Semper Fidelis...

This "old Marine Corps Motto" means, "Always Faithful", Forever Faithful, Eternally Faithful...  I now realize and understand I was very, very fortunate to have a Dad that believed that motto to his very core...  Always Faithful...   This is a term that has been lost in the last couple generations...  For FAITH has seemed to escape many.  See, my Dad taught my siblings and I that Faith, Truth, Trust, Honor, Integrity, Character, Respect and Loyalty were deep foundational truths that defined the man.  

We have lost those core moral attributes in this world, culture & society.  In the wake of that foundational shift, we ditched our moral compass along the road somewhere as well.    The collateral damage of these moral pillars failing has been most noticeable in our relationships, or, the failure of our relationships.  Husbands and Wives throwing marriages away after investing 30, 40 and even 50 years of their lives.  Friendships lasted a lifetime 100 years ago, today, if your closest friend doesn't meet your wants and perceived needs, simply walk away and find someone else that will make you "happy".

Today, a man must be the rock of the home, a good provider, a good lover, a good house keeper, a good gardener, provide emotional security as well as be Mr. Mom when called upon.  The culture has emasculated men, and in many circles confused the Biblically appointed roles of the genders so drastically, that the Home has become a battle ground.  All this because of that illusive American Dream...  Nice House, Nice Car, Toys, Vacations, Nights Out - money, money, money...  It became too much for one income to achieve the American Dream.   So, we ripped the baby out of Mommy's arms, dumped them into the baby sitters arms (now day care centers), and put poor Mommy out there into the work force to earn more money.  Subjecting her to diverse opinions and worldly influence and lustful eyes and smooth talking wolves.  We have given parental authority by proxy to the daycares & the school systems with a significant liberal bent, and then wonder why we have shootings, stabbings, rapes and bullying on school property.  Really???  Where are the voices of Reason??? 

50 - 70 years ago, families got involved with each other's struggles, there was a sense of accountability, to God and to each other.  God was just a matter of fact.  The Bible was revered and honored, considered God's Holy Word and Instruction to man, let alone His written will for our lives.  Prayer was an essential to get thru the day.  Modesty was exercised by most folks, and inappropriate conversation was never within ear shot of children.  When our Son or Daughter was having marital issues, we encouraged and exhorted them as the Good Book instructs to do.  We "worked" at our marriages, and sought help from our Pastor, Mother, Dad, Grandma or Grandpa when our marriages or life became a struggle.  We stuck with things and fixed them, rather than throw them in the garbage can and go out and get a new one.  We allowed our Children to read the Bible in School, Pray in School and recite the Pledge of Allegiance in School...  ALL THREE HAVE BEEN REMOVED from the majority of schools today...  AND - We question why 15 to 17 years old kids are signing up for ISIS and running away from home?  Really???  Where are the voices of Reason???  Where is the Public Outcry For The Moral Staples of our Society to be brought back into the Public Schools????

Today, God is Optional - if He even exists in most people's minds.  The Bible - is considered simply a book of suggestions, and at best is an ala carte menu choice as it is relevant to my wants.  Prayer - who needs prayer, I have a secular Shrink that has the whole world figured out that I pay good money for advice - who needs prayer...?  If you have turned on a TV or Radio lately, there is NO Modesty or Appropriateness to conversation or entertainment any more.  We might as well de-commission the FCC, because they are an unneeded and morally irrelevant government agency today.

If we Believe In God, and His Son Jesus Christ, then inherently we will also believe Faith, Truth, Trust, Honor, Integrity, Character, Respect and Loyalty are essential parts of a man or woman's soul.  We will practice Faith in God and trust His will in our relationships, friendships and marriages. We will work at making them wholesome, pure and above reproach.  We will Honor God in honoring those He has placed in our lives.  We will be Biblically Obedient to God, by sacrificing our own desires and wants for our spouse until He calls us Home thru Death or at the Trumpet Sound.  We will honor our other relationships and friendships by showing Christ's Love, Compassion and Charity in those relationships for a lifetime, not just while its convenient.  FAITH is not as we define it - it is as HE Defines it.  Do NOT Trust this old layman - Read The Book for Yourself...

Here are some Passages To Start With - then KEEP  GOING !!!

1st John 1:8-10

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

2nd  Timothy 4

1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Philippians 4:8-9

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.  9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Hurting Hearts...

He wept in the Garden as he prayed to His Abba Father, sweating drops of blood, knowing He would have to bear my sin... Punishment that I rightfully deserved, for the Sin I knew I was committing, as well as sins of omission. He took my stripes, the words of anger, the beating, the bruising and the thorns. Then he carried my cross in agony, and pain beyond anything I could bear. Finally, He took the spikes that were meant for me, thru His hands and feet. Then as they stood that old cross up, all the weight of my sin and yours pulled on those wounds around those huge old spikes. He took it, He bore it, He carried it, then He suffered the most horrific and agonizing pain of all, His Abba Father turned His back on Him for in the midst of all my sin on His shoulders, it repulsed His Father, for He could not look upon that sin which weighed and sucked the life's blood from His horrifically beaten body. Yet in His Sovereign power He kept His life until He was ready to lay it down for US !!!!!!!!!!

As a child of His, it hurts my Heart to see fellow Christians living like the world... Folks claiming the name of Christ, while cheapening Grace with their worldly vocabulary, with their pompous attitudes, with their worldly activities and their lustful eyes. My heart aches for my Jesus and the pain He bore and the sorrow He carried, when people claim His name in one breath, and dishonor it in the next.

Salt of the Earth... A Gospel that is offensive to the world... Light in the midst of Darkness... The "Armor" of God... To Seek Righteouness... Revere and Fear a Holy God...

Oh My Dear Jesus, how we must hurt and grieve Your Heart & Spirit... Forgive us Father, and help me keep the logs from my own eyes and confess & repent my own horrid sin moment by moment each day... Help me walk up rightly in the midst of Your Marvelous Grace...

Truth Family & Friends - Read It...

