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Posts Tagged ‘holy spirit’

We are being called to be Part of His Remnant Church!

Posted in Church Falling Away, Deception, End Times Prophecy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 26, 2012|

I have been struggling over the last few years with feeling like I don’t fit in to any of the churches we have belonged to.  This has weighed heavily upon me as the Spiritual Leader of my family.  I take the Lord’s word very seriously.

The feeling has just been that things just aren’t right, not foundational enough, as if we are drifting when we try to assimilate with the other members.  I have seen flashes here or there but nothing solid that I feel I want to anchor my family to.

I have been told by friend and family that I just need to get more involved and the reason that I don’t feel comfortable is that I am not truly part of the “family”, but that doesn’t resonate well when I search my heart.  It is deeper than that.  The reasons I have resisted are captured well in the articles below.  I couldn’t have summed them up better.  I feel like I am being called to something bigger, something I can anchor my family on.  I am just not sure where that is.  Until I find out, we will stay immersed in the word of God during this journey, trusting in Him alone.

I share these words and the two articles below in hopes that they resonate with others that are on the same path as me, maybe in a similar state.  I was asked recently how I come up with the posts that I put up here.  I don’t think I answered him clearly at the time but I can tell you I feel led to these topics by the Holy Spirit.

This morning I sat down at six something in the morning (later than normal), and starring through sleep weary eyes at my Bible.  I prayed for the Lord to show me his will and give me discernment as I usually do each day.  I wasn’t sure what part of the word I should read this morning so I started flipping through the new testament of a new Bible I had purchased.  The title of the section for Philippians 3:18 – 4:1 caught my eye.  I can’t even tell you offhand what the title was but I started reading. When I was done, I felt as thought the Lord had shown me what I needed.

Did I know exactly what that was?  No, but I have found through faith that if I ponder those verses throughout the day, He will lead me where He wants me to be.  Some days it is clearer than others.  Today I know it was crystal clear at about 9am.  When I got to about 80% of the way through Tucker’s article below, there it was Philippians 3:18 – 4:1 with the words “stand fast” underlined.  It all became clear.  The other articles I had highlighted to post later today aligned perfectly to what I read and was feeling in my soul.

Again, I share this because I want others to know that the Holy Spirit does work in our lives every day.  Is it a voice from above, a vision, or a dream?  No, nothing that dramatic for me, it is simply a feeling, a thought, or a prompting, that if I listen to it (this is key) then I can know God’s will for me that day and feel at peace.

We need to quiet this noisy, busy world and slow down enough to hear it.  And it isn’t going to be something large most of the time.  There is a reason Jesus used the analogy of sowing seeds.  Seeds are small, tiny in a lot of cases, but they grow into enormous plants.  The same is true of the gospel, we are simply asked to sow the seeds (i.e. plant the seed).  God’s word and the Holy Spirit make it grow. So maybe this post and article are the seed for someone, or maybe you are feeling the same as me and this encourages you as it did me to stand strong, stand fast.

We ARE being called to be part of His Remnant Church.  I feel the call.  Do you?

Maranatha! – Lord Come Quickly!

-myblessedhope

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The Rise of the Remnant Church I

By Tucker Whitaker

Definition: Remnant – that which remains, or is set apart. A distinct part of a larger whole.

In these last days, I believe God is still doing a work that will impact the world. I believe He is calling out a Holy Remnant Church, dedicated to Jesus Christ and focused on doing His work during these last days. I believe God is raising up a church that is committed to Him and His cause who are a holy remnant, a group of people who are steadfast and sure of their God.

The Remnant Church I’m speaking of has no relationship to replacement theology, nor to the Adventist remnant theology, nor to the theology of the modern day Judaizers who claim to be Christians yet require adherence to Old Testament Jewish laws. The Remnant Church is at the core of the True Church… the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ set apart from the apostate churches that dominate the world today.

Today, many are witnessing, and are becoming a part of an interesting phenomenon, where folks are leaving the structure and security of “traditional” organized churches, denominations and memberships, to follow hard after God. This extraordinary migration is little understood by establishment Christianity.

Perhaps the Lord Jesus Christ is calling His Remnant Church to Himself at the end of this age to worship and teach in simplicity and doctrinal purity. Perhaps the desire to be obedient to the Word and to understand Bible Prophecy and to fulfill the great commission and the great commandment has birthed an early church understanding of what it truly means to follow Christ. Perhaps God is preparing a people to stand and hold forth truth in a world where people and “churches” are consumed with materialism, prosperity, self centered pursuits and desires, and tolerance for those things that are unbiblical. Perhaps a time of final testing for the true church and Israel is upon us, a time for the Remnant Church to “Stand” for Christ. Whatever the ultimate reason, folks are coming out, and almost immediately they understand the need to adapt to this new and extraordinary environment where the Sufficiency of Christ is taught, that Christ alone is indeed all they need.

