Archive for the ‘pentecostal’ Category
Posted by appolus on May 7, 2015
Jer 4:30…. Though you clothe yourself with crimson, Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, Though you enlarge your eyes with paint, In vain you will make yourself fair; Your lovers will despise you; They will seek your life.
When God has spoken, when He has determined in His heart that His judgements shall come to pass then indeed in Jer 4:28 it says that the earth shall mourn and the heavens shall be black. Can I suggest brothers and sisters that God has spoken. The time of judgement is at hand and of course judgement begins at the house of the Lord. Many in Christendom run to and fro looking to forces that have helped them in the past. They appeal to society at large, they appeal to the courts, they appeal to politicians and to seats of power yet their lovers will despise them;they will seek their lives.
It is a sad sight to see Christian groups appeal to politicians and other groups, these are their lovers whom they have layed down with before. Yet when the worm turns, when no matter how much you try to make yourself attractive to them, they will ultimately despise you and seek your life. Politicians used to need the Evangelical vote and they courted them and Christendom loved to have it so. Now, rapidly, the Christian vote is becoming a liability to politicians of all stripes.
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Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, prophecy, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: Christendom | 3 Comments »
Posted by appolus on May 6, 2015
Though the waters roar and are troubled
And the mountains fall to the sea
And the earth cries out for it’s filled with pains
My heart is stilled for my God reigns
Though the night has come with its darkness
And the world is ablaze with its sin
The waters rise and come in like a flood
My heart is stilled for I’m covered by His Blood
Though the whole world falls still I’ll follow
I will follow to the ends of the earth
Though fires burn and the skies fall down
My heart is stilled for He’s all around
So let not your hearts be troubled
Nor be moved when the mountains crumble
Let the skies fall down let the fires burn
For we know our Redeemer shall soon return
My heart is stilled in the palm of His hand
It is quiet in the depths of His love
It rests beneath the shadow of His wing
In the depths of the dungeon you will still here me sing
Glory and majesty praise to our God
He is worthy of all praise and all honor
Let us stand for His glory and let us be filled
For He is my refuge and my heart it is stilled
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, poetry, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Leave a Comment »
Posted by appolus on May 5, 2015
Psa 46:5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
God is in the midst of His people, He has set up His tabernacle right in the center of the Body of Christ. Can you imagine, the God of all the universe dwells with us! Where two or three are gathered there He is, at the very heart of it all. He is our strength, He is our refuge, He is a very present help in time of need. Any force that comes against us has to deal with God Almighty.
Now brothers and sisters, we are tested on this. Even the Lord Himself cried out from the cross ” My God, My God why has thou forsaken me?” Have you ever felt like you have been abandoned? This feeling runs head long into the Scripture that tells us that He would never leave us nor forsake us. Something has to give. We know at the very bottom of our hearts, at the very seat of all of our affections that God is always right and His Word never fails and that despite circumstances, He is not only with us, but He is in our midst.
Now we know from Hebrews 1 that faith is the evidence of things not seen. What can you not see in your life right now brothers and sisters? Maybe you cannot see a way out of your present circumstances? Maybe a doctor has given you a dire diagnosis? Maybe you look at an ever-increasing darkness in the world and wonder where it can all possibly end? Well, I am going to tell you something that you already know. God has not abandoned His people. God has not abandoned you, no matter your circumstances. He dwells in your heart and He dwells in the midst of His people. The break of dawn is that moment that comes after a long darkness, a darkness that seems like it would never end.
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Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, prophecy, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: break of dawn, God Almighty | 8 Comments »
Posted by appolus on May 4, 2015
Joh 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
In another place God says through the Prophet “for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” It is a wonderful place to be when you can see past someone’s exterior and look into their hearts. The proud man, the man who is smug in his own outward behavior is totally blind to the fact that the Lord knows the secrets of a mans heart. You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time but a man can never fool God at any time. Saul was the obvious choice for King of Israel. He was tall and handsome and no doubt had charisma. David on the other hand was but a shepherd boy, just a lad, but God knew their hearts.
In Jeremiah 17 God says “But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” It is true is it not, the Lord is the searcher and the examiner of all motives? It is less about what you do rather it’s about why you do it. Jesus in John 7 was addressing the fact that they were angry enough to kill Him because He healed a man on the Sabbath. Men, so blinded by outward appearance, cared nothing for the sick man. They were the guardians of the Law and it had afforded them a position, and all they were truly interested in was their position and how things looked to other men.
