I have never known you

            "“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did not do for me.’

             These are not atheist, Buddhists, Mormons, or Muslims. These are Christians, both the ones standing before Jesus and the ones Jesus is saying they never helped. They call him, "Lord" like they know him. This parable is preceded by the Parable of the Talents where he is dealing with his servants. And that one is preceded by the Parable of the Ten Virgins. All called. All waiting on the King. These are the same people that he referred to earlier saying, "Not everyone one of you who says to me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in Heaven." These men have gone to Church, been baptized, pray, quote the Bible, and are respected in their communities. 
              

               "He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

          Jesus' character and attributes are under assault. His requirements have been tossed out and forgotten. People have truly created a false god that our forefathers have not known. Few search the scripture for truth. Many attend four year Bible colleges and come out only knowing what they are told or what they want to believe; and it sure isn't the Bible. The Body of Christ is an exclusive thing and it comes with benefits. We can see from the passage above that Jesus sent people to hell because they did not do good to Jesus' true disciples, those who do the will of the Father, his 'mother, brothers, and sisters'. Elsewhere Jesus says, "And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” 

            

            There is a common thread going on here. There are so many outreach programs they cannot ever all be named. But we have food banks, cloths drives, soup kitchens, utility assistance, free daycare, drug rehab. And they are available to all. Churches spend tons and tons of money and resources giving to anyone who comes to their door. And this seems good because we have stopped searching the scriptures to discover and determine Jesus' character and cares. Jesus told the Samaritan woman, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs." She then showed great faith and her request was answered because she demonstrated that she had the heart of one of his children. She was the vine grafted in.

             There are true lovers of Jesus here in America and the world over going hungry, losing their homes, having to send their kids to public school because they can't afford private or homeschool, utilities shut off, clothes ragged. It's not right! Stop throwing the Children's bread to the dogs! There are missionaries that need supplied! There are Godly prophets that need to be visiting the brethren! There are Christians suffering! Does this mean we should not help anyone who is not a Christian? Not at all! Paul said, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

            You must tend to the needs of the family first. If there is anything left over it can go to friends and strangers. This is simple stuff. Read His words! Know His teaching! If you do not do this He will tell you on the day of Judgement, "I never knew you." Lack of doing good to the Body of believers is the reason He sends people to Hell! Make sure you are getting this right!

Feel free to comment or ask questions!

Nailing it to Door Part 5

Thesis Three: Discipleship is the foremost and primary concern of the Body

        Discipleship. How can I make this more clear? Discipleship is to Christianity what parenting is to being a parent.  The Church was not called to evangelize. It was called to disciple. He said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations..." Discipleship and evangelism are very different concepts. Evangelism is a message spoken to a group of people in a passing-though manner. It is not specific because you do not personally know all the people you are speaking to. What Peter did on the Day of Pentecost was evangelism. What Paul did in Corinth was discipleship, "So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God." Evangelism is good because it draws people in to be disciples. But it does not even come close to satisfying what Jesus meant to consume our lives and your responsibility to the one you lead to Jesus or the Bodies responsibility that you are apart of as that new babes family. Discipleship is very personal. It is invasive. It is consuming. Discipleship means you eat together, work together, live together. Day in, day out sharing Jesus and walking out his instruction and commands. This is the example that Jesus gave us with his disciples. When a person is an infant they are watched over with the utmost care. As they grow older they are given greater degrees of freedom and responsibility based on maturity. Believers in Christ should be treated the same way. When someone is new to the Lord they should live with a seasoned believer that can be there for them in the difficult times, to answer their questions when they are asked, and teach in a living, organic matter; the same way we teach our physical children to live. And to teach them to eventually do the same for another. No one sits down once or twice a week with their children and teaches them their lesson for the week and then sends them on their way. Neither should we do so with the children of God.

          To show the necessity of this invasive style of discipleship and to instruct those new to the faith consider this:

             "If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose     one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."


We have gotten this whole conversion thing backwards. The usual scenario goes something like this: A person feels the tug of the spirit on their heart and they either seek out a church or someone they know to be a Christian.  They are then told who Jesus was, what he did and the sacrifice he made to redeem them. With the tug of the spirit pulling on their heart and the weight of  who Jesus is and what he did for them they are asked, "Do you want to give your life to Jesus?" Of course! How could I not! They are told to meet with believers regularly, read the Bible, pray often, and try to beat sin. Then they are sent back to their homes and to the same life they has just so fleetingly left for Jesus. Let me tell you how a conversion looked in Jesus' day.

          "As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will send you out to fish for people.' At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets, Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him."

and

          "As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. 'Follow me,' Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him."

What we are seeing is this: Christians today are 'saved' in their sin and then are told that they should, little by little, work sin and influence out of their lives. Hopefully, when they die they will have taken a good portion of the world out of their lives. This is damagingly inverted. When one lays down his life and picks up his cross to follow Jesus he should retreat as far out of the world as it takes to get to a place of righteousness. Even if that means living in the desert as John the Baptist did. Gouge out your eye! Cut off your hand! Then, as they mature in the Spirit, He heals their infirmity and teaches them wisdom. They then find ways to venture back out into the world always maintaining their place of righteousness to fall back on. By the end of their life they should be a mature adult in Christ able to walk among the demons as Paul did and fearlessly preach the Gospel. This is going to be very costly to the new disciple. This is why Jesus sent away some who claimed to want to be his disciple and said, "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough to complete it?"

The cost has been counted, the life lain down, and the cross picked up and now comes the love that Jesus spoke of and walked in comes in for us who are trying to save souls and bring sheep into the fold. This is the where the love that we all claim that He has planted in our hearts as a flourishing, fruitful tree is put into practice. You who are mature must take these babes into your homes! If they have to quite their jobs, pay the bills for them! If they need you to be there to keep them busy so they will not fall back into sin, do it! A newborn needs constant care. Day and night. Fed. Washed. Cuddled and comforted. Compassion, affection, and love but also firm boundaries that forbid them from going where they are not capable of being safely.

All the 'Church' has done is create feral children. Have you ever seen or read about a feral child? If not google it. It's important you understand what we are doing to these, the children of the King! What happens is a child is born. If a child is neglected from birth it will die. And that happens a lot in the Church. But there is something more sinister and destructive. It is when a child is abandoned at four, five, or six years old. Technically old enough to care for it's physical needs, but completely underdeveloped emotionally and spiritually. They wander the woods or live in the dark corners of a basement. They do not know how to speak or operate socially. They are aggressive and only see to their own needs. They do not know how to love or how to accept love. They cannot be rehabilitated. They are ruined for life! This is what we have done to his children. A child is born into the kingdom of God and they are given just enough nutrients and teaching to begin to care for themselves and then are abandoned all together or are neglected. Visited from time to time and thrown a bone to satisfy our sense of responsibility. It's evil!

When Jesus was told his mother, brothers, and sisters were looking for him he replied, "Who are my mother, brothers, and sisters? It is those who do the will of God." The Body is a family. And that is not just a nice thing to say. There are immediate family members and extended family spiritually, and they should be treated as well and better than we treat our physical families. We must live together, work together, play together, learn together, suffer together, and die together. This is the example and pattern Jesus, the Apostles, and the early church gave for creating and caring for disciples. It is the only way to raise the Children of God to become mature adults that are equipped to serve the Master and do the same for others as they are born into the kingdom. "Greater love has no man than this: That he lay down his life for his friends." To die for someone you love is noble and honorable. But how much more that you live for them! Lay down your life for your brothers, Jesus' brothers! Your plans, your dreams, your ambitions, your time and your assets. "I tell you the truth! Whatever you do for the least of these brothers of mine you do for me!"

Feel free to comment or ask questions!

Nailing it to the Door Part 4

Thesis Two: Church meetings must be conducted as shown in 1 Corinthians 14:26-31


"What is truth?" This question defines the current period of American culture. We have become a culture of skeptics and cynics. Everyone seems to have their own truth. Everyone living in their own reality. We have come to a precipice in time where our society is defining whether the very concept of truth is tangible or something of our own design. But in a world of absolutes such as death and gravity, how could the emotional and spiritual side of life function as if they do not follow the same laws that the bodies in which they reside do? Can we really do away with all "traditions" and the "old" way of doing things? Or is what was true 2,000 years ago still true today?