Today, the mainstream churches have turned away from the gospel and are full of wickedness; they have embraced the world and humanistic ideals. In what were the houses of God, there is no power or spiritual authority, and in fact, there is no presence of the Lord at all. But I believe there is a remnant of people, a Remnant Church, comprised of those who are diligently seeking to understand the scriptures, all of God’s Word.

The Remnant Church is that part of the Body of Jesus Christ that knows they are sons of God, and that are hearing from and following the leading of His Holy Spirit. Within the Remnant Church there is coming a deeper intimacy (more…)

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Bible Translations: Clear and Concise Deceit

Posted in Antichrist, Church Falling Away, Deception, End Times Prophecy, One World Religion, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on September 6, 2012|

The article below by Lea Sylvester points out some of the real issues with newer Bible translations.  Especially those that are more paraphrased than translated.  The Message Bible is in the cross-hairs of Lea’s article and I can not disagree with his points.  There are a lot of misleading changes.

I am not in the King James only camp and tend to read multiple translations when I study scripture.  Translations I use are the King James Version, the New King James Version, English Standard Version Bible, New American Standard Bible, and New International Version Bible(1984).  Most of my reading has been done lately with the ESV and NASB as I find them to be the most literal translation but I do enjoy the NKJV (also in the literal camp) for reading and have not really settled on a single favorite format yet.

If you have questions about the different translations and what the differences are check out the book:

How to Choose a Translation for All its Worth: A guide to understanding and using bible versions by Gordon D Fee (ISBN-13 978-0310278764).

It is not really prescriptive of telling you which one to use but more telling you what the strengths of each are and where their weaknesses are.

The Message is definitely not on my list for a lot of the same reasons Lea Sylvester states below.  The Bible should be the Literal Truth, the word of God.  If you want commentary or paraphrasing, that is what study bibles (with notes) or various commentaries are for.

Keeping them separate is important so you can clearly understand what God says (God’s words) and what man says about God’s word.

Also it is important to understand the culture and context in which the books of the Bible were written.  A lot of the idioms and sayings get lost or glossed over if we convert everything to our current days language.

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By Lea Sylvester

Having studied God’s Word for 30 years now, I have learned that the only “tool” one really needs in order to understand the Bible is the guidance of the Holy Spirit, discernment (from the Holy Spirit) and studying passages in context. A concordance is a handy research tool, too. Each study brings new things to light.  We should seek God with all of our heart and one way to know Him better is by studying His Word.  The Bible “interprets itself” and if one seeks to understand it, God reveals incredible messages contained within His Word. Even so, many professing Christians say that they can’t understand The Bible.

Because of this and other “reasons” various translations of the Bible have come and gone over the last 30 years. Several “translations” have not only made it “easier” for a person to understand passages, but have changed the entire meaning of passages. Therefore, they do not understand the “meaning of passages” better; they aren’t even getting the meaning of them at all because they have been removed or changed.

The creation of false Bible translations is the most obvious way in which the Word of God has come under attack recently. For instance, “The Message Bible” (published by NavPress of Colorado Springs, CO; publishing arm of The Navigators) is sold as a translation, it is a paraphrase that is meant to be reader-friendly, but it distorts the meaning of Scripture. Some noted Bible scholars have noted the losses to the Word of God in “The Message Bible” and have referred to them as “paraphrased lies.”

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One World Religion is here?

Posted in Christian Persecution, Deception, End Times Prophecy, One World Government, One World Religion, Rapture, Salvation, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 2, 2012|

It is amazing to see how far we have come to accepting our new world religion and without even realizing it.

It is really our new world religion and new world government all rolled into one nice neat and tight package.  Most are not aware they are even submitting to it.  Diana West does and excellent job laying out how it is happening right in front of us.

Every time I read these articles on Islam’s reactions to perceived transgressions, my mind immediately shifts to what will happen after the rapture of Christ’s church.  You can actually feel the Church /Holly Spirit restraining the rage and violence of Islam. (Like someone banging on a door while you hold it shut.)

How quickly will that accelerate once the Restrainer is removed.  It is not beyond belief that over night submission would occur, it is already occurring today.  Pretty scary stuff if you believe you will be left behind or will have to live through it.

But the Good News is that Christ promises to keep His bride from this time.  He tells us when we see these things look up and keep your eyes on Him!

It is like they tell someone frozen by fear on a ledge to not look down and to keep their eyes locked on the rescuer.  Christ is our rescuer, Savior!  For we can not do it ourselves, only through Him.  We need to keep our eyes locked on him.

We are not of this world, and we will be leaving soon.

Lord come quickly, to remove us from this world!