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Posted by appolus on May 3, 2015
(Matt 5:13)You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty 
again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
So much of American Christianity is wrapped in their flag. Yet there is a wider problem in Christendom that goes well beyond the borders of the United States. It lies at the very heart of the religion of Christianity as opposed to the reality of Christ. True Christianity is indeed about becoming by grace what Christ is by nature. Yet the history of the Christian church from the time of Constantine to now has been about how to merge the church and the state. In order to do that the church has sanctioned wars and called it ” just wars.” This is the preposterous notion that the teachings of Jesus and the life of Christ in us are suspended in times of war and that it is perfectly okay to kill and maim you enemies if sanctioned by the state. Somehow the state over-rules Christ in times it deems to be emergencies.
This is no different from the Jewish leaders sacrificing to Roman gods inside the temple so as to preserve the temple system of worship and in doing so preserved their own place in society. If the visible church had opposed wars over the centuries they would have been driven out of public life and compelled to be an underground church. And therefore the church that we now know would not exist as it would have been an underground persecuted church. It would be a heck of a lot smaller but it would be the most powerful force on the planet as opposed to the weak and anemic world version we now see.If every professing saint in Europe had refused to take up arms in the last several hundred years, there would have been no wars, including the two world wars.
Without the support of the established religious church, war could not exist as we know it in the west. What men have created, what men have forged together is now being dismantled from the inside by outside pressures. The culture is now demanding more and more of the established visible church. If it is to survive it will be forced to capitulate and the price of that capitulation is, as it always has been, truth. Thankfully God has always retained for Himself a remnant. He will have His witness and no force on earth can destroy it not even the gates of hell.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 19 Comments »
Posted by appolus on April 30, 2015
Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
Here is a wonderful declaration by Job in the very heart of his troubles. Now Job was looking ahead to Christ, the mediator, coming to earth. We look back and rejoice and can shout aloud with even greater conviction than Job; I know that my Redeemer lives for He lives inside of me!
He came and He conquered and He died and He rose again. He sits at the right hand of the Father and both the Father and the Son have taken up residence in out hearts. We know that He lives, we know Him and we love Him and we rejoice in Him even in the darkest moments of our lives. For in these dark moments there is a fire that burns in us and that fire gives off light and heat. No matter the circumstances that you endure at this very moment, your Redeemer is interceding for you. You know that word Redeemer has a connotation of family. A next of Kin who will redeem you in time of trouble, someone who would pay a ransom for you, some one who would avenge you, the word redeemer has all of these meanings and more. We know that Jesus paid it all, we know that justice was brought to earth and the enemy of our souls who had taken us hostage by sin was defeated.
So we can praise our God today. Even when Paul was imprisoned and wrote to the Philippians he encouraged them time and time again to rejoice in their salvation. Maybe you are in the midst of troubles today? Maybe you have people who would constantly put you down for what you believe or for what you stand for? Maybe you have dogs constantly barking at your heels no matter where you go? Maybe you are in the midst of sickness and disease? Perhaps a crisis of faith because you cannot see the road ahead, you cannot see around the bend but what you can see does not look good? Can you say with Job today “I know that my Redeemer lives” By faith Job was able to look ahead, despite everything he knew, that there was coming one who would plead his case. God sees your situation saint, God knows. He has not forgotten you. Your Redeemer lives. Lift up the arms that hang down today and praise Him today. Lift up your head to the sky today and begin to make declarations. There is a cloud of witnesses, there are principalities and powers, there is a strength to be found in declaring the truth to the enemy of your soul. Times are getting darker for all saints. He who restrains will not restrain for much longer. We must learn now while there is yet some light to encourage ourselves in the Lord for there are dark days ahead.
