Archive for the ‘revival’ Category
Posted by appolus on November 9, 2020
Saints are you ready? God is sending a refining fire. Our God is a consuming fire. The fire, as we speak, is being kindled. You may have heard talk of revival. There is something coming that is so much higher than revival. There is something coming that the world has never seen before. A Church united by persecution. An ancient unity first spoken of in John 17 by the Lord Jesus Himself. A Church arising from the ashes of mediocracy. A Church ushered into the glory.
And on the other side of that is the unity of the world. A world unified by the brotherhood of man. A world united by it’s hatred of everything that opposes its own virtues. A bold enraged world that is about to initiate a grand inquisition. In every town and in every city and in every nation of the world there will come the question. “Will you bow down?” Will you bow down to the gods of this world? The tower of Babel is rising from its ancient foundations. It will rise up in rebellion against Jesus.
If you refuse to work on the construction of this tower then a united world will turn on you. And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.(Mat 10:21-22) Saints, your family will turn on you. If liking President Trump split families, what do you suppose will happen when Jesus becomes the issue?
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another (Mat 24:9-10) This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come…..they shall be…without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, without self control, fierce, despisers of those that are good….traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God……having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof(1 Tim 1:5) I put it to you saints that this generation has arisen before our very eyes. We raised them.
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools…..For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet…..And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind. (Rom 1:21:28)
Saints we are dealing with a world given over to a reprobate mind. We are that generation and as such we have been called to stand in the evil day, to not be ashamed of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The whole Gospel, and the truth upon which it is founded. This is the power of God. This is the fire of His refining. The fire comes in the reaction of a Godless world to the God of all creation burning in the hearts of His saints. We are the match that lights the fire. It is the Truth and our love for it that will be the last piece of evidence against a world that has rejected God.
We have been called for such a time as this. A glorious calling. A final calling at the end of the ages. A calling that sees us walk in the unity that Jesus spoke of. The glory of that unity shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. The cost? Everything. The enemy is coming in like a flood and God is raising up a standard. He has called us up to higher ground. He has called us forth to raise His banner high. The banner of Truth. And when one of us is taken by the enemy and destroyed, another rushes forward and hoists it high over the battle-field.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high his royal banner,
It must not suffer loss.
From victory unto victory
His army shall he lead,
Till every foe is vanquished,
And Christ is Lord indeed.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Posted by appolus on November 8, 2020
Keeping short accounts. This is one of the most vital aspects of our walk with Christ. The Scriptures tell us to be angry and sin not, but not to let the sun go down on our anger. Letting the sun go down on our anger is like a beaver putting one more stick in the dam. One more stick in the river. It keeps building and building and it slowly begins to choke of the water. Stick by stick, offense by offense, laying on top of one another, rising up into something bigger and bigger and bigger. Unresolved issues permeating our hearts and affecting every part of who we are.
There comes a point when the river is dammed up. It is no longer flowing. It is going to take an almighty effort now to break that dam and when it is broken, it comes rushing down in torrents, full of flooding power and debris. It is a big mess. It is so important that there is not this kind of buildup, that there is always a free flowing river, for this is the river of life that flows from the throne of grace straight to your heart. It is the source of your joy and strength in the Lord. This is the river that makes glad the hearts of the saints.
So keep a short account. If you fall out with your husband or your wife, do not let the sun go down on that situation. First, forgive them or ask for forgiveness depending upon the situation. And then put flesh on that forgiveness. It could simply be a kiss on the cheek. A cup of coffee. Reaching out and holding their hand. A warm smile. Very small things in the bigger picture of life, but sometimes an incredibly hard obstacle to overcome. Do it. It is the manifestation of forgiveness. It is your forgiveness made flesh. It is a proof and a seal to the work that has been done in your heart. It is so often a bridge over a chasm that has opened up.
Keeping a short account is to keep the river of life flowing. It is a spiritual artery from heaven that brings life giving sustenance straight to your heart. The condition of your heart is the most vital aspect of your walk with Jesus. It is from the heart that the issues of life flow forth. If it gets dammed up you have choked yourself of from that abundant life. It is hard to survive living on trickle, it is spiritual death when the river has dried up.
Get of the roller coaster of highs and lows, trickles and floods and life sapping drama. Instead, keep the river flowing. Make no mistake, it is by an act of our will and obedience to the Word of God and the still small voice that keeps us well watered. Start today saints and flow in the waters of life.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Posted by appolus on November 7, 2020
I believe God ordained President Trump so that the hypocrisy of those who spoke about tolerance was exposed and their true hatred and intolerance revealed.. Secondly, what has happened in the last four years is like the drawing back on the bowstring. Back, back, back, almost at straining point, and then……..release.
