Learning From Our Trials (II)

Last week we looked at how Joseph dealt with his trials, we first saw how he was sold into slavery due to the jealousy of his brothers. Then, he was thrown into prison for a crime that he did not commit and was forgotten about for two years. However, the one thing that we saw was that throughout all of his trials, God never left Joseph. When sold into slavery he prospered and was in charge of all of his master’s house, when in prison he prospered again and placed in charge of the other prisoners. All of this was done so that Joseph would be in Egypt when Pharaoh had a dream about a coming famine, God allowed Joseph again to prosper and create a plan that saved the lives of many. We learned that sometimes what others mean for evil, God brings about for good. There is another man in the Old Testament who faced a multitude of trials, and while we will not go over every detail of his story, as we look into the reason for why we must face trials he needs to be mentioned.

Job faced perhaps the most trials throughout the Bible. He was a man who was quite well off at the beginning of the book, but this only lasted a short time. His ox and donkeys were killed (Job 1:15), his sheep were burned (Job 1:16), and his camels were killed as well as the servants who tended them (Job 1:17). You would think that this was the end to his trials, a once prosperous man had lost everything that could earn him money; but this was not the case. No sooner had the messengers finished telling Job the state of his affairs when another came to tell him that ““Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 19 and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”” Job 1:18b-19.

Again you would think this would be the end of it, after all what more could this Godly man lose? Unfortunately, Job was to go through even more trials. In Chapter 2 we find that Job is stricken with boils from the top of his head all the way down to his feet (Job 2:7). To add insult to injury not only did his wife tell him to curse God, but the majority of the book of Job is a discussion between himself and his three closest friends about what Job must have done to deserve this.

So why did all of this happen to Job? A man who is described as “blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Job 1:1b. God had surely blessed him with great wealth since He had given Job “2 Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. 3 His possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east.” Job 1:2-3 Why would God take all that He had given away?

If you believe like Eliphaz, you would say that Job must have done something to displease God for surely the innocent do not suffer. Eliphraz states to Job that, ““Remember: who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were the upright cut off? 8 As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.” Job  4:7-8. To put it simply, Eliphraz believed that Job had gained all of his possession through ill-gotten gains. He must have been cheating others to gain his riches and God was simply removing what Eliphraz did not believe belonged to Job. His advice to Job was to go before God and plead his case, then all that belonged to Job would be returned.

Bildad is the second of Job’s friends to chime in on the reasoning for his suffering. He states that, “Behold, God will not reject a person of integrity, Nor will He help evildoers.” Job 8:20. If you are like Bildad, you would believe that the trouble came to Job’s sons and daughters because they had sinned against God and therefore, “He turned them over to the power of their wrongdoing.” Job 8:4b. Those with the mindset of Bildad believe that bad things happen to people who do not place their trust in God, if they continually reject God then He will turn them over to their wrongdoing. The way to fix this is to turn to God because “Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert the right?” Job 8:3 Bildad believed that Job’s children got what they deserved because they were involved in acts that went against God, they had forgotten God and therefore perished. “So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the godless will perish,” Job 8:13

The third friend is Zophar who argues that God “For He knows false people, And He sees injustice without investigating.” Zophar states that God would not be punishing Job if he had not committed some iniquity. Zophar states that if Job would simply confess to God, “Your life would be brighter than noonday; Darkness would be like the morning. 18 Then you would trust, because there is hope; And you would look around and rest securely.” Job 11:17-18

Each of his three friends were convinced that God was angry with Job and this was the reason for him to suffer so. But is this an answer that can be seen Biblically? It is true that God will chastise us when we drift from Him, but if Job was truly righteous as we saw at the beginning of the book then could God be chastising him? We find the reasoning behind all of Job’s troubles back at the beginning of the book.

“6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” 12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” Job 1:6-12

God recognized that Job was righteous, he was not how his friends were describing him at all. Nevertheless, God allowed Satan to take away his sheep, camels, oxen, donkeys, and the servants that cared for them. So now we see what caused the loss of his possessions, but what about Job’s children?

“Again, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” 3 The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds firm to his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.” 4 Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has, he will give for his life. 5 However, reach out with Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face!” 6 So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”” Job 2:1-6

Now we have the reasoning for why Job faced all of these calamities. It was not due to anything that he had done against God, but was because he was a righteous man. The truth of the matter is that we sometimes face trials not because of any sin that we have committed, but to create an example for others. Throughout all of his friends arguments, Job did not curse God. He may have wished to die so that he could escape the pain, ““Oh, that my request might come to pass, And that God would grant my hope! 9 Oh, that God would decide to crush me, That He would let loose His hand and cut me off! 10 But it is still my comfort, And I rejoice in unsparing pain, That I have not denied the words of the Holy One.” Job 6:8-10 but Job never rejected God. From Job we can see that we may face trials simply because we are walking righteously. This could either to be to separate those who are only walking in such a way to appear righteous, or to set an example for those around us. I would also point out that you might be going through a struggle right now that you will never know why you are having to go through it. Job was never told why he went through those terrible events, we might never know why either. However, there could be someone later on who reads your story and is encouraged to follow the Lord because of it. Imagine, your story could be told to those living in the seven years of the Tribulation as an encouragement to keep to the faith. It is not our place to always know, but we need to take advantage in every opportunity to bring the glory back to Jesus Christ.

Job’s story does not end with sadness and loss, the last chapter of Job ends with a prayer, ““I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” Job 42:2 by recognizing that God has a purpose in all that is done and all things come through Him, Job was rewarded.  “12 The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand female donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters.” Job 42:12-13. We see that God blessed Job with greater than what he had before.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

The Threat Within (III)

One of the biggest criticisms against the Church is the fact that there has been such evil practiced under the guise of following God. I can tell you this criticism is not unfounded, but rather an unfortunate reality. Now before we go any further, I need to point out this does not invalidate the scripture nor the reality of Jesus Christ but rather points to an immovable fact. This fact only points to the need for a savior to come and rescue us from our sinful flesh. Those who are saved in Jesus Christ, who are still living on earth right now are still very much in a sinful state. This means we are dependent on Jesus Christ for salvation of not only our soul, but also daily for His grace, mercy, love, compassion, guidance, wisdom, generosity, and so much more. 

You might be asking why I am discussing this when this series is in regards to threats inside the Church? I want to clarify that all born again believers this side of the grave are not perfect, just look at Paul who in Romans 7:14-18 stated, “14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” This is why Acts 17:11 states, “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” we need to focus on what scripture says in accordance to what we learn from other believers.

This foundation is vital to understand, we are not perfect before our death but rather saved which Jesus Christ will one day finish in us a good work, “6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6. This principle is important to understand as we move forward. If you belong to a church and the pastor makes a mistake, go to him gently behind closed doors and show him the mistake and help restore him in the fruits of the spirit. We want to be Christ like and if Jesus was able to forgive you and I of our sin, than we better be able to forgive our brothers who lead churches when they mess up. This goes for anyone in the Church body, but especially those men who are in leadership roles. There is a plethora of instructional verses discussing this, however I would first tell you to go to Matthew 18:15-35.

Nevertheless, the people we are discussing today are not brothers and sisters striving for the faith who have made mistakes along the way. Rather they are disciples of satan and workers of the doctrines of demons. These people are actively serving the devil’s will by leading those away from the scriptural truth we have in Jesus Christ. I want to make a quick reader advisory and quote something I stated last week in our series. 

“If you have followed along with us, I want to take this time to say thank you! This discussion is not an easy one and one that I do not take with quick words. I want to strain a point to you that must be taken seriously. Here at Mill House Ministries we are not in the business of attacking, and/or attempting to cut down any part of the Body of Christ over areas to which the  Lord has been silent on. ”

So while we are not wishing to attack the Body of Christ, it is important that we understand the threat that these people possess. The people we are discussing have told millions that there is other ways to heaven, they have declared that the church is for making us happy because that makes God happy, and they have championed for the practice of talking to demons. Before we discuss who these people are, we can see a time in the Bible when there were those who identified as messengers of God who in fact were nothing but imposters. Jeremiah had to deal with imposters several times and in this particular time, the imposters were calling to the crowds and unfortunately they had a willing audience. We can see from Jeremiah 14:13, that these imposters were proclaiming what people wanted them to say, “But I said, “Oh, Lord GOD! Behold, the prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see a sword, nor will you have famine; on the contrary, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’” These imposters had a willing crowd who wanted nothing more than to hear about “good times.” While there has always been these types, Paul warned that this would become even more prevalent in the later days which we live in now, 2 Timothy 4:3, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.”  

