Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Follow up to an earlier piece

Part 3 – Dependence vs. Faith Thursday, May 30, 2013

An apostate church congregation lifts up themselves instead of lifting up the Cross of Christ. The motive is the intent of the group to create Man-dependence instead of God-dependence. Religion wants to make people dependent on man, spiritual godliness and godly spirituality wants to make people dependent on God and therefore, points people to the Cross of Christ Jesus.

I shared the following in my May 30^th posting but because I will connect it to the points in my posting today, I will reprint a portion of the May 30^th posting here.

The following is a real life example.

The following prophesy was given to a church congregation as a means through which Jesus could build faith in the members of the congregation. This Rhema Word falls into the category of exhortation and encouragement forms of prophesy meant for the growth of the Saints. The Pastor of this congregation first said this was not a ‘Word from God’ then later relented on his position when asked in the presence of witnesses how it was in error. He then took the position that the Word could not be presented because people in his congregation needed first to ‘Be renewed in their minds.’ To that end one would wonder is not this type of Word part of that very process; a statement you will understand better once you have read the Rhema Word for yourself. No, this pastor did not want such a powerful Rhema Word of Faith put out to his congregation because it pointed the people to the All-Sufficient Work of the Cross of Christ and would birth great faith in Jesus, and Jesus alone, among his congregants – creating less dependence on him as their shepherd.

Judge [discern] the Word for yourself.

The Rhema Word has been duplicated here exactly as it was given to the Pastor of said congregation.

Thus says the Lord God, “You seek Victory yet, you have Victory. You seek Truth, yet you have Truth. You seek Freedom, yet you have Freedom. You seek and cannot seem to find, can you not see that what you seek is Me. I Jesus am Victory. I Jesus am Truth. I Jesus am Freedom. I have told you in My Word that if you seek Me, the Truth, you will find Me. If you know Me, you know the Truth. I told you in My Word you would know the Truth and the Truth would make you free – free because I am the Truth. I and my work on the cross is all that is needed for victory and freedom; it is all that is needed to live in Truth. Why do you continue to seek Me for something that you have already if you know Me, if I am in you and you are in Me. Stop seeking to get and look at what you have and find overcoming power. I am the Lord your God hear Me.”

An individual who was actually part of the congregation this Word was intended for recently came to understand the Truth, which this pastor had denied them access to months earlier. How much distress might this person, and others, have been spared had the Word of the Lord came forth in season on the day God intended it to come forth. As the Bible says, that person’s spiritual blood is on that man’s hands. Nevertheless, Jesus saw to it that He found a way to communicate this Truth to the individual.

In one of those moments, which many of the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant have experience, this individual’s spirit cried out to the Living God for relief and was met by Jesus with the answer they needed. ‘All you need is Jesus.’ Yes, all they need is Jesus! The Cross of Jesus accomplished for this person, and for every member of the Spiritual Remnant of God, all that they would ever need for any purpose. Their Victory is found in the Cross. Their Truth is found in the Cross. Their Freedom is found in the Cross. Their everything is found in the Cross because all they need ultimately is Jesus. Dependence upon and trust in the Cross of Christ is the greatest spiritual weapon anyone could ever or will ever be able to partake in.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

¹¹And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

It has been a long time coming in our society but our society is rapidly spirally toward disaster.

In the early 1980’s homosexuality was considered a mental disorder by the American Psychological Association aka APA, now we are here thirty years later.

You might be able to sell these younger people the idea that we have evolved, grown, even improved as a people but their hearts still know something is deeply wrong with the society they live in. Moreover, there is certainly no way you are going to fool us, who have lived a while and seen how life works, into believing Satan’s propaganda.

Evil flourishes because too few godly people resist.

Christian parents… they now want to tell you that you cannot train up your children in the way they should go.

http://www.wnd.com/2013/08/gay-lawmaker-to-christians-well-take-your-children/#AgUz36lbbUfkEIpd.01

Proverbs 22:6 KJV

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Now what?

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

¹¹And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Far too many Christians believe that you must sin to show you are in grace. Many believe that living a holy lifestyle is a self-righteous form of works. Neither is fully true.

