Sep 042013
 

Things promised to the meek

Those who seek your face Lord are closer to you than many of the human race,

the things they do are a disgrace.

Your Son and thy word they hate, not knowing that this has sealed their fate!

With you Lord I desire to talk, just a closer walk, when I am weak, it is only you

I seek.

Consider Jesus who is meek and mild blessed are all those he knows to be his child.

His sheep are they, those who follow the way, children of the day and light, overcomers through his Spirit, filled with his might.

They are the salt that brings flavor to the world of woe, through their good works

Jesus they do show.

Many promises to them you made, eternal life, love hope and joy, all our needs met, deliverance from the grave.

*Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 NIV.

*Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Matthew 11:29 KJB.

Author Ken

September 2013

 Posted by at 7:59 am
Sep 032013
 

To him who has!

Have you ever wondered what the following scripture means?

“I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. Luke 19:26 NASB.

Remember when the disciples told Jesus of the need for food for the 5000 men and he replied; “You give them something to eat”. They replied that they only had five loafs of bread and two fishes, they had thought about going into a village to buy food.

But He said to them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.” Luke 9:13 NASB.

Now let’s look at the deeper spiritual meaning of these verses. It was God’s will that the believers would do his preordained works through various ministries and the Good Works that every Christian is zealous for as his peculiar people. The one who has is the believer who is indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit, to them more will be given (New Bodies, eternal life with the Lord) but the one who has not, the unsaved wicked everything he has in this world will be taken away.

Going into a village to buy food would have been the work of man but the Miracle came through God who blessed them because they did have as God’s Elect, therefore more was given.

They had five loafs and two fishes but God gave them more, enough to feed the 5000 with more to spare. They indeed gave the people something to eat but this physical food represented the spiritual food that believers would provide as God directs and blesses. They will bring THE BREAD from Heaven, Jesus to the multitudes for they are the light and salt of the earth!

If you have the Son of God you have life, those who don’t do not have life but the wrath of God is upon them. John 3:36 NASB.

Author Ken

September 2013

 Posted by at 8:50 am
Sep 022013
 

*Did you know that God tells Christians to judge? Today many Christians sit in Churches or watch ministries on TV and are swayed by the messages they hear, the speakers claim that what they preach or teach is from the word of God, the Bible. Is that true of most ministries? I would like to give my own testimony about this according to my own personal experiences in different Churches. I was raised in the Catholic religion, had my Communion and Conformation, and attended Church with my Mom. Many years later I was Born Again at a home Bible Study and attended the Church that held the Bible Study. I was convinced that this Church and the people were straight from God and I embraced their Doctrine even though at that time I did not fully understand everything they believed but I knew I was saved and I loved Jesus and could not get enough of his word. My bubble was burst when someone in that Church told me that it was possible to lose your salvation that was a shock to my system but I asked the Lord to show me the truth by his word and I would hold fast to that my whole life. He showed me over and above that I had eternal life. I found myself examining what this Church believed; soon I became shunned as I refused to follow their Doctrines. I found myself discouraged and down in the dumps as the people I loved in the Church did not fellowship with me, but some did. The Lord did not leave me discouraged but sent “Mature” true Born Again brothers to me in that Church, one brother John taught me the deeper things of God and I was forever changed. John opened my eyes to the Tares in the Church along with their legalism and laws through the commandments of men, as our Lord Jesus said; “Many will come in my name and deceive many”.

Now I want to go back to the judgment by Christians, consider the following scriptures;

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 2-Timothy 2:15 NASB.

But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 1-Thessalonians 5:21 NASB. (The word

Examine is to judge, God tells us to judge anyone who preaches or teaches his word to prove if it is correct or in error.

And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. Acts 17:11 NLT. (For this same reason Christians are to carefully examine (Judge) when they hear God’s word preached or taught. In that way you will not be deceived or led astray)

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 1-John 4:1 NLT.

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves” Matthew 7:15 NLT.

Pray that the Lord will place you where he wants you as his Secret Agent where you can be used to speak the truth in love and expose error. Through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 2-Corinthians 6:8 ESV.

Hold fast to what is good and uplifting but make sure everything they say is true and the Doctrine of Christ. Find out what they believe, then listen to what they say but don’t do what they do! I will give an example, I heard a Sermon two Sundays ago, the Pastor said he rejected legalism and the law and believed only Bible truth. Really I thought, as I know they are a Tithing Church (Law), talk about hypocrisy. Always ask for a Churches “Statement of Faith”, if they don’t have one or they dodge direct questions, be careful how you listen there.

