If you know how to pretend to be on fire for God in the presence of professing Christians, when you are, in fact, as cold as ice, you are a hypocrite.
If you spend more time praying, reading the Bible, Worshiping, etc… in church when others are watching, than you do in secret when only God is watching,YOU MIGHT BE A HYPOCRITE.
If you are more concerned about how you appear in the eyes of mortal men than how you appear in the eyes of The all-seeing God, you are a hypocrite.
Those who say there are a lot of hypocrites in “the Church” should consider two things.

1. Hypocrites are not TRUE Christians. They are only pretending to be. They go to Church services because it is part of their act. They are actors.
2. They are not really IN “The Church”, because they have never been born “from above”.
   They may be able to deceive everyone else, but they cannot fool God, and they are also aware that they are faking. If you pretend long enough you can get pretty good at it.

Judas Iscariot was a hypocrite. He could have been nominated as “best actor”. Even when Jesus told His disciples, “one of you will betray Me“, no one suspected Judas. When Jesus said to him, “what you do, do quickly”, the others thought he was going to give money to the poor. He was a good actor.

Are you a good actor?

The prophets of Israel were remarkable men who had been seized by the hand of the Lord and brought into a cosmic view of time and eternity, righteousness and rebellion, mercy and judgment, Kings and nations, and the stunning responsibility of speaking on behalf of the One on the Throne.

In 1962, Abraham Heschel’s classic two-volume set “The Prophets” hit the printing presses. It was a work which started out as his Ph.D. thesis in German, and eventually grew into book form, becoming a widely heralded masterpiece on the subject of prophetism. One of the questions he asked in the first volume is looming large in my spirit at this writing, and in an age where there are many boasts and testimonies of prophetic activity in the Church of the West, I think it behooves us to consider it.

Heschel’s question, inspired by long and laborious perusals of the oracles of the Hebrew Bible, was this:

“What manner of man is the prophet?”

Many have asked this question in recent decades, and some have sought to give answers. Indeed, movements and ministries have been raised up with men bearing the title of “prophet”. You can find movements which place the bulk of their emphasis on supernatural activity, in terms of visions, dreams, interpretations and personal words of prophecy. You can find others who say that a prophet is basically one who preaches a message of repentance. Both views have valuable aspects, and should not be thrown out as a whole. There are many variations of these two emphases, and the opinions are often shared with great feeling and concern.

While Eph. 2.20 refers primarily to the apostles and prophets of the Scriptures, it’s clear that without these kinds of foundational servants the Church is going to be severely hindered from coming into the fullness of God. It is most likely to go through unfortunate cycles of backsliding, leaning on the arm of the flesh, and functioning in a mode of life that is far removed from the reality that the Lord has intended and desired. Unless we see the formation and emergence of the kinds of servants that Paul saw as crucial for the Church’s maturity, we run the risk of celebrating all kinds of external ministry successes that will crumble in the day of trial, having been built on faulty foundations.

It is vital, therefore, that we revive the question, “What manner of man is the prophet?”

I am suspicious of the great chasm that has been fixed between the role of the OT prophet and the role of the NT prophet. The idea that a NT prophet has an entirely different ministry, one of edification and encouragement only, is a distortion of the overarching testimony of the Scriptures. This distortion has much to do with the lack of a distinction between the Spiritual gift of prophecy, which may be given to any believer in the Body, and the foundational ministry of the prophet, which is reserved for the Lord’s choosing and can only be placed upon a mature servant of the Lord. The first is accessible to any believer, whether he is a new convert or a seasoned elder. The latter is a holy appointment, a sacred office, and it is reserved for the one whom the Lord has anointed, consecrated, and commissioned for this particular ministry. The blurring of these lines has caused great damage, men have often been prematurely or falsely appointed, and the standard of the prophetic call has been cheapened. We need to recognize this distinction, encourage an atmosphere where the gift of prophecy can bring edification to the Body, while maintaining a jealousy for the raising up of foundational prophetic servants.

It is my contention that we have done with the prophet what we have done with the Lord Himself. We have interpreted the prophet’s role and nature based on our experience, or based on what best meets our present satisfaction. The fact that we have fashioned our own ideas of prophetic ministry is evidenced by the fact that so many believers who are boasting prophetic activity are virtually non-literate, uninterested and unfamiliar with the words of the Prophets of Scripture.

Many have seen Israel’s prophets as the old order of prophetic ministry, but some elements of the “new order” that have been presented seem to me to run contrary with the Spirit and stature of everything prophetic in both testaments. We have so little written in the NT of prophetic ministry that it is difficult to be as specific as many have sought to be in recent times. Even so, the overall view of the Spirit and nature of prophetic work has not changed in the NT, as I see it. The prophet’s ministry is one of recovery and restoration, calling his hearers away from self-absorption, deception and apostasy, and back to God Himself, back to righteous living, back to love and humility, back to reality.

Little is said of Agabus, Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas in terms of prophetic function, but we see the greatest Prophet, Jesus Himself, in remarkable breadth in the Gospels. We see John the prophet’s experience, and the message he is called to convey over the course of 22 chapters in the book of the Revelation. These are New Covenant prophets in the highest sense, and the thrust of their ministry and message is the same as that of the OT prophets. The revelation of God and the message of His Kingdom have only deepened and become more pronounced. Their message is not contrary to that of the OT prophets, it is the fulfillment and fuller proclamation of the same vision and view. Why should it be something less? Jesus is the Eternal One who has never changed, and John was encountering the same God that the OT prophets encountered! NT prophetic ministry flows in a continuum with the OT prophets, but it presents more clearly and more fully the heart and Kingdom of God.

I am therefore dubious about an idea or expression of prophetic ministry that runs against the grain of the revelation of God already given in the Scriptures. If we have thousands of believers acquainted with prophetic ministry who consider the words of Israel’s prophets to be somehow “old-hat” or irrelevant to us, then what are we tending towards? If Jesus didn’t come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it, then could it be that the idea of NT prophets replacing OT prophetical stature and function is erroneous and even a gateway to eventual deception? If our idea of any ministry removes or lessens the sense of God that the early prophets and apostles conveyed, should we not raise a cry?

The prophets of Israel had a cosmic view, which means that they had been lifted above the wisdom and counsel of their contemporaries and brought into a revelation of the government and Kingdom of God. They saw beyond the tangible, past the immediate, and through the veneer that most of their friends and neighbors were content to hide behind. They could no longer “go with the flow” of material pursuits, religious pomp, or any other idea of life which robbed them of the presence and heart of the Holy One of Israel. This marked them out as different.

They were distinguished from the religious functionaries of their day because they communicated a word and vision of God as He is, and not as men had fancied Him to be.

The great issue of history is that men have not been willing to receive God as He has revealed Himself. They have been offended at Him, unwilling to surrender their lives to His leadership. They have loved pride when He delights in humility. They have loved hate when He delights in compassion. They have loved sin when He delights in righteousness. They have loved unequal weights and measures when He desires truth in the inmost parts.

The world and its systems is perpetuated and carried along by a pursuit of freedom, pleasure, and self-gratification that is the antithesis of the Lord’s intention for creation. The world is content to live in a pipe-dream. It is happy with the fantasy. “Ignorance is bliss,” they say. The prophet comes to yank the wool from our eyes. He is a holy remembrancer, calling us back to reality and truth, dashing our self-centric dreams to holy desert grounds, where we are compelled by fear and awe to remove our sandals. We see with wide eyes and dropped jaws that our opinions and rights are the expression of the most despicable kind of presumption. Our feet are bared, and we fall prostrate. We can not proceed to walk in the same way any longer.

Here are some of Heschel’s thoughts on the manner of the prophet:

“While others are intoxicated with the here and now, the prophet has a vision of an end. The prophet is human, yet he employs notes one octave too high for our ears. He experiences moments that defy our understanding. He is …an assaulter of the mind. Often his words begin to burn where conscience ends. The prophet is an iconoclast, challenging the apparently holy, revered, and awesome. Beliefs cherished as certainties, institutions endowed with supreme sanctity, he exposes as scandalous pretensions.

