UPSIDE DOWN WORLD

ONLY IN THE NATURAL

Opposites attract.

In the natural this is a reality, as we can see so vividly just by understanding the most common examples.

One magnet is attracted to the other, but only on opposite sides or ends.

My wife tells me that a clean book shelf will become very dusty in just a few days, and my clean desk will always become cluttered whenever I sit at it for just a few moments.

Send a clean grandchild outdoors and the child that returns has found the mud in the garden and the hair from the shedding dog or cat.

In our lives and in that of our children, we see good attitude corrupted by exposure to bad attitude, or good intent spoiled by our exposure to a stronger willed person whose intent is not good.

Most of us are familiar with the composition of the atomic particle; in the simplest explanation it is held together only because of laws of design that state that opposites attract.

Let us examine this for just a moment; There are three basic components of the atomic structure, the proton, the neutron and the electron.

The proton is a positively charged subatomic particle.

The neutron is a negatively charged subatomic particle.

The electron is a negatively charged particle that spins around what is known at the atomic nuclei.

The atomic nuclei is the mass that is created when the proton and neutron are drawn together by attraction.

That would seem simple enough, however whenever one of the elements are disturbed something devastating can occur.

Nuclear fission, or as we would state an explosion with devastating consequence.

In the spiritual we are taught that what occurs in the natural is in many instances is not what we should prefer.

As the electron spins around the nuclei of the atom, it holds the mass together by being repelled by one and drawn to the other. Causing the spin or the rotation.

Using scripture as the guide to our relationship to the world and those of the world, we see that opposites really do not attract but rather should be repelled by each other.

In order for opposites relationally to co-exist, one of the opposites must become less than it would desire to be.

A great measure of caution should be used in any relationship with those who are outside of a walk of holiness, as far too many Christians are weakened and even corrupted whenever they cannot, or choose not to separate themselves from the world.

The scripture has many things to say about those who truly serve God and who have given themselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and the way that we must guard our relationship with the One who purchased our redemption with His own blood.

In the natural we see that it is true that opposites attract, but in the spiritual different laws exist.

To receive you must first give. Luke 6:38

To live you must die. Philippians 1:21

To be enlarged, you must first decrease. John 3:30

To gain, we must lose. Matthew 16:25

We are required to bless those who curse us. Matthew 5:44

We must be humbled before we can be exalted. 1 Peter 5:6

We must give up our own will to receive His. Mark 14:36

We must be born again. John 3:6-8

We must escape the entanglements of the world. 2 Peter 2:20

We must flee the magnet of temptation. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Our God resists those with pride in their hearts and gives grace to the humble. James 4:6

If we know to do good and do it not then it is sin. James 4:17

If we communicate with the evil our good behavior is corrupted. 1 Corinthians 15:33

We must separate our lives from those who know not our Lord. 2 Corinthians 6:17

There is a noticeable difference between the holy and the unholy. Leviticus 10:9-11

The righteous have no business with the un-righteous

Light has no communion with darkness,

And a believer and an unbeliever can not agree for long. 2 Corinthians 6:14

The intellect of man can discover and understand some of the natural laws that God has by His own hand put into place, and yet intellect as found in humanity cannot fathom the truth as stated in 1 Corinthians 1:27 “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;”

Only faith in us in the same measure that a child bears faith will allow us to fully understand the laws of the spiritual Luke 18 :16-17

To know you Lord and your ways first, is my prayer for all of us.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT

How many times have we heard the statement that , the Nation of Israel and the City of Jerusalem in particular are the keys to understanding the prophecies concerning the very end of the gentile age?

Read almost any legitimate newspaper on a daily basis and we can very easily see that Biblical Prophecy in regards to the return of the Son of God, is spelled out bit by bit, article by article, page by page.

In just the last week we have seen Russia turn from embracing a pro-western attitude to a return to the saber rattling and brutish forms of diplomacy, that are reminiscent of what was known as the Cold War Era. Threatening to target European cities with nuclear tipped missiles, and ordering a resurgent Russian military to be ready to accept an onslaught of new materials and weapons.

