Keep Your Hand On The Plow
Every Christian is called to be God's servant and should strive to serve with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. In Luke 9:62, Jesus said, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." Jesus is telling us not to look back at the world and our old way of life but to to keep looking to God for all things. He seems to be speaking mainly to those in ministry, however, it applies equally to all believers. Even though everyone is not called into ministry, all believers are called to be servants for life. The Bible does not mention part-time Christians, part-time service or early retirement for anyone. Once a person accepts God's call into ministry, he becomes God's servant for life and should continue in service for as long as he or she is able. Once we have put our hand to the plow, we should not look back otherwise we will drift off the path God has chosen for us. If we long for what we have left behind, we will soon become worldly and backslide to become unfit for service in the kingdom of God. Our focus must always be on God and how to serve Him better.
Going into ministry
Jesus warned those who wanted to follow Him that He had no place to lay his head and if anyone wanted to follow Him then they must leave their old life behind (Luke 9:57-62). Elisha is a perfect example of the attitude needed by a person accepting God's call into ministry. In 1 Kings 19:19-21, we are told that Elijah anointed Elisha to succeed him as prophet. At the time, Elisha was plowing with his oxen. After Elijah anointed him, he went home to say goodbye to his family. He then slaughtered his oxen and burned his plowing equipment to cook the meat as a feast for the people. Then, after burning his bridges, he set out to follow Elijah and become his attendant. Elisha knew he was going into ministry for life so he completely cut himself off from his old way of life; he left family, friends, cattle and land to serve the Lord. Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). Elisha denied himself all things and completely relied upon God.
Remaining faithful to the call
Not all who go into ministry remain faithful. For example, Balaam loved the world more than he loved God and he became wicked (2 Pet. 2:15). Initially, going into ministry may not be such a hard thing to do but it can become very testing. It seems that when we first go into ministry, and also when we first get saved, we go through a honeymoon period with the Lord. We strongly sense the Lord's presence and everything goes very well (I floated on clouds for ages). However, after a while the Lord withdraws those feelings somewhat and the honeymoon ends, so to speak, because God wants us to live by faith, not feelings.
Continuing in faith
Some years ago, I quit work and went into full time service for the Lord. In Mark 10:29-30 Jesus promises to provide for anyone who, like Elisha, leaves everything for Him and the Gospel. He said, "I tell you the truth, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life." For many years I had no trouble believing this promise but, with age, my faith has weakened at times. It is easy to trust in something that is a long way off but the real test of faith comes when we are face to face with the situation. Jesus' disciples were very confident that they would not desert Him but they soon scattered in fear when He was arrested. In the same way, my faith is being tested as I face old age.
This testing of my faith resulted in serious agitation at times and a complete lack of peace for long periods. Recently, worrying that the Lord would not provide for me, I considered getting work to stop my bank account from emptying but that thought brought an even greater lack of peace. After much prayer, I came to understand how I was sinning against God: I was seriously offending Him in two ways:
I had previously fully committed myself to Him but now I was considering going back into the world and removing myself from His service. Num. 30:2 came to mind and heavily convicted me. It says, "When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said." If I went back to work then I would be breaking my word and that would make me a liar.
I was calling God a liar because I was no longer trusting His promise to provide for those who had left everything for Him and the Gospel.
It's no wonder that I had no peace. God doesn't like being lied to or being called a liar so it is easy to see why He had taken my peace away. Thankfully, once I came to see that my weak faith was leading me into great error, I repented and, needless to say, the peace of God returned. There is no doubt that in the future I will waver from time to time but big mistakes leave big scars and I am not likely to forget this lesson in a hurry.
