The Strength of The Gospel is it's own witness and not in mediocrity.

     “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.”40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

Footnotes:

    “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

   The revelation of Jesus is that he will always show us our sin and reveal to us just what it is that we lack. It is the work now of the Holy Spirit within us to convict and point the way to God.  When Jesus was questioned by the Pharisee's about just who he was regarding his father, he bluntly told them there is one who witnesses of me and that is my Father of whom you say he is our God.  He always had the strength of witness on his side.  Not only for his works but for the faith he always tried to impart to those who would listen.  

    For those who revile the Gospel and fight it to in part cast doubt on it they are indeed missing the power itself that would set them free.  Everything that Jesus did was for us to set us free from a mindset of doubt and disbelief.  We are the ones responsible to either believe or reject what he has to say.  If we reject like the Pharisee's s then we remain in our sin because we say we see.   

   On the other side of the same coin there then is the lukewarmness that has crept in to our present day Church, a condition that will ultimately get us rejected by Jesus himself.  Re-read what he has pronounced on the Church of Laodicea.  It is a frightful place to be in.  The terrible brokenness  Jesus suffered on the cross was not for mediocrity.  It was in a mighty show of power over all of the forces of evil, every authority named came under subjection of Jesus Christ on the cross.  It was not weak.  So the next time we la di da our way through Church think of the great sacrifice the Son of God endured.  Otherwise we will end up on the ground spewed out of his mouth!  

Where Shall I Go? You Are Already There!

     Oh Lord I set my heart always on your ways, there isn't anywhere

where you are not, like David said " If I go down into the depths you are there

If I ascend on high you are already there also.

 So I will set my heart always on your ways ,they lead me and guide me daily.

 If I descend down then I know in due time you will raise me up,

 If I ascend too high then I know you will humble me.

So in my being I will ask for balance in all that I do.

So that you will find pleasure within my heart.


       

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid: of The Son of God!

                                   
                                           
                                              He will crush[b] your head,
                                                         and you will strike his heel



     There is a point in Mel Gibson's movie where the Devil circles Jesus carefully sizing him up not getting too close to him and not being very far from him. It is a masterful piece of cinematography.  At that point he releases a snake that slithers close to Jesus as he stands up just after seeking his fathers, mercy pleading with him to take the cup of suffering from him he is about to suffer. Not yielding to the temptation he forcefully crushes the serpent's head with his heel  
     That's the victory we need to remember each and every day as we Christians mightily struggle to keep our footing from slipping.
     The particular scripture in Genesis referenced above is the very first prophecy of the victory over our struggles moreover the victory Christ won for all of us.
   
      It is the definite intent of the Devil to wage an all out war against anything and everything that belongs to Christ. Us.  If you are suffering losses that seemingly come from out of nowhere then be assured that you are in a fight.  I used to never believe that. but the longer I am a Christian and study and feel his Spirit move within I know without a doubt this is the case.  If we tie into the doctrines of "easy peasy" life is easy as a Christian and go with those thoughts that we will never suffer then we do not know our God or his word.  It is the intent on the Devils part to deceive for he is the "Father of Lies."  A thief and a murderer.
  
      Why do I come on so strong? it is because in the last dozen years I have been tempered in a furnace much like Shadrach Meshach and Abendego who were thrown into  furnace to kill them and stop them from worshiping their God.
   
      That pure and simple is what the Devil wants to do to us stop us from worship. And he will use anything from torment, suffering, natural disasters and yes world events to cause anxiety to us. Splitting us from Jesus cuts of the power of God to intercede on our behalf and guide us through those times.  If Jesus lost even one battle to the Devil then we would not have a Messiah.  Think about that.
   