The prophets must have been shattered by some cataclysmic experience in order to be able to shatter others. The words of the prophet are stern, sour, stinging. But behind his austerity is love and compassion for mankind.

Others may suffer from the terror of cosmic aloneness, the prophet is overwhelmed by the grandeur of the divine presence. He is incapable of isolating the world. There is an interaction between man and God which to disregard is an act of insolence. Isolation is a fairy tale.

…The prophet’s word is a scream in the night. While the world is at ease and asleep, the prophet feels the blast from heaven.

…the purpose of prophecy is to conquer callousness, to change the inner man as well as to revolutionize history.

It is embarrassing to be a prophet. There are so many pretenders, predicting peace and prosperity, offering cheerful words, adding strength to self-reliance, while the prophet predicts disaster, pestilence, agony, and destruction.” (The Prophets Vol. I, A. Heschel; Harper Colophon Books, 1962)

The prophet of God is a broken man; one who has been devastated at the plight of the nations. He has a “fierce loyalty” to the Lord, and his heart is shattered from the realization that the God of holiness and beauty is being neglected while men and their often petty systems are being exalted and celebrated. When the Name of God is denigrated, disrespected, or misappropriated, the prophet’s heart burns with a jealousy for the restoration of true worship.

The prophet has a cosmic view, a heavenly vision, for He has encountered the God who transcends our prepackaged categories and preferences. He has come to know the Lord as He is, and His heart cannot be satisfied until the ones to whom he has been called have come into that intimate knowledge themselves. This is why the prophet is foundational.

The prophet is the bearer of the thoughts and words of God Himself. He is an earthen vessel, radically connected to the society that surrounds him, yet conveying and communicating a wisdom and reality that the common man and the frivolous religionist have not been willing to see and hear. He is among the people, identifying with them in mercy. He is not an aloof, self-righteous pietist. He is an awakener, using words and tears to remind us how God really feels and thinks. He lives in the world of God. He has been converted from carnality, broken from his arrogance, severed from self-sufficiency. He introduces us to God’s world, the heavenly Kingdom, and everything depends upon whether we casually receive his word, reject it, or take it into the deepest parts of our hearts and lives.

The prophet is not a self-consciously dramatic character, doing what he thinks prophets do in attempts at filling a role or office. A prophet is a God-fashioned, God-intoxicated, God-inspired man with a cosmic view of time and eternity. He sees beyond the mundaneness of everyday affairs, the buzz of modern politicking, the pull of fashion and entertainment, and any man-centered attempts at ministry. He is not inflated by flattery, and he has learned to rejoice when opposed. He realizes that he is bearing a Kingdom view which is of utmost value to his hearers. Indeed, life and death hang on the words that he proclaims.

He is not a showman, boasting of a title or inwardly aching for religious fame. Nor is he a grouchy man, putting on some kind of an archaic garb and spiritual aura with hopes that he might remind us of Moses. He does not have to try at being “prophetic.” There is nothing self-conscious about a foundational servant of the Lord. They are not speaking on behalf of their opinions or the lifting up of their reputations. They have been stricken with a vision of the majestic One, and they speak out of that reality.

I wonder why we have heard so much about prophets, why people will flock by the thousands to conferences and events in hopes of receiving a “personal prophetic word”, when so few have been willing to crack open the Scriptures to hear from the men whom the Lord Jesus valued as prophets. I’m not discounting the genuine works of the Spirit that we see in many circles. I’m asking some serious questions here. Could it be that we have in many ways made our own God, and have not been willing to receive Him as He is? If we are willing to chase men who call themselves prophets, and who have the latest insights and revelations which bring us a positive lift without dealing with the issue of sin, then who are we really hearing from? What manner of man is the prophet, and what manner of a God is he presenting and proclaiming?

I will likely be accused of discouraging the prophetic gifts by asking questions like this, but that is not my intention. We need to “eagerly desire” the gifts, and I have pursued the Lord for their increase in the church for over a decade. But I believe these questions are crucial for our future witness and maturity. If what we have known as prophetic has not brought us into the same consciousness, the same trembling, the same holiness, the same cosmic view that the prophets of Israel and the apostles of the New Testament came into, what can we say of its veracity? Is it the same prophetic reality?

Perhaps a measure of blessing comes as a result of many of these meetings and expressions. I am certain that the Lord is working in many ways through various expressions in the Body, and that healing and blessing have come to many in every setting where Jesus is being lifted up. Perhaps a facet of the Lord’s heart is received, and I don’t want to discount or disregard that. But where is the sense of the fear of the Lord? How can the Church go on with hundreds of pastors stepping down from ministry a month due to sexual sin? How can we blend in so successfully with a world that is moving at breakneck speed toward eternal judgment?

I am convinced that the stature and call of a prophet has not changed with the New Covenant, it has only deepened. Christ has become the center and fulfillment. The Gift of Prophecy has become available to all saints, not just to a select few.

Moses’ cry that all God’s people were prophets has become a brighter possibility, but we will not come into that prophetic reality if we are unwilling to receive Him as King, Father, and Judge. We will not come into that prophetic reality as long as we are chasing after faddish teachings or personality-exalting, successful ministries. If the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then the Church has a responsibility to be sure that the God we are worshiping and proclaiming is the same as the God that the prophets and apostles of the Scriptures heralded. The cosmic view of the prophets revolved around God Himself, and if He is not being proclaimed as He has revealed Himself, we are in grave danger of falling into a pit with the other blind guides of our generation.

Could it be that with all of our teachings on the prophetic, all of our conferences on the prophetic, all of our insights of prophetic ministry, that most of us have yet to come into the kind of union with the Lord that produced the men who became foundational for our faith? I am thankful for every genuine furtherance of the work of the Spirit in recent years, but my heart is crying out for the fullness of Christ. I know there is a greater love, a greater sense of the fear of the Lord, a higher place of abandonment to His heart. O, for a greater vision of God Himself! The world is perishing for want of true servants who have come out from the holy place, proclaiming the truth of God with incandescent hearts!

Today’s post is a follow up to my last one on the life of Abraham and growing in our faith.  We’ll pull out some more stuff as it relates to Abraham and Sarah.  Our text this time will be based from the book of Hebrews:

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.
For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.
Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
(Heb 11:8-12)

The approach to this entry will be pretty simple (as usual). I post that passage, knowing fully well that statistically speaking, over 70% you will skip it. But please, scroll back up and read the passage carefully, and prayerfully journey through this with me and see what we come up with together.

That whole chapter is one worthy of study since we generally know it as the ‘hall of faith chapter’, but that term gets thrown around so much we forget that it is the FAITH chapter.

The key thing that jumps out at me from looking at it: Faith requires obedience.

Abraham didn’t take time to think about it. He didn’t go consult all his spiritual mentors to see the consensus on what he should do. The original passage in Genesis details that when God called him, Abraham left his land. But not only that, he left not knowing where he was going.

Interesting.

If you’re like me, you have to admit to yourself everything in us fights this act of obedience and we don’t like stepping out UNLESS we know where God is taking us.

I know from experience, I’ve begun speaking a prophetic word for someone, and have no clue where I was going with it until once I started to share what little God had already given me for them. I’d open my mouth, and share the little bit I knew to share, and as I shared, more would enter in my spirit or mind to speak, and then more, and like a chain-link it just kept coming and when I was done, couldn’t help but think “man! I’m glad I stepped out and delivered that!” But when prophesying, sometimes usually you don’t even have the whole message until you step out and begin to share that first ‘link’ in the chain, and then the rest of the chain starts to come out as well.

