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God gave them up to a depraved mind

Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind to do what ought not to be done. Rom. 1:28

The chapter of Romans ch 1 emphasises the depravity of those who do not give the Trinitarian God his honour due via worshipping and obeying him. Roman 1: “God gave them up” to a depraved mind. Our adversarial collective is vast and will increasingly be out to force compliance of two-thirds of mankind. The one-third, the doctrinally sound devotees to Christ, will be marginalised by the masses as conspiratorial fools. ***scripture

Many believe that a digital government currency is coming. It will allow the government to know every exchange of income, income, and expenses (including who you financially support)  and track transactions worldwide to tax everyone on everything they earn, and own, including estate valuations and stop or confiscate the flow of income of bad actors. Surveillance will be increasingly used to control the populations of the earth when it is entirely in the grip of Satan and his minions. 1

And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, …blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also, it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. …Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. (Rev. 13.5-10)

Furthermore, the depravity of man involves the majority of the earth’s inhabitants yielding to this governing authority some refer to as ‘one world government’.

Also, it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. (Rev. 13:16-17)

It’s the liberal governments in the world aiming to shut down Christian values, even their ideological view of any idea standing in the way of total immortality.

This is the sign leading up to Armageddon which the scriptures indicate is a spiritual war led by Satan and Satanic values. Just watch and listen to Transhumanism’s views about Christian ideals. They blame every stupid conspiracy on Christians. 2

The same ideology of blaming Christians for the ruination of the earth is revealed in the introductory chapters of the best-selling  book, Braiding Sweetgrass:

On one side of the world were people whose relationship with the living world was shaped by Skywoman, who created a garden for the well-being of all. On the other side was another woman with a garden and a tree. But for tasting its fruit, she was banished from the garden and the gates clanged shut behind her. That mother of men was made to wander in the wilderness and earn her bread by the sweat of her brow, not by filling her mouth with the sweet juicy fruits that bend the branches low. In order to eat, she was instructed to subdue the wilderness into which she was cast. Same species, same earth, different stories. Like Creation stories everywhere, cosmologies are a source of identity and orientation to the world. They tell us who we are. We are inevitably shaped by them no matter how distant they may be from our consciousness. One story leads to the generous embrace of the living world, the other to banishment. One woman is our ancestral gardener, a cocreator of the good green world that would be the home of her descendants. The other was an exile, just passing through an alien world on a rough road to her real home in heaven. 3

In the above examples of Transhumanism and Braiding Sweetgrass, I discern the rising of the rights of suppressed groups but the suppression is erroneously aimed at bad representations of Christ.
That’s why the world’s ideologically going to hell. It’s far beyond politics though leftists are a seeming impetus.

What are the key attributes of a depraved mind:

Those in depravity replace worship of the Trinitarian God for idols that replace the Creator of the universe: Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things…they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Rom. 1:22, 25

The debased mind is in bondage to the lusts of the flesh: For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. (Rom. 1:26-28)

The debased mind gives approval to sins normally viewed as abhorrent: They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Mark Johnson has some encouragement for fellow Christians:

In so many ways and so many places throughout the world we are surrounded by uncertainty and unrest. Humanity is in turmoil. Only God is a place of safety, a source of peace. This is a time to ponder deeply these passages.
“Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”— Mark 13:35-37, ESV; “. . .avoid every kind of evil. May the God who gives us peace make you holy in every way and keep your whole being—spirit, soul, and body—free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you will do it, because he is faithful.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:22-24, GNT; “The Lord gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm. So always trust the Lord because he is forever our mighty rock.” — Isaiah 26: 3-4, CEV

Courage. God alone is dependable in the days ahead. He’s got you!

1 A former advisor to the Pentagon, White House, Congress, Department of Defence, and the CIA, Jim Rickards. He wrote The Death of Money

2  Transhumanism: The World’s Most Dangerous Idea
3 Kimmerer, Robin Wall. Braiding Sweetgrass (pp. 6-7). Milkweed Editions. Kindle Edition.

