Rejoice, friends, for we are to see a great awakening of true faith!
As I wrote last about Carl's stay here and his Paganicon conference I have since been thinking on the state of the "church" in the world.
It is really a rule of thumb that whenever a pagan culture has the upper hand, true faith shows its true colors, and people become truly converted to salvation in Christ Jesus!
It's a blessing that is perhaps unexpected, but healthy for spiritual life everywhere!
Living a life that is devoted to Jesus is the true goal of being born again. When we have a culture that is overtly or cosmetically "Christian" we get swept up in the idea of being good enough, or comparatively good, or even not so bad...
Deception! We can never be "good enough" for meeting God face to face except by the washing in blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus was our sacrifice, our payment for sin, all sin. It is only by His grace that we are saved, through faith. A gift.
When the world becomes entrenched in paganism (which, you will remember, is anything not of Jesus Christ---EVERYTHING not of Christ is pagan---no neutral territory!) believers really start to stand out. They start to be called out, to suffer, to shine, to be on display, to be persecuted, to look different, and to attract!
Because Christ is so attractive, and the Holy Spirit is working through these few willing to be called out from the world.
We are in the world, but not of it. We are called out. Ecclesia.
We are called to belong to the family of God and be His children. We are called to lives that are not characterized by sin. We are to forsake sin, and be separate.
We are called into the family of God. Synagogue. These ancient words have real meaning. They are not just names.
I have been enjoying my ancient language studies, and my Spanish is coming right along! I'm learning all sorts of ancient words in Spanish. I'm in Numbers, now, and today I read the account of Balaam and his donkey. (Burro :))
There is so much to understand with the way God communicates with us, and His Word is the ultimate gift.
I'm reading Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret now, too, and I see where he was called out, but called into the will of God and, he says, recompensed by the LORD far more in every way. He says He never gave anything up, God far out-blessed him in every way.
That is bound to set any believer apart from the rest of the world.
We give up friendships that draw us away from Christ. We give up desires that don't match His will. We give up the pursuit of gain here on earth for the unimaginable award that HEAVEN promises.
We show this strange hope and light to all around us, and watch just WHO is the Spirit going to draw?
Of course many will run, shrieking, from the light of Christ in you. Others will simply be repelled. (Always question, are you the one repelling, or Christ? It is a fair question, and you must examine yourself!) Christ repels. But you could too, if you are not acting in love.
The Christ-like Spirit loves, but it does not tolerate sin.
We are ALL sinners, so it doesn't judge sinners. God is the just Judge. We are the judged, but for Christ! We do judge behavior and we know what sin is as defined by the Bible, but we are not the ones that judge. We are merely giving warning that judgment is coming.
And it is coming soon.
We are at breakneck speed with the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
We are at the cusp of the building of the temple. Sacrifices have been started. Gold has been found in Israel to pay for the construction of the Temple. The priesthood is ready to go.
Oh.
You don't know what I'm talking about? Shame on the apostate churches and pulpits of this day that do not preach from Daniel or Revelation. Shame on the apostates that are not in the Word of God daily, seeking to understand the times we are living in. Shame on the leaders, wolves in sheep's clothing, who say right is wrong, and wrong is right, leading little ones (both physically and spiritually) down the wrong path. It would be better for them to have a millstone hung on their neck and drowned in the the sea.
Too few churches preach on what to expect, what to watch for, what to KNOW about these days we are living in. The church is dying, and the true bride, believers, are being called out.
God saves. He knows who comes to Him. These are the "elect," and we cannot force anyone into the faith in Christ. God never forces. He woos.
You have been pursued. You have been called. You have been given the invitation to follow Jesus. Understand that when you do, you will no longer belong to this world. You will be different, hated, mocked, slandered. The world doesn't like you.
But God does. He loves everyone. Every single one. His grace is sufficient for all to believe. God is the Creator! He's beyond our ability to comprehend! He cares for you, and you are invited to put your everything in his hands.
Don't wait. You'll be transformed. As Hudson Taylor asserts, nothing will be taken from you without ample, overflowing compensation. You will gain.
I'm not talking money. I'm talking peace and hope, joy and security in Jesus Christ alone.