Sometimes also, we mentally KNOW God heals and we give mental ascent to the Word of God, but we don’t actually step out and pray for a sick person. When the obedience required from faith would have us go for it and ‘not know where we’re going’ sometimes. I’ve had instances where I prayed for someone with one eye open in case what I was praying for really came to pass because I had to admit it seemed like “what am I doing!” and I didn’t want to miss it. There’s nothing wrong with mentally doubting things, but there’s something wrong with not obeying God with the thing He’s compelling you to step out and do.

Sometimes we think if a thought of doubt goes into our heads for a split second at all, that that means we have doubted and sinned and we’re not acting or praying in faith and the prayer won’t be answered as a result.

Have any of you reading this ever seen the original Ghostbusters movie? If you haven’t then do NOT go rent it because in hindsight it’s pretty demonic, but recall with me if you have seen it, the climax at the end. The woman-man-dude-monster-thing that the four main characters have set out to annihilate tells them they will be destroyed by whatever they imagine. And suddenly, out of nowhere comes this big giant King Kong-sized “Staypuft Marshmallow Man”walking through the streets of New York.  Three of the characters look to a fourth one as he explains that he tried to think of the most harmless thing possible, and the marshmallow man was what “popped into mind”. So this was the way they were going to be destroyed—all because Dan Aykroyd’s character “accidentally let it pop into mind.”

Doubt is NOT like that, my friends.

Doubt is not accidentally having a thought pop into your mind saying “this won’t happen.” Real doubt and unbelief comes when, like the opposite of obeying in faith, you act on the doubt and don’t step out in obedience. Doubt is “they won’t get healed, therefore I won’t bother trying.” Doubt and disobedience are tightly intertwined.

I guarantee you, if Abraham packed up his stuff and ideas were going through his head like “what if this God is a liar and He’s not taking me anywhere?”, from reading the account we can see that clearly he didn’t ACT on those doubts. If he really doubted, he never would have left his homeland.

And I know, some of you are thinking of the passage in the first chapter of James that says “let him ask in faith without doubting” and about the double-minded man tossed by every wave, and so forth. Keep in mind what we’ve just established—that faith requires obedience or it is not really faith.

Faith Requires Obedience

For some reason I’ve never heard the following passage of Scripture used for any purpose other than legalism and salvation—people quoting from it to show how you’re not a Christian because you do things, but doing things are evidence that you are saved, like how an apple tree grows apples and so on.

While that is true, and I have no problem with people using that passage to teach that, it goes further and lots of practical application can be drawn from James 2:14-26. Give it a careful read, or my written entry might seem touch and go;

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe–and shudder!
Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?
You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;
and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”–and he was called a friend of God.
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?
For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

The simplest explanation I’ve ever heard for faith was when I was sixteen. It was that faith is not mentally believing a chair will hold your weight IF you sit down on it. Faith is only faith when it is accompanied by the action of going ahead and sitting down in it and not worrying if the chair will cave in under you or not. You know it won’t, even though you have not tried it before with that particular chair, and are totally unaware of whether all the legs are holding up properly or if there’s anything wrong with it. You have no evidence yet that it will support your weight, other than for lack of a better word—‘assuming’ it will.

Abraham did not have faith just because mentally he believed God would keep His promise. His faith was demonstrated by how he left his home and followed God somewhere else. He had faith BECAUSE he demonstrated it by putting Isaac on that altar.

Faith has everything to do with action. Most people don’t like that idea, but we can’t sidestep verse 26 that says “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

It’s not merely believing that God can speak words of knowledge about people to you for you to speak towards their edification—it’s opening your mouth and sharing it and knowing and trusting God that you’re speaking forth his heart and not your own imagination.

Faith is not merely believing that God ‘can’ or ‘does’ heal today.  It’s stepping out and receiving our own healing or laying hands on a sick person and they get better.

Faith is not merely believing that the Gospel is true, but as Romans 9 says it’s believing in your heart AND doing something–in this versse, it’s speaking with your mouth that Jesus is Lord-which by the way is not just a salvation prayer (if it is even that), but is a constant and continual lifestyle, not just a one time thing.

So many things about faith are not just believing in your heart, but appropriate actions that accompany them. I don’t respond this way to a lot of people, but when many say to me “I agree (or believe) that the Bible says this or that” about any particular topic related to miracles, in my mind I think to myself “well so what?—you’re not living like it–there’s no demonstration accompanying your statement/profession/confession.” The same with people who say to me they are Christians but are in actuality are living a lifestyle of sin and immorality, or just simply they exhibit the fruit opposite of what the Bible says is fruit of the Holy Spirit–ok, these people I do say things to!—and it doesn’t matter if you say you mentally agree with it if you don’t demonstrate fruit worthy of repentance. It takes almost nothing of us to mentally believe something is true or accurate. The rubber meets the road when we act on the truth.

What does the Word of God say the Master will tell his servant on that day? “Well believed my good and faithful servant?” No, but well DONE. Again I repeat myself, I’m not talking about actions are what make us right with God—that’s legalism. But actions demonstrating our faith, and they demonstrate we belong to God and that we are in obedience to what the Lord says in His Word.

What of Rahab the prostitute?

Would she be recorded as an example in James here if she only “believed in her heart” that the two spies were from Israel and that God was giving Israel the land of Canaan. If she merely ‘believed’, her and her family would not have been spared. It was from DOING something that Scripture records her actions and honors her so many generations later for us to read.

Faith involves action, not just mere thoughts.

Blessings.

This a letter that my friend Josh Kirkland sent me. It is a response that he gave a pastor friend who sent him a teaching in support of the  pre-trib rapture doctrine. He examines the points in Biblical context, and offers a different contextual view of the Scripture. So often we read the Bible through the spectacles of what we have heard and been taught without examining it for ourselves. As you read this, please, try to remove your feelings and seriously study what is written. Sometimes we need to remove to spectacles of our own understanding to derive a paradigm shift, which will either strengthen our stance, or open our up our eyes to a greater understanding.

“Hey brother, I listened to the Wednesday night teaching you gave me about the rapture.  I listened to it twice.  He mentions five reasons for what he believes proves the pre-trib rapture.  I wanted to share with you some thoughts on why I think all five reasons he shared do not necessitate a pre-trib rapture of the church.  I am open to the study of the scriptures pertaining to eschatology and especially the return of Christ. I honestly find little biblical support for a pre-trib rapture based on his following five reasons.

1) No one knows the day or hour (mid or post-trib the day and hour is known)

2) He comes like a thief in the night (mid or post-trib cannot be possible for this)

3) We are told to look for Christ, not antichrist

4) Between Revelation 4-19 there is no mention of the church

5) The church never is punished for the sins of the world

I want to take each one of these and individually explain why each one does not demand a pre-trib rapture.  Although you know my heart, I will still say that none of what I say is to be divisive or taken the wrong way on any level. I am just hungry for truth and would like to share with you what I feel is a biblical refutation of these five statements. Before I get to these five statements, I want to start by saying a few things about the rapture subject in general.  The passage of scripture that was referenced in the teaching from Wednesday was 1Thess.4:13-17.  There are a few things I would like to expound on in this passage of scripture

13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meetthe Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Honestly, just reading the scripture for what it says, does it sound like it is describing a secret snatch into heaven or the highly visible and climatic return of the Lord. I want to expound on the three things that are  highlighted and how they shed light on the meaning of this passage.  Before going any further, the fact that we make reference to the rapture as a separate event from the coming of the Lord creates a problem.  Paul himself said that at the coming of the Lord we would be caught up (raptured) to meet the Lord in the air.  Rather than debating the timing of the rapture (pre, mid, or post), we need only ask when does Jesus return (Matt.24:3,29-31).  The rapture is what happens at the coming of the Lord.  You cannot have the coming of the Lord without a rapture and more importantly, you cannot have a rapture without the coming of the Lord.  They are biblically inseparable.  AT THE COMING OF THE LORD WE WILL BE CAUGHT UP.

