Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Posted by appolus on November 22, 2020
“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” And “Every block of stone has a statue inside of it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” “David was always there in the marble, I just took away everything that was not David.” These are quotes from Michelangelo. The block of stone is the old you. Jesus is the sculptor. Pain and suffering are the hammer and the chisel. Circumstances are the blows. God is in charge of it all and He will shape you.
We who know Jesus are a work in progress. Paul says in Ephesians that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. This word perform means to complete. The work that He has begun in you, He is faithful to complete it. I want you to sit for a moment and ponder the magnificence of that. Rest in the truth that the greatest artist of all, the one who hung the stars in the sky, the one who laid the foundations of the earth, the one who created you and breathed life into you has not finished His work with you but will finish it.
The Lord has a hammer and He has a chisel. In the process of freeing you from your former self there must be the blow of the hammer down upon the chisel and we must yield to it. The Scriptures also tell us that the steps of a righteous man are ordered of God. Your life is not some series of random events that somehow hold you capture to its surrounding circumstances. No, your life is His and He is faithful to you. The swing of His hammer is the process whereby He is setting you apart. When Jesus cried to Lazarus to come forth, the coming forth was not all that happened. Lazarus was bound hand and foot with grave-clothes. He had to be set free from them. The grave-clothes had to be taken off so that the Lazarus that was brought to life would no longer be bound by death, but released and free to live.
In 1 Peter chapter 2 Peter says that we are stones being built up into a spiritual house. Every stone is shaped by the Master. Peter also says in the same chapter that we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation a peculiar people who have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light so that we may declare the praises of Jesus. When the religious men of the day plotted to kill Jesus, they also plotted to kill Lazarus. Why? Because his very life testified to the Master, the creator of life, the one who rolls the stone away, the one who shines light into the darkness, the one who bids us come out of the darkness and join Him in His marvelous light.
You are such a one saint. Dont let the enemy fool you or lie to you. You are His creation. He created you, He breathed life into you, He called you out, He raised you up, He healed you. He forgave you, He restored you, he reconciled you. When you passed through the waters He was with you. While you were being refined by the fire He was with you, when you were down He raised you up. He died for you, He rose again for you and He ever intercedes at the right hand of the Father for you.
He has not finished with you but He is faithful and true to complete which He has begun in you. He does it all for His good pleasure. You are His, you were bought with a very expensive price. He has not forgotten you. Lift your hands towards heaven today and open your heart and let this truth flood into your very being. God bless you my brother, God bless you my sister. Keep on going, there are a cloud of witness cheering you, you are God’s work of art and all other works of art are but a mere shadow, a pale imitation at best of what the Lord is creating in you.
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Posted by appolus on November 20, 2020
Eze 47:3 And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.
There is a river that flows from heaven itself. It flows through our hearts and beckons us to come deeper. This river is spoken of in many places in Scriptures. It is the presence of God and it brings us deeper into the heart of the Almighty. There are trees on either side of this river and their roots are directly connected to the river and they are perpetually green, evergreen trees for the healing of the people and the nations. The river itself brings healing everywhere it goes. To be walking in the Spirit is to be swimming in the river of life.
As we see in Ezekiel 47, the Lord brings us to through the waters. Always the Lord, compelling His children to come deeper into Him. Not ankle deep, not knee deep or even waist deep but fully immersed in a river so vast that it cannot be crossed, it can only be swum in. We must give ourselves to the river, let go and give way to the current of the Holy Spirit. Whether you are ankle deep, knee deep or even waist deep, you are still standing on your own two feet. In many respects you are still in charge. Yet to give ourselves completely to the river we are no longer standing.
When we are fully given to our Lord. When we are yielded to the depths and the power of this vast river, the power of the Holy Spirit, only then can we truly be led. All resistance is gone in its depths. It is carrying you towards the sea, the vastness of God Himself. Ever closer, ever deeper into the Father’s heart. And the Lord says to to you “come, I will bring you through the waters into the deep.” “Seek me with your whole heart and I shall be found and you shall be rewarded for your diligence, I am your exceeding great reward.”
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Posted by appolus on November 19, 2020
Isa 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
I give you my rags, you give me wedding garments. I give you ashes, you give me beauty. I give you dry bones, you give me flesh. I give you sadness, you give me joy. I give you a spirit of heaviness, you give me a spirit of praise. I give you my failures, you give me a way ahead. I give you my temptations, you give me a way of escape. I give you my anxiety, you give me a peace that surpasses understanding.
