Daniels
National Drug Control Policy John Walters
Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton
Secretary of Commerce Don Evans
Department of Justice John Ashcroft
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield
Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
Secretary of Education Rod Paige
Secretary of State Colin Powell
Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham
Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta
Secretary of Urban Dev Mel Martnez
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi
United States Trade Rep Robert Zoellick
Press Secretary Ari Fleischer

TN Senator William Frist
TN Senator Fred Thompson
TN Governor Don Sunquist

US Supreme Court William H Rehnquiust
US Supreme Court John Paul Stevens
US Supreme Court Antonin Scalia
US Supreme Court Anthony M Kennedy
US Supreme Court David Hackett Souter
US Supreme Court Clarence Thomas
US Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg
US Supreme Court Stephen G. Breyer
US Supreme Court Sandra Day O’Connor

Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
Israel President Moshe Katzav
Minister of Transportation Dr. Efraim Sneh
Minister of Agriculture Shalom Simhon
Minister of Labor and social welfare Shalomo Benizri
Minister of Defense Binyamin Ben Eliezer
Minister of Internal Security Uzi Landau
Minister of Construction and Housing Natan Sharansky
Depute PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres
Minister of The Interior Eli Yishai
Minister of Finance Silvan Shalom
Minister of Science Culture and Sport Matam Vilnai
Minister of Justice Meir Shitrit
Minister of Religious Affairs Asher Ohana
Cabinet Secretary Gidon Sa'ar
Minister of Education Limor Livnat
Minister of Health Nissim Dahan
Minister of the Environment Tzahi Hanegbi
Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Eliyahu Suissa,
Minister of Communications Reuven Rivlin,
Minister of National Infrastructures Avigdor Lieberman
Minister of Regional Development Tzipi Livni
Minister of Tourism Rehavam Ze'evi(killed in Terrorist attack pray for family)
Minister Shmuel Avital,
Minister Danny Naveh,
Minister Salah Tarif
Minister Ra'anan Cohen

Wilt Thou not Thyself revive us again, That Thy people may rejoice in Thee? --Psalm 85:6

Favorite Web Sites
See Update at the Right

Public Schools verses Christian schools(including Home Schools)
Think in terms of Kindergarten through College

“Government can't educate without destroying the very object of education: the search for truth. Either government employees dictate "truth" to the formative youth or the government employee insists that objective truth does not exist. Either alternative is ludicrous and unthinkable to the rational mind.” (Elizabeth Farah of WorldNetDaily) Jesus said the truth will set you free. You can neither mention the name of Jesus in a public classroom or that there is such a thing as a definite truth.

Reverence for the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. The rewards of wisdom come to all who obey him. Praise his name forever! Psalm 111:10

Is reverence for the Lord taught in the Public school system?

The purpose of these proverbs is to teach people wisdom and discipline, and to help them understand wise sayings. Proverbs 1:2

Can you teach Proverbs in the Public School System? Wisdom and discipline are often linked in the Bible and not linked in the Public School System.

Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline. Listen, my child, to what your father teaches you. Don't neglect your mother's teaching. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and clothe you with honor. Proverbs 1:7-9

Is the Fear of the Lord taught at public schools? Do public schools tell the children to listen to what they say about sex or listen to what parents say?

For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 2:6

Is the word of God taught at Public schools?

By wisdom the LORD founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens. By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth, and the clouds poured down rain. Proverbs 3:19-20

Do public schools teach that God founded the earth? Do they teach that by his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth and clouds poor down rain?

Wisdom has built her spacious house with seven pillars. She has prepared a great banquet, mixed the wines, and set the table. She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come. She calls out from the heights overlooking the city. "Come home with me," she urges the simple. To those without good judgment, she says, "Come, eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your foolish ways behind, and begin to live; learn how to be wise." Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get a smart retort. Anyone who rebukes the wicked will get hurt. So don't bother rebuking mockers; they will only hate you. But the wise, when rebuked, will love you all the more. Teach the wise, and they will be wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn more. Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding. Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer. Proverbs 9:1-12

If you tell a public school teacher that evolution is impossible will you be mocked? Is the fear of the Lord taught at Public Schools?

To discipline and reprimand a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child. Proverbs 29:15

Do the public school systems discipline children, or is that against their policy and by-laws?

The LORD Almighty is a wonderful teacher, and he gives the farmer great wisdom. Isaiah 28:29

The Lord Almighty is a wonderful teacher, is He taught in the public school system?

