Our absoluteness is the very height of offense to a world that is relativistic and pluralistic. They do not want to be told that there is anything that is absolute, that there are only two alternatives, but they need to be told, not by people who bring (only) the correct doctrine but by those who come with a burning conviction. Do we really believe that God has fixed a day when He will judge the world in righteousness? Our apostolic task is to bring an unwanted and unwelcome message to an indifferent world, and it is a message we can only bring in the same proportion that we can demonstrate it. It is not enough to be “correct.” We have to come to them, as it were, from the eternal place.

Art Katz – The Challenge of Living an Authentic Christian Life

(all emphasis mine)

1 We’re not even persuading our own children in most instances. I include myself in this.

2 This is why the threat of slander is often satan’s final “trump card” whenever his “kingdom” is finally and actually being threatened.

Follow me, as I follow Christ.

– Paul of Tarsus (1 Corinthians 11:1)

In contemplating things in my own life and things I have had pointed out to me by others, I’ve had to confront aspects of leadership that may be required of me as to spheres for which I will be held accountable (eg. leading household, children, etc.)

One aspect I’ve had to consider is the specific pathway into “leadership” and one thing I am discovering more and more, as a bedrock for leadership, is the simple basic aspect of being a fantastic follower. I’ve noticed that the people I know in my own life who I consider “excellent leaders,” if I had to boil away all the upfront perspectives and views on who they are and why they are what they are… I’ve noticed that at base, one important, simple aspect of their lives is… they simply fantastic, stable, loyal followers. Followers of Christ. Immovable. Unchangeable. You don’t always have to get after them and “remind” them of their commitments and what their life and direction should be. They lead by following. Following fantastically. Lighting the way. Paving the path. Taking the hits. Doing the upfront work, without complaint and without notice and without drawing attention to themselves. Always reflecting Christ in their simple, base life choices.

This way of all-out following has a direct correlation to why Jesus said “Call no man ‘master,’ ‘teacher,’ or ‘father’…” No “titles.” The “Gentiles do it that way,” Jesus said. But “not so with you.” Don’t do it that way. There’s a reason why. It interferes with following. God’s Way is following, surrender, emptying. More on this last point another time. It’s a whole topic unto itself. But what a concept of “leadership” is wrapped up in the simplicity of fantastic following.

Here is a quote from the book, something that the author said after reading the New Testament scriptures for the very first time that has just mesmerized me since reading it:

I was struck by the Apostolic Grandeur of the scriptures…

I was struck by that quote. It’s like he stated something I have only all-too-rarely sensed and should have continued to feel every time I read them, but again, because of the “religiousness” of our “modern society,” the invention of the printing press (and now the “ePrinting Press” — the internet), we loose the sense of rarity and awe this person felt due to the (perceived) commonality and (very perceived) “familiarity” in our society (though actually the OPPOSITE is true…) and the ease with which the scriptures can be accessed.

But do we really realize just how rare the scriptures actually are? Are we struck by the enormity of them? Not just what they teach, but… I can find no better words than the ones I just quoted… Are we struck by the Apostolic Grandeur of them??!!

For those who may be unfamiliar with how the Bible was “formed”… how it was “put together”… how it was “decided” which books were “from God” and which were not… I can find no better description. That sense of Apostolic Grandeur is exactly what the “early church fathers” used in determining what was “from God” and what was not. There was a sense of rightness, a sense of awe, a sense of “other-worldliness,” a sense in which “these words, though spoken by men and one man in particular” were not just any other “religious words” — like from Confusious or something — but that they really were wrought from another Realm.

There is no other book like the Bible. From a literary standpoint, from a content standpoint, from an expression standpoint, from a “style” standpoint. The individual who stated “I was struck by the Apostolic Grandeur of the scriptures,” was a highly trained, highly intellectual, cosmopolitan individual who was very well read, and that was his honest assessment of the scriptures in having read them for the first time. Not only was he impressed by the “literary style and content,” but with the implications, the enormity and the “other-worldliness” of the scriptures. Hence his conviction was that they were apostolic and from heaven and like nothing else he had ever read.

(Which is interesting when you think about it — the “apostolic” has its definition IN the scriptures. Which means ultimately that he believed in what the scriptures were describing about themselves which was for the first time since the creation of the world, defining the apostolic. The heavenly “end game” which was in the heart of God “before the creation of the world.”)