 

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3 days

Here is a list that mentions three days throughout the entire scriptures. It is a significant period. You can hover over the scriptures to read the text:

Gen 40:18 And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days.
Matt 12:40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Gen 40:19 In three days, Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.”
Acts 9:9 And for three days, he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Gen 30:36 And he set a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban’s flock.
Neh 2:11 So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days.
2 Sam 20:4 Then the king said to Amasa, “Call the men of Judah together to me within three days and be here yourself.”
Luke 2:46 After three days, they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions.
Matt 26:61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’ ”
Mark 15:29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
Ezra 10:8 and that if anyone did not come within three days, by order of the officials and the elders, all his property should be forfeited, and he himself banned from the congregation of the exiles.
Acts 28:12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days.
Matt 12:39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Mark 9:31 f or he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”
Gen 42:17 And he put them all together in custody for three days.
Jonah 1:17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Ezra 8:32 We came to Jerusalem, and there we remained three days.
Josh 3:2At the end of three days the officers went through the camp
Acts 25:1 Now, three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.
John 2:19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
1 Kings 12:5 He said to them, “Go away for three days, then come again to me.” So the people went away.
Num 10:33 So they set out from the mount of the Lord three days’ journey. And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days’ journey, to seek out a resting place for them.
Mark 8:2: “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat.
Gen 40:12 Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days.
1 Chron 12:39 And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had made preparation for them.
2 Sam 24:13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.”
Exod 10:22: So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.
2 Chron 10:5 He said to them, “Come to me again in three days.” So the people went away.
Mark 14:58: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’ ”
1 Chron 21:12 either three years of famine, or three months of devastation by your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the Lord, pestilence on the land, with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.”
Josh 9:16 At the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and that they lived among them.
Matt 27:63and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’
John 2:20The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”
Judg 19:4And his father-in-law, the girl’s father, made him stay, and he remained with him three days. So they ate and drank and spent the night there.
Exod 10:23They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.
Jonah 2:1Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish,
Jonah 2:10And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
Jonah 2:2saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
Jonah 2:3For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me.
Jonah 2:4Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’
Jonah 2:5The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head
Jonah 2:6at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.
Jonah 2:7When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.
Jonah 2:9But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!”
Jonah 3:3So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth.
Exod 8:27We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.”
2 Kings 2:17But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men. And for three days they sought him but did not find him.
Matt 27:40and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
Exod 15:22Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
Acts 28:7Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days.
Num 33:8And they set out from before Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and they went a three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah.
Ezra 8:15I gathered them to the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there none of the sons of Levi.
Josh 2:22They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing.
Judg 14:14And he said to them, “Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet.” And in three days they could not solve the riddle.
Gen 40:13In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer.
Josh 2:16And she said to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.”
Mark 10:34And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”
1 Sam 30:12and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.
Lev 12:4Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying. She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed.
Amos 4:4“Come to Bethel, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days;
Matt 15:32Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”
Acts 28:17After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
1 Sam 9:20As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s house?”
Mark 8:31And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.
2 Chron 20:25When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much.
2 Chron 10:12So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.”
Gen 31:22When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled,
1 Sam 30:13And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago.
Ezra 10:9Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. And all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain.
1 Kings 12:12So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.”
Esther 4:16“Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”
Josh 1:11“Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’ ”
Exod 5:3Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”
2 Kings 14:25He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.
Jonah 1:1Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
Jonah 1:10Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
Jonah 1:11Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous.
Jonah 1:12He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”
Jonah 1:14Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.”
Jonah 1:15So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.
Jonah 1:2“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”
Jonah 1:3But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
Jonah 1:5Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep.
Jonah 1:6So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”
Jonah 1:7And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
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The Church is to Live By God’s Promises

He has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 2 Peter 1:4

For years I have been compiling the Bible Promises categorically. I first began in my 20s after my conversion to Christ. A year later when I was made a church elder, then to a church leadership position, I leaned on the promises for strength and guidance. This was particularly important as I preached to the body of Christ, plus taught Bible School. Here is a screen-shot of a portion of my latest compilation of promises which I have placed in Trello, a digital platform made for lists.

As much as the promises of God properly and rightly belong to Christ, they also properly and rightly belong to each convert to Christ, the church, which is His spiritual body under His headship (Ephesians 1:22-23; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 27).

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GOOD ONLY BY THE IMPUTATION of CHRIST’S RIGHTEOUSNESS

Socrates wanted definitions of the good, the true, and the beautiful which for him, was his existential question that even extended to a theological notion. He was being tried for corrupting the youth of Athens, with potential death the penalty. His life hereafter depended on it. Socrates wanted a definition of holiness, regardless of what men or the Greek gods say about it – yet he died without his desired definition.

Definition of Self-Righteousness: For him, a good-natured man is ethically good; thus, the “gods” ought to admire such humans as righteous in and of humankind’s inherent being. 

Paul, the apostle, was also in search of definitions. He too desired definitions of the true, the good, and the beautiful. As with Socrates definitions were a matter of life and death. When Paul met Christ, the end of his search had arrived – the quest culminating as he found that Christ was God. Now in scripture alone, he could define himself, his life and all Hebrew history in God. 