Even in chains Paul could rejoice. Even in the darkest dungeon Paul could praise God. Even as Stephen is being stoned he was filled with the Holy Spirit and could see heavenly visions. This is the power of the overcoming saint, the saints that endure to the end receive the promises of Christ. Faith is the power in which we live. The ability to see what cannot be seen, to trust when all around us is burning embers, when our life in the natural is falling apart, there in the midst of it all, stands our Redeemer. He stands brothers and sisters, He sees, He knows, He has every tear drop shed held in a bottle. He sees you wronged, He sees your pain and He wants you to know that it will not always be as it is now. The Spirit gives us eyes to see what cannot be seen and ears to hear what no ear can hear. We see His glory and we see eternity stretching out ahead of our circumstances. There is a weight of glory that awaits us saints. You may think in your heart ” this will never end,” but it will end. The hope we have is not the hope of the world where it simply wishes things will get better. Our hope is a blessed one founded on the word and the promises of God. He has gone to prepare a place for us, if it were not so He would have told us. So lift up your eyes and gaze upon the glorious eternity that lies ahead of your circumstances, and when you do, the Spirit of God will begin to fill you heart and mind and body with the ambient glory of what you can see. Can you see His glory? Look saint, with Spirit eye, look!
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: Job, my Redeemer lives, redeemer | 6 Comments »
Posted by appolus on April 27, 2015
But he gives more grace. Wherefore he says, God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble. (Jas 4:6)
The enemy is ever creating caricatures of the most powerful fundamental truths of Scripture so that people will flee from it; whether that be grace, obedience, holiness or the baptism in the Holy Spirit. He understands all too well the fundamental and elemental nature of these things to the saints. The Kingdom of God came down to us wrapped in flesh. The Kingdom had entered the world the moment Jesus was born. He walked in that power as did His disciples. He was Emmanuel, Christ with them. He would leave, but He would not leave them as orphans. He sent His Holy Spirit so He was no longer Christ with them but Christ in them and it was better for them for now the Kingdom of Heaven had taken up residence in their hearts. His Words, His teachings never change, they are the same yesterday today and forever. In fact the worlds will pass away but His word, every word that proceeds forth from His mouth stands. And we stand on it for it is like solid Rock and all other ground is sinking sand. One heart, one mind, one Body one Spirit one Truth.
God has called us to be obedient. He has called us and we walk in His grace. Holiness is an essential aspect of our Christianity. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is vital for a powerful walk with Him. We cannot pierce the hard hearts of men without this power. We cannot discern what the Spirit says to the churches without this power. Can I say that Grace and Holiness and obedience and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit are all vitally connected to one another. They are the building blocks of who we are as saints. All of those elements together create salt and light. Can we truly be a light to the world without being obedient servants to our Lord and His word? If we are not obedient to His Word can we walk in Holiness? Without Holiness can we really see God? If we cannot see God high and lifted up, if we are fallen from our first love can we move in power? If we fail to walk in a broken and a contrite state do we not quench the Holy Spirit? What do we find when we approach the throne in brokenness? Do we not find mercy and grace? Ah, grace, unmerited favor, perhaps the key to it all is a proper understanding of who we are in Christ. If we know that, if we can rejoice in the reality of knowing that we are sons and daughters of the most High God, redeemed and sanctified by His Blood, then we can understand Grace.
And so brothers and sisters, do not let the caricatures that Satan produces, the counterfeit truths, rob you of what is yours in Christ. Whether it is Grace and mercy, or Holiness or obedience or the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, all are vital to our walk and being salt and light to the world. Pursue truth whatever it may be and wherever it may take you. Dont worry that most of Christendom has thrown out the babies with the bath water. Dont worry that the world may lump you in with the counterfeit of the caricatures of Satan, for that is exactly his plan. We are not ignorant of his schemes. Continue to be lovers of the Truth no matter the opinions of men and run after it with all of your heart and mind and body and soul. In doing this you will be a true and genuine light unto a world of ever-increasing darkness.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | Tagged: fundamental truths, holy spirit | 4 Comments »
Posted by appolus on April 24, 2015
I moved to the States from Scotland in 1990. I was 26. I came to Christ a year later. After several years in America a strange thing began to happen in me and it was very unsettling. After visiting Scotland I knew I could never go ” home.” I did not belong there any more, I had moved on. Yet, I did not feel like I belonged here in the States either. I felt like a stateless person. After months of soul-searching I realized that I was actually a pilgrim and that I was on my way home to my heavenly kingdom. I was an am truly a sojourner here on this earth, belonging wholly to God and to the Kingdom of God that is and yet is to come.
