Issue No: 336 Published: 31 Mar 2008
TRANSFORMATION OF THE CHURCH: 3. FROM KINGS TO KINGDOM (continued)
Today we finish our look at the Revelation churches by summarising the characteristics of the 2 churches Jesus praised, those at Smyrna and Philadelphia.
The people of Smyrna had nothing materially. They were persecuted. They were ridiculed. They were likely to die for their faith. Yet, spiritually, in their faithfulness, they had everything! And were given the promise:
Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Revelation 10b)
God, above all, desires us to be fully reliant upon Him.
At Philadelphia, the situation was much the same.
Here we have another church that wouldn't seem successful in today's terms. Success today is regarded as being strong, confident, with a super faith that will get one through all situations and challenges in life. Yet, very often, this 'strength' is grounded in human maxims of success rather than godly principles. Strength in self rather than total reliance upon God!
To truly 'go up' in God, one must first 'go down' in self.
Yes, in Philadelphia they had little strength, yet they kept God's Word and did not deny His name.
Also, as one commentator put it,
This church has opposition from the false church (synagogue of Satan), the counterfeits. These false brethren claim to be the church and oppose the ministry of God's people, but Christ promises to bring them to their knees. The false church has popularity, influence, and money, but it must one day bow before the few saints of God who take the truth to the world.
Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament, (Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books) 1992.
All too often today, the churches with popularity, influence and money are regarded as the successful true church. Yet, according to Jesus, the churches at Smyrna and Philadelphia which were poor and persecuted, lacking in human strength and ridiculed, were those that He was pleased with. Yet, as the commentator says, it must one day bow before the few saints of God who take the truth to the world.
Jesus desires us to work in His strength, not our own.
I have a heart for the church. I was brought up in a Baptist church. I was a 'good churchian' until my early 30's. It was even suggested that I should go to Baptist College and train to be a Minister. Yet I knew what was really in my heart.
After a bad experience in the church I attended, I threw away all the 'pretence' of my churchianity and went out into the world for 10 years or so. It wasn't until I faced the implications of bankruptcy that I truly gave my heart to Jesus.
Back in the church I absorbed all my traditional Baptist church had to offer. I became filled with the Holy Spirit and absorbed all the Pentecostal church had to offer. But in my heart I knew there was more. Then the Lord gave me the revelation of Revelation 12:11, upon which Walking with Jesus Ministries is based.
11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus - Passover - Traditional and Evangelical churches) and by the word of their testimony; (Holy Spirit - Pentecost - Pentecostal and Charismatic churches) they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (The Father - Tabernacles - End Time Church)
A church which in the Bible described as the overcomers, the bride, the double anointing, and more. A people sold out to God, 100% doing the Father's will, leading to spiritual death of our human nature putting on the nature of God as modeled in Jesus, being prepared to die physically also for God, as Jesus did for us.
Yes, I have been called a dreamer, and worse things!
Yet, as we can see in the churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia, the characteristics of the churches Jesus praised are not those desired by most of the church, then and now. Principles of sacrifice, faithfulness, full reliance upon and submission to the will of God. Something to consider next time.
(To be continued next week)
"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 5:7-10)
""The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers."" (Revelation 17:12-14)
"Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!" Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear."" (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) (Revelation 19:5-8)
THE FOOLISH, THE WISE AND THE GODLY
175. The foolish keep all they have for themselves. The wise gives expecting the blessing to be returned. But the godly gives simply to bless God.
205. Foolishness is of the flesh, wisdom of the mind, but godliness comes from a heart right with God.
206. The foolish that go astray remain foolish, the wise become becomes foolish, while the godly seek God's forgiveness.
207. David was a godly man who sinned but remained godly. His son Solomon, a wise man who sinned and became foolish. His son Rehoboam, a foolish man who sinned and remained foolish.
305. The foolish can seek wisdom, the wise godliness, while the godly grow into the image of Christ.
306. The foolish rest content in hope, the wise find faith, while the godly unreservedly love both God and others.
427. The foolish seek nothing, the wise, 'to do', while the godly desire 'to be'.
484. The foolish lust after instant pleasure, the wise seeks knowledge, while the godly yearn for God's truth.
485. Laziness begets foolishness, knowledge wisdom, but the truth, godliness.
870. The foolish one looks inwards, the wise outwards, but the godly, upwards.
1273. The foolish give seeking earthly return, the wise, to build up treasures in heaven, while the godly give their all out of love for God, with no need of reward.
