The power of Love to deliver....Demoniac #1

Ephesians 5:2
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. 

John 13:34-35
34"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.35"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

1 Peter 4:8-11

8 And above all things have fervent charity (Love) among yourselves: for charity (Love) shall cover the multitude of sins.

9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.

10 As every man hath received the gift (of Love), even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

As Christians we are "in Christ" and "of God", we are "partakers of His Spirit" and "anointed for service". We are given God's Love to "receive" and abundantly to "share" with others. His "grace is towards us" and others can "participate" in grace through us.

Unconditional Love is so important in the lives of Christians that without it we deny (or are incapable of proving) the manifestations that God our Father has empowered us with through His precious promises and commands.

Luke 9:54-55

54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

Here James and John were walking, praying, living with Jesus and this statement came out of their mouths. Love? Hardly. Jesus turned and rebuked them. Some Christians model this response when a non believer shuns the Gospel presentation they so passionately give. Even when Jesus Himself sent them and they witnessed incredible miracles they still practiced maliciousness. "Love covers a multitude of sins", it isn't supposed to "create sin" in the believers heart and "cause reaction" to the one hearing the Gospel so as to increase their unbelief or harden their hearts.

I cannot say how many times in my life a Christian (well meaning and passionate), presented the Gospel to me and this practice was this end play in the conversation. "You are resisting the Gospel of Christ, the Gospel of Love and salvation, you will die and go to hell and the Holy Spirit will leave you." I guess they forgot that "everything happens in it's "God anointed" time. Years later I was saved mightily and filled with the Holy Spirit and passion to "do the works I see my Father in heaven doing." I can honestly say that these bearing the witness that ended in damnation only further hardened my heart. God's timing is perfect. This is something that most believers miss......God's timing. He has an anointed time for everything and everyone. If we hear His voice "today" than we will know what is and do His precious will, in His time.

Love is the motivation for all the power of God to be released. Love births compassion, and compassion births action, and action by faith knowing the will of God births His manifestation, and His manifestation births a Divine witness in the hearts of those that His Love is being shown to. That's how it works, there is no other way, those who are in Christ that have not been purged of malice, contempt, blame, criticism, or haughtiness will seldom see the manifestations of God or the Power of His Spirit. 

So where is this going?

Many years ago I was working a new coke oven build on Zug Island Delray, Mi as one of the 200+ tradesmen on the job. I was a bricklayer with the job lasting over a year for those who made the cut and was kept to the end. God is my provision so I looked at the job as a time to minister His grace and my God given skills to profit both fellow tradesmen and the company I worked for.

One day I was sitting with the man who presented the Gospel to me "in that anointed time" and as we were waiting for the start of the shift he commented on an Iron Worker that was coming down the scaffold that we all worked off of. He mentioned to me that the man was demon possessed, and by the way he looked, walked and spoke he was right. As he approached us he was cursing, kicking, and flailing his arms around wildly. You could tell that he wasn't in control of himself. As he walked by my friend said, "nothing can reach that guy!" I disagreed with him and said "the Love of Christ can". He laughed and said prove it. Sensing a mighty anointing I told him "today is Monday by Friday I will be eating lunch with him and he will be a changed man." My friend said "have at it." So I did.

My first approach was to be friendly to the demoniac by saying hi. I did so every time he passed that day only to receive curses and threats to my face with no little spittle being sprayed in the pronouncing of them. The second day went the same. The third day he was looking for me when he passed by, and I was there to administer the loving greeting. By the fourth day we shook hands, exchanged names, and he was curious as to my persistence to get to know him. I told him that I seen that he was a loner and could use a friend. I arranged to sit with him at lunch time the next day and we would chat. My friend all the time was goading me that it was a waste of time and that it would never work out. Well Friday came with much prayer preparation and we had lunch together. A wonderful time ensued where we became friends (I was the only one he had) and the door was open to the gospel. During the time of the job while he was there, just through Love, he changed completely. Soon he was walking with a smile and greeting others. 

It wasn't long after that everyone on the job site seen the change in him and marveled at it. 

Love conquered the possessing demons and set the "captive" free.

