Tranquility of soul

The Spirit-filled Christian is peaceful because he or she experiences the perfect love that drives away fear (1 John 4:18).

Ask God to give you His peace in the midst of the storms you are experiencing.

The peace that the Holy Spirit produces within us is the supernatural tranquility of soul. Storms can be raging all about us, but within us is the calm assurance that God is in full control of our situation(s).

When we have this peace despite a personal crisis, the world is stunned and we witness God without effort.

Truth about 'The Emerging Church & Inclusive Gospel’

The Word of God tells us to, “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” 1 Peter 3: 15

Nevertheless, the trend of the ‘Inclusive Gospel’ of ‘Emerging Church’ is “Christians can not truly evangelize unless they are prepared to be The evangelized in the process. In sharing the good news, people are enriched by the spiritual insights, honest questions and depth of devotion demonstrated by those of other faiths. Including others involves listening to them, learning from them. Much of what exists in other faiths may not necessarily be hostile to the kingdom. Christians can learn a lot from other walks of life.”

My dear brothers and sisters do not fall into the trap of the ‘Inclusive Gospel’. The children of Israel were warned by the Old Testament prophets about joining hands with pagans, however, they ignored God’s warning. As Jeremiah proclaimed:
“And the LORD said unto me, a conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers. Therefore thus saith the LORD, behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.” Jeremiah 11: 9-11

In spite of such clear warnings from Scripture, the very thing that happened to the children of Israel is what is being repeated today, only this time in the name of Christianity.

It is apparent what is happening. Instead of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ that saves sinners from hell, the gospel has been redefined and totally nullified. The narrow pathway that Jesus proclaimed leads to heaven through faith in Him alone now has been broadened to permit open access for the sake of establishing the “kingdom’.

The new evangelization formula promoted by the emerging church promises to provide a bridge to unite all religious beliefs in the name of Christ, by circumventing the gospel of Jesus Christ, is anti-Christ.

The early church was called “The Way” because the members of the church were following Jesus, who said He was “The Way.” Jesus also said the “Way” is a “narrow way” and the “only way” to get into heaven. The Emerging Church way or emergent conversation or whatever name is used to describe this so-called New Reformation, is a wide way that many are traveling and heading in the wrong direction.

Beloved children of God, be like the Bereans, and check out what is being proclaimed as ‘Christian’ with reference to the Scriptures for the sake of your immortal soul. Jesus alone is the lover of your soul.

Wonderous Gift

This is Christmas:
not the tinsel,
not the giving and receiving,
not even the carols,
but the humble heart that receives
anew the wondrous gift, the Christ.
- Frank McKibben

“Santa Claus is Coming to Town theology.”

Friends, the following is an excerpt from Dave Burchett's article.

Begin Quote
You better watch outBetter not cryBetter not poutI am telling you whySanta Claus is comin’ to townHe's making a list…checking it twice…three times…every dayGonna find out who's naughty and niceSanta Claus is comin’ to townHe sees you when your sleeping, nows when your awake, he knows when you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake.
Oh, he's watching. Waiting for you to screw up so you will get coal instead of a bicycle. You had better please him. And we teach our kids to put on the mask and be something they are not. Because Santa Claus is comin’ to town. This omniscient being who is judging our every deed is coming to town…and we learn to do the dance early. Buck up…be good. Don't cry. Don't pout. Santa Claus is coming to town (© Copyright 2003, William Thrall, Bruce McNicol, John Lynch. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited).

