Mon, Dec 31st - 9:43AM

A Carnally Minded Church, Filled with Double-Minded, Carnally-Minded People

...Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  Rom. 8:7

          “Preacher and teachers have soft-pedaled sin, until the fear of God is vanishing away.  McCheyne used to say, ‘A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hands of God.’  But a preacher who avoids telling men the truth about their sin as here revealed, is the best tool of the devil.”

Wm. R. Newell in his commentary on Romans (Commenting on Chapter One, verse 22)

          The above statement was published at least seventy five years ago, and if it were an accurate description of the state of the professing Church of Jesus Christ at that time, how much more accurate is it today?  I’m sure that most of those reading this little piece are in full agreement with what I have just asserted, except that the disclaimer would be made that this is true of all (or many) of the other churches and ministers out there, except mine.  “My pastor would never soft pedal sin.  He’s a graduate of a very conservative, and highly orthodox seminary and teaches all of the generally accepted Biblically correct doctrines of the Bible.  And, he really is against sin, just as are the rest of the folks in our church.  We’re safe in our conservative doctrine, and conservative Christian lifestyle.  We’re saved by grace and nothing more; and we vote Republican, oppose homosexuality and support the local Crisis Pregnancy Center.  On top of all that, we hold to the rapture of the church.”

     Well, I say, “Good for you,” if you can make all those strong statements about your faith and practical lifestyle.  But, regardless of what you profess, the words of Scripture cannot be negated:  The carnal mind hates God, and is not subject to His law.  It is those who are walking in the Spirit that are Christ’s, and those who are in the flesh are not His.  God cannot be pleased, nor honored nor obeyed by those who attempt to satisfy the cravings of the mind and of the body, who are trying to please men and at the same time think that they live in the spirit.  Any person or group of persons who attempt such a thing are engaging in a futile exercise. God requires a whole-hearted devotion.  I’m sorry if that doesn’t square with your doctrine of grace.  We cannot please God and the natural man in ourselves nor in others at the same time.  Persons or churches who engage in this folly are on a dangerous course in relation to God.  How many “conservative” people, people who seem to live a somewhat consistently clean and holy life, and who strive to make society clean and moral, will find their final end in the lake of fire?  What we now see as the manifestation of Evangelical conservatism is very distinct from what the Bible describes as godliness and true separation from the world.

     I’m not merely referring to all of the obvious points of compromise such as immodesty of dress, indulging in worldly entertainment, worldly music and emotional, worldly entertainment in the stead of true spiritual worship, idolatrous involvement in sports, indulgent living, preoccupation with self in relationships (the employment of human psychology in counseling), diluting of Gospel truths in diminishing God’s judgment and wrath toward sin, general lethargy in service to Christ in the church, and a host of other symptoms of spiritual malaise.  The problem goes deep into the soul of a man or woman.  Jesus said that the Spirit would convict the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment.  A person who has not been under the power of this conviction, or who has come under it briefly and rejected it in some manner, may find it possible to enter a group of professing believers who make provision for the flesh and its carnal cravings, and who help him justify a self-oriented way of living, while maintaining a façade of spiritual religion.  Would such a group be necessarily blatant in their violations of God’s holy laws?  Not always.  There may be, as seems to be the case more and more in the so-called conservative churches, a fairly strong veneer of cleanness of living and correct teaching, shall we say, while at the same time a very real departure from the faith that has, and is taking place in their midst.  (Titus 1:16)  The only way of detecting such a double standard is by the exercise of a keen discernment by the one who is truly pressing on to holiness in the Lord.

