Christian Fellowship
“That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving...” Psalm 26:7
Vol. 22 No. 8 August 2013
I will love the Lord who is my strength. No matter what befalls me, He is the love of my life. I will not allow anything to stand between us. I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, and I will be saved from the evil around me.
There is much distress and perplexity of nations. Men’s hearts will fail them because of the fear that is escalating. But I will keep my mind and thoughts on the Lord as He delivers me from all my fear
The Lord will reward me according to my righteousness and the cleanness of my hands, for I have kept the ways of the Lord. I keep His judgments before me continually so I may walk in the purity of Jesus Christ.
He has tried me and His way is perfect. He is my strength, and the way that He has prepared for me is perfect and just.
He is my shield and buckler against all that the enemy does. Even though I am wounded, I am secure in the stronghold of salvation; for He has delivered me from the bondages of those who despise me and who turn away from the truth.
I will love the Lord my God no matter what: Rom 12:21 (KJV) “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
May His mercy be upon us through it all and the name of Jesus be praised.
In Christ,
Pr. Steve
It’s Drying Up
Dan 8:12 (KJV) “And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced, and prospered.”
There is an explosion in the Spirit realm – battles raging – but we can walk through without being harmed if we will be cautious. I believe what the churches are experiencing today is “the drying up” of what we have had in the past. People are going to become extremely thirsty for God but are going to find it difficult to experience Him unless we keep ourselves in tune to the Spirit. This seems to happen every time God moves toward the fulfillment of His plan universally. Everyone is affected by it.
This time we are in is like a river we have been walking in and working in, but little by little it is drying up to the place that we end up in mud and then in dust – but people keep on working and going on as usual, believing everything will be alright and that once again the river will flow.
But we have to realize spiritually speaking we are in a very radical time with God. We have experienced a slow atrophy of worship. There seems to be little coming forth from the worship leaders throughout the country. This is but one sign that God is doing something extreme. It is nothing any of us have done. It is the Spirit of God. When God moves in a different direction, it is very slow and it takes a while before people recognize what has taken place. So people keep doing what they always have done. But remember, God is in control. He always has new and exciting things in store for His people who will follow Him.
Herein lays the problem. The farther we go in the progression of God’s plan, the less we find people doing what the scriptures tell us. Ex: Luk 14:27 “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”
How many Christian people do you know who do this? The usual answer from people is that “God loves us, He is merciful, and His grace is sufficient.” But to face the issue, have you denied yourself, are you taking up your cross, have you hated your life for the sake of the Kingdom of God, is one we don’t want to meet.
Rom 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service (of worship). (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Is this who we are? Or do we want to give our children everything they want and do we want to take everything we can get? What is more important? To lay your all on the altar so you can prove His will or get what you want? We adapt to what we see happening; and because others don’t follow Christ’s commands, we don’t want to stand out and be odd. This lack of total surrender is normal in the churches.
So God is moving in a new direction that says this: “Whoever will follow me and do what I command, let him come.” And the others are little by little going to drag along hoping something will happen to give them drink. Rev 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
It is like a “last call” before all chaos erupts. So the issue of the hour is one of personal relationship and interaction with Jesus Christ -- regardless of what anyone else does.
What has already begun to happen is that the Christian church life, the church culture, is going to be touched less and less by the Spirit of God. And God is going to go through the church and find those who are denying themselves, becoming living sacrifices, taking up their crosses, and following Christ. They really are doing it! It is these people in whom God wants to put His throne and His glory.
As the waters recede and more and more of what God has once done dries up, that which hinders Antichrist will be removed (2 Thess.2:7). Once that happens, people are going to find it extremely difficult to find salvation. They won’t realize it because they are always searching for the next exciting thing. Tragically, if they have not first been doing what God has said to prepare us for these days, they will find and accept the false works of Satan.
It has been prophesied that in the last days the enemy will have convinced the believers that something is of God even though it is not of God because the enemy will infiltrate truth with about 20% lies. But because of their gullibility and lack of discernment, many Christians will believe this mixture of the true and the false. Such is the case today. [It has been said that those who are hungry enough will eat anything; and to see demonstration of this truth, we have but to observe the church at large.]