And so the Lord says, "These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. And their worship of me amounts to nothing more than human laws learned by rote. Because of this, I will do wonders among these hypocrites. I will show that human wisdom is foolish and even the most brilliant people lack understanding." Isaiah 29: 13-14

In public schools are the children being taught the wisdom of man or the wisdom of God? Could there be a danger of this wisdom of man affecting their relationship to God?

You are a pleasure-crazy kingdom, living at ease and feeling secure, bragging as if you were the greatest in the world! You say, 'I'm self-sufficient and not accountable to anyone! I will never be a widow or lose my children.' Well, those two things will come upon you in a moment: widowhood and the loss of your children. Yes, these calamities will come upon you, despite all your witchcraft and magic. "You felt secure in all your wickedness. 'No one sees me,' you said. Your 'wisdom' and 'knowledge' have caused you to turn away from me and claim, 'I am self-sufficient and not accountable to anyone!' So disaster will overtake you suddenly, and you won't be able to charm it away. Calamity will fall upon you, and you won't be able to buy your way out. A catastrophe will arise so fast that you won't know what hit you. Isaiah 47:8-11

I can tell you from the experience of my wife being a teacher in the public education system for 16 and ½ years that the NEA and Teachers union have a Godless foundation. No one is accountable. They do not want to give the teachers tests or base their pay on how well they are teaching. They always support candidates who are for the killing of children through abortion, for more sex education, etc. Human wisdom and knowledge without God can often lead a God fearing person and/or nation away from Him.

Jesus stated:
“….. But wisdom is shown to be right by what results from it." Matthew 11:19b

What are the results of the public education system?

As Acts 6: 3 points out, the apostles picked men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom to take care of the widows, should we do no less to teach our children?

"Now look around among yourselves, brothers, and select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. We will put them in charge of this business.” Acts 6:3

So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world's brilliant debaters? God has made them all look foolish and has shown their wisdom to be useless nonsense. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never find him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save all who believe.
1 Corinthians 1:20-21

The world will never find God through Human wisdom, but it will find Him through the foolishness of the Gospel via His Word.

He replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice. “
Luke 11:28

With your kids in public schools for 6 hours a day, 180 days a year, 13 years. Whose word are they going to put into practice, man’s or God’s?

So why do parents send their children to public schools. Clearly from scripture Wisdom is not being taught at the public schools so that wipes out that excuse. Another reason I hear is they can not afford private schools and/or one parent could not afford to stay at home to teach their children(or there is only 1 parent). Get the Grandparents involved if possible in helping with the cost. Pray for God to open a way, He loves your kids more than you and He will provide a way.

The other reason I hear why parents send their kids to public schools is that they want them to be missionaries to the lost. Is that the best way to reach the lost. Truly this type of thinking would lead me to believe that the disciples should have went to the Saducee and Pharisee schools of their day to reach the lost, but they did not.

Another reason I hear is that they should prepare for the real world. The real world also likes to get drunk and carouse. Should we take our children to the bars and get them drunk and start taking them to strip clubs?

If you decide to send your child to public schools they will be there 6 hours a day 180 days a year, 13 years of their life. Who would win the battle for their heart and mind? How much time will you get to share with them about God. What is the real reason we send our children to the public school systems. The Lord knows the thoughts and intents of our heart. We can not blind Him with our words, like we can some of our fellow American Christians. I would ask you to look and pray through scripture then make your decision about your children’s education. Do not base it upon the wisdom of man but the Wisdom of God.

For the wisdom from above is first of all pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering and without hypocrisy. James 3:17

The Bible outlines how we should teach our children. The Hebraic aim of education was ethical and religious. Study is a form of worship. The method of instruction in the home was oral, and learning was accomplished by practice. The Hebrew taught no distinction between sacred and secular areas of life. Every detail of life therefore, must be set aside and consecrated to the glory of God. The opposite of today's popular Greek approach.

The Jewish Talmud tells a story of an elderly rabbi's counsel to his young nephew. The boy already knew the Torah, the Old Testament Law. Now he wanted to study the wisdom of the Greeks.

The rabbi recalled God's words to Joshua: "You shall meditate on it [biblical law] day and night."

"Go, then," said the rabbi. "Find a time that is neither day nor night, and learn then Greek wisdom."

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Colossians 2:8.

Final Note

January 20, 1942: The Wannsee Conference set a new course for how the Nazis would deal with the Jews. Wannsee is a suburb outside Berlin. It is where the "Final Solution" was decided, the Nazi plan for the complete elimination of the Jewish People.

