Vain Superstitions

We are not called to frolic in the guestimations of the world regarding the Holiness of God.  We are called to join with Him in implementing His will among men.  While men make guesses regarding end times, the “Way”, the nature of Jesus’ salvation and glorification, God remains steady and sure.  He does not shift or change according to the limited understanding of man’s wicked contrivings regarding Holy.  God is.  And it is enough for us to live by the faith He gives each one of us.

Cease your constant wandering and rest.  It is God who works His will in His people.  Do not be swayed by all kinds of foolish words with which man builds his kingdoms.  They speculate about what is true.  It is God’s domain to KNOW what is true.  The one who follows Jesus will lay aside all this foolishness and pick up what is absolute.  God is willing to share wisdom to anyone who will ask.  And He will share this vast resource without judgment of any man’s history or bend toward wickedness.  Only, let us not give in to believing all the short sighted superstitions the world begs us to endure.  Hold firmly to Jesus and the truth He reveals.

Let those who will chase after vain knowledge; knowledge that is puffed up by the mind and wicked heart of man.  It is not the lot of Christians to cave to the foolish of the world around them who do not know the Lord of Glory.

By His Grace.

Needless Death, Yours.

For those who harbor hatred and an unforgiving spirit toward anyone.  We are told that if we don’t forgive we will not be forgiven.  And in the way of hatred toward others, God has demanded that everyone lay down hatred as if it were a branding iron in an unshielded hand.   But you might say, “You don’t know what was done to me”.   I would respond, “You don’t know what you’ve done to God”.  In God’s eyes, there is no such thing as an innocent victim.  We might have been victimized by someone else.  But we’ve done our own brand of damage to what is Holy and eternal.

Since our eternal home is dependent on these two terms, wouldn’t it be wise to consider the outcome of selfishness?   Jesus will offer forgiveness till your last breath.  After that you will be held accountable for your own actions.  Accepting His gift now will avoid a needless death; yours.

By His Grace.

Walking as Dead

You have strayed from what is right and run after all kinds of evil.  Your body is wrapped in addictions.  Your mouth is full of cursings and wicked words.  And you think there is no longer any hope for you.

Yet there is hope.  There is no need for you to wander in this darkness any longer.  I testify that I too was encased in all these things.  I too was a fool.  I did things, said things, thought things, and chased after every manner of evil.  But it was Jesus who set me free to stand before The Father with confidence and a clean mind and heart. 

People speak of forgiveness as though it were a “pie in the sky” dream.  I tell you it is real!  When you come to Jesus there is a true transformation which takes place.  Though it’s not an over night experience, you will find evil slip away from you. If you will remain with Him, He will transform you into His desire.  No longer will you chase after evil.  You will begin to desire what is good.  He will teach you what you should do. 

There is absolutely no lie in what I’ve just said.  I testify as one who has been set free of evil.  Though I am still a man and stumble around a bit, it is His leading that will bring me into God’s presence clean and justified.  God is the Judge.  God is the One who forgives through Jesus.  It is God who will lift you up from death to life.  All men and women walk as dead in this world until they are set into The Life by Jesus. 

By His Grace.

Who is This Jesus?

Who is this Jesus?  He was made heir of all things by the Living God.  He was given the status of Son by the Living God.  He was taught by the Father how to create all that is created.  He has loved righteousness and hated wickedness.  And so He was elevated to the status of God Most High.  He is the radiance of God’s Glory; the exact representation of God.  He is the spoken and speaking Word of God.  Who is this Jesus?

The world thinks of Jesus as a little baby.  And in that form He is conveniently small and insignificant.  Yet that is not the Jesus of God’s understanding.  He is a prophet to some, yet that is not the Jesus of God’s understanding.  He has been with the Father from the beginning and will remain with Him forever.  He is the redeemer of men; causing them to become holy as the Father is Holy.  Yet the world sees Him as a nuisance. 

We will see Him as the One who endured GREAT pain for the sake of His Father’s will.  When we see Him, He will be dressed in absolute Glory.  For now many see Jesus as an irritation.  On the Day of God’s Wrath, we will see Him as He is.  No longer will men doubt.  No longer will they rail against righteousness.  No longer will they kill, maim, chide, and relegate God’s people to obscurity. 

