About four years after I was born again I remember crying out to God ” Lord, whatever it takes.” It was such a serious prayer of my heart and I knew that I knew that the Lord said ” Okay Frank.” The next twenty years were brutal and my life was dismantled piece by piece. Dreams were shattered, ambitions lay broken on the rocks of life, family life, Christian life, ministry, every aspect of what I had known was slowly but surely consumed in a refining fire. I can say now that I would not have it any other way, but if I had had a glimpse into the future I would not, with such ardent zest, cried out with the same passion. I would still have desired it but with a knowing wisdom rather than some thoughts of glory. The battles and the foxholes of life have taken away any boyish notions that there is any other glory in all of this life other than His glory. It is His glory and His,story…………bro Frank
Archive for the ‘the deeper life’ Category
My personal sanctification
Posted by appolus on August 7, 2016
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, sanctification, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 4 Comments »
The post election world for Christians.
Posted by appolus on August 2, 2016
What is around the corner for the Body of Christ? I believe that within the next ten years we will be living in a society that will not accept the fundamental teachings of the Bible. How will this play out? We are heading for a time very soon where born again Christians will not be allowed to teach in public schools first, then in any schools. We will be banned from colleges and universities. We will not be allowed on the police force or the armed forces. There will be no government job open to any genuine saint. Media will rid themselves of anyone holding to views that run counter to the popular culture. Homosexuality and your views towards it will be a litmus test in every sphere of life, and not just public life. You will be deemed as unfit parents if you teach the biblical truth that homosexuality is a sin. For homosexuality will move fully into the category of civil rights. No pastor will be able to refuse to marry two men or two women, and if he does, he will lose any official capacity. Christian businesses will be boycotted at the behest of the state and then banned outright.
Now the strange thing is, outside of irony, that none of this will have anything to do with homosexuality in and of itself. No, this has to do with the truth. It’s always been about the truth. In every century and in the last two millennium its been about the truth. After the litmus test of homosexuality will come an assault on the great pillar of truth itself. Jesus says ” I am the way, the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) This, even more so that people’s views on sexuality, will be the rod that will be used to strike the backs of every genuine saint. You see, the world will demand that all those who believe that there is only one way to heaven and that all other paths lead to hell, be “put away.” And so it will all come down to truth and our love and commitment to it. The thing about truth is, no matter what the subject, whether it was as in previous centuries infant baptism or transubstantiation, its adherents will not yield. Not because they are particularly invested in one subject or the other but they are sold out to all of it and all that it encompasses even to the point of death. And why? Because the genuine saint has fallen in love with Truth. Jesus is the way and in that way we must walk. Jesus is truth and upon His revealed truth we must stand. Jesus is life, and only by walking in Him and standing upon Him can we have that life.
So get ready saints. It will be difficult but is there anything too difficult for God? We will have to persevere and overcome but remember all the promises of the Lord are made to those who overcome and endure till the end. For a long time in the West we saints have had little resistance from the authorities. It will not be so anymore. The Son of man is coming back in all of His glory and the enemy of our soul knows it well. The Lord has prepared a place for us and we must take hold of that place. For those who stand upon the truth have a high tower in the Lord. For those who do not yield to the world but trust the Lord in all their ways, they will have a peace which surpasses all understanding. There are no surprises to God, He knows what is coming against His children and He has equipped us for such a time as this. Hold all things loosely but never let Him go. Esteem not the praises of men and do trust in them, but look to Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith. He and He alone is able to fulfill and complete the work that He has begun in you and He will be faithful to do just that. That part is His work, our part is to trust and obey and we will see that there is no other way.
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2Th 2:10-12)
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, End Times Eschatology, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 3 Comments »
The deepest cuts.
Posted by appolus on July 28, 2016
In the emptying process He removes the stones and rocks and the clods from our hearts and refines the flesh. The desires of the world lose all their allure as He draws us to Himself. If we yield to the process then He draws us closer. I would love to say that in my experience it has been a one-time yielding, but no, not so simple. Time and again the calling comes. The deeper and the closer we come, oftentimes the deeper the cut. Shall we yield to the surgeon’s knife? Shall we yield to the sculptor’s chisel? I would say that only a vision of heaven itself could draw us to such yielding.