A torrent of dammed up hatred against the saints is on the very verge of being released. The four years was a temporary alleviation of a global march by the elites. Just for a moment, with Brexit and President Trump it looked like globalism had been dealt a death blow. Now it has sprung to life again and is angrier, bolder, more arrogant and more dangerous than it ever was before. It no longer feels the need to hide behind the masquerade of tolerance. Stand fast saints.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 10 Comments »
Posted by appolus on November 6, 2020
There is a direct correlation between unconditional love for God and peace. Is your love for God conditional? In many ways we wont know that until we face a certain set of circumstances and those circumstances are different for everyone, God knows though. That is why that while there is one narrow path through this world the saints experience that path differently.
The circumstances of your life will tell the tale. The more we love God unconditionally the more we walk in peace. The greater the witness. One might argue that unconditional is unconditional. There cannot be more unconditional or less unconditional. I would agree with that in the abstract. Yet in the practical working out of our lives and our salvation, we often discover, to our horror, that we are not what we thought ourselves to be. Meaning that we fail in certain circumstances. We fall down. In the failing and the falling down, we see how far we fall short of His glory. We see our desperate need for Jesus and the absolute imperative that we surrender all, actually surrender all as opposed to merely singing with feelings that precious old Hymn “I surrender all.”
So unconditional love for God means that we make no deals. It is God that says to us “if you do this.” The Scriptures are full of the word “If.” What can never happen is the opposite. We can never say to God “if you do this.” We worship a Holy God for no other reason that He is a Holy God and He is deserving of our worship, quite apart and distinct from our personal circumstances, no matter how good or how dire they are. Unlike our circumstances, God never changes.
In the natural we understand the phrase “Unconditional surrender.” The Germans and the Japanese both discovered what that meant. Have you unconditionally surrendered to God this day? Have you surrendered your husband or your wife? Your nation? Your children? Your finances, your standing in this world? Your reputation? Whatever percentage you hold back for yourself, it will directly detract from your walk with Jesus and the peace that surpasses all understanding. Identify within yourself what you have held back. Surrender it. The high water mark is complete and total unconditional surrender. How do you measure up?
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Posted by appolus on November 6, 2020
“Lest the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ.” (2 Cor 4:4)
I want to focus on “The Gospel of the glory of Christ.” What is the Gospel of the glory of Christ? We know that the word Gospel means good news, so we could say it is the good news of the glory of Christ. Do you know the glory of Christ? If the good news itself is about the glory of Christ, is it possible to share the Gospel if you yourself have not experienced the glory of Christ? And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one (Joh 17:22) Jesus is saying that His glory comes from the Father and that He has given us this very same glory. And why? So that we may be one. So, without the glory we cannot be one with Father and the Son and we cannot be one in the oneness of the Body. Have you been given the glory? And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) Have you saw His glory?
Do you know the Glory, have you been given the glory and have you seen the glory? In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple ( Isa 6:1) Have you had a vision of God? Have you experienced His manifest presence? In Hebrews chapter one it is stated that Jesus is the radiance of His glory. And so, if we know Jesus then we know the light that emanates from God Himself, this light is the glory of God. Many of have seen the corona of the sun when an eclipse occurs .The corona is the aura that surrounds and emanates from the sun. It is only at the moment when the moon blocks out the sun that we dare gaze upon it and see the aura. To gaze fully into the sun itself would render us blind. The glory of God is the aura that emanates from Jesus. He is so Holy that we can only know Him by His aura. Jesus is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature. By taking on flesh Jesus was like the moon that enabled us to look with unveiled eyes about the radiance of the glory of God without destroying us mere mortals in the process.
We must know His glory. His glory is a gift from the Lord Himself, He allows Himself to be seen by the power of the Holy Spirit. We see His glory, we stand in awe, just like Isaiah, at the glory of God. We ourselves would be undone if it were not for Jesus. We could not stand in that place unless we were covered by His blood. By becoming one in the Father and the Son we can stand in the glory. We can bask in the radiance of His glory. We are empowered and renewed and strengthened by the glory. We rise up by the power of the glory. We speak of Him only by the empowering presence of His glory. In short, we do all things by the glory of God and for the glory of God and without the glory we can do nothing. Can you see how important the glory is? It is the power of God and the beauty of God and the holiness of God. If we would walk in the beauty and the holiness and the power of God we must know the glory of God. Do you know His glory?
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, 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, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Posted by appolus on November 4, 2020
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
I had a dog named Jack. One of my favorite dogs. He walked without a leash, every dog I have had walks without a leash. Jack could be in full flight after a rabbit and I could call him of and he would return to me. When a bike would approach him on the trail he sat. When other dogs would pass him he ignored them. He would run the fields and the tall grass in front of me as we walked.
