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Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith
the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And I will
be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
2 Corinthians 6:17 - 18
Contents of this page:
- The Rush To Wickedness
- Meat Ye Know Not Of
- No Passion, No Lord, No Chronicles
- Headcoverings
- Different Results come from Different Actions
- Christians And Television
- Getting Started
The Rush to Wickedness
In the last three weeks we have had somewhat of an ordeal here with our cats. Now you may ask yourself, what in the world does a bunch of cats have to do with the
title of this article, but hang in there with me.
We have three adult cats: two females and a male. One female, Snickers, is not really pretty but is as gentle and loving as you could ever want a pet to
be. The other female, Cowboy (don’t ask J) is beautiful, but very
unfriendly and aloof. The male, Vincent, is beautiful and friendly but a typical
Tom Cat. We have had these adult cats for many, many years. Well, as happens
every spring, our two momma cats each blessed us with a litter of kittens – 9 kittens in all. Normally, I am not really taken much with the kittens – they are for mousing and that is about all
I want from them, but this year I was very drawn to them. The girls love every litter that is born.
Each morning I ventured out the back door to sit for awhile and nuzzle and
talk to each of the little ones. Now the girls all love the kittens and so they
had already named each and everyone and petted them and loved on them. They were used to being petted so they came right up
to us everytime we went out the door. In other words, my heart was taken by all
these precious little creatures: Butterscotch, Milo, Cuddles, Cooper, Grimmy (Grimalkin), Mary Palacious, Milky Way, Buckie and Chloe.
About 2 weeks ago I had to go to my doctor and when I returned home, the girls
told me that the kittens were gone. All nine were no where to be found. Living on a farm there are many places that a bunch of kittens can go so we scoured
every building and all the property but they were no where in site. The friendly
momma cat, Snickers, was right there in her usual spot obviously not happy that her babies were gone. The kittens were still nursing and she was filled with milk. The
other momma and the male cat were no where to be seen. So we surmised that she
and he had taken the babies off somewhere.
By the next evening we were getting pretty concerned. There was still no sign of the babies or Cowboy or Vincent. Our prayers were constant. We began calling
and calling and the girls decided to go into the neighborhood and ask some of the neighbors if they had seen them. Again, these were nursing kittens and we knew they wouldn’t last much longer without help. Finally the other cat came running from across the neighbor’s field. It was too dark for us to go
out looking so we planned to get up early the next morning to go look in that area.
At about 6:00 the next morning, we
all loaded up in the van with a cage, Snickers, water and food and set out across the field to look for the babies –
praying the whole time. It didn’t take but a couple of minutes to find
them. They were deep in some heavy brush on the far side of the field. They slowly came to the girls who had climbed their way into the briars and thicket. As the girls began to count we found 6 babies – three were still missing. The kittens drank from the water for a full fifteen minutes. We
got them in the cage and got them back home. Snickers nursed them for an hour
and then they ate food. We were so thankful but still concerned about the other
three. But we had to leave them to the Lord because they were not in the area
where we found the others.
We wanted to get rid of the mother who had led them off but Paul
said not to because she would know where the babies were and hopefully she could care for just the three and then lead them
back home. It was 2 days later before she did just that. The last three were home and we were so happy and thankful. This
lasted for about 5 days. Then one morning as I went out to check on them, they
were all gone again. But this time my heart was different. I was neither in panic nor fear. There was a peace about the entire thing.
I sat down on the step and began to pray for them. Our Lord loves each little creature and as He says in His Word, He watches out for them and knows everything
that happens to them. As I sat there with Snickers rubbing all over my legs,
again filled with milk and wanting her babies, the Holy Spirit began to speak to my heart. It is so incredibly amazing how
quickly, we as humans, rush toward wickedness. Just as the kittens had rushed
off with this cat who was leading them to a place of danger and possibly death.
The first time it is out of ignorance, really placing trust in the wrong place,
but the second time it is from foolishness. I remember an old saying, “Fool
me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” The immaturity of the kittens caused me great concern because I knew they were not ready to be left to
their own devices to survive. We had to make every effort as good stewards of
what God has given us to bring them back until they could grow healthy and be able to fend for themselves. But the second
time, it was by choice of will. They were not led astray, they went willingly. You might be saying that I have placed too much importance on a bunch of cats running
off, but this is how the Lord shows me things. He uses simple things to teach
me. I am thankful that He does.