23 Two years later, when Absalom's sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king's sons to come there. 24 Absalom went to the king and said, "Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his officials please join me?" 25 "No, my son," the king replied. "All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you." Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go, but gave him his blessing. 26 Then Absalom said, "If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us."
The king asked him, "Why should he go with you?" 27 But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king's sons. 28 Absalom ordered his men, "Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, 'Strike Amnon down,' then kill him. Don't be afraid. Have not I given you this order? Be strong and brave." 29 So Absalom's men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king's sons got up, mounted their mules and fled. (2 Samuel 13:23-29)
THE NOAHIC COVENANT
God got thoroughly angry with His creation and decided to destroy it and start again with His one honorable servant, Noah.
707. NO CHRISTIANS IN HEAVEN?
Why are there no Christians in Heaven yet? Because they are all still at the gates, saying to each other: "After you", "No, I insist after you..."
706. FLATTERY
A pastor was leaving his area and was saying farewell to his congregation at the Church doors for the last time. He shook the hand of an elderly lady as she walked out. She said "Your successor won't be as good as you." "Nonsense", said the pastor, in a flattered tone. "No, really", said the old lady, "I've been here under five different ministers, and each new one has been worse than the last."
705. THE COST OF LIVING
God said to Adam, "I am going to make you a helper, a companion. What would you like your companion to be like?" Adam replied, "Well I want someone that is humorous, witty, intelligent, compassionate, caring, loving, trusting, polite, generous and beautiful."
God paused a moment after Adam's wish list and told Adam that a companion like that 'would cost him an arm and a leg.' Adam seemed a little dejected and then brightly replied: "What can I get for a Rib?"
LAST WEEKS QUESTION: What's the difference between a turtle and a
tortoise?
ANSWER: : A tortoise is a terrestrial turtle, one that lives entirely on land.
Other turtles are amphibious, living on both land and water. (Has nobody
taught the tortiose to swim?)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: : What is the connection of May Day to Robin Hood?
555. NO BULL!
Bulls are colour blind, therefore will usually charge at a matador's waving cape no matter what colour it is - be it red or even black! (Hold that cape still next time you are being charged by a bull!)
556. PERFECTLY MADE
The giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch (52cm) tongue! (Does it become 'tongue tied' though?)
557. TONGUE PRINT
Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different! (Ideal for identifying the resting place of stolen food? Only if regurgitated like the housefly.)
STUNTED
BIBLE QUESTION - WORKERS AND TOOLS
5) What tool-of-trade did David perfect the use of in his early years?
A - Bow and arrow
B - Spear
C - Fishing net
D - Slingshot
!!!!!!! Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you have to say. Best friends listen to what you don't say!
!!!!!! Yesterday was the deadline for all complaints.
!!!!! Look for opportunities...not guarantees.
!!!! Life is what's coming....not what was.
!!! Success is getting up one more time.
!! Now is the most interesting time of all.
! When things go wrong.....don't go with them.
8. KITCHEN SIGNS
Signs found in the some of the best kitchens……
*^* So this isn't 'Home Sweet Home' – Adjust! *^*
*^* Ring Bell for Maid Service. If no answer - do it yourself! *^*
*^* I clean the house every other day. This is the other day! *^*
*^* If you write in the dust, please don't date it! *^*
*^* I would cook dinner but I can't find the can opener! *^*
*^* My house was clean last week – too bad you missed it! *^*
*^* I came, I saw, I decided to eat out. *^*
*^* If you don't like my standards of cooking…. lower your standards! *^*
*^* Although you'll find our house a mess, Come in, sit down, converse. It doesn't always look like this: Some days it's even worse. *^*
*^* A messy kitchen is a happy kitchen, and this kitchen is delirious! *^*
*^* A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand. *^*
*^* Thou shalt not weigh more than thy refrigerator. *^*
*^* Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they will never cease to be amused. *^*
*^* Countless numbers of people have eaten in this kitchen and gone on to lead normal lives. *^*
*^* My next house will have no kitchen – just vending machines. *^*
*^* I'd live life in the fast lane, but I'm married to a speed bump. *^*
9. MOTHERS OF THE FAMOUS
PAUL REVERE'S MOTHER: "I don't care where you think you have to go, young man. Midnight is past your curfew!"