We must remember that it is prophesied that an alliance between what most scholars believe to be Russian soil and peoples, and those that make up the Muslim nations will come against the Nation of Israel prior to Christ’s return. ( Ezekiel chs. 37 & 38 )

One of the most significant stories of last week (in my opinion) was that of ex Prime Minister of Israel and past Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Shimon Peres, being elected and appointed to the Presidency of Israel.

It is a position that in reality wields very little power to control the government of Israel.

It is however significant in light of the following facts.

Shimon Peres was born in Poland.

Shimon Peres is 83 years old.

Shimon Peres was personal assistant to the first Prime Minister of Israel, David Ben Gurion.

Shimon Peres is a Nobel Laureate.

Shimon Peres has always pursued peace before aggression.

Shimon Peres is the last living government official of his generation, the generation that saw both the establishment of the Nation of Israel, and the victory in the Six Day War of June 1967, in which the Temple Mount and the Western Wall were captured and reclaimed as Jewish territory along with the West Bank, which has now been turned over to Palestinian control.

Shimon Peres as elder statesmen will be very respected and his word will carry more weight than past presidential office holders.

Shimon Peres has stated that his entire term will be dedicated to seeking peace by any and all means.

What does that all mean?

Let us look at what the Holy Scripture gives as reason that this is significant, and then you can make up your own mind, if this is meaningful or not.

In the book of Isaiah chapter 66 vs. 8 we read where the Prophet is speaking to the Lord.

“Who hath heard of such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.”

Isaiah had just heard the prediction that the final restoration of Israel will be astonishing and complete and that the nation will “be born at once” during a time of great travail. The prophecy was partially fulfilled on May 15, 1948 when Israel declared its independence, and will finds its final fulfillment when Christ returns.

The Fig Tree was established, and the people that had been scattered among the nations for two thousand years, had been re-gathered and is ongoing at this time.

Jesus being quoted in the book of Luke, speaks of the fig tree and her maturity.

Luke ch 13 vs. 28-30 “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.”

That is the significance in all of this.

The nation has been restored on May 14 1948

The City of David, Jerusalem, is in Jewish possession, June 7 1967,

There is a world wide war going on that is not nation against nation but is kingdom against kingdom.

We see the alignment of nations as prophesied in the book of Ezekiel ch 38.

The last politician that represents a specific generation is once again in the political spotlight. And his remaining natural years would seem to be short.

And that specific generation will not pass until all things pertaining to the gentile age are fulfilled.

Please seek the Lord and listen for His voice as to whether all this has direct implications in the end of days.

In any stretch of the imagination our time in the Church Age is growing short.

To be effective we must do as John the Baptist did and declare that the Kingdom is at hand and it is time to make straight the path in the wilderness.

A DESIRE TO SERVE

AND THE BLIND WILL HAVE THEIR SIGHT RESTORED

 

How often have we as followers of the Christ, felt as if we had prayed the last word that we could, or felt as if we had ministered to as much filth covered humanity as we could stomach?

We complain and cry that all of our effort is for naught, as we do not see immediate results, not trusting in Gods timepiece but instead clockwatching and calendar marking on some worthless item we purchased at the discount store or preferably someone gave to us as a gift. Its free then, and we actually value it less.

We boastfully say that, if this or that would occur then we would step into what God has planned for us since our inception.

We make every excuse imaginable to justify our chosen sin; sin that we entered into with our eyes wide open, not caring that Jesus hurts in the fact that His Bride is not faithful.

We throw a pity party, and all are invited, with the hope that perhaps someone will tell me how good I am!!!

Not long ago, I was allowed to have a small part in a large evangelism movement in another state.

The days are long and the nights are longer as the needs of many are met.

Physical needs and spiritual needs. Times of rejoicing for those who grasp the need for a savior, and times of sorrow for those who will not and may never accept that God sent His only Son to meet the ransom for all who will believe.

After the last invitation was given and the crowd dispersed, I was privileged to witness an occurrence that I pray that I will never recover from.