Strangely enough, I would have to deal with that feeling again and it was way more unsettling and took much longer to come to terms with. I started out my Christian life as a Pentecostal for lack of a better term. My mother had attended the Assemblies of God when I was a child and was a “tongue speaking Holy Ghost Christian.” Now I did not attend that church as a child, my father was a Catholic and detested my mothers faith and so I attended the Catholic church for most of my childhood. Yet, I knew the difference. I had witnessed my mothers transformation when she ” found Jesus.” It was total and radical and had a profound effect on me. So when I came to Christ at the age of 27, it was natural for me to seek out a ” Pentecostal,” church which I did. I myself was ” baptized in the Holy Spirit,” about eight months after being radically transformed in the new birth. I want to state that my born again experience was way more radical than my baptism in the Holy Spirit. It was life changing and profound and seemed to change my very DNA. I actually had a new heart, one that was capable of love. God took a profoundly dysfunctional man, addicted to drugs and alcohol and food and sex and every type of excess and turned it all around. It was a miracle of enormous proportions, this new birth, this resurrection from the dead and I praise God above all things for it.
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Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 18 Comments »
Posted by appolus on April 23, 2015
Martin Luther writes………….”If we look aright at what people now do who reckon themselves as Evangelical and know how to talk much about Christ, there is nothing behind it. Most of them deceive themselves. They learn indeed to speak words, as a parrot repeats what people say, but their hearts do not experience them.They remain just as they are, they neither taste nor feel how true and faithful God is.”
It was true in Luther’s day and before, and so in ours. In so many circles, so much talk about Jesus but nothing behind it. The born again life is a supernatural life not a superficial life. The power of God is demonstrated in the transformed lives of men and women, such are trophies of His grace and His workmanship. First and foremost there must be a transformed life. The Kingdom of God must beat in the hearts of His followers. They must be led and guided by the Holy Spirit of the Living God. If men are not being led by the Holy Spirit then they are being led by their own souls and they deceive themselves. They speak, they write, they use words but they, as Luther says, are merely parroting what they have heard other men say. It is a regurgitation and not an impartation. Men without the Holy Spirit leading and guiding them, are like waves tossed upon the sea driven by the wind, unsound and unsettled, never learning only ever following other men. One day they will violently oppose something, and the following week when the wind changes so to will they change their unbridled minds. They are grasping in the darkness and can only parrot what they have heard and desperately try to give the appearance of one led by the Spirit.
I have found in my life that men of God are loyal and faithful and loving and true. Truth above all else drives them. Men of God from every age past were solely and wholly devoted to Truth, in every sense of that word starting with Christ. If the nature of God burns in your bones then you will be a lover of truth unto death, forsaking all things for its cause. This is the thread that runs through the ages. Some have been tested more than others on this in times past, yet the same Spirit and the same passion exists in every genuine saint. Truth, Christ, on Him alone we stand, all other ground is sinking sand. In the times present and a time soon to come, our generation will be tested by this on a scale never seen before.
The Body of Christ will stand in that day. It will be the finest hour for the Church of Christ. Yet faithless men, men who know nothing of divine love and divine loyalty, devoid of the Holy Spirit, will simply twist in the wind as they always do because they are driven and tossed by an earthly wind that makes them unstable in all their ways. They will become the deadliest enemies of the saints, accusers, night and day with a fierce jealousy that burns in their souls and turns to violence. This spirit is already rising. It is an ancient spirit and it is about to have its day. It has had its moments in time, but it is about to have its day. Who will stand in that evil day? God’s Kingdom children with royal blood coursing through their veins will stand by the power of the Holy Spirit that leads and guides and empowers them and magnifies Christ in their hearts. Amen Lord, be glorified.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: holy spirit, Martin Luther, Men of God | 7 Comments »
Posted by appolus on April 22, 2015
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Leave a Comment »
Posted by appolus on April 21, 2015
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Rom 8:1-2)
In Romans chapter 8 we see in the opening verses two distinct ways that we can live our lives and the principle is established. In verse two we see that there is a ” Spirit of Life,” in Christ and there is ” sin and death,” in the law.