I have seen the Love of Christ deliver from demons on at least 3 occasions the others to be posted soon. 

Without the Love of Christ living in us, walking with us, exuding from us, we will not see what God has intended for us to do to Glorify Him in all the earth.

Look around, in all quarters of the world "religion" is either enslaving people or keeping them enslaved because that's all they are is "religions". Love is the difference between controlling regulations and "the Truth that set you (them) free." Because "God is Love", and there is only One God, the Father of Jesus Christ, besides Him is no other. 

Unleash the power of Love to deliver by "Loving others as much as we Love ourselves.

We are without excuse. We are to be imitators of Christ laying down our lives (and wills) to bring the Gospel of Good News to all the earth with power.

Love 

J&E

"Today" is the day for Love.............

"TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS,"
"God is Love" so His voice not only speaks Love but also "acts" out Love to everyone, everyday, believer and non believer. 
He always "has been", is today, and always will be Love. He cannot change, He is unchanging. If tomorrow comes He will be there with us, Loving us. As it is today He is here with us, Loving us.
God is the perfect depiction of 1 Cor 13:4-8.

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

As we abide in Him and He abides in us we become one with the Father and walk as Jesus walked...........In Love with our Father and all mankind. It is a natural adaptation that takes on priority and bonds every effort to complete it's practice. God did not expect us to do this on our own, actually we couldn't so He gave us the Holy Spirit to accomplish it: "for the Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit." Now "those who are called by "His name" have no excuse not to Love God and one another. 

He commanded, then He enabled. Case dismissed. We are without excuse.

If I am not mistaken we are in "today" right now. Notice that the Scripture states "If" you hear my voice? God is always speaking but the question is "are we listening?" God requires a "daily" hearing of His voice so that we might "see our Father doing His works and do them also" and of course "His works" is expressing Love to everyone.

Love is the redemption process in action.

Did you ever think of 1 Cor 13 4-7 as a "redeeming" process?

Look at it very carefully.

"Charity suffereth long", means that there must be something to suffer from the one being shown love and the benevolence on the behalf of the one Loving to continue in Loves expression.

"Charity envieth not", must mean that the one being shown Love is in the position to return Love but resists the effort or takes advantage of the Love received.

"Charity vaunteth not itself", could mean that though Love comes from a position of power or authority it doesn't "lord" it over the one being showed Love to abuse even if the person in question is rebellious.

"Is not puffed up", Love never thinks or shows itself to be better than everyone else, even though the one Loving (God) is above all.

"Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;"

In each of the above attributes Love covers (or redeems through) each of these temptations with a pure heart and a forgiving spirit that is consistent with godliness or Gods character.

"Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;" this dictates that the one who is being Loved is both sinful and a liar. "Let God be true and every man a liar." "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Yet Love still is shown.

"Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." This sort of wraps up the "depth of Love" He love us with and redeems us from.

"Love never fails."

Love always redeems.

Every aspect of Love is there to better the one being Loved and bring them into a "more intimate relationship with the one who Loves."

Today may be the special day set aside to express Love but "everyday is Today" and we should with all diligence "here His voice" and continued to be redeemed by His love and made whole.

Does this sound like we have work to do in attitude and action concerning Love? Is Love just a word that we throw around to feel good? 

To me Love is the continual expression of making the people I Love "know" that they are appreciated, accepted, forgiven, and exhorted so they can "be all they can be in Christ and now in this life." 

Love sets free! Anyone who is truly shown "the Love of God" by those who possess it will soon succumb to it's consistent embrace and take "solace" there, being inspired to Love as they are Loved. 

Lets treat everyday like "Today" and Love as Jesus is Loving us, with unfailing devotion.

Love Through Christ

J&E 

   

Signs and wonders: good or bad? My simple rendition

This argument comes up all the time and usually between "Spirit Filled" denominations and "Non Spirit Filled" denominations. But it is easily proved by the context itself in Scripture. 
Matthew 12:38,39

38Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

39He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

When a "spiritual" leader or anyone asks for a sign of wonder in order to prove the existence of God or Deity of Christ then they identify with "a wicked and adulterous generation". 