He is exactly right. We learn that we get good things and receive love only when we are good. Santa is pleased (and we later substitute God) when we obey. So we learn early. We had better be good. Or least fool everyone around us to think that we are being good.
Ask any child this Christmas if they are being good and I will wager you will never hear this response. “Well, to be honest, I am really struggling with the whole being nice thing. I have actually been pouty and I cried yesterday. It just isn’t working out this Christmas so I suspect the video game system will have to wait.”
Nope. What you hear is the lie that we learn early and too often keep handy in our arsenal for a lifetime.
“Oh yeah. I am being really good!”
I remember (vaguely) the tension of the Santa Claus years. I knew I hadn’t really changed much. I tried to modify my behavior for a week or two leading up to Christmas but I knew I had failed to really be good. I learned a couple of things early. I learned how hard it is to change behavior by sheer willpower and I learned that I could fool Santa by living a lie. I learned that that he would bring me presents in spite of my failures. I did not learn about grace. That maybe Santa gave me gifts because of who I was and maybe he came to my house because I was lovable instead of rewarding me for what I had done to please him. I figured I had fooled him and to get the good stuff I would have to continue to hide the little boy who broke an ornament and then hid it.
Isn’t that too often how we view God? We had better not cry. Better not sin. I’m telling you why. Jesus is coming to town. He’s making a list and He is checking it not once or twice but every moment of every day. God knows if you’ve been bad or good so if you want to be healed or happy or prosperous you had better be good for goodness sake. If I do mess up I am scared to death that I will get a bad life or miss all that God has for me. So I put on the mask and try to be really good for Jesus. If I can fool those around me maybe, just maybe, I can fool God too.
Satan sells the lie so convincingly. And we buy it for months and years and even decades.
But God and Santa are very different in their approach. God does not keep a list. He is not impressed by our hernia inducing straining to control sin. What God sees is Jesus in Dave Burchett when I sin.
Jesus offers us so many gifts. But the one we seem to have the hardest time unwrapping is the gift of grace. The gift that allows us to become who God desires us to become as we simply trust Him and quit trying to be “good” for goodness sake. We are saved by grace and faith in Christ. We become like Him by the same radical strategy. Faith that He has changed us into a new creation. And understanding the grace that gives us good gifts even when we don’t deserve them.
Don’t let the Santa Claus theology live into the New Year. Go straight to the gift of grace that Jesus left under the Cross. Open it. And clothe yourself in His salvation, acceptance and love. It may be the best gift you have ever given yourself.
Dave Burchett is an Emmy Award winning television sports director, author, and Christian speaker. He is the author of When Bad Christians Happen to Good People and Bring'em Back Alive: A Healing Plan for those Wounded by the Church.

End Quote

Is God lying? Did He make a mistake?

As Anointed children of God, there is the oil of anointing upon each one of us. Oil always attracts dust, and dust sticks where ever there is oil. What is this dust?

Jesus gave His disciples authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness (Mat 10:1) and sent them to neighbouring cities.

In Mat 10:13-14 He tells them, "If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. ref Matthew 10:13-15

Then the Disciples and now we are bearers of the anointing power of God and as we leave an unwelcome home or town with our message of peace, the dust (depression, rejections, bitterness etc) will attach itself to you. Often we are unaware because the anointing protects us and we move on to other homes etc. However, we soon recognise that our former enthusiam is no longer within us. There is a downward drag! This is why Jesus forewarned us to purposely dust off, shake off, the dust that attaches itself to us then and there. (we can do this either by a prophectic act like dusting our shoes or by speaking the dust to shake off us. Be careful not to wound anyone in your act, and do the same discretely)

Now listen, Genesis 3.14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "..........Cursed are you ..........and you will eat dust all the days of your life. " Let me assure you, scientifically serpents do not eat dust! No, it doesn't! So is God lying? Did God make a mistake?

The evil one is often represented as a serpent in the Bible. After Jesus' vistory on the cross, satan's position has been under the foot of every believer. He is alive and still upto his old tricks but his position is under our feet. Jesus has commanded us to shake off our dust when we come out of an unwelcoming home. This dust of anger, depression, bitterness, shame etc is food for this ancient serpent of Genesis fame.

Importancne of Teaching the Biblical view of origins - High School Students

High School Students' Attitudes toward Creation and Evolution Compared To Their Worldview

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High school students' beliefs regarding origins are very important. Many high school students claim to believe in a supernatural theistic Creator. Many also report a born-again experience and would thus hold to having a personal relationship with the Creator. Such a relationship should impact all aspects of one's personal life and worldview.

