Birthday Blessings to you - son!

April 28th, 2013

Happy Birthday to you!

The Birthday Cake - April 28, 2013

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
 
 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

  And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.

What is the Meaning of Life? ( Sunday Sermon Review )

Sunday Sermon Review - April 28, 2013
( from my home church I attend regularly )

Topic - What is the Meaning of Life?
Matthew Series 

Matthew 22:34-46³⁴ But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.³⁵ Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,³⁶ Master, which is the great commandment in the law?³⁷ Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.³⁸ This is the first and great commandment.³⁹ And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.⁴¹ While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,⁴² Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David.⁴³ He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,⁴⁴ The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?⁴⁵ If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?⁴⁶ And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

Our speaker today was Pastor Ben. Here is some of what he said.

What is the meaning of life? That is what is the most important thing? 

The Jewish leader came to Jesus with another trap. 

They asked Jesus what is the most important commandment in the law. 

Jesus answers their question by going back to the Old Testament to two passages that are very important to the Jewish people. The first one is a prayer. The devout Jews pray this 2 times each day still even today. That is Deuteronomy 6:4-5  Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might

The second passage is Leviticus 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.

Jesus says in verse 40 of our text that on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. The term law and the prophets simply means the Bible - the whole Bible.

Love the Lord your God

To love the Lord God means to love the God of the Bible - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. There is no other true God but Him.

Loving God means to love Jesus - Jesus is fully God.

The the latter part of the text Jesus asks the Pharisees a question - What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David.

Jesus continues - How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?

 We must remember that the son is always under the Father. It was that way in the Bible times, it is that way today. Why then does David call Jesus Lord?

Jesus is God but yet He was born from the line of King David when he came  to earth and that is why is both Lord and David's son. 

Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God. Loving God means loving Jesus with your heart soul and mind. Our hearts need to be fixated on Him.

What does this mean? 

((At this point Pastor Ben lead us in a prayer and then we each sat quietly before the Lord to allow the Lord to reveal to each of us individually how we are to love Him with our heart, soul and mind. Heart: for me it was trust - to trust God with the circumstances of my life - past, present and future, my health, my children, my marriage, etc. Soul: again trust - to trust God to actually take me to His heaven when my life here is over. Mind: - to become more aware of God working all around me in my own life, as well as the life of my husband, my children, family and the world all around. Everything has to do with God.))

The Hebrew word mind carries with it the thought of strength and ability.

Love your neighbor as yourself

The two commandments cannot be separated.

Loving your neighbor does not include mushy feelings.

It is a commitment to take other people's needs seriously.

1John 4:20-21  If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

This includes people you are in relationship with. People around you, family, neighbors, co-workers, enemies.

Love God and the people around us.

Hatred and pride are left behind and love becomes a reality!

Hear this everyone!!

Imagine your family is sitting down together at the dinner table. Suddenly Dad stands up and says " Listen up all of you, I have something I want to tell you".  You would know at that instant that Dad is speaking to ALL the family - I mean he just said it right?  So what would you do? What would everyone sitting there do? You would instantly perk up and listen!!! Well lets put that exact thought process into our reading of Scripture. Psalm 49 begins like this -  Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:  Both low and high, rich and poor, together. 
It is pretty clear that the message we are about to hear is for all of us. Let's dig into Psalm 49 and find out what the message is that the Lord has for us here.
We notice that the message is for all the inhabitants of the world - those who are rich as well as those who are poor, those in high positions and positions of authority as well as those who serve others and those who cannot work at all.
The warning begins in verses 5-7. We are not to trust in wealth, money and possessions. None of us can buy our way to health, or happiness or heaven! Wealth cannot bring lasting fulfillment and happiness in this life here on earth nor in eternity. We cannot save ourselves nor those in our family. Only Jesus saves! Only God can save us from the pit of hell.
We all pass away one by one. In death riches are worthless. Money and possessions are only meant to be used to provide for our needs  - not to be trusted in or idolized. Death is the one thing that levels everyone and everything. Those with power and riches must leave it all behind. None of it can be taken along with you in the grave. Everything is stripped away except the character of your soul. This is why it is so important to focus on our spiritual condition and on eternal life. The things of earth shall pass away but that which is eternal in heaven is forever!!
Please take time to read the complete chapter of Psalm 49. It is a real message to us all in these days of trial here on earth.
God Bless.

Psalm 49 Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:  Both low and high, rich and poor, together. ³ My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
⁴ I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.
⁵ Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?
⁶ They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
⁷ None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:
⁸ (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)
⁹ That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.
¹⁰ For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.
¹¹ Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.¹² Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.¹³ This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.¹⁴ Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.¹⁵ But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.¹⁶ Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;¹⁷ For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.¹⁸ Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.¹⁹ He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.²⁰ Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.

