Meditations on His Word, July '10

Meditations on His Word, July ‘10

July 2010

Acts 10:11-16 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

Like so many Christians, we were raised believing that the above verses were direct instructions from our Father that we now could eat ANYTHING we want with His blessing. We were taught this by our denominational preachers and they were taught this by their denominational preachers, so it must be true!

Now, we realize that this topic can rile Christians to a heated debate very quickly. “Don’t go touching my pork chops, shrimp, catfish, bacon, ham, lobster, crabs and so many other delectable foods I enjoy eating!” Let’s try to calm our stiff-necked stubborn carnal spirits and truly desire to hear the Holy Spirit on this subject.

When Peter experienced this symbolic analogy for chastening and instruction from our Father, what did he learn from it? When he repeated the experience to Cornelius and others did he say “Throw the pig on the spit and catch the clams for a bake because our Heavenly Father says these foods have now become clean to eat!” No, he did not! He related to them exactly what the Lord taught him by using the example of unclean foods to describe the people that were considered common or unclean by the Jews. We must open our spiritual eyes and ears and not misconstrue the true meaning of this example used for our admonition about “whosoever believeth in Him” being anyone made clean by the belief in the blood of Jesus Christ.

When our Teacher and Savior, Jesus Christ, taught with parables and symbolic examples, He did not expect us to take the parables, analogies, allegories and examples and make them literal: “Feed my sheep, Be fishermen, Don’t cast pearls before swine, Take up serpents, Drink poison, An olive tree that bears no fruit, Virgins with and without oil for their lamps, Hair being the covering we need for salvation, Be a candlestick, Be a light, Be salt, Will make us pillars in His temple, etc”. These are symbolic teaching tools that our Teacher, Jesus Christ, used to enlighten us with wisdom from above. We must have spiritual eyes and ears to discern His instruction to us without causing confusion by making His parables, allegories, analogies and examples literal.

Our Heavenly Father did not just arbitrarily make rules and commandments for us. As our loving Father He told us how to live as healthy, safe and happy as we can in this flesh life, because He loves us. Matthew 7:9-11 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? If we can’t see His loving motive in giving us the food laws that are good for our flesh bodies, then what kind of Father do we see in Him? Therefore; He gave us the Food Laws in Leviticus chapter 11 and Deuteronomy chapter 14.

Let’s simply use common sense (which is Godly wisdom) to understand the commandments about foods that are meant to be received (into our bodies), I Timothy 4:3. We are told in Genesis 1:29 that we have been given green herbs bearing seed to eat for our good. Now we know better than to think that we now are able to eat salads made from poison ivy, hemlock, buttercups, holly, etc. The same is true with meats. The animals that are listed for us not to eat are scavengers that our Father created to cleanse the earth and seas. Of course, if we eat these scavengers we are ingesting all the poisons and parasites that they have within them. It truly is that simple! Because our Father chose to teach us a spiritual lesson with an analogy using unclean animals did not mean those animals became anything other than what He created them to be, scavengers to clean the earth and seas. Just as with any parent, can’t you just hear the Lord saying, “Ewwww! Don’t put that in your mouth! It was not meant to be eaten!”

However; let us not become judges of others and remember what we are taught in Romans 14:3 & 4: Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

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Meditations on His Word, June ‘10

June 2010

Jeremiah 19:5 They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:

Jeremiah 32:35 And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

As children of God and as followers of Jesus Christ, we above all, should desire the new name that our Savior/Teacher tells us about in Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. The word Name, used here, means: Nature, mindset, personality, character, disposition, temperament and righteous attributes pertaining to our Heavenly Father. We are to be transformed into His likeness as we are changed and matured by His instruction, guidance and chastening in our lives. Our Savior baptizes (totally submerges and covers) us with Fire (His Holy Truth, His Glory and His Nature or Name). Matthew 3:11 & 12 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff (the parts of us that are unGodly) with unquenchable fire (His Glorious Truth, chastening and instruction).

When John the Baptist tells us that he literally baptized with literal water, but there was one coming who baptizes with fire, we all seem to have no problem accepting (with much relief!) that this fire is spiritually symbolic because we know by our Father’s words in Jeremiah He would never command His children to be baptized by passing them through literal fire. We must come to the peaceful understanding that the fire and the water we are to be submerged in is our Father’s Glorious Truth, Jesus Christ. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the Truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Ignorance of Truth and lack of Godly nature can cause so many to do despicable things in the name of the Lord. We have all witnessed the almost hysterical glee at the preaching of people burning forever in literal fire. We know that “salvation through fear” is an orthodox teaching, but it causes us to attribute things to God that would never, EVER be in His nature. Too many believe that if there is no threat of an eternal physical painful repercussion that no one would want to be saved. Our Father wants us to love Him and love born out of fear is not true love. When we are told in the Bible to “Fear God”, we are to revere (love, honor, respect, esteem, obey) Him, not fear Him.

