Are you rich?
You may be thinking, “I wish I was, then I could pay off my bills.” But when the Bible talks about people who are rich, it isn’t talking about how much money you have, or how much income you have. Rather, it speaks of the lifestyle you have and the amount of possessions you have. You might have debts and barely squeak by each month with your income, but if you have plenty to entertain yourself with and more than enough food, clothing and warmth, then you would be counted as rich in the Bible. Let me ask the question in a different way: Are you in the American middle class or better? If you say, “Sure, we’re middle class,” then, according to the standards of the Bible, you are rich.
If that is the case, then I just want to be honest with you. You’re in trouble. At least, you are in trouble spiritually. Probably. I’m sure that you are living pretty comfortably, but as far as your place before Jesus, you are in trouble. “Hey, wait! I’m confident in my place in Christ. I’m doing well spiritually.” You probably attend church regularly and read the Bible. Perhaps you even lead a Bible study or pray on a regular basis. All of that is great. But, according to Jesus, you are still in trouble. Jesus’ statements are very clear: “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23).
Just how hard? Jesus says well nigh impossible. Below are the stories of three rich men in Scripture and what Jesus says about their eternal destiny.
The Wealthy Entrepreneur (Luke 12:16-21)
A farmer did quite well one year and he was determining what to do with his surplus. “I know!” he said, “I will take my profit and put it into savings. I will build bigger barns, so that I can store more grain and goods for the future and then I will be able to take it easy and spend the rest of my life in pleasure.” However, God spoke to the man and said, “You idiot! You are dead tonight! And now what will be done with your ‘surplus’? Who will enjoy it now?” Jesus’ point in the parable is that the one who does not use his extra possessions, wealth or income in the manner told by God, then they will have nothing at the end of their lives.
The Man with many possessions (Mark 10:17-27)
Jesus was walking along and a man ran up to him, asking him, “Teacher, what should I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus answered, “You know the commandments in the Law—don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t defraud, honor your father and mother.” The man said, “I’ve done all these things. Is that it?” Jesus looked at him and felt a love for him and so he said, “Yes—one last thing. Sell everything you have and give the proceeds to the poor. Then you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me.” The man walked away sadly because he had many possessions.
This man was rich not because he had a huge income or because he had an enormous amount of money in the bank. Rather, he had a lot of possessions. That is a lot like most of us, I would say. This man was hoping for eternal life while keeping what he had, but Jesus said that the only way he could gain a future life was to give up the life he had. If he surrendered his possessions and gave it all to those who had nothing, then he would be able to follow Jesus unencumbered. However, when a person has so much to give away, the task seems daunting—even impossible. But even the rich person can be saved with God’s help.
The Man in Comfort (Luke 16:19-31)
There was a man living in wealth and comfort. Every day he had sumptuous meals, and he dressed well and comfortably. He had everything going for him. Outside his door was a poor man named Lazarus who would have loved to eat just a bite of what the rich man was eating, and had such inadequate clothes that there were sores on his skin. The rich man, however, paid him no mind. Both of them were pious, and considered Abraham to be their father. But when they both died, Lazarus was taken to Abraham, while the rich man was taken to agony in dark flames. When the rich man complained to Abraham about this treatment, Abraham replied, “Son, remember that while you were alive you received your comforts and feasts. Lazarus, on the other hand, received only pain and sorrow. Now the roles are justly reversed—you are in agony and Lazarus is being comforted.”
Jesus said that the same would be true of a disciple of his. Those of his disciples who are poor would receive the kingdom of God. On the other hand, those of his disciples who are rich, who took comfort in this life, who lived in pleasure and ran around concerned about the affairs of this world—they would not receive God’s comfort in the end. (Luke 6:20-26; Mark 4:18-19)
Other places of the New Testament make it clear that the place of the rich, who live in luxury and pleasure, is eternal torment:
James says, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.” James 5:1-5.
The book of Revelation condemns the church who is rich and commands them to repent or they will be punished. Revelation 3:14-22.
The teaching of Jesus and the apostles are clear: The rich person who does not repent will not be with Jesus on the last day, but will be punished and sent to eternal fire. There’s no way to get around it. It really is impossible to be rich and to enter the kingdom. Jesus wasn’t just joking—he was deadly serious. He wasn’t just talking about the one who is greedy in spirit, like a miser—he was speaking about anyone who had what was extra. Jesus wasn’t just talking to disciples who lived long ago and far away—he is speaking today and he is speaking to us.
