The following is a long quote from an excerpt of an Art Katz message which I heard titled “And they crucified Him”. This may be one of those messages that makes you leap with joy and say, “Alright, it’s not just me that sees these things” or it may cause you to be stirred to repentance. Either way, I will rejoice in the fruit!
Art Katz : And They Crucified Him
I think we, every one of us, ought to be humiliated or humbled every time we pick up the book of Acts and read the glory that attended the life of that first church. By contrast the most successful kind of Christianity that we know, the most charismatic, the most to be lauded and applauded is utterly anemic and does not bear comparison.
How is it that these rude men, fishermen and louts who had no advantage of the kind that we have enjoyed, were able to turn cities upside down and shake the earth? Why is it we have not had a corresponding affect in our own generation? The answer, in my opinion is, that in missing the cross we have missed the power of the resurrection, we have sidestepped the cross as a subject let alone as experience because we have no tolerance or sympathy for suffering. The denial of self in any form is suffering. And we have not been encouraged to that.
We have overindulged and spoiled our youth, compromised truth in our marriages, suffered causalities and losses among our ministers, and given ground to the spirit of independence and rebellion in the churches. All because we cannot stand pain. We parents who indulge our kids rather than chasten them, are we being loving or self-indulgent? We pastors who condescend to placate men, rather than speak the truth to them in love, why are we so sparing? We saints who see the defects and things that need to be corrected in each other, why are we silent? Where are the Pauls in our generation who will confront the Peters, who have compromised the Gospel by being one thing with one group and another thing with another? Paul said he would not entertain that situation to go on beyond the moment for the purity of the Gospel’s sake.
I call that love. But you know that kind of love as an act is painful and it’s humiliating. It’s easy to be misunderstood. For which reason we prefer to keep quiet. For which reason the world is running amuck with us and for which reason we move into increasing carnality, not being corrected by one another.
The avoidance of pain is a costly avoidance. And the symbol of the cross at the heart of the faith is an invitation to share in His sufferings. In a word our Christianity is degenerating into a middle class culture. A sanctifying cover-up for the status quo. A vacuous praise club, an equating of gain as Godliness, a comfortable religiosity that leaves our real interests unchallenged and undisturbed in the avoidance of the cross of Christ Jesus. Somehow am I naïve to think we ought to look different, speak differently, act differently – that there ought to be such a savor and fragrance about us of Christ that it is a savor of death unto death to some and life unto life to others. The fact the world can so easily tolerate us, the fact of the almost complete absence of reproach, let alone of persecution, is itself a shameful testimony that we are so like the world that we cannot be distinguished from it.
We have lost even the difference, the sense of the difference, between that which is sacred and that which is profane. I believe that God could lay at the door of the church the full responsibility for the present condition of the world. And the things over which we cluck our tongues and point our fingers and look distain down our noses about are the things which can be attributed to us for we have not established in the earth a standard and an alternative to which a dying world might have turned. They simply did not know that there is such a thing as that which is holy and that which is sacred. For we ourselves are wallowing in the things that are earthly, common, unclean, and profane. The only alternative to that which is earthly, carnal, sensual and devilish is that which is heavenly. And there is no way to attain to that which is heavenly independent of the cross of Christ Jesus.
If the prophet Isaiah seeing the Lord high and lifted up cried out “Woe is me, I am undone! I am a man of unclean lips and I live in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” What then shall we say who are not prophets and oracles of God. We need to have our vision and our sight corrected. We need to address our lives to the plumb line of God. The standard of God to the cross of Christ Jesus. Not academically, religiously, or superficially – but in the actual experience of our lives as those who have come wiling to abandon everything.
Paul said “I am determined to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified.” We desperately and urgently need to know Him – exactly as He is.
By Mark Bullen
CAUTION!
HAVE YOU BEEN VACCINATED?
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
There is much controversy today over the safety, success, and necessity of the modern immunization programs. Do you understand what it means to be vaccinated?