I give you lies, you give me truth. I give you my ambitions, you give me satisfaction. I give you past hurts, you give me reconciliation. I give you my wounds, you bind them up and they are healed. I give you my perversions, you give me purity. I give you my heart and my soul and all that is within me holding nothing back. These are the things that I give you Lord, these are the things that I bring to the altar.
There is the presence of God, and then there is the manifest presence of God. To experience the manifest presence of God we must be willing to be transparent before the throne of Grace. What will you give the Lord today? What will you bring to Him? Are you willing to lay down every obstacle? Are you willing to empty yourself before His throne in humility? We know that the Lord draws near to the humble. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will raise you up.
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Posted by appolus on November 17, 2020
I wanted to look at two of the churches in Revelations that Jesus has strong words for. He says to those in Philadelphia… I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name (Rev 3:8) And to the church in Laodicea He says….. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me (Rev 3:20)
The first thing I want to point out may not be the obvious difference between these two churches but do you see that in the first church there is an “open door.” In the second church the door is closed. The reason for the open door in the first church is stated by Jesus. They have a little strength, perhaps meaning they were poor in Spirit therefore they shall inherit the Kingdom of heaven. Secondly they have kept His word. They have stood upon the Word of God even although they are surrounded by what Jesus calls ” the synagogue of Satan,” those who claim to be worshipers of God but are clearly not. And lastly, they have not denied the name of Jesus. They are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus. And because of all that, they have an open door.
The second church, the somewhat infamous Laodecean church does not have an open door, rather the door is closed. What has caused the door to be closed? The fundamental problem with this church is lukewarmness. Jesus says they are neither hot nor cold and Jesus, using some of His scariest language says that if this continues He would vomit them out of His mouth. Now, what led to their lukewarmness and the closing of the door? They were rich and increased with goods and in their minds had need of nothing. No doubt they imagined that their very riches was a blessing and a proof from God that they were blessed. Where have we heard that before? And yet, they were actually, according to Jesus, wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. Wow. This is not meek and gentle Jesus.
I want to tell you that I have experienced an open door in the heavens. And at other times the heavens themselves were as brass. What does an open door mean? Lets take a look at Rev 4:1, just a sentence later and probably in the same breath….”After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven.” An open door brothers and sisters. Let us look through this door and see what we can see. “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” John, in the Spirit, beheld the throne and the glorious scene all around it. This is similar to the scene we see in Isaiah chapter six where the prophet, in the Spirit, has his own vision.
In short, when the door is open, we are ushered into the glory of God. We come before His throne of grace and mercy. We sense His manifest presence. We speak to Him intimately. We are full of His joy and sing His praises. We are quick to forgive and we refuse to take up the offense, rather we take up our crosses gladly and daily. These are just some of the blessings that rains down upon us from an open door. For that door to stay open we must abide in His Word and His word must abide in us. In short, we read His word and we keep His word. And of course we must never deny Him, not only in name only but also we must not deny Him by our actions.
If you find the door closed and the heavens above you are as brass, then you must search your heart. You must do all that the church at Philadelphia were doing. And if we find that we are lukewarm, we must repent of that lukewarmness. We must submit to the furnace and seek the gold that comes not from the material blessings of this world, but the true blessings that are found through suffering. Will you suffer loss for the cause of Christ? Will you seek Him out as your only passion? Will you forego everything that possibly stands between you and your Lord? Sacrifice, surrender, enduring, overcoming. These are the flames that the Spirit fans that melts away all the dross. And out of that furnace comes gold. It is that opens up the door of heaven, an open door where glory pours forth from.
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Posted by appolus on November 16, 2020
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, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Posted by appolus on November 16, 2020
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.
Perhaps you have reached a crisis point today? Will you call upon the Lord who is your refuge and strength and who is a very present help in time of trouble? Do you know that God is in your midst and you shall not be moved? God will help you at the “turning of the morning.” This means “at the break of Dawn.” You have heard the phrase “things are always darkest just before the dawn,” then praise the Lord we serve a God that shines His light into the darkest of situations. No matter what you face today, no matter how dark your situation, there is a God who cares and is working behind the scenes.
And He is not distant God, like the gods of this world. He is “a very present,” help in time of trouble. He is with us. He dwells in us and therefore He is always near. Whether you sense that presence or not, He is always near. If the Spirit of God dwells within your chest, then so does your heavenly Father and His glorious Son. So yes, He is near. He is not a days journey from you, He is your very breath. He is your high tower and we run into Him. We draw near to Him. How near? The nearness of your heart for it within your heart that He dwells. He hears your whispers on the wind. He hears your anxious heartbeat. The world may rage around you, the mountains may tremble and the waters roar. Yet just one word from our God and the whole earth would fall silent.