This will mean that hundreds of thousands of those who live comfortable lives in American churches today will end up in hell. There will be whole congregations of people who heard from their pastors that a person can live in pleasure and full contentment on earth and still gain salvation on the last day. I am here to tell you that it is a lie. I don’t want to condemn you or anyone else. However, God’s word is clear. Those who live for their entertainment, those who build up possessions for their own pleasure, those who store away for their future comfort—all of these people are condemned to die by Jesus. On the final day, perhaps you who are reading this tract will go before Jesus and he will say, “Go from me, I never knew you.” You will reply to him, “But, Lord, I received you as a child and believed in you my whole life.” And he will reply to you, “Why do you call me ‘Lord’ but you have never done what I told you to? If you really believed you would have acted for the sake of the poor.”
There is a solution. We can be saved. We can gain peace with God. We can gain the salvation of Jesus. But I’ll be honest with you—the path to salvation is hard for us. We will require God’s grace and Spirit and perhaps even a miracle from him to be able to accomplish this salvation. The path Jesus requires of us is to live a lifestyle of helping the poor.
Jesus said to all of his disciples, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor and make yourselves an unfailing treasure in heaven, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:33-34)
He also said, “Make friends for yourselves by using the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it is gone, those friends of yours will welcome you into eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:9)
On the final day, Jesus will welcome those who enter God’s kingdom by saying, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was a stranger and you gave me hospitality. I was in prison and you came to me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “When did we do these things?” And Jesus will reply, “When you did it to one of my poor disciples, then you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:34-40).
In the earliest days of the church, the apostles took in quite a bit of money from the disciples, but didn’t use it for a building program, but instead provided for the poor among them. (Acts 4:34-35)
Paul also firmly supported this way of salvation for the rich: “Timothy, teach those who have wealth not to focus on gaining more wealth, but to be generous and to share their wealth with the needy so that they will have security for eternity and gain true life.” (I Timothy 6:17-19)
Practically, how does one do this? How can we live a lifestyle of serving the poor? Scripturally, there are three models to do this:
The Disciples’ Model—
Renouncing wealth and the gaining of wealth (Mark 1:16-20; Mark 10:28-30)
Peter and James and John were fisherman with their own businesses. They made a living and were content. Then Jesus came along and said, “Come and follow me.” At that point they knew what they needed to do. They dropped what they were doing, quit their work, left their families and followed Jesus to go where he went. While they may have looked back on occasion (John 21:3), they knew that the way to follow Jesus was the way of renouncing what one had and the lifestyle of comfort and pleasure. Instead, they were to dedicate all of their time and energy in giving the gospel to whoever needed it. Peter referred to this, later in the ministry, and Jesus replied, “Everyone who has renounced their family, land and occupation for my sake and for the gospel’s will gain ten times as much in this life through my disciples—along with suffering through persecutions— and in the age to come, eternal life.”
Even so, we can live in this manner. We can renounce all that we have—sell all that we have, give to those who are in greater need than us and then not collect any more. Jesus said, “Do not store up treasures on earth, but store up treasures in heaven.” And he makes it clear that storing up treasures in heaven means continuing to give what you have to those in need (Luke 12:33-34). This seems like the hardest thing to do, but in some ways it is the simplest. Once you have renounced your wealth, you need not worry about it again.
The Zaccheus Model—
Continually giving to the poor from one’s income (Luke 19:1-10)
Zaccheus was a wealthy tax collector and he was hated by the Jews of his community. He was rich, he was powerful and he was clearly in sin, after all, he was the chief of all tax collectors in the region! When Jesus honored him by being willing to stay in his house, all of the righteous of the community complained. Zaccheus then summarized his manner of maintaining righteousness—he would continually give half of his income to the poor and if he cheated anyone, he would repay them four times as much. Jesus declared Zaccheus righteous and a true inheritor of the kingdom of God, even though he was a tax collector, because he was doing what was righteous.
Even so, we can live in this manner. If we receive a continuous income, then we can be generous of that income and give to the poor. Not just give to those who are already wealthy, but give to those in real need. And like Zaccheus, we must not think that a simple ten percent of our giving is enough—not if we can still live in luxury on even fifteen percent of what is left. Instead, let us give generously and continuously. We keep what we know we need to live on and then give away the rest. Also, whatever clothes or food that we receive but do not need, let us give it away to the poor.
The Philemon Model—
Providing hospitality for the poor from all of one’s resources (Philemon 1:1-22)
Philemon was wealthy—very wealthy. He had a large household to run and slaves to run it. But he was a strong believer and determined that what he had would be made available to the poor of the kingdom of God. He was known to show love to all those who followed Christ. He invited the church of his community to meet in his house, and whenever a church worker was passing through, he invited them into his house to stay there as long as they needed. Paul had used his house before and was planning to use it again.
Even so, we can live in this manner. Whatever we have: a house, a car, a spare room, extra clothes, extra food, room in our church, room in our garage, extra time—let us use all these things for the sake of the poor, especially the needy in our church. Let us consider what we have and think how it can be used for the poor.
