Archive for the ‘the state of the church’ Category
Posted by appolus on May 13, 2020
Isa 57:15 For so says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity; whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, even with the contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Shall we cast our eyes upwards? Shall we lift our eyes and holy hands to the Lord our God who is high and lifted up? Who dwells in a high and holy place? Brothers and sisters, Christendom has lost its reverence and awe of its most Holy God. We have striven so hard to make known a personal God who has called us friend that we have lost the awe-full majesty and glory that is He. In the above Scripture we see the correct balance. Yes He is high and lifted up, yes He is majestic and glorious and awesome.
I use that word in its proper sense, not the modern word which could apply to a hamburger, I mean ” full of awe,” yet here He dwells with the contrite and the humble heart. And those who dwell there, those who enter into this magnificent court, this throne-room, they are revived. Is there any other way to be revived? And by revived I mean able to run and not grow weary, able to walk and not faint, able to rise up with wings as an eagle in the updrafts of His presence which carries us higher and higher into the lofty place of eternity.
Who else could “inhabit eternity?” Think about that phrase. Just stop for a moment and think and ponder what it means. It is a place that is outside of time and space. This is where God “dwells.” We dwell in house that can accommodate us, a place where we can live and lay down to rest. Sometimes we dwell in small houses where we are cramped, other times we dwell in larger houses where we have our own space, but God, He dwells in eternity. Where else could God dwell but in a place that has no beginning neither has it end, it simply is perpetuity.
And it is into this place He bids us join Him. Not after we die, now. Jesus says that those who drink of the waters of life shall never die, and so the life that we now live, albeit in this body, shall never end. What life is this? It is the abundant life of the kingdom of God that already dwells in us. You see the above scripture talks about the humble and the contrite spirit. And we know that the spirit within us is eternal and its proper place is dwelling with God in eternity, His dwelling place, a place where He inhabits, just as He inhabits the praises of His people.
Brothers and sisters, there are two competing realities that we struggle with in the flesh. One is the true reality which is the kingdom of God, the eternal, that dwells in us. And the other is the reality of this world and it’s very physical and emotional demands upon us, bolstered by our senses. It takes a very deliberate act to bind the reality of this world, to set it aside, and to allow the reality of the eternal world, the place that God dwells, to come forth. It takes a deliberate focus where we must take our eyes of the things of this world and cast our eyes upon the kingdom of God.
What we see with our eyes floods our souls. What do you see? What is your soul flooded with? The cares of this world? Circumstances? Or, in your situation do you see God, high and lifted up? This is spirit and flesh. This is our path of sanctification, taking up our cross, walking the narrow path. To humble ourselves in the sight of God, to have a contrite heart which the Lord loves, so that we may dwell and walk in a high and holy place. Come brothers and sisters, He bids you come.
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 | 1 Comment »
Posted by appolus on May 11, 2020
The Lord gave me this word, a hard word to be sure. My only charge is to deliver it. –
In Lamentations chapter four we see a very different Jerusalem. That once tremendous city, shining like gold above all other cities, is now tarnished and under siege. It is slowly starving and its once proud stones that made up the temple now lay scattered in the streets like common rubble. Zion was about to fall. Impregnable Zion, on the verge of utter ruin. They were surrounded by the world outside in a siege that would only end in its utter ruin. And in the greatest horror of all, the women would cook and eat their own children. There is no lower state in all the world. This was worse than Sodom for Sodom fell in one day, there would be no such luxury for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The symbols of their God lay ruined and they were about to be devoured by the world. Matthew Henry asks this question of the women in Jerusalem who cooked and ate their own children. This act, was it “the power of necessity, or the power of iniquity.” Such a powerful question, ponder on it for a moment reader.
In a secular sense America was the shining light for the nations. It shone like gold in comparison to old Europe that had grown tired and dim. It took the world’s huddles masses. It gave hope to people from all around the world, like a city set on a hill, it drew them to herself. In two word wars she fought and in the second war she saved civilization itself and the name of God was never far from the lips of her citizens. Now look at America if you dare. Her institutions have been corrupted. Over ninety percent of all the porn in the world spew forth from her bowels. Her merchants and statesmen sold her out to the highest bidders and she became the whore of the world whereby many became rich by her. Yet her greatest iniquity lay with her mothers. Now the question Matthew Henry raised about the mothers of Jerusalem. Was their horrendous act born out of necessity or iniquity? Can I argue that a righteous woman would never cook and eat her own child. Only the hardest iniquitous hearts would ever contemplate such an act never-mind carry it out.