Many of the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God realizes their hearts are dying from lack of obedience because their love and devotion is so deep ordinary Christianity will not do, only Christ-likeness will do. Therefore, they suffer inwardly to show they are not self-righteous, they struggle between man and God convinced to be as devoted as their heart feels would mean certain death – rejected by most people including family, friends, peers and even people they believed to be their own brethren.

1 Chronicles 22:13 (NKJV)

Then you will prosper, if you take care to fulfill the statutes and judgments with which the LORD charged Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and of good courage; do not fear nor be dismayed.

We today also "prosper" by following God’s principles and truths. Note prosper means much more than mere money and material possession.

Hebrew definition =

"Then shalt though prosper" [AV/KJV]

6743. צָלַח tsâlach, tsaw-lakh’; or

צָלֵחַ tsâlêach, tsaw-lay’-akh; a prim. root; to push forward, in various senses (lit. or fig., tran. or intr.):— break out, come (mightily), go over, be good, be meet, be profitable, (cause to, effect, make to, send) prosper (-ity, -ous, -ously).

Read your Bibles people, if you are going to prosper spiritually and have any significant spiritual impact, “significant” being key – quality over quantity, people over dollars, God’s Will over self-will, God’s Purpose over selfish ambition, God’s Glory over celebrity – you are going to have to be someone who is not afraid to go against the grain, to break the mold, to stand when everyone else runs or just blends into the crowd. Fear of rejection, fear of persecution, fear of ridicule, even simple fear of not fitting in keeps in the door Christians from becoming sold-out Christ-like Remnant people. I would say to all those individuals…

Nehemiah 4:14 (NKJV)

And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

Why would I present this Scripture to all those individuals teetering on their spiritual fences? For one reason. God still fights for His people!

For the Current Spiritual Remnant of God their spiritual, mental, and emotional survival depend upon three factors – regeneration, sanctification, and purification. Their willingness to cooperate with these processes of grace via the Holy Spirit of God is their freewill choice but it is a choice that can greatly effect, and affect, their daily lives.

Sanctification – Purification – Regeneration

I am going to provide a very basic, baseline type of definition for each one. The layers of understanding on each of these aspects of spiritual change are multi-layered and can be very complicated to understand. They appear to be similar in meaning but theologically they are not; that said, most Christian confuse them often.

sanctification = a state of holiness bought through the Cross of Christ which manifest itself inwardly [spiritual realm] at the time of conversion and outwardly [lifestyle/physical realm] as we grow in closeness, obedience, and loyalty to Christ. It is always a work of the Holy Spirit of God through grace. [1 Corinthians 30-31, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15, 1 Peter 1:1-2]

purification = has more to do with being ‘cleaned up’ so to speak after regeneration. A purging of the sin in our lives, the harmful aspect of our lives and/or nature, setting our lives right with God and people, the purging of self-will – all prompted from inward and sincere repentance [godly sorrow] – primarily and ideally from the inside out as Jesus ordered [Mark 7:14-23] through a ‘change of heart’ aka ‘repentance’.

regeneration = complete reformation of the spirit to an ideal state, being spiritual renewed and revived, restored to God’s original intent [spiritually], being born again, the sinful nature is made new and we become open to faith in God, our inward man is renovated/recreated by grace and faith becomes alive, new birth, Messianic restoration only available through Jesus [Titus 3:4-7] – via the presenting of the Word of Truth and the prompting of the Holy Spirit. This is a onetime event.

“When God desires to do “a new thing” (Isa. 43:19 NIV), He purposely seeks out a few righteous renegades who don’t have a problem breaking the mold! Mold-breakers are usually people who don’t care much about popularity or tradition.” – Beth Moore

Jesus was such a renegade and rebel of His time; He refused to bow to religious tradition – He redeemed mankind. Paul was a renegade; He refused to accept that He was less than the rest of the Apostles and Disciples – he wrote the majority of the New Testament and taught us what it means to live for Christ. We live in a time when widespread apostasy is found within the organizations that call themselves Christian; therefore, you too will have to decide either to be one of them or one of the spiritual renegades and spiritual rebels of your day – blend in and go along or truly make a spiritual difference somewhere to someone.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

¹¹And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Monday, August 12^th 2013

The third and final part of the “Three Faces” segment will be on empathy. As with the other two installments, in this piece we will explore both, the “blessing” side and the “curse” side of empathy.