These models seem difficult—and so they are. Jesus himself said that the way of salvation is difficult. But it is the way of salvation. There is no way out. If we want eternal life, we need to live a life of love, of justice and of mercy. We need to surrender our lives for the sake of God. And God asks us to surrender our possessions to the poor. Let us do so with joy, not with hesitation or complaining. For to do this is to gain more out of life now, and to gain life with Christ eternally.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
A Letter To The Bride
How I have longed to be near you. So many times have I pleaded with my Father to let me come to you, to take you up and bring you home with me. My chamber awaits and all the joy that comes with it (Mt. 25:21).
But I have heard from my messenger. He has been looking in on you on occasion, to see how you are doing. How shocked I was to find your beauty diminishing! Yes, it is true that some beauty does diminish with age, but the beauty I sought, the beauty you shone with, is eternal. And at this time your beauty is so diminished that it may have well nigh disappeared! You have eaten delicate foods and drunk dry wines. You are fat with the gifts of those who love you. But know, I am not speaking of your appearance.
Do you remember the nights we spent alone? The secrets I whispered in your ear (John 16:1-4)? You have done well, you have not hidden these things from those around you (Mark 4:21-23). But though you share them openly, it seems as if you have forgotten them yourself! Do you remember how I told you (that night with a full moon and bright stars in the sky) how I loved your humility and mercy to all? Now you seem to think highly of yourself and take more than give. Is it you, my bride, who opens your hand, receives from the poor and places the alm within your Pocket? Is it really you who takes that same alm and spends it to beautify your house?
Whom do you wish to imitate? Is it I? (John 14:12) I remember you telling me how you wished for nothing more than to be like me (Phil. 2:5). But now you seem more like the world around you. Did I come to you with riches?? Did I raise myself over you? Did I come with great wisdom and power? Remember who I am. Yes, I am great and powerful. I rule over a large kingdom (John 18:36). Yes I am wealthy--all the money you received comes from my hand and I have so much more wisdom than any other man can claim. But when you saw me, I was a beggar--without food, without clothing, without shelter (Lk. 9:58). I had no power to wield, no glory to claim. I had no scholars to write what I said and no one to make long commentaries on what I mean. I was a pauper, Helpless, a servant, prepared to slave myself away, not only for my bread but for you as well. (Matt. 20:26-28).
Who deceived you to follow your false ways? Who convinced you to save your vast wealth for yourself? (Luke 12:16-21) Who assured you that a position of honor is what I would have you seek? (Jer,. 9: 23-24) Who told you that your beauty would be enhanced with plump cheeks and rounded thighs? Who whispered in your ear that the poor are to be despised and avoided? (Luke 14: 12-14) How far you have strayed! Once your eyes burned bright with compassion. Once you lusted after my word and sat at my feet, listening (Luke 10: 38-42). After listening, you could not stay still, but went out into the streets looking for those you could help (Acts 3: 1-10).
Those you helped in those days are still there, waiting. Do you say that you don’t see them? (Prov. 24: 11,12) Open your eyes! Replace the darkness of your heart with the light of clarity! Look at the crippled beggar, hungry for a kind word. Look at the homeless man, without warmth through the icy winter. Look at the garbage underneath the bridge, carelessly cast there by those outcast from your mercy. Did you not see on your television the starving in Mexico City and Ethiopia? Didn’t you see war-ravaged Rwanda? Didn’t you hear about the million who live on the street in Calcutta? Once you would have wept for those, fasting and begging God to have mercy on them (Isa. 58: 6-7). I weep for them. I weep too, for your heart become stone.
Who are those you keep around you? Why do you allow them near your house? Not only do you invite them in, but you give them places of honor as they destroy all I told you. You cry out, “I have given them your word and they
study it diligently.” (Jer. 8: 8-12) Oh, yes, they study. They faithfully study to comfort you in your oppressive ways. Did I not tell that the poor rule in my kingdom? (Luke 6:20) Yet they tell you about how much good wealth will do for you. Did I not tell you that the humble will be chosen? (Matt 18: 2-4) They tell you to become powerful. Didn’t I say that my kingdom’s law is to give, without worrying about yourself, that I will care for you? (Luke 12: 22,33; Mt. 5:42) They tell you to be a “good steward” and to give the first part to yourself, and then to share a paltry bit with others.
They study so diligently, yes. They study to say, “He really didn’t mean that” Or they comment, “That doesn’t apply to you” So they comfort you. So they pat you on the back to assure you that your unrighteousness is good in my sight. They call themselves “scholars” but they clothe themselves in robes of the false prophets (Luke 6:26). They repeat again and again, “Thus saith the Lord,” when God has not spoken (Ezekiel 13: 6-7). They claim, “The desire of your king” when I do not know them. They stack up books in their homes and their offices. So when they speak, “Thus saith the Lord,” what do they speak of? their books, of course? None but few have sat at my table and listened to my speech. But all of them hear the words of their belly stronger than the word of God.
