Living The Christian Life!

 Living The Christian Life!

There is so much going on in the world today, too much evil and wickedness that as Christians it is hard to wait on GOD to bring judgment. Yet it is important that we understand that GOD is working out His Will in His Timing. 

The hardest thing for us is the trials and tribulations that we face daily, life is a struggle. Even Scriptures like Isaiah 54:17 and 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 don't seem to help. All over the world people are suffering for their sins, but we are the children of GOD, why are we suffering?

Why was James, the brother of John killed by Herod but Peter was set free by The HOLY SPIRIT? Why do the wicked prosper while Christians suffer? Why was Paul beheaded and John given the Revelation of JESUS CHRIST?

As we read and study the book of Acts we see the many trials and persecutions that Paul experienced, but according to his testimony in 2 Corinthians 11:22-33 that was only about one third of them.

JESUS did not call us to the good life as some preach! JESUS called us to give up our life and take up His Life. To bear our cross and obey Him, to die to ourself so we can live for Him; Matthew 10:34-39

Read and study these Scriptures, look to GOD for His Grace and Peace no matter how hard your life is, no matter the struggle your ministry has; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, 4:7-18, 10:3-6; 2 Timothy 1:8-12, 4:6-8.

Persecutions, trials and tribulations are the norm for those who love GOD and serve Him. Not only that but GOD tests us to show us what we actually believe and how much we will obey His Commands! Don't be discouraged but trust in GOD; Hebrews 12:1-17.

Eternity What Is It?

 Eternity What Is It?

JESUS told us, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve GOD and mammon (riches).” Matthew 6:19-21, 24 (Matthew 19:21; Luke 12:13-21; Colossians 2:1-3; Hebrews 11:23-26)

“But we have this Treasure in earthen vessels, that the Excellence of The Power may be of GOD and not of us.”  2 Corinthians 4:7 (Colossians 1:24-29)

All of The Bible is about Eternity, from the first words, “In the beginning GOD…” to the last words, “He Who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, LORD JESUS! The Grace of our LORD JESUS CHRIST be with you all. Amen.”

The struggle many Christians have is that we are almost always thinking in the now, and so is GOD, “Now is the day of Salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2) The problem is that we get caught up in the daily issues of life thinking about the problems of today and calling on GOD to help and deliver us when the Bible is clear that is not always His Purpose. “Seek The LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” Isaiah 55:6

We claim many scriptures that are true but sometimes miss applied to what we want without asking GOD what His purpose is. We also expect the answer sooner rather than later and that is not always GOD’s purpose for our situation.

Every promise in The Scriptures will be fulfilled as will every judgment, just not always in our lifetime. Eternity is not the string of time in which we live but from before creation until after CHRIST’s 1000 year reign over the nations. The Scriptures tell us that CHRIST was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the earth, (1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8) yet we know that about 2000 years ago, about 4000 years from creation, JESUS was born of a virgin, crucified and raised from the dead.

Time is not a factor to GOD, Heaven is outside of time, He did not create time when He made all of the different angels, Heaven is timeless. Some of the angels have rebelled against GOD, and He cast them to the earth after He made it (I do not believe that Lucifer rebelled against GOD until GOD made humanity in His Own Image). (Isaiah 14:12-15; Luke 10:17-20; Revelation 12:7-12)

There are two forces at work in time:

One will triumph: 1 Corinthians 15:57-58; 2 Corinthians 2:14-15; Revelation 20:4, 21:1-22:5

One will be destroyed: Matthew 10:28, 25:41; Revelation 20:10.

Why we know that we will suffer in life: Matthew 5:10-12, 10:34-39; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; James 1:2-8; 1 Peter 4:12-19.

Definitions

E-ter-ni-ty n.,1. Time without beginning or end; infinite time. 2. The state of quality of being eternal. 3a. The timeless state following death. b. The afterlife; immortality. 4. A very long or seemingly endless time; waited for an eternity.

The American Heritage College Dictionary Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company

Eternity: 5703 ‘ad, ad; from 5710; prop. A (peremptory) terminus, i.e. (by impl.) duration, in the sense of ddvance or perpetuity (substantially as a noun, either with or without a prep.):-eternity, ever (-lasting, -more), old, perpetually, + world without end.

Strongs Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible, MacDonald Publishing Company

Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says The High and Lofty OneWho inhabits Eternity, Whose Name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the High and Lofty Place,with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’” NKJV This is the only time Eternity is used in the King James Version.