How then shall we live? Is it a choice? Yes, indeed a choice. There is life in the Spirit of God when we walk according to His ways. Life, it edifies, it brings grace and mercy, it is the life of Christ, it is the Spirit of Life. The Holy Spirit has many names in the Scripture. We see here He is called the Spirit of Life. In other places He is called the Spirit of Glory. You see when we exalt the Lord Jesus then we release life and glory to those we communicate it to. When we speak together as brothers and sisters and we exalt Jesus to one another then the blessings of life are released and it affects every part of us. Lets suppose you are ill and it has become the focus of your conversation. You will know that there is typically no life in that. In fact, it often simply makes us worse when we constantly talk about the things that ail us. Yet, if we meet someone along the way and choose not to talk about ourselves or our ailments but rather talk about our Lord and His victories, can I tell you brothers and sisters heaven opens up, and down comes the presence of God. For where two or three of His own dear saints are gathered together and they are exalting God, giving praise to Jesus, focusing on Him then there is a unique corporate blessing that is promised and bestowed.
So the question is brothers and sisters, are you being used to impart life? Does your conversation edify and lift up the hearers? You know we are called to this, to walk according to the Spirit. We are called to be light and salt to the world. In Romans 8 the Holy Spirit is also called the ” Spirit of Adoption.” We have been called out to be children of the living God and by His Spirit we receive His nature. When we walk according to His nature, His Spirit, then we are a light unto the world. We bring life and we bring down the glory of God. What a beautiful calling. Make a determination in your spirit to yield to His Spirit in you. Take control of the conversations you are involved in. Yes it is good to listen, but predetermine in your heart that you will be about your Father’s business. Do it every day, I challenge you. See if life does not spring up before your very eyes as you glorify God in your daily walk. If you allow it, it will change everything.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | Tagged: brothers and sisters, Christ Jesus, holy spirit | 2 Comments »
Posted by appolus on April 21, 2015
I am but a flower
Covered by the weeds
I just want you to see me
Underneath the deeds
Oh wind of thy Spirit
Wont you blow on me
Blow with all your might
Come down and set me free
Send down fire in the rain
Set me ablaze and wash away the pain
Gaze upon me and infuse me with love
Let me gaze upon thy glory shining high above
I see your radiant glory
Burning chaff in an unfolding story
Of glory and majesty and unstoppable power
You would do it all again for a single flower
And now I see your glorious garden
As far as the eye can see
Cultivated by your sacrifice
On a cross at Calvary
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, poetry, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 2 Comments »
Posted by appolus on April 20, 2015
“When a man of God speaks as a prophet, his message is freighted with wisdom and power. When he speaks for a party, God withdraws His power and lets His servant speak without wisdom. As a prophet he may call to judgement kings and presidents. Let him obey God and stay by his commission, and he will be God’s voice to all men and all parties. Let him seek to identify his prophetic office with politics, or place his power at the disposal of a party, and he violates his office and confuses his own face. Then he speaks as a discredited prophet, and not all his pretensions to omniscience can disguise the Babel in his voice.
Preachers have been known to go all out for some newly-come politician because he spoke respectfully of God. Later events made them wish they had kept the cover on their Corona and allowed their man to prove his piety before they fastened themselves to his coattails. Christ is not a member of any political party. He stands outside of and above every party. His Kingdom is not of this world.” ( A.W.Tozer, Tozer speaks, volume 1, page 61)
If Tozer is correct in the assertions that he makes above, and I say that he is, then we are the grand-children of many discredited prophets. If Christ indeed stands outside and above every party and His Kingdom is not of this world, then should we not stand beside our Lord and Savior? Should we not be identified by our association with Christ and Him alone? It is Babel indeed to identify ourselves with anything other than Christ. In every election to come it will not only be Babel but also Sodom and Gomorrah that will be heard in the voices of the parties. The total corruption of the political class in America and the Republic is almost complete. All parties have been bought and paid for, lock stock and barrel. Politicians are but mere puppets for their rich masters.
Should saints of the most High God be associated with such corruption? Is the end results of this system not proof enough of its carnality and ultimate demise? As the darkness approaches and the pillars of truth are torn down in the public square should Christians naively continue to participate in the most corrupt of men’s systems? Perhaps if you believe that Christ is not at the door then maybe one could believe that somehow the vast cultural shift can somehow be righted? Yet, even if Christ did not return for another thousand years the Bible tells us that in the last days it will be like the days of Noah. Jesus says in Matt 24:37-38 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark.