Beware men who speak only of comfort and doctrine when billions starve! Beware those who claim to know of life from their hidden tower! Beware of men who are praised by all! (Luke 6:26) Beware of men who secure for themselves good positions and salaries and court the false idols--Greed and Lust! Beware of men who never weep, but stand proudly in their positions! (Luke 18: 9-14) Beware of any who call themselves “teacher,” for that title belongs only to me, your Lord! (Mt. 23:10) For with such as these you have replaced my prophets.
My bride, return to your beauty! Cast aside those who dare not speak of my kingdom, nor listen to my words! “Do I not seek your face?” you cry. Oh, yes. When you deem it necessary to come before me and send me a message, you talk only of the needs of the affluent. This is no surprise since you surround yourself only with oppressors. You cry to me, “Bless me Lord.” “Give me guidance whether I should buy this new house or stay in the old one.” “Help Sue deal with her insecurity.” “Help Pastor Shore Preach a good sermon.” Have you forgotten my words again? I told you to pray for your daily bread. I told you to pray for God’s will to be done (Matt. 6: 9-13). I told you to look for my kingdom. I told you to seek out my righteousness (Matt. 6:33).
I told you to cry for me to come (Luke 18: 1-8). But you don’t want me to come. Do you hate me so, my bride? If I come now, where will you be found? With those whom I save from hateful oppressors of the poor? (Zechariah 14: 2-9) Or will you be of the unmerciful whom I cast out of my kingdom? (Matt. 25: 31-46) Do you want me to cast your wealth and possessions into the abyss? (II Pet. 3: 10-13) When I do will you be so chained to them that you will fall into it as well? Do you want me to come? Or would you rather that I stay away for while longer as you wallow in your comfort? Do you hate me so? Have you rejected me as fully as that?
My bride, pursue beauty. Pursue the joys you once showed me. Pursue Justice and mercy (Matt. 23: 23-24). Return to my word and live it daily. Be assured that when your beauty is restored, I will come back for you and take you to my home. When you show hospitality to the poor and surrender your wicked ways I will come to you with rejoicing!
Also be assured, if you return to your beauty, all your new friend will reject you (Matt. 5: 11-12; John 15:20). You can count on it. And when they surround you and cast stones at you and prepare to kill you--then I will come for you. I will cast them aside, destroy them with my right are, take you up with me to my home. And there we will live always.
But what if, my bride? What if you ignore my plea? (Acts 18:6) What if my cries were for nothing? What if bride remains a whore? Then, as much as I love you, I will cast you aside (Matt. 10: 14,15). I will number you with the oppressors. I need a bride, a bride of such radiant beauty that the world will stand in awe of her. I need a bride worthy to sit beside my throne. If you do not take up your fallen beauty, you cannot be my bride. I will look for another. Who? you ask. There are many who shine with the beauty you lack. Across the sea, in your own family. I will choose them if you will not be chosen.
Until that time, you will be tested. All the wealth I have sent you is all you will receive. There will be no more. Your friends will fall away one by one. Your counselors will be silent when you approach them. I do this not to punish you but to turn you back to me and to the ways I carefully taught you.
My bride, I love you with a love that cannot be written on parchment. Do not wait for me to come to you. Come to me. Renew your beauty and come to me.
But I have heard from my messenger. He has been looking in on you on occasion, to see how you are doing. How shocked I was to find your beauty diminishing! Yes, it is true that some beauty does diminish with age, but the beauty I sought, the beauty you shone with, is eternal. And at this time your beauty is so diminished that it may have well nigh disappeared! You have eaten delicate foods and drunk dry wines. You are fat with the gifts of those who love you. But know, I am not speaking of your appearance.
Do you remember the nights we spent alone? The secrets I whispered in your ear (John 16:1-4)? You have done well, you have not hidden these things from those around you (Mark 4:21-23). But though you share them openly, it seems as if you have forgotten them yourself! Do you remember how I told you (that night with a full moon and bright stars in the sky) how I loved your humility and mercy to all? Now you seem to think highly of yourself and take more than give. Is it you, my bride, who opens your hand, receives from the poor and places the alm within your Pocket? Is it really you who takes that same alm and spends it to beautify your house?
Whom do you wish to imitate? Is it I? (John 14:12) I remember you telling me how you wished for nothing more than to be like me (Phil. 2:5). But now you seem more like the world around you. Did I come to you with riches?? Did I raise myself over you? Did I come with great wisdom and power? Remember who I am. Yes, I am great and powerful. I rule over a large kingdom (John 18:36). Yes I am wealthy--all the money you received comes from my hand and I have so much more wisdom than any other man can claim. But when you saw me, I was a beggar--without food, without clothing, without shelter (Lk. 9:58). I had no power to wield, no glory to claim. I had no scholars to write what I said and no one to make long commentaries on what I mean. I was a pauper, Helpless, a servant, prepared to slave myself away, not only for my bread but for you as well. (Matt. 20:26-28).
