Day: September 28, 2017

Steve Hammer

THE OIL IN THE PARABLE OF THE WISE VIRGINS:

Steve Hammer

“BEWARE lest any man SPOIL you through

PHILOSOPHY and VAIN DECEIT, after the

TRADITION of men, after the basic

PRINCIPLES of the world, and NOT AFTER

CHRIST” Col 2:8

To depend on the PHILOSOPHY and

TRADITION of men to explain and confirm

Scripture is NOT AFTER CHRIST!

Within the ‘PHILOSOPHY’ and ‘TRADITION’ of

men; we do not find the ‘PRINCIPLES of the

WORD’; but, merely, the PRINCIPLES of the

WORLD!

Many ‘believer’s bookshelves’ overflow with

‘volumes upon volumes’ of nothing, but

‘philosophical vain deceit’! I know, because I

once possessed such a ‘collection of

confusion’; where, ‘rhetoric’ replaced

‘Revelation’, and ‘rationalizing’ replaced

‘Rhema’! Oh, these books made for a ‘good

read’; but, they were not made of the ‘good

news’ of the Gospel! They were ‘NOT AFTER

CHRIST’!

Many ‘good hearted’ seekers of God waste

precious time and money bogged down in the

‘merchandising marshes’ of these ‘mental

manipulators’ of God’s Word. These

‘unauthorized authors’ have given up their

‘pulpits’ because they prefer ‘pedestals’! They

have ‘sold out’ to ‘secular sensationalism’,

and left the ‘simplicity and sincerity’ of the

Word, far behind them! Because, they are

‘NOT AFTER CHRIST’!

BEWARE of their ‘wares’! For such spiritual

‘salesmen’ are ‘selling’ the wrong spirit! The

‘OIL’ within their words will ‘SPOIL’ you! They

are, ‘NOT AFTER CHRIST”!

If we honor God, we will honor His Word!

If we love God, we will love His Word!.

If we know Him, we will know His Word!

We must not sit silently by and let the ‘vain

imaginations’, the ‘cynical speculations’, nor

the ‘ungodly guesses’ of ‘fame seekers’ rule

the day; no matter, how many books they

have on the ‘best seller’s list’!

We are to ‘MARK THEM’; we are not to be

their ‘mark’! We are not ‘chumps’; we are

‘CHAMPIONS’!

PHILOSOPHY fills a person with worldly

PRINCIPLES!

TRADITION leads to TEMPTATION!

Flee these things! WE ARE AFTER CHRIST!!

Stephen Trussell

Streams in the Desert – September 28

<< Streams in the Desert, with Mrs. Charles Cowman
Streams in the Desert – September 28
2017Sep 28
In me… peace (John 16:33).
There is a vast difference between happiness and blessedness. Paul had imprisonments and pains, sacrifice and suffering up to the very limit; but in the midst of it all, he was blessed. All the beatitudes came into his heart and life in the midst of those very conditions.
Paganini, the great violinist, came out before his audience one day and made the discovery just as they ended their applause that there was something wrong with his violin. He looked at it a second and then saw that it was not his famous and valuable one. He felt paralyzed for a moment, then turned to his audience and told them there had been some mistake and he did not have his own violin. He stepped back behind the curtain thinking that it was still where he had left it, but discovered that some one had stolen his and left that old second-hand one in its place.
He remained back of the curtain a moment, then came out before his audience and said, “Ladies and Gentlemen: I will show you that the music is not in the instrument, but in the soul.” And he played as he had never played before; and out of that second-hand instrument, the music poured forth until the audience was enraptured with enthusiasm and the applause almost lifted the ceiling of the building, because the man had revealed to them that music was not in the machine but in his own soul.
It is your mission, tested and tried one, to walk out on the stage of this world and reveal to all earth and Heaven that the music is not in conditions, not in the things, not in externals, but the music of life is in your own soul.
If peace be in the heart,

The wildest winter storm is full of solemn beauty,

The midnight flash but shows the path of duty,

Each living creature tells some new and joyous story,

The very trees and stones all catch a ray of glory,

If peace be in the heart.

–Charles Francis Richardson

Oswald Chambers 

The “Go” of Unconditional IdentificationBy Oswald Chambers
Jesus…said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor…and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” —Mark 10:21 
The rich young ruler had the controlling passion to be perfect. When he saw Jesus Christ, he wanted to be like Him. Our Lord never places anyone’s personal holiness above everything else when He calls a disciple. Jesus’ primary consideration is my absolute annihilation of my right to myself and my identification with Him, which means having a relationship with Him in which there are no other relationships. Luke 14:26 has nothing to do with salvation or sanctification, but deals solely with unconditional identification with Jesus Christ. Very few of us truly know what is meant by the absolute “go” of unconditional identification with, and abandonment and surrender to, Jesus.
“Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him…” (Mark 10:21). This look of Jesus will require breaking your heart away forever from allegiance to any other person or thing. Has Jesus ever looked in this way at you? This look of Jesus transforms, penetrates, and captivates. Where you are soft and pliable with God is where the Lord has looked at you. If you are hard and vindictive, insistent on having your own way, and always certain that the other person is more likely to be in the wrong than you are, then there are whole areas of your nature that have never been transformed by His gaze.
“One thing you lack….” From Jesus Christ’s perspective, oneness with Him, with nothing between, is the only good thing.
“…sell whatever you have….” I must humble myself until I am merely a living person. I must essentially renounce possessions of all kinds, not for salvation (for only one thing saves a person and that is absolute reliance in faith upon Jesus Christ), but to follow Jesus. “…come…and follow Me.” And the road is the way He went.
   