Our modern society has created a lust and hunger for adventure, excitement
and even a desire to tempt death. Movies, television, modern novels, sports events,
theme parks and I dare-say church services (all hype and pep-rallies) have caused such a false need for the adrenaline rush
that contentedness and a simple life have been thrown out as wasteful and lazy. Recently in a conversation with someone about
contentedness, the person, one who has been a church-going Christian since childhood, commented that they felt that God didn’t
really mean for us to be content with our lives because that would be completely non-progressive and unambitious and God wants
us to “on the move”. The fruit of this person’s life is full
evidence of the damage that being “on the move” has caused them and their family.
Why is it better to be comfortable with the world’s ways as a Christian?
Shouldn’t we shudder at the things the world enjoys? Shouldn’t we
be uncomfortable around the things that are pleasing to the sinful flesh? Shouldn’t
we abhor the works of the devil and shun those things that compromise our Christian walk? Why do so many in the church feel
that our “freedom in Christ” is freedom to pursue every carnal lust that they can come up with? This past Sunday
our family enjoyed a tape by a pastor friend in Virginia, called “Do You
Bear the Evidence”. It was so encouraging and uplifting, but I had to ask myself, in what ways do I know bear the evidence
of a changed life. If I was a monkey and I changed into a human but I still ate
bananas at every meal and hung in the trees all day, wouldn’t it be clear that I was no different really. Jesus ate
with the sinners and fellowshipped with the unbelievers, yes, but did he partake in their sin so that they would be happy
to fellowship with Him. NO! NO! NO! They
desired His company because He offered them something that all their drinking, carousing, gambling, whoring did not fulfill. He did not participate in it – He gave them a clear option!!! And they LOVED
HIM FOR IT!!! It was the corrupt church that didn’t love Him.
Our kittens are at home today – happy, full-tummies, ready to be petted
and rubbed and loved on, cool water to refresh them. They will grow stronger
and stronger and thrive. But one day each one will make a decision to stay or
go. They will choose what they want more.
And there will be little we can do about it. But we hope that through
our love and care they will chose to stay and be part of the home we have for them.
Some will leave and find new homes, some will die on the road or in the woods or in a fight with other animals and
we will never know what has happened to them. But we will love them and pray
that God’s hand will protect them, even if they chose the path that leads to their utter destruction. But when they are grown and mature we will not go after them.
There is a great harvest of the lost and dying in this world. It is our duty, desire and calling to reach out to them and succor them and compel them to come into the
Kingdom. We will go into the briars and brambles to bring them out and show them
the way home. We will feed them, clothe them and give them drink. We will sacrifice time, money, energy and even our lives
if necessary to bring them the precious love of a Risen Savior.
But we will not participate in their sin so that they will feel comfortable
enough to join us in the Kingdom.
As for our brothers and sisters in the Lord, we will do all the Lord leads
us to do to strengthen them, to nourish them, to encourage them, to uplift them and to help them along their way. But we will not condone efforts to make fleshly desires appetizing to the church. We will not lesson our efforts to walk uprightly before God and man so that they will want to be our buddy. We will not compromise the Word of God because He “wasn’t specific”
on certain things. A child of God knows His Father’s heart and should have discernment about what is pleasing to Him
and what is not.
Lastly, let me say, there has never been a moment in time when we felt that
we had it “all together”. There are so many areas where we are lacking
and falling short in our walk with the Lord. The sadness and sorrow that we have
everytime we kneel to pray over the things we have not yet gained victory is almost unbearable at times. HOWEVER, we persevere. The Grace of God and the Mercy
of God are there for the Born-again believer as well as the unsaved one, but does that give us the freedom to do whatever
we feel like because of it. No, I think His desire is for us to daily take up
our cross and follow Him; To seek to show His love and victory to others so that
they will desire to follow Him as well; To walk circumspectly –
“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,” Ephesians 5:15
“Have no fellowship with the unfruitful
works of darkness, but rather even reprove them.” Ephesians 5: 11
No Passion, No Lord and No Chronicles
Isn’t it amazing
how animals follow someone who has food, even if the food isn’t good for them? Take our sheep for example. Every time
I walk into the field with an item, they always assume it’s for them. They get sweet feed regularly in the winter and
even if they’ve already had it for the day, they want more. If we try and get a few feed sacks of chicken feed to the
barn stall where we store it, they will knock you down to tear into it. It doesn’t matter that the food isn’t
for them. All they know is that the package looks like sweet feed.