According to the World Book Encyclopedia, vaccination means, “The injection of any dead or weakened viruses or germs into the body for the purpose of developing bodily resistance to diseases…They are tested so that they will be strong enough to cause the body to develop resistance to the disease, but weak enough so they will not cause serious symptoms of the disease before the body develops its resistance.”
In order to render you immune to a disease, a weakened form of that disease is injected into you. This injected virus is too weak to have the affect of a healthy virus, and only produces mild versions of the normal symptoms of the disease until you build resistance to the virus. Now, when the true healthy virus is introduced, you will not be affected by it, or have any of the symptoms it causes. This is called vaccination or immunization.
BEWARE:
There is a vaccination that is to be feared above all others being performed. We are not speaking of the physical vaccinations received before starting school, etc. No, I want to speak to you about a dangerous vaccination taking place worldwide. It is not the vaccination against disease, but the vaccination against TRUTH!
Just as dead or weakened viruses are injected to build resistance against the affects of the healthy virus, so weakened and perverted “truths” are being spread to build resistance to the life changing affects of the truth of God’s Word. Daily on radio or TV, and weekly in churches and colleges, false teachers are injecting people with false concepts which bring false security, a false sense of closeness to God, and that build resistance to the life changing power of Christ’s teachings. When vaccinated people are confronted with the true preaching of the Word of God, they are enabled, by whatever vaccine they have received, to resist God’s convicting Spirit and rest in their church membership, baptism, religious activities, heritage, “unconditional security” doctrine, “education”, or “success” – therefore remaining deceived and condemned to hellfire.
THE BIBLE TRUTH “VIRUS”
The teachings of Jesus Christ, when presented properly, will transform a sin-loving rebel into one who loves righteousness and hates lawlessness — one who desires to please God, serve God, and help his fellow man do the same. Satan fears this more than any thing. He is working to keep people from understanding God’s transforming TRUTH.
A church that seems to teach the Bible, but allows the members to live in disobedience to the teachings of Christ is actually vaccinating the people against what God really expects and demands of His children. These church members are left feeling “safe”, “close to God”, and “forgiven”; when, in reality, they are not pleasing God at all, and missing out on salvation. They are playing right into the Devil’s hand.
If a pastor allows sub-Christian lifestyles to gain acceptance without preaching against them, he is endorsing them by default. This “lukewarm”, sub-Christian living is actually a vaccine against true Christian living. When a true disciple of Jesus Christ lives a zealous, “hot”, Christian faith, he is now thought of as a “fanatic” or “extremist”.
Once a person is well versed in the sub-Christian concepts he is almost impossible to convince that he is in danger of God’s judgment. They can’t imagine God expecting more from them, and see no need to change. This is not a new thing. This was happening even in the first century at the church of Laodicea. Listen to what Jesus said to that church:
“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” Revelation 3:15-17
The healthy virus of pure TRUTH will cause a person to love God, love right, love serving Christ and others, and love obeying ALL the teachings of Jesus Christ and His apostles. These spiritual symptoms, when free from the hindrances of half-truth vaccines, will change hellish homes into heavenly homes; bad marriage relationships into good marriage relationships; liars will change to honest people; immodest and bold women will become modest, submissive, veiled (I Cor. 11), and with a meek and quiet spirit; “macho” and selfish men will become holy and unselfish; money hungry men will become good fathers and husbands; independent career women will become loving wives and mothers who stay home to train their children (and home school them); those who dressed in jewelry, fashion, and costly clothes, will dress plain, modest and humble; “entertaining” churches will become holy, reverent, meetings of worship, prayer, and learning; TV and radio addicts will repent and start reading their Bible and training their children to be Christ-like; and this unhindered truth will cause the youth to have godly chaste courtship, not this unholy “dating game”.
The virus of TRUTH is not to be feared like Satan has worked to make you believe. The deadly vaccines of weak and watered down “truths”, injected by false teachers will lead you to Hell. A living faith in Jesus Christ that causes you to follow ALL He taught brings you to salvation, not destruction. Christ is the great doctor of your soul; and if you really believe in HIM, you will take the WHOLE PRESCRIPTION.
