Can You See The Handwriting On The Wall?

Much of the world, along with many people in the body of Christ are living in denial. Even in the wake of all the tragedies, natural & man made disasters that are and have taken place, there still exists an "it ain't true" mindset--everything is good and we'll pull through. The refusal to see the state of where we truly are will leave many caught off guard. The writing on the wall is so evident, so clear, I'm left scratching my head at how others still cry peace, peace---we just want peace. They say we need to coexist, we need to all get along--we serve the same God--for the sake of peace let us reason together and come to a clear understanding so that peace may reign. They are blind, deaf, and spiritually dead, having a form of godliness but denying God all together. Wake up-wake up you who slumber, the Master is at the door and He's closer than you think---than you want to believe. Now begins the beginning of the end. You have heaped up false teachers to tickle your ears, you have forsaken the narrow way and have chosen to enter by the wide gate! You lead the sheep astray, heaping up for yourselves treasures that will rust, and be melted away. You have no desire but to satisfy the desires of the flesh, you who call good evil and evil good. No more will your prayers be heard--no more will He incline His ear to hear you--now begins judgment. But those who are His know the time is near, those who have been called by Him know his voice and are sounding the trumpet. Those who are His have told you time and time again to repent! But you refuse--you say in your heart--time has gone on and will continue to do so---but you are wrong. There is coming a day when all will stand before the throne of judgment. Get your house in order, fall upon your face in prayer, fasting, seeking Christ for no one comes to the Father but through Him--the one and only son of God--He is Christ--Him crucified for the sins of the world. Can you not see the writing on the wall?

Welcome To The Show....We Call Church

These days churches are looking more and more like a circus act that you might find in Vegas. In order to be relevant in this culture, many people believe we must take a cue from the world. Pastors are going for the dramatic--you gotta look like the world to draw 'em mentality. When I hear the words, epic, life changing, radical in association to any church a shiver goes down my spine--(I avoid such churches). These are the same people who've coined the phrase "Jesus was a rebel", which gives them the green light & justification for shallow, man centered, theatrical, circus like shenanigans. My question is--was Jesus truly a rebel (our definition of rebel)? In order to answer that question, let's look at a few truths about who Jesus was & still is:

• Jesus called out the Pharisees--those who had a form of godliness, but denied Him--they honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him..they were the religious.
• He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. Isiah 53:2
• He reached out to the "least of these"--the outcasts--rejected. He loved them, broke bread with them--but was never influenced by them---He influenced them.
• He demanded repentance--he demanded that we deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Him. Sadly, many couldn't do that--because they loved the world too much.
• Jesus never once compromised Himself to be relevant to the world-- He never took on the identity of the world, he demanded that we take on His identity.
• He called sinners to repentance--for the Kingdom of God is at hand.

Acts 2:42-47 "42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved."

In summary: The profession of their faith was in their actions, their devotion, their love for Christ, so much so that people were drawn to them--not by theatrics and pony shows--but by them actually walking the walk.

John 13:35 Jesus says:

³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. ³⁵ By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

None of the Apostles drew anything from the world--They looked nothing like the world. People are craving the truth--their tiered of the dog and pony shows--religious self seeking hypocrites who serve no other purpose than to tear the body of Christ apart, the people of God are tiered of the religious looking the part and not acting the part, the people of God are tiered of seeker sensitive churches and pastors, who are still on milk and not solid food. Tricks are for kids!

Can You Spot The Differences?

Who doesn't like a good puzzle every now and then. I don't fancy myself a great mind in such things. However, I do enjoy the occasional logic puzzle, which requires more concentration than your typical "spot the difference pictures". As a child I loved those games you'd find in the back of a kid's magazine, or on the back of your cereal box. Even now that I'm an adult, I do enjoy the comparative picture puzzles. One thing is for sure--not all comparative pictures are alike. Some are easier, while others require you to take each object in the picture and break it down in sections. The differences can be slight to very obvious----just like the church. These days its getting harder and harder to actually find an institutional church that is centered on God and not man.

Galatians 1:6-10 "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel--not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."

As you see, there is nothing knew about man...me..centered doctrines. The world will do what its always done --the problem comes ---when the world infiltrates the church,and the church starts taking on the identity of the world & looking more and more like the world and less like Christ, having the appearance of godliness but denying its power. Friendship with the world is enmity against God. My grandmother has a saying: "Honey, not everyone is a child of God." Words of wisdom that I've learned---some the hard way---but learned them. The only way to spot a fake is to compare it to the real thing. Never take what someone says as fact, search it and find out. There's a high price to pay in the end for compromising--I'm not sure many realize how high the price is----it's your soul!

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world, therefore what they say is of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.