 Scripture shows that the existence of God is proved by creation itself and to say that more proof is needed by science or sign is sin and foolish. "For a fool says in his heart there is no God."

But on the other hand of signs and miracles: They are a natural manifestation from God by His believers of His Love and Lordship over every oppression (disease or other infirmity) that befalls man.

One is demanding  proof of a known existence, God; and the other is a manifestation that "He is" by His own choice brought forth by the "prayer of faith" and the addition of "His will be done." 

The bottom line for believers is that if you are truly worshiping Him with all your heart, soul and strength, walking in His ways and lifting up His name then you will at some time see His glory manifest with or without involvement on your part. "I see my Father doing His work and do it also." This will become a natural part of your relationship with God and He will lead and guide you in the rest.

We all walk according to our faith big or small. What happens in that walk should tell us whether or not we are walking aright. There is no harm in seeing that we have fallen short of the Glory of God as long as we desire to change in accordance with His Word and receive His promises and obey His commands. God has to do nothing to prove Himself to us, but we by faith have to "lay hold" to the promises of God, then He will preform them according to His will. It's not His fault that we see little or nothing of His Glory but our fault for being "faithless." 

I fear that many of believers today would be part of that crowd present that day when His disciples brought the demon possessed boy to Him exclaiming "we couldn't cast it out" and Jesus replied: Mark 9:19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 

Be not faithless but Glorify your Father in Heaven.

Love 

J&E 

About this blog

I feel that it is important the every now and then I state my mission with this blog.
Faith in Christ is the mission.
It is the reason that it is written, it is the subject written about, and it is "how" it is written.
Many times I have sat down to post a thought and in the writing if it did not have the "witness" of the Holy Spirit. Those times I delete the post regardless of how long or relevant I think it is. Let God be true and every man a liar. I am a man and I realize that the "prophesy is subject to the prophet." So if any part of what I write is not witnessed by God it gets deleted.
That is why I don't post everyday and sometimes not for weeks.
Even though a lot of what I write can be stern I am not that way. Passion is what fuels my spirit to see the Word of God presented in a way that gives "believers" hope and faith to "do those things that Jesus did and greater things".
I would not lie about the Truth of Scripture or the promises of God. My wife and I have seen many miracles worked by the prayer of faith and the laying on of hands. We have seen God's precious promises manifest His glory many times. I affirm these things in Scripture are for today and have not been dispensated to be the excuse for the masses.
As you continue with me pray for us that God's purpose will be fulfilled in this blog and those that are meant to read it would be encourage and blessed.
I don't expect any recognition on "this side" of life.
For me Christ is all and all is Christ.
Love
J&E

Are we part of the answer or part of the problem?

2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

John 8:7
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

The question that needs to be asked here for both these scriptures is:

Who is the responsible party?

Answer:

People of faith.

In the first one it is "my people, which are called by My name".

In the second one it's the "religious leaders" of the time with the stones in their hands.

In both cases it was:

The chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; 1 Peter 2:9

Is there a pattern here? Does all responsibility fall upon the chosen? The answer is "YES." God's plan in creation was to use man to "Glorify Himself in all the earth." What men? His men, His people, His servants, those who "call upon His name". For what reason?  That ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 1 Peter 2:9 b

Only "we" His people can do this: "Glorify His name." That is why only His people has the "anointing" (the precious Holy Spirit) to show forth the Glory of God. No one else can...........no one!

So what is this all about? Thought you'd never ask...........

We are on the downhill run to the end times........yes the end times. Christ's return is imminent and it begs the question: "never the less, when the Son of Man cometh shall He find faith on earth?" 

We are "saved" so we can replicate the life of Jesus as a testimony to the Truth of Him being who He said he was. That is why the Holy Spirit is given. That is why all the promises and commands were given. All the commands and promises are "FAITH BASED". We are saved by faith, filled with the Spirit by faith, walk by faith, pray in faith, in fact anything outside of faith "IS SIN." 

So do we ask "ourselves" is the world to blame for the derision it is in? OR has it fallen to the believers to accept the responsibility for it's corrupt pagan condition? Was God's plan for the Revelation of Christ faulted from the beginning? Absolutely not! That is why He covered (through Omniscience) our lack of faith with a final witness: The end times. He will do what we were meant to do with His coming again. 