To get to that point it took discipline and consistency over time. There was a sternness to my voice when needed and punishment too when required. Yet, because he and I had the proper relationship, and he understood his need to submit, his need for obedience, his brokenness so to speak, it was Jack that reaped the rewards. I would say that he had more freedom than any other dog in the neighborhood. This has been my experience with the Lord. I am sure some will object to the master/dog analogy but for me it really fits. As a young man and a young Christian ( i came to the Lord at 26) I was very headstrong, rebellious and undisciplined. I marvel at the patience of my Master, my trainer. I too experienced discipline and I would say that it came mostly in the Lord allowing me to suffer the consequences of my actions. If He had shielded me from them I doubt I would have ever learned a thing.
Another aspect of my dog was that he always kept me in his line of sight. He could be fifty yards away but as long as he could see me, as long as he knew I was there, he was at rest in his activities. He could be dashing around the tall grass and suddenly his head would come up, see where I was, and then he was back to his activities. His world revolved around his proximity to his master and all was right with his world as long as he could see me and was close to me. Do you keep the Lord close? Can you see Him high and lifted up? Do you follow Him at a distance as opposed to walking side by side?
Now consider the un-disciplined dog. He walks with his leash and is always straining against it. He never gets to run, he never gets to explore, his master cannot trust him and always has to keep him on a tight leash. The disobedient dog will never experience freedom. The unruly dog is forever confined. He is constantly being choked as he pulls against his leash. Can I suggest that this is the experience of many saints, the saint who will not yield to discipline, who will not be mastered, whose will is forever clashing with the will of the Master. Jesus must be our Lord, He cannot only be our Savior. Do not listen to any theologian who would tell you otherwise.
To be obedient to the Lord is to be free. The brokenhearted and the contrite saint is the free saint. We have been called to freedom. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Gal 5:1) For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives (Heb 12:6) Will you be free? Then will you bow the knee? It is in the bowing of the knee, the yielding of the spirit and the obedience to His word and voice that throws of the shackles of sin and produces a freedom and a peace that surpasses understanding.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Posted by appolus on November 2, 2020
My fellow Americans. There is a tension in the air, is there not? An anxiousness. Its kinda hard to describe. I remember standing waiting for the leather belt in Catholic school. You knew what was coming, the deed had been done, the sentence handed down, and now you were just waiting for the punishment. Outside the class, outside the assistant headmasters room. Sometimes inside the class, where there was five other guys getting belted before you. A wee bit of a knot in the stomach.
Or perhaps someone challenged you to a fight after school. In my world the phrase was “your claimed.’ So, inevitably it would be a long day until the bell rang. Instead of a day it has been more like a year In America and the bell is about to ring. You get this inner sense that America stands betwixt two points and whatever way it goes there can be no turning back. There are multiple ramifications no matter which way it goes. Yet it was always good to get the belt over with. It was always good to get the fight over with. Some kind of sense of relief. Even a bad report from the doctor is better than the not knowing.
To my brothers and sisters in Christ, this is an excellent opportunity to strike a blow against anxiousness. Do it now, do it before the vote is cast so to speak. Show the Lord that your faith means something, your trust means something. Scripture tells us that the just shall live by faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Trusting in God, what a wonderful affirmation of your love for Him and who He actually is. I believe our whole sanctification is measured by the barometer of trust/faith. We are called to cast all of our cares upon Jesus. Casting a vote is one thing, but to cast all your cares upon Jesus is the very essence of our lives in Christ. By an act of the will, do it today, do it now.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Posted by appolus on November 2, 2020
1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
The greatest revelation of God in my life has come in the midst of my needs. It has not come in my wants or desires or accomplishments it has come in my needs. The greater the need the greater the revelation. The second time of greatest revelation of God in my life has come when I have sinned against Him. There is no deeper humiliation for a saint than to have failed his Lord badly. Yet, when I approached the throne of grace with my head hung low and with a spirit within that was crying out ” woe is me for I am undone,” then suddenly I am encountered with love and forgiveness even although I myself had desired punishment and penance to atone somehow for my sin. Now I am undone not because of my unworthiness but because of the realization of the depths of His love and faithfulness to me. It is His holiness that saves, it is his grace that is sufficient and it is His faithfulness that will never fail. He increases in my heart and I decrease as I realize the very source of all that I am in Him and in Him alone.
If our sins lead to humility and repentance and brokenness before the throne where we receive a greater and deeper revelation of who God is, and they do, then would not the enemy of our souls do everything in his power to keep us from this place? And the easiest and most effective way to do that is to convince us that we never have to seek that place out. Do not be fooled saints, God is glorified and revealed to us in the depths of our needs, our infirmities and our failures. Should we then seek to be in need or to be infirm or to sin so that God may be glorified?
