Pastor’s Blog, March 2007

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RESPOND

Warring for What? (Updated, Sunday, April 1, 2007)

Saturday, March 31, 2007, 9:13 a.m. EDST
Mark 1

So, prayer meeting last night was more of a discussion of Matthew 25, beginning with verse 31. There are several things I should mention, to balance what I wrote yesterday. This has nothing to do with Mark 1, which, as you know by now, only lets you know where I am in my reading.
    First, we are not saved by our works. Although the Bible continually opens our eyes to how far we fall short of God’s standard, nevertheless, we are saved by grace. As much as anything, our sensitivity to how far short we fall — the fact that we do care at all — is evidence we are saved. Certainly, a passage such as this should make us squirm, and motivate us to do more, if we can. But we must not let the enemy convince us we are lost if we realize we fall short of the standard. It is only through the grace of God that we are saved, and only those who are saved can even hope to fulfill God’s standards.
    Second, just doing good things, as one might say, fulfilling the mechanical requirements of this passage, does not impress God. Secular governments do the same things; unregenerate people do all these things, and, make no mistake, that does not mean they are the sheep, while Christians who fall short are the goats! It is faith in Christ that determines who is saved and who is lost, not our performance! Doing the right things out of the wrong motives, while denying the need for forgiveness of sins, does not save anyone. It isn’t quite as simple as it would appear based on what Jesus said in Matthew 7:21–23.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

The fact is, many who do good deeds in behalf of others are trying to balance out the ungodly deeds that they are practicing continually. Some would try to prove they do not need to acknowledge God, because without God they are doing more good than many Christians are doing. While I can say, “Shame on Christians,” I can’t say the ungodly are thereby justified. There is only one way into God’s presence. Jesus made it clear when He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.”
    Third, doing good deeds without being led by the Spirit does not accomplish the purposes of God. God is concerned that we have compassion first of all on His children — “the least of these My brethren” — not that we minister indiscriminately to the whole world. In many cases, the reason for poverty is that people are in rebellion against God, and He is withholding blessing, and we would be working contrary to God’s will to assist people in ways that only enable them to defy God. The distinction of a Christian’s ministry is that it is in the name of the Lord, in the name of Jesus, as a tool to call people into the Kingdom of heaven.
    Fourth, we do live in a day that is quite different from the time when Jesus taught these things. There really are so many programs and agencies to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, and so on, that we just don’t see needy people everywhere we go in the same way. The key is, there will be occasions, now and then, when God will bring a needy person across our path, and we must not fail to minister to them in the name of Jesus. We must always be prepared and willing to give of our own resources to help them.
    Well, I could carry on, but I need to get busy with some other things now. I may append this entry later today if I have the opportunity.

Friday, March 30, 2007, 6:43 p.m. EDST
Matthew 28

Yes, I’ve finished Matthew now. If you want to know why I think we should be seeking the Lord in this hour — especially we fat, complacent Christians in America — read Matthew 25, especially beginning with verse 31. Maybe I am just out of touch, but I wonder if we have the first idea of what that means. If means what it sounds like it means, then I truly would have to fear for most professing Christians in America. Why? Because what I see depicted in this passage is a lifestyle that is devoted to ministering to others, not just going about our normal, conspicuously consumptive lifestyle, while we “wait for opportunities to minister,” knowing there are so many in this world who need all kinds of help and ministry. For sure, we need to seek God! Which is what I am going to do now, since it’s time for prayer meeting to start.

Thursday, March 29, 2007, 4:23 p.m. EDST
Matthew 23

Praise the Lord, my new Bible came in today, and it is quite satisfactory. I had planned to take back the one I bought the previous Wednesday, but it turned out my daughter Abigail liked it, so I gave it to her for a late birthday present.
    Sorry, I didn’t get an entry in yesterday. I had a pretty busy day. Actually, all my days have been busier lately, because of working on digitizing. I have three different digitizing projects ongoing, which I pursue under different conditions. One is to digitize Brother Freeman’s Radio Broadcast tape series. Another is to convert all the previously digitized messages which were saved at 64 kbps, making files around 32 Mb in size, to 48 kbps, making files around 24 Mb in size. Of course, sizes vary widely, depending on the lengths of the messages, but that is just a rough typical size, to show the savings in file space achieved by reducing the bit rate. This size reduction comes with no perceptible loss of sound quality. In fact, since I have to open each file to do the conversion, I take the opportunity to further improve the sound quality. The third project I have is digitizing my own teachings. I have finished January 1995, and am just beginning February 1995.
    Blogging is quite the thing these days, and I suppose it is a good thing. But, there just are times when I don’t have a lot to say, or I am busy on something else. So, don’t be concerned if I miss occasionally.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007, 6:53 p.m. EDST
Matthew 22

So, I called the bookstore today, and they told me, “Oh, no, it wouldn’t be here this soon. Give it more time.” “Oh. Okay. Thank you.” But, then, later in the afternoon, I got a call from them, and they said, “Oh, we hadn’t ordered the Bible yet, because it is only available in burgundy, and we didn’t know....” “Oh. Well, thanks for calling. Burgundy is find.” “All right then. We’ll put that order right in.”
    Mortals! Now, if I were perfect and without fault, I would ask some questions. But we human beings just do slip up at times, don’t we? Isn’t it wonderful that they can order it in for me at all? And I am not even obligated to buy it.
    Well, I am off to take a walk. I might be back later.

Monday, March 26, 2007, 4:00 p.m. EDST
Matthew 18

Yesterday, after I posted, I read Matthew 17. I read that again today, and added Matthew 18. Sometimes it just is better to read something twice, to fit things together.
    I am still waiting to hear from the bookstore concerning a New King James Version Bible with center column references. They said it would be two or three business days, and that was last Wednesday. Good illustration of faith: I am expecting it to happen, because they told me if I asked they would order one in, and I called them and said, “Yes, please, go ahead and order one in.” If I can be expectant on the basis of of the word of the lady at the bookstore, and making my request based on her word, then, surely, I can expect the things God has promised to happen when I ask Him.
    I enjoy walking in the woods in the spring, looking for wild flowers, and taking pictures of them. Here are a few I took this past Saturday.

 
Left, flowers of a maple tree, on the ground (actual size of cluster about 1 inch); right, skunk cabbage flowers (actual size about 5 inches tall).

 
Left, round-lobed hepaticae (actual size of individual flower about 1 inch); right, harbinger of spring (actual size of each flower less than ¼ inch). The little black beetles are everywhere, about an eight of an inch long.

Sunday, March 25, 2007, 8:40 a.m. EDST
Matthew 16

Actually, I read through Matthew 16 yesterday, and I have not read yet today. But, I did not get around to blogging. Sorry. Today is our monthly love feast, and I need to continue preparing the morning teaching. So, please excuse me, and I’ll try to get more of an entry in before the day is over. God bless.

Friday, March 23, 2007, 5:25 p.m. EDST
Matthew 13

Yesterday, Matthew 11, judgment on entire cities because they did not believe on Him.... Today, chapter 12, Jesus dealing with religious opponents who continually lay in wait trying to snare Him, accusing Him of casting out demons by the power of the prince of demons.... Chapter 13, teaching in parables, because the people did not have eyes to see, ears to hear, or hearts to understand, the message of God’s Kingdom. But, what has changed today? Where would most of us be? We tell ourselves we would be among His disciples, but are we being honest? Have we given up our lives in this world for the sake of God’s Kingdom? Are we really — come on, now! be serious! — patterning our lives after Jesus’ life? God knows the truth, friends. No one is going to fool God! Oh, God, where will we end up? Really! Multitudes who believe they are right with God are truly, truly self-deluded! Their lives bear no resemblance whatsoever to the standard set by Jesus. And, those who are really right with God would be the last to stand up and boast how confident they are of their salvation. I think once again of Paul, who wrote these words in Philippians

{Philippians 3:7–14} But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

If one of the stature of Paul could pen words such as “not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect...” or, “I count not myself to have apprehended....” just who do we think we are, to make confident boasts of our assurance that we are where we ought to be? Spiritually speaking, we are seating ourselves at high places around God’s banquet table. But, we are warned if we do that, we are setting ourselves up to be ask to move down to the end of the line, because God has someone else — someone, doubtless, who did not have such a confident boast of being where they ought to be, toward whom, perhaps for no other reason, our hearts hold nothing but contempt — to sit in the seat we had picked out for our own. Better to be glad for a place at the bottom end of the table, and if God sees something in us to warrant moving us up the line, let Him be the one.