Look Deeper - Don't let the spirit of Anti-Christ confuse what you know as Truth in your Hearts concerning the True Gospel of Jesus, The One and only begotten Son of the Living God.
He Alone Is Worthy - He Alone is Sovereign - He will Return !!! The knee that has not yet bent in Loving Submission during this Age of Grace, will be bent by force, and Hearts will then be compelled to willful subjugation under His Mighty Hand...
...

The Signs are evident and His Return is immanent, Please, search, Look Deeper, know if what you believe is The Truth !!!

John 14:6-7 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

Believer, are you a follower of the Living Christ, or "are you just a fan"... A True Follower of Christ - knows The Master, and more importantly, The Master knows His Sheep, and they hear only His Voice... Fans, may hear The Word, but they don't know The Word and do as He commands.

Peter's Message In The Temple...

I was looking over some old messages I had stored on the computer from back when I was teaching / preaching Wednesday nights.  I had forgotten I started the study of the Book of Acts, this message deals with True Repentance - a Change of Heart.  I hope you find it useful and hear God's voice and sense His Spirit in these words.  God Bless...

Originally prepared for the Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting on 11 January 2012 @ BBCWM

======================================================= 

The Acts of the Apostles

Acts 3:19 thru 26

Peter's  Message  in  the  Temple

 Good Evening;  Open Your Bibles to Acts Chapter Three, Verses 19 thru 26, follow along with me please:

¹⁹Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.    ²⁰And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:    ²¹Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.   ²²For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.   ²³And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.   ²⁴Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have  spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.   ²⁵Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindred's of the earth be blessed.   ²⁶Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

Dear Lord, please calm our hearts, put the day's events aside and let your precious Spirit minister to our heart, and let only your message be seen and heard here tonight, and not the mere man standing before these dear folks.  Let all that is said here tonight bring your Honor, Glory and Praise in your Dear Son's Name we  come to you tonight, in Christ we pray, Amen

OK - really quick review from last week, where are we geographically in our text tonight? (Temple in Jerusalem)

Who was the audience in attendance? (Pharisees, Sadducees, Priests, Scribes and other Israelites)

What is Peter preaching here in our opening text tonight? (Repentance)

Repentance - Repentance; but wait a minute, these were the "Spiritual Giants" of the day...  These were the Holy and Righteous men of Israel in that day, or so they thought!

John MacArthur says in his commentary on the Book of Acts that "Throughout redemptive history, God's spokesmen have called sinners to repentance.  Old Testament and New Testament alike!

Check on my references later, but you can see this fact in Jeremiah 8:4-5;  Ezekiel 14:6;  2nd Kings 17:13;  Matthew 3:1-2;  Mathew 4:17;  Acts 2:38;   Acts 20:21;   Acts 26:19-20 

Peter continues this practice as he draws this sermon at the temple to a conclusion, and calls these people to repentance.  The word Repentance is drawn from the Greek word metanoeo, which is "to change one's mind or purpose".  This is meant to be much more than a mere intellectual decision to change.  It is a change of mind that issues in a life change of behavior and mindset.  It is literally, a turning in direction or a conscious choice to change your thinking, more importantly changing your perspective - from a world view of the present culture - to a world view with GOD in the center.  His Holiness and Righteousness guides your path, you "Change", the pace is determined by the rate of submission and yielding to the Spirit of God.

Peter knew his audience, he knew that deep in their minds and hearts they thought they were "Right" with God, but were they?  No, the temple in many ways exercised oppression through the interpreted and made up Laws.  Peter knew the ways of the Temple Leadership, he knew that they were entrenched in their ways, and turned a tin ear towards the Truth.

Peter also knew, that while most of these people practiced the religion of the Jewish Faith, it was mechanical, ritualistic, and out of a sense of duty.   In these circles, the true God Loving individual was not often in the lime light, or spoken of.  The Jewish Leaders were often the subject of Christ's observations and rebuking.

How is that different from the corporate church today in this country?  America is the land of opportunity and entitlement.  The people don't need to rely on GOD, they are either self reliant or rely on the government to meet their needs.  The bulk of TV Evangelist have turned the stomachs of the American people towards faith and Christianity due to their bilking the public out of BILLIONS of Dollars.  Followed up by numerous scandals that were wrought in deceit and greed. Unfortunately - this tarnished all Churches in some people's eyes, as we walked further and further from the days of innocence into the days of Postmodernism. To a country today drenched in corruption from the top down to the local community leaders and even some local church leaders.

Our former stalwart bible believing Churches have departed from the Truth of Christ and His Heavenly Father, to teach an easy believism that has infected even the little independent Churches in this country.   Do we remember, what happen that 1st day of Pentecost that Peter preached, when his message then was also one of repentance?  "All that believed were together, and had all things in common."  They had all things in common, and they fellowshipped and spent time together joined in the Bond of Love in the Spirit of Christ.  They sold belongings to provide for the less fortunate in their circle of faith, those in the early Church.

They continued daily with one accord, breaking bread sharing meals in gladness and a singleness of heart.  What was the result of this awesome faith and dedication to one another - God found favor with them, and the Lord added to the Church daily - and people REPENTED and were SAVED!!!

Why was that same message so important here at the Temple and also - so very important here tonight and today in the Corporate Church of America?

BECAUSE - we need reminded that Christ sacrificed it all for us, and that passion of our beloved Savior, does have a cost for us.  We must relinquish our desire and thirst for the things of this world, and repent of those things that draw us away from His word, away from devoted time with Him.  We need to invest our God given resources in the work and furtherance of the Gospel of Christ.  AND Listen to me, NO MAN Has the right to tell you what that means in your life...  I can't tell you what that means for you, nor can the Pastor, or some well dressed TV Preacher.

BUT - if you are a born again, God Fearing, Christ Loving, Bible Believing Christian, and the Holy Spirit of the True and Living Christ lives within that chest of yours - you had better listen to what HE is telling you...  The only way this Church is going to grow, is if we listen to Peter's message.  Casual Sunday Morning Service Christians are playing a crap game.  For if they are sitting in these pews for any other reason than EXALTING the Name of Jesus Christ and Praising Almighty God with their solemn humbled hearts, they are spiritually confused.