God forbid. I can guarantee that you wont have to seek out needs or infirmities or sin. They will find you because you are finite and corruptible. But an infinite God will one day raise you up in in-corruption. And until that day comes His grace will be sufficient for you. He will meet you in the depths of your needs. He will be faithful to forgive all of your sins when you come before Him and confess them. And in all of that you are drawn ever deeper into the heart of the Father.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Posted by appolus on October 30, 2020
(Jas 1:2-4) My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into many kinds of temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith produces patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Trials and tribulations will ultimately bring out the best in genuine Christians and the worse in the religious man. The harder the circumstances get for the genuine Christian, the more he is forced to his knees and driven deeper into the heart of the Father. He is humbled and contrite as he understands how weak he is and how much flesh he still has. Ultimately the results of this is more love, more peace, more forgiveness and more understanding.
The harder the circumstances become for the religious man, the more bitter he becomes. He has no joy or peace. He will not forgive his enemies and his hatred for those he perceives to have caused his sufferings increases dramatically. So, the trial and the deep valley is death to one and life to another. The flesh dies and the spirit rises.
The genuine saint faces the same danger as the one who has never known Jesus if he reacts in the same manner as that one. The difference will be their love for the word of God and their love for God Himself. A saint is motivated by His love for God and his passion for the truth that is written, not only in the Word but upon his heart. It is the driving force of his life. It is his very heartbeat, the essence of who he is.
Nothing else matters when sin disturbs this, it has to be put right for the alternative is distance between him and the one that he loves. When you find yourself in the midst of troubles of any kind dear brother and sister, resist the flesh’s desire to run into a dark corner and react as the world reacts. Do the opposite of what the flesh demands of you, draw near to God and He will draw near to you and you will grow in the Lord and in the power of His might.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
Posted by appolus on October 29, 2020
For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. (Isa 54:6-8)
The times in which we live are like no other times in history. We are approaching the end of ages and the birth pangs have begun and everything that can be shaken is being shaken. This is true not only of our denominations and institutions, but also our secular institutions and governments. Now, what is true for institutions and churches is also true for individuals. God’s people are being tested in ways that they have never been tested before as individuals and in their personal walk with the Lord. Are you feeling forsaken today? Your faith in God maybe steadfast but you feel forsaken. Not only do you live in a barren land but that barrenness has also touched your own soul. Not only do you feel barren but trials have mounted one on top of the other and it seems that you are under judgement. I want to encourage you today saint, the afflictions of the land is touching your soul.
You do indeed live in a barren land and your righteous soul is vexed, could it be any other way? If judgement indeed begins at the house of the Lord, that judgment will affect you. Perhaps you have had to leave your church? Or, perhaps you are still there and are totally dismayed by the worldliness that surrounds you? Either way, you seem to be in a place that is hopeless? I want you to read the promise of God quoted above.
But with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.
And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. (1Sa 1:6-7)
Can you see the agony of Hannah? She herself was surrounded by fertile women but her womb was closed and this caused her to be ridiculed by her adversary. Perhaps there is little or nothing to show for your own walk with the Lord? Perhaps you hear the enemy whisper in your own ear that all you strivings and longings have produced nothing? If we look at the state of Israel in the midst of Hannah’s troubles we see something very disturbing.
1Sa 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
Can you see what was happening in the days of Eli? The word of the Lord was precious or rare and there was no open vision. People could not hear from God, the heavens were closed and when that happens then the flesh rises up and consumes. It is a bitter circle. It starts with disobedience and that creates distance from God until the voice of God grows silent and the flesh begins to dominates everything. Principally it begins with leadership, the priesthood, and the people follow suit. We see that the priesthood of Eli’s time was exceedingly wicked, demonstrated by his own two sons. This led to a famine in the land of the hearing of God’s revelation.
Can I suggest that we live in such a land. The vast majority of the shepherds have gone the way of the world and this has resulted in a famine of the revealed word of God in the land. The people starve through lack of true vision and word. In the end of Eli’s time, they even sought to use ark of the covenant in order to gain a victory over their enemies and the result was they lost the ark itself. All of their identity is taken away by a worldly enemy of theirs that they proved by their actions to be no different than.
Hannah’s distress leads to the birth of Samuel, one who hears from God. The distress of the family of Eli which represents the priesthood leads to the birth of Ichabod, displaying for all to see that the presence of God has departed. We can see this today. Ichabod and the priesthood of Eli is represented by what passes for Christendom and Samuel represents God’s remnant people here on earth. Now, I want you to see in a another place where there is a separation of the ark of God from the people of God and what I believe God is showing me what that means.
Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to-morrow the LORD will do wonders among you. (Jos 3:4-5)
In this passage Joshua and the children of Israel are about to cross the Jordan into the promised land. As you know, they have wandered in the wilderness for forty years. Their fearfulness and lack of faith has condemned them to wander in circles until every one of fighting age in that generation had passed away, they would not enter the promised land. Now at last it was time. Can I suggest brothers and sisters that our generation has come to the very edge of the ages. It is not the Jordan that lies before us but it is the end of the ages that lie before us and we are about to see that place that the Lord Himself has prepared for us. This is our tumultuous time.