Who deceived you to follow your false ways? Who convinced you to save your vast wealth for yourself? (Luke 12:16-21) Who assured you that a position of honor is what I would have you seek? (Jer,. 9: 23-24) Who told you that your beauty would be enhanced with plump cheeks and rounded thighs? Who whispered in your ear that the poor are to be despised and avoided? (Luke 14: 12-14) How far you have strayed! Once your eyes burned bright with compassion. Once you lusted after my word and sat at my feet, listening (Luke 10: 38-42). After listening, you could not stay still, but went out into the streets looking for those you could help (Acts 3: 1-10).
Those you helped in those days are still there, waiting. Do you say that you don’t see them? (Prov. 24: 11,12) Open your eyes! Replace the darkness of your heart with the light of clarity! Look at the crippled beggar, hungry for a kind word. Look at the homeless man, without warmth through the icy winter. Look at the garbage underneath the bridge, carelessly cast there by those outcast from your mercy. Did you not see on your television the starving in Mexico City and Ethiopia? Didn’t you see war-ravaged Rwanda? Didn’t you hear about the million who live on the street in Calcutta? Once you would have wept for those, fasting and begging God to have mercy on them (Isa. 58: 6-7). I weep for them. I weep too, for your heart become stone.
Who are those you keep around you? Why do you allow them near your house? Not only do you invite them in, but you give them places of honor as they destroy all I told you. You cry out, “I have given them your word and they
study it diligently.” (Jer. 8: 8-12) Oh, yes, they study. They faithfully study to comfort you in your oppressive ways. Did I not tell that the poor rule in my kingdom? (Luke 6:20) Yet they tell you about how much good wealth will do for you. Did I not tell you that the humble will be chosen? (Matt 18: 2-4) They tell you to become powerful. Didn’t I say that my kingdom’s law is to give, without worrying about yourself, that I will care for you? (Luke 12: 22,33; Mt. 5:42) They tell you to be a “good steward” and to give the first part to yourself, and then to share a paltry bit with others.
They study so diligently, yes. They study to say, “He really didn’t mean that” Or they comment, “That doesn’t apply to you” So they comfort you. So they pat you on the back to assure you that your unrighteousness is good in my sight. They call themselves “scholars” but they clothe themselves in robes of the false prophets (Luke 6:26). They repeat again and again, “Thus saith the Lord,” when God has not spoken (Ezekiel 13: 6-7). They claim, “The desire of your king” when I do not know them. They stack up books in their homes and their offices. So when they speak, “Thus saith the Lord,” what do they speak of? their books, of course? None but few have sat at my table and listened to my speech. But all of them hear the words of their belly stronger than the word of God.
Beware men who speak only of comfort and doctrine when billions starve! Beware those who claim to know of life from their hidden tower! Beware of men who are praised by all! (Luke 6:26) Beware of men who secure for themselves good positions and salaries and court the false idols--Greed and Lust! Beware of men who never weep, but stand proudly in their positions! (Luke 18: 9-14) Beware of any who call themselves “teacher,” for that title belongs only to me, your Lord! (Mt. 23:10) For with such as these you have replaced my prophets.
My bride, return to your beauty! Cast aside those who dare not speak of my kingdom, nor listen to my words! “Do I not seek your face?” you cry. Oh, yes. When you deem it necessary to come before me and send me a message, you talk only of the needs of the affluent. This is no surprise since you surround yourself only with oppressors. You cry to me, “Bless me Lord.” “Give me guidance whether I should buy this new house or stay in the old one.” “Help Sue deal with her insecurity.” “Help Pastor Shore Preach a good sermon.” Have you forgotten my words again? I told you to pray for your daily bread. I told you to pray for God’s will to be done (Matt. 6: 9-13). I told you to look for my kingdom. I told you to seek out my righteousness (Matt. 6:33).
I told you to cry for me to come (Luke 18: 1-8). But you don’t want me to come. Do you hate me so, my bride? If I come now, where will you be found? With those whom I save from hateful oppressors of the poor? (Zechariah 14: 2-9) Or will you be of the unmerciful whom I cast out of my kingdom? (Matt. 25: 31-46) Do you want me to cast your wealth and possessions into the abyss? (II Pet. 3: 10-13) When I do will you be so chained to them that you will fall into it as well? Do you want me to come? Or would you rather that I stay away for while longer as you wallow in your comfort? Do you hate me so? Have you rejected me as fully as that?
My bride, pursue beauty. Pursue the joys you once showed me. Pursue Justice and mercy (Matt. 23: 23-24). Return to my word and live it daily. Be assured that when your beauty is restored, I will come back for you and take you to my home. When you show hospitality to the poor and surrender your wicked ways I will come to you with rejoicing!