One day, I was walking
around the field that the sheep were in. I opened a bag and started poisoning fire ant beds. If you’ve haven’t
lived in the south, then you don’t know how bad (and dangerous) those ants can be. I sprinkled a small amount of poison
on top of the bed and all of a sudden, Reuben the ram was having lunch! When he did, all of the flock came running over to
have a bite. I had to spread it around with my foot to keep them out of it.
Well, people are a lot
like that. That’s not really surprising because it’s just human nature. But when I see Christians doing it, it
bothers me. We are supposed to be different than the world. I was thinking about all the latest movies that have come out
and Christians flock to. It seems that people can not wait for the next big thing to come out. They will see it without ever
questioning if it would be a good thing or not. There is not the least caution or discussion if it could be wrong.
Let me start with the Passion
of the Christ. We have not seen it nor will we. Angie and I did some intense studying to try and determine whether or not
it would be good for us. We cautiously read every evaluation on the context, about the actor’s character (yes, that
counts too) and about how we felt it would benefit us. We gave it unanimous thumbs down. We even waited to see if it made
any changes in anyone’s life that we knew or met- you know, the fruit of it. To this day, we’ve never seen one
person that said it made a significant difference in them. Nor have we met one person that was saved after watching it.
This was a major event
for most of the church in America.
Churches bought up tickets to bring people in. Not one person that we knew said they would not see it. I began to ask myself,
“What did God reveal in His Word?” He clearly tells that Jesus was crucified. It’s spelled out. But what
I realized was that it is not as graphic as Mel Gibson wanted us to see. I am already moved
to tears when we have Communion. Just thinking about my Lord on that cross is more than I can bear. How could I handle more?
And if seeing the brutality that Christ endured was supposed to change people, why is our nation still the same? If
you compare the percent of people in America that saw it compared
to the number of born again Christians I assure you that the numbers don’t agree. Maybe seeing isn’t believing,
huh?
When we studied the actors of
the film, we found that they were not of the highest character. If you search them out on the internet, be cautious of what
will come up. Make sure there are no children with you. This is another reason we didn’t watch along with the masses.
Foreign porn stars and lesbians. Was Mr. Gibson somehow limited as to who he could use?
Then we studied the producer,
Mel Gibson. While he may have some religious appearance, he definitely doesn’t believe that Christ is the only way to
Heaven! Look at this excerpt of an interview with him.
On the ABCNEWS' Primetime, on Monday, February 16, 2004 with Diane Sawyer, he said all people will eventually get to heaven:
DIANE
SAWYER (ABC NEWS) -- "... when we talked with Gibson
and
his actors, we wondered, does his traditionalist view bar the
door
to Heaven for Jews, Protestants, Muslims?
MEL
GIBSON -- "That's not the case at all. Absolutely not.
It
is possible for people who are not even Christian to get into the
Kingdom
of Heaven. It's just easier for -and I have to say that because
that's
what I believe."
Doesn’t that surprise you
after making a movie about the crucifixion? It should. Think about this; God sends His only son to be brutally tortured and
killed in our place. When we stand before Him, He will ask if we stand on what Christ has done. If we do, we’ll enter
Heaven. Does Mel think that others who brush off Christ will be winked at by God? Do we suppose that a person just has to
believe in something, no matter what it is? Will God say,” That’s alright, you can come in too!”?
The next “big thing”
that we saw people viewing was Lord of the Rings. This is a fantasy trilogy that is said to depict the gospel. We’ve
read some of the books and did not find any evidence of that. It didn’t take us long to give thumbs down to this, also.
We saw no parallel in the two and have no desire to watch it. So good triumphs over evil, huh? I’m sure that you could
find a similar parallel in Star Wars. Still there are those that think it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. I
am still waiting to see good fruit from the viewing. Psalm 11:5 says The LORD trieth the righteous:
but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. This story
is full of violence. Do you really enjoy that after reading how God feels?
And finally, the Chronicles of
Narnia have come to the movies. It was written by a man who is acclaimed to be a brilliant theologian. His books are truly
deep and thought provoking. While I haven’t read all of the “Chronicles”, I have read enough to make a judgment
for my family. I choose to not indulge in something with a witch and magic that claims to be another parallel to the gospel.
I’ve already seen warnings that young children shouldn’t watch it because it has intense scenes that aren’t
suitable for them. If you study C.S. Lewis you will find that he was deeply into mythology, even after his “conversion”.
He debated Christianity with a beer in his hand and smoking a cigar. You might want to read this article if you think that
I’m exaggerating.
http://www.charityministries.org/theremnant/2006/January/theremnant-January2006-cslewis.cfm
What is my point in telling you
all this? First, be careful in what you allow in your life. Be extra careful in what you allow in your children’s lives.