Jeremiah is warned by God, as we are also warned, that these imposters do not speak for Him, “Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them, nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility, and the deception of their own minds.” Jeremiah 14:14.  These imposters were manipulating and deceiving their willful audience, Paul helps us understand the mindset of these types of imposters in 2 Timothy 3:2-7, “For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these. 6 For among them are those who slip into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 

These imposters know what they are doing, yet they continue due to their own lustful desires. They know, yet they do not adhere to the Word of God. They actively distort, pull away, and snatch willing audiences who are not fastened on the Word of God or who would rather seek their own sinful desires. 

Unfortunately, today we have two modern examples of who Jeremiah had to deal with in his day. Our two imposters inside the Church are Joel and Victoria Osteen. You might be wondering at why these two have made the list. The world has identified them as champions of Christianity and messengers of God, they have millions of followers and are successful in “preaching” to millions each week. Yet, I give you their own words as proof of their inherent heresy in their teaching. 

The below quote is from Victoria Osteen, 

"I just want to encourage every one of us to realize when we obey God, we're not doing it for God—I mean, that's one way to look at it—we're doing it for ourselves, because God takes pleasure when we're happy. That's the thing that gives Him the greatest joy. So, I want you to know this morning: Just do good for your own self. Do good because God wants you to be happy. When you come to church, when you worship Him, you're not doing it for God really. You're doing it for yourself, because that's what makes God happy. Amen?"

This quote can be seen in its entirety on video. You can see certain buzz words are being used in order to convince naive Christians into believing that what she is saying is Biblical. We see the word “God” is used a number of times, as well as “church” and “worship.” From a quick look you might think that this is just an encouraging word from a pastors wife, but you would be wrong. This is a blatant push for the doctrines of demons. Pastor Billy Crone with www.getalifemedia.com at Sunrise Bible Church Las Vegas, Nevada has a great eye opening series on the reality of Satanism. In his study and weekly lectures he points to the admitted sole foundation by satanist of what their doctrines are about. Their sole focus is on the promotion of self. They believe that self is supreme and through self we can accomplish anything. This is directly contrast to what the Word of God says about self. We are to deny oneself, Jesus is quoted in the book of Matthew 16:24-26, “24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and be following Me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what will a person be profited if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his life? Or what will a person give in-exchange-for his life?”

If you have a person promoting “self” you have, in essence, a person promoting the foundational belief of satanism today. Some might defend Mrs. Osteen and say she just misspoke, however both she and her husband have not only defended her words, they have made other comments that coincide directly with the doctrine of demons. John in 1 John 4:3 states, “and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.” These spirits are denying that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He is the only way to heaven. Those who deny this are not brothers or sisters, they are imposters. 

When Joel Osteen was asked by Oprah if there are many ways to God, Joel Osteen quickly side steps the question by stating that there are many paths to Jesus. This might sound like a good answer until you realize that Jesus Christ is also God the Father, John 14:8-10 “8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own, but the Father, as He remains in Me, does His works.” 

As a person that has taken years of debate, I can tell you this is an intentional move to circumnavigate around having to answer something that will make the questioner, in this case Mrs. Oprah Winfrey, not to be upset. Mr. Osteen is intentionally leaving wiggle room for interpretation. Off the show he would later go on the defensive and “clarify” what he said. However, this is strategic. He is saying what needs to be said to the millions of viewers, than if called out he has left enough “wiggle room” in his vernacular to appease the questions being asked and to keep his opponents who are in the church at bay. For the naive Christian, this is a masterful switch and bait. Thankfully, for those rooted in God’s Word Mr. Osteen’s deliberate maneuver is clearly identified. He has been called out by hundreds and yet more flock to his sermons and heretical teaching. We could continue to show more evidence of Mr. and Mrs. Osteen’s comments, but that would take us several pages. I would quickly note, they have supported groups that talk to spirits, they are identified as leaders in the “faith claim” movements, and have pushed for a replacement theology which goes directly against the promises of God. 

You might be asking yourself what can be done regarding this atrocity? The answer is simple. Do not support financially any of their missions, this might seem harsh but we need to be supporting those that are proclaiming the pure and simple Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are talking about people’s eternal home and when eternity is on the line, there is no doubt we need to help people know the real Jesus Christ. As for the Osteen’s, we need to pray for their salvation. We need to keep them daily in our prayers and asking that they would come to a faith in Jesus Christ. For the opposite result of faith is eternal damnation by Jesus Himself. 

We now can look back and see that Jeremiah was told of what would happen to those imposters in his day. However, those who willingly listen to the Osteen’s need to be aware of what God in Jeremiah’s day also said. 

God tells Jeremiah in chapter 14:15-16, “15 “Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them--yet they keep saying: ‘There will be no sword or famine in this land’--by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end! 16 “And the people to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to bury them--neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters. For I will pour out their own wickedness upon them.”

We as believers need to be careful who we listen to so as not to be swept away by those who would wish to lead us astray. The Osteen’s have told millions that they need to make themselves happy, “Just do good for your own self...When you come to church, when you worship Him, you're not doing it for God really. You're doing it for yourself.” They have told people there are many ways to Jesus, even though He is the direct and perfect representation of God the Trinity made into flesh, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:15-17 and Hebrews 1:3, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” 

There is no mistake that these two have been able to meander their way for far too long inside the Church. What makes them so dangerous is the fact that they have been so subtle, so careful when and how to infuse their poison into the Word of God. Be careful Christian and know that our God is a God who does not take lightly these imposters, but also those who listen to them. Pray for their salvation, but do not give them an inch into your home for their current pathway is judgment by God one day. We need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ and the commandments He has given us. We need to stay hyper vigilant in our daily scripture reading and stay ready, for the devil’s minions are elusive and very much prevalent in these late times. This does not mean we are to lose hope, but rather keep fervent in the faith knowing our perseverance is what we have been called to. Next week, we look into a group that has been literally snatching young adolescences and indoctrinating them to believe false realities and fake memories to distort their very childhood. All in order to ensnare them into their worship of demons, and they do this with the whole hearted financial support of almost every church in the the Western Hemisphere. 

Hold until relieved, Our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY!

This RE-POST FRIDAY walks us through Roman’s Road and salvation! Read it HERE!

Learning From Our Trials

Why do bad things happen to good people? It is an age old question and one that no one really seems to have an answer for. However, facing trials is something that everyone will go through. Some will face more difficult trials and some will face easier trials, but no one will have a life without them. How we respond to these trials is shaped by many things, for the Christian our response is shaped upon our reliance upon the Lord. If you have ever read through the story of Joseph, you will see that he faced many trials and yet through them he was able to save many.

Joseph’s story begins in Genesis 37, in which he is described as the son that was loved most by Jacob because he was born to him in his old age, Genesis 37:3. This resulted in Joseph’s brothers beginning to despise him, “4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.” Genesis 37:4. It came to a tipping point with his brothers when one day Joseph had a dream, “6 He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have had; 7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf stood up and also remained standing; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

9 Then he had yet another dream, and informed his brothers of it, and said, “Behold, I have had yet another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 He also told it to his father as well as to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have had? Am I and your mother and your brothers actually going to come to bow down to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.” Genesis 37:6-11.

This lead to the first of the trials that Joseph would face. Out of jealousy Joseph’s brothers plotted to, at first, kill him. It was only out concern for their father that the oldest son, Reuben, convinced the others not to kill Joseph. Instead they threw him into a pit in the wilderness without any water. On the outside Joseph’s brothers sat down to eat and while they were doing so a caravan past by on their way to Egypt. It was here that Judah spoke to his brothers and said, “26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.” Genesis 37:26-27 In the last of chapter 37, Joseph was sold as a slave to Potiphar, the Pharaoh’s captain of the bodyguard.

In chapter 39, we see that Joseph had prospered through his circumstance. “4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.” Genesis 39:4. However, it wasn’t due to anything that Joseph himself had done instead it was based solely upon the Lord, “2 And the Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. 3 Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all that he did prosper in his hand.” Genesis 39:2-3. The Lord was placing His plan for Joseph in motion by allowing him to prosper in this land. Due to the skills that God had given Joseph, Potiphar made him overseer over his whole household. But in the middle of what should have been an easy time full of prosperity, Joseph faced his next trial. Potiphar’s wife began to come to Joseph day by day demanding that he would lie with her, and every time Joseph had the same response. “8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. 9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” Genesis 39:8-9. Joseph was holding himself to a higher standard. Joseph refused to commit this act and sin against God, and in doing so he was already proving that he placed God above all the riches that he possessed. However, one day Potiphar’s wife caught Joseph alone but instead of committing adultery, Joseph ran leaving behind his garment. It was Joseph’s coat that she brought to her husband to accuse Joseph. Without listening to Joseph, Potiphar threw him into the jail that held Pharaoh’s prisoners.