Hell, Gehenna, Sheol, Hades, the grave, the pit and death (spiritual) are words used in God’s Holy Word to describe the complete and total absence of Godliness, obedience, peace, love and submission to our Heavenly Father and His plan for our salvation, His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. This complete absence destroys any peace, righteousness and joy in the Holy Spirit (Which is the Kingdom of God). Is this living Hell that so many are tormented in every day and the missing out on what our Father has prepared for us not enough for those who are supposed to have the Name/Nature of God? Would we rather be like those that our Father found abominable by desiring the burning of people in literal eternal Fire?

May we desire His Truth and Peace on this teaching and allow Our Lord to “burn up the chaff (UN-Godly attributes)” from our carnal natures about this misunderstood and confusion-creating issue.

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Meditations on His Word, May ‘10

May 2010

“Hirelings”

John 10:12 & 13 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

Something is brewing in our area, and also nationally and internationally. A local lawsuit involving churches and preachers being tax exempt has been filed. We would like to remind and console God’s children to remain spiritually calm and not get caught up in the fear and panic that is sure to ensue. Many Biblically uninformed (and some unethical) people are going to use this situation to rile Christians by saying that we are under attack and that we should defend and protect Christianity from this interference in doing God’s work. However; as we are told by our Teacher/Savior, Jesus Christ, in the above verses, true followers of our Lord have nothing to worry or panic about because we are not to be hirelings, but good shepherds, as He is.

What will happen, if things change about tax exemptions for churches and pastors, is the hirelings will be exposed and shaken out of the religious system. This will be a good thing for the Kingdom of God here on earth! We are told that everything that can be shaken will be shaken, Hebrews 12:26 & 27 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain., We think this is a beautiful example of our Father’s shaking, exposing and purifying His Kingdom. Surely, no one could debate that the financial benefits have drawn many sharks (hirelings) into the waters of teaching, pastoring, ministering and congregation-building.

We realize that many have simply followed the world’s acceptable steps in becoming pastors: Seminary College, religious degrees, doctorates. Therefore; they would like the monetary security they feel entitled to in recouping their expenses and commitment in choosing this “career”. But was sharing, teaching, ministering the Word of God ever supposed to be a paid job? We know the verses that are used to defend paying the clergy: “not muzzling the ox treading the grain”, “labourer is worthy of his hire”, etc., but we believe these verses are symbolically describing those working for the Lord as not being hindered (muzzled) or worried about their welfare while they eat/partake/gain/share/teach the Truth. After all, who are we hired (called) by and for whom do we work? Our Heavenly Father!!

A hireling is going to be greatly concerned about whether or not his/her income is going to be affected by taxation. Didn’t our Lord tell His disciples to “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s”? Matthew 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. We can see our Lord’s attitude clearly in this verse. We are to be about our Father’s business and not concerned about worldly taxation. A hireling is going to play upon the loyalty of his/her congregation to protect or be righteously offended for him/her about this personal attack on his/her finances. A hireling will consider whether he/she can continue doing this “job” if it becomes economically unprofitable. A hireling will leave the sheep that he/she was supposedly caring for to find a better paying job.

The hireling is continually compromised in words and deeds as he/she has to worry about his/her "living." Therefore; he/she may not teach the Truth as it is revealed to him/her by the Holy Spirit because the “good tithers” and the financial ruling cliques of the church may take offense (real or perceived) with his/her teachings. What bondage our Lord’s Priests and Kings (all followers of Truth/Jesus Christ, Revelation 1:6, 5:10) have put themselves in! Jesus came to set us free, but too many have allowed themselves to be put in bondage by the motives, desires and concerns of hirelings!

Paul said in I Corinthians 9:18 What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. Our Savior tells us in Luke 10:7 & 8 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. This is the wages that Christ allows: unsolicited gifts. No plate passing, no donation envelopes, no soliciting and no sermons on giving, giving, giving! Jesus commanded His disciples in Matthew 10:8, “freely ye have received, freely give". Amen!

Please, exhort (encourage) one another, be filled with His Peace, stay the course and observe His mighty power as our Father shakes and purifies His Kingdom here on earth!

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Meditations on His Word, April ‘10

April 2010

“Paul’s Race was a Spiritual Relay Race!”

When our spiritual eyes and ears are opened to the calling of our Father to become perfected (mature) Christians, we can become overwhelmed with enthusiasm and dedication to fulfill our mission. If we are not careful we can begin to strive as we share our newfound knowledge and Truth to the point of losing our peace and rest that our Lord and Savior promised us.

