There is Power...

Brothers and sisters in Christ, I have something that has been on my heart for some time now, and I strongly desire to share it with you:

Let me start this out with a few questions: Our God is mighty and powerful, right? Right! His word, the Bible, is powerful, right? Absolutely!...Hebrews 4:12. Does He ever need our help or assistance in anything? No, God doesn't need anything, He is God. O.k., why do we sometimes feel we need to help our God out by varioius means and/or methods, or perhaps by stirring up peoples' emotions, in order to draw people into His kingdom? Professing Christians today, in a way, are saying: "Why don't we do something really "on the edge" or "sick" (something cool or awesome) in order to capture their attention?" "Perhaps we'll use some Purpose Driven...maybe some Emergent...what about being Seeker-friendly...or how about Ecumenicalism?" My goodness, what next?!

Saints, what about the power of God's word? His Law? His Gospel? From my own personal observation it seems as if we have resulted to using some alternative way of drawing people in, and THEN sharing the truths of God's word with them...sometimes. So God's word, His Law, His Gospel, have become more secondary in some cases, and that is when it is even used.

Don't get me wrong, I do believe that the Lord has worked through all kinds of outreaches, and He continues to work. But with all of the different ways that we try to reach out to people, have we forgotten that God's word is indeed quick and powerful? Have we forgotten that God's Law is perfect and converts souls? What about the Gospel? Have we forgotten that it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes?

Please read Acts 2:14-47.

What did Peter and the disciples do in their outreach? Did they try and appeal to the crowds' desires or to stir up their emotions, and THEN share God's truths with them? Nope. Peter, with the Holy Spirit upon him, just simply shared the word of the Lord with them. And what happened? 3,000 souls were convicted of their sins, repented, and believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Saints, let us never forget about the mighty power of God!

Here are some great passages to meditate upon:


There is Power...

In God's word:

Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

1 Peter 1:23-25 "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh [is] as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."

Romans 10:17 "So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

2 Timothy 3:15-17 "...from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

In God's Law:

Psalm 19:7 "The law of the LORD [is] perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD [is] sure, making wise the simple."

1 John 3:4 "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."

Romans 3:19-20 "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law [is] the knowledge of sin."

Galatians 3:24-26 "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."

In God's Gospel:

Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

1 Corinthians 1:17-18 "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."

2 Corinthians 4:3-7 "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

Let us never put our trust in ourselves,
but always in His mighty power,

One Clay Soldier among many

Simple concerning evil

This might be a sensitive subject for some, nevertheless, it is an issue in the Church that must be addressed.

To begin, I have two important questions to ask: What is it that you set before your eyes and ears on a regular basis? And is it offensive to the LORD?

The reason why I ask this is because members in Christ's Church are frequently being entertained by things which we ought not be entertained by, things which we are called to be separate from. This is a definite problem.

It is certain that you are fully aware of how immoral television and the movies have become of late. Is it right that we are being entertained by these things?

Television, movies, music, and other forms of media, are continually promoting things which are contrary to God's word. His word, the Bible, is our standard for determining what is right and what is wrong. Do you want to know whether or not what you are putting in front of your eyes or ears is offensive to God? Put it before the word of God.

In all reality, what does mainstream entertainment offer you for the most part? “…Unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, murder, debate, deceit, malice, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, the despiteful, the proud, the boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedience to parents, without understanding of what is good, covenantbreakers, those without natural affection, those impossible to appease, and those who show no mercy.” (Derived from the text in Romans 1. Gave commentary and modern definitions for certain words.)

Just one example of how ungodly the media has become is the fact that the Lord's Name is taken in vain on a regular basis, even in "good" movies. That is breaking the 3rd Commandment. God said that He would not hold a man guiltless for taking His Name in vain. And this is just one example!

These things are clearly against what is just and good; these things are against our Lord.

God's Law reveals to us that these things are sin. God's Love is revealed to us by Christ's death for this sin. Yet we are entertained by these things? Why?