I find it interesting that one of the most detailed passages describing the highly visible and climatic second coming of the Lord is reduced to a passage that speaks of a secret and silent “snatch” in which Jesus himself does not even come as Paul declares, but secretly and quietly peeks himself through the clouds and catches us upward and quickly retreats back to heaven.  As we will see, the very words used in this passage refute this idea of a “peek a boo” appearance. The first word I want to expound on is the word coming.  It is the Greek word Parousia. This is one of the several Greek words used interchangeably to speak of Christ’s return to earth.  The very word is used in Matthew 24:3 when the disciples asked Jesus what would be the sign of his coming and the end of the age.  It is used in several other passages such as Matt.24:27,37; 1Cor.15:23; 1Thess.2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; 2Thess.2:1-9; Jas.5:7-8; 2Pet.3:4; 3:12 for examples.  The word literally means “presence” in reference to the return of Christ. My question is this. How do you have a catching away (rapture) without a “parousia” if it is at the “parousia” that we are caught up (raptured)?  Once again, they are inseparable.

It is at this “parousia” that Jesus will DESCEND FROM HEAVEN TO INVADE EARTH.  It is highly important to take note that at this time of invasion from the King, he comes forth with a “cry of command” (ESV translation).  Other translations read “a shout”.  This Greek word is “keleuma” and literally means “war cry”.  Very appropriate word to be used in describing the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS invading earth and inflicting vengeance on the ungodly while at the same time deliverance for the righteous (2Thess.1:6-10; Rev.19:11-16).

Moving on, the next word is “meet”.  This word comes from the Greek “apantesis” and literally means “a meeting”.  What is worth taking note is the fact that this word  was used in the papyri of a newly arriving magistrate.  The special idea of the word was the official welcome a of a newly arrived dignitary which is of course  also highly appropriate for us welcoming Christ the King.  “Apantesis” is used only three times in scripture.  That is in Matt.25:1,6; Acts28:15; and 1Thess.4:17.  In all three accounts, it is a meeting and returning with.  Having looked at these words thus far, we must understand how they are used together with a biblical understanding.  The king would come in his parousia in which citizens would go out to apantesis (that is meet and return with) him.  The citizens would meet, greet, and usher back into the village the coming king.  That is how scripture itself portrays the use of this word in all three examples.

Scriptural example #1 (Matt.25:1-10)

1″Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet (apantesis) the bridegroom… at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet (apantesis) him… the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.

Notice the bridegroom didn’t meet the virgins and then turned around and went back from the direction he came with the virgins, but continued in his original direction escorted with the virgins.

Scriptural example #2 (Acts 28:15)

14There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet (apantesis)us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. 16And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier that guarded him.

Notice that Paul and companions did not meet the brothers and then turn around and take them to the direction from which they came, but were escorted back by the brothers.

Scriptural example #3 (1Thess.4:16-17)

16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Notice that Jesus the King is on His way to earth in His “parousia” in which we will have an “apantesis” in the air and He will continue in His downward descent to earth with us at His “war cry” and triumphant procession.  This is accompanied by the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God.

So we can see here that Paul has in mind the highly climatic and visible return of the Lord in which we will be caught up (raptured) to meet Him in the air.  According to pre-trib teaching, the second coming is really the third coming of which scripture gives no support.  Only the second coming of the Lord is spoken of.

This is not everything that can be said about 1Thess.4:13-17 but a few things to ponder in light of the study of the catching away.

Now, to expound on the five statements from the Wednesday  nights teaching.

#1) No one knows the day or hour (In mid or post-trib the day and hour is known)

I believe that text out of context is only pretext.  Context is the key to understand any passage of scripture.  On that we should all agree.  Having said that, I honestly feel much pre-trib teaching is text out of context resulting in pretext.  Statements like this one made is a perfect example.  If I were to say “no one knows the day or hour of Jesus’ return” and leave it at that.  Than yes, that sounds pre-trib.  Although, If I read this passage in context it completely does away with the thought of a pre-trib rapture.  Especially since we now know that Paul relates the rapture and the second coming together in one event.  In context we read…

29“Immediately after(A) the tribulation of those days(B) the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and(C) the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30Then(D) will appear in heaven(E) the sign of the Son of Man, and then(F) all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and(G) they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven(H) with power and great glory. 31And(I) he will send out his angels with a loud(J) trumpet call, and they will(K) gather(L) his elect from(M) the four winds,(N) from one end of heaven to the other.
32″From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near,(O) at the very gates. 34(P) Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35(Q) Heaven and earth will pass away, but(R) my words will not pass away. 36“But concerning that day and hour(S) no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,(T) nor the Son,[a](U) but the Father only.

Concerning what day and hour?  The day and hour Jesus returns which a few verses earlier Jesus says is “immediately after the tribulation of those days”.  Every reference Jesus made to His coming was his highly visible climatic second coming.  Pre-trib teaching says Jesus will come first “secret and silent” for the church and then his “second coming” seven years later.  This is lacking strong biblical support.  Jesus himself warned against false teaching concerning his coming and even  warned against the idea of a secret coming.

24For(A) false christs and(B) false prophets will arise and(C) perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25See,(D) I have told you beforehand. 26So, if they say to you, ‘Look,(E) he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27(F) For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be(G) the coming of the Son of Man.

He is making the point that there will be no mistake, people will know when he comes.

7Behold,(A) he is coming with the clouds, and(B) every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail[a] on account of him. Even so. Amen.


#2) He comes like a thief in the night (mid or post-trib cannot be possible for this)

First off, it is interesting to take note of the fact that Jesus’ first coming was preceded by many prophecies, signs, etc.  There were those anticipating the coming Messiah and recognized him when he arrived.  On the other hand, there were many religious leaders who not only did not recognize the Messiah that came in fulfillment of prophecies. They completely rejected him altogether not knowing of their day of visitation. If that is true of his first coming, why not his second coming as well. Pre-trib says that if all the “signs” are taking place during the tribulation period, how can he come by surprise like a thief in the night?  The answer is as follows… The thief in the night concept applies to the wicked and godless people of this age,  not the people of God.  That day will never be like a thief in the night for the church but always for the wicked.

2For you yourselves are fully aware that(A) the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then(B) sudden destruction will come upon them(C) as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4But you(D) are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.  We will be here for that day, but not surprised.

Paul distinguishes between “people” “them” “they” and “you”.  “You” being the church while “people” “them” and “they” refer to the unregenerated people of this age. It is for them that the day of the Lord will come like a thief which speaks of Jesus‘ climatic second coming.

It is also worth taking note how Peter makes reference to the “thief in the night”.

10But(A) the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then(B) the heavens will pass away with a roar, and(C) the heavenly bodies[a] will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.[b]
11Since all these things are thus to be dissolved,(D) what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12(E) waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and(F) the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!

How do we wait for and hasten the coming day of God if we vanished 7 years earlier?

Here Peter refers to what even pre-trib teaching says is the final second coming of the Lord and says it will come like a thief in the night.  The thief in the night concept is not so much a secret or silent event (heavenly bodies burned up and earth exposed) as much as it is quick and sudden destruction.  Not so much a secretive burglar as we know today, but a wild bandit that comes through town and takes suddenly and violently  unto himself (Lk.21:34-35).

Even in the book of Revelation when speaking of the seven bowls and God’s wrath we read the following from Jesus himself.

15(”Behold,(A) I am coming like a thief!(B) Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on,(C) that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)

This is clearly after the tribulation has begun.  Jesus himself speaking of his coming like a thief.

3) We are told to look for Christ, not Antichrist

If a child is promised dessert, does that mean they automatically skip their meal and just eat the dessert.  Of course, a child that is promised dessert will still have to eat their meal.  I understand this is not a perfect analogy altogether but the point is made none the less.  Although we are to look or wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ does not mean we “skip the meal” so to speak.  The child promised dessert may still have to endure the vegetables and full meal before indulging his sweet tooth. In the same way we are told to look for Christ but that does not negate the fact that certain things will still take place prior to our coming King i.e. tribulation. This may  even include the revealing of the Antichrist first and then Christ.  That is why many will be deceived thinking he is Christ.