The water is receding and when it does, people will begin to see mirages because they will become desperate for any kind of reality.
At this time we witness two things happening simultaneously. Spiritual truth is drying up and the battle is intensifying. Why? Because the people are not receiving the Word of Truth! They have a watered down gospel that produces no life. There is poison in the pot and people are getting spiritually sick unless they do what the Holy Spirit is saying. We have to obey God.
But when this disconnection happens, it is so slow in coming that people gradually dry up; and without even knowing why, they leave the church while still believing everything is spiritually OK.
You see, being able to receive and buy truth is a gift of God.
We already observe the rise of Antichrist in politics. It’s like a circus as we watch the politicians bounce off of each other. They don’t want to listen to anyone else, and they seem incapable of taking a stand for any issue with a confidence you can believe. But the people cannot see clearly what is happening. We are becoming a one world government. It is part of the plan and it is unfolding before our very eyes. The problems of America and the church are not limited to us. They are world-wide.
Little by little America is losing its power. But we hardly feel it because it is so slow in coming. And in the churches people don’t have anything to fight with because they have been inundated with false doctrines and watered down preaching that has made them weak and sickly. How can you survive if you believe at any moment the Lord is going to rapture you out of this mess? That is what most of the church expects.
God says we are going to see strange things happen, but He is going to do new and surprising things with His people. This is the fire we need to get in our bellies. This is the hope we need to grasp hold of and seek the Lord for the new and glorious thing He wants to do with us. This is a time for mature thinking and mature walking accompanied by an “understanding of the times” [Sons of Issachar – 1 Chron.12:32].
God is for you if you are for Him. He won’t abandon you – it is you who walk away from Him time and time again. The pressure of Antichrist is too great to allow this abandonment to continue.
We need the power of the Holy Spirit to sustain us today. That power comes by making yourself a living sacrifice so you can follow Christ. Shake off the weariness. Exercise your authority in the spirit realm. RISE UP and be what you are made to be. You don’t fight this battle alone. Christ Jesus is in you to strengthen and sustain you with victory even in the midst of the conflict. Once you get that adrenaline running, don’t turn it off. Go for Jesus – Get up and go for Jesus with all that is in you. Fill your mind with His thoughts of everlasting love.
Remember what the Lord is giving you today to prepare you for the way of salvation. It is preparation time because the battle is raging, the troops are being sent forth. The Spirit realm is at war. Don’t get caught in the fallout. Let the Lord give you exactly what you need in order to stand.
Winning the battle requires a people who take a strong stand for truth and pray with power, meaning what they are saying and doing.
We are not called on to fight Antichrist. And we are not called on to fight the government. The Lord is looking for camels: those who will carry within themselves enough water that can be given to other people. It is going to be a desert and your children are facing this desert. We must be ready because we are going to have to be repositories of water for those people from churches which have not taught what is required to become a true disciple of Christ.
That dryness describes the day we are in. And God is simply asking, “Will you serve Me today and follow Christ Jesus no matter what happens? We must be filled with Jesus no matter what. And that is when the water will flow freely to all who are athirst. God wants to make you a repository of water. The water of life!
Rev 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
-Pastor Steve
I am going to be sharing with you thoughts from my journal over the past few years. This is to show you how the Lord has brought about His Word in my life to minister to you and to show you how real this walk can be. Please read and understand by the Spirit about ...
. . . My calling as a pastor
Pastor’s Journal 2012
Aug 2: I am watching to see that My Word is fulfilled. (Jer 1:12)
Aug 4: The Spirit of God is the power of God dwelling in His people and working in them what the Father and the Son desire for us.
Aug 11: The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth and tell you of things to come and bring glory to Me by taking from what is Mine and making it known to you. (Jn 16:13-14)
Aug 17: Joy is the sign that God is everything to you.
Aug 20: We pray only as we live.