Henceforth his mind was entirely subject to the mind of Christ. Paul had found or rather had been found, of God. For him, the true, the good, and the beautiful are what they are by his Creator’s and his Redeemer’s defined Sovereign ordinance. The holy is holy because God says it is holy.1

His chief concern, was now to learn, unpack and share the mystery of the Gospel. He would see how wonderfully great was the grace of Christ to him. He would realize how great was the love of God. So great that He sent his Son into the world to save — not only him — but many others with him, to be members of the body of Christ. Here was corporate salvation extended to the world.

Here “the gift of grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, has abounded unto many” and here “they who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:15, 17). “For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Sinners are constituted righteous by the righteousness of one, even Jesus Christ.

Definition of Christ’s Righteousness: As we have just studied, here was imputed righteousness. On this basis, Paul knew, he had found the only true ability to serve his Saviour – the gift of imputed righteousness. As Christ said, without me, you can do nothing. (John 15:5) Herein is the New Covenant entirely unique from all self-righteousness of humankind. Moreover, Christ’s Righteousness is entirely dependent on the indwelling Holy Spirit, ministered by Christ our High Priest.

1 Cornelius Van Til (1895–1987),  Common Grace and the Gospel (1977).  Also: A Survey of Christian Epistemology (1969), The Defense of the Faith (1955).

Second Coming of Jesus in Glory, Uncategorized

Get ready for Christ’s second visit to earth!

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13 NIV)

We will look at the promise of Christ’s second coming to earth, and its importance to all Christians and to those who have not yet accepted Christ as Lord of their lives. As a teacher of the Bible my goal is like the apostle Paul’s, “to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him” (Colossians 1:22 ESV)

It is noteworthy that Jesus referred to Himself as the embodied character of absolute truth and honesty as noted in these verses: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”. He would often say in the gospel of John regarding the truthfulness of His words: “But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.” (John 8:45 ESV); and “If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?” (John 8:46 ESV); and “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth…” (John 16:7 ESV) He would say “if it were not so, I would have told you” (John 14:6; 14:2 ESV). Before He ascended to the Father, He told His disciples that “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13 ESV). All truth is not half-truths. Half-truths are lies. The apostle Paul wrote: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (Rom 8:14 ESV)

With our Lord being bound to truth, and that fact that He is the son of God, he has long referred to Himself as the great “I am” who had years ago spoken to Moses in the burning bush (cf. Exodus 3:6; John 8:58) and whom theologians have biblically proven to be one with God: “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men”. (John 1:3-4 ESV)

It stands to reason that He above all others would foretell only the truth. The following text describes the preeminence of Christ over all creation as the Creator God. When we understand that Jesus is God and that He created us, we can fathom why He is our redeemer who designed a plan with His Father in heaven to save us from our predicament of death: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent”. (Colossians 1: 15-18 ESV)

Jesus made a definite promise that He is coming to receive His followers when He comes back to earth the second time – a promise my mother loved: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3 KJV). The Book of Revelation, chapter 1, begins with a clear note that John received the prophecies in Revelation directly from the resurrected Jesus by an angel sent from heaven. It also states that it is the pure and direct testimony of Jesus Christ. Moreover, Jesus points out that the person who hears and abides by, cherishing this message that he sent for mankind via John, will be blessed!

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. (Revelation 1:1-3 ESV)

Greeting to the Seven Churches

Regarding the time of His second advent to the earth, Jesus  told his disciples that He would be visually seen by everyone: “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” (Luke 21:27 ESV) Jesus also indicated that the world will not comprehend the importance of this event nor be prepared to meet Him: “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:30 ESV). His appearing will be no secret event – every eye will see Him.

Here Jesus the author of Revelation, through the messenger,  apostle John “the Revelator” agrees in his final prophecy regarding the end time: Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him (Revelation 1:7 ESV)

The disciples were told by an angel at His ascension, that Jesus would return just as He left, on clouds: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11 ESV)

Evidently, we should be aware that many will not be prepared for this event! “But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:48-51 ESV)

Recent changes in Facebook have shown us how people can be distracted by being so engaged with applications on their smartphone in order to stay popular in our culture, sending each other philosophic or whimsical one-liners, or songs or movie clips. Don’t get me wrong Facebook is a cool place to connect with your family (though I contend it could be done more intimately by email). Who has time for studying let alone reading the Bible in our digitized information age? Jesus knew that self-aggrandizement would overtake mankind. So what will the world be doing when Christ comes?

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37-39 ESV).