Come now to the mountain that cannot be shaken. Stand under the shadow of the Almighty. Lie down in the palm of His Hand. Let not your heart be troubled for our God stills the raging seas, He breaks the bows o. f the strongmen and He burns their chariots with fire. He will be exalted in your situation. The heathen and the unbeliever will marvel at His faithfulness to you. So, be still and know that He is God, He is your refuge and the righteous run into Him and they are safe
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 | 2 Comments »
Posted by appolus on November 15, 2020
Sanctification. We could spend years speaking on the subject. The shaping of a man or a woman. Imagine a glacier cutting its way through solid granite. In its wake, mountains and valleys and paths for mighty rivers to flow.It moves at its own pace. There is no force in all the world that could stop its inexorable forward progress. It will meet the sea when it meets the sea. And when it is spent, there is a whole world created in its unstoppable often violent wake.
The thing about pain. When you hide a darkness in the deepest recesses of your heart it defies the depths and it shapes every part of who you are. You think that you have compartmentalized it, yet even the deepest chambers of our heart has fissures. No matter how tight the cell door, no matter that it lies at the center of your soul, the darkness bleeds out. It bleeds into every part of who you are.
Then suddenly the light. An impenetrable light that penetrates every part of who we are. All at once? The light of God marches towards the center of your soul. It takes captive every darkness as it makes its inexorable way to the very core of who you are. The light will not co-exist with the darkness. Sanctification will have its way. To the saint of God it is unstoppable as a jealous God takes every part of who you are and shapes you by immense forces beyond your capability of understanding.
I am 17. My wife has almost bled to death in the process of giving birth to our first born son. The cord was wrapped around his neck and she was hemorrhaging. An emergency cesarean section was carried out and our son was born. He was immediately moved to the intensive care unit and there he lay, attached to a machine that breathed for him and who knows what else. And there I sat beside him alone. A heart already darkened by a dark childhood. I will not let this child touch me.
The doctors recommended that he be taken of the life support machine. Two months premature and several minutes without oxygen, they said. The plugs were pulled. Two days he stayed alive. The nurse says “would you like to hold him?” I heard myself saying no. He was dying and I was dead and the gross darkness poured into a ship that had already overturned in violent seas. Stephen died. On the day of his burial they placed a small white coffin on my knee as I sat in the back of the hearse. I felt nothing until the hearse took a corner too fast and I felt Stephen’s body move within the coffin and a gaping hole was violently torn into the very depths of who I was. I would spend many many years plugging that hole.
Ten years later I got dramatically saved. All the years and overlays of the results of my sin were slowly but surely being removed. With every inch, the glacier was slowly reshaping me. Breaking down everything that stood it its path. The force of this change was unstoppable. And very suddenly after many years, the inner chamber was breached. I did not see it coming, I was not even aware of its existence. Yet one moment in a shower, singing praises to God was suddenly and violently replaced with cries from the very depths of my heart. This man, always in control, was not in control. I fought to control the sobs and the racking of my body.
I put my hands over my mouth but could not contain the pitiful noises that were coming from this ancient chamber, locked away for so very long. My poor wife heard me and rushed into the bathroom in time to see me clinging onto the tiled walls. I can still see that look on her face. Total confusion. More than that, she was terrified at what she was looking at. I could not articulate what was going on. Darkness and shame and guilt and pain and sorrow were pouring out of me and there was nothing to be done until it had emptied itself. And just as suddenly as it had begun, it was gone, leaving me physically and mentally exhausted. Yet, I felt so much lighter. A profound change had occurred. It was 15 years in the making but it was now God who was doing the making and He leaves no stone unturned.
The thing about pain, it leaves an indelible mark upon our soul. The thing about change, it uncovers every indelible mark. Sanctification, the process of being set apart and becoming more and more like our Lord means there is no hiding place. There is no chamber that does not belong to Him. Buy an old house and everything left in the attic and the basement belongs to you. We have been bought with a price, everything belongs to the Lord. He is Lord of all, every part of who we are. He is always in the process of changing and renewing and remaking. What could resist a glacier? Who can resist the Lord? The Potter and the wheel and the clay.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, sanctification, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 20 Comments »
Posted by appolus on November 13, 2020
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.Dan 6:10
Wicked men who hated Daniel and who were jealous of him came up with a decree that they persuaded the king to sign. This was a trap. By decreeing that no man or woman could petition their God for thirty days they knew they could either control Daniel or destroy him. Now Daniel certainly knew this. What he did was instructive for us today. Now perhaps many of us would go home and shut our windows and pray to God anyway despite what had been decreed. Maybe some of us would follow the decree and rationalize it by thinking that it was only 30 days, what harm would it cause? Daniel went home, and with his windows wide open, prayed unashamedly to the one true God.
