He begins the work in us and he'll finish it.

Phillipians {1:6} Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ


It's not once begun and quickly finished. People like the idea of a finished work and it's not that I don't like the idea it's just that the idea is coated thickly in finishing as quickly as possible. The quicker things are done the better especially if they're done properly. Having unfinished projects that aren't worked on is never fun. Who likes to have a bunch of partially finished works in progress- no matter what it is? Yet there are some things that require time to complete. Some things are works in progress that take years to complete. Some things cannot be rushed. A good wine takes time- you've heard the saying. Some cheeses well aged are perfection. Getting a degree in education helps you get a good job and some degrees take a long time to obtain and you can't rush things. Taking our time to get things right the first time is very important and as much as we talk about rushing through things and finishing them quickly that isn't always the best thing.


It's the same with our Christian lives.


We begin them and think that suddenly we are completely what Christ wants us to be. We've been born again. We might even feel that wonderful feeling of having a new life, a new beginning, a new lease on an old life that promises better things. We might feel freed from the weight of past sins because they are all forgiven. We might have an intense emotional upheaval that makes us feel amazing. We feel these things and believe that we should always feel these things and that life will go on to be this amazing thing because we've accepted Jesus and want to live in Jesus.


The Christian life is like any other life in the respect even if you're not a Christian you have to live and get by to the best of your ability. The Christian life differs because you recognize that you aren't going to go through this life alone, on your own, you want to go through this life with Christ. You recognize that only through Christ can a life that makes little sense begin to make sense. There is a complete senselessness to life if you live it without Christ. You live it for no reason. You live it biding your time, accepting all the bad things for no reason at all.


Christ brings meaning to life by offering a new life in Him. Is that life instantaneous? In some ways it is. The promise is instant. The completion of that promise isn't realized until Christ comes again. The stuff inbetween is what we call our life. The moment the promise is made and accepted, and the moment Christ returns can be a full lifetime of say, 70, 80 years of inbetween for some. For others it's only a day long, because the next day they die and sleep until Christ returns but their life inbetween is over. The next thing those who sleep in Christ will know is Christ returning- the promise fulfilled, the work that was begun complete.


You see there is a work begun in us when we accept Christ. He begins the work in us and he'll finish it.


Phillipians {1:6} Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ


We have to be confident. We have to trust that as we go through life He is working in us. We have to let Him work in us. We have to understand we are embarking on a work that will take a lifetime without any completion until Christ returns. The completed work is only done when Christ arrives until then we are works in progress.


During the walk we'll get discouraged. We'll feel like the promise is far, far away. We might feel like the promise has been broken. We have to have confidence in Jesus that He will continue to make us into the creatures He wants us to be for Him when He returns. We can't make ourselves... we can't do the work ourselves. Christ who is the one who begins the work will finish the work upon His return, until then He is performing it in us. He will perform it, HE WILL PERFORM. He takes the action and it is our job to let Him perform it in us, believing that He will continue to perform it until He returns. We can't try to take over and perform it ourselves, we can't. We might try and that's where we run into trouble. We try to do Jesus' job in ourselves.


When people are given a job to do and they go and do another's job is it acceptable? Generally it's not. If someone is doing another's job the chances are they're not doing their own job. This is one thing that isn't better when it's taken over by another because NO ONE can do this job, only Jesus can and all those who think they can do His job are deluded and it's a deadly delusion they suffer under. If they are attempting to do Jesus' job then Jesus' can't perform that work, He's being interfered with. It's our job to LET Him work in us. That's our only job and yet we often find it hard to do that one simple thing- let go and let Him.


We have to take our self out of us to let Jesus in us, right? Wrong.


We are filled to the brim with self. And while it's logical to assume that we can be no other way, we know for a fact that selfishness isn't a good trait. Living among people who only think of themselves and no others isn't a good thing. We applaud the person who give up their own selfish wants so they can make another happy and yet we don't foster that in ourselves. We want to be the one catered to. Selfishness isn't a good trait at all. Wanting things our way and only our way is not good. Self is not good. So how do we empty ourselves of this selfishness?


We rely on Christ to perform that work in us. To empty us as we LET Him. We have to let HIM work in us. Because if we try to take out the selfishness even then we are claiming that work which isn't in us to perform. Does this mean we cling to all our selfish acts and do so in defiance of Christ? Absolutely not. We cling to nothing but offer it all to Christ. We recognize all that which makes us what we are and we give it to Christ asking Him to perform in us knowing that He will perform in His way, not our way. We might want Him to get rid of one thing but He might want to work on another area first. We can't presume to know how Christ is to perform the work in us, we have to trust that He will. We can lay claim to nothing accept surrendering ourselves to Christ, nothing. It's a constant surrender, and a constant knowing that His way is perfect ours is not and if we let Him He will perform His perfect way in us until He comes again.


May God through the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ begin, continue, and forever work in us performing His good work in each of us until He returns. By His righteousness, by His grace, by His love now and forever.


Amen.

The Battle of Armageddon.

The Battle of Armageddon.


A study from William Grotheer - A few updates after his article, as well as my personal comments.


**

1978 Oct -- THE BATTLE OF THE GREAT DAY OF GOD ALMIGHTY -- Part 1 -- We in our thinking have come to consider Armageddon to be a battle, while the Scripture is clear that it is the place of the battle. The battle is the battle of the great day of God Almighty (Rev. 16:14)
(1) And for that battle, "the spirits of devils" gather the leadership of the whole world "together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." (Rev. 16:16)


In this series of studies we shall note three separate, yet interrelated topics. The first study will be merely to direct attention to certain Old Testament texts with brief observations.


In the third chapter of the Bible, we read: Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (Gen. 3:1)


In the third chapter from the close of the Bible, this serpent is defined as it is used in the symbolism of prophecy. There it reads: And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. (Rev. 20:2)


The medium which was used to seduce our first parents became the representation of Satan, and that symbol is used for him in the prophecies of the second section of the book of Revelation, save in Rev. 16:13-14, 16, where the spirits of devils are symbolized as "frogs."


In the first gospel promise - also found in the third chapter of the Bible - there is pictured a conflict. It reads: I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Gen. 3:15)


This promise is symbolized in prophecy as the last section of the book of Revelation is introduced a woman, with child, is revealed in vision to John, and standing before the woman is the dragon or serpent seeking to devour the child as soon as it should be born. But this seed of the woman - as Michael - enters into battle with the dragon, or serpent, and overcomes him, so that a voice is heard in heaven saying - "Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ." (Rev. 12:1-10)


This conflict portrayed in prophecy continues through the prophetic representations of this second section of Revelation, and climaxes in the battle of the great day of God Almighty.


Consider now a second text: And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it.


And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.


And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.


0 house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.


Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers. (Isa. 2:2-6)


Certain concepts should be carefully noted from these verses which direct our attention to "the last days." A group of people consider themselves to be the followers of truth. This people inspired by what appears to be the exaltation of the "Lord's house" call for a gathering to the "mountain of the Lord" where they assume "the God of Jacob" will appear to teach them "his ways" - for they say that "Out of [what they call] Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." But we must consider that the
Law of God has already been proclaimed - gone forth - from Mount Sinai, and thus any law going forth from a false "Mt. Zion" would be an altered law. God's response to this proposed gathering, and the people inspired thus to call such a gathering is clear and distinct - "Thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob." Interestingly, throughout these verses, the term "Jacob" - a supplanter, a deceiver - is used rather than "Israel," which signifies, an overcomer.