Jesus also said in Luke’s account of the Gospel: “Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” (Luke 17:28-30 ESV)

I don’t think that it is wrong in itself to eat, drink, marry, buy, sell, plant, or build, but that men’s minds will be so taken up with a zillion common distractions that they will give little or no thought to the future life, and make no plans or preparation to meet Jesus when He comes. Satan has most of mankind hoodwinked. Yes, “in their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Cor. 4:4 ESV)

The teaching of the return of the Lord to this earth is taught in the New Testament just as clearly as any other truth. Yet few sermons are preached on it. The church makes a great deal of baptism; but in all of Paul’s epistles, baptism, as important as it is, is spoken of only thirteen times. The bible speaks about the return of our Lord fifty times. Yet the church has had very little to say about it. The devil does not want the church to see this truth because this truth would wake up the church. Once I understood that Jesus Christ is coming back again to receive His followers to Himself, the world and all its philosophic concepts of Utopia, lost its hold on me.

The doctrine of Christ’s coming is ancient scriptural teaching going back in time: “It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones.” (Jude 14,15 ESV) Job a man of antiquity, also expressed similar confidence in Christ’s coming to receive him as a follower of God: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last, he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh, I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.” (Job 19:25-27 ESV)

How did the prophet King David speak of Christ’s judicial focus: “Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest.” (Psalms 50:3 ESV). And “For he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.” (Psalms 96:13 ESV). Notice that David knew that on the day of His return we will come face to face with “His truth”.

How did the apostle Paul give expression to this hope? “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it, we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20 ESV); and in Titus 2:13 he wrote: “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”.

What is Peter’s testimony regarding the interventions of the Lord with the populace of the earth? “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:16 ESV)

Here is the most thorough presentations of the Second Advent of Jesus Christ to this earth.

Please contact the author with your comments 

 

 

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I am the the True Vine – Jesus

“I am the True Vine.”—John 15:1.

Andrew Murray was one of the most skilled writers who have led Christians to a closer walk and knowledge of the Lord. They are a constant reference to which I go as the Lord leads. Andrew was a Presbyterian minister of the Calvinist camp. What amazes me, he takes the Word of God far beyond what often-cold theological knowledge can achieve. Why is this? Andrew was a man born again of the Spirit. Thereby, Spirit-led he guides your heart into the realm of the heavenly places where Jesus abides. Moreover, in body, mind and soul, here on earth one feels the presence of the Lord in a calming way. Enjoy Andrew Murray. Meditating on the True Vine will help us persevere in the faith during troubling times. This excerpt is from: The Mystery of the True Vine: Meditations for a Month, Public Domain 1

All earthly things are the shadows of heavenly realities,—the expression, in created, visible forms, of the invisible glory of God. The Life and the Truth are in heaven; on earth, we have figures and shadows of the heavenly truths. When Jesus says: I am the True Vine, He tells us that all the vines of earth are pictures and emblems of Himself. He is the Divine reality, of which they are the created expression. They all point to Him, and preach Him, and reveal Him. If you would know Jesus, study the vine.

How many eyes have gazed on and admired the great vine at Hampton Court, with its beautiful fruit. Come and gaze on the Heavenly Vine till your eye turns from all else to admire Him. How many, in a sunny clime, sit and rest under the shadow of their vine. Come and be still under the shadow of the True Vine, and rest under it from the heat of the day. What countless numbers rejoice in the fruit of the vine. Come, and take, and eat of the heavenly fruit of the True Vine, and let your soul say: I sat under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit was sweet to my taste.

I am the True Vine. This is a heavenly mystery. The earthly vine can teach you much about this Vine of Heaven. Many interesting and beautiful points of comparison suggest themselves, and help us to get conceptions of what Christ meant. But such thoughts do not teach us to know what the Heavenly Vine really is, in its cooling shade, and its lifegiving fruit. The experience of this is part of the hidden mystery, which none but Jesus Himself, by His Holy Spirit, can unfold and impart.

I am the True Vine. The vine is the Living Lord, who Himself speaks, and gives, and works all that He has for us. If you would know the meaning and power of that word, do not think to find it by thought or study; these may help to show you what you must get from Him, to awaken desire and hope and prayer, but they cannot show you the Vine. Jesus alone can reveal Himself. He gives His Holy Spirit to open the eyes to gaze upon Himself, to open the heart to receive Himself. He must Himself speak the word to you and me.

I am the True Vine. And what am I to do, if I want the mystery, in all its heavenly beauty and blessing, opened up to me? With what you already know of the parable, bow down and be still, worship and wait, until the Divine Word enters your heart, and you feel His Holy Presence with you, and in you. The overshadowing of His Holy Love will give you the perfect calm and rest of knowing that the Vine will do all.

I am the True Vine. He who speaks is God, in His infinite power able to enter into us. He is man, one with us. He is the Crucified One, who won a perfect righteousness and a Divine life for us through His death. He is the glorified One, who from the throne gives His Spirit to make His Presence real and true. He speaks—oh! listen, not to His words only, but to Himself, as He whispers secretly day by day: I am the True Vine. All that the Vine can ever be to its branch, I will be to you.