Just one moment in His presence. Can a single moment ruin us for the things of this world? Is it possible that after that moment the world turns to black and white? Then another miracle happens. As we begin to look at the world through those captivated eyes, the color begins to return but it’s not the color of the world, it’s the color of heaven. Now one truly sees the sunset because one has been intimate with the artist. I can see a waterfall and my spirit soars because I know the hand that crafted it. The mountains raises me up to higher places,to the place where they were born. The stars in the heavens draw my eyes upwards and my spirit follows the path of my gaze and I find myself in higher places. The hand of a child, a single ray of sunshine through the clouds, a wave that crashes to the shore, soon enough I see my Lord in all of it. I see His beauty everywhere.
Yet the darkness prevails and time and time again it comes against the light. Yet, out of that moment, out of His presence there is born an eternal longing that no darkness can quell just as no hand could hold back the tide. He comes. Yes and He comes again to those who would wait upon Him. How long shall we wait? However long it takes. This is the kind of love that would wait a thousand years. The kind of love that would fill an ocean with tears. The kind of love that was birthed in heavenly places. And so we yield, and so we die to this world. And we are drawn ever closer to the next until the day comes when we step over into the world that has touched us and called to us.
There is glory in all of it. It is a grand tapestry and we are but a thread. Can we see the vision of the artist? Can we see the vision of the sculptor? It is not so important to see the vision of the artist or to see the finished sculpture, it only really matters that we see Him, Him who creates it all. And in seeing Him we see everything in a single moment. Now with eyes that have gazed upon the Master we see it all so differently. Have you seen Him? Can you see the world through the eyes of Him who made it all? It’s a glorious vision and it continually draws us.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 4 Comments »
We are the shadow of the Rock
Posted by appolus on July 15, 2016
Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a cover from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. (Isa 32:1-4)
When Christ rules in the heart of a man or in the Body of believers then righteousness flows like a mighty river. When Jesus has His place among us then and only then are we salt and light to the world. In a dark world which grows darker by the day, the Lord has called forth such a people. Not a people who are corrupted by the things of this world, not a people who are compromised by the cultures in which they live, but a people who dwell in the Kingdom of God here and now and who worship that Kingdom’s King, Jesus.
Then we shall be a hiding place from the wind and a refuge from the calamitous storm that is slowly but surely engulfing the whole world. God has His people and He is calling on them in this day, the day before He returns, to come out of the world and be found in Him. When we are found in Him, when we have separated ourselves from the compromised then we become as a river in a dry and thirsty land. We become the shadow of the Rock, which is Christ, for those who are caught in the unrelenting demands of a Babylon.
When the Lord rules and reigns in our hearts we will have eyes to see what is truly unfolding around us. We will see with Spirit’s eye the schemes of the enemy and the snares and the traps of religion. We will hear what the Spirit is saying to the Body of Christ, we will hear and we will know. And when we hear and when we see we will have tongues to speak plainly of what we have seen and what we have heard. Without the Lord ruling and reigning in our hearts we are as blind men stumbling around. We are no better than those who hunger and thirst in a dry and weary land. It is our calling to be like the moon. The moon is a dead object that primarily lights up a dark work by reflecting the light from the sun. The moon, by its position affects the cycle of life and the tides rise and fall because of it.
Are we having this kind of effect on the world? Do we, by being dead to ourselves, reflect the light of His glory into the darkness of our surroundings? Is there a spiritual gravitational force around us that pulls others towards Jesus? This is our calling brothers and sisters. This is the purpose of the Body of Christ and all the more so as we see those days approaching. Let Him rule and reign in your life today and lean not upon your own understanding and He will open your eyes and your ears and He will direct your mouth to speak to a dying world that stand on the precipice of judgement. Let all this be done for 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 remnant, the state of the church, theology | 4 Comments »
I am a move of God
Posted by appolus on July 13, 2016
I am not waiting on a move of God, I am a move of God. ( William Booth)
Amen! Every genuine saint is a move of God, a force of nature, supernature. We are taken up with the Holy Spirit of God and we are a light in the darkness. We are not called to be a light, it has been declared that we are the light, the light of Christ shining into the darkness of a world reeling to and fro from a shaking. Saint, there is power in the Blood, the blood of Christ that flows through your veins. You are a move of God!.
The quote was not about separating who we are, mine or His, it is about the oneness of who we are in Him. People who understand who they truly are in Christ do exploits for their Lord. It is not broken down into a point of theology, it is the living reality of knowing that we are priests in a royal priesthood and that we are sons and daughters of the living God that truly empowers people to first be changed themselves. And as they live out that change and reality before men, draw all men to the very agent of that change, Jesus.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, gifts of the spirit, God's love, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 2 Comments »
The times in which we live.