A preacher can't stand up here and post a list of things not to do as a Christian, because those things can be mimicked and repeated without a change of the mind and heart!  However; I can tell you from the heart there are things that shouldn't be present!

If Sunday Morning for Sunday School and Morning Service, Sunday Evening Service, and Mid Week Services there shouldn't be a desire in your heart to be anywhere else.  God calls us to assemble together, to be HIS family, loving one another, ministering to one another.  This is a battle with self that I go through from time to time, in my flesh I make the wrong choices occasionally...  Then for days I carry the guilt and shame, tonight thanking the Lord for the conviction HE lays on my heart.

Satan doesn't want us,    to want to be here....  He is a sly old devil, he know the things you like to do for pleasure and recreation, and he places them before you wanting you to make a choice that will keep you out of the favor of God.  Yielding to His Will and Submitting to His service is HARD sometimes.  As you grow in His Spirit, and those choices become easier to make, He blesses you, and yes, in my eyes every answered prayer is a personal God given Miracle, and holds a special place in my mind and heart.

Please open your Bibles to Matthew 21:28 thru 31...   But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard.   ²⁹He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.  ³⁰And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.  ³¹Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 

Repentance that Peter is preaching here is a CHANGE of the Heart!!!  Giving God lip service, or sitting here on a Sunday morning doing the Church thing, then going out all the rest of the week partaking in what the world has to offer, with not another thought of Christ till you walk back into the Church the next Sunday morning - well - that is not a saving faith!

There once was a son that told his Father "No I won't", then he thought about what he had just done, he then went back and repented his error,  he saw his wrong - his Sin, and went back, then he did that thing His Father asked of him, truly he was repentant and understood, he conformed in humility and then knew the true depth of Love.

That son that gave his Father lip service, saying yes Dad, I'll do it, then went about his merry way doing what he wanted, he was a miserable liar at best.

But what is more interesting is Christ's question and to the Chief Priests and Elders of the temple at the end of His parable?    He asked, which of these sons truly did the will of his Father.  What did they tell HIM?

They said the first son did the will of the Father....  He then rebuked them, telling them that the publicans and the whores of the day go into the Kingdom of God before them...  Why?  Because they answered the question correctly, they got it right,,,,,,  but refused to practice that which they knew as Truth!!!!

Today's Church is in the exact same condition, our people sit and hear the truth Sunday after Sunday, yet chose to go their own way.  Telling the Preach and God, yes, we got it, we understand it, and then go about their own way.  Never plugging in, never praying with a dear hurting friend, never helping a family in need, never singing in the choir, never helping with the children or youth ministries, and worse yet, never uttering the name of our Beloved Jesus again until the next Sunday.

THAT Dear, Dear Friends here tonight is why this Church has an alter call / or / invitation at the end of every message.  Because the American Church today has a lot of people sitting in it in the same state of mind and spiritual condition as that Temple did back there when Peter preached this short and powerful message.

Let's change the discussion from one of repentance, to one of dependence!  What do we right here at BBC rely on or depend on God for on a moment by moment, or a day by day, week to week, month to month basis...  Do we thank HIM for all things, do we even realize that Dependence on God grows out of a thankful heart.

If we aren't thankful for every little blessing He bestows upon us, we are depending on ourselves, our own means and our own will.  With a contrite heart I wrote this lesson / message out, knowing that many times I don't take the time to reflect on the blessing of the moment.

Lord God hear me tonight, I am thankful for the Miracle and Blessing of life, every Heart Beat and every Breath.  Father, see my tears of Joy and Thanks for my dear Godly Wife, that bears the weight of my humanness at times, Thank You Father for she prayerfully holds me in your Light, Your answers to those Prayers keep me safe and a Heart True to You and her.  Thank You Dear Father for the Family you have blessed me with...  Thank you for their health, and meeting their daily needs as well.

Father, Thank You for the Job I have, and the will to work when the culture has made it so easy to coast, I give ten thousand thanks.  For the Food you place on my table every day, the strength that you convert that food into for me to continue on, when that couch and television look so good to cuddle up to.  Thank you father for the mode of transportation that you have provided my wife and I to move about freely in this Country that you continue to Bless in the midst of our sinful and wayward ways.

Thank you Father for this CHURCH, for those in our midst that Yield to Your Word, Yielding to your TRUTH, Your Commandments and the Principles you have provided to guide and live our lives by.  Father bring us as a Church to your alter frequently, remind us that we are a peculiar people in your site, wrapped in the righteousness and justification of your Dear Son, paid for by His Blood and Earthly Life in our place.  Thank you for those dear, dear missionaries that were willing to go into those far reaches of this earth that many of us could never want to endure.  Continue to bless those mission fields and the ministries that those dear folks are providing to the lost.

Father - help us as a people, as a church, and as individuals come to the realization that we must rely on YOU!  Help us realize that a Proud and Self-reliant people have no need for a God, for they meet their own needs and wants without consideration to the real provider!

Father remind us on a regular basis of our Spiritual condition without Christ, then Father, help us sacrifice ourselves to and for your will in such a way that it ministers to others while bringing You Glory, Praise and Honor.  Without Christ, we are a vile, corrupt contentious lot in your eyes Father.  When we enter the throne room in prayer to you Father, you now look at us wrapped in Your Son.  But Your promise through His transaction at Calvary, gives us spiritual cleansing that on that day, we will stand before You and your Son forgiven and with robes of white.  There, and there alone lies the depth and foundation of our Love and Gratitude Father, for parting with your best long enough to pay the ransom for these tired and grateful saints.  -  Amen...

If you have friends that are playing the Sunday Morning Game, you may want to share this last point with them...

A Pastor, Church Doctrinal Statement, Church Constitution, Regular Attendance, or any daily, weekly, monthly or annual ritual in God’s name is NOT going to save a person from Hell.  It is the repentant - contrite heart, fearful of God, Loving His Son, and believing in the remission of their sin through the shed blood of Christ and conforming to His character as found on the pages of the book in your lap.