Now saints, we are living in a day when many traps are being set for us and there will be many more to come. The enemy will not be satisfied with “30 days.” If Daniel had relented, then another decree would come along more intense and longer in duration than the one before. It is not good enough for the enemy to see outward compliance. He will demand much more than that. He will demand that you bow down to him and acknowledge the lie as truth. Compromise leads to disaster. It is one step down a slippery path and at its end lies destruction. The two wonderful aspects of Daniel’s story was that he unashamedly, in the face of certain death, refused to deny God or bow down to the decrees of this world that demand we deny our God and His truth. The second wonderful part was the fact that God was with Daniel in the lions den. What was decreed for his destruction only strengthened Daniel in the end.
What is pressing upon you saint? What decree is the world demanding that you compromise your faith for? Do not do it. Like a paid blackmailer, it will not end there it will only get worse. Better to go down into the lions den and meet God there. One is temporal and the other is eternal. If you cannot run with the footmen now without being wearied, how then shall you contend with the horses when the world is drowning in gross darkness? Stand upon the truth saints and do not be moved.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Posted by appolus on November 11, 2020
Oh vine, how precious are you now
I am safe within thy graft
Sap flows to every part of me
Now I am part of something vast
With every part of who I am
I in thee abide
Precious waters flow to me
Like a great incoming tide
Life, I feel it’s precious flow
And in that life I dwell
It’s deep and it’s unquenchable
To me an never ending well
Oh the depths of what has set me free
Abiding in the vine and the vine in me
Just to be part of the Olive tree
Sets my grateful soul on fire
Oh Lord my God now comes the fruit
Tis thy work alone, tis every shoot
Tis all thy work who pruneth me
Who died and rose and set me free
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, poetry, revival, spiritual poetry, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Posted by appolus on November 11, 2020
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
The freedom to do what is right, towers above the prison and the chains of commandments. One is initiated by love, the other is enforced by the whip. Holiness comes from freedom and freedom comes from love . And this love inspires and draws us and compels us to honor and respect and obey our Father in heaven. His love is the very air that we breathe and the air before His throne is rarified air and if we cannot breathe this air then we die. The impetus for us to follow the commands that are written upon our heart is love. It is more powerful than the commands that were written upon tablets of stone. Those who would sin without conviction and use some kind of legal fiction (cheap grace) to excuse or justify their actions simply do not have the laws of God written upon their hearts.
The grace of God is such a beautiful and dynamic and fundamental part of our relationship with the Lord. It is never a license to sin, God forbid. It is the very opposite for those who know Jesus. When we sin there is a separation between ourselves and the one that we love. We cry with David “restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.” The blood bought heart can never be at peace when there is any kind of distance between it and his Lord. Love compels us to humble ourselves, broken and contrite, and come before our Lord in confession so that we may once again walk in the beauty and closeness of His presence and holiness.
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Posted by appolus on November 10, 2020
Many Christians have what they call ” life Scriptures.” Particular Scriptures that have been most applicable to them in their lives and in their situations and these Scriptures have grounded them and kept them on the narrow path. This is one of my favorites….For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2Tim 1:7) Fear can so dominate out lives in all its many shades and hews. It fuels anxiety and stress. Fear is gasoline poured upon your troubles. Troubles is certainly something that we shall always have, but fear is unnecessary. And by that I mean living in fear. Slavish fear, fear that binds us hand and foot. Fear that captures the mind and overwhelms it, rendering us captive to it. How do you know if you have been captured? Do you have a sound mind? Have your thoughts taken hold of you? Can you ” turn them off?” Can you sleep at night? Do you ” walk the floor?” These are all symptoms of not having a “sound mind.”