To live with a heart of empathy and walk in spiritual empathy is to share in the compassion and deep rich feelings Christ had, and has, for people. It is essentially having a Christ-like heart.

Please note all underlings in definitions and Scripture provided.

Empathy = per Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary

the experiencing as one’s own of the feelings of another; also : the capacity for this

Empathy = per Merriam-Webster’s Medical Desk Dictionary

1 : the imaginative projection of a subjective state into an object so that the object appears to be infused with it

2 : the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner; also : the capacity for empathy

1 Peter 3:8 (NKJV)

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;

“compassion” in the Greek Language is defined as:

4835. συμπαθής sumpathēs, soom-path-ace´; from 4841; having a fellow-feeling (“sympathetic”), i.e. (by impl.) mutually commiserative:— having compassion one of another.

4841. συμπάσχω sumpaschō, soom-pas´-kho; from 4862 and 3958 (incl. its alt.); to experience pain jointly or of the same kind (spec. persecution; to “sympathize”):— suffer with.

Whether they are sitting across from a hurting soul, reading an email written by one, talking with one on the phone, listening to a testimony in church or at Bible study, even merely observing or learning about someone’s plight they do not even know via some mass media source – the Spiritual Remnant feels and understands in a way most people do not. The level of their feelings for people and situations is far beyond what an secular person would deem necessary or perhaps even ‘normal’ in their definition. This is because the unspiritual man cannot understand the spiritual man. The Remnant feels people’s pain. The Remnant inside the Remnant feels God’s pain for His people.

These feeling of empathy and compassion reside in the Remnant twenty-four-seven whether they like it or not. Now as the Remnant matures spiritually they become more adapt to handling these feeling without vexing the feelings thus restricting the work of God or over-indulging in the feelings thus rendering themselves useless to the one suffering. The balance of empathy and compassion comes with godly experience and godly wisdom. The secular view and psychological teaching of the need to be monotone with little or no feelings, empathy, passion, or compassion is not biblical and causes a strange form of suppression, which is choking the life and love out of society as a whole. The Remnant must always be on guard in their quest for balance to make sure they do not secularize the natural godly heart God has given them.

Note in Merriam-Webster’s definition #2 the last portion, “without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner”. This is an extremely important aspect of empathy. One need not convince a Remnant of the validity of their feelings or even at times fully explain their feelings for the very real presence of godly empathy to arise within the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God. The Christ-like heart and compassion they feel is without effort and ever-present. This can led to the curse side of empathy.

The empathy and compassion the Spiritual Remnant feel can often drain them and leave them exhausted. The need to be consistent in a time of solitude with Jesus is crucial to their overall spiritual, mental, and emotional health, so that they do not become spiritually burnt-out. Yes, one can become spiritually burnt-out if they are serving too much and not taking care of their own spiritual health.

Why did I choose to include “compassion” when addressing the distinguishing mark of empathy found within the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God? I do so because in a godly aspect and form the two are not mutually exclusive but are instead two sides of the same coin.

Compassion = per Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary

sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it

That driving desire to “alleviate” another person’s suffering is the compassion side of the empathy coin.

Here is an interesting side note. Unless brought forth the empathy and compassion that the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant carry within themselves can easily be overlooked. Why? The contrast between those traits and another often misunderstood quality. The spirit of God inside, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Authority of the Truth spoken is what makes the called of God “appear” intimidating. It is not the person who is intimidating to people it is often the Truth inside the person, which is intimidating. Much to the Remnant’s chagrin, most people do not know how to discern the difference and interact with the Remnant appropriately. Without the ability to interact properly, individuals often cannot recognize the empathy and compassion the Spiritual Remnant carry inside their spirits.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

¹¹And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Jesus truly is the ONLY WAY! 

This simple sermon makes that clear in the cuties way and within two minutes. 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=116540411865816

Friday, August 09, 2013

In this piece, we will explore the “blessing side” and “curse side” of insight. This piece will in no way attempt to address all the various facets, gifts, and characteristics of “insight” but it will scratch the surface of several and follow up pieces will explore the topic more thoroughly.