Holy Lord Jesus! the Heavenly Vine of God’s own planting, I beseech Thee, reveal Thyself to my soul. Let the Holy Spirit, not in thought, but in experience, give me to know all that Thou, the Son of God, art to me as the True Vine.

1 Murray, A. (1898). The Mystery of the True Vine: Meditations for a Month (pp. 15–19). London: J. Nisbet & Co.

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Why millennials are leaving the church

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss, they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. – Hebrews 6:4-6 NIV

It’s no secret that millennials are leaving the church. Churches of all denominations are grappling with the phenomenon of young adults born between approximately 1976 and 1994 who are failing to engage in traditional, institutional Christianity.

In fact, research indicates that among those who describe themselves as atheists, agnostics, or “nothing in particular”—“the nones”—a significant number of them are millennials.

This reality is addressed by Alex McFarland and Jason Jimenez in their book Abandoned Faith.1 The authors, specialists in Christian apologetics and family ministries, offer their observations and suggestions for addressing this situation.

The book is divided into four sections: What Went Wrong; Forces Shaping Our Sons and Daughters; Steps to Mend to Move Forward; and Winning Back Your Millennial Child. Each chapter in its respective section is carefully crafted to blend sociological research (fully documented), contemporary and biblical case studies, and scriptural counsel.

The reason millennials are leaving the church is summed up in this sentence: “Too many Christians have forgotten that the goal of the church is to help people follow Christ [rather] than [just] show up for an hour on Sunday.” And it isn’t just the church that is blamed for millennials’ disinterest in organized religion. Other causes include the changing influence of the home and changes in culture.

The thing that takes the greatest hit in terms of blame is inauthenticity on the part of such authority figures as parents, church members, and religious institutions. The authors point out that millennials don’t want to be preached to; they want to engage in conversations. They don’t want to be numbers on somebody’s tally or report card; they want to belong to a cause that’s greater than themselves. They don’t want to be a cog in a piece of machinery; they want to be part of the body of Christ.

A recurring theme in the book is the guilt felt by parents who come to realize (too late) that their children’s interest in Christianity is waning or absent altogether. The authors’ suggestions for remedying the situation are helpful, but certainly not guaranteed to produce positive results in every case. Let’s face it: young adults in university, or in their first jobs, are less likely to conform to parental influence than when they were younger.

The ideal audience for Abandoned Faith is not those whose children have already abandoned their faith; it’s for parents, family members, church members—indeed, all Christians—who are determined to live their faith, not just talk about it.

1 Abandoned Faith, A Shared Review of the Book

Decision Making and Guidance, Eternal Life, Holy Spirit, Your Identity in Christ

Realign your Identity with The King of Kings

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)

As a Christian, I take it seriously that I am and remain allegiant to the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. The book of Revelation, penned by the Apostle John, given to him straight from Jesus Christ in a vision, gives guide me the perspective of self-identity. When I read the scripture below, I think of the fascination many have with the Tudor Episodes, the historical plays of Shakespeare, the Game Of Thrones, and many others of this ilk. I also am a British history buff, and nerdy buff of the Baird, yet I am deeply humbled and awed when meditating on this scripture – I take it from John, written for me: Revelation 1: 4-7 NKJV:

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

Catch a Vision of the Son

I hope to help you realize that you are the masterpiece that scripture indicates that you are. Many Christians suffer from a Spiritual Identity Crisis that can undermine self-confidence and success in every area of life. Your effectiveness, as you seek to live your best life in a socially sensitive culture can be affected. Many look daily for recognition — some may seek approval by being liked on Facebook, for example. If we understand our identity as a son or daughter of God, we can retain our confidence while having no problem, insofar as we commit to discern how we are affected by and respond to the influence of our culture and its social media in the context of being an eternal spirit.

I have appreciated the guidance of Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and run my scheduled life by his outlined strategies. I appreciate His wisdom in areas relating to personal growth in my relationship to Jesus Christ, and in my business life. Behind The 7 Habits material, that sold over 25 million copies, lies Covey’s life view:

You and I are God’s own children. We have infinite potential, infinite worth, and we should not compare ourselves with others in any way on the basis of status, position, appearance, fashion, or any of the world’s value systems. All of these systems are false sources of self-definition, and we are surrounded by them. We live in a media-saturated world that continuously tries to define who we are. Unless we counteract these false scripts, they become deeply planted in our hearts and minds and also in the hearts and minds of our children.  Dr. Stephen Covey

It is important to identify ourselves correctly — define your sense of who you are as a redeemed child of God, purchased by Christ who gave His life for you — yes you were individually called into His kingdom.