     Such discernment comes by practice thereof.  Seekers after God are purified in their quest for God.  Seekers after the security and comfort that this world can offer are deluded in their quest for pleasure in the here and now, and think themselves spiritual in their pursuit of that which is actually carnal.  What a fearful time it is in which we now live!  The lines are, seemingly so blurred between friend and foe, good and evil, better and best.  Only an absolute dependence upon the Saviour, derived from a total and complete surrender to His holy and perfect will can assure one of his course in his pilgrimage to heaven.  The time has come, yea has long past for the journeyman to follow the light from above and not that illumination that seems to be so brightly beaming from church, from leaders, movements and other earthly sources.  “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”  Yes, there is a place for the comforting fellowship of like minds, hearts and souls.  There certainly is a need, as stated in the scriptures for those offices occupied by more mature saints for the edification of the body of believers.  But, ultimately it is a relationship between a believer and His God that carries him upward to his heavenly destination.  Other dependencies can decay into idolatrous distractions and harmful hindrances to one’s progress in the kingdom.  Beware!  O pilgrim!  Rest upon Christ and Christ only for all!

     I’m thinking of those masses of deceived in the herd movements of Evangelicalism.  Those poor souls at New Life Church, are but a small example of this great delusion.  Led for years by a self-deluded liar, and now continuing in their confusion as the Devil came to wreak more havoc by murdering two young girls in their midst recently. 

Turn, turn, to Christ, and not to systems of men!

Surrender to Christ fully and take your place willingly and gladly outside the gate to suffer His reproach with Him.  Don’t be afraid of man, either professing Christendom, nor of their antichrist counterparts in our present, wicked culture!  Give up your foolish, adolescent desires to change this present world, and accept its non-acceptance of you and all true disciples of a rejected Christ.  Forsake your worldly politics (and its compromising corruptions) and put your eyes on a kingdom that will never end, a city that has foundations that shall not be shaken!  “Why will ye die, O house of Israel?...” said the prophet, then.  “Why will you sell out and lose your reward?” Says the Spirit of prophecy now. 

     Listen, I say to the words of your Master, and not to His betrayers: 

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.  Matt. 7:21-23

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.  Matt. 24:12,13

          I know that your worldly-minded friends, and maybe even your pastors will tell you that I am preaching some form of works-salvation.  I’m telling you that perseverance to the very end of our journey is taught throughout the New Testament (Heb. 12:1,ff), and means just exactly that.  No, I don’t believe one can lose one’s salvation, provided he really has salvation.  If he does possess true salvation, the testing will become very intense in order to refine the soul for service here and to outfit it for heaven.  This has been my experience, and continues to be so for me.  Sadly, the churches are filled with those who think they are on the way to heaven, but are drawn into these organizations by carnal gimmicks, employing carnal reasoning of carnal men (and women), for carnal purposes, in developing a carnal fellowship in which the Spirit of God is welcomed only so long as He behaves Himself in their carnal ministry.  I know, because I have been in attendance at several of these carnal assemblies right here in Colorado Springs, the “Jerusalem” of contemporary Christianity. 

     O, my friends!  The anti-christ system is already in place in the world and in the churches.  Political-correctness in speech and policy is the rule.  The ship of Evangelicalism is on a course of total apostasy and surrender to the forces of of this present age.  How long will you tarry on board?  The Saviour has provided a way of escape from the city of destruction.  Will you humble yourself and take it, or die with the masses?

...Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you,  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.  2Cor. 6:17,18

Sat, Dec 22nd - 8:29PM

Christmas Thoughts

Christmas:  A Story of Condescension

Con.de. scend, v.i.  To descend voluntarily to the level, regarded as lower, of the person that one is dealing with, deign; to waive the privilege of rank, office or dignity; come down to equal terms with an inferior.  Stoop.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus......Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  Phil. 2:5,6-8

            Every year at this time I go through the crisis of Christmas in my mind.  At the outset of the season (just after Thanksgiving) the world’s merchants begin to arouse that “Christmas Spirit” in us, through all of the audio and visual tools at their disposal.  We, like sheep, follow the tinkling sounds and gladly submit to their seductive voice.  After all, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year,” a time of peace and good will amongst men.  While all this begins to take place in its annual fashion, a mixture of emotions starts fomenting in the depths of my soul.  It’s an admixture of disgust, at the prostituting of the very beauty and holiness of the thought of Christ’s incarnation;  anger, at those persons and institutions who craft this unholy admixture of the sacred and the profane; and pity for the multitudes of blind souls willfully deceived by the great magic of Christmas.