It seems to me, that this would be an easy question for Christians. We do have many different twists on minor theological concepts and I do not think that is a bad thing necessarily. Jesus left somethings unsaid because what works for one person may not work for another as Paul taught in Romans, "...One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind." But, somethings are very clear and are given as a command. They are foundation stones upon which the grey areas are built upon. If your foundation is lain properly there is a lot of leeway in how the buildings can be arranged. But, how is it that the people think they can unseat the foundation stones of what makes Christianity what it is by rationalizing it away and manipulating it by man's logic. The very thing that brings us to faith in Jesus is trust in what cannot be proven because He has proven himself faithful in what we do understand. I am not being naive. Modern theologians and philosophers have woven very complex and convincing arguments. They are smart, articulate, and well rehearsed. But they have a gaping flaw that we, as Christians, should be bolstered by because of our faith in Jesus and the way He says life really is.

I feel like I am going down a bit of a rabbit hole here, but stay with me if you will. I'm not real sure how to explain this concept, but I will do my best. Life is like a game. A game that requires twelve dice to play. The world is only playing with three dice. These three are simple and standard. They are dice of the flesh. The world knows these three dice well. They have examined them. They have studied them. They have memorized their every facet and dimple. They are a part of Jesus' creation but only 1/4. The other nine dice are only clearly visible to those who love Jesus. The world senses their existence but cannot grasp them like they do the three fleshly they have and so they logically refute the nine's existence because they cannot define, govern, and prove their existence. These nine dice are brilliant and mysterious in color; boundless in shape and ungoverned in appearance by any laws of nature we know. They are preposterous in form; and we can barely begin to grasp the information that they add to the game, but their presence is undeniable and steadfast. The world is trying to write the rules for this game only using the three dice they see and understand. And in this we gain some understanding of their lack of belief in the concept of truth; truth being the whole game with all it's pieces. This maybe why the world does not believe in truth. They deny the very existence or three-quarters of reality.

So the question that is left for you and I is this, "Do we really believe that the other nine dice actually exist?" Is there really a God who, "chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise"? And how important is it that these other dice effect the way we play the game? Is it enough to play with the three simple dice and just believe in the other nine? Are the simple three even that important and relevant to the game in light of the majestic nine? To answer these questions read Jesus' own prayer to the Father in John 17. Jesus' desire for us and specifically his disciples was that the Father would, "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." I have said all of this to show without a doubt that Jesus commands cannot be changed or ignored without sickness and ruin comming upon. Yes, even us who desperately love Jesus as Paul described in 1 Corithians, "That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep."  Let's look at this truth in reference to his Church, the Body.




"What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two--or at the most three--should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God. Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace...Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command. If he ignores this, he himself will be ignored. Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way."


Now picture in your mind the normal Christian Church service. What would happen if you stood up in the middle of the Church service and corrected or added to the speech that the preacher is giving? Members would be appalled. The clergy would be incensed. You would most likely be escorted out. You might even spend a night in the jail. You who would do this type of thing would be considered crazy and disrespectful. The preacher and staff are said to be the only qualified persons in the Body to teach and instruct. The worship leader, the only one with the right to arrange and decide which songs will be played. Sure, there are guest speakers and guest music, but the messages and songs must be approved through the staff. Where is that found in scripture? These leaders consider themselves gatekeepers of the Body. The Holy Spirit is the gatekeeper. He has proved himself faithful and capable.

What congregation has two or three prophets that speak at every service? What about members sharing their hymns, words of instruction, or  tongues and interpretation? Find for me the role of a modern all-in-one preacher in this scriptural instruction. Where is the clergy? Where is the staff? This matters! The modern church service is a performance, not a meeting; carefully scripted and rehearsed, literally. It is the three simple dice.  It is how the world would run their church. To take ownership and governance so it doesn't get out of their hands. Robots perform in this manner, organisms do not. A living, organic Church and church meeting are the 9 mystical dice with some of the three simple dice. What is called Church is an abomination against Jesus. He arranged and commanded his Body for a reason and with a purpose. But, it has been hijacked by self-righteous men and women greedy for power, security, recognition, and even money. Everyone can sense something wrong with Church as we know it and some have even attempted to hash out what that is. I am speaking at the Lord's command. How we arrange the body is killing us. The heart is in the head and the liver in the hand and the foot on the neck. It is a grotesque perversion of the beautiful form the Bride is supposed to be.

The deception of the Enemy is so cleaver and so devious. Not only has he convinced many to follow after other gods that our fathers, the early church, did not know, but he has also disarmed those in pursuit of Jesus with social and cultural morals that have no foundation in scripture. We are called to be in the world, but not of the world. And yet, we play by it's rules for fear of criticism and ostracization.  The Enemy has convinced the world though constant berating and mudding of the waters of theology that there is no way to be absolutely right about anything. That everything is up for personal interpretation. The Word is true and right. It is not up for discussion or suggestion. No one owns the Church and no one has the right to dictate it, no matter how innocently they smile and throw up their hands in  denial. It is through submission to the Holy Spirit that the Body is governed and disciplined. We must trust Him to teach us truth and that what he teaches is truth no matter what anyone tells us. We must trust Him to sort out the liars and guard the gate of our hearts and homes. And when he does give instruction and warning about a poisonous person we must have the courage to deny them entrance into our body. Remember the caution of Jesus, "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees..." Their teaching and their presence is poison to the Body and we are not immune to it. Guard your hearts and minds!

The world uses the scientific method to discover truth. That method says that all truth comes though personal discovery. And this truth is only true until something comes along and disproves it. Therefore you can never be sure anything is true. Their is a universe full of all the things that you do not know.  And because of this, it would be wrong to demand others live according to your theology because you might be wrong and would then be responsible for their failure, spiritual injury, or death. It places every human and their life at the center of their own personal universe and makes personal preservation the ultimate moral. This is where the world derives it's doctrine of "Do not judge anyone else's decisions or beliefs." Though they don't actually live according to it. They mean live according to their theology. But, Paul  gives a much different command.

 "What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. 'Expel the wicked man from among you.'"

Do not sit back and allow his children to be harassed and abused. I encourage you to bring this to those who call themselves leaders of your church. If they repent and return to the Lord, Amen! But do not be surprised if they quickly throw off their sheep costumes and come after you with their wolf-teeth.

I  do not understand why anyone who loves the man Jesus would either a) read over what the scriptures say, b) invert what it clearly teaches, or c) allow anyone to blaspheme the truth. Where do your affections lie? The pattern and model that has been and is used by almost all churches as services for the last couple of hundreds of years or so is nothing more than man replacing the commands of Jesus with the traditions of men just as Jesus accused the Pharisees of doing in Mark 7. In every church is a thespian, traditionally a man, but now sometimes a woman, who claims scholarship of the Bible and has a piece of paper hanging on their wall that testifies to the notion. There are most likely at least a few in the congregation who hold similar, equivalent, or even greater degrees in the institutional study of Truth. And then there are countless others who have spent many hours of personal study of the Bible and may even boast of it. So tell me scholars: How is it that you conduct your meetings in direct violation of the commands of the Word  you so adamantly insist you are masters of?

"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

Feel free to comment or ask questions!

Nailing it to the Door Part 3

Thesis 1: A gathering of believers should be no larger than nine to sixteen people.

The word "church" means the Bride of Christ; more specifically, all believers. It is not buildings, places, or figureheads. But, a living, breathing  group of people with real connection and interaction. To say, "I'm going to church." is the same as saying, "I'm going to Mexican" You can go to Mexico where you will most likely find Mexicans. But, just because you find someone that looks Mexican in Mexico does not make them Mexican. Nor does simply going to Mexico make you Mexican. It is a matter of heritage.

 To be the Church is the same. It means you are a part of a race of people with lineage and a common ancestor, the Father. Some are the original vine, Jews. Some are grafted in, Gentiles. But inside this ethnicity, there are families. For a family to operate in unity and peace everyone must have a deep understanding of one another and an understanding of their role inside that family and how and when to perform it.

