Category Archives: Church

September 14, 2018 · 5:08 am

The Apostles: Men Doomed to Death (Part 4)

praying

 

A year after my salvation, I had breakfast once a week with three or four Christian men. We fellowshiped, prayed for each other, and usually one gave a short teaching.

The only teaching that I can remember from those breakfasts was given by a young man who stated, “Our heavenly Father is a good God.”

As he said the words, a revelation exploded within me: “Of course, that has to be true because my own earthly father is a great dad. So, my heavenly Father has to be a good God.”

This simple revelation has remained with me for more than thirty-three years. It has comforted me in my worst times, just knowing that God is a good God and that He absolutely loves me.

Over the years, I have been with many different groups and befriended many Christians. All have mouthed the words, “God is a good God,” but sadly, I have met very few believers who really, really believe that God is a good God.

It’s not that the believers did not love God because they did. It’s just that the believers did not have the child-like abandon of knowing that the Father loved them and was cheering for them on their good days, as well as their bad days.

Most believed that they had to perform at a certain, but undefined, high holy level so that the Father would love them. They did not see themselves as little children and God as a loving Father who absolutely loved and doted upon them, even when they made mistakes.

Some of these believers had less than perfect earthly fathers, and a few were even abused by their dads. And to be honest, this may hinder a person’s revelation of God being a good God, but at the same time, God is able to give anyone a revelation of His love and goodness. We just need to ask and keep asking until we receive this revelation.

But most (98%) of these believers, who had difficulty believing God was a good God, had Christian leaders over them who did not reflect the Father-Heart of God to them.

For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. (1 Corinthians 4: 15)

Here for this third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you; for I do not seek what is yours, but you; for children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. (2 Corinthians 12: 14)

Because the traditional church system is set up with a definite separation between the clergy and the laity, most church leaders look at church members as a means for advancing their own personal visions. After all, their personal visions came from God, right? And the laity has been the traditional money-source for hundreds of years, so why change?

The end-time apostles are willing to spend themselves for other believers.

(Continued in Part 4…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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September 13, 2018 · 7:01 am

Prayers for the Church (9/13/2018)

Christ Church Stellarton

A new Pew Research Center Report shows young Christians (35 years old and under) are leaving churches in record numbers. A followup poll reported the young Christians no longer believed the messages were true. The specific explanations included the following:

“Learning about evolution when I went away to college”
“Religion is the opiate of the people”
“Rational thought makes religion go out the window”
“Lack of any sort of scientific or specific evidence of a creator”
“I just realized somewhere along the line that I didn’t really believe it”
“I’m doing a lot more learning, studying and kind of making decisions myself rather than listening to someone else.”

The Apostle Paul went to a city, converted a few people, started a church, stayed a couple of weeks, and then went to another city. He didn’t usually return to the new church for a couple of years. At best, the new church received a letter from him every so often.

And the churches thrived!

Now remember: Paul’s ministry was mainly in the Asian part of the Roman Empire where fifty percent of the people were slaves, ninety percent could not read, and ninety-five percent could not write. So, even if Paul could have left them King James Study Bibles, they were of little value to them.

What did Paul do?

He preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and —

And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

Most of today’s churches offer musical performances and eloquent speeches, but no demonstrations of God’s power. Hey! This won’t satisfy young people because YouTube has better stuff.

My prayer today:

Lord, help us to contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints in the early churches. Help us to not settle for anything less than seeing Your Spirit moving in power in our churches. (Based on Jude 1:3)

 Join me to fast and pray for the American church.

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September 12, 2018 · 9:51 am

What’re Your Plans for 300 Years From Now? (Conclusion)

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Jesus used a parable to describe the kingdom of heaven when He told about a businessman traveling to a far country. The businessman called three of his servants and gave some of his goods to do business while he was gone. To the first one, he gave five talents of silver. To the second, two talents of silver. And to the third, one talent of silver.

When the businessman returned from his travels, he called the three servants to give an accounting. The first and second servant doubled the businessman’s investment with their trading.

