"The Truth Lived Out"

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." (John 3:5-7) Alright, this is getting a little old! This is not some new revelation that I am talking about; in fact, it is really quite simple. The problem is, that many people think that they are saved (and I cannot judge who they are, nor neither can you), but they truly have not yet been 'Born Again'. What this basically means is, that they have freely believed in Jesus Christ, received Him into as Saviour, and even confessed Him before man; however, they have not been 'Born Again'. But you might say, 'I thought we just needed to believe, receive, and confess, and then we are Saved?'; like I said earlier, I don't think it is quite that simple. It is simple, don't get me wrong, but not quite that simple; because there is still the matter of being Born Again. You see, there are many who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour outwardly, but have not actually made the transition inwardly; and to truly be Born Again, what must take place, is that the old man must die. In other words; before you can have a True New Birth in Christ, there must be a passing away of the old, which is what takes place through 'Regeneration'. So then, we can try and determine, if we want to waste our time, who is Saved and who is not; or we can focus on ourselves, and determine whether or not we have been Truly Born Again! No one knows but you and God what is true in our own case; because in reality, we all sin, and we all are not perfect; but the real difference is, whether or not the old man is still alive and well. All I know is this: The reason that so many 'Fall from Grace' is that they never really had 'Grace' to begin with; and as I said before, and I will say it again: There is a difference between Mercy and Grace! The reason that I say this is quite simple: those many, many, many people that have received God's mercy, as I have described above, have done so believing that they are truly saved; and if it were just dependent upon God's mercy, then that would truly be the case, because Jesus Christ died for 'ALL' sin and sinners; so, we could just say "Thank You Jesus", and then rest assured that we are not going to hell. However, then there is Grace; which takes over where Mercy leaves off; because God's Mercy saves the man, but God's Grace regenerates the man, and makes him new. The real problem that we have in this whole twisted ordeal, is this: Mercy and Grace go together and are not able to be separated, because they are inter-twined together as one. We can not have one without the other; which means, that we can not receive salvation from our sin without receiving New Life too!!! Besides, remember what we are talking about here, 'Living Out The Truth'; and what is Truth? Well, for one, to answer today's question: If we are Truly Born Again, then we will be able to deny ourselves, because we have truly crucified the flesh; and if you find yourself with the inability to deny the flesh, well, you need to figure that out! The main question that we must face is really this one: Are we believing with our heart, or is it an intellectual belief? There is a difference!!! "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9 & 10)

"Living Out The Truth" -3

"The said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free." (John 8:31 & 32) This little famous verse just took on a whole new meaning; because now there is a little word called 'if' that has come into play. What this really comes down to, is a matter of trying to serve two masters; but this time, we have added a little 'twist': Those that we are talking about, for the most part, may not know yet that they are doing wrong; at least not fully aware. Go ahead and say it, "Rich, are you on drugs?" Once upon a time, but right now, No! But I am definitely one who has been known for my tunnel vision, and once I get focused in on something, it is hard to get me off that point. Anyhow; if we look at the passages of Scripture here in John 8, we will see that Jesus has been sharing to the crowd, that He speaks the Truth, and that He is the Truth; which brings us to verse 33: and for the most part, many present that believed upon Him, did not realize that they wanted to kill Him; but Jesus knew their hearts. Then as they continued to question Jesus, and the more clearly He revealed to them just who they really were, the more they reviled against Him; until finally, in verse 59, we see that they took up stones to cast at Him. So, as we can see, there is a progress where they that believed, had come to cast stones; there was a real change of heart, and it is this change of heart which is the 'twist' that I am talking about. If we look at verses 34-38, we see Jesus explain about being 'a servant of sin', and how 'the servant abideth not in the house for ever'. This is the reason that we must crucify the flesh; because if we do not reckon our old man dead, then there will come a time when we will have to choose between the two masters. Okay, maybe I threw that out there a little to fast? Let me slow it down a little. If we have not reckoned our old man as dead on the cross, then the things which the old man lusts after will still be an issue in our lives; which really means that we are still servants of sin, we just do not know it. However; when our sin that we are a servant of is revealed, then we must choose at that point what to do; and if the old man has not been crucified, guess what, he still has a say in this choice which must be made. Which really means that we are still a servant to the old man, and the lusts thereof; and we will be until we finally decide to choose to reckon the old man as dead. So then, here it is: When confronted with our sin, there are several different things which we can do: We can immediately surrender to God, and get right; or we can guard our sin, by using several different techniques to suppress our convictions; or we can say that we will deal with that later, thinking that our heart will change down the road. There is only really one right choice to be made, and if we don't make the right choice, then we will remain a servant to that sin; and then, after compounding excuses and refusing to change, we could find ourselves standing with stones in our hands...and counted among 'The Fallen'. "And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given him hath written unto you; as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But 'grow in grace', and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be Glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:15-18)

"Living Out The Truth" -2

"But the Scripture hath concluded 'all' under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." (Galatians 3:22) So, what makes those that were 'once' walking in the Lord fall away? Interestingly it might not be what you think it is; because, there is 'one thing' which can always come back to bite you, if you are not careful to destroy it: And what might that be? I think you know! You see; there are two things which happen when we come to Jesus Christ; we are given Life, and we are given death. What??? I hope you knew that; but just in case you did not, let me explain. We are given Life by our soul being reunited with God, and the Holy Spirit dwelling within us; this is Eternal Life with God, and is now a 'New Creation'. We are given death, by the fact that our 'old man' is to be crucified with Christ, and is to be considered as dead. Now then, the thing which I believe happens to cause those which were walking in the Lord to fall away, is that they never really crucified the old man, but have been dragging it along on their journey. This is really part of the lie which I mentioned yesterday; the lie being, that we can somehow hold onto those things which separate us from God, and yet walk with God. You might wonder how anyone one could think that, but you would be surprised to know. In John 8:32, there is this famous verse, "And ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free." Free from what? Free from the bondage of sin; which means free from that 'old man' which was born in sin, and is to be crucified with Christ on the cross, because, the 'Truth' be told, it was crucified with Christ on the cross. Which really means, that we have been made free from not only the bondage of sin, but we have also been made free from the corruption, because the body of corruption has been destroyed. Which then brings me to a very sensitive subject, and that is suicide; and why would someone take their own life after walking with the Lord for so long? I have been wondering this out in my mind, and can really see no other reason, other than that they needed to destroy the flesh; which was meant to have been destroyed on the cross, but instead, was being dragged around with them for all those years. Let me tell you this: there are many, many of our brothers and sisters which need to crucify the flesh, not destroy the flesh!!! Instead, they need to stop living the lie, and live out the Truth!!! If Jesus has set us Free, we are Free indeed! But like I said yesterday, many there are that want the Way and the Life, but do not want the Truth; because the Truth part requires that they part with the old man; and as I said, in this case, two out of three, is bad! "For 'if after' they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the Way of righteousness, then after have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." (2 Peter 2:20-22)

"Living Out The Truth"