Only those who follow Christ and strive to obey ALL He taught can lay their head on their deathbed in true peace with no regret! Only those who follow and obey Christ will be joyful and happy on Judgment Day. Those who have chosen to follow false concepts, which appeal to their selfish nature and carnal appetites, will find only hell at the end of their poor deceived life. (I John 2:3)
If someone confronted you with the need to repent of your sinful ways, and begin following Jesus Christ in obedience to ALL He taught — What would you do? Would you be willing to forsake your “lifestyle” and obey ALL the New Testament? If you really understood, you would. You would gladly forsake your false teachers, your disobedience to Christ, and your false security — if you really understood who Jesus is, what He did for you, and what He wants for you.
It takes people with sincere hunger for truth to break free from this spiritual vaccination, and let the virus of pure truth have its full affect on their lives. Being that it is a spiritual vaccine, you have the responsibility before God to break free and follow TRUTH. The delusion of security produced by the vaccine will be shattered to reveal your true condition before God if only you will seek God with all your heart in perfect honesty, and study HIS Word without bias.
Mark’s Story:
I was raised in church, went to Christian college, and pastored a Baptist Church. Then I began to study what the early first century believers taught and practiced. Then I realized I wasn’t really obeying what the Bible was telling me — I HAD BEEN VACCINATED! I read my Bible and yet went on in blind disobedience to so many things!
Why didn’t I see it before? How could I read it, and yet not SEE it? Why didn’t my church and college tell me all this? I Was too secure and content with my modern churchianity, and found I really wasn’t following Jesus Christ the WAY he had taught.
Taking up the cross and following Jesus Christ touches EVERY ASPECT of your life! Are you striving to live the First Century Christian Faith or satisfied with an Americanized Churchianity? Does your pastor meet Bible qualifications (I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9)? Are you taught to observe all things Jesus taught (Matt. 7:21-27; 28:19-20; II Thess. 2:15; 3:6; I John 2:3-5)? Are you taught to renounce the world’s values, amusements, fashions, idols, philosophies, love of money, etc. and strive to live a holy life (II Cor. 6:17-7:1; I John 2:15-17)? IF NOT, then you are not in a true church of Jesus Christ, but a vaccination clinic.
I know you aren’t perfect, neither am I. Are you WILLING to strive? Are you WILLING TO OBEY CHRIST IN EVERY AREA? Are you WILLING to FOLLOW? Are you willing to suffer for what is true and right? The #1 requirement for being a true Christian is a LIVING FAITH that produces a WILLING HEART. This obedient faith is the only kind of faith God will accept. God will only save those who are humbly, joyfully, and reverently obeying and following His Son. Please consider your soul and your family’s future. CHRIST IS WHAT YOU WANT, THOUGH YOU MAY NOT HAVE REALIZED IT YET.
Click here to read this on Mark’s site
At War!
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
When asked how he was doing one brother replied with “Pretty good considering we are at war!”. I wonder if the reality of that truth is burning in our hearts daily. This has been something that has been challenging me lately and I want to share some of these meditations.
Consider for a moment that the WHOLE world lies in wickedness (1 John 5:19); that necessitates that if we are to walk as children of light that we would have to be mindful of that continually and be continually on guard against the world and it’s influences, especially on guard against this world system and those powers that are in place in it. By this I am not speaking of “anti-government” mentality, but rather seeing the spiritual battle that exists around us.
There seems to be a lull that comes over us and which seems to be growing in this day where even those that were once faithful and strong in the battle have succumbed to the spirit of apathy in this day and where the cares of this world are literally choking out the word. The scriptures clearly declare that we are in a world that hates us, where the enemy walks about like a roaring lion and we think for some reason that we can go about in the world as if it is a playground given to us by God. That is the farthest thing from the truth! Sadly as many fall trap to this lie, they and / or their families are taken over and they fall prey to the pleasures of this life and forget that they are indeed in a battle. “Yea, hath God said?”