Every night of the event I was in the presence of a man blind from birth, a man with a heart for the things of God, a man who reads the word in Braille, a man who witnesses to the sighted, and a man who is a drummer in a praise band, a man who shouts,( to say he sings would be a stretch),“let the blind man say I can see again“, during the vocalization of the lyrics to Let the River Flow.

When I first heard him scream that lyric, I thought it was a prayer of hope, or a plea for mercy.

Foolish me. My blind brother was declaring that his heart is right and his motives are pure.

As an unsighted man, he was not able to do the things that others were during the event, however as the stage was being dismantled, he was able to hear another brothers voice and to grab him by the hand, and to plead to be put to some use, after all he is not helpless.

The reply made by the sighted man was, I do not know what you can do.

My blind brother stated that he would do anything, anything at all, he just had to be a part.

The sighted brother took him to a portion of the stage where not much activity was going on and at that moment these (mine) blind eyes saw true service.

He was crawling on his hands and knees pulling on and following a trail of duct tape that had to be removed before the stage could be taken down.

His smile was enormous, my eyes watered and are even now as I see the waste of those who could serve and yet choose not to serve.

LET THE WEAK SAY I AM STRONG

LET THE POOR SAY I AM RICH

LET THE BLIND SAY I CAN SEE

ITS WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE IN ME

HOSANNA, HOSANNA, TO THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN

ARE WE PLEASING TO THE FATHER OR DO WE CAUSE HIM TO BECOME NASEOUS

Did you know that God is serious about changing our characters into a spiritual facsimile, or more accurately an authentic manifestation, of the indwelling noble character of Jesus Christ: “For whom He did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29).

Daily, God longs to change us , to mold us, to form us to be more like His image, and less like the one we have fashioned for ourselves.

Jesus was the perfect image of the Father, and He will fashion us to be like Jesus, in spiritual maturity, which is the mark of the full development and consistent manifestation of the Christian graces, or the “fruit of the Spirit”, that Paul taught us about in (Galatians 5:22-23).

Jesus said it like this, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

By Gods imparted grace and our consistent cooperation with His dealings with us, we may each grow into this biblical spiritual perfection, if we desire to do so.

Do you have the same desire for perfection in your life, as the Father has for you.

Or have you too become indifferent about your spiritual development?

Are you satisfied just to be saved---a useless lump of unchanged clay in the house of God, showing no resemblance to a Holy God or His Son?

Or are you one of those who desire to go on to fully know, fully obey, and fully glorify the One who saved you from a life of meaninglessness and an eternity of torment?

Do you believe that Jesus can really make you upright, noble and spiritually minded?

Or has unbelief robbed you of your vision of a truly sanctified life?

Because many Christians do not aspire to or attain spiritual maturity does not mean that you cannot.

The heavenly Fathers Son shares His Fathers passion.

Two thousand years ago He stated in His message to the church at Laodicea, (which interpreted prophetically means, lukewarm and materialistic, in regards to this final period of the Church Age) that many of His Fathers vessels would lose their passion for perfection and become spiritually and morally indifferent.

He added that such halfhearted Christian vessels nauseate Him: “ I know…that thou art neither cold or hot… so then, because thou art lukewarm…..I will spew thee from my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16)

That is something that we need to consider.

Do we want to sicken our Savior and be “spewed” or suddenly thrown up, out of our place and work in His End-Time plan?

That’s a very high price to pay for spiritual passivity,

Strive to keep the Fathers passion for you alive and growing in your soul.

Then instead of increasing His and His Sons nausea, you will be one who is a blessing to the Father and Son, and a relief to an upset stomach.

“HOW OFTEN WOULD I …….AND YOU WOULD NOT!”

LUKE 13:34

When our Lord was on this earth, He was all the while trying to show us that there is a higher life everywhere, appealing to us, but being refused.

The parable of the good Samaritan illustrates this.

Lying in the roadway is the robbed and wounded man: A priest comes by, and sees him, but refuses to help.

Then a Levite passes by in similar refusal.