The wicked will perish like a ball of cotton in an intense flame.  They will scream with terror at the prospect of their fate.  And they will hate Jesus with an eternal hatred.  I do not wish anyone to endure what is coming for the wicked.  Please consider what He is.  Consider with a great trembling.  You are about to meet your maker.  His name is Jesus.

By His Grace.

This Place of Testing.

How amazing is the Lord Most High.  We consider our world as though it has always been.  For we only know of this place.  But I ponder that this place has a place of origin.  It began somewhere.  This causes me to ponder why.  God didn’t need to make us, or did He?

Eternity was rolling on.  Then at one point, God said, “Let us make man in our image”.  Why?  I’ve come to call this world a “Place of Testing” for this reason.  I’m not a smart man.  And I can’t remember everything I read or write.  But I rely on a general body of knowledge for the following.  Perhaps a scholar can add the pointed scriptures to support what I’m about to write.  I’ve written about this before.  But it just blows me away to consider the Greatness of God in this topic.

There was perfection from eternity.  God had created what was Good.   Since there’s no lie in God, no lie was in creation, until. . .  There was an Angel who thought he knew better than God what was good.  Rather than have to explain to an innocent creation what a lie was, he created a world of choice.  A people were given the choice to follow what is Good or chose to disobey. 

God is just.  Along with creating this place of testing, He also chose One to redeem those who would certainly fall to disobedience.  The only thing which marks us as able to be redeemed is that we are blind to the Glory of God.  But God is also going to put an end to the liar and all his ways.   And this is what we speak today.  Repent and seek the Redeemer.

There is a whole lot more to this story.  But with this as the basis, I find a great responsibility to seek Him.  He began this place.  He will end it.  Those who spend their life serving Him by the power of Jesus’ sacrifice will receive a certain reward for their loyalty.  Those who follow after the lie which started all this will receive a certain reward also.

I’m sure I’ll write more about this later.  But my meager mind runs out of words quickly. 

By His Grace.

The “New Age” Lie.

In my usual day, I rarely come into contact with the “new age” belief structures.  For those of you who are like me, this might need a moment of explanation.  New age belief structures praise the natural things.  By natural things I mean everything that man can see, hear, touch, taste, smell and consider.  There is a powerful pull to follow after their ways because what they worship is larger than any individual man.  Not to mention that the evil of man has corrupted the natural world by his wickedness.   So, not only does their object of worship have a larger place than man, it also has an enemy that they can identify.

But there is One who is higher.  In the new age religion peace among all men and nature is the objective.  Tolerance is the vehicle of their objective.  And wickedness is only something we can correct on our own.  There are many things to say against the religion of this age.  But these three are enough to build a case against the worship of the created.

Peace among men is a useless desire.  We want peace from a selfish point of view.  We want peace because we want to pursue our own interests.  And though we cloak our desire for peace by saying that we want peace for all men, we are not addressing the peace of God in our search and work.  Peace cannot be accomplished by selfishness.  They are at odds with each other and will never produce eternal peace.  I want what is right for me.  But by wanting that peace which is right for me, I consume, or take away, from someone else something they want.  Given full rein, this work of establishing peace will only end in a war over something trivial.

Tolerance cannot be the vehicle to that which is pure.  We tolerate everyone regardless of their actions, thoughts, desires, and ability.  But we cannot do that in order to establish purity and eternal happiness.  For in the toleration of many things we are upholding sin.  Wickedness is sin.  And there is no wickedness or sin which will remain eternally.   Those who willingly accept this idea that tolerance will produce eternal peace are fooled.  And those people are only willing to accept something less that perfection.

Many stories which come from these people portray an age where everyone gets along.  Even though their dreams depend on technology to bolster their manufactured peace, they don’t see that this is not the way into eternity.  They don’t desire to be rid of their weakness, they support or hide it by use of their own hands.  They imagine that they can invent a machine which can transform a criminal’s mind into a righteous man’s mind.  What they believe is false.  It will never happen.  They are trying to create what God has said cannot be.  All men are corrupt and are in need of a transformation that can only come from God.

And finally, the only great success this new age belief accomplishes is that they rid themselves of an awareness of God and His Holy demands of all men.  He has created us.  It is not the other way around.  They worship what He has created as though it is worthy of eternity.  But God says this place of testing will one day be rolled up like a scroll to make way for the eternal.  To you who practise this new age religion in it’s many forms I have this to say to you.  You can do anything you wish for now.  You can believe and say that anything is true.  It’s been given to you to pursue any lie you want for now. 