I will start by being clear about the type of “insight” this piece will be exploring. When I reference insight in connection with the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God, I am writing about godly spiritual insight, which originates with Jesus and comes through the Holy Spirit of God. For me and for the purpose of my writings no other forms of insight are worthy of discussion. Therefore, you have now been made fully aware of the source and motivation behind the type of insight to which I will be referring. Should that appear closed-minded to you, I will just express to you a tagline an acquaintance uses, ‘Don’t be so opened minded your brains fall out.’

To varying degrees the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God share an “insight” that makes life, let’s say – less than pleasant. Depending on the Remnant’s spiritual gifts, passions, and life experiences their insight will have more or less depth but this insight exist in all. Remnants with certain spiritual gifts have enormous insight but that aspect is for another time. Insight nevertheless is always present and sadly often hidden by false humility or a poor understand of how to display godly humility.

What is insight?

Please take special note the underlined words in the following text.

Insight = per Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary

1 : the power or act of seeing into a situation : PENETRATION

2 : the act or result of apprehending the inner nature of things or of seeing intuitively

synonyms see DISCERNMENT

the ability to understand inner qualities or relationships — see WISDOM

By using the definition of insight from Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, we can glean the following points.

† Insight is in itself a form of wisdom and in our context godly wisdom.

† The ability to understand the inner dynamics of a situation that one has little or no previous knowledge of is present for those individuals strongly gifted with some of the revelatory gifts, which accompany spiritual insight.

† There is an understanding or insight regarding everyday life concerning what should and should not be done. This insight comes from within and flows with great easy. This ‘knowing’ of what is best aka the Will of God comes to them with ease, with little thought or effort on their part, deriving from a very prayerful connection with Jesus.

† In conjunction with some revelatory gifts, they can see into and know aspects of a situation without being given information. The individual often speaks into people’s lives and situations without effort or sometimes even without knowledge that they have done so. Doing this without knowledge is especially common among those who are given to submitting every word they speak to the Authority of Christ.

Ps 49:3 AV / KJV

My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.

Pr 2:3-5 AV / KJV

³ Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; ⁴ If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; ⁵ Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

“of understanding” “understanding” in the Hebrew language =

8394. תָּבוּן tâbûwn, taw-boon’; and (fem.)

תְּבוּנָה t^ebûwnâh, teb-oo-naw’; or

תּוֹבֻנָה° tôwbûnâh, to-boo-naw’; from 995; intelligence; by impl. an argument; by extens. caprice:— discretion, reason, skilfulness, understanding, wisdom.

From these two verses in Psalms and Proverbs coupled with the Hebrew definition of what this “understanding” aka insight is, we can glean the following.

† God grants wisdom and knowledge to those who seek it with a right motive. Thus granted to a person, when they seek His godly wisdom and His godly knowledge for the purpose of advancing His causes in life – His Will not their will.

† There is a form of intelligence that cannot be taught in the classroom or from books and can only come from God and the life experiences through which He leads a person. I have heard it said that book learning was opposed to godly understand and godly spirituality. I do not agree. I believe they can co-exist as long as God is always given priority and His Truths always honored over earthly understanding. I have also heard it said that seminary or the study of psychology would destroy ones faith. I disagree here as well, though I do believe both will test ones faith, which may well be God’s plan. I also believe a proper understanding of psychology can be very useful, in that, when reconciled and connected to spiritual understanding combining the two can be extremely helpful. Secular psychology will allow no such combining to take place therefore; true Christian Mental Health professionals must go outside of, and stay outside of, the established secular mental health associations in order to maintain freedom in Christ.

† There is an insight, which produces a skillfulness that is beyond human understanding. We find this often exhibited in examples of, ‘With his/her abilities, training, and education he/she should have never been able to accomplish that.’

† Insight comes with a great deal of common sense aka reason.

† People with deep insight understand how to ‘connect the dots’, as I enjoy calling it, of both their lives, the lives of those around them, their community, and society as a whole. They see God at work in most happenings and can weave the events of their world together making godly connections between what is happening in the spiritual realm and the physical realm.