Once something is viewed, it’s a part of you for the rest of your life. If you’re sitting in a movie theater and
a questionable scene passes by, it will be over before you can get up and out of the theater. Your children will be impressed
by what they see, either positively or negatively.
Second, if you are going to allow these “Bible parallels” into
your life, you need to make sure that you give more time to study of the Bible itself. There are no modern writings that are
God’s word, only the original! It was a finished and complete work two-thousand years ago. Study it with your children
and not some fantasy story if you want your children to see the Gospel! And I’m not speaking about them attending church
three times a week. How many hours a week do you spend in Bible study with them? Is it less than the hours that you watch
television or movies? Something isn’t right there.
All three of these movies should
change the world if they are the examples of the Gospel that people claim. But somehow, I don’t see the world becoming
more like Christ. Question everything. Just because Reuben is eating it, that doesn’t mean it’s safe for the flock.
“Walk circumspectly…”Ephesians 5: 6-17 “Whatsoever
things..”Phil 4:8
Meat Ye Know Not Of
Hello to all who walk under the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are going to look at the Word
concerning Fasting. Please turn with me to Acts chapter 10. Here we find the historical account of how God opened up the gospel
to others besides the Jews. Up until this point, the early church was going by what they perceived as total truth. The message
was only given at Jewish Synagogues and to the Hebrew people. There was a man at this time named Cornelius who was a Gentile.
He sought God through righteous living. In verse 2, it says he prayed to God always. We know that there is power in prayer.
Today I want to focus on another attribute of righteousness that Cornelius practiced; the act of Fasting.
I don’t know if you’ve considered fasting as part of your walk with the Lord, but there is much to it.
I believe it is one of the untapped nuggets of spiritual gold in which we as believers may partake. Look in verse 30. There
you will see that Cornelius says he has been fasting and at the ninth hour of the day (3:00 PM) he prayed. This
seems to indicate that when the scripture says he prayed always (v 2) it is including the time he prayed and fasted. Also
you may note that Peter was fasting as well (v 10).
Now, since my focus today is not that others may know Christ besides the Jews; I am not going to cover this
story verse by verse. Instead I want to point to the repetition of using fasting in the Bible. There are a lot of things that
people read in the Word that they judge “for today” or not. Some say that musical instruments shouldn’t
be used because they aren’t mentioned in the New Testament. Others believe that speaking in tongues was only for the
early church. Some say that headcoverings were a cultural agenda for the day and that they don’t have to be worn by
women. All of these things must be decided on by you as you read the Bible.
As for prayer and fasting, it is indisputable as an act of the Christian’s walk with God. I believe it is just
one more thing that the devil wants to keep us ignorant about. Let us consider another passage. Turn to Matthew 17. In verse
14 we see that a man brings his demon possessed son to Jesus. He tells Him that he took the boy to the disciples but they
couldn’t cure him (v 16). Jesus promptly rebukes the devil and the boy is healed. In verse 19 the disciples are puzzled
as to why they could not cast the devil out.
Now stop and think for a moment as to what you think Jesus might answer. He might have told them it was because He
was the Son of God and that they weren’t. He might have told them that they needed to do it in His Name for results.
But what He says is that they must have faith (v 20) and that this kind of demon only leaves by prayer and fasting (v 21).
Now, I’m not here today to necessarily present a case for using the King James Bible. It’s the one I use
and the only one I need. I once used the NIV among other translations. I was willingly ignorant (2 Peter 3:5) until the “gender
neutral” version came out. That got me studying and noticing where the translations came from. Verse 21 is not in the
NIV and I believe that there is a reason. I believe God’s Word is complete word for word. I don’t believe that
it went hundreds of years being inaccurate and that now we have a more accurate version. In 1st Peter 1:25 it says
that the Word of the Lord will last forever. In Matthew 24:35 Jesus says that His word would not pass away.
According to the allies of the newer translations, they say that these come from “older” manuscripts which
have different text. These manuscripts have only been found in modern times. This text doesn’t include verse 21 (as
well as many other verses). However, the proponents of the new translations say that since these are older manuscripts they
are more accurate and somehow we now have the real Bible. Now, do we suppose that God’s Word was hundreds of years lost
as far as accuracy and that only in modern times do we have the accurate thing?
On the contrary,
I believe the opposite is true. If you compare what was left out of the modern translations you will see nothing that disagrees
with the rest of the Bible. It only strengthens precepts that are already laid down. Prayer
and fasting is mentioned end to end in the Bible.