Consider now a third verse: How art thou fallen from heaven, 0 Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isa. 14:12-14)


In these verses God has revealed the heart of Lucifer - his plans, and his objectives. One of these objectives is especially important as we consider the battle of the great day of God Almighty. Lucifer declares as one of his intents to sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north. In the Psalms we read: Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. (Ps. 48:2)


Inspiration reveals to us that Satan - that old serpent - has designs upon Jerusalem. Consider - with Isaiah 2:2-6 - the people of earth who are deceived by the exaltation of the house of the Lord, direct a call to go there to receive their religious instruction from the one they assume to be the Lord, but he is only the God of the Jacobites, those who deceive and are deceived! An ultimate in deception is here prophesied to come "to pass in the last days." (Isa. 2:2)


*
1978 Nov -- THE BATTLE OF THE GREAT DAY OF GOD ALMIGHTY -- Part 2 -- In this second section of our study of the battle of the great day of God, we shall concern ourselves with an over-all look at the Seven Last Plagues as they relate to this battle.


The Seven Last Plagues are outlined in Revelation 16, and declared to be the judgments wherein "the wrath of God" is filled up. (Rev. 15:1)


When these final judgments fall upon the earth, the intercession of Christ has ceased in the heavenly temple. "No man" is able to enter the temple "till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled." (Rev. 15:8)


And the only Man who has been able to enter into the presence of God - into that light unapproachable (I Tim. 6:16)


- is the "one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus." (I Tim. 2:5).


In analyzing briefly each plague, we need to ask ourselves three simple questions: 1) What is the plague? 2) Why is it given? and 3) When was the cause for the plague committed? (for "the curse causeless shall not come." Prov. 26:2)


Plague #1 - ''The first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast and upon them which worshipped his image.'' (Rev. 16:2)


This plague is described as an ulcer breaking out upon the men who had received the mark of the beast, and who worshipped the image to the beast. Now we ask, was the mark of the beast received, and the worship of the beast committed before or after the close of probation? The answer is obvious - "before." In other words this plague is God's response to what men had done in probationary time.


Plague #2 - ''And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man.'' (Rev. 16:3)


Why a plague of blood? The angel of the waters answers - The powers of earth "have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and [God] has given them blood to drink; for they are worthy." (16:6) When was this blood shed? Before or after the close of probation? The answer is again obvious - "before." In other words this plague is God's response to what man has done in probationary time.


Plague #3 - ''And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.'' (Rev. 16:4)


This is the only plague that is compounded. The reason for this plague is the same as for the second plague. (Rev. 16:5-7) Why will God compound this plague of blood? "By condemning the people of God to death, they have as truly incurred the guilt of their blood as if it had been shed by their hands." (Great Controversy, p. 628) This statement in context refers to the "death decree" issued against the people of God after the close of probation. By noting references in Early Writings (pp. 36-37; 282,283), the death decree is issued because the inhabitants of earth seek to stay the wrath of God, and believe that the killing of those opposed to the worldwide religious movement will appease an offended God. This would indicate that the "death decree" is to be issued between the second and third plagues.


Plague #4 - "And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given him to scorch men with fire." (16:8)


Why a plague upon the sun? Because men have worshipped the sun, and honored the day of the sun - Sunday. When - before or after the close of probation? Again the answer is obvious - "before." In other words this plague is again God's response to what man has done in probationary time.


Plague #5 - "And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain." (16:10)


This is an unique plague - darkness, that effects the tongue. Gross darkness has covered the earth (Isa. 60:2) because of the teachings of the beast, and those who have erected an image to the beast for men to worship. With the tongue not only is confession made unto life, but also "all deceivableness of unrighteousness" is communicated to those who will not receive the love of truth. When did this deceptive darkness engulf the inhabitants of the earth - before or after the close of probation? Again the answer is obvious - "before." In other words this plague, too, is God's response to what man has done in probationary time.


Plague #6 - "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared." (16:12)


Now why this plague? John is shown: And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (16:13, 14)


Was this gathering together done before or after the close of probation? If the same principle is applied that applies to all the preceding plagues, save the third, then the answer must be - "before." This plague is also God's answer to what man has done in probationary time. Observe closely the following reference and how Revelation 16:13-14 is used:


Satan has long been preparing for his final effort to deceive the world. ... Little by little he has prepared the way for his masterpiece of deception in the development of Spiritualism. He has not yet reached the full accomplishment of his designs; but it will be reached in the last remnant of time. Says the prophet: I saw three unclean spirits like frogs; ... they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Except those who are kept by the power of God, through faith in His word, the whole world will be swept into the ranks of this delusion. The people are fast being lulled to a fatal security, to be awakened only by the outpouring of the wrath of God. (Great Controversy, pp. 561-562 emphasis mine)


According to this statement, Rev. 16:13-14 is to be fulfilled in the "last remnant of time." These verses tell of the final great deception that will take in "the whole world." The inhabitants of earth will not awaken from their "fatal security" until the pouring out of the wrath of God commences.


Another reference states the same truth. It reads: In this age antichrist will appear as the true Christ, and then the law of God will be fully made void in the nations of our world. Rebellion against God's holy law will be fully ripe. But the true leader of all this rebellion is Satan clothed as an angel of light. Men will be deceived and will exalt him to the place of God, and deify him. But Omnipotence will interpose, and to the apostate churches that will unite in the exaltation of Satan, the sentence will go forth, "Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her." (Testimonies to Ministers, p. 62)


Since Revelation 16:13-14 will be fulfilled before the close of probation, what then is the place of this battle to which the leadership of the whole world is to be gathered for the exaltation of Satan when he appears as Christ? At what place will the bishops, prelates, and ministers join in the coronation of Satan as the long awaited Messiah? Where will the chorus ring forth from thousands of voices - "Christ has come. Christ has come"? We shall seek to find the answer to these questions in the next thought paper when we analyze Rev. 16:16.


*


1978 Dec -- THE BATTLE OF THE GREAT DAY OF GOD ALMIGHTY -- Part 3 -- The Sixth Plague is the pouring out of the vial of God's wrath upon "the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared." (Rev. 16:12) The cause of this plague is that the "spirits of devils" symbolized by frogs had gathered the leadership of the nations of earth to "a place called in the Hebrew tongue - Armageddon." (Rev. 16:13-14, 16) To understand the significance of what this gathering together means, we must first determine the place to which they are gathered by correctly identifying the word - Armageddon in the Hebrew language. Thus we must work back from the English, through the Greek to the Hebrew. The English word Armageddon in the KJV - is merely a transliteration from the Greek. In the ARV, this transliteration is more accurately reflected - Har-Magedon. The Greek is - 'Armagedwn.


The first part of the word - 'Ar - is easily identified. Har is a transliteration of the Hebrew -(Hebrew written) and means "mountain." The second part of the word Magedon - has been popularly identified with Megiddo. But the Bible refers to Megiddo as a "valley" and not a mountain. (Zech. 12:11) And a valley is not a mountain by any stretch of language or imagination. Thus we must turn to a deeper study of the language to determine what mountain is referred to in Rev. 16:16.


In the Hebrew language there are twenty two letters. These are all consonants and are written from right to left. To supply the lack of vowels, since the alphabet contained no vowels, a system of vowel-signs was introduced. However, before the introduction of vowel-signs, certain feeble consonants - Aleph, He, Waw, and Yod - were used to indicate the vowel sounds, and hence were called vowel letters. Therefore, in seeking a word in the Hebrew to equal - Magedon - we must consider only the consonants in the word - Mu (m), Gamma (g), and Delta (d). (The final "n" or Nu (n) is merely a paragogic letter, not unknown in English in such words as "solemn" and "condemn.")