The Scriptures reveal (I Corinthians 2:14-16 and Romans 1:20) that there exists a dichotomy between those that believe the Creation account and those who do not. Only the truly born-again believer is able to take every thought and attitude and compare it to the thoughts and attitudes of the Creator Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 10:5 and Colossians 1:16). Accepting this God-ordained worldview is vital to a correct view of the clash between Biblical theism and naturalism—a clash between two all encompassing worldviews, a "Creationist Worldview" and an "Evolutionary Worldview." This dichotomy of world-views was thoroughly investigated by David Ray; his findings are summarized in this article.

Background for the Ray Study
Ray studied four groups of school students from the eastern section of Atlanta, Georgia. The groups consisted of: (1) two Christian school groups— 30 students; (2) two church youth groups—30 students; (3) one public school class—42 students; and (4) one home school group—30 students.
Instrumentation and Methodology
Two survey instruments, the CWT (Creationist Worldview Test, Deckard, 1997) and the PEERS Test (Smithwick, Nehemiah Institute, 1995), were used to gather the data.1 The CWT test is a 51-item instrument constructed for the purpose of measuring views related to the creation/evolution controversy. The PEERS Test is 70 items constructed for the purpose of measuring Christian views in politics, economics, education, religion, and social issues. Students were categorized into two groups: (1) those holding to a creationist view of life, and (2) those holding to an evolutionist view of life. This evaluation process was based on answers to the CWT. The views of these two groups were compared using three PEERS categories, Education, Religion, and Social Issues. The PEERS test has a scale as follows: Biblical Theism (70-100), Moderate Christian (30-69), Secular Humanism (0-29) and Socialism (<0).>

Research Questions
Research questions were formulated to answer the following questions. How do students with creationist or evolutionist attitudes differ on:
1 and 2 issues related to education?
3 and 4 issues related to religion?
5 and 6 social issues?
7 and 8 their views toward God?
9 and 10 their views toward Christianity?
11 What is the frequency and comparative magnitude of public school students with Biblical theists worldviews when contrasted to home schooling and Christian school students?

Findings and Conclusions
Below are the findings and conclusions based on the above research questions.
To read the findings and conclusions go to the link above. (too long to include here)

The Chi-Square Analysis showed a significant distribution from the home school, Christian school, and public setting. Hence it can be concluded that a positive correlation is present between having a Biblical theist worldview and mode of education.

Conclusions
The Bible commands parents to "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). Ray's dissertation provides the Christian creationist community with strong objective and scientific evidence that teaching a Biblical view of origins is fundamental to worldview adoption and development. Training up a child in an environment of evolutionary thinking or in an environment where creationism is not firmly taught, is a certain formula for causing the child to depart from the Christian faith. Departure from this faith will lead to the acceptance of the only alternative, evolution. Few issues could be of greater importance to the Christian family and the church than to teach youth (at home, school, or Sunday School) the Biblical doctrine of creationism.

Salesmen or Signposts ?

We often get trapped into thinking that we ought to sell Jesus to one and all. Guess what? You don’t have to. Jesus never sold–either himself, the kingdom, or God. Certain Biblical incidents always seemed strange to me. Like for instance, why did Jesus go to the Bethesda pool and heal only one guy? John 5. 1-5 Why did He go thru Samaria and speak to one particular sinful Samaritan woman? John 4. 3-7 Why did he enter a particular house and wait for a certain gentile (Canaanite) woman to come? Matthew 15. 21-29

Well, [Quote] ‘He was locating those who already belonged to him. He was giving substance to the indescribable hunger that true seekers have. He was putting words to their deep thirst. He was explaining why they felt strangely drawn to him.’[Unquote]

Is it not great? It is not our job to create the hunger for God or eternal life. All I have to do is point to Jesus, allow them to [Quote] ‘hear His words of life, see him as he is, and check for signs of spiritual life. The whole endeavor of “converting” someone is a mistake. God converts people.’ Our job is to ‘locate them and help them understand and trust what they are already experiencing. There is much explaining to do, much to clarify, some areas to challenge, and a great deal of listening to do. But there is no burden to create a spiritual interest that isn’t there.’ [Unquote]

So now I can [Quote] ‘stop worrying about how people respond to me. Either they are being drawn to Jesus or they aren’t—and I can’t do anything to change that. I can only help the person determine whether they are spiritually alive or not, and what to do next.

