The Good Doctor

Doctors, nurses, and physicians have always been held in high esteem. Last week in our discussion on the body, soul, and spirit we saw that the spirit is dead until we accept Jesus Christ’s free gift of salvation. So it goes without saying that God is the greatest physician that has ever and will ever exist. I have always loved Jesus response to the Pharisees after He had been healing individuals.

“12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 9:12-13

This is such a short response but it is a very powerful one indeed. Even in today’s world, we do not go to a doctor unless we are sick. What the majority of people fail to realize is that underneath their good or poor health, is a much deeper sickness. Unless you have accepted Jesus Christ’s free gift of salvation, your spirit is dead. In order for your spirit to be brought to life you need a doctor. None other than Jesus Christ.

Those who view themselves as righteous, who fail to grasp the significance of sin, and who believe that their works are what makes God pleased with them, fall into the group that Jesus is talking about here. They view themselves as “well” and have no need for a physician. It is the same group that Jesus describes in Luke 18, “9 Now He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and began praying this in regard to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, crooked, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes toward heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other one; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14. Those who lift themselves up have no need for a physician because they believe that they are well. Until these people recognize how dead their spirit is, there is unfortunately no hope for them. They cannot be saved because they don’t recognize that they need to be saved in the first place.

The second group of people that Jesus describes in Matthew 9:12-13 are the ones that have recognized that their spirit is dead, and they need someone to revive it. These are the people that recognize that they can do nothing more to add onto salvation than to just accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They understand what Jesus meant when He said, “13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’” Matthew 9:13a. This quote comes from Hosea 6:6, “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” To break down the “meat” of this passage you would see that it means that God does not want your works, they will never be enough. Instead God wants you to simply recognize and acknowledge Him. He wants you to understand that your spirit is dead and only the greatest physician could bring it to life. 

Today’s society has placed a lot of emphasis on physicians, but no matter what these earthly doctors do they cannot fix one important issue. They cannot bring the spirit to life. Jesus Christ’s simple three sentence response to the Pharisees holds so much more value than people realize, and He has not changed. He is still calling to those who realize that they are dead and it is only through Him can they gain life. “24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” Matthew 5:24. This was done so that no one could boost on their own righteousness, only the righteousness of Jesus Christ, “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9. For those who are reading this who are like the Pharisees and believe that they are righteous on their own, I ask that you take a deeper look into the scriptures and see that God does not want your sacrifices or your “good deed”. He simply wants you to acknowledge Him. For those that have reached this point, I ask that you call out to God and know that He hears you, He will answer you, and you will see how once you were dead but now you are alive.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

The Basics: A Brief Overview of Genesis

The Basics course is designed to help brothers and sisters in Christ, who have a desire for a brief study over each of the books of the Bible. While being more than just a timeline, it is designed to give a person a more realistic overview of the entire Bible. As well as pointing out different highlights along the way. Imagine riding in a car and seeing exit signs for a town. Each sign gives a brief glimpse of what is inside, while if you wanted to thoroughly investigate the town you would have to take the exit. This series is a collected work of the books of the Bible while continuing to drive past each of the exits. I would encourage you to take any exit and allow the Lord God to direct your path to where He would guide. 

The Bible is written into 66 different books. Each one unique on its own but designed to be with its other collected works. 

Cautionary Note: This work is not to argue for the authenticity of the Bible nor is it to argue over the mechanics of how God used man to write His Words. This is designed as an overview for someone to review the book in passing. Nevertheless, we here at Mill House Ministries believe that the Bible is without error and was written by God, through His divine attributes, through man. 

These overviews are sequenced in the below fashion. Each overview is designed to flow in unison. 

1. Introduction

2. Who wrote it

3. When did they write it

4. Why did they write it

5. Key topics

6. Key sections

7. Books that interact with each other

8. Analysis of the Book

As previously stated, if you find yourself drawn to one of these books, please take the time and see what God is wanting to show you in that book. 

BASICS COURSE: GENESIS (Pentateuch) 

INTRODUCTION

The first book in the Bible was written by the Prophet Moses. You could say he is the oldest, most well known, and well written historian to ever be published. Pentateuch is the collected work of the first five books of the Bible. The term Pentateuch literally means “Five Books.” Jewish scholars identify this book as one of the five books of “The Law.” 

WHO WROTE IT

Moses is the son of Amram and Jochebed, he lived as an adopted son to Egyptian royalty. After murdering an Egyptian, he fled to the wilderness. There God called to him in a burning bush. He was than commissioned to lead the Jewish nation out of Egypt and into the promised land that God had ordained. He would lead them until his death, but unfortunately never into the promise land. He talked with God like a friend. Exodus 33:11a “So the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend.” Moses is considered to be one of the greatest people in the Bible, and is even mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11 as one of the greats in the faith. 

WHEN DID THEY WRITE IT

While Moses lived years after the events of Genesis, God called him to write down the events of the creation of man. According to famed author and Bible theologian Don Stewart, Moses lived during the Late Bronze Age around 1550 to 1200 B.C. We know that Genesis was written during this time frame. 

WHY DID THEY WRITE IT

This book was written to explain the beginning of where we are today. In short, we owe everything we have today to the events of Genesis. Dr. J. Vernon McGee identifies Genesis as literally meaning “origins.” It is where we derive what we understand with the 7 day week, creation, man, woman, sabbath, marriage, family work, sin, murder, sacrifice, races, languages, nations, culture, civilizations, angels, satan, DNA manipulation, demons, first global events and most importantly, redemption. Naturally the first book of the Bible is the first book mentioning a promised savior. 

KEY TOPICS 

Genesis is diverse in its topics, and undoubtedly is one of the greatest written documentations of the initial age of man. The key topics in Genesis range from creation, man’s origins, Satan, prophecy, murder, death, rapture, Nephilim (Angel/Human halfbreed), judgement, current earth environment, family tree of the Jewish nation as well as how God preserved His promised bloodline for a coming Savior, Globalism, Nationalism, religion, war, slavery, architecture, Feudalism, and agriculture. Doctrines you can find in Genesis are the following, Theology, Christology, Pneumatology, Anthropology, Soteriology, Angelology, and Eschatology.