"He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, Out of his belly shall flow rivers of Living Water." (John 7:38) We have had this discussion before, haven't we? This time, however, I wanted to look upon it from a little different angle. Now then; let me start off with a very serious question: Can someone who was once walking 'strongly' in the Lord fall from Grace? This is not a trick question; but is rather one to answer something that we must know about 'Truth'. It is true, however, that there are some who do fall from Grace; and sadly, there are those from among the body, which will say of them, "Well, they were really never saved to begin with". I will tell you right here and now that I do not believe it is that way. I will go back to something I said before: "There is a difference between Mercy and Grace"; Mercy is for us to not receive that which we deserve, and Grace is to receive that which we do not deserve. And, as I have also mentioned, God has given us everything that we need to live out godliness in our lives; where we have problems, is by not submitting to His will. Okay, maybe you are not still seeing this 'Truth'; or maybe, you don't want to see it; could that be? Okay then, try to receive this: When we fail to live out the 'Precious Promises' of God in our lives, it is not because we lack anything which the Lord has provided for our success; but rather, it is because we have not surrendered to Him, those things which hold us back from being successful. And guess what else; these things that we must surrender, well, they sometimes are not necessarily things at all; but they could be lies which we have settled in our hearts, which are contrary to the 'Truth'. Yes, it is true; believe it or not; we can believe lies, even though we have the Truth. You have heard the term, 'Two out of three is not bad'; well in this case, it is bad. Jesus said, "I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life"; and what I am trying to say, is that there are some who have accepted the Way and the Life, but have sadly not received the Truth. But you might say, 'How can that be?' Let me ask you a famous question, 'And what is Truth?' Well for starters: "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His Majesty. For He received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the Excellent Glory, This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I Am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the holy mount. We have also a more 'sure' word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts: Knowing this 'first', that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Peter 1:16-21)

"Make Your Calling And Election Sure" - 3

Okay then; now, if you have been following this blog for any length of time, you might have gathered that I have made 'much-to-do' about the difference between the 'forgiven believer' and the 'glorified believer'. And, as has already been established, we have all been given the same Grace; the only problem with the believer that is just forgiven, is that he has not yet experienced the 'Fullness of God's Grace'. So, why is this important and relevant to 'Making our Calling and Election Sure'? Well, for the most part, for the 'Knowledge of God'; which is knowledge that is gained through experience. As Peter describes here in the first half of 2 Peter 1, that through the 'Knowledge of God' we become partakers of 'Divine Nature'; and as already mentioned, we have all been given the same ability to 'partake'; the problem is, that not all partake. And as I mentioned upon the opening of this Book, Peter was writing this epistle to address false and misleading teachings that were being spread in the church. Now, for those that do not know, we are responsible for our own salvation; in other words, we cannot blame being mislead on those that have done the misleading. That is why we must be diligent to experience the 'Knowledge of God' for ourselves; which is meant specifically for us, as individuals, to experience; otherwise, we are gaining the knowledge from an outside source, which could be misleading. The word 'sure' is from the Greek word 'Bebaios' which means fixed, sure, certain. Figuratively that upon which one may build, rely, or trust; and in the New Testament, it is not used of persons but objects; and it is that which does not fail or waiver; it is immovable, and on which one may rely. The 'object' on which we are to build is 'the Knowledge of God'; of which can only come through a personal experience of God's Grace. And, we are to experience this Grace by walking in, and walking out the qualities of the Holy Spirit (virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, charity) that have been brought into our lives, and are now part of who we are in Jesus Christ. These are the qualities that are added to our faith, because they are the bases of our faith; and if we lack these qualities, then we have forgotten who and what we are in Jesus Christ. The reason that this is so critical within our lives are twofold: on the one hand, we will know, based upon 'the Knowledge of God', what is the 'Present Truth' within our own lives; and, on the other hand, we will come to realize, based upon 'the Knowledge of God', what is false from without... "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in 'the Knowledge of Him': the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the Hope of His Calling, and what are the Riches of the Glory of His Inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His Power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His Mighty Power." (Ephesians 1:17-19)

"Make Your Calling And Election Sure" - 2

"For I say, through the Grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For we have many members in One Body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are One Body in Christ, and every one members one of another." (Romans 12:3-5) Do you wonder what this portion of scripture has to do with what we are talking about? Well for one, Paul, like Peter, had something which he could look back upon and show him the vast contrast between Saul and Paul. For each of us who are 'Alive in Christ', we have a 'knowledge' within us of our change, each one unique, but all of the same changing. In the opening verse of 2 Peter, he writes, "to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ"; which, if you look closely, really says that we have 'obtained like (precious) faith', or the same faith; because in Romans 12:3, Paul does not say 'a' measure of faith, but 'the' measure of faith. And no one can tell you, or show you the Way to 'the knowledge of God'; but rather, it is experienced by each and everyone of us individually; because that particular type of 'knowledge' is obtained through personally being involved in the process of obtaining the 'knowledge' with the object from which the 'knowledge' is being given. In other words; the 'Knowledge of God' that we have, as individuals, is birthed in us as we are transformed from darkness to Light; and no one can tell us, or show us what this 'Knowledge' is, but rather, it must be experienced by each and everyone of us individually. However; this individual 'knowledge experience' is the same 'Knowledge'; with the only difference being, that the same 'knowledge' was birthed within each of us, individually and personally. Secondly, we must remember, that 'But For The Grace Of God' that we would not be changed in the first place, and that it is because of God's Grace that we remain: We can do nothing outside of Jesus Christ! In the opening verses, Paul says, "but to think soberly", which means to be in your right mind; in other words, to remember that from which you came. This is very similar to what Peter says in 2 Peter 1:9, "But he that lacketh these things (virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, and charity) is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." The reason that this is similar, is because both passages speak of being in our right mind, or seeing the big picture; which ever way you look at it, we all need to be mindful of 'who' we are in Christ, 'how' we got in Christ, and 'why' we remain in Christ; because if we are not mindful of these things, we can definitely find ourselves walking in our own strength, and not His... "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give 'diligence' to 'make your calling and election sure': for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For 'so an entrance' shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the Everlasting Kingdom of or Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you in remembrance of these things, though ye 'KNOW' them, and be established in the Present Truth." (2 Peter 1:10-12)

"Make Your Calling And Election Sure"

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith: that ye, being rooted and grounded in Love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to 'know' the Love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:17-19) There are two different kinds of 'knowledge' that we are talking about here in the first few verses of 2 Peter. First off, we must understand that these things which are listed in verses 5-7 (virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity), are already things which have been bestowed upon us, because they are all qualities which come with the Holy Spirit. As I shared before, when I first came to Christ, I received a knowledge of who He was; it was as if a Light had been turned on, and everything that I had ever heard, read, or been told about the Truth of God rang alive in me. In verse 5, where Peter says, "And to virtue, knowledge", this knowledge he mentions is from the Greek word 'Gnosis', which is more like 'the power of knowing'. If you remember what we saw when Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love Me?", Peter had come to understand who Jesus really was, and why He had to go willfully to the cross; this is the kind of knowledge we are talking about here. It is the 'knowledge' of who God is; His Love, His Mercy, and His Grace. Now then, contrast that with the 'Knowledge of God' which is spoken of in verse 2, "Grace and Peace be multiplied unto you through the Knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,"; this comes from the Greek word 'Epignosis', which is clear and exact knowledge which expresses a more thorough participation in the object of knowledge on the part of the knowledgeable subject. This type of knowledge would be more easily expressed or understood by our active involvement in the work or the change which God in bringing forth in us through the knowledge of Him. A good example of this, would be the knowledge that Peter had of his 'friendship' with Jesus; that he could 'now' call him friend, and that Jesus could 'now' receive that declaration as so. It is this 'knowledge' that is vital to us to come to know, because the knowledge which follows virtue has already been given, and is present with the Holy Spirit; but the 'knowledge' which comes through our relationship with Jesus, that is a 'knowledge' which comes through our experience with Him; and He has given us 'everything' that we need to be able to experience Life and Godliness in Him. So; that is the reason for the 'knowledge' which is given and added unto our 'faith'; not that we need to add it, but that it is already there, and we must receive it as so; just the same way we have our faith, so we must hold these things as who we are in Jesus, because they are the qualities of God; and if we are in Christ Jesus, then the Holy Spirit is dwelling within us; and if the Holy Spirit is dwelling within us, then we have these qualities also within us, and they come from God. In verse 3, Peter uses that word 'knowledge' again, and this is the same word he used in verse 2, which means 'knowledge which shows the relationship of the learner to the object of his knowledge'. "According as His Divine Power hath given unto us 'All Things' that pertain into Life and Godliness, through the 'knowledge of Him that hath called us' unto glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:3 & 4)