Aug 24: Trust Me for every area of your walk. I am with you every step of the way. I have led you and guided you to this place with Me. Nothing goes unnoticed. You are in My hands and I will not drop you or bring harm to you. Don’t stop looking to Me about everything. My reward is with Me. In every battle, let Me lead and you will come out victorious.
Aug 25: “For I know that in me, (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.” (Rom 7:18) The power of Christ’s life cannot work in me apart from the power of death. We must pray and see how entirely the flesh must die. Understand what a cursed they sin is.
Aug 30: This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. I know that His mercies are new every morning and great is His faithfulness! (Lam 3:21-22)
Aug 31: Remember that none who wait on Him will be put to shame.
Who Is Really In Control?
Mat 16:24 (KJV) “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
A true disciple of Christ is one who considers his own self last and follows Christ in duty by the leading of the Holy Spirit. As Christians we are not to be limited in our worship of our Lord, but rather we should be limited in what we do that does not glorify Him. We are engaged in a calling that is a way of life to be lived in accordance to His directions. He is not a cruel taskmaster; instead, He is a loving Heavenly Father who knows that we need Him every day.
Php 1:9-11 (KJV) “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; (10) That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; (11) Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”
Some people interpret “righteousness…by Jesus Christ” as meaning that even if they are deliberately sinning, they are already forgiven and they don’t have to change at all. But if that were true, Christ would not have said that we must deny ourselves and take up our crosses.
Mat 6:19-24 (KJV) “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: (20) But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: (21) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (22) The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. (23) But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! (24) No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
We need to recognize that the worth that God has placed upon each soul is of more value than everything that could be gained in the world; but without Christ in our lives, all we have would be that which the world could give us -- carnal imaginations and fleshly desires that are never truly satisfied but are accompanied by the pain, despair, darkness and death that come from following their master and the enemy of their souls.
Deception and pride cause people to think that they do not serve anyone but themselves. All you have to do to evaluate your heart’s relationship with God is assess your actions and your thoughts by answering the question, “What do you spend your time doing and thinking about?” Unless your conscience has already been totally seared, you will discover that you are doing and thinking evil that you don’t really want to do and think about, a revelation that reveals who is really in control.
Jer 30:8 (KJV) “For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him.”
For Christians, the words: “I have decided to follow Jesus” are not just a song to sing in church services. Rather, because Jesus Christ has invited all who would follow Him to come as they are and “to follow,” these words are the answer that each sinner has the opportunity to give.
-Kurt Thurston
When having God takes everything
My world is spinning round and round.
My life just smashed as it hit the ground.
I know God is here and He cares.
But come on, God, it's just not fair.
If someone follows You all their life, day in and day out through all the strife; the pain of losing everything, always there like a never ending sting.
But still they trust and believe in You, everything's gone -- all they have is You, why is the pain still stuck like glue?
Is it the point to lose it all? Is that what we need after all?
Is the pain of losing everything what we need to get through this thing?
For if we lose everything we have to hold onto, we will be free to only have You.
And if having You takes everything away from me, that's ok. Because You are all I need. God, I just want to be freed.
Ethan Price, June 2013
Quotes:
"The last word of our Lord to the church was not the Great Commission. The last thing He said to the church was 'Repent.'”
-Vance Havner
"God requires to be represented by a fiery Church... two things are intolerable to Him--insincerity and lukewarmness." -E.M. Bounds
"The angels are ministering spirits; they are not governing spirits."
-John Brown
"True repentance includes sorrow for sin and contrition of heart.
It breaks the heart with sighs and sobs and groans..."
-Thomas Brooks
Kids Korner
God Knows?
A nursery school teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work.
As she got to little Sarah who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was. Sarah replied, 'I'm drawing God.'
The teacher paused and said, 'But no one knows what God looks like.'
Sarah replied, 'They will in a minute'
-Arthur Unknown
Next course from Christian Life Educators Network - Richmond Center:
Financial Wisdom by: Dr. George Myers
Financial Wisdom to Create True Wealth
September 5-7, 2013
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