The word in the Old Testament which most clearly meets the requirements of the Greek transliteration - Magedon - is the Hebrew word, Mo'ed (Hebrew written). On the surface there is one problem - the middle consonant, Ayin (Hebrew written). This does not appear to answer to the Greek gamma (g). However, Gesenius states: "While the Hebrew was a living language, this letter [Ayin], which is peculiar to the Semetic tongues, and extremely difficult for our organs to pronounce, seems to have had ... a two fold pronounciation" - a soft and a hard sound. "The harder Ayin, which the Arabs call Ghain, was a harsh sound uttered from the bottom of the throat, accompanied by a certain whirring or whizzing, so as to resemble the letter r when uttered abruptly with a strong rolling. This the Seventy have usually represented by the letter g [gamma]" in the Greek translation of the Old Testament. (Gesenius, Hebrew & English Lexicon of the Old Testament, p. 737) This can be illustrated by the familiar name - Gomorrah. In the Hebrew it is - (Hebrew written). In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, it is Gomorra. [G is the capital of g (gamma)] Thus the first letter of Gomorrah in the Hebrew (Hebrew written) is transliterated by the gamma (g) in the Greek. So the Hebrew word - Mo'Ed - would be transliterated into the Greek as Maged(on).


The Hebrew word, Mo'id (symbol written), which transliterates into the Greek - Magedon - is used nearly two hundred times in the Old Testament and means - "Congregation." In Isaiah 14:13 it is associated with "Mountain" - "the mount of the congregation." Here God reveals through Isaiah the heart and intention of Lucifer - He would seek to "sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north." This refers to "Mt. Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King." (Ps. 48:2) In the book of Revelation it is revealed that the "spirits of the devils" will gather the kings of the earth to the mount of the congregation (HarMagedon) the battle for of the great day of God Almighty. What is to be understood by the symbolism of "frogs" in representing the "spirits of devils"? This we will discuss in the next thought paper.

*
THE BATTLE OF THE GREAT DAY OF GOD ALMIGHTY -- Part 4 -- Three powers in opposition to God, His law, His sanctuary and His people are symbolized in the last half of the book of Revelation - the dragon in Chapter 12; - the beast in 13:1-9; - and the false prophet in 13:11-17. In the hour of the battle of the great day of God Almighty, frog-like spirits proceed from each of these powers for the purpose of influencing a worldwide unity against God. (Rev. 16:13-14) "There will be a universal bond of union, one great harmony, a confederacy of Satan's forces." (Ms. 24, 1891) What then is the manifestation of evil as symbolized as "frogs" in this prophecy? This manifestation is declared to be "spirits of devils."


Of what this symbolic representation - frogs - could mean, I have meditated long. In the book of Revelation the symbolism used by God to represent the prince of evil is the dragon. It is stated clearly to be "that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan." (Rev. 12:9) And in Rev. 20:2 the statement is made that the angel "laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan." The connection is clear; the power operating under the symbolism of the dragon in his warfare against the "woman" and "her seed" is the same intelligency which used the medium of the serpent to deceive the first woman. But now in the battle of the great day of God Almighty, the representation of the work of the "spirits of devils" is changed to the symbolism of "frogs." God does not alter His prophetic symbols arbitrarily - He is saying something in this change! So I asked myself the questions - How do frogs catch their prey? What types of sounds do they produce? The answer to these questions led me to the conviction that here in prophetic symbolism is represented the modern Charismatic Renewal. The very wording of the prophecy demands that a common spiritual force, possessing and thus unifying the religious divisions of mankind, will work for the unification of the leadership of the whole world. The frog-like forms come forth from all three of the basic symbols of the last half of the book of Revelation - the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.


That which at one time was only a hallmark of traditional Pentecostalism has now entered the major bodies of Protestantism and the Roman Catholic Church. To illustrate the whole change in attitude that has taken place in the last decade, The Toronto Star (June 9, 1973) tells of the reaction to the charismatic movement in the Anglican Church of Canada. Tom Harpur, Star Religion Editor, wrote: Holy horror is the only way to describe the reaction with which top Anglican officials here once greeted the news that some members, including several Metro clergy, were ''speaking in tongues.'' Now, the bishop himself, Rt. Rev. L. S. Garnsworthy, has begun a ''dialogue'' with those of his diocese involved in what has come to be known as a charismatic revival.


On the same page of "Religion in the Star" another article noted that the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Michael Ramsey, in addressing a massive ecumenical Congress in England, spoke enthusiastically of the neo-Pentecostal movement noting that, it was cutting across all denominational lines, and indicated he found in it "an encouraging sign" for the future of Christian unity. Harpur observed,


p 4 -- "Many call it 'the third force' in addition to Protestantism and Catholicism." The prophecy of God's word tells us that the same spirits of devils that came out of the dragon, have also permeated the beast and the false prophet, and come out of them also. The same dragon who gave his power and seat to the beast (Rev. 13:2) and who is speaking through the False Prophet (Rev. 13:11) now is transformed into an angel of light "working miracles" through these same religious bodies. (Rev. 16:14)


The Charismatic Renewal entered the Catholic Church in 1967, and has grown into such a force that it was recognized by the late Pope Paul VI. Following a mass in St. Peter's on May 19, 1975 conducted by Cardinal Suenens for the Annual Charismatic Conference which met in Rome instead of Notre Dame University for the Catholic Holy Year, the Pope entered the assembly and gave his greetings to the conferees. He closed his message with the words - "Glory to the Lord, hallelujah!" - and before leaving, embraced and kissed Cardinal Suenens. Suenens reacted by stating simply - "the Pope opened his arms and heart to the charismatic renewal." The day previous - Pentecost Sunday - at a pontifical mass presided over by Pope Paul VI in St. Peter's "the sound of tongues and charismatic singing filled the massive nave of the ancient mother church of Roman Catholicism." (Christianity Today, June 6, 1975, pp. 45-46)


In July, 1977, an interdenominational conference on Charismatic Renewal was held in Kansas City, bringing together Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, Episcopalians, Mennonites, Presbyterians, Methodists, and Messianic Jews. President Carter acknowledged this conference as a "Powerful force" in American life, and one that has led to a "new level of Christian unity" in this country. The Rev. Larry Christenson, chairman of the Lutheran Charismatic Renewal Services, told one general session of the conference that Catholics and Protestants are all a part of the "special army of God" and that the Charismatic Renewal is a "network of outposts strategically placed throughout the land ... that the Lord can count on in the day of battle." (RNS, Week in Religion, Aug. 12, 1977)


There can be no doubt as to the objectives that those who are involved in the Charismatic Renewal have in mind. They consider it "the most tremendous outpourings of the Spirit ever known in the history of the church." Catholic-Protestant sponsors of a rally of Charismatic Christians called "Jesus 78" in their joint statement - noting there is still substantial disagreement and division among themselves - declared: "Since we are experiencing this grace in such abundance today, since the Holy Spirit has already done so much among us to make us one, it is easy to believe that He will continue to move powerfully among us and our churches to make us fully one in faith." (RNS. March 3, 1978, p. 3)


This is the same theme of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International (FGBMFI). Founded in 1952 by Demos Shakarian, a former California dairy farmer, it has grown to 1,400 local chapters, attracting 500,000 persons to weekly and monthly meetings in 43 countries. This fellowship does not attempt to become a church, but supports all churches. Reporting the FGBMFI's Rome-European Conference in 1974 in their official magazine - Voice (March, 1975) - the remarks of Fred Ladenius, Press Secretary to the late Paul VI, were featured. * Before the Rome conferees, Ladenius declared - "There is only one church." Commenting on the charismatic experience, he said:


p 5 -- As people marvelled on the Day of Pentecost, so they marvel today. "Here is his fellow speaking in tongues, but he does not belong to a 'Pentecostal' church." But today even the Methodists speak in tongues. How can this be possible? Catholic priests, sisters and laymen are speaking tongues. How can this be possible? "God is pulling some grave errors," the doubters say. But I want you to know that He is not the God of 1925 but of 1974! He is indeed manifesting Himself through ''all flesh.'' (Voice, p. 6)


And to what are they looking? Let Ladenius again comment: We ask God's forgiveness. Catholics and Protestants alike have committed grave errors. But all that is past. Now let us give Him our confidence and our trust. Let us put everything in His hands and "look for Him as our soon coming King. (Ibid.)