Eternal, World: 5769 ‘ôwlâm, o-lamm’; or ‘ôlâm, o-lawm’; from 5956; prop. Concealed, i.e.the vanishing point; gen. time out of mind (past or fut.), i.e. (practically) eternity; freq. adv. (espc. with prep. pref.) always:-alway (-s), ancient (time), any more, continuance, eternal, (for, [n-]) ever (-lasting, -more, of old), lasting, long (time), (of) old (time), perpetual, at any time, (beginning of the) world (+ without end). Comp. 5331, 5703

Strongs Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible, MacDonald Publishing Company

Isaiah 60:15 “Whereas You have been forsaken and hated, so that no one went through You, I will make You an Eternal Excellence, a Joy of many generations.” NKJV This is the only time ‘ôwlâm is used as eternal in the KJV.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put Eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that GOD does from beginning to end.” NKJV This and Isaiah 57:15 are the only places in the New King James Version where Eternity is found. In The King James Version world is used for Eternity. “He hath made every thing beautiful in His time; also He hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that GOD maketh from the beginning to the end”

Eternity: 165 aiōn, ahee-ohn’; from the same as 104; prop. an age; by extens. perpetuity (also past); by impl. the world; spec. (Jewish) a Messianic period (present or future):-age, course, eternal, (for) ever (-more), [n-]ever, (beginning of the, while the) world (began, without end). Comp. 5550

Luke 1:33 “He shall Reign over the House of Jacob for all Eternity, and His Kingdom will be without end.” Living Tree Version, In the KJV it says, “And He shall reign over the House of Jacob for ever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.”

The point is to stop thinking about everything in the natural, and to think about everything in the eternal. Because only the eternal counts now, after death and judgment, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is CHRIST JESUS. Now if anyone builds on This Foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for The Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a Reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be Saved, yet so as through fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

Feeding On The Word!

  Feeding On The Word!

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, The SPIRIT of Truth, has come He will guide you into all Truth…: John 16:12-13

“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes. Desire the pure milk of The Word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that The LORD is Gracious.” 1 Peter 2:1-3

“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in CHRIST. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there is envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

“For thought by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of The Oracles of GOD; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in The Word of Righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Hebrews 5:12-14

“Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness The implanted Word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of The Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James 1:21-22

“For The Word of GOD is Living and Powerful and Sharper than any two edged sword, Piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and joints and marrow and is a Discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12-13

“When you get to the right state inside, The Word that JESUS has spoken is so plain that you are amazed you did not see it before.” Oswald Chambers

Tony's Top Ten 6-20-2023

 TONY’S TOP TEN

Psalm 71:20 Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. 21 Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.

1. Was Christ sent to suffer? The answer has to be yes.

2. Here are the questions Christians like the least, were Christian’s recreated to suffer in this world? The answer must be yes.

3. There is this little scripture I never hear any Christian quote in 2 Timothy 2:12 “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:”

4. I find it fascinating the parts of a scripture Christians love to quote, leaving out the rest of the verse.

6. Revelation 12:13 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

7. Almost every time I ask someone how do we defeat the devil they mention the first two but rarely, if ever mention, “they loved not their lives even unto death.”

8. A Gospel that doesn’t include suffering is a Christ-less Gospel.

9. I don’t think I have ever heard a teaching or an invitation given that includes; becoming a Christian includes suffering.

10. The cross came before the crown and not the other way around.

By Pastor Tony Kim

James Woods

 

No Good In Eternity!

 No Good In Eternity!

As I was laying waiting to fall sleep last night I started thinking about good and evil, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and that if there was no evil there would be no good.

I thought about Adam and Eve, they lived in a perfect Garden where there was no evil. Until they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Nothing bad ever happened, we do not know how long they were in the Garden before they ate of that forbidden fruit. GOD brought every kind of animal for Adam to name, this must have taken some time. We know that they walked with GOD in the cool of the evening and yet the devil was able to deceive Eve and she was able to convince Adam to sin.

This shows that no matter what we think about ourself and our salvation in CHRIST JESUS, we are no better than them. If Adam and Eve who never experience anything bad and personally fellowshipped with GOD daily could be deceived into sinning and be willing sin to please another person. Then what hope do we who are born with a sin nature into a sinful world have? Only in CHRIST JESUS can we be saved! But this is just a rabbit trail.