The businessman said to these two servants, “Well done, good and faithful servants; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you rulers over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

The third servant did nothing with the talent of silver given to him and returned it in full to the businessman. “You wicked and lazy servant…” said the businessman to the servant.  “Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents…And cast this unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Yikes!

Did Jesus cast the unprofitable servant into Hell for being lazy?

Dr. Spiros Zodhiates in his commentary, The Complete Word Study New Testament, wrote about “the outer darkness” and “weeping and gnashing of teeth”:

These terms may be applied to believers who have failed the Lord in their service…In this instance, the “outer darkness” may be a reference to a place or a position of far less rewards for the servants who proved themselves less diligent than those who used their talents to the fullest.

Kenneth Wuest wrote in his book, Greek New Testament:

This darkness is simply the darkness that is outside the King’s banqueting house.

Charles Stanley wrote in his book, Eternal Security:

The outer darkness here simply refers to being thrown outside of a building into the dark. It is not a description of hell.

Unfaithfulness and failing to run the race of faith all the way to the end of our lives will probably cost us rewards in the world to come.

And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.(Revelation 5:9)

Do you not know that the saints (the believers) will [one day] judge and govern the world? (1 Corinthians 6:2 Amplified Bible)

For He has not put the world to come [Millennial Kingdom], of which we speak, in subjection to angels. (Hebrews 2:5)

What are my plans for 300 years from now?

I’m assuming that Jesus will return and set up His Millenial Kingdom on earth. So, with that in mind, I want to be one of His rulers who reign in partnership with Jesus on earth. Some of us will rule over nations, some over states, some over cities, and some over smaller territories.

There could be millions of positions in His infrastructures all over the earth. My desire is to be the best I can be for His glory.

What about you?

If I would have written 100,000 words on this subject, it still wouldn’t have been enough to cover every topic on this subject.  But it was my hope to at least stir up each reader’s desire to be a faithful servant all the days of his or her life.

(Conclusion…but if you want to read all of the parts, you can go here.)

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September 11, 2018 · 7:52 am

Prayers for America (9/11/2018)

 

On September 11, 2001, I was sitting in Jefferson, Iowa. Carol and I were in the process of moving from Virginia Beach to Southern California. As I checked emails, Uncle Phil said, “Larry, look at the television.”

What I saw stunned me: New York’s Twin Towers being hit by two airplanes. Even as I watched I couldn’t grasp what was going on. How could this happen to America? I thought.

The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart later that day: “America is at war!”

After seventeen years, I now realize that the war I thought was just against terrorism and Al-Qaeda is far greater than that. Every part of America is under attack. Our culture. Our political system. Our faith. Our future. Everything.

And sadly, America doesn’t realize who is behind all of this.

For thus says the LORD of hosts: “Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,” says the LORD of hosts. (Haggai 2:6)

My prayer today:

Lord, open our eyes and move on our spirits so that we turn to You with all of our hearts, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. So that we rip our hearts apart in grief for our sins rather than just going through some more religious motions. Help us, O Lord, to return to You, believing You are gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great understanding, and desire to offer us a reprieve. (Based on Joel 2:12-13)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me to fast and pray for America.

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September 10, 2018 · 7:24 am

The Apostles: Men Condemned to Death (Part 3)

praying

 

In 2007, I had a weird dream in which I saw a bunch of five bananas. Four of the bananas in the bunch were rotten and one was perfect. End of dream.

I told Carol about the dream, but even with her help, I had no clue what the dream was about. As with all of my dreams, I wrote it down in a notebook so I could review it sometime in the future.

Afterward, I walked into the kitchen to make myself breakfast. I poured cereal into a bowl and grabbed what looked like a perfect banana. As I peeled it, I was surprised to learn the fruit was rotten. Not one portion of it was fit to eat. I tossed it into the trash can.

Next, I grabbed another banana and began peeling it. Surprise! Surprise! It, too, was rotten. Then, I grabbed a third and a fourth one. Nothing was eatable on the rotten bananas. The trash can looked like a compost bin.

