Originally posted 2009-08-14 06:02:55. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Luke 19:9-10

As with millions of other Christians, I am so very much aware of the wonderful saving hand of Christ upon my life, and how I was dead in my sins at one moment, and then saved for all eternity the next. I am constantly reminded of how the simplest victory would have been absolutely impossible without His sacrifice, and I am also aware of how fully and completely His sacrifice has redeemed my life.

Obviously I would never wish to be forgetful of these things, yet it has begun to dawn on me recently, and to my deepest shame, how I have been ignorant to something of equal importance, and that is the way in which Christ indwells believers by His Spirit, not purely for their own benefit, but that they may become vessels to continue His mission to seek and save the lost in this world. We are reminded of this in His Word quite clearly:

How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Isaiah 52:7

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

Romans 10:14

For far too long I have allowed myself to be insulated against the shame that accompanies the Gospel message. I can join the throng of professing believers in the West and say to myself that I do not face persecution because I live in a Christian nation, or I can be honest with myself, and say that the reason I do not face persecution for the namesake of Christ is because I fail to live as the witness He commands me to. Yes it’s true that on the ‘net, behind my own little PC monitor I may have quite a loud voice at times, and I thank the Lord each day for the way He has allowed me the privilege to be involved in such ministry. However truth be told, in my personal life, face to face with the hard and Godless of this world, I remain as a dumb and silent bystander, and this truth is splitting me in two!

It is my prayer that the Lord will take me as I am, and use me as a tool for His glory, living to boldly proclaim the Gospel message to all who will listen, and regardless of personal cost. I don’t know what that may mean in practical terms, but I do know deep down in my heart that these are desperate times, calling for desperate measures, and oh how I pray that I may enter the Kingdom of God on that Final Day, bruised and battle scarred, along with the true and faithful saints from through the ages.

Originally posted 2010-03-13 13:04:56. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

2 Corinthians 4:1-5
1  Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.
2  But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.
3  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.
4  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
5  For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

In the years I spent in the charismatic church, I came to a realisation that the true Gospel of Christ crucified for a sinful and fallen world, was far removed from the gospel message I had heard preached. I came to realise that the so called freedom of the Spirit claimed by many charismatic churches, in fact masked a deeper works righteousness buried deep within the congregation itself. It was often about what we could do, who we were in the Lord, how great our worship leaders were, how wonderful our preachers were etc..

The teaching in this type of church I have since found to be based far more deeply in the mind of the flesh, rather than founded in the Word of God by His Spirit, and as such, it caused a reaction within me to dive headlong into the Word of God in my desire to seek out the truth. What I found for the first time in my Christian life brought me to my knees in awe, for many of the uncertainties that had been built up in my life were quite literally obliterated in the blink of an eye. I found myself drawn to men of God who were skilled to rightly divide the Word of God. Firstly and foremost to the apostles, who were chosen by Christ Himself to convey His teaching to the world under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. But from that time onwards, God has continually brought forward men who would continue faithfully in the tradition of the apostles, accurately and precisely feeding those around them with the Word of Truth revealed by God Himself through the pages of Scripture, that we may be equipped to last the course.

For the past year or so I have spent much time, repentantly and earnestly putting out of my life those things which are offensive to God by the power of His Holy Spirit within me, and attempting to rebuild the alter of my heart in the proper manner, as seen in the example given by Gideon in the Book of Judges:

Judges 6:25-26
25  Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it;
26  and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.”

Whilst I give thanks for the restoration the Lord has brought into my life in recent times, the reverence for His Word that has been established in my heart and mind, and the wonderful teachers of God’s Word from various times throughout history; these things have brought me back to one thing above all else, namely for what is the purpose of this work in my life. Without doubt or any pause at all, I can state that it is all for the furtherence of the Gospel of Christ. I know from my recent studies that the work of salvation is of the Lord from start to finish, and what He has begun, He will complete. However for some strange reason that I cannot give an answer for, He has chosen weak and foolish sinners such as myself, to bring the glad tidings of Christ crucified to a fallen world. Bearing in mind the truth that with every second I live and breathe in this world, there are those who breathe their last, and die in their sins being blinded by the devil to the ONLY truth that could have ever set them free. How then should I go about performing this task faithfully, that I may be pleasing to my wonderful Saviour, and also witness with my own eyes the genuine fruit of my labour in the Gospel?