Now the ark of the Covenant and where it was positioned has always been highly significant in the Old Testament. David of course found this out the hard way, Eli heard of its capture and dies, Solomon places it in the temple and the shekinah glory falls. The Ark of the Covenant dominated the holy of Holies and represented the beating heart of God. When the Israelites moved from place to place they would set up their tabernacle in the midst of the people with the Ark of the Covenant at the very center. When they moved the Ark it was moved in the midst of the people. So we can see when it is removed from its regular place it becomes highly significant. Always remember , the Ark of the Covenant represents the presence of God. So, in the above passage we see that just prior to the children passing over into the promised land that the Ark is moved ahead of the people by two thousand cubits and they were told not to come near it. Now, two thousand cubits is just a little shy of a mile.
Now why do you suppose that the Ark is moved a mile in front of the people when its typical place was in the midst of the people? Does there seem to be distance between you and God right now? Your faith has not left you and you have been so used to have the presence of God in your midst but now there seems to be a distance between you and God. Can I suggest that the Ark was moved to the front of the people, a mile in front of the people so that they could follow God Himself to the very point of crossing over. A great miracle was just about to happen, the Jordan would be stopped so that the way could be made for them to enter into the promised land. All of God’s children would know that it was not by might nor by any power of their own but that it was by His Spirit and His Spirit alone that they would be taken from their wilderness wanderings into the promised land.
Can I tell you brothers and sisters that the Lord’s coming is at hand. We will pass from this world soon into that place that God has prepared for us. You have not been forsaken and with great mercies He shall gather you. In a little wrath God has hidden His face but with great mercies and everlasting kindness God will finish that which He has begun. Yes He has taken His place out in front of us but only so all can see and follow Him and trust Him. The time is at hand brothers and sisters, the whole earth is being shaken because the Bride-groom is returning for His Bride. Stand fast and follow the Lord brothers and sisters, put on the full armor of God for the times are drawing to their close and with great turbulence this world is coming to its end. And the Lord will lead and guide His people and He will be with us as we pass through the waters.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Posted by appolus on October 28, 2020
Neh 8:10 for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
The seasons of God are good and there is a time for weeping and mourning. Yet if that is all that we have, if we live forever in a perpetual winter of weeping and mourning, whether that is in our personal walk or in our ministries, then nothing will ever grow. We will not grow or flourish in the knowledge of God. Yes there is conviction in the presence of God. There is a time to rent our clothes and throw dust on our heads, yet if this one season becomes the whole then we render ourselves weak and ineffectual. Our real strength comes in the Joy of the Lord. If we cannot put on a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness then we will not stand in the evil day. We will be overcome by trial and tribulation and persecution.
When the Israelites were captured and taken away from Jerusalem, their captors sat them down by the river of Babylon and taunted them. They said to them, “let’s hear your songs of Zion now.” And the Israelites, once famous for their songs of praise to God, hung their harps on the willow trees, unable to sing, overcome in their spirits. The enemy had not only robbed them of their earthly freedom, they had been robbed of their joy. They no longer had a song in the night. The willow tree represents sadness and weeping. Can you imagine how powerful it would have been if the Israelites, trusted in a mighty God to eventually redeem them. This would have been an exercise in faith, the same faith that Abraham exercised when he knew in his heart and trusted that God would provide a sacrifice for Issac.
The Lord inhabits the praises of His people. In His presence there is fullness of joy. The joy of the Lord is your strength. You see how that works brothers and sisters? You see where it starts? Trusting in Him, praising Him even in the darkness and out of that praise comes joy and out of that joy comes strength. Not just spiritual strength in my opinion, but also physical strength. One effects the other. Praise God today, trust in Him and wait upon Him and He will raise you up. You will run and not grow weary, you will walk and not faint and you will rise up with eagles wings in the presence of God.
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Posted by appolus on October 27, 2020
Religion is just one more form of enslavement. It wraps its tentacles around every part of who we are and crushes the life out of us. It portrays itself as the saver but is in fact the slayer. It is an imposter, a chameleon that pretends to be all things to all people. It pretends to give while all the time taking. It feeds its monstrous appetites while it’s victims starve to death. What a grand deception.
Starving to death and not even realizing your hunger and all the time you are wasting away. An emaciated people starved by a grotesque monster that presents itself as an angel of light. Look again, stare deeply into the eyes of this “angel.” They are blood red and cold. Merciless and without natural affection. This entity, even in the midst if its delusion, can barely conceal its maniacal hatred for the ones who follow it.
If religion is all about deception and taking then Jesus is the antidote to it all. While religion takes and enslaves, He sacrificed and freed the captives. While religion crushes the heart, Jesus restores that which was crushed. While religion starves its followers, Jesus feeds the hungry. While religion is aloof and separate from its adherents, Jesus makes His home in His children’s heart. He feeds us, He dines with us, he laughs with us and He cries with us. In short, He enters into a relationship with us and we become one with Him.