            The reader might counter my assault on this beautiful tradition with the defense that Christmas means different things to different people, and that despite the sham that it has become in the commercial world, there is a pure meaning to it and that it is honored by many.  Please grant me, if you will the concluding of the matter in my annual experience.  I usually warm up somewhat just before that sacred holiday, with the help of my Christian brothers and sisters (and to their great relief) by the sincerity in their celebration of it, and the general atmosphere of happy excitement that seems, magically to descend.  So, I wouldn’t call myself a “scrooge,” and neither would my friends, at least not by the time Christmas actually arrives.  And, thankfully, by that time, having listened to Handel’s “Messiah” at least once during the season, and attended at least one Christmas special at a church, the true meaning of this celebration has broken through to me in a more pure form.  It is that true meaning that is the thought that I would briefly discuss here.

Incarnation

            God became flesh.  What a thought!  Imagine this, if you will.  My painting/home repair business became very large, I mean really large, even global.  I had branches everywhere, and the places where there were no offices of Pioneer Home Services, people were crying to get me to extend my services to.  Now, in this fantasy, also imagine that I had a son, which I don’t have.  I had thousands of employees fulfilling a myriad of functions, from ladies in offices to men on the job in peoples homes sprucing them up.  If I sent my son to any of the hundreds of locations of our business, he would be immediately recognized and bowed to (figuratively, that is) in anything he might say or insist upon.  My son, in a very real way is equal to me in the sense of family identity and authority in the business.  Are you following?  But suppose my son and I conferred together and decided that it would be best for him and for the good of the company for him to, at least temporarily give up all of those prerogatives of his oneness with me, and go down to one of the local Pioneer branches to serve as a painter’s helper.  Along with this condescension to the very lowest of positions in the company, we decided that it would also be good for him to disguise himself so that no one, at least his fellow workers would know who he really is.  Now some of the supervisors, perhaps those who may resent me and my leadership in the corporation would recognize my son, but because of their feelings toward me, would probably make it fairly difficult for him in performing his duties. 

            Well, I suppose we could carry the analogy further to its ultimate extreme.  The point is that both my beloved son and I would be suffering a great deal of grief through this period of disguised identity and subservience for him in my company.  But because of the eventual good that would befall all the other employees through his example of self-less service and sacrifice, and perhaps many other residual consequences, the dear lad would willing undertake this prolonged hardship at my request.  In a very crude illustration, that is what Jesus did at the behest of His Father, and for the sake of a dying race of people on this sin-ridden Earth.  It was an act of condescension far beyond our human comprehension.  Think about His humble beginning on this Earth.  Most of us are familiar with the sights and sounds and smells of a stable or a barn.  Would any of you modern young men ask your wife to go out to the out-building with the animals to bear your child on the hay?  Sure, it happens all over the world, maybe even here in America on rare occasion.  But how easily or hardly will we humans relinquish our prerogatives to position, to comfort and safety and all the other things we cling to so tenaciously in this brief life?  Jesus set it all aside, at His birth and right up to his ignominious death.  We supposedly recognize this wonderful fact of history in our Christmas celebrations, but how deeply do we attempt to comprehend this incomprehensible truth?  How does what He did, in His coming, His living here briefly and in His departure by way of the cross affect our living?  That, I think is the question we should be asking ourselves during this time of merriment.  Not to squelch our joy, but rather to give eternal meaning to it, so that we may prove the value of His work on Earth, and the authenticity of that work with us, His professed disciples.

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.  2Cor. 8:9

How Should A King Come

     Carol Owens  Jimmy Owens

     How should a King come?

     Even a child knows the answer of course,

     In a coach of gold with a pure white horse.

     In the beautiful city in the prime of the day,

     And the trumpets should cry and the crowds make way.

     And the flags fly high in the morning sun,

     And the people all cheer for the sovereign one.

