Signs of Our Times

 Becket Cook has amazing interviews. I am always enriched by his conversations. I hope you’ll listen to the end, and I hope you are as blessed as I am by his videos.

Grace or Works? Part 3

 In part 1 we give a brief glance at what the Bible says about good works and the reason for good works. In part 2 religious reasons for good works and their applications are compared with what the Bible says. 

Part 3 Today I want to share a video message on this topic exploring what the Bible says of those who think they need to add works to obtain or keep their salvation. He begins by examining what salvation is…what are the definitions of the Greek and Hebrew words that have been translated into the English word “salvation”? The answer might surprise you:

Grace or Works? Part 2

In the last post we can see from the Bible the reason for good works (to glorify God by bringing more people into the kingdom) and where these good works originate from (God). If you didn’t read part one it would be good to begin there before continuing here. 

In this post it will be good to examine how some religions and even Christian denominations get it wrong. Putting the cart before the horse when it comes to good works can, and often does, lead to a bad outcome. 

From my own background of having come out of a legalistic religion, I understand how difficult it is to come out of that way of thinking. I was brought up in Seventh day Adventism. There are many false teachings underpinning that group, but the one I will focus on is the teaching that going to church on Saturday is necessary in order to be saved because it being at the center of the 10 commandments God made it “the heart”  and therefore the most important part of His list of rules for us to keep to prove that we love Him. Sabbatarianism is not unique to Seventh day Adventistism, there are other groups such as Hebrew Roots, Sacred Name, and other Herbert Armstrong and SDA connected groups. 

That is why the Apostle Paul said:

Colossians 2:16-17 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Galatians 3:1-6 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness

The good works that come from God flow through us by His Holy Spirit in our hearts made right through the washing of His same Spirit (see Titus 2:14, Malachi 3:3 and Hebrews 9:14). Good works we do prior to salvation mostly (always?) come from having some self serving ulterior motive; get a raise in pay or promotion at work or keep from getting fired or laid off, or to receive public recognition of some kind such as a write up in a newspaper or a medal or other award, to “win” a husband,  or even just simply to get a thank you and a pat on the back. Our flesh desires compensation for our work. The work the Holy Spirit desires from us will often gain us the opposite of what our flesh desires in compensation. Often the “thanks” we get will be rejection, verbal abuse, or even get us killed. 

Jesus said:

Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake,

 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

When we try to earn God’s favour by doing things that we think will make Him love us, we find (if we are being honest with ourselves)  the more we do the more we are leaving undone. It is never enough. Strive as we might we always fall short of the mark of the perfection that would be required in order for our efforts to truly please a God who is Holy and requires perfect holiness. 

We cannot do enough to earn or keep salvation. That is why many who try to follow this way of religious observance often burn out and eventually resign themselves to the sad fact that they can never be saved that way, or they continue to hang on and hope that the little bit they do will be enough to appease God’s anger at them for having fallen short. They often go through the motions while deep down being fearful that it will still end up by their going to hell. Those groups often give their followers the understanding that if they fall out of the group they are definitely going to go to hell. That is how I felt when I left the SDA religion. I thought I could never be good enough to work my way to heaven, and I was right, but I had not yet come to the full understanding of the Truth of the matter.

The SDA group I attended had us believing that we could fall short in every way but as long as we attended their church on Saturday it was enough for God to save us. And we could earn extra brownie points with God by paying tithes and offerings, maintaining a healthy vegetarian diet and by abstaining from such things as alcoholic beverages and smoking cigarettes. Other religions and legalistic Christian sects will have other items on the to do list, such as teaching Sunday School, and donating time in other ways that benefit the church, which they either imply or say outright that these things will protect their disciples from eternal damnation. These also fall short and, when taken to their logical end, result in failure. 

Jesus said:

Matthew 5:27-28 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Apostle Paul said:

Galatians 5:18-21 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Who can live up to such an impossibly high standard?  

The answer: only Jesus

That answer is the one that leads to the true peace that is beyond human understanding; the mercy and grace of God, but more about that later.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

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Grace or Works? Part 1

Grace vs. good works is a complex topic. In this post I will attempt to explain what the Bible says about doing good works, and what kind of good works  He desires from us and then seek out why  He desires such good works from us.

