Jehovah Shalom: God’s Benefit of Peace

Tags

Be Magnified, Don Moen, Gideon, Judges 6, Judges 7, Kim Hill, Matthew 14, Peace, Peter Walking on the Water, Psalm 103, Psalm 68:19

We have been commemorating Jesus’ death on Passover, burial on Unleavened Bread, and resurrection on First Fruits. Through Jesus’ fulfillment of these, He gave us salvation and a future hope of eternal life. These benefits of Jesus’ suffering and resurrection are incredible, and if those were not enough, He has still more to give. The Bible says that He daily loads us with benefits (Psalm 68:19).

Through Christ’s death we have received many benefits as listed in Isaiah 53. He bore our griefs, carried our sorrows, was dishonored for our rebellion, was crushed for our depravity, was disciplined for the sake of our peace, and by his wounds and bruises and stripes we are healed. Psalm 103 also lists the benefits of forgiveness, healing, redemption, a crown of lovingkindness and tender mercies, satisfaction and restoration of youthfulness.

Let’s focus in on one of these benefits in particular: peace. He was disciplined for our peace.

There is a lot that could be said about this peace. To begin with, this is a peace between God and man. Secondly, it is a peace in spite of circumstances. Thirdly, and most importantly, it is a peace that only God has given and can and will give.

Gideon

In the book of Judges we find a story about Jehovah Shalom, “The LORD is peace.” Judges 6 begins by saying that Israel had done evil in God’s sight and because of that God had given Israel as a gift to Midian. Because of this, Israel was terribly oppressed even to the point of hiding in caves while Midian destroyed their crops and took all of their animals. It would be equivalent today of destroying all of our grocery stores, restaurants, the farms that produce all that, and taking anything edible away.

It is in this destitution and fear that we find Gideon secretly threshing wheat in a winepress. And an messenger of God appears to him as he hides in the winepress and addresses him as a mighty man of valor. One thing leads to another, and Gideon is gripped by the startling realization that he’s just seen a messenger of the LORD face to face. It is then that God speaks to him saying, “…Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.” Gideon is so moved by God’s words that it says, “…Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovah shalom…” which means, “The LORD is peace.”

Yet, there was no peace in any of Gideon’s circumstances. Many fearful obstacles still surrounded Gideon and would continue to face him. Nevertheless, he moved forward at the prompting of the LORD. He tore down his father’s altar to Baal and grove of trees wherein the Israelites committed idolatry. He then faced the zealous, idolatrous men who would have killed him on behalf of their fallen idol. He then successfully gathered 32,000 men to do battle against the Midianites, and after getting further confirmation from God, prepared for battle. The man who at the beginning of the story was hiding in a winepress, and who throughout the story kept asking for signs, was unmoved by his and his nation’s overwhelming circumstances in light of the God of peace who had appeared to him and had spoken directly to him.

And things got crazier! God said that 32,000 soldiers was too many! Judges 7:1-3 reads, “And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.”

So, there were to be ten thousand to fight against a multitude. Judges 7:12 says that “the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.” Ten thousand against an enemy so countless that they were like a swarm of locusts blackening the sky and devastating all in their path.

But God was not finished. It got crazier! Judges 7:4-8 continues, “And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.”

Three hundred men. Three hundred men versus a multitude. But Gideon chose to rest in the LORD of peace, for the battle belonged to Him. And with the faith of that one man and the foolishness of three hundred men smashing pitchers and blowing on ram’s horns, God scattered the host of Midian and in their fear the enemy even killed each other.

The BIG Question

How big is our God? No I mean, how big is He in our lives today? When we are faced with great emotion, who is bigger? God or the emotion? Who is bigger? God or the problem? Who is bigger? God or the roommate issue? Who is bigger? God or the medication issue? Who is bigger? God or the communication issue? Who is bigger? God or the loneliness issue? God or . . . you think of your own situation whatever it might be?

Walking on the Water

In Matthew 14 we come upon a scene of amazing grandeur. There, Jesus has separated from His disciples and gone off to pray. The day had been wearying to Jesus and the disciples. Many had been healed, and it had ended in a mind-boggling multiplication of the five loaves and 2 fishes. The disciples had stood in shock as that meager amount fed a great multitude of hungry men, women and children. Now, Jesus had insisted on dismissing the enormous crowd himself and insisted that the disciples go ahead and sail to the other side of the great lake. He’d meet up with them later. Meanwhile, it says in verse 24 that they were in the middle of an agitated, restless sea that tossed their ship about as the wind blew antagonistically.