You would think at this moment that God had abandoned Joseph, he was in jail for a crime that he did not commit and the only reason that he was there in the first place was because he had been sold as a slave out of jealousy. However, this was far from the case, “21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.” Genesis 39:21. God was still with Joseph, and still allowing him to prosper for he was placed in charge of the prisoners because the chief jailer showed him favor.

The rest of Joseph’s story can be summed up. While he was in jail, Joseph interpreted the dreams of two men. One was a cupbearer and the other was a baker, in the cupbearer’s case his dream showed that he would be restored to his place in three days while the baker would be killed in three days. Joseph only asked that the cupbearer remember him when he was back before Pharaoh, a fact that the cupbearer failed to do. It wasn’t until two years later, when the Pharaoh had a dream that no one was able to interpret that the cupbearer remembered Joseph. Joseph was brought before Pharaoh and told him that his dream was given by God as a warning of what He was to do. “26 The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one and the same. 27 The seven thin and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind will be seven years of famine.” Genesis 41:26-27.

God once again brought Joseph out of a trial and into a place of honor. “39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. 43 And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow the knee!” Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” Genesis 41:39-44. It was through the actions of God that Joseph was able to make a plan to store enough food during the seven years of good harvest that Egypt was able to survive during the seven years of famine. It was during this time that Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt looking for food, at first they did not recognize Joseph until he at last revealed himself to them. When his brothers were worried that he would deal with them unkindly, Joseph responds in a surprising manner, “20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:20

Through Joseph we may be able to understand the answer to the question of why bad things happen to good people. Throughout all of his trials, Joseph remained steadfast to God, he never wavered from his conviction that God would provide for him. In his response to his brothers, we can see that sometimes God places us in difficult situations not because we have done wrong, but because through our trials we can help others. What I mean by this is sometimes we are going through difficult times not for our own benefit, but to guide and encourage others. Our life experiences allows us to witness to others. We are able to show others how good our God is to us through our trials. Next time you are in a situation where something clearly is being done to you in a negative way, take a moment and reflect. Could this be because I have sinned against the Lord? Could this be a trial that I am not privy to the reasoning? How can I learn from this trial and glorify Jesus Christ even more? Next week we will go over what many Bible scholars have called one of the most unique books of the Bible. We will learn a story of a rich man who loved God but ended up going through a trial of Biblical proportion.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

The Threat Within (II)

If you have followed along with us, I want to take this time to say thank you! This discussion is not an easy one and one that I do not take with quick words. I want to strain a point to you that must be taken seriously. Here at Mill House Ministries we are not in the business of attacking, and/or attempting to cut down any part of the Body of Christ over areas to which the  Lord has been silent on. There are several aspects within scripture that God, in His sovereign authority, has allowed there to be differences inside the Church. A good example of this is the beat of the music that is played with worship music. No where in scripture does it tell us anything about the speed, tempo, nor the style of worship but rather the very words that are spoken should be directed to glorifying our God. There is wiggle room for us to be creative but there are still “left” and “right” borders that we need to follow. 

Nevertheless, there is a strong stance that we, as Christians, must take when we discuss Bible doctrines and ultimately God’s master plan. There are areas to which we are to literally die before rejecting, one of those is Jesus Christ being the only salvation for mankind. There is no other way, no alternative, no “wiggle room” for debate, Jesus is it. I say all this to underline the importance that today’s topic is not a hit and run job on a person’s character, but a carefully thought out review of the person’s character and what they ultimately stand for as well as a review of that to God’s Word. As we continue in our study of The Threat Within, we need to fully understand what we are going up against. As we stated last week, we are not holding back punches but rather striking critically at the very heart of what is threatening the churches today. This is not new, but rather a danger warned about in 2 Peter, 2 Timothy, Jude, and other New Testament scripture. However, today I want to take a look at Jeremiah and how he had to deal with such an issue. 

Go to Jeremiah chapter 27. Here we see the nation of Judah is being told that God is placing them under the rule of the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar. We see that God is warning the people not to fight what God is doing, but rather bend to the will that God has ordained for the sinful nation of Judah. Jeremiah the Prophet of God, was explicitly told to pass this to the leadership (which he did), they were then told not to listen to others who might come with alternative sayings. 

Jeremiah 27:5-11 “ 5 “I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is pleasing in My sight. 6 “Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him. 7 “All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will make him their servant. 8 “It will be, that the nation or the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine and with pestilence,” declares the LORD, “until I have destroyed it by his hand. 9 “But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers or your sorcerers who speak to you, saying, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’ 10 “For they prophesy a lie to you in order to remove you far from your land; and I will drive you out and you will perish. 11 “But the nation which will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let remain on its land,” declares the LORD, “and they will till it and dwell in it.”’”

Through Jeremiah and the scripture, God is warning the people. God has told them what is going to happen if they do not listen and what will happen if they do. Yet, as we know people tend to be interested in only listening to those who say things they like to hear. Paul helps us understand this in  2 Timothy 4:3, “For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires.” We are living in a time when this is happening before our very eyes! Do we have people who are doing this today? You can sure bet on it! 

We who are believers in Jesus, must be willing to give grace to those who are seeking to serve the Lord and yet might state something out of line. When one of the brethren messes up, we need to help them rather than hurt them. In essence, “Don’t shoot our own wounded.” However, those who are imposters of the faith, who declare to speak for God, we need to adamantly speak out against such false teachers and deny them the platform to spew their garbage. My passion for the Lord and serving Him is more important than the feelings of a few who might like the individuals we are to mention, but I would earnestly request you seek the Lord and His Word and pray for the false teachers so that they can come to know Christ as you and I have. But do not give them an inch to continue their doctrine of demons. 

Our two individuals for this week are some who have a cult following in the millions. The first has been seen on television going back for decades. Pat Robinson has a net worth in the millions. Over the decades he has been “preaching” on television, he has made claims that God has spoken to him and said things like, Senator Mitt Romney was going to beat President Barrack Obama in 2012, he declared God had told him! He has denied the Biblical account of creation and even in January 2007, he “prophesied” that a terrorist attack like that of 2001 in New York City was going to happen. He is known for speaking for the Lord and having nothing come to past. His most recent gaff was in December when he prophesied that the Supreme Court of the United States would intervene in favor of Texas, which the Supreme Court did not even take the case. When those who are questioning if Christianity is real hear this, they summarize that these people are fools and move along. Mr. Robinson is actively hurting the cause for Christ by making statements that he is getting divine messages from God. His statements have danced around supporting forced abortion of millions of Chinese babies and he has grappled with doctrinal issues that is concerning at the least. You can talk about Jesus, you can say Bible, you can say Church, you can even tell people to support organizations that use these terms, but does it make you a Christian? Certainly not!  

Our next person has been more of an immediate sensation in terms of those who claim to speak for God, and until recently we here at Mill House Ministries did not know who they were. Our next person is actively deceiving millions with their claims of speaking for the Lord. Kat Kerr is our second person today that we need to bring up. Both her and Pat Robinson have one thing in common, they both “speak” for the Lord and have gotten dozens of prophecies wrong. Kat Kerr has recently been telling people not to panic, that former President Trump will stay in office. She declared that God told her that President Biden would not be president, yet he has been serving as the President of the United States for almost two full months. Mrs. Kerr has claimed to frequently visit heaven and that God has revealed a “Golden Age” of Christianity. Others have reported she has referenced that this Golden Age was to start in 2010 to 2025. God will spread wealth to Christians and leadership roles will be given to them, that Angels will make television appearances, and that Christianity will be very popular. One only needs to read the warnings of Matthew 24 and the books of 2 Peter, 2 Timothy, and Jude to know this is 100% false. She is actually leading people to listen to demons, while wearing a pin stating “I DON’T DO DEMONS.” I have to ask myself why would you need a pin like that unless you are trying to hide from the fact you are in fact doing what you claim you are not. 

Both of these individuals speak out on political matters for God and have been proven false time and time again. Yet, they still have followers. They make doctrinal statements that are questionable and prophetic statements that are directly against what the Bible says. Why do I bring this up? I state this for one purpose, these two are the easiest of the individuals we will be tackling over the next couple of weeks. We soon will be delving into others who have maligned scripture to say things that it does not. Mrs Kerr and Mr. Robinson both ironically are able to give us an easy platform to understand their destructive nonsense that they are declaring. It is easy to identify and see the total nonsense they state and next week we will start to see those who have hidden their agenda with greater deception. 