Also be assured, if you return to your beauty, all your new friend will reject you (Matt. 5: 11-12; John 15:20). You can count on it. And when they surround you and cast stones at you and prepare to kill you--then I will come for you. I will cast them aside, destroy them with my right are, take you up with me to my home. And there we will live always.
But what if, my bride? What if you ignore my plea? (Acts 18:6) What if my cries were for nothing? What if bride remains a whore? Then, as much as I love you, I will cast you aside (Matt. 10: 14,15). I will number you with the oppressors. I need a bride, a bride of such radiant beauty that the world will stand in awe of her. I need a bride worthy to sit beside my throne. If you do not take up your fallen beauty, you cannot be my bride. I will look for another. Who? you ask. There are many who shine with the beauty you lack. Across the sea, in your own family. I will choose them if you will not be chosen.
Until that time, you will be tested. All the wealth I have sent you is all you will receive. There will be no more. Your friends will fall away one by one. Your counselors will be silent when you approach them. I do this not to punish you but to turn you back to me and to the ways I carefully taught you.
My bride, I love you with a love that cannot be written on parchment. Do not wait for me to come to you. Come to me. Renew your beauty and come to me.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
A Conversation with God
Jeff Strong shares a conversation he had with the Lord in 1997:
This was time between times, between the Lord and myself.
There is a sense of change in the Air. A culmination of a great adventure in which the final chapter has come to and End.
Yes, what do you see my son?
I see the expectancy and to some degree the dread of mankind. It is expressed in the actions of daily life and the growing lack of Hope, and the loss of Joy.
True my son , but what I see, is that the Music of my people and in particular the young, their songs from their heart contain no Joy; neither in lyric or the instrumentation. It is dead and therefore has no strength. The Music of the Bride today, styles itself after the world, Melodic thrumming and drumming and wails and rants. These come from the Kingdom of Darkness.
Yes Lord, it seems your church has become seduced by the spirit of technology. I seem to remember your description of idols and it seems that we have now created one that Sees, Hears, and will soon Speak.
Heh, heh heh, so it would seem, but it is still only filled with their knowledge. ( he speaks with a grin)
The Pastors, (the Lord still speaking) and I use the term lightly, have strapped themselves with the ball and chains of Cellular phones and beepers and Laptops. Time must now be filled with recorded time to prove their time is well spent. Turning to me He says, do you remember the time when Time was a friend. He still is if you let Him be one, He says with a wink!
But the Pastors of this era have forgotten and therefore Time for them has become a task master. It is another deception that our adversary has fed my church and they have embraced it with open arms.......sighing No Peace no peace no peace............
Lord, I said, I myself, for now am not burden with such chains, and I really have no desires to be so. And with your help I can stay free.
He smiles and our time comes to and end!
10 22 97
This was time between times, between the Lord and myself.
There is a sense of change in the Air. A culmination of a great adventure in which the final chapter has come to and End.
Yes, what do you see my son?
I see the expectancy and to some degree the dread of mankind. It is expressed in the actions of daily life and the growing lack of Hope, and the loss of Joy.
True my son , but what I see, is that the Music of my people and in particular the young, their songs from their heart contain no Joy; neither in lyric or the instrumentation. It is dead and therefore has no strength. The Music of the Bride today, styles itself after the world, Melodic thrumming and drumming and wails and rants. These come from the Kingdom of Darkness.
Yes Lord, it seems your church has become seduced by the spirit of technology. I seem to remember your description of idols and it seems that we have now created one that Sees, Hears, and will soon Speak.
Heh, heh heh, so it would seem, but it is still only filled with their knowledge. ( he speaks with a grin)
The Pastors, (the Lord still speaking) and I use the term lightly, have strapped themselves with the ball and chains of Cellular phones and beepers and Laptops. Time must now be filled with recorded time to prove their time is well spent. Turning to me He says, do you remember the time when Time was a friend. He still is if you let Him be one, He says with a wink!
But the Pastors of this era have forgotten and therefore Time for them has become a task master. It is another deception that our adversary has fed my church and they have embraced it with open arms.......sighing No Peace no peace no peace............
Lord, I said, I myself, for now am not burden with such chains, and I really have no desires to be so. And with your help I can stay free.
He smiles and our time comes to and end!
10 22 97
The Mission of the Church
I received this teaching from the Spirit in 2004:
The ultimate purpose of the church is to establish an alternative nation to those who are in the world, based on the life and teaching of Jesus. It shall not be established by carpenters, city-planners or rulers. Rather, it will be established by God’s power and revelation.
The current Mission of God’s church is to restore God’s people to himself.
