Tag Archives: Obedience

Tough but True!

“It is a remarkable fact that all the heresies which have arisen in the Christian Church have had a decided tendency to ‘dishonor God and to flatter man’. “  Charles H. Spurgeon

We live in a time like none other in the history of the Church~Body of Christ.  There is not a single day that goes by that we don’t read a story in mainstream media and/or Christian media,  or hear on the news or a from a radio station of another Christian organization that is “falling away” from the blessed truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)   I know I’m not alone in watching with great sadness churches (some denominational– others interdenominational– some non-denomination) changing their views, policies, doctrine and ministries to suit the “times”.  We are warned often in the New Testament of those who will creep unawares into our churches… and those who will walk away from the One True Gospel because of  the self centered, lust-filled and power-driven old “person” within us.  Charles Spurgeon witnessed it.  We are witnessing it!  Like a “whirlpool sucking everything into the darkness”.

I wrote several postings last year about wolves in sheep’s clothing ( Matthew 7:15), however they weren’t read by many.  A year later, apostacy has escalated at an alarming rate as I watch Christian (?) ministers/ministries/organizations move away from the true Gospel… to a

‘people-pleasing gospel’

or a ‘cotton candy Christianity’

or a ‘cultural gospel’

or a ‘New Age gospel’

or a ‘question the Bible gospel’

a ‘jump on the band wagon gospel’

or a ‘mix Christianity with other religions’

All of these are deceiving many in our churches,  and the members follow along, like the “blind leading the blind” not questioning. (1 Timothy 4:1)  Why???  I’ll tell you why… because the average Christian has no idea what they really believe or why they believe it because they spend no time in the Word of God, “testing the spirits” (1 John 4:1)  I know that sounds tough and hard, but, it is the truth.  As I’ve written many times before… you don’t need a theological degree to read and study the Word;  you don’t need an education in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.  All you need is a personal relationship with God!  That relationship comes through repentance and personally receiving the “gift of salvation–the blood of Christ” that reconciles us to the Father; making Jesus Christ the Lord of your life and then the Holy Spirit takes up residence within your heart and at that moment you are a brand new person, with a new life.  With the abilities to read and study the Bible.  Earnest prayer for understanding, asking the Holy Spirit for discernment and a willingness to surrender your own will to the will of God—-the Word will become something you crave and can’t do without!!

Much Praise to The One Who is The Giver of Eternal Life

The unconditional love of the Almighty LORD God given to sinful, God rejecting, and self pleasing mankind is the most amazing representation of WHO He is.  He sent His ‘only’ Son to die and pay the penalty of our sins, then offers to us as an amazing free gift … we don’t need to work or try to be perfect (we couldn’t anyway), because Our Savior Jesus Christ who was without sin chose to take all the sins of world as the price required for salvation and freedom from the bondage of ‘self’!   The Word of God is the most amazing book ever written!   Here, thousands of years after the initial writings, the original manuscripts are still with us.  The Bible is God-breathed words penned by the holy men He chose.  

Let us never cease to be in awe of  the one and only True LORD God and His  endless grace;

 The salvation freely given to us by the precious blood of the Lamb of God;

The Holy Word of God!  ©Streim

If anything I’ve written here disturbs you… pick up your Bible.  Find out for yourself!  Read and ask God for wisdom, as it is His Will that you read His words of love and caution.  Your heart must first be in the right place with the Father and Lord Jesus to receive instruction.  Here’s a few verses you get you going… reading them in context gives the depth.  All four of these references are from our Lord Jesus:  Matthew 7:15; 10:16, Luke 10:3 and Acts 20:29.  Be blessed…

 

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Wolves and Artificial Sweeteners~ Part 1 http://wp.me/p1Ypb1-7V  

Warnings Given With Love  http://wp.me/p1Ypb1-tB

 

Are we a people of the WORD?

Okay, so let’s get real here.  Any Bible believing, church going Christian will tell you that WE stand on the Word of God.  I read an alarming, well-documented statistic the other day that literally broke my heart and made me angry at the same time!! 

Bible believing churches/denominations across this country recently polled members of their congregations with one simple question.  Each person received a small post-it size piece of paper; then asked to answer the following question with a number.  That was all — no name required.  Complete anonymity.  I can imagine some of the respondents smiled while others squirmed– inside their hearts that it.  The question and it’s findings:

How many times a week do you read your Bible, outside of during a church service or Bible study group?

The results —  Only 45% of these Christians read the Word at least once a week.  The other 55% — ZERO!

That means over half of church attending Christians in today’s society NEVER even pick up the Word, except to carry it along to church as an accessory to their wardrobe.  Does that stir the Spirit within you?  It should, especially if you’re in 55 percentile!  Now if you’re in the 45th percentile group, you’re still not doing too great if the number is less that 17 (my opinion only).  Where’s I come up with that number you ask?  Well morning and evening (as David wrote in the Psalms)= 14, Sunday morn 1, Sunday evening 1, midweek service 1.