First of all I should put to rest that grace and good works are antithetical to each other; they are not. They only come in conflict in the area of obtaining or maintaining salvific justification. Good works that come from God’s saving grace is evidence of saving faith. More about that in a future posting.

There are some religious sects which stress certain rituals and observances as the proof of being saved, such as Sabbath keeping, or being water baptized a certain way with certain words that need to be spoken while being submerged under water. There can be some benefit of good feelings of a soothed conscience in doing or saying certain things, but the only saving action was the one Jesus performed by submitting His life fully to the Father’s will by dying a substitutionary death for sin in our place. This also will be explored in greater detail in a future post.

It seems every religion puts emphasis on good works to earn a good report card to bring us, like a passport, into paradise. The Bible also speaks of doing good works. If you type “good works” into the search box of any electronic Bible many references in both Old and New Testaments will pop up. Let’s examine a few:

Matthew 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven

Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

1Peter 2:11, 12Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

What do you notice when you read these verses? Will good works bring glory to yourself or to God? Does God redeem us because of our good works? Or does His saving grace cause a purification which He performs in the lives of His saints?

When we are saved by His grace, it is His goodness that is imparted to us by His Holy Spirit so that through His goodness others might come to a knowledge of the truth and bring glory to God’s name as we rejoice in the truth of His goodness and mercy because He has saved us from the perils of this world. That doesn’t mean we won’t experience trouble. In this world we will have trouble, but Jesus overcame the world, and He likewise will help us overcome this world revealing that He keeps His promises. The knowledge of the truth brings joy and peace in the midst of suffering knowing that the pain suffered in this world will be eclipsed by the glory awaiting us.

 ❤️🙏

Seeds are for Sowing

 This morning’s Bible reading touched on a favourite topic of mine:

Ecclesiastes 11:6  In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. 

When I plant seeds most of them don’t make it.

 Over water? 

Under water? 

Not enough light? 

All of the above?

Sigh. But I keep buying more seed and I keep trying.

But did you know you can find out about just about everything on YouTube?

I found some youtubers who have learned how to beat the odds with getting seeds to sprout! So this year I will try again and hopefully have more success with my attempts.

Isn’t it the same with sharing the word of God?!? Such precious seed. But often the words seem to come out wrong or it just seems out of place, not the right moment to say something when silence was probably more appropriate at that moment…and the seed seems to die, come to nothing.

But if it truly was from the Lord, He promises His seed will accomplish what He intends for it (Isaiah 55:11), so even if it seemed futile or ill placed or ill timed, if the Lord wills He will use it. Did you know some seeds can remain dormant for many years? Purslane seeds are said to be able to remain dormant for up to 30 years!! And recently I saw an article about date palm seeds that were found in a cave which were 2,000 years old, from the time of Christ, and that they were able to sprout and now have date palm trees that had gone extinct from the Romans having destroyed all the Israeli date palms,  which Israel was famous for at the time. A miracle!!! 

So let us plant seeds, even if we think nothing will come of them. Who knows? Maybe God has plans for those few seeds many years down the road! Start planting for a plentiful harvest. ❤️🙏

The Perfect Gift

 This week most of the world will celebrate Christmas. There are many ways it is celebrated, usually included is the giving of gifts…When I was a young child I lived in the Netherlands. There children believe Sinter Klaas will come on a white horse along with Zwarte Piet. Sinter Klaas will give gifts but Zwarte Piet will take away bad boys and girls and punish them. In North America many children believe in Santa Claus. Santa Claus also brings gifts.

But some of us remember Jesus at this time of year, to remember that God gave us His Son, the greatest gift of all, the forgiveness of our sin because He was born to be our sacrificial lamb, to wash us through His perfect blood. Let us not neglect so great a salvation, Jesus was born into this wicked and fallen world and died for us.❤️

Past Traumas and Wounds That Haven’t Healed

I’ve been binge watching Chynna Phillips Baldwin (from musical group Wilson Phillips) YouTube videos. Chynna came to be saved in 2006 and started a YouTube video channel two or three years ago to share her testimony and share Jesus and sometimes has guests over to share their story. She was involved in the new age movement prior to becoming saved so I do share an affinity with her. She is very open and transparent, she shares her struggles, her doubts and fears and some of the things in the past that she kept hidden and compartmentalized….shame…mistrust…anger…sorrow…things we probably all can relate to. In this one she’s taking her little pooch for a walk as she shares a painful memory and the fact that Jesus washes us from the guilt and shame with His own blood. I hope this message will reach someone who has hidden hurts that need Jesus’ healing touch. 