Do the scriptures describe “how to have church?” If that’s all you’re getting out of them, then you’ve missed it. The scriptures describe an Apostolic Grandeur. They describe a new Kingdom from another Realm, filled with new kinds of people (“from the least to the greatest”), who are having or are destined to have a devastating impact on an old kingdom in the seen realm in present time and space. It’s way more than “the five modes of worship” (which actually AREN’T in there, as we’ve been lead to suppose.) There is no way you can read the scriptures honestly for the first time and come up with anything like what we call “church” today (or “leaders” today, or “christians” today, or any other noun/thing you want to pull out of there and talk about). There’s just absolutely no way. There’s no way to come out of it with “God wants me to dress up, put a fake smile on my face for 2 hours one day a week, mix with others who are doing the same, listen for an hour to a prepared speech delivered in the Hellenistic tradition, and then go home and live however I want for the rest of the time.”

If you don’t pick up the Bible and when reading aren’t “struck by the Apostolic Grandeur” of the scriptures… then I suggest, you (and I) haven’t really “read” them yet!

Here is a quick quote to ponder:

There are a couple of words that need to be restored… one is “fellowship”… “Fellowship” has become some kind of easy, soft, pappie, slap-on-the-back and chuck-under-the-chin “how ya doin’, brother?”…

Art then proceeds to properly redefine “fellowship.” It’s a whole lot more than what most of us have been brought up to think. If you can excuse me for saying so, most of what we call “fellowship” is a cheap, cotton-candy substitute for the real thing. And why shouldn’t satan invent and push such a definition on us? His “kingdom” is only threatened by the Real Thing. So, he does his “work” by changing definitions. And we are the losers for it.

This isn’t just about “fellowship.” This is about a missing Reality in the world today (by and large) of an intertwined, resurrection, “daily in public and from house to house,” “all things in common,” kind of unified Life that Jesus prayed about in John 17 that is absolutely necessary for turning the world upside down now as it once was as depicted in Acts. Missing “fellowship,” missing truth (which is way more than just “doctrine”), missing Reality and missing Expression of all of those things are what are discussed in 30 short minutes.

I hope you’ll listen to the clip, pray through it, and see if you can see the picture repainted in God’s Way. Only through the Reality of the Kingdom as God intended — and not a watered down version that suits our fancies and lifestyles — can His Glory really be manifest in the earth.

Related

• The Church Prepared for the Return of Christ

Background: The story is fictitious non-fiction. That is the period and many events in the story are non-fictitious, but told from the stand-point of fictitious characters. The excerpt is of a fictitious character, Ezra, speaking with the non-fictitious character in Jesus’ day, Jairus, the synagogue ruler:

Ezra sighed, “I do wish father could have come. We both have yearned to see and worship at the temple again,” Ezra paused as he stared into the crackling fire, “and to sit under the teaching and guidance of the scribes and Pharisees.” He leaned back on his hands and looked up into the stars. “Jairus, my father specifically asked me to see what the leaders in Jerusalem say about Jesus—whether He is the Messiah or not. The teachers of the law know the Scriptures well. Surely when they meet and hear Jesus, they will listen to and acknowledge the words He speaks. Don’t you think?”

In a clear, serious tone Jairus spoke, “Oh, Ezra, I’ve heard our leaders speak many times in the temple. I’ve seen them worship and carry out their duties. Some do seem to have a heart for God, and yes, some may listen. But many live only external lives, desiring mainly to be seen of men. Some do care about the law and about doing everything right, but they seem to never yield their hearts. They hold that our traditions are equally as important as God’s commands. In fact, I don’t think some can tell the difference anymore!” Jairus shook his head and gazed into the flames.

Startled by what Jairus was saying, Ezra asked, “You don’t think some can tell what difference anymore?”

“The difference between the traditions established by our fathers and God’s own commands,” Jairus repeated carefully.

“Give me an example.” Ezra could feel a slight apprehension rising in his heart.

Jairus waited a moment before he responded. “All right, Ezra. We could talk about the thousands of ‘extra’ interpretations and explanations by mere men. We could discuss the mighty grand Sanhedrin and how an invention of man has become ‘Yahweh’s Voice’—or men wish it so. We could discuss Saul and the King’s administrative positions and rule versus Samuel’s God-given rule of anointing—man wants impressive stature and postion while God wants heart and spirit. There are hundreds of examples that few today ever question. It seems we are drunk on our traditions and too fearful to ask, ‘Why?’! But now, shall we consider the synagogues?”