In days long past it was referred to as having a quiet mind. Oh the beauty of a quiet peaceful mind. It’s in this quiet peace that we can hear the still small voice of God. The enemy seeks to take this quiet from us so that we cannot hear the lord. He seeks to have our minds like the sound of many waters, roaring seas, a din that cannot be stopped. It is vital, absolutely vital that brothers and sisters have a quiet mind. The fear that fuels the noise is not of God. First it comes from our flesh and then is magnified by the enemy. Distraction is the order of the day, but it’s not Gods order. You have to confront your fears in the power of God. He has given you power over it. In the yielding of our lives to Him we have been given a spirit of power and love and self-control. Make no mistake, this is an enemy that will shadow you all the days of your life. You have to be vigilant and put on all the armor of God to do battle with the enemy of God and the enemy of your soul.
There is a reward to those who overcome, there is a reward to those who endure, there is a reward to those persevere. Stand up brothers and sisters. I know you may have fallen down, maybe even multiple times to the enemy which is fear, but stand up. Count all things as loss for Christ and to be found in Him. It will not come naturally, in fact quite the opposite, which is why it is a battle. But be of good cheer, for we worship a supernatural God who hears the cries of His people and who is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him and His presence. Who, with discipline and single-mindedness continue to seek out their God no matter what situations come along. Do not condemn yourself if you have despaired. The great men of Scriptures despaired. The levels and the depths of your despair is often the height and the measure of your trial. Stand up, stand strong, stand in the power of God, stand in the evil day.
It is not the falling down that is the measure of the man or woman of God, it is the rising up. Rise up today from your bed of fear and anxiety and cast all your cares upon Him. Trust Him. Know that we can lose everything in this world but we cannot be taken out of His hand. You may not feel His presence today, but He stands with you and goes before you. You may not feel the heat of the sun at night but nevertheless it is there and come the dawn the sun shall rise. This may be a dark time in your life but this I want you to know, the sun will rise again, there shall be a dawn that follows the darkness of your situation. Persevere saints and one day soon we shall gather before the throne and praise together. The Bible tells us to put on a garment of praise for a Spirit of heaviness and that the Lord inhabits the praise of His people. Begin to praise the Living God today in a sacrifice of worship and wait and see the fire of God fall upon that sacrifice.
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Posted by appolus on November 9, 2020
Rom 4:18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
This phrase “against all hope,” or “contrary to hope,” reveals a very wonderful truth. In this particular case we see that Abraham and his wife are well beyond the age of bearing a child. Sarah’s womb was dead, it could indeed carry no life. And so in life we oftentimes run into situations that defy hope, stand diametrically opposed to hope. All the evidence of the rational mind and the finest expert opinions dash any worldly hope upon the rocks of hopelessness and despair. Yet brothers and sisters, it is a glorious thing to remember that our hope is not the hope of the world. Our hope is founded upon our God and His word, His promises. His word is not broken, His promises cannot be broken. And it is this hope that is a wellspring of joy and peace and love and a sound mind.
This wellspring is Jesus who died upon the cross, and was laid in a place of death, like Sara’s womb. And yet, just like Sarah’s womb, Life would rise up out of that place of death by the very power of the Spirit of God. And just as righteousness was imputed to Abraham who against all hope, believed in hope, the hope of glory, the hope of life springing up from the dead, we too have righteousness imputed to us, who believe in the risen Christ, the Son of the Living God. He is our hope of Glory and in Him we have standing before God.
Perhaps you face a hopeless situation today? Can I tell you brothers and sisters, there is no hopelessness in Christ. He is our wellspring of Hope, and from the Well, springs eternal hope. Trust in Him despite the seeming hopelessness of your situation. There is nothing too difficult for our Lord. God is with you today as you navigate the narrowest and most difficult part of your journey. He is a lamp unto your feet in the darkness and He is the light that will lead you through the valley.
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Posted by appolus on November 9, 2020
Saints are you ready? God is sending a refining fire. Our God is a consuming fire. The fire, as we speak, is being kindled. You may have heard talk of revival. There is something coming that is so much higher than revival. There is something coming that the world has never seen before. A Church united by persecution. An ancient unity first spoken of in John 17 by the Lord Jesus Himself. A Church arising from the ashes of mediocracy. A Church ushered into the glory.
And on the other side of that is the unity of the world. A world unified by the brotherhood of man. A world united by it’s hatred of everything that opposes its own virtues. A bold enraged world that is about to initiate a grand inquisition. In every town and in every city and in every nation of the world there will come the question. “Will you bow down?” Will you bow down to the gods of this world? The tower of Babel is rising from its ancient foundations. It will rise up in rebellion against Jesus.
If you refuse to work on the construction of this tower then a united world will turn on you. And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.(Mat 10:21-22) Saints, your family will turn on you. If liking President Trump split families, what do you suppose will happen when Jesus becomes the issue?
