"Gone too soon"...

One annual tradition that we have gets us looking back at the icons or "legends" of our entertainment world who have recently died.  Every year, people look back and say about some of them, "They left us too soon".  

But the Bible is the source of all Truth, and it teaches us that there is a day appointed to all of us when we will exit this existence, and move on to eternity.     We don't know how or when but we know why.  Why has been given to us.   But we don't know if we'll ever reach old age, or if we'll leave a lot sooner.    The dates on the grave stones in ever cemetery testify to this fact. 

The Bible teaches that we are ALL eternal souls and throughout the pages of the Bible, we can only extract TWO eternal possibilities - HEAVEN or HELL.  

Despite the myriad of religious, emotional, mystical and foundationless philosophies that explain what happens after death from various cultures and history, The Biblical scriptures describe a real eternal state where our human senses will continue to exist.    Jesus' own account of the rich man and the beggar, Lazarus after death experience illustrates this.   This was an account of an actual person named Lazarus.    Jesus never named anyone in his parables. 

..."And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.  But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.  Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:  For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.  Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.  And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.  And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead".    -  Luke Chapt. 16

We have a number of days set before us.   We don't know how many but surely, we should live every one of them in humbled gratitude towards the ONE who has bestowed them upon us.   How often do we jump out of bed and crawl back in without once acknowledging whether we'll be able to put on our shoes the next day??  God hasn't just granted life in this temporal existence but eternity to each and every soul which He has created. 

"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be".  - Psalm 139:16 

 

The one who has God now, has LIFE on into eternity.  





"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life".
- John 5:24






Happy New Year!
Let's live every day in 2015 for Him.

The call for a National Police Force....

In the wake of all the civil unrest involving law enforcement in major cities, the President is talking about setting up a "national policing force".  


Hmmm?... What does one think about when you see government powers coming together?
Educational curriculums, law and order, politics, healthcare, economy, education, religion... ??  
We think of Biblical prophesy.


All if not most of these have been in the process of consolidating for decades now and some are coming together faster than expected.
Even the mere talks of this should raise the little hairs in the back of our necks unless of coarse, we take Biblical prophecy as serious as watching "Ironman", the movie part 5. 


I am not ashamed of being that guy ... the one on the corner holding up a "The End is near" sign.   Because Jesus said, "When you see these things, it is the beginning of birth pains".   "The beginning of sorrows". 


I'm knocked down in awe when I see how quickly civil unrest takes place. 
It's not that most people cannot take an issue like these recent protests in major US cities, and find the right balance of what is wrong and what the solution is.   But the fact that it takes a smaller but more passionate one-sided view on each extreme to cause such chaos and disequilibrium over the whole nation. 
And then issues like these push us towards an equally chaotic solution like.... a "national policing force".


Our children aren't learning to read and write well, so the government steps in and starts a whole national "common core" system to try and rectify that issue.
The same with healthcare (Obamacare)...
The environment .... (Agenda 21)
We've heard politicians use the phrase "New World Order" in their speech especially, with respect to a "global" economy.

Our problem with securing the electrical grid, electronic banking systems and personal identifications are now being threatened more than ever.  And the call for "Cyber" security is very much in the news today.     The talks are headed in the direction of combining more than ever national identification systems in all facets of every day life (healthcare, immigration, employment, etc.) ... for our over all security.     In order to secure people and institutions, inevitably you're going to have to shut some doors (preventing access to) and open others (privacy breaching).    It's inevitable.  

How have all of these necessities come upon us? ... Signs of the times. 


And even in religion, we've seen the continuation of systems and ideas coming together teaching pluralism ... where it is said that major religions have more in common than where they differ. 
Recently, because of the anti-Christian devastation in the middle east, Pope Francis visited with the heads of the Eastern Orthodox church to make a pact of peace... something that has never happened before. 