But you make one grave mistake.  You mistake this life you now live as an end to itself.  God has given this life in this place as a testing ground.  He is watching and will judge every action and thought of the heart.  A day is coming when what we see will be evaporated.  Right now you look at what is created, even your children, and see something “good”.   You balk at my words of warning and say to yourself, “It is not right to think of destruction of all this around us”.  You look at yourself as special and worthy of God’s approval.  But you have not sought the One who made you.  Rather, you turn to the work of your own hands to supply what you call holy.  You have no idea at all of the Holiness of the One who made you.

Even Christians are tempted to fall into your belief.  Yet it is He who corrects our understanding and continually urges us to submit to His Holiness.  In that way we do not worship what is created and keep our focus on Him.  He is willing to teach all men how to worship and follow Him.  But you must lay down your own religion.  If you earnestly seek Him you will find Him.  But if, along the path of your search, you settle for something built by man you will stumble. 

Jesus is His name.  You will find the account of Him in the Bible.  From the first page to the last, Jesus is the name.  Anything less will not survive what is coming from the Most High God.

By His Grace.

Watchman, What is Left of the Night?

“Watchman, what is left of the night”?  The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again.” (Isaiah 21: 11, 12)

We wait as men condemned.  We search the sky for the appearance of He who never lies.  The world has condemned all who would be godly in Christ Jesus.  Yet we know we live as free men.  We do not want death to come upon anyone.  Yet the Lord of Glory has proclaimed, with absolute justice, that death will come upon all who remain in wickedness.  It is not ours to condemn anyone.  But it is our glorious duty to proclaim that message along side the message of hope.  For what is hope without the horror of death?

May we not forget His promise against all that is corrupt.  We hear the “good news” being spread all about us.  But it seems that many forget why we call it “good news”.  God is just and perfect.  He demands all people everywhere to turn from wickedness and seek holiness.  He has given His Son that all who desire might find Him and receive the power to become God’s people.  Yet the world invents their own brand of religion to cover over their wickedness. 

Here is only one warning among many.  There is darkness about them.  They cannot see what is coming and will not inquire.  Yet the darkness only hides the approach of   The Day of Judgment.  Darkness which envelopes man does not cancel or delay God’s Day of Truth.  Read this with wisdom and consider that it remains before all men as a truth which will not be taken out of the way.  

Mock, if you desire.  You do only yourself eternal damage.  Laugh and ignore, if that is what “floats your boat”.  It’s not my concern, but you will be concerned.  God is true and will keep His Holy word to accomplish an end to the wickedness of all men.  And what God promises comes true.  We can consider what God has promised as though it already is. 

   “‘The end! The end has come
   upon the four corners of the land!     The end is now upon you,
   and I will unleash my anger against you.
I will judge you according to your conduct
   and repay you for all your detestable practices.
   I will not look on you with pity;
   I will not spare you.
I will surely repay you for your conduct
   and for the detestable practices among you.

   “‘Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

(Ezekiel 7)

Though you did not ask me, I told you.  Though you did not seek, you were warned.  And was the warning necessary?  God has said that no one will own an excuse before Him, for all His Glory is displayed about men every day and every night.  There are days which will come and you will doubt His promise of “The end”.  Yet that day is coming.  Day will come, yet so will the night.  And then the sky will be rolled back as a scroll and you will see Him who you do not desire.  It will not go well for anyone who is not sheltered by the power of Christ Jesus toward holiness.  Prepare today and do not put this off. 

By His Grace.

Choose! Today is the Day of Testing.

Unspeakable is the desire that all people would turn to their creator, the Father of Jesus; the Living God.  I look about and see such great wickedness in this world.  I am told of the Day of the Lord, which is surely coming.  My heart aches to lead others to He who is eternal and does not lie.  Yet, as Isaiah said, “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” 

Which one of you will join me as the word of “calling” goes out?  Who will stand with the God of Glory and speak that word of warning?  There is no end of increase to the sins of men.  And every day dawns with more and more, wicked and wicked, lifting man instead of his God.  Every day the call goes out to all men to repent and seek righteousness through the forgiveness offered by Christ Jesus.  But so very few even open their ears, let alone turn from wickedness.

Holy God, these words are presented for Your Holy Glory.  You alone know the heart of the one who presents them here.  Yet it is Your heart these words uphold.  It is Your way presented.  Glory, all Glory belongs to the Most High God!  Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty! 