1Now concerning(A) the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our(B) being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,[a] 2not to be quickly shaken in mind or(C) alarmed, either(D) by a spirit or a(E) spoken word, or(F) a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3(G) Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come,(H) unless the rebellion comes first, and(I) the man of lawlessness is revealed,(J) the son of destruction…

2 things precede the coming of the Lord:

1) A great rebellion

2) The revealing of the Antichrist

These two things take place prior to “the coming of the Lord and our being gathered together to him”.  This gathering together is another way of explaining the catching away in his first letter to the Thessalonians.  Jesus himself spoke of this gathering as well (Matt.24:29-31).

Why are we repeatedly warned in scripture about the Antichrist and told to be alert and on guard?  In fact why do we have all that is recorded in the book of Revelation?  The answer is very important.

16(A) “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things(B) for the churches. I am(C) the root and(D) the descendant of David,(E) the bright morning star.”

The reason for recording Revelation was not for some different group of “tribulation saints” or for “Israel”.  It is for the church that will be here until the end that they may be equipped and ready to be overcomers.

I am with you always, to(D) the end of the age.”

4) The church is not mentioned between Revelation 4-19

All through the letters by the apostles we read of the “saints” which are synonymous with the “church”.  Just take two of Paul’s opening letters as examples.

2To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those(A) sanctified in Christ Jesus,(B) called to be saints together with all those who in every place(C) call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

1Paul,(A) an apostle of Christ Jesus(B) by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and(C) are faithful[a] in Christ Jesus:
2(D) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here we see that where there is the church there are saints and where the saints are, there is the church. Having said that, why do all the references in Revelation 4-19 to “saints” speak of some other group of people who are saved after the church vanishes. One argument for pre-trib teaching is that God would not put the church through the tribulation period.  However, would not those who truly come to faith during the tribulation period be regarded as fellow brothers and sisters in the faith.  What we know and call the church of God… His people.  This is why we read the following verses in Revelation.

Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues…

This passage verifies two important things for us. That is that “His people” are still here, and “His people” can still be here and yet not be affected by His wrath.  More of this on statement # 5

9When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under(A) the altar(B) the souls of those who had been slain(C) for the word of God and for(D) the witness they had borne. 10They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord,(E) holy and true,(F) how long(G) before you will judge and(H) avenge our blood on(I) those who dwell on the earth?” 11Then they were each given(J) a white robe and(K) told to rest a little longer,(L) until the number of their fellow servants[a] and their brothers[b](M) should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged,and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,and those who fear your name,both small and great,and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,and you have given them blood to drink.It is what they deserve!”
And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,and of all who have been slain on earth.”

10(A) If anyone is to be taken captive,
to captivity he goes;(B) if anyone is to be slain with the sword,
with the sword must he be slain.

(C) Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

12(A) Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who(B) keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.[a]

This sounds similar to the exhortation from Jesus himself to his disciples.

19By your(A) endurance you will gain your lives.

You can take a look in a concordance and see all references to the “saints” through Revelation 4-19 and see that the people of God are here.  Just because the word “church” is not used does not mean it is not there.  With that logic what do we make of all the chapters in other New Testament books were the word “church” is not found?  Does that mean that the church is not there anymore?  The reason the word “church” is used so much in Revelation 2-3 is simply because John wrote these letters to seven local congregations (churches).  He was addressing the 7 churches.  After this he deals with the apocalyptic writings which does include the church universally.  He calls them “saints”.

On another note.  With this pre-trib logic of the absence of the church on earth because the word is not used. The church must be completely annihilated and vanished altogether.  This is because we read a lot in Revelation not only about what is happening  on earth but also in heaven in which the word “church” is not found.  If all the church is in heaven as supposed by pre-trib teaching why no mention of the church nor a record of how or when they got there?  There is no record of a “rapture” in Revelation, just the second coming of the Lord as triumphant King.

5) The church is never punished for the sins of the world

This line of thinking is that if the church is here during the tribulation period, God would pour out His wrath on them as well as the wicked of this world.  When we look at how God has done things in the past i.e. the plagues in Egypt we see that there are a lot of parallels.  We see that indeed he can pour out his wrath on the wicked while keeping his own safe in the midst of it. Not to mention, much of the wrath is pinpointed to the wicked and unrepentant people.  Not the “saints”.  The following few scriptures are examples.

2So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful(A) sores came upon the people who bore(B) the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

9They were scorched by the fierce heat, and(A) they cursed[a] the name of God who had power over these plagues.(B) They did not repent(C) and give him glory.


10The fifth angel poured out his bowl on(A) the throne of the beast, and(B) its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish 11and cursed(C) the God of heaven for their pain and(D) sores.(E) They did not repent of their deeds.

These scriptures are good examples of God pouring out His wrath on the wicked while preserving His own as He did with the plagues in Egypt.

1Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 22But on that day(A) I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there,(B) that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.[a] 23Thus I will put a division[b] between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.”‘” 24And the LORD did so.(C) There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.

He will keep His people safe as He has done in the past.  This does not necessitate a pre-trib evaporation of believers.

10(A) Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try(B) those who dwell on the earth.

Some will say that this demands a pre-trib rapture.  However, this is a promise made to a local church and had application to them in their day.  Even if we apply this promise to us (which we can).  It can simply mean that he will keep (preserve) the church through this time.  We need only see where else this phrase is used and how it is used in context.  John the author of Revelation uses this same phrase “Keep from” in his Gospel.

5I(A) do not ask that you(B) take them out of the world, but that you(C) keep them from(D) the evil one.[a]

The same Greek phrase used by Jesus while at the same time praying that they not evacuate the earth.

It is also important to understand the difference between God’s wrath and tribulation.  The word tribulation as mentioned numerous times in the New Testament is the Greek word thilipsis  which speaks of anguish, pressure, persecution and trials (Jn.16:33; Acts 14:22).  This same word is used in reference to “the great tribulation”  John himself said the following…

9I, John, your brother and(A) partner in(B) the tribulation and(C) the kingdom and(D) the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos(E) on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

The wrath we are not appointed to is God’s eternal judgment.  Not a time of tribulation with the activity of the Antichrist. We see this throughout the pages of the New Testament.

7He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him,(A) “You brood of(B) vipers! Who warned you to flee from(C) the wrath to come?

8but(A) God shows his love for us in that(B) while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since, therefore,(C) we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from(D) the wrath of God.

9For they themselves report concerning us the kind of(A) reception we had among you, and how(B) you turned to God(C) from idols to serve the living and(D) true God, 10and(E) to wait for his Son(F) from heaven,(G) whom he raised from the dead, Jesus(H) who delivers us from(I) the wrath to come.

8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober,(A) having put on the breastplate of(B) faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9For God has not destined us for(C) wrath, but(D) to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

This wrath we are delivered from is that which Jesus himself inaugurates at His second coming…that is eternal judgment and condemnation.


15(A) From his mouth comes a sharp sword(B) with which to strike down the nations, and(C) he will rule them with a rod of iron.(D) He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

The context in all these passages deal with eternal salvation, not eternal damnation.  This is different than the tribulation and Antichrist’s work which we see all through Revelation has “saints“ involved in.

1And(A) they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for(B) they loved not their lives(C) even unto death.

Jesus makes it clear when we are delivered.  It is the same day of  destruction for the wicked.  Remember I taught a few Wednesday nights ago on the second coming.  Jesus discussed “the day” that he was revealed two things would happen.  Deliverance and destruction just as Noah and Lot.  The deliverance He provides is not from dispensational teaching of  a seven year period of tribulation, but His vengeance when he returns in flaming fire (2Thess.1:7).

26^(A) Just as it was in the days of^(B) Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27^(C) They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28Likewise, just as it was in the days of^(D) Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29^(E) but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30so will it be^(F) on the day when the Son of Man is revealed (Does not sound like a secret to me).