My main thought as I lay there was that without evil there would be no good! Good only exists where there is evil, the scriptures tell us, “Don’t be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21) And, “Every good gift and every perfect give is from above, and comes down from The Father of Lights, with Whom there is no variation of shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)

Think about this, the knowledge of good and evil is from the same fruit. If evil had never been introduced into the Garden then good never would have been introduced into the Garden (Don’t be freaked out and stop reading!).What we experience as good would not be special if there was no evil, it would be normal!

In Eternity there will not be several things that we take for granted now; the sun and moon, the seas and goodness (Revelation 22). Peace and Joy will be normal, they will be experienced by everyone in eternity continuously (Revelation 22).

If you want to live in a world where there is no evil and good is normal then you have to give your life to JESUS. Ask Him to forgive your sins and live a repentant life by His SPIRIT and His Word. Then you will someday live in Eternity where there will be no evil (sin) and good will just be normal.

The Curse On A Fatherless Nation!

 The Curse On A Fatherless Nation!

Malachi 4:5-6

“Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the Great and Dreadful Day of The LORD. And He Will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

Four hundred years later JESUS said He came to bring division between family members, Matthew 10:34-39.

Many teach that John The Baptist fulfilled the Malachi passage, but JESUS showed that it was not fulfilled yet and it cannot be fulfilled, I believe, until Elijah returns to the earth. This passage refers to The Great And Dreadful Day of The LORD, JESUS’ birth, life, death and resurrection was the Great and Glorious Time of GOD’s Grace. The Great and Dreadful Day of The LORD happens when JESUS returns to Jerusalem to rule over the nations for 1000 years. (Revelation 11; 14:14-20; 16:17-21; 19:1-20:6 these describe that day.)

In Isaiah it refers to the one who will come as the spirit of Elijahmessanger to prepare the way of the messiah, when asked about this JESUS said if they could receive it John The Baptist had fulfilled this prophecy (Isaiah 40). But this passage refers to The Great and Terrible Day of The LORD, not JESUS’ birth. When Elijah and Moses visited JESUS on the mount of transfiguration that also did not fulfill Malachi 4:5-6. They spoke to JESUS of His coming crucifixion, Luke 9:26-36, verse 31 “...who appeared in glory and spoke of His death which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.”

In The Bible we only see one example of the father and sons united in purpose for more than one generation, Jacob and his sons, they all stayed together and helped each other. There are no other examples in Scripture, in fact from the beginning the devil has caused separation between father and sons, Adam and Cain after he killed his brother Able. Even Noah and his sons after the flood there was division and as they grew into communities and nations they divided against each other.

Only Jacob’s sons remained together after their father died and GOD made them into the nation of Israel, still a united nation today after all they have been through.

They are the example to the world and the world hates them because the devil does not want the unity of father and sons. He has been trying to destroy the relationship of fathers and sons from the beginning.

Now the task has been given to the Church, those who believe in JESUS CHRIST as the Redeeming Son of GOD. But we have been and are failing at it. Even in The Church we see very little of the unity of the father and his sons. That is one of the reasons there is no power in the Church.

The devil has perverted societies, governments and nations to strip fathers of their GOD given responsibility and authority, to destroy the nuclear family so that he can destroy the following generations of children.

The Church is not discipling nations because we are busy stealing each other’s congregations. We should be evangelizing the lost and ministering to families to heal and restore them. We will not see the curse of the devil removed from our nation until we, the Believers in JESUS have evangelized it and seen it converted and discipled into GOD’s Kingdom on the earth.

We, the Believes in JESUS CHRIST have to stop paying attention to our church’s, organization’s or denomination’s doctrine and philosophy and we must start reading, studying and meditating on The Bible, asking The Holy Spirit to teach us and remind us what JESUS said and did. This is what will bring unity to the Church and see fatherhood restored to its Biblical status. Then the curse of a fatherless nation will be lifted from our nation.

Made In The Image Of GOD!

 Made In The Image Of GOD!

Genesis 1:27-28, “Then GOD said, ‘Let Us make humanity in our Image, according to Our Likeness’…So GOD created humanity in His Own Image; in The Image of GOD He created him; male and female He created them.”

Colossians 1:15-16 “JESUS is the Image of The Invisible GOD, The Firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in Heaven and that are on the earth, visible and invisible…and He is before all things, and in Him all things exist.”