I asked a question recently, a rhetorical one. What is more horrendous, to slaughter an infant in the gas chambers or in their mothers womb? What human being would allow their wombs to be so violated and their child to be so mutilated? A woman, a generation, ripe for judgement. Ripe to be surrounded by the world and put under siege. Ripe to have the stones of their temples torn down and scattered in the streets like rubble only fit to be buried. Sixty five million babies slaughtered and dedicated to the world. A world that would consume them, darken them and ultimately destroy them. Zion was impregnable, yet it fell. America the proud, you will fall. Not like Sodom, not like Gomoragh but you will slowly starve to death. Most definately spiritually, but perhaps even physically. In the history of the world, no nation has sinned to this extent. God has sent His warnings. The towers fell and the cry was not one of repentance, but “we will rebuild.” The whole world has come to a standill and the cry is not one of repentance. From their ministers it is ” soon it will be business as usual for we have not missed a beat.”
The real tragedy we are facing right now in Christendom is a blindness to the need for repentance. The virus that causes this blindness is wilfull ignorance. They choose not to see. Not only no repentance, but a doubling down on wickedness, and most of the world cheers, or peeks out from behind the curtain and says nothing. Our silence is our guilt. The cheers from the world we should expect, the silence from Christendom is a deafening roar. We stay behind our curtains, our walls, as the world spirals downwards. Our highest ambition is to get back to “normal.” God help us. So saints, if you abide in such a place, can you stay there? It is time for the saints of God to step out of the boat, step into the storm, lift your eyes and fix them on Jesus, our soon coming King. Where will He find you when He comes? Behind the walls? Hanging onto the boat for dear life? Shall you not walk upon the water? It is there that you shall find Him, we must go to where He is and leave behind where He is not.
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 May 8, 2020
Phil 4:11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
Paul is a great example to us when he tells us that he had “learned” to be content. There is no magic wand to arrive at this position. We must “learn” And we learn by walking through the fires and the floods. Giving ourselves over and surrendering in every situation so that we can find the freedom that is found in the darkness. What do I mean by that? Well the greatest freedom ever wrought was formed and delivered to us from Calvary.
It is on the tree that Jesus set us free from the laws of sin and death. Gethsemane, Calvary, the cross, the resurrection, this is the path. There has to be a willingness to take up our crosses and die. I do not believe it is every forced upon us. Well I remember the day in 1995, four years after I came to Jesus, that I cried out to my heavenly Father” whatever it takes Lord for me to be useful to you.” One of those prayers that you know that you know that was heard before the throne.
The next 20 years there was one trial after another. The kind of trials that make you fall to your knees. Over and over again. Yet, I began to discover deep truths in these trials. After so many of them it occurred to me how faithful God was to me in the midst of them. How He was always there. How disappointed I was by my lack of total trust in Him as I walked through them. How I was determined in my spirit to walk through the next one, which I knew was coming, with more faith and trust in the faithfulness of God. I discovered that this journey was a journey not about my own faith but about discovering just how faithful the Lord was to me. It was all about His faithfulness!! And the light bulb began to come on. I was “learning.” And my own faith was strengthened in the midst of it all.
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 | 7 Comments »
Posted by appolus on May 6, 2020
One the clergy/laity distinction is removed the concept of ministry changes. It ceases to be the proprietary right of the few and becomes the privilege of all. ( Arthur Wallis.)
This point made by Wallis is the beating heart of religion. The clergy/laity system is a perpetuation of the ancient religions and is a death blow to a royal priesthood. Imagine a system where is everyone is a priest in a spiritual priesthood set up by Jesus Himself. It is a shame that for the most part we have to imagine that. One thing is for sure, where this clergy/laity system exists, there is no functioning priesthood. One may say there is and fool oneself, but where the clergy/laity exists then the royal priesthood has been reduced to a mere mental assent to an abstract truth.
It is one or the other for it cannot be both. Men want to lead or be led, most want to be led. They want a mediator between them and God and there are plenty of men willing to play that role. The rewards of the role is status and power. There is hierarchy and talk of authority and submission. Yet the leadership model of the priesthood is a bottom up servant leadership where one washes the feet of the others.
Diotrephes rejected the Apostle John. Think about that. The Apostle that Jesus loved was rejected by a “leader,” and why? He loved the preeminence. He wanted to be the leader, he was jealous of any other voice. This is absolute evidence that Jesus was not preeminent in the church that Diotrephes “ran.” How often we ask the question “who runs your church.” If the answer is anything other than Jesus, if 95% of the time only one man speaks, you can be sure the spirit of Diotrephes roams the corridors of power in that place. Jesus has been dethroned and is now as unwanted as the Apostle John was. The question is, how welcome would the Apostle John be in your gathering?
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 May 5, 2020
There are two kinds of brokenness. One kind leads you to Jesus, and the other causes you to take up residence before the throne. Many find the first one but not many the second. The first is a desire to be saved and a grasping of the hand that reaches down. The second is an embrace of death, death to self. One encounter with Jesus does not the disciple make, there are nine healed lepers that prove this. Taking up the cross that He provides and walking out the gate never to return is the path that leads to the throne.