We are in the last days, and there is NO FIRE INSURANCE outside of confessing your sin and sinful ways, asking His Mercy and Forgiveness, accepting His Son's sacrifice and shed blood as Payment for that sin.  Then, accepting Him as, and elevating Him to LORD of your life - the rubber meeting the road is in this step.  For we are a proud nation, a prideful people, and giving over control is not in our cultural make up.  An old long gone friend use to say, son, you can accept Christ's payment, and Church all your life, but till you bend the knee and yield that proud heart, you'll be on the wrong side of the tracks.

Not really a theologically backed statement, but the message of Yielding and Submission hit home.  Not my will - but thine Lord...

A parting word of encouragement tonight is wrapped in this word FORGIVENESS!!!

Forgiveness produces JOY and relief from guilt.  One of my most favorite hymns was written by Horatio Spafford.  Mr. Spafford expressed that reality beautifully in his classic hymn, It Is Well With My Soul.  In it he penned the following familiar words:

MY Sin, Oh, the bliss of this Glorious Thought,    

My sin not in part, but the whole                          

Is nailed to the Cross and I bear it no more,         

Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Oh My Soul....

As John MacArthur stated in his commentary, those words find their echo in every redeemed heart.  If we truly live with the Precious Spirit of Christ in us, and understand the verses of that Hymn, how can we not want to give up this old world and serve this Man that nailed it all to the cross.  May each and every one of you remember that moment when you realized that He saved you, and lifted the burden of guilt and shame through His Merciful, Gracious and Complete gift of Forgiveness through His Blood on that old tree.  Remember, Thankful Hearts, lead our Hearts home to Him, understanding our condition apart from Christ, helps keep our Hearts humbled and obedient to His Word.  Have a Great rest of the week, and we will see you Sunday Morning, let's pray...

My Dear, Dear Father, Praise Your Holy Name...

Recently, I had a friend drop me a line to touch base, a young man that sings lead in a Southern Gospel Quartet. Their music speaks to my heart, and churns the spirit bringing a smile to my face and joy to the core of my being.

As I thought about Dear Brother Sellers, I began to reflect where this Spiritual Trek has taken me since we last saw each other. I have served as a Lay Minister, with a Teaching / Preaching ministry Wednesday nights, and a Sunday School ministry to the High School / College Age folks in our Church.

My, my goodness, what wonderful Truths I have learned in studying and preparing myself for these ministries each week. How can we not stand before Almighty God trembling in fear of His awesome presence in our lives? The more I learn of His Great Power, His Might, and the punitive judgments of men and nations of past days; I fall in silent thanksgiving for His Tender Mercies in the midst of that judgment. The more I study His Grace, His Love for us in spite of our fallen condition, and how that Mercy and Grace is offered freely, well then I see just how I must fall short of His perfection and righteousness.

To stand in the light of His Truth, we must clearly see the darkness of our own ways, and our need for regeneration, submission and yield to His Sovereign Authority in not just our own live, but in all of creation.

In Romans Chapter 6, we read beginning in verse 6....

6. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

11. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

12. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

13. (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

14. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

15. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

16. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

17. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

18. Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

19. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

20. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

21. That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Lord Jesus Christ came to the forsaken place to pay a price that we could not pay on our own. After showing us the way through His earthly ministry, He showed us the way through the veil of Death, and back again. Oh Dear Jesus, how we have failed you as a people and as a Nation. We have truly lost sight of our First Love in Christ.

The words in this Holy Book that He has provided us for study and communion with Him, stand as Holy Ground; the last Bastian of Truth to a dying world. Lighting the path to Life, yet we have churches in this country that have washed away those truths to become more socially acceptable and bring in the numbers that will fill the offering plates.

In the name of evangelization, the Truth of His HOLY and RIGHTEOUS character attributes have been replaced with entertainment that is devoid of pure Truth and doctrine. To the point that Christ's Life is now called to question. From where I sit, from what I have been taught and learned on my own - that view is nothing short of Blasphemy.

A nation that Blasphemes the Life, Work and Spirit of Christ is damned - not blessed! For God in His own time, will turn a people over to their own heart’s desire, and they will serve that master right to their own destruction.

As Paul said in Romans 6; For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

For when we were yet sinners - Christ died for us, God gave His absolute Best for the filthy, for the unworthy, for the indignant, for the arrogant, for the pompous, he died for every race, every creed and every color. Yet in the Light of that Truth even those that claim His name, prostitute themselves to the ways of the world, and all its vices. Oh how His Dear Heart must pain, how it must trouble His Spirit to watch the wrong choices we often make.

Yet in His Economy of Time and Grace, He sees through to the very core of the heart, sealing those He called unto Himself. Precious are they in His sight, for they are Obedient to His voice, and they seek the very Holiness that makes Him God. He delights in their devotion, and blesses them with His Joy and His Peace even in the midst of emotional and physical pain.

Oh, My Dear, and most Precious Lord God, Praise Your Holy and Mighty Name. May my heart and voice carry your Name to my housetop? Thank you Father for saving such a worm as I, help me never forget the miserable being I was before you found me in that lost condition, without any Light in my life. Thank You Dear Jesus for coming to sacrifice yourself in such a terrible and horrific physical death, reversing the curse from Adam's transgression. Freeing me and all those before me that have Proclaimed the Name and Work of Jesus the True and Only Christ, freeing all True Believers and Followers of Christ from the bonds of Satins grip and Sins reward of Hell... We will never - ever fear Hells pain and destruction, because you paid our ransom, and we now serve a new Master who stands in place proclaiming our Kinship and position inside His Righteousness.

However; we will stand in review of our service and life for Him, the life that He paid for in full, hence we are not our own. In that knowledge, we must remember that every idle word will be weighed, and rewarded with precious metals and jewels, or with wood, hey and stubble. Action and Motive will be placed in the Burning Light of the Bema Seat, those things that were said and conducted in True Service to Him, will be rewarded; the rest will be burnt up and never mentioned again.