The drafted document contained sixteen signatures from all the upper ministries of the German establishment. Of these sixteen signators, eight had PhD’s. By the way, Poland was divided up into six governments; all six of the German / Polish governors had PhD’s. Of the concentration camp officers, 43% of them had either MD’s or PhD’s. One of the Einsatz Gruppen commanders, Ohlendorf had a degree in law by age 21. He was a genius. Goebbels, the propaganda minister, had 3 PhD’s. He was a brilliant intellectual.

Ask the question: Does "education" equal "morality"? The answer should be obvious.
The plan drawn up at Wannsee was for the murder of eleven million Jews. One of the last things Hitler did, just before committing suicide, was to apologize to the German people for not finishing the job. Education without God/Jesus Christ leads to a holocaust.

Christ came to give life and give it abundantly

Abortion

What the Scripture States about the Killing of the Innocent
Exodus 18:21
Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them, as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens


It becomes clear from scripture that governments were supposed to protect the people.
Romans 13:3-4
3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil.

When life Begins:

Jeremiah 1:4-5
4 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
5 Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet unto the nations.

Psalm 139:14-16
14 I will praise You; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Your works; and that my soul knows right well.
15 My substance was not hid from You, when I was made in secret, and wonderfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, yet being unperfect; and in Your book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them

What the Law Said
Exodus 21:22 & 23 NLT
Now suppose two people are fighting, and in the process, they hurt a pregnant woman so her child is born prematurely. If no further harm results, then the person responsible must pay damages in the amount the woman's husband demands and the judges approve But if any harm results, then the offender must be punished according to the injury. If the result is death, the offender must be executed. Exodus 21:22 & 23 from NLT

Six things the Lord Hates
16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

I am personally against it but can not force my belief on other’s does not work.
Proverbs 24:11 & 12
Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don't stand back and let them die. Don't try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn't know about it. For God knows all hearts, and he sees you. He keeps watch over your soul, and he knows you knew! And he will judge all people according to what they have done.

Do you want to be like Pilate: he could have stopped the innocent Jesus from being cruicified but he took the easy way out like modern pro-choicers. I am personally against abortion but I can not tell a women what to do with her body.

Matthew 27:11
And when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of this Man's blood; see to that yourselves."

Why I hear some Christians vote for Pro-choice canadates.


Well the Pro-choicers are for the government helping the poor people.

God’s word states the Church is supposed to help the poor people.
Galatians 2:9 & 10
9 and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James F21 and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand F22 of fellowship, that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. 10 They only asked us to remember the poor-- the very thing I also was eager to do.

Another reason I hear of Christians voting for Pro-Choice Candidates is that their Pro-Choice Candidate is going to help save my job and the Pro-choice candidate is for the labor union which gave me a high paying Job. To that I say we need to look for God to supply our needs, not the government and not the labor union. Look at the Lord’s prayer.

"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. 10 'Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 'Give us this day our daily bread.

Another reason I hear of Christians voting for Pro-choice candidates is their Ancestors always voted for a certain party. And to that I say we will have to answer to God, not our Ancestors.

I Timothy 2:verse 1 through 5 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

John 10:9-11
9 "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. 11 "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

July 27th, 12:45pm
Verses to look at about God’s Love

God loves us so much He sent His one and only Son to die in our Place. He loves the world so much He wants us to go and tell the world about His love and His Son dying on the cross for their sins.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Matthew 22:37 and 39

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:19 & 20

If we truly believed these verses we would obey them and reach the world for Christ. The First Century Church did a lot better job of reaching the world than we have. Could it be that they all obeyed the great commission instead of how it is in the American Church today? Could it have something to do with the Jewish leadership of the early church?

July 26th, 9:00PM
It will take an act of God for the nation of Israel to continue. Of which I firmly believe will happen.

In 1996 Jamal Abdel Hamid Yussef of the Izzedine alQassam Brigades, the Military wing of Hamas stated "Our suicide operations are a message.... that our people love death. Our goal is to die for God. If we live we want to humiliate Jews and trample on their necks>" These sentiments have grown over the past 6 years and have spread to 85% of the Palestinian population. This teaching of Hamas is a religious teaching that is shared by a large segment of the Palestinian population. For them this struggle is not really about land but about their false god Allah. Therefore Israel's counterterroism policies will not have much overall effect. Even if they come up with a fence protecting them from the Palestinians, there will still be 800,000 Arabs inside Israels' former Green line. It is really quite hopeless, unless you turn to the scriptures. I see the hand of the true God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob bringing His people, back to the Book. We could eventually see some of the greatest revival this world has seen since the First Century church.