In case the girl who just talked to me on the telephone is reading this: “Hello, and God bless you!” I could have declined to speak. I could have left you to find answers from other sources — that might or might not have told you the truth. I believe it was right to share with you from my heart, and that the truth of my words and God’s Word will bear good fruit. I believe it is all part of what God is doing in this hour. He is calling. He is inviting. His ways are higher than our ways; His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. But if we will walk in His paths, it will be well with us, and our souls will find rest.

Thursday, March 22, 2007, 6:50 p.m. EDST
Matthew 11

Based on having read Matthew 11:14, “And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come,” I have some thoughts about the times we are in, and the plethora (multiplicity) of ministries identifying themselves with the name “Elijah” these days. Of course, there in Matthew 11:14, Jesus was referring back to Malachi 4:5–6, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 6 And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” How long will people be willingly duped by these quacks and charlatans (make believe ministries)? As if they can bring Elijah by their wishful thinking, or vain imaginations of the significance of their own works; or, some of them even suggesting that their own ministries are the fulfillment of that prophecy — that old “spiritualizing” trick!
    I have by no means done exhaustive research on this, but just the few “Elijah” related ministries I have heard of have nothing to do with Malachi’s prophecy as I understand it. Some relate to Elijah in his ministry in I and II Kings: his power, bringing down the fire of God on the sacrifice; calling down God’s fire on those who were coming to take him by force; the fiery chariot that carried him to heaven; hence, ministry names like “Elijah Fire Ministries.” Others relate to the Malachi prophecy, but they take it as dealing with family relationships, overcoming the generation gap, fixing what is wrong in homes, usually with an emphasis on the fathers and their role as leaders — but inventing many concepts that just do not have a scriptural basis.
    Now, I am not the final authority, I realize; but I certainly cannot reconcile what I have seen with the issues God was dealing with in Malachi’s prophecy, or Elijah’s ministry in I and II Kings, either one. The great issue God was continually dealing with in Israel in the Old Testament was unfaithfulness to God, departing from the faith of their fathers. This is evident in God’s plea to Israel, Jeremiah 6:16, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls.’ But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” Elijah’s ministry had to do with bringing unfaithful Israel back to the faith of their fathers, and this is also what is anticipated in Malachi’s prophecy. It looks to me like the “charismatic” Elijah ministries are all about sensationalism and signs and wonders and power evangelism, and the ones that reject the baptism in the Holy Spirit are mostly focused on teaching fathers how to be the heads of their homes: it’s all about authority and being in control. They literally teach that homes are to be “unit churches,” with each father as the pastor of his own home, but with no recognition of the body of Christ as the household of faith, composed of many members, independent of the biological family origins or connections. But, this is causing precisely opposite effect from what should be desired. It is not contributing to a building up of the the body of Christ, but to the disintegration of churches; it is not producing an increased respect for authority, but a breakdown of respect for any authority other than the authority of each father over his own family. It just amazes me that people cannot see this (or, perhaps, they just choose not to see it, or pretend not to see it). All of this only helps to set the stage for the coming of the antichrist, and people having no solid ground to stand on when faced with temptations and pressures they have never known before. It leaves them high and dry without the benefit of ministries that God sets in His body, for the very purpose of keeping people from being “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sly tricks of men, and cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians 4:14).
    I believe there is to be a literal coming of Elijah. I believe he will be calling people back to the old paths, the solid ground of sound teaching which they once received, but from which they have departed, in favor of setting their direction according to their own ideas. Likewise, I believe that any true prophetic ministry in these end-times will operate in line with the same pattern and purpose. I pray that the messages God is giving even here at Faith Assembly may turn some from their wayward walk back into the old paths.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 8:35 a.m. EDST
Matthew 8; 9–10

Actually, I finished through Matthew 8 yesterday, but I didn’t get around to entering anything here. Before I do anything more today, I want to read some more. I’ll check back in later.

Later (8:55 a.m.):
    I have now finished through Matthew 10. There are a couple things on my mind. First, back in 2003, when God placed me in this work, He led me to use the New King James Version instead of the King James. But, not long afterward, I allowed myself to be persuaded that it was not a good idea, and I should go back to the King James.
    I have thought about it many times since, and wondered how things might be different now if I had not given in to someone else on that issue. The thing about it is that I believe it was God who moved me to use the New King James, because in most places where there is a difference, the New King James is closer to the original languages, and also, it updates all of the “thees” and “thous” and “-ests” and “-eths” to common present day English. But, it was respect for a certain person whose participation in the body seemed very important at the time that caused me to go back to the King James. The bottom line was, I listened to a mere mortal at that point instead of God.
    I am sure God has forgiven me, but I believe He is directing me again to use the New King James Version, and that He will bless it, not just because of the advantage of the translation, but because of heeding the Holy Spirit. I will still be using the King James for researching and preparing messages, simply because of the convenience of using Strong’s Concordance to look up Greek and Hebrew words. Not that I stop there: I can then research them in other more reliable references.
    So, the next order of the day for me is to go to a local Christian bookstore and buy the nicest New King James Bible I can find. Well, nicest as it suits my purposes — not necessarily the fanciest or most expensive. So, I’m off on that errand, and I will write more when I come back.

Back from errand (10:45 a.m.):
    Well, having looked at dozens of New King James Bibles, and set aside those that are supplemented by more opinions of men than the Bible itself, there were not really that many choices. I ended up getting an inexpensive personal Bible, rather than any kind of “study Bible.”
    Other than simple Bibles, there are two main categories: “study” Bibles and “devotional” Bibles. It’s shocking how many “devotional” Bibles there are, which spoon feed you the ideas of this or that popular writer, not necessarily even a serious scholar, but just a popular author or speaker. Many of them do not even accept the Baptism in the Holy Spirit as a valid experience for the Christian today! Likewise, the most popular “study Bibles” are supplemented by the opinions of this or that “authority,” most of whom are not baptized in the Holy Spirit. And, the Bible editions that do openly refer to the Holy Spirit aren’t really any more trustworthy, considering the named “authorities” connected to them.
    So, thank you very much, but I will stick with a simple, unadorned Bible. I would like to have one with center-column references, but none were available at the bookstore I visited, and I did not want to wait. For the price I paid, I can afford to get another one soon, if I find the kind I like. In fact, I just called the bookstore back, and they are willing to order one in for me to look at. But, I didn’t have to commit to buying it, in case there is something I don’t like about it when I see it.
    Now, back to the earlier post, I said there were a couple of things on my mind. The Bible was one. Another was a long-standing burden I have had about reaching out with the message of the Kingdom. As I read about Jesus’ ministry, it is clear that He did not have a lot of time for the people who were comfortable and content with their lives. The wealthy (although He did minister to some wealthy people on occasion) and the spiritually smug, in particular, were low on His list. Thinking about the times — and the country — we live in, most of us, let alone the unsaved, are fabulously wealthy compared to the rest of the world. We don’t even notice what poor there are among us, because even the poor generally have televisions, and cars, and other amenities of life. The really impoverished live in city ghettos, which the average affluent American can easily and conveniently avoid, at least most of the time. Because of this widespread affluence, people do tend to be satisfied with their lives in general — and satisfied people generally are not people who seek God. Furthermore, most Christians are not only affluent, but exceedingly smug spiritually. They attend churches that offer them all kinds of activities, in which they can enjoy social interaction with other equally smug Christians, who will never raise questions about anything they do, and they can all rest comfortably, knowing they will never be seriously challenged from the pulpit about walking in Jesus’ steps.
    So, I am coming more and more to the conclusion that for us to minister the way Jesus did, we will just have to remove ourselves from the affluent society, and make deliberate efforts to interact with the unseen subculture of society rejects: the aged and infirm in old people’s homes (and, puh-LEEZE! spare me the “retirement centers,” where the rich and smug pay lots of money to be able to “ride into the sunset” with their rich and smug friends, all being watched over by professionals whose specialty is aging, old age diseases, and taking people through the experience of death as comfortably as possible!); or people in jails or mental institutions; or the homeless (mainly in cities, but even a small town will have occasional folks who wander the streets, sleep in abandoned buildings, and eat out of garbage cans and dumpsters); or the retarded — you get the idea. And, boy-o-boy! That is a scary thing! But the most scary thing is that it shouldn’t be scary to people whose call is to minister as Jesus ministered! Oh, I can preach it from the pulpit! But I cannot expect anyone else to do it if I don’t lead the way by doing it myself! I am not going to take a lot of time moaning. But, believe me, this is no easy proposition! In fact, it might not really be possible to minister as Jesus did in any of the institutions, such as old people’s homes, or jails, of mental institutions, or what have you. They might let you in to sing hymns and give a little Bible study, as long as you do not question anything the institution itself is doing. You wouldn’t dare mention divine healing. You might pray with the sick people, but certainly not as if you believe God will heal them through your prayer. You would not dare tell them that they can trust God, and they will not need the medical services of the institution. So, it would be hard, if not impossible, in such a situation, really to minister as Jesus ministered.
    I guess that pretty much leaves the truly homeless; the vagrants; the down and outs. And, it seems you’d almost have to be homeless yourself, just to even run into them, or for them to even let you come close to them. They actually have a somewhat defined sub-society of their own. But, oh boy! Hold on! Something struck me. Did it strike you, too? As I just read in Matthew 8:20, Jesus said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Isn’t that more or less “homeless” by definition? We know that Jesus did have a home base in Capernaum, and was given hospitality by people various places; but He could not promise those who followed Him a regular warm bed to sleep in, or any sort of “fixed address” that they could really call home. So, now we really get down to “brass tacks,” don’t we? Is there really any serious way we can minister at all? Entrenched as we are in the daily requirements of our affluent lives, where can we find time to actually seek out the truly needy, to minister to them? Or, does ministry just boil down to, you go about your daily business, and if God so ordains, someone will just “happen” to cross your path, and you’ll be able to minister to them? I guess you can see, this isn’t as easy a question as it might at first appear. But, friends, this is a time of facing and dealing with serious issues, and demonstrating the power of God to overcome all obstacles, in order to do the work of His Kingdom. I am trusting that in the coming days, you will see how God is dealing in my life, and you will also be able to see God directing your steps clearly as you seek to follow in Jesus’ steps.