I pray that I find strength in these last days to stay focused on the main thing, finding strength in the Armor of God, ready to do Spiritual Battle with the enemy. Speaking His Truth to all that will listen, sharing His Love and Sacrifice with those less fortunate than myself, and those truly seeking Him out. I want to let my heart reflect the Light and Life of Christ to all that cross my path.

May His Joy shine through to a smile on my face even when it hurts to walk and go on? May I never forget all that He gave to secure a place for me by His side through eternity? May I forever remember the sufficient Grace that I enjoy, and the power of His Spirit that lives within me? Yes Dear Father, Praise Your Holy Name, and may all that I do in these last days, bring Honor, Glory and Praise to your Precious Son. May I forever Revere Your Sovereign Presence and Authority, and yield and submit myself to Your Will.

In Love & Joy I serve you, resting in Your mighty arms, Thank You Dear Lord for these Blessings and Lessons.

Forever Thankful For His Forgiveness

These last few weeks I have been buffeted quite a bit...  Trials have been over abundant, and I haved made a few bad choices.  Conviction is a wonderful thing, and reassuring that His Spirit still works in the hearts of men...

I pray that my testimony has not been bruised, He knows my heart and knows that I am forever Thankful for His undying Love, Mercy, Grace and Forgiveness...

Remembering, when you ask to dawn the "The Full Armor of God", be prepared to do battle.

Stand Strong in the Truth and Stand Firm in the Faith - He will take care of the rest...

Resurrection Day… This is Your Choice!

From the Word Of GOD, the Story of Salvation...

He rode into town to a Kings welcome and fanfare, the crowd was ecstatic to see Him, they hailed and praised Him. It was a wonderful and glorious scene, they appeared to Love this Man, wanting Him to be their King… My goodness, how the hearts of men and woman can be swayed, for by the end of the week, this wonderful blessed man was beaten bloody, kicked, spat upon and mocked.

It started when a few of unscrupulous men in Religious Power, a group called Pharisees,  the Sanhedrin, decided that this young man’s miracles, good deeds, and love for the people challenged their own influence. They were afraid that this man had a great impact on “multitudes” of people through His preaching and teaching and was gaining great favor with the people. He on more than one occasion called these Pharisees a “brood of vipers”,  “hypocrites” and “serpents”; he called them out as untrustworthy or deceitful leaders in front of the very people they were to lead.

He had sternly, intentionally, and authoritatively overturned tables of moneychangers, and sellers of wares and doves in a court of the religious temple of this town. He recognized the false teachers, corrupt religious leaders, scam artist and evil of all kinds, and called them such. Leaving in His wake, a growing number of unrighteous enemies, all of whom would want to see Him destroyed.

Then, one from His own circle sold his loyalty to the Religious Leaders of this town that feared the power and influence this man was building. So it was settled, His friend would betray Him for 30 pieces of silver. The mode of identification on that fateful night would be that of a “kiss” on the cheek of The One they feared. He was then kidnapped and falsely accused by the Religious Foot Soldiers and taken off to a Religious Council held in the dark of night.

This was a plot, a conspiracy of great proportion and they knew it must be carried out with great precision… For the people truly liked this man, so they decided not to kill him themselves, for this may truly turn the people against them, instead they must influence others to do their dirty deed. For it is told, in Matthew 26:4 of the Holy Scriptures “Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the High Priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him". This indeed was a plot, and Caiaphas was at the center and knew how to play events to keep above the ripples. The record shows that they had decided not to kill Him “during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people”. They painted this man as a blasphemer of Almighty God that ultimately deserved death.  Knowing that Rome agreed to honor their Religious Laws, and that blasphemy brought a death sentence, they would use Roman authorities to do their dirty evil deed...

In the Gospel of Matthew we see that when Jesus the Christ was brought to the Sanhedrin, “The Chief Priest, the elders, and the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death” (26: 59-61), and found several. Jesus’ own words were found sufficient to condemn Him to death. For, in the morning, “...all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death” (27:1). Later, when Pilate tried to release Jesus, they fervently insisted He had to be crucified, and the angry crowd that was present, as well as the priests, finally prevailed (Luke 23: 23). Based on the scene at hand, our knowledge of the corrupt lengths these men would go to get their way, the angered crowed was probably handpicked.

So it was settled, this wonderful, kind, righteous, holy, perfect man would be destroyed at the hands of the Religious Right of the day. That this man, the TRUE SON of GOD, was to be crucified over the fear of losing power! It is this writer’s belief that Caiaphas carried out this deed with his eyes wide open. His heart was not of GOD! Yet, it is the writer’s belief that He knew this was the Christ, but just as Satan is under the delusion that he will overthrow God’s people – Caiaphas thought He could destroy the Son of God and retain his power and influence over the Jews.

Those of us that claim HIM as our own, and have received the Holy Spirit as His Comforter and guiding influence, know that HE is raised this day - HE  IS  ALIVE !!!  He has conquered both sin and death on our behalf. He now sits at the right hand of Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, poised to stand and come quietly and take His Bride to the Father, for a long awaited Wedding and Feast… For the Church – The Bride of Christ is waiting and watching for His return. For Faith come by Hearing, and Hearing by the WORD of GOD. That FAITH is even a gift of GOD, and He Freely gives it to those He Calls out from among this sin laden world. If you have heard His Voice, the tug on the heart by His Spirit, then separate yourself from the ways of the world. Follow Christ, take up His Cross, and share the Good News with those that are seeking. Time is short, He will soon come to take His own, and there will be no other opportunities. For once He takes His Church away, the age of Grace is over, and all that is left is Judgment and Damnation.

God Is! He Is! He created all that you see; all that you know was formed by Him. Even YOU! The first step to salvation is to recognize GOD! He is Righteous, Holy, Sovereign and all powerful. He as the Creator created man, to walk and commune with Him in the cool of the evening. He gave us free reign over all that He laid before us with one exception. One thing was forbidden, the rest was ours for enjoyment and learning. BUT, an evil one cursed through the ages influenced that first couple in the Garden. The woman was deceived, and her husband, disobeyed the Heavenly Father with his eyes wide open. For he knew it was wrong, and he decided to disobey regardless of the outcome.