In spite of Ezra’s reluctant nod, he continued. “Has it ever occurred to you that the synagogue was actually never God’s idea in the first place? All along it was God’s intention that men worship in the temple in Jerusalem! But when Israel sinned, and we were scattered and no longer had a temple, it was our forefathers’ idea to build synagogues in which to meet, pray, and read Scripture.”

“What is so wrong with that?” Ezra questioned, furrowing his brow.

“Oh, nothing is wrong with the idea itself. The problem is that, now, after many generations, worshipping in the synagogue is so established that many leaders consider it GOD’S PLAN rather than MAN’S OWN IDEA. Don’t you remember, Ezra, the ‘alternate worship places’ called High Places and what God thought of those? Now we’ve justified and colored over our own attempts to make Yahweh more convenient. THAT is the PROBLEM.” As Jairus spoke, fresh examples flooded his mind. “Like the Philistine ox-cart, we justify facilitating our convenience and ease with our own traditions. Did not Nadab and Abihu, Uzzuh, Jannes and Jambres all find out what God thinks of our great ideas?” Jairus’ eyes narrowed with deep conviction. His voice grew stronger, “One must distinguish between man’s traditions and God’s Holy Thoughts. That is not happening in recent generations, Ezra. The synagogue now is such an accepted tradition that a Jew is considered a rebel and unholy if he doesn’t attend the ‘right way.’”

Ezra was startled. He felt as if something very foundational to his Jewish beliefs was being pulled out from under him. He didn’t know whether to continue to listen or give in to the anger he felt rising up in him. Is Jairus actually questioning the validity of the synagogue—the very institution he is himself a ruler of? If God’s people didn’t have a place to meet, where could we read and listen to the scrolls being read? Where would the people of God gather? Suddenly it occurred to him that he had been warned about Jairus. Hadn’t he been branded a troublemaker? Ezra kept his thoughts to himself.

Related

• A Light Has Dawned – The full story from which the excerpt was taken. (A great “children’s story” if you know what I mean — written BY about 10-12 children, actually, as a collaborative effort…)
• Restoring The Glory of God in the Church – A teaching about how we’ve used ox-carts (ie. the traditions of men) to try and bring about God’s purposes in the church.
• About Lampstands – Some teachings concerning lampstands if you are so interested. :-)

It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity.

In the United States, “numbers” impress us. We gauge the success of an event by how many people “attend” or “come forward.” We measure “churches” by how many “members” they boast. We are “wowed” by big crowds. Jesus questioned the authenticity of this kind of record keeping. According to the account in Luke 8, when a crowd started following Him, Jesus began speaking in parables so that those who WEREN’T genuinely listening, WOULDN’T “get it.” When crowds gather today, speakers are extra conscious of communicating in a way that is accessible to everyone. Speakers [today] don’t use Jesus’ [truth and righteousness and wisdom] to eliminate people who are not sincere seekers.

The fact is… He just wasn’t interested in those who fake it.

The American church is a difficult place to fit in if you want to live out New Testament Christianity. The goals of American Christianity are often a “nice marriage,” children who “don’t swear,” and good church attendance. Taking the words of Christ literally and seriously is RARELY considered. That’s for the “radicals” who are “unbalanced” and who “go overboard.” Most of us want a balanced life that WE control, that is “safe,” and does not involve suffering.

(all emphasis mine)

That approach and Wisdom is not something we see exhibited around us, is it? How is it that Jesus is the most loving person who ever lived, and we think we have a “better way” than Him? That we actually “love people” more than Him by our accommodation and compromise of the true gospel — and therefore our MISrepresentation of who He really is, and also therefore, in effect, our altering of the gospel? Jesus purposefully told people, “Shhh! Don’t tell anyone I told you this!” He purposefully spoke in parables to keep the pretenders and the people who wanted Jesus only for His perceived “benefits” (to themselves) from truly understanding Him. Can you imagine? He purposefully told people when He did miracles on a number of occasions, “Don’t tell anyone I did this,” “Don’t tell anyone what you just saw here.” Can you imagine?

Do you think by some chance, the most loving person who ever walked the face of the earth had some wisdom to go along with it as well? That His Wisdom and His Love are inseparable and comparable? Has anyone noticed that the American “church” in particular has apostatized itself by watering down the gospel (thus making it no gospel at all), catering to people and culture (eg. “we just need to reach people where they are” rather than calling people up to where God has graciously lifted us as well — if we do it and see it that way, it’s not conceit but rather sharing “as one beggar to another”), and mistakenly believing that if we can just get people to “hang around” long enough, they’ll finally “get it?” Jesus didn’t do that. And when we alter the gospel so radically by demonstrating humanistic love and fear of men, neither of which characterize(d) Jesus (so no wonder most people can’t find Him in those types of environments!), history has shown that it produces the wrong results most of the time. How can it not?