As with Paul and the other apostles, firstly I will “not lose heart”, for ultimately I know the work is of the Lord, through His mercy and grace, and nothing of my own flesh, no matter how noble it may appear on the surface. It is with all humility that I have come to realise that Jesus Christ does not need me for anything, but I need Him for everything! By His mercy and grace He has chosen wretches such as me, that His own loving kindness can be seen clearly through the frailties of sinful flesh. Therefore in my efforts to preach the Gospel, I am above all committed to doing so His way, and not my own. I too now renounce my ways of the past that are to my shame; the craftiness, the deceitfulness, the trickery, and the appealing to the flesh. These things I have not had to work on perfecting, for as with anyone else departing from the truth of the Word of God, to behave in a sinful manner is as natural as breathing! I am committed to never again preach myself, my experiences, my relationship with the Lord, or anything else of my self. I will preach Christ crucified for the sins of those who will believe upon Him, without embellishment, and without adding and detracting from His Word in any way.

Romans 1:14-17
14  I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.
15  So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

Originally posted 2010-01-06 14:50:04. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Although this ministry is totally committed to carrying out good works in the name of Jesus Christ, in order that people may “see the good works and give glory to our Heavenly Father Mat 5:16” , we are totally aware that in themselves they hold no power at all, other than to divert the gaze of the outsider towards God. To think otherwise would be to allow glory to be given to man, and acredit ourselves as somehow being able to bring others to saving faith.

The verse above, along with many others too, shows that the power of God to save souls from destruction, is found in the power of the Gospel message. Though our good works may be as sign posts pointing towards the One in Whom we place our trust, His Spirit alone is able to place the gift of faith in the heart of an individual, that they may hear His voice and believe upon the One that was sent.

No man, no matter how clever, can convince someone to believe in Christ. He may have skilled language and powers of persuasion, intelligent strategies that can cause people to come to him, and even listen to what he has to say. But only the Holy Spirit alone can convict the heart of man of their wretchedness without the sacrifice of Christ to cleanse them, and only the Holy Spirit is able to grant the power for a man to truly believe upon Jesus Christ as Saviour, even to the dying to themself. Which every true believer in Christ must daily do.

It is the Righteousness of God, revealed through the undiluted Word that needs to be conveyed, Spirit to spirit. Convicting the sinner of their sinfulness, their need to repent, their need to pick up their own cross daily, and their need for the power of God’s Spirit to empower them to do so. And the only way this will happen, is when the undiluted, full gospel of Christ crucified for our sins and risen again, is preached to the lost.

I have heard many times in church that we are fortunate to live in a nation where the Gospel can be freely preached, and whilst I too am thankful to the Lord for this, I also truly believe that we may be missing the point a little. If we were faithful in preaching the true Gospel to the lost, according to the bible it would bring conviction of sin amongst those who listen. To some it will be treated as foolishness and rejected, and to others it will be the wisdom of God, and embraced unto their salvation. But if we are faithful in delivering our message, their will be a reaction, and we will face persecution as a result. Could it be in all our efforts to preach a message of our best life now, a life on earth filled with prosperity and health, and a name it and claim it lifestyle; that we have been preaching a different gospel to that which Christ commissioned us to preach?

Let us no longer deceive ourselves into thinking that our good works can draw souls to Christ, or even miraculous signs and wonders as many today place so much hope in. The only way that we can become the fishers of men that we long to be is first of all die to our own flesh daily, for the life and power of Christ to dwell within us fully. We must choose to stand alone in the place where Stephen stood, preaching the undiluted Word for all to hear, that no-one is unaware that their own sin is the very thing that nailed Christ to the tree. That each of us are by nature born an enemy of God, standing in a place that awaits the hammer of His wrath to fall without mercy, unless we accept the offer of Jesus Christ alone to stand in our place. We must be willing to see people cut to the core, that when they cry out as they did to Peter, “What must we do?!” . We must be ready to give a confident answer; that they too must repent and be baptized into His death, not just a one of dunk in water, but that their water baptism would be a daily testimony to the way they are willing to share in His death and sufferings, that they may enter into His life and glory.

I urge you, don’t cast this message aside because it makes you feel uncomfortable. If it does, it is by the conviction of the Spirit of God, that in His mercy He is calling us to repent and live our lives out on this earth in the way He has called us to, not the way we feel is best.

God bless,

John.