That of course is when Jesus appeared . . . walking on the water, and His disciples thought He must be a ghost. That’s when Jesus called out to them, and Peter daringly said, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.”

Conclusion

There is a difference between fact and truth. It was a fact that the army of Midian was enormous. But the truth was that God was greater. It was a fact that the wind was contrary and the waves rising, but the truth was that Jesus was the Lord of the wind and the waves. No matter how much Gideon planned or strategized, the army of Midian was still too vast and too numerous that even 32,000 men in their own strength could not have defeated them. General MacArthur himself could not have bombed, blasted or barricaded them away. And as for the sea, no one has ever tamed the sea nor ever will. Only God!

And indeed, it is no different in our lives when faced with the sea of anxiety and fear and emotions of all kinds, as well as army of physical problems, relationship issues, or any circumstance that is overwhelming of unfair. It is then that the enemy of our entire being swarms upon us and rages against us like the fury of Midian, and we like Gideon hide and wonder where God is. The sea comes crashing in and the wind threatens to blow apart our ship. But Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

“Be Magnified” Song written by Don Moen

“I have made You too small in my eyes
O Lord, forgive me;
I have believed in a lie
That You were unable to help me.
But now, O Lord, I see my wrong
Heal my heart and show Yourself strong;
And in my eyes and with my song
O Lord, be magnified
O Lord, be magnified.

Be magnified, O Lord
You are highly exalted;
And there is nothing You can’t do
O Lord, my eyes are on You.
Be magnified,
O Lord, be magnified.

I have leaned on the wisdom of men
O Lord, forgive me;
And I have responded to them
Instead of Your light and Your mercy.
But now, O Lord, I see my wrong
Heal my heart and show Yourself strong;
And in my eyes with my song
O Lord, be magnified
O Lord, be magnified.

Be magnified, O Lord
You are highly exalted;
And there is nothing You can’t do
O Lord, my eyes are on You.
Be magnified,
O Lord, be magnified.”

youtube video sung by Kim Hill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX4yYJg-5G8

Before the Foundation

Tags

1 Peter 1:19-20, Adam and Eve, Before The Foundation of The World, Creation, Creator God, Genesis 1, Genesis 2, God's Creation of the World, Jesus the Lamb, Jesus the Lamb of God, Jesus the Passover Lamb, Psalm 36:9, Revelation 13:8, Sovereignty of God

Before the Foundation…

(By: H. E. Basaar, Spring 2005)

He knew before the beginning,

He knew what it would take;

He knew we would be sinning

And of the sacrifice He’d make.

***

Yet, He hovered low over the waters,

He moved upon the deepest darkness,

He drempt of us, our sons and daughters,

As He graced the liquid stillness.

***

He fashioned the world within his hand,

Suspended it in the midst of space.

Called the stars forth within his plan,

Crafting the world and the human race.

***

Still, there it was before Him

The sight of pain and blood.

The stabbing evil taint of sin

Arose in His mind as a flood.

***

Yet, God, who is light within light,

Into the desolate abyss shone

Brilliantly down from his glorious height,

Where he sits on his heavenly throne.

***

Soon land was formed and birds flew,

Animals walked on dirt called Earth.

Fishes swam in oceans blue,

And trees and flowers were given birth.

***

The world was good, He said it was so

And graced it with a grin.

His eyes searched it out as He looked below,

For all was well therein.

***

Yet there it was, the horrid cost,

Of making this our world,

He saw the future tempest tossed,

And yet its realms unfurled.

***

He then stooped down, as He walked this land,

And scooped up some dust within his hand,

Through His fingers He felt the grains of sand,

And then molded it into something grand.

***

It sat there lifeless upon the earth,

As the Spirit hovered yet again.

God held His masterpiece of greatest worth,

And breathed upon it His holy wind.

***

He saw the blood, He saw the pain,

And yet the breath of life He breathed,

He perceived the guilt, the rancid stain,

Yet in His image, man He made.

***

He saw Calvary from the midst of Eden

As He looked in the eyes of Adam and Eve.