It’s good to hear Francis Chan and a few other people pointing that out. We can’t keep supposing we “love” people more than Jesus by our accommodation and watering down of the gospel. Jesus wasn’t “mean” to anyone. But He didn’t cater to pretenders and people who wanted Him only for His perceived benefits. He didn’t cater to people who are merely sorry for the consequences of their sins only (as Chan also talks about in his book) and don’t want to go to hell (still selfish!) rather than being genuinely sorry for their sins.

There is a way. We can walk like Jesus. We can be as Loving as He was. It will definitely result in our being persecuted. If we aren’t being persecuted, it’s a pretty good sign we aren’t being as Loving and yet as Uncompromising as He was. Jesus… The most loving person who ever lived was slaughtered like some farm animal in less than 3 years time by religious people who only knew and exhibited humanistic love. They couldn’t stand JESUS’ kind of Love — which is the only Real Love. There’s some irony there, wouldn’t you say?! We “love” in an accommodating, SAFE way and we’re fine — everyone loves us. Jesus loved in His Way and was crucified for it. Wouldn’t it follow that if we loved as He did, people would at least be wanting to lead us outside the city gates?! :-)

Let’s just repent in humility, admit we’ve gone about things totally the wrong way, and do it Jesus’ Way.

Related

• Crazy Love by Francis Chan

A child kicks its legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough… It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again,” to the sun; and every evening, ‘Do it again,” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daises alike: it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.

–G.K. Chesterton

Man, if that doesn’t just tickle you to the bone, if that doesn’t just resonate with you as “Yeeessss!!” I don’t know what will.

There actually is a progression of Spiritual Life that John alludes to in 1 John 2 that depicts our lives spiritually as progressing from children, then fathers, THEN Young Men. He wrote it twice to make sure we wouldn’t miss it. The spiritual progression of men and women is from childhood to fathers/mothers (taking responsibility in God’s house) THEN to Young Men and Women — warrior/priests who are absolutely taking it to satan and busting him in the chops (1 John 2:12-14).

The progression is toward who God is. And God is Young.

Related

• Children, Fathers, Young Men

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us… The most pretentious fact about any man is not what he at any given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.

–A.W. Tozer

Or put another way, the closer one’s conception to the Reality of God, the closer one is to the highest purity, perfection, satisfaction, holiness, and Christ-likeness. Who God “is” is already set. God is Who He Is. God said that: I AM WHO I AM It is not within our prerogative to decide who God will be. But only to align our thoughts and perceptions to Who He Actually Is. Nothing else matters.

And when we’ve seen Jesus for who He is, then we have also seen God for who He is as well (John 14:1-6).

From: Don

Now, as always, God reveals Himself to “babes” and hides himself in thick darkness from the wise and prudent. We must simplify our approach to Him. We must strip down to essentials (and they will be found to be blessedly few). We must put away all effort to impress, and come with the guileless candor of childhood if we do this, without doubt God will quickly respond.

When religion has said its last word, there is little that we need other than the life and love — of, in, through, and to God Himself. The evil habit of seeking God-”and” effectively prevents us from finding God in full revelation. In the “and” lies our great woe. If we omit the “and”, we shall soon find God, and in Him we shall find that for which we have all our lives been secretly longing.

We need not fear that in seeking God only we may narrow our lives or restrict the motions of our expanding hearts. The opposite is true. We can well afford to make God our All, to concentrate, to sacrifice the many for the One.

–A.W. Tozer

Because the pursuit of only God is the pursuit of the One Thing — the One Person — who will require the most expansion our hearts. Everything and anything else will not require the same amount of space and our space polluted with other things leaves less than the optimal space for Him (John 8:37).

So as for the “church advertisement,” we’ve seen a number of these “new churches” spring up since we’ve lived here — and more are already on the way. Just on the east side of the TC alone probably no less than five or six of these have popped up and all of them have a very non-denominational feel and appeal. All of them are marketed very, very well. And I would definitely say that I can tangibly sense the earnest and sincere appeal behind them all. So I’m not questioning people’s motives at all. If anything, it’s continued evidence that people everywhere feel there is something wrong with “church” as we’ve classically known it for the last 2000 years. “Something’s missing!!” is one of the silent cries behind the artful invitations and color coordinated, thematic literature. And I understand and empathize with that.