Would to God that we would keep His Law and His Love at the forefront of our minds, and that we would not be entertained by these things anymore.

Christian, while we cry out against the evils of this world, shouldn't we also protect ourselves from them, even though it is "just entertainment" and not real life? (Read Galatians 6:7-8 about sowing and reaping.) We should protect ourselves. Why don't we just be "simple concerning evil," as Paul had written.


Here are some passages to meditate upon:


Wise about good, simple about evil:

"For your obedience is come abroad unto all [men]. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simpleconcerning evil." (Romans 16:19)

Protect your eyes (the light of the body) and ears:

"He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;" (Isaiah 33:15)

Description of the One who dwells within His children:

"[Thou art] of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, [and] holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth [the man that is] more righteous than he?" (Habakkuk 1:13)

All will be held accountable by Him:

"The eyes of the LORD [are] in every place, beholding the evil and the good." (Proverbs 15:3)


Keep yourself unspotted from the world,

One Clay Soldier among many

Choose this fear…

Do we have an honest fear of God? It seems as if this fear is scarce these days. Throughout the Bible we are taught to fear the true and living God…but are we seeing that so much today? Well, first of all, what does it mean to fear the LORD? Is it so much a sheer terror that we must flee from His presence? That is only the response of those who know of Him, but do not know Him. (Refer to Revelation 6:15-17) “Fear of the LORD” is not a terror that we must flee from Him, but it is a place of awe, reverence, and humility before Him. When you have an honest fear of God, He is in His rightful place and you are in yours.

Here are some great passages to meditate upon:

“…Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

“The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth for ever.” (Psalm 111:10)

“The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)

“For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices." (Proverbs 1:29-31)

So what can we learn from these passages?

In my previous post on Eternity it may have seemed like I was trying to put a fear in people concerning hellfire. That was not my intention at all, but only to speak the truth of what the Bible clearly teaches. Above fearing hellfire, people really should be fearing the One who can cast them there; Jesus Himself taught us to fear Him.

Psalms and Proverbs frequently mentions the fear of God: What is the “conclusion of the whole matter?” The answer is to “Fear God, and keep His commandments…” Why? - Because “this is the whole duty of man” and because every single work will be brought into judgment.

Also, we learn that the fear of God is the beginning of heavenly wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. (Sidenote: The reason why I say “heavenly” is because I am referring to godly wisdom, not earthly; See James 3:13-18.) Notice that it says that the fear of the LORD is the very beginning of these things. So it is not by our own doing that we can gain these; it begins with a fear of the One who truly holds all wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.

One more thing that I learned from these passages is that the main reason why some despise God’s wisdom and instruction, why some hate knowledge of what is good and just, why some reject God’s counsel and reproof, is because they do not choose the fear of the LORD. Solomon wrote about the bitter end of their choice: “Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.”

The LORD’s desire is that we would learn to fear Him all of the days that we live upon this earth. King David learned this fear: You see it in his prayer in 1 Chronicles 16:1-36. How do men learn this fear? - By hearing His word. (Refer to Deuteronomy 4:10.) Our faith in the One we should fear comes by hearing the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

We must remember that the LORD God is truly God and we are the work of His hands; and He is to be feared above all. We, His creation, have often made the tragic mistake of bringing Him down to a lower level or bringing ourselves up to a higher one. This does not show a fear of our God. All of us must examine our own hearts in this. One way of doing so is by looking at the motive of our hearts behind our actions. Are we living lives to please ourselves, to bring glory unto ourselves, or are we living lives to bring glory unto Him?
(1 Corinthians 10:31)


May we choose this fear and aim to give
unto Him the glory due His name,

One Clay Soldier among many

We are talking about
ETERNITY here!

Question: What really matters in the “Here and Now?” Religion?...Love?…Peace?…Happiness?…Family?…Relationships?…Success? These are some natural answers that people throughout the world would give.