† The capricious attitude that comes with insight is a form of faith, in that the individual knows what to do, how to do it, and sees no need to delay especially when prompted by God to act.

1 Corinthians 2:12-16 AV / KJV

¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. ¹³ Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. ¹⁴ But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵ But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. ¹⁶ For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

“judgeth” in the Greek Language =

350. ἀνακρίνω anakrinō, an-ak-ree´-no; from 303 and 2919; prop. to scrutinize, i.e. (by impl.) investigate, interrogate, determine:— ask, question, discern, examine, judge, search.

Philippians 1:9 AV / KJV

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment

Philippians 1:9 NKJV

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,

“judgment” in the Greek Language =

144. αἴσθησις aisthēsis, ah´-ee-sthay-sis; from 143; perception, i.e. (fig.) discernment:— judgment.

143. αἰσθάνομαι aisthanŏmai, ahee-sthan´-om-ahee; of uncert. der.; to apprehend (prop. by the senses):— perceive.

“knowledge” in the Greek Language =

1922. ἐπίγνωσις ĕpignōsis, ep-ig´-no-sis; from 1921; recognition, i.e. (by impl.) full discernment, acknowledgement:— (ac-) knowledge (-ing, -ment).1921. ἐπιγινώσκω ĕpiginōskō, ep-ig-in-oce´-ko; from 1909 and 1097; to know upon some mark, i.e. recognize; by impl. to become fully acquainted with, to acknowledge:— (ac-, have, take) know (-ledge, well), perceive.

In addition to the aspects of insight we have previously covered, these verses from 1 Corinthians and Philippians along with the Greek definition attached to “judgment” and “knowledge” reveal to us a few additional points.

† Those individual with insight magnified by certain revelatory gifts can see very deeply into the hearts of people and have the God-given ability to determine any number of things about the person which is most likely not evident on the surface. The God-given ability to know the mind and heart of a person or a situation is a deeper level of spiritual discernment. This aspect of insight can be greatly affected by the Remnants spiritual growth and spiritual health.

† There are also those individual who seem to have greater understanding of the mind of Christ, meaning to know and understand the Will of Jesus.

† Love, true godly love for their brothers and sisters in Christ and the lost world, will drive these people to make the Truths and Will of God known with ever-greater knowledge and discernment.

per Smith’s Bible Dictionary

Mark 16:17. 2. Acts 2:1–13; 10:46; 19:6. 3. 1 Cor. 12, 14. III. The promise of a new power coming from the divine Spirit, giving not only comfort and insight into truth, but fresh powers of utterance of some kind, appears once and again in our Lord’s teaching. The disciples are to take no thought what they shall speak, for the spirit of their Father shall speak in them. Matt. 10:19–20; Mark 13:11.

Lastly, our insight gleaned from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary definition regarding spiritual insight.

† The Remnants functioning with insight empowered by the revelatory gifts know what to say, when to say it, and what needs to be emphasized within what is expressed.

† The Remnant’s insight always supports Truth – their insight must not contradict the Will of God as found in His Written Word, if it does, it is not godly insight.

Always keep in mind that Christ Jesus determines the gifts and level of insight He desires a Believer to function in. Furthermore, what He gives to each member of the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God is given to them according to His Will, for His Purpose, that HE MIGHT BE MAGNIFIED AND GLORIFIED! 1 Corinthians 12-14

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

¹¹And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Friday, August 09, 2013

Christians better start speaking up.

We give up our "rights" for Christ we don’t give up our "right" to Christ and we don’t give up our "rights" to man.

“Trial Begins for Christians Arrested for Reading Bible Outside California DMV”

http://christiannews.net/2013/08/05/trial-begins-for-christians-arrested-for-reading-bible-outside-california-dmv/

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

In this piece, we will explore the “blessing side” and “curse side” of emotions.

Emotions when manifest into the reality of the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God can create either a blessing or a curse based on how the individual incorporates them into their daily lives and thus handles them. Properly managed and subjected to the regulation of the Holy Spirit, these emotions can have an affect, and effect, on the Remnant and others that will translate into something for God’s glory.

The CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God I have personally known carry within themselves a great many, sometimes rather complex, and for some confusing, variety of emotions. The intensity of these emotions are almost always strong, yet, far too many individual suppress these emotions instead of asking God what the emotions are all about. It is neither healthy to suppress ones emotions or to allow ones emotions to control you. Emotions should instead “direct us” toward a certain path.

What are emotions?

Emotion = per Merriam-Webster’s Medical Desk Dictionary

1 : the affective aspect of consciousness

2 : a state of feeling

3 : a conscious mental reaction (as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body —

God gave us emotions and just like anything God has granted or given us we must be good stewards of those emotions. We cannot allow those emotions to run our lives but we can allow those emotions to be used by God to direct our steps, actions, and reactions. Emotions are often barometers to our surrounding. If we allow our emotions to control our lives then we live under the “curse” of our emotions. If we allow our emotions to help us see and understand our lives, our world, our community, the Body of Christ, and people then we can live under the “blessing” of our God given emotions. One way or another they are going to affect our consciousness, better if we play a proactive part.

The CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God “feel” things with such intensity that it is often frightening to them. This ought not be however, for have we not read our Bible and know that our counter-parts also felt things with a enormous amount of intensity. I am often perplexed to encounter individuals who seem to think that a form of what the biblical people encountered will not me translated within the world and society of God’s current people. I told a protégé one time, ‘Don’t these people read the Bible.’ For often, we expect things to be different – but why do we expect that. Our customs and manner for doing things might be different this day and time than they were in biblical days but attitudes, thoughts, treatment, etc. are the same. When we examine the biblical characters the closer to God they were the more intensely they seem to “feel” things – both, the things of this world and in the spiritual realm. As you identify with the mind of Christ more, you will sense His heart more, understand His passion [suffering] more, know His compassion more and thus feel more. To escape those feeling is to escape identifying more and more with Him.

Without those ‘strong reactions’ also known as “feeling” we might not see the warning signs of danger, which fear creates. We may not be moved to bring about change if we do not feel righteous anger about something that is ungodly or evil. Without compassion we might just leave the broken individuals alone and broken with little to no help. Void of sadness and mourning how can one truly understand the value of hope and joy. If we never feel emotional pain, when in fact we have been betrayed or abandoned, can we believe we are truly fully alive. If we cannot experience grief over our losses in life then we will never be able to let them go and move on. Read your Bible, God had some very strong feelings on both sides of the positive and negative chart and so did His servants.

Feelings play a part but they never dominate. We listen to our feeling only as they are subject to God’s Word and God’s Will. If our feelings contradict God’s Written Word then our feeling are not to be listened to or obeyed. We allow our feeling to be our guides, under God’s guidance, to greater insight not to destruction. Left unchecked and unregulated that intensity of feeling that the Remnant carry can lead some to cope in very unhealthy and destructive ways. To handle emotions destructively is to be a selfish child of God selling out His great rewards, His great life, Kingdom and Promise Land living, for an ease from current emotions. Nevertheless, God will allow us our choice on a daily bases. God never contradicts Himself and we must often put our feeling aside and act according to God’s Word.

There is a fine line between our feelings being useful for our overall health and the health of other and our feelings being a detriment to our ability to function as God would have us. Therefore, subject ALL feeling to God for His review and use.

Again, that “intensity of emotions” is a sign and characteristic of the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God, whether male or female. God has not created us to be a weeping willow, raging bull, or a robot. Find the balance with your feeling and you will live under the “blessing side” of your emotions and not under the “curse side” of your emotions.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

¹¹And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Re-post of an earlier entry, from Monday, June 24, 2013, in advance of three follow-up pieces.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Emotion – Insight – Empathy

These three simple words when manifest into the reality of the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God can create either a blessing or a curse based on how the individual wears them, which can often be found within the countenance of their face.

Most of the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God I have personally known carry within themselves a great capacity for all three; emotion, insight, and empathy when they are not suppressed out of fear, anger, wounds, or self-preservation. Properly managed and subjected to the regulation of the Holy Spirit, all three of these aspects of the Remnant’s emotional and mental being are both useful to God and mankind.