But unfortunately what I also sense is a yoking with the world and the world’s methods to make that appeal. Good, honest, sincere people who mistakenly believe that a consistent marketing message and approach as well as “appealing to the current culture” is going to produce different results. Einstein stated once that “Doing the same thing over and over again and yet expecting different results” was the very definition of insanity. And despite these types of renewed “efforts” at “church,” we see the insanity of pretty much the same fruit.

Again and unfortunately, most of what I’ve seen is a new approach to “church” which now unquestioningly marries some of the world to a genuinely held religious or spiritual concern and what comes out the other end cannot produce what is truly spiritual. “Flesh gives birth to flesh,” said Jesus, “And the spirit gives birth to spirit.” It cannot be any other way. It’s “new church” but in an old, previously used and unsuccessful wine skin. The use of Photoshop, Kinko’s, 30# paper and a new drum set doesn’t change that. It’s still “old church” with a paint job insofar as fruit concerned. Again, sincere — someone sees that an improvement has to be made. But it’s like the restaurant on the corner that has seen all too many attempts at success come and go, someone, somewhere feels they have the “twist” that will make the next restaurant venture a success.¹

But as the old adage goes in the restaurant business, it’s “Location, location, location!!” Just as no one seems to understand in the restaurant business, has anyone thought about changing the LOCATION of “church”??!! It’s got to be out of this world. Born from heaven and not merely a new idea, no matter HOW sincere or genuinely or motivated by good intent. Or it’s Ishmael and “of the earth” as Paul says in Galatians 4:21-31. And the “child born of the flesh will always rise up to persecute the child born of the promise” or of the spirit. “It is the same now” as Paul emphatically states (Galatians 4:29).

So… What about this Astonishing Day Of Christ? How does that fit in?

Well, imagine yourself as one of these honest, sincere persons who wants to “start a new church and do it right!!” How immune would you be to anything perceived as criticism of your efforts? Really? You’ve been hurt or you’ve seen hurt and you just want to help. You’ve “prayed about it” and invested a lot of your own savings into this venture. And then someone comes along and says “It’s not God’s way. You’ve married the world to your sincere efforts and it’s only going to birth Ishmael!” — mixture, compromise, a “little hot, a little cold.” Some people who “look like” Isaac because they are half-brothers, but who really don’t care about The Promise. How do you respond?

Well, according to the Word of God, many people aren’t and don’t respond too well to this for a variety of reasons I can’t expound on here — this is already getting longer than I would like. But the type of response to that sort of criticism is often a fair indicator that it’s being built more out of the flesh than one may be willing to admit. Spiritual ambition is still ambition. Peter and Jude talked a lot about how in the last days, one of the spirits that would be exhibited would be “the spirit of Cain.” What was that spirit? It was the RELIGIOUS spirit who, after being told and shown, first by Seth and then confirmed by God Himself that it was Seth (“one in the likeness of his father”) who had the favor, rose up and killed his brother. The word of Christ and the spirit of Christ state emphatically that in the last days, the spirit of Cain will characterize it.

This is discussed in the other thing I received. A PDF called The Astonishing Day of Christ. I won’t re-print the entire article here. You can click here to download it and read it for yourself. But this is the “link” between the “new church invite” I received and this PDF teaching I received. They are inexorably linked because someone abiding in the Spirit of Truth will not able to accept “new churches” built and poured into old wine skins. And, if asked, they will not be able to provide a word of confirmation on such ventures. It’s not Christ. It’s not built “according to the pattern” (which is not “doctrinal” by the way) and it’s not going to produce replicas of Jesus as it’s babies.

Here are a few things from the article I want to highlight and then I’ll leave it to you to chew on:

Before the end, a determined force from Satan will work at bringing all world governments and institutions into favor with the anti-Christ. As his influence spreads and the final day approaches, all outward hope of a deliverance from his grip will seem to vanish — except from those whose eyes have been trained to behold Jesus in the darkness. Believers whose knowledge of Him reaches through the thick veil of deception and oppression will survive to the day of Christ.

