Reblogged from Prophecy Update
Watching and Waiting - Vernon Gray - grayworxx@gmail.com
When
this writer was at boarding school, we would play a certain trick on an
unsuspecting student. The victim would be placed on a sturdy board and
blindfolded. Four of us would then bend down and "lift" him a few inches
from the floor. In "lifting" him we would make a show of the effort
involved with appropriate grunts and groans. This was to convince the
victim that he was being hoisted high up towards the ceiling. The
subsequent chatter assured the unsuspecting student that we had him
standing on our shoulders when in fact he was mere inches from the
ground.
Then,
by bumping a piece of ceiling board on his head he was convinced that
he was as high as the ceiling, and in a precarious place.
Then
at the right moment, one of us would pretend to buckle from the weight
causing a collapse. The effect of the resulting "fall" on the student
was, to say the least, entertaining.
The deception convinced him that he was falling from ceiling height, when in reality he was only inches from the floor.
The
panic and sheer terror experienced by the student was a result of his
belief. He believed himself to be where he was not. He did not reckon
himself to be so close to safety. His piercing scream and unbridled
terror were all unnecessary.
He suffered massive stress simply because he was deceived and lied to about his true position.
Are you too deceived as to who you are in Christ, and what your position in the family of God is?
Romans
15:4 tells us, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were
written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the
scriptures might have hope."
But
not all Scripture is written TO you directly; it is there for you to
learn from and not apply to yourself as though it were written directly
TO you.
Many of us have erroneous knowledge that does not work positively in our lives.
For
example, if you ask most people what is the one thing they know about
the Ostrich, they will tell you that it sticks it head into the sand to
avoid adversity.
This
is a falsehood; the ostrich does not stick its head into the sand. The
reason for this myth is probably because "credible" people repeated the
story with conviction.
Even Africans, who live on the same continent as the Ostrich, use this false analogy.
We all have a reservoir of untrue pre-programmed beliefs and assumptions that strongly influence our choices and decisions.
The question is; "Can we unlearn all the error we have accumulated over time."
I
recall as a very young man going to Sunday school at the local Anglican
Church. In time I was old enough to be "Confirmed" as a member of the
Anglican Church. It was not something I wanted to do so I resisted the
whole idea.
My
mother, in an effort to "encourage" me to comply told me that when I
got older and wanted to get a job I would need to be Confirmed before
anyone would consider hiring me.
I complied reluctantly and got to kiss the Bishop's ring.
The
point of this story is that for many years afterward I really believed
that I would get work when I grew up because I was Confirmed in the
Anglican Church.
Defibrillation
Most
people have probably all seen a scene in a movie where the paramedic or
doctor bares the chest of a patient, and rubs together the two ends of
disc-like "paddles," and shouts, "Clear!"
He
then administers the "paddles" to the bare chest of the patient who
convulses violently, bouncing up and falling back in an undignified and
somewhat comical manner.
If
the patient does not respond, the intensity of the machine is cranked
up, and re-applied, resulting in even greater convulsions. This machine
is called a "Defibrillator."
Do you need a spiritual defibrillation in order for you to get back on track?
Have
you become so remote from your first love that it would take something
drastic to shock you back to reality? How many of us need some drastic
outer influence to bring our hearts back to life especially in this day
and at this hour.
Are you excited for the soon return of Jesus? Are you enthusiastic about the Word of God?
To
digress slightly, it is interesting and worth mentioning here, that the
English word "enthusiasm" is translated from two Greek words, "En" and
"Theos."
"En" means "to be in."
"Theos" means "God."
Enthusiasm
then really means, "To have God inside; the result of this state of
being, is the production of an ardent and lively interest or eagerness.
FOLKS IT REALLY IS LATER THAN YOU THINK! GET ENTHUSIASTIC.
This
is a call to you, whom the Holy Spirit is speaking to. Is it going to
take a dramatic shock, or a gentle massaging to bring your heart back
from this world's charms and its entanglements?
If the Divine Physician looks at you, will He find a pulse beating inside?
Are
you expressing your true Life from within? Is there a humble heart
beating with excitement and anticipation for the things of God?
I
would implore you to petition God to do a work in your life that will
cause your heart to respond to the Christ within. Let His Life be your
Life; living through you as you. This does not make you Christ, but it
makes you Christ-like.
It will not make you sinless, but you will sin less.
You
will be fulfilled, by living exactly as God intended you to, by Christ
living through you as you are. Don't wait for some dramatic shocking
experience to jolt you to your senses.
Respond
to the Holy Spirit today, and become what you already are in Christ; a
child of God, and one who lives and moves and has his being in Christ.
The Lord id near.
Memory Stick Religion
If you'll allow me, I would like to make an analogy involving the computer.
It is as if Jesus is installed in the hard drive of your being.