Monday, March 19, 2007, 4:10 p.m. EDST
Matthew 5

It is quite interesting to get into the life and ministry of Jesus directly after the prophecies at the end of the Old Testament, especially those of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Here, 400 years later, we see that whatever was accomplished back in the days of Ezra, Nehemiah, Zerubbabel, and Joshua the high priest, had long since fallen apart, and the Jews by and large were just as unfaithful, stubborn, and disobedient, yet also as brazenly self-confident, as they ever had been.
    But, just having a clearer picture in my mind of who Jesus was talking to when He said things like, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” and all the other beatitudes — as you can see, I am up through Matthew 5, so include the rest of that chapter — I can better understand why He addressed the specific issues He did. Now more than ever, I am convinced that the way we need to study the Bible is by reading through it, start to finish, and just keep doing it, over and over, as a never ending commitment to know and understand God’s Word.

Sunday, March 18, 2007, 5:00 p.m. EDST
Matthew 3

I am concerned whether I have accurately expressed God’s heart in previous entries. The point is not to rail or to condemn, but to encourage people that there is a blessing awaiting us if we will take up the weapons of our warfare, and the tools to build God’s house, and get busy warring and building. God will stand with us and strengthen our hands and bless His work as we undertake to do it. I may say more later on, but this is all for now.

Saturday, March 17, 2007, 9:00 a.m. EDST
Malachi 4

So, I have finished the Old Testament. And Malachi continues in the same mode as Haggai and Zechariah. Again, I see that people today very conveniently claim all the blessings, while they deny that they are guilty of precisely the things God was concerned about in these closing prophecies of the Old Testament. After everything that had happened to the Jews in the Old Testament, even the fall, the 70 years of captivity, and God’s merciful restoration, they still didn’t get it! They still did not serve God with their whole hearts.
    But, these things are recorded for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world, the consummation of God’s purposes, have come, and it is high time that we see that the issues that Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were dealing with have been present among us, and are the very cause for things that happened to many end-time charismatic works of the 1980s and 1990s, not just Faith Assembly, and the many bodies splintered off from us. It may not be obvious to everyone, but the evidence really is abundant.
    I have heard people crying out for God to raise up prophets among us. And, the best I can tell, what they are hoping is that the prophets will lead the way into a glorious end-time greater works ministry. But, what prophet can prophesy blessing? Who can they lead into end-time ministry, when all that is left of the body are a few scattered fragments? The only message a true prophet can bring at this point is to call the people to repentance. Until the attitudes and practices which caused the splintering are dealt with, the same thing will keep right on happening! And, they do not just splinter, but they justify themselves for dividing up into all these scattered little groups! Why is this?
    The fact is, people don’t want to hear that they need to repent; that they need to really change. Oh, they will cry out for prophets to be raised up, but when God does raise up a prophet, and he gives a true word from the Lord, the people resist it. And then, to justify themselves, they deny that he is God’s prophet, and they raise up prophets of their own choosing, who will tell them the things they want to hear! I have heard references to things said by those who were reputed to be prophets in the past, which have encouraged people to continue in the same dearly held attitudes and practices. They always point the finger at this or that horrible deceiver from the past. Or perhaps in the present! But, why have they never addressed the causes of the splintering? Why do they continue to justify the causes of the splintering? Make no mistake: those who cry out for prophets to arise, yet they will not hear the Word of the Lord already being prophesied, can easily find prophets who will tell them what they want to hear; “prophets” who will assure them that they are on track to be part of God’s end-time purposes, but who are, in fact, leading them away from the true end-time message. Hear the word of the Lord from Zechariah 13:3–5,

And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. 4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: 5 But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.

Woe to those who look forward to the day of the Lord, thinking they are ready, yet they stand back and do nothing to help with the building of God’s house! The day of the Lord will be darkness and not light to them! They will be as the “lord on whose hand the king leaned,” in the time of Elisha, in II Kings 7:1–2,

Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. 2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

You know the rest of the story: when the blessing came, he stood in the gate, and was mowed down, trampled underfoot, by those who ran forth to partake of the blessing! So it will be upon those who stand back and do not get involved; who cannot accept God’s blessing unless it comes the way they think it has to come, who despise the day of small things! God, have mercy on us! Don’t let us miss being part of Your work. Grant that we might be part of the time of blessing!
    God’s hand is not shortened! He will raise up a people, just as God’s revealed in Malachi 1:10–11,

Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand. 11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.

The Gentiles! In other words, as the Gentiles were to the Jews — outsiders, not part of God’s work at the first — so, God will raise up and bring in new people, people who are to the “old Faith Assembly crowd” as Gentiles were to the Jews, and He will build His work again in righteousness, and will accomplish and fulfill all that He planned from the beginning. And, the most disturbing thing is that some of the “old guard” may look on it with contempt, even while they miss the blessing! Again, God have mercy! Move upon our hearts, that we take up the tools and begin to build Your house once again!
    The day of the Lord is at hand! I can only pray, and beseech God, that He will set His mark on those who have sighed and cried for what has become of God’s work, as in Ezekiel 9:3–4,

And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; 4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

Not those who sigh and cry for “how it used to be,” but who cannot see that there was reason for judgment; but those who see that there really need to be deep changes. We must get past the outward appearance of how it used to be, and see what God’s real purpose was. There were reasons why it was not fully accomplished at the time when the message first came forth, or through the ministry of the vessel God used at that time. Much of what was taught, many deeper principles, were completely missed at that time. Until God’s people get past “how it was,” and see that “how it was” never really fulfilled “how God meant it to be,” how can they possibly move into being part of the fulfillment of what He really had in mind? Some ideas and impressions just have to be adjusted. What are the end-time priorities revealed by God in His Word? What is His end-time schedule? If our ideas are not the same as His revealed plans and purposes, how can we hope to be part of His work? We must seek the old paths, wherein is the good way, and walk in them. We must pray, “God, wake us up in time to see what You are doing, and to be part of it! Turn our hearts, that we may not be left behind!”