It takes many years to know just how narrow the road can become. The promises are made to those who overcome, to those who endure. Not alluring words in the natural, but when driven by eternal love, theses words and the situations they represent are but obstacles to be overcome. We watch the salmon in its incredible journey up the river, back to its place of birth. Nothing will stop it and it will die before it ever gave up. It is driven, as those who walk in the Spirit are driven.
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Posted by appolus on May 4, 2020
Psa 46:4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High
There is much noise in the land brothers and sisters. There is much professional worship that makes a great noise. In the world’s eyes it sounds great and is somewhat familiar to their ears because much of it is fashioned after the music of the world. It is designed to entertain. Yet can I suggest, that if the Lord does not inhabit it then it is merely noise and it actually drowns out the still small voice that would whisper to us “He is beautiful beyond description, too marvelous for words, to wonderful for comprehension, like nothing ever seen or heard, who could grasp His infinite wisdom, who could fathom the depths of His love. He is beautiful beyond description, majesty enthrones above.”
As God gathers His people together, a hush will fall upon their hearts. They will catch their breath as the King of glory comes in, comes in in all of His fullness. As He begins to flood the dry creek beds with a mighty rushing river then the saints will begin to rise up and minister in the overflow of His presence. There is a fresh wind beginning to blow in the hearts of Gods saints. There is a fountain rising in their hearts. And the source of this fountain is God Himself in all of His majestic glory. And out of this river flows an everlasting abundant love. It fills us with light and this light is the life of men. Look unto God and see what it truly means to live an abundant life in Christ.
Perhaps you can relate to the dry river bed? Perhaps it has been a long time since you have experienced the river of God that makes glad the hearts of men? Is the Lord calling you today in that still small voice? Will you call down the weight of His glory on your life today? Can you seek Him out in the silence? Remove all of the distractions of life, the noise and the clamor and the demands. In the end, without His presence, what does any of it mean? Outside of Jesus and His presence all we are doing is marking time until our final day. The Kingdom of God is found when we seek it first above all things. Seek it out today brothers and sisters. The horse must go before the cart, God must be first and when He is then everything that we do finds purpose. Make Him first today.
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 | 1 Comment »
Posted by appolus on May 1, 2020
As I was walking today and praying, the Lord laid spoke to me “batten down the hatches.” Usually when you hear that phrase it is a warning to do just that, but the Spirit of the Lord was showing me something altogether different. It was particularly directed to men. I have watched a lot of National Geographic programs, especially on disasters, like plane crashes and so on. The last series that I watched was about disasters at sea. I watched the whole season. Each show was about a particular sinking. As you watch the whole season you see one reason for sinking coming up time and time again. In a storm, the hatches were not battened down properly. Often a water tight door was not shut correctly. So in huge storms, the water comes over the deck and instead of just washing of as it is designed to, if a hatch is open the water pours in there. Millions of gallons of sea water pouring through and it often led to the boat becoming unstable and then sinking.
There is something in all of us, especially men, that instinctively knows how to batten down the hatches of our hearts when we face our own disasters in life. When assaulted from every side we retreat into ourselves and close the doors and the hatches behind us. It is a survival instinct. Yet what would happen on a ship if we did indeed batten down the hatches and close all the air tight doors. Initially it would save us. Yet, when the storm was over, if we kept the doors closed and never reopened the hatches, then the air inside, the atmosphere would begin to become stale, maybe even toxic. We would not be able to got out on the deck and feel the wind on our faces. Stuck inside we would not be able to see the ocean or the sky above or the brilliant night stars that illuminate the heavens.
In Britain, where I was born, it may be called the stiff upper lip. In other places the word stoic may be used. Yet in both cases the missing ingredient would be feelings and the ability to be intimate. The man or the woman who has closed down, who has battened down the hatches of his or her soul, breathes stale toxic air. They cannot feel the magnificent wind of the Spirit on their faces. They may long to breath pure fresh air, but that would involve opening up. And tragically for many, they keep the hatches battened down and they have tightly sealed their heart.
An open heart is the answer to the storms. It defies common sense, it is not natural. It is supernatural. To remain open, open-hearted, when all around you is in chaos and you are surrounded by trouble on every side is supernatural. When we have learned to rely upon Jesus and not upon ourselves then our hearts can remain open because He elevates us above the storms, above the waves. In this higher place above the waves, there is no need to shut everything up. Have you ever noticed the saint who while going through some great trial, is actually ministering to others? You go round to comfort them and they end up comforting you. This is the power of God in the saint above the waves whose eyes are fixed on Jesus. Opening up to Jesus means to open up the windows of your soul and the door of your heart. The only thing that comes flooding in is His love and grace and mercy and power. And this flood does not sink you, it elevates you.