If we don’t see our identity as a child of God, our view of ourselves can become shaped by culture. Covey aptly notes: “…if we do not have a deep sense of our true identity as a daughter or son of God the Father — if our basic sense of self, comes from other people, we may develop a false view of life, based on scarcity rather than God’s love or abundance”.

Give yourself an identity checkup.

If you were going to Toronto and you used a map of Vancouver, you would get lost. If you felt confused and sped up, you would get more deeply lost! Similarly, if we use a map of the culture for our life, directed by the scripting of others — of parents and friends without Christ, as a Christian we will get lost.  Conversely, all of your decision-making and planning can now be mapped using God’s GPS with His view of His children’s pathway — our heavenly mindmap. Let the Holy Spirit and the Word of God be your guiding principles in all that you do, going forward. Can you commit to this? Commitment can save you from being sucked back into the confusion of false identity.

The Psychologist James Marcia developed views on identity statuses, commitment to your identity being one,  expanded on here by Susan Krauss:

The four identity statuses are built from high and low positions on two identity dimensions. Dimension one is “commitment.” People high on commitment have a firm sense of who they are and feel strongly about the choices they have made. People low in identity commitment have an uncertain sense of self.  Susan Krauss Whitbourne Ph.D., Psychology Today article

I like what Covey says: “A scarcity mentality is the tendency to define oneself in terms of being better than, or not as good as, another person”, yet if we know that we are a child of God the Father, as a brother or sister in Christ, we are protected from the world’s false ideology of self-identity. Don’t become a slave of others who try hard to define you through their filter of the world! YOU are a child of God!

We can get derailed from doing important thinking — self-examination important to our destiny. Krauss writes:

At the opposite pole on both dimensions, people low in commitment and exploration fit criteria for “identity diffused.” People high on exploration but low on commitment are in a category that Marcia called “moratorium.” This means that they have placed a hold on making the major decisions in their lives.  They’re thinking hard about what they want to do but aren’t ready to commit.

These scriptures below, beautifully depict you as a child of God.1  Hold them close and believe that you are indeed a masterpiece of God! I and my brothers and sisters in Christ are royal king-priests and queen-priests, and Christ is our King of Kings, a Royal priesthood. In identity, I am fully committed to Jesus as my Lord and King-Preist who loves me.

Scripture articulates your identity and defines who you are. If you are not fully committed I appeal to you, consider who your potential below. You are:

BELOVED: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

A CHILD OF GOD: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1)

DELIGHTED IN: “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

FORGIVEN: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

WASHED CLEAN: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

FREE: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

A TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

ADOPTED INTO GOD’S FAMILY: “The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” (Romans 8:15)

CO-HEIR WITH CHRIST: “Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:17)

RIGHTEOUS: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

NEW: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: The old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

A SAINT: “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11)

SET APART: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession.” (1 Peter 2:9)

AN AMBASSADOR OF CHRIST: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

A CO-LABORER: “For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:9)

A SWEET AROMA: “For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” (2 Corinthians 2:15)

NEVER ALONE: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

A MASTERPIECE: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10)

WONDERFULLY MADE: “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14)

BOLD: “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” (2 Corinthians 3:12)

HAVING GUARANTEED VICTORY: “You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.” (Psalm 18:35)

HOLDING A SECURED FUTURE: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)

WHOLE IN CHRIST: “In Christ, you have been brought to fullness.” (Colossians 2:10)

1 I want to thank Ben Malcomson, Assitant to the Head Coach of the Seattle Seahawks for compiling this scripture list — one of many on the Identity of Christians Listed Scriptures above are of the NIV. 

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The value of prayer during trials and tribulations

E.M. Bounds excelled in the gift of prayer, and the teaching of its purpose in the Christian life. He knew all about the need to pray. Originally an attorney, he was called to the ministry by Jesus Christ. As an Evangelist of the South, he was imprisoned by the Union during the civil war. He also served as a military chaplain. He was injured, struck on the forehead by a sabre. In his lifetime he wrote nine books on prayer. I want to look at his viewpoint on prayer when troubles come our way, such as the COVID-19 pandemic of 2019-2020. I believe we can learn from him. He rose at 4 am every morning and prayed until 7 am.

E.M. Bounds points out that the New Testament uses three words to embrace trouble of distinct kinds: tribulation, affliction and suffering. 

Tribulation Jesus forewarned his disciples to expect tribulation – it belongs to this world: In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) As Jesus had overcome the world and its tribulations, so might they do the same.

Paul taught the same lesson throughout his ministry when in advising the souls of the early church to continue in the faith: through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22).