God’s word tells us to contend for the Faith and expose error and falsehood. Most of the Arminian Doctrine Churches don’t believe in Eternal Security, they also teach falsely that when one is Born Again they do not have the Holy Spirit and must seek for a second act of God they call “The Baptism in the Holy Spirit”, this is not to be confused with being Baptized in water. You receive the Holy Spirit the moment you believe, he is the one that gives you faith, and he joins to your spirit to become one Spirit with you, the New Creation. In the Book of Acts the Holy Spirit was delayed in coming upon some in order to prove to the believing Jews that God was saving them as well as the Jews, the speaking in tongues by the Gentiles as the Disciples did on Pentecost convinced the Jews. Thereafter, every new believer would receive the Holy Spirit the moment they believed, without the speaking in tongues.

*We are to judge by what we hear or see, we are not to judge by rumors or gossip and can never judge people’s motives, only God can do that.

Author Ken

September 2013

 Posted by at 8:05 am
Aug 302013
 

A donkey was I

Tied to a post, no hope, just pie in the sky.

I belonged to another master, not you Lord and only his will could I do.

My offspring was bound with me, beasts of burden but not for thee.

Did you know that this donkey represents every Born Again believer

who has been freed from Satan’s Kingdom, the great deceiver?

Bound in sin and trespasses were we, no love Lord for thee, your enemies we were born to be.

Then one glorious day the Prince of Peace came my way, beautiful words he did say that day.

*Loose him and bring him to me, now I only serve him for the world to see.

Once a prisoner now free but there was a great cost he bore it all on the cross,

the just dying for the unjust-me.

 

*Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.

I love to look beyond the “Letter” of the word to see the hidden “Deep” things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit.  As the word says, “The letter kills, the Spirit gives life”. Great truths are revealed in this actual account of Jesus sending his Servants to bring this donkey and its colt to him and they serve him.

These scriptures reveal the Salvation of every believer; they are bound by Satan and can only do his will.

They are “Loosed” by the Holy Spirit and Satan is powerless to stop this. The colt represents the believers family that will also be saved, there may be contention as Jesus said there would be, saying he would bring a sword into the home of a new believer. But that home is sanctified by the Holy Spirit who will draw them to Jesus-in his time. The believer is encouraged to keep their eyes on Jesus through obedience. My Mom won my Stepfather to the Lord without a word through her obedience love and good works. Believers never hit those family members over the head with the Bible or preach to them, let the Holy Spirit do HIS will.

In the word we read over and over of God saving entire families even the servants as shown in the Book of Acts. He told us how an angel had appeared to him in his home and had told him, ‘Send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and your entire household.’ Acts 11:13-14 NASB.

It will be your righteous behavior and good works that will glorify God through you! A light is seen but makes no noise!

** So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, and then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified. Matthew 27:26 NLT. (This is another example of the deep things of the word by the Holy Spirit, every believer is a type of Barabbas, we were enemies of God and deserved to die but we were “Loosed” and Jesus paid the penalty in our place. He fulfilled God’s promise that Jesus would die for HIS people to save them from their sins).

***”The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.” Psalm102:19-20 NIV.

****In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, 1-Peter 3:1 NASB.

The next time you read of the Lord Jesus riding to Jerusalem upon a donkey and its colt remember that he saved you and your families who now serve him lifting him up on their backs, carrying their King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Author Ken

August 2013

 Posted by at 9:47 am
Aug 292013
 

The work of God

This is another blog that I only recommend for those believers who have grown through the “Milk” of the word and have moved to seeking the deeper things of God. It was Paul the Apostle who wrote deep things concerning salvation, Peter commented about Paul’s writings in 2-Peter 3:16 As also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Did you know that Salvation is by a work? But it is not a human work as we read; “Not of works lest any man boast” Ephesians 2:8 & 9. I like the next verse which proves that Salvation is God’s work ALONE! Verse 10; “For we are HIS workmanship created in Christ Jesus (Through Faith, a gift of the Holy Spirit so you can believe) for good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” They had asked Jesus about doing God’s *work and he replied in John 6:29 telling them that God is working in human hearts by his Holy Spirit to draw them to Jesus. This wonderful work of God is mysterious and supernatural, not seen by human eyes but seen in the Elect by their changed lives and proved by their good works. Ephesians 2:1&2 shows your condition before God’s regeneration, dead in sins and trespasses, bound to Satan to do his will. Paul says in the following verses that he too and the rest of the believers walked the same way, being BY NATURE children of wrath but the difference with them and all the Elect is that God loved us, even when we were his enemies!