I find it strange that He gave us Power to manifest Himself to the unbelieving with signs and wonders and "greater things" knowing that only a few would "take up the Mantle", (the anointing), and "work the works" that He designed us to do. From Gen 1:1 through Rev 22:21 His plan was not only perfect but also complete in it's goals and accomplishments. With us or without us. His plan was "with us" first but He cannot deny Himself, so His plan also facilitated "our failure" by winding it up Himself by His Glorious return. 

I marvel at the Wisdom of God, His plan, His Love, His Grace, His mercy, and His (best of all) Forgiveness. He chose us, a people destined for failure, even against His given anointing, to prove that "His will be done, His kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven."  

So why (some would ask) the creation in the first place? 

Well lets look at the beginning:

God creates man and woman, instructs them and walks with them. They are in His very presence, there is no barrier of sin. God and man together. If that would of worked out we would of had the same experience today. But God knew it wouldn't and He already had another "answer" to the relationship problem, Jesus Christ, but only in due time. Man would have to stumble around until that time when not just "anointed" leaders would lead them but all mankind could have that anointing and be in fellowship with Him through Christ: relationship healed. 

Maybe most Christians and man would of noticed that "WE" have a relationship problem. So we have to ask ourselves "what relationship problem do we have? What is there that always interferes with Intimacy with God?" Again back to the beginning: "DISOBEDIENCE". The only factor that ends relationships with God or each other is disobedience. There are laws of God and laws of man (really there should only be laws of God, again disobedience) in both cases lawlessness comes from disobedience. Rebellion to laws making us lawless in nature, to wrap it up with a better word: sinful. Sinful against God and sinful against man. Sinful all around, body soul and mind. Christ was sent to be the second attempt that God would use to reestablish the man-God relationship and He even sweetened the package by giving every one who "entered into Christ" all His authority and power. Again we cast aside His Gift (of Christ and the Holy Spirit) and decided that we could make our own "religion" application (not Word or Faith based, sin) what we would follow after. Wanting salvation but not wanting "to glorify His name" as the Holy Spirit enabled. 

THIS IS NOT AN ATTACK ON EVERY CHRISTIAN! But here is how it can be viewed: "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God". All. If you allow for "some more some less" and compare yourselves amongst ourselves then we are not wise. Each of us has to fess up to the responsibility of failure in the practice and use of God given faith and anointing. It's easier to say that "those things don't happen anymore" then to spend the time on our faces before God and beg His forgiveness and ask for the showers of blessings to fall. Ask, seek, and knock with passion is how the "Blessed Hope" arrives to empower us to know and do His will. Every time a Christian is taught or says that "the signs and wonders are past" calls God and His Word (Jesus Christ) a liar and exhibits disobedience and rebellion. If His people can do this what is the world going to have as a witness for Truth? No wonder hopelessness prevails not only in the world but also in the churches. 

No wonder the Gospel and the Scriptures are debated and mocked being shown as natural occurrences by science or folly of men. Where is the witness against such attacks from "those who believe and are called by His name." For many believers silence is the only argument offered. 

That does not mean that there is no "remnant" still at work for His Kingdom. But in lieu of the many who have called on His name for salvation we should be turning the world upside down that "the name of the Lord should cover all the earth" by now.

God our Father didn't just set the bar high for "His people" without empowering them to accomplish His purpose. He gave us the tools and the teachings (the Holy Spirit and instruction manual: the Bible) to accomplish His will and commands. He knew that we would "fall short of the Glory" so He, in His wisdom, placed "creation" in a timed setting, first for a witness to importance of task, second to show that, as from the beginning, "He would have to be His own witness to Truth and through the end times: manifest Himself.

That is the plan Brothers and Sisters. The question remains: Do we sit on our hands and let Him finish the work Himself or do we "as long as it is called today", "lift our hands in holy prayer" and seek the anointing to fall once again with power to prove His Love and mercy to all the earth? 

The world is ours for the "turning of it upside down". 

Thy kingdom come thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Love 

J&E