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another (Mat 24:9-10) This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come…..they shall be…without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, without self control, fierce, despisers of those that are good….traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God……having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof(1 Tim 1:5) I put it to you saints that this generation has arisen before our very eyes. We raised them.
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools…..For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet…..And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind. (Rom 1:21:28)
Saints we are dealing with a world given over to a reprobate mind. We are that generation and as such we have been called to stand in the evil day, to not be ashamed of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The whole Gospel, and the truth upon which it is founded. This is the power of God. This is the fire of His refining. The fire comes in the reaction of a Godless world to the God of all creation burning in the hearts of His saints. We are the match that lights the fire. It is the Truth and our love for it that will be the last piece of evidence against a world that has rejected God.
We have been called for such a time as this. A glorious calling. A final calling at the end of the ages. A calling that sees us walk in the unity that Jesus spoke of. The glory of that unity shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. The cost? Everything. The enemy is coming in like a flood and God is raising up a standard. He has called us up to higher ground. He has called us forth to raise His banner high. The banner of Truth. And when one of us is taken by the enemy and destroyed, another rushes forward and hoists it high over the battle-field.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high his royal banner,
It must not suffer loss.
From victory unto victory
His army shall he lead,
Till every foe is vanquished,
And Christ is Lord indeed.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Posted by appolus on November 8, 2020
Keeping short accounts. This is one of the most vital aspects of our walk with Christ. The Scriptures tell us to be angry and sin not, but not to let the sun go down on our anger. Letting the sun go down on our anger is like a beaver putting one more stick in the dam. One more stick in the river. It keeps building and building and it slowly begins to choke of the water. Stick by stick, offense by offense, laying on top of one another, rising up into something bigger and bigger and bigger. Unresolved issues permeating our hearts and affecting every part of who we are.
There comes a point when the river is dammed up. It is no longer flowing. It is going to take an almighty effort now to break that dam and when it is broken, it comes rushing down in torrents, full of flooding power and debris. It is a big mess. It is so important that there is not this kind of buildup, that there is always a free flowing river, for this is the river of life that flows from the throne of grace straight to your heart. It is the source of your joy and strength in the Lord. This is the river that makes glad the hearts of the saints.
So keep a short account. If you fall out with your husband or your wife, do not let the sun go down on that situation. First, forgive them or ask for forgiveness depending upon the situation. And then put flesh on that forgiveness. It could simply be a kiss on the cheek. A cup of coffee. Reaching out and holding their hand. A warm smile. Very small things in the bigger picture of life, but sometimes an incredibly hard obstacle to overcome. Do it. It is the manifestation of forgiveness. It is your forgiveness made flesh. It is a proof and a seal to the work that has been done in your heart. It is so often a bridge over a chasm that has opened up.
Keeping a short account is to keep the river of life flowing. It is a spiritual artery from heaven that brings life giving sustenance straight to your heart. The condition of your heart is the most vital aspect of your walk with Jesus. It is from the heart that the issues of life flow forth. If it gets dammed up you have choked yourself of from that abundant life. It is hard to survive living on trickle, it is spiritual death when the river has dried up.
Get of the roller coaster of highs and lows, trickles and floods and life sapping drama. Instead, keep the river flowing. Make no mistake, it is by an act of our will and obedience to the Word of God and the still small voice that keeps us well watered. Start today saints and flow in the waters of life.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Posted by appolus on November 7, 2020
I believe God ordained President Trump so that the hypocrisy of those who spoke about tolerance was exposed and their true hatred and intolerance revealed.. Secondly, what has happened in the last four years is like the drawing back on the bowstring. Back, back, back, almost at straining point, and then……..release.
A torrent of dammed up hatred against the saints is on the very verge of being released. The four years was a temporary alleviation of a global march by the elites. Just for a moment, with Brexit and President Trump it looked like globalism had been dealt a death blow. Now it has sprung to life again and is angrier, bolder, more arrogant and more dangerous than it ever was before. It no longer feels the need to hide behind the masquerade of tolerance. Stand fast saints.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 10 Comments »
Posted by appolus on November 6, 2020
There is a direct correlation between unconditional love for God and peace. Is your love for God conditional? In many ways we wont know that until we face a certain set of circumstances and those circumstances are different for everyone, God knows though. That is why that while there is one narrow path through this world the saints experience that path differently.