Jesus told us that He must go so that He could send the Comforter/Holy Spirit to lead us in Truth. His Truth should bring us peace, consolation and rest. One beautiful example of His comforting love for us is the teaching that the race we are to run is a relay race which involves many runners and not a sprint involving one runner. It is not about reaching the finish line and going on to our heavenly reward. It is a race of many runners in which a baton of Truth is carried and passed to our spiritual brothers and sisters. It is realizing that it is our Duty/Commandment to leave a legacy and to release a spiritual inheritance of Truth to the next generations of believers.

Paul addressed this commandment in Hebrews 5:12 when he told them they all should be mature teachers of Truth and not as babies, having to be taught over and over and fed with milk. We are also told in God’s Word that we do not need any specific man or woman to teach us. I John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

As we share spiritual knowledge with one another, the Holy Spirit will confirm to us whether it is Truth or not. Then we are to take the handoff of the baton of Truth and run our own personal leg of the race with that knowledge of Truth. We are to share/teach it with any who asks and in whatever forum or opportunity God has made available to us.

We have been invited to come and speak to others around the world. We encouraged those making the invitation to take the pieces of Truth, which have been confirmed to them by the Holy Spirit, and sow and water it themselves. After they get over their first initial panic, we pray that they see they are on their own leg of the race and it is now their opportunity/commandment to teach the Truth by sowing and watering the seeds of Truth where they are.

In I Kings 19:4, Elijah had a very bad day and lost his peace and rest and just wanted to die. Our Father comforted him by assuring him that He had seven (perfection, maturity) thousand (divine completeness and glory of God) servants who were running the race with him. In verse 6 God would not send the chariot for him because he still had the baton/mantle of Truth and he needed to anoint another prophet/teacher in his place, (Elisha).

All our Father asks of us is to carry the baton or wear the mantle of Truth and pass it on. If it seems there is no one willing to accept it from us because they are caught up in the world’s religious system, we must not despair. We must remember His words to Elijah and be comforted that His Word/Truth will never fail because of the lack of a runner. Just as we have taken the handoff from other runners before us, there will always be maturing, Truth-seeking runners who are looking to the Author and Finisher of their faith, Jesus Christ. There will become more and more runners in this race because as more and more learn the Truth and knowledge increases they will become runners for the Truth and never return to false teachings, “as a dog to his own vomit”.

We, all, can have the glorious hope and opportunity to say, as Paul said, II Timothy 4:7, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.” AMEN!

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Meditations on His Word, March ‘10

March 2010

“Giants”

Numbers 13:30-33 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

As with most Christians, we have read the stories in the Old Testament, like this one, with much awe and trepidation as to what it personally means to us today. Our Father tells us in I Corinthians 10:11 that all these things happened as examples for us to whom the end of the world has come. Therefore; we should desire to learn every lesson, wisdom and knowledge that our Father and our Teacher, Jesus Christ, wishes to bestow upon us.

What we first understand from these verses is that when we are instructed by our Father to take possession of His Kingdom/Promise Land/Truth/Salvation we should not let anyone intimidate or scare us. No matter how GIGANTIC their might, influence, fame, education or fortune may be! As we are told in the Holy Word of God we are to be bold and courageous in possessing and teaching the Gospel/Truth and upholding the Kingdom of God here on earth.

We certainly can understand and sympathize that the Israelites had been enslaved for so long in Egypt that they were beaten down and used to being subservient to their Egyptian masters to the point that they would rather have gone back to that bondage than stand up to the symbolic Giants (tyrants, bullies, mighty warriors), sons of Anak* they saw in Canaan. However, their Heavenly Father had just protected them from the plagues on the Egyptians, divided the Red Sea, led them by fire at night, a cloud pillar by day and fed them with manna and quail in a desert devoid of food. Nevertheless, they still didn’t trust Him to protect them in standing up to the symbolic Giants (tyrants, bullies, mighty warriors) and possessing what He had instructed them to possess! Whenever we are set free from the bondage of literal enslavement or spiritual enslavement we must rejoice and be strong and courageous for our Father’s Kingdom!

We must be careful lest we think we would never have doubted or disobeyed our Father in such a way. We must examine ourselves to see where we, too, are afraid to boldly stand for Truth when it has been revealed to us. In the past decade we have witnessed religious tyrants, bullies and mighty warriors attack our own Christianity. We have seen that same fear and intimidation that the Israelites experienced manifest as appeasement and fear of offending those who would keep God’s children from obeying His instructions in being the Christians He wants us to be. We must not be intimidated or fearful of other religions, denominations, false teachers/pastors and societal discrimination as we obey and serve our Heavenly Father. We must desire the spirits, courage, hearts and minds of Caleb and Joshua as we uphold the commandments, Truth and Kingdom of our Father on earth, as it is in Heaven!