     And everyone knows that's the way that it's done.

     That's the way that a King should come.

     How should a King come?

     Even a commoner understands,

     He should come for His treasures,

     And His houses and lands.

     He should dine upon summer strawberries and milk,

     And sleep upon bedclothes of satin and silk.

     And high on a hill His castle should glow,

     With the lights of the city like jewels below.

     And everyone knows that's the way that it's done,

     That's the way that a King should come.

     How should a King come?

     On a star filled night into Bethlehem,

     Rode a weary woman and a worried man.

     And the only sound in the cobblestone street,

     Was the shuffle and the ring of their donkey's feet.

     And a King lay hid in a virgin's womb,

     And there were no crowds to see Him come.

     At last in a barn in a manger of hay,

     He came and God incarnate lay.

      And the angels cried "glory glory to God".

     Earth was silent so heaven rang,

     "Glory glory to God."

     Men were dumb so the angels sang,

     "Glory glory to God

     Peace on earth good will to men,

     Glory glory to God".

     Christ is born in Bethlehem,

     "Glory glory to God.

     Glory in the highest,

     Glory to God.

     Glory in the highest,

     Glory to God".

     © 1980 Bud John Songs, Inc.

Wed, Dec 19th - 9:36AM

Forsaking and Finding

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us...  Hebrews 12:1

          One who is running a spiritual race forsakes some things to find a new location.  Patience renews the strength of his spirit.  He must ever be pressing on as earnestly as when he started.   All that is worthwhile lies before him, for all that he has gained by running he carries with him.  He does not see the end of the race, but the One who is ordering his course has a greater reward to give than he is able to value fully now.

          One who runs successfully is also a warrior.  Life is a conflict, and those who travel on leave some conflicts behind.  Battles well fought defeat the enemy’s tactics on those lines, and those places are forsaken.  The passing of time demands that changes come.  Victory travels with the warrior, while his enemies lie dead on the battlefield.

          The successful runner lays aside the weights which would hinder his forward movements, and they are left behind.  The strength which laid off those weights is the strength which came as he laid hold on more of God’s thought.  The very nature of inherited weakness, which would travel along is the sin which the runner forsakes, and it is left to die.  One who is dead indeed unto sin is fully alive unto God.   His steps are quickened in God’s way.

          Keen battles which brought pain to spirit, soul, mind and body can be forsaken as truly as one leaves his pain-stricken body behind at the end of his race.  The opposition which brought conflicts is not treasured, but the strengthening hand of God which brought one through makes the memory of it blessed.

          The runner looks unto Jesus, who faced the Tempter and left that conflict behind.  He faced crowds that He would have saved, and possibly never met some of them again.  He left the upper room where the Passover was observed to enter Gethsemane.  He left Gethsemane to find the cross.  He left the cross to enter paradise.  His body entered the tomb that He might leave the tomb.  He left the contradiction of sinners to find heaven’s full favor.  He carried His victory with Him, that He might bring it to us.

Taken from Devotional Readings from the Book of Hebrews, by E. A. Gafford

Sat, Dec 15th - 10:45AM

Christmas Fulfillment

The Father’s Promise

And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 

Hebrews 11:39

            The Father had promised the complete restoration of man after the Fall.  False promises had allured man into sin, but man’s being restored rested in what God Himself would do through the life of His Son.  The desire to rule took hold of the first woman, but God found a woman who delighted to serve His purpose.  God came into human flesh with power to bruise the serpent’s heel.  (Gen. 3:6, 15)*

            A long line of generations came between the Father’s promise that satanic deception would be destroyed by the power of living truth and the final fulfillment.  The Lord was alive.  The Resurrection had taken place, and Jesus was letting His own know that the Father’s promise could not fail.  The promise given that man should be redeemed was in action through the Redeemer Himself.

            In one sense, in Jerusalem the final contest had taken place, challenging the Father’s promise.  But in Jerusalem the promise was to be fulfilled.  The promise of the One who should bruise the serpent’s head was fulfilled.  The heel of the Son of God, even though bruised, had destroyed the enemy’s power in His death.  That portion of God’s throne in which the Lord was to share was to come into action with Jesus’ ascension.