"Day Of Remembrance" - 4

"And beside this, giving 'all diligence', add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity." (2 Peter 1:5-7) Am I saying that the virtue of man is nothing? No; but what I am saying, is that the virtues of man are shallow. The word for 'virtue' used here in 2 Peter is the Greek word 'Aretes', and it is a noun. The main meaning of this word 'Aretes' is: Superiority or being pleasing to God; or the superiority of God revealed in the work of salvation. 'Arete' denotes in a moral sense what gives man his worth, or his efficiency. In a plural form, such as in 1 Peter 2:9, it is translated as "praises": The virtues as a force or energy of the Holy Spirit accompanying the preaching of the glorious gospel. It is very, very important to realize from what we have been taken, and to what we have been established into. The virtues of man are honourable; such as courage, fortitude, resolution, or even moral excellence. However, compared with the virtues of God, they are shallow; why? because they are mortal, or of the flesh. The opposite meaning of virtue in this regard would be 'A vice': fault; blemish; evil habit; immorality or depravity. However, if we have truly been 'regenerated' by the Holy Spirit, then we have been purged from our old sins, and from morality; and we have been brought into a new 'Everlasting Kingdom' which has been established by Jesus Christ. What this basically means, is that, when we are walking within our own virtues, or the virtues of man, then we are also subject to the opposite of these virtues, which are basically rooted and grounded in our old sins, or the flesh; of which we have been purged from. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the 'Praises' of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous Light." (1 Peter 2:9)

"Day Of Remembrance" - 3

"But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." (2 Peter 1:9) Yesterday I received an email with a link to a scientific discovery of how the sea could have parted for the children of Israel to pass through. This theory was based upon the notion, that the wind moving across a 'shallow' portion of the sea at a speed of at least 65 mph, and over a period of several hours, then it could have happened. Well; without getting into this 'speculation' (raised up against the Knowledge of God), let me just go right to the 'meet' of this matter. This is the world doing what we have a tendency to do ourselves; and that is to not give God the full Glory. It is one thing for the world to do it, because they do not know God, or the power of His very breath; but, we on the other hand, do not have that excuse. Yet, this is exactly what happens to us as we progress though this life: we explain away the workings of God in our lives. And, what, pray tell, do I mean by that? Well, let's look at the word 'virtue' for an instance: we can come to a point in our lives, where we think that any virtue we have is because of our doing; as if, it is because of our own righteousness, or well doing, that we have any virtue. However, the virtue that we have, is in line with the godliness we have: It is all from Him. And what, pray tell, is wrong with thinking that we have any virtue? For one, we don't; but if we think that we do, then when we fall, we begin to question the power of God in our lives. When instead, we should be aware, that if and when we have fallen, it is not because we lack God's power in our lives, but that we have rested upon our own power, and not His. He has given us everything we need for virtue and godliness; yet when we are lacking, it is because we have been moving in our own strength, and not His. When Peter said, "But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off", he is saying that we do not see the whole picture; that it is not our doing which produces virtue and godliness, and that we have forgotten that He purged us from our old sins. In other words, we have forgotten the miracle of His Saving Grace; because anything short of that, is 'shallow'. "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the Present Truth. Yea, I think it 'meet', as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shown me. Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance." (2 Peter 1:10-15)

"Day Of Remembrance" - 2

"According as His Divine Power hath given unto us ALL things that pertain into Life and Godliness, through the Knowledge of Him that hath called us to Glory and Virtue; whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:3 & 4) Maybe 'Day' is the wrong word to use; but then again, maybe not. There was something that I can remember that happen on the Day I received God's Forgiveness, and it was Light; because all of the sudden, I Knew God. And when I say that I Knew Him, I mean that, in that moment there was no doubt within me that He was, because He was in me. "And God said, Let there be Light; And there was Light"; that is how it was; the darkness had been turned to Light. This was God's doing, and there was no denying that the Light had come, because in that moment I had a Knowledge of Him; who He was; and who I was in Him. Unfortunately, this new Divine Nature that I was given, was still subject to a life that revolved around the flesh; which in turn causes me to sometimes surrender to the corruption that is in the world, which in reality, I have escaped. But, what seems to happen, is that we have a tendency to forget that we have been given this New Divine Nature, and fall into the lie that because we are still flesh, we must be subject to the corruption of that flesh. We must know that this is not so; because, God has given us ALL that we need to live out a Life of godliness; we just must not believe the lie. And what is the lie? Well, there may be many; but the main lie that the devil would have us believe, is that we are still corruptible. In other words; that because we are still within this earthen vessel, we must still be subject to the corruption of this world of which it belongs. But we are instructed to walk through the darkness, but not be partakers of the darkness; because we are no longer of the darkness, but are Light. I go back to that famous bumper sticker, "Christians are not perfect, just forgiven"; you know the one I am talking about: the excuse sticker. Which, although it is true, it is not a banner by which we should live. Instead, we must strive to live out the Life which we have been given; of which we have been pulled out of the corruptible life of the world that is governed by lust; and have been brought into a Life that is governed by God, and by Love. "And beside this, giving All diligence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity (Love). For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:5-8)

"Day Of Remembrance"

"Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained 'like precious Faith' with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and Peace be multiplied unto you through the 'Knowledge of God', and of Jesus our Lord." (2 Peter 1:1 & 2) I find it a little interesting that Peter starts this epistle off by using his given name; whereas, in 1 Peter, he starts off by saying Peter. The reason that I think this is rather interesting, is because of the reason for writing this epistle. If you remember, when Jesus first meet Peter, He called him Simon, and then when He asked Peter, "Do you love me?", He also called him Simon. There is a great possibility that Peter was writing this second letter from Rome; which is where he had written the first letter from six years earlier. It also is possible, that his first visit to Rome was to accompany Mark to go be with Paul; and then his next visit six years later, was to claim the body of Paul after his beheading. At the end of this second letter, Peter states, "To remember the writings of Paul", and I believe he did so because Paul had gone to be with the Lord. But the main reason for writing this epistle, was to address the many false and deceptive teaching were were being spread; as well as those who were trying to stir up trouble within the church. It is not uncommon for there to be false and misleading teachings within the church to spread, once a leader of the church has been taken out of the way; and such was the case when Paul was put to death. Besides these things, Peter was coming towards the end of his time here also, and would soon be crucified upon a cross; and I think he could sense this day coming; you can read it in his tone and in his manner of speaking, that he was making this a farewell address to the church. It is very important for us, who are believers in Christ, to have a remembrance of our True Conversion to the Faith. To remember how it was that we were converted from the darkness into the Light; and that it was not by anything which we had done, but that it was totally by the Grace of God. "This second epistle, beloved I now write unto you; in both I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandments of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His Coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." (2 Peter 3:1-4)

"True Regeneration"