But who will come as "King" to fulfill the expectations of these involved in the Charismatic Renewal? We have been told: Fallen angels upon earth form confederations with evil men. In this age antichrist will appear as the true Christ, and then the law of God will be fully made void in the nations of our world. Rebellion against God's holy law will be fully ripe. But the true leader of all this rebellion is Satan clothed as an angel of Iight. Men will be deceived and will exalt him to the place of God, and deify him. But Omnipotence will interpose, and to the apostate churches that unite in the exaltation of Satan, the sentence will go forth, "Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her." (TM, p. 62)


Putting it all together, we see that the objective of Satan is to "sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north." (Isa. 14:13) This "mount of the congregation" - Har Mo'ed in the Hebrew; Har-Magedon in the Greek - is none other than Jerusalem, the city of prophecy and conflict. Here in the "last remnant of time" (GC, p. 561) that fallen angel will seek to have himself enthroned on what will be hailed as the "throne of his father, David." But when all the world thus bows led on by the "apostate churches" Omnipotence will intervene, and then will begin the "war of the great day of God Almighty," in which Babylon the great will come "in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath." (Rev. 16:19) And in the book of Revelation, a supreme question is asked - "Who shall be able to stand?" (Rev. 6:17) And the answer is found in Rev. 14:1 - "And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on Mt. Zion, and with Him an hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written in their foreheads." (See Rev.- 3:12 for application.)


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(MY additions- A few articles from the web --


Article one-

The Charismatic Movement: Dead or Alive?
Tuesday, 30 June 2009 11:52 AM EDT J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones


We can quibble over when the previous wave of the Holy Spirit ended. But what's important is that we follow God's presence into a new season.


Some readers were offended when I declared in an online column a few weeks ago that the charismatic movement is dead. One woman even accused me of heresy, since-in her words-I believe "the age of the Holy Spirit has ended." (I didn't say that.) Others on the opposite side of the spectrum asked why I waited so long to state the obvious. All this discussion prompted me to address the issue further.
I am not a coroner. But I do believe the historic period we call the American charismatic movement ended a while ago. By making that pronouncement I was NOT saying that (1) the Holy Spirit isn't moving today; (2) the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit aren't available to us any more; or (3) people who are associated with this movement are all washed up.


"Rather than worshiping God around a monument to the past, let's find out where He's going and follow the glory cloud."
On the contrary, we could be on the cusp of one of the most dynamic spiritual awakenings in history, and it will most certainly be accompanied by the supernatural work of the Spirit. Yet if we want to shift with Him into the next season we must lay aside old mindsets and worn-out religious paradigms that we picked up during the past 40 years. When God comes to do "a new thing," as Isaiah promised He would (Isa. 43:19, NASB), we must embrace new priorities, recalibrate our spiritual values and set aside the baggage of the past.
New wine requires new wineskins. New growth only comes after pruning. Change is often painful.


The history books will record that the charismatic movement began in 1967 with the Duquesne revival in Pittsburgh (there were earlier birth pangs with Episcopalians in the late 1950s) and that the movement waned by the late 1980s. Charismatic renewal was a visitation of God-ushering millions of people from mainline church backgrounds into an experience with the Holy Spirit and renewing many older Pentecostal churches.


There were subsequent outpourings of the Spirit in the 1990s, of course-namely the Toronto Blessing and the Pensacola Revival-but the overall movement was fragmenting. The televangelism scandals of 1987 and the implosion of the Discipleship Movement two years later made it obvious that something was rotten underneath the polished veneer of charismania.


This doesn't mean the past 20 years have been insignificant. Huge advances have occurred on the international mission field. Yet some of the most notable spiritual trends in the United States in recent years have been associated with evangelicals who don't have ties to charismatics. These include Rick Warren, Beth Moore, Louie Giglio, Henry Blackaby, Bill Hybels, Andy Stanley and Erwin McManus. We are naïve (and arrogant) if we think the only people God is using in this hour are members of our own charismatic subculture.


When I say the charismatic movement is dead I am issuing an obvious challenge. It is time for us to lay aside the past so we can embrace the future. We are in a season when church leaders should be asking the hard questions:
· Are we locked into the past in an unhealthy way?
· Are we using language, methods or ministry styles that are stale, dated and ineffective?
· Are we training younger people to lead the next generation?
· Are we willing to slaughter any sacred cows and pet doctrines that hinder outreach and church growth?


Old Testament laws forbid people from touching anything dead (see Lev. 21:1,11). That's because corpses spread disease. Dead things stink and defile.


This is certainly true of dead religion. It can make a church barren and lifeless, even if it is hidden under a superficial coating of trendy songs and casual clothes. It's not enough to update your music and take off your tie. We need the new life of the Spirit. Something new must happen inside us.


God once told Moses to put a bronze serpent on a stick and hold it in the air. When people looked at the snake they were healed. Centuries later, King Hezekiah destroyed this image because people had begun to worship it (see 2 Kings 18:4). What God meant for good later became a hindrance. Sometimes spiritual things have an expiration date!


Of course God's moral law never changes, and neither does His character. But He may not move today in the same way He did in 1975; the strategies He gave us in 1990 are not necessarily for churches now. The Holy Spirit doesn't want us to follow a rote formula; He wants us to seek His presence as He moves through history.


It really doesn't matter what we label the next movement. What's important is His renewing presence. Rather than worshiping God around a monument to the past, let's find out where He's going and follow the glory cloud.


J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. You can find him on Twitter at leegrady. If your church is making significant changes we invite you to share them on the Fire in My Bones forum (below).



Comments-


46 Johan Proost 2009-07-07 04:15 No i do not believe the charismatic movement has died, I live in The Netherlands and i believe it just started here. I thank God for the Charismatic Movement around the world. in some country's it has just begon. specialy in Europe.


If the Charismatic movemend died, why not change the name of this Magazine, to neocharisma.


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Article 2 - ((NOTE THE DATE))


http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=3673----


News Briefs
Kenyan cardinal ends ban on charismatic movement
July 31, 2009
After meeting with leaders of the Catholic charismatic movement and receiving assurances that they would work under the supervision of their pastors, Cardinal John Njue has ended a ban on the group's activities, which he had declared in February of this year. The cardinal had expressed concerns that the charismatic movement was losing its Catholic identity, adopting practices and beliefs of the Protestant Pentecostal movement.

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Article 3- ((AGAIN NOTE THE DATE))


Browse > Home / Blog / The Charismatic Movement
The Charismatic Movement
April 23, 2009


"Charismatics" is a word popularized in the 1960s for Christians flowing in the gifts of the Holy Spirit as outlined in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. Charisma is derived from the basic Greek noun, charis, which means "grace," or the free, unmerited favor of God. From it, we have the English adjective "charismatic," which is used to describe a person possessing great powers of charm or influence. Within the Church, Charismatics are Christians who believe they have been "graced" with the presence and power of God.


Because the largest and more progressive churches in most cities tend to be Charismatic, they are often a point of fascination in the culture. Due to their inclination toward the supernatural and emotional, the media and their critics have unfairly portrayed them as a bizarre Christian subculture, a "sect" whose beliefs and behavior are an embarrassment to mainstream believers. What anti-Charismatics fail to realize is that Charismatics are very much a part of mainstream Christianity.


The Charismatic movement is the fastest growing segment of the body of Christ worldwide. With more than 600 million adherents globally, more than one in four believers today are either Pentecostal or Charismatic. A 2008 report by The Barna Group states that in America, a slight majority (51%) of all born again Christians is Charismatic. Nearly half of all adults (46%) who attend a Protestant church is Charismatic. One out of every four (23%) Protestant churches is a Charismatic congregation. One third (36%) of all Catholics is Charismatic.


