Archive for October, 2017
Posted by appolus on October 30, 2017
A man’s crown will lift you very high
For all the world to see
A crown of thorns will lift you up
Upon a bloody tree
A man’s crown dresses you with style
The finest clothes that you can wear
A crown of thorns will strip you down
And it will leave you bare
A man’s crown will make you known
You’ll be the toast of every ball
A crown of thorns it causes you
To not be known at all
A man’s crown will give you fortune
And it will give you fame
A crown of thorns will make you bleed
And you will never be the same
Will you stretch your hands out wide
Will you humbly bow your head
The nails and thorns they penetrate
And leave your old man dead
All men who seek to save their lives
To build and then to multiply
Will surely lose their eternal lives
And they will forever die
The man who gives his head to thorns
And gives his hands to nails
Is the overcoming child of God
Who endures and who prevails.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, poetry, revival, spiritual poetry, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Leave a Comment »
Posted by appolus on October 29, 2017
The road gets narrower and the the climb becomes steeper the deeper that we walk into the Kingdom of God. There is no way back , nothing to go back too, there is only on-wards and upwards no matter what the road ahead holds ( praise God we can rarely see it) For those who have entered into the Kingdom and turned the world upside down, then up appears to the world as down. When they see trials and tribulations they see somehow failure and rejection. But our trials are the chisel blows. The great Sculptor is shaping us that we may rightly fit into one glorious temple, a dwelling place for our Lord.
Who will yield to the chisel’s blows? Who will not run from trials and afflictions and persecutions? Who will embrace such a walk that against the blackest backdrop our little light shines out and testifies of His glory? Will ye yield Christian? Will you allow yourself to be shaped? Will you stretch out your own hands for the Master’s cause? Can you rejoice in the deepest valleys? The strongest blows ever against the enemies Kingdom is the joyful noise that arises from the deepest valleys. In a place where others weep and gnash and despair, the upside down man, the Kingdom man rejoices in His Lord and the devil is silenced, indeed Jesus prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies. Have you oh Christian man sat at this table? It is the table of the Lord and goodness and mercy follows us all the days of our walk along the narrow way.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 4 Comments »
Posted by appolus on October 24, 2017
For what am I without the Lord?
A butterfly without a wing
A nightingale that cannot sing
A man who truly has no tears
Simply drowning in his fears
For what am I without the Lord?
A child without a lullaby
A sea that surely has run dry
A dark night sky without the moon
A man who cannot die too soon
For what am I without the Lord?
A child without a mother’s breast
A bird with chicks who has no nest
A man who has no will to live
Who has no heart that can forgive
Now what am I with my dear Lord
A valley through the mountains high
A swallow flying in the sky
A sun that sets in a majestic sea
A shackled prisoner now set free
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, poetry, revival, spiritual poetry, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Leave a Comment »
Posted by appolus on October 21, 2017
When God is silent.
There are many reasons why God is silent, but I am going to touch on something he recently put on my heart. Sometimes God may be silent simply because he has already spoken to you! If you think about it, how can you accuse God of being silent when he has left you sixty-six letters, thousands of verses? There is no need for him to repeat himself. Aren’t you glad that the book of Genesis doesn’t say, “God said, ‘Let there be light. Let there be light’”?
If you and I had been there on that first day when God said, “Let there be light,” we would have been dancing and rejoicing from 6 o’clock in the morning until about 6 o’clock in the evening.
But suddenly, when it starts to get dark, we begin to panic. “Oh, no, I knew it wouldn’t last! I knew the light was going to go away. Maybe we’ve done something wrong. Maybe we weren’t reading the Word enough.”
The light fades away, and we spend the next twelve hours in sorrow — until the light reappears, and we realize that when God said, “Let there be light,” he didn’t mean that there wouldn’t be night; that there wouldn’t be seasons when we cannot see. He didn’t mean that we would always be able to understand everything that is going on in the heavenly realm. However, the light always reappears, and we see that what God spoke continues to be fulfilled without his having to speak again.
One reason God may be silent is because there is an appointed time for his Word to be fulfilled. One example of this in the Bible is Joseph, who was given the incredible promise that he was going to reign one day. He was going to be a man through whom great provision would be unlocked. However, there was an appointed time for the fulfillment of the promise and he had to follow God’s plan. (Carter Conlon)
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Leave a Comment »
Posted by appolus on October 20, 2017
Silver and gold I have none……rise up up and walk! How many churches today can say silver and gold I have none? Yet, by the same token how many churches today can say rise up and walk! Jesus said that we could not serve two masters and of course He was right. We will either love the one and hate the other, or in modern parlance we will prefer one over the other.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 1 Comment »
Posted by appolus on October 19, 2017
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Leave a Comment »
Posted by appolus on October 18, 2017
The cross is a place of death to the flesh, so very painful on one hand, yet the price of entrance into His presence. If I am to know the soaring mysteries of His presence and the fullness of His joy, then I must come to the place of sacrifice and death. The deeper the work of the cross in my life, the greater the revelation of Jesus. Those who are forgiven much love much and those who come to the cross and dare to dwell there as long as it takes will arise and live an abundant life. May the Lord grant us the grace to continually come to that place of entrance into His presence.