Jesus
is not on an external Storage Devise like a USB Flash Drive, Memory
Stick, SD Card, or Disc to be stored in a drawer somewhere and hauled
out only when necessary.
Too
many Christians think that they can keep Christ on an external drive
somehow and when things go wrong they then load Him up and interact with
Him.
They seem ignorant of the fact that He is there with them in Person, wherever they are.
Their union with Christ is their spirit and His Spirit joining together becoming a "New Creation."
When you got born again Jesus Christ was uploaded as part of your "software."
Your "hardware" (the flesh) does not respond well to the new programming within you.
It
either rebels or it gets "religious." The flesh can be religious in the
sense that it fakes piety and goodness in order not to be exposed as a
fraud by the truth.
You do not have another life aside from the Life that is in you, and that is Christ.
"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 4)
We need to bolt this truth permanently into our thinking process.
YOU HAVE NO LIFE ASIDE FROM CHRIST IN YOU.
What about the sins we commit on a daily basis?
The
real you is not the hard drive, it is the software. But because we live
in the lousy "here and now," God in His great mercy and love for us has
given us the Christian "bar of soap." That bar of soap is 1 John 1: 9
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
We are to Watch and Wait
Philippians
3:20, 21 "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly
wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly
body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the
working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself."
1Corinthians 1:7 "...so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ..."
1Thessalonians
1:10 "...and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the
dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come."
Titus 2:13 "...looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ..."
Hebrews
9:28 "...so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those
who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin,
for salvation."
James
5:7 "Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See
how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting
patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain."
Mark 13:36, 37 "...lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch'"
There is something else to consider in our "occupying" till the Lord comes.
Noah
knew 7 days before that the flood was going to happen. Lot knew that
Sodom and Gomorrah was about to be destroyed. Elijah knew that he was
about to be taken up to God.
God
does things in patterns, and it is not inconceivable that we too might
"know" when the Rapture is about to happen. Seven days before seems like
a good guess.
In
Luke's gospel Jesus wept over the coming destruction of Jerusalem,
because they did not see Him as their Messiah. The coming of Messiah was
accurately predicted by the prophet Daniel; to the degree that he even
predicted the very day of His arrival.
On the day prophesied by Daniel they spread their clothes in His path and waved palm branches as He went by.
Rejoicing and celebration was the order of the day; but they missed the point of it all.
They
missed their Christ, the long awaited Messiah. Deeply distressed by
their ignorance, Jesus said, "...you did not know the time of your
visitation." (Luke 19: 41-44) The Lord held Israel accountable for
unbelief. Will we too be held accountable for unbelief about the Lords
return?
Could
it be that the Lord is visiting your heart right now? Could it be that
this is the time of your visitation from God? God expected the Jews to
know that their Messiah was coming;
He expects us to know the season of His return too because He said that we would not be ignorant concerning the Rapture.
The Berean vs Feather Theology
Much
of the Church today are not Bereans. They have a taste for "Feather
Theology" which tickles the ears. They are not too concerned about what
the Scriptures say, but rather how it makes them feel. If one does not
read and study the Bible, you open yourself up to error and heresy
because you cannot discern what truth is and what fantasy is.
Many there are that are on the broad road that leads to destruction thinking that all is well because the pastor said so.
I am not saying that you need some special education to understand the Bible.
Quite the contrary.
Everyone capable of reading can read for themselves what the Word of God says.
The
Holy Spirit will reveal God's Word to you about Jesus Christ if you are
simply willing to spend time and effort reading His Word.
If
you are with a group where you need someone to interpret the Scriptures
for you, you are in a cult. The Bible is shallow enough for the most
immature Christian to get the milk he or she needs to be fed; but the
Bible is deep enough to dive into depths that will bless us and sustain
us for eternity.
Sure
there are "difficulties" from time to time in the Bible, but they are
there by design in order for you to seek out the answers by being a
"Berean."
It
is always difficult when trying to encourage brothers and sisters to
read the Bible for themselves and not to rely on TV evangelists or
dubious books, of which there are many.
Recently someone gave me this advice..."It is better to be known for what you are FOR than what you are AGAINST."
Having pondered on this matter I think that as Christians we are all FOR certain things.
Things
like the Bible; Righteousness; Purity; Goodness; Holiness etc. BUT
being for these things automatically puts you at variance with those who
do not hold the same values as you do. If you are for the Truth of the
Word of God, you are by definition against those who teach error.
There
is no getting away from the fact that if you make a stand for the
Truth, there will be enmity with error no matter the source of that
error. There is no sitting on the fence or compromise when it comes to
the Truth.
If
you sit on the fence, you are a prime target from both sides. The
enemies you make by taking a decided stand for Truth generally have more
respect for you than the friends you make by sitting on the fence.
"My
concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be
on God's side for God is always right." - Abraham Lincoln.
Agree to disagree without being disagreeable.