Second, I would focus much less on persuading and more on the signs of spiritual hunger and thirst. I would ask direct and honest questions like, “Do you ever think about God?” “What do you like or not like about God?” “Do you ever wonder what he thinks of you?”
[Unquote]

We belong to God because God drew us to Jesus, and we believed in Him, so we have His life in us. Like wise, when the hungry ones have believed in Him, ‘[Quote] they need to be taught and even challenged to trust, follow, surrender, obey and remain in Jesus.’ [Unquote]

We [Quote] ‘don’t sell admission tickets to heaven; we point to Jesus, the source of immediate, abundant and eternal life.’ [Unquote]

To read the original article click here

Must reads

Guys, the following are some must read links.

Evangelicals and the Crisis of Authority - http://www.crosswalk.com/11616903/
Idolatry: Worshipping Our Own Image of God - http://www.crosswalk.com/11603342/

Samaritan flashback

Though geographically placed in close proximity, the hindrances for any meaningful interaction between a Jew and a Samaritan are numerous. The Bible informs us that, ‘Jews have no dealings with Samaritans’, their hostility primarily based on both race and religion. However, cultural, political, traditional differences, and sinfulness made it further difficult to bridge the chasms between the two.2 Kings 17-18

On the separation of Israel and Judah, the ancient city of Shechem became the religious center of the Northern Kingdom. This Israelite kingdom continued to exist in Samaria until it fell before Assyria.

After the Assyrian Exile in 722 BC, (2 Kings 17. 6, 24-41) the remaining Jews intermarried with Gentile colonists and formed a hybrid worship of Jehovah God (2 Kings 17. 33,41), complete with a different temple and an edited Old Testament. They adhered rigidly to the Torah, never admitted any of the prophetical teachings. The Jews thus viewed them as Half-Breed Heretics, and the Samaritans returned their hatred.

Religious differences between Jews and Samaritans
1. Worship only at Jerusalem Temple - Worship in Mt. Gerizim
2. Holy Book - Torah - Pentateuch
3. Abraham honored as Father - Jacob honored as Father
4. Believe heaven is exclusively for them - More liberal

The Samaritans had built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim to rival the Temple in Jerusalem and offered sacrifices according to the Mosaic code. This Samaritan Temple was destroyed by the Jews under the rule of John Hyrcanus (a king of non-Davidic lineage) in about 128 BCE. The Samaritans returned the favor by defiling the Jewish Temple. The rabbis taught it was ritually defiling to touch any utensil handled by a Samaritan. Since Samaria lay between Galilee and Judea, pious Jews normally walked the 20+ extra miles around Samaria rather than go through it.

A Jewish prayer goes like this: "I thank you that I was not born a Gentile, a slave or woman." Rabbis (Jesus was one) were forbidden to speak to any woman in public, even their own mothers or sisters (Jesus came to break off all shackles that bound people and he was often found in mixed company).

Samaritan women were regarded as ritually unclean from birth. To top it all, the Samaritan woman in question was immoral - she had been through five husbands, and currently had a live-in boyfriend!

She was an outcast. In a small town like Sychar, she would be viewed as a threat to the other married women, so she was probably ostracized by them. For one thing, there was a well in Sychar, but she was coming almost a mile to this well. Furthermore, most women drew water in the evening or morning when it was cool, and made it a social occasion. But John 4 vs 6 says she came to the well at noon, in the heat of the day--probably because she was ostracized by the other women of the community.

She was indifferent to spiritual issues, at least initially. To this woman, the lowest of the low, Jesus' brought the message - "It does not matter to me how much of a failure you are in people's eyes, you can still have the living water." Thus begins the talk between Jesus and a Samaritan woman.