Apart from size, Charismatics are also among the most fervent of the body of Christ. Consider the following data from the same report by The Barna Group:


· God: Almost nine in 10 Charismatics believe that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator of the universe who still rules the universe today. Yet, barely seven in 10 non-Charismatics view God that way.
· Great Commandment: 90% of Charismatics believe that their purpose in life is to love God with all their heart, mind, strength and soul. Only 66% of non-Charismatics believe similarly.
· Bible reading: 55% of Charismatics read the Bible in a typical week, whereas only 36% of non-Charismatics do the same.
· Active Christianity: 42% of Charismatics read the Bible, attend a church service, and pray to God in a typical week. Only 25% of non-Charismatics do so.
· Evangelism: Slightly more than half of Charismatics believe they have a personal responsibility to share their religious belief. Less than one in three non-Charismatics possesses a similar commitment.
Without a doubt, Charismatics on the whole are Bible-believing and Bible-obeying. Unfortunately, a casual browse through cyberspace reveals legions of bloggers hammering away at Charismatic leaders and churches. Why isn't there a greater counter-response from the Charismatics? Personally, I half suspect that most Charismatic pastors and ministries are so busy in the work of evangelism, discipleship and missions, they have little time or passion to answer the criticisms leveled at them.
With 600 million Charismatics in the world today, to generalize or stereotype the Charismatic faith is like saying, "All Asians believe in this," or "All Americans believe in that." The spectrum is just too wide in terms of doctrinal and ministry views. The only commonality is their connection to Jesus Christ and the belief that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still valid and active today.


Are there Charismatics who are unbalanced or extreme in Bible doctrines? Of course there are, as with non-Charismatics. Are there Charismatics who live only for self instead of the Savior? Of course there are, as with non-Charismatics. Are there Charismatics who are shallow and superficial in their walk with Jesus? Of course there are, as with non-Charismatics. But taken as a whole, survey after survey has shown Charismatics to be fervent followers of Christ, serious in advancing the kingdom of God.
Let us consider some typical criticisms directed against Charismatics:


· "Charismatics twist Scripture to justify an opulent lifestyle." Not true. The vast majority of Charismatics are not fixated with wealth or materialism. Like most Christians, they believe that God provides for their need, not their greed. Having said that, Charismatics are not abhorrent to wealth that comes through diligent work or God's blessing. Most believe that prosperity is God's plan for the believer simply because of the abundance of Bible texts to support that. Take for example, 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." The word, "rich" (Gr. plouteo) means to become financially wealthy and increased with goods. For most Charismatics, success and wealth are means to help the poor, better society, and fulfill the Great Commission.
· "Charismatics despise the sick and those in suffering." Not true. This statement ignores the fact that Charismatics are globally active in eradicating systemic poverty and addressing healthcare problems. As the most mission-minded segment of Christendom, Charismatic ministries donate significant portions of their annual budgets into medical and humanitarian aids. Scriptures like "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses" (Matt. 8:17) give them cause to believe that healing is in the atonement, and thus is the general will of God for everyone. Whether through faith, medicine or therapy, most Charismatics value the need for a healthy body to live a fruitful life and serve the purpose of God.
· "Charismatic meetings are shallow in doctrine and theology." Not true. The fact is that Charismatics read the Bible and believe in its inerrancy more so than non-Charismatics. Most Charismatic churches have well-organized Bible classes and seminars to expound on the Holy Scriptures and Christian doctrines. But these are usually conducted outside of regular services. Most Charismatic meetings are designed to help attendees find wholeness in their soul and wisdom for daily living. Praise, worship and prayer are featured more prominently than non-Charismatic services. Sermons tend to deal with practical themes like marriage, family, work life and behavioral change. Most meetings end with a time for attendees to receive prayer for salvation, healing, and other practical needs. As such, to prejudge Charismatic meetings as shallow because of their focus on the mundane borders on religious arrogance and intellectual chauvinism.
· "Charismatic churches are conning the gullible of their money." I often wonder if the rage of anti-Charismatics here is targeted against the ability of Charismatic churches to exact money from their congregation, or the quantum of money that is collected? Is it the attendees' willingness to give, or is it the amount collected that is more upsetting? A common rant of anti-Charismatics is that flamboyant Charismatic preachers are conning the gullible "to sow their seeds" and give big amounts as a form of religious lotteries in their quest to be rich.


What anti-Charismatics fail to realize is that Charismatic services are filled with the educated and sophisticated. They don't arrive at relative affluence by being naive. Most Charismatics have the common sense to see through the shenanigans of tricksters behind the pulpit. But they do appreciate preachers who encourage them to go beyond their fears and stay faithful in their financial stewardship. Besides, didn't Elijah challenge the poor widow of Zarepheth to sacrifice her last morsel of bread and trust God for a multiplication of provision (1 Kin. 17:11-14)? Is Elijah the prophet a heartless con artist then? Besides, isn't "sowing and reaping" a principle of life and the Scriptures?


Instead of questioning the what and how of giving, one should ask the why. Why are Charismatics so willing to part with their money? For most, they give out of a passion to advance the cause of Christ, and the faith that God will bless them back so that they can keep financing the work of the kingdom.


Instead of Charismatic-bashing, non-Charismatics should look beyond the differences and focus on the goals every Christian has in common-becoming salt and light in society, and making disciples of every nation.


Go here to read the comments to this article- http://www.konghee.com/www/2009/04/the-charismatic-movement/


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My thoughts-


Is the Charismatic movement still alive? Yes. And those who think differently think it because we know the Devil is deceptive and he would put to rest suspicions, he will soothe over worries, he would have a calm before a storm. How like him to have something seemingly die away only to revive it to suit his purposes in a way it couldn't have if it hadn't started to seemingly wane in the mainstream. Just when you thought something was done and gone, having it flare up to life in a magnificent display of power would truly suit Satan's purposes of deception. Those who scoffed at the movement would be astounded! Those who rested on the fence not knowing what was what, would finally choose their side. The doubters would fall over themselves in an effort to confirm their new found belief all through lying signs and wonders of which Satan will perform to perfection so that NONE but the very elect will be able to see through. The rest of the world will be blinded, completely blinded and there will be no seeing through the dark covering of deception. There will be no reasoning with those caught under the devil's cloak so artful contrived to capture and keep people who don't have their hearts truly in Christ and His truth.


Rev. 14: 12 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.


No one will be able to point out anything to raise doubts because the belief will be that strong. In fact those among the few unbelievers will be the ones who will be overwhelmed with those trying to convert them to the real truth. They accusations will be- how can you not believe when you can see the miracles for yourself!


James 2:19


19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.


The devil believes, the devil's followers believe. The devils will stand up and shout they believe and somehow many will accept that their confession means they aren't really devils at all.


2 Thess. 2:9 9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders


Whose coming is after the working of Satan--- who? SATAN! And he will come with what? ALL power and signs and lying wonders.


Is it no wonder that the true manifestation of God's powers will be scarce in the end times? The magnificent display of God's true wonders was wrought by Jesus and His Apostles, and from then on slowly waning, except for the rare occurrence. That need for display was replaced by the growing of faith that would be needed by God's people. We've no doubt today that Jesus existed, none. No doubt that historical witnesses testified to the fact he died and rose again- historical witnesses not just Biblical witnesses. We have the intellect today that gives us this understanding and there is no need for miracles to give us the truth of the ultimate miracle wrought in Christ.


As with any amazing and marvelous wonder, Satan likes to use it for his benefit. He will take what was laid down as groundwork and use it to suit his needs and how wonderfully the working of miracles, the speaking in tongues, the seeming out pouring of the Holy Spirit in deeds truly does suit him. Is it any wonder that Satan will use in lying the very thing to win over millions and millions, that Jesus used in truth? What better way to deceive than to come close to the truth and let the vanity and pride of mankind takeover from there.