KEY SECTIONS 

The Book can be divided into several key sections, which you can pinpoint generally speaking where a topic lies inside of Genesis. Chapters 1-2: Creation, Chapters 3-4: Fall of Man, Chapters 5-9: The Pre-flood world and the flood, Chapters 10-11: The first original attempts at Globalism, the rise of Nationalism, religion, race, civilizations, and cultures. Chapters 12-23: The origins of the Jewish nation, and others, through the seed of Abraham. Chapters 24-26: Describes Isaac, the son of Abraham, Chapters 27-36: Jacob and the origins of the name “Israel.” Chapter 37-50: are about Joseph, the son of Jacob, and the origins of how the Jewish nation came about in its unique characteristics and its initial time in Egypt. 

BOOKS THAT INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER 

While there are several books that either quote or take part in supporting the evidence and statements found in Genesis, only one book truly holds weight to be called a book that interacts with Genesis. This book is the final book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. Both involve similar aspects that at times mirror each other. One book starts with the origins of creation, man, Satan, and sin; while the final book concludes how these topics are going to end. Revelation leans heavily on the book of Genesis to show God’s perfection in ultimately crushing Satan, and the sin that has been brought onto creation. However, Genesis leans heavily on Revelation to reveal the answers to the many questions that Genesis produces for the reader. One great example is when in Genesis we see Jacob bless Judah and state, 

Genesis 49:10-11, “10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. 11 ‘He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes.’” We know that this ruler is Jesus Christ. However, this is not fully drawn out for us until we get to Revelation Chapters 19-20, and see how Jesus will have the obedience of the nations when He rules in Jerusalem for the thousand years and His robes are bathed in the blood of the enemy, Revelation 19:13, “He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God.” 

ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK

The first three chapters of Genesis are undoubtedly some of the harshest battles of skeptics and deniers of the faith. Dr. J. Vernon McGee states a great comparison to refute those who would say creation is inaccurate, 

“One of the harshest and most frequently heard criticisms of the Bible concerns the creation account. It is pointed out that other nations of antiquity had such a story. This is true, but a comparison of the Genesis record with one of the best of a secular nation, the Babylonian tablets of creation, will show the superiority of the Genesis record. Here all is a contrast:”

Babylonian Tablets begin with chaos, Bible begins with cosmos, perfection

Babylonian tablets state heavenly bodies are gods, Bible states Heavenly bodes are matter

Babylonian tablets argue Polytheistic theology (many gods), Bible argue Monotheistic truth (one God)

Babylonian tablets reiterate the work of a craftsman, Bible says God spoke

Babylonian tablet states characterized by puerility and grotesqueness, Bible states grand and solemn realities of the creator God who is holy and a Savior

Babylonian tablets are out of harmony with science, Bible rendition is in accord with science (many scientists are believers).

Page 3

  Matthew Henry so accurately summarized Genesis as being more than just the “origins” of everything, but argued Genesis should be looked at as the “generation” of everything. In his Commentary Volume 1, he argued that the word “origins” did not reflect the cosmic importance of the work of Genesis. He believed “generation” from where things were nothing, God produced something in which God had to invoke the energy to sustain. Harold L. Willmington argued that Genesis helps identify the group of people who would channel and be part of the creation of God’s Word to man, and also a channel for the fruition of God’s Eternal Son Jesus Christ coming down to earth as our salvation. Willmington identifies the very first verse as being instrumental in understanding the character, nature, and divine attributes of God, “In the Hebrew, the opening verse of the Bible contains a grammatical discord-a plural subject with a singular verb: ‘In the beginning God [ Elohim, a plural noun meaning ‘Gods’] created, [bara, a singular verb meaning ‘creates’] the heaven and the earth.’ This grammatical discord refutes two heresies: 1) Unitarianism, which denies the Trinity, and 2) Polytheism, which denies the unity of the Godhead. The doctrine of the Trinity is confirmed-the truth of the unity (there is only one true God) and tri-unity (One God eternally coexisting in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit).” Page 28

In the end, Genesis is as unique as it is original. As science develops, we see the signature of God throughout Genesis. As we live, we can see the origins of how we came and the need for God through Genesis. It must be pointed out that the attributes of a symphony reflect the design of Genesis. Genesis being the first book of the Bible can be compared to a sonata, which is the opening of a symphony. A composer has two themes in the beginning sonata of a symphony, the first is loud and thunderous, much like Genesis with creation and God’s first interactions with man. The second theme in the sonata is characterized with its more subtle theme, this one grows in importance but at times can be missed. For Genesis, this is the need for a savior for all of mankind and how God would have to provide such salvation. If not studied with precision and recognizing the unique but similar characteristics of Genesis to a sonata, one might miss the importance of what God is subtlety pointing to, “Man needs a savior.” A composer ends the sonata and the beginning of a symphony with a focus of the second theme, desiring to highlight its importance to the observer. Genesis ends with God through Moses identifying how the Savior would come about. God as a composer, using Moses as a musician, creates the grandest and most spectacular sonata of humanity, and we call it the book of Genesis. 

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming 

JL

References Briefing the Bible by Dr. J. Vernon McGee and Survey of the Old Testament by Harold L. Willmington

RE-POST FRIDAY!

We begin our look back into the appearance of Jesus Christ before His humble arrival! Read it HERE!

Aspects of Being Human

There is a common misunderstanding of what it means to be a human being. We tend to think that it is only our brain and perhaps the fact that we have thumbs to grab tools is what separates us from the animals. However, anyone who has spent any amount of time around animals can see that there are many who can figure out simple tasks. For example, my dog has figured out how to lock doors. A trait that becomes quite irritating when she locks you out of the house in the rain all because she is mad that you took the trash out instead of her. So what then is it that separates us from the animal kingdom? The answer is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

“23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

From this verse, we see that there are three aspects of belonging to the human race. That is to possess a body, spirit, and soul. The body is the easiest to deal with. After all, we all have a physical appearance. Our bodies are our earthly home, this allows us to recognize one another and the world around us. It is the spirit and soul that often gets lumped together in many people’s understanding. However, this verse makes it clear that they are two separate aspects.