*The meaning of the name Anak is: to choke, to strangle, to place in chains, to collar as in slavery with false teachings. “Anak and his sons” symbolize ANYONE who would try to intimidate, bully and scare the children of God from obeying and serving our Heavenly Father and His Truth.

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Meditations on His Word, Feb. ‘10

February 2010

Genesis 19:26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Christians usually find this verse alarmingly fascinating and it can cause one to feel as if the consequences of Lot’s wife’s disobedience were unmercifully extreme. However, as we are told in our Father’s Holy Word, these things happened to real people for OUR admonishment, instruction and guidance. I Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Of course, the obvious disobedience of doing what she was told not to do is the first thing we should learn from this example, but there are deeper lessons to be learned from this story, also. Whenever we are informed of our Heavenly Father’s plan to chasten and rebuke disobedient children, as Lot and his family were by the angels/messengers and as we are by His Holy Word, we are not to mourn for what must be destroyed so that our Father’s Truth, Glory and Kingdom can be manifested and prevail.

We must examine our hearts and make sure that we truly desire our Father’s plan and not our own. We have become conditioned to expect churches, denominations and professing Christians to believe and act in certain ways. However, these ways are so diverse and contradicting that we surely realize that they can’t all be right or pleasing to our Father. When our Father sends His Holy Truth (Fire, Smoke and Brimstone to “burn up in the lake of fire”) mankind’s false teachings and disobedience or He sends destruction (El Shaddai, Abaddon, Apollyon) upon Babylon (religious confusion that has overtaken the world) we must not regret the destruction nor look back longingly after those things that are hindering the reign of our Father and His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We are the temple of God that is being built here on earth. We are the pillars in His temple that support and uphold the Holy Truth and the Kingdom of God. Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. If we continue to disobediently desire the false teachings of prosperity, arrogance, complacency and self-righteousness, then we, as with Lot’s wife, will become pillars of salt (easily pulverized and dissolved) and therefore; useless in upholding and supporting the Kingdom of God.

It should bring God's children great joy to see the destruction of false teachings, false doctrines and traditions of men (Babylon)! Revelation 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen... If this destruction causes divisions, (Luke 12:51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:) loss of parishioners, offerings and social connections, then we are to count it worthy for the Kingdom of God. As we are told in Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife., for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to be revealed in all His followers, we must not desire to hang on to the life we know, if it is not contributing to the Kingdom of God.

Those who are called by Jesus Christ (His sheep) will hear His voice and will come or return to become true and holy pillars in the Temple of God. When we do as we have been instructed by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Truth, Glory and Kingdom will prevail! Hallelujah!

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Meditations on His Word, January ‘10

January 2010

Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

If we want to understand what this verse is telling us we first have to let go of a major Biblical image that most of us have ingrained in us, thanks to all the misunderstood literal written translations, artists’ renderings and sculptors’ impressions of the symbolism of “winged angels” in God’s Word. This image has always been that angels have big white wings on their backs. We like this image because we think this will always make it easy to recognize them when we are in their presence. It also gives us a false sense of thinking we have never been guilty of being inhospitable to God’s messengers/angels when He has sent them to us to help us grow in Truth. However; this would contradict the part of the above verse that says “entertained angels unawares”.

We must look at the definition of angel(s) in God’s Word and not what man has created from his misconceived image. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance gives the definition of angel(s) as: a messenger or messengers. Even the term heavenly (filled with wisdom from above) angels means those who deliver and teach the messages of Truth and wisdom from our Heavenly Father to all mankind.

We must also look at the definition of wings: widespread, as to carry far and wide throughout time and geographical distance; to cover or protect, overspread, as in protecting the Holy Truth of our Father’s Word.

In Luke 7:24"And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?" the word “messengers” in this verse (and throughout the entire scriptures) is the exact same definition as “angels”. Now, we all have no problem understanding that the “messengers” in this verse were living, breathing flesh men and did not literally have big white wings on their backs. They were delivering a message from John the Baptist to Christ. Another point to make is the description of Seraphim and Cherubim in God’s Word as being winged creatures is symbolism for those servants of God who carry and protect His Fiery Holy Truth throughout the ages and over all the earth.

We were informed by a reader that he could prove that angels have literal wings and then we were sent to a website link that sells figurines of winged angels. This only proves that the merchandising of this false image is BIG business! Now, what example in God’s Word does that make us think of? Acts chapter 19:24-29 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen; Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands: So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre.

We are not saying that we should destroy every figurine, painting or book that depicts angels with wings. We simply need to understand and teach the symbolic meaning of these images.

Above all, we must always be kind, patient, respectful and as hospitable as we can to strangers who may be carrying and protecting, for our instruction and maturity, the Messages of Truth from our Heavenly Father as His Angels/Messengers.

Unraveling False Images