However, how do we deal with such individuals who make such prophetic claims regarding being spokespersons for the Lord? We need to go back to Jeremiah and what happened next. Jeremiah 28:1-4, “1 Now in the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the LORD in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying, 2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 ‘Within two years I am going to bring back to this place all the vessels of the LORD’S house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. 4 ‘I am also going to bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the LORD, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’” 

Here we see just as God said, false prophets had arrived and they declared to speak for the Lord and what they said was contrary to what God had ordained. Just like in our current day with false prophets who claim to speak for God, Jeremiah is at a point to which he has to decide what to do. For us today this can be painful, sometimes we will have to listen to what someone is saying to make sure that it is or is not Biblical. Many times I have had to listen to a person proclaim something and I politely took notes and examined what they said to the Word of God. Jeremiah does not dare come out and say “You lie” to Hananiah, but rather is observant to see what the Lord says to confirm such a statement, Jeremiah 28:5-11 “5 Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who were standing in the house of the LORD, 6 and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the LORD do so; may the LORD confirm your words which you have prophesied to bring back the vessels of the LORD’S house and all the exiles, from Babylon to this place. 7 “Yet hear now this word which I am about to speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people! 8 “The prophets who were before me and before you from ancient times prophesied against many lands and against great kingdoms, of war and of calamity and of pestilence. 9 “The prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, then that prophet will be known as one whom the LORD has truly sent.” 10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it. 11 Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Even so will I break within two full years the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.’” Then the prophet Jeremiah went his way.“ 

I must confess if I was in Jeremiah’s shoes, I do not know if I would have been able to restrain myself. God had told Jeremiah a specific prophecy and told him to declare it to the government, and then this false prophet comes out and declares the exact opposite. Instead of getting mad, Jeremiah allows God to answer. This is vital for us to see, like Jeremiah, we need to listen and see if it is Biblical and than go our way. If identified as a false prophet, we do not need to give further time to such people for anything other than to see what others might be swept away by. We need to stay focused on what God has called to us. Now there might be some who are wondering why Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Kerr are being aligned with Hananiah? These two have directly declared prophecies that have neither come true, or are directly against what the Word of God has spoken. The days are to get darker, we are to stand against immorality and yet they advocate the opposite. We must not be fooled by those who proclaim to speak for the Lord and do not. These people are in touch with a spiritual force that is not from God but from the master of this world, Satan. The Bible clearly shows how in the end times these false prophets would be characterized. If those who are so foolish to listen and adhere to what these two are saying they, like those in Hananiah’s day, will act incorrectly with what the Lord has to say.

Yet, God is not done. He will in His own time deal with those who are stating such falsity. One must only read the rest of chapter 28 to see what happened to Hananiah. We are to live peaceful lives, we are to be representations of Jesus Christ to a lost world, declaring the Gospel message to all, we are to speak truth! No matter the subject, we need to stand on what Christ has ordained for us to stand upon, nothing else but His very Word. Today, inside the Church we have leadership behind the pulpits who are declaring to speak for God and are invalidating His very real and potent prophecy that has been declared thousands of years ago. We need not look for a political savior, but rather Jesus our savior. We need rather not look at a political system as our guardian, but rather Jesus as our guardian. Finally, we need rather not listen to modern day self proclaimed prophets, and rather read the very real Word from where all Prophecy is from, Jesus Christ. 

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY!

Today’s Re-POST FRIDAY is a message to our readers as we open up to you a little more! Read it HERE!

Where Is Your Perspective?

There is an issue with the Christian mindset, and one that I must confess I have fallen into as well. The issue is that from the moment that we are saved, we tend to not give eternity another thought. We know that we are saved and will one day be with the Lord, but we fail to see that our actions now will reflect upon us for eternity. We have a habit of getting caught up in this world, we want to live all that life has to offer, we want money, security, and our desires fulfilled. So we act as if we have all the time in the world. We end up saying “Oh I’ll get around to helping out in the church when my weekends aren’t so busy” or “ Oh I’ll witness to them later”. The fact is, we are not promised tomorrow.

“13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

James 4:13-15

As human beings, we act like we will live forever. We don’t realize how fleeting our life is and so we are constantly making plans for what we are going to be doing in a week, a year, ten years, or thirty years. For Christians, we will live forever, but not on this earth and so we need to correct our mindset to be eternally conscious.

To live with an eternity conscious mindset is a signal of a maturing Christian; instead of being distracted by the stresses of this world, these Christians are instead focusing on the characteristics and qualities of God. Instead of being at home and comfortable in this world they are uneasy and feel like a stranger. And that is because they are. When your mindset changes from being focused on this world to being focused on God and His plans, you start to imitate Him more and therefore belong less and less to this world. “19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.” John 15:19

In fact, the Christians that keep their focus on eternity begin to adopt God’s attitude toward the world. “25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 15:25. What this verse is talking about is not easy to digest. In short, this verse is describing that those who live for this world, who love being a part of such a sinful world will lose their life and all their riches they have gained here. For those who hate being a part of this world, those who keep an eternity mindset, will keep their life. There is another verse that describes this perfectly, “19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19-20. For those who are living as part of this world are only gaining riches that will ultimately be stolen or destroyed, they are focusing on material aspects of this life. For those who are standing apart from this world and instead imitating Christ, their riches will not be found here nor will they be destroyed or stolen.

There is one fact that I do want to point out, to live with an eternal mindset does not mean to hate the creation of this world. We were all created by God and God loves us all. The difference between someone who loves their life in this world and someone who is a part from it but loves all of God’s creation is that for the person with the eternal mindset they hate the evil world system that is present. There is much that is going on today that goes against what God would desire, for the Christian we need to be standing for what is right which often times puts us at odds with the world. Those who are comfortable in this world will seek to bring these evil aspects into the Church. The Apostle John describes this point perfectly, “15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1 John 2:15-16. We are called to love God’s creation, but not love the world system that allows so much evil to be done. For those who are comfortable with this world, they are not showing God’s love because they are allowing individuals to continue down the path of unrighteousness.

How can we prevent ourselves from becoming comfortable in the world system? The answer is found in Philippians 4:8, “8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Instead of conforming to the ideas of this world, we need to keep our minds on what is righteous and pure. This is how we can be triumphant in this world, we are living with a continuous eternal mindset.

One final test to see if you are living with a worldly mindset or one that is focus on eternity is your view of the Lord’s return. For those who are comfortable in this world, they either could care less if He comes or not or they do not want Him to come at all. When asked about the Lord’s return, these people will often add a “but” to wanting the Lord to return, “I want the Lord to return but not until I get married”, “I want the Lord to return but not until I see my grandkids grown”. These type of statements show individuals who are focused on what this world has to offer. They are forgetting that what God offers is so much more. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

The Bible is filled with examples of those who have an eternal mindset. One such example is Paul, “23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” Philippians 1:23-24. Paul understood that even though he wished to be with the Lord, there was still work that needed to be done on this earth, meaning in short that there were many who needed to hear the Gospel a fact that has not changed today. I urge you all to be like Paul, don’t wait until a later date to do what God has planned for you to do now. Do not be like this world, keep your focus instead on the promises of God.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

The Threat Within (I)

Last week, we took an unprecedented look at one of Jesus Christ’s first warnings in Matthew 24 regarding those who would claim to be the Christ and how they would mislead many. Starting this week, I want to start a study over what we as believers need to be presently aware of within our own churches. I will never forget the first time I saw the movie, “We Were Soldiers”. In the movie, which is based on true events of the initial start of the Vietnam War, the Commander, played by Mel Gibson, realizes that they are threatened with being over run by the enemy and calls for emergency aid. The radio operator at that point calls in for “Broken Arrow” which is a plea to all allies who can help to bring immediate fire support to the current battlefield. The following minutes in the movie can only be described as a sky full of eager pilots bringing devastating support to soldiers fighting for their lives. Anyone who has ever seen the devastation of Air Support and Artillery will understand the significant impact it has on the battlefield. 

Now you might be wondering why we are having this discussion? To be honest, the churches are being overrun from the inside! We are in dire situations, and we are in need of calling in as much support as possible. Is the war lost? NO! Thankfully, when believers call upon the Lord and declare in sorts, “Broken Arrow” we have the full support and power of God Almighty! 

This week, we are going to first identify the situation the Church is in. We cannot accurately call in support from our God and act accordingly unless we know what we are facing. While the Lord knows what is our greatest and least threat, He has given us His Word as an instrument to identify the threats we currently face inside the Church. Unfortunately, the situation is dire! The Church is filled with those who are not saved and is even led by those who are actively teaching the doctrine of demons. “I read about a liberal pastor who was asked to read a paper at a ministerial conference on ‘Paul’s views on justification.’ He read a paper that superbly presented the truth of the gospel and justification by faith. ‘I didn’t know you believed that,’ a friend said to him after the meeting. ‘I don't believe it,’ the liberal pastor replied. ‘They didn't ask me for my views of justification. They asked for Paul’s’” Warren W Wiersbe Be Alert, Pg 51. We have people who are pushing Christians into spiritual traps that are designed to entangle us in all sorts of sin. We have Christians who are so weak, so ill disciplined in the faith and their personal knowledge of the Word of God, that they willingly follow and encourage others to seek after those who are practicing the doctrine of demons. The Church is truly at a dire point. 