God’s people who are:
The lost
The poor
The destroyed
The demonized
The mentally ill
The sick
The oppressed
Those who are taught wrong
In other words, all who are downcast and lacking in faith, and yet are soft-hearted toward God. There are Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and Hindus who want to be restored to God—they just don’t know how. There are Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mennonites, Baptists, Seventh-Day Adventists, Catholics, Orthodox and those of every Christian stripe and kind who want to be restored. It is our goal to seek out the soft-hearted—wherever and whoever they may be—and restore them.
The church’s mission is not to:
-Keep the faithful entertained and interested in God
-Call those firmly against the Lord (This is the Lord’s arena, not the church’s)
There are churches and missions who train people to be hard-hearted to God and to God’s Spirit. They are training them in superiority, in judgement, in self-exaltation, in focusing on the idols and tasks of this age. They are all rejected. Most Christian rehabs are trainers of the soft-hearted to be hard-hearted.
A few true training facilities: Some Amish, the Bruderhof, Jesus People USA, Reba Place, etc.
But they need to realize that their purpose is not to maintain a community of brothers and sisters in the Lord. Their purpose is to have a community which will train God’s people how to live, behave and work in God’s kingdom.
The Lord rejects:
Plush facilities
Expensive conferences
Christian concerts
The entertaining and care and feeding of the hard-hearted “faithful”
The church is pouring out money into efforts where they can see a “bottom line”—usually in terms of numbers of people or of financial resources. In God’s work there is no “bottom line” apart from the work of the Spirit and the living out of God’s word.
The purity of the church is important, but it is not the purity of the perfect that God seeks, but the purity of the soft-hearted, those moldable by God. Those who are soft hearted will be conformed, in time, as long as the trainers are not too impatient. But the hard-hearted, although they seem to conform in all the outward ways, will never be God’s.
There is a way to tell the difference between the soft hearted and the hard hearted—by looking at their devotion and faith.
The soft hearted are devoted to God and to his ways.
The hard hearted are devoted to their principles and to their desires.
The soft hearted are obedient to God and obey his commands.
The hard hearted are obedient to principles that do not focus on God’s command. They are usually more strict than God’s commands, and insist that others follow their decrees.
The soft hearted are dependant on God and on his power.
The hard hearted will pray, but are dependant on the ways and power of mankind.
The soft hearted believe in God’s promises and will do anything to receive them.
The hard hearted desire their own goals and are often angry at God for not fulfilling their desires.
They speak of God’s promises, but do not think that conformity to the conditions will gain them the promises.
The soft hearted love others and help them toward the Father and with their needs.
The hard hearted think that it is enough to focus on God, and find reasons to judge other followers of God. The hard hearted see their own needs and desires and use them as an excuse to not help others.
The soft hearted are humble, recognizing their own lowliness before God and mankind. They rejoice in that humility and seek to be lowly.
The hard hearted believes that humility is a tragedy at all times and they complain, mourn, and cry every time they are dishonored or suffer. They reject those who reject them and seek self-exaltation at every opportunity, proclaiming it the blessing of God.
The soft hearted are persistent in their devotion to God—obedience, faith, love and humility—and no circumstance or sin against them will turn them away from this way.
The hard hearted are double-minded—desiring both the ways of God and the ways of the world. They often seem to change their minds in what they really want, but what they really want is the ways of the world. In the end, the judgement of the world is what they will receive.
Bringing Back the Lost
We need to go out to them
We need to coax them back
We need to teach them the truth
We need to encourage them to be devoted to God
We need to pray for them and listen to the Spirit for them
We need to train them in focusing on the One Voice, not the multitude of voices around and within them
We need to maintain them (but the focus of the church should not be in matainance, but on restoring.
We need to train them to take up the cross.
The ultimate purpose of the church is to establish an alternative nation to those who are in the world, based on the life and teaching of Jesus. It shall not be established by carpenters, city-planners or rulers. Rather, it will be established by God’s power and revelation.
The current Mission of God’s church is to restore God’s people to himself.
God’s people who are:
The lost
The poor
The destroyed
The demonized
The mentally ill
The sick
The oppressed
Those who are taught wrong
In other words, all who are downcast and lacking in faith, and yet are soft-hearted toward God. There are Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and Hindus who want to be restored to God—they just don’t know how. There are Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mennonites, Baptists, Seventh-Day Adventists, Catholics, Orthodox and those of every Christian stripe and kind who want to be restored. It is our goal to seek out the soft-hearted—wherever and whoever they may be—and restore them.
The church’s mission is not to:
-Keep the faithful entertained and interested in God
-Call those firmly against the Lord (This is the Lord’s arena, not the church’s)
There are churches and missions who train people to be hard-hearted to God and to God’s Spirit. They are training them in superiority, in judgement, in self-exaltation, in focusing on the idols and tasks of this age. They are all rejected. Most Christian rehabs are trainers of the soft-hearted to be hard-hearted.
A few true training facilities: Some Amish, the Bruderhof, Jesus People USA, Reba Place, etc.