He beheld heaven from whence Lucifer’d fallen,

He looked at you, and He looked at me.

***

From the very beginning He saw our shame.

Before He’d made us, He understood.

Before Earth’s foundation the Lamb was slain.

Yet He looked upon us and said, “It is GOOD.”

Poetry Corner: The Road Not Taken

“The Road Not Taken”

By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

*https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken

*https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/road-not-taken

*http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html

AUTHOR:	Frost, Robert, 1874–1963.
TITLE:	Mountain interval, by Robert Frost.
PUBLISHED:	New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1920.
PHYSICAL DETAILS:	75 p. front. (port.) 23 cm.
ISBN:	1-58734-017-8.
CITATION:	Frost, Robert. Mountain Interval. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1920; Bartleby.com, 1999. www.bartleby.com/119/. [Date of Printout].
ON-LINE ED.:	First published December 1995; published July 1999 by Bartleby.com; © Copyright Bartleby.com, Inc. (Terms of Use).

Hymns And Poetry Corner

Tags

Hymns, inspiring poems, inspiring poetry, old hymns, poems, Poetry, Poetry Corner

Hymns and Poetry Corner is a little nook I decided to create recently on my blog. I love good poetry and the quality of the old hymns, and have determined to post various hymns and poems by various authors that have inspired me throughout the years and that inspire me still. They will be carefully documented. The name of the author and title of the hymn and/or poem will be clearly displayed; and at times the date of the its writing as well as a bit of background information, particular websites that may have valuable tidbits about them, and their impact on my own life will possibly also be added. Enjoy!

We Are At War: Helmet of Salvation

Tags

1 Corinthians 2:16, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Anxious thoughts, Armor of God, Armour of God, Ephesians 6, Ephesians 6:10-20, Ephesians 6:17, Galatians 3:27, Helmet of Salvation, Mind of Christ, Philippians 4:6-7, Put on Christ, Putting on the helmet of salvation, Rick Renner, Spiritual Warfare, Whole Armor of God

Ephesians 6:17, “And take the helmet of salvation…”

What does this mean? What does it mean to take on the helmet of salvation? We often hear the phrase, quote it word for word, hear brief sermons on it, and some Christians every day imagine themselves literally putting on a helmet. But, what does it really mean to put on the helmet of salvation?

This brief statement seems to almost be an after thought on the part of Paul. He’s already listed quite important items of armor already, and has stated that the shield is most important. Then he says, “and”. Like it was an “oh and what is it I’m forgetting, hmmmm…. Let me think…. Oh, yes, “and take the helmet of salvation.” However, each piece is extremely important….and is a matter of life and death. In the life of the Roman soldier it was literally life and death. For the Christian it is a matter of the life and death of the soul.

In Greek the word for helmet means, “about the head” or “around the head.” For the Roman soldier the helmet was made of bronze and was exceedingly heavy. Because of its great weight, sponge was placed inside it so that it would be more comfortable on a soldier’s head. It fit very snuggly, and wrapped around to even cover the cheeks and jaw of the soldier. It was so strong and durable that not any form of weapon could penetrate it. When in battle it specifically protected the soldier against those wielding barbaric battle axes that could and would chop people’s heads off.

Not only was the Roman soldier’s helmet protective, it could be very ornate, depicting different engraved scenes, and could even be forged to look like an animal such as an elephant. Then, to top it all off, it sported a showy, colorful plume of feathers or horse’s hair. Therefore, not only was it a heavy, impenetrable source of protection, it was also quite a noticeable, unmissable showpiece!

Such is our salvation. Impenetrable and ornate. Rick Renner states, “Why would the Holy Spirit compare a piece of weaponry like this to salvation? Because your salvation is the most gorgeous, most intricate, most elaborate, most ornate gift God ever gave to you! Paul calls this marvelous gift “the helmet of salvation.” He likened salvation to these flamboyant helmets that were worn on the head where everyone would notice. By using this example, Paul is telling us something very important. When a person is confident of his salvation — and when he walks confidently in the powerful reality of all that salvation means for him — he is a noticeable individual!” (http://www.renner.org/salvation/the-helmet-of-salvation/).

But what does it mean to “take the helmet of salvation”? Does that mean we need to be saved every day? What are we to do with this fantastic helmet?