Jesus is saying that just as judgment (wrath) was brought the same day Noah and Lot were delivered.  It will be the same when he returns.  We see this clearly in Paul’s teaching on eschatology as well.  He is in perfect harmony with Jesus’ teaching on his return.  Both speak of a highly visible climatic return.
5This is^(A) evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be^(B) considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6since indeed God considers it^(C) just^(D) to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7and to grant^(E)relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when^(F) the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven^(G) with his mighty angels 8^(H) in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those^(I) who do not know God and on those who^(J) do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9They will suffer the punishment of^(K) eternal destruction,^(L) away from^[a] the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10^(M) when he comes on^(N) that day^(O) to be glorified in his saints (the same saints we read of in Revelation), and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our^(P) testimony to you^(Q) was believed.

Both Jesus and Paul speak of “the day” of “affliction” and “relief” when he is “revealed“.  No seven year gap is here indicated in any way.  It is the same day!!!

This turned out a bit longer than I planned on but hopefully some good food for thought.  Just some thoughts to ponder.  As I stated earlier, I am open to the Word on this subject, but the more I study the topic. The more evidence I see for a single second coming of the Lord.  No secret or silent vanishing.  This whole study only pertains to the five statements he made that demand a pre-trib teaching.  There is plenty of scripture that is not covered in this study pertaining to escatology.  WoW!  there is so much in the Word of God.  It truly is an amazing God-breathed book.

God bless,”

Just a couple of days ago I got the privilege of preaching to my third year class in bible college. I felt like God put this theme on my heart from 1 Thess. 4:1-12 and so I wanted to put up some of my notes up on that.

(Read the passage of 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12) if I could encapsulate this passage in one phrase it would be this “the gentle revolution” I can’t remember ever hearing much about this passage or even thinking a lot about it. But as I read it yesterday I was gripped with something. This is the lifestyle of a radical christian is just as much a burning revivalist proclaiming the gospel to thousands as a faithful housewife praying for her children. This is the place of obedience when no one is looking. The vast majority of the church and even many in this room won’t be  in the pulpit or holding the attention of millions for most of their lives. Most of us are called to be faithful and live simply, love radically and change the world.

a gentle revolution is to possess by faith that which the world doesn’t have
it doesn’t come loudly because it’s an inner work
you can see it taking place in the actions of their lives.
Precious few are the saints that have really given themselves to sanctification. (Sanctification is this: We have the daily responsibility of devoting ourselves more and more to God so that in body, soul, spirit (5:23) we completely belong to Him.)
What’s the key to our sanctification? It’s right there in verse 7 and 8 God has called us and he has given his holy Spirit to you. The very fact that God called you assures you that he will accomplish his purpose through you because God does not fail. All we need is a heart of surrender.
you possess it by faith. Learn to possess your vessel by faith and not your feelings or lusts.
The world knows that they are different from you. Let your life kindle their curiosity.
A generation is seeking something that they have not seen, will you show it to them?
A gentle revolution starts in the heart, in your own heart and it continues affecting the hearts of those around you.
life is more amazing than death and as we take off these garments of death and clothe ourself with the garments of light the world will know that there is something so beautiful so godly inside of us that they will be compelled to either hate the conviction this revelation brings or seek after the light inside of us.
When we forget the life that he saved us from, our salvation loses it’s lustre and excitement. Let us remember the mighty works of God and let them propel us onward to even greater levels of freedom.
There is no bondage of the flesh that is stronger than the gentle loosing power of the Spirit. I declare right now that there is a mightier freedom available to each of us than we can even imagine.

The Final Quest Quote
At one point the Lord looked toward the galleries of thrones around Him.  Many were occupied by saints, and many were empty.  He then said, “These thrones are for the overcomers who have served Me faithfully in every generation.  My Father and I prepared them before the foundation of the world.  I looked at the thrones.  I looked at those who were now seated.  I could recognize some of the great heroes of the faith, but most of those seated I knew had not even been well known on earth.  Many I knew had been missionaries who had expended their lives in obscurity.  They had never cared to be remembered on earth, but only to Him.  I was a bit surprised to see some who had been wealthy, or rulers who had been faithful with what they had been given.  However, it seemed that faithful, praying women and mothers occupied more thrones than any other single group. (this quote rocked my world and changed my whole paradigm of the way God views us).

The Christian’s behavior is compared to a walk for several reasons: (1) it demands life, for the dead sinner cannot walk; (2) it requires growth, for a little baby cannot walk; (3) it requires liberty, for someone who is bound cannot walk; (4) it demands light, for no one wants to walk in the dark; (5) it cannot be hidden, but is witnessed by all; and (6) it suggests progress toward a goal.

“how to please God” verse 3 this is the basic way to please God. That is incredible. Like Bobby Conner says “You don’t want to spend your life baking God apple pie only to find that he doesn’t like it”.  Pleasing God means much more than simply doing God’s will. It is possible to obey God and yet not please Him. Jonah is a case in point. He obeyed God and did what he was commanded, but his heart was not in it. God blessed His Word but He could not bless His servant. So Jonah sat outside the city of Nineveh angry with everybody, including the Lord! Our obedience should be “not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart” (Eph. 6:6).
What’s the will of God? Your sanctification. That’s it. That’s what God really cares about. So many people are wandering around trying to find the will of God when that is it. Of course God is concerned about the destination and stuff but you concern yourself with this the main thing and he will faithfully show you the little things like career and destination.   If spiritual leaders cannot rule in their own homes, how can they lead the church? If we glorify God in our bodies, then we can glorify Him in the body which is the church.
aspire to live quietly: literally means “Be ambitious to be quiet.” In many church environments the passionate loud ones get exalted. aspire to live quietly: Why does God say that? What’s his purpose in this? aspire to live quietly. To be honest, that’s more who I am. I love to encourage people behind the scenes, to just worship alone. but I’ve felt a lot of pressure to act a certain way, to be an aggresive evangelist. I don’t mind at all sharing my faith on the streets but I’m not naturally a really confrontational kind of person.
God really wants his people to be a shining light to a generation. Be dependent on no one. Can you imagine what a counter-cultural example it would send if no Christians were in debt because they were hard-workers that saved their money and didn’t buy things they couldn’t afford? They were the lenders and not the borrowers. One of the main images of Christians that people have is preachers on TV asking for money. Churches asking for money, missionaries asking for money. Can you imagine what a message it would send if more believers were like George Mueller and Hudson Taylor only asking God for money? It would tell the world that we don’t need to depend on anyone but God. I think that’s a pretty good message to send. A life like that can’t be explained except by the power of God. It is not necessary to live like them but I think they left a powerful example.
Have you noticed that animals do instinctively what is necessary to keep them alive and safe? Fish do not attend classes to learn how to swim (even though they swim in schools), and birds by nature put out their wings and flap them in order to fly. It is nature that determines action. Because a fish has a fish’s nature, it swims; because a hawk has a hawk’s nature, it flies. And because a Christian has God’s nature (2 Peter 1:4), he loves, because “God is love” (1 John 4:8). “no one need to teach you to love.”

As it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”–in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”
He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.
No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:17-22, ESV)

Look at this testimony about Abraham. It says he didn’t waver in his faith. But is that true? I want to show you something interesting. Recall with me if you will that in Genesis 15, he and his wife Sarah were promised the child Isaac, but it was not for roughly 25 years before the child of promise was born. In the next chapter, Sarah gave her maid Hagar to Abraham to bear a child with her, after growing weary of waiting for the promise to come about, and how often are we like them, and we think God needs our help to bring about His promises? How many Ishmaels do we have in our lives because we resorted to “plan B” while waiting on God to fulfill his Word?