Are you in a dark place saint? Are you tempted to close down? In 2Cor 4:6 we see that God has “commanded the light to shine out of darkness.” It is the light of heaven and it is the knowledge and the glory of God reflected in the face of Jesus our Lord. Look into His face in your darkness and you will see the glory of God and in this knowing, the darkness is dispelled. This light is the treasure of heaven and He has seen fit to fill our broken vessels with it. No vessel filled with the glory of God can ever sink. You will not sink and you will not founder. Lift up your eyes today and look into the face of our Lord and He will bid you come.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
Posted by appolus on May 1, 2020
1 Sam 16:1 The LORD said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.
It is interesting to note that Saul and all of Israel were afraid of the giant, Goliath. He was allowed to stand, established in the battle-field, unchallenged. This was not the first time the Israelites were afraid of giants. When the spies were sent in to spy out the land by Moses, the report of ten out of the twelve spies was one of fear, fear of the giants. What is the difference between those who are powerless over giants and those who would run towards them? In Saul and David’s case, we see that one had the position and the other had the anointing. What would you have in this life brothers and sisters? Now the one with the position is initially pleased with the outcome of the fight between David and Goliath.
Was he pleased because the arrogant mouth of the enemy who blasphemed our God was shut? Or was he pleased that his own self-serving purposes had been achieved? We see that one has a distressing spirit. Saul had already proved that he was a law unto himself and now had to walk this world himself, without God. Yet, when he heard the people praising David above him, pride and envy and hatred began to build in his heart. When David began to worship God and come into His presence, it merely highlighted to Saul what he did not have and with spear in hand, he said in his heart “I will pin David to the wall!” ‘Now Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul.” (1 Sam 18:12)
There is a difference between the religious man and the man of God. One has position and the other has anointing. What would you have in this life brothers and sisters? These two entities have existed side by side since Cain and Abel. One has an acceptable sacrifice, a broken and a contrite heart, the other has his works. The fire of God falls on one and not the other. Whether it is Cain and Abel, or Saul and David or Jesus and the Pharisees, there is one thing for sure in these cases, one had the position in this life and the other had the anointing. What would you have in this life brothers and sisters? This state of affairs has and will exist until the Lord returns.
The one with the position will persecute the one with the anointing. In fact, we are moving into times where we will see this “Saul spirit,” arise to unseen heights. And directly proportional to the anointing is the level of the persecution. Yet be of good cheer brothers and sisters, for “The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. (Psalm 34:17-19)
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 | 3 Comments »
Posted by appolus on April 27, 2020
When the world shakes and everything that can be shaken staggers, who will you rely upon? In my experience men put a great amount of trust in other men. We like to call them leaders, doctors, generals and scientists and so on. What does the word of God say on this matter?…..
Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:(Psa 146:3-6)
We are constantly being told in these days that we must rely upon doctors and scientists. For several years I was under a heart specialist for a heart disorder. I dutifully took my pills and it kept the condition at bay. Then it got worse and it required me to have what is known as an oblation. It was only partially successful and on a follow up visit the specialist told me that I also had Afib. This increases your risk of heart attack and stroke, so he put me on blood thinners. He also suggested that I have an implant which would monitor my heart condition. Several months after having this implant he told me I needed another oblation to fix both the condition and the Afib. Instead of a three hour procedure, this one would take about six hours and carried some not insignificant risks. I decided to get a second opinion from a hospital that had a very good reputation for their heart team.
This specialist there, after checking me out and reviewing the data from the implant came in and told me that I did not have Afib. I told him that the other doctor wanted to do the surgery. He said with a sarcastic tone and smile “he would have healed you then.” He told me that I could come of the blood thinners right away. I then had a dilemma. Two specialist who came highly recommended and were no novices had given me two completely opposing diagnosis. The decision was mine. The thing was, he was only really confirming what I already “knew.” I had no hesitation coming of the blood thinners.
As we move forward in a world that is being turned upside down, it is vital that we have our trust in God. Experts will tell us many different things but in the end our trust must be in the Lord. Our discernment must be in Him. Our wisdom must be in Him. Our peace must be in Him. He must be our source of joy and gladness. If we rely upon the experts of this world to lead us then we shall be like the blind being led by the blind. It is amazing how much the world trusts their own. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.(Pro 3:5-6)
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Posted by appolus on April 27, 2020
Heb 12:2 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.
Brothers and sisters, when I look up to the cross I see humility. I see my Lord humbled and naked for the whole world to see. Nothing hidden. When I look up to the cross I see justice. I see sin condemned. O brothers and sisters when I look up to the cross I see mercy. Mercy for me. I do not see my own condemnation, I see my Jesus condemned and rejected by the world, willingly taking my place. There is therefore, now no condemnation, because He took my condemnation, to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
O what a glorious freedom. Free indeed. Free indeed to stand and fight. To battle even unto death, with my fellow freed men. I pray today that those whom the Son has set free will catch a glimpse of who they are in Christ. Royal priests in a royal priesthood. Children of the living God. Loved and redeemed and reconciled and called to walk in the beauty of holiness. That the world may know that Jesus was sent by the Father. That the world may see something of the glory of God which was given to Jesus and which He has given to us. Rise up and shine today saints of God, rise up and shine, for you are loved so much. How much? Look up to the cross!!!!