The circumstances of your life will tell the tale. The more we love God unconditionally the more we walk in peace. The greater the witness. One might argue that unconditional is unconditional. There cannot be more unconditional or less unconditional. I would agree with that in the abstract. Yet in the practical working out of our lives and our salvation, we often discover, to our horror, that we are not what we thought ourselves to be. Meaning that we fail in certain circumstances. We fall down. In the failing and the falling down, we see how far we fall short of His glory. We see our desperate need for Jesus and the absolute imperative that we surrender all, actually surrender all as opposed to merely singing with feelings that precious old Hymn “I surrender all.”
So unconditional love for God means that we make no deals. It is God that says to us “if you do this.” The Scriptures are full of the word “If.” What can never happen is the opposite. We can never say to God “if you do this.” We worship a Holy God for no other reason that He is a Holy God and He is deserving of our worship, quite apart and distinct from our personal circumstances, no matter how good or how dire they are. Unlike our circumstances, God never changes.
In the natural we understand the phrase “Unconditional surrender.” The Germans and the Japanese both discovered what that meant. Have you unconditionally surrendered to God this day? Have you surrendered your husband or your wife? Your nation? Your children? Your finances, your standing in this world? Your reputation? Whatever percentage you hold back for yourself, it will directly detract from your walk with Jesus and the peace that surpasses all understanding. Identify within yourself what you have held back. Surrender it. The high water mark is complete and total unconditional surrender. How do you measure up?
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Posted by appolus on November 6, 2020
“Lest the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ.” (2 Cor 4:4)
I want to focus on “The Gospel of the glory of Christ.” What is the Gospel of the glory of Christ? We know that the word Gospel means good news, so we could say it is the good news of the glory of Christ. Do you know the glory of Christ? If the good news itself is about the glory of Christ, is it possible to share the Gospel if you yourself have not experienced the glory of Christ? And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one (Joh 17:22) Jesus is saying that His glory comes from the Father and that He has given us this very same glory. And why? So that we may be one. So, without the glory we cannot be one with Father and the Son and we cannot be one in the oneness of the Body. Have you been given the glory? And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) Have you saw His glory?
Do you know the Glory, have you been given the glory and have you seen the glory? In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple ( Isa 6:1) Have you had a vision of God? Have you experienced His manifest presence? In Hebrews chapter one it is stated that Jesus is the radiance of His glory. And so, if we know Jesus then we know the light that emanates from God Himself, this light is the glory of God. Many of have seen the corona of the sun when an eclipse occurs .The corona is the aura that surrounds and emanates from the sun. It is only at the moment when the moon blocks out the sun that we dare gaze upon it and see the aura. To gaze fully into the sun itself would render us blind. The glory of God is the aura that emanates from Jesus. He is so Holy that we can only know Him by His aura. Jesus is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature. By taking on flesh Jesus was like the moon that enabled us to look with unveiled eyes about the radiance of the glory of God without destroying us mere mortals in the process.
We must know His glory. His glory is a gift from the Lord Himself, He allows Himself to be seen by the power of the Holy Spirit. We see His glory, we stand in awe, just like Isaiah, at the glory of God. We ourselves would be undone if it were not for Jesus. We could not stand in that place unless we were covered by His blood. By becoming one in the Father and the Son we can stand in the glory. We can bask in the radiance of His glory. We are empowered and renewed and strengthened by the glory. We rise up by the power of the glory. We speak of Him only by the empowering presence of His glory. In short, we do all things by the glory of God and for the glory of God and without the glory we can do nothing. Can you see how important the glory is? It is the power of God and the beauty of God and the holiness of God. If we would walk in the beauty and the holiness and the power of God we must know the glory of God. Do you know His glory?
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Posted by appolus on November 4, 2020
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
I had a dog named Jack. One of my favorite dogs. He walked without a leash, every dog I have had walks without a leash. Jack could be in full flight after a rabbit and I could call him of and he would return to me. When a bike would approach him on the trail he sat. When other dogs would pass him he ignored them. He would run the fields and the tall grass in front of me as we walked.
To get to that point it took discipline and consistency over time. There was a sternness to my voice when needed and punishment too when required. Yet, because he and I had the proper relationship, and he understood his need to submit, his need for obedience, his brokenness so to speak, it was Jack that reaped the rewards. I would say that he had more freedom than any other dog in the neighborhood. This has been my experience with the Lord. I am sure some will object to the master/dog analogy but for me it really fits. As a young man and a young Christian ( i came to the Lord at 26) I was very headstrong, rebellious and undisciplined. I marvel at the patience of my Master, my trainer. I too experienced discipline and I would say that it came mostly in the Lord allowing me to suffer the consequences of my actions. If He had shielded me from them I doubt I would have ever learned a thing.