God, found them naked in their sins, and cursed the action as well as the earth. At that moment their Spiritual Lives were snuffed out, and while God had designed them to live eternally with Him their physical bodies would now die. Through the ages, God gave the decedents of that first couple numerous opportunities to walk righteous and holy lives, but they continually chose not to. God then sent His Son, this young man named Jesus, the Christ that you read about previously. He came to earth with one simple purpose, to tell of His Heavenly Father, to show the people the path to the Father and Righteousness. For He told them and us, that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe on Him, would have everlasting life” (John 3:16). That “gave” is the Gift of His Life for ours, a payment for the sin that we on our own are not capable of providing. “For the wages of sin is death (physically and eternally); but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:32). Christ told us, there are not many ways to God, unlike what the world wants you to believe today. There is but one way to God… “For I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man cometh unto to the Father but by me” (John 14:6)!

Dear readers – the choice is yours, and it is a choice – that you make voluntarily. Remember one last thing “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved”. It is God’s will for you to choose Him over the offerings of this corrupt, cruel and dying world. Please make the right choice, before it’s too late!

This post is 1st and foremost - a True and Heart felt apology...

This post is 1st and foremost - a True and Heart felt apology... 

I stumbled onto a young Christian ladies blog site Wednesday while polishing my Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting Message. From glossing over her site she is a nice, energetic, bright Christian woman. She included an article on her site that caught my eye, and I took a few minutes to comment on the article, which was promptly removed from her site.

Today’s Church in America is infatuated with “Faith”, Religion & Christianity…. That’s right, America does have Faith and our own brand of Christianity. It’s one where Christ is conformed to our image of Him, rather than us conforming to His image.

When I read the article on this lady's site, I wasn’t sure if it was back dated from the 1960’s or 1970’s but it had a lot of the implications of that era. The opening line was, and I quote – “I am tired of being a Christian, and GOD tells me, it’s just a name. It’s just a label. And I have given you a new name. I am calling you Artist.”

Now, I must tell you, this young “artist” did a wonderful job of disclosing some of the same issues that I have been writing about with “The Church”!!! She masterfully shed light on the hypocrisy and religiosity of America’s Church.

Where she fell short was to show LIGHT, to show TRUTH, to show Christ in all His Glory and Holiness. When I wrote the comment to her post, I included 3 or 4 verses from 1st Peter, Leviticus and John that showed us the Calling of Christ. That we are called out and to be apart from the worlds ways and religion. We are called to be “Filled with the Spirit – then walk in the Spirit”. We are called to Holy. We are called to be Righteous. We are called to Godly. And we are called to be Christ Like to the world showing them His Love, Compassion and tender heart.

But I also commented on her blog, that to understand, to comprehend, and to exercise our Liberty in Christ – we MUST understand why it is that we need 1st HIS MERCY! Then why HE shows us abundantly HIS GRACE!

We were created by GOD in HIS image… The American Church today, has had its belly full of the hypocrisy, of the double standards, and of the “organized religion” in Christianity. However; my fear is that in the mass exodus, we have created a graven image of God and His Blessed Son in our own image. Today’s Church wants to hold onto all the “politically correct” virtues of God and His Son, but do not want to talk about Sin or Accountability!

To that I again state a fact I have mentioned in my blog before. “You Can Not Legislate The Heart Of Men & Women” Church in the past has tried to brow beat submission, overstretch authority in trying to control submission, as well as humiliate and legislate submission… The only thing these tactics provided were a frustrated and eventually rebellious people. What came out of the throngs of all that mess is what we see today – a “title” Christian, with no understanding Academically or Spiritually of what that truly means.

In showing His Love, we must never forget that He came for a purpose, to pay the Ultimate Price for SIN! The entire sermon on the Mount and all the Be-attitudes were to tell us and show us what a “conformed” life to Christ is to look like. Galatians 5, Paul tells us what the unclean heart looks like, and what the heart and walk of a Christian should be.

In Acts 2, we see where the Church started, there are our roots to following Christ and building a relationship with HIM. (1) They understood their sinful Godless condition. (2) They repented of that Sin, proclaim God as GOD, and turned from their ways. (3) The Holy Spirit “FILLED” them, guided them and ministered the preaching of Peter to their hearts. (4) They were Baptized in “obedience” to the instruction provided by Peter. (5) They shared their belongings / wealth with the brethren. (6) They continued in the Spirit of Christ and took up His Cross as their own in submission and service.

So to this young lady, my deepest apologies if I have offended you with my comments. I hope this Blog post explains my shared distaste for organized religion in this Country, and my understanding and vision of what a relationship with Christ really should be. It is after all, “All about Christ” and not about us…. We were created to Love, Praise, Glorify, Honor and Serve GOD. We are a GIFT from the Father to the Son, and we are KEPT through His Holy Spirit.

We are to conform to HIS likeness, take on HIS character attributes….

The Christ Filled Spirit will reflect:

Love

Joy

Peace

Longsuffering

Gentleness

Faith

Meekness

Temperance

Christ said that the blessed are they that are:

Poor in Spirit

Mournful of Sin

Meek in character

Hunger & Thirst for Righteousness

Merciful

PURE in heart

Peacemakers

Persecuted for Righteousness Sake

Reviled & Persecuted for Christ

Falsely accused over faith in Christ

Conformity comes from within, the Holy Spirit must fill the heart of men and women to achieve these things… Oh, men and women can force themselves to conform for a while, but if it is not of GOD, it is not sustainable. Conformity, Submission, Yielding and Obedience are all a product of Love and Thankfulness. Only God and the individual know if it’s real, but I can tell you – when it’s real, the joy is deep, long lasting and traverses the worst and vilest of the human experiences. The Joy that Christ provided through The Father’s Grace, penetrates to the very bone of men and women. You see it in their faces even in the midst of crisis, Christ shines through. THAT – Dear ones, is the Liberty in Christ from the bonds of this sinful world!!!