Posted by appolus on July 7, 2016
And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? (Luk 18:7-8)
True faith rests upon the character of God and asks no further proof than the moral perfections of the One who cannot lie. It is enough that God said it, and if that statement should contradict every one of the five senses and all the conclusions of logic as well, still the believer continues to believe. ” Let God be true and every man a liar.”(Rom 3:4), is the language of true faith. Heaven approves such faith because it rises above mere proofs and rests in the bosom of God.(A.W.Tozer)
We live in a day of science and knowledge. Technology has propelled man to dizzying heights. And right along with that has risen in the hearts of man unbelief. This is the age of self-righteousness. Now of course there has always been self-righteousness but this age uniquely belongs to it. Pride and haughtiness haunt every corner of the land. All around the world people of faith are hated like never before. And we are simply at the beginning of this age, this new order, these birth pangs. Now more than ever we must simply rest upon the character of the God that we know. No matter what is happening outside of our doors, no matter that the whole world is in moral free fall, we must stand upon the Word of God and let God be true. We must be at rest in the heart of God and have it settled in our minds that we shall be hated by all the world.
When the Lord comes back for His own will He find faith on the earth? Yes He will find a remnant of people whose faith has been tried in the crucible of afflictions. He will find a people purified by the fires of persecutions. He will find a people tried and tested in every aspect of who they are but who stand because they know who He is. In the end it will simply come down to believing God and His Word. So wherever you are brothers and sisters, stand fast in what you know to be true. Stand fast in the Word. Stand fast in the Lord, stand fast and let faith do its work. No matter what it costs you stand fast today. Stand fast and allow the Lord to take care of your tomorrows. Take no thought of it, for the Lord goes before us and the future belongs to Him. Know that as the days grow darker , for those of us who stand fast the light of Christ in us shall grow brighter. His Spirit will rise up in us and overflow. In the midst of the great spiritual drought we shall overflow our banks. In the midst of spiritual famine we shall sit down at a table prepared for us by the Lord Himself in the presence of our enemies. They will gnash their teeth and be stabbed in the heart as they see us eat and drink of the Lord freely. Some will sit down and join us as they witness this, most will rise up in anger with murder on their hearts.
Yet, no matter. They may take our way of life. They may take our positions in society. They may remove us from their institutions. They may ridicule us and condemn us with the unjust. They may turn our children against us. They may have their day, yet there is an eternity that stretches out before man. The man who lives for the day and is caught up in the current of the culture and is swept away by the tide of moral depravity and departure from truth is the man who will find that he has gained the world but has lost his soul. The saints who stand fast and willingly suffer loss in this world will find that all that they have lost is but nothing for they are found in Him and not only for a day or an age but for all eternity.
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. (Heb 12:2-3)
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, End Times Eschatology, faith, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 4 Comments »
Hope-flowing like a river of Gold
Posted by appolus on June 28, 2016
The Holy Spirit laid this thought upon my heart today…….. There are no deeper connections made than when we experience the touch of the Holy Spirit in some of our darkest moments. It can be like hope in liquid gold form flowing through the deepest parts of who we are. What would this world be like without the hope of glory stretching out before our often weary feet? Yet we know this, that those who could have fainted faint not, those whom weariness threatens to overtake suddenly can run. And right out of the blue we are taken up on eagles wings and just for a moment rest in the updrafts of His presence. It restores our souls and strengthens us to endure and overcome for we ” know,” when we are finished running our race it will be no longer moments in the updrafts of His presence, it will be for all eternity.
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The rising tide of discontent-the unveiling of who we are.
Posted by appolus on June 26, 2016
There is a growing discontent with the status quo. The establishment of the Republican party is no difference than the establishment of the Democrat party. In Britain the established political parties were abandoned in favor of rebellion. I do not believe the establishment will stand idly by and allow their power to simply slip away wither in Britain or in America. Jesus had to die so that the establishment in Israel could maintain the status quo so in the end Pharisees and Sadducees and Herodians ( the political class) came together to get rid of the one man who could truly rock their society. They supposedly hated each other but found common cause in protecting themselves. That is what all establishment does, whether it is religious or political. God says that judgment begins at the house of the Lord. We have seen that already and it is ongoing, now we see the structures of Western society begin to unravel. And the scary thing should be for the world, once it begins it can really only have one end. The western world will ultimately choke on what they call freedom.