What were the days of Noah like to which Jesus spoke of? Gen 6:5 “The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” Can I suggest brothers and sisters that we are entering into such a time? The birth pangs have begun and the whole world shakes under violence and evil and a turning away from right. Truth is assaulted daily in the public square, absolute truth is mocked from the highest stations to the lowest. This world is a juggernaut and it is running towards its own destruction. Christ is at the door. The answer and the only possible hope, just like Noah’s ark, is Christ Himself. He is our ark and He has presented Himself as such to the world. Let us be found in this Ark, for this Ark is our salvation and that alone. All else is Babel and Sodom.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, prophecy, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 3 Comments »
Posted by appolus on April 19, 2015
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
A few years ago my family and I were on holiday. One of the things we had always wanted to do was zip lining and there in Vancouver Island was the perfect place to do just that. To get to the top of the mountain to zip line down, you had to take a four-wheeler up. It was rugged terrain and a narrow path but breathtakingly beautiful. The young man who was riding the four-wheeler was like most young men, a tad reckless it seemed. I was shooting some video and on this video my wife is struggling to get her seat belt locked and clicked. We laugh now about her worried demeanor but it took almost the entire trip up the mountain for her to get her seat-belt clicked. In her immediate concerns for her situation she missed out on the splendor and the majesty of the mountain going up.
How many of us are living our lives taken up with our immediate concerns? Life just continues to pass us by. We are so busy trying to “push our seat-belts in,” with the concerns of life, one after another, day after day, that life is literally passing us by. The glory and the splendor of life itself, the majesty of Gods creation all around us, yet all missed as the minutia of so much of our lives dominates everything. There is a tyranny involved here. There is a slavery involved. The Lord Himself told us to ” seek ye first the Kingdom of God,” in our lives and all those other things shall be added to us. The Kingdom of God is a living reality and it is ever-present, it was not a one time deal at salvation.
As young people we often spent much of the time wishing our lives away and as older people we bemoan how quickly time is passing. In all of this tyranny and slavery to time, either future or past, the present is lost. Our God is an ever-present God. He is the God of the here and the now. It is today that we revel in His presence. It is today that we know we are alive, yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not guaranteed. If we spend all of our time trying to ” push the seat-belt in,” then how can we live in the Kingdom reality of God which is righteousness and peace and joy? Do you find yourself constantly concerned about the things of tomorrow? Are you worried about time slipping away?
The antidote to the tyranny of time is the freedom that is found in His presence right here in the present. It has to be sought and there is a diligence in the seeking but there is also a reward in the finding. To seek we have to suspend. Suspend what? The worries and the concerns of life must be put to rest. Just seeking God every day is a huge step away from the tyranny of this world brothers and sisters. When we leave the concerns of this world behind by faith, then we begin the journey into the heart of God. We begin to see His beauty that is all around us, we begin to be aware of His grandeur. And then suddenly He is there. No one can predict it and no one can formulate it for it can never be bottled and sold.
His very presence is our ever-present help. Our seeking His Kingdom and His presence is the narrow path in the journey of life as we make our way from the valley’s of this world to the mountains of His Kingdom. Once you establish yourself on this path, you will jealously guard against all distractions. Walking the path will become your way of life, your very purpose for living. It will turn it all around. You will be living in and for the eternal purposes you were called for. We have to eat and we have to drink but the primary reason for being alive is life, eternal life in Christ and the Kingdom life of God that is found in the ever-present God.
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Posted by appolus on April 18, 2015
2 Cor 12:9 My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
I was walking in the rain today and the creek was running quite strong along a portion of the trail that I walk. Over the years it has gouged out quite a depth at a certain spot. It is has become several feet deeper at a particular narrow channel as the water runs faster there. It has exposed the roots of the trees that line that section. There is even a tree that has fallen over and has formed a bridge over the deep little gorge. It struck me that the deeper the waters run then the roots are exposed. If we as Christians have the deep waters of life running through us, if we allow the living waters that flow from the throne of grace to freely run through us then we become more transparent to the world. The world can see our foundations, it can see our roots, it can see who we are. It may weaken us in a sense, it may make us more vulnerable, but it will bring to light the foundations upon which we stand. No where is this more clearly apparent than in the storms of life as the waters run swift. When we are confident enough to allow the world to see not only our strengths and successes but also our weakness and failures then they world will see something authentic. They may not agree with the roots and foundations that hold us up but they will see it. God indeed is magnified much more so in our weaknesses rather than in our strengths.
