Christian Fellowship
“That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving...” Psalm 26:7
Vol. 20, No. 5 May 2011
Persistence pays off. Ever hear that before? Persistence is what it is going to take with the Kingdom of God. We must persistently keep coming to the Lord for mercy in time of need. We must persistently keep obeying the Word of His command. We must persistently keep believing all the promises of God. We can no longer live a halfhearted relationship with our Lord. He has come to judge us and is looking for hearts that are totally sold out to Him in love, service and determination not to turn back or give up.
Heb 12:1 (AMP) THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,
You are being watched. There are those in the spirit realm that are cheering you on and hoping and praying that you will keep going all the way to the end. Don’t let the enemy stop you. Don’t let the world stop you and don’t stop yourself by being worn out in this day.
Rom 2:7 AMP To those who by patient persistence in well-doing [springing from piety] seek [unseen but sure] glory and honor and [the eternal blessedness of] immortality, He will give eternal life.
Eternal life is being offered and that is what we want!
In Christ,
Pr. Steve
End of Days
Isa 26:20-21 (KJV) “ Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. (21) For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.”
When we come to the closing of days called the “Church Age,” we enter into the Days of Judgment. The Seven Trumpets announce this day as a time of war during which Jesus begins to destroy His enemies. He begins with the forces of darkness that have kept people bound. The result of the seven trumpets indicates the beginning of severe tribulation for all inhabitants of the earth. THE PURPOSE OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD IS TO SEPARATE THE TRUE PEOPLE OF GOD FROM THE PEOPLE OF SATAN AND ANTICHRIST and from THE FALSE PROPHET AND BABYLON, which is religion. The blowing of the seven trumpets represents the time designated to humble and to purify the Bride of the Lamb, preparing her for the coming of the Lord.
There is great contrast between Genesis 1-2 and the Book of Revelation: it is peace and beauty vs. an inferno of destruction that has resulted from 6000 years of sin. Of all the tragedies of history including the Dark Ages, the Holocaust and others, nothing will compare to the last of days.
One may wonder why God would permit such agony and chaos to come. Please understand that God takes no delight in the pain of mankind. God does not take lightly the anguish that man suffers at his own doings. It grieves the Lord to see a single human being suffer the pain of confusion and turmoil. But God’s spiritual laws dictate His response: Some bring love, joy and peace while others bring death, destruction and torment. God has done all He will do to save man. If God went any further in controlling the conduct of people, they would cease to be human and would, instead, become puppets without a will.
God permits Satan to express all that is in his personality. And it will continue until sin and self-will have been brought to maturity. What we have today are the results of not abiding in the will and love of the Father. It is indeed a terrible plight for humanity.
But at the same time, God is bringing forth sons in His image. God’s sons will be filled with glory; and under Christ, they will reign supreme over all the works of God’s hands. The angels were created as ministering spirits for the heirs of Divine Salvation. But before the sons are fully born (which means born of a woman, born of the Spirit and raised from the dead), they must be thoroughly exposed to Satan’s being and works.
Rev 21:7 (KJV) He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Each one who is to be called a son must of his own free will choose to abhor Satan and cling to God. The Lord Jesus Christ paid the price to help us do that. God’s Glory is revealed not only in forgiving sinners but also in bringing forth sons in His image – sons who under the most difficult of circumstances have chosen to obey their Father in all things.
The Day of Vengeance is upon us. This exercise of Divine Judgment will result ultimately in the destruction of the first creation. Man, animals, plants, the earth, sun, moon and stars will be done away with. The material creation will accomplish its purpose and be withdrawn in favor of a superior creation (Zeph. 1:2-3) & (2 Peter 3:10).
There will be a new sky and a new earth and a redeemed race to enjoy the new creation (Rev. 21:1).
Those who want to be a part of this new creation must do the will of God. Once you accept Christ as the Messiah and only Savior and Lord, from that point on you are tested with the will of God. Those who continue to do His will become the eternal creatures for the new creation (I John 2:17).
Luk 21:33 (KJV) Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
All through the agonies of these last days more and more we will see the fulfillment of God’s Word which will never fail. Those who put their trust in the Lord shall be saved. It is of the utmost importance that the Word of God is clung to during the day of judgments. Some will see the moon turn to blood and the stars cease from shining, but the Lord will remain a sure foundation and a rock of stability for all who trust in Him.
Psalm 91 will become a tool of safety.
But there will be many who will cease to hold on, cease to believe, and cease to continue in the will of God. 2Th 2:9-11 (KJV) Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, (10) And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (11) And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
There has entered into this generation’s thinking a false hope. That hope is the concept of a pre-tribulation rapture. It is a perversion of Paul’s teaching about grace, mistakenly interpreting Paul to mean it is not necessary to live a righteous and holy life before the Lord. This inaccurate belief is destroying more Christians than other errors. It has produced an unconditional grace of amnesty that keeps Christians from growing up and expressing their lives in righteous conduct.