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Posted by appolus on October 27, 2020
In the ancient world, oftentimes men would sell themselves into slavery just to eat and put a roof over their heads. In fact, it was not just the ancient world, but in our own western world men and women would join the clergy or some order of nuns and monks to put food on the table. For hundreds of years men would join the army or the navy for the same reasons. They were selling themselves into slavery in order to survive. When men and women are hungry, it tends to captivate the mind. Not a lot of room for the luxury of contemplation or philosophy when you are open to the elements and have not eaten in days.
Likewise, people put themselves under the authority of lords and warlords for centuries. The grand bargain being that they would be protected and in return they would serve their “masters.” People were also enslaved to religion because not only were they afraid of death, but they were also terrified of the what would happen to them in the world beyond this one. So, religion thrived along with witch-doctors and so on. Mankind has always had these great fears. Poverty, sickness and death.
Now in our modern world we may think that we have moved beyond all of that. We have not, quite the opposite. We are moving into an age where scientists are the new overlords. And what empowers them? Fear of death. Fear of disease that leads to death. And in our age of communication, we can spread that fear and reinforce that fear every single day right where the people are. Now, imagine an unholy alliance between science and government and leaders of industry. This is the age where total control over all the populations of the world is a possibility. And, it would be voluntary. Just as voluntary as the men and woman who sold themselves into slavery in the ancient world.
I believe that by government and industry and scientists making themselves indispensable to the general population, then we are on the precipice of complete control. It will be presented as a virtuous service to humanity and the planet itself. We must do what we are told not only for our own good but for the general good of society and if we do not capitulate then we are a danger to the general good. Now, all of this rests upon fear and especially the fear of death. There are other fears, such as the fear of being shamed or being labelled, they all play their part in control but in the end death is the greatest fear.
By and large men and women will gladly enslave themselves in exchange for security. Security of life and limb. Security of food and shelter. Threaten these in any way and it sends people into a tailspin. Their thin veneer of civilization is soon enough stripped away and we see the raw brutality of humanity. Yet the one force they most often will refuse to bow down to, even under the most dire of situations, is Jesus. Men will gladly bow down to other men if the situation warrants it, but they refuse to bow down to a Holy God. And of course the great irony is this, men and woman who genuinely bow down to Jesus are set at liberty. Liberty from what? From the forces that have shaped mankind. The fear of death and all other fears.
Oh death where is your sting, oh grave where is your victory? (1 Cor 15:55) It is swallowed up in Christ. He conquered the grave not only physically but spiritually. The chains that had bound humanity for all of its history were broken. It is a true freedom. For the saint is no longer bound by the restraints of this world and the fears thereof. It is the Lord Himself who told us that He knows the things that we need. He told us to consider the lilies of the field, how they neither toil nor spin. Consider the birds of the air. Consider even the sparrows, for the eye of our Father is on them. And if it is on them, how much more His own children?
And so, in the near coming age, the enslaved and the en-slavers will look with great hostility upon the freed men and women of Christ. Free people cannot be allowed in an age of control and chains. Hitler and his cohorts came up with the final solution to their “problem.” Scientists and politician, government forces and religions will likewise have to come up with a final solution to those who reject their authority. Lest the “virus,’ of rebellion spread among the population at large. It will be a “virtuous,” act by those in control for the general good. And the people in general will celebrate the ridding of a troublesome people.
I write to true saints. The Lord’s remnant people here on earth. And in doing so I do not have to explain that “they loved not their lives unto death.” This is how we overcome, this and by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of His testimony. Even in the midst of death we who have died to this world will be living an abundant life. The truth that burns so gloriously in our veins will overshadow any beggarly fears of this world. We already know that there is something worth dying for. Something that is more important than our lives. The Truth. Our history is replete with examples of this, down through every age. And now they cry our from beneath the altar.
So saints. It is almost upon us. The end of the ages and everything that comes with it. We stand on the shoulders of our brothers and sisters who went before us and who stood strong in the midst of terrible darkness. Who loved not their lives unto death because our Christ has overcome death. They were able to slip the surly bonds of this earth long before they ever faced physical death.
They would run and not grow weary, they would walk and not faint. They would mount up with wings as eagles and fly in the heavenly realms. The Kingdom of God. Seek it first today and His righteousness and you too shall run and not grow weary, you too shall walk and not faint. We as the Body will mount up with wings as eagles and soar into the lofty heights of His presence. Perfect love casts out all fear.
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Posted by appolus on October 26, 2020
Job 1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job
Can you even begin to imagine brothers and sisters, the Lord saying “Have you considered my servant…..” fill in the blank with your own name. What glory and honor that the Lord of all creation would testify of His servant before the throne-room of heaven, before the heavenly hosts. God is well confident in his servant. The accuser on the other hand has nothing at all to accuse Job of therefore he turns to the motivations of the heart of Job. And so unfolds the story of humanity.