In summary, we through the word understand that God seeing man’s wicked sin filled heart (spirit dead to God) decided he would save **many by his own doing, this he planned before he made the world, thus Jesus is the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world. He Elected/Predestined a people for himself who Jesus dies for as it is written; “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 NASB.  The Father gave this number to Jesus, the Lord acknowledged this in John 17:6, the Father through his Holy Spirit draws all the Elect to Jesus (He also ***convicts the wicked but they reject God as their wicked heart dictates). During this work, the Holy Spirit opens the eyes and ears of the Elect, convicts them of their sin, grants them “Godly” repentance, gives the gift of faith and they believe! At this time they receive the Holy Spirit who joins with their spirit and they become a “New Creation”, joined to Christ, one spirit with him. God did it all and deserves all our praise and glory as it all is his work alone. He even predestined our good works which really are his own that he willed that we walk in them. Only his works done through us by his Spirit will survive the Judgment of our works when He returns, things we do in the flesh will be burned up as he has said; “The flesh profits nothing, the Spirit gives life”. This is the way every Christian should strive towards maturity in the faith, then they will always seek to do God’s will and not their own, then they will shine like Jesus who did God’s will and not his own.

*Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” John 6:29 NASB.

**And He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Mark 14:24 NASB.

***And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. John 16:8 NLT. The non-Elect are not regenerated by the Holy Spirit therefore they cannot repent or believe, their dead spirits are prisoners of Satan. They love their sin and hate God and his people, the believers. Jesus only died for the Elect, the MANY not all, if he did die for all, all would be saved. His will was only to save the Elect and only those he regenerates by the power of the Holy Spirit making them a New Creation. Although the non-elect are not chosen they are responsible before God for their sins. As we wonder about how God makes his choice we are given some insight through his word. The word says; who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands Job 34:19, even though not many rich or wise are chosen, some are! It seems the poor are favored more by our compassionate God who saves them through his mercy and grace. I personally believe every baby that dies goes to be with the Lord, I think there is an age of accountability where the understanding of sin and accountability to God is known. It could be 12 years of age as Jesus went to the Temple at that age; I believe God shows us that for a reason.

Because the non-elect are not chosen, they are” fitted” to destruction as Paul wrote. I highly recommend a book by Arthur Pink called the Sovereignty of God, in his book he goes into depth about the subject regarding the destruction of the wicked. He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Matthew 15:13

I remember a person in Church who was afraid that they were not chosen by God, I told them they were, only a believer would be concerned about that, the wicked couldn’t care less!

 

Author Ken

August 2013

www.gracefaithgift.com

 Posted by at 8:37 am
Aug 252013
 

Why was I born?

I was born to be like thee Lord; I was born to be with thee Lord!

You formed me in my mother’s womb where none could see; you fit me together and had a plan for me.

I am a man who is made in your own image and likeness as Adam and Eve but you recreated my dead spirit so no longer Satan, could deceive.

Adam and Eve used fig leaves their sin to hide, my fig leaves were the same kind of the religion of man, it’s the do it yourself kind, done by the works of your own hand.

Your Holy Spirit you sent after me, no matter where I went he followed after, my sin and guilt he did convict me, naked I stood before him, thank God the world could not see.

My Father sent him to me to open my eyes as he did for the blind man so I could really see.

Now I understood why I was born, I was a gift given by the Father to his Son, my day had come, God has given me a new song.

Redeemed am I, my hope now is far beyond the sky, a brother of Jesus a Son like him, delivered from death, free from sin, a new life to begin.

Satan could not hold me in his Kingdom, I was a donkey tied to the tree of sin but my Lord said “Loose him” and bring him to me.

Did you know that our Lord Jesus came to set the prisoner free?

He is plundering Satan’s Kingdom even now removing his sheep from bondage, their testimony of the Lord gives glory to him for all to see.

I love you Lord, I and all your people are in one accord, we do agree, you are wonderful, the light and hope of the world made manifest for all to see.

*”Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. Matthew 21:2 NLT.

*”I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. John 17:6 NLT.

*Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger–someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house. Mark 3:27 NLT.

*The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 NIV.

Author Ken

August 2013

 Posted by at 6:54 am
Aug 232013
 

What will we be like Lord?

 

Our bodies are His Temple but they are earthen vessels of clay, they can break or shake, even collapse! Paul called his frame “a body of death” due to its lust for sin, yet The Lord has decreed it Holy. Paul, like many believers longed for his new Spiritual body. The ever present warfare between the flesh and the Holy Spirit is one thing but pain and suffering through persecution and sin is another. Some teach that God never permits sickness in a believer’s life but the Apostle Paul refutes that in the Book of Corinthians, a Christian man in the Church was committing fornication with his Stepmother. Paul had the Church kick him out and Paul gave him into Satan’s hands to kill his body so his Soul would be saved. The man repented, God spared him and Paul had the Church bring him back to fellowship. Willful un- confessed sin can bring weakness sickness and death for the believer. Remember Jesus told a man he had healed to go and sin no more lest something worse happen to you. The man’s sin brought his physical condition upon himself. There are others that are afflicted by Satan, demon possession or a physical problem like the woman Jesus healed, he said it was Satan’s doing and not due to the woman’s sin.