Over the next few posting, we will explore each of these emotional and mental faces which are worn by the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God; exploring both, the “blessing” side and the “curse” side of each. For now, we will begin with some basic understanding of what the definition for each word actually is, not what we might think it to be. With the dummy down of America which has taken place over the last twenty years we find many people have a very basic concept of what words mean, when in fact words are often rich with meaning and have many layers of meaning when truly understood.

Emotion = per Merriam-Webster’s Medical Desk Dictionary

1 : the affective aspect of consciousness

2 : a state of feeling

3 : a conscious mental reaction (as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body —

Insight = per Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary

1 : the power or act of seeing into a situation : PENETRATION

2 : the act or result of apprehending the inner nature of things or of seeing intuitively

synonyms see DISCERNMENT

the ability to understand inner qualities or relationships — see WISDOM

Empathy = per Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary

the experiencing as one’s own of the feelings of another; also : the capacity for this

Empathy = per Merriam-Webster’s Medical Desk Dictionary

1 : the imaginative projection of a subjective state into an object so that the object appears to be infused with it

2 : the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner; also : the capacity for empathy

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

¹¹And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Believers are you prepared for what is coming?

http://www.wnd.com/2013/07/u-s-city-looks-to-penalize-bible-believers/#VGtHXIFd3Bg1DKux.01

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Sadly, recently I had to tell a protégé to be cautious about encouraging her parents to return to “church” meaning just any church. Why did I have to do that, caution her in such a way? I had to bring a word of caution because the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God does not lead most of the “religious churches” in the landscape of our society and communities.

Here is what I shared with her:

“As you allow God to use you with your parents, I caution you against outwardly encouraging your parent to reenter a religious setting and instead encourage them in things that will grow their relationship and closeness with God. If your parents reenter a religious church system and something should happen or it is an apostate type of environment, it could well drive them away from God even further. A case of the cure being worse than the sickness situation. People associate the religious church system in this country with God – rightfully so to a small degree – but when the real church’s existence has been replaced largely in public society by an apostate religious church it does not represent God well and He gets the blame for man’s sins. The spiritual environment has drastically changed in our country since your parents where young and the true church is rarely seen publically – therefore, if they are exposed to what makes up most the religious landscape of our country they could be more spiritually harmed than helped.”

Yes, many, if not most of the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant have defected from the religious communities throughout the United States. Is this a bad thing? A necessary thing? God’s Will? Yes and no. Yes and no. And finally yes and no. Let’s explore why.

What does it mean to defect? Well per Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary –

defect: to forsake one cause, party, or nation for another often because of a change in ideology

Because some individuals/ministers teach the theory of christianity while other individuals/ministers live out Christianity there has clearly been a parting of the ways, so to speak, in the ideology of what the true face of Christianity is today. Secular religion is widely viewed as Christianity in America and it is not true Bible based, Jesus following, Christianity.

Therefore, we find that many of the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God has defected from these religious communities but not necessarily from ‘gathering with the church’ and serving God. It has been necessary for some to depart religious communities in order to fulfill God’s call on their lives and it has been necessary for others to remain for a season to do a specific work within that religious community. However, it is never God’s Will that His Remnant either run from or remain with the secular religious community. Each person’s situation and circumstances must be examined in light of God’s overall Will for His people and God’s specific Will for that individual. Hence, the ability for the answer to our earlier question to be “yes and no.”

Whereas, there are many different individual, in various stages of their walk with God who will read this material; I would like to take a moment and address a specific group whose actions and reactions to what is happening within our religious society, and within the Remnant, will cause the most damage or do the most good for God’s Kingdom. That would be those who know they were called by God, know they are part of the Remnant, know they were given an assignment but have stumbled or are struggling in relation to what God would have them do – the part He would have them play.

Now within that group of the called, many individuals come to mind and many will be able to relate to what I am about to write. Nevertheless, the balance of this specific paragraph will speak loudly and clearly to the hearts and spirits of one specific couple. Here is what needs to be said… ‘Most ever good parent wants better for their children than what they had or were able to accomplish. Whereas, your early leaders are godly men and women of God, God would have you exceed what they were able to accomplish. The reason you struggle is that you see what God is showing you to do as a departure from, and therefore a betrayal of, what your mentors and leaders invested in you. It is no betrayal and no departure; it is a further fulfillment of the same. The vision that God gave your mentors and leaders was for that time and to the degree that they could and would accept and thus be able to walk in. What God shows you now is an improvement upon what they did. By doing what God is leading you to do you are not dishonoring your former leaders and mentors but instead honoring them by doing better, and going further, toward God’s ultimate goal.’

