Monday, January 31, 2005

In The Beginning Was The Word....

2Tim.3:16

All Scripture is Godbreathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

I don't see the scriptures being the fourth part of the trinity, but in light of the preceding scriptures what cha going to do eh? Throw the baby out with the (bad) water?

In Luke 24, one of my favourite close encounter places, it says Jesus (the WORD)
opened their minds to understand the scriptures.

I wonder what would happen if He the Living Word would do that for each of us the re-birthed, heck there might even be a real connecting in fellowship, you know each of us having the one and same Life in us.

Rich

Sunday, January 09, 2005

Does God laugh or cry.....?


It never ceases to amaze me how many folks are convinced that God has let Himself be stripped of His sovereignty by giving man.....freedom to choose. Or does having freedom to choose, point to Someone even more powerful and loving than any have ever imagined?
Father God, I thank you that your house isn't going to be full because you programed us like wind up toys....to infinity and beyond....ha!!

Rich

Are We There Yet?


Somehow being brought to see that salvation is a Living Person rather than a destination changes so much, where, in the NOW!

Rich

Cloning Around

The following blog entry was from when I was using Type-Pad. I just came across the entries of this blog and thought I would post some of them here as I see fit.
Who's having a fit??


Rich


February 16, 2004

Cloning Around
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!!
I love how the Spirit of God is pulling back the curtain (veil) for us to see the Truth.The Lord Jesus Christ did not use any hocus-pocus, or genetic manipulation, in bringing about this miraculous life we have in Him.God has a wonderful sense of humour, but He don't 'clone' around!
The following is an excerpt from a friend who posted on a forum. The truth that was being communicated in the words she was using seized me in a fit of wonder!
"Yeah, there's growth... in knowing Him and receiving His wonderful gift of intimate, oneness, relationship with Him! The by-product of knowing Him is the reflection of His life in our lives... and it's that reflection of His life that many would call "growing in Christ".Then they set out to duplicate it... in total blindness to the fact that they don't need a copy of Who they already have. He grows us into a reflection of Himself in ways that man cannot accomplish by any effort of his own... Our thing is to let go of the control of the things of God and receive the free gift of what it means to have the Living One living in us."
Angie

This was my response to her.

"I have seen for years how man, led by his soul, has tried to take the 'spiritual DNA' from something, anything God has done, and then using his carnal hypodermic needle endeavoured to inject that DNA into other believers - totally apart from Him being the Father of that unique work.Simply because man is capable of messing around with the DNA of animals and "creating" new ones, he has believed the lie he can do the same in the spiritual."

Lords Jesus I love you!!!!

Saturday, January 08, 2005

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Sunday, January 02, 2005

No Good Flesh

Here are some thoughts contained in Margi's letter to a friend:

("There's never been a kid born yet with good flesh" (and there never will be)...quote from my husband, Richard)

It's a constant thing these days, being aware of the workings of Satan in my flesh and in others. It is a particularly interesting study to me while observing my Kindergarten kids on a daily basis. They certainly do learn early to manifest his presence! Some things are laughable because the children haven't yet developed the cunning they'll learn as they grow - such as hiding a stolen item behind their back, insisting up and down they don't have a clue where it is! But other things are more serious, like Susan who says unbelievably mean things to the other children, who threatens them and bullies them in an attempt to control them, Martha who at the age of 4 has become a master liar, and Devin who has already developed a very defiant, 'nobody's gonna push me around' attitude. Yet, these children are no different at heart than little blue-eyed blonde Jasmine, who has a solid, financially stable homelife surrounded by people who adore her, who to all intents and purposes (in the eyes of the world) would be considered a delightful, lovely little girl - mannerly, honest, considerate of others, a real sweetie-pie.

I struggled with this issue a long time and think I am finally getting a bit of an understanding of it.

I teach in an inner-city school - lots of single-parent homes, moms or dads who switch partners frequently, rampant divorce or common-law living, financial hardship, spousal abuse, etc. I couldn't reconcile how a few of the kids, like Jasmine, will likely have a relatively easy life, meaning, she will be brought up well, will be favoured by teachers because of her sunny disposition, good manners and consideration for others and who will have support at home available for her if she ever struggles academically. Then there's Tyler, living in poverty, whose mom left a violent and emotionally abusive marriage to move in with 'John' who abandoned her after a few months, devastating little Tyler who had grown to love and trust him. His mom criticizes his biological dad constantly, telling Tyler he's no good...which doesn't sound too far off because he constantly tells Tyler he's a burden and a disappointment and that he's going to grow up to be a 'faggot'. Tyler is already doing destructive things, like deliberately slamming the door on his pet cat's tail.

I know both Jasmine and Tyler operate out of their flesh but I couldn't reconcile how different their futures would be - how Jasmine will likely have a relatively easy go of it, while Tyler could conceivably end up (despite his great intelligence) defiant, rebellious, in trouble with the law. It did not compute...until I began to see that the Jasmines of the world have been controlled and manipulated no differently than the Tylers - except in Jasmine's case, Satan manifests himself as good, sweet, lovable, the Salt of the Earth type. However, the world LOVES this type of individual because s/he has 'integrity', lives commendably, is easy to get along with, a do-gooder. Nonetheless, Satan operates out of her choice-maker, her soul, just as effectively as he does out of Tyler. He just appears differently, disguising his perversity under a guise of goodness.

Richard and I were discussing this one day. The Bible admonishes us to raise up our children the way they should go - to be mannerly, to know right from wrong, to be loving and kind. But to me, all we are doing is civilizing them in order that they can function in a fallen world. Otherwise, there'd be mayhem and rioting and murder constantly. When we teach children 'the way they should go', are we not merely teaching them to function out of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? I call this 'Satanic morality'. Neither Jasmine nor Tyler have real life until the day comes that they accept Jesus' finished work on the cross. In some ways, it may be harder for Jasmine even to be able to acknowledge her need for a saviour, because she will have lived such an apparently good, commendable life. Or maybe Tyler will find it difficult to acknowledge the Lord, having hardened his heart for so many years. Either way, Satan does his damndest to ensure NEITHER ever comes to the point of salvation.

I've also become aware of how 'flesh calls to flesh' just as 'spirit calls to spirit'. It's like a subterranean diabolical message system! I've often marvelled at how my own kids have made choices that would be the EXACT opposite of the choices I wanted them to make or thought they would make, or what all the Christian parenting books claimed they would make - because I had raised them so carefully. 'What I feared has [indeed] come upon me'! It seems as if Satan knew just what buttons to push in me, and boy, has he pushed them! I now see this whole scenario, however, as his attempt to hurt me, to wound me, to inspire me to give up or rail against God...and when I say hurt 'me', actually his goal is to get back at the Christ who indwells me. When I recognize and acknowledge this, it helps me to see my kids' choices as tools, and my kids being used as pawns by the devil in this cosmic battle. They, of course, don't see this at all, but it certainly helps me to put things in proper perspective. I'm not saying it doesn't hurt - I'm saying I'm beginning to see it for what it is. I just wish I could get my kids to understand this! They have no concept that the enemy of their soul is manipulating them for his own sick purposes.

One more thing - it is apparent to me that we are beginning, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, to see behind the curtain. I don't know why we have been allowed to do so, but it makes us soberly vigilant. We are well aware that the world at large and most Christians would gnash their collective teeth over this issue. I don't know what the Lord has in store for us but I don't think it's gonna be pretty...at least this side of heaven! I'm also very aware of the state of world affairs and how nations appear to be getting into position to usher in some disturbing new realities.