Finally
When we look back, it is always easy to see our error but, the truth of the matter is, sin often creeps up and can overcome us like cancer. It starts out small but if we don't deal with it quickly then it will grow and cause us to sin. A lack of peace is a sure sign that there is sin between us and God; He always removes our peace when we sin. Sin can start out small but if it is not quickly repented of then it can soon cause big problems: A lie can utterly destroy relationships; dislike can lead to hate and even murder; a lingering look or touch can lead to lust and immorality; a covetous thought can lead to theft or jealousy or worse and our emotions can lead us into error just like my fear led to unbelief. For this reason, if we want to keep our hand on the plow and honour God then we have to keep our eyes on Jesus and deal with sin as soon as the Spirit convicts us. As soon as we lack peace we should ask God why He has taken our peace away. In this experience of mine, I was far too slow in seeking God and I suffered for it. I should have looked to Him much, much sooner. I have an article on hearing and following the Lord's voice, called The Way Of Peace, at
http://www.christianissues.biz/thewayofpeace.html
(Please note that this article is about my personal walk with the Lord. I am not saying that it is wrong to be in ministry and work at the same time. Paul worked as a tent maker during his ministry.)
This article can be downloaded under the heading Blog Articles at
http://www.christianissues.biz/downloads.html
Mick Alexander
<p>  The Fat Shepherds Are Fleecing The Sheep - Ezekiel 34   What has happened to our society? Why is the world becoming more and more immoral and lawless? Why has the church lost its godly influence? There was a time when the church was well respected and had a strong moral grip on society but that is no longer the case. Why? The fact is, when the world looks at 'Christianity' today, they see paedophiles, homosexuals, filthy-rich leaders and televangelists teaching false doctrine, self appointed prophets prophesying lies, crazy antics in churches and so called Christians joining with cults and pagan religions etc. There really is no need for us to scratch our heads and wonder why there has been such a strong moral decline in society – it is simply because the church has gone astray and lost its stabilising influence. The unsaved are not stupid; they see through much of the nonsense and, quite rightly, consider themselves as good as any 'Christian' and perhaps even more righteous. How can a Christian talk to them about their sinfulness when they see the 'church' doing the same things? Why should they bother seeking our guidance? A friend said that the Devil has done such a great job destroying the church that he is now holidaying somewhere in the Caribbean, and it doesn't look as though he will ever need to return to work. He can relax and enjoy his holiday because the shepherds he has placed in the church are doing a great job for him.   Looking after the flock Ezek. 34 tells how the shepherds of Israel fed richly off the people but didn't take care of them, just as many of the church leaders do today. Ezek. 34:2-4 says, “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.” Israel's shepherds were feasting off the flock while neglecting to care for them physically or spiritually; the spiritually weak were not being helped in their faith; those needing physical help were ignored; those who had strayed from the faith were not brought back or even searched for – the flock was neglected and abused in every way while the shepherds ate off the fat of the land. This is exactly what is happening in many churches today. Leaders are not tending their flocks but rather they are fleecing them and living in luxury while there are believers in great need worldwide. It can't be justified.   Ezek. 34:5 gives the result of neglecting the flock: “They were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.” When believers are not being cared for, they can lose their faith and hope and wander off to become food for the many false religions and cults. It is common for people to get sucked into churches who promise all sorts of things but when these promises fail they leave in disappointment and bitterness, rejecting Christianity in the belief that it is full of lies. This leaves them wide open to other wolves who will seduced them into their hell-bound ways.   False doctrine 2 Tim. 4:3 tells us that “the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” Surely that time is now. Many leaders and televangelists have replaced solid doctrine with shallow 'all about me' nonsense - “Make me rich! Give me power!” Their teachings are shamelessly self-centred yet well received by many itching ears because it is all about what they can get from God, rather than death to self. Death to self is complete self-denial but many prefer the lies as Jer. 5:31 tells us: “The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end [at the judgment]?”   