The civilized always reverts to the barbarian because everything they do lies within the realms of their own human nature which is ultimately corrupt. Only a reborn spiritual man stands against the lusts of men and that stand typically is awash with blood. The blood of the saints will be spilled and it will be spilled by a world in total rebellion against God. One could well argue that the blood of the saints is being spilled on a grand scale right now in various parts of the world. That is correct. Yet we can dismiss this in our minds as the actions of barbarians whether in parts of Africa, the Middle East, China, North Korea and so on. Yet all men are barbarians. No where was this more clearly revealed than in the two world wars of the 20th century where men died on a biblical scale. In fact the slaughter of those two wars make any previous barbarians look positively civilized.
Yet let me encourage the saints. When men are at their worse, Gods children are at their best. What brings out the worse in men brings out the best in the children of God. As gross darkness rises in the land then the bearers of the light stand out. We are the bearers of the light. By virtue of that we shall stand out and be separated from the rest of the world. When we are separated from the world, truly separated from the world, our true identity is established in the eyes of men. When the eyes of men are turned on the children of God with wickedness in their hearts then God begins to raise up a standard in His children. He will not allow this flood of evil to drown us, He will raise us up to higher ground. He will draw us deeper into His heart. He will be with us as we pass through these turbulent waters and the waters shall not overcome us. He will be with us as we walk through the fires and the fires shall not consume us, no, quite the opposite, it will merely burn away the chaff, the flesh that lies within us and make us to shine greater than we have ever shone before. We will be a witness and then the end shall come.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, prophecy, revival, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 5 Comments »
Britain leaves EU-New World order
Posted by appolus on June 24, 2016
The world was shaken today. The vote in Britain to leave Europe is highly significant and I believe has prophetic consequences. Put your seat-belt on folks. There is a stirring in the world and an air of rebellion against all things established. It is a rejection of the old order. There is a new world order coming. Just another stepping stone in a rapidly evolving or devolving world that is anti-christian at heart and deeply discontented with all things established. Typically when the extreme right is on the march they require a scapegoat as does the extreme left. Either way, there is trouble ahead for a world without statesmen. Into the vacuum that is being created will step the strong man, the deliverer. The world is in desperate need of a strong visionary and that old enemy of our soul has just the man in mind. Tick tock, the prophetic calendar is running down. Stand fast brothers and sisters for we who stand on holy ground are not shaken.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, End Times Eschatology, Jesus, New World Order, pentecostal, revival, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 3 Comments »
You are a mighty man/woman of valor
Posted by appolus on June 22, 2016
This short video is about who you are. In modern day politics men and women seek to brand their opponents. They attach a name to them and continually call them that until it is established in the minds of the people and they begin to associate that person with that name. The enemy of our souls has done that for two thousand years. In every century genuine saints have been branded by the religious and by the world. In the 18th century genuine saints were branded as ” enthusiasts.” Now that may sound okay today and but believe me it was a derogatory term and was used by the religious to brand the genuine and separate them out for ridicule. We are moving into a time where the religious and the world will brand us a ” bigots,” and ” narrow-minded,” and ” haters.” Anyone who stands fast on the Word of God and lives their lives according to the Word will be branded. I want the saints to be encouraged. It is not what the world says that establishes truth, it is what God says. We stand upon that. Stand upon that today saints and stand fast in this wicked and adulterous generation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjw4qHdtxw8
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 1 Comment »
Regional gathering.
Posted by appolus on June 21, 2016
Gospel fellowships, which is a branch of sermonindex.net is having a gathering on July 9th ( a Saturday) here in Olathe, KS. It is one of twelve regional gatherings. I will be moderating. The reason for the gathering is to discuss the times in which we live and what lies ahead for the saints in an increasingly anti-Christian society. Making connections with saints of different backgrounds but similar mindsets. Now, I don’t mean come and listen to a couple of guys, I mean come and share what the Holy Spirit has been showing you. The meeting is from 10am to 3pm breaking for lunch. The afternoon session will be a time for corporate prayer. It will be held in the Olathe Healing rooms ( where I will share next Friday evening) You can e-mail me Frank McEleny, for details at appolus@aol.com. The details will include the schedule for the day and local hotel if needed.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 2 Comments »
The capacity of my soul, the power of my life.