Friday, March 16, 2007, 6:30 p.m. EDST
Zechariah 14

This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Glad in knowing it is the day He has made. But not glad in the sense of happy with the times we are in, the darkness all around me in the world and in the church in general. Having just finished reading Zechariah, I am impressed once again how many verses in the Old Testament books of prophecy are taken as positive promises of blessing for the the church in the end-times, and the verses that are negative are just skimmed over, or brushed aside, as if they do not pertain to anything significant, or they only pertain to punishing Israel, at best, to bring Israel to repentance and restoration, but never pertaining to the church. I am sore vexed, and I groan concerning the self-serving, ear-tickling prophecies of pretenders who call themselves prophets today, who always cry, “Woe!” unto any who question them, and “Bless you,” on those who receive them. And, for what it’s worth, you should take the “I” in that sentence as the Lord: it is the Lord who is vexed; it is the Lord who groans. And He groans not just concerning all the false prophets, but also concerning those who say they are “believing for” a restoration, who point to the positive passages as the promise of coming restoration, but who do not take seriously the passages that indicate the need for personal repentance. It is clear from Haggai’s prophecy what hinders the restoration of God’s work. And Zechariah gives no encouragement for us to expect blessings apart from utter consecration to Him, His kingdom, His house, His work, His body.
    I can see it how it will be: many who are now watching from afar will suddenly realize God has already begun to move in an awesome way at Faith Assembly. So, they will decide it’s time to come on board, and they will do . . . whatever . . . maybe move closer . . . you finish the sentence . . . and maybe God will allow them to come along, just to see from close at hand what He is doing. But, they will come with the attitude that they should be important; that they should be in the forefront; and God will just look the other way. They will come with their own fixed opinions of what restoration will be, and they will see it isn’t coming out the way they had in mind. They will come expecting to be recognized, or given credit for “holding fast all these years,” but they will not be recognized. No one will recognize them, because they remained aloof; they kept their distance; they watched, and waited, and judged, and criticized, , while others were taking the heat, taking a step at a time by faith. Halting steps, perhaps; but steps of faith, against all contrary circumstances, just to keep God’s work called “Faith Assembly” alive; just to continue to be church. Those who watched from afar, more skeptical than supportive, more critical than caring; not contributing one iota to the work, maintaining a distance, waiting for something to happen, waiting for the things they themselves have in mind to happen, thinking that then they will just jump right in and be part of it, once it gets exciting — they are grossly deceived. Restoration will come only when those who truly have God’s vision of restoration make it their priority to dive in, get their own idleness-softened, lily white hands involved, and help in the hard work of building God’s house.
    Well, it’s time for prayer meeting now. We are expecting — and seeing — God’s moving among us.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007, 4:00 p.m. EDST
Haggai 2

All I can say is “Wow!” Haggai’s brief prophecy is precisely what the church needs to hear right now! I’ve been preaching my heart out on issues of discipleship, obedience, holiness, separation, commitment, and even priorities. But Haggai makes it so clear, that even if we are appropriately concerned about all the other things, we might yet have inadequate concern for God’s house, compared to our own houses and businesses, and those wrong priorities in our lives can keep us from seeing God’s purpose for restoration of His house brought to pass.
    I believe that God means to restore His work here at Faith Assembly as He did in Jerusalem in Haggai’s time, and as He will yet again restore it fully in Jerusalem. I believe that restoration of the work that God began here, and completing the full plan as He intended for it from the beginning, follows a pattern seen in Scripture, that Paul says is an example for us. But, I also see in Scripture, right in Haggai, an example of hindrances to restoration, and how the removal of the hindrances was a key condition for the restoration to be manifested. And, expressed in a few words, the greatest hindrance to restoration was simply wrong priorities in the lives of the people. They were more concerned with building their own houses and getting all the mundane affairs of their lives in order, than with building God’s house, and seeing His work fully restored.
    But, I believe, if we are willing to adjust our priorities as required, this prophecy for Israel’s restoration can serve as an encouragement for us. Instead of believing and hoping and waiting, while we go about our own business, wondering why it is taking so long, we can see real restoration, here and now, as soon as we’re willing to make God’s house our top priority, instead of our own houses. God is waiting for us to make His business — His house — our highest priority, and then, He will not only restore His work, but He will also bless us in our own business affairs.
    It is so simple. This prophecy makes it utterly clear. But do we take God at His Word, or do we think, “Oh, that’s Old Testament”? Will anyone really think, “Hey! I can actually do that! I can actually change my priorities. I can make God’s business my priority: to do everything in my power to help bring about restoration, and as a result, I can rest assured that He will bless my own work”? I am taking up the challenge. Will anyone join me?

Tuesday, March 13, 2007, 6:55 p.m. EDST
Zephaniah 3

Good day at the office today. Mainly because I figured out the answer to a question that I needed to respond to, and I think I managed to communicate the answer where it needed to be communicated. That was a good start, and pretty much everything else worked out according to normal expectations: filling orders and getting them to the Post Office, and a project I have to do once a month that it was time to do.
    One thing that was bothering me yesterday was a specific case of the impression one person has about Faith Assembly, and the message coming out of Faith Assembly today, who has never heard so much as a single message of the constant and consistent stream of present teachings coming out of Faith Assembly. I just do not see how they can think they are in a position to evaluate or judge. As it turns out . . . well, read on.
    Anyway, on further consideration, I realize they really want the very things I want; but, they are looking for someone to come on “like gangbusters” with what the Lord is doing here, and to make confident, authoritative pronouncements, like used to be done. I do not do that, because I happen to know that at least some pronouncements in the past were in the flesh. There were things everyone wanted to believe, and so-called prophecies would be given expressing those things; but they were not really from God. It seems obvious to me that, when a large group of people all desire for a certain thing to happen, someone is bound to get up and announce it as a “prophecy,” and a lot of people are going to believe it was from the Lord, essentially equivalent to Biblical prophecy! It is very unlikely for the people to exercise discernment concerning something that everyone wants to happen!
    But, my concern is not whether some prophecies were true or false. I am not opposed to them happening. I am not saying they cannot or will not happen. I am just saying that I have a responsibility to keep our focus on Jesus. Our call is not to sit and wait for certain things to happen, but to be what a body of believers is supposed to be, and do what the body of Christ is supposed to do. Even at that point, we are in agreement; but, if one has never heard so much as a single teaching, much less the constant stream of teachings that is coming from Faith Assembly, how can they evaluate or judge? We can be in agreement at every point, but differences in emphasis or timing or the basis of what we believe might obscure that agreement. So, if it’s entirely all right with everyone, I am going to just keep my eyes on Jesus, and the end-time preparation message I am called to preach. (Actually, I am going to do that whether it is all right with everyone or not, because I know it is what God wants me to do, and that is all that matters to me!)

Monday, March 12, 2007, 9:55 p.m. EDST
Habakkuk 3

Monday is typically quite busy for me at the office. Today I edited the two messages from Sunday. Then, I finalized the digitizing of a tape from 1995. I’m steadily working to get all my messages digitized. 1994 is done, and I’m just getting into 1995. The tape I worked on today was from January 15, 1995 p.m., so you know specifically how far I’ve come. And, there are a couple odd tapes later on in 1995 that I already had digitized for some reason. The finalizing process involves a certain amount of sitting and waiting for the computer to complete various steps, so, at the same time as I was working on that project, I pulled up a Faith Ministries order, and gathered the CDs off the shelf to fill it. That in turn generated a duplicating project of 69 CDs (23 runs 3 CDs at a time). I got that duplicating done, too. So, you can see, I do not divide my time that rigidly between work for Faith Assembly or for Faith Ministries. If there is work to do, I generally try to get to it. I know they are two separate entities legally, but in my heart, it is all one ministry.
    Are you looking forward to Jesus coming? One great concern and burden I bear is that we make sure we are preparing and looking forward to the return of Jesus; not some other event, nor some other person. If we think there is any other event that must take place yet before Jesus comes back, how can we be serious about making sure we are ready? If you think there are certain prophecies, visions, or dreams, which must yet be fulfilled prior to the firstfruits catching away, how can you claim to believe in the imminence of the Lord’s return? In most cases of which I am aware, these prophecies, dreams, and visions are not out of the Bible, but most arose out of the charismatic heyday of the latter half of the past century. And, frankly, it is no problem to me if the Lord tarries until every last prophecy, dream, and vision of the past century is fulfilled before the Lord returns; I would still be obliged to say that God’s people should be “looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God,” not some other event. Red flags wave all over the place any time I hear someone say there is something else that has to happen before the Lord can come back! Where in the Bible do you ever see any call but that we make sure we are ready, waiting, and expecting the Lord’s return at any moment? If you have some other event in mind, I can only say, you just might be passed by! However compelling any prophecy, or dream, or vision of the past century may have been, they do not supersede the Bible, and they’re all utterly dispensable as far as the timing of Christ’s return is concerned. God can fulfill them His way, in His time, without affecting the imminence of Christ’s return. I can only pray that God’s people will keep their eyes on Jesus; on being true disciples, following in Jesus’ steps, being faithful to do the work of His Kingdom, occupying until He comes! “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

Sunday, March 11, 2007, 3:15 p.m. EDST
Nahum 3

Just so everyone knows, we are now part of the twice-a-year changing of the clocks, so our time relative to most everyone else stays the same. I guess that is a great advantage. Otherwise, I don’t have anything new pressing on my mind, and I need to get on with preparation for tonight’s teaching. If I have more time later on, I may give it another go. God bless.