And then there's the extreme purging of Christians all over the Middle East and in various parts of the world as we know it.  Like never before, Christians are being slaughtered.   This is happening right in front of global eyes, and very little is being said or done about it.  The nations of the world do not care.   (This is a good time to read what Christ, Jesus thinks about how the world treats his little brothers - Read Matthew 25).
God is in the process of removing His saints off the face of the earth, and the hour of "sorrows" is upon us.

While we sip our coffees in the morning or channel surf, whole villages of families, women and children are being run out of their homes only with whatever they can carry...
They're losing EVERYTHING they own and their lives are in constant risk of sickness, disease, murder, rape, torture, etc.  


If God's Truth is within us, we can see these things and where they are headed.    Jesus said:  "Unless you are born from above, you cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven".
You won't be able to understand what's going on unless God's Truth (Holy Spirit) is within you.
When Jesus said this, He was talking to an extremely intelligent and religious man who came to Him by night in order to find what he was missing.  And Jesus spoke to him and basically told him that with all his religion, he was missing THE POINT of it all.  (Book of John Chapter 3)
Because after all, there's religion, and then there's TRUTH.
Truly, we're living in perilous times as predicted in scripture.


It's high time to pray for all those many displaced and persecuted people all over the world.   And pray that "Ye be counted worthy to escape these things that are set to come upon the earth". 
It's also a ripe time to deliver that Gospel message to everyone.  Some will hear, most will not but God has already counted which "are His" from the foundation of the world.

God bless you.

"In the beginning, GOD ...

... Created the HEAVENS and the earth". ... And all things consist and are held together by Him.

LIFE FOUND ON MARS!!!..

Psych! No, it hasn't happen.

 But every time we see science programs on TV, we see the desperation to find signs of life in space, signs of habitable planets, etc. And I would even be bold enough to say that much if not, most of the knowledge we now have of the universe has been fueled by this strong desire to find life beyond our planet.

  Every new thing that is discovered or learned about our universe, always seems to be in competition with theism or more so, the Biblical understanding of God and human origin. This is because the secular world is tired of debating the argument for the "Theory of Evolution". Most of Evolution theory honestly points to a creator and contradicts the theory that "everything came out of nothing". And for those who think evolution theory is somehow compatible with the Bible, they are themselves caught in a snare with the clear Biblical language that then challenges their loyalty and faith in God's Word.

  But the natural human knows that there is a creator and can only use a myriad of crafty philosophies and theories to suppress that innate knowledge of God within them (Romans Chapt. 1). And those who want to straddle the fence on the subject will continue losing the debate on both their lack of knowledge of science and their lack of faith in what is written in scripture.

  And this is a VERY serious thing because in 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2, it teaches that we have to have a "love of the Truth" and a curse is placed on those who do not love and pursue truth but instead give themselves over to lies. The chapter discusses many deceptions that will come in the last days and one is heeded to put Truth above all things.

 Romans Chapt. 1 teaches that man is naturally in rebellion to God (Truth), and therefore, it takes humility and submission to Truth in order to attain it. Truth does not come naturally to us, it is itself a gift of God. And what IS the Truth?? God has manifested Himself in Christ (The Word) as Truth, therefore, The Word IS Christ (John Chapt 1). Scripture is The Word. The Gospel is scripture.

 The manifestation of God in His written Word has been given to us in scripture (The Bible). Not to take The Word as God intended it, is to go against The Word  (Jesus says:  "You are either for me or against me"). Because of that natural rebellion and suppression of Truth, many find it easy to go against the authority of God's Word written in scripture. And we see this demonstrated every time people liberalize Biblical doctrine. In many cases, Biblical doctrines are REJECTED even before a crafty and deceptive interpretation of it is erected in their minds.   Rejecting Biblical doctrines is now more of a fad, or the "in" thing to do simply because people follow the cultural norm of adhering to deceptive and irrational anti-Christian secularism. 

  But like mentioned before, these are all natural human reactions to God's Truth outside of a blessed, truly honest, and God - led pursuit of actual Truth. Jesus said:

          

                                     

" If you seek me, you WILL find me".