Jesus offers her living water as a gift - a spiritual gift. The original word for "living" can also mean "running," so it's easy to see why she easily misunderstands his offer and becomes flippant and even cynical in her response and mocks him about both of his claims. "How are you going to get this water? You don't even have a bucket!" and "Who do think you are--better than Jacob –our Father?"

Jesus offers her living water which refers to the gift of a personal relationship with God through the indwelling of his Holy Spirit--the gift that Jesus has come to make available to us. However the woman thinks, “if it'll save me a trip out here daily, I'll take it."

Having positioned her thus, Jesus suddenly shifts gears and exposes her need. "OK, go get your husband and we'll get down to business." Her answer in verse 17 paves the way for what He really wanted to talk to her all the while.

Before she could be interested in the spiritual gift that Jesus had to offer, she had to first become aware of her need for it. Jesus did not speak of her current situation to shame her, but to cut through her "tough guy" facade and force her take a good look at herself. Apparently her spiritual need for a savior kept popping out with the same symptom repeatedly - her failure to achieve lasting, satisfying romantic relationships and her deep-seated loneliness. Whatever the reason, after five failed marriages, she has given up the formality of marriage and was shacking up with some guy just to survive. This is a woman who has deep inner pain, a deep thirst for love and companionship.

Jesus takes a look into her heart and tells her she's got a hole in her heart that men can't fill. He assures her that there is no need to keep drinking from this old well (of failed relationships). It’s time to admit the need for a different kind of water – the kind provided by Him personally.

Jesus had touched a raw nerve, so she side-steps and begins to talk religion. (a very common ruse.) Jesus was honing in on her personal spiritual needs, but she was not ready for it. She was determined to dodge the issue. So she started a theological argument - a smoke-screen.

Even here we see that Jesus handles her well. First, he answers her question regarding worship. Jews worship God in the place and way that God had prescribed in the Old Testament. However, Jesus her that what matters now is that we relate to God in spirit and in truth.

Jesus expects us to relate to him personally and not through ritual observance. We must also relate to him as he really is ("in truth") as he is revealed to us through scripture. People often object to the idea of a God who is holy, who judges sin, who insists that we come to him for forgiveness through Christ and be willing to submit to his leadership. This is unacceptable to God.

Jesus continues to repeat his offer and she says,"Well, I don't know what to think--let's leave this to the Messiah . . . " at this point Jesus reveals Himself to her and hearing Him (hearing the Word of God Himself speak) she evidently came to faith in him as her Messiah. And she began a relationship with God that changed her life and that of many others.

Having received the "living water," she dropped her old water pot. She returned to town and started telling everyone she knew to come out and meet the man who knew everything about her and still loved her enough to give her a gift. No matter why --they responded and went out to see Him. Many believed through her testimony yet many others believed after listening to Him.

editor's note:
This post is background info for the previous original post - "Reaching Out to Christians" click here to go

Reaching out to Christians

The Word of God teaches us that we are to fashion our thought, words and actions according to our lord and master, Jesus. In Jesus’ approach to the Samaritan woman we catch a clear glimpse of how to deal with nominal/traditional/denominational Christians.

There are a number of road blocks to overcome before a believer can reach out to a nominal Christian. They may be racial, cultural, religious, political, and traditional. Sin and satan can also keep the two from ever meeting. Jesus faced all of these hindrances in His encounter with the Samaritan woman and yet He did not allow them to keep Him away from reaching out to her and thru her the entire Samaritan village!