Finally, there was only one banana left in the bowl. I picked it up and checked it over. Just like the others, there were no marks on the peel.  It looked perfect from the outside.

What do I have to lose? I thought.

I peeled it. And in fact, it was perfect in every possible way, not one bruise on it.

As I stood there looking at the banana, the Holy Spirit spoke to me heart: “The first four callings have been restored to the Church and are mostly rotten. The fifth calling is now ready. It will be perfect.”

The Holy Spirit was referring to the five-fold callings –

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers. (Ephesians 4:11)

But even more, I felt the Holy Spirit was especially referring to the end-time apostles when he mentioned the fifth calling’s perfection.

The rottenness of the first four callings – teachers, pastors, evangelists, and prophets – is due mainly to the traditional church system rather than to the personal character traits of the people in these callings.  The traditional church system has shoved these four callings into a box and sculpted each of them by its traditions and hierarchy.

The end-time apostles are not coming to fit into the traditional church system’s mold, but instead, they’re coming with sticks of dynamite to blow it apart.

(Continued in Part 3…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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September 9, 2018 · 7:50 am

WWJD With Colin Kaepernick?

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What would Jesus do with Colin Kaepernick?

Probably very little.

You see, Jesus depends on His church to be His working partner on earth. And guess what? We are not called to bash Colin Kaepernick, but instead, we are called to pray for him.

Will praying for Kaepernick work?

It changed me from an agnostic into a believer. It changed you. It changed a man named Saul, who murdered and imprisoned believers, into the Apostle Paul. Who knows what God will do if we pray for Kaepernick?

My prayer for Colin Kaepernick:

Lord, I pray for the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, to give Colin Kaepernick the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of his understanding enlightened; that Colin may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of His glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe. (Based on Ephesians 1:17-19)

As for Nike, I won’t be wearing their stuff anymore because it brings division, which is what we don’t need in American right now.

 

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September 8, 2018 · 7:59 am

The Apostles: Men Condemned to Death (Part 2)

praying

What are the Biblical requirements for being a prophet? Or an evangelist? Or a pastor? Or a teacher?

Actually, outside of being called by the Lord, there are no biblical mandates which have to be met for a believer to become any of these callings. None. Zilch. Nada. Zero.

Now, this does not mean that these callings are imparted without some degree of preparation, but that is strictly the Lord’s decision on what the preparation program will be. He’s the Boss and doesn’t confer with men or groups about His preparation plans.

For instance, when the Lord called me to preach, I didn’t rush off to confer with a pastor or  a group. But rather, I just walked in my calling and used the gifts which came with the calling.

And of course, I made mistakes – lots of them. But my mistakes did not negate the calling on my life. So, I repented often, learned about my calling, and kept on walking in it.

Then, when the Lord called me to be a teacher, I followed the same course. I walked in my calling and began teaching. Period.

Okay, all of that is fine and dandy for the callings of prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher, but what about apostles?

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? (1 Corinthians 9: 1)

The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles. (2 Corinthians 12:12)

If you check Christian internet websites, you will notice a glut of people who claim to be apostles. It’s almost as if the calling is as common as pennies. They’re all over the place. So, do we just take a person’s word that he (or she) is an apostle and then submit to him? Take a look at what Jesus said:

I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false. (Revelations 2:2)

Someone’s supposed apostolic title is not enough to prove the validity of his or her calling. The true apostle must also have had a visitation with Jesus and he (or she) must have signs, wonders, and miracles which glorify the Lord.

Anything less than these biblical mandates causes the supposed apostle to fail the test.

And guess what? We believers are the ones who must check the apostles out.

(Continued in Part 3…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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September 7, 2018 · 5:37 am

The Apostles: Men Condemned to Death (Part 1)

Praying

 

“He’s dead! He’s dead!” exclaimed the courier from Rome as he walked toward us.

I stopped working and stood up. The other tent makers did the same. “Who’s dead?” I asked.

“Paul’s dead,” said the courier, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “He was beheaded in Rome about a month ago.”