2 Peter chapter 2 is the defining foundation for this week’s discussion. Starting at verse 1 we see that Peter is very interested in wanting us to know what is taking place. This is his last letter before he dies, he knows that his death is coming and yet he is still laser focused on helping us with knowing who our enemy is. 2 Peter 2:1-3 “1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” The teachers described here are first given the characteristic of “secretly introduce.” To secretly introduce you must be doing it secretly, Christians today have become so naive with their own knowledge of scripture that they allow anyone to pump into their heads total none sense. These wolves in sheep’s clothing are doing it secretly thus, they are doing it knowingly. They teach and say what they do not believe and will slowly pull and distort the Word of truth until it fits the word of “my truth.” This is dangerous and ill fit for Christians to allow in any way. These destructive heresies are the first indicator something is wrong. If you are handed a counterfeit hundred dollar bill and a real hundred dollar bill to compare, how would you know the difference unless you had studied what the real hundred dollar bill looked like? The believers have failed to keep their eyes solely focused on Christ, have not been in His Word, and thus are susceptible to destructive heresies. 

I want to hold no punches back and have decided to name a few pastors who have desecrated the churches with their deceitful ways. While this might offend some, I would rather offend you and save you than keep you happy and unaware of the dangers we are in. However, for this week I want us to review the authentic teacher, the true and awe inspiring God, who became flesh for us, to die, and be resurrected with the sole mission of fulfilling the Father’s plan. John 14 has been used by many to describe the beginning doctrine of the Rapture. While is is very much true and should be studied all on its own merit, the beginning part of this chapter helps highlight the authentic Word that we need to study in order to be able to identify the counterfeit. 

I believe John 14:1-11 is one of the greatest studies to understand the authentic nature and deity of Jesus Christ. 

John 14:1-11, 

1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4 “And you know the way where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. 7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.”

Let’s break up the verses and see what really is here, and what Jesus claims to do and who He claims to be. 

Starting at verse one, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” Jesus claims to be worth believing in. As we will discover, there have been many who have claimed this and were not. Only one is worthy of this title and in verse 6 we see Jesus acknowledging His unique worthiness of such a claim. 

In verses two through four, we see Jesus is claiming to be partnered with God the Father with a plan in Heaven. “2 ‘In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 ‘If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4 ‘And you know the way where I am going.’” Many claim to know what is happening in Heaven, or they state they are in communication with God on our behalf. However, only one person, Jesus Christ, can claim to not only to be in communication with God the Father, not only in coordination with God the Father’s plan, but is actively in charge of carrying out such a plan and being able to invite whom He deems fit to such a plans fruition. That authority is only given to one person, which is the Son of God. 

Verse 5 is a wonderful, unique, and great verse for two reasons. It’s Thomas examining the authenticity of Christ and because of that we can examine the authenticity as well to better identify the counterfeits as they arrive. “5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Because of his questioning, we have a better understanding. Thomas needs a break from the barrage of insults modern day believers give him, he was eager to know the Lord in every way and we should be thankful he asked such a simple question. 

Verse six is, in my own personal opinion, one of the crucial verses which the entire Bible leans on. While there are a few, this one in particular is important for the believer; Jew or Gentile, it does not matter this is our corner stone! “6 Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” Oh what a marvelous statement! Jesus is making the claim that only He can make. Others can and have tried, but only Christ can stand up, look at death, and announce who is leaving death to go to Him and who is going to die. What power and what authentic ability. As for the counterfeit, as we continue in our study, we will see how they manipulate this “salvation only in Jesus” statement to align with their own sinful desires. 

We now come to our next statement of which many in the counterfeit world use to claim Jesus is only a good man and is not God. However, Jesus claimed to be God the Father in the flesh, “7 ‘If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.’ 8 Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ 9 Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 ‘Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 ‘Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.’” John 14:7-11 What an incredible conclusion to this quick discussion, which is part of a larger conversation, that Jesus has with the disciples! 

For us today, we can use the authentic to know and examine what comes before us and see if what they say is true or not. In the coming weeks, we will put to the test what key individuals are saying, and see how Jesus, Second in the Trinity, is in fact God in the flesh. So as we move forward buckle up, it is a going to be a wild ride! But do not worry, as we continue forward in our study identifying the enemy of God, we will also be seeing how God has given us everything we need to combat this spiritual overrun of our position and see what can be done with what is happening. We need not lose hope but rather stay laser focused on our Blessed Hope Jesus Christ and allow Him to lead us. 

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY!

This RE-POST FRIDAY looks back at how we cannot measure up to the standard that God has set. Read it HERE!

A COMPASSIONATE GOD

Recently I was reading through the book of Psalms when I came across Psalm 103. I have read this Psalm countless times, but this time it really stood out as an encouragement. Encouragement is something that is much needed as we see the world grow darker, we need to be reminded that our hope is not here on earth but in Heaven. Today, I am wanting to go through Psalm 103 with you and hope that you will receive some encouragement as well.

As the world grows darker, we as Christians tend to get focused on this world. We forget that God is greater than he who is currently given control of this world and often times we need a reminder of this. Psalm 103 is a great psalm to remind us of how great our Lord is, and gives us much needed encouragement.

“Bless the Lord, my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, my soul,
And do not forget any of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your guilt,
Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with favor and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”

The beginning of the Psalm is a reminder to bless the Lord, but it is not just a verbal blessing. It’s a reminder to bless the Lord with all that is within us, our heart, mind, body, and soul. When I think on what it means to bless the Lord with everything that I am, I am reminded of Romans 12:1. “12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” I am reminded that when I come before the Lord with praise or petition, I need to be sure that I am coming before Him in a manner that is acceptable to God who is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. It is a reminder to ensure that the worship that I am doing is praising God and not just going through the motion of worship or a worship that honors ourselves and not God. In Psalm 103, we are also called to remember His blessings. After all, it is God who pardons our sins, heals us, redeems us, and satisfies us. No act of man can give us these things, and there are many now who would wish to deny God of these abilities. Psalm 23 is another Psalm that shows how with the Lord we lack nothing, and through studying His Word and worshiping Him we can receive rest and refresh our souls.

“The Lord performs righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His deeds to the sons of Israel.
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always contend with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our guilty deeds.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our wrongdoings from us.
13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
14 For He Himself knows our form;
He is mindful that we are nothing but dust.”

In this time period it feels as if what is right is wrong and what is wrong is right. It might appear that people are getting away with their unrighteous actions, but that would be a mistake to think. That is why it is important to remember that God is not sitting idly by. He performs righteous deeds and will defend the righteous. But because He is compassionate and gracious, He does so on His time not ours. We need to remember that sometimes when we are struggling with something, it is a lesson for us to learn. We also need to remember that God is slow to anger and while there are times we wish that He would strike down those who are oppressing the innocent, we need to know that God does not wish for anyone to parish. Much like with Saul, He is using these times to bring sons and daughters to Him. It is through His abounding mercy that He has not unleashed His judgement upon this world, and as the Bride of Christ we need to remember that we will not be here for the judgement of the unbelieving world. Instead we will be removed from it. God will not keep His anger in check forever, and there will come a time when this world will face judgement.

But before we get too caught up in the desire for those who are doing wrong to face judgement, we need to humble ourselves and remember that we are all sinners and it is only through God’s grace and mercy that He does not deal with us according to our own guilty deeds. The ground is level at the foot of the cross, we all have sinned and fallen short of what God has called. But because He loves us enough to send His Son to die on a cross for us, He removes our transgressions as far as the east is from the west.

“As for man, his days are like grass;
Like a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place no longer knows about it.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting for those who fear Him,
And His justice to the children’s children,
18 To those who keep His covenant
And remember His precepts, so as to do them.”

Here we are reminded again that God will give justice to those who belong to Him, it just may not be in the timeframe that we want. This passage always reminds me of Matthew 6:26-30, “26 Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? 27 And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span? 28 And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! ” Here we see that God loves the birds and grass enough to feed them and clothe them. Because we know that God loves us more than the birds, grass, and the rest of creation; how much more will He give to those who place their trust in Him?

“The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!
21 Bless the Lord, all you His angels,
You who serve Him, doing His will.
22 Bless the Lord, all you works of His,
In all places of His dominion;
Bless the Lord, my soul!”

With all of this in mind, Psalm 103 closes with another reminder to bless the Lord with all our soul, but it goes beyond that. It is a reminder that even the angels, which some people tend to place on the same level as God, are called to worship Him. This truly goes to show how great our God is! Everything has been created by Him and there is no place on earth, heaven, or hell that escapes His dominion! Bless the Lord!