Further, Paul, urges patience in tribulation, guiding us to focus on prayer. To Paul, prayer alone would place us where we could be patient when tribulation comes: Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12) 

Affliction Paul wrote of the afflictions which come to the people of God in this world and regards them as light as compared with the weight of glory awaiting all who are submissive, patient and faithful in all their troubles: For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Afflictions can work for us only as we cooperate with God in prayer. As God works through prayer, it is only through this means He can accomplish His highest ends for us. Our Lord works with the greatest effect with His praying ones, especially those encountering trouble or pray for those struggling therein. These know the uses of trouble and its gracious designs.  

Suffering There is a direct correlation between hardship and prayer. Prayer brings us into that state of grace where suffering is not only endured — it is with a spirit of rejoicing. In showing the gracious benefits of inevitable problems we face in life: Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance. (Romans 5:3)

Peter in his First Epistle to Christians to whom he wrote, revealed suffering and the highest state of grace are connected. It is through suffering we are to be brought to seek the Lord in prayer, entering those higher regions of Christian experience: In his kindness, God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. (1 Peter 5:10 NLT)

It is in the fires of suffering that God purifies His saints and brings them to the highest things. It is in the furnace their faith is tested, their patience is tried, and they are developed in all those rich virtues which make up Christian character. It is while they are passing through deep waters that He shows how close He can come to His praying, believing saints. It takes the faith of a high order and a Christian experience far above the average religion of this day, to count it joy when we are called to pass through tribulation. God’s highest aim in dealing with His people is in developing Christian character.1

The discipline of variable troubles We’ve seen that tribulation, affliction and suffering, is used by God to lead us closer in relationship to Him. God is after begetting in us those rich virtues which belong to our Lord Jesus Christ. Further, the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews gives us a perfect directory of trouble, comprehensive, clear and worthwhile to be studied. Here is noted “chastisement,” another word for trouble, coming from a Father’s hand, showing God is in all the sad and afflictive events of life. Though he may or may not cause it, he often rearranges it to further his causes in our personal awareness of our need for Him. He desires that prayer will move us into a journey of sanctification unto holiness, as we are conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ, our righteous example.

We will face one or more variants of trouble in life. Yet concomitantly, we face these in life in the context of God’s gracious design. It is not punishment in the accurate meaning of that word, but the means God employs to correct and discipline His children in dealing with them on earth. Then we have the fact of the evidence of being His people, namely, the presence of chastisement.

The ultimate end is that we “may be partakers of his holiness,” which is but another way of saying that all this disciplinary process is to the end that God may make us like Himself. What an encouragement, too, that, chastisement is no evidence of anger or displeasure on God’s part, but is the strong proof of His love. 2

Take a look at Hebrews 12:5-11 ESV: And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Prayer is to be engaged in its wide range of purposes. Applicably, the infinite variations of trouble arrest our attention, to stop us in the busy rush of life, to awaken the partaker to a sense of their helplessness and their need and sinfulness. In humility, they are called to seek the Lord. There are many lessons in the Word of God that prove this. It was not until King Manasseh was bound and carried away into a foreign land and got into deep trouble, that he was awakened and brought back to God. It was then he humbled himself and began to call upon God. (2 Chronicles 33:11)

The Prodigal Son was independent and self-sufficient when in prosperity, but when money and friends departed and want for money and food caused a dilemma, he “came to himself,” and decided to return to his father’s house, with prayer and confession on his lips. (Luke 15:11-32)

Many a man who has forgotten God has been arrested, caused to consider his ways, and brought to remember God and pray by trouble. Blessed is trouble when it accomplishes this in men. 3

It is for this among other reasons that Job says: Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal. He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no evil shall touch you. (Job 5:17-19 ESV)

As you have faced this pandemic or faced a serious illness or family trials among loved ones, have you gone to the Lord in prayer or are you trying to manage on your own? Hear what John teaches, as he talks about life’s tribulations and those who are suffering in their own time of trouble: These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from? … he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst…For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7:13-17)

If you have suffered or been sorely tried, God is in all your troubles, and He will see that all shall “work together for good,” if you will but be patient, submissive and prayerful.