I have been researching the science behind the size a group can be and still operate properly and efficiently. This is called network theory. Network theory requires two conditions:
First, what is the group intimacy required.
Second, what is the individual intimacy required.
Based on these two conditions you can determine an acceptable size of a group or network that can function inside of the parameters and requirements it was designed for.

What group intimacy is required?
How much interaction should I have with individual members of my spiritual family? Is it acceptable to not know and understand anyone in your immediate physical family? Of course not! How ridiculous would it be if someone did not know more than just the name and face of their own brother or sister? In fact, if that was the case I do not think I would believe that those two people were even related. So, if you are a family of the church you must be familiar on a personal level with every person.

What personal intimacy is required? 
Who can you trust? Who's testimony is reliable? It is those very closest to you, your best friends. For the sake of staying on subject, I will just assume that everyone agrees that as a lover of Jesus, your best friend is going to be someone who shares a relationship with the owner of your soul. After all, oil and water will never mix. So how many best friends can one person have? Most people are lucky to have three in their entire life. So I would put the maximum at three to four intimate, closer than a brother people. Three or four people who know everything about you and understand you to the core. So does this mean that the family can only be four people? No. I believe we can trust the testimony of a firsthand witness. I do not have to have the deepest, most personal relationship with everyone in the family. But, I should be friends with one of their best friends so that I can have eyewitness testimony to their life and character. This is where the "network theory" comes in. This is a two node connection. We do not have an immediate connection, but do share a common bond. I can say I am familiar with everyone in my family and know and understand them. Based on these conditions, if everyone has three good friends that evenly intermingle the maximum group size is nine. If four, than sixteen. Anything beyond this size and it would be secondhand information. And we all know how the game of telephone goes.

Jesus said, "Who are my mother, my brothers, and my sisters? It is those who do the will of God." Our individual expressions of the larger ethnicity of Church are to be our families. And for our families to be healthy and strong they can not have room for deception and manipulation. I do not think it is a coincidence that Jesus and his group of disciples numbered thirteen. I believe it is a pattern for us to follow. Our families should be growing in maturity and wisdom. If they exceed sixteen than the group should brake into smaller groups and grow into larger families and on and on. In this way discipleship could actually be accomplished. And we would be safe guarded from the Enemy sneaking in among us like a wolf in sheep's clothing. 

Feel free to comment or ask questions!

Nailing it to the Door Part 2

This is not meant to be a cure-all to every problem the Church faces. Rather, a diagnostic for those that don't think there is a problem and a preventative screening for those that see the problem and want to be sure they stay immune to it. Do you passionately desire the Lord above all else? Listen to what the Spirit is saying. The Enemy has invaded our midst and is trying to destroy us from the inside out. The Lord desires us pure and undefiled. But we are allowing anyone to redress the Bride however they like. The world called her self-righteous for her purity. But why would she care what another man thinks of her? Sadly, she is now a slave to the fashions and designs of the very people that call themselves enemies of her Bridegroom. His heart is broken...

    "They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Each pursues his own course like a horse charging into battle. Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the   thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord. "

The warning cry has been sounded. The death rattle can be heard in the streets. A somber spirit has settled in the valleys. A cancer has spread and it is the Church that has infected itself. These are the birth pangs before the Trumpets of Judgement are sounded. The Church is divided, weak, delusional, and dizzy. If this age of the Church were a boxing match, our corner-man would be ready to throw in the towel. But, as if that wasn't bad enough, we also have a suicidal level of arrogance and pride about the whole situation. We refuse to see the death blow coming. We refuse to admit our weakness. We have built our life, our hope, our future on man-made stories, lies, and traditions; and are not willing to repent and leave it all so as not to go down with the ship. It's insanity.

This is strong language. They are harsh words. But who among you can deny the sickness that is evident. "Christians"  justify and rationalize this sickness in every way imaginable; some even celebrate it. But our self-centric theology will not save us in the day of testing; much less the day of judgement. We are living the fulfillment of the words of Jeremiah: "They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace."

But there is still hope. The final trumpet has not been blown. We can be restored to the glory the Bride once possessed. "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." We must turn our hearts back to Jesus. We cannot be too simple about the situation though. The Body is a living organism and the problems it faces are complex and deep.

Martin Luther was a man who loved Jesus and hated the world. I don't mean he hated the people, but the world's ways, lies, manipulation, and love of power. As his maturity in Christ increased his understanding went deeper and deeper in what Jesus really wants for us and from us. This revelation drove a divide between the Church as he knew it of his day and the reality of the Bride of Christ. He spent years trying to rationalize and reconcile the two, but was never able to justify the injustices and outright evil that were displayed. It began with his issuing of the Ninety-Five Thesis on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences and continued in a life time of culling the truth from the lies.

I have prayed and meditated on this debilitating sickness for years now. And I have gone though many stages of understanding, compassion, anger, and judgement in this process of revelation. The Holy Spirit has been presenting me with the truth little by little as He saw fit. And He has now given me a ninety-five thesis of my own to be nailed to the doors of the Church. Mine does not contain ninety-five though, but only three. Three things that all churches and anyone who claims the name of Christ should do that will remove many of the tumors that plague the Church and get it back on a road of health so that we can spend our energies doing the will of our Bridegroom and not merely gasping for breath.

The contents of this will be hard for many to reconcile with what they know and have been taught their whole lives. Whether you are one who has been raised in the Church or possibly even if you are new to Jesus or do not know the man Jesus at all, this will be a challenging teaching. There are some things that grace covers. And then there are other things that drive a wedge between Jesus and ourselves. Things that give the Enemy a foothold and, eventually a full hold. The Church has opened their flank wide open and now Satan is the lord of the organized church of today. Jesus said, "If you are not for me, you are against me." He always reserves a remnant for Himself as He did in the days of Elijah. But, the organized church is in it's final moment before it's body begins hemorrhaging and dying in spectacular fashion just as Israel was before it's  physical destruction. The organized church has surrendered it's heart and loyalty to it's own self-serving needs. Power, money, titles, and moral justification are the apple of the these church's eye.  They sit under a strong delusion. And we know that lies can only come from one source: The Father of Lies. He truly is a wolf in sheep's clothing.

The greatest man who ever lived was Jesus. And as Jesus said, "Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist." Both of these men had a simple and singular message as they walked the Earth, "Repent! For the kingdom of Heaven is near!"  As you read these pages I ask you to open your heart to what the Shepherd is saying. His return is very near and He is calling out to His people. I preach the message that my Master and Lover preaches "You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first... He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. "

The Holy Spirit has left us with a complete revelation for the operation of the Body just as He gave the Israelites a complete revelation for the operation of their nation. It was a fatal offense to add or subtract from the Law. What the Israelites experienced as a physical truth in the Law and through divine judgement and correction on their physical beings; we experience in spirtual truth and feel the repercussions of our actions in our hearts and souls. To operate outside of the Law would cause death and disease inside the Camp. To operate outside of Jesus' commands for the Body causes spiritual death and disease inside the Church. It is of the utmost importance that we know what Jesus expects of us and how he wants His Bride to operate if we are to be healthy and alive.

Feel free to comment or ask questions! 

Nailing it to the Door Part 1

I don't know if I have written a more important message in my life. I want to see the Church healthy , joyful, and strong. Personally, I want Jesus and nothing else. I know that many have said that before me. So if you doubt that I don't blame you. But, there is nothing I wouldn't give, do, or a place I wouldn't go if my Jesus required it. If he wanted me to live in the woods as a hermit. I would be there. If a palace, then call me prince. If I am to be celibate, then celibate I will be. If he wants me to have a harem of erotic sheep and chickens than you can call me Old McLover. I have no affection for religion, traditions, intellectualism, or acceptance. You could never know this about me unless you knew me personally. Most will never get to know me this way. It is true though and I welcome any who love Jesus to come share my life and see that he is my hearts only desire.