Called to Speak up for Jesus....

The body of Christ. The body of Christ is made up of people from different countries in the world, from all races - it matters not what the color of your skin is, male and female, rich and poor, we come with a vast range of gifts and experiences.

 Romans 12: 4-6 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

 What joins us together is Christ Jesus our Savior. With this thought as a background, I question the message of a speaker I heard recently - speaking in my church. I agree with some of what he said but not entirely. He suggested that we should not be one issue Christians. That is completely true and I doubt that any of us really are "one issue Christians" except of course for the fact that Jesus alone saves each of us as individuals. I felt like the speaker was trying to silence those who strongly stand for the truth of the Bible regarding sin issues. In his list of  so called  "one issue" concerns, he listed taking a stand against violence, homosexuality,and immodest dress, etc. as well as the discussions around end times and the coming of our our Lord Jesus.  His list was quite extensive.

I believe that as Christians, God has sent each of us out to be a witness for Him and to seek to win souls for His Kingdom. But I also believe that God has gifted each one of us to use the experiences in our life to speak up for the issues that matter to Him. This includes standing strong against the homosexual agenda, against violence ,against pornography, etc and also to speak up for issues that He lays on our hearts. I believe God lays something on each one of our hearts that becomes our "issue" that we are called upon to stand for and speak up about - and we are NOT to let anyone SILENCE us as we speak up about that which God has called us to speak about. 

In my community the issue of homosexuality is a hot topic right now. The government is pushing it to become an accepted lifestyle, using the public school system to influence our children. This is despicable and many Christian parents in our area and in our church are opposing the homosexual agenda and are taking a stand. Of course this brings divisions and it is even felt in the church. I believe this is why the speaker in my church was using his place of authority and power to try  to silence the opposition that these parents are bringing to meetings etc. This is kind of upsetting.

In my own personal life, I also have some issues that I feel God has called me to take a stand for. This also can be traced back to experiences in my life.God can use what you and I have gone through to help and encourage other who find themselves in similar situations.  The issues that I have been called to include standing up for those who cannot speak for themselves - those with disabilities and and handicaps. I believe God has called me to be a voice for them  so when the opportunity arises, I try to speak up. This is one of my passions because of the fact that I have a daughter who has down syndrome and she cannot express herself verbally very much. If someone mistreats her, she cannot defend herself. There are many other people in this world with disabilities who need someone  to help others understand that they are real people with real feelings and real needs and need to be loved and accepted as they are.

Another issue I take a stand against is abortion. I believe life begins at conception. Due to the premature death of one of my children while still within my womb, I have experienced death through the death of my unborn child. I can honestly say I could feel in my spirit that the spirit of my child had departed from within my womb. This was well before the doctor did any tests. So I take a stand against abortion.

So if the Lord has allowed you to experience a trial or has laid a burden on your heart for a certain issue - please be faithful to the Lord and speak up for Him. Don't let others silence you even if the one trying to silence you is close family or a close friend or even someone in your church!

God bless.

Romans 12: 4- 10⁴ For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:⁵ So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.⁶ Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;⁷ Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;⁸ Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.⁹ Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.¹⁰ Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

Recall Notice - use this ministry tool to share the gospel

The following is an article from John McTernan's blog.  John McTernan's Insights

 Please share it with your friends and family.

 

Urgent Recall Notice

The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code-named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units.

This defect has been identified as “Subsequential Internal Non-morality,” more commonly known as “S.I.N.”, as it is primarily expressed. 

Some of the symptoms include:
1. Loss of direction
2. Foul vocal emissions
3. Amnesia of origin
4. Lack of peace and joy
5. Selfish or violent behavior
6. Depression or confusion
7. Fearfulness
8. Idolatry
9. Rebellion

The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect. The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required. As an added upgrade, the Manufacturers made available to all repaired units a facility enabling direct monitoring and assistance from a resident Maintenance Technician, the Holy Ghost.

The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R. Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component. 

No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with: 

1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self control 

Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (BEST Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes.

WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list, and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded. For free emergency service, call on Jesus. 

DANGER!!!: 

The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped and burned in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven, so as to prevent contamination of that facility.

Thank you for your attention! 

P.S. Please assist where possible by notifying others of this important recall notice, and you may contact the Father any time by ‘Knee mail’!

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Remembering Darcy Renne....

April 20, 1995

But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.