FAITH – A Conqueror

The Expository Book Study of Joshua


Joshua 6: Verses 15 through 27
VII) FAITH – A Conqueror
Week # 8 of this study in Joshua
25 August 2010
Week # 31 of this Prayer Meeting Teaching Ministry


Joshua 6 – SIX


15And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times. 16And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. 17And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. 19But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD. 20So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 21And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. 22But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye swear unto her. 23And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel. 24And they burnt the city with fire and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. 25And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. 26And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it. 27So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.


Let Us Pray:


Dear Precious Father, thank you once again Father for the opportunity to stand before You wrapped in Your Strong Son’s Righteousness. We ask tonight Father that You allow our hearts to be calmed, that you allow our minds to settle and hear these word from your Scriptures, and that we digest this information as food from Heaven tonight. Allow us to take a look at the FAITH of Joshua, the nation of Israel and that of Rahab. Then Lord, through the ministering of Your Spirit, allow us tonight to look at our Faith and Trust in You. Allow us to see Your Hand in our Faith, and also allow us to see those areas of weakness in our Trust in You Father. Be with us then Father as we come to you as an assembled body of believers to hear our Prayers and Petitions. Allow us to show YOU Honor, Glory and Praise with our voices, and then as our GOD, hearing us from on high Father touch our hearts and answer our prayers according to Your Almighty will. As Your people we will then offer You all the praise and glory that is brought about through Your work and your hand. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen…


FAITH – Tell me about the Faith exercised in these 12 verses….
***(Allow enough time for idea’s and responses)***


1) The Faith of Joshua


a. He had watched God work through Moses


b. He saw God Honor Moses’ faith


c. He learned from the mistakes Moses made


d. Joshua being a warrior – Faith didn’t necessarily come easy


e. The warrior in Joshua meant he practiced restraint with faith


f. As a prodigy or intern to Moses – God was his reality!!!!!


     i. Sometimes we as Christians get here – matter factly
    ii. God as our reality sometimes erodes away at trust
   iii. Faith & Trust sometimes becomes obscure through apathy or complacency – we learn to settle in…


       1. We Must Work to keep the relationship FRESH
       2. We Must Trace HIS Hand daily…
       3. We Must Allow Him to build our FAITH…


g. Joshua did not have apathy – he Trusted Almighty God


h. As Harry Ironside said about these instructions to Israel through Joshua “The instructions were implicit! There was NO room for human schemes or approved military tactics”


i. Joshua exercised Trust, Faith, Obedience and Strength…


j. He was successful through his obedience to God…


k. Joshua knew God’s word was True and Final…


l. How do we look at His Word Today?


       1. Is it the ultimate Final & True Word today?
       2. Is there healthy Fear and Obedience in the Church today corporately?
       3. Is it any wonder we find Faith hard as a corporate body of believers worldwide and in this nation?


m. Joshua lived his Faith – it grew out of his Fear, Admiration, Love and Trust in God… It is NO different for us today… Through devotion, prayer and meditation we too can allow God to Grow a Strong – Functional – Working Faith in us if we yield / surrender and are obedient to His Word in all aspects of our life.


2) The Faith of Israel


a. Did Israel ever learn the easy way? My heavens No… Much like myself, Israel often learned their lessons and obedience through hard knocks.


b. Israel – do you suppose they were a prideful people? Hmm, no doubt they were. How do you suppose they felt in the eyes of Jericho? As Harry Ironside said “Doubtless the people of Jericho wondered at the strange site as the army of the Lord, led by priests with their trumpets, and the ark of the covenant, speaking of Christ Himself, marched around the city.” They no doubt found it strange – maybe even humorous… This went on for six days – these odd, strange proceedings continued for six days…


c. By day 3, day 4 and day 5 do you suppose they were all scratching their heads? And, what about Israel? How do you suppose they felt? At this point they as a nation, a people – as individuals – well, they were blindly following orders – directions of the priests handed down from Joshua, who was supposedly talking with GOD? How do you even begin to analyze the Faith and the Trust that took?


d. Israel had learned through God’s purging! The best and purest water is that which has been forced through solid rock structures. God purged these people of the doubters and Nay Sayers of the past generation led out of Egypt. God, purified their faith while out in the wilderness, through trials and tribulations that were designed to build “reliance” on His Power, His Might, His provisions and His abilities – NOT their own.


e. Last week, I as you – “what is your Jericho”, tonight I ask you, “what has been your proving ground for GOD”?


f. What has He used in your life to draw you closer to Him?


g. To Rely on Him?


h. To Rejoice in Him?


i. To Wonder in Him?


j. Pray, Scripture, Meditation, Surrender, Obedience, Love – Devotion – these all are tools God uses to lay the bedrock of FAITH, the little trials and tribulation then build the infrastructure of Trust & Reliance… His plans stand the test of time, he that Almighty GOD invests in cannot fail!


k. Israel’s Faith was tested – so will ours…


l. Jericho is an awesome picture of GOD Honoring Faith in an immensely powerful way. Through their obedience and following God’s direction (His word), HE did the work that was needed – HE provided the Victory – HE proved HIMSELF worthy of the Glory and Praise… Awesomely, HE caused those walls to crumble and fall, and HE delivered the inhabitants to the hands of Israel… Trust and Faith in God will always be rewarded – sometimes here on earth, and forever and always in God’s presence.