To begin with, we’re commanded to “take” it. The word for “take” in this particular instance in Greek means, “To accept an offer readily, to take to oneself what is presented,” to approve of it, embrace it. We are to eagerly take hold of the helmet of salvation and place it securely on our head, and prepare for hand-to-hand combat with the battle ax wielding enemy who wants to chop our heads off!

Furthermore, this is not just any helmet. This is the helmet of “salvation.” In the Greek the word is actually an adjective. So, a better way to put it would be, “And take on the saving/delivering helmet.”

So, number one, we accept eagerly the offer of Christ’s sacrificial salvation. And this salvation guarantees us daily power over sin and future power over eternal punishment and death. But, as for being “re-saved” spiritually every day, that is not what this is talking about here. As soon as one believes in Jesus, who He is and what He did in His death and resurrection, and tell others about this, we are saved and guaranteed eternal life (Romans 10).

However, there is a battle still in the arena of our souls, for we are in the process of being transformed through the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) through the washing of the Word (Ephesians 5); from glory to glory He is changing our minds! (2 Corinthians 3). Indeed, though we are saved, we are still in the conflict. But, instead of us being slaves we are now the masters and more than conquerors through Christ (Romans 8:37), who is our Head, our Lord, our Salvation…indeed, Jesus is our helmet of Salvation. Without Him there is no salvation.

However, the devil wants to be your head. So, he sends thoughts to us, even dreams at night. This is a part of the tactic of his warfare. These thoughts can sometimes seem good, reasonable, logical, even compassionate, when in reality they do not align with Scripture (for example: a relative cohabiting with someone outside of marriage while claiming to be Christian and we want to be accepting so we explain it away; we lied, but we reason that it’s just a white lie; we know that what we said is true about our roommate and therefore it could not be gossip; this movie isn’t so bad even if it is filled with worldly concepts after all the actress is a Christian in real life; I’m overwhelmed and God isn’t speaking to me right now so I’ll figure something out on my own!; I’m not worrying, I just care!).

And then, there are the thoughts that we know drag us down and yet we get sucked in every time. The Bible calls these “anxious” thoughts (Philippians 4:6-7), but in Greek it means more than merely being anxious. It means “to be troubled, to care to the point of bringing disruption to the personality and mind”. It comes from a root word meaning “to part, to divide, separate into parts, or disunite.” Thus, these thoughts not only change our moods and affect our words and actions, but they also cause our minds to be disrupted by the enemy.

First Corinthians 2 says, we have the “mind of Christ.” Thus, Jesus is our Head, not Satan. (Ephesians 4: 15-16, 5:23, Colossians 1:18, and 2:19 state this). Having been “baptized into Christ” we have “put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27), and are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). Because we are saved through Him, and He is now our head, we are to bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 – emphasis added is mine). In other words, we are to make every thought given us by the enemy a prisoner of war!

Are you depressed? Are you worried? Are you fearful? Are you dismissing habitual sins in Christians and reasoning that that is a loving thing to do? Are you dismissing your own sins by thinking they’re not that bad? Are you possibly even questioning whether or not you’re really saved? What are we thinking about? Are we focusing more on Satan’s word than God’s?

As Christians we have been given a gift that the world does not have and that the world cannot take away. Satan can manipulate the minds of the masses, for they’ve no armor to protect themselves from a battle of which they are completely ignorant. But Christians have been given a colorful, show-stopping, weighty, ornate helmet that the enemy cannot penetrate no matter how hard he tries!!! But, it’s no good unless we first of all realize that we are in a very real war. We’re not just thinking simple thoughts or dreaming simple dreams. Those thoughts and dreams can be weapons used against us to destroy us from the inside out. They can be the battle ax to take off our heads. And secondly, we must realize that our helmet is no good if we do not “receive it eagerly” it and put it on. After all, what good it is if we’re not wearing it? It’s not meant to sit and look pretty on the shelf like a trophy or remain all shiny and new in a box in the closet. It’s meant to be worn. We are not the slave of our thoughts. Through Christ and in His name, we are the master of our thoughts. God wants to guard our every thought with His peace, but He can’t do so until we are at rest in Christ who is our Head (Philippians 4:6-7).