It is in His presence that we learn to yield and to surrender to His will which ultimately defeats the flesh. And while there can be much emotion in true and genuine worship, there is no hype involved. Entering into Christ’s presence one has to first past the brazen alter, this is where we sacrifice. This ensures that all “self-fulfilling” worshipers can never enter in. Will you sacrifice to enter in to the holy of holies? Will you come and dwell at the foot of the cross and die today so that you may arise from that place and live the victorious Christian life in the manifest presence of the Living God?
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 1 Comment »
Posted by appolus on October 17, 2017
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 2 Comments »
Posted by appolus on October 15, 2017
Have you ever watched a trial on TV? It can be a fascinating process. One of the more fascinating aspects of a trial can be the expert witnesses. A lot of weight can rest upon these people. Oftentimes they are professional expert witnesses, meaning, their full-time job is testifying at trials. Now, you watch the expert witness for the prosecution and you think he makes excellent points and, after all, he is an expert and you assume the defendant to be guilty based on what you just heard. Then, when the prosecution rests, the defense brings on their expert witness and he refutes what the other expert says and now you think the defendant is not guilty. Two experts, two opposite opinions, results? Confusion. They both cannot be right. Ever had a bad diagnosis from a specialist? You go through all the trauma of that and someone suggests a second opinion. You get that and the second specialist tells you something very different. You might even get a third opinion and you hear something different again. I have spoken to people who have experienced that and the result tends to be fear. They now know that they cannot definitively rely upon the so-called experts and will have to make a decision themselves which could have deadly consequences, or not.
This, to me, is what so-called theologians bring to the Body of Christ. Fear, confusion, sometimes clarity but more often than nought they bring division. In the first example of the expert witnesses with contradicting views, in the end, the jury must decide for themselves where the truth lies. In the second example of the medical experts, in the end, the patient must decide the course of action. With the Scriptures, in the end we must decide what the truth is.Never let anyone tell you that you are not qualified to do that. If we look at the state of the Church and the multiples divisions and hatreds down through the centuries we see highly qualified men have not, in the end, been a force for good or for unity, but rather a force for division. We should never relinquish our responsibility to men. Yet, unlike the jurors or the patient, we are not alone when it comes to understanding the Scriptures. Yes we have teachers and teachers are helpful but they are fallible and being fallible and human are they are prone to error and deception. Ultimately we must come to our conclusions on the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. We will not stand with other men and give account before God, we will stand alone and give our accounts. We will not point an accusing finger at Calvin or Arminius. Nor will we blame Whitfield of Wesley for how we lived our lives. If indeed the Holy Spirit lies in us, then we have access to the teacher of teachers. “But Frank, if we follow that advice then disorder and chaos will follow.” Have you looked at the state of Christendom now and down through the centuries? Is it possible that we have abdicated our responsibilities to be good stewards of the Word, to be Bereans who search the Word diligently.
In our day, in the midst of the great falling away, it is more important than ever than we know the Word of God and what it teaches us. With denomination after denomination falling into gross error ( and each will have their own set of experts telling you why gross sin is no longer sin) it is vital that we rely upon the Holy Spirit for truth. Many denominations now tell us today that homosexuality is merely an expression of two people’s love for one another. Many denominations are now moving into the teaching that there are many paths to heaven. Will you rely upon their expert witnesses? Will you abdicate your own responsibility to know the truth? Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.(Joh 8:31-32) To be a disciple of Jesus you must continue in His Word and if you do that you ( that is you saint) will know the truth and the truth shall make you free. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
(1Jn 2:27) This anointing is the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit teaches His children, we must ask and seek Him in all these things.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.(Heb 8:10-11)
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 1 Comment »
Posted by appolus on October 11, 2017
There is a key aspect of life in Christ, it is the power of the Holy Spirit. Most would acknowledge this but many will not truly know what indeed they are acknowledging. What does it mean to be led of the Spirit as opposed to being prisoners of the organization? Let me give you a Biblical example of what it means to me.
Eze 47:9 And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.…….. Eze 47:11 But the miry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
What we see here in the prophet’s vision is the power of the Holy Spirit going forth, flowing out, always moving, always fresh always healing. In comparison we see what happens in the miry places, in the marshes where the water does not flow. It becomes stagnant and in those places there is no healing and it slowly turns to salt and all life eventually dies. This is such a stark difference. On the one hand we have on either side of the flowing river, evergreen trees, like the trees from Psa 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. On the other hand we have stagnant pools that go nowhere and are slowly dying or dead. There is no life in the miry places, there is no life in the marshes. This, to me, represents the Christian organizations of the world, the denominations.