I said all this because modern "churches" are usually built around some person or small group of persons that have created a doctrine to massage their own insecurities or egos. What you will read here is not that. This is the message the Holy Spirit has given me in these last days. He is calling His True and Faithful out from among them. The world has tarnished our light and brilliance by proximity for too long. He desires us to be in the world, but not of the world. To be a city set on a hill or a lamp on a stand. I know this is also the desire on many of your hearts. We can all sense that something isn't right though. Most of us started out in the Body one way or another as children or teenagers. It probably began for most with passion, faith, and enrapturedness. Then, as we tried more and more to walk out the Gospel as our leaders told us we became disheartened, and disillusioned. The promises of the Word didn't follow though like we were told they should. Our leaders turned out to be no better than their follower, if they even measured up to be their followers.

We are so used to feeling this way that we have created entire new doctrines to cope with the inadequacies of our churches, leaders, and fellow believers. New standards, undefeatable grace, and mental rewriting of the very words that we claim to save us is what it takes to make it work. It is not supposed to be this way. It doesn't have to be. The Lord has shown me a life that bathes in all the power, confidence, and joy that the apostles and their disciples did. There is a life that not only feels true, it's power is evident and addictive. I used to follow the doctrine I was told because I could see that the world was false. That was obvious. The Word didn't quite add up to what it should have though. It seemed flawed at times. Powerless to help me when I needed it most. I convinced myself that these were just the thoughts of a young, immature believer. I saw how confidently the leaders strutted and how loudly they spoke their truth and couldn't bring myself to call them liars and pretenders when I didn't have a better answer to the problem.

But then something happened that change me forever. I spoke with Jesus. I actually spoke with Him. I can not come close to describing how this actually happened or what it was really like. There are no words. It wasn't a vision, a dream, or even in this world. It was with my spirit. I now know that a person's spirit is as much a "body" as the body it resides in; it sees, it hears, it speaks, and it feels. I was deep in worship with friends of mine when he showed up. We had been praying and singing for hours when I felt him approaching. It was like being in the woods when you feel an animal is near. You can not see it or really hear it . You just sense it somewhere deep inside you that your are not alone. That is the closest I can get to the feeling. And then there He was. I saw him, heard him, felt him with my spirit. I communed with him. I can't tell you what he looked like, sounded like, or felt like. Humans sense are to this experience as a pencil sketch is to ascending Mt. Everest. But my spirit knows and testifies to my mind about it if that makes any sense at all.

I have said all this in hopes that you would understand that when I say something isn't genuine that it isn't because I can tell you what is wrong with it, but that I have tasted the genuine and know the difference with a complexity that I am inadequate to describe. But I do know this without a shred of doubt in my heart. The Church is the Bride and Body of Christ. As such, it contains the real Jesus. If I taste of the Church, I taste the Jesus I know. He is surpassingly good and no counterfeit can replace him. If I taste the Church and do not taste the Jesus I know, I know that it is not genuine. The things I am going to say about Church as we know it do not come from a logical exercise or systematic theology. They are not my own ego or vision for the way I want things to be. I have tasted the Lord and he is so, so good. I want everyone of you to feast on him with me. I want you to see the filth the Enemy and his agents have been feeding us for longer than humanity remembers. Jesus have mercy. Open their eyes that they could truly see, open their ears that they would know your voice, open their mouths, rinse and cleanse them, so that they can taste your goodness. Please Savior, save us from ourselves.

Feel free to comment or ask questions!

Jesus is looking for a hot date

John and Ashley had a great first date. Dinner under candle light. A walk by the ocean under the moon light. They talked for hours about life, love, and everything in between. John was walking Ashley back to her house when he started hinting he might want a kiss to end the night. Ashley wasn't so sure and smiled the subject away. When they finally arrived at her house all the lights were out and it appeared that everyone was asleep for the night. John leaned against the door-jamb and looked longingly into Ashley's eyes. Using his smoothest, most charming voice he asked, "Didn't you have a good time?" Ashley answered back quickly, "Oh, yes! I... I just want my first kiss to be special. To be about love, not just feelings." Thinking quickly John responded, "That's just it. I think I love you more than anyone I've ever known. I just want to show you." Ashley didn't say anything. She was looking at the ground not wanting to hurt John's feelings and risk not getting to see him again. John tried on more time, "It's just  a kiss. It would mean a lot to me." At that moment the porch light came on and the door opened. Ashley's little sister was standing there looking half asleep but said firmly, "Dad says just kiss him. And if you won't that I should. And if I don't want to do it he will come down and kiss him himself. But will ask him to please quit leaning against the intercom button?"

I am having a hard time figuring out why people who claim the name of Jesus don't seem to understand or know that Jesus was very clear in what he was here to do for us and what he wanted to us to do for him. I've heard the Salvation by Grace side. And the Forgiveness by works side. And then there is the Jesus Will Save Everyone No Matter What They Do. That one just makes me laugh. And a whole slew of ideas in between. You would think that what God wants for us and from us would be the easy answer and the how would be the hard one. But for some reason everyone has got this backwards. Everyone is so sure on prayer, worship, church, giving, missions, and personal study. But hell would freeze over if you ever got the same answer from two people about what the Gospel is and what the Gospel requires. It's like knowing what to do while in school, but not knowing how to apply.

I have some shocking news. Salvation isn't by grace or works...technically. Jesus said the first and greatest commandment is love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. He also said if you love me you will obey me. So loving Jesus means obedience to the commandments. Whoa! That sounds an awful lot like the Old Covenant! You can hold that order and the chips too, right? But then Jesus also went on to say that once you have done everything he told you to do to call yourselves unworthy servants for you have only done your duty. Ugh... this is getting confusing. Are we under the law or aren't we? Is it grace or obedience? Earned or free? The thing about Jesus and the Bible as a whole is that you have to read it as a whole not in parts. Sounds exhausting, but there is no other way to go about it. And don't trust anyone else to do it for you. Just because  they say they have been to Bible college and read it cover to cover does not mean they are not lying, do not believe them. Read it for yourself and get to know the Shepherds voice. That way no matter who you are listening to you will not be led astray because you will know if it comes from Him or not.

Thankfully, Jesus didn't leave us hanging on this most fundamental, elementary step. The answer is simple, it's just not easy. And He did that on purpose. Those who seek will find. But those who do not seek will not find. No one stumbles upon the truth of God without effort. He doesn't allow it. I'll give you the simple run down, but it is up to you to search out the truth of this. You must know it for yourself in your heart. Knowledge of the head seems the same as knowledge of the heart, but it is not and it is a pseudo foundation to stand upon and you will fall when the storm comes. The truth is it is grace and works. Jesus requires that we give Him everything and He gives us everything in return. Jesus is offering us a trillion dollars in gold and we are staring at him blankly and saying, "I don't have anywhere close to a trillion dollars!" and He replies, "Okay, give me everything in your pockets." and then we pull out a crumpled dirty five dollar bill and he gives us the full reward. People get all fussy about those who say we must do things to qualify for salvation and say, "You can't earn the gift of salvation!" That's true. What you bring to the table is basically worthless. These say that you don't have to do anything to be saved except to believe in Jesus. Don't you know that even the demons believe, and shudder? The other side of the fence gets all fussy when you say that it isn't our actions that give us entrance to the throne room. They say that our actions garner us rewards in heaven. That is also true. But God doesn't owe you anything. It is His generous nature that awards you your rewards. Believe me, you do not want Jesus bringing out the balance sheets of your life and paying out accordingly. The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair. Even if you lived a perfectly correct life it would not equal the value of the trade that Jesus is making. Only the priceless God being offered in payment for the gift is sufficient. You owed the bank. He stepped in and payed your bill. Now He expects you to give-pay Him everything you have got even though it will fall far short of the balance originally due.

If you correlate yourself with the name of Jesus at all it behooves you to find out the truth and sweep of what this means. Don't forget the words of Jesus in Revelations, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.  Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent." You will know a tree by it's fruit; and salt water and fresh water can not come the same stream. The secret and mystery of salvation is passion. Passionate pursuit of Jesus and all that He is. Jesus judges the motivations of the heart. You can do right with the wrong motives and be condemned. Or you can do wrong with the right motives and be forgiven. But the key is to quit lying to yourself about why you do what you do and your actions will start to change dramatically. Seek the truth, repent, and never look back. We are the Bride and He is the Bridegroom. Jesus is looking for a hot date. I will leave you with this simple, but profound mathematical truth:

         1 x 1 = 1, valuable.
 (-1) x (-1) = 1, workable.
    1 x (-1) = -1, worthless.