            In the beginning God gave Adam life, and that life was to choose to be true.  That choice was to be the action of Adam’s life in the presence of satanic power.  At that point Adam failed.  But Jesus did not fail at that point.  He chose His Father’s will in preference to every other choice.  Jesus had restored life to those who received Him, and that life was to choose to be true, regardless of the cost.  Trueness in His disciples was tested when Jesus was crucified, and it would be tested again after He ascended.  Would fear drive them from Jerusalem, or would they receive power which would cast out fear?

            The Father’s promise found its fulfillment when men chose to be separated from all that Satan had done.  The Holy Ghost brought the power of the ascended Lord, and full restoration came.  Those filled with the Spirit live in God’s will as the first man should have lived.  The promise of the Father included Jesus’ pure Bride.  God’s will is done in His Bride even as the Lord made possible that it should be.

And, being assembled together with [them], commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, [saith he], ye have heard of me.  Acts 1:4

*Scripture reference provided by me.

This article taken from “Devotional Readings in the Book of Hebrews,” by E. A. Gafford;  printed by Old Paths Tract Society, Shoals, IN.

Mon, Dec 10th - 10:40PM

God is Judging His People

For the time [is come] that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if [it] first [begin] at us, what shall the end [be] of them that obey not the gospel of God?  1Peter 4:17

What is the common denominator between the people of God in the Old Testament and those in the New?  We, under the New Covenant are supposedly filled with and empowered by the Spirit of God, unlike those in former days under the Old Covenant.  We certainly have more light than the people of olden times, having the completed word of God, the fulfillment of all the Messianic promises in the first advent of the very Son of God, the presence of the holy Spirit as convicter, interpreter, comforter, guide and many more things. We possess the hindsight of human history, and church history, as well.  Our hope, the living hope spoken of by Peter in his first epistle(1Pet. 1:3), is clear in the soon appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, the consumation of all things and the beginning of an eternal reign of God, in which we shall reign with Christ.  What else could God provide for us, His New Testament Christian saints in the present, troubled hour in which we live?  "Nothing," I say, "absolutely nothing!"  As Paul said, we possess all things in Christ. (1Cor. 3:21)

Then why is the present church so feeble (at least it is in the North American continent, which all the world looks to for leadership)?  Why are we failing so miserably in our mission to be a light and testimony to the truth of Christ in this present dark and wicked world?  Why did God allow the shootings at the very heart of the visible Evangelical movement in the past couple of days, and the taking of such godly, young lives? 

Allow me now to answer the very first question I posed in this message.  The common denominator between God's people of old and the contemporary church is simply this, we possess the same stubbornness and self-will as they did in former times.  The cultural and religious manifestations of this stubbornness, as described in the Scriptures seem much different, but our idolotry, our whoredom before the God of our covenant is essentially no different.  We just have much more sophisticated substitutes for obedience, surrender, dependance and faithfulness. Our Baals are our complex systems and methodologies, and humanly derived and humanly oriented programs we have fashioned in lieu of the simple Gospel. We've devised ways of carrying the cross of our Lord through artificial means.  The people of old compromised their worship in obvious, beggarly ways, whereas we are just as bold in our adultery before His altar with our deliberate, well thought out and "prayed over" plans, concepts and theologies.

When a few hundred people followed a cult leader to their death about 20 years ago, it was inconceivable in the Evangelical consciousness that such a thing could take place within our spheres.  But recently about 14,000 church members and an entire body of Evangelicals across the country were lied to for at least three years about the perverse adulteries of their most prominent leader.  When he was exposed, not a thought was given to our corporate error that almost willfully permitted such gross deception. Deception on such a large scale is permissible in the minds of Contemporary Christians, so long as it is outside of the organized church.  But this certainly was right in our midst, and nearly all of us were an assenting part of it, either in ignorance, or for the sake of supposed unity in the body of Christ.