The Lord knows you, He knows you through and through. The same enemy of Job is the enemy of your soul. And the same accusation that he made against Job he makes against you. In the eternal spiritual courtroom, God stands accused by Satan that no one actually loves Him, they only follow Him for what they can get from Him. This is Satan acting according to his character, nasty and vindictive, the father of lies distorted with hatred for God and for His children.
You, dear saint, are a witness in this case. You are called to testify. Your testimony is your life in God and the motivations of your heart. Every moment that you praise Him, give thanks to Him, rejoice in Him, glory in His majesty, you continue to make the case against Satan. You are part of the truth and he is all of the lie. Truth is victorious over lies. Your life is a testimony to love. God’s love for you and your love in return. This glorifies God, this is your primary purpose here on earth. And the darker your circumstances, the greater more powerful the witness. To glory in God and to give thanks to Him in the midst of trials and tribulations is your greatest contribution to the reality of your relationship with God.
So brothers and sisters, never stop thanking God, no matter your circumstances. You may not think that no one knows about your situation. God knows, the heavenly hosts knows and the fallen angels know. They know and they watch. This is why the promises are made to those who overcome and endure till the end. For love endures. It overcomes all obstacles and it even willingly dies for the object of its love. This is the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have been called to follow Him.
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Posted by appolus on October 21, 2020
I have no hesitation in saying that it is my honest and charitable conviction that the Christ of the average religion today is not the Christ of the Bible at all. He is a manufactured Christ, the Christ painted on canvas, the Christ drawn from cheap poetry, a Christ of the liberal and the soft and timid person. He is an imitation Christ that has not in Him the iron and the fury and the anger, as well as the love and grace and mercy (A.W.Tozer-Living a Christian life. pg 218)
Tozer was right in his day, and, I put it to you, we find ourselves in very much more degraded days than his. The Christ, for the most part, that is propagated today is a mere Santa Claus figure, gentle and timid and somewhat fearful of man. This man made Christ watches over men and smiles approvingly at all of their sins. Like a father who cannot discipline his children and they run wild, Jesus has been reduced to this in the minds of most men who would call themselves by His name. They have created this Jesus in their own image. They would gladly say “behold the goodness of God,” while not finishing the sentence “and the severity of God.”
They would gladly tell you that “the gift of God is eternal life,” while refusing ever to say that the “wages of sin is death.” They will gladly tell you that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but they will never mention the very next sentence which says he who refuses to believe is condemned already. There is no iron and fury and anger, as Tozer puts it, in the God that they have created and worshiped. There is only grace and mercy and woe betide anyone who suggests otherwise. In the end, this will separate the wheat from the tares. Those who refuse to acknowledge a God who will judge the living and the dead will throw their lot in with a world who will be taken up with the god of this world.
The only iron and fury and anger we will see will be that of the apostate and the fallen world who will come together to judge the saint who worships the true and the Biblical and the living God. Their fury will be great and their anger without measure. They will have murderous hearts and will gnash their teeth and fall with great fury upon those who refuse to compromise, those who love the Word of God and who long for His appearance.
Yet, like Stephen, the saints of God will see the heavens open in that day and will see the glory of God in ways and depths that they have never seen nor experienced Him before. It will be their honor to stand upon the truth and to suffer and die for it and the Holy Spirit will rise up in them in ways the world has never seen. God will be glorified in His children and that glory will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
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Posted by appolus on October 21, 2020
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Posted by appolus on October 21, 2020
2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
Oftentimes we find ourselves troubled on every side. Many times we are perplexed. Many of us have been persecuted, perhaps not in the sense of living in a hostile country, but maybe within the confines of our own families. We have been thrown down and trampled on . Often dying it seems by our many troubles. All of these things and more are the things that would destroy most, but in you they have caused the life of Christ to spring up from the darkness of your situations. An abundance of grace has been poured out upon your life that speaks to the glory of God and the love of the Father for His children. He established you and gave you grace and purpose before time began.
When we have been troubled on every side we can testify that we have been rescued from distress. When we have been weighed down with the perplexities of life, the Lord Himself pulls us up from the valleys of despair.In the midst of our persecutions and feelings of isolation we have discovered that we are not alone. When we have been thrown down and trampled on, the Lord Himself has saved us from being destroyed.
In all of these things we do not faint, we rise up by the power of the Holy Spirit. The outer man may be in the process of perishing but our inner man is renewed daily by the glory of God and the amazement of a dying world. The world sees that out of the darkness of our situations that God Himself has commanded light to shine forth. You may not be able to fully articulate the Roman road to salvation but the world does see that out of you, out of your many trials, your sorrows, your afflictions and your infirmities, there shines forth the light of Christ Himself. Be encouraged saints, you are a mighty witness for Christ.