"And God said, Let there be Light: and there was Light. And God saw the Light, that it was Good: and God divided the Light from the darkness." (Genesis 1:3 & 4) It is all God: He is the one that made the Light, provided the Light, sustains the Light, and separates the Light from the darkness; we just need to Truly believe in the Light. A True Believer, is one who has truly accepted God's Mercy; which means that we have truly accepted His forgiveness, which was provided to us by His Only Begotten Son upon the Cross. It goes far beyond just believing that Jesus came and died on the cross; it goes all the way to the Light. It is a matter of believing to such a degree, that the sin nature we have been born into, must be immersed in His Light; in other words, we must believe that Jesus truly did die on that cross for All of our sin, and then we must truly believe that God the Father has forgiven us totally of All that sin, which was taken on by His Son. All means All... Once we have truly accepted God's forgiveness, we are then washed in the Blood of the Lamb, and made a worthy vessel for the Holy Spirit to inhabit: God's Grace is then bestowed upon us; which then we must receive into our lives (meaning that we believe we have received it), and then walk it out. In the mean while, God is renewing and sustaining His Grace within us, by illuminating and strengthening our soul in fellowship with His Holy Spirit; as we continue to Grow in the Grace of God. It really is All His Doing, and it was totally accomplished upon the Cross; everything which must have been corrected, was corrected by the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross. How is that? (In case you were wondering.) It is all because of the darkness; which was brought on by sin: sin was the reason for death, separation from God, and the darkness. But God said, "Let there be Light, and there was Light"; which was His Son Jesus Christ, who He sent to us, in the form of a man. And then God saw that Light, "That it was Good"; because Jesus, whom, was without sin, and full of His Spirit, went upon the cross, to be a sacrifice worthy enough to take on the sins of the world. And then "God divided the Light from the darkness"; which means that He is purifying us, daily, and until the end; this is God's Grace, and it is all made possible by His Mercy. Mercy that was made available to us by the Blood of His Son on the cross; to pay the price for our sins; that we can be forgiven of that sin, by the Father. No more sin, means no more separation from God, which means no more death; and in the end, no more darkness!!! "Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a Good Work in you will perform (complete) it until the Day (establishment of full Light) of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)

"Converted To Saint"

"Therefore thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. But when he seeth his children, the Work of Mine Hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify My Name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine." (Isaiah 29:22-24) What part of God's Grace did you not understand? Jesus rising from the dead was the easy part for Him; fore, before He died upon the cross, He declared, "It Is Finished!" Which meant, that He had accomplished that for which He came; which really meant, that in that moment, He had conquered sin and death, because the two go hand in hand. Which really means, that He did not conquer death upon His resurrection, but that He conquered it upon the cross; the resurrection was just the fulfillment of His victory upon the cross. Okay; What am I trying to say? Simply this: His Grace is sufficient for us!!! Just before Jesus told Peter, in Luke 22, "Satan hath desired to have you", He said this in verses 29 & 30, "And I appoint unto you a Kingdom, as My Father hath appointed unto Me. That ye may eat and drink at My Table in My Kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." It is very interesting that the Lord would jump from saying this, to telling Peter about the ordeal he was going to face, including Peter's denial of Him. But when you consider what the Lord said next, it makes perfect sense: "And He said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing." And then He went on to tell them that they must get ready for a battle, and He declared this in verse 37: "For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in Me: And He was reckoned among the transgressors: For the things concerning Me have an end." Here is a quote from the definition of Grace: "Grace, when received by faith, transforms man and causes him to love and seek after the righteousness of God. Grace is initially regeneration, the work of the Holy Spirit in which Spiritual Life is given to man and by which his nature is brought under the dominion of righteousness. The maintenance of this condition requires an unbroken and immense supply of Grace. Grace remains constant in, and basic to, a believer's fight without against the devil and his struggle within against sin. Renewal is stimulated and impelled by God's illuminating and strengthening of the soul, and will continue and increase so long as the soul preservers. God's Grace insures that those who have truly regenerated will persevere until the end of life. This entire work is called 'sanctification', a Work of God whereby we are renewed in the whole man and are enabled more and more to die daily unto sin and to live unto righteousness." In 1 Peter 5, after saying in verse 8, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour;" he went on to conclude with this very important instruction: "Whom (meaning the devil) resist steadfast in the Faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all Grace, who hath called us unto His Eternal Glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To Him be Glory and Dominion for Ever and Ever. Amen."

"The Converted Soul"

"For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought." (Isaiah 29:20 & 21) Contrary to what some may think, God is still on the Throne, and He still is in control; however, the devil still gets to toy with His children. In these opening verses, there are some brief illustrations of some of the things which the devil uses to try and destroy a soul. When Jesus told Peter, "Satan hath desired to have you", what He was saying, is that Satan wanted to claim back Peter's soul. This name 'Satan' means adversary, or opposer; which was applied by Jesus to Peter in Matthew 17:23, "But He turned, and said to Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan; thou art an offense unto Me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." This Jesus said to Peter because he was opposing the Divine plan of man's redemption by Christ's sufferings and death, and thus joining with Satan. Another name that is given to Satan, is the devil, which means slanderer, or false accuser. No matter what his name might be, the devil has only one desire, and that is to separate us from God. We must understand something about why the devil tries so hard to separate us from God: he is jealous of us because of God's redeeming Grace that we are given; and because we have been given a free will to choose to receive God's Grace, he plays upon that free will by making us to believe a lie. When Jesus said that He had prayed for Peter, that his faith would not fail, He was meaning that Peter would not believe a lie that the devil would place within him; mainly, that his denial of Jesus would be an offence to the Lord, and one which he would not be forgiven of. This is one of Satan's must useful tools to cause converted souls to turn away from God: to accuse those that have sinned against God, and to cause them to believe that they are not worthy of God's redeeming Grace. It is also important that we know what the difference between Mercy and Grace is; for God's Mercy is given freely, but His Grace must be received. In other words; Peter could easily believe that Jesus would forgive him for what he had done, but to believe that Jesus would still use him, and make him to be 'A stone', that he needed to receive as Truth. Which was why Jesus restored, and reinforced this Truth to Peter, by telling him, "Feed My Sheep"; because, as He told him, "And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren". Peter had experience!!! "Humble yourselves therefore under The Mighty Hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:6-8)

"To Be Converted"

"And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." (Luke 22:31 & 32) 'Converted': the Greek word is 'epistrepho', and it means to turn; to turn upon, or toward. The real question that arises, is whether man turns to God, or does God turn man to Himself. This I believe is quite significant to understand, because I can remember all the times that I turned to God before I actually accepted Jesus into my heart, that, my turning to Him was not sincere; but it was more of a act of desperation. However, the day that I received Christ into my heart, it was God that turned me to Himself; for at that time I was very content with where I was; and although I was in jail, I did not think that I needed to be saved from my condition. But, then came the 'Call'; as I laid there in my bunk, just planning to do my own thing, there came that voice over the loudspeaker, saying, 'Come'. Why do I say that this is quite significant? Because I was not converted out of desperation, as if I needed to be saved from a particular circumstance, or hardship. And had I received my conversion based upon needing to be saved from a certain ordeal, when the ordeal was over, I might not have stayed committed to the Lord. Instead, I was saved based upon my true need of salvation, and not based upon my need to be saved from my predicament. I think that I would liken this to what happen to Moses, as he was tending the flock of his father-in-law, God appeared to him in the form of a burning bush. Moses was content with where he was, and God appeared; then Moses was converted to God. Or like Paul; who, when he was Saul, and on a quest to go to anywhere that Christians were gathering, to persecute them and bring to justice; God appeared, and Paul was converted. Man left at his own devices, will serve himself; and when we are turning to God because of our earthly needs, we are doing so to try and better our situation, and not necessarily to give our life over to the Lord. Peter and the other disciples had went back to what they were doing before they meet Jesus; and after Jesus rose from the dead, and appeared to them at the shore, there was a real conversion. Peter especially had received this conversion; because, for Peter, his seeing the Lord risen from the dead, was more than he needed to turn him back to the Lord: Jesus appeared to Him and turned him back!!! "Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of The Book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek shall increase their Joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel." (Isaiah 29:17-19)