Back to the subject of the stumbling and struggle that comes with a task and calling that seems beyond anything you can imagine. Well guess what, it is beyond you and thus you need God. Let us look at another servant of God who experienced what it was like to struggle with a “tough calling” – King David.

Prior to the following Scripture and during the events, which lead to this moment in Scripture when David was confronted by the Prophet and fell into such distress, should you read the accounts in 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles in context, you can safely glean two Truths.

1 – David saw that God’s people were involved in evil and sinful ways and did not do anything.

2 – David deserted the throne [calling/assignment] God had given him and was in a place in life where he did not trust God to fight his battles for him.

Where did these actions and attitudes lead David?

2 Samuel 24:14 (NKJV)

^“And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.” “

If we find ourselves in the place that David found himself, Scripture give us an answer to our concerns. Humble ourselves and return to what God has given us to do. Submit ourselves and trust once again in the protection of our God.

Isaiah 66:2 (NKJV)

For all those things My hand has made,

And all those things exist,”

Says the Lord.

“But on this one will I look:

On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,

And who trembles at My word.

If God has given you a job to do, return to it and complete it for He is watching and waiting to glory in your faithfulness. God will not fail to be there to keep and protect you, even unto death, during the process of fulfilling His Will for your life.

The True Christian Community has always lived as a counter-culture within their society. The True Christian Community today, known as the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant, live as a counter-culture not only within their society but also within what widely represents Christianity within their society; yet, let it never be mistaken that the face of Christianity within our society today is the True Current Spiritual Remnant, the Body of Christ, the Church – they are not.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

¹¹And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Before you even read this posting let me make this clear.

It should be well established by now that I appreciate your insights, input, questions, and sharing of what you are going through and dealing with – this is how we feed one another as a Body and grow together, through sharing. That said, for this particular posting I make the following request. Do not write me with your comments about my decision to use “Helen Thomas” as an example in one of my posting. Guess why? Because you most likely have said something before you wish you had not said, you most likely have made a mistake publically you wish you had not made, and you most likely are human like all the rest of us.

This new way we seem to be doing things in this country, in the last ten years especially, has me baffled. If you make a mistake it wipes away every good thing you have contributed in your lifetime – wow what a burden to carry – we would all have to be Jesus, Perfection in the flesh.

I am not, you are not, and Ms. Thomas was not, so why don’t we just look at all her years, not just one really bad one.

What you have to remember is we can learn as much from our mistakes as we can our successes if we are willing to – just like we can learn from other people’s mistakes and successes if we look closely and are willing to learn. Learning through observing another is one of the least painful ways to learn something.

Now to my post…

Helen Thomas – Dare We Ask?

Helen Thomas / Member of the White House Press Corps / Opinion Columnist / American Author / News Service Reporter [August 4, 1920 – July 20, 2013].

“Traditionally, Thomas sat in the front row and asked the first question during White House press conferences.” Later in her career… “Thomas was moved to the back row during press conferences; She was called upon at briefings on a daily basis but no longer ended Presidential news conferences saying, "Thank you, Mr. President.” When asked why she was seated in the back row, she said, "they didn’t like me…I ask too mean questions.” – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A commentary on the actual facts.

Once Ms. Thomas had spent her time being punished, by being placed on the back row for wanting answers to questions, which were unpopular, she was once again called upon by the President. What did Ms. Thomas do? She asked, yet another, unpopular politically incorrect question which was carefully evaded.

Ms. Thomas remained true to her convictions, even under her own form of persecution, her banishment to the back row, and thus continued to do what she felt was right; to ask the questions which needed to be answered, to ask “too mean questions.”

Whether secular or spiritual Truth Seekers do just that; they ask questions people feel are too mean, too questioning, too demanding – questions, which require an actual answer, that can be supported by Truth.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

¹¹And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.