Saturday, March 10, 2007, 9:00 a.m. EST
Micah 7

As I read the books of the prophets — (Oh, in this day, I have to specify, don’t I? I do not mean present day books by the present day false prophets, but the books of the prophets in the Bible.) — my heart is vexed more and more, not just with the church “out there,” but with those who say they love the word that came forth from this assembly, particularly from the founding pastor. They will say how much they appreciated the word — but they are not walking in it. All that I wrote in my blog yesterday applies to them as much as anyone else out there. I don’t mean every last one. I know there are some who are still striving to walk in the deeper truths that we were taught (and that are still being taught a few places, including Faith Assembly). But — again, please don’t be offended, this is just the way it is — most by far have never understood the body of Christ as more than a general term encompassing all who profess to be Christians, and church is just Christians doing the things they enjoy, wherever they are, provided they invoke the name of Jesus. Invoking the name of Jesus is the answer to everything. Pray before the basketball game; pray before the orchestra performance (in which there is no restriction on the kind of music that is played, from patriotic to worldly opera to ballet to music celebrating pagan holidays to you name it; anything goes); pray before sessions of the legislature; make license plates with “In God We Trust” on them; pray before going to war; and on and on it goes. Invoke the name of Jesus in the world’s music, and “Presto!” (an appropriate word in the context!) you have Christian rock. Have a few Hollywood actors and actresses claim to be Christians, and “Presto!” it’s appropriate for Christians to be involved in Hollywood kinds of activities, watching movies (at home or at the theatre), even themselves entering into a career on stage or in movies! Likewise with sports, the media in general — there’s no end to it.
    Who do they think they are impressing? Do they not even know the meaning of “in the name of Jesus”? That it does not mean just invoking the Name, as if by so doing, God will automatically bless things that are totally out of character of that Name? In fact, what they are doing is a blatant violation of the third commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” Taking includes invoking. In fact, invoking is one of the most outward forms of taking. That, along with swearing of oaths (which is appealing to God in a different sense, not the primary meaning of the commandment). The great sin of Israel, for which God had to judge her, was that she continually invoked (took) the name of God as justification for anything and everything she did. From my reading today:

{Micah 3:9–11} Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity. 10 They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. 11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.

Is this not precisely the attitude today? It doesn’t matter what we do; just invoke God’s name, and God will bless us! What is mercy and forgiveness if it does not mean we can do anything we please, and God will overlook it, as long as we say we are Christians (which itself is invoking the Name of Christ); and openly invoke the name “Christ” in everything we do! By the way, did you notice how accurately that passage describes “Christian America,” right along with the popular religion of our day, including ministers of all kinds ministering for gain? Hirelings every one of them, who set their price, then minister!
    In fact, probably one of the most destructive errors of all is the misapplication of Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Two great errors are made: (1) that this means if two or three are gathered anywhere, under any circumstances, that is “church.” And (2) that “in my name” simply means invoking the Name of Jesus or Christ; attaching that Name to whatever you may be doing. No! Absolutely not! That is not the meaning of “in my name,” and that is not what constitutes a church! It’s no wonder! Oh, it’s just no wonder the church is where it is today! “In my name” can only be applied to things that are consistent with the character of Jesus, things which Jesus Himself might be doing if He were present. And, church is the assembly of believers for the purpose of preparation to proclaim the good message of God’s Kingdom — that is, His rule and dominion in the lives of true believers. as well as the conditions and benefits of being in His Kingdom. It is not just any activity, anywhere two or three Christians are involved in it, and they may or may not invoke the Name of Jesus or Christ on the activity.
    America, and the church by-and-large today, are exactly where Israel was when the judgments fell: living as they please, rebellious and unfaithful, embracing everything the godless world around them has to offer, thinking that by invoking God’s name on anything, it is acceptable for them to enjoy or practice, refusing to be separate from the world and its defilements! So, as I said at the end of yesterday’s blog:
    God help us that Faith Assembly stays true to the purpose and design of the church as revealed in the New Testament!

Friday, March 9, 2007, 6:00 p.m. EST
Jonah 4

Yesterday I was thinking about the worldliness of most Christians and most churches (please don’t be offended – it’s just the way it is), and it occurred to me it is sort of like when I went to college. I went to a Christian university, and I thought it would be a little heaven on earth. The students would all be Christians, and whatever we did, it would be Christians doing it together: studying, playing in the orchestra, singing in the chorale, going to football and basketball games, going to church – you get the idea. But it took less than two weeks for my bubble to be popped, and it was the most devastating experience of my life up to that time. I found out that there were an awful lot of people who called themselves Christians who did not even believe the Bible was inspired! I mean, up to that time, my only experience with Christians was that people who called themselves Christians all believed pretty much the same things: inspiration of Scripture, virgin birth, Creation, the flood, and so on. I just could not comprehend people who called themselves Christians raising questions about any of those doctrines.
    Now, I am recognizing that the problem in Christians and churches today is that they have the same view of church as I had about college — church is a place where Christians can get together and do a lot of things they enjoy. You name it, the churches of today do it. The way it was at college is the way it is in the church. And, just like in college, any Christian who wants to be serious about discipleship is “odd man out.” “Having a good time” is what church is all about. That, along with the idea that church is wherever two or more are gathered in the name of Jesus, totally destroys any sense of the Biblical concept of church. I mean, a couple of Christians attending a football game are a church. I suppose the players in the game are a church, too, if there are two or more who profess to be Christians! In other words, anything that professing Christians choose to do is sanctified by the fact the professing Christians are doing it. Let’s hear it for Christian gambling casinos! Or, let’s hear it for Christian bars! Or Christian horse race tracks! Is it any wonder that Christian rock is accepted? Christians in show business, sports, the military, and what have you? I suppose the only reason for Sunday meetings of a church is that it has been a custom for so long, people feel it is something they just have to do. But, what is different about church? Just compare it to any number of other social clubs and organization? What’s the difference?
    God help us that Faith Assembly stays true to the purpose and design of the church as revealed in the New Testament!

Thursday, March 8, 2007, 4:45 p.m. EST
Amos 9

You know, it occurs to me that trials with vehicles are probably some of the easiest to deal with. Given the choice between a trial with a vehicle and a physical trial in my body, I’d prefer the vehicle troubles any day. How can I groan about things with our vehicles, when God has so blessed and protected us concerning our physical health? Oh, we have had our trials, to be sure — some really unforgettable ones! But, God has never failed, and we know He never can fail. So, we will continue to praise the Lord, by His grace, even when there are trials — with vehicles, or physical trials, or whatever.
    Read your Bible. Read it, and read it, and read it again. The more you read it — the whole Bible — the more you will be able to understand it and apply it in your life.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007, 10:05 a.m. EST
Joel 3