Most Christians believe that Jesus' return cannot be too far off. If we really believe this then we must also take careful note of His warnings of end time deception (Matt. 24). If you and I want to be able to discern this deception then we must have a good understanding of scripture. If we don't know the real thing then how can we discern a fake? Do you study your Bible and take it to church or do you just believe the voice from the pulpit? That voice could be one of the Devil's co-workers masquerading as a servant of righteousness (see 2 Cor. 11:13-15). We only get one chance at salvation so we must be careful and study the Bible to see if we are in the truth and truly born again. Jesus commands us not to be deceived - can you biblically defend what you have been led to believe? Do you get upset when someone questions your beliefs? If so, then it is a sign that you are not secure in your doctrine, you may be in error. We all need to study opposing doctrine and have peace about what we believe. If we are misled then we can't blame someone else. We must check things out for ourselves. Remember, there is no second chance, no Purgatory.   Finishing off The greatest reason for the world's ever worsening condition is that the church has lost its godly influence over society. Christianity was once a standard for morality and common decency but ungodly behaviour by so called Christians has blackened the name of Jesus. Sadly, the unsaved see the wickedness and nonsense in the 'church' and think it is Christianity. A good way to explain things to the unsaved, and witness at the same time, is to show them Matt. 24 where Jesus predicted it would happen before He returns to destroy the wicked.   We really can't do anything about the falling away of the church because it is part of end time prophecy. However, we can be good Bereans and search the scriptures to be sure of what we believe. My question to you is, “Are you in the faith or into heresy?” Search the scriptures and be separate from the wicked.     This article can be downloaded under the heading Blog Articles at http://www.christianissues.biz/downloads.html     Mick Alexander Email: leeandmick@gmail.com Website: www.ChristianIssues.biz              </p>
The Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News scoured police blotters and local news stories trying to gauge the scope of sexual abuse within the Southern Baptist Convention. What they found is that over the last 20 years, roughly 380 Southern Baptist church leaders and volunteers have faced allegations of sexual misconduct – leaving behind more than 700 victims.
The gravity of the findings doesn’t seem lost on Southern Baptist leaders who are responding to the report. SBC President J.D. Greear calls the report “a warning sent from God, calling the church to repent.” Russell Moore of the denomination’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission calls it “a scandal crying out to heaven.”
Dr. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Dallas, says the denomination must be held to account. “What is being described and what has been done to children is horrific and inexcusable,” he tells OneNewsNow. “There is no way to rationalize or minimize that. It is despicable what has been done – and there’s zero excuse for it at all.”
Making matters even worse, victims and advocates asked the SBC in the summer of 2008 – just as the Catholic priest abuse scandal was publicly metastasizing – to put together an offender database to at least keep those credibly accused from moving to other churches. The SBC’s Executive Committee rejected those proposals, drafting a report that “accepted the existence of the problem rather than attempting to define its magnitude,” said a member of the committee.
“At the core of Southern Baptist doctrine is local church autonomy, the idea that each church is independent and self-governing. It’s one of the main reasons that [August] Boto said most of the proposals a decade ago were viewed as flawed by the executive committee because the committee doesn’t have the authority to force churches to report sexual abuse to a central registry.”“Abuse of Faith”
Houston Chronicle (Feb. 10, 2019)
As Jeffress points out, there is no church hierarchy to oversee and implement such a project.
“In many ways [the autonomy of our churches makes it] a greater challenge for Southern Baptists,” he explains. “We have 36,000 churches. For there to be a zero level of child abuse means that every church must have its own standards for how to ensure this doesn’t happen.”
Jeffress is calling on all Southern Baptist churches and institutions to confront the problem openly and immediately. Source
www.HNewsWire.com
To all who "have ears to hear and eyes to see..."- I invite you to join me in this petition. Simply click on this URL. Sign the Petition if you would like to join me. It will take many signatures so maybe you can copy and paste this URL and send it to your contacts on FB, blogs, websites and channels.