Certainly it’s clear from these remarks that some will have insight into the untruths that are being manifest and built into the world and some won’t. That contrast will infuriate those looking to build out of merely “good and sincere” motives but who aren’t willing to shed the motivation of their flesh and the “me” that is in it for them, be it fame, recognition, glory, money or just a “feel good” feeling knowing you “did” something. Christ’s “accomplishment” on the cross did not leave Him with that “feel good.” He was slaughtered like a farm animal in the flesh and spiritually was separated from God for the first time in eternity, which to Jesus, was the worst thing of all. He sweat blood over it.²

Another thing that passage above provides some insight into? It would seem — I can’t say for certain — that there will be a bit of a “convergence” of “world governments and institutions” as stated above. There will be a “religious majority” that is validated by our culture and society which will “seem” right. We may even be left with a political system that seemingly has had expunged from it all vestiges of compromise and corruption. It may become “religious.” But this will only be part of the deception. And those who not just openly oppose this but who in meekness try to live a life Paul encouraged of “minding one’s own business” but who will not be able to provide a word ot support, but instead will need to necessarily condemn this system if asked, will find themselves at the eye of a storm of hate and controversy. “Intolerant! Haters of good! Racists! Domestic Terrorists!” will be the cry as the fetters are fitted and the fagots under the stake are lit.

How this gathering together unto Him at His Parousía will take place I cannot imagine. It is beyond the scope of my mind, so I won’t even try to tell. We can know some things, however. The Spirit will connect all believers, everywhere, to the power and government of Christ’s Throne. There will be no more movements of the Holy Spirit known only by some few earnest believers, but not by others. The power of this gathering and of Christ’s Parousía will reach into the most remote darkness the earth knows with a magnificent bond that will include every believer.

(You will need to read the article to understand that author’s use of Parousia in the quote.)

Again, there is an insinuation here as is clearly indicated in the scriptures, nearly everywhere, that there will be those who are “clued in” and who will reject what has and is becoming “normative” and there will be those who are lost or swallowed up by what is going on around them. What will be the determining factor? Love of the Truth. What will this “love of the Truth” look like? It won’t be so much a “having” or a here-and-now understanding or “possession” of the Truth as much as it will be a love, a passion for, a desire, a thirst for the Truth and nothing but the Truth no matter what the cost. It will be an ATTITUDE and a DISPOSITION more than an actual “possession” of the Truth as “facts” or “doctrine.”

(So in some ways, those with this disposition, this attitude, this posture, will be even more infuriating to those without it because by it those unable to completely and adequately satisfy the questions and finger-pointing, jeering and accusations will seem all the more merely intolerant and without just cause. When the defining and dividing issue will be one of POSTURE before God and not one of “possession” of Truth per se.)

You need to decide whether you’re hanging on the cross… or banging in the nails.

(a recent movie quote taken from the preview of a movie which I have not seen)

And as in Jesus’ day, so it will be just before His return, the “nail bangers” are going to be religious and will sound very “right” to most people who have been neutralized and relegated to the middle ground of indecision through slander, lies, coercion and half-truths. Those who are under the yoke of deception.

These are the things that have been on my mind. First in receiving the invitation and appeal to this new “new church” (one of about five or six just in our neck of the woods — think of this going on in every city in America, “new churches” sincerely and honestly poured into old wine skins and maybe the Astonishing Day of Christ comes into clearer view.) I hope you are able to take these things and “change your location” — change your posture and your stance, approach and attitude. Because it’s only from this location can you ever be assured of any future, spiritual success. Those without this location will be opened to and participants in a great deception as the Astonishing Day of Christ indicates. This deception will come to be over motives and desires. So those who want to stand will do well to prepare themselves for these things.

“Above all else guard the heart, for in it is the wellspring of Life.” –David

Related

• The Astonishing Day of Christ
• Ishmael Or Isaac? Part 1
• Ishmael Or Isaac? Part 2
• Restoring The Glory Of God In The Church!

Footnotes

¹ This is aside from the fact that either unbeknownst to many or largely ignored, again largely due to “sincere and honest efforts” I suppose, people feel anyone can take on the role of a “church planter.” According to the bible, not just “anyone” can “plant a church.” This was and is still a gift given to only certain men and it was not the “gift of church planter” which is no where to be found anywhere in the bible. There is a gift which allows such a man to plant churches, but it not the gift of “church planter.” I’ll leave it as an exercise to the reader to determine what and who this gift belongs to.

² It’s very unlikely Jesus sweat blood over His eminent death or even His destination for 3 days “as in the belly of the fish.” He sweat blood and bullets over His separation from the Father in the Spirit That is what He cried out in agony over on the Cross. “My GOD!! WHY have you forsaken Me!?” Abandoned by God. Betrayed and abandoned by “friends.” Cursed by family members. And left for dead by God. This was no “feel good” and it never is when things are properly built.