1 Bounds, E. M. (2004). The Essentials of Prayer. (pp. 28–31). Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

2 Ibid

3 Ibid

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Sanctification unto Holiness

For I am the LORD your God, so you must consecrate yourselves and be holy because I am holy. (Leviticus 11:44)

Sanctification begins after you have received Jesus Christ as your Saviour. It refers to the lifelong process or result of being made holy. It also refers to being separated unto consecration for divine service — with regard to your life, places such as churches, and things such as bibles, tables and pulpits. It applies to individuals who choose to minister as elders, pastors, or deacons. This includes all such service as well as teachers of the Bible, song leaders, those that pray for others, and show hospitality. Moreover, all focused service set apart to holiness is with a focus to engage the entire church body of Christ in united participation “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God”, in a progressive maturity with the aim “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

The church in the new covenant defined by Christ and his apostles has the same pursuit of holiness in a continuum from the old covenant noted above in Leviticus 11:44, now with the calling going out to the entire world empowered by the clear teaching of sanctification. Indwelt with the power of the Holy Spirit of Christ, we can indeed “pursue peace with everyone, and holiness—without it, no one will see the Lord”. (Hebrews 12:14)

God’s holiness includes an ethical change of character, of a lifestyle of growth in moral perfection. Thus, holiness is a prerogative of God, whereby the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit renews the minds of persons who are obeying scripture, with an attentive listening with the intent to be conformed into the likeness of Christ — of becoming more Godlike or Christlike in character traits such as virtue and affections. (Romans 8:29)

Where someone is not becoming more Christlike, this may indicate either that full surrender to following Christ or a true belief in the Gospel, has not yet occurred. For others, it can mean that they have simply backslidden like the prodigal son and need to rededicate their life. Jesus made it clear that he was on earth to call sinners to himself (Luke 5:32; 15:11-32; ) Not inviting the Holy Spirit to work. in one’s life, more often implies that the great doctrine of sanctification has not been well taught.

In the letters of the apostles, the designations for all believers are sanctified ones, saints or holy ones. (Romans 1:7; Philippians 1:1). Sainthood is not hierarchical, applied to more pious-looking or acting believers. Sanctification (spiritual growth) is the complement to being born again (referred to as regeneration). God gifts each new believer with a new mindset desiring to lovingly know Christ.

This gift to all includes a desire to obey his Word, to meet with other Christians for praise, prayer and worship. Sanctification is reliant on the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit in the life of people enacting the potentiation of the entire person “both to will and to act for His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). 

The noun sanctification (or holiness from the Greek hagiosmos), occurs 10 times in the New Testament (Romans 6:19,22; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:3,4,7; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:2) 

Sincere believers from the “holiness” traditions, originating from Wesleyan thinking developed by John Wesley’s Methodism often hold a theology furthered promulgated by some Pentecostal and Charismatic groups. They often emphasize a second work of the Holy Spirit after being born again by baptism by the Spirit, or the outpouring on the Holy Spirit empowering believers both to be holy and to achieve more effective ministry. Among others, the Evangelist Charles Finney, and writer Andrew Murray believed in the second blessing experience of total sanctification. Often the impetus of the desire to obey is prophetically energized by the preaching of eschatological prophecy, indicating that Christ is soon to return in judgement. One thing is certain we will always need the covering Grace imputed to us by the Atonement of Christ and His High Priestly advocacy on our behalf if we do happen to sin. (1 John 2:1)

However, a careful reading of Charles Wesley confirmed by Martin Lloyd Jones in his great compendium The Great Doctrines of the Bible note that John Wesley, made it clear that the view of an entire perfection of holiness only goes as far as: obedience to not engaging in revealed and clearly known sin. John Wesley did not believe that entire sanctification unto absolute holiness would occur ahead of death. This fits with Paul’s premise of both the need for our co-operative responsible obedience while working out your own salvation, submitting in obedience to the Holy Spirit’s scriptural guidance. (Romans 8:14, 29; Philippians 2:12, 3:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:23)

This major transformation of an individual devoted to Jesus Christ can only happen in a unified relationship while abiding in His Spirit. He taught a parable of the branch and the vine to teach this relational truth. (John 15:5) Christ also spoke of the unification of such Christians abiding in the Spirit as similar to His own relationship with His heavenly Father (referred to Oneness of mind in John 17:21)

The English Puritans described Christian growth as a gradual maturing that begins when we a Justified by Faith in Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord – – of saying no to temptations; with a determination to hear and acknowledge the Holy Spirit’s life-giving application of scripture, and by active obedience, thereby receiving the power of the Lord to work the growth in holiness in one’s life.

The struggle against the flesh which is at enmity with the Spirit begins when we are born again (John 3:3) and continues as Paul outlined in Romans 7:14-25. Spiritual warfare is an ongoing spiritual reality.

Sanctification will never be entirely possible in this lifetime. We will continuously depend on the imputed righteousness of Christ (our Justification when we believed). Ongoingly His imparted righteousness is given to us as we progress in life, refining our character unto nearing perfection, until “this mortal shall put on immortality”. (1 Corinthians 15:54)

Nevertheless, Paul’s confidence was sure: “I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). 

One thing is sure. Without the Holy Spirit of God, and His sanctifying presence and power in a relationship with Jesus Christ, it is impossible to ever grow in sanctification unto godliness, unto Christlikeness.