The Christian teen fantasy entitled Hafren: A Fantasy for the Young at Heart was just released. I think you'll enjoy the fast-pace plot and occasional humor. Hafren: A Fantasy for the Young at Heart is available from amazon.com and from the Lighthouse Christian Publishing website. If you would like to read an excerpt from the novel, go to the following link: http://christianteenfantasy.webs.com/
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<p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">Unity In Truth</font></font></font></p>
<p align="CENTER" style="margin-left: 0.64cm; text-indent: -0.64cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt"><i>"Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth."</i></font></font></font></p>
<p align="CENTER" style="margin-left: 0.64cm; text-indent: -0.64cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">(John 17:17)</font></font></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal"> </p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-weight: normal">Within Christianity there is a lot of pressure to ignore doctrine and to unite with churches which clearly have false teachings. Some people say that we all love the same Jesus so we should put aside our differences and simply look at what we have in common; basically they are saying that believing in Jesus is all that matters. At first, this would seem to be a good thing because Jesus prayed for all believers asking, </span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you"</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-weight: normal"> (John 17:21). However, when we take a closer look at what Jesus was saying, we see that a few verses earlier He said, </span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth"</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal"> (John 17:17). In these verses, Jesus is asking God to sanctify (make holy and separate) all believers in the truth of His Word. So, when Jesus was asking God to make us all one, He was asking that we be united in the truth of the Bible. God does not want us to unite with those who hold false teaching and this fact is made very plain in </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-weight: normal">Rom. 16:17: </span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. </span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal">Keep away from them</span></u></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">."</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal"> Rather than unite with those who have false teaching, this verse urges us to keep away from them. God does not want unity at the expense of truth.</span></span></font></font></font></p>
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<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt"><b>Love one another</b></font></font></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-weight: normal">As already noted, if we believe that a church has false teaching then we should not unite with them. However, when we refuse to unite we are often told that we are unloving. After all, we are told, Jesus said to love even our enemies. If we don't think this through then we may come to feel that we are unloving and have a guilt trip which could lead us to being persuaded to unite, against our better judgment. The fact of the matter is, eternal hell waits for those who follow false religions so we should not unite with them. Real love is keeping separate and showing them their error in the hope that they too will repent and be saved. </span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">Eph. 4:12, 15 tell us that God wants us to </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"be built up until we all reach </span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal">unity in the faith</span></u></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="text-decoration: none"><span style="font-weight: normal">"</span></span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal"> </span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">and that we should be</span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal"> "</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal">speaking the truth in love.</span></u></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="text-decoration: none"><span style="font-weight: normal">" </span></span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="text-decoration: none"><span style="font-weight: normal">Real love and unity can only come through a common bond of truth, not a mixture of truth and error. In Phil. 1:9-10, Paul wrote: </span></span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="text-decoration: none"><span style="font-weight: normal">"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ."</span></span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="text-decoration: none"><span style="font-weight: normal"> Paul is telling us that our love, purity and discernment grow with our knowledge and insight into God's word. Uniting with error is not loving, pure or discerning.</span></span></span></font></font></font></p>
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<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt"><b>The Ecumenical Movement</b></font></font></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">The Ecumenical Movement is a Roman Catholic plan to unite all Christian denominations (as well as all the world's cults and religions) into a one world religion, headed by the Pope. Many people are being drawn into this, but born again believers should not be part of it as Roman Catholicism is a false gospel. Catholicism teaches that the forgiveness of sins and salvation can only be obtained in their church, through the Eucharist sacrifice in the Mass. They curse anyone who says otherwise. As a matter of fact, they have placed over one hundred curses on Protestants and anyone else who disagrees with their doctrines. Rather than love those who oppose them, they curse. </font></p>