Recently most, if not all of you know about the 'light' my hubby saw in the palm of my hand while I was sleeping. Instantly I was caught up in figuring out what it might mean. Did it mean I should try healing? Did it mean that God had given me some sort of power? I mean come on, how many people have light shining from their hands and witnessed by someone who would not lie about something so odd because that someone would hate to be considered foolish. What benefit to that person would a lie create to say a light was coming from my hand? None. In fact through prayer, and guidance from others the light I determined wasn't put in my hand for my benefit at all. I didn't see the light, I couldn't tell you it was there at all. The light was for the one who saw it to think on and contemplate it's meaning. Whether that happened - I don't know. Whether it is a seed planted for later growth, I don't know. I do know that it would have been very simple for me to get really, really caught up in the 'miracle' aspect of the light in my hand and had I done that who knows what door I would have been opening for Satan to use to walk into my life.


Does all this mean that there are no true miracles of God in the last days? I don't think so. But I do believe that the miracles that God performs will be subtle and such that they won't be confused with the grand standing show that Satan is about to put on for the world.


May God keep us all safe in Him. May our hearts and minds be open to Him and Him only and His truths. May we be among those who are keeping the commandments of God and having the testimony of Jesus. By His mercy and grace, in His love.


Amen.

...come forth from the heart

Matthew {15:10} And he called the multitude, and said unto them,
Hear, and understand: {15:11} Not that which goeth into
the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the
mouth, this defileth a man. {15:12} Then came his
disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the
Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
{15:13} But he answered and said, Every plant, which my
heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
{15:14} Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind.
And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
{15:15} Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare
unto us this parable. {15:16} And Jesus said, Are ye also
yet without understanding? {15:17} Do not ye yet
understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth
into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? {15:18} But
those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth
from the heart; and they defile the man. {15:19} For out of
the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: {15:20}
These are [the things] which defile a man: but to eat with
unwashen hands defileth not a man.



We are a superficial people, living in a superficial existence where entertainers earning millions and millions of dollars while people starve and lack medical attention, and some don't even have a roof over their heads and yet- someone with a pretty smile and a pretty face will live in luxury beyond our imaginations. How can they do it? It's easy for us to say and yet we too live in our own superficial existence caught up in our semi-mediocre lives where we say we barely get by and yet we have entertainment at our fingertips every day. A walk to the pantry or the fridge will yield us something to put in our bellies even if it isn't always exactly what we want at the moment. We lay our heads down on a pillow at night and our tired bodies in beds that might not be the most comfortable and yet we have access to something softer than hard ground, or concrete. We can reach over and pull covers over our chilled bodies at night. We can walk to the thermostat of our home and turn it up or down so that we live within our comfort zone and yet we call this life less that good. We get into a car that might not always run right, whose a/c doesn't work, whose radiator loves to over heat a few time a year and we complain because it's not a luxurious car. We use our outdated software, hardware and press on keys that are worn from use- wishing for something more up to date, while so many haven't even access to a computer at all, at least not in their own homes. We have so much and those of us who have so little won't even be reading this. We have so much and yet it rarely is ever enough. What does all this have to do with that passage from Matthew above? Well, it's what that comes out of a man's mouth that defiles him. What comes out are evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies... the things that come from our mouths originate in our hearts. Our hearts hold our desires. Our desires are they for superficial things? Things people will gladly pat us on the back and say it's natural to want. It's normal to want comfort and that is true, no one likes a hard painful existence. So many people worry about the superficial things while completely overlooking the wrongness filling the heart and spilling out into our lives. I see someone and look upon their appearance and judge them instantly even in some small way - we process the information we see had it tells us whether or not the person we are viewing is acceptable- are they better than us in appearance or are they lower than us in appearance, or perhaps they're equal. We make these determinations automatically and based upon the determinations our actions are controlled. Those determinations can be altered once a person begins to talk and the nicest appearing person could be the most vulgar, while the least desirable in appearance could be the sweetest person. We are a superficial people living superficial lives while the blind have an advantage we can't imagine and don't really want. Is there hope for us superficial people? The hope is found in Jesus and His example to us. He treated the richest the same as the poorest and the most undesireable the same as the most desirable. People to Him were all the same- all children of the Father, wayward and lost needing guidance.


While that which comes out of our mouths- revealing who we are - is the truth of the heart, if we only look to that which goes inside us the things we do and not the things we speak- we aren't looking at the heart.


The Pharisees were offended by this saying of Jesus. They were offended because they cherished their outward actions, their rituals, their *good* behavior while not caring at all about the vileness that came from their hearts. As long as they held fast to their rituals they were all set, they were Godly men and no one was going to tell them otherwise. They didn't need anyone telling them all their actions meant nothing, that the actions of others who defiled themselves meant nothing. How dare anyone say such things.


Jesus dared because Jesus knew that the lowliest of the low whose heart was pure was better than the High Priest of the Pharisees.


The heart matters and what comes from our hearts matters. When all the superficial things of our lives are ripped aay, it's what is left that matters most. Are we found in the love of Jesus? Are we true children of the Father? Our hearts will tell.


May the Holy Spirit take the evil from my heart, from your heart, and fill us with the love of Jesus Christ so that what comes from our mouths is from the heart, from the Lord and not from the evils that will fill it up if it's not filled with Jesus.


By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior, by His forgiveness, by His love now and forever.


Amen.

Proactive Probation Officers

Proactive.


Now there's a word you hear a lot of these days, proactive. Just what does that word conjure up in your thoughts when you hear it? To me it means I'm going to actively do something rather than sit around hoping someone else might do it. If I take a proactive stance it's one that is advocating action towards something rather than inaction. Proactive is basically taking steps, taking action hoping to be ahead of the game so to speak, to perhaps even ward off something undesirable in the future. If I take a proactive step against insects invading my house I might lay down poison outside to prevent them from getting in. I might even get a few of those electronic pest control devices, I might also have on hand spray cans of insect control poison so I can be ready just in case they breach all my barriers I've set up. I might not wait until they've invaded to act but rather be prepared before they do and stay ready for what some might consider inevitable here in Southwest Florida. If I slack off and forget to renew the outside poison and the rain and wind along with the hot sun wear it away then I'm at a great risk for insect invasion. If my proactive steps cease then I'm setting myself up for disaster of the creepy crawly kind.


There is a lot to say for being proactive. I believe all of God's probation officers need to be proactive. You can't be one who forewarns of the impending end of probation if you're not doing the warning part. If the whole of the earths occupants are on probation and probation is almost up and your fate is to be decided based on your actions during probation, it's not time to fall asleep and grow lackadaisical. If those all around you risk their probation period coming to an end at any moment don't they need to know that they are on probation?


What? You think everyone automatically knows? Well, a lot of people do and surely most adults realize that they're eventually going to die and then their fate is decided, but most are under the impression that they'll be okay one way or another. Even those that proudly announce they're going to hell so to speak- going to the grave and they aren't going to be with Jesus in heaven when he returns- even they somehow think things will work out for them and life or rather life after life won't be such a bad thing. Some even truly believe they are living in life after death right now and it's as bad as things will ever get for them. More than a few understand that things won't be pleasant for them later on and so they are trying to make the best of things right here and now- the best of things meaning have as much fun and self-indulgance as possible because this is as good as it's gonna get for them. Cease the moment and live in it without thoughts for consequences. So yeah, a lot of people understand that there are choices to make and a lot want to put it off until later or just don't want to bother at all for one reason or another. Life's probation is real and we that believe in the reality of it are duty bound to be witnesses to that fact.


Jesus' entire ministry was spent preaching about eternal life in Him, by His grace and love. People came up to Him asking what they had to do to be saved, to have this eternal life He talked of and Jesus told them. Love God, love others. Jesus died preaching eternity in Him and His love.