Darcy ..... Safe in the arms of Jesus

my picture

photo from democraticunderground.com

my picture

I love you my baby...we shall see you in the sweet by and by!

http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/04/baby-darcy.html

Sunday Sermon Review - Have you Accepted the Invitation?

Sunday Sermon Review - April 14, 2013 
( from my home church I attend regularly )

The service began with singing several songs including "You are Amazing God" and "It is Well With My Soul".
The Speaker today was Pastor Ben continuing on in our Matthew series.

Text was Matthew 22: 1-14And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,² The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,³ And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.⁴ Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.⁵ But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:⁶ And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.⁷ But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.⁸ Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.⁹ Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.¹⁰ So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.¹¹ And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:¹² And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.¹³ Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.¹⁴ For many are called, but few are chosen.

Here is some of what Pastor Ben said:

The story of our text is a story of warning of what will happen if Jesus is rejected.
The Kingdom of Heaven is described as "where God rules".
The wedding feast is a time of rejoicing. It would go on for days with celebrations and joy.
We see in our text that the people were invited but refused to come to the wedding.
The question we ask is - Why did they not want to come?
Refusing to come would be considered borderline rebellion against the King. 
The invited guests refuse to come causing the King to become enraged and he destroys all those who refused to come. Judgement came.

In verses 8-10 the King sends out his servant to invited anyone they can find to the wedding. The bad and the good were invited. Our attention is drawn to the man who came without wearing the wedding clothes. He never cleaned himself up for the wedding. This is disrespectful and rude.
He receives the due judgment and is thrown out.

There are consequences for our behavior.
Continual rejection of God leads to judgment.
People spit in the face of God thinking nothing will happen BUT there are consequences. SOMETHING is going to happen.

This is not about becoming more religious.
The Pharisees were like "religious on steroids".

We want justice in our world but we hesitate when it comes to us.
We can taste both heaven and hell before death.

The Invitation
The King invites people twice - this shows mercy and grace.
The King invites all people - the bad and the good. God shows mercy.

We are the ones God has invited - YOU have been invited.
We are invited to participate with God to be partners with Him in His Kingdom.

The choice is ours - 
We can reject - refuse the invitation and go about our daily tasks as though God didn't exist.
We can accept His invitation and receive the full benefits of the Kingdom.
We can accept but not let it change us at all.

We live out God's kingdom.
Our actions matter.
We cannot earn our salvation.

When we come to God - He changes us.
We accept God's mercy and pass it on to those around us.

We struggle sometimes to show mercy. Showing mercy is not an optional. We must not harden our hearts and we must not refuse to show mercy to others.
We must allow God to influence us.

Are we willing to change?
Have you accepted His invitation?
Is God challenging you today?

Our April Winter - where is the spring??

Okay so it is April 15th today - you would think the snow would have melted and the birds would be singing in the trees by now...BUT not this spring. It is still winter here in southern Manitoba on April 15. Yesterday I went snowmobiling with lots of snow still to ride through. Now today we are in the middle of another snow storm. Schools are cancelled, roads are snow covered and icy. I took some pictures again this morning as a reminder to myself of the spring of 2013.

April 15, 2013

The doghouse  April 15, 2013



Snow on the van and the ground on April 12, 2013



The flowerbed, April 15, 2013

April 15, 2013

Live in Honesty

2 Corinthians 13: 7-8 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.

 When we live in honesty and truthfully, we live in freedom. Your story doesn't change even when you tell it to several people. You don't have to try hard to tell it as you did the first time, the truth remains the same. You don't have to worry about who is looking over your shoulder or who might be watching you because the truth has nothing to hide. There is no fear in having someone check up on you. Truth and honesty are beautiful character qualities each one of us can possess.
As they used to say in the old days - Honesty is the best policy! 

Psalm 51:6  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

April 7, 2013 - Sunday Sermon Review (Transformation)

Sunday Sermon Review April 7, 2013 ( from my home church I attend regularly )

The service began with singing several songs which included "This is My Father's World".

Our topic today was - Transformation.
The speaker was Dale from WBC

Text - Philippians 2: 5-11Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Here is some of what Dale said:

What does faith look like?

There are different theological viewpoints, different faith perspectives, conservative and liberal, yet all claim to serve the same God and believe the Bible.

Our God is greater than we can humanly comprehend. The Holy Spirit is given to all who believe. God does not change.

When we believe in Jesus as Savior we become Christians. From that point on we begin a journey of transformation.

Transformation includes the following:

1) Experience - that is our story, our background, childhood, things that have happened in our lives, each person has a story, his/her own personal story.