Are these of paramount importance though, when you are looking at the whole scheme of things? Of course some of these things truly are important, but what is even more important? The answer…is Eternity. In all reality, the term of the “Here and Now” will one day cease to exist…but Eternity will always be.

You might be asking what that has to do with the LDS Church: Why am I showing a picture of the LDS Conference Center and speaking about this subject? - Because I am addressing people who belong to this church, and those of you who have loved ones within it. We need to discuss Eternal matters here.

There is something you must realize: Whether you admit it or not, Eternity is a serious matter. The sad thing is that many are not too concerned with it. People are so earthbound; the thought of life after death does not even cross their minds. The truth is that Heaven and Hell are just a heartbeat away. Where are you going when you die? What will be your Eternal dwelling place, or of those whom you love?

The Bible says...

"...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" (Hebrews 9:27)

"...Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt." (Daniel 12:2)

"...The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." (John 5:28b-29) (Sidenote: Good works never merit a person's place in heaven: Romans 3:20 and Galatians 2:16. This verse simply reveals the fruit of those who enter into life and those who enter into damnation.)

"...the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8)

(Sidenote before the following passage: And ALL who stand without Jesus ("The Christ" as declared in the Bible) will have to stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgement. In their rejection of Christ, they will have to stand before God and be judged "according to their works," and be found guilty.)

"...I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:12-15)

Now back to addressing the LDS Church: I read an article recently that talked about General Conference. The "prophet" of the LDS Church gave an emotional message to the Church's faithful. In his message he stated, "I am in the sunset of my life." He went on to say, "I am totally in the hands of the Lord." And in the end of his message he wrapped it up with, "I pray that the Lord be with us, each and every one."

The Bible tells us to "Prove (test) all things; hold fast to that which is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21) With that, is the "prophet" speaking the truth? He is indeed in the "sunset" of his life. One day he will die, as will all of us. When that does happen, he will have to stand before the true and living God and give an account for his life, as will all of us. But I challenge his statement (on the authority of Scripture) about being in the Lord's hands, and about the Lord being with those who depend upon the religious system of Mormonism.

Why?

Because Jesus Christ of the Bible and the jesus of Mormonism are not the same...at all. The "prophet" even freely admits it: In speaking of Jesus Christ to his followers, Hinkley spoke of those outside the Church who say Latter-day Saints do not believe in the traditional Christ: "No I don't. The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak." (The Church News, June 20, 1998. Hinkley's address to Latter-day Saints in Paris.)

Even more important, the Bible (our tool to test all things) declares: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall never pass away." We are speaking of Eternal matters, so let us use His Eternal words.

Jesus is God, according to the Bible. To deny the fact is to deny the words of God. Mormonism declares that he is not. They both cannot be right.

So what does the Bible say?

There are various verses to share, but let us look at just one:

"...Of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son [he saith], Thy throne, O God, [is] for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness [is] the sceptre of thy kingdom." (Hebrews 1:8)

Who does God declare Jesus to be in this passage?

Who is Jesus according to: Matthew 1:23, John 1:1, 14, 1 Timothy 3:16, Philippians 2:6, Revelation 1:17-18 (Read Isaiah 44:6 with it.), and many other passages?

Is the "prophet" of the LDS Church in the hands of the Lord? Not the Lord Jesus Christ of the Bible, but another. (2 Corinthians 11:3-4) Is the Lord with those who depend upon this religious system? Not the Lord Jesus Christ of the Bible, but another.

That is so harsh though! I must speak the truth, if I have God's love within me. Heaven and Hell are, like I said, a heartbeat away. If you do not know Jesus Christ of the Bible, you are lost, and hell is a real place. The "prophet" and all those who depend upon the religious system of Mormonism are following another jesus and are therefore lost.

Listen: LDS must turn away from the jesus of Mormonism and embrace Jesus Christ of the Bible. Otherwise they will be lost for all Eternity.

We are talking about ETERNITY here!

"[It is] a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:31)

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36)

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13)

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)


For the simplicity that is in Christ,

One Clay Soldier among many