MARY, MARY, QUITE CONTRARY'S MOTHER: "I don't mind you having a garden, Mary, but does it have to be growing under your bed?"
MONA LISA'S MOTHER: "After all that money your father and I spent on braces, Mona, that's the biggest smile you can give us?"
HUMPTY DUMPTY'S MOTHER: "Humpty, if I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times not to sit on that wall. But would you listen to me? Noooo!"
COLUMBUS' MOTHER: "I don't care what you've discovered, Christopher. You still could have written!"
BABE RUTH'S MOTHER: "Babe, how many times have I told you-quit playing ball in the house! That's the third broken window this week!"
MICHELANGELO'S MOTHER: "Mike, can't you paint on walls like other children? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get that stuff off the ceiling?"
NAPOLEON'S MOTHER: "All right, Napoleon. If you aren't hiding your report card inside your jacket, then take your hand out of there and prove it!"
CUSTER'S MOTHER: "Now, George, remember what I told you-don't go biting off more than you can chew!"
ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S MOTHER: "Again with the stovepipe hat, Abe? Can't you just wear a baseball cap like the other kids?"
BARNEY'S MOTHER: "I realize strained plums are your favorite, Barney, but you're starting to look a little purple."
MARY'S MOTHER: "I'm not upset that your lamb followed you to school, Mary, but I would like to know how he got a better grade than you."
BATMAN'S MOTHER: "It's a nice car, Bruce, but do you realise how much the insurance is going to be?"
GOLDILOCKS' MOTHER: "I've got a bill here for a busted chair from the Bear family. You know anything about this, Goldie?"
LITTLE MISS MUFFET'S MOTHER: "Well, all I've got to say is if you don't get off your tuffet and start cleaning your room, there'll be a lot more spiders around here!"
ALBERT EINSTEIN'S MOTHER: "But, Albert, it's your senior picture. Can't you do something about your hair? Styling gel, mousse, something...?"
GEORGE WASHINGTON'S MOTHER: "The next time I catch you throwing money across the Potomac, you can kiss your allowance good-bye!"
JONAH'S MOTHER: "That's a nice story, but now tell me where you've really been for the last three days."
SUPERMAN'S MOTHER: "Clark, your father and I have discussed it, and we've decided you can have your own telephone line. Now will you quit spending so much time in all those phone booths?"
THOMAS EDISON'S MOTHER: "Of course I'm proud that you invented the electric light bulb, Thomas. Now turn off that light and get to bed!"
For more extensive explanations to amuse and inform go to...
THE DOMESTICATED DONKEY
... was one of the most useful animals to the Jews. Numerous laws were given about its treatment, testifying to its importance to the Hebrews. A donkey had to be rested on the Sabbath and one that had fallen under the weight of its load had to be helped. Abraham used donkeys in his caravans long before camels were around.
A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME IN THE WEST?
Ministry Forced to Leave Canada Because Its Critique of Cults Treated as Hate Crime
by Bob Unruh, WorldNetDaily
NELSON, BC - The Canadian government has ordered a Christian ministry that teaches doctrine and the differences between Christians and cults shut down because its reference materials were "critical" of the beliefs of those who are not Christian, WND has learned.
So what used to be called MacGregor Ministries with offerings in how to recognize and eliminate "faulty fads" in Christian churches has been re-created in the United States, and now operates under the name MM Outreach Media Ministries.
Lorri MacGregor, who has dedicated her life to explaining the straight and narrow of Christian beliefs since she found her way out of the Jehovah's Witness system years ago, told WND Canada's version of a "hate crimes" law prevented their work from continuing as it had for nearly 30 years.
"Canada is no longer a Christian nation," she said. "And watch out America!"
The issue of the ministry's charities license in Canada, allowing it to operate as a ministry, came up during a routine audit of the ministry's finances, which was uneventful.
"The auditor that originally looked at our books told us her supervisor had said she wanted us shut down," Mrs. MacGregor told WND. "Canada has very strong hate laws."
She said the ministry points out the differences between Christianity and various cult beliefs, but also with respect, and never as a proponent. She said the work always is in response to a question or issue.
"When a group such as Jehovah's Witnesses said of our doctrine we're worshipping a freakish three-headed God (the Trinity), we should be able to respond," she said. "We say, 'Here's the doctrine of the Trinity and here is where it is in the Scripture.'"