The soul is your personality, how you think, how you feel, how you interact in the world. In his book The Mystery of Godliness, Major W. Ian Thomas describes the soul as “That man is an animal goes without saying! We eat and drink the animal way; we breath and breed and bleed - and die - the animal way! That man is not only animal will I trust become equally clear, but animal he is! Furthermore, as ‘fallen man,’ he is perfectly capable of behaving though spiritually destitute and completely ‘alienated from the life of God’ (EPH 4:18). His spiritual condition determines not whether he can behave, but only how he will behave.” This means that our soul directs our behavior/personality. Before we accept God’s free gift of salvation, we are spiritually dead and alienated from God. “18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;” Ephesians 4:18. Those who do not know God have a hard heart, this is seen in the life of Pharaoh during the Jews exodus from Egypt. Moses continually came to Pharaoh asking that he let the Jews go, each time Pharaoh hardened his heart against the will of God and received more and more calamity (Exodus 8). When we are spiritually dead we can behave good and/or bad but the end result is still a dead spirit. 

The soul can be broken up into three aspects in itself; will, emotions, and mind. These aspects all direct our daily behavior. What makes this aspect unique is that your inward behavior can be hidden by the outward behavior that you show to everyone else. I don’t think there is a person among us who hasn’t had an argument with someone who wasn’t even there, or been listening to someone talk but all the while daydreaming of what the weekend will hold. There is only One who can truly know and understand the thoughts that we have. God who is omniscient knows our thoughts and actions before we even think through them. This is seen clearly in proverbs 15:26, “The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked,”

The third aspect of being human is the spirit. As mentioned above, the spirit and the soul are separate. The spirit is what allows us to live eternally with or separate from God. Major W. Ian Thomas describes the spirit as “the human spirit is this unique capacity which God has given to man, which enables him both to receive and be motivated by the very life of God Himself.” The spirit is the pinnacle difference between man and other created beings. This can be hard to understand, but is important nonetheless. All men have Body and Soul, but only born-again believers in Jesus Christ have a Spirit. This is why a born-again believer is identified as being a “new creation.” This is the very reason why the Christian is inwardly yearning for the complete renewal that will only come with the Rapture. We have a living Spirit, an imprint of the very living God in us. However our sinful nature which has lost its permanency on us is still not vanquished entirely until that glorious day we are called home. Only then will the believers finally have all three in perfect unity with how we were designed. 

However, there is hope for those whose spirit is dead, if one only recognize and come to Christ asking for His mercy and forgiveness, God would grant a new life. Major W. Ian Thomas describes this as such “when you act in obedience to the Truth, revealed through the Word, the truth behaves, and the end effect is righteousness.” Even though we are not fully restored until our new bodies, we who are saved have real power! We have the living God who made the universe living inside of us; He created us, designed us, molded us, and is now actively guiding us. Dear reader, that is power, it means we can do what the unsaved could never fathom. The believer can look at a difficult situation or even a minor annoyance and respond according to the Word. They know the Word and can therefore act upon it, it is how we as believers shine for the Lord in difficult times. The unbeliever does not have this capability, instead they can only respond in a way that reflects what is inside of them. It is why we as Christians, born-again followers of Christ, need to keep our focus on Him. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ” Colossians 3:1-3. 

So recapping I want to make this perfectly clear. The body is our earthly tent, it is the most tangible aspect that we can understand. Our soul is nothing more than our personality and how we “tick”, it is your characteristics. Yet, our most valuable human prospect is whether or not the Spirit is living or is dead. On our own we cannot make the Spirit living, but are in need of Jesus Christ to ignite in us what is only He can and has done. Remember, our very design is based on pointing us back to the cross and on what Christ has done for us. 

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BASICS COURSE

Have you ever been lost in the woods? Many have described it as a terrifying experience, never knowing if you are going the right way or if you are headed further into danger. There are many who have come to a saving life in Jesus Christ who have realized that they are lost in the woods of Christianity, this is a terrifying experience. To combat this, Jesus commanded the disciples in Matthew 28 to help those who would find themselves lost and direct them onto the proper path.

Matthew 28:16-20, “16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated to them. 17 And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This commandment from Jesus Christ was a predestined answer to what many Christians would say over the years, “I just don't know where to start” or “Where would I find information on that?” It can be disheartening when this these questions are asked, and there is silence from others in the body of Christ. This was not the plan that Jesus had put into motion, Jesus Christ being fully omniscient knew the dire predicament and provided the body of Christ with the tools to understand and train each other. 

This series that I would like to venture with you on, is nothing more than a detailed map of the Bible. Over the next several weeks, I want to help you understand each book of the Bible in a small easy to read summary that will help you understand the 101 basics of that book. We at Mill House Ministries cannot compare to the vastness and unimaginable depth of the mind of Christ, His Word is God breathed and incomparable to any other work. Yet, Christ has called us to disciple and we want to help contribute in your personal walk. Proverbs says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” Proverbs 25:2. It is so unfortunate that many today are disconnected from a church community, the forces of darkness have celebrated in the false belief they have shut down the churches. However, this is not the case, those who are proclaiming the Lord have now become even brighter as the world grows darker. 

For those who are lost in the woods, God is providing a way. We at Mill House Ministries want to contribute to your personal studies, and possible discipleship of others. This study will be simplistic and at times considered rudimentary, however this is so that we can make the basics that much more assured. There is an old saying, “slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.” This series will help you understand the “who, what, where, why, how, so what, and specific topics” found in each book. We also plan to give you a synopsis that you can quickly collect each week and see how God’s master plan has been laid out over the ages. The Holy Spirit is willing to help those who are wanting to know more, John 16:13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” This truth is still very much prevalent today, God cares for our own understanding of His Word, and He will not leave us to wonder aimlessly. This is not to say that we are to sit and just randomly flip through pages of the Bible and expect Him to answer us, instead we are to carefully study His Word and seek the truth. You might not have every answer when confronted with a question or problem. With this basic study of the books of the Bible, we hope to encourage and arm you with the knowledge needed to have the Word of God speak to you on where you need to go to venture forth. Not as lost sheep, but as a good and faithful servant searching out others who are lost.  

Welcome to the Basics Course! 

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming.

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY!

Today’s RE-POST FRIDAY asks a question on if you are prepared? We are looking back at the parable of the ten virgins, which group do you belong in? Read it HERE!

