Christian Fellowship
“That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving...” Psalm 26:7
Vol. 24 No. 8 August 2015
Do you want to succeed in life? Well, who doesn’t? Then ask yourself a couple of questions: Am I willing to change? Pro 4:7 “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.’’
Though it cost you greatly, get understanding of what needs to change. We can forever change into something wonderful. Your hunger for wisdom and knowledge determines your future. In order to keep giving out, you have to be taking in.
Second question: Do I enjoy what I am doing? Sometimes our jobs become difficult with increased pressures and added responsibilities we did not foresee; but for the most part, do you enjoy what you get to do when it comes to your life? You will never fulfill your destiny doing something you despise. Passion lies at the core of true success and fulfillment. It is the fire in your life that keeps you going. When you grow tired, you rest and then resume the work because it is gratifying. Enjoying the challenge helps you arrive at answers to those questions you have repeatedly asked yourself about life. In addition, it gives you courage to take risks when others no longer care.
When you lose your passion, two things happen: First, you fail to pursue with all your heart; and second, you begin to do things you never thought you would be doing, things that are outside the will of God for you.
If you love something enough to work hard at it, you will succeed. Work at loving God with all your heart and watch your life succeed!
In Christ,
Pr. Steve
Two Realms of Glory
2Pe 3:3 (KJV) “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,”
2Pe 3:11 (KJV) “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,”
The emphasis of this chapter is on personal holiness and personal righteousness. The Bible itself sets forth three main points: First, is the supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ; second is finding righteousness and eternal life through Christ -- and by that I do not mean “imputed righteousness” (i.e. assigned righteousness that excludes our behavior). When I say “righteousness in Jesus Christ,” I mean as opposed to finding righteousness through the Law of Moses. Paul taught the Jews and Gentiles that no longer could a person find righteousness through Moses, but that righteousness had to come through Jesus Christ.
The third major emphasis is finding holiness that makes us spotless, blameless and at peace with Him. There are probably more verses on this third one than on the other two. The N.T. has much to say about personal holiness in character and behavior, a fact we need to keep in mind because in our day that part receives little attention. What is emphasized is to accept Christ so you will go to heaven regardless of how you act.
The moral strength of our country is becoming weaker and weaker as we are placing self-seeking liars and thieves into positions of authority, largely because instead of preaching holiness, churches are expounding “assigned righteousness,” along with “a rapture-escape” mentality.
One of today’s prevailing trends is the avoidance of any negative or gloomy preaching that would state or imply judgment and destruction. Regrettably, such a spirit of humanism voids what God is doing in His attempts to reveal Divine and impending verdicts. For example, some people called David Wilkerson “a prophet of doom,” but evidence has shown him to be a true prophet of God. Almost all of his prophecies have come to pass except the one about the great earthquake of America that follows a great earthquake of Japan. As a pastor, he prepared his church for the attack on the Trade Center before it happened. But now that voice is gone. Will God raise up another voice to prepare His people for what is coming? To make ready a people ahead of time so that they might be spared in the day of tribulation is not doom and gloom, but to ignore the truths of our day makes fools of those who do. The only way to find help from the Lord is to know and walk in truth.
You cannot cling to your life in this world and remain a Christian. In order to be prepared and not cling to humanistic ideas, we need to be aware of two realms of glory. Instead of being moved by what people think and how they feel, we must gain God’s perspective on everything. People are not the answer for our day. Only the Lord Jesus Christ is the answer. When we place human opinions and programs above those of God, we become guilty of humanism, a form of idolatry.
If we want to hear from the Lord about the days ahead, we are going to have to be willing to hear things that aren’t so agreeable. And if you are willing to be used to share these things in order to prepare others, then people are going to hate and despise you.
The first realm of glory is the physical world with which we are acquainted. At present, we don’t know much about the second realm, that of the spirit world; but we want to know about it. Because of the mythology that has been spread, we must be careful not to limit the spirit world to heaven.
The physical realm came from the spirit realm. One of the things taking place today is that God is making the spirit realm more real to us. Col 1:27 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
In order for the spirit realm to become more real to us, we have to know the power of Christ that is in us. Until we do, we won’t be able to go through the tribulations of our day. When I say that God is making the spirit realm more real, I am saying that Christ in us is getting more powerful and revealing. As wonderful and exciting as that sounds, it requires we accept Him as King and therefore obey Him; for He is not going to make Himself known to those who ignore His ways and continue to do their own thing.
God wants to make Himself known to us so we can be His light to the world and draw people into the Kingdom of God.
People think they are acceptable to God today because of the humanistic teaching that is prevalent. This form of humanism, known as Gnosticism, teaches understanding gained by the intellect instead of the heart. This construct holds that if you have the right knowledge, you will go into the spirit realm at a higher level. From the Gnostic view that the physical realm is bad, it follows that marriage is bad. Just look at our society! As a result of this premise, that to be married is less holy than to be single, Catholics do not allow their priests to get married. Gnosticism treats the physical realm as evil, but that is not what the Bible says. Genesis 1:31 records God’s estimation of the physical realm of His creation: “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” And about marriage, the Bible states in Hebrews 13:4 “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled.” In contrast, some use the Gnostic belief to justify divorce, now at nearly a 60% divorce rate, under the guise that people can live however they desire because the spirit realm excuses it all.
In Romans 2:5-6 (KJV), God says that every person will be judged according to what he has done:“But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasures up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. (6) Who will render to every man according to his deeds.”
But then we add, “Unless you have accepted Jesus Christ.” We add to the scriptures because of humanism.