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Posted by appolus on April 17, 2015
2 Chron 5:11 The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions.
There was no division brothers and sisters. They were consecrated as one. They were not divided as they carried the ark aloft into the Holy Place. Under the presence of God the priesthood is united. It is the unity of the Body that brings down the glory of God. So when the priests were one and the singers and the trumpeters stood as one, when they all glorified God together; then down came the presence of God to such a degree that the priests could not even stand because the glory of God filled the temple of God.
We are a CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that we may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light; for we once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now we are THE PEOPLE OF GOD(1 Pet 2:9-10) Praise the Lord brothers and sisters, the Word of God is true “for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” One in Christ Jesus is our calling. One in Christ Jesus is our destiny. Men may have failed miserably in this before us but the word of the Lord Jesus Christ will not fall to the floor broken. It will find its fulfillment.
Jesus says of those who would follow Him in the future, to His Father He cries out in prayer that “they all may be one; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that you have sent me. I in them, and you in me, that they may be made perfect in one. And the glory which you gave me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.” When we see that brothers and sisters, the temple shall be filled with the Glory of God such as has never been seen before. We are the temple of the Living God. He dwells not in Temples made by human hands but in the hearts of His children, each a living stone. There is a coming unity that shall be forged in the fires of persecution. Everything of this world shall be burned up in such a fire. The saints will be purified and unified by the burning coals of tribulation. And down upon this tribulation of the saints will come the Spirit of Glory.
There is one Body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith and one baptism. One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in all. And amongst the saints He gave some to be Apostles and some to be prophets and some evangelists and pastors and teachers. He gave all of these gifts that the Body of Christ may be perfected and edified until they come into the unity of the faith and the fullness of Christ. If the Apostles and the prophets and the evangelists and pastors and teachers are merely hirelings who have ignored their primary purpose here on earth, if the prime directive of God has been ignored by men who were called or who have called themselves then what shall God do? Judgement begins at the house of the Lord and God will raise up for Himself men and women who are called according to His purpose. Even now God is raising up a remnant army of saints who are lovers of the truth and not lovers of themselves or the world. A people for God’s own possession so that they may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called them out of the darkness into His marvelous light.
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Posted by appolus on April 14, 2015
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (
1Co 15:57)
Thanks be to God for the victory that we have gained through Christ our Lord and Saviour Jesus. For all of history men and woman have feared death and hell and the grave. They have feared sickness and spirits and every kind of fear that lurks in the dark place and the recesses of our hearts and soul. This has been the bondage of humanity and it manifested itself in shackles and chains. When we consider what was done at Calvary. When we consider the complete and total victory of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection. When we consider the freedom that was loosed that day, the freedom that broke every chain and every shackle, should not our spirits soar with peace and joy and celebration? He who the Son sets free is free indeed. Totally liberated, a total and final work of victory on the cross of Christ.
Brothers and sisters are you walking in that freedom today? You have been called to walk in liberation and not bound by the shackles of this world, for in the world there is fear but in the Lord there is freedom from fear. In the world there are chains of corruption but in the Lord there is liberation and purity. There is not a single genuine saint that does not have the power within him to rise up and walk victoriously over every burden, every chain, every fear. It is what we are called to and it is what we have been equipped for. The same Spirit that abides in you is the Holy Spirit of the Living God who raised Jesus from the dead. It is the same Spirit that caused David to run at Goliath. It is the same Spirit that dwelt in the Hebrew children who spoke to the mightiest man in the world and told him that they would never bow down to his gods. It is a Spirit of Love and it is a Spirit of power and it is a Spirit of a sound mind.