"The Potter's Clay"

"Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the Potter's clay: For shall the work say of Him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of Him that framed it, He had no understanding?" (Isaiah 29:16) Ouch! But this hurts Lord! You've heard the expression, "No Pain, No Gain"; well, unfortunately, that might be closer to reality than we might want. Sometimes there must be a little pain applied to our lives, just to get our attention. And sometimes, that pain may feel unbearable; but, God has a plan which surpasses our basic needs or wants; we just need to trust that He knows best. And not only what is best for ourselves, but what is best for His Church. This, I believe is the thing which we so easily forget; that we are not in this fight by ourselves; but that we are part of a Body. Sometimes, the working of making one part of the Body stronger, may, for a moment make another part of the Body hurt. This is not a bad thing, but is rather meant for the good of all. For those that are being sifted, this may seem unjust; but when they come to realize why, they are not only more useful for His Kingdom, but they are also more aware of how much He understands their real needs. The main reason for this, is that we do not easily see our own needs; instead, we are quick to see the flaws or sin in others, while not paying attention to our own. In other words; we have a tendency to look the other way at our own short comings, while we focus our attention on the short comings of others. This might make us feel better about ourselves, but it is only for a season; because in the long run, we are all the same Body. And if we accept the fact that what happens to our foot, will not effect our back, we are going to be in for a big surprise, or disappointment; depending on how much we put our focus in the wrong place. Put it this way: What happens to one part of the Body, will effect the other parts, in one way or the other. It may be something less noticeable, but, when we are focused upon the wrong things, such as the flaws of others, we are in some degree or another, tearing down ourselves; Why? Because we are the same Body!!! We can only take so much abuse to one portion of our body, before the rest of the body feels the pain also. This is why it is so very important to remember that we are all One Body; and although God is working on us individually, He is also working on us all, as One... "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God: And if it First begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a Faithful Creator." (1 Peter 4:16-19)

"The Hope Of His Child" - 3

"Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." (Proverbs 22:15) Another way to look at this ordeal that Peter had to go through, is that of correction. For, he needed to learn something very important about not only who Jesus really was, but who he was also. God will use our strengths for His glory, but He will use them through Him, and not through us: What does that mean? Basically, this means that we must be trained up by the Lord; to trust in the Lord to work through us, without depending upon our own abilities, but upon His. For example: Peter was a fisherman, this is what he was good at; yet God made him to be a 'Fisher of men'. Moses was a leader, and a city builder; God made him to be a leader and a builder of the Nation of Israel. Paul was a 'Go Getter'; God made him to be a man that was determined to Preach the Gospel, and to 'Go Get' the Gentiles into the Kingdom of God. This is what our Father does, He will use our strengths for His Kingdom; but He will first train us up in His ways, and not in the way we are accustomed to. To do this, He will first make us to be dependent upon Him, which requires that we first learn how weak we really are. Much like what Peter had to experience with his denial of the Lord. He needed to learn a very important lesson in humility, because he was proud; and it was because of his pride, that he denied the Lord. Because he did not truly understand what Jesus was doing, and why He must die, he was lead by pride to deny knowing Jesus; as if there was something wrong with what Jesus was doing, and why He was doing it the way He was. In other words; Peter did not want to accept that Jesus would go to His death without a fight, because his view of who Jesus was, was that of a conqueror; the Messiah, that would free the children of Israel from bondage. For many that were alive at that time, this was the concept of what the Messiah would come and do; and for the Messiah to lay down His life, just did not make sense to those that held this belief. Yet, after Jesus rose from the grave, it all made sense; and for Peter, he came to understand all that Jesus had been telling him over last three years. This is the 'Hope of His child'; to be enlightened in the things of Him; to be corrected in his thinking; to be brought to a place where they are now dependant upon God for guidance, and not upon their own way of thinking... "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." (1 Corinthians 13:11)

"The Hope Of His Child" - 2

To put it more plainly: God knows our weaknesses, as well as our strengths; after all, He is our Maker. And when God calls us, He has called us just as we are; with all of our weaknesses as well as our strengths. Here is the thing that might seem a little strange; sometimes, it is our strengths that get us in the worst trouble. The main reason for me saying that, is, when we are weak, He is strong; but when we are strong, we have a tendency to walk in our own strength. This is really the thing which brings down many 'strong' men of God; because they begin to walk in their strength, they forget just how weak they really are. But God knows what we need; He knows our frame, what makes us tick, what makes us fall, what makes us want more of Him; He knows us through and through. It is our responsibility to allow Him to conform us to His image. This is ultimately our 'Hope' as His child: To be conformed to His image. But like I said, 'Hope' does not mean 'a maybe' kind of relationship; it means that we Trust in God to bring us through this place, and to equip us with what we need: much like a child depends upon their earthly father for guidance and substance, but without all the disappointments. We are to be yearning for His guidance with earnest expectation; knowing that He has our best interest in mind, as He sets our course before us. And then, with intense anticipation, we long for the day when He will say, "Well Done Good and Faithful Servant". Our 'Hope' is not based upon chance; but is based upon what we believe to be 'Truth'. Each and every day, is a new day of 'Living Hope'; expectant of what God is going to show, do, or fulfill in us: It must be that way, because without this 'Hope', people perish; which pretty much means that we could end up somewhere we would rather not be. Peter had this expectation that God would still be using him as 'A stone' in the building of His Church; regardless of his weakness which was spurred on by his strength (stubbornness). He knew that Jesus did not tell him that he was 'A stone', only to make him follow Him; but that Jesus called him 'A stone' because He was going to make him into something special; and God was not through with him yet, and he knew that! This is so vital for us to come to understand; because we are not perfect; God knows that, and we must come to realize that He does; but He wants to make us perfect in Him, we just need to let Him... "Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the Potter's clay: for shall the work say of Him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of Him that framed it, He had no understanding? Is it not a little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed a forest? And in the day shall the deaf hear the Words of the Book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of the obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their Joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. For the terrible one is brought to naught, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught. Therefore thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. But when he seeth his children, the work of Mine Hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify My Name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine." (Isaiah 29:15-24)

"The Hope Of His Child"