Feel free to comment or ask questions! 

No such thing as free

This subject has been weighing on my heart for a long time. I have prayed and prayed and prayed for clarity from the Holy Spirit for longer than I can remember. And God has honored my pleas. I know that the initial reaction to this for most will be to reject it. But I plead with you ask the Lord to open your eyes, ears, and mind. This a foundational concept. More and more are starting to see that there is something inherently wrong with the Church but have a very hard time pinning down exactly what it is. It is because these spiritual foundation stones that we have laid down in our hearts were either not the proper stone or they were laid improperly and so everything built upon them was skewed and wrong even though the materials with which we built on top of the foundation were good. Not everything is as it seems. Sometimes this is because Jesus used double meanings for the things He taught and other times it is because wolves in sheep's clothing presented preconceived notions before presenting the Word and so altered the understanding for the listeners. Here is an example of the first type of double meaning:

1) "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

Though the pharisees scoffed at this claim, we now know that Jesus was not talking about the physical temple, but His body and His coming resurrection. This is an example of the second kind:

2) "And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification."

I don't know who had the idea to translate this Greek word as free, but it is grossly misrepresented and has lead to an entire generation standing upon a falsehood. The Greek word here is χάρισμα or charisma. It is the same word we use today that means:

1. Compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others.
2. A divinely conferred power or talent.

The literal definition of the Greek word from a theological standpoint is:

           A gift of grace, an undeserved favor.

The pharisees didn't want to understand Jesus, I am sure, but I am also sure that when He said He would rebuild the temple in three days His disciples didn't dismiss Him. They probably thought He was about to either do something mind blowing or He must have meant something else and they just were not getting it, as happened often. It is here that the idea of the free gift of God has always left me scratching my head because it doesn't match the very clear things that Jesus also said such as:

"For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?...In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple."

This doesn't sound free does it? This sounds costly, very costly! And what about the series of parables that Jesus told about the Pearl of Great Price, The Hidden Treasure, The Lost Coin? These all speak of people recklessly abandoning their lives and giving everything so that they could possess this infinity more valuable treasure. It was at this point that I did the word study on this word free or charisma.

This is a case of mistranslation, many translations do not even include the word free in the verse from Romans, but simply render it: gift. But I think gift doesn't adequately describe what it is Jesus did for us and gave us. I believe the word should not be translated without price or price-less, but priceless or incalculable or may favorite that the thesaurus brought up: worth a king's ransom. I don't think it could be said any better!

It seems the Church has thought that Jesus was too hard of a man and that we shouldn't make it so hard on people. To all the disciples He asked them to leave their business, wives, and probably children without even looking back. The rich young ruler apparently had lived a very good and moral life. But what did Jesus say that he had to do to receive eternal life? Did He say be charitable? Did He say give 10%? 20%? 50%? No, he said give everything you own away, come follow me and you will have eternal life. We have betrayed the people and have become the perverse and adulterous generation by allowing people to simply sit before a well groomed speech set to moving music and to simply come forward, ask Jesus to forgive their sins, come into their heart, be baptized and so be saved. Have we so easily forgotten what Peter said when asked what we had to be saved?

"Repent and be baptized..."

or Jesus and John the Baptists message while they walked the Earth

"Repent! For the kingdom of Heaven is near!"

How have we so recklessly forgotten the words of the prophet Jeremiah?

"No one repents of his wickedness, saying, "What have I done?" Each pursues his own course like a horse charging into battle."

or Moses' charge in Deuteronomy

"When such a person person hears the words of this convent, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, "I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way... The Lord will never be willing to forgive him; his wrath and zeal will burn against that man."

I have heard some speak of the New Covenant as if it were a one sided promise. That Jesus will forgive all our sins and let us share in His inheritance if we just do the simple Billy Graham dance. Doesn't matter what happens between here and death, that's what grace is for. That is a lie. How worthless we have made Jesus' sacrifice if we think that the God of all creation who gave everything to be with us would trade it for nothing.

The Old Covenant wasn't flawed or evil. It was simply a typology, symbolic so that when the real thing came we would recognize it. The New Covenant is actually the same as the Old Covenant except that the symbolic parts were replaced by reality. There were three parts to the Old Covenant or Law

1)Laws of Cleansing
2)Laws of Ceremony or Sacrifice
3)Laws of Righteousness

The first two were replace by real cleansing and real sacrifice the third Law still remains. Remember at this point Moses' words when reading the Law to the Israelites,

"Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach."

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was He replied,

 “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  

And this where most people stop, but Jesus goes on:

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Obviously, Jesus abolished the Laws of Sacrifice and Cleansing. So what are these laws that describe what it means to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself? The Laws of Righteousness. And, Jesus gave us a definition of the word love in John 14,

“If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching...He who does not love me will not obey my teaching."

Love is not an emotion, it is an action. And with Jesus, love equals obedience. But as Paul tells us the Law or obedience cannot save you. And yet, it is still a requirement. The deal was always the same, "You give me everything you have got and I will give you everything I have got."

Our righteousness is rags before the Lord and so He has said, "Trade me you rags for my fine linen."
Our spiritual treasure is filth and manure and so He has said, "Trade me your filth for my fine gold."

Remember this, we have no rights before Jesus. We have no right to march into the judgement room and demand payment, our inheritance. This is what Jesus had to say about our walk with Him,

"So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'"

The starting point is doing everything He asks and then we beg for mercy. His gift is not cost-less, it is costly. It is not without price, it is priceless. We must trade Him everything for the gift. No such thing as free.

Feel free to comment or ask questions! 

The deal never changed, only the terms

I have started a practice in my own time that I think would be very helpful for all Christians in understanding the personality, loves, hates, and desires of Jesus. I read Old Testament passages and insert the name Jesus anytime Lord, God or any other name for God is used. This will dramatically change your outlook and understanding of the man Jesus. I don't believe this is blasphemous as Jesus himself said, "...that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." and John said about Him
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Jesus is the God of the Old Testament. So with this in mind I want to quote a passage from Deuteronomy 29:19-28. I know this is kind of long, but please stick with me, this is important,

    " When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way.” This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.   Jesus will never be willing to forgive him; his wrath and zeal will burn against that man. All the curses written in this book will fall upon him, and Jesus will blot out his name from under heaven. Jesus  will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.
 Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners who come from distant lands will see the calamities that have fallen on the land and the diseases with which Jesus has afflicted it.  The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which Jesus overthrew in fierce anger.  All the nations will ask: “Why has Jesus done this to this land? Why this fierce, burning anger?”
 And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of Jesus, the God of their fathers, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt. They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. Therefore Jesus' anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book. In furious anger and in great wrath Jesus uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now.”

Jesus said of himself, "I have not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it." and concerning his disciples, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

Jesus death on the cross did not abolish all law or any law, but replaced it with a different law. And what is Jesus' new law? "Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" and the second, "Love your neighbor as yourself." All commands rest on these two things. So if this is what Jesus commands us now and this is also a summation of the Old Testament Law, what changed? The terms. In the Old Testament you had to follow the Law and love Jesus to the best of your ability and offer animal sacrifices to atone for your sin. In the New Testament you are to follow the law and  love Jesus to the best of your ability and Jesus' blood atones for sins once and for all. The difference is in the Old Testament the sacrifices never paid the penalty for sin they only pushed it back until a sufficient sacrifice could be made, Jesus' life. The difference between the New Covenant and the Old Covenant was that Law had many dietary, sanitary, and ceremonial commands and practices. These were all typologies so that when the real thing came they would recognize it. But the laws concerning righteousness never changed. Righteousness is still righteousness. And what God command in the Old Testament He still commands in our day. It has always been saved by grace. He has always accepted His righteous ones(Enoch, Moses, Elijah) that "loved him with all their heart, all their soul, all their mind, and all their strength" and "loved their neighbor as themselves". The rule has always been love me with all you've got, trust in me for everything and I will forgive you the rest. And the things that made Jesus furious with rage still make Him furious with rage today, make no mistake. Loving Jesus with all that you are was the ticket to heaven all along.