Stop being pagan. Become like Christ.
As I wrote last about Carl's stay here and his Paganicon conference I have since been thinking on the state of the "church" in the world.
It is really a rule of thumb that whenever a pagan culture has the upper hand, true faith shows its true colors, and people become truly converted to salvation in Christ Jesus!
It's a blessing that is perhaps unexpected, but healthy for spiritual life everywhere!
Living a life that is devoted to Jesus is the true goal of being born again. When we have a culture that is overtly or cosmetically "Christian" we get swept up in the idea of being good enough, or comparatively good, or even not so bad...
Deception! We can never be "good enough" for meeting God face to face except by the washing in blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus was our sacrifice, our payment for sin, all sin. It is only by His grace that we are saved, through faith. A gift.
When the world becomes entrenched in paganism (which, you will remember, is anything not of Jesus Christ---EVERYTHING not of Christ is pagan---no neutral territory!) believers really start to stand out. They start to be called out, to suffer, to shine, to be on display, to be persecuted, to look different, and to attract!
Because Christ is so attractive, and the Holy Spirit is working through these few willing to be called out from the world.
We are in the world, but not of it. We are called out. Ecclesia.
We are called to belong to the family of God and be His children. We are called to lives that are not characterized by sin. We are to forsake sin, and be separate.
We are called into the family of God. Synagogue. These ancient words have real meaning. They are not just names.
I have been enjoying my ancient language studies, and my Spanish is coming right along! I'm learning all sorts of ancient words in Spanish. I'm in Numbers, now, and today I read the account of Balaam and his donkey. (Burro :))
There is so much to understand with the way God communicates with us, and His Word is the ultimate gift.
I'm reading Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret now, too, and I see where he was called out, but called into the will of God and, he says, recompensed by the LORD far more in every way. He says He never gave anything up, God far out-blessed him in every way.
That is bound to set any believer apart from the rest of the world.
We give up friendships that draw us away from Christ. We give up desires that don't match His will. We give up the pursuit of gain here on earth for the unimaginable award that HEAVEN promises.
We show this strange hope and light to all around us, and watch just WHO is the Spirit going to draw?
Of course many will run, shrieking, from the light of Christ in you. Others will simply be repelled. (Always question, are you the one repelling, or Christ? It is a fair question, and you must examine yourself!) Christ repels. But you could too, if you are not acting in love.
The Christ-like Spirit loves, but it does not tolerate sin.
We are ALL sinners, so it doesn't judge sinners. God is the just Judge. We are the judged, but for Christ! We do judge behavior and we know what sin is as defined by the Bible, but we are not the ones that judge. We are merely giving warning that judgment is coming.
And it is coming soon.
We are at breakneck speed with the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
We are at the cusp of the building of the temple. Sacrifices have been started. Gold has been found in Israel to pay for the construction of the Temple. The priesthood is ready to go.
Oh.
You don't know what I'm talking about? Shame on the apostate churches and pulpits of this day that do not preach from Daniel or Revelation. Shame on the apostates that are not in the Word of God daily, seeking to understand the times we are living in. Shame on the leaders, wolves in sheep's clothing, who say right is wrong, and wrong is right, leading little ones (both physically and spiritually) down the wrong path. It would be better for them to have a millstone hung on their neck and drowned in the the sea.
Too few churches preach on what to expect, what to watch for, what to KNOW about these days we are living in. The church is dying, and the true bride, believers, are being called out.
God saves. He knows who comes to Him. These are the "elect," and we cannot force anyone into the faith in Christ. God never forces. He woos.
You have been pursued. You have been called. You have been given the invitation to follow Jesus. Understand that when you do, you will no longer belong to this world. You will be different, hated, mocked, slandered. The world doesn't like you.
But God does. He loves everyone. Every single one. His grace is sufficient for all to believe. God is the Creator! He's beyond our ability to comprehend! He cares for you, and you are invited to put your everything in his hands.
Don't wait. You'll be transformed. As Hudson Taylor asserts, nothing will be taken from you without ample, overflowing compensation. You will gain.
I'm not talking money. I'm talking peace and hope, joy and security in Jesus Christ alone.
Stop being pagan. Become like Christ.
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