Where are the New Testament prophets: the true prophets, that is?  Where is the gift of discernment supposedly possessed by all New Testament believers?  More so, where is the fervent desire for purity, both in doctrine as well as in personal and corporate fellowship?  Holiness is scoffed.  But now the time has come for us to be scoffed.

Sat, Dec 8th - 10:49PM

Bearing Fruit

I have been praying and waiting for the opportunity to begin another men's group for a very long time.  This past Summer I left my church and eventually began fellowship regularly with the saints in Canon City, about 50 miles to the southwest.  There is nothing negative between the old church and me, although there is an irreconcilable doctrinal issue.  This particular difference, which  is at the heart of their fellowship, finally brought me to a crisis, and I decided that it was time to leave.  However, I still have great contacts with the folks at Immanuel Missionary Church, and we mutually love and respect each other. 

About the time that I left them, I posted a note here indicating that I was launching out into the ocean of possibilities of God's will for me regarding ministry.  Doors of ministry did not open for me immediately, but gradually my heart's cry to God was answered.  A young man began working for me last Spring.  At that time he was in Community Corrections and in need of work.  He found me through the internet listing of the state job service here in Colorado Springs.  I wasn't quite sure about hiring him at first, but he has turned out to be a great blessing to me in a number of ways.  People in the painting business are notoriously irresponsible.  Max, turned out to be quite the opposite, and perhaps, the best worker I've ever had.  He is very skilled, intelligent, attentive and above all, dependable.  I can't overemphasize the value of this latter quality.  With Max, and a couple of others, I was able to complete the biggest job I've ever undertaken this summer and Fall, a 52 unit Condominium complex in nearby Monument.  Since this project required my presence on site most of the time, I was nearly unable to take on another couple of buildings here in the Springs that I had promised to paint.  Lo and behold, the Lord sent another man, named Will to do that job for me before the weather turned bad.  Praise God, despite some other financial setbacks, I've had my greatest business year ever!

Max professed to be a Christian, and I soon asked him to join with me in a regular fellowship/Bible study.  We didn't get started right away for a number of reasons, but eventually we began meeting at a restaurant on Friday evenings, and later switched to a little Pizza joint I would go to nearly every Friday after work.  Well, my work for Max just ran out a couple of weeks ago and he had to go and find something else to keep himself alive.  But he expressed a desire to keep on in the study, and we have.  Last night he brought a friend, Chris, who seemed to enjoy our discussion of Romans very well and wants to keep coming.  Today, while at Home Depot, I approached another young brother whom I have been casually acquainted with for some time, and asked if he would like to join us.  He readily agreed.  How exciting to get this going again after about four years, when I departed from the group I started with another brother!  At that time we had taken about a year and a half studying through the first eight chapters of Romans.

Although I believe it has been God's plan and purpose for me to initiate and lead a men's discipleship group, I can clearly see that it has been necessary for me to go through a very intense refining in my own life in order to qualify for such a task.  A pastor-teacher must, above all be clean and upright in his personal life, as well as possess the giftedness to lead and teach.  God has had to dig deep into my soul to purge it from the root of self.  Teaching the cross must be accompanied by living the cross.  How painful my lessons have been in these ensuing years, but I'm beginning to see the fruit of that pruning that Jesus promised would characterize my journey to His kingdom.  I don't claim to understand one fragment of His wisdom for my life, and I can honestly say that I have absolutely nothing in and of myself of which to boast.  I say with Paul, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." (Gal. 6:14) 

Tonight my heart is filled with joy and confidence in the One who has taken hold on my life and determined a good end for it, for His eternal glory.  Yes, the pain of my cross is yet with me, but the hope of a better resurrection and an eternal home with Christ is truly sufficient to enable me to go on to the very end, and then reach the beginning of my everlasting reward.  I pray that my life will be a living witness and testimony to the power of God to save, and to keep that which He has undertaken to save, a poor, wretched sinner, such as I.