There is another way to look at this realization of Peter: it is called 'Hope'. We, for the most part, have a distorted view of what 'Hope' really is, and what it should speak to us. It has almost become a word to describe a game of chance; as if to say, 'I hope I can find a job'; where we will use this word 'Hope' in place of 'maybe', or even, 'If the Lord wills'. However, when it comes to our eternal salvation, God's forgiveness, and His Mercies, Hope is not a maybe kind of thing; it is sure, and it is to be expected. In fact, our Hope is to be 'earnest expectation', or 'intense anticipation'. This would explain Peter's hast as he dove into the water from their boat, when Jesus showed up after His resurrection; Peter was full of intense anticipation that Jesus had forgiven Him for his denial. More than that, Peter, earnestly expected Jesus to forgive him; and why was that? For one, Jesus Himself foretold to Peter, that Peter would be deny Him; three times to boot. And secondly, because Peter understood what Jesus was all about; His mission, His purpose in going to the cross. As soon as Jesus had risen from the dead, Peter became aware of what He had been saying, and why He said it. It was as if the Light had went on inside his heart; the 'eyes of his heart had been opened', and now He could see why Jesus was crucified on that cross; he could feel what Freedom really meant, and that it was not a physical freedom that they were waiting for. In John 13:36-38, Peter asked Jesus a question, "Lord, where goest Thou?"; this was because Jesus had been instructing them in how He would be leaving them shortly, and how they should love one another. At this point in Peter's life, he still did not get the big picture, nor did he really understand what Jesus was getting ready to do: he still had a heart that was nonacceptant of Jesus' determination to die on the cross. Then Jesus answers Peter, "Whither I go, thou canst not follow Me now; but thou shalt follow Me afterward." This was a hint to Peter that he too would one day be crucified upon a cross, but Peter did not get that then; but was more focused upon going into battle, or rising up against the Roman rule; not to lay down his life without a fight, but more of a willingness to give his life in a fight. Which is why he answered back, "Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for Thy sake." Which is when Jesus set him straight, "Wilt thou lay down thy life for My sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied Me thrice". This is why, for Peter, he was so aware of this 'Hope'; in fact he called it 'Living Hope'... "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His Abundant Mercy hath begotten us again unto a Lively Hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through Faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)

"He Knows My Frame"

Come to think of it, He knows me better than I know myself; and He definitely Knows more about me than I could ever know. This is what Peter realized the moment that rooster crowed, 'Jesus said that I would deny Him three times before that rooster crowed; how did He know that, when I could not foresee it myself?' Within the series of questions that Jesus asked Peter, "Do you Love Me?", the Lord ended each one, after Peter's response, with an instruction, which was really more of a command, "Feed My lambs", "Feed My sheep", "Feed My Sheep". Jesus started this instruction with 'lambs', which are baby sheep; but more than that, they represent an animal of sacrifice. It was in reference to His question, "Do you love Me more than these?", which this could have been in reference to; for as we know, only John actually died of old age; all the rest, including Peter, were martyred, (with the exception of Judas Iscariot, and that is still up for debate). There is another thing about baby sheep; they need to be nudged into the direction that they should go; sheep on the other hand, usually have a tendency to follow. Jesus instructed Peter, "Feed My sheep" twice; once after asking Peter, "Do you love Me?", the other, after asking Peter, 'Are you now My friend?'. It is important to know that Peter knew and understood, that Jesus knew what was in his heart; he got that now. But more than that: Peter came to realize, that Jesus did not hold the fact that he denied Him against him; especially when it came to 'Feeding His Sheep'; Why??? Lessons; that's why. It was about the lessons that Peter had learned, and how he was now better equipped to understand, share in, and disciple others, by these lessons that he had learned; this, just so happened to be a pretty big lesson. Because Peter, who, when Jesus first meet him, gave him a 'new name', "Cephas" (A stone); then while questioning him about his love, Jesus called him by the name He used before the 'new name', "Simon, son of Jonas". Why is this so significant? Well for one, Jesus called Peter; and even though it was his brother Andrew that brought him to Jesus, it was Jesus that declared upon seeing him, "Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas" (John 1:42); and, as Peter came to understand (by experience), Jesus knew everything about him, the moment He called him into the ministry. Which means, that the moment Jesus called him, and named him 'Cephas', He knew that Peter would later deny Him three times in His hour of judgment. However, and this is critical; Jesus also knew what would happen next, and after that, and after that, all the way to Glory; He knew it all. And when Jesus questioned Peter about his love, He did not say, "Now don't deny Me anymore", nor did He need to; but what He was saying, was for Peter to take those things that He had learned, and instill them into others. Unfortunately, there are many that die, before they learn their lesson... "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more." (Psalms 103:12-16)

"He Calls Me Friend" - 3

"He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him Feed My Sheep." (John 21:16) The second time that Jesus asked Peter, was not the same as the first; it was not a question of comparison. He did not ask Peter, "Do you love (agapao) Me more than these?", but simply, "Do you love (agapao) Me?" However, Peter's answer was the same as his first; he was just repeating himself with his response. But, Jesus, being God incarnate, has intuitive knowledge of each of His children; thus, the Lord would not accept Peter's confession of personal attachment to Himself as that of Friendship, because Jesus intuitively knew that Peter was not always His devoted friend; for He knew Peter would deny Him. Some have suggested that in this passage Christ was providing an opportunity for Peter to redeem himself from the earlier denial of the Lord. The third question, however, was different, "Do you love (phileo) Me?"; or, 'Are you My Friend?' In other words; 'Are your interests, now that you have seen Me risen from the dead, different than before the resurrection?' This is very telling of how much of a change there actually was in how Peter viewed who Jesus was, and what His mission was in going to the cross. For before, after Peter had exclaimed that Jesus was the Christ, he then followed up that exclamation with his nonacceptance of Jesus' determination to die while He could avoid His death. Thus, Peter's denial of the Lord, was basically still set in this nonacceptance of what was really the Lord's plan in going to the cross. Which was really the reason for Peter's reaction of sorrow to the third question; because he now understood the deeper meaning of Jesus' question, "Are you My Friend?" His answer utilized two similar, but distinct verbs, 'oida' to know intuitively, and 'ginosko' to know experientially: "Lord, Thou knowest, (oidas, intuitively) all things; Thou knowest, (ginoskeis, know experientially) that I love Thee (philo, that I am now your friend)". This Peter knew, that the Lord knew, because now Peter knew and understood why Jesus had to die on the cross; which is why Jesus could now surely call him Friend, and accept Peter saying, "Yes, now I am Your Friend". And thus, Jesus went on to tell Peter the manor of death that he would die; "Follow Me". And as history has it, Peter was crucified on a cross, but asked his executioners to place him up-side-down on the cross, because he did not want his Crucifixion to be similar to that of Jesus'; because Jesus dieing on the cross was so much more significant. So then; given all this gained knowledge which Peter had, what does this tell us about what we must do? Again, I must repeat what I have said before: Faith!!! WE MUST BELIEVE!!! We must believe not only that Jesus is the Christ, but that His death upon the cross was His intention, and God's plan for our redemption. It must be undoubtedly clear to us, as individuals, that Jesus died for us; and now that we know that, we must be willing even, to die for Him; and when we come to realize this, and accept our response, then we too can say, 'Yes, I am now Your Friend.' "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who His Own Self bare our sins in His Own Body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: By Whose Stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." (1 Peter 2:21-25)