Prepare, world.  Set your feet strong in your way, for the day is soon coming when the very ground on which you set your feet will be shaken and removed.  Set your mind and heart on the things of sin and wickedness.  Pervert the ways of God’s Holy name.  For this is your day.  But remember with sobriety, God’s day is soon coming also.  He sets His Holy feet on the ground of eternity.  And where His feet stand will never be shaken. 

He has spoken and has set a day for all to come before Him.  He has moved among us and His Christ has been revealed.  It is God who will be forever praised because He has done for man what man could not do for himself.  His hand has offered redemption, yet who has ears to hear?  His Holy throne is established and will not fail.  Yet man will falter and fail.  Why would you die?  He has done all He is willing to do by His wisdom.  Turn to your God and live.  Turn to the Holy name of Jesus and find life. 

Oh, World, you speak of “religion” as though it were an answer in many forms.  Yet God himself has set Jesus as His doorway into eternity.  You who speak the name of Jesus and mingle with idols, beware!   It is not idols and false Gods which will save you on that day.  Horrible!  Horrible!  What great horrors await those who reject the Living God!  Joy!  Joy!  What unspeakable joy awaits all who humble themselves under God’s Holy hand and receive His word of life through Jesus.

By His Grace.

The Message of Enoch, the Seventh from Adam.

We all have our heroes.  A hero might be very popular among the world, such as John Wayne.  Or a hero might be so obscure as to only be known by the one who lifts them up to hero status, such as your dad or mom.  A hero can be defined as a man, woman, or child, set apart by exceptional courage and nobility and strength.  But in all things our hero is our personal perception.  One man’s hero might well be another man’s enemy.  “Hero” is a word subject to subjectivity, or opinion.

We look for our heroes by setting up criteria and looking for the one who best fits that mold.  Since, by His Grace, I adore God, I look to His opinion as the final authority in establishing what is “opinion”.  And when I see God honor someone, I rest assured that this one is worthy of being a hero. 

Beyond question and debate, Jesus  was and is honored above all else in the eyes of God the Father.  Some would differ, but in the end, that statement regarding Jesus will be proven true to all creation.  But there are a few men mentioned in the Bible who stand tall before the Most High God as men worthy of mention and our respect; David, Moses, Abraham, Isaiah, and (the subject of this post) Enoch.

In searching my limited knowledge of the world I look for a hero among men.  Without fail my pointing finger would rest on Enoch.  Included next are the three passages which speak of this man.  They are short, but filled with information regarding Enoch:

 “When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.   After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.   Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years.   Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”  (Genesis 5:22-24)

 ^“Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones  to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”  (Jude 1:14)

” By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: ‘He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”  For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.’ ”  (Hebrews 15:5)

There is a book which floats around which is said to contain some of the sayings of Enoch.  I’ve read the majority of it and find it even more inspiring.  But as is with all our heroes, we tend to pick the one which matches our own heart and desire.  Love for God has become my burning passion, almost to the exclusion of humanity.  Yet He has set us to the task of speaking to our brothers and sisters for the sake of their souls. 

The passage from Jude strikes the deepest with in me.  “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones  to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 

As I write for His Glory, I am reminded that it is God’s convicting that is coming.  What a fine line we walk as we hold out the words of life.  It is written, “Zeal for your house will consume me”.  And we know that was meant to apply to Jesus, the Christ of God.  Yet we read also, “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.   It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters.”  What applies to Jesus, in some way applies also to His people.  And in this case I find truth and resounding echo.  The closer I get to God, the more I feel the zeal for His house and His name.  And in getting close to God, there is no record of any one else pleasing God so much that God took him from this world.  He did not taste death.

What I ask of myself every moment of every day, I ask of the reader: Are you pleasing God?

By His Grace.

Who Are We?

“Come now, let us settle the matter,”
   says the LORD.

This statement comes from the first chapter of Isaiah.  God is speaking of how His people have fallen.  And He speaks to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah (that would be all people).  What are we that God would say to us, “Come now, let us settle the matter”?  Such a statement is not made to a chair.  We don’t speak like that to anything that cannot respond through free will.  We speak like that to each other, don’t we?  We have a demand that’s not being met by someone who is able to meet the demand but refuses to do so.  Who are we that God should have such expectations? 