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

I Am The Christ…

Today I wanted to write about a serious lesson in application that all believers need to not only know, but must be willing to apply directly to their life. This is the art of discerning the truth from what is a lie. Jesus Christ’s first indication of the sign of the end times was in fact a warning that people would be duped by those who were religious in nature. Matthew 24:3-5, “3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what [will be] the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 ‘For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” Yet, what does this mean? This statement needs to be unpacked for us to understand what we are up against. We need to know what is it that is being thrown at us as the “real deal”. Right now, we have people who are knowingly and unknowingly declaring “I am the Christ” right before our very eyes. 

There is no doubt that we are living in a time where more information is at our fingertips than ever before. Yet we have no idea what is truth and what is a lie. What is interesting about the warning from Jesus is not that the lie is religiously motivated, a person stating “I am the Christ” can be thought of in three ways.

First, that the person is claiming to be God. We know this will be fulfilled one day by the antichrist, who will only reveal himself when allowed in the proper time of the Tribulation. Yet there have been many who have attempted to claim their own deity and be the captain of their own fate, only to realize the error of their ways. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Only one person has power over death, Jesus Christ. John 18:10 states, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

The second meaning of “I am the Christ” can be a person who is claiming to have the answers just as Jesus did. This person captivates their audience with “new revelation” and fantastic speech craft. They cause audiences to be inspired and roused into following them. These individuals are able to rally people together and cause a devotion of zealotry. Their religious focus is grounded in works and in a false sense of hope in their own self worth. Unfortunately, their devotion to an alternative answer rather than Jesus Christ will cause them to lack the very thing they are working for, salvation. Proverbs 11:7-8 “When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, and the hope of strong men perishes. The righteous is delivered from trouble but the wicked takes his place.” The word “expectation” comes from the Hebrew word “tiqvah” which means to “eagerly wait and hope for something such as a well in a desert that is distinct and needed to survive the crossing.” These people have hope in something that is not there, they believe their crossing into death will be safe guarded by the life of religiousness that they acted upon. They are mistaken and the second they die they will realize the error of their ways.

The third and final application of the “I am the Christ” statement, I believe is a statement of self promotion. These people will not follow someone else who is claiming to be God, nor will they follow someone else who is claiming to have the truth. They believe that they themselves have the truth. We need to make sure not to mistaken these individuals with the second group who are misled by someone who is claiming to have the answer. This third group is different, these people are deciding what is truth and what is to be rejected. These people have announced to the world their own ideology and have embraced humanism at its initial core, this is the very lie that brought Adam and Eve to the grave, “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5. They have lulled themselves into a delusional state, which only God can pull them out of. 

These individuals judge God’s truth to their own measurements and proclaim that they know better. Instead of claiming to be God as the first group, or following man’s religions as the second, this person had placed themself upon the pedestal and declared the un-declarable. They believe God is a myth and that man is supreme. What is unique about this group is that they are fooling no one but themselves. Satan uses humanism to fool souls into going to hell, while secretly hating the very idea of man identifying himself as God. He wants to be worshiped and does not want to share with anyone else. This is one reason why I believe that in Revelation 17, there will one day be a culling within the human world where Satan will finally drop Humanism and declare himself as the only being to be worshiped. Revelation 17:15-18, “15 Then he said to me, ‘The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. 16 ‘And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 ‘For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 ‘And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.” 

When Jesus warned of being mislead, He meant it. We as Christians who are living in the final days of the Church age have taken too lightly the warning of Christ. While chapter 24 of Matthew will not see its full culmination until the Tribulation, we can clearly see the foreshadowing of what is to come. We must not underestimate the declaration of “I am the Christ” as many do. Christ is God and the only one who has power to declare what is and is not the truth. These three false groups who attempt to claim such a title are fooling themselves and others. Yet, we are not done here. Starting next week, I plan to do a deep dive into the wolves that have entered into the Churches and are plaguing the believer.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY!

This RE-POST FRIDAY is a continuation of the look back into the book of Jude and the message for this generation. Read it HERE!

God Is…

After spending the last few weeks discussing the “warning” passages in the book of Hebrews, I want to take a moment to discuss who God is. Throughout our series in Hebrews, we have seen how God will chastise those who drift from Him and we tend to focus on the God of wrath. However, there is so much more to our God than this. For example, in the New Testament there are four “God is” statements all describing different characteristics of God.

The first of these statements is found in John 4:24.

“24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

First we see that God is spirit, but what exactly does this mean? Well a basic reading of this verse would show that God is not material. Some might wonder what was Jesus than? He is still one hundred percent God, but took on flesh. John 1:14 clearly shows us that Jesus was eternal and God prior to His humble arrival. Nevertheless, God does not possess a physical body in all aspects of the Trinity, but has through the Son of Man added to what is already limitless. If this is hard to understand that is ok, this is some serious theological concepts we are talking about. Remember man-made religions will attempt to add to God what is not His characteristics, only God can add to Himself which He did through the Son of God, Jesus Christ. 

With this in mind, we can see two things. First, God is not confined to the physical limitations that we humans possess, He operates outside of time. Second, since God does not have a physical form, man should not make forms that are in His image. The meaning of this second statement is that we need to avoid associating God with any religious building or assigning any limitations to a limitless God. There are many places that a person can go to learn about God, “The heavens tell of the glory of God; And their expanse declares the work of His hands.” Psalm 19:1 and there are many churches where God is absent from. People tend to think that God needs something from us, this could not be farther from the truth and to assume that God is assigned only to a building simply shows a lack of understanding of who He is. “24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” Acts 17:24-25.

The second “God is” statement is found in 1 John 1:5.

“5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

If you have read the book of 1 John, you will see that it is a corrective book. It encourages the reader to remain in righteousness and not in darkness or sin. The reason for this is that God is both perfect and sinless and we are called to be like Him. “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2. Because God is wholly perfect He cannot abide or take pleasure in sin. He dwells in light that the world cannot understand because we are surrounded by darkness, by sin. Although the world did not know Him, God still sent His Son to teach the world about Him. ”1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. 5 And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it. 6 A man came, one sent from God, and his name was John. 7He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. 9 This was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person. 10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and yet the world did not know Him.” John 1:1-10

The third “God Is” statement is again in 1 John,

”16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them” 1 John 4:16

Love is the very characteristic of God, and so He is the standard of what love actually is. “4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. This passage gives us an example of what love should be, and God shows His love for us though this. God is patient in that He wants no man to come to be separated from Him, “3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.” 1 Timothy 2:3-6 

I do believe this is the one characteristic of God that is most commonly misused or misunderstood. A lot of people, secular and Christians alike, will use this characteristic to state that because God is love, He will accept them no matter what. What this idea is actually doing, is giving the idea that a person can continue in sin. When we look at what love is through 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, we see that love does not rejoice in wrongdoing. The fact that God does not want us to keep sinning, to remain in darkness, shows that He loves us. He is not the killjoy that many people believe but instead He wishes to save us from the consequences of sin. And from the second “God is” statement, we know that because God is light He cannot tolerate sin.

Love also endures all things, this cannot be clearer that what Jesus did on the cross. He bore the wrath of God for our sins, He endured all things. By His death, Jesus completed the costly payment for the consequence of sin so that God can freely manifest His love to those who believe in Him.

The final “God is” statement is in Hebrews 12:29.

“29 for our God is a consuming fire.”

Throughout our study on the “warning” passages of Hebrews we saw that God will correct us when we stray from His Word. More specifically when we looked at the final “warning” found in Hebrews 12:25-29 we saw that God will use difficult times to shake what can be shaken from what cannot be.  We have already seen that God cannot abide in sin, and so what can be shaken are things that do not belong to Him in the light. These things ultimately will be consumed because they did not believe in God’s love.

I hope you enjoyed this post and now have a better understanding of who God is. While these statements, merely touched upon the characteristics of God, I hope you can now explain more of who He is.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

UNEXPECTED CHANGE

Let me first apologize to our faithful followers and readers who have been with us here at Mill House Ministries these past months. We apologies for the lateness of the post, but want to fill you in on the journey we have taken this week. As typical Monday’s are when we post our topical or book study. We had intended to start a new series regarding Psalm 32 and the richness of what God has to say. However, the more we studied, the more we saw there is a much larger and unexpected study that we will need to jump in with this and other psalms who share a unique bond! While we prepare for such a study, I ask for your prayers, (this study is more than I could have ever thought it would be).

Yet, this does not mean we will be doing a lesser study, but rather one designated by God. We here at Mill House Ministries do not write blogs/posts for posting sake, but rather when we have learned something that we want to help share in our pursuit of the mission that Mill House Ministries was started for. When there is any doubt, we will wait. Sometimes it is better to wait and see what the Lord has to say to you.

As we prepare for next week’s post, please keep us in prayer and know that the Lord is actively moving! The rest of this week’s scheduled postings will continue as expected Lord willing.