Humanity was created to carry the Glory of GOD, but Lucifer deceived Eve and then after she sinned by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; she convinced Adam to also eat it and he did knowing that he was disobeying GOD; that was sin. But GOD! GOD knew this was going to happen and He had already planned our salvation (forgiveness and deliverance from sin) to restore us to the place of reflecting His Glory as new creations (born again) in CHRIST JESUS!

1 Peter 1:20-21 “JESUS was indeed foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in GOD.”

 

How do we reflect the Glory or Image of GOD? By being like CHRIST and doing the will of GOD as found in the Bible! 

The Last Supper

 The Last Supper

The first part of JESUS’ Passover meal with the twelve disciples would have been fellowship, worship of the Father and prayer. Then they ate the meal remembering why they celebrated Passover; GOD used Moses and Aaron to lead the Children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt.

During the meal JESUS taught them the Remembrance (Communion) so that Believers would always have a means of remembering what JESUS did in giving His life to save us from our sin. JESUS revealed that one of them would betray Him.

After the meal JESUS washed the feet of His disciples, except Judas who had already left, teaching them about being humble and serving one another. (John 13:2-17)

“So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again. He said to them, ‘do you know (understand) what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and LORD, and you say well, for so I AM. If I then your LORD and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.’” (12-17)

John 8:31-32 “Then JESUS said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know The Truth and The Truth shall make you free.’”

James 1:25-27 “But he who looks into the Perfect Law of Liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of The Work, this one will be Blessed in Whatever he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before GOD and The Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

James 4:13-17 “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If The LORD Wills, we shall live and do this or that.’ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

A Clean Heart And The Mind Of CHRIST!

 A Clean Heart And The Mind Of CHRIST

“Create in me a clean heart, O GOD, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

“Let this mind be in you which was also in CHRIST JESUS.” Philippians 2:5

A prayer and a command, what do these have in common?

First they both have to do with GOD making changes in our life, how we think and live!

David is seeing his sin against GOD and is asking GOD to give him a new heart, one without sin; and to renew his spirit which must have been feeling abandoned after his sin of adultery and murder. He is asking for forgiveness and then he is asking for the strength to repent.

Paul is telling us that because we have asked GOD to forgive our sin against Him now we should be living a life of repentance. He also sees the struggle that people have in making the lifestyle changes from sinner to saint. He is commanding us to have the same mindset as CHRIST JESUS! Be humble before GOD and obedient in behavior (our word and deed).

JESUS born in the flesh humbled Himself and became obedient, even to death on the cross. This is our example, in our humanity as we fail and sin we must ask GOD to forgive us and we must repent. 

Forgiveness without repentance is just emotions; repentance without forgiveness is just works. Salvation is the result of asking for forgiveness and living a humble and  obedient life.

JESUS said, “You! Seek GOD First! Then His Righteousness and everything you need will be provided. Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have its own problems.” Matthew 6:33-34 paraphrase by me.

We Want vs GOD's Purpose

 We Want vs GOD’s Purpose

On June 21, 2019 while watching the 700 Club, Gordon and Wendy were praying for healing for people and Gordon said, “We are healed by His stripes.” and I heard The HOLY SPIRIT say, “That is the Fellowship of His Suffering!” (Philippians 3:7-11)

So often we want instantaneous results, we do not want to go through the process and we count on GOD just delivering us, or healing us, or blessing us. The Bible is full of stories of people calling out for GOD’s intervention in their life, some times it is instantaneous and sometimes it is drawn out. In Psalm 31:1-6 David calls out for GOD’s instant deliverance from his enemies, but it was many years before David replaced Saul as king, even though he had been anointed by Samuel as king.

Even JESUS did not always instantly heal or deliver people; knowing that Lazarus was sick unto death, JESUS delayed going to see him, then when He got there Lazarus had been buried for 4 days, then JESUS raised him from the dead.(John 11:1-44). JESUS had a purpose for His delay, He had already raised 2 people from the dead on the day they died,(Luke 7:11-17; Mark 5:21-24, 35-43) but raising Lazarus after he had been dead and buried for 4 days showed His Authority and Power over life and death.

We have to learn to pray with expectation of GOD’s answer yet understand that He has a plan and purpose that means His answer is not always what we expect or as soon as we want it. JESUS told us to “seek first The Kingdom of GOD and His Righteousness, and all the things we need will be provided.” (Matthew 6:25-34)

When we know that GOD Loves us and that He saved us for a reason, not just so that we would not go to hell, but He has a plan for our life, then we will be able to rest in His timing and go through the trials and tribulations that life is full of.