Posted by appolus on June 17, 2016
I have a capacity in my soul for taking in God entirely. I am as sure as I live that nothing is so near to me as God. God is nearer to me than I am to myself; my existence depends on the nearness and the presence of God. … Meister Eckhart (1260?-1327?),
Brothers and sisters can we say what brother Meister is saying? You see when he said it? Somewhere back in the late 1200s. No matter when in the last 2000 years, the presence of God has always been of the utmost importance to the saints. He is saying that his very existence depends upon the nearness and the presence of God. Now he is not talking about his physical existence, although we know that God holds everything that exists in the palm of His hand and without Him nothing would exist or survive for He is the very fabric of the universe, He spoke it into existence and it exists and is sustained solely because of Him.
No, he is talking about his existence as a child of God. Our capacity to walk through this world as a spiritual child of God depends entirely upon the nearness and the manifest presence of the living God flowing through our lives every moment of every day. Outside of this awareness, outside of His nearness to us then we are simply like other men walking through this world. If we are to walk through this world in the Kingdom of God we must know and understand and be taken by the presence of God. We must see God in our lives on a daily basis. He must be with us as we walk out the door in the morning, He must be with us on our way to work and as we interact with people on the way to work. He must be with us throughout the day. He must be with us in the midst of our family and friends and our circles of influence. He must be our first thought when we awake in the morning and our last thought as we lay our heads down upon our pillows.
This is what it means to walk in the Spirit. To walk in the awareness of God’s nearness. He is so near that He fills up our very souls. He is inside of us, He is beside us, He is above us and below us. He goes ahead of us and He is behind us watching our backs. He is all in all and to walk with any meaningful power to manifest Him to others, we must be consumed by our God and know, not in our heads but in our hearts, that He is indeed everywhere. It is the fact the He is indeed everywhere, and that we know this in our hearts, that creates a unique all-consuming intimacy. This is the power of God on our lives……bro Frank
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
(Eph 3:17-19)
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 3 Comments »
A swaggering spirit.
Posted by appolus on June 13, 2016
There is, without a doubt, a spirit of intimidation that stalks the land. It has all but silenced Christians of every stripe. It is a bold swaggering spirit not unlike Goliath as he poured scorn on God’s people. There has to be the Spirit in us that was the same Spirit in a young shepherd boy. We must not be silenced. And I am not talking about any one sin, I am talking about the fundamentals of our faith. This is a fact, there is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus. The swaggering spirit is trying to shut that truth down. People do go to hell if they reject Jesus. This has been all but shut down and is just a step away from being considered hate speech.
The answer in this dark day is the same answer. We need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit that enables us to be bold and unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation. Can we see the connection between un-ashamedness and power? One goes along with the other and of course the reverse is true. There will be no power of the Holy Spirit in your speech if you are ashamed of the Gospel or the name of Jesus. If we are ashamed of the name of Jesus before this wicked and adulteress generation then the Lord will be ashamed of us before His Father in heaven. This should cause us to tremble.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 3 Comments »
The Unexplored Heart of the Father
Posted by appolus on June 6, 2016
Every person is a vast unexplored universe. Only Jesus has the ability to navigate the human heart and map it. Without the navigator, without the map all is chaos and darkness. Without the ship of God and Jesus the Captain, you will only ever stare at the horizon of your souls and be fearful of what lies beyond.
People are vastly complicated, God much more so. The door to the deeper walk with Jesus is the unexplained. When you come to the end of yourself, when your dogma fails you, when you cannot explain or understand your situation, then you are at the door. And the password? “Yet though He slay me, even then I will trust Him.” If you want to go deeper with God, allow Him to search you. Join Him in the journey that goes beyond what you understand, into the deeper waters, and beyond the horizons of your understanding.
Every trial that you face, every difficult situation that arises is an opportunity to explore the depths of God and who you truly are in Him. Situations can either draw you deeper into the Father’s heart or they can cause you to bury your treasures in the sand. God has poured into His children wonderful treasures from the storehouses of heaven. What will you do with such treasures? Will you give to others the treasure of your love? What about the riches of your forgiveness?
So brothers and sisters will you explore the vastness of God today? Typically the vehicle used to go on this kind of journey is the vehicle of difficult situations. I am not sure what your difficult situation is today but I know that it presents to you an opportunity to praise Him in the midst of it which unleashes great power. God inhabits the praises of His people and no-where is the manifest presence of God so felt, so experienced than in the midst of great trials. Truly you can have the greatest mountaintop experience with God in the very depths of the lowest valley.