“Peace of Christ!”

The Wise and Foolish Virgins Revisited

 I posted on the topic of the wise and foolish virgins parable a couple of years ago which included a sermon from Jacob Prasch. In this posting I want to examine the parable a bit closer. Something that nags at me is the fact that all the ten virgins in the parable go to sleep. It is dark, it is night. That is the time when most normal people go to sleep (excluding of course those who work in the middle of the night such as policemen and emergency workers, etc) .

Taking this as a typology, the darkness could mean:

Abscence of light

Jesus tells us that He is the light of the world. All ten virgins had lamps. All ten had lamps that went out, therefore they all had oil in their lamps before it got very dark. 5 were wise and had extra oil for their lamps and 5 did not. David had said “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet” (Psalm 119:105)…and the prophet Amos tells us that there will come a day where there will be a “famine for the word of God” (Amos 8:11,12) ….no word of God equals no light… are we seeing the beginnings of that time? Is there a famine for the word of God? Are the churches closing their doors for lack of attendance, for lack of hunger for God’s word? People are starving for the truth but do not even realize they are starving. The light is growing dim. The church is going to sleep.

All ten were “virgins”…all ten were “good people”. All ten started out with oil in their lamps. All ten started out awake. All ten went to sleep. They all had many things in common. 5 had extra oil and 5 did not. Our good works can bring some light to a dark world. There is nothing wrong and Jesus even encouraged feeding the poor, visiting the sick and those in prison…but it is not enough to keep our light burning during the darkest hours. When the goats said to Jesus “when did we not feed you, clothe you, visit you in prison, etc. ?” (Matthew 25:31-46) Both groups sheep and goats had done good things for people…read that parable carefully and you find that the good works of one group was accepted while those same good works were not accepted from the other group. Jesus was left out of one of those groups and made the good works all for nothing. If they neglected even one person that needed help and didn’t give it they did that neglect to Jesus. The other group if they only helped one person in Jesus name their works were acceptable to the Lord. One group had true light, the other group’s works even though good, had no light of Christ to give a lasting effect. 

Is the land becoming like the darkness of sackcloth? Are we in that time of deep darkness when the famine for the word of God is growing and spreading throughout the earth? Do we have extra oil for our lamps while it seems our lamps have gone out? Who can supply us with that much needed extra oil? Can we buy it from merchants? (Pastors selling their prosperity gospels perhaps? People selling lessons on how to become healthy, wealthy, and wise?) Or is it “purchased” through trials by fire and only from the Lord? By seeking Him as we go through our trials in life?

Daniel 2:20-22 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.

 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;

 he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.

Daniel 12:3  And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. 

To read my previous posting on this topic:

https://bibletreasuresandpearls.blogspot.com/2019/10/wise-and-foolish-virgins.html

Pure and Life-Giving Water

My husband and I are blessed to live in an area that has very good tap water, but we still buy our bottled drinking water. our favourite bottled water comes from Iceland. You can taste the difference. It tastes truly refreshing and tastes better than our tap water or other bottled water. There's another bottled water that comes very close and is slightly less pricey which comes from Quebec.

 We need water to live. 

 Plants and animals also need water to live. 

Jesus said

 

John 4:13-14 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life

Wise and Foolish Virgins

Jacob Prasch is a favourite Bible teacher of mine. I don’t agree with him on all points, however I cannot say that I agree 100% about anyone. The message about the ten virgins has always been somewhat problematic for me because I only heard it explained in a pretrib context and it just never rang true for me and although I understood the general idea of the wisdom in being wise and prepared, I felt I was missing part of what Jesus was getting at.

In this video Jacob explains the parable in light of what we can learn from the Song of Solomon (!)  which was very surprising, but it fits! 