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WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Beware of pronouncing any verdict on the life of faith if you are not living it.Not Knowing Whither, 900 R

​Answers From the Book

Answers From the Book

QUESTION: What are your thoughts on a person posting personalized prayers on Facebook? Is this being like the Pharisees praying in public?

ANSWER: Let’s read the parable of that Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14, “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

The hypocrisy of the Pharisee in this parable is apparent. He prayed “with himself”, he compared himself favorably against other people, and he boasted of his lifestyle and generosity. It is clear that his intention was to look good in front of any who might be watching him. The tax collector (publican) also prayed publicly, but he was humble in his actions and words before the Lord. While the Pharisee exalted himself, the tax collector humbled himself before the Lord.

We often find prayer requests on Facebook these days. Some ask for prayers for an ailing loved one, some may ask for prayers to help find a job, some may ask for prayers to help them discern the will of God for their lives, etc. To ask for prayers from others is not wrong. In fact we read where the Apostle Paul asked for prayers from others in his letters in 1 Thessalonians 5:25, 2 Thessalonians 3:1, and Hebrews 13:18. These were public requests for prayer from fellow believers, much like Facebook today. I imagine that some of the prayer requests you see on Facebook might be less than sincere. Perhaps some people might just be looking for attention. However, I prefer to err on the side of love and compassion, so when I read prayer requests on Facebook, I will pause and pray for the need that is stated. Often, I will continue to pray until I learn that the need is no longer there.

We learn in James 5:16 that “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” It is good to solicit the prayers of others when we feel we need them. 1 Corinthians 13:7 tells us that love, “Beareth all things, BELIEVETH ALL THINGS, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” I humbly suggest that when you read prayer requests on Facebook, that you believe the need is real and sincerely bring their need to God’s throne of grace. Hebrews 4:16 instructs us, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

9 hrs · Public

​God’s Full ArmourGLOBAL GRACE – September 2017

God’s Full Armour

GLOBAL GRACE – September 2017

Heaven Is Our Hope and Earth Israel’s Hope

28. Heard – Believed – Sealed

Ephesians 1:13, “In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God].”

Christian hope is a solid and certain vision of something one can hardly believe when looking at the world around us. Maybe we can get a better picture of hope by looking at George F. Watts’s painting about hope. A beautiful woman is sitting on a globe. She is blindfolded and in her hand, she holds an old harp of which the strings are broken apart from one. All her attention is on that one string and she touches it.

We are sealed to reach God’s ultimate goal for our lives and in this we are untouchable; triumphant above the world’s sin and sorrow; surviving pain and disasters. It is our immortal Christian hope. Believers of the last days must be especially aware of the strength and certainty of our hope. The Lord saved us when we were still in sin. He sealed us and set us on our path to a certain destination. Do you know where you’re heading? Is all your attention focused on this?

​J.C. Ryle

J.C. Ryle

The Reality of the Inhabitants of Heaven

I make my solemn protest against those modern delusions, “that all people shall go to heaven at last—that it matters not how you live—that whether you are holy or unholy it does not matter—that whether you are godless or God-fearing, it is all the same thing, that all at last will get to heaven.” I cannot find such teaching in the Bible.

I find the Bible contradicting it flatly. However seemingly attractive this new idea may be put forth, and however plausibly it may be defended, it cannot stand the test of the Word of God. No! let God be true, and every man a liar. Heaven is no such place as some seem to fancy. The inhabitants of heaven are no such mixed multitude as many try to believe. They are all of one heart, and one mind. Heaven is the place to which God’s people shall go. But for those who are impenitent and unbelieving, and will not come to Christ, for such the Bible says, plainly and unmistakably, there remains nothing but hell. ~ J.C. Ryle

J.C. RyleThe Cost of Being a Real Christian

J.C. Ryle

The Cost of Being a Real Christian

It costs something to be a real Christian, according to the standard of the Bible. There are enemies to be overcome, battles to be fought, sacrifices to be made, an Egypt to be forsaken, a wilderness to be passed through, a cross to be carried, a race to be run.

Conversion is not putting a person in an arm-chair and taking them easily to heaven. It is the beginning of a mighty conflict, in which it costs much to win the victory. ~ J.C. Ryle