2) Interpretation - Our experience influences our interpretation of life and of the Scriptures.

3) Beliefs - through our experiences, and our interpretation, we develop our beliefs.

4) Choices - Our beliefs determine the choices we make in life. We live what we believe.

Everyone has a different story, How do we all follow God?

We need to become more Christlike.

We have the Holy Spirit with us to guide and direct us.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Jesus is the answer - the truth lines us with Jesus. ( We find the true Word of God in the Bible. ) 

We must remove our own wrong thoughts and replace it with God's truth.

Romans 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Truths about God:

*God is good.

*God is trustworthy - God is our "Abba".

*God is generous.

*God is love.

*God is holy.

*God is self-sacrificing.

*God transforms us.

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

*Christ dwells within us.

Romans 11:22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off

How do we grow Spiritually? ( Become like Mary )

Are you a Martha - hard working and hurrying

or Are you a Mary - sitting still to listen to hear God speak through His Word.

Luke 10: 38-41  Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

Next Sunday Pastor Ben will continue on in our Matthew Series.

Falling Away of Christians, article from Jan Markel

The Bible teaches that in the last days there will be a falling away. That is that people will walk away from the Christian faith. This is very sad but it seems to be happening in our very day. When we look at what is happening with the Christian church regarding the homosexual issues, we see many a Christian and many a church turn away from the truth of the Bible choosing rather to follow satan and his homosexual movement. The Bible clearly states that homosexuality is sin, and an abomination in the sight of God. God invites the homosexual to turn away from the lifestyle of homosexuality.  Repent of it and in faith receive the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin. 
The Bible also teaches that in the last days people will be delusioned, unable to believe the truth of the Bible. I want to post an article by Jan Markel ( see article below ) that is worth your time to read but first please take the time to read this portion of Scripture from 2 Thessalonions 2. 

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,² That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.³ Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;⁴ Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.⁵ Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?⁶ And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.⁷ For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.⁸ And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:⁹ Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,¹⁰ And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.¹¹ And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:¹² That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.¹³ But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

The following is written by Jan Markel from Olive Tree Ministries. You can contact them at  Olive Tree Ministries
www.olivetreeviews.org

The Foreshadowing 

By Jan Markell
April 3, 2013

www.olivetreeviews.org  

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If the strong delusion that is racing across the globe doesn't shock you, something is wrong! Whether it was the ecstasy on thousands of faces in St. Peter's Square waiting with adoring eyes for their new Pope, or the shenanigans in Israel a few weeks ago, it's a scary time. It's both a privilege and a challenge to be born for such a time as this.

The Bible speaks extensively about delusion! It is on overdrive in the last days. And you saw deluded college students in Tel Aviv, Israel on March 21. When Barack Obama suggested that they had to give away more land, the Leftist students applauded for a full minute. Though the land give-away has never worked, I guess this time, they thought that Obama delivering the idea in person in Tel Aviv was the magic trick needed! This time world, just watch, it's a go!

Keep in mind that rockets were raining down on Israel as Obama spoke! Yet, this idea, that is, weakening their own security, was still a good idea to them.

"For I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land," declares the Lord. "For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain, and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely.  They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, 'Peace, peace,' But there is no peace." (Jeremiah 6:12-14)

An American president screamed, "Peace! Peace! Give up more land for it! The hour is at hand. I have the magical formula. Hear me out. This time, I guarantee, it will work."

Could you imagine with me the Antichrist speaking to Israelis as he will some day, just like this. He will offer Israel a peace covenant in a manner similar to this. Was the March 21 speech a dress rehearsal? A dry run? I am not suggesting that Barack Obama is the Antichrist as we don't know who it will be. But a man talking about peace journeyed to a land occupied by people who long for it, although they haven't a clue how to bring it about other than land exchanges.

   

Keep in mind that in the Palestinian territories, there are streets, public squares, summer camps, high schools, and even a kindergarten named after suicide bombers and other mass murderers. So much for the notion that if only Israelis would care about Arab kids, peace would be possible.

  

Israelis have wanted nothing more than peace and security for all the children. That's why they accepted the 1947 U.N. partition of British Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state. Unfortunately, the Arabs said no. To this day, the Palestinians have rejected every peace offer that leaves a Jewish state standing.

Since we're smack-dab in the midst of these incredible last days, how many e-mails does this ministry get wailing that churches will no longer address the subject? Well, legions of e-mails and even calls.