Eph 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, intimacy, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 1 Comment »
When simple Truth clashes with our common experience.
Posted by appolus on February 29, 2016
In Galatians we see an encounter between Paul and Peter at Antioch. It has to be remembered that the initial Church was all Jewish. And even at that time the Jewish teachings and traditions were well over a thousand years old. Imagine for a moment, a thousand years of history, teachings and interpretations and ritual. You were special, Gods own called out people and everyone else were Gentiles, apart from God.
In Acts 10 we see that Peter encounters God in a vision on a rooftop. A sheet comes down with every kind of unclean animal that Jewish people were forbidden to eat and God tells Peter to rise and kill and eat. Now, this would be something like Abraham being told to take his son up the hill and burn him to death. How could this be God? This is the mental and emotional anguish that Peter must have wrestled with as he defies God three times, three times brothers and sisters. At that very moment, the servant of Cornelius the Gentile arrives. The answer to Peter’s vision just knocked on his door. How would you like a question to God to be answered so quickly? And we know what happens next, he goes to Cornelius’s house and witnesses the Holy Spirit come down on that household just as it had come down on them at Pentecost.
Now back to the Galatians. We see that Peter and others including Barnabas were taken up with hypocrisy. The revelation had been given by God Himself about the Gentiles yet Peter and the others were still afraid of those who came down from Jerusalem and insisted that the Gentiles must be like them if they were to be part of the Body of Christ. Thank the Lord that Paul, quite apart from any leadership in Jerusalem, had been taught himself by vision and revelation about the nature of the Body of Christ and so he withstood Peter and the leadership of Jerusalem and insisted that they were being hypocrites by insisting that the Gentiles must live like Jews in order to be part of the Body of Christ, they were adding to the Gospel and Paul would have none of it.
Now, before you are too hard on those early believers who were Jewish by birth, I want you to consider how your own common experience may clash with simple truth. If Peter was so bold and conflicted as to say ” not so, Lord,” ( and this is an impossible phrase is it not, how can He be the Lord of our life and we say no to Him) three times then could this not happen to you? Now what is the simple truth that I am talking about that the vast majority of Christendom say ” not so Lord?” Here it is. Read the rest of this entry »
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The deepest lessons and example of faith.
Posted by appolus on August 20, 2015
The deepest lessons on faithfulness come in the midst of the fires and the tribulations of life. The basic accusation of the enemy against God is ” they only love you and follow you for what they have been given or what they can get.” Therefore the greatest expressions of faith, trust in God, comes in the midst of endurance, a less than popular word. Yet think of Jesus, our highest example. From the glories of heaven where the host bow down and cry Holy, to the lowest depths of the earth where He stripped and hung naked on a cross and mocked and humiliated by mere mortals. He endures all of this and never denies His Father and stays right there on the cross because of His love and obedience. This is trust in God in action. The Word becomes flesh and light conquers darkness.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, faith, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: faithfulness, trust in God | 3 Comments »
The false doctrine that has flooded Christendom
Posted by appolus on August 13, 2014
The NEW “EVANGELISM”
by A.W. Tozer
The new cross encourages a new and entirely different evangelistic
approach. The evangelist does not demand abnegation of the old
life before a new life can be received. He preaches not contrasts
but similarities. He seeks to key into public interest by showing
that Christianity makes no unpleasant demands; rather, it offers
the same thing the world does, only on a higher level. Whatever
the sin-mad world happens to be clamoring after at the moment
is cleverly shown to be the very thing the gospel offers, only the
religious product is better…
That evangelism which draws friendly parallels between the ways
of God and the ways of men is false to the Bible and cruel to the
souls of its hearers. The faith of Christ does not parallel the world,
it intersects it. In coming to Christ we do not bring our old life up
onto a higher plane; we leave it at the cross. The corn of wheat
must fall into the ground and die.
We who preach the gospel must not think of ourselves as public
relations agents sent to establish good will between Christ and
the world. We must not imagine ourselves commissioned to make
Christ acceptable to big business, the press, or the world of sports,
or modern education. We are not diplomats but prophets, and our
message is not a compromise but an ultimatum.
Posted in Christian, christian blog, Christianity, Church history, end times, faith, pentecostal, the deeper life, the gospel, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology | 4 Comments »
The city in the desert
Posted by appolus on July 19, 2013
In a vision I saw the Church of God in the depths of a vast desert. In our flesh we avoid deserts. The vision , I suppose, is metaphorical for the narrow path that leads to life. It makes no sense to think that if I was seeking abundant life that I would seek it in the desert. Yet there it was, the church of God, surrounded by a mighty desert. There was no way to the heart of it but by striking out and heading deep into a place where my only resource, in fact life itself, would be God. If He did not go before me I would die, I would never get there. If He is not a cloud over my head then the sun would kill me. If He is not a fire by night then I will surely freeze to death.
There is nothing attractive about the desert. It is not an alluring place, in fact quite the opposite. Lot chose the well watered places and planes of Sodom in which to dwell. It was near a wicked city, but it was plentiful and life was easy there. Yet at what cost? Does the choices that we make have consequences? We may not lose our souls in the process but we certainly can have leanness of Spirit, the very opposite of the abundant life. The cares of this world, the proximity to Sodom, or the ease we have in Babylon certainly factor into our walk with the Lord. Only when asked to leave this place or give it up can we know what hold it has over us. Lots wife would have had doubts, but in the turning round to look back at what she was leaving, the question was answered. The desert was not for her.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 5 Comments »
Not one stone left unturned!
Posted by appolus on June 10, 2013
Brothers and sisters, even now the fires burn all across Christendom. The vandals have entered the gates of the cities. These spirits have come to invade every heart and every mind and every church in the land. These are hordes that have poured forth from the bowels of hell, foul defiling hordes. Yet, they are only the pre-cursor for what is to come. Their job is to tear down everything that is called holy. Every part of society is to be torn down stone by stone. This is the spirit behind the forces who will turn wrong into right, who will turn day into night. Now brothers and sisters, we can see evidence of this all around us and we see the rapid disintegration of society.
The forces that align themselves against Christianity are gaining momentum. They are making a way for their own master to enter onto the world stage. How shall we react to such forces and events? Many without eyes to see, struggle greatly against this incoming tide. As they see the loss of everything they know and hold dear they have a great desire to fight back. They want to fight against the immoral forces that are tearing down the culture that they love and have created. Fear rises up in them, panic even. That fear and that panic compels them into the arms of many would be leaders. Some cry out that we need a great revival, others cry out that we need Godly men in political leadership. Others even consider arming themselves for what they see as a coming cultural war.
What is to be the Body of Christ’s response to a society that seems to be in moral free fall? God raised up Jeremiah in the times of Josiah and must have been a great encouragement to the King in their reformations. Yet, the people were stubborn and steadfastly held on to many idols. Yet they though themselves to be good and detested the words of the prophet. Yet consider this, from the 13th year of Josiah, until they Israelites entered captivity, was a mere forty years. Moses led for forty years and then the people entered the promised land. Jeremiah warned for 40 years and then the people were taken into captivity.
God’s children must worship the Lord their God with all of their hearts, all of their minds and all of their souls. They must decrease and He must increase. Now is the time for the people of God to trim their lamps and light up the way in the great darkness that is falling over us. Our singular goal must be to press in close to our Lord.He and He alone is our deliverer. Only in Him can we know true freedom, a freedom that can praise God even in captivity. Men prefer another kind of freedom but the freedom that we find in Jesus cannot be taken away by any force. What the world gives, the world can take away, what was given to us at Calvary can never be taken from us, even if we ourselves were to be crucified. What freedom do you desire today? Choose wisely, one is eternal, the other is fleeting.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: cultural war, words of the prophet | 4 Comments »
What does this word ” remnant,” mean?
Posted by appolus on April 24, 2013
I would like to clarify for some just what I believe to be God’s remnant children. To use any word over and over again it can begin to take on a life of its own and that can happen with the word remnant. A remnant child of God is simply someone who genuinely knows Jesus, someone who has been truly converted. Now, why the distinction, why even use any other name rather than simply ” Christian?” Well, I am certainly not stuck on the name, to me it is more of an adjective that a noun. It simply describes what Jesus was talking about when He says ” many are called , but few are chosen.”(Matt 22:14) Now, just as that was true when Jesus spoke it then, it is equally true now. The context of that scripture comes from the previous chapter when Jesus showed , though parable, that men would not give to God what was rightfully His, instead they rejected and killed His son. Now in chapter 22 Jesus uses another illustration , this time a wedding, which people are too busy to come to.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: c s lewis, new creature | 10 Comments »
A Call To The Remnant 