Fear of the Lord

During my daily Bible study, I will read a chapter of Proverbs with my other readings. This is something that I highly encourage you to do if you are not already. The book of Proverbs is filled with so much financial advice, words of encouragement, and advice for all stages of life. This last month as I was reading I began to notice something that caught my attention. Throughout the book of Proverbs you will read many “fear of the Lord” statements, as I began to notice these I was curious about what they would all say. So I wrote them down in a list and want to share them with you.

The first statement is found in Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” This is a stage that we have all been in at one point. When we begin to understand our own sinfulness, our own lack of not being good enough to be called righteous, we begin to realize how short we have fallen from what God wants. But in this fear of the Lord there is grace, and that grace allows us to have the knowledge to understand His saving plan. Before reaching this point, we have all been fools who do not wish to understand what the Bible says. We despise wisdom and instruction and instead wish to try to accomplish life on our own accord.

Chapter one in Proverbs speaks of what wisdom is. It describes wisdom as a woman who is lifting her voice for all to hear so that they will turn to her and find all kinds of precious things. This is where we find our next “fear of the Lord” statement. “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but will not find me, 29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord.” Proverbs 1:28-29. Here we have a warning. For those who do not heed when God calls to them, they will search for wisdom but be unable to find it. And the reason for this is because they hated the instruction that comes with the fear of the Lord. No one likes to be corrected, but if you refuse correction then you cannot refuse the consequences that will come. The last verse of chapter one shows what happens to those who do listen when the Lord calls. “but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Proverbs 1:33. When we listen to the instructions we find in the Bible, we can live without fear because we know the promises of God.

Our next statement is found in Proverbs 2:4-6, “if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;” Whenever I read this verse, it always brings to mind James 1:17 “17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” We know that all good things comes from the Father, it is within His character to shower those who belong to Him with good things. And this includes wisdom. When we come before Him in prayer, we need to be asking for wisdom. Not as the world defines it, but we need to be asking for wisdom to understand what God wants for us to do. I am reminded of King Solomon who asked God for wisdom over riches. God was so pleased with this request, that He granted Solomon the ability to be wise beyond his years. When he was faced with the task of deciding who was the true mother of a child Solomon was able to lean on this wisdom and came up with, albeit an unorthodox, solution (1 Kings 3:16-28). When we are spending time in the Word and meditating on it, we need to be asking God for wisdom as only He can give. This is what it means to seek wisdom like silver. Humans are often looking for things that can hold a monetary value, it is how we can survive through buying and selling goods. This “fear of the Lord” statement shows that without wisdom, we cannot survive.

Chapter 10:27 holds the next statement, “The fear of the Lord prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.” This verse goes beyond the benefits of living a righteous life and not having sinful consequences shorten our lives. Instead it goes further and means that when we die we will not parish. We will live on with our Lord. This is different for those who are not born-again believers, their hope is gone when they pass away. “The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.” Proverbs 10:28. The born-again believer can have hope because we know what the Bible promises and our hope is in the everlasting God, the unbeliever will place their hope in a world that will only perish.

Chapter 14 holds two statements, but I wish to look at them separately. The first is from 14:26, “Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge.” I can personally attest that this is a very true statement. Whenever I am faced with a trial, it is my hope in Jesus Christ that gives me the strength to carry on. This is true for small things such as a move across the country, to large things such as a loss. When we are leaning on the Lord, He gives us strength and refuge to make it through our trials. He is our fortress when we are faced with the challenges of life. The second statement in chapter 14 is, “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.” This statement ties back into the one from Proverbs 10:27, we see that the fear and knowledge of the Lord gives life and through this we will not face eternal death away from our Lord.

“Better is a little with the fear of the Lord Than great treasure, and turmoil with the treasure.” Proverbs 15:16. Chapter fifteen is a comparison of those who are upright, compared to those who are wicked. In this statement we can see that even though we may only have a little, if we have the fear and the knowledge of the Lord we are happier than those who have much but face turmoil for not wanting to follow after the Lord. This is again because our hope is in greater things then what this world possesses.

“Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before honor.” Proverbs 15:33. Wisdom comes when we fear the Lord. But before we can understand what He is calling for us to do, we need to humble ourselves to allow Him to work through our lives. When we humble ourselves then we receive honor because we have been redeemed by Christ’s righteousness. This then allows the Holy Spirit to work in us to understand the Word of God more.

“By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.” Proverbs 16:6. It is only through our Father’s love and faithfulness that we are redeemed through the blood of His Son. When we accept this fact and study the Word of God we have a guiding light to steer us away from what could lead us into temptation. “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

“The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.” Proverbs 19:23. Here we see again that when we have the knowledge of God and His Word, we will be able to rest content. This is not saying that we will have an easy life, but it is instead saying that when we place our trust in God we are able to rest in Him during hard times. “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” Psalm 23:2

“The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches, honor, and life.” Proverbs 22:4. Here we see that we are rewarded when we have the fear of the Lord. I do not believe that this verse is talking about physical riches, although that can definitely be the case. Instead, I believe that this is talking about the rewards that we will have when we reach heaven by following after God. We know that when we accept Jesus Christ as our savior that we will have eternal life, it is entirely possible that we will have other rewards as well. Paul throughout his letters gives evidence for us to look forward to the Bema Seat Judgement. 

“Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. 18 There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.” Proverbs 23:17-18. I think the placing of this statement is interesting. This is the last of the “fear of the Lord” statements and has always stood out to me because it is a reminder not to be jealous of the world. We as believers have no hope in the world. Our hope is in the Lord and that is something that will never be cut off.

I hope that this list has helped open up a little more into the awesome power of our God. Jesus Christ is more than just love, He is also all powerful, His attributes are beyond anything we can handle or fully understand. However, we have the promises of God to embolden us to seek the Lord, this path must first start with the fear of the Lord which only comes from being humble and knowing that we are sinners. The fear of the Lord will lead to knowledge of the Holy One which is Jesus Christ. If you are here now thinking of salvation, know that it is only possible for those who are willing to admit that they are not capable and are in need of a savior. No works, no religious acts, no good deeds will get you to Him. Proverbs clearly indicates that the fear of the Lord is the first steps in an amazing adventure for those who seek the Lord. 