People often wonder why Jesus didn't address many social issues that plague our society today such as homosexuality, social norms, and politics. Many assume that since He didn't talk about them He must not care about them. The reason Jesus didn't reinterpret the whole of theology while on Earth is because He still stands by His words that He sent though the prophets.

I have never met a Christian that would claim Jesus didn't command us to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." and "Love your neighbor as yourself." Everyone agrees these are good and right. Where the division comes is the interpretation of these. But we were given the interpretation, remember? "All the Law and the Prophets rest on these two." The Old Testament is Jesus speaking.


Don't think that you can say with the man from above, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way.”  Jesus gave everything for us. He expects us to do the same. Never forget:


"You are not your own; you were bought at a price.'

Feel free to comment or ask questions! 

Milk Is The Cause of Cancer!

My wife and I were talking the other night about repentance and what it really means to repent. I understand this concept very well in my own heart. As the saying goes, "He who is forgiven much, loves much." But I often struggle to articulate the degree and severity that Jesus meant when He said, "Repent! For the kingdom of Heaven is near!" The Holy Spirit gave me a parable of sorts that night that says it more clearly than I have ever heard:

Let's say that I was able to definitively prove to you that the drinking of milk other than human was the direct cause of cancer as much as blood is the vehicle for transferring AIDS. Would you continue to drink milk? At all? Would you say, "I love milk, but I know it's bad for me, so I will start weening myself off slowly. This month I will drink only 10 glasses. Next month I will drink 9. And so on." This person would either have to be insane or they didn't actually believe the truth in the beginning. But it is true! So what would be the proper response? Stop drinking milk! Now! Then, I would start finding out what was made with dairy. Anything that had any dairy in it would be cut out of my diet.

This is the difference between a Paul-like conversion and the majority of 'Christians' I meet today. Many treat sin and purity flippantly. They assume that their life operates on their own time-table. They use grace as a scapegoat for sin.

"Sure you want to do good things and stay away from the bad. But we are all forgiven in the end anyway. Don't be so uptight about it. Enjoy your life and trust in Jesus"

These thoughts pass through a lot more heads than speak it. But there is an increasing number who are starting to speak it as well. Repentance means going out on the battlefield and defeating the enemy head on at the outset. And once the battlefield has been won you go throughout the towns and countryside routing out the enemy, leaving none alive. This is what repentance and the Christian walk should look like. Yes, you will be under constant attack from the flesh until the day you die. But you should be defeating the massive frontal enemy at the outset.

If a drug addict was trying to get clean the first step would be... stop taking drugs! Then he would begin routing out the causes of his drug addiction. The dealers, the co-dependents, the enablers. Then he would dig deeper and rout out the emotional causes of his drug addiction: depression, hurt, bitterness, regret, selfishness. In this way he would win the lifelong battle, but it begins by not taking the drugs! He can't say, "This month I will only take two hits of crack a day. And next month only one hit a day." That would be ridiculous! Everyone knows that wouldn't work and no one would believe he was serious about getting clean.

We all face the same battle and demon in varying ways. Stop sinning! Then find and cut out the things that make your sin possible. Then find out why you are committing the sin in the first place. This is the process of sanctification. This is holiness. Remember Jesus' words,

"If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell."

Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is near!

"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near."

Solomon had it right, "There is nothing new under the sun." What has been will be again. And it is. Jesus first coming was heralded by many prophets, but one man in particular paved the way, John the Baptist. His message was of repentance, commitment and purification. The Messiah came and conquered the world through spiritual victory and is coming again to conquer all kingdoms physically. But there is someone who will be coming in between these two comings that Christians have been anxiously looking for as well, the  Antichrist. The Beast. The abomination that causes desolation. And I believe his appearance is immanent.

Biblical prophecy is being set up and fulfilled around us everyday. First, I want to address a subject that is under much contention. The physical nation of Israel. Some say they are still God's favorites. Some say they are irrelevant. And many say a lot of things in between. There is no doubt that God favored and was fighting on their side in the Old Testament. Jesus definitely gave them the land of Israel as their inheritance. The question is was this promise nullified or revoked when the New Covenant was ushered in or because of the Jew's rejection of Jesus through His death on the cross. Generally speaking, most have no scriptural basis for this belief. At least I have never heard of any and don't think any can be found because of Paul's words to the Romans,

"I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! ... God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew... Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! rather because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious... I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that your may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved... for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable."

Israel's inheritance was not apart of the Old Covenant. It was an gift that stemmed from Abraham's faith and faithfulness. Israel was carried off into captivity and occupied many times, but none of these revoked their ownership of the land. Israel was even occupied in Jesus' day by the Romans. But as in Elijah's day, He has always kept a faithful remnant for Himself. And the promise and the inheritance is not revoked for the faithful on account of the unfaithful. The geographic land of Israel belongs to the Jew's ,the natural sons and the adopted sons, and it is where He will return to. It is where he will set His city. And He will fight for it.

"This is the word of the Lord concerning Israel. The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares:  “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.  On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.  On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.  Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.’
 “On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.
 “The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah.  On that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the Lord going before them.  On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.

I say all this to get to this: I believe the Beast and his false prophet are walking the Earth. Jesus it the descendant of the child of the promise, Issac. The false Christ will be a descendant of the false son, the illegitimate son, Ishmael. There has been some very alarming events in the news lately. This is the most disturbing:

"Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are convinced that the End of Days has come. They believe the Shia messiah known as the “Twelfth Imam” or the “Mahdi” will appear soon to establish a global Islamic kingdom known as the caliphate. What’s more, they believe the way to hasten the coming of the Twelfth Imam is to annihilate Israel (which they call the “Little Satan”), and the United States (which they call the “Great Satan”). We should not, therefore, be surprised that Iran is probing for weaknesses in American intelligence and homeland security. Khamenei told Iranians in July 2010 that he personally met with the Twelfth Imam. He also claimed to be the personal representative of the Mahdi on earth, and said all Muslims must “obey him.” Meanwhile, Western intelligence agencies say he continues to work with Ahmadinejad and the Iranian military to develop nuclear warheads and the ballistic missiles to deliver them.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/11/07/why-irans-top-leaders-believe-that-end-days-has-come/#ixzz1dPj0f400

There is a lot of time spent studying Biblical eschatology(end times study), and there should be. But take some time and read some Islamic eschatology sometime.  It is eerily similar to ours. Governments overthrown. Evil eradicated. Righteousness reigns. Messiah. God  reigning on earth. You would think you were reading Revelations. Except the names and winners are changed. You have to understand that the Antichrist and false prophet are not going to be against Christ. Satan never wanted to oppose Jesus. He wanted to be Jesus and have everything that He has. And He has been mimicking him ever since the beginning.

The world is so interconnected that globalization is the only option at this point for the politicians. We are in a bubble here in America. We see Islam and Muslims as fringe and obscure. And we still have a sense of Nationality and freedom. But

"As of 2009, over 1.5 billion or about 23% of the world population are Muslims.[1] Of these, around 62% live in Asia-Pacific, 20% in the Middle East and North Africa, 15% in Sub-Saharan Africa and around 2% in Europe & Americas" - Wikipedia

And this was in 2009. Islam is sweeping the world. I've often wondered why the U.S. is not mentioned in Biblical prophecy. We have such a instrumental place in the world. We are the concentration of the vast majority of wealth and power. We are said to be founded on Christian principles. Most Americans probably cringe inside every time the hear the word Islam or Muslim after 9/11. We know that the southern half of the U.S., at least, is armed to the teeth. How on Earth could this be true?: "All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast". I think Americans have demonstrated, despite our failings and disregard for Jesus' commandments, that we would fight to the death over our freedom. So how would America ever be in submission to an Islamic, Antichrist, world government? Maybe it is because we are not here. Everyone knows how much Muslims, and particularly Iraq, hate Israel and the Jews. But this fact is mysteriously absent from the headlines: Israel is the "little Satan" to them. America is the "Great Satan". And when all this World War lll starts going down who do you think will be their first target? God promised to fight on Israel's behalf and to secure His kingdom on that land. There was no such promise made for this land.