Originally posted 2009-04-17 03:22:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Colossians 2:13-14
(13) And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
(14) having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

It would be a fool in my opinion, who would suggest the post modern church does a good job in preaching the Gospel of Christ effectively. Mainly this seems to be because of the fact that the Law of God is virtually overlooked entirely, in favour of His Grace and Mercy. But as many who run online discernment ministries realise only too well, to look the Law of God square in the face, is the only way in which His Grace and Mercy can be cherished to the full. For it is the harshness of His Righteousness displayed in the Law, unattainable by any one of us, yet demanded by Him from us all, that brings us to our knees to humbly receive the Gospel of Christ as our Saviour and High Priest.

This process of the Law leading us to the Gospel in the right manner to receive it is true not only at the beginning of our walk in Christ, but all the way along the narrow path too. We find ourselves in a place where the end is known from the beginning, and a place where we are being conformed into the likeness of Christ as an ongoing process, yet already stand before the Lord, justified, glorified and perfected forever! Hebrews 10:14 Romans 8:29-30 The light of the Law exposes our sinful ways at the timing of the Holy Spirit, which in turn brings us to a place of repentance and grief over our sinfulness, which in turn brings about a right attitude within us to receive the power of Christ to save us and transform us. This is a common process to all who believe in Christ, and is intimate and personal between the Lord and the individual believer.

The attitude of those being made holy in such a way must be one of compassion towards brothers and sisters going through the same process, for it is one every believer will know, every believer must willingly surrender themselves too, and is a manifest display of the believers faith in Christ at work in their life. As Christians, we have no right to judge anyone as they go through this process, for at whatever point we do, we will be judged ourselves. But if we are willing to submit to this process in our own lives, and when we stand firmly upon the truth revealed to us as time goes by, refusing to compromise or give ground to the flesh, we become a living testimony to the wonderful work of Christ, and the power of His Gospel. We begin to lead others by our example set by Christ within us, as a shepherd of the flock, rather than harshly driving others by the very standards that Christ is building within us personally.

I have realised in recent times that in some areas of the online discernment ministries on the internet, the pendulum seems to have swung from one extreme to the other. Many of us have recognised the call of the Lord to come out of the apostasy that surrounded us, yet rather than moving on in faith, becoming examples of truth and light as the Holy Spirit moves us from glory to glory. Instead, we sometimes seem to attempt to drive others out of the mire by our own strength, failing to see the intimate work of the Spirit of God in the lives of others, designed specifically for the task in regard to that individual believer.

It would be my call in this message to remind us that the Grace that lifted us up out of our own miry clay, is fully capable of doing so for every other true believer too. By all means, let us continue to stand on the truth as He reveals it through His Word. Let us contend and defend true faith in Christ as the only hope for anyone. Let us refuse to compromise, and allow the truth to be called a lie, or the lie be called truth. But let us stop trying to do the Lord’s work for Him, and recognise that we have enough on our plate simply working our own faith out with fear and trembling, let alone attempting to work out the faith within others too.

Originally posted 2009-08-29 11:38:55. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVoDxvfc3Pw

Originally posted 2010-02-03 00:13:14. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

I will keep this message very short, as I am providing a youTube video of a sermon preached by Paul Washer, entitled “The Idolatry of Decisional Evangelism”. In this message Mr. Washer makes a strong case against the common way in which unbelievers are invited to make a decision for Jesus, and invite Him into their heart through the sinners prayer. I know from personal experience that it was so in my own conversion, and as a result, much of what is discussed in this video was very true in my own life too. Not particularly that it is wrong to be led in a prayer of repentance, but that the source of ones assurance of salvation is anchored often on the sincerity of the decision we make, rather than the work that the Holy Spirit has begun within our heart.

One thing we must remember is that the power to save lies solely in the Hands of God, and must be a work solely carried out by the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 2:8,9 we are told that it is “by grace we are saved, through faith; and that not of ourselves, but it is a gift from God, not of works that anyone should boast.” We are also told in John 6:44 that “no-one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws (from root word meaning – to drag), and I will raise him up at the last day.”

As Christians responding to the Great Commission of Christ made to all of us to preach the Gospel, we must learn to preach it correctly, and learn promptly how to administer it correctly too, when people respond in faith. We must take extreme care to maintain the attitude of Jesus, and say and do that which we have seen our Father do, and the prime way of doing this is by labouring in His Word, that we may rightly divide and discern the truth from all that we hear.

I pray earnestly that all who read this message will find the time to listen to this video, for as hard hitting and uncomfortable that it may be to some, it is a message I believe all Christians must take heed to. For if we continue to attempt to preach the Gospel in our own power, dampening down the words of the bible to make them more palatable to men, and sharing only part of the message, we are in danger of nullifying its power. Not only that, but we are also in severe danger of finding ourselves making promises on behalf of God that He has never made, having the blood on our own heads of those we failed to warn of His judgement of sin; and becoming guilty of preaching a different gospel than that which we have been given through the bible.