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Posted by appolus on April 24, 2020
I felt the Lord drop this into my spirit tonight. It’s a tough word, actually its a question. Here is the question. “Is it more barbaric to slaughter children in the gas chambers or in the womb?” To me it was definitely a rhetorical question. I say that because I believe the answer is the womb.
At the height or their power, when the Romans ruled the world and pacified it to a great extent bringing law and order and the Pax Romana, they were slaughtering sometimes thousands at a time in their arenas. Men and woman and children were fed to lions for sport. For the sake of you minds I will not recount just how low and barbaric they actually were. It boggles the mind that builders and architects and engineers, philosophers and lawyers and learned men entertained themselves from the bowels of hell.
In the middle ages and the rightly described dark ages. Men of the so called church stalked the land. From one end of Europe to another, these learned men and so called men of God burned people alive after having tortured them in the most gruesome ways. This lasted for a thousand years and millions were slaughtered by “civilized,” men in the name of God.
At the turn of the last century, the most bloody century in the history of men, so called civilization was on the rise. We had discovered electricity and the light bulb. Men had taken to the air and was in the process of conquering flight. There was theories of relativity and Darwin and his cousin Galton were rewriting the history of man, the species and how we adapted and overcame at least in their own minds. Germany was sophisticated and innovative and had the worlds leading scientists. This was shortly before they began to kill every single handicapped person in their country and then shovel countless millions of people into the furnace.
When the beast the was Germany was destroyed the allied powers arose triumphantly. Technology raced ahead at breakneck speed. We were now more civilized than we had ever been since nations began and man walked the earth. Yet before that century was out, America alone had killed upwards of 45 million babies. In the world it was almost two hundred million. Just this year, almost 14 million babies have been slaughtered world wide. Even in the last year of world war two, when the Germans were being beaten on every side, nothing would slow down their insane slaughter of the Jews. In the last several weeks when all the world has come to a stop, abortions are deemed essential surgeries and carry on unabated.
Can you see a pattern brothers and sisters? It is always at the height of our greatest achievements and advances that men are at their worse while thinking they are at their best. When men become righteous in their own eyes then they become monsters of iniquity. It shall not stand, this we know. We serve a God of justice and He is not slack concerning his promises as some men count slackness. The hope of mankind is the light that flickers in the darkness. Jesus is that light in us. He is the way and the truth and the life. Men have lost their way, they despise truth and they are a culture of death. Let the light shine brothers and sister. Let us show the blind world the way, let us proclaim the truth and let that life that is in us shine for all the world to see.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Posted by appolus on April 23, 2020
The Coronavirus crisis has been excacerbated by a virus that was ongoing. This other virus has been around forever. It breaks down all common sense and the common humanity of its host. It violently attacks any intruding ideas in an effort to self-preserve. The antidote has been human tested by literally tens of millions of patients who were critical and actually, measurably dead. The way it works and has worked is that one person had this virus put upon Him, even although He was not contaminated by the actual virus.
Nevertheless, His antibodies became the cure and it works 100% of the time. The virus is sin and the one person was the person of Jesus. His blood saves lives and destroys the virus of sin which is way more deadlier than any disease or virus known to man. Human viruses can cause separation, the virus of sin causes death and eternal separation from a Holy God. The cure is free because that person, the person of Jesus paid the price for you. The cure is available today for everybody and does not discriminate on any basis. And the one who purchased it for you desires that all would come and be cured. Will you be cured today?
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 3 Comments »
Posted by appolus on April 20, 2020
Eph 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.
Each whisper, every God-ward thought, every word spoken, each moment of silence spent in His presence is like a musical note to the Lord. The Scriptures refer to the Lord as “He who sits above the circle of the earth.” And so He who sits above the circle of the earth, sees each and every one of these musical notes from around the world from the Body of Christ, rising up in a majestic symphony of love and worship and it is a sweet, sweet sound in His ears. This day, become part of that symphony, let your days be filled with thoughts of Him, release whispers of love to add to the music of prayer.
Simply whisper the name of Jesus all throughout the day, remind Him of how much you love Him, thank Him for the day, no matter what kind of day that you’re having. Rediscover that bond of love and joy and peace that comes simply by being in His presence. When you do this brothers and sisters, your prayer life will change dramatically, but not only your prayer life, your life itself. For when we walk in continual prayer we begin to see the beauty of the Lord everywhere. If it rains, we see His beauty in the raindrops.