1 John {1:1} That which was from the beginning, which we have
heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have
looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of
life; {1:2} (For the life was manifested, and we have seen
[it,] and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life,
which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
{1:3} That which we have seen and heard declare we unto
you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our
fellowship [is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ. {1:4} And these things write we unto you, that your
joy may be full.


Witnesses! Proactive declarer-s of Jesus' life and in Him life eternal.


1 John {5:5} Who is he that overcometh the
world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
{5:6} This is he that came by water and blood, [even] Jesus
Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is
the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
{5:7} For there are three that bear record in heaven, the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are
one. {5:8} And there are three that bear witness in earth, the
spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in
one. {5:9} If we receive the witness of men, the witness of
God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath
testified of his Son. {5:10} He that believeth on the Son of
God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God
hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record
that God gave of his Son. {5:11} And this is the record, that
God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
{5:12} He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not
the Son of God hath not life. {5:13} These things have I
written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of
God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye
may believe on the name of the Son of God. {5:14} And
this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask
any thing according to his will, he heareth us: {5:15} And if
we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that
we have the petitions that we desired of him.


3 John {1:5} Beloved, thou doest faithfully
whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;
{1:6} Which have borne witness of thy charity before the
church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a
godly sort, thou shalt do well: {1:7} Because that for his
name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.
{1:8} We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be
fellowhelpers to the truth.


Fellowhelpers to the truth! Witnesses!


Rev. {1:4} John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace
[be] unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which
was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits
which are before his throne; {1:5} And from Jesus Christ,
[who is] the faithful witness, [and] the first begotten of the
dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood


Jesus Christ the faithful witness! He alone has been the perfect witness of life in God, of life everlasting in the Father.


Rev. {3:14} And unto the angel of the church of the
Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful
and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God


The faithful and true witness! Jesus!


Rev. {20:4} And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and
judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of
them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for
the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast,
neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with
Christ a thousand years.


Beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God.


Killed witnessing of Jesus, killed for witnessing the word of God.


Is probation a serious thing? Things don't get more serious than probation and realizing that life now is our probation and life soon will be when probation is over and our fates decided. May our fates be such that we are declared witnesses of Jesus, faithful witnesses, even if that means death because we hold fast to that witness and never cease.


May the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be ours now and forever as we seek to witness of Him, for Him, in Him as probation for the world quickly runs out. May we through the Holy Spirit remain stedfast in Christ's love no matter what we are called to endure whether it's something life threatening or whether it is to remain stedfast as a witness to those who are around us who say they love us. No matter what road we are called to travel let it be forever the road that leads to the cross, to eternal life in our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ the Righteous.


Amen.

We all have a choice, every single one of us.

John {5:24} Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. {5:25} Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. {5:26} For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; {5:27} And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. {5:28} Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, {5:29} And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. {5:30} I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.


If we hear Jesus' words and if we believe in God who sent Him, we will have everlasting life. We won't be condemned. We will pass from death to life. There will come a time and in fact even now when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.


Think about it, we are all dead in our sins. Death is promised to all of us if we do absolutely nothing it is ours. Only when we accept Christ are we given the chance to live without death's promise hanging over us.


Eph. {2:5} Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)


We are brought to life, true life only in Christ through His grace and mercy.


John {5:28} Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, {5:29} And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation


Picture it.


There have been enough zombie movies to picture it with a bit of detail, of course our idea of things isn't God's idea of things. Still we've seen people coming up out of graves. Just imagine this scene- ALL that are in the graves -- ALL will hear the voice of Jesus. When all hear they come forth from those graves. Everyone who has ever lived and everyone who has ever died will come forth from their graves and some of them will come forth to life and others to damnation. Those who have done good to life, those who have done evil to damnation.


We've heard this tale over and over, the good go to heaven the bad suffer. We see try to emulate that in our own lives. We want the bad to be punished and the good to be rewarded. All too often the bad are rewarded while the good suffer and it seems so wrong to us that it should be that way. Our societies are founded with the hope of good prevailing but more often than not those governing our societies turn out to be corrupted. When we are told that those who have done good will live and yet we find ourselves filled with evil ways we despair of ever living eternally, we have to realize that the only good thing we can do is accept Christ and His righteousness.


All that are in the graves will hear and that day is soon arriving.


1 Thess. {4:16} For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: {4:17} Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. {4:18} Wherefore comfort one another with these words.


When Christ Himself comes down from heaven with a shout... the dead in Christ shall rise first.


The day is coming. Not all of us will be dead but when Christ comes our fate will have been decided. Only those IN CHRIST will live. The dead in Christ will live. Those alive in Christ will live. No one who doesn't have Christ in their lives, no one who is not IN Christ will live because it's only in Him we can live. Life is in Christ and only in Christ and while many will tell you differently and try to convince you of many, many things we can't believe them, we can't turn to man for the answers but only Christ. Mankind will fill our heads with all sorts of amazing and believable things to convince us of why we shouldn't live our lives in Christ. When Christ returns and calls His people to Him there will be many who won't be In Him, many who will have chosen to live for themselves and not Christ.


We all have a choice, every single one of us.


John {5:30} I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.


Jesus of Himself does nothing. His judgment is just. He doesn't seek His ownself. Jesus seeks the will of His Father who sent Him.


If Jesus does nothing of Himself and He is our example, we can do nothing for ourselves, nothing of ourselves all we do is to be one through Him, by Him. Our Heavenly Father we live for Him to do His will. We must give ourselves to Him, now and forever.


By the Grace and Mercy of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen.

A World On Probation

A World On Probation.

In any prison system you will find a few things to be universally true. One of those things is all the prisoners have been convicted of a crime. Another truth is not all are guilty of that crime for which they are convicted but the majority of them are. You'll find those who are very deserving of their sentence and those who aren't as deserving. You will even find some completely innocent - at least of the crime for which they are in prison for. You'll find some who are evil through and through in their actions and given half a chance they'd do over everything exactly as they did before. You'll find others who are just biding their time and are planning on being much more careful in their criminal life later on should they get out. You'll also find those who are truly remorseful for what they've done and they swear they would never ever commit that crime again, never. One thing is certain many criminals serve their time and when they are released regardless of their remorse or lack thereof, they are put on probation. They are let out of prison and into society once more and told to behave because they're being watched. At anytime their probation officer can show up and demand certain things from them in order to prove they're behaving. They live under probation for a set period of time and it's basically set up so that the caretakers of society can watch them and determine if it was the right thing to do, releasing them from prison. They hope it's the right thing because making a mistake is very costly. Often you'll hear of some atrocity committed by some criminal who was let out on probation, some criminal that had they never been released would never have committed the second crime. Yet on the opposite side of things you have those who are released and go on to become upstanding members of the community. It's a gamble when the criminal is released because there is no guarantee on the outcome of their lives. A trust is placed in them to not return to a life of crime, and yet it's a trust that is easily broken and yet we don't end the system of probation even though the trust has been broken over and over and over and most would say the system is very broken. We continue the system of probation because we really need to hope that it works in most cases and we can't deprive people of that opportunity to show they've reformed, that they won't continue down a path of crime. If we kept every criminal in jail forever we might find he majority of the population would be in there, or at least such a vast part of it that we'd need a system other than us building prisons and tending to them.


In the beginning God created a perfect world. A twist of fate created the first criminal, the first abberation, the first sin. God is God knowing all there is to know. Knowing right from wrong, knowing good from evil.


To keep all evil from ruling God created creatures that could choose one or the other. Because a great evil exists in creating creatures without choice. There is a hollow emptiness that is void of true love when there is no choice. Take what we call love between a man and a woman, a husband and wife. When a marriage is prearranged and no choice given to either party it is entered out of duty and because the choice isn't there it is just one more aspect of life that holds very little emotional value- it is in reality another job in life. When a person is allowed to choose the one they marry there is joy involved that isn't there when the marriage isn't made out of choice.