3) The Faith of Rahab


a. Did you ever – ever think about the Faith of Rahab? Let me read a little piece of Harry Ironside’s book here: “what of the promise made to Rahab, she who hid the spies because of her faith and who asked for a true token? God had not forgotten her! Neither did Joshua. Provision was made for the protection of here and all who found shelter in her house, where the scarlet cord hung in the window. - Once more our minds turn to the 11th chapter of Hebrews where we read “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace”. Her house was on the wall, and therefore exposed to grave danger, but because of her confidence in God – that part of the wall fell not when the rest was destroyed – we read it in verses 22 through 25.”


b. GOD Honored Her Faith!!! As Harry went on to say in his book, Rahab became an Honored Mother in Israel, for she went on to marry Salmon and became the mother of Boaz, who in turn became the husband of Ruth – the Grandmother of King David!!! Harry said “thus Rahab, of unsavory character before she was reached by the Devine grace, became an ancestress, after the flesh, of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. How wondrous are the ways of GOD; how great His Loving Kindness.”


c. Rahab chose to believe in God through the great things she heard He had done.


d. Her belief, faith and trust in the God of Israel brought safety and blessing to her and her house. God’s grace provided for her.


e. So too, our Faith & Trust must follow her lead. Rahab is a perfect example of Victory by FAITH when we Trust God to be Who He says He Is, and allow Him to provide the work in our life.


f. To follow Rehab’s example, we must yield control, we can no longer rely on our own life management skills. Faith without Trust in Him is empty and not Faith at all. We must hand over the reins to GOD, and He will then work things to His Glory – and we will be much happier and content for it.


g. All too often, we get in the way… We miss the mark, because we have developed these preconceived notions of what Christianity is. Then we use these notions to judge the Church, we have our own scales of measurement. BUT – as God instructed Joshua, measurement of success and progress is in obedience. Showing HIS Love to all, regardless of what our opinions may be. God, His SON Jesus Christ is the head of the Church. Our soul responsibility in this whole process is to follow His Word. It is so simple – Read the Word, Pray for His Spirit to resolve the Word in our minds and hearts, and then LIVE IT…. In the end, we are here to allow Him to use us to bring Him Glory and Praise… Pretty simple stuff… But we get in the way. In fact it is amazing the power of God’s Word has, that in spite of our tripping things up, He still works in people’s lives. Living proof that His Word will not return void… When I was much younger, I had a teen leader make a statement that has stayed with me for many years. He said “the hearts of children and young people are ripe for the picking for Christ – the only thing that gets in the way are adults – people that don’t do it right”!


h. When we approach Christianity with any other motive or attitude other than that of a “loving servant” the effort is lost from glory, and has its reward here. If we teach, preach, write, work or serve in any other mental state other than that of Serving Him to bring Him Glory and Praise, we are wasting our time spiritually. He may choose to work through us in spite of ourselves, but the reward is lost. Remember Moses and the stone / rock… He struck it with the wrong attitude; his carnal self in its frustrated condition caused him a loss of blessing. Yet, his protégé’ Joshua, followed God’s direction – and he saw God’s hand in bringing down the walls of Jericho. Imagine the awe of that scene; imagine the sounds, sights, smells and rumbling of the ground when God made those walls crumble. They followed HIS directions and were blessed with the awesome power and might of their God – while they were standing there around the walls – they watched them fall. Talk about precise – pinpoint accuracy – I don’t think there were any Israelites lost in that incident. If this story doesn’t just sink to the heart, I don’t know what will. I believe the scripture tells us that we as New Testament Saints have that same power available to us through His Son; we need only claim it and have the faith of Israel.


i. Matthew 7 simply states that 7Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.


j. We don’t see that power today in the Church, because we simply do not believe what we read… If we did, our Churches would be stronger. Our lives would reflect a purity that has not been seen for generations. This country would not have direction problems and would understand what a moral compass is, and know how to keep it where it belongs. Righteousness would ooze from the people in our pews, there would be no question as to what unconditional love is all about. For generations, children have seen inconsistency in their parents, grandparents, preachers, policemen, civic leaders and politicians. To where today’s generation has no respect or appreciation for authority – period – not to even mention that Authority of God and Jesus Christ in a world that has a fear to even utter His name. Is it any wonder that teens, and even people in our churches today question that the walls of Jericho even fell.


k. God can reclaim the world, those that call His name, and believe on that Name must pray earnestly, faithfully and unceasingly. We must BELIEVE that which we read in His Word, we must TRUST Him to do that which HE says HE will do. We MUST Seek His Righteousness for our lives to once again be the Light and Examples to our young people. Live His Word, Revere His Word and then put it into practice – trusting Him in all things and then giving HIM the Credit, the Glory and the Praise for those things He works in our lives. – That my friends is what we call SPIRITUAL Talk, sharing with others and our children and young people the very Power of God in our lives. Making Faith and Trust Real – so that when HE knocks down our Jericho Walls those around us know it, and we praise Him together. MAKING GOD – our GOD in our lives and this Church… Otherwise, we are just a bunch of nice people meeting in this old metal building for social gratification.


Other than the Bible, My Only (Complete) Reference Book for this Study:

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Addresses on the Book of Joshua

By: Harry A. Ironside

      1876 – 1951

"Great truths that are stumbling blocks to the natural man are nevertheless the very foundations upon which the confidence of the spiritual man is built."

Few preachers had more varied ministries than this man. He was a captain in the Salvation Army, an itinerant preacher with the Plymouth Brethren, pastor of the renowned Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, and conducted Bible conferences throughout the world. Sandwiched between those major ministries, Ironside preached the Gospel on street corners, in missions, in taverns, on Indian reservations, etc.

Ironside was never formally ordained and with no experience whatever as a pastor, Ironside took over the 4,000-seat Moody Memorial Church in Chicago and often filled it to capacity for 18 1/2 years. A seminary president once said of him, "He has the most unique ministry of any man living." Although he had little formal education, his tremendous mental capacity and photographic memory caused him to be called the "Archbishop of Fundamentalism."

Preaching--warm, soul-saving preaching--was his forte. Special speakers in his great church often meant nothing; the crowds came when he was there. He traveled constantly at his prime; he averaged 40 weeks in the year on the road--always returning to Moody Memorial for Sunday services.

His pen moved, too; he contributed regularly to various religious periodicals and journals in addition to publishing 80 books and pamphlets. His writings included addresses or commentaries on the entire New Testament, all of the prophetic books of the Old Testament, and a great many volumes on specific Bible themes and subjects.

In 1951, Dr. Ironside died in Cambridge, New Zealand, and was buried there at his own request.