Even though I knew the Apostle Paul’s ministry would eventually have a sad ending, the news stunned me. O Lord, why? I thought.

I turned away from the group, not wanting to talk about the apostle at that moment. It was just too painful. I walked down to the Aegean Sea and sat on a rock, hoping to sort out my emotions and thoughts. There, I looked back over my years with Paul.

The first time that I met Paul, I was not impressed. His stature was puny, only 4 feet 6 inches tall and 120 pounds in weight, and his public speaking skills were  limited when compared to Apollos and the other orators. Yes, he was brilliant and could write, but these were facts that I learned later and did not figure into my first impressions of him.

Yet, there was something about Paul which drew me to him. Maybe, it was his fiery passion for the gospel or his fierce boldness or his love for the church. I can’t put my finger on it, but anyway, I joined up with Paul and traveled along with him as his aide.

On our first journey to Rome, we ended up swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. Somehow, the Roman soldiers did not execute us and we were able to swim ashore to Malta. We eventually arrived in Rome.

Next, I spent two years, waiting for Paul while he was under arrest. When we finally resumed traveling again, everything became a blur of afflictions, hardships, distresses, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, sleeplessness, and hunger.

Then, the fire in Rome changed everything for us Christians, from bad to worse. Believers were blamed for the fire and Paul became a marked man. Nero sent soldiers to hunt him down in Asia.

The stress wore me down. I couldn’t take it any longer.

“Paul, I didn’t join your ministry to be killed by Roman soldiers,” I said on the day of my departure. “I’m going to Thessalonica, start a business, maybe marry a young woman, and start a family. I haven’t really enjoyed life yet.”

Paul was disappointed, but what could he do? I fled on a boat.

It had been almost two years since I last saw Paul and now he was dead. My mind wandered here and there as the blue waves splashed against the rock I sat on.

Did I make the right decision when I left the Apostle Paul? I wondered.  And how will I be remembered by future Christians?

For Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica…(2 Timothy 4: 9)

Demas’ decision has earned him a shameful legacy in the Bible for all to read. But still, before we are too hard on Demas, we should consider how we might have dealt with an apostle like Paul.

(Continued in Part 2)

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September 6, 2018 · 1:17 pm

Prayers for America (9/6/2018)

Many believers are praying for America to return to its past glory, but I believe those days are gone. We need to learn how to walk in our now and then into our future. Both are uncharted territories, in which we will need our Good Shepherd to lead us each and every day.

My prayer today:

Lord, help American believers to forget about those things which are behind us, and instead to reach forward to those things which are ahead. So we can press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Based on Philippians 3:13-14)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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September 4, 2018 · 6:13 am

Prayers for the Church (9/4/2018)

Christ Church Stellarton

The Church should be good at discerning the times and seasons of God but it is not. It usually fails to recognize moves of the Holy Spirit until years after the Spirit has moved upon a group(s). The reason for this is that the Church’s spiritual eyes are blinded by its structure, hierarchy, and programs.

This happened with Azusa Street, the Jesus Movement, Toronto Blessing, Brownsville Revival, and countless other major moves of the Spirit throughout history.

Will it happen again?

For the last fifteen years or so, many American churches have watched committed believers walk out their doors and not look back. These churches have assumed most of the believers were back-slidden or a part of the “great falling away.”

But these churches are wrong in their assumptions because it has been the Lord who has led them out of their churches. He is preparing them for a new move of His Spirit, outside of the traditional church walls, and not under its repressive leadership.

You see, the Lord wants to take His place as the head of the Church and its Teacher.

What many American churches have seen so far as a trickle of departing believers will soon see it turn into a roaring gusher as the Lord empties the pews of believers who are called to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These callings are not being trained or readied in these churches and the Lord needs them to be prepared for His end-time plans.

My prayer today:

Lord, I pray that You will build Your church so that the gates of Hell will not prevail against it and that You will proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. (Based on Matthew 16:18 and Isaiah 61:1)

Join me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for the American church.

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