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY!

This RE-POST FRIDAY brings back the conclusion to our study in Philippians. Read it HERE!

WARNINGS (VI)

We have come to the close of our study of the “warning” passages found in the book of Hebrews. By now we should be able to see that those who are wishing to turn away from their faith in Jesus Christ, even for a little while, will not remain unpunished. The Jewish Christians that this book was written to were contemplating returning to Judaism to escape the persecution that was facing them. We have seen that the author was warning the believers that if they turned away from following Jesus so as not to be persecuted they would be inherently declaring that Jesus Christ was not the Messiah and would be subjugated to the coming wrath. This wrath would ultimately come by the hands of the Roman Empire.

For us today, we aren’t facing a decision to turn back into Judaism but instead we face a decision on if we will return to what the world offers. The persecution of Christians has been going on all around for some time, unfortunately for the American Christians we are now beginning to feel that strain and for some it may be tempting to fold under fire and state that our faith in Jesus Christ is wrong and going against what the Bible says. While the persecution of followers of Jesus will not end until Jesus Christ returns as King, this final “warning” should give some encouragement to hold fast to Jesus Christ and not this world.

“25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns us from heaven. 26 And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” 27 This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let’s show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:25-29

The “warning” in this passage begins in verses 25-26, “25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns us from heaven. 26 And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” ” We have seen time and time again throughout this study that the Israelites lost their faith in God’s promises for them. We have seen the examples given in Numbers 14 regarding the Promised Land and we know the outcome for doubting God’s promises. The Israelites had refused Him, they did not believe that He could help them conquer the enemies that were in the Promise Land and so that generation was unable to receive His rest. Today, we face the same issues when it comes to persecution. We doubt that God is able to protect us, we believe that unless He removes us completely from the situation then He is not with us. This is far from the truth, if you read the book of Job you will see that God allowed Job to go through the trials, the pain and suffering, and the deaths of his children. All of this was done in an attempt by Satan to prove that Job was not righteous and would blame God for his issues. By the end of the book, you will see that Job was instead blessed for holding to God and received greater than what he had before. This can be said of us today, we are going to face hard times as the persecution of Christians intensifies. However, we will receive greater than what we have here. This promise can be seen in verses 27-28.

” 27 This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let’s show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;”

God is going to shake things up. This is done to remove those things that can be shaken, and is a reference to removing the professing “Christian” from the true born-again believer. The Rapture of the Church will be the first global “shake up” that God will do, “for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. Yet, this will not be His last, God will separate those at the end of the Tribulation who are believers and those who are just acting, “31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.” Matthew 25:31-33.

God will do whatever it takes to get a person to finally accept Him as their savior. It is why things will get worse, to open the eyes of those who are stubborn. Yet for those who are already professing Christians, we need to stand firm in our faith unless we be rooted out and found to be fake. In the coming days, we will see the true members of the Body of Christ remain while those who only profess to be a part of the Church will drift away. Verse 28 holds the encouragement for Christians to remain steadfast in faith in Jesus Christ despite the trials to come. We will receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken, “9 And the Lord will be King over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.” Zechariah 14:9. When God comes back to reign physically on earth, all nations will have to recognize Him, “All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.” Psalm 86:9 and “10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:10-22. God’s kingdom is eternal and if we hold to Him, we will be able to enter this Promise Land.

I do want to draw your attention to a comment made in verse 28, “28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let’s show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;” While we will receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken, this does not mean that we should take our relationship with Christ lightly. It has been the underlining theme of all the “warning” passages. Too often we hear people refer to God as, “My main man” or “the big guy upstairs” these “titles” are not giving the God who created heaven and earth the reverence He deserves. God is not your “buddy” He is Holy, a God of Justice and Truth. God is the same today as He was in the Old Testament, this includes a God of wrath who will not tolerate sin. It is why the author ends the “warning” passages with a reminder of who God is. “29 for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:29. 

I hope this series has been a blessing to you as it has me. As the times get tough know that we have a God who cares for us deeply. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, a person who has asked Jesus to come into your life and save you, I would encourage you to seek Him first now more than ever before. If you are unsure if you are saved or know you are not, we never know how much time we have here on this earth and I would encourage you to seek the Lord and ask Him into your life. If you have questions please reach out to us here at Mill House Ministries. Finally, for those who are saved, now is the time our faith will be tested beyond what we can personally handle, allow God’s strength, peace, and joy to wash over you as we see the day approaching of our blessed hope. 

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Instruction for 2021 and Future Believers; A Study on Psalm 32 (1)

It was the British Prime Minister Lloyd-George during World War I who once said, “When the chariot of humanity gets stuck nothing will lift it out except great preaching that goes straight to the mind and heart. There is nothing in this case that will save the world but what was once called, ‘the foolishness of preaching.’” I believe the Prime Minister was partially correct. Rather than preaching, there is only one thing that can cause humanity to reorient itself back onto the straight and narrow, which is nothing more than the Word of God. It is through the power of God’s own inspired work that we are able to be crafted from something worthless to something priceless. Only in Jesus can we go from being meaningless to meaningful, it is so simple that many call it foolishness even though Christ openly mocked those who would identify His work as such! “Where is the wise person? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” 1 Corinthians 1:20. I believe it is paramount that as believers, we refocus upon our fundamentals of the faith and become what we were truly called to be, a flawless practitioner of the Word of God. 

This is the calling of the Christian during 2021 and into the years to come. We can no longer sit on the side of history and allow man to play this game without knowing the truth of what is eternally at stake. Our savior Jesus Christ mandated this at the end of His earthly ministry and commissioned us to proclaim the gospel and disciple those who would be willing, “18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, [even] to the end of the age.” Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20. 

With this in mind, I want to devote some time to a psalm from King David proclaiming and outlining the gospel message. Why might you ask? It is apparent that the world is growing darker and nations continue to pursue a Romans 1:18-32 outline. This is unfortunate, but foreseen and prophesied by God. We now must pray for our nations, but continue to turn our attention, focus, and energy to the task we were given by Christ in Matthew 28. Today we start a study over Psalm 32, this is the first of the “Maskil” Psalms. Maskil means “giving instruction.” A subtle hint to the treasure for the reader who has wisdom and discernment. A treasure to the believer in 2021 who is seeking the Lord behind every word found in each verse of the Bible. 

Unfortunately, we know that the majority of born again believers currently do not have wisdom nor understand of what they are reading when they sit down. How can they? If your only devotional is through a daily Bible verse app or inspirational quotes from a pastor, how are you ever to grow in the Lord? In 2 Peter 2:18b, Peter describes those who are barely saved, who are scriptural illiterate tend to be the most vulnerable to deception, “they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error.” It is ok for every Christian at one point in their spiritual life to be a baby, a person who is in need of constant help, guidance, and instruction by other more mature Christians (I do not mean age but spiritual maturity) yet, it is not ok to stay at this state. Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:1-2 depicts this very thing, “1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual [people] but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able [to receive it,] and even now you are still not able.” We must take ownership of our own spiritual walk and seek the Lord as He would have us do. By now you might be wondering why are we talking about spiritual wisdom in the Bible when the topic is of Psalm 32? Or you might be wondering what does Psalms, a book in the Old Testament, have to do with salvation? These are all unique questions which need to be answered immediately. Psalm 32 provides the 2021 Christian with a wonderful snap shot of the need for us to request wisdom from our Heavenly Father and understand His salvation plan from the very beginning has been that man be saved through faith and not of his own works. Abraham, who lived in the Old Testament, was indeed as much a believer as anyone in the New Testament and after. He was saved through faith that one day His savior, Jesus Christ, would come and die for his sins. His faith is the same as mine and hopefully yours. We have faith in Jesus Christ’s’ actions previously done with the forethought to those who were yet not living. Psalm 32 helps identify the salvation within stages of the instantaneous moment that a person is being sealed by Jesus Christ. While we might not know the stages we have gone through, with wisdom we can learn what Christ is faithful to complete in us. This is why Psalm 32 must be studied under the guise of wisdom and what Maskil truly means. 

As previously stated, I want you the reader to take your time and read ahead and study God’s Word for yourself. Take some time and read Psalm 32 and see the wonderful uniqueness within the stages of the psalm. I would encourage you to find the other Maskil Psalms and see what God has written to us. 

“Blessed [is he whose] transgression [is] forgiven, [Whose] sin [is] covered. 2 Blessed [is] the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit [there is] no deceit. 3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah 5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah 6 For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him. 7 You [are] my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. 9 Do not be like the horse [or] like the mule, [Which] have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you. 10 Many sorrows [shall be] to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him. 11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all [you] upright in heart!” Psalm 32.

Next week we will continue our study into this amazing psalm and see just how wisdom parallels the title and what this means for us today. 