Be watchful. Be ready. Repent! Do not give the Devil a foothold. Remember  Jesus' words,

"Do not worry about what you will eat, or what you will drink, or what you will wear. Do not worry about your life."

"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me"

"If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints."

There is a great delusion coming and is already showing it's head today. Your enemy, the Devil, will use any and every tactic to devour you and get you turn away from Jesus. Purify your lives and be ready to give anything and everything for His name. Repent! For the kingdom of Heaven is near!

Feel free to comment or ask questions! 

Baby, I was born this way!

When Jesus created us and placed us in the garden he said that we were very good. We were ignorant and immature and yet, He was pleased. And then came the fall. We added knowledge to the mix and the the deal changed. The standard changed. We now had to follow a strict set of rules and guidelines to be righteous. None of us could do that though. That is not what we were created for. We were sheep entering a cheetah race. There was no way we could ever be complete and faultless. This is what the Old Covenant meant: we would have to be everything to anything and everyone at all times. We would have to have every answer right, every step right. Perfect wisdom that not only accomplishes His purposes in the moment, but for all eternity. We were not  created for this. This is why no one would every be able to fulfill it. The Law was a description of God and so God would have to fulfill it. And Jesus did. Then He gave us a New Covenant.

What is a covenant? Is it a free give-away flyer in the mail? Is it a loose deal between friends? I think the best way to describe a Biblical covenant is to use the definition of the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant was not optional. And the standards and requirements were not different for anyone. What is the difference between the Old and the New Covenant? It is the standards and requirements. Let me give a parable of sorts to demonstrate these:

The Old Covenant was like a standardized test. You have to study, study, study. Take the test and if you pass your in. And everyone gets the same test. Except, it was a pass/fail test not a sliding grade. And that is where the mistake comes in. People grade themselves against the Law and get A's, B's, C's and so on. Only, if you get a 99%, you still fail. And the test is on the complete realm of knowledge and wisdom. Everything that ever was, is, and ever will be. We could never possibly know. And that is why  Jesus had to come take the test for us, because only God could ever be that.

The New Covenant is more like a track race. The catch though is that there isn't a start or a finish line. You can start wherever you are on the track and there is no finish line for you to cross. Your only job is to run. Many prefer the Old Covenant to the New Covenant because it gives them a standard to judge themselves on. That is self-righteousness and it pales in comparison to the righteousness that the Old Covenant describes. There is no way to grade yourself on the race, the New Covenant, because you can't show how far you've run or how long until you cross the finish line or even how well you are running compared to your fellow racers because they are not running on the same track as you, though you can still see them. It's only about how much passion you run with. Have you ever been to a High School gym class? Some are giving it their all. Some are merely participating. Some are not participating at all. Have you ever seen an Olympic track race. That look in their eye; that desire and passion that they run with is what Jesus is looking for. Does it matter how fast or how well you run? Not at all. Have you ever seen a Special Olympics track race. The faces are the same. The passion and desire is the same. The speed is not. That doesn't matter, because you are not judged on the Law and if you have perfection in athleticism. You are judged on how well you ran the race you are in. This is the same parable that Jesus told in the parable of the talents:

  “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’  “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’  “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’  “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’  “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’   “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Run with passion. Give it your all. Take the truth that you know and live it to the fullest. Like all good athletes, always be looking for a way to improve you technique and performance. Make your coach proud. But don't ever think that your performance will be approved because of the ground you have covered. You can never reach a certain point and rest or run with less drive. Your race will sometimes be fast and some times slow based on the terrain and heat around you, but always remember that it's not the speed and distance you cover, but the eagerness with which you run. This was the original purpose. This is what you were created for. You were born this way. Run!

Feel free to comment or ask questions! 

Clean out the rot from among you

     "Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.  When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand  and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them—through the Israelite and into the woman’s body. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped."

          When did we stop believing that God disciplines those He loves? The modern thought among Christians is that sin was something of the Old Testament and that now days Jesus views it more as an inconvenience that He will tolerate until  He returns and makes all things new; that He will gently persuade someone as long as they want to be persuaded, but that He is a gentleman and will not force His desires and beliefs on us. According to this bunch,  all the punishments of the Old Testament were to atone for their sins, as if God didn't have a choice in the matter. He did love them and that is why Jesus came, so that He wouldn't have to be so harsh and demanding with us anymore. Consider this,

"Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."

Jesus has standards. He desires purity. "Be Holy, as I am Holy". Holy doesn't mean perfect, it means set apart for a special purpose. "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." and, "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters." The hot words of our generation are compromise and tolerance. These words are not in God's vocabulary. I'm not advocating preaching fire and brimstone or aggressiveness towards the world. This message, this language, is against those who call themselves Christians and live as if they were apart of this world. Remember Jesus words,

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

Did you see the word He used there? "I know your..." Not faith. Not beliefs. Deeds! How you act. These worldly Christians argue for mercy and say that Jesus doesn't hold their sin against them. But that is not what His mercy is for. When Jesus completed and did away with the Old Covenant He didn't leave it at that. He established a new one. Which means He does something for you and you do something for Him. Will He accept us at the judgement throne if we live worldly lives? No. He will tell us, "I never knew you!" Does this mean He will give up on us if we turn our backs on Him while still alive? Never! "If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself." So what does He do? He disciplines. "For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself..."

Is this eternal judgement? The final Judgement?

"...That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep."

If you sin against Him under the New Covenant He may strike you physically or He may even kill you to keep you from poisoning the rest of the fellowship and dishonoring His name. Or He may discipline you verbally through another believer like He did Peter through Paul.

"When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?"

So what should we do about the unfaithful among us? We were commanded in this respect as well,

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector."

This is clear in it's command. Confront sin, rebuke your brothers and sisters in love, if they will not listen and change their ways put them out of your fellowship and treat them with hostility as you would someone who worships Satan or another false god because if they will not submit to Christ that is what they are. He demands purity and submission. It is not optional.

How strict should we be about this? How strongly should we hold to this? This brings us back to the passage that I opened with. Take a minute and go read the 25th chapter of Numbers, it's exciting. No censuses or genealogies, I promise. So here we have the Israelites gathered together as an assembly. They have just heard directly from God regarding their most recent sin and have been given a direct command. Moses and the elders are before the Tent of Meeting weeping and repenting when this guy walks right by them chatting it up with a prostitute. Not Moses, not Aaron, not Eleazar, but Phinehas gets up and says, "No way, this stops right here, right now, today." He then proceeds to follow the guy into his tent carrying a spear. And while the guy is on top of his hired lady friend he drives the spear through both of them. This appeases Jesus and then the plague lifts. It wasn't the Israelites gathering together that made His anger pass. It wasn't their repentance or contrite hearts. It was action. So what is the mercy that Jesus bartered for us for? For ignorance and immaturity. "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." If you didn't know any better or are new and weak, there is mercy. If you have been told or are a seasoned believer, there will not be mercy.

But this is not only about eternal consequences, it has application to the here and now. A day is coming when the Antichrist will be revealed and I believe it to be soon, certainly in my life time. He is not going to be obvious. He is going to be the best "wolf in sheep's clothing". We must be diligent and not allow impurity and compromise to be among us. "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." And devour us He will. If you think you are too strong or too wise to be deceived or devoured you make the greatest mistake in confrontation; underestimating you enemy. What makes a wall safe and secure? A strong foundation and quality construction. If we allow impurity in the materials or poor workmanship in the things that make up our life we will not be able to stand in the day of trouble. He will divide us and pit us against one another. And He will conquer us. And will there be mercy if the master comes and finds us defeated?

"But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— IF you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel."

Feel free to comment or ask questions! 

The duty of all Christians

What causes understanding? What causes salvation? Is it not the Lord and Him only?

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth."

"He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn--and I would heal them."