                                     "My sheep hear my voice"...

It is "life and death" important to believe what has been written (God's revelation).   Because ANYTHING we know OF GOD, we've learned through the Word.   If we know it's wrong to steal, kill and covet, it's because The Word informed us.   The Bible teaches that unless you have Christ (The Word), you cannot have "The Father".      "I and the Father are one".     Jesus was the mouth piece for God, and He stated this countlessly throughout the Gospels.   We can't submit to the knowledge of a deity and ignore His revelation, which is His Word, The Bible.  


Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.  If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; "...  1 John 9-10

If we reject God's Word (Christ), we reject God. 

" For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart".   -  Hebrews 4:12   

 

Do "unto the least of these"...

" For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,you did it to me.'
- Matt. Chapter 25

______________________

Many have wrongly interpreted this segment of scripture when they say that Christ was here teaching that we must feed and clothe the poor, visit the sick and imprisoned, etc.  

The Word of God does encourage doing good works but in context, good works without a Spiritual rebirth is futile (as in "Filthy rags") with respect to eternal value.  Instead what is done for the glory of God is subject to eternal weight in glory.

If we read the whole chapter, we see that Jesus was talking about judgment and His 2nd coming where He will separate the sheep from the goats, and ultimately, there will be some who will go away into "everlasting punishment", and those who will go into "eternal life".

The ones who are said to be Jesus' "brethren" are those who will be at His return imprisoned, hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and persecuted for His name's sake.   And even as we see today, believers who care for their brethren in The Lord, they will be the ones caring for The Body of Christ at the end of days.   This has always been seen historically in Christian persecution, today, and until the coming of The Lord. 

"Watch you therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man"
- Luke 21:36

.............................

On Ferguson, MO. and Politics :

On Ferguson, MO. and politics :

There's always a danger in being too politically tainted.
It bothers me to see how many Christians are always leaning too far right or left and then they try and deny that they don't have a smell of politics on them.   

It's like a smoker who doesn't realize they smell of smoke while they're standing among non smokers. 
Christ didn't call us into politics even though morality always intersects with it.
For the Christian, it's sort of like being careful not to fall into legalism.    But many times, Christians make this mistake.
A lot of times, it's because certain people can never put themselves in the shoes of others.    It has to do with ignorance.  Prejudices are evil little ignorance's that all of us have, and sometimes, we don't even know we have them.    Most of us, won't even admit we have them.    For instance, I have prejudices.... but don't ask me what they are because I'll tell you,  "Mind you're own business"!    :)     It's human to have these things but for the disciple of Christ, we grow out of them as we become more Christ-like.

Many times, these things happen because people are immature Christians and haven't yet realized that OUR LOVE is what serves The Gospel of Christ to others .    

They take this understanding of love to be clique' ... but no, it's the most important aspect of the Gospel message. 
They're very zealous to wield their sword of Truth around ...   but their love is somewhere in their pocket.  
Put your sword back and save it for yourself.... and take your love out of your pocket, and use that instead.
You shouldn't even be holding God's sword in your hands UNLESS it's in LOVE that you're using it.   

Many people think that TRUTH is in competition with Love.
They'll say  "I am loving, because I say the Truth"....  But they'll serve you gold on a paper plate, or worst,  serve it to you by tossing it in your face. 

Tsk, tsk, tsk..... That's not the way to do it my breathren.    I don't need to be too experienced or too holy to know that much. 

I know that sounds like a lot of sentimentality but for anyone who has read my blogs and plenty of my FB posts, they know, I'm NOT wishy/washy.
My conscience is clean of that.  :)

I believe in Truth.   But just like The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:1 -  

"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal".

For some Christians, love is the fruit that takes longer to manifest in their daily growth in The Lord.     But the hope is that anyone who diligently studies The Word, will eventually get there.  