The fact that the days are growing darker and darker and that good preaching is almost impossible to find anymore, I am thankful to have Jacob Prasch pass on the wisdom the Lord has graced him with. I hope you too will have plenty of oil in your lamp when the light goes out and persecution comes to where you live (if it hasn’t already).

Jacob Prasch

Jacob Prasch is a Messianic Jewish preacher on YouTube. I truly enjoy his commentary on what the Bible reveals to us, especially when it comes to his views on eschatology (end times prophecy). He understands Biblical Greek and Hebrew so he can flesh out the nuances that can be missed when reading an English translation. In this video Jacob talks about many of the things we are seeing today, and the precursors that have come before that give us the template of what we expect to see as these things unfold.

Does God Care?

 image from here

Yesterday some workmen came and trimmed two of the trees on our property, and removed another to make way for the repositioning of the power poles on our road. In the process two birds nests came down as well. One bird died immediately, and three others clung to life. A workman had gathered them up and put them all, including the dead one, in a planter area near our front door. It seemed that the two from the same nest found more comfort in staying close together, while the third stayed about a foot's length away from the other two, and all three had moved away from the dead one. It brought to mind a song I used to sing in church when I was a child:

1.
God sees the little sparrow fall,
it meets his tender view;
if God so loves the little birds,
I know he loves me too.

Refrain:
He loves me too, he loves me too,
I know loves me too;
because he loves the little things,
I know loves me too.

2.
He paints the lily of the field,
perfumes each lily bell;
if he so loves the little flow'rs,
I know he loves me well. [Refrain]

3.
God made the little birds and flow'rs,
and all things large and small;
he'll not forget his little ones,
I know he loves them all. [Refrain]

I was hoping the parent birds would somehow still care for their young. I saw them fly about and get very nervous when I was too close to their young.This morning I found that the remaining babies had died. It again reminds me of how fragile and temporary life is here, and that we are to use our time wisely.

Jesus said:
What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.   And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.   But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
--Matthew 10:27-33 

What a wonderful thing that God does care about every little thing, even tiny birds, and even caring about the number of hairs on our heads! And because He cares, He wants to use us to spread that good news with others, the good news that we being deserving of hell have been bought with the purchase price to save us from the penalty for our sins.

Praise God! He cared enough to die for us.

Spring is for Planting Seeds

I've been behind in preparing the garden for spring planting because I'm battling a terrible cold. I hope to get out there today to dig around a bit. Just like our vegetable gardens soil require preparation, so also do the hearers of God's word need their soil worked up to receive the good news. There are lots of weeds growing out there!!!

This is what Jesus had to say about it:

The Parable of the Sower
Luk 8:4-8  And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:   A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.   And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.   And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.  And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

The Purpose of the Parables
Luk 8:9-15  And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?   And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.   Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.   Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.   They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.   And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

A Lamp Under a Jar
Luke 8:16-18  No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.   For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.   Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

The fields are getting ripe for harvest...so hopefully the seeds planted will bear much good fruit!!

The Gospel

I posted this a few years ago on the Flutterbys blog, but I think it’s a better fit here:

I understand that we don't want to get into arguments, and we need to present the truth "in love". So why did the people of Paul's time kill people like Stephen, Peter, Paul, John the Apostle, John the Baptist, etc, etc, etc? Jesus said if we stand for the truth and proclaim it, the world will hate us....why? And if the world doesn't hate us, does that mean we are not actually proclaiming the gospel?
I understand that the Lord's sheep will come to Him, does that let us off the hook from proclaiming the truth which the world hates to hear about? Paul named names of those who didn't preach the truth, are we somehow better than he is if we don't argue?

Edit: I would add to this that the word “gospel” means GOOD NEWS. Also, the original post had great comments after it, if you (like me) enjoy reading comments, you can go to the link:
http://susanflutterbys.blogspot.com/2011/0
Just some things to wrestle in the spirit about.

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God’s Word to Us

What a blessing that the Lord would supply us not only with life and the things pertaining to life; food, water, air to breathe, and the beauty of creation all around us; but also His word which are not only His instructions, but also His warnings and promises, both conditional and unconditional promises.