Abraham wavered not? Did not weaken in faith? No distrust made him waver? Did the apostle Paul actually read the story of Genesis? Oh, he did alright, and he caught on to something I didn’t necessarily notice until recently. God didn’t look completely at the 25 year span of time it took since the promise was given and the boy Isaac was actually born and find in Abraham a man of doubt. He saw a man of faith ultimately in the whole of the picture. Clearly, we can learn from the life of Abraham two things (at least two from this passage, I’m sure there’s way more things to learn if we went into more thorough study of Genesis). Also, praise God that He looks at the cry of our heart instead of just the last mistake we made or doubt we acted on.

The first one is evident, the second observation of mine is a little more speculative, but not completely unfounded.

First, Abraham clearly didn’t begin with “great” faith to see the promise come about. His faith grew or his heart was changed over time. This is stated in verse 20.

Second, could it be said that we ourselves are in charge of how long it takes for us to believe the promises of God? Can our faith or lack of it accelerate or slow down the process of receiving the promises we’ve been given? I believe so.

Romans 4:20 states that Abraham “grew strong in his faith.” If you can grow strong in your faith, then evidently you can stay weak and not grow at all in faith. I’ve taught that faith is like a seed and we are in charge of watering it ourselves. I believe God gives each of us a seed (so to speak) of faith to each one of us, and some people have greater faith not because God gave them “greater faith” but because they’ve taken more time to grow their seed. Others, keep their seed small, thinking “God will only do what God wills” and take no initiative of their own to believe for greater things. It makes people angry to be told it, but if all it took to move the mountains was faith that stayed the size of a mustard seed, then we’d have all the mountains moved already.

Keep in mind the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-9) for a quick sidenote/reference, and how in each instance the seed actually is planted and goes into the soil, but for various reasons like shallow soil, or weeds choking it out, the result is unfruitful, but the one that goes in properly is up to a hundred times more fruitful than its initial form. Do you notice something implicit in the passage? Let me ask you this way: what is easier for the devil to steal–a seed or a tree? That is why we must water our seeds so they grow and become established, making sure also what kind of soil we’re planting in. The conditions of our hearts and minds are important.

Could it be possible, that Abraham is a man whom it took twenty-five years to reach the place where his faith was strong enough to finally receive the promised son? I know some reading this will totally object, because some believe everything is based on the sovereignty of God, canceling out our actions and decisions. But God’s sovereignty is just one side of double-sided coin, and it seems way too many believers only accept one of either sides of it. But that’s for another entry.

For a real cool example I’ve heard and I liked , there’s a difference between how far a car will go if the gas tank is full or if it’s empty. So it is with our faith—are we full or running on empty?

Faith is not believing that if you sit in a chair it will hold your weight (maybe some reading this need HOPE that chairs will hold your weight!)–Faith is not mental, it’s in fact the action of going ahead and sitting in that chair knowing you can.

Let’s also look specifically at the things highlighted in our selected passage:

Do we believe God (v. 17)? I don’t mean mental ascent to what the Bible says. Believing the Bible is like the ‘entry level’ faith. Do we LIVE beyond the mental agreement like it is real?  Is it normal to our lifestyle and beliefs that He gives life to that which is dead, spiritual and physical (v.17)? Do we KNOW and not just think that through him, that which does not exist can be brought to existence?

This statement is one that rocks me when comparing it to my life: Belief against hope (v.18). What does this mean and look like exactly? Remember, Sarah wasn’t the only one that was barren—they were both old, and in Genesis 18 when the three angels/men come to tell Abraham they’d bear a son a year from then, Sarah laughed to herself, saying “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” (v.12) We’re all mature who are reading this right? So Abraham’s body was just as unable to take part in creating a child as Sarah’s at their age, but yet he believed against the circumstances, he believed what God said, not what his body demonstrated to be true. So technically two bodies were touched by the power of God to make this miracle happen.

With that said, faith changes circumstances.

Do you weaken in faith (v.19)? Or do circumstances make you change your mind? Do you look at your body and say “sorry God, it just won’t happen.” Or do you look at your body and say “sorry body, but God said________ will happen” and have expectation that things will change?

Some of these truths are life-changing and I know there are pessimistic Christians content to stay in the ruts they are in, but if you really want to rise above circumstances, meditate on this passage and ones like it and really absorb the principles in it, and get to a point where your life resembles who this passage says Abraham was.

That is all for this time.

There is an expression in worship that is seldom tapped into. This kind of expression causes a collision between heaven and earth. This is an expression of “deep crying unto deep.” This is the deepest part of man expressing his trueness to the deepest part of God. This is God expressing His deepest and truest part to man. This is Spirit to spirit, mind to mind, and heart to heart. Out of this true expression, true fellowship is born.

The truest forms of worship are derived in the deepest levels of intimacy. There is an expression that is born between a husband and wife that cannot be expressed in any other way. The more intimate the setting, the more we let our walls down and open up ourselves to generate the freedom to express the true inner feelings inside of ourselves. This is where true interaction takes place-when we let our guard completely down. Here, we allow God to peer down and see the deepest and most secluded chambers of our hearts. This is our secret place connecting with His, Spirit to spirit and Truth to truth. And from this place true expression is born. You are free to express who you really are and worship Him in Spirit and in truth. This is why the intimacy of a husband and wife is a revelation of Christ and the church (Eph 5:32).

This kind of expression was not available before Jesus poured out His blood to restore true relationship between God and man. The temple in Jerusalem had three areas: the outer courts, the holy place, and the holy of holies. Most of the people were on the outside, some were on the inside, and only one could enter the holy of holies, aka the secret place. Therefore it could be said that the temple had boundaries. God’s desire was for everyone to be able to enter in to His secret holy place, or to put it simply, to just be with Him. This is why when Jesus died, the veil to the secret place was torn. He let the inside out and the outside in. Thus we were granted access to the most intimate part of the Father’s heart where He can express who He is to us.

However, today we often still live like we are in the outer courts, on the outside looking in. The same barriers that were in the temple have formed in our hearts. Most people we know are in the outer courts. We have let a few people inside. And only a couple of close friends, we have let into our secret place and revealed our true self to them. The same goes with God. Most of the time our fellowship with Him is in the outer courts. Every so often we enter in the holy place, but rarely do we surrender our entire being completely to Him in a true expression of worship. The ones who worship Him on this level are the ones that the Father seeks.

John 4:7-24 (Read entire passage for context.)

Jesus went to the well, not to search for sin, but to ignite a worshiper. He came not to search for something on the surface, but for something deep down at the bottom of the well, true worship. The women was also searching for something, and she was filling this void of a relationship with God, with numerous relationships with men. This is the reason Jesus mentioned it, to unstop the well. Her deepest secrets now exposed (Not to condemn her, but to find the treasure beneath and set her free.), she would be able to truly worship.

John 4:23 But an hour is coming and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

This seeking was carried out in this very encounter. She understood that she was known fully. The deepest part of her was now out in the open. She was free to worship in Spirit and in truth. For this reason, she was able to go forth and proclaim…

John 4:29 Come see man who told me all the things that I have done…

She declared this because He touched her in the deepest part, not because her told her, her life story. The hidden area of her heart was laid bare.

1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known.

When we realize that we are known fully, we will let down our boundaries and the truth in our hearts will be expressed. Nothing will hold us back from expressing our all to God. The mystery of Christ and the church is a husband and wife. They are so intimate because they know each other fully. They can freely and openly express the deepest of who they are to each other. When we allow God into our deepest place it will create pure worship with a new freedom of expression.

Jesus gave His blood, the deepest part of Himself to tear the veil so we could worship Him from the deepest part of us. This why communion is so special, a celebration of the price that was paid so we could commune with God. This is why David danced like a madman with all his might, expressing all of himself before the presence of the Lord 2 Samuel 6:14. When we refuse to hold back, and press in from the outer courts to the holy of holies, then we will worship Him truth to truth-the truest part of us joining Him in truth, and Spirit to spirit 1 Corinthians 2:10-16.