But they need to realize that their purpose is not to maintain a community of brothers and sisters in the Lord. Their purpose is to have a community which will train God’s people how to live, behave and work in God’s kingdom.
The Lord rejects:
Plush facilities
Expensive conferences
Christian concerts
The entertaining and care and feeding of the hard-hearted “faithful”
The church is pouring out money into efforts where they can see a “bottom line”—usually in terms of numbers of people or of financial resources. In God’s work there is no “bottom line” apart from the work of the Spirit and the living out of God’s word.
The purity of the church is important, but it is not the purity of the perfect that God seeks, but the purity of the soft-hearted, those moldable by God. Those who are soft hearted will be conformed, in time, as long as the trainers are not too impatient. But the hard-hearted, although they seem to conform in all the outward ways, will never be God’s.
There is a way to tell the difference between the soft hearted and the hard hearted—by looking at their devotion and faith.
The soft hearted are devoted to God and to his ways.
The hard hearted are devoted to their principles and to their desires.
The soft hearted are obedient to God and obey his commands.
The hard hearted are obedient to principles that do not focus on God’s command. They are usually more strict than God’s commands, and insist that others follow their decrees.
The soft hearted are dependant on God and on his power.
The hard hearted will pray, but are dependant on the ways and power of mankind.
The soft hearted believe in God’s promises and will do anything to receive them.
The hard hearted desire their own goals and are often angry at God for not fulfilling their desires.
They speak of God’s promises, but do not think that conformity to the conditions will gain them the promises.
The soft hearted love others and help them toward the Father and with their needs.
The hard hearted think that it is enough to focus on God, and find reasons to judge other followers of God. The hard hearted see their own needs and desires and use them as an excuse to not help others.
The soft hearted are humble, recognizing their own lowliness before God and mankind. They rejoice in that humility and seek to be lowly.
The hard hearted believes that humility is a tragedy at all times and they complain, mourn, and cry every time they are dishonored or suffer. They reject those who reject them and seek self-exaltation at every opportunity, proclaiming it the blessing of God.
The soft hearted are persistent in their devotion to God—obedience, faith, love and humility—and no circumstance or sin against them will turn them away from this way.
The hard hearted are double-minded—desiring both the ways of God and the ways of the world. They often seem to change their minds in what they really want, but what they really want is the ways of the world. In the end, the judgement of the world is what they will receive.
Bringing Back the Lost
We need to go out to them
We need to coax them back
We need to teach them the truth
We need to encourage them to be devoted to God
We need to pray for them and listen to the Spirit for them
We need to train them in focusing on the One Voice, not the multitude of voices around and within them
We need to maintain them (but the focus of the church should not be in matainance, but on restoring.
We need to train them to take up the cross.
Dream on Halloween
This is from Jeff Strong, associate pastor of Anawim. If you want to find out more about him, check out:
Walking down a road, through a city of desolation and on the out skirts of the city I encountered women dressed in shimmering gowns.
Philosophies of this world were upon their lips like sweet honey they purred out invitations to come join them on their beds and lie with them.
Further down the road I see a bridge engulfed in flame and large billowing clouds of smoke. Black Smoke oozing from its sides and I feel a beckoning to enter the flames and cross the bridge. As I draw near a personage rises up before me and attempts to dissuade me from my course and a debate ensues; eventually I resolve to enter in and walk past the personage and into the flames.
Immediately my clothes are consumed and as I proceed other properties that I have acquired in my journeys are also consumed by the flames. Upon reaching the other side, I find myself clothed in the shining Armor of Light and a friend waiting for me. As we greet each other we turn into a gate where the Gatekeeper greets us both and then announced us to the guest inside and we entered in.
-October 31, 1993
Walking down a road, through a city of desolation and on the out skirts of the city I encountered women dressed in shimmering gowns.
Philosophies of this world were upon their lips like sweet honey they purred out invitations to come join them on their beds and lie with them.
Further down the road I see a bridge engulfed in flame and large billowing clouds of smoke. Black Smoke oozing from its sides and I feel a beckoning to enter the flames and cross the bridge. As I draw near a personage rises up before me and attempts to dissuade me from my course and a debate ensues; eventually I resolve to enter in and walk past the personage and into the flames.
Immediately my clothes are consumed and as I proceed other properties that I have acquired in my journeys are also consumed by the flames. Upon reaching the other side, I find myself clothed in the shining Armor of Light and a friend waiting for me. As we greet each other we turn into a gate where the Gatekeeper greets us both and then announced us to the guest inside and we entered in.
-October 31, 1993
Introduction
I've been receiving more communications from the Spirit world, people who have heard from the Spirit world or who have claimed to. I'll post more teaching on this at a later date, but the important thing with prophecies is that they need to be tested by Scripture and by prayer. So read with an open mind and then test them through confirmation.
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