So, let’s take on that helmet of salvation. Let’s every day acknowledge Christ’s Lordship and Headship in our minds. Let’s no longer allow our thoughts to trouble us to the point of altering our mood or our actions or our decisions, but rather, let’s take every thought a prisoner of war to the obedience of Christ who is our Salvation and our Head!

 

Studies in Revelation: Reading, Hearing, and Keeping

Tags

Ameristella.worpress.com, present participles, Revelation, Revelation 1:3

I don’t know how many times I’ve read over Revelation 1:3 and did not really take in the full meaning of it. In short, the word “read”, “hear” and “keep” are all present participles in the Greek. That means they all should have an “ing” at the end of them, and they express continuous action. So, the one reading doesn’t just read it once, but over and over and over and over again. The same is true for hearing and keeping. Therefore, when it says, “Blessed is the one who reads….hears….and keeps….” it truly is saying “blessed is the one reading continually….hearing continually….and keeping continually.” So, have you read/heard/kept Revelation today? 🙂 Oh, and there’s more to say about these words. I’ll get back to you later on that!! 😉 Blessings! 

(Article compliments of Ameristella.wordpress.com)

Sources on Catholicism

Tags

Broken Cross, Chris Putnam, Doc Marquis, Lucifer Worship at the Vatican, Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Roger Oakland, Roman Catholicism, Sources, Throne of Lucifer at the Vatican, Tom Horn

Pope Benedict XVI leads his Wednesday general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican November 18, 2009. REUTERS/Tony Gentile (Free Bing Picture)

Doc Marquis, youtube documentary: Which Queen of Heaven? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL2fuuy2wTQ

John MacArthur’s sermon, “The Pope and the Papacy,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owg3sDNnXnc&list=PLD1AB878E99585E22

Thomas Horn and Chris Putnam’s scholarly book, Petrus Romanus. Babylon Mystery Religion website: Mother and Child, http://babylonmysteryreligion.com/motherandchild.htm

Jesus-Is-Savior website, Roman Catholicism: Christian or Pagan? http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Roman%20Catholicism/catholicism_christian_or_pagan.htm

Piers Compton’s book, The Broken Cross: Hidden Hand in the Vatican as found at the website:http://www.cuttingedge.org/articles/rc100.htm

J.S. Malan’s article, “The Kingdom of Satan” as found at the website: http://www.indaweb.com/oil/bibleguide/articles/kingdomsat.htm

Vatican website: The Mysteries of the Rosary, Fifth Glorious Mystery: The Crowning of Our Lady Queen of Heaven.   http://www.vatican.va/special/rosary/documents/popup/popup05_glo_en.html

Vatican Website: Ad Caeli Reginam: The Encyclical of Pope Pius XII on Proclaiming the Queenship of Mary: http://w2.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_11101954_ad-caeli-reginam.html

(Youtube 5:34) Vatican Promotes Mary As God: https://youtu.be/iiilR4cyDAQ

Picture of Mary Seated Atop the Silver Cresent Moon of Semiramis Between the Cherubim In Place of God Almighty: http://catholicspirituality.blogspot.com/2008/11/our-lady-of-mercy-ark-of-covenant.html http://remnantofgod.org

(Youtube 18:34) Mary Worship – Destroying Europe: https://youtu.be/ElPlvKAOo58

Vatican website: Catechism of the Catholic Church: Part One, Section Two, Chapter Three, Article 9, Paragraph 6, Number 971 (Marian Worship)http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a9p6.htm

Fr. John A. Hardon, Eucharist: Basic Catholic Catechist Home Study Course http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharist/pea/bas_hsc.htm.

Catholic Tradition website: Devotions for May: Soul Shrine for Mary (by Bishop Francis Noll of Ft. Wayne, IN as adapted from the booklet by Libby Rudolf)http://catholictradition.org/Mary/soul-shrine.htm

(Youtube 15:11) Is Satan In The Vatican? part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KvMg5-WnUo

(Youtube 9:21) Full Blown Lucifer Worship at the Catholic Vatican (with Malachi Martin) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUN-XEU6HUc

(Youtube 3:16) Pope Francis Declares Lucifer As god (with “Lucifer” song) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcpVrtv2t-M

(Youtube 10:01) Proof! Lucifer Worshiped In Vatican 2013 (Malachi Martin) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_An_cTHmIIo