I would like to share with you a short quiz I read sometime back.  The responses are strictly between you and  our Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  The numbers 1-10 for each question are self-explanatory.

1.)  I am consistent each day, and all day long, in reading, meditating on, and thinking about the Bible and what God is teaching me through His Word.

1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10
Not at all                                  All the time

2.)  I read the Bible in order to discover what it has to say about every area of life

1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10
Not at all                                   All the time

3) Whenever I do read the Bible, I’m looking for ways that I might grow, or that I might help others grow in the Lord, or come to know Him.

1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10
Not at all                                  All the time

4) I can hardly wait to get time in the Bible each day; I eagerly look forward to every moment of reading, studying, meditating on—drinking in!—the Word of God.

1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10
Not at all                                  All the time

5) I read through all of the Scripture regularly, and I’m always looking for new ways that the Bible can speak to my life, my society, my culture, and the world in which I live.

1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10
Not at all                                  All the time

6) The Bible is changing my life; I can see it and my friends comment on it. And I’m eager to see it change the lives of others as well.

1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10
Not at all                                  All the time

 Can you describe yourself as a person of the Book?  Or do you just have a kind of loose adherence to Scripture as somehow a part of your life, although not in any consistent or transforming way? What have you learned about your own commitment to the Bible, and what, if anything has this quiz suggested to you about any changes you need to make?

As the followers of Christ we have been given His Word as a sacred trust as written in Psalm 147:19-20 “He shews His word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.”  Remember, we as adopted children through the blood of Christ these verses pertain to Christians as well .

God gave us the Bible, and He sent His Spirit to lead us into all truth and teach us the things we need to know, as we compare one section of Scripture with another and listen for His Voice to instruct, convict, and transform us  “Now we have received , not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak , not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual”  1 Corinthians 2:12-13.

Finally, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in His parting words to His disciples before ascending the Father tells us simply He appointed to us the ministry of the Word for the purpose of making all the nations disciples And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying , All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo,  I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.  Matthew 28:18-20

But He said , “Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it”  Luke 11:28

And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the Word of God with boldness.  Acts 4:31

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:  Ephesians 6:17

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  Psalm 119:11

As for God, His way is perfect: the Word of the LORD is tried : He is a buckler to all those that trust in him. Psalm 18:20

The grass withers, the flower fades: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.  Isaiah 40:8

If you’re not being transformed by the Word; you’re being deformed by the world ©Streim

Follow The Leader or Follow The Lord?

The past 2 weeks my study in the Gospel of John has focused on chapters 12-21, obviously because of the significance of the Crucifixion and blessed Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  These nine chapters are so beautiful… there are no words to express what the Holy Spirit inspired within me, with the exception of JOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Abundant, fiery, overflowing, empowering JOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I learned some very important truths ( 2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”) and I profited much spiritually, for which I thank my Father.  There is so much I could share, but when I am impressed to explore a certain issue, I must!

The hatred of the Jewish people towards Jesus, even though all things pertaining to His life on earth and His horrible death on the cross were firmly set in Old Testament Biblical prophecy, and yet many hated Him!   I asked myself over and over as I read, how could they?  Did they not know?  Weren’t they instructed in the Temple by the Pharisees, Scribes and Chief priests?

The problem with the average, everyday Jew in Jesus time  (as I see it and Isaiah prophesied) is they listened to the leaders and NOT to the Savior Himself!

“But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:  That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled , which he spake , Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed ?  Therefore they could not believe , because that Esaias said again,  He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted , and I should heal them.  These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.  Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:  For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”  John 12:37-41

Where are you in your relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ who obediently died for our sins–yet He was without sin?  What do you believe about our Heavenly Father who raised Jesus from the dead to conquer sin and death for us?  Are you following church leaders, book authors, tele-evangelists, speakers, and on and on OR are you following the Word (John 1:1-5)?  If you’re hanging your salvation on a pastor or a church for fullness… you’re going down a very dangerous path!

  • GET INTO THE WORD DAILY and I am not talking about a “quickie” 5 minute devotional!
  • PRAY WITH JOY AND THANKSGIVING ACCORDING TO GOD’S WILL all day long!
  • DESIRE TO BE MORE LIKE OUR LORD… get hungry for His Word and needful of personal fellowship!
  • GET OUT INTO YOUR WORLD  and let you light shine… speak the Gospel… and walk the walk!
There may be some of you who may “blast” me on this post and you know what, I do not care!  If anything I’ve written is Biblically unsound then post a comment.  I am writing this because I see the same thing happening in the church today as I studied about with the Jewish people in John’s Gospel.  I care where you spend eternity.  
 Extra references… words from the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself — John 5:19-34; 6:44-51; chapter 17, Jesus prayer for His disciples and for us; and John’s final comments in chapter 21:25 “And there are also many other things which Jesus did , the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written . Amen.”   ♥Streim