The driving goal of the western 'church' for the last two-hundred years has been to enlighten the masses. We have heard unending sermons and discourses on scripture and theology. We have traveled to every corner of the world passing our seed to the masses. We write books, tracts, and blogs (couldn't leave myself out) about everything God said and everything we think He said. It has turned into a circus. Flashing lights, silver tongued preachers, moving music, and a healthy helping of guilt, or pardon me... conviction. And we are proud! "Look what my words did! What change! There used to be only 25 people in here. Now, 250!" But we don't claim that do we? It's not our words! It's God's words! (In a humble voice)"I am merely a vessel." (right hand over heart, chin lifted high) Mmm hmm... how noble. But the change never comes. Our 'church' is full of thieves, liars, and the sexually immoral. And we give them grace and mercy where the Lord does not. We make them believe that God accepts them just as they are. That the blood of Christ was spilled for this very purpose. That we could all be accepted as we are. And they believe it because they want to believe it. They don't really want to abandon the world and it's ways, they like, no love, the world and it's ways.

To those of you who have seen this truth and are left standing around wondering, "What should we be doing?" I have some good news. A Gospel to be sure. God doesn't need you to save anyone. God doesn't need you to convince anyone. God doesn't need you to lead anyone. That is all His job. And He does it well. One of the first things you have to understand is this: God doesn't want anyone that doesn't want Him. I know, this is a hard thing considering the lies the 'church' has been telling for a couple of hundred years now. "God doesn't wish that any should perish", but that doesn't mean He is some poor angst-filled teenage boy sitting outside His crushes house singing and professing His undying love to a closed window.

"The LORD's eyes scan the whole world to find those whose hearts are committed to him and to strengthen them."

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

The second part of the good news is that all God wants from you is your undivided, passionate, rapt attention. Your only job is to love the lord with everything you are and have, to be true to the revelation that you have at the moment, to have an open heart and mind, to testify to the truth and be a living example of the righteousness that is God's kingdom.

"Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

We can not even effect our own spiritual growth. It is all in the Lord's hands and His only. God gives the growth. The only thing we can do is trust in faith. Trust that He will provide for our needs(water, food, shelter); provide the wisdom we need, and provide soft hearts and open minds, and provide the growth. We struggle and claw our way forward through the darkness thinking we are making progress. We are like small babies wiggling and squirming trying to get our way when all we have to do is be still and trust so that our Father can carry us, feed us, protect and comfort us. Does this mean that we should not worry about purity, obedience, and sanctification? Not at all!

"Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."

But the mercy that Christ bartered for us was to cover the ignorance and immaturity that we display as we passionately and radically pursue Him, not willful disobedience and self-worship or self-centeredness. I will leave you with the words of Paul,

"I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

Pursue the Truth, love the Truth, testify to the Truth and leave the rest up to the Lord. It's His kingdom and His Bride. He will be the one to redeem her and gather her to himself. We live in blind, happy faith and sit in amazement as Christ opens our minds, eyes, and ears and reveals the real world to us, His awesome power, and the works He has done and will do.

Feel free to comment or ask questions! 

Goodness redefined

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."

Persecution is all around us. The Body that resides in the middle east and the far east is facing open, obvious persecution. But the Body in the west is suffering equally, but in a much more deceptive and tricky way. We are led away and enticed by the bribes of the Evil One and are assaulted with doubt about our circumstances and the nature of God. It is the same tactic that Satan used against Jesus when He was fasting in the desert and Adam and Eve in the garden.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Though evil will reside in people if they give way to it, it is not the only way it operates. One of Satan's greatest tactics is not to out-rightly oppose us. An enemy in the open is easy to take a stand against. An faceless enemy is a far harder adversary, as the American military has found through the last fifty years all the way from Vietnam to Iraq. He darts in and out and draws fire on innocent civilians. This tactic causes the advancing force to either become heartless and cruel and slaughter the innocent with the enemy or to become disheartened and surrender the fight altogether. Satan has lodged such an attack on the free church of the west.

We know that the scriptures says,
"I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread." and yet Christians are starving all over the world.

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?" and "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." and yet, we pray and we pray for healing, provision, and direction and are not given it.

We are allowing Satan to interpret the scriptures for us. If God promises and does not fulfill, He is a liar. How can the scripture speak one thing and reality show us something altogether different? It is because we have forgotten what a good father is. Jesus calls us to come out from among them. He means this in many ways; spiritually, socially, physically, and intellectually. As Americans we desperately need to separate ourselves from the spiritual powers that manipulate our country in social and intellectual ways. We have been indoctrinated with the evil concepts of self-righteousness and worldly goodness. The courts tell us that we are not allowed to physically discipline our children or teach them intolerance of what the world calls good but the Lord calls evil. We have applied these principals to God and have negated what we know to be true of His character and the lengthy history of His interaction with His people, the Old Testament.

Something must be understood. The Law was given to restrict man, not God. The law is the definition of what God is. Satan's sin in Heaven was that he wanted to be God's equal, which is impossible as, "A servant is not greater than his master." When Adam and Eve broke God's command in the garden they were falling for the same delusion that possessed Satan. The Law was given to show that man could never equal God and that wasn't what He wanted for us to begin with. And so once the truth of our inequality had been firmly established through thousands of years of history of man under the Law, Christ came and fulfilled that covenant so that He could join with His people in the way He meant to originally; through submission and trust, aka faith.

God was not and never will be restricted by the Law as He is the Law. And He, "is the same yesterday and today and forever." Do you not know that, " the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." God never stopped loving Israel. Not through their rebellion, Jesus' crucifixion, or even today. The Old Testament is just that, a testament to how God loves His people despite their faults and how He disciplines those He calls His children so that they can be brought out of evil and into purity and righteousness. Jesus death on the cross atoned for the penalty of sin and relieved  us of the legal requirement of perfection and completeness. But it did not change Jesus' desire for us to live in purity, consecration, and sanctification.

God did not discipline Israel in the Old Testament to save them from their sin, He already had a plan for that. He constantly and consistently disciplined  them because like all good fathers He wanted them to have goodness and to know truth. Only, He is the perfect Father and knows the ends and consequences of all decisions and actions. What may seem inconsequential to us is of the utmost importance to Him because he knows what results from it. What father would not give his child bread if he was hungry? What if the young child was having surgery later that day and was not allowed to eat for 24 hours so that he wouldn't vomit on the operating table and so asphyxiate himself and die. The father cannot possible explain what the doctors are about to do. It would only scare him and put undue stress on him. But the surgery is necessary to his life. And so even though his son is begging at his feet for bread the father says, "No son. I know you are truly hungry, but you don't know what is coming. You have to suffer for a little while so that I can save you life."

God still disciplines His children today. As Paul said, "For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.". This is also demonstrated in God's judgement on Ananias and Sapphira for their lying to the Holy Spirit.

There are many reasons "bad" things happen in this life. Jesus told His disciples, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." Or consider the story of Job. God said this about Job, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." Then Satan says that Job only loves God because God gives him good things and a nice life. And to prove Satan wrong he unleashes Satan on him, but tells him not to harm him personally. And then later unleashes Satan on Job himself, but tells Satan to not take his life. And what was Job's response to all of this? "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" and "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Sometimes it is the natural consequences of physical life that  happen to us, i.e. car accidents, natural disasters, disease.

Yes, God could save us from all these things. I whole-heartedly believe that I will not live past the day that I am meant to, nor will die before it. But what happens in between will all be goodness from the Lord's hand. The point of life isn't living. Why is everyone trying to beat disease and danger? The Lord can save us from these things. He has done it many times through out history. But if He doesn't what do we get? The reward! Death is the prize not the punishment. But during this life there will be discipline and punishment. Goodness is defined by spiritual health and spiritual reward. If you find yourself in trying circumstances don't be so quick to beg God for relief. It may be discipline from the Lord. We should continually examine ourselves to see if we are allowing any impurity to live in us. God may be trying to save us from the consequences of our actions. Or God may mean for us to live a life time of suffering as the man that was born blind had so that at the proper time God's glory may be shown. Or God may be giving us opportunity to build up spiritual treasure in Heaven as I believe Job was for his faith and patient endurance. Or we may be given the greatest gift and a disease may lead to our death, Halleluiah! But if we tell people that God only means good for us in the way that carnal people interpret goodness we will set up new, weak believers to fail and make God out to be a liar in the eyes of the world. "May God be true and every man a liar!"

Feel free to comment or ask questions!