In all things and at all times the Holy Spirit must be preeminent. If He is not then your church or your organization is dying. Now a dying man can look very healthy is that not right? It all depends upon where he is in the dying process. Initially there may be no outward signs at all ,yet over time he begins to succumb to death. In regard to organizations this process may take days, months , years or even century’s. An unknown author write the following which I subscribe to…………….
“There are many classifications into which men and women may be divided-upper, middle or lower class; rich, well to do and poor; religious, sceptical and atheist;… and so forth and so on. But as I think, the only categorization which really matters is that which divides men as between Servants of the Spirit and Prisoners of the Organization. That classification which cuts right across all other classifications, is indeed a fundamental one. The idea, the inspiration, originates in the internal world, the world of the Spirit… the idea having embodied itself in the organization, the organization then proceeds gradually to slay the idea which gave it birth. In the field of religion a prophet, an inspired man will see a vision of truth. He expresses that vision as best he may in words. Upon what his disciples understand of the prophets message an organization, a church is built. The half understood message in crystalized into a creed. Before long the principal concern of the church will be to sustain itself as an organization.”
You see, the moment the vision is shared and the people stop along the way and construct a structure or an organization in honor of the vision rather than simply moving forward on the current of the vision to the next vision, death begins its process in the marshes and the miry static places that many of us now call houses of worship. The preeminency of the Holy Spirit, of Jesus in our midst, is quite simply the current that keeps us moving and brings life to everything that it touches. The vision of a man or organization that usurps the preeminent Christ whether willingly or unwittingly is already in the process of dying. As the life of the Spirit wanes in the gathering then it must be gradually replaced by the passion of a man or a group. Rather than entering into His presence people begin to be entertained. They become spectators and not participators and begin to slowly. All over the land the gathering places are in the process of death, various stages perhaps, but death none the less. Outside of being a servant to the Holy Spirit and the preeminency of Jesus there is only death, no matter how skillfully it is covered up and masked, it is death by any other name. We shall be servants of the Holy Spirit or we shall be prisoners of the organization but we cannot be both…………bro Frank
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
Posted by appolus on October 4, 2017
Consider the spiritual life of the Christian. Unless you are engaged in one paradox after another you must reconsider your walk with God. Religion is the opiate of those who in their own minds have arrived yet true Christianity is in a constant state of flux. And by state of flux I do not mean what that phrase typically means in the negative which is uncertainty. In the Lord we are sure but we always beware when we stand lest we fall. This is not a state of anxiety but rather one of diligence. We know from the Scriptures that the Lord is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him which leads us to our first paradox. Seeking that which we have found. In John 15 Jesus says that “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” This word abide is a continuous action verb meaning to continue to abide. In other words it is not a one time thing it is a state of being.
I want you to consider the following paradoxes and see how they apply to your life.
1. We are dead but always dying.
2. We have entered but are always entering.
3. We have found but are always seeking.
4. We have encountered but are always seeking to encounter.
5. Our old man died but we are always putting him to death.
6. We were saved but are always working out our salvation.
7. We have arrived but we journey on towards our destination.
8. We are with Him but we journey on towards Him.
9. We are full but we are hungry.
10.We are clothed in white garments but are naked.
11.The Kingdom has come but the Kingdom is coming.
12.We are victorious but we surrender.
These are just a few examples of the paradoxical life in Christ. If you are genuinely saved then all of these paradoxes brings life itself. It is constantly moving and is alive with abundant life and draws you ever closer. If you are merely religious and have had no actual encounter with the living God and try to live the paradoxical life in Christ it will lead you to dissatisfaction and anxiety and away from God. Consider this, for the children of Israel the passage through the red sea was liberation and a way of escape. For the Egyptians it was death.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 2 Comments »
Posted by appolus on October 4, 2017
In the end, everything of this world is just that, of this world. Only the authentic will do whether that is freedom or justice or beauty or peace. Of course God is these things and only in Him can we have these things, all else is counterfeit, some better than others, but in the end mere copies of the original. The Mona Lisa is a tremendous copy of the woman who sat for the painting. The most incredible landscape painting is still only a painting, the real star is the landscape itself. And so peace in the world, even the greatest peace will only ever be fleeting because it is not the original. Justice in the world is tainted by our very humanity and therefore by necessity falls woefully short of the original, no matter how good it looks or begins. Everything about humanity, outside of God, is counterfeit and dying. It is only the eternal that is pure, whether that is good or evil. We must commit ourselves to the eternal and find true meaning there. In the end, there can only be that which is good or that which is evil. Everything else is an allusion, a counterfeit and fleeting.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 1 Comment »
A Call To The Remnant 