(Youtube 3:51) Lucifer’s Throne Was Erected Inside the Vatican!! (Pictures) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLw3phPXGks

Understand the Times website: Commentary by Roger Oakland, “The Ecumenical Puzzle”: http://understandthetimes.org/commentary/c93.shtml)

Catholic News Agency article entitled “Queenship of Mary”: http://www.catholicnewsagency.come/saint.php?n=343

“Prayer to Mary, Queen of Heaven”: http://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=314

In an article entitled, “Pope Francis, Mary Is Not My Mother, and I Am Not An Orphan” at http://charismanews.com/opinion/watchman-on-the-wall/45287-pope-francis-mary-is-not-my-mother-and-i-am-not-an-orphan Pope Francis is quoted as tweeting, “The Christian who does not feel that the Virgin Mary is his or her mother is an orphan.”

Why I Write

Tags

2 Timothy 3:16, Deception, Deception in the Church, False Prophets, lying signs and wonders, Matthew 7:22-23, prophecy

 

Dear Reader,

Thank you for visiting my blog, and for taking the time to get to know me a bit better by reading “Why I write.”

I’ve been writing since I could write. As soon as I could shape letters on a page and form sentences (whether fragments, run-ons or otherwise), I wrote. Over time I’ve honed this skill, from the creative writing class in high school, to my English classes in college, from essay after essay, to my Master’s thesis in seminary, and finally a published short story. It has been a constructive and interesting journey.

I have a B.A. in Bible and History, an M.A. in Biblical Literature, have a published story, have worked for years in ministry and am at present a chaplain.

My heart is that of ministering to the Body of Christ. As a chaplain I do this as a profession. As a volunteer I do this with my spare time. As a writer I do this with my knowledge and heart wrapped into one. My writing is all about edifying the Church, and though the edifying is sometimes like pruning, it is always constructive. After all, pruning to a plant is important or else it will get all tangled, have smaller fruit/flowers, and be generally unsightly. Even so, the Body of Christ needs the edification of pruning in order to produce better fruit.

Thus, I write because I love it. I write also because the knowledge within me demands to be let out! I write to inform, to edify by reproving (showing where we might be wrong in our beliefs/conduct), correcting (showing forth the Biblical way of belief/conduct), and by instructing in righteousness (analyzing how we ought to live Scripture in every day life). (2 Timothy 3:16)

Furthermore, I write to expose some deceptions sweeping over the Church. Indeed, over the years I have come to a shocking realization that some of those I’ve grown up highly respecting have been teaching heresy. One such person I grew up wanting to be like. At age 13 and up, I idolized this person. I went to his meetings, bought his books, wanted to talk like, look like, and act like him. I even wanted to gray early because he did! He was anointed, a man of God being used mightily, and I longed to be anointed and be used mightily by God too! I wanted to see the sick healed, the dead raised, the demons cast out, and have the powerful manifestations that he did in his miracle crusades.

However, what I did not realize, is that the minister I idolized was openly teaching unbiblical things not as a theory but as a fact, while at the same time telling everyone that the Bible was the standard to be followed in all doctrine and practice. My heart is grieved now by this powerful truth, and I pray for the minister that I esteemed and looked up to in every way. He is in grave error.

You see, when I write what I write on this website, I will not write simply to expose for the sake of exposing. Though I may get passionate about repentance and the truth, my heart is broken over what is happening to the Church. I am grieved for the Body of Christ that is falling prey to this horrific deception. People, who love Jesus, who are hungry for God, who long for the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, are being led astray to the subtle beat of another gospel and they don’t even know it! This is not about naming names. Rather, it is about false teaching and false prophecy and lying signs and wonders. There will be names mentioned at times, however, because people are being led astray by leaders who are deceived, and by leaders who are deceivers. It is hard to tell the difference between these two types of leaders. But whether deceived or deceivers, they are still propagating deception and that deception must be exposed….that we might better know how to pray….that the Church and its leaders might come to repentance.

After all, “many will say… ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness,’” (Matthew 7:22-23).

Indeed we are living in the Last Days. We must be vigilant. We must be sober. We must watch and pray (1 Thessalonians 5, Luke 21:34-36).

These are some of the reasons why I write. Thank you for your time and consideration and prayers. Blessings to you all!