Galatians 1:8-12
8  But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9  As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
10  For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
11  But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.
12  For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shxQcczYuAA]

Source of video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shxQcczYuAA

Originally posted 2009-04-22 09:02:18. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

www.youtube.com/watch?v=M15vPZx-ypM

Originally posted 2009-09-03 10:05:10. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

(12) And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.

We often hear the words “the joy of the Lord is our strength” quoted within Christian circles, and for those from a charismatic background, you will have often heard this quote in conjunction with displays of so called “holy laughter” and other spiritual manifestations.

Although this quote is taken directly from Scripture, if we examine the context in which it was written, we realise that so often it is used today in a completely out of context manner. So if we are seriously going to attempt to allow this wonderful truth to affect our lives in Christ, it is vital that we understand the true meaning of the statement. This is most easily done by understanding the context in which it was spoken in the Scriptural account.

If we read through the book of Nehemiah, which is the source of this quote, we read a remarkable story of unity between God’s people, as they unite for the purpose of rebuilding the broken down walls surrounding the city of Jerualem. From the end of chapter two right through to the end of chapter seven, we read the account of how the Israelites worked together in the face of great opposition, to rebuild the city walls and begin rebuilding the buildings within the city itself. From the perspective of the flesh, these people had much to boast about, for they had accomplished a great work for the glory of God.

In chapter eight however we realise that the people all understood that their unity of purpose, and the victory it brought, was directly given by the Lords own hand, and the glory was His alone. This was evident as we read:

Nehemiah 8:1-3

(3)  Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

As Ezra read from the Book of the Law of Moses, and he and the other Levites gave understanding of the Scriptures to the people, and as they all worshipped the Lord together; the people were overcome with grief, for they all wept as they heard the Book of the Law being read.

When confronted with the Righteousness of God displayed in the Law, we are all convicted of our own unrigteousness, regardless of how great those good works may at first seem to be. The same was true of the Israelites in this account, for the Law of God brought the people low before His own Righteousness, even in the face of such a wonderful work they had accomplished themselves.

To truly experience the Joy of the Lord for ourselves, we must first experience the brokeness of our own unrighteousness in His sight, just as in the account above. Regardless of how good we may see ourselves, or how great our own works, we must understand the truth well spoken of by the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 64:4-7

(7)  And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us, And have consumed us because of our iniquities.

When we are confronted by our own unrighteousness in the face of Gods Righteousness, it leads us to the place where we understand our need to be saved, for there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. This is a painful place to be, for all pride is cast down as nothing, and we find ourselves entirely at the mercy of the Lord Himself.

The wonderful news of the Gospel message we preach however, is that from this place of humility and helplessness, the Grace of God is extended to all who will call upon His name for salvation:

Romans 10:11-13

(13)  For “WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.“

What was directly responsible for the change of heart in the Israelites in the Nehemiah account, is directly the same that brings about the change of heart in all those who are humbled by His Righteousness, and that is that they understood and believed His Word spoken to them.

When we are convicted of our own unrighteousness to the point of crying out for salvation, which can be attributed only to the work of the Holy Spirit, then we are brought into the full grace of God, and the command of Jesus Christ Himself:

Mark 1:15

(15)  and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

When we humbly receive the salvation that only Christ can offer, we also find ourselves in the place where “the joy of the Lord is our strength”, but what we realise is that this statement has nothing to do with any emotional display of joyfulness on our part.

As the Scripture says, it is the Joy that belongs to the Lord that is our strength, and the One who brings Joy to Him is the One in whom He is “well pleased” Mark 1:11. When we believe upon the One who was sent to die for our sins, and choose to deny ourselves and follow Him because of that belief in our heart, then we truly enter the Joy of the Lord. For the thing that brings joy to the heart of the Father above all else, is when we believe in His Son Who was pierced for our transgressions.

In short, the joy of the Lord that is our strength, has nothing directly to do with us, even though it has a massive effect on the heart of all who believe. Just as His Righteousness is imparted to us from Christ as we believe in Him, so is the Joy that the heart of the Father expresses towards His Son. It is completely in and of the Lord Himself, and is imparted to us only because of the obedience unto death by Christ Jesus, as the only once and for all sacrifice that should cleanse us from our sins before a Holy and Righteous God.

Originally posted 2009-08-10 20:18:33. Republished by Blog Post Promoter