That, however, violates Canada's hate crimes laws, and the ministry was ordered to either make wholesale changes in its presentations, or shut down.
"There was nothing we could do that would please them," she said. "They wanted us every time we criticized something to say, 'So Christianity is equal to Buddhism, Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses… Just decide for yourself.'"
"We cannot do that," she said of the work she and her husband, Keith, have spent their lives assembling.
"She gave us an ultimatum that we needed to say that all religions are equal, Lorri MacGregor was to stop writing our magazine on the cults, we were to remove our websites and stop selling any products to help [teach about] the cults, and any future DVDs that we do on the Bible must not be persuasive," the couple alerted friends in an e-mail. "We could not live under those restrictions."
"We chose to shut down the ministry and we are in Washington to sign papers to start up a U.S. corporation and also start the long process of applyign for 501(c)3 status in the U.S. We have been told that within five to 10 years, the U.S. government will be in the same position as the Canadian government and they will also go after Christian apologetics groups," the alert continued.
"It was a no-win situation. We didn't want to see our charity money eaten up by lawyers," Mrs. MacGregor told WND. "It was heart-wrenching."
"We wrote on February 7th and voluntarily revoked our [license] ourselves," she said. "We said this auditor requires us to compromise our Christian faith, which we cannot do."
The ministry entered into the expense of relocating its corporate structure into the United States, and is in the process of applying for that nation's tax-exempt status offered mission organizations.
"You're not allowed in Canada to speak in a persuasive way about your own faith," she said.
The effort cost considerable funds, although Mrs. MacGregor didn't want to provide dollar figures on their loss through the changeover. "We had been saving up to build a studio, because we don't believe in debt," she said. "At the moment we are ready to start construction, the government moved in to shut us down."
"They said if we were just preaching our own Gospel, and weren't criticizing anybody else, we could continue," she said. "If you're going to defend the Gospel, you've got to criticize sometimes."
A REVELATION OF... THE 3 RIVERS OF GOD
The principle of the 'river' in scripture and how it applies to our lives and the church today.
Get your free download here...
Feeling dejected that you don't seem to be doing as well as the ministry down the road? Then, this poem is a message of reassurance for you. Yes, God love you too!
YES IT'S TRUE, GOD LOVES YOU!
God loves us all,
The big, the small,
The short and the tall,
At home, at the mall.
We look at others, see the exterior,
So easy to feel, greatly inferior.
Their ministry is so much bigger than mine!
I'm on the wrong side, of the thin red line!
But it's true, God loves you!
Yesterday, I went past the church down the road,
Everything about it was surely made, me to goad!
From the Mercedes in the carpark, to the automatic door,
Me, in my faithful old jalopy, with four on the floor.
With all the trappings of success, God is surely blessing him,
When it comes to my church, expenses, we have to trim!
Oh God, my God, what have I done wrong?
My ministry - it would sell for a song!
This man, he's so annointed,
Me - I'm just disappointed!
My Lord, I've given my whole life to you,
Every day, my commitment, I do renew.
I love all my people,
More than the steeple.
Many, over the years, have let me down,
But still I bless them, with Your crown.
What more can I do for you Lord?
Thought we were of one accord!
But when I see what others have done,
Why have I missed out on all the fun!
(God's reply next week)
We are having what we call an 'Indian Summer' here in New Zealand. This means a long summer with pleasant temperatures and little rain. Not sure where the 'Indian' comes from, as these are not the conditions I have experienced in India!
The weather is bad for our farmers as much of the country is having a drought, but good for our shop, 'Seekers', as people here in our province of Hawkes Bay tend to stay home in wet or cold weather. We are generally so spoilt with the weather here! Maybe the great weather is why Seekers has had another record week!
Just made me muse that life is a lot like the weather. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Like the weather forecasts here, our country being surrounded by sea which makes accurate forecasting difficult, you don't really know what will be coming tomorrow. So we need to enjoy the good times and stay close to God through them, for inevitably, life's rough weather will come.
Although we talk about 'fair weather Christians', my experience has been that most of us tend to slack off in God in the good times and cry out to Him again in the bad, 'O Lord, why have you deserted me!' We so conveniently 'forget' how we have become lukewarm when things were going good for us! As in Laodicea.
Thank you God for your great grace!
May I stay close to you always, Lord.
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: STUDENT
TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION': D - Slingshot (1 Samuel 17:49, 50)
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