"He Calls Me Friend" -2

"For this is the Love of God, That We Keep His Commandments: And His Commandments Are Not Grievous." (1 John 5:3) Yes; this I believe is the key to it all; the key to knowing God, and being 'Called Friend'. This is also why I said that serving the Lord is not really a curse, as some may say that it is; but rather it is become who we are, and has become a pleasure. In fact, to those that are 'A Friend of God', serving is not serving, because you serve a master, but you will die for a Friend. This is what John is trying to get across in this very few 5 chapters: that we Love, and it is because we know and have experienced the Love of God, that we not only know Love, but that we have become Love, because God is Love. And now that we have become Love, those things which might seem grievous to others about keeping His commandments, are not grievous to us, because they become what we love, because those things are all about His Love. Okay, maybe I am speaking in circles; but really it comes down to what you love. In other words; Do you still love the things of the world, or the things of God? Which do you love more? When Jesus was questioning Peter in John 21:15-17, the very first question He asked, was, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more than these?" In this first question of Jesus to Peter, there is the comparison of love (agape) toward Himself verses love toward material things, and others. Peter's answer was, "Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love thee." Peter in his answer used the expression, Thou Knowest (to know intuitively), and I love Thee (that I am your friend); which really was an upgrading by Peter of his devotion to Christ. The Lord, however, intuitively knew that Peter had not accepted His determination to die while He could avoid death, (Matthew 16:22 & 23). And, not only did Peter not acknowledge Jesus as his friend, but denied that he even knew Him (Matthew 26:69-75), even as Jesus had predicted Peter would (Matthew 26:31-35). Therefore, the Lord did not accept Peter's self-upgraded love from 'Agape' to 'Philia' (friendship). We love (agapao) God because He first loved us (1 John 4:10). But none of us, especially Peter, earn the right to declare ourselves friends (philos) to God. He alone can declare us as such, even as He did Abraham... "Thou believest that there is One God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered Isaac his son upon the alter? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: And he was called the Friend of God." (James 2:19-23)

"He Calls Me Friend"

Whether you know it or not, we cannot call God our friend, He must call us Friend; like it or not, that is how it is. The reason for that, is that God will not be subject to our lives, and our faults; but He will give us access to His Holiness, and good qualities. This is very similar to the way we are to Love our enemies; What??? No, I am not saying that God considers us enemies; but He does not fellowship with sin, or darkness. The main difference between 'Agape' (or Agapao) love and 'Phileo' love, is that 'Agape' and never 'Phileo' is used towards our enemies; when we are told to 'Love our enemies', it is meant that we should 'Agape' our enemies; which is a higher love than 'Phileo', and is more of an expression of compassion; verses the wider range of 'Phileo' which includes the love of friendship. We are thus commanded to love (agapao) our enemies, to do what is necessary to turn them to Christ, but never to befriend them (phileo) by adopting their interests and becoming friends on their level. Thus, is God's friendship towards us in this same regard; He will not befriend us on our level. However, we are no longer subject to the sin and the darkness which once separated us from fellowship with God; which is why, He can now call us Friend. Because, once we have been washed in the Blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ), we have access to God at His Level; but He will not access us at our level. In other words; God is still an enemy of sin and darkness, so He will not, and cannot subject Himself to it. But we have access to Him through Jesus Christ; and in His presence, where there is no sin, we being made free from sin because of the Blood of His Son, can freely have fellowship; and now He can call us 'Friend'. And how do we Know we are a Friend of God? Because of His Love!!! We are able to be called His Friend because we are now governed by His Love; which means, that our interests are now His interests, because we are interested in the things of Him. And what that really means, is that now the works that we do, are based in our Love for God, and the Faith that we have in Him!!! "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that Loveth Him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we Love God, and keep His commandments. For this is the Love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous." (1 John 5:1-3)

"The Proud Horn"

So, are fear and love the only motivating factors to good works? Unfortunately no; there is a third, and it is called 'Pride'. And I am not talking about being proud to serve the Lord; I am talking about self-serving pride. These are those that do what they do for the praises of man. In Jesus' day, many of these were the Scribes and the Pharisees; of whom He referred to as 'Vipers' and 'Ranging Wolves'. One reason they were called such by our Lord, was that there was no love in them for God, nor was there fear either; only a stone cold heart. Their only love, was that of the praises of man; and their only fear, was what others thought of them, and whether or not they appeared to be righteous. And what do you think produced a heart of stone? It was Pride. This is one thing that the Lord hates: A proud heart; which is the heart of those that think themselves better than others, and the good works which they do, are done to impress others; as if to show themselves better than others by the things that they do. At least those that do what they do out of fear, although wrongly motivated, they do so because they fear God's judgment, and wish to please God with their good works. But those that do what they do out of pride, well, they do not stand a snowballs chance where they are going. They have received their only reward already: the praises of man; as short lived as that may be, because they will have reaped eternal damnation. On the other hand, those that are doing what they do based on fear of God, well, God will be their judge. But we must be cautious, and really check our hearts, because the Bible says, 'The heart is desperately wicked; who can know it'; and if you are not careful to watch your actions, and realize what motivates you to do the things you do, you could find yourself in a wrong place; but all that will be judged by our Lord. "There is none Holy as the Lord; for there is none beside Thee: neither is there any Rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed." (1 Samuel 2:2 & 3)

"A Horn To Cast Out Fear"

"And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity (Love), it profiteth me nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:3) As I said before, fear and love can both be considered as a horn; one for defense and the other for offense. In the Scripture above, Paul says something which some might seem as odd; but when you really think about it, what the motivation involved in doing something good, has a lot to do with whether or not it is good. Because, if what is motivating us to good is fear, then the motivation is wrong; and why is that? Torment, that is why! This is the main difference in being motivated by fear or by love; with perfect love, there is no torment. In other words; to be motivated by fear, is to feel the need to do good because you are fearful of what will happen to you if you don't; this is not love; but is rather self-preservation; which is based in selfishness. There is a very sharp difference in being motivated by fear, or by love; and those that are motivated by fear, really do not have Peace with God, but do what they do, to try and gain peace; which really does not work. There is really only one way to have Peace with God, and that is to know God's Love; and there is only one way to know God's Love, and that is to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ! To put it another way: If we do what we do because we fear God, then in essence, we do not really know His Love; but if we do what we do because we love God, then His Love is perfected in us. "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in Love; but perfect Love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in Love. We Love Him, because He first Loved us." (1 John 4:17-19)

"The Horn Of Salvation" - 2

Okay, let's go with this megaphone concept for a little longer, and let me ask you another question (or two): Did God use a megaphone to reach us? Wouldn't we be able to consider Jesus Christ as God's Megaphone? HELLO!!! What did God demonstrate to us by giving His Only Begotten Son to die for our sins? Wasn't it His Love that He was showing us? I think it was; and Jesus was the 'Shout' from the mouth of God, saying, "Let Me show you My Love". After all, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1); and if that was not enough, how about this one, "In this was manifested the Love of God toward us, because that God sent His Only Begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." (1John 4:9). For God to be able to reach down and manifest His love towards us, He first needed the means to be able to reach man's heart; thus His Word was magnified towards us in the form of a man, to reach the heart of man. This was the Greatest Creation of all, and by Jesus Christ, was not only man reached, but man was redeemed. Now, what is our 'horn' again to share with the world? You could say Jesus, and you would be right; but there is something which we have been given, which is the manifestation of God (Jesus) in our lives; and that my brothers and sisters, is Love. Yes, the megaphone which we have to shout out to the world, is the Love of God! You can shout out Jesus all day, until your blue in the face; but if you have not love, you are just a nuisance to the world, or a noisy Jesus freak. The real Power of God is His Love, which is what He used to reach our hearts, and what we must also use to reach others for Him. This is a really big deal, which we cannot overlook; because the world hears us say 'Get Right With God'; but yet they do not see God's Love in that, only judgement. Which means, that to truly express the need for the world to change, we need to first change ourselves; we must demonstrate the Love of God to the world, and then those that are reachable, will see the Love of God in us. So then, what I am trying to say, is that our Faith is important, and needs to be seen as strong and sure; but more important than that is Love; because without Love, our faith is foolish. "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (Love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity (Love), I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity (Love), it profiteth me nothing." "And now abideth faith, hope, charity (Love), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (Love)." (1Corinthians 13:1-3 & 13)

"The Horn Of Salvation"