Another aspect of my dog was that he always kept me in his line of sight. He could be fifty yards away but as long as he could see me, as long as he knew I was there, he was at rest in his activities. He could be dashing around the tall grass and suddenly his head would come up, see where I was, and then he was back to his activities. His world revolved around his proximity to his master and all was right with his world as long as he could see me and was close to me. Do you keep the Lord close? Can you see Him high and lifted up? Do you follow Him at a distance as opposed to walking side by side?
Now consider the un-disciplined dog. He walks with his leash and is always straining against it. He never gets to run, he never gets to explore, his master cannot trust him and always has to keep him on a tight leash. The disobedient dog will never experience freedom. The unruly dog is forever confined. He is constantly being choked as he pulls against his leash. Can I suggest that this is the experience of many saints, the saint who will not yield to discipline, who will not be mastered, whose will is forever clashing with the will of the Master. Jesus must be our Lord, He cannot only be our Savior. Do not listen to any theologian who would tell you otherwise.
To be obedient to the Lord is to be free. The brokenhearted and the contrite saint is the free saint. We have been called to freedom. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Gal 5:1) For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives (Heb 12:6) Will you be free? Then will you bow the knee? It is in the bowing of the knee, the yielding of the spirit and the obedience to His word and voice that throws of the shackles of sin and produces a freedom and a peace that surpasses understanding.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Posted by appolus on November 2, 2020
My fellow Americans. There is a tension in the air, is there not? An anxiousness. Its kinda hard to describe. I remember standing waiting for the leather belt in Catholic school. You knew what was coming, the deed had been done, the sentence handed down, and now you were just waiting for the punishment. Outside the class, outside the assistant headmasters room. Sometimes inside the class, where there was five other guys getting belted before you. A wee bit of a knot in the stomach.
Or perhaps someone challenged you to a fight after school. In my world the phrase was “your claimed.’ So, inevitably it would be a long day until the bell rang. Instead of a day it has been more like a year In America and the bell is about to ring. You get this inner sense that America stands betwixt two points and whatever way it goes there can be no turning back. There are multiple ramifications no matter which way it goes. Yet it was always good to get the belt over with. It was always good to get the fight over with. Some kind of sense of relief. Even a bad report from the doctor is better than the not knowing.
To my brothers and sisters in Christ, this is an excellent opportunity to strike a blow against anxiousness. Do it now, do it before the vote is cast so to speak. Show the Lord that your faith means something, your trust means something. Scripture tells us that the just shall live by faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Trusting in God, what a wonderful affirmation of your love for Him and who He actually is. I believe our whole sanctification is measured by the barometer of trust/faith. We are called to cast all of our cares upon Jesus. Casting a vote is one thing, but to cast all your cares upon Jesus is the very essence of our lives in Christ. By an act of the will, do it today, do it now.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Posted by appolus on November 2, 2020
1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
The greatest revelation of God in my life has come in the midst of my needs. It has not come in my wants or desires or accomplishments it has come in my needs. The greater the need the greater the revelation. The second time of greatest revelation of God in my life has come when I have sinned against Him. There is no deeper humiliation for a saint than to have failed his Lord badly. Yet, when I approached the throne of grace with my head hung low and with a spirit within that was crying out ” woe is me for I am undone,” then suddenly I am encountered with love and forgiveness even although I myself had desired punishment and penance to atone somehow for my sin. Now I am undone not because of my unworthiness but because of the realization of the depths of His love and faithfulness to me. It is His holiness that saves, it is his grace that is sufficient and it is His faithfulness that will never fail. He increases in my heart and I decrease as I realize the very source of all that I am in Him and in Him alone.
If our sins lead to humility and repentance and brokenness before the throne where we receive a greater and deeper revelation of who God is, and they do, then would not the enemy of our souls do everything in his power to keep us from this place? And the easiest and most effective way to do that is to convince us that we never have to seek that place out. Do not be fooled saints, God is glorified and revealed to us in the depths of our needs, our infirmities and our failures. Should we then seek to be in need or to be infirm or to sin so that God may be glorified?
God forbid. I can guarantee that you wont have to seek out needs or infirmities or sin. They will find you because you are finite and corruptible. But an infinite God will one day raise you up in in-corruption. And until that day comes His grace will be sufficient for you. He will meet you in the depths of your needs. He will be faithful to forgive all of your sins when you come before Him and confess them. And in all of that you are drawn ever deeper into the heart of the Father.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
A Call To The Remnant 