      Not to dis those people in the Churches that find their home in a place of comfort of flowing words of grace and lectures of unending bliss but that is a gross distortion of the truth.  It up to the shepherds to speak the truth in love and build up the body of Christ rightly dividing the word of truth. Spiritual warfare is just that...warfare, people die.  
     But in Christ we have the ultimate victory, "Oh death where is thy sting" that is the victory, we have a forerunner who went before us and tasted death for us and rose to victory because of suffering.  
     The message is bold, scary and one that is not easily taken on by us but necessary.  The Holy Spirit was not given in timidity but in power.
     It is we who must search out those churches and bodies of people that have maybe been like a pendulum and swung from extremes in order to find the balance.  I know I did.  From Charismania to safe and back to sensible never leaving the Spirit behind for that would be suicide as a Christian.
     This is probably the strongest blog to date because I can see trouble all around the world increasing and increasing trouble in fighting those things that affect us daily.  I'm talking worries, debt, sickness and just about anything we suffer in this body that we cannot explain that happens quickly.  
    Just  in the last week I suffered freak losses and though they were not major they were there just enough to cause trouble and doubt.   I suffered a rapid onset hearing loss and lost a good truck as well.  I do not consider these major suffering but a question hovers in my mind who's afoot?  
                   

                If I can see that clearly enough then I can pray effectively!
     

Knock, Knock: Who's There?

     A few short months ago I awoke from a sleep remembering if hazily a dream from the night.  A strange dream for me in that it was very specific for location and specific for information only the information was limited. Here's how it was:
      I remember standing in front of a building of Spanish design. Looking straight at it, the color was of dusty beige (walls) surrounded by large and dark oaken beams that formed the support structure and  the front doors.  Peering inside I could not see clearly but it was a darkened  room that looked like it was burnt out and I and others as I remember quite foggily were clearing what was left of the inside furniture, mostly chairs and tables and taking them outside and setting them on a sidewalk.  This place was sort of like a "strip mall in nature as there were other buildings connected to the one I was interested in.  The impression I felt was to begin to rebuild something.
       
     Now for the "kicker."  Here is where things get even stranger.  I awoke with the name of the place firmly implanted in my mind and as I sat up I told my wife, "Guess what? I just had a dream of a place called San Jacinto!"  So wondering where this was I "googled" it and it was in California. On the satellite pics I could see the area where it was located and then I saw forty miles to the west "Corona" the place of my birth.  As I continued to scan I recognized names from my childhood, names that my parents used to talk about all the time, but long forgotten to me.  I did not spend much time in California so consequently the meanings were at the time meaningless to me.
     As a Christian I have read stories of how others have had dreams (Daniel comes to mind) but I did not think much of today's dream until.....

     It kept recurring as a theme for the last several months as I tried to push it aside.  Example: My son at a local football game comes home and tells me that one student as he came through the line was from guess where?   Right San Jacinto!  A package that was I was to deliver to a lady in our building  several weeks later was guess what?  near San Jacinto!  Again I tried to make this go away and not let my imagination get the best of me.  But......again and again it just popped up anonymously in various ways.  I prayed just to cover the bases and make sure I was not getting deceived by you know who. And for exactly one month is has been quiet. But.....
      We have friends here in Manitou that needed help yesterday and so I spent the few hours of my night along with my wife and helped clear the store out and make room for a new tenant and at the end of the night over walks my wife with a pink post-it-note and hands it to me.   Guess what.....!
    Now someone has my attention!  On the note was an old address handwritten in faded ink addressed to a person called  Lynn on  Main Street San Jacinto, California along with the zip code.....now what am I supposed to think now?  I'm not superstitious and not prone to think along those lines but.....here again was this theme presenting itself oh so clearly and in such a way as to stop me in my tracks and so I prayed to find out if God is Knocking at my door!  This note has been buried for the last decade I'm sure in a pile of magazines long forgotten about and lost until the night I went over and helped out these friends of ours.  (Oh and a man that just moved in our assisted living building was revealed during our conversation was from Hemet, California  5 miles south of San Jacinto and he knew the area well!)
     So this begs the question?  What to do?  I'm settled and have a nice job, kids have a great school and I'm not ready to move.....So I'm wondering at this point if and when?  Is this to be?  And can I accomplish something a thousand miles away from here?  Somewhere in my future?
    Another story comes to mind, Paul in his "Macedonian call."  He was summoned I guess you could say in Prayer to respond to a calling to help someone in Macedonia he did not even know!  But he went  but not right away.
     So I guess I have to shelve it and see if it comes around again and look at this from a practical side as well since I do not have the means to fulfill this dream at this point!  But I will answer the knock if it comes around again in some unexpected way again! And I'm sure it will.......somehow.