If the sun shines we see His beauty as the flowers turn themselves around to face the glory of the Son. If it is cloudy we see his beauty break through the clouds in beams of light that remind us that despite the momentary darkness, He is not finished with us and that His light is ready to break through. Pray without ceasing brothers and sisters, it is not a bondage, rather a glorious privilege that enables us and empowers us to be over-comers in a dark world that is desperate for a manifestation of the light and the love of our Lord Jesus.
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Posted by appolus on April 18, 2020
Many of us have learned a lot in the recent weeks about ventilators. They dominated the headlines as it seemed there was a great shortage of them. In many ways we came to equate ventilators with life. In actuality, up to 80% of patients who are ventilated die. So what exactly does a ventilator do and what are the dangers? Ventilators “breathe,” for the patients. They have to be sedated. They push air into the lungs and extract that air back out. In effect, they are inflating and deflating the lungs because you cannot. It is mechanical breathing. The dangers are many and they include organ failure, infection, over-inflating and long term lung damage. The longer one is on a ventilator the less likely that they will be able to come of a ventilator.
Breathing is life. Without breath we die. Without breath there is no life. In Genesis 2:7 we see that God formed man from the dust of the earth, but that man had no life until God breathed into Him. God’s breath is life. No one ever died when God breathed into them. In Ezekiel 37 the question is asked about the dry bones in the valley “can these bones live?” And upon these bones appeared flesh and sinew but without the breath of God they had no life. It was God commanded breath that brought these dead bodies to life.
In countless churches across the world and institutions of men, there sits in the pew bodies, yet these bodies have not the breath of God in them. The church itself is like a ventilator. It does the breathing from them. And as in the natural ventilators these church ventilators force air into the lungs. These patients are also required to be sedated. They are lulled into a world where they are not required to move, little realizing that the longer this goes on their dependence upon the “ventilator,’ grows and every organ in their bodies begin to be damaged by this artificial air as opposed to God’s breath.
The roots of our understanding of the Holy Spirit come from the word “ruach,’ meaning wind or breath. People often speak of the wind of the Spirit and we see Jesus breath on His disciples in John 20:22 and they received the Holy Spirit. The essence of all of this is that we cannot do a single thing without the breath of God in us. It is how we operate as individual saints and it is how the Body of Christ was also designed. The Body needs God’s breath. The Body of Christ needs the breath of the Holy Spirit in them to operate. Without it they will die, or perhaps worse, end up “inside,’ a ventilator called church where the breathing is mechanical and counterfeit.
If you know that you are dying within the confines of a building that has sedated you, meaning all the teaching, all the preaching, all the sharing all the worship, all the Words of knowledge, all the exhortations and so on are done for you, the longer you stay there the greater the dependency and long term damage there will be and of course it will ultimately lead to death. The breath of life dwells solely within God and His Holy Spirit. Without that, our bodies of congregations will be no different than a body that cannot breath for itself.
Get off the ventilators and go find the breath of life. It is out there, it does exist, it is not mechanical, it needs no smoke machines nor does it need to dim the lights or entertain us. What we all need is His breath. Oh Father in Heaven blow upon your children, open up the eyes of those who are ventilated and yet who yearn to breath free. Can these bones live oh Lord? You know. Come from the four winds, oh breath, and breathe upon these dead that they may live.
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Posted by appolus on April 17, 2020
Rom 14:8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
There was a famous group of warriors from the Highlands of Scotland. The “Highland Charge,” was one of the most effective field combat strategies in the arsenal of the Scottish army. Imagine facing hundreds of large screaming Highlanders coming at you at full tilt screaming their lungs out and swinging broad swords that measured six feet. Many armies who faced this charge simply broke ranks and fled. These front-line warriors always took great casualties but they were abandoned to the battle and they died with honor. Are you abandoned to the battle that you have been called to? Is the fear of life or death, success or failure, your standing in the community or rejection holding you back from serving the Lord with all of your heart.
The Spirit that was in David compelled him to not only challenge Goliath, but to run to the battle. The Hebrew children said to that wicked old king that their God would save them from the fire. Now, how many in Christendom would say amen to that? Yet, what is not often quoted in many circles is what they said after that which is truly a statement of faith “But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image which you have set up.” (Dan 3:18) You see, whether they lived or died, they would glorify their God. “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” (Job 13:15) Job is saying that even although he has lost everything and even if God would kill him, still he would trust his God. Paul says “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”(Php 1:21)
Can we say that brothers and sisters? Can we truly say that this is our chief end? Whether we live or whether we die we will glorify God? There is a Scripture often quoted by many in Christendom and it is this “By the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony,” and this is how we overcome the evil one. Yet the full Scripture says. ” And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”(Rev 12:11) Brothers and sisters, this is the mark of the genuine saint, not that they are delivered from every situation but that they glorify God despite their circumstances, even in matters of life and death. This is normal Christianity. This is a witness to the world.