Back to my strong delusion commentary. The Bible foretells through Paul to the Thessalonian believers that in the last days, a time in church history would come when God would send "strong delusion." In like manner, Paul even warned Timothy that in the last days, there would be a group of demons who would infiltrate the churches with false and mixed doctrine, capable of even causing some to, "depart from the faith" and give heed to devilish false teachings.

God instigates this. It's not just the increase of evil that brings this on. Yes, Satan ratchets up his evil in the last days, but God sends the delusion. I think He gets mighty disgusted and just sends the delusion as a judgment! He washes His hands and turns His back.  

You don't want to be on the back side of God as He does this. Those Israeli students were on the back side of God and they were blinded.

  

Our times are way too perilous to be this unprotected.  

  

So, we've had a foreshadowing of the blind and strong delusion that will play out unchecked during the Tribulation.We're having lots of dress rehearsals these days. Most of them are around dark events. That's why the Bible reminds us to stay yoked to one another and to God at the end of the end.  

There are even murkier waters ahead. Look up and not around!


The above article is written by Jan Markel.

  

Questions and Answers from my Church

Sunday March 24, 2013 - Palm Sunday
Sunday Sermon Review ( from my home church that I attend regularly )

During this season of Lent, our Pastors invited the congregation to submit questions and so today was the day where the questions were answered.
The service began with singing "Lead me to the Cross" and How Great Thou Art".

Our Scripture passage was Mark 11:1-11 - the story of Palm Sunday

 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,

 And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.

 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.

 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.

 And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?

 And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.

 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.

 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.

 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:

 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

Pastor Ben was our speaker today and here is some of what he said:
Question 1 - What role does repentance play?
Jesus died on the cross for our sin.
He loves us with an unconditional love.
We need to get a definition of the word repentance: it means to choose God, it is a decision that we make. We decide to choose Jesus over ourselves, we choose God above ourselves.
We choose to follow God because He loves us so.
Romans 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Love is action.

( Note from me - please also read a post I wrote on repentance - it is a good indepth study on repentance and what it looks like) link here -    http://livebyfaithonlinebiblestudies.blogspot.ca/2012/10/repentance-psalm-51.html

Question 2 - Why will we have to give an account of our actions and words on judgment day?
In our justice system, a person is judged either guilty or innocent
God's system works a little differently. It is about restoring relationship, repairing damage and fixing things.
In the Old Testament God sent judges. They proclaimed a message of repentance, for the people to change their ways.
We have forgiveness through the cross of Jesus. Jesus took the punishment we deserve.
The question becomes - How should I live since I've been declared innocent through the shed blood of Christ.
At the judgment, there will be rewards for what we have done here on earth.
God sees all that you do - God will reward us for what we do, even if no one else ever has seen it.
Our choices here ripple through eternity!
The judgement will be uncomfortable ( we must give account for every careless word ) but we must remember our Judge loves us. He is on our side!

Question 3 - We are taught to confess our sins to each other, how about confessing our sins to God?
Yes, we must confess our sins to God, name the sin and acknowledge it as sin before God.
Living the Christian life is not a "just me and God" thing - He wants us to do life together.

Question 4 - How do you find an accountability partner?
1) pray about it - God's Spirit lives with you so He will guide and direct
2) Take a risk - talk to someone and ask that person to be your accountability partner
( if someone asks you to be their accountability partner and you feel you cannot do it, then be kind enough to say "no" so they can find someone else who will actually be able to do it.
3) agree on some questions that will be asked - Meet on a set regular basis and ask these questions.

Question 5 - What does it look like to walk with a believer who disagrees with you about a right/wrong issue  especially if the Bible is very clear on this issue?
Ask your self if there is any possibility that you could be wrong.
Ask the person questions about the Scripture passage that this issue is based on/
Don't be condemning or judgmental
we must remember that a Christian is a person who has chosen to live his/her life for God
It does not mean that there will be doctrinal perfection.
We can have conversations with people who disagree with us.

The Holy Spirit's job is to convict of sin.
Billy Graham once said " my task is to bear witness, the Holy Spirit's task is to convict of sin and God the Father is the Judge."

The Holy Spirit is really good at His job!(Note from me - It is important that we remember that the Bible has authority in our lives and we must never back down from the truth found in Scripture. No matter who it is that is challenging us - the Bible will always have the final say in the matter and we will be wise to stand with the Bible and not against it at any time. )  

The reason people do not want to admit to the truth of Scripture is because then they will have to change!

Talk about things that matter - we need to get deeper than the weather and sports etc.
We are God's ambassadors - we challenge, we debate but always in the atmosphere of love and respect!

God has sent you to represent Jesus in your school, home, place of work!!