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming.

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY!

This week’s RE-POST FRIDAY is a reminder for this generation from the book of Jude. Read it HERE!

WARNINGS (V)

We are now over halfway through our series on the “warning” passages found in the book of Hebrews. We have seen how they play on one another, the first warning is found in Hebrews 2:1-4 and is a warning not to drift away from the faith or slip into old ways in hopes of avoiding persecution. The second “warning” is to not doubt the Word of God and is found in Hebrews 3:7-19, this warning refers to not doubting the promises that are found in the Word of God. The third warning was discussed last week but can be found in Hebrews 5:11-6:3, this warning is about becoming dull towards the Word. Many have treated their relationship with God as something that needs to be checked off of their list of things to do, they are not actively spending time studying His Word and therefore cannot allow the Holy Spirit to work through them. This week we are discussing the fourth “warning” which is found in Hebrews 10:26-31.

“26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

When someone has begun to drift from the Word, they then begin to doubt it, which in turn leads to becoming dull to the Word. Once someone has become dull to the Word, they then begin to despise it. In the passage above, we see that the warning comes with the word “deliberately” found in Hebrews 10:26. When a person has begun to despise the Word, they act on it by deliberately sinning. It is an attitude of repeated sinning with no measure of repentance to it. As Christians, we will sin because we still have our sin nature. What makes us different from the rest of the world is the embodiment of the Holy Spirit, when we sin the Holy Spirit will convict us until we turn to God with a contrite heart.

For the person who has begun to despise the Word, this act of coming before God with a contrite heart never comes. In fact, they continue to sin despite causing grief to the Holy Spirit. As believers, we are called to not grieve the Holy Spirit, “30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30 but a person who has come to despise the Word does not obey this, so what is the result of deliberate disobedience to the Word of God? The answer comes in verse 27-28.

“27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has ignored the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.”

But why would God offer such a “harsh” punishment on those who deliberately kept on sinning? It is because that person is taking the sacrifice of Jesus and treating it as if it meant nothing. “29 How much more severe punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” Hebrews 10:29. It is an unholy thing to cheapen the sacrifice that Jesus made to save the whole world, and the act of deliberate disobedience insults that sacrifice. For example, for the Jewish Christians that the book of Hebrews was written to, to return to Judaism would be the equivalent of saying that they were wrong in stating that Jesus was the Son of God. For us today, we are making the same act whenever we compromise with this world. If we go along with ideas like that there are multiple ways to heaven, we are denying when Jesus says, “6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6. In short, we are turning God into a lair which is a characteristic that He does not and cannot have.

For the Christian who is despising the Word and denying the actions found in the Word, they can expect one thing. “30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:30-31. We have seen throughout our study on the “warnings” that the history of Israel is filled with how they turned away from God and His chastising of them. Because God is a God who does not change, He will still correct those of His who stray away. This is the major theme with the “warning” passages and throughout Hebrews. It is asking how you will respond to what God says. We have already seen examples of God chastising His people in previous posts and His chastising is the main subject found in Hebrews 12. However, just because God is chastising someone, does not mean that they lose their salvation. This does not make the matter of His chastising any less though and ultimately we all have to deal with the consequences of deliberate sin. 

For example, look at King David. He knew what the Word said regarding adultery and yet he still followed through with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11) this act of deliberate disregard to the Scriptures resulted in David losing his child and for his house to be filled with violence even though David came to later ask for forgiveness for his sin. God forgave David for his sin, but there were still consequences for deliberate disobedience (2 Samuel 12-7-15). 

For those who are believers who have begun to drift, doubt, become dull, and disregard the Word of the Lord, I encourage you to be like King David. Turn from your sin, ask for forgiveness and mercy. There is no act greater than what Jesus Christ has already done to rejoin a sinful world to a holy God, but by asking for forgiveness and turning from your sin, God will have mercy on you, even as He is chastising you.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING WE ALREADY HAVE

Today I must confess that I was planning on writing on something entirely different, yet I believe this discussion needs to happen. Today I want to give relationship advice to those who are already saved. That’s right, I want to directly talk to only believers, people who have been born again and are saved by having faith in Jesus Christ. There are many of us who have been looking for something that we already have!

Right now Christians all around the world are struggling to find solid ground in their life. It is as if we have left our foundation in Jesus Christ, and have gone into the world seeking for an alternative. For many this is exactly what has happened. They seek solace, comfort, and security in political figures, nations and even false religions all in the attempt to find answers. Answers for something they already have an answer to. James wrote, “what is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel.” James 4:1-2a. Why is this? It is because born again believers are not being actively dependent on the Lord. We are having a religious affair, we have placed someone higher than God in our lives. What a shame! 

Many claim that God is silent and does not answer our prayers, however are we seeking what is right or what will fulfill our wrong intentions? Once again James in chapter 4 states, “You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?” James 4:2b-4. I believe this strikes at the very soul of our issues today. Some have turned God into an app to be used when needed for a short duration, while others have all together abandoned God. 

American Bible Society found that “In 2019, over one-third of American adults (35%) said that realistically they never use the Bible outside of a large church service or mass. In January, that number was statistically unchanged. However, by June of 2020, that proportion had fallen to 31%. Additionally, many Scripture engaged adults were finding it difficult to maintain their relationship with the Bible. The proportion of Americans who use the Bible daily also fell to fewer than one in ten (9%), the lowest number on record during the ten years of the State of the Bible research study.” Reports are surfacing that they believe over 50% of those who did read their Bible prior to 2020, will no longer read their Bible by 2021. I will be frank with you, I do not believe all these people were born again, rather individuals who were practicing religion and not having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. John writes about this in 1 John 2:18-19, “18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but [they went out] that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.” 

However, these statistics do have some overall reflection of those who are born again. We have left our first love for something that is foreign. We seek alternative truths rather than keeping our eyes set on who is coming. We need identify that our relationship with Jesus Christ is hurt. Thankfully, Jesus is mightier than anything those of us who are saved can mess up. He is capable of restoring such a deviated Christian. Yet, while our relationship is not beyond repair, our authenticity and capacity to be used by Christ in a positive nature is in danger. The first thing we need to do is repent and ask the Lord to heal our relationship (not create, but heal what is permanently there) and we need to seek what He says. His Word is your only true source of truth! You and I need to be in communion with other brothers and sisters in the body of Christ! We need to seek God first in all things we do at the start of each day! It is interesting that Lamentations 3:22-23 states, “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.” His mercy is new each morning, so let us match His mercy with a desire each morning to be with the individual who loves us more than we could possibly imagine. Great is His faithfulness! Let it not be wasted on a wretch like you and I! Let us seek His face first thing everyday! Then as the day progresses and life happens, we can reflect back on what Jesus Christ said to us earlier that very day!

I am so very glad that many of you are walking in the truth of God’s Word and His commandments, and I am encouraged by those who have stayed the course. However, I believe we are in need of guarding ourselves from idols and things that can ensnare us from keeping our attention on our beloved Jesus Christ. 

I want to end today not as a rebuke, but as a warning to those who are believers and are straying from the Lord. Turn back for Christ loves you enough to do what is necessary in order to have you seek Him again. A Shepherd will break the leg of a lamb that continues to run away and into danger. While the leg is healing, the Shepherd will carry the little lamb and take care of the lamb. This will continue until the lamb’s leg is healed, for rest of its life the lamb will never leave the side of the Shepherd and where he goes, the lamb goes. Us as believers need to recognize who is our good Shepherd and not follow after false hope. 

For those who have abandoned the faith and have sought after the world, let me implore you to find Christ! For He is the only salvation of this current world. This term salvation has a dual meaning, first it means for salvation of the soul; to have someone have a spirit of life inside (which is only a born again believer). But it also means salvation from this world. Only in Christ can you find salvation to escape what is coming for this world. Without Jesus Christ your hope is in nothing solid nor in anything tangible. This world cannot give perfection, only in Jesus Christ can you be declared righteous and escape what is coming.

If you have never received Jesus Christ, I would thank you for reading this today and encourage you to seek Jesus. He not only loves you, but has intentionally placed the craziness in this world to wake you up to the need of having Him in your life. He is the hope that never fails, He is the love that continues, and He is the comfort when all else is past. He is the what every person deep down inside knows they need. Being “good enough” is impossible, you can only be perfect but that perfection is found in only one person, Jesus Christ. Christ calls to everyone, “behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20. Ask Jesus to come into your life, ask for Him to save you, and watch how quickly He comes rushing with open arms to embrace you! If you have any questions please contact us here at MHMinistries@millhouseministries.com We would love to help answer your questions. 

Remember, while the world looks like it is falling into chaos, this is the not so gentle push by God to wake us up to His soon snatching of His Church.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming.

JL