Well, that was some day yesterday! One thing after another had to be fit together. First of all, I forgot that I was supposed to drive our new Ram Van to work, because I needed to register it at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV). Also, because we had bought the vehicle in Ohio, Indiana requires us to have a police officer check the Vehicle Identification Number to confirm that it matches the number on the title. These were things I was supposed to do, and forgetting to drive the new van to work sort of put a monkey wrench in the works (that’s a spanner, in the comparable idiom of any Brits who might be reading this!). So, first of all, I drove the wrong vehicle to work. Then, before I even got to the office, my daughter, Vreneli, called to tell me that the back window of her car had just spontaneously exploded as she was leaving for work. That took some serious mental processing to decide what to do. I decided, because a windshield just “exploding” is a rather strange occurrence, and since it happened on a public road, that we really should have the police at least take a look, in case there was any question of it really being only a “freak” occurrence. Then, it also occurred to me that, with the officer there anyway, and my having left the van at home, he could do the VIN check while he was there. So, I called home and suggested that to my wife. Well, the officer came and looked at the car with the exploded window. He didn’t see anything suspicious – in fact, he had heard of something like that happening just the previous week to the front passenger window of a car driving down a highway. My wife asked him about doing the VIN check, and he did it. Then, my wife drove the van from Larwill, where we live, to Warsaw, where the meeting place and offices are located. Meanwhile, I called the shop where we get work done on our vehicles to find out what it would cost to fix the window. But, first, the lady who runs customer service wanted to inform me that some parts that had been on order for the same van my wife was bringing in had arrived, and they could install them. So, I arranged for the van to be picked up around 2:00 p.m., which would give me time to get my in-town errands done first. And then they arranged for getting the window fixed. (This all involved more phone calls than I am telling you.) My wife dropped off the van and drove my car home. Before I had a chance to finish up a few things I was doing and head in to the Post Office, and bank, and BMV office, who would show up but a guy to pick up the van to take it to the shop and install the parts! Evidently the message had not been passed along in time, and he was already on his way. So, I went ahead and let him take it, but that meant I had to rearrange my schedule. Oh, I had plenty to do to keep busy, so I just kept at it until the vehicle came back. But what the customer service lady had told me was only a little over an hour’s work turned out to take about three hours. I just kept on working, but I must admit, the temptation was to be “on pins and needles” as time went by. Meanwhile, I got a call that a guy would be going to our house to fix the exploded rear window later that same afternoon. One more thing to think about! Anyway, the van came back soon enough, and I headed in to the Post Office. The Post Office and bank went smoothly; but the BMV office was packed. When I saw how long the line was, I just said, “Lord, I ask that the line will move quickly.” And, packed as it was, I was out of there in about a half an hour, with the van duly registered. Back at the office, I didn’t have time to do much more than close things down and head on home. When I got home, I saw that exploded window had not been fixed. The guy had told me 3:30 or 4:00 or so, and that he really wanted to get it done, because there was rain or snow in the forecast, and it had to be kept dry. And it was now 5:30. More pins and needles tried to afflict me, but I just left it in the Lord’s hands. Just before 6:00, my wife got back from taking Joanna, our youngest girl, for her piano lesson. She hadn’t been home long when another minivan drove up. It was the guy to fix the exploded back window. I could only trust he had enough time before dark. And, believe it or not, he did! I think that was a minor miracle, since we are still on Eastern Standard Time (the sun sets an hour earlier on Standard Time compared to Daylight Saving Time) and it was already after 6:00 p.m. See, on standard time, sunset is around 6:00 p.m. on the first day of spring, and that is still two weeks away. The fact that there was enough light for him to finish – think about it – that had to be strange, to say the least! Is it any surprise if a day like that wearies one a little more than an uneventful one would do?
    So, today I read Joel, and was reminded of the prophecy that was fulfilled at Pentecost, which was the great focus of the fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the 1960s and 1970s. I say 1960s and 1970s because, sad to say, the flowing tide of those years has given way to an ebbing in the past 25 years. What was once an exciting move of the Holy Spirit has degenerated largely into a fleshly move of sensational signs and wonders, as media religion scrambles for the pocketbooks of the multitudes. The distinguishing characteristic of the ministry which the Lord raised up under our founding pastor, Dr. Hobart E. Freeman, was the pre-eminence of God’s Word, and the emphasis on teaching, to prepare all the members of the body of Christ for end-time ministry. But, this has not just been abandoned; it is treated with contempt! Instead of the focus on preparation, churches have returned to the denominational programs of “Go! Go! Go!” outreach, using every conceivable gimmick, and adding the signs and wonders into the mix, to get people to “make a decision.” The idea that discipleship is first of all “being,” before “doing,” and that ministry is not a church program but the daily life of a disciple, is likewise rejected. People run, like Ahimaaz in the II Samuel 18, without bringing the true, Biblical, full-gospel message.
    Don’t you long for the way it used to be? Frankly, I was not even in on the “best” times. Like Paul, I was as one “born out of due time,” and I can only say, let God be God; He must have had a reason. But, there will never be a refreshing of the divine visitation of those times without a longing in people’s hearts, and that is something God must quicken in us by His grace. We cannot make it happen by anything we do – even fasting and prayer – for, once we give ourselves to fasting and prayer, it is a sign that God has already begun to move in our hearts. When we set our hearts to seek God the same as people were seeking God 30 years ago, that is already the beginning of refreshing. And that is what is happening at Faith Assembly these days. The Lord has moved us to have another meeting every week, Friday nights, just to seek the Lord, for Him to do a deeper work in our hearts. That is what the “Warring for What?” link is about, at the top of this blog. I invite you, the reader, to join us by seeking the Lord, wherever you are. Expect Him to meet you, and grant you a fresh outpouring of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Tuesday, March 6, 2007, 12:30 p.m. EST
Hosea 14

Sorry, I just didn't get an entry in yesterday. But, some interesting things happened today! Such as, one of my daughters was just starting out on her way to work when the back window of her car spontaneously exploded! She didn't get hurt or anything, but it was a strange thing. We are actually able to get the glass replaced today!
    I actually don’t have anything deep or profound weighing on my mind that I just have to share at the moment. I’ll close for now, but I can blog more later if something comes up.

Sunday, March 4, 2007, 7:50 p.m. EST
Hosea 6

So, as it turned out, one of the families was here after all. So, they got to hear a message on faith instead of the Bible Study series. I am sure God ordained that, and it will bear good fruit.
    The evening meeting has started, but I wanted to get enough in to let you know where I am in my reading. God bless.

Saturday, March 3, 2007, 9:20 p.m. EST
Second blog

Tomorrow two households will be missing from our meeting. It would be a blessing if the Lord would bring in some visitors to take their place. But, I believe for their sake, I’ll skip a Sunday on the Bible Study 102 series and share something else the Lord has given me: “The Privilege of Walking by Faith.” It is such a blessing to trust the Lord, and it is a pity that many people are actually terrified of the idea of trusting the Lord for all their needs. It makes me wonder how they can have any kind of confidence at all about going to heaven, if God cannot be trusted to take care of them in the things they face in this life. I guess it boils down to, they can’t do anything about what happens after this life anyway, so their only choice is to leave it in God’s hands. If He can’t get them to heaven, then there isn’t a thing they can do about it! And as far as that goes, if God can’t do that much, then maybe there really is no God, no heaven, and no hell, after all. So, if that reasoning satisfies them for salvation by faith, without works, why can’t they see it is the same principle for all our needs in this life? If God, who made the promises to take care of us, can’t take care of us in this life, then maybe there really is no God after all, and we really are all on our own. By that reasoning, you might justify going to the doctors or loan companies sure enough — as long as you don’t then claim it was God who healed you through the doctors, or that God made the loan go through. Well, anyway, if people are terrified of trusting God in this life, while they are confident He will be there for them in the next, I can only say, that must be a form of demonic oppression, and they need to be delivered in the worst way! What a blessing it is — what a privilege! — to overcome that and really be able to trust God!
    Tonight I also defined a “special characters layout” for the keyboard of one computer at home, as I did for the office. I have even added two more special characters, the longer “m” dash  — , and the shorter “n” dash  – , to the keyboard. The program even allowed me to include a space before and after, which I personally find more pleasing to the eye. What I have to be careful about is that when others use the computer, my keyboards do not confuse them or mess up their work. That is a simple matter of remembering to press the key combination to set back to their preferred keyboard.
    Well, it’s getting about time to hit the sack. God bless.