Perhaps the world will never know your story, but the Lord knows and the mouths of the principalities and powers are closed by the testimony of God in you, your hope and your glory. God spoke into Gideon’s life and He called him a mighty man of valor, although at the point of which He spoke it to him nothing could be further from the truth. Yet the key was “God spoke.’ And even although Gideon would complain that he was the weakest man from the weakest clan in all the land, that meant nothing to God. You see, its never the man or the woman, its always God. If He is with you brothers and sister, then He can achieve whatever He desire through you , not because of you, but because of Him, the one who speaks and the one who calls. He equips the ones He calls. Your job is to keep on standing, keep on moving, one step at a time, one day at a time, getting up and then getting up again and again and again. And even in this, He empowers us to rise up when we decide to get up. Rise up today brothers and sisters and put one foot in front of the other.
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Posted by appolus on October 20, 2020
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Posted by appolus on October 20, 2020
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace,” they said, “the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up (Daniel 3:17-18).
Above is either side of the one coin of faith. You cannot have one without the other. If your faith relies on a positive outcome then what you have is positive thinking but it’s not faith. If on the other hand you have counted the cost and are willing to praise God no matter what comes your way, you have found true faith. Everything must be unconditional, including our faith. You see, many people have faith in faith. Lets just replace the word faith with trust. Would it make sense to have trust in trust? You just have to exercise your trust? Faith, we are told in Hebrews 11, is the evidence of things not seen. To believe in something that you cannot see is the essence of trust. Without this kind of trust it is impossible to please God.How do we please God? By trusting in Him.
It is easy to trust in the Lord when everything is going our way, when all is right with the world. Yet when we are suddenly caught up in darkness and we cannot see the way ahead, this is when flesh is put upon the bones of what we have confessed. The word becomes flesh as we raise our hand to God in the darkness and seek to grasp His. Our Father is a rewarder of those who diligently trust Him in the darkness. This is faith….Even if He slays me, yet shall I trust Him. Consider Jobs words and actions right after he learns that he has lost everything and that all his children are dead. Remember, the accuser of the brethren had said that he would curse God.
Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshiped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.(Job 1:20-22)
In the coming days there will be great turmoil and tumult.Though the world may turn on us, we are still the light of this world and Jesus is still the Jesus that died for them. Stand fast saint, stand boldly and do not be afraid. Speak the truth in love and let the world know that even if they kill us, we shall never bow down to their gods. Make no mistake, they are demanding that we bow down to the gods of homosexuality, transgenderism and abortion, to name but a few. Yet the God that we serve still sits upon His throne. The God that is worthy to be praised is still worthy. Our Holy God and Father is Holy still. No matter what darkness the enemy musters up, our light shall still shine and all the brighter in the gross darkness.
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Posted by appolus on October 16, 2020
2 Tim 1:10 Who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.
Brought to light? What does that mean? It is a phrase we use often in our everyday conversation and as with other such phrases, its common use often clouds or distorts what we are really saying by the very familiarity of our words. In Christ, we saints, each of us individually as well as corporately have purpose and grace. There is a very definite purpose for your life and it has been established and enabled before time began, not by any goodness or merit on your part, but by the very grace of God by which we are saved.
In 2 Tim Paul writes this, speaking of God and His power ” who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our own works but according to His purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.”
Brothers and sisters, there is so much spoken in just those few sentences from the word. Read it again and ponder the majesty and the glory of what is being spoken, of what is being revealed itself. When you bring something to light, you are bringing something that already exists into view. It stands to reason that something that dwells in darkness, when brought to the light, comes into view. Paul clearly states that His purpose and His grace, which was given to us by the power of Christ, was given to us before time began. Before time began. One more time, before time began, it was established, it was brought into being, it was created and there is stood, not seen by man, until the sun arose with the dawn, Christ was born, and suddenly the light of Christ shattered the darkness and revealed that which has been established.
This week, I have traversed the valleys and the mountains of Zion National park. One thing is for sure, you can take something already very dramatic and transform it into something otherworldly when the sun rises and finds its way into the the valleys and the peaks. The grandeur of His creation is transformed and set ablaze by the rising of the sun. We too saints, are set ablaze and transformed when our lives and our circumstances are “brought to light.” When light rises up and shines upon us. The word here says that He brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
You have life and immortality by the power of God and it was established for you before time began. It was established for you, it was created by the hand of God. That which did not exist sprang into life through His love and power and grace and for His glory.. And there it stood, in the shadows and the darkness until that glorious day when Christ came forth and the Son rose high above the horizon of the earth, bringing light and glory and setting ablaze that which He established by His very hand, you. Saint, you are not ordinary, you are an extraordinary work of exquisite art, crafted and created by the hand of God and brought to life and light by the Jesus our Christ and our Saviour. Dont forget that today, ponder upon the mystery and the glory of His purpose for your life today.You were brought to light.
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A Call To The Remnant 