Next, a Samaritan comes by, and sees the half dead victim is a Jew, one of the peoples detested by those who are Samaritan, yet he responds with a compassion that overleaps racial animosities.

The Priest and the Levite, notwithstanding their religious appearance and profession, refused the appeal of the higher, bigger more divine realm which is everywhere around and appealing to us; but the Samaritan responded despite obstacles of racial antipathy.

The priest and the Levite saved themselves much inconvenience, but they also refuse “the kingdom” and missed the greatest joy we can know on this earth.

We see the same thing in the parable of the sheep and the goats: “Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not unto Me.” (Matthew 25:33-46)

The tragic, damning feature is not active committing of evil, but of selfish refusal of the higher, which at last is exposed as refusal of Christ Himself.

There it is: The kingdom of heaven is everywhere around us, beckoning, appealing, in daily incidents, situations, and opportunities.

It is our sense of having refused what might have been which cast such gloomy reproach over us as we look back.

We have allowed the evil to keep us from the good; the good to keep us from the better, and the better to keep us from the best.

We have allowed selfish refusals to keep us from richest self-fulfillment and mystic communion with the “King in His beauty.”

We must drag out those innate attitudes of refusal.

Our psycho-analysts do not speak of sin, but they insist that the worst enemies to peace of mind lurk in the subconscious, and that we must drag them up to conscious exposures if we are to conquer them.

That then is close to Plato’s dictum of “the lie in the soul?”

We should guard against becoming morbidly introspective,but an occasional crisis of dragging these sub-conscious refusals to light is a wholesome necessity.

Drag the skulking Agags of pride, snobbery, fear, prejudice, green envy, the ugliness of grudge to light, and hack them into pieces!

These are the hidden emotions that trick us into refusing the meek, lowly, brave, noble, generous, lovely, Christ like life which we know we ought to live

Thank God, there is blood-bought absolution from all the accumulated culpability of the past; and if we will fling wide the portals of our inner life to the risen Lord Jesus, He will work gracious miracles in our nature, so that the shining ideal may indeed become the daily reality.

I have heard it stated that preaching the reality of hell is a little to intense for some audiences.

By preaching eternal damnation for the punishment of sin, the seeker may be repulsed and turn away.

I do not believe that and do not know how anyone who has studied and who believes, the teachings of Christ, that can make that deduction.

If a seeker is taught that he must be born again, (John 3:3) that Jesus is the Son of God, (Luke 22:70, John 1:3-4) that all who call upon Him will be saved, (Matthew 16:16) then he immediately is no longer a seeker, but is either a receiver of the truth of the gospel, or he becomes one who denies the truth.(Romans 1:18-22)

When ever there is no foundation in the mind of a person that there is a certain place of punishment, that persons concept of the purpose of the perfect sacrifice of Blood of the Savior is flawed, even to the point of their eternal damnation.

The price was paid to save a sinners soul from the reality of a literal burning eternal punishment.

Jesus believed in the reality of hell and spoke of it in terms that were very intense.(Luke 16:20-25)

If it was real enough in the heart, mind, and words of the one who created it, for those who follow after satan, (Matthew 25:41) then it should be real enough in any follower of Christ to not be afraid of teaching it.

How many people have we loved, and led away from the cross of Christ because we were afraid to offend their senses.

Love someone with the truth, if they reject the truth, you will not be held guilty, for they have rejected the message of truth, not the bearer of the message.

Hell is a very real place, it is intense, there is only one way to avoid it.

(Romans 10:9-11)

DOES THE STENCH OF HUMANITY CAUSE YOU TO TURN

LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES, LIKE POSITIVE TO NEGATIVE IONS,

There are things that we as Christians should be so attracted to that at times it becomes impossible for us to maintain any safe distance.

HE HAD TO KNOW THE ANSWER!

In the midst of the pushing and shoving, calling as he went, a certain young lawyer made his way through the mass of people, “ Teacher! Teacher! He called.”

The central figure stopped; the crowd about Him responded.

Turning toward the voice, the entreated Teacher spoke. “What is it that you desire today friend?”