The Flutterbys blog is mainly for musings, home and garden updates, and also to look at controversial topics, to examine things that are happening in the world by trying to make sense of it through the lense of God’s word. I hope you’ll join me there and perhaps share your thoughts on the timing of the rapture and the coming of the Lord. The link to my Flutterbys blog is located on the sidebar ——>

Let’s use scripture to explain scripture and not base it on traditions and feelings and excited utterings. I do not deny prophesying, but let’s not put the cart before the horse by basing scriptures on prophecies (eisegesis), instead of examining prophecies on the plain reading of scripture  (exegesis).

Hope to see you there ❤️

Greater than Abraham

This morning I was thinking about Moses, his trials and tribulations, his temper costing him the blessing of entering the Promised Land, and how that often gets interpreted as meaning one can lose one's salvation. I thought about how Moses begged the Lord  to change His mind, however the Lord is the Lord, and His final answer was "no".

I'm not going to take this into the whys of it not being about losing salvation. That is something that is amply discussed and easily refuted with careful study.

As I thought about Moses and his foibles as well as his triumphs, I thought about how much like Moses our walk with Jesus is. We have our struggles, and failures, and triumphs! and failures....etc, and many times we fail in trusting the Lord, we fail when we lose our temper with coworkers, or even worse; our spouses...but Moses was an exceptional leader and a pillar in the Jewish people's faith. Christians think about Moses once in a while, mostly  when watching Charleton Heston play him in the movie "The Ten Commandments" at Easter / Passover time. But for the Jews Moses is a much bigger deal. Moses recorded the first five books; The Torah. He led Israel out of Egypt. He parted the Red Sea!!!...well, actually God did, but Moses gets the credit....but he did that one little thing wrong; striking a rock; and it carried a huge penalty. Remember the Egyptian he murdered? That didn't cost him the Promised Land. Anyway, that's how my musings went this morning...AND THEN the words "Greater than Abraham is here".

That thought took me aback for a moment. Abraham was great, even by Jewish thinking, as well as Christians and even Muslims too!!! And Abraham had his issues as well, he told some "little white lies" about Sarah being only his sister that got Sarah into some awkward situations. I wish I could have been a fly on their wall to hear what she had to say about that, because knowing Jewish women I know she would have had some words! Yet he is the father of the "great faiths" of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. And pondering over that, then pondering those words of Jesus: "I tell you greater than Abraham is here".

We as people tend to idolize other people, not all people, but certain ones. Many people, even Christians, idolize President Trump right now. They probably would be thrilled to meet him, and be thoroughly gobsmacked in such a situation. I would too! I thought about the people that I hold high...I thought Charles Krauthammer was amazing, what an intellect, but he did not accept Jesus as Messiah, and unlike what many Christians believe, Jews do not get an automatic pass. They revere Abraham and Moses, but "Greater than Abraham is here". Any one of us might get excited to meet with and get the attention of some great world leader, or even a famous movie star, but "Greater than ABRAHAM  is here" who is even greater than anyone we can currently put on a pedestal.

And then I thought about the fact that Jesus gives us the honour of meeting with Him, being in His presence, ANYTIME. Wow! Yet we often look at prayer and reading the Bible as things to do at the bottom of the list of things that we need to get done.

Just something I was pondering this morning....

Unhindered Prayer

Yesterday morning while reading 1 Peter my attention was drawn to two verses in which Peter touched on something that can hinder our prayers:

The first one comes at the end of a warning to husbands and wives to love each other, summing up this admonishment with this:

"and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered." 1 Peter 3:7 (ESV)

The second comes after stating the importance of avoiding temptations to join others in following after lusts of the flesh, human passions, and debauchery and then saying:

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 1 Peter 4:7 (ESV)

It is less clear in the KJV where it is:

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

 

While reading it made perfect sense that when we live a careless life, doing those things that we have freedom in Christ to do, yet things that are not profitable to do (1st Corinthians 6:12), we hinder our relationship with Christ in the same way we hinder our relationship in a marriage where our communication then as a consequence suffers. 

If we truly love the Lord we want to have that right relationship, one where we stay in communion with each other, praying for each other, even for our enemies, forgiving each other as Jesus has forgiven us and steering clear from those things that would hinder our prayers and our communication with the One who loves us the most.