If you haven’t come to Christ yet, come to him now, time is short.  Read Romans 10:9, profess your belief in him, and ask Him into your heart.

Romans 10:9 – (NIV)

If you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.

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Islamic rages and America’s dhimmitude

Diana West: U.S. dangerously falters by submitting to violent Muslim dictates

Six U.S. military men have been murdered by Afghan security forces seized by what may be labeled Quran-Burning Rage.

These murders are an outrage in and of themselves, but it’s crucial we don’t see them as isolated. They fit into a pattern that above all spreads “dhimmitude,” the submissive state of Christians and Jews (known under Islam as the “dhimmi”) in thrall to Islamic law.

Quran-Burning Rage follows Pastor Jones Rage, which, after a Florida pastor burned a Quran in 2011, seized Afghan Muslims and inspired rioting. Some rioters overran a United Nations outpost and murdered seven U.N. personnel.

Pastor Jones Rage followed “Fitna” Rage, which seized Muslims worldwide even before the release of Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders’ short 2008 film “Fitna.” That film sparked rioting, arson, boycotts, death threats and, as a bonus, charges that led to the protracted trial in the Netherlands of Wilders for “insulting Muslims.” (He was acquitted in 2011.)

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Body, Soul, And Spirit

Posted in Rapture, Salvation, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 28, 2012|

This is an amazing article by Jack Kelly.  I have been reading and listening to Romans recently and I had so many ah-ha’s while reading his article below that I lost count.

He does a wonderful job unpacking how we were designed to work and how sin has corrupted and confused that design.

I have added in the Scripture text that he referenced so that you can see God’s word on the subject.

Enjoy!

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Body, Soul, And Spirit

by Jack Kelly

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebr. 4:12-13)

Some people view the soul and body interchangeably, while others think the soul and spirit are the same. But it’s more accurate to think of them as separate components.  Our soul is the conscious part of us, composed of mind (intellect), will, and emotions.   It makes choices and controls our behavior by giving orders to the body. Our spirit is the subconscious part, an internal adviser to the conscious soul.  It’s  our conscience.

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Restraining Sudden Destruction

Posted in Antichrist, Christian Persecution, Church Falling Away, Days of Noah, Deception, End Times Prophecy, Rapture, Salvation, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 27, 2012|

Terry lays out in this weeks Nearing Midnight article something I have been feeling as well.  It is strange how what he wrote is almost exactly the conversation my wife and I had late last night.

There is just a feeling of something big looming, accompanied by a sense of anxiousness.  The looming thing/event is also preceded by a feeling of a blanket of evil that is enveloping this world.  Everywhere you turn, it feels like evil is wrapping its tentacles throughout every inch of our public lives and in some cases appears to be winning the battle.

Worst yet, those of this world seem to be supporting it and promoting it.  To them what should be wrong is right.  I call it the “1984” effect.  What’s up is down and whats good is evil, 2+2=5.

I don’t know how anyone that has their eyes open, could not see we are living in the end times.  The signs are so vivid and numerous.

The part of Terry’s commentary that really struck a chord with me was the last 4-5 paragraphs.

He talks about the restrainer and how it will be removed in the last days.  Paul addresses it in 2 Thessalonians 2:7-10.

2 Thessalonians 2:7-10 – (NKJV)

7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He[a] who now restrains will do so until He[b] is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Then he posed the questions that really hit home for me:

” How can God be ‘taken out of the way’ so evil and Antichrist can take over for a time?”

God promised us that once sealed with the Holy Spirit that it could not be removed from us.  So if the Holy Spirit has to be removed, then so do we (the church).

The church must be raptured as Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and 5:1-11.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – (NKJV)

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 – (NKJV) – The Day of the Lord

5 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Yet another proof point on the Rapture of the church and a message of joy in this time of anxiousness.  Could that anxiousness really be the Holy Spirit prodding us, preparing us, to look up for our redemption draws near?

It’s almost time to go home!!!

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Rapture Ready – Nearing Midnight Commentary 2/27/12

Restraining Sudden Destruction

There is a sense among many at this moment in history that impending disaster presses against the fabric of life on planet earth from every side. This is not mere paranoia pushing against the collective anxiety-ridden psyche of a world uncertain about its future. The threat is real, and it is in Bible prophecy. A quick scan of issues, events, and anticipated actions testify to the reality of the threat and validates the angst.

Israel is ground zero for much of the fear pressing upon a world full of dread. The Jewish state is considered the trigger point for possible nuclear conflict in the Middle East–conflict that is sure to spread globally once unleashed. Iran is the antagonist that is the cause of the most immediate threat to regional and world peace–although the world diplomatic community seems intent on making Israel responsible for keeping war from erupting. This is the way it is, despite the fact that the Iranian regime’s leaders threaten to wipe Israel off the map.

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