Now on the issue of Ferguson, MO.   It's simple;  we know only TWO facts:

Racsim and lawlessness will continue to exist until Christ returns and we know that none of us WERE THERE seeing what truly transpired on that day between that young thuggy boy, and Officer Wilson.      Therefore, to have an EXTREME opinion on either side....  not having been there to see what actually happen is just as ignorant and lawless as the looting and rioting thatis taking place over there.           

We know that the law is the law... it must be obeyed.   But we also know that man's law is like statistics, it can be corrupted.    Was the evidence in this case corrupted or unfairly represented ???  ....
THAT is what the people failed to show.       Of coarse, average citizens are not made up of an organized system  to collect, preserve evidence, and then present it to the court ... that's the collective task of the police department and the local judicial system.   

The argument that there are few black cops in that town isn't a good one.  Corruption in law enforement can happen regardless of those numbers. 
But humans as well as human institutions always need systems of accountability to keep from corrupting.   No law enforcement system is a law unto itself.      It's NOT the first time in the history of this country
where there has been police corruption.      There just needs to be better leaders to inact and enforce systems of accountability within the community at all times. 

But without a doubt ... our communities do not need the likes of those that call themselves "Reverends", to lead them.   Those that race bait and push their agendas; stir and arouse hate and conflict.   No healing ever comes from them, and no clear focus to empower and strengthen communities ever comes from them either.
What we need is true men of God in our cities,  with true Godly convictions, and out of them will grow citizens with Godly intentions.     Citizens need to focus revitalizing their communities first in their hearts and minds... and then in their institutions.   We need to be able to cultivate and grow our own fruit within our communities, and get on our own feet.

A good indicator of anyone who you don't want to listen to are people or agendas that spend way too much time focusing on past failors, past opressions, and pushing for the increase of hand-outs.    The bottom line is .... "What are we going to do about it"?    A question like this, moves you forward and keeps you thinking, and planning, and growing.   

Firstly, our schools and families need to be protected.   This is the starting point towards true healing. 

Too many times, when Christians get too involved in politics, they end up with the "us against them"  attitude... The old competitive,  "Yankees vs. Red Socks" mentality.
Well, life is not sports folks.   The innercities everywhere are our mission field.   They've long since been fed religion but what they truly need is Jesus straight out of the Bible, and let the healing begin. 

God's grace to all.

Not so famous quotes...

From post- abortion women. 

(Courtesy, LifesiteNews.com)

.......

Lori Nerad, Former National President of Women Exploited by Abortion:

"Two weeks after the abortion, I went into labor. I staggered into the bathroom. And there, with my husband beside me, I delivered a part of my baby the doctor had missed. It was the head of my baby. . . I'll wake up in the middle of the night, thinking I hear a baby crying. And I still have nightmares in which I am forced to watch my baby being ripped apart in front of me. I simply miss my baby. I constantly wake up wanting to nurse my child, wanting to hold my child. And that's something the doctor never told me I would experience."

_________________

Ashley Granger, Wife, mother, sonography student:

Now that my son is 4 years old, I sometimes look at his sweet face and wonder what features my other child would have had. I still have dreams about holding him or her and it makes me so deeply sad to think that I have robbed my son of a sibling. Why not just try and conceive a sibling for him today you may ask? Well, I would love to but my husband and I have been struggling with infertility for two and half years. I never once dreamed that I wouldn't be able to conceive when I wanted to! Every night my sweet boy prays to God for a sibling and every time I hear those precious prayers my heart aches over what I did. Because in retrospect an abortion isn't an easy fix or a solution to a problem….it is the problem, and it leaves a lasting effect on generations to come.

________

Katrina Fernadez, Catholic humor writer at Patheos:

"I killed two of my children, robbed my parents of grand-children, and murdered my son's siblings. These abortions directly caused a medical condition known as incompetent cervix which resulted in the premature birth of another son who died after a week long struggle in the NICU in 2001. The suffering I've endured and caused others is immeasurable and the guilt almost drove me suicidal. I am a coward in every way."

_________