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<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt"><b>The woman of Revelation 17</b></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">Rev. 17 tells us about a woman riding a Beast during the end times. She is called Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Prostitutes. The following points from Rev. 17 are given to help us identify this woman. </font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">The woman:</font></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">Commits adultery with the kings of the earth (v.2) – She has unholy relationships with world leaders.</font></p>
</li>
<li>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">Dresses in purple and scarlet (v.4) – Like Rome's bishops and cardinals.</font></p>
</li>
<li>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">Adorns herself with gold, precious stones and pearls (v.4) - She is extremely rich.</font></p>
</li>
<li>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">Has a golden cup in her hand (v.4) – Like the golden cup of the Mass.</font></p>
</li>
<li>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">Is drunk with the blood of the saints (v.6) – Like during the inquisitions etc.</font></p>
</li>
<li>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">Sits on seven hills (v.9) – Like the city of Rome.</font></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">If this is not enough evidence to identify the woman as being the Roman Catholic Church then God leaves us with no doubt when, in <font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-weight: normal">Rev. 17:18, He told John that </span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth."</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal"> When John wrote Revelation, Rome was the city that ruled over the kings of the earth so it is very plain that the Roman Catholic Church is the woman called Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Prostitutes. </span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"> </p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">It may be argued that Rev. 17 is history but this argument is false as Rev. 17:12, 16 tell us that ten kings help the Beast destroy the prostitute and this event is not found in any history book. It is yet to come and Rev. 18 continues on to prophesy that it will happen. </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">Rev 18:2: </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"With a mighty voice he shouted: '</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal"> spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.'" </span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">Rome is clearly identified as a demonic institution which will be destroyed and for this reason God commands His people to come out of her. Rev 18:4: </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"Then I heard another voice from heaven say: </span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="text-decoration: none"><span style="font-weight: normal">'Come out of her, </span></span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal">my people</span></u></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.'" </span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">This is a very strong warning to separate or suffer the consequences. </span></span></font></font></font></p>
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<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt"><b>Finally</b></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">How can born again believers unite with a church that God says is demonic and will be destroyed? 2 Cor. 6:14 asks believers, </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="text-decoration: none"><span style="font-weight: normal">"</span></span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">what fellowship can light have with darkness?</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="text-decoration: none"><span style="font-weight: normal">"</span></span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="text-decoration: none"><span style="font-weight: normal"> The obvious answer is, "None!" </span></span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">Rather than join the Ecumenical Movement, believers need to separate otherwise they will share in her sins and receive her plagues. 1 Cor. 10:21 tells believers, </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons." </span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">In the same way that a Muslim convert must separate from Islam, born again believers must separate from Roman Catholicism and the Ecumenical Movement as God says, </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. </span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal">Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you</span></u></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">" </span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">(2 Cor. 6:17).</span></span></font></font></font></p>
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<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">There are two excellent videos on YouTube which expose Catholicism in more depth: They are called A Woman Rides The Beast and A Lamp In The Dark.</font></font></font></p>
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<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times-Roman, Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">This article can be downloaded under the heading Blog Articles at</font></font></font></p>
<p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><a href="http://www.christianissues.biz/downloads.html" target="_blank"><font face="Times-Roman, Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">http://www.christianissues.biz/downloads.html</font></font></a></p>
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<p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font face="Times-Roman, Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">It can be read online at</font></font></p>
<p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><a href="http://www.christianissues.biz/blog/wordpress/?p=895" target="_blank"><font face="Times-Roman, Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">http://www.christianissues.biz/blog/wordpress/?p=895</font></font></a></p>