Here he was, a young lawyer, standing face to face with the Teacher from Galilee. He had heard so much about the man; the dead were restored to life in His presence, the blind were made to see. Some had even stated that a voice from the very heavens had spoken on behalf of this Teacher at a baptismal service.

Again the Teacher asked, “My young friend, how may I serve you?”

His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as he struggled to ask the question that drove him into the presence of Teacher.

And then he blurted it out, in spite of himself.

“Teacher, I don’t understand. You have done so many wonderful things. And,…..your teachings,……I have never heard so many wonderful words. Some have said that you are a prophet, and some have even imagined that you could be Messiah.”

He went on asking, “Teacher, don’t you know who these people are that your are with tonight? Excuse me sir, but these people are---sinners-- tax collectors!”

There it was, he had said it and he felt better, and he felt worse at the same time.

How would this man called Jesus respond, to such accusations?

Jesus allowed His eyes to wander over those in the crowd surrounding Him.

It was true!

It was just as the young lawyer had stated. These were not the choice of the community.

These were not graduates of the schools of prophets. Yes some, were indeed tax collectors, collaborators with the hated Romans. And yes, there were some gathered among them that were guilty of far worse than that.

Jesus looked back at the young lawyer, and pondered whether he really wanted the truth or was he just here to point a Pharasitical finger at the Teacher?

Then the silence was broken.

“Friend. It is just as you say. Such were some of these. But is it not true that those who are healthy have no need for a physician? Can you not see and feel their need?”

“If you had one hundred sheep and one became lost would you not seek it out, to return it to the fold?”

“Friend, you and those who sent you should rejoice, that I have come, not to call the righteous, but the sinner to repentance.”

What weighty, unexpected words! Jesus, certainly knew who those were that were gathered around Him. And more than that, He was glad that they were in His presence.

This was just the crowd that He was seeking!

Again the lawyers thoughts were interrupted by the words of the Teacher.

“Friend, I have taught in your temple, and in the synagogues; but never have you responded there like these people do here. These receive my words gladly. Your rulers receive them with suspicion. These peoples lives are changed. Those you love become more cynical and distant. Can you fault me for associating with those who will let Me help them most?”

The encounter was over. Jesus turned, and the crowd moved on.

Our friend, the lawyer, was left to ponder Jesus words, and so are we.

For like the lawyer, we, too, face the danger of isolationism.

We read; “Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17), and upon reading we sometimes interpret it to mean, that we are to avoid physical proximity at all cost; and in some cases, especially for a weak or a new Christian, we should.

But to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we should be known as “a friend of sinners.”

We must be seen at some non-church functions, visible, moving, working, but not ever stepping down from a higher standard. A standard given us by our Lord.

We do well to be in the company of saints. We should never feel out of place there.

But Jesus, at times, was glad to be in the company of sinners, also.

Jesus, found these people to have the most need for Him (Matthew 9:12,13; Luke 15:2-7.)

And since He came to seek and to save the lost, (Luke 19:10), He felt glad to be among the needy.

Jesus found these people to be the most receptive to the message (Luke 7:36-50).

There love and devotion to Himwas unequalled in the other circles that Jesus frequented.

The best of men can take only so much hostility and rejection; and our Lord still desires that fresh, unbounded love and devotion that flows from the Christ.

As His servants we should feel the most satisfaction, when we can bring such people to Him. And how can we be successful in that endeavor without following His example?

Finally, Jesus was glad to be among that group of people because He loved them (Luke 15:2, 11-32).

As a father loves a son, so Jesus loves a person----saint or sinner---with and unconditional love.

Regardless of what you do, He wants you. He loves you, He cares.

We should seek maturity to the point where our love is unconditional. Regardless of the lifestyle of man, whether drug addict, drug dealer, prostitute, homosexual, alcoholic, or any other.

Is our love unconditional, based upon social, or financial status, or do we seek those and structure our programs around them first and ignore the ones that Jesus called “the least of these?”

Are we, as Christ, friends to sinners?

A separated lifestyle is necessary to lift them, but a friendship is necessary to influence them.