Getting back
to what Jesus said, He gives us insight that shows that there is power in prayer and fasting. So what is this fasting and
why does it work? Where did the Bible first mention fasting? Who in the Bible is said to have fasted?
Moses is the first person that I find who fasted. Check Exodus 24:18 and
34:28 for the reference. Israel fasted many times according to scripture during times of sincerely seeking the Lord.
But David gives us a clue as to a benefit of fasting. Psalm 35:13 says he humbled his soul with fasting. Fasting is part of
crucifying our flesh. If you think about how often we loose control of our appetite we see that it is really hard to control.
I understand that the television has many commercials in which weight-loss is the sales pitch. There is truly a weight problem
in our culture. However, this goes beyond the physical. There is a spiritual
obesity as well. There is spiritual strength in fasting!
In 2nd Corinthians 12:10 Paul says that when he is weak- he is made strong. That sounds like an oxymoron unless you
read the verse. Look at it in its entirety.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's
sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Now, that can only mean that when he is weak physically is he strong spiritually. When our bodies are in need, we better
know we need God.
The second thing that fasting does is keeping our focus on God during a time of prayer. If I decide to fast and pray
during a particular period of time, I usually have the regular things of life to do. My job goes on or someone comes by to
visit. My praying cannot continue 24 hours a day but my fasting can. That’s what Cornelius says in Acts. He said that
he was fasting until the hour he met Peter. He also says that he prayed at the ninth hour.
You might ask how a person fasts. There are basically four ways to fast that I find mentioned in the Bible. The first
is abstinence of food only. Doctors say our bodies can go 40 days without food. Isn’t that interesting that 40 days
is the longest anyone was mentioned fasting in the Bible? During this type of
fast, liquids are still consumed. There are many examples of people fasting food for up to 40 days.
The second is a total fast. This would be no food and water. Esther called for this type of fast in Esther chapter
4. Note that they fasted three days in this manner. Doctors tell us that we can go three days without liquid. Coincidence?
I think not!
The third is a selective fast. This fasting is only certain foods or drinks which are abstained from. This could be
certain meals also. In Daniel we see where only vegetables and water are eaten in chapter 1. In chapter 10 we see where Daniel
ate no meat or wine.
The final example is given in 1 Corinthians 7:3-6. Husbands and wives may choose to temporarily deprive themselves
of physical intimacy and devote the time to prayer and seeking God.
Let me say that I believe in fasting. I have seen great benefit in my life from it. It is not a hunger strike to God!
I liken it to the anticipation of something wonderful! If you are in the waiting room of a hospital before a baby is born,
you might joyfully go without food. You don’t stop eating in order to bring the baby into the world. You simply have
something more on your mind.
There are some rules that you should follow. First, don’t start with a 40 day fast! If you have never fasted
before and you go without food for a long time, you will be sick. Let the Holy Spirit tell you how long to fast. Try one meal
at first.
Second, when you fast don’t make a big deal about it. Jesus said that when
you fast (not if) do not put on a face to show the world that you are suffering for God - Matt 6:16-18.
It should be a private thing that is toward God and not for the world’s view.
Third, don’t come under condemnation that if you don’t fast (or can’t medically) that God is not
pleased with you. There are other ways of depriving your flesh. For example, if you are diabetic and can’t go without
a meal without getting sick, you could cut out meat for a season.
The fourth rule is to use wisdom. I met a lady once who tried to fast for 40 days. She made it for 38 days and found
herself eating a bowl of soup before she thought about it. She was devastated! I could not understand it as I was impressed
by her 38 days. She had gone for a visit to a friend’s home and they were all having soup and she picked up the bowl
and began to eat before she realized what she was doing. Your digestive system will shut down after an extended fast and you
should eat slowly upon returning. Soup is probably just what she needed.
Oh, there’s one more rule. Don’t go grocery shopping while you are fasting! If you are the grocery shopper
for your family, time your fast so that you don’t have to go to the store while you are hungry. There is no need to
add temptation to your life.
Jesus got busy ministering to the woman at the well in John chapter 4. His disciples were off getting food as it was
around noon. When they returned they tried to get Him to eat something. He said to them” I have meat to eat that
ye know not of”. I think we should realize that there is a table set for us in the wilderness! We need to focus on the
real food that God has for us and not the temporary food we eat. I encourage you to seek God and study His word on this matter.
Try fasting and see what God will do in you!
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