Terror is about to fall on all the nations of the earth. When it does, the believers who have been lulled to sleep by false doctrines will not wake up. They will not be able to stand and bear witness in the last of days – which is exactly what Satan’s scheme is all about. Instead, they will be slain spiritually by antichrist’s political and economic lies and through false religious acts. These are already taking place and much of the church does not discern.
My generation has been in the age of the Philadelphian Churches in which love has been manifested and patience has been developed. We came through the millennium and the Lord did not return. But now the lukewarmness of the body of Christ is absolutely evident. The Laodiceans are among us--so much so that many people will worship democracy over Christ’s will and love. Although this country is Christian in name and doctrine, she has become a friend of the world and the world system in most all that she does and portrays.
The Laodiceans profess “riches and increase in material goods.” But such trust in false riches is disgusting in the sight of the Lord. He will vomit the materialistic believer out of His mouth.
What are the Lampstands? The churches! Laodicea is a Lampstand of God. But it is being replaced by that which never was of God – by the False Prophet (spiritual deception) and by Babylon (the end-time Christian religion organization).
We already observe the False Prophet as the spirit of religion that has infiltrated the churches with deception and seduction. Anything that keeps a person from total commitment to Christ is this Spirit. In its place is more success and prosperity.
The False Prophet is among us showing all kinds of supernatural practices that include “false faith” by imagining something with positive thinking. [Ex: flooding in Texas – the Bible belt].
Any teaching about Christ that neglects laying down one’s life, taking up one’s cross and following Jesus is way of false Christianity.
In these last of days the Bible declares that this Antichrist Spirit will rule the governments of the world, making people think they are being saved and that somehow this is the Kingdom of God. But it is not of God. It is the False Prophet giving life to the Beast: Rev 13:15 (KJV) And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Therefore, make sure you are preparing for these days. Stay close to the Lord Jesus Christ and make Him Lord of all. Remain faithful to the call as you see more and more come to pass. Because He is Lord, He knows exactly what He is doing.
-Pr. Steve
. . . My calling as a pastor
Pastor’s Journal 2010
May 1 : “You have my heart and You know the way. I am still leading. You are being built up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance. And you are getting to know Me.”
May 3: “My cry is for victory. My heart is confident in You, O Lord. I will sing praises with my whole being. Your faithfulness reaches the heavens. Save us, O God. Show us the way into triumph. Our human strength is useless, but with God we shall do valiantly.”
May 4: “I am my beloved’s and He is mine. And His banner over me is love.”
May 6: “My eyes are on You Lord until you show us favor We have had enough scorn. Show us your favor. Psm. 123:3.”
May 8: “Therefore we do not give up, even though our outer man is being destroyed, our inner man is being renewed day by day. For our monetary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what I unseen is eternal (2 Cor. 4:16-18)
May 10: “Send Your light and your truth. Bring me to your Holy Mountain so I can praise you, My God, my greatest joy. I will put my hope in You, for I will still praise you my Savior and my God.”
May 14:: “You are putting your life on the line for Me. I will see to it that you are victorious.”
May 18: “Be bold, be strong for the Lord your God is with you.”
May 25: “Your goodness still leads me, knowing that You love me more.
What Do You Say?
Most people like to talk much more than they like to listen. While observing people “conversing” out in public, I have often noticed that instead of the conversations being a dialog, they are closer to being two monologues. The two main choices of topic seem to be the people themselves and others who are not present at the time. The conclusions of these findings reveal an obvious need for the pursuit of greater life-giving preoccupations, along with a desperate need for more talk and time being spent upon the Lord and His purposes.
1Ti 5:13 (KJV) “And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.”
Mat 12:35-37 (KJV) “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. (36) But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. (37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
We can only share those things which we have sought. History reflects that through the ages a hunger for knowledge has held precedence over the seeking of wisdom. In general, people like to seek after and to share with others words of interest rather than absolute truth. It is no wonder that a large number of,“Christians” seem to be weak and powerless these days, when the majority of the words they speak have nothing to do with the Kingdom of God.
2Ti 4:2-4 (KJV) “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. (3) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; (4) And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
As Christians, we must keep ourselves filled with the word of God, and full of the Holy Spirit so that we will be established and strengthened with enough life flowing through us to benefit others.
Joh 6:66-68 (KJV) “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. (67) Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? (68) Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”
Are we willing to lay down our worldly interests to pursue the eternal wisdom that brings forth the fruits of life? Are we strong enough in the Lord to even attempt to fulfill the great commission? Or would we rather choose to settle for earthly philosophies such as “silence is golden”?
Mat 28:19-20 (KJV) “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
We are not the first to have to learn to overcome for the sake of the Kingdom. Exodus chapters 3 through 6 are full of examples of Moses giving God excuses why he could not speak to others when God told him too. But those same chapters also contain God making a way so that Moses could. The same is true today for anyone willing to answer the call. What do you say?
-Kurt Thurston
Quote by Amy Carmichael
God, harden me against myself,
The coward with pathetic voice
Who craves for ease and rest and joy.
Myself, arch-traitor to myself,
My hollowest friend,
My deadliest foe,
My clog, whatever road I go.
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