The Feminization of Everything part 2

In the previous post I linked to an online book I’m reading http://www.crossroad.to/Books/TwistofFaith/1-Father-Mother.html

This book brings much to light regarding what we see today, and is even infecting our churches. That is a point I would like to explore a little more in this posting.

I admit that I spend more time than I should debating things that would be better to leave to the Lord to deal with Himself. While trying to make sense of the many ridiculous statements made these days, even by Christians (so-called) I cannot help but notice how the pagan ideas which influence the feminist movement are seeping into mainstream Christian theology and practice. I must admit that I also often feel the tug of the seductive imagery of the woman warrior dressed for battle against satanic foes. But is that image truly accurate and in line with true Biblical teaching? Actually, no, it is not.

Warriors in scripture have always been men. “Oh, but what about Deborah mentioned in the book of Judges!?” Interesting that Deborah is often brought up in these discussions to bolster their argument that God puts women in positions of power and authority. But truly if one really examines what occurred in the account of Deborah in the book of Judges one finds that it actually dismantles the notion that it was a good idea for a man, a general in the Israeli army, to have wanted to trust and obey and even hide behind a woman to fight his battle.

I hope and pray anyone reading this will read the book I linked to as well as the story of Deborah in the book of Judges...and revisit what happened in the garden of Eden as well. Then also read about Jezebel and Ahab, and the Jezebel mentioned in the book of Revelation in the 7 letters to 7 churches. Do some careful study of these things and see where this stuff is leading to. I promise you, if God grants you wisdom, you will find that it is not leading to a good place.

The Feminization of Everything

Gen 3:1  Now the serpent was more subtil 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 3:2  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

Gen 3:3  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Gen 3:4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

Gen 3:5  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Gen 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness....
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!" Isaiah 5:20-21

I recently found an online book that explains much of what we see happening in churches, and in the entire world for that matter. It began gradually and subtly, as these things do, and recently these things have been ramping up.

There are many things that are upside down and backward from “the way it’s supposed to be”, many are inherent to this fallen world: crime and violence, lying, cheating, wars and rumours of wars, etc, and these also are increasing dramatically. We have the ability to blow the entire planet to smitherines...but the book I mentioned above goes into something else, and we’ve been hitting all around what the problem is, but not actually getting at it’s very root.



The “gender issues” and the feminists rage and outrage increasing combined with the call for “getting in touch with your inner warrior”, and the symbols of warrior princesses and goddesses on the warpath are now creeping even into Christian congregations...but there was something that I still wasn’t quite getting, I mean, yes, of course it is satan inspired and the paganism components are understandable enough, yet I still wasn’t quite piecing it all together.

 (While searching for a good Greek goddess depiction I stumbled onto this interesting site: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-different-roles-of-women-in-mythology.htm# )

 Artemis/Diana

http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub367/item2023.html

The above linked online book does that "piecing it all together" for me. It packs a punch at really getting at the very root of these issues and why gender confusion and the feminine power has become the rallying cry for women and many men as well trying to “access their feminine side”.

It all goes back to that original problem of the original sin...and of course I knew that, but looking at these things once again what do we see? It is the woman that succumbed to "the evil one" and sought her own wisdom to lead her instead of trusting what God had told them. And today we see it shouted loud and proud that God's way is evil and puts women down, that Christianity is to blame for making this "a man's world" and blames God and men for all the ills of the world, but not all "gods" are to blame, only the God of the Bible, the God that sent Jesus to ransom us from sin...oh, and there's no such thing as sin...

Hmm, now where would such "new" information come from do you suppose? Is Eve getting duped all over again?

Working for Jesus

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15

It’s entirely possible to be saved and have all your works go up in smoke, nothing to show for it. There are probably many who will find that to be true for them in their fiery hour of testing...and perhaps there are also many who will find the little things they did that they didn’t think added up to anything will end up being precious stones in their golden crowns, which they will lay at Jesus feet because after all God gets all the glory and praise. We have nothing unless it is given to us by God and even our next breath, our very next heartbeat is impossible without God sustaining us. 

Our God is an awesome God.