Saturday, March 3, 2007, 1:20 p.m. EST
Hosea 2

Today I read all of Daniel, and I am two chapters into Hosea. Also, I accomplished all the numbering of the digitized files so that they will sort in proper order. Beginning with the 400s, prefixes are not needed, because the rest of the way through the list, only numbers are used. The way I solved the problem of sequences where 2-digit prefixes were not sufficient was just to add a suffix, and a 3-digit prefix always sorts after a 2-digit prefix. So, I have 00_L series, 01_F series, then 02_D series, followed by 02a_O250, 02a_O251-1, and so on. In this case, the “O” series would automatically sort later than the “D” series, but I wanted to designate the series change anyway. Then comes 02b_275, 02b_276 (where 02_275, 02_276, without the “a” suffix would have sorted above both the 02_D files and 02_O files). The “M” series is 03_M305 (there are no longer any tapes numbered M301 through M304 on our list), 03_M306, and so on, followed by 03a_375, 03a_376, and so on, so that the 375 series sorts after the “M” series. And, as I said, after the end of the 300s, all the rest of the titles use only numbers for identification.
    Another nice thing I found out was that Microsoft has a program to redefine the keyboard, so that I can program in nice graphical opening and closing quotation marks. I downloaded the program and defined keystrokes, so that the opening and closing quotation marks in the above paragraph were simple keystrokes. Instead of "M" series, it is “M” series, using shift + the double quotes key for the opening quotes, and control + the double quotes key for closing quotes. Before this, I had to hold down the alt key while entering 0147 on the numeric keypad for opening quotes, and 0148 for closing quotes. Also, for the apostrophe (or single closing quote) it was hold down alt while entering 0146 in the numeric keypad. This will save me more time than you think, over a period of how many times it takes two extra seconds to do it the old way.
    Now it’s time to get cracking on the Mark study for tomorrow. God bless everyone, especially those who look forward to His soon appearing in the clouds!

Friday, March 2, 2007, 6:15 p.m. EST
Ezekiel 48

Well, I have a few minutes to blog before time for prayer meeting. We had our first prayer meeting last Friday evening, and I believe most of us were much blessed. A student from Grace College was present who was especially blessed because we were expecting the Lord’s soon return, which she had not found in other meetings she had attended, with one exception. It is just this sort of person we are believing for God to bring to these meetings. Our aim is not to increase our membership, but just to be a place where people who are hungering and thirsting for God can find Him.
    I have been trying to find a way to name the files of the digitized messages so that when I burn a large number of them they will list in proper order in a file listing. My present idea is to consider the hundreds value of the numbers of the files, such as the L series is L1 to L52, so the hundreds value is 0. The highest numbered series is Poetic and Wisdom Literature in the 6000s, so that is a hundreds value of 60. If I prefix the L series filenames with 00_ (00_L01 through 00_L52), the F series with 01_ (01_F101 through 01_F180), on up to the Poetic and Wisdom Literature series with a 60_ prefix, most will sort properly. But there are still just a few places where it will not sequence correctly. For example, the M series would be prefixed with 03_ (03_M305 through 03_M377-3), but the next series is Exposing the Cults, with no alphabetic prefix, so they would be 03_375 through 03_386 and, because numbers always sort before letters in computer listings, this would list the Cults series ahead of the M series. I may have to bite the bullet and use 4 digit prefixes, 0000_L01 to 0000_L52, then 0100_F101 to 0100_F180, and at the difficult point, 0300_M305 to 0300_M377-3, followed by 0375_375 to 0375_386, which will sort properly. This all takes hours of very tedious time to enter, and then the updated files must all be copied to several different locations, for sake of having several levels of redundancy of backups. But, strange as it may seem, that is all part of my job at Faith Ministries, and I do get a measure of satisfaction out of getting things like this to work right.
    Well, I guess I will close now. As you can see, I have finished Ezekiel, and am ready to start Daniel now.

Thursday, March 1, 2007, 5:40 p.m. EST
Ezekiel 45

Today I have some spare time, in the sense that I don’t really have time to start anything new, but I have to wait here in the office until it is time to pick up my daughter from her flute lesson.
    This morning on my way to work I drove straight into a thunderstorm. It didn’t last long, but it was pretty good while it lasted. I always enjoy a good thunderstorm. Beats Fourth of July fireworks all over the place. For whatever reason, I have never been afraid of thunder and lightning. Years ago (June 1968, to be precise), when the only transportation I had was a little Honda Sport 90 motorcycle, I needed to ride from a small town to a farm where I was staying, right through a roaring thunderstorm. On the way, lightning hit a fencepost directly beside me where I was riding. Didn’t touch me. Several years earlier, when I lived in Pennsylvania, I was sitting the front porch of our house when the lightning hit the utility pole in our front yard, maybe 25 feet away. I also remember on my birthday in 1984, living in Connecticut, a really spectacular and somewhat longer than usual thunderstorm, which I took as a great sort of “birthday present.” When a thunderstorm comes near where I am, I generally try to get outside where I can enjoy it. If I am at home, sitting on the front porch is about the best vantage point. Usually this is in warm weather, so I don’t even mind if I get wet. Now, if I am driving somewhere, I may claim that there will be a lull when I arrive, so I can get from the car to the building where I am headed without getting drenched to the bone. But, if I do get drenched, so what? Water will evaporate. I have also learned to pray against weather causing property damage or injury to our family or loved ones. The words, “Peace. Be still,” spoken in faith still work!
    Well, brothers and sisters, keep looking up, and as long as Jesus tarries, overcome in all things, and trust God alone for every need. He is faithful, and when He comes, He will be looking for the faithful overcomers, and He will take them up, while the rest of the world goes into a time of testing for seven years. “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye might be accounted worthy to escape the things that are coming upon the earth, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).

Wednesday, February 28, 2007, 5:50 p.m. EST
Ezekiel 42

Hello. This is my blog for the day. Oh, I have updated the “Warring for What?” document. God bless.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 4:45 p.m. EST
Ezekiel 39

I had a pretty full day today. Since it was a “Faith Ministries” day, I put all the Faith Ministries work at the top of my list, so I have just now gotten to where I can write a bit in here.
    The main news is that we now have somewhat firm dates — as firm as you can realistically make them several months in advance — for folks coming to visit Faith Assembly “from afar.” The Rodriguez family from Conroe, Texas, will come beginning around June 1, staying through June 10 or so. Lord willing, we will see them at meetings on two Sundays and on one Wednesday. We would like to know if others are planning to come at the same time. Some lodging would be available in homes of Faith Assembly people, if you let us know you are coming. As we get closer to the time, we will be making plans for various things we can do together, so people get the most out of coming such a long distance. Keep in mind, this will be getting on toward summer, so things like picnics are quite possible.
    At this point, I am just not sure about having a “seminar.” What I mean by a seminar is where we send out brochures giving the dates and the planned subject, and perhaps even try to arrange for special lodging rates at some local hotel. But, in the past, we have had very little response considering the effort. I am not against the idea, but it would probably be a lot more “low key,” such as having maybe just one extra meeting, and letting people know by word of mouth, and here on the church website. Whatever we decide, our aim is to do all we can to make sure that those who come are blessed! To me, it does not matter any more if anyone stays away because . . . well, I will not finish that . . . for whatever reason. God has blessed us, and we want to bless others. But, if they do not want to come, that is between them and the Lord.
    However, down deep inside me there is a hope, a growing sense, that God is breaking down the walls, and that He will soon begin to restore relationships, to bring reconciliation, to heal His Body, and to restore His work. I do not believe that God’s work is limited to Faith Assembly; but I know we are part of His work, and I believe that works He has established will be able to get along with each other, and even bless one another. I have that hope, which means I am looking forward to it with expectant anticipation of what is going to happen. Praise the Lord!

Monday, February 26, 2007, 12:25 p.m. EST
Ezekiel 37

My next little project for the website will be to make the sermon notes that I posted over the past few months available for download. What I had done was, each time I posted current notes, the previous notes were just replaced, so were no longer available. But, I still have all those notes on my computer. What I will do is convert them to HTML code, instead of PDF, and point the current notes link to a page listing the messages, and you can choose whichever notes you want, and you can easily download them, save them, and print them out. So, pardon me while I work on this project. I will blog more later.

2:45 p.m. EST

Okay. I have finished the project of putting the sermon notes on the website. These are only the notes I condensed and put online at the time I brought the messages. But, they are now in a continually accessible location. Click the link to Sermon Notes on the home page to find them.
    Let me say here, I do not plan to make my notes available every time I teach, but I will if I think there is a good reason. Also, the outlines of Acts through II Corinthians were not put on the web at the time I taught them, and I never did prepare outlines for I Thessalonians or Philemon (I outlined them “on the fly,” when I preached the messages.). I probably will go ahead and condense the ones I outlined, but for now, I am not planning to prepare outlines for the ones I did on the fly.