Are we at ease?
Amos 6:1-7 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border? Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David; That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.
Luke 21:34-36 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
1 Corinthians 10:1-11 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
You see, we have these warnings given to us to take heed and that we should not be ignorant but these warnings are being ignored, mocked, and more and more frequently there are those that come against these warnings and those sharing them as if they are bring them into “bondage”. Sadly, they don’t even realize that they are the ones that are becoming snared by these lies of ease and rest.
Proverbs 24:30-34 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.
Do we see the battle and the call?
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
1 Timothy 1:18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;
2 Timothy 2:1-7 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
The fact that we are in a battle and that the call to the battle is very clear in Scripture.
A note of caution here – David once saw the battle but failed to go to the battle in 2 Samuel 11:1 and look what happened. In taking his ease, his eyes not on the enemy, not on the fight that was raging against his kingdom and God’s testimony on the earth, he fell into sin due to lust. This clearly wouldn’t have happened had his eyes really been in the fight.
In contrast we see the warrior Uriah, pulled from the front lines yet refusing to go into his wife, even after being told to; even after being given strong drink; his mind was still in the battle:
2 Samuel 11:11 And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.
So this begs the question, do we see that our brothers, our sisters are at war, or are we sitting at home while others fight, resting in our lighthearted gospel? There are many that suffer tonight; do we pray? There are many that are dying tonight; do we preach? There are many that are being deceived tonight; do we study that we might be able to establish them in truth? Or, brethren, is this the job of some other person, and some other calling?
Are you watching?
Matthew 24:42 – 43 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Parable of the virgins: Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Matthew 26:40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
Mark 13:32-37 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
Luke 12:37-40 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
1 Thessalonians 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
There are so many wonderful verses on watching in addition to what I have listed above but to illustrate this a bit further I would like to relate a story from my childhood. There was a time that I was staying with another family while my parents were away on a trip. I decided on one of those nights to go and meet some friends and promised to be home around 11 PM. As I walked in the door though I was immediately confronted by the man of the house, poised for battle, fists clenched and looking at me as if he was about to kill me. I became very alert very quickly. The thing that I did not realize was that he was still asleep for the most part and it took me several attempts for him to finally recognize me and to relax, at which point he crawled right back on the couch and went to sleep. Strange you say? Well, yes it was rather strange. But as I asked questions later (after my heart started beating again), I found out that this man had been to Vietnam and that he slept like that all the time. Like what? Like he was prepared for battle! He was ready to fight, no matter what the time of day, no matter what his physical condition, he was ready to do battle!
However, we think that we are somehow at ease, that the battle is not here, that the enemy is not outside the door, or even coming in the house. We think we can sleep or that we don’t have to take part in the battle. I tell you boldly that this attitude only comes from lukewarmness and eyes that need anointing!
Do we realize that the devil is walking about even now, like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour? Consider for a moment if you saw on the news that a lion escaped from the zoo and was last seen in your neighborhood. Would you send you children out to play? How about you, are you going to take that nice afternoon walk that you normally take, casually enjoying the scenery? You say, well of course not. Well, what if you HAD to go outside for an emergency? Would you be really prepared, checking out the windows first, carrying a weapon close at hand in case you were attacked? Yes, you most certainly would. Yet, we know that our enemy is doing the same thing and we walk around casually, carelessly, drinking in the pleasures of this world thinking that they are delights for the weary pilgrim along the road. Oh how foolish we have become. WAKE UP!!!! Be SOBER, be VIGILANT!
Dear brothers and sisters, we NEED to wake up. The night is FAR spent, the day is AT HAND!
Romans 13:11-14 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.
The war is waging, the battle is fierce; we are called to the battle, we are called to watch and we know who the enemy is. Let us learn this warfare and prepare ourselves to battle by soaking in the word of God, soaking in communion with Christ in prayer and in boldness stepping out to engage in the battle!
Psalms 144:1 <> Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:
There is no middle ground brethren. Don’t believe that lie!
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