Joh 5:28-29 (KJV) reads, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
But then we add, “except those who have accepted Jesus Christ.” We cannot continue doing our own thing when we want and the way we want and still expect to be saved.
As the Lord is making the spirit realm more real to us, we should be learning more of what is expected of us and doing more of what is right before the King of all the earth. We can’t put off doing what we need to be doing in this life and then move into the spirit realm and expect to be something really great. We are going to see an increase in the Kingdom of God on this earth. God is going to have a people He will use to make a difference. Now is the time to be prepared.
Rom 2:8-9 (KJV) “But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, (9) Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile.”
No one escapes judgment for the way they act. God wants decent people. If we don’t surrender to the King, where do you think that leaves us? We must accept Jesus as King, not just as Savior – and that means to obey Him and His Word. Because there will never be two kings in the universe, it is going to be His way or no way. The choice is ours.
God picked Israel to be His own possession. But they wouldn’t listen to Him, so for two thousand years He cut them off and He brought forth a Gentile race of people to be His own. But if we, as Gentiles, don’t listen to Him, He will cut us off as well.
Humanism says that God forgets about all our misdeeds and that He is going to save all out of their messes. People have a false image of who God is and say that He will never be unfair. Well, let me tell you something. God is not fair, He is just and true. And He will never go against His own character or Word. And He has made it plain what is expected of His people. If you want to be called by the name of the Lord, then you need to get to know Him and His ways and follow in a way that pleases Him –maintaining an obedient relationship is your salvation.
Rom 2:10 (KJV) “But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.”
Do we know what is “good”? If you want to know what is “good,” don’t ask a Christian. Ask someone who is not a Christian. The Christian will tell you that “doing good” is not what you need; you just need to “accept Christ.” This distortion of truth is destroying America and causes the world to look at us as the evil Satan because of the gross immorality our nation encourages and embraces.
This realm, the physical realm, is the valley of the shadow of death. If you try to make heaven out of it, you are going to be deceived. Don’t live for this world. We are put here to learn about God and to know His Word and to live righteously.
The Spirit realm is becoming increasingly clear to us. We are going to know it. We are going to experience it more and more because we have to prepare and be prepared for the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.
In order to experience this we have to have more of the Holy Spirit until we are filled. We have to have more of Jesus until we are filled with all the fullness of God.
Eph 3:19 (AMP) “[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!”
The way you get to know the love of God by experience is by doing what is right as opposed to doing what is fun. Make the right choices and you will live a meaningful and prosperous life. Learn to do what is fun when it is the right time, but also learn what is right at the right time.
We are in perilous times during which people are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God (1 Tim. 3:4). So long as people live that way, they will never receive anything from the Lord. In contrast, the rod of iron righteousness is being developed within those who exercise godly moral principles and do what is right, for these are being prepared to rule with Christ in His Kingdom.
-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 2014
Aug.01: I am dead with Christ. (Gal.2:20)
Aug.02: O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!
Aug.03: “ASSURANCE”
Aug.08: Do not be afraid of your adversary. For it is given unto you in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake. (Phil.1:27-28)
Aug.09: I will take care of you!
Aug.10: I will bless you with people again!
Aug.11: I will show forth My salvation to LWCF.
Aug.15: PURE TRUST = “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not unto your own understanding.” (Pro.3:5)
Aug.23: The one who follows the way of integrity may serve Me. (Psa.101:6)
Aug.30: The devil is angry and is making war with the remnant which keep the commandments of God. (Rev.12:17)
Do Not Forsake the Word of God
Have you been reading the Bible regularly? God has said that we are to teach the upcoming generations about all of His marvelous works that He has shown towards mankind throughout the ages. God is alive and so is His Word. If our born-again spirit is to teem with His we must spend time in His Word, partaking of it to nourish ourselves and to share its truth with others.
2Pe 1:2-4 (KJV) “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, (3) According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. (4) Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
Simply put: We Christians need never forget that we must stay in the Word of God!
Psa 78:1-37 (KJV) “Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. (2) I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings of old. (3) Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. (4) We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. (5) For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children. (6) That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children. (7) That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments. (8) And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God. (9) The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. (10) They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law. (11) And forgot his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them. (12) Marvellous things did HE in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. (13) He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap. (14) In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire. (15) He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths. (16) He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers. (17) And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness. (18) And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust. (19) Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? (20) Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people? (21) Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel. (22) Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation. (23) Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, (24) And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. (25) Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full. (26) He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind. (27) He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea. (28) And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations. (29) So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire. (30) They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths, (31) The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel. (32) For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works. (33) Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble. (34) When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God. (35) And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. (36) Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. (37) For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.”
Church, God has blessed our generation in many ways, but it is now more apparent than ever that there is beginning a great falling away, so we must not think of ourselves as if we have arrived, or have become exempt from our obligations to God and His Word. Rather, we should be all the more diligent to the call that God has placed upon our lives concerning the keeping and the proclaiming of His Word.
-Kurt Thurston
Quotes: by Leonard Ravenhill
"A popular evangelist reaches your emotions. A true prophet
reaches your conscience."
“A true shepherd leads the way. He does not merely point the way."
"Your doctrine can be as straight as a gun barrel-and just as empty!"
"I doubt that more than two percent of professing Christians in
the United States are truly born again."
Next course from Christian Life Educators Network - Richmond Center:
A Study of Faiths and Religions by: Dr. George Myers
This course provides students with a knowledge of world religions and biblical Christianity. Distinguish religious strengths from weaknesses, break down doctrinal components, categorize and evaluate overriding motifs of each religion in comparison to biblical Christianity.
September 10-12, 2015
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