• Jesus took the unpopular route to Samaria, timed his arrival there to meet a certain Samaritan woman of ill-repute. (we too must be willing to walk paths that are not often trod to reach out)
• He made sure that they would not be interrupted by His well-intentioned disciples, or by the self-righteous villagers. (be sensible, as well as sensitive to the Holy Spirit)
• He took the first step to breach the gap between them. (overcome your inhibitions for God’s Kingdom sake)
• He offered her something that mattered to her. (water that would quench her thirst forever, thereby enabling her to put a stop to her unpleasant trips to the common village well) (identify and trust God for their individual needs, miracles will confirm your work)
• Jesus offered her better-quality water. [The Samaritans considered the water from the Jacob’s well superior to any other well. Hence the offer of water (living water) that is far superior to water from Jacob’s well was not to be spurned lightly.] (Jesus has the best offer, none can top it, offer it)
• Through His gentle and non-accusing attitude, He convicted this woman of her sins. (She could have said anything and hidden the truth. Instead she confesses that she has no husband. The manner in which she says it makes it evident that she was convicted of her sinful state.) (let your gentleness and love be plain to all)
• Jesus calmly acknowledges her statement and gently pushes further by revealing to her His knowledge of her previous relationships. This helps her recognise His prophetical and messianic status. (operating in the gifts of word of knowledge and wisdom will help you reach your goal faster. fan to full flame/put to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit within you to do your work well)
• The woman’s revelation of Jesus led to the evangelization of the entire Samaritan village. (a fully convinced disciple is unstoppable)

In these end times, our evangelizations should be fashioned in like manner. We must through prayer and the use of the spiritual gifts discern key person’s to target people groups (people groups may also be a big extended family, a community, a city, an office etc.). Target and mentor such individuals to influence a wide audience for the glory of God.


Click here to read John 4.1-42 - Jesus talks to a Samaritan Woman

related posts "Samaritan Flashback" click here to go

Why become a Shepherd?

It was the custom in the middle-east for the least man to be given charge of the flocks. The shepherd had responsibility to lead the sheep to new pastures and fresh water, defend them from predators, and find the lost ones when they strayed. However, it was a humble job because it was a dirty job.

The shepherd lived amongst the flock and slept across the doorway of the fold to keep the sheep in and the wolves out. It was filthy, smelly, and thankless work. Yet Jesus willingly declared, "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11, 14). Let’s not miss the impact of these words.

God humbled Himself and got His hands dirty working directly with errant, willful, and dumb sheep (we humans are often pretty dumb).

The shepherd lies across the doorway of the sheep pen - Jesus became the door for us. He sacrificed His life for us (the flock) so that anyone who chooses to believe in Him may enter God's fold (John 3:16).

Once inside the fold, we are provided for, sought when we wander, and protected from enemies.

Victorious Living

You want strength to defeat your enemies? Who are your enemies?
Struggling with feelings of inadequacy? read on

Waiting faith

Read and be encouraged about waiting faith in my post by the same title here.

Time to Change Direction

Finding praising God in the assembly difficult? Stop grumbling and complaining about people, circumstances and God in your private life and work.

As you discipline yourself to a life of gratitude and praise, the God of High praises will come and entrone himself on your praises and you will recognise that all things do work for your best.

Lets Call a Spade a Spade

These days we see witchcraft often portrayed as helpful, good, or neutral. This is deceptive and misleading. The Lord condemns witchcraft and sorcery of any type. Witchcraft is truly evil and unrighteous. Not just “dark” magic, but rather all magic is evil. Some believe that there is good or “white” magic, and bad or “black” or “dark” magic. Still others believe that magic is not real, and witchcraft is all a big hoax. Let me tell you, witchcraft is very real, and does work and involves demonic spirits.

The reason why some children of God are adamant that witchcraft is fake is because, such things do not work against the children of God. None of these curses, neither “white” magic nor “black” work against us is because “Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world”. We have been given authority over the spirits of darkness, not the other way around, so they can do nothing to us (except oppress or tempt us and we willfully give in).

However, even though things (spells and incantations etc) cannot prevail against the children of God, it still is very real and is practiced throughout the world. Do not associate with it in any forms.

Be of Good Courage

Courage is a gift of God's Holy Spirit. Courage means ‘strength, power'. The equivalent of the Hebrew word for courage (hazaq) means "to show oneself strong."

In Isaiah 11 we're told that the Spirit of God rests upon messiah, helping Him to do His part in the messianic kingdom.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

This word power is also translated as strength and might, derivatives of courage. The gift of fortitude or courage allows people "firmness of mind’ that is required both in doing good and in enduring evil. As a matter of fact, the gift of courage compels a Christian's will toward doing God's will here and now.