Using this wonderful site I have recently gone "public" with my beliefs regarding the Rapture.
The
response has been heartwarming; to know that there are so many fellow
travelers out there who long for the sound of the Trumpet as their Lord
and Saviour calls them home.
Not
surprisingly I received many nasty e-mails in response to the articles
submitted for scrutiny. This is of itself not problematic; people take
offence, it is "Par for the course."
"Hate
mail" is acceptable, even understandable when it comes to reprobates,
misbelievers and the lost souls whose only taste of success is the bite
they take out of you.
There
are those who disagree with the Doctrine of the Rapture. The Doctrine
of the Rapture does not save you from your sin, so in some ways it is a
peripheral matter.
But
dear brother or sister, do not take offence because someone else does
believe the Doctrine of the Rapture. I personally disagree with many
respectable scholars; but I have never had a rabid urge to make contact
with them in order to insult them and make a judgment upon their lives
that is not mine to make.
"Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
Let
not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which
eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
Who
art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his own master he
standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make
him stand."
(Romans 14:1 - 4)
As a Christian I personally have way too much to be thankful for because I am a forgiven sinner.
I am not sinless, but as I express Christ in me I sin less.
The
Scripture says "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you
who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness,
considering yourself lest you also be tempted." (Galatians 6:1)
Disagreeing on peripheral issues is not all bad because it prompts us to study and check out things for ourselves.
The Bushman the Baboon and the Bush.
Here in Africa the Bushmen have a clever method for catching baboons in a trap.
They
take a pumpkin or melon and cut into it a small hole, (just enough for a
baboons hand to fit in tightly.) From this hole they scoop out some of
the contents, and replace it with the baboon's favorite food. Then they
hide nearby and simply wait.
If
you have ever observed baboons, you cannot help but come to the
conclusion that God certainly has a sense of humor. They are truly
comical creatures because they portray so many funny human-like
qualities.
The
baboon approaches the juicy pumpkin, and inspects it cautiously. It
sees the contents inside, and reaches in to take hold of the food.
Here
is where things go wrong for the baboon. Once the baboon has clenched a
fist on the bait, he will not open his hand to let go; the result is
that he now has a heavy pumpkin attached to the end of his arm; still he
will not let go.
Under
different conditions, and given some time and thought, the baboon will
figure out that he must open his fist in order to get free of the
pumpkin.
It
is precisely at this moment that the concealed Bushman appears making
much noise and spreading pandemonium. The baboon's mind is flooded with
panic, and he simply cannot think logically, which keeps him clutching
onto the bait that now ensnares him.
Without
too much trouble, the Bushman rushes up to the hapless baboon, and
clubs it to death. Barbequed baboon is on the menu tonight in the
bushman camp.
And so it is with us if we take offence. If you are easily offended, you run the risk of being beaten up by the enemy.
Finally
In order to be prepared for that great event called the Rapture, we all need to look at our lives.
If
there is any sin that holds us back we must reject it and repent of it
TODAY. Not next week, but today. Make the decision that you will prepare
yourself as a bride for her bridegroom.
There are two components to our relationship with the Lord. The first is called union.
Union
is that unbreakable bond that was created when you first believed and
the Holy Spirit came to dwell within you (Ephesians 1:13-14). Nothing
you do can reverse that; you cannot become unborn. Union is the basis of
our relationship with the Father.
The
second component is fellowship. It's the status of our relationship at
any point in time, characterized by two-way communication between
ourselves and God through the Holy Spirit.
True,
all our sins were taken away at the cross (Colossians 2:13-14), however
we have not yet been cured of our sin nature. That will come after the
Rapture when we are glorified.
If
it were not so John wouldn't have counseled us to keep on praying for
forgiveness when we do stumble and miss the mark set by God.
God fixed it so that our ongoing tendency to sin wouldn't disqualify us for salvation.
We're being made holy, because unholy beings cannot dwell in the presence of a holy God.
We will one day soon be changed and made fit to dwell with Him in His Kingdom forever.
But
that hasn't happened yet, so to remain in fellowship now we have to
"clean up" on a daily basis by seeking forgiveness for the sins we
continue to commit.
The
benefit of staying in fellowship with Him is the incredible blessing
and favour we receive from His Hand as He fulfills the role of Good
Shepherd described in Psalm 23.
To
be out of fellowship with the Lord because of sin means losing out on
day-to-day intimacy with Him. Sin in this instance is the sin you
indulge in as a lifestyle. Get clean today.
So,
"Union" describes our eternal state, while "Fellowship" refers to our
relationship in the here and now. The reason so many Christians live
defeated lives is due to their failure to understand this difference.
They come forward to receive the Lord and solve their eternal problem
(union), but miss out on the tremendous blessing He can provide in the
here and now (fellowship) by failing to confess and repent when they
continue to sin.
God Bless,
Vernon