Everyone is searching for something yet we are only complete and fulfilled in Him. We were created in His image and only when we, through a relationship with Jesus, are restored to His image, will our lives have meaning. Sin is a counterfeit fulfillment. It separates is from Him causing us to worship something different, polluting our secret place and changing us into that image.This is why sin is so bad, it is not about rules, it is about protecting our relationship with the One we were created for. Sin prevents us from doing what we were created to do, worship in Spirit and in truth. This is truth. Many people fail to realize that the very thing they are searching for is the very thing they are running from; a relationship of true expression between the Father and His children. When they see us expressing our love for Him it will touch that secret place in them with the thought of Him and ignite them as worshipers.

This is the first step for an true expression of who Jesus is to be in the earth. Once we understand and enter into this kind of true expression as individuals to God, then we will understand what it will take for us to be in true fellowship with one another in the body of Christ. The church should be a place where we are free to truly express ourselves to one another. May we go deeper into true expression of worship and true expression of fellowship…

Whether you are happy about this week’s election results or not, all Christians must unite in prayer for our new president. Please don’t forsake this responsibility.

It’s over. We’ve reached the end of the longest, angriest and most nerve-wracking presidential campaign in American history. Finally the “I approved this message” ads have ceased. The endless robot phone calls have stopped ringing. The debates, and the annoying post-debate comments from “experts,” are history—until the next election cycle.

More than half the nation is celebrating today while others are mourning. We are a divided nation, split into unhappy fragments by abortion, gay marriage, global warming, a failed economy and an unpopular war. Those who voted for Barack Obama have claimed a historic victory; some on McCain’s side are already looking for scapegoats. Politics is politics.

But when I got up this morning, I turned all my attention to the fact that Jesus Christ is still on the throne. His government is what is most important. Regardless of who sits in the Oval Office, the Bible says “the nations are like a drop from a bucket” to God (Is. 40:15, NASB). That includes the United States. We may boast about being “the greatest nation on earth,” but He who sits in heaven has a different perspective. Let’s take a big sigh of relief now and remember that God is sovereign.

I’ll admit this election did not turn out as I had hoped. I supported McCain primarily because I am pro-life and I prefer his small-government mindset. But now that the election is over, I’m not going to harbor bitterness toward Obama supporters or go into attack mode. Obama has been elected president of this country, and that means I have a biblical responsibility to support him in prayer—even if I challenge his policies.

Whether you voted for Obama or not, you need to pray for him. Here are 10 ways I plan to intercede for him regularly:

1. Pray for Obama’s protection. We already know that some weird, neo-Nazi fanatics in Tennessee plotted to kill Sen. Obama during his campaign. Let’s pray that racist hatred is not allowed to spread. Let’s cancel every assassin’s bullet in the name of Jesus. May civility triumph over bigotry.

2. Cover his wife and daughters in prayer. It is not easy to live under constant media scrutiny. Pray for Obama’s wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Malia and Natasha, as they face invasive cameras, nosy reporters, maniacal fans and dangerous enemies. Obama is not only a politician but also a husband and a father.

3. Pray that Obama will govern with God’s wisdom. God rewarded Solomon because he asked for wisdom instead of wealth, long life or vengeance on his enemies (see 1 Kings 3:11-12). Pray that Obama will order his priorities like that. Despite Solomon’s tragic character flaws, his legacy was wisdom. We can ask God to give our president the same grace.

4. Ask God to keep our president humble. Many great American leaders became corrupt after they moved to Washington. The fatal attraction of fame, wealth and power proved irresistible. The only thing that will guard a man or woman from this pitfall is humility. May God deliver President Obama from the curse of pride.

5. Pray for wise and righteous advisers to surround him. Godly leaders cannot do their job alone. Even the best leaders have failed because they trusted the wrong people. Pray that Obama will not select his counselors based on party, race, pedigree or political cronyism but on godly character and proven wisdom. Pray also that he will not allow secret traitors into his inner circle.

6. Ask for the spirit of reconciliation. Some segments of our deeply divided society want nothing to do with Obama now that he has won the presidency. Even some Christians will be tempted to harbor resentment and nurse political grudges throughout his term in office. Pray that God will grant forgiveness and healing so that leaders on all political levels can have constructive dialogue.

7. Pray that Obama will adopt pro-life convictions. Many politicians have changed their views on key issues while in office. In the 1800s some leaders who favored slavery later denounced it. In the 1950s some who opposed racial integration later became champions of it. Even though Obama won approval from many voters because he sanctions abortion, God couldsoften and change his heart.

8. Bind all evil forces assigned to manipulate our president. The specter of Islamic terrorism looms over the United States, and dark forces are ready to infiltrate. Our only hope lies in prayer to the God who is able to expose and outwit the schemes of the wicked. This is truly a time for spiritual warfare, and intercessors must not come off the wall in this hour! Pray that no foreign government, terrorist organization or demonic principality will use Obama as a tool. We must stand strong against the spirit of antichrist that promotes dictatorship, persecution of Christians and hostility toward Israel.

9. Pray that Obama’s door will remain open to the church. The loudest voices of secular culture—from Bill Maher in Hollywood to atheists in academia—would be happy if religion were removed from public life. Pray that Obama, who claims to have a personal faith in Jesus Christ, will unapologetically welcome Christian leaders into his company and seek their counsel. And pray that false religious leaders (who claim to know Christ but deny His power) will not have his ear.

10. Pray that our nation will enjoy God’s peace and blessing during the Obama administration. The apostle Paul instructed early believers to pray for all in authority “so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim. 2:2, NASB). God’s will is for America to experience peace and prosperity so that we can continue to export the gospel to the nations. This must happen whether a Democrat or a Republican is in the White House. As we cry out for God’s mercy on our wayward nation, pray that He will allow us to be a light to the world as we finance global missions, feed and heal the world’s poor and share Christ’s love at home and abroad.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma.

By guest poster Sidharth Mohandas

Covenant is a powerful word… In fact, our entire relationship with God is founded on a covenant. In this article I wish to specifically deal with a covenant called the Covenant of Salt.

This covenant as practiced by the Jews was a covenant in word. It was something like this…men tied a pouch of salt to their belt, and whenever they made a covenant, they would exchange a pinch of salt, putting grains into each other’s pouch. If one party wanted to break the covenant, then the other would say, “You can break the covenant if you can take back your grains and yours only from my pouch“. Of course, we know that that sounds unreasonable, but that gave them the realization of the importance and gravity of keeping one’s word.

There are about three references to this in the Old Testament, of which I have quoted two below to show you the nature of this covenant:

“Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the Israelites present to the LORD I give to you and your sons and daughters as your regular share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD for both you and your offspring.” [Numbers 18:19, NIV]

“Don’t you know that the LORD, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt? [2 Chronicles 13:5, NIV]

This is the nature of a salt covenant …forever…everlasting. That would signify an irrevocable pledge and loyalty shown by God to His people.

Now, when we come to the Newer Covenant, Jesus tells us, “Ye are the salt of the earth…” [Matthew 5:13, KJV]

We live in a day where honesty, integrity and genuiness are no longer standards even among Christians. In fact, it is considered “clever” to be able to deceive and mislead others in order to gain advantages. When Jesus said we were to be “the salt of the earth”, He was telling us that we were to be living examples of the covenant lifestyle.

You and I need to ask ourselves…Are we people who weigh our words? Do we give our word and not keep it? If so, we need to consider Paul’s instruction:

“Let your speech be always with grace, SEASONED WITH SALT, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” [Colossians 4:6, KJV]. Now this is an instruction given to believers at Colosse as to how they were to behave with “those outside” [unbelievers]. Friends, do not forget that you are an ambassador to the kingdom of God. If you’re a person who constantly breaks his word, you are misrepresenting the culture of heaven.

A while back I was told how a certain radio group took my friend’s testimony and added some spice to it to make their show sensational! God never instructed us to season our speech with spices! I encourage you today to rightly represent the lifestyle of the kingdom of God, the lifestyle of the covenant.

Visit www.imrah.org for more writings by Sidharth and the Imrah Ministries team.