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<p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font face="Times-Roman, Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">Mick Alexander</font></font></p>
<p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><font face="Times-Roman, Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">Email: leeandmick@gmail.com</font></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4" style="font-size: 16pt">Website: <a href="http://www.ChristianIssues.biz" target="_blank">www.ChristianIssues.biz</a></font></font></font></p>
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<p>I recently received a prophetic word that God was going to restore 7 -fold what the devil had taken. Great word! I was thrilled! Jumped up and down. Shared it with Arthur. We were very excited about it. It was the first word on restoration I had received in 7 years. For 7 years, it had been either silence or our words had been: “you are in the battle; God says you have been faithful”. Nothing revelational there! You know when you are in the battle. You don’t need a prophetic word to confirm it! I knew the devil had stolen from us. It was almost as if everything was been sucked down into this black hole of nothingness. As I am very much a stickler for it that if God speaks, I act! , I started to act on my prophetic word. I sat down and made a list of all that the devil had stolen. Not because I was greedy, just because I wanted a visual list in front of my eyes to be able to thank God for His 7- fold restoration every time I laid my eyes on the visual. My “stolen goods list” looked along this line: - Houses (lost 4) We'd all love to live in a "Smart House" - Cars - Money - Clothes - Make up - Health (from been under constant stress) - Medical Aid - Insurance - Holidays - Jewelry - I’m very tempted to list my hairdresser! (long story) - Our Jobs - Our Name - Our reputation - Bedding - TV’s, carpets, furniture - Food But a strange emotion occurred when I started the list. It started with the Health aspect. I really wanted (not needed) to have some dental work done, and the thought that kept on crossing my mind: “I can pay to have dental work done, but if I trust God, God will do it for free. Flip the coin, if I pay, the devil is stealing MONEY from me again, because I’m spending money on Health when God promises me: Ps 103:5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. REVELATION (yet again): I DID NOT NEED TO PAY MONEY FOR DENTAL WORK; GOD COULD DO IT FOR FREE! 2nd on my list was my family's health & stress related symptoms. I kept on hearing this quiet whisper: " but my Son has paid the price for your healing." 1 Pet 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-- by whose stripes you were healed. REVELATION (yet again): You don’t need to pay MONEY for medication when Jesus paid the price in FULL FOR MY HEALING! ONLY BELIEVE! Next up was the houses and the cars: God just said: If I’ve called you to be a sojourner through this earthly land, do you need a house and a car? Yes, u do, but God provides all the way! The question God challenged me with was "you trust God to provide a house and a car?" Another issue sorted! God was ticking them off my list at an alarming rate! The JOB, MEDICAL AID and INSURANCE we had to deal with 6 years ago. We had to learn to live by faith. Arthur and I felt for US (not for you, but for OUR FAMILY) God was saying, I want you to rely on ME for your daily provision, and a roof over your head. It was a TOUGH LESSON to learn. When the restoration word came, the Holy Spirit whispered: “do you really want to go back to the bondage of a salary, medical aid and insurance? Do you really want to trade all the lessons you’ve learnt living by faith for a lifestyle of just enough (salary) and of having a backup plan incase I don’t work? (Medical Aid & Insurance)” My response was: but what happens if it all gets stolen (insurance)! WRONG QUESTION! “If the devil has stolen from you and you have learnt to live by faith, you are able to faith it all back! And once again, I will restore more that the devil took! What have you really lost?” was quietly offered as an answer. The devil cannot rob me of my FAITH in God! As the Holy Spirit made mince meat of all of my "stolen goods to be restored 7 Fold" points, the only thing I came up with what had truelly been stolen (BY FAITH God could heal and replace all of the rest, I only had to BELIEVE) was my RELATIONSHIPS! (and the Holy Spirit just proved to me once again that I did not know God well enough to trust Him to restore) The devil has stolen many of our (ours & the children's) relationships with family and friends. The crux of my list left me once again realising: GOD IS ONLY INTERESTED IN PEOPLE! Only when I had started "seeking 1st the kingdom of God" had I received the promise of 7-fold restoration. Only once I started leading people to the Lord, praying for the sick, started preaching the good news of the Gospel, - all the things important to God, did the promise of restoration come. Once my sights were focussed on what God saw as important, PEOPLE, not just people, but where people would spend eternity, how I treated individuals, what words of life had come out of my mouth to sow life etc, He sorted out the rest. All else comes down to my faith level in “ONLY BELIEVE” Matt 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. The reality check I experienced was we all equate Restoration 7 - fold to Finance/Money! Even with all the lessons I've experienced in the last 7 years, I really needed to shift my thinking into "the mind of Christ" before thinking of "things to be added to me" Now, I can truelly look forward to God restoring each and every relationship, and *SEVEN FOLD BONUS!* adding many more because He promised He would restore 7 fold all that the devil had stolen! *Bonus* Look after people (saved & unsaved/rich & poor/lovely & unlovely/goodlooking & ugly) and God looks after your needs!</p>
Matt: 11:28 .. Come unto me all you that are heavy laden ...