Your destiny as a saint is to be an overcomer. One who can, by the power of God endure all things and yet glorify God. One who can be more that a conquerer in Christ. This is true in every walk of life and in every generation. It is true in our personal walks and corporately as the Body. It will be even more apparent in the near future as the forces of darkness descends upon the world at large. The gross darkness that is to assault the Church can only be combated in and by the power of the Holy Spirit who magnifies the Lord Jesus Christ in us. Corporately and personally the opportunity to walk in Christ and the victory He achieved for us at Calvary is increasing daily. To Him be the glory!!!
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Posted by appolus on April 13, 2015
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Joh_18:36
Jesus says that His Kingdom is not of this world. There is a Kingdom and there is a King and He rules and reigns on His throne. Some in eschatological circles would have you believe that the enemy is not yet crushed but he is crushed. Some would tell you that a future physical kingdom has to be established on this earth for the fulfillment of previous prophecies but they are all fulfilled in Christ. His was the victory at Calvary. The power of Satan was crushed at Calvary. There was total victory at Calvary. The power of the enemy was fully and forever vanquished right there. Any teaching that says differently is an assault on the totality of Calvary and the resurrection of Christ. The nations have not been deceived in these last days but have been willfully ignorant and rebellious to the Word of God and the victory of Calvary.
We are in this world but we are not of this world. We walk in power and the victory of the Kingdom of Christ. If the saints would only open their eyes they would see that theirs is a victorious walk. They run a race that has already been won. They fight in a war that has already had its outcome at Calvary. Peace is theirs, joy is theirs and righteousness is theirs. It has been established. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. (Rev 12:10)
You see brothers and sisters, salvation has come and strength and the Kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ. All this came at Calvary. The accuser of the brethren was cast down, exposed and humiliated at the cross. Now with great rage he began his war against the saints but he was restrained because they overcame Him by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of their testimony and the fact that they loved not their lives even unto death. There is coming a time when he will not be restrained in his war against the saints.
For these the last of the last days are coming upon us and the Scriptures say we, the saints around the world, the Body of Christ, must be delivered into his hands and he will overcome us. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. (Rev 13:7) Now that word overcome in the Greek means to conquer. And the world will rejoice and celebrate the seeming victory, just as the hordes of hell must have celebrated their ” victory,” at Calvary. You see, for a time, as Jesus hung there dead upon the cross, all seemed lost. Yet the Father had allowed the Son to suffer and die for you and I.
Yet brothers and sisters we know how the story ended at Calvary! And we know how the story ends in Revelation. And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. (Rev 22:4-5) And so brothers and sisters, stand strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. The time is coming soon when we shall be called to face the full fury of hell and all of its hordes as it makes its last stand, but the victory has already been won. Their fate is sealed. For a few moments in time hell shall rejoice but only for a moment. Our Christ shall come in all His glory in the sky for every one to see. We shall be with Him and those few saints still alive here on earth shall join them in the sky as the Lion of Judah comes to end it all and establish for all time that which begun at Calvary.
You have the power today brothers and sisters, walk in it. Let no lie from hell rob you of your sight and your joy and your peace. You are covered by the Blood and you are a living epistle read of men, a witness to the world, and you love not your own lives or you would have never given it up in the first place to be born again. He who loses His life for Christ’s sake shall gain eternal life. We do not have to be martyred to “lose our lives,’ but their must be a willingness in us to give our all for Him. This is the power, this is the Kingdom and this is the glory and all victory flows from this.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, prophecy, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: Calvary, not of this world | 2 Comments »
Posted by appolus on April 11, 2015
I know why I stand
I stand because of you
I can walk through burning fields
And fly in skies of blue
I dwell in high and lofty realms
And darkened dungeons I dwell too
I do it all and stand this day
I stand this day because of you
In lavender shades and purple hues
In evening skies of reds and blues
My heart enraptured by it all
In Him alone I stand or fall
Come Lord Jesus fill the sky
To live or die we’ll glorify
The Risen Son the chosen One
Till our last breath and the race is done
And so I stand and I know why
I stand this day because of You
Before the world I’ll testify
You are the Lord, forever true.
Read more poetry by Frank McEleny here https://www.facebook.com/PoemsFromFrank
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Posted by appolus on April 10, 2015
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, prophecy, revival, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 4 Comments »
Jer 4:30…. Though you clothe yourself with crimson, Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, Though you enlarge your eyes with paint, In vain you will make yourself fair; Your lovers will despise you; They will seek your life.
A Call To The Remnant 