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A Heavenly Mic Drop

It is probably of no surprise that there have been many posts regarding this Sunday. You might have heard “Happy Resurrection Sunday,” or more commonly known as “Happy Easter.” Others might tell you “Happy First Fruits” and you might even have someone say, “Happy Passover Sunday.” In the end, for those who understand what this Sunday marks, it is a specific sign in the cosmic arena of what God did for you and I. In layman’s terms we celebrate the day Jesus “dropped the mic.” It is no simple statement to say God, who holds the entire universe, came down and held our sins on the cross while still holding the very atoms that keep the universe in existence.

The doubters are many, and the outright deniers are too large of a number to count. Yet, today I am not wanting to argue of the existence and reality of this day, but rather to encourage those who have come to realize what this day really means to keep focused on Christ.

Our God knowing that we could not save ourselves, provided Himself for our sacrifice so that our guilt could be paid for. There is no following the commandments, there is no being good that will get you what He accounted for. Simply put, Jesus Christ was able to fulfill the requirements needed to rescue you and I. 

We need at times to remember the simplicity of what God is telling us by making such an unmovable declaration. His entire life on earth was preordained to establish a rescue for those who would be willing to listen. However, His destiny was to permanently establish the verdict against all those who were not found in Him. We have no excuse to not listen. John 1:9-12 states, “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. 11 He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”

Many people miss the duality of why Jesus came. He came to save John 3:16, but also He came as in verse 9, “to enlighten every person.” Some have taken this as to say “save every person.” However, this statement goes further than just salvation, He was also making a statement to those who do not believe. Christ coming to earth and dying for you and I was to bring every person to a point in their life where they will have to acknowledge and accept, or acknowledge and deny what Christ did on the cross. The essence of His resurrection afterwords shows His authenticity of what He declared on the cross “It is finished.” John 19:30. Many false religions have declared much and promised heaven, but only Jesus Christ proved He could make good on that promise. 

It was once told to me if the cross was God signing the check to say our debt was paid for, the resurrection was the bank statement of a good transaction. Everything in Christianity is pointing towards Christ, everything in the Old Testament is pointing to Jesus and everything in the New Testament is pointing to Jesus. We as believers need to understand that in everything we do. Our actions, thoughts, and decisions need to reflect this very nature of the Bible and what this holiday signifies. 

Never take for granted the crucifixion and the resurrection, for the same man who says “Come follow me,” Matthew 4:19, is also the same man who will say to those who are not saved “Depart from me.” Matthew 7:23. Jesus said this plainly in Matthew 10:28, “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Resurrection Sunday is a yearly declaration of Jesus Christ, “enlightening every person.” This is important because as Matthew 10:28 shows, those who do not accept what He did on the cross will certainly know one day that Jesus Christ is risen. 

For those of us who are saved and born again, we can reflect on this time in excitement and eager opportunity to share the good news of Jesus to anyone who is willing to listen. For those who are not saved I would eagerly tell you to ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and accept Him into your life. We need His forgiveness and He is willing to give it for those who accept it. If you are questioning and want to know more, ask Jesus to find you. For those who ask, God moves Heaven and Earth to find them. Finally, if you have questions and want to know more about Jesus Christ, please feel free to contact Mill House Ministries and we will happily help answer any questions you might have. 

Belated Happy Resurrection Sunday! 

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY!

Today we take a look back why we need to be encouraging younger and new believers. Read it HERE!

The Wonderful Cross

We are now just a couple days out from Easter. It is a time when many gather together in remembrance of what Jesus Christ did on the cross for the sake of the whole world. While this year may still look a little different than previous years, there is an aspect of the Christian life that remains the same for the majority of believers. This post is not meant to remind the reader of the actions that Jesus Christ did. That He was crucified on a cross, died, and was raised to life again should be a well-known fact for anyone who claims to be a born-again believer. What I am asking you is what have you done since accepting these facts?

The majority of Christians after accepting Jesus as their Savior will have made some changes, after all sin holds no joy for those who are filled with the Holy Spirit. We now feel conviction when we are faced with sin in our lives, but beyond this many Christians don’t truly understand what the cross meant. We fail to see that there is more that God would want for us, other than just to rectify us to Him through the blood of His Son.

To understand more deeply what the cross means, not only for those who profess to be born-again believers but also for the unsaved, we need to look at why the Son of God had to be slain. The Old Testament is filled with examples that all point to a coming savior, Jesus Christ. Perhaps the most obvious is the Passover Lamb. When Moses was trying to convince Pharaoh to let the Jews go Egypt was faced with many different plagues, the last of which was the death of the firstborn of any house that did not have the blood of a lamb over its doorway. “13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will come upon you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:13. But why did blood have to be used? Couldn’t it have been as simple as a carved symbol over the doorframe? Or even a clever little catch phrase to show that the house followed God and not Pharaoh? Well the answer for the need for blood is found in the New Testament. “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 “22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Hebrews 9:22

In his book, Experiencing the Cross, Henry Blackaby describes the need for Christ to shed His blood as “That’s how the cross makes a difference in your life. Apart from the shed blood of Jesus, all of us would face an eternity in hell, without hope, without recourse, and forever banished from the presence of God. And why is this? Because there is nothing else in all the universe, in all of time, that can cleanse us from sin.” You have heard us say it before, but I will say it again. We have all fallen short of the glory of God, and there is nothing that we can do that can rectify ourselves to Him. That means there is no act that we can do, it doesn’t matter what we pray to him, what we refuse to eat, or things that we give up during this time of year that can bring us to Him. All of these are actions that we do to try and make something godly. I am going to tell you something that most pastors are shying away from right now. All of the actions that you do now claiming to do for God, are worthless. In fact, they are beyond worthless. “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away.” Isaiah 64:6.

We have now reached the heart of the issue in this post. For many Christians are still trying to do things their way to make themselves righteous with God. They have accepted Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, but beyond that they have not thought what the actions of the cross truly represent. We are like Peter, we make the step of faith out into the water when we accept Christ, but we quickly get distracted and attempt to do things our way. As we saw with our post last week, this mentality will only allow for the Christian to sink. 

The fact is, many Christians still think that it is their actions that can make God pleased with them. What they don’t realize is that when we behave this way, we are allowing Christ to have died in vain. “21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Galatians 2:21. When we believe that we can gain God’s approval through our own actions, our own religious behavior no matter how well intended, we are simply stating that the actions that Christ did on the cross mean nothing. We believe that we can put our actions over those of the Son of God who lived a perfect life and died for the sins of all who have fallen short.