Sunday, February 25, 2007, 9:20 a.m. EST
Ezekiel 35

Ezekiel 34 is the chapter about the false shepherds, and it should make every pastor shake in his shoes. I can only say that it is my heart to be a faithful shepherd (pastor). I feel in many ways that I just have not succeeded. Certainly, if success is measured by sheep coming back to the fold, I don’t have much to show for my efforts. But, who are the sheep? How do I determine who are God’s flock, or who are not? The only thing I know to do is keep preparing and serving the food. God can bring the sheep in as it pleases Him; but, if I am to go out and fetch them, He will have to supernaturally show me the ones who are truly His sheep. So, I can certainly say, I’m not left to feel smug at my success in being a faithful shepherd.
    Now, there is another side to this. Ezekiel 34 certainly is a pattern against which to examine a ministry; but it was about Israel, God’s flock, and the unfaithfulness of the religious leaders at that time. By comparison, who would be considered God’s flock today? Any particular church? I would hardly think it would be so exclusive. Going around and trying to draw back to Faith Assembly the people who once were part of the body is not even realistic. But, I can keep preaching God’s Word for those who are here, and God can move people’s hearts to bring them here, as it pleases Him. I know very well that success in God’s eyes is not measured in numbers. Church growth is not the proof of God’s blessing on a ministry. I can also believe for God to bring in more brothers with the ministry gifts. I take no great pride in being the pastor. If God wanted to raise up someone else, I would have no problem with that. Of course, God would make that clear to me, and it would not be some kind of power struggle.
    My call is actually quite simple: be the pastor for this body, whatever size God wants it to be, and keep Faith Ministries and Publications going, to continue to make the materials we have available to others. There are other aspects, to be sure; but those are the main elements, and by His grace, I will keep fulfilling that call.

Saturday, February 24, 2007, 4:25 p.m. EST
Ezekiel 33

The Word is true and unchanging, no matter who may dispute it. We can know the truth. In fact, there is no way the truth can set us free if we do not know it.
    God reigns in heaven, and woe be to anyone on earth who defies Him or His will. In the chapters I have just completed in Ezekiel, the watchman on the wall is delivered from bloodguiltiness, so long as he has been faithful to blow the trumpet. Those who refuse to heed will perish, but he has delivered his own soul.
    While I believe in household salvation, the same principle applies to my own family. If I do not warn them, and they go the wrong way, it will be on my head. They will surely perish, but God will hold me responsible for their blood. My only hope, for them and for myself, is to continue to teach them and warn them. How else can they know when they are going the wrong way? But if I have warned them, and they insist on going the wrong way, they will not be able to say I did not warn them. I will surely suffer my own anguish if they perish; but I will not have to face bloodguiltiness because of failing to warn them. The question is, when I see things happen, is it because I have failed to warn sufficiently? How much more could I say? Oh, the agony!
    I surely can understand God’s heart, as He pled with Israel, His children! I plead, and I plead. I know I am not God, but I am utterly convinced the ways I’m teaching my children are God’s ways, in line with His Word. So, if they choose to go other directions, it will only be to their own hurt! Oh, God! Have mercy on my children!
    But, nevertheless, I do believe in household salvation. I do warn my children, and I trust God will use it to bring them into His will. Israel was stiffnecked, rebellious, and stubborn. But they were still God’s children, and He loved them, and He never ceased sending His servants the prophets to warn them and invite them to repent of their sins and be forgiven.
    I also know there is nothing to be gained by struggling against something that is established reality. And the answer is not just to cope, but to deal with things redemptively; to overcome; to find ways to overcome evil with good. If I am overcome by a contrary situation, how can I set an example for my children as to how to deal with things when it is their turn?
    One thing in which I have complete confidence: God will use even foolish decisions of any of us as a means of teaching us and correcting us. I can believe for God to have mercy, even if it is for situations I never got into myself. But, suppose this were a theoretical situation: one person owes money because he borrowed from the bank; another person has avoided debt by means of an income from a source that is contrary to principles in God's Word. But wait a minute! The borrowing from the bank was also contrary to principles in God’s Word. Each one wanted to make ends meet. But, how can the one judge the other? Two wrongs don’t make a right; they're both wrong; they both need God’s mercy; but, certainly, one can hardly condemn the other. Obviously, in both cases they did what they thought was the best thing at the time. Wrong thing, perhaps, according to God's Word. But one who judges another will be judged on the same bar of justice by God. So, one who wants mercy concerning his own failure will only ask God to have mercy for the other person.

Friday, February 23, 2007, 7:50 a.m. EST
Ezekiel 31

I just spent my blogging time answering an email. I need to get busy with Faith Ministries work.

Thursday, February 22, 2007, 4:45 p.m. EST
Ezekiel 28

For those who have been following our meetings on PalTalk {Direct link to our Paltalk Room}, you know that the Lord has been moving us into more active spiritual warfare concerning the unique place and call of this particular assembly. I've decided to make the “Warring for What?” list (yes, that’s a link) more easily available, in HTML format, so your browser doesn't have to launch a separate program to display it. Click the link to see the list. I may adjust it from time to time, so it is worth checking now and then to keep up to date. It is a list, but not your typical “prayer list,” I assure you.
    We will have a time of prayer Friday night, and I may make this a regular thing, unless there is a youth meeting planned for a particular Friday night. Our desire is for anyone seeking a personal revival, or just wanting to come closer to the Lord, to join us, even if they are not part of our church. We will not broadcast these prayer meetings on PalTalk, since there will be no specific program, and no prepared sermon.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007, 8:00 a.m. EST
Ezekiel 22

Well, I have decided each time I blog to include how far I have come in reading through the Bible. By the way, I advocate reading through the Bible, in addition to studying it. The two are not the same. If you really want to understand the big picture of the Bible, you need to read right through it, and when you get done, start over and do it again . . . and again . . . and again. Then, in addition, you can study out passages in greater detail. But, if you have to make a choice, I strongly believe the more important thing is reading clear through. So, in addition to preparing for teachings, I am reading through the Bible. Under the date and time of my blog, the entry will indicate how far I have finished. So, today’s entry means that I have finished reading through Ezekiel 22, not that Ezekiel 22 is the next chapter I am ready to read.
    Just a comment on Ezekiel. The prophets are heavy reading. Without going into interpreting the meaning of the symbolic acts, or mysterious revelations, and who is this or that talking about, or when will this or that be fulfilled, plenty is clear enough that any child can understand it: God hates sin, and sinners who do not repent will incur the wrath of God. Yet, God pleads, over and over again, giving man more than ample opportunity to repent, before the judgment falls. Even in the midst of judgment, if people will only repent, God will actually stop the judgment. We see this again and again. But we also see that, in the end, those who ignore the call to repentance will face God's judgment for all eternity. As you read through the entire Bible, you will see that this really is the message of the Bible. But, the prophets focus on the sins, the people's resistance to repentance, and God’s judgment of sin, so the books of the prophets, as I said, are heavy reading.
    But, I also have to read, not just post where I am in my reading, or it will be the same place every time! So, excuse me for now, and I may post a little more later on.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007, 9:15 p.m. EST

Good evening. I have had quite a busy day, so I didn't really have time to blog seriously. I shall spend a bit more time tomorrow. I am actually blogging from home, and I need to let someone else on the computer now. God bless. 

Monday, February 19, 2007, 7:30 a.m. EST

Sunday, February 18, 2007, 6:30 p.m. EST

Praise the Lord! This is the day that the Lord has made.
    I have decided to begin "blogging" here on the church web site, since most of the things I would blog about are related to church and the Christian life in general. The problem with the church news page is that I do not see a web site as an appropriate place to share all the things going on in a local assembly of believers. Good things might sound like boasting, and you just would not want to share negative things. But, I believe I can share concerns from my heart in a way that can edify the reader.
    Occasionally (or, in some cases, quite regularly), individuals write me emails, asking questions about the Christian life, or about the faith message, or the deeper life walk, In answering them, I have the opportunity to share things that I think would be good for a wider audience to read. A blog may just be the ticket! I can enter the question and then give the response in a simple Q and A format. People can respond back to me if they like, and we can have somewhat of a dialogue, as time permits. I can't promise to answer every email, but I am willing to give it a try and see how it goes.
    Each time I add to the blog, I will push the previous entry down the page, and enter the new date at the top, so the response link is always at the top.