Being allowed to choose the different paths we take in life is enriching in many ways. Being a slave without any choice in the path our lives take is what we call inhumane and we call it that because choice is so amazingly important a part of being the creatures that we are. Slavery is horrific and abolished by law around the world- of course that doesn't mean it doesn't exist because it does in astounding numbers. Taking away choice is an evil, allowing to choose is freedom. One is good, one is bad.


A God of love could never create an intelligent being and strip them of the freedom of choice without being evil. Our God of love created beings with choice knowing that the creatures created might choose to embrace evil. Because our God knew this was possible and because He knew that Good is triumphant over Evil, He not only created one very intelligence sort of creation, He created another.


When the first sort of creation became corrupted God knew that things would have to unfold to the point beyond any doubt that the corrupted things must be done away with if any of the creations were to survive and not be obliterated out of existence entirely. When the first creation corrupted the second creation it was even more important that this entire scene unfold so that the power of choice could remain intact while ridding all of creation of the evil that had been brought into it. Once the choice was made the good should rule over evil the choice had to extend to ALL of the created beings and when given a choice there comes a time of choosing. First there is a time of revelation- where all beings are allowed to witness the outcomes of their choices by understanding what exist before them right then.


Good verses Evil.


Choices to make.


You have that choice, I have that choice and we live in a world on probation with probation quickly winding down to a point where once probation is up the world will be made new with those who have decided to choose good over evil. When a criminal's probation is up it is up by one of a few ways- it's up because they've chosen to remain good and are free to live without probation hanging over them any longer, or it is up because they've been put back into prison because they've chosen not to remain acceptable to society, they've chosen not to remain good; or they've died which has taken away any choice at all. Those are three ways probation is over. When the world's probation is up there will be those who have chosen the path of goodness found only in the salvation and mercy, the rightousness of Jesus Christ; or there will be those who have chosen the path of evil found in Satan and the many disguises He uses to keep us from salvation in Christ. Also, when the world's probation is up there will be those who are dead and they will be either dead in Christ, or dead without Christ.


Make no mistake about the world's probation coming to a close. We've been given a very reliable testament to its closing. The timetable given to us is unfolding faster and faster as we were told it would. We don't know when the last bell will sound, but we are given plenty of warning bells before hand. The bells are ringing faster and faster now and soon the world's probation will be over, all choices made.


Revelation {22:20} He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. {22:21) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.


Amen.


Amen.


Amen.


May the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with us all, now and forever!

Probation Officers

Philippians
{2:19} But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. {2:20} For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.
{2:21} For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.
{2:22} But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.
{2:23} Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me.
{2:24} But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.
{2:25} Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellow soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.
{2:26} For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick.
{2:27} For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
{2:28} I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.
{2:29} Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation
{2:30} Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me


My brother, companion in labour, and fellow soldier...messenger, minister


Fellow soldier.


We who are Christ's are His people, His children, we are laborers together, we are soldiers.


Soldiers-

soldier (sol´jer) noun
1. One who serves in an army.
2. An enlisted person or a noncommissioned officer.
3. a. An active, loyal, and militant follower: a soldier in the environmental coalition. b. A trusted follower of an organized crime leader.

Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary


An active, loyal, militant follower. A trusted follower of Jesus.


When a person joins the army they swear to serve their country, their loyalty is to their government. They pledge to obey, to follow the leaders of their country, if they don't then they are traitors. It's easy to define a loyal soldier of the world, easy to know when one is a traitor and when one is loyal. They either defend their country or they oppose it.


As soldiers for Christ we either defend Him or we don't. What exactly are we defending when we are a soldier of Christ's? When we serve Christ? We are loyal to Him and the message He brought to share with the world, a timeless message that will last until He returns because that is His message. Eternal life is real. It was real to Jesus and His followers when He first preached it and it is still real today. The timeless message will last for eternity. Christ came and lived a very powerful, if short life and suffered a horrific death preaching His message the entire time a message His followers were to share with others. Eternity in Christ. We today are soldiers for Christ bringing His message to others. Every soldier has the duty to protect that message, to share it, to pass it on.


The message is that probation is closing for everyone. Probation is closing for us as individuals.


Each of us are on probation from the moment we are aware of the choice we have to believe we are on probation. There is no minimum age limit, or maximum, probation is something we are born into.


What is probation?


probation (pro-bâ´shen) noun
1. A process or period in which a person's fitness, as for membership in a working or social group, is tested.
2. a. Law. The act of suspending the sentence of a person convicted of a criminal offense and granting that person provisional freedom on the promise of good behavior. b. A discharge for a person from commitment as an insane person on condition of continued sanity and of being recommitted upon the reappearance of insanity.
3. A trial period in which a student is given time to try to redeem failing grades or bad conduct.
4. The status of a person on probation.

Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary


We live in probationary time. A time in which we are able to be redeemed through Christ.


If someone says probation is over then they mean the time to find redemption is over- by that point you are either redeemed in Christ or lost to Him.


We have criminals on probation- and that means they are watched, their actions are watched, they are accountable for their behavior during a set period of time and if they break that probation with unacceptable behavior they can be sent to jail. If they are good and behave appropriately during their probationary period then when their probation is up they are free and clear- no jail, no more probation.


We as Christians live in a time of probation and it's call life. This life we have the opportunity to be acceptable in Christ by choosing to follow Him and live for Him and no other- not self, not Satan. Our probation because it is our life means that it is up automatically when we die. We have endless, or rather a lifetime of opportunity to choose Christ- a whole lifetime. Of course we don't know how long we'll live, some have very short lives others very long lives.


When Christ preached His message He preached it loud and clear and that message was of finding eternal life in Him, salvation in Him, reconciliation with the Father in heaven in Him. That message was just and true and will come to pass. When Christ returns there will be people alive, a very few will be alive in Him while the majority will have chosen not to believe in Him. Before Christ returns probation will be closed. There will be a people alive who live when probation that gift of time in which to choose to live for Christ is over and the decision we made before probation closed is the decision we live with.


Just as we don't know when we will die, we don't know when Christ will return exactly but we are given signs. Some people are even given signs of their impending death. Christ will return there is no doubt, and another certainty in life is death- in fact some people say it's the only certainty. We know we will die and at that time we know our probation is up. We have to be ready ALWAYS during this period of probation to have Christ in our lives, believing in Christ accepting His salvation, His forgiveness, His love. We don't know when probation is up and so we need to be ready always and we have to tell others the same. We also have to tell them that time is growing shorter, Christ will return soon and impending death isn't the only end to probation for those living right before Christ returns.


Ready always!


1 Pet. {3:15} But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.


Ready always!


We are soldiers for Christ that have to preach that we live in probation, that we all are subject to this probation. We are all guilty, we are all criminals in the eyes of God, all of us sinners and the only way we can survive to live for eternity is during our probation we accept Christ as our Savior daily!


When probation is over whether by death or by Christ's return everyone will have made their choice, no one is exempt from choosing, no one.


As soldiers with Christ we in essence are Christ's probation officers. We have and continue to accept Christ and it is our duty to bring this opportunity to others, our duty.


I thought about this the other day when something I was listening to hit me just right. When I was young I started college with the hope of being a probation officer. That hope wasn't realized for various reasons but God in His wisdom, with a personal irony for me, has made me His probation officer. So maybe I didn't become what I wanted to become in my own way, but Christ in His way gave me exactly what I wanted. So amazing.


By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Lord and our Savior may my daily choice forever be the choice to be His follower and as His follower, His soldier and as His soldier, His probation officer. Give me the voice I need Lord to point to You and only You and Your love and grace, Your mercy, Your forgiveness, life in you forever!


Amen.