We have heard that we are so limited, small, vulnerable, and victimized.  But that statement is not addressed as though we have no choice but to remain as we are.  It speaks of ability not limitation.  What will be the judgment of such a people who refuse to learn of what is holy and good?  If God sees us as able, then His judgment of us will be wrapped around that concept.  “You were able to obey me because I gave you all you needed to learn this obedience”.  Perhaps that is going to be one of the phrases heard by the rebellious.

Consider, people, consider Him!  It will not be long before you stand in His Glorious and Holy presence to receive the just reward of your life.  I tell you a truth: It will be awesome to behold Him.  And it will not go well for the vast majority of mankind.  The rest of that chapter speaks of His expectations and His ability to restore those who desire to rid themselves of rebellion. 

This post is filled, to overflowing, with promise and warning.  I could have just pointed to the scripture and expected you to go read it.  But understanding the times, I know there are very few who read the Bible anymore.  Perhaps you think I speak with too much authority on this matter.  My words are light and carry the weight of a man.  But the words of God are filled with extreme authority.  Regardless what you think, you will die a hideous death of guilt at the hands of the Almighty God if you don’t heed what is posted here. 

Don’t think to yourself that refusing to read the Bible will excuse you from judgment.  “I didn’t know what you said in that book.  So I’m not to be held responsible for what you said there”.  Don’t allow the foolishness of your sinful mind to lure you into death.  You do know what He wants.  And you will be held accountable for all His Holiness on that day.

By His Grace.

We are a People Set Apart.

Attacks against what is called Christianity will abound.  There is no end of turmoil within the ranks of Christians.  But isn’t this the beauty of what Jesus has done?  He is actively creating a people for Himself.  We should not expect that God’s people are a polished stone in the tumbler of God’s will.  We find our righteousness in Christ alone.  And we await the day when He will grant perfection to our ways, hearts, minds, and desires.

Now, to be sure, we should do all we can to limit our folly for the sake of God’s Holy name.  It would be best to give no fuel to those who would cast accusation on the Church of God.  In our faith we wrestle with that which is Holy.  We are called to completion while we struggle with what is unfinished.  Christians struggle with the same problems as does the world.  The difference is found in the power of God to rectify our understanding.  It is He who guides us into what is right and Holy.  In short, Christians hear the very voice and will of God as He directs His people.  Some hear Him through the pages of His word the Bible.  Some hear Him through that voice which whispers in the inner man.  Some hear Him loudly, often, and surely.  Some simply follow what others are hearing.

We serve the Living God not some set of rules and regulations.  Our faith is built on liquid truth.  This truth is not that which varies according to the will of man.  Our house is built on (not by, or over)  the very river of truth which flows from the Throne of the Living God.  By faith we listen to His voice.  We walk in places where darkness is the only light.  Yet we walk in this darkness with the light of God Himself.  It is in the interaction of the Holy God to a people struggling with the nature of sin that sets us apart from every other creation. 

I know the world can only see what we are by the actions and words we produce.  Evolution is looking for the next stage in development.  Christians are that stage.  We no longer fit into the mold of the world’s expectations.  We are more yet less.  Through humility before the Greatness of God we are being formed into something eternal and beautiful.  And that, right before their very eyes.  What the world sees is chaos and dischord in the Church.  What God sees is a people being transformed.

If anyone wants a better explanation of what Christianity is, they will need to seek the face of the only One who can explain it.  Jesus is willing to lead you to a living faith.  It’s not what we believe that makes the difference.  The difference resides in Who we believe.  And it’s not what we are that stands out so strongly.  It’s who we are becoming that sets us apart.  If you seek Him, you will find Him.  If, indeed, you seek Him with all your heart.

By His Grace.

The War.

All men know war.  From the battle of finding where we left our keys to the carnage of blood on a battle field, all men know war.  But there is a war raging that will not cease until the Lord comes.  You may find your keys.  And there may become a peace treaty.  But all men know war.

Jesus is at the center of this war.  He is the very element of debate, hope, and fear.  Christians debate with non-believers.  Christians hope with a kind of knowing.  And non-believers fear Him and His people.

Enter the war with all you have.  If you hate Him, prove your way as better.  If you love Him, prove the testimony you contain regarding His power within you.  If you fear Him, then go hide in seclusion. 

Today is the day of war!  You cannot escape that reality.  If you doubt my words here, prove them by looking inward.  Can’t you see the struggle regarding Jesus?  I bet two crushed robin eggs you can.

By His Grace.