"And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in Thy Salvation." (1 Samuel 2:1) There is something about what Hannah is proclaiming here which we should take notice of; besides the fact that she trusted God, and was a woman of great faith; she also had great insight into the Working's of God. Within the first verse is a word which is easily overlooked, and can mean a lot more than one might think; the word is 'horn'. Our very first thought of what this word might imply within this text, might be to picture it of something like a megaphone, because in the very next breath, she says, "my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies". This very well might be the point she was trying to make; however, we are talking about God's Word here; which means that the words which are written here in this Book, are not necessarily the word's of the characters who are speaking them. In verse 10, we see another reference to this 'horn', "The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of Heaven shall He thunder upon them: The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and He shall give strength unto His King, and exalt the Horn of His anointed." The Hebrew word that is used here is 'qeren', and the primary meaning is 'A Horn'; but the implications are various: a flask, a cornet, an elephant's tooth, a corner of the Alter, a peak of a mountain, a ray of light; Power. The Greek word for horn is 'Keras', and it means 'A Horn'. Horns are emblems of strength, power, or glory; which comes from the strength or force exhibited in the horns of animals, whether for offence or defence. The symbol is also applied to Jesus Christ, who is called a "Horn of Salvation", meaning a mighty and glorious Savior. It also refers to any extremity or projecting point resembling a horn, as upon the four corners of the Jewish altars. Now; for the moment, picture this 'Horn' to be something like a megaphone, which would imply that it was something which we could pick up and use in a fashion to proclaim God's Salvation; what do you think that megaphone would represent? How about God's Love? I cannot help but go back to my very first posting; in which I addressed a question: 'Are we motivated by fear or by love?' Both of which are a horn to a certain degree; one is used for defence, and the other for offence. "I will love Thee, O Lord, my Strength. The Lord is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer: My God, my Strength in whom I will trust; my Buckler, and the Horn of my Salvation, and my High Tower." (Psalms 18:1 & 2)

"Doubt Dissolved"

Now let's move out of the physical for a moment, and try to understand what really makes all of our doubt to be dissolved. For, although God is a God of Order, there is One Thing which has no order, because there is no beginning, and there is no end, and that is God's Spirit. To put it in the simplest terms: The Spirit of God has no bounds. So, what does this have to do with, or better yet, what does this do to our measure of Faith? Well; what the Holy Spirit does is to cause a tipping point in the balance of our abilities to endure through any trial or persecution. Faith is what brings us to the point of balance, yet His Spirit is what takes us through. In other words; we are flesh and blood, which is physical; and our Faith is what is used to deal with the physical, but yet, our Faith is not placed in the physical. And when we reach a certain point in our trial or even in the face of death, all doubt is dissolved by His Spirit; and to a certain degree, even all Faith is dissolved also; in other words, it is all His Spirit. Case in point; the stoning of Stephen: Here we see a man, who was lead by the Spirit to proclaim the Truth, and by Faith, he declared to those that were about to stone him, the Truth. Now, some time during this ordeal, he no longer was reliant upon Faith, nor was Faith what was motivating him to continue; but it was all God's Spirit. This is because, as he yielded to God's Spirit, the Spirit of God took over; and it was really no longer Stephen that was that had control of his own words or actions, but it was the Spirit of God; and because God's Spirit was in control, there was no longer the need for Faith, because all doubt was dissolved. This might explain a few things about why after being filled with the Spirit, we sometimes feel weak in our Faith; it is almost like we are brought back to the physical, and then need to adjust back to balance. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having in readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

"A Measure Of Faith" - 3

Okay; so what the heck am I trying to say? Honestly, I don't really know; but I continue, none the less. And I go back to the thing which I said the other day, "Our God is a God of Order"; He has established the order of all things; and at His command they are kept in order. You might have heard something like this said before, 'For every action, there is an equal opposite reaction"; well, it is this concept that I believe God is showing me, and how that concept works in relation to our Faith. In other words; we really do not know how much faith that we have been given, or how little faith we have, until our Faith is tested. Much like Peter, who really thought he could stand for Jesus, until he realized he couldn't, and didn't, when he heard that rooster crow. If you doubt what I am saying, take a look at some people you might know, who you thought were those that really served God; and see how easily it was for them to turn, and to serve themselves: their pride somehow overrides the passion to serve. So, what I am saying is this: If you know how a balance works, it has two basic parts; the stand on which is placed a beam; and the beam is balanced at the top of the stand. Now; when we are pressed, one of two reactions will take place; either we will become stronger in the Lord, or we will become weaker in ourselves. So, if we are truly a Child of God, then these both will be balanced for our good; because, when we are weak, then He is strong. However, for those that are not truly His children, there is an opposite reaction, which will work towards their strength, or actually towards their flesh. Why is this the way it is? Because God has established Order: And if you take the time to look through His Word, you will notice that He measures much, and bases much upon measure. This, I believe is part of the Great Mystery of who God is; but we will all know that for sure in the end. For now, we must just deal with the Faith which we have been given, and pray that when we are pressed, that our hearts are in the right place... "And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn exalteth in the Lord: My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in my salvation. There is none holy as the Lord: For there is none beside Thee: Neither is there any Rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogance come out of your mouth: For the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: He bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of Glory: For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and He hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them: The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and He shall give strength unto His King, and exalt the horn of His anointed." (1 Samuel 2:1-10)

"A Measure Of Faith" - 2

So, now let me ask you a question, but do not answer it right away: Are you ready to take a stand for Jesus Christ? There is a coming time, when your job will be in jeopardy because of your faith; we may not believe it can happen, but it will. And the main difference will be for those that believe that Jesus is the only Way; because there are many that believe in God, or a god; but a very small percentage of those are Children of God; because there is only One Way to become a Child of God, and that is through Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God. So then, what do you think happens when all those others, who believe in God (what ever God they serve) take offence to the belief that we posses; of coarse, they will call us bigoted, or narrow minded, or Jesus freaks. But when the rubber meets the road, are you ready to get pressed? You see, when the lines start getting drawn in the sand, they become narrower and narrower; it is actually almost the reverse of what has taken place over the years of decay; there most be a sifting, to take out those that do not hold the same belief. What I am trying to say, is that the Church is going to become more and more like Jesus in the last days. Remember what I said before, the closer He gets, the brighter we become; so then, the brighter we become, the more those that do not choose Christ will be offended by us; Why? Because the Light will expose their darkness; just as Jesus said in John 3:20, "For every one that doeth evil hateth the Light, neither come to the Light, lest his deeds should be reproved." But you might say, 'Those that will be standing with us are going to be doing good, not evil'. To which I will say this: Wait and see; because the thing which you think holds you together, has a greater divide, and that divide is Jesus Christ. When you study the Scriptures, especially the New Testament, there are those you will see that are okay with the Gospel message, and then they turn. And when I say turn, I mean they turn evil, really evil; so evil that they will kill to stop that Light which makes them feel the way it makes them feel. This is what I am talking about when I say a sifting; as more and more of God's Children begin to get real, and begin to shine brighter, more and more of those that are not His children, will get darker and darker. Again; Are you ready? You really do not need to think to hard on that, because that is really not what matters; why do I say that? Because, just like Peter, we all might think that we are, and be zealous enough to fight and cut off peoples ears; but it will only be determined by how much we Love the Lord, and hate this life. So, we might think we will stand with Jesus, but if we are still stuck to this world, then we won't stand for long. "He said unto him a third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? Peter was grieved because He said unto him the third time, Lovest thou Me? And he said unto Him, Lord thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love Thee. Jesus said unto him, Feed My Sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake He, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He saith unto him, Follow Me." (John 21:17-19)