This may seem like a strange post to put out right before Easter, but it is an issue that I see in many and at times have seen in myself. This weekend as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior I ask you to reflect and see what the cross really means to you. Have you accepted that Christ died for you but are still trying to do things your way? Well then I will remind you that such actions are seen by God as filthy rags. If you are someone who is reading this post and are wishing to see how the cross can mean more to you, know that if you don’t want Christ to have died in vain for you, then allow God to have full control over your life. Hold nothing back from Him. Christ has more planned for you than the life that you are living if you are not living it for Him. If you want to be everything that God intended you to be, then understand one thing. Christ is living in you! “20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20. Allow Christ to live through you, let your life be a representative of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, Jesus Christ.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

The Threat Within (V)

The American Dictionary of The English Language by Noah Webster in 1828 states, “Universalism in theology is the doctrine or belief that all men will be saved or made happy in a future life.” 

This incorrect belief did not originate in 1828, but rather much farther back. Prior to Jesus Christ’s humble birth, death, and triumphant resurrection; farther back the the King David, and even the Prophet Moses. This goes back to a time right after the global judgment of the flood. A time when man was no longer new, but turning a new chapter in its history. Here we are able to see the root of this ideology and how it has manifested today. 

As stated in the previous week’s, I want to again bring about our advisory note. 

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. 

When discussing an event from thousands of years ago, in a different age of the world, you might be wondering how this has anything to do with the threats within the church today. The simple answer can be found in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” What was done before will once again be found, and is now evident today. 

When the flood waters had subsided, Noah and his sons were told in Genesis 9:1, “and God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.’” However, within just a few generations we see the people decided not to listen to God and seek their own way. 

Genesis 11:1-9 “1 Now all the earth used the same language and the same words. 2 And it came about, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and fire them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let’s make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of all the earth.” 5 Now the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the men had built. 6 And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they have started to do, and now nothing which they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth; and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore it was named Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.” 

Here we see that the Lord’s commandments were not only ignored, but man attempted to do something that many scholars, critics, and nay-sayers have misunderstood for years. The Tower of Babel was in fact a real place, and just south of Baghdad are the ruins for what they were building. This post is not about the specifics of the Babel initiative, but rather their agenda. However, the Babel initiative can be put simply that they wanted to revert back to what their ancestors were able to accomplish before the flood. Their agenda to have a universal belief, a singular cause of thought, all established around the idea that man is capable of governing himself was successfully brought to fruition. The man who orchestrated this rebellion against God was named Nimrod, who is first stated in Genesis 10:8-9, “Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, ‘like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.’ The beginning of his kingdom was Babel.” Biblical scholars have speculated over the years, but research suggests Nimrod was determined to orchestrate the successful resurgence of the pre-flood society described in Genesis 6, the Babel initiative. While God put a stop to the initiative, the agenda was successfully established. 

“7 ‘Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.’ 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth; and they stopped building the city.”  Genesis 11:7-8

We now race forward and see that man has attempted to bring the world under one authority since God scattered the people and the nations were made. We can also conclude that since Babel, man has been desiring for a universal system of religion and governance. Leaders have come and gone who have all have tried, yet we know from scripture that there would not be a unification until the end. 

Today, man has been pressed into believing that we are a global community. That man needs to shake off his preconceived ideas of nationality and embrace a one faith, one world agenda. There has never been one person who has championed this Babel agenda more than Pope Frances, and many critics have called him the antichrist. I have decided not to go too deep into the “weeds” and not present his statements. Not only do I not want to give his poison any more publication, but also I have seen his capacity to “wiggle” out of responsibility for his beliefs, statements, and actions. He is the crowning achievement of a system that has been increasing in power, sway, and the intent to prevail over God. While previous Popes have done atrocities that are clearly shown in scripture as being sin, the world has embraced him as the “vicar of Christ.” He is the self proclaimed authority in Christianity. Even though Hebrews makes it clear that Jesus Christ is our High Priest and we, as believers, need no person to intercede for us but Christ Himself.

Hebrews 3:1-6  “1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession: Jesus; 2 He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. 3 For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; 6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house--whose house we are, if we hold firmly to our confidence and the boast of our hope.” 

Today however, we are not going to examine the unbiblical characteristics of the position of the Pope, but rather the specific person. Pope Frances has pushed the Babel agenda to the point that, I believe, it would be accurate to connect him directly to Nimrod, who facilitated the construction of the tower, the Babel initiative, and agenda. Nimrod was a fierce hunter before the Lord, he sought after the things that were God’s. Pope Frances has sought after replacing Jesus Christ as being the High Priest for those of us who are saved. Pope Frances has pushed for the world to come together in universalism, all praying to one God in their own faiths. Nimrod wanted everyone to help in his pursuit of reaching heaven. Pope Frances has made statements claiming his beliefs are correct, even when it goes directly against what the Bible says. Nimrod went directly against what God had ordained. 

However, their strongest connection is that they are both globally recognized as being champions of faith and reform of the current status. In Nimrod’s day they were told to go across the whole world and worship only God, Nimrod championed against that. Today, the Bible makes it clear we are to worship only Jesus Christ who is the Son of God, and yet Pope Frances has declared all prayers and other forms of worship are acceptable. Both have aimed at bringing together the world in hopes of creating something as one. 

Now you might be reading this and wonder how this is applicable to Christians who are not in the Catholic movement? What many fail to see, is that Pope Frances has had an impact on many of the church leaders outside of Catholicism. Every person we have discussed over the past several weeks all listen and have worked with Pope Frances to unify the Church behind this Babel agenda. I believe this entire movement is defined perfectly by Pastor Andy Woods from Sugar Land Bible Church, who accurately identified Babel as being the root of the globalist ideology and the mother of harlots as described in Revelation 17:5, “and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, ‘BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER O HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.’” Pope Frances is the sole, globally recognized leader of this movement that is championing what God has called an abomination. Satan is using this man and other wolves in sheep’s clothing to misguide, lead, take, and even destroy those who would seek to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Now how are we to combat this? Just like I have stated each week, our mission is simple yet difficult. We need to refocus our attention on what is eternal and what is valuable. Jesus Christ is our blessed hope, Titus 2:11-15 “11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. 15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”

This is why Mill House Ministries was started, this is why we as believers need to keep our attention on the Lord. We need to be praying for those who are threats in the Church, we need to not listen to them, and we need to examine what anyone says back to the Word of God. We need to be making disciples of all nations, baptizing, and helping people see the love of Jesus Christ. We do this by being Christlike, by loving others and allowing our actions to be identified with who is living inside of us. 