Ever have that home sick feeling , and you are already home? You are probably being paged by your heavenly Father. More than likely that's his Spirit wooing you to come into his presence. When I accepted Christ as a young boy, I remember having that feeling, even when I was home or had no reason to have it. As a child it can make one uncomfortable, and even sick , if one has it bad enough. It can effect your eating and other activities as well. If your home life was good or not so good, I believe it effects all of us at one stage or another to be home sick. I finally perceived it was my Lord calling me to pray. Many times out of ignorance, we will try and fill that feeling with things, activities, and even company, passing it off as loneliness. In the day we live in, we simply feel we do not have time to "go pray". Next time you get that homesick feeling and do not see a reason for it, go talk to your heavenly Father. He really wants to hear from you. The answers we seek are a prayer away
God bless you on your journey !
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Romans 8:28 .... all things work together for good to them that love God ......
To tell someone God fixes broken lives is all Well and good , but what if it's your life that's broken ? It's a very serious issue that needs not only answer's , but practical answers you can sink your teeth into.
If you are a believer in Christianity , it can make it easier , but not necessarily better. First and foremost , you must , I repeat "must" believe that God is in total control of all happening's on this planet , and that he has a plan for your life. If one cannot get beyond that , all the rest of their life will be lived out in hit and miss , resulting in confusion , no matter how much teaching or counseling they receive.
Realistically speaking , the catalyst of life , revolves around breaking and mending. No difference how low one has sunk in this life , God has a way of incorporating the broken pieces of a life
into his wonderful plan . The negative part of brokenness is that it blinds you for a season. Any answer given during that season cannot be utilized until the grieving is over. As one develops their trust in the fact , that God truly is in control and does have a plan for their life , they will start seeing him at work.
See God in everything and you can make it through anything !
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God bless you on your journey !
HNewsWire-Here is the order of things to come according to the Bible: It will be just like the days of Noah and Lot: people will be eating; drinking; marrying; giving in marriage; buying; selling; planting; building and SAYING: “Peace & Safety” and then like the flood and the destruction of Sodom so shall sudden destruction come on those who do not enter into the rapture like Noah entered into the ark.
1 Thessalonians 5:3 (KJV): For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
Matthew 24:37-39 (KJV): But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Luke 17:26-30 (KJV): And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
~Susan Davis~
HNewsWire- “All political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable.” Just look at some of our modern day examples: torture is “enhanced interrogation techniques”; murder is “collateral damage”; the aggression initiation of war is a “pre-emptive strike”; the theft of taxpayers’ money is a “bailout”; and the theft of depositors’ money in a bank is a “haircut” or “bail-in”.In a blatant example of Newspeak, the New World Order controllers (through the psychiatric DSM V) have tried to rename pedophiles as “minor-attracted persons” and redefine pedophilia as a “sexual orientation”. This makes no sense, since sexual orientation has to do with gender not age, with whether you are attracted to males or females, not how old they are. There are even organizations (like B4UAct.org) which are claiming that pedophiles are being unfairly stigmatized for their feelings! Psychiatry, it should also be noted, has a history of inventing fictitious diseases such as ADHD (as admitted by its inventor on his deathbed by Leon Eisenberg).
It is impossible to find anyone in the Bible who was a power for God who did not have enemies and was not hated.
Please help me help these kids(orphans) that are in trouble, PLEASE 80% of the book sales goes directly to: https://www.the127.org
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