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Posted by appolus on April 16, 2020
Every now and again there are scales that fall from my eyes and I catch a glimpse of how the Lord sees me. For the most part this is shrouded by flesh and insecurity and the noise of this world. If the heavens were a scroll and the darkness of the night was a veil and the stars in the heavens mere pinpricks of light from behind, then this light that pierces through is my glimpse. For a moment I see what lies beyond the darkness of space, not beyond it, behind it.
What lies behind the darkness? A light so bright that it renders our own sun to a mere flickering candle. In Rev 6 we are told that the stars of heaven fall to earth, what beautiful language. This happens when the heavens are rolled up like a scroll. Take away the veil of darkness and the pinpricks, the stars, they fall away for the light that is revealed behind the darkness is all consuming. Every mountain and every Island is moved. All men, rich and poor, free and slave try to hide in rocks and caves and cry out that the very mountains would fall upon them and hide them. Hide them from what? From the face of God Himslelf who sits upon the throne. The fabric of space is removed like the mere curtain that it is, and the Word tells us that suddenly all men can see the face of God.
So what is my glimpse? How does the Lord see me? I can see that the Lord loves me just as I am. And just as suddenly as it came, it vanishes. I am left with the lingering warmth of what lies behind the fabric. A cloud of witnesses indeed who dwell beyond the veil, who dwell in the majesty of impenetrable light. Yet the light penetrates the darkness, penetrates the flesh, penetrates the noise. When all the world is silent then I can hear the choirs of heaven. They reverberate in my soul and they penetrate my spirit and I am left with a longing.
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Posted by appolus on April 15, 2020
It is said that love covers a multitude of sins. It is said in 1 Peter 4:8. It is not just any kind of love that covers a multitude of sins, it is a fervent love. No where should we see this more than between a husband and wife. A love that overlooks the imperfection of the other and focuses on the good. And not just focuses on the good but fervently focuses on the good. A love that would defend and sheild the other come what may and always think the best of the other. The opposite of this, and therefore the opposite of love is a desire to expose the other. A fervent desire to focus on the bad that we see. This is self love. Self love has a fervency all of its own and it is always driven by self. If you love yourself above all things then you cannot love Jesus and you certainly cannot love your spouse. True love, as personified on the cross is sacrificial. It is willing to die for the object of its love.
It is said that love keeps no record of wrongs. It is said in 1 Cor 13:5. It is worth pondering on that for a moment. It keeps no record of wrongs. It is patient and is kind. It is not envious and it is not boastful nor is it proud. It is not rude nor self seeking and it is not easily angered. It does not delight when the other falls but rejoices in their goodness. It is always protective, it always trusts and hopes and it endures. Now the Word of God says that we can have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries and be right and even have a faith that could move mountains, yet without this kind of love, it would mean nothing. You could give all that you have to the poor and even give your body to be burned. All of it would gain you nothing if you do not have a fervent love. Above all things, love prevails.
The question then is this. How do you love? How do you love your husband? How do you love your wife? How do you compare to the Word of God when it comes to love? If we cannot love the people that are closest to us in the fashion described above then what have we gained from our walk with Jesus? If we go back to 1 Peter 4 and look at verse one. For as much then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin. The word flesh when it used to speak of Jesus signifies the Lord’s human nature. The second use of the word flesh in this verse is a reference to man’s fallen nature. When we arm ourselves with the resolve of our Lord Jesus Christ as personified by His enduring and overcoming on the cross, then we can cause our own flesh to suffer, suffer defeat. When you take up your cross daily, then the flesh suffers and is put to flight and sin is put to flight. Will you suffer in the flesh to love your husband in the manner prescribed? Will you husband suffer likewise to love your wife? Love is the greatest battle of them all and it is so because it is love that conquers the fires of hell. Lets enter the battle today, follow the instructions above. We shall give an account for it to the Lord Himself.
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Posted by appolus on April 15, 2020
1 Sam 17:48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.
For Christians, victories are won in the depths of the valley for this is where strongholds are broken down and conquered. This is where the fight is taken to the enemy. This place is his dark domain. This is a place that we would never voluntarily go to. We would never come to this place willingly. Yet this place is where we see the gates of bronze broken down and the bars of iron cut in two. Perhaps you are in the depths of a deep valley today and surrounded by darkness? Be of good cheer and be encouraged, for this place where the enemy would see you destroyed is actually the place where you will see victory in Christ. Your mourning shall be turned in dancing and He will put upon you a garment of praise and this spirit of heaviness shall flee before His presence.
The Christian walk is a violent one spiritually speaking. There is nothing passive about what you have been called to. There is an enemy of your soul and the Lord is the Lord of your whole life. Under no circumstances will He allow a stronghold of the enemy to exist in the depths of who you are. Consider young David as he runs towards Goliath. David runs to where the enemy is and destroys him. The Lord takes us to places that in the natural we would not go. Confrontation is the way of the Lord. It is no surprise that most folks hate confrontation yet the Lord leads us into confrontations.
Will you confront your fears today? Will you stand for the truth today? As Christians we are spiritual soldiers. We have been called to battle. And even although much of modern Christianity has been feminized this does not change the true nature of who we are. There can be no co-existence between light and darkness, whether that is inner darkness in you or in the world. Light will have its way and in this place there can be no room for darkness.
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Posted by appolus on April 13, 2020
Psalm 42:1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God.
As the deer panteth for the waterbrooks so my soul longeth after thee oh Lord. It cries out in a dry and thirsty land. Revive me oh Lord. Feed my soul that hungers after heavens food, refresh my spirit that longs for waters that flow from heavens throne. I have tasted this food, I have drank of this water. I am ruined for all of life’s food and all other waters are foul tasting to my spirit. Lord Jesus, you are beautiful beyond description, to marvelous indeed for words. The moments I have spent in your sanctuary rob me of all of my words and render them all perfectly meaningless. I feel heavenly words running through me, it’s in my very essence.
When I am in your presence you penetrate my very DNA. I know that I cannot dwell there for I would that I would never leave that place. And so that I can go on living I must only dwell there for a moment, but oh what a glorious moment. It is these moments that help strengthen me to endure all things for I know that there will come a day when it will not just be moments anymore. Eternity will stretch out its arms and usher me in and there will be the eternal moment, the eternal now, the eternal Lord my God. And it makes me tremble all the more when I realize that this place of eternity, this uninterrupted unadulterated presence of the living God has not even entered into the hearts of man.
No eye has seen nor ear heard nor spirit experienced the full measure of our God. It is above and beyond human description or even imagination. I come to the end of myself and it thrills my soul to know that at the very end of everything that ever was, everything that has ever been or ever will be experienced by man is the very beginning of you. My soul’s journey into eternity renders all mere trials momentary and light, I shall count them all as rubbish for the goal that is set before me. to be found in you. Oh the glorious wonder of a world that cannot be imagined.
You tell me oh Lord that it has not even entered into the hearts of man what you have prepared for us and I compare that with the moments I have spent in your presence and based on this alone my mind is staggered to a point that I cannot even comprehend the beginning of what you have said. Today brothers and sisters, God is ready to be encountered by the man or woman who has readied themselves, who has a desperate thirst for Him, who would draw near to Him. Do you hunger and thirst after the Glory of God? This great treasure is found by those who diligently seek Him, pray today to God to give you such a hunger and a thirst.
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Posted by appolus on April 13, 2020
I have noticed over the years that most of the encouragement we give to other saints is outcome based. What do I mean by that? Well, the most basic example would be ” there, there, everything is going to be okay.” It is very hard to say anything against this kind of encouragement because, on the one hand, it is spiritually true. Yet, what holds true for us as saints in the spiritual realm, does not necessarily hold true in the realm of this world. Let me give you an example. Someone is dying of cancer. Do you tell them everything is going to be ok, meaning they are not going to die, or is everything going to be okay because Jesus rules and reigns in their lives? I believe that is the fundamental difference between spiritual encouragement and what is often just a very human reaction to someone in a difficult situation. When Jesus was talking to the thief on the cross, in the natural realm, everything was not nor was it going to be ok. Yet, the encouragement that the thief gets is two-fold. First, he is in the presence of Jesus and he recognizes it, secondly, his encouragement from Jesus was that this very day he would be with Him in paradise. Obviously that is an extreme example but I believe the principles and the applications are sound. First and foremost, the greatest help for any saint is to be in the presence of the Lord. Secondly, the sure knowledge that no matter what happens, we will be with Him eternally is our firm foundation. This is why there is no victory for death and the grave has indeed lost its sting. Unless that foundational truth rules and reigns in our hearts, then the enemy will always have some kind of access to our hearts and minds, set up some kind of stronghold in our flesh, and from there could mount daily attacks.
We are called to comfort one another with the very comfort we ourselves have been comforted with. What is the greatest, or should I say who is the greatest comfort? The comforter, the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus Christ. When we bring Him to bear in every situation then we are in a good place to encourage one another. A focus on Him, He being preeminent in every situation, brings the power of God right into every situation. It is from that place we may well say to someone “there there, everything is going to be ok.” We may say that the Lord is going to heal you, if the Lord said that. We may say that this very day you will be with Him in paradise. There are many things we may say in the midst of comforting someone, and when it flows from the Holy Spirit of the Living God it will never be wrong. Where we often go astray is when we replace the Spirit of God with wishful thinking and positive thoughts. The key of course, for this and for all things, is to be walking in the Spirit of God and not to get ahead of Him. This is where we run into trouble. We feel the need to say something so we say the first positive thing that comes into our head. Yet, when we actually allow the Lord to go before us, then He becomes a cloud by day and a fire by night. Let Him ever go before us.
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A Call To The Remnant 