For those who have gone on this study, I want to thank you! This has not been an easy journey, but it has been one that has been heavy on my heart as one that needed to be declared. God makes it clear that those who are considered watchmen are to warn others of the dangers that are coming. Ezekiel 33:1-6 states the following, “1 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, speak to the sons of your people and say to them, ‘If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the horn and warns the people, 4 then someone who hears the sound of the horn but does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. 5 ‘He heard the sound of the horn but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have saved his life. 6 ‘But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the horn and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away for his wrongdoing; but I will require his blood from the watchman’s hand.’”  I have warned you, I have declared to you that there is a threat inside the Church. We must be aware of it and stand against it. You now know, and have the duty set forth by God to warn others and take a stand against such threats who would declare such blasphemy against the Lord. 

However, I want to leave you with hope. When I was a child, I loved to read the stories in the Bible and see the heroic acts of those who followed the Lord. I always imagined what it would be like to be on my own adventure, my own journey with Christ. Yet, now I realize that we are living in the days Jesus warned about. Our adventure is very much alive right now. The days seem to be getting darker, but that is just because the light is preparing to shine, we who are of the Church will one day be called home as in 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18, “17 Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore, comfort one another with these words.” Then God will deal with a rejecting world, and specifically with Israel. We will then come back triumphantly with the Lord to rescue those who, during the Tribulation, have come to be known as Tribulation Saints and believing Israel. At that point there will be a thousand years of Jesus Christ literally reigning in Jerusalem. Then God will make a new world and a new heaven, and we who are in Christ will be with Him forever. 

Our story is not ending, it is just beginning. The enemy believes that he has us pinned, but in reality he has already lost. Our King is reigning and we who are saved can personally go to Him in triumphant glory because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross for us. We need not fear our enemy, instead look our adversary in the eye and confront them with the backing of our Heavenly Father. 

If you are not saved, I would implore you to seek reason and come to know Jesus Christ, for who He is, He is the I Am. Only through Him can you be saved, only through Him can you spend eternity with those who have taken their refuge in Him. Only in Him will you be able to sway through the threat inside the Church.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY!

This RE-POST FRIDAY shows how we can be freed from sin. Read it HERE!

Learning From Our Trials (III)

Have you ever been in a situation that seems hopelessly over your head? One that no matter what you do you simply can’t get out of? Or perhaps there is an issue in your life that seems like no matter what you try, you can’t get out of? If you have been following along with our posts regarding why we face trials, you should know that sometimes trials come so that we can help others. We may also face trials because God has allowed them even when we have done nothing to merit it In some instances, like Job, we may never know why we go through these trials. Joseph was someone who faced trials due to jealousy of others which lead to the saving of a nation, Job was a righteous man that the Bible never tells us if he was ever made aware of the reasoning behind his trials and tribulations. He never knew Satan himself was in fact the originator of his challenges. The commonality between these two men is that they both gave their situations up to God, and through His will both men prospered.

The passage that we are going to look at today shows what happens to those who do not turn to God when they face a situation that is beyond them.

“22 Immediately afterward He compelled the disciples to get into the boat and to go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. 23 After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. 24 But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

28 Peter responded and said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out with His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are truly God’s Son!””

Matthew 14:22-33

This passage occurs after the feeding of the five thousand, this number was just the men it does not include the women and children there as well. The disciples had quite literally seen Jesus feed this large crowd from five loaves of bread and two fish. Anyone who has ever hosted even a small gathering would know that five loaves of bread and two fish would not be enough, and yet Jesus was not only able to satisfy the gathering but there was enough left over to fill twelve full baskets. Despite seeing this, they still doubted that God would be able to do the impossible. So when they were in the boat in the middle of the storm, they were taken by surprise to see a man walking on the water. Not believing that Jesus was able to do the impossible, the disciples could only understand what they were seeing as that of a ghost.

However, Jesus called out to them and upon recognizing His voice, even though he still could not believe his eyes, Peter called back to Him. With faith Peter took that first step out into the waters and by faith began to walk towards Christ. He did not make it far however, when Peter became aware of the wind and the waves his faith wavered and he began to sink. Calling out to the Lord, Jesus immediately came to him but still admonished Peter for his lack of faith.

This scenario still applies to us today. While we may not be asked to walk on water in the middle of a storm, we do face challenges that will either cause us to keep our focus on Christ or to sink. Most Christians today have a tendency to believe that their problems are either too big or not important enough for God to handle. We want to handle it on our own. This mentality places the issue on the shoulders of the individual instead of where it should be. The truth of the matter is, there is nothing that God cannot handle. He has already won every challenge that we face by His actions on the cross.

When we compare our responses to challenges with that of Peter walking on water, we can see two unique points. The first is that when he stepped out of the boat Peter had the faith that he would be able to walk across and reach Jesus, he had no doubt that God would allow him to be victorious in this impossible situation. The second is that when Peter got distracted by the waves and wind, he lost sight of Christ and began to sink. For us today, when we come to God with every situation we face we need to have the faith that He will pull us through it. When we try to succeed on our own we will sink, and it is only when we cry out to the Lord will we be saved. Peter was only able to walk on water because he had placed his trust in the Lord. This is what we must do with every challenge we face, when we get distracted by the fears and worries of this world (the wind and waves) then we take our eyes off of Christ. When we give every situation over to the Lord we recognize our own inability to handle the challenges, instead we recognize that God can handle the impossible. When we doubt that He can handle any situation, we will only ever sink.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

The Threat Within (IV)

For those who are new to this series, we are discussing the threats inside the church. Each post can be read independently however, each post is dedicated to a different type of threat inside the church. We would encourage you to go and read the previous posts as there is some progressive development within each. For those who have been keeping along with our series, thank you for staying each week with us as we go through this eye opening review of those who claim to be Christians and yet are nothing more than imposters of the faith. 

I want to again bring about our advisory note. 

“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.”

This does not mean we are to keep silent when we see a present danger that is pulling people away from the truth of Jesus Christ. We are to be vigilant and warn others when a threat arises. This series is aimed at warning believers of what is amongst us right now.

Now imagine that it is Sunday and you have just left church. The sermon was on point, the pastor was teaching the Word of God, and everyone left ready to start a new week keeping Christ as the center. If you go to a western church (United States, Canada, Australia, Western Europe, South Africa, etc) chances are you helped financially support a group that has been literally snatching young adolescences and indoctrinating them to believe false realities. This group creates fake memories to distort innocent children into trusting only them, in order to manipulate and spiritually destroy. They teach New Age practices such as “soul sucking” and even support the practice of tarot cards. This group pressures young adolescences into their worship of demons and they support directly what God in His Bible not only told us not to do, but forbid it to the point of death. 

By now you might be wondering who is this group or you might already have an idea. This false group is Bethel Church in Redding, California. They are well known for their massive influence in worship music. If you turn on any Christian radio station you will without a doubt hear one of their songs. Their massive influence has been financed through the unwittingly ignorant, and at times willful pawns, who play their music at church or listen to their music. Each time this happens, they get financial support and their beliefs are proclaimed and sang. 

Unlike previous weeks with one Biblical example to compare, this week I want to provide core warnings found in scripture regarding the actions of this group. I can tell you there have been many articles written about such a church. Faithful brothers and sisters in Christ have taken direct issues with the church and their false teaching. 

Bethel is known for supporting the practice of divination, pagan practices, worship of an alternative Jesus Christ, worship of self, and even the worship of demons. If you want greater details regarding the specifics of Bethel Church, please look into Pastor Billy Crone at getalifemedia.com and Jan Markel at olivetreeviews.org. Both have written and discussed numerous times the issues and concerns any Bible believing Christian should have with Bethel Church. 

Nevertheless, while there has been a plethora of articles, radio shows, documentaries, and postings regarding Bethel Church; we have almost nothing on calling out churches who support them. I must confess, for months I went to a church that each Sunday would have the worship director get up and lead the church in worship music. This music would be directly from Bethel. For me I was not yet fully aware of Bethel and the issues concerning what they were doing, but I quickly recognized that some of the worship songs either did not have the glory going to Jesus Christ or they were blatantly singing false doctrine. The Worship leader was confronted by some of the Church and he adamantly defended the music, the Pastor was notified and he strongly defended the worship leader. Those who were wanting to accurately worship the Lord were being thrown to the side for those who wanted their ears tickled. The pastor explained this is what the people wanted while the worship leader threatened to quit if he was not given the liberty to seek music to his style of worship. The result of this situation? Born again believers started to leave. 

Why do I tell you this? I tell you because it is important to see what Bethel Church is doing to churches all around the world. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 states, “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, 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

By allowing anyone who can play an instrument lead the worship music, we have handed over the power of one of the most important roles in gathering believers. Some Pastors have no idea what is going to be played until Sunday during the service. Other pastors encourage their worship teams to play what people want to hear. Instead of directing our worship and the focus onto Jesus Christ, we have turned it into a worship of self. What a shame! Those who play Bethel music are supporting such beliefs. 

Some pastors have even started to duplicate Bethel beliefs into their own church. One church, which started off on fire for God, now has eastern mythical walk ways where you are able to collect spiritual guidance and reflect on what you are enlightened with. These churches follow the Bethel example of self over God. But do not take my word for it, just look at what Bill Johnson’s book “The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind,”

“For many years I misunderstood the biblical concept of desire. Psalm 37:4 tells us: ‘Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.’ Like many pastors, I foolishly taught that if you delighted yourself in the Lord, He would change your desires by telling you what to desire. But that’s not at all what this means. That verse literally means that God wants to be impacted by what you think and dream. God is after your desires. The word desire is made up of the prefix ‘de’ meaning ‘of,’ and sire meaning ‘father.’ Desire is, by nature, of the Father.”

This week the threat within can be identified as nothing more than the laziness of Christians to stand firm on the Word of God. How abhorrent it is that we are not only supporting this with our own finances, but we allow pastors and worship leaders to do this. One pastor was reported to our ministry as responding with, “Get over it and just enjoy the music” when confronted by the Biblical inaccuracy of a specific worship song. What a shame! What a sad day for the Christian Church. We have people asking for songs that are so unbiblical that you have to wonder if you are singing anything that was ever created with the purpose to be played inside a church. But what is worse is we are giving our financial support to the very group that is helping to produce this abomination on a global scale. Every time these songs are played in church and on the radio, these groups get royalties that allow them to make more unbiblical music that draws the focus away from Christ. How unfortunate, how sad. 

However, I do not want to end on a sad note but rather on what we as believers can do regarding this. We must first examine our own life and see if we have any abominations that we are hiding. Before we go up to church leadership and demand change, we must first make sure we are spiritually Christ centered so that we do as Matthew 18:15-17 states, “15 Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that ON THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY MATTER MAY BE CONFIRMED. 17 ‘And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, he is to be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” We must have a clean heart, which only comes from Jesus Christ. 

Worship leaders need to be helped, guided, and taught to use their talents wisely. They should not have the burden alone to see what music we take to the Lord and glorify Him with. We need to make sure that our local Christian radio stations are petitioned to play music that is Biblical. And finally most importantly, we need to encourage those faithful believers to learn how to play musical instruments so that we can benefit the local body of Christ. 

We need to keep our focus on Jesus Christ. We need to make sure that Biblical councilors, discipleship teams, Bible study groups, worship leaders, sunday school teachers, teachers, parents, and dare I say pastors are armed with the precious Word of God so that the ministry of Jesus Christ can continue. For one of the greatest threats inside the church is lazy, non vigilant Christians who take their role as Bereans without the solemn duty that it deserves. 

Next week, as we tackle our final threat to the Church we will see that there is an individual who has been identified by the world as the figurehead of Christianity. This man misleads billions of souls away from Christ who is the true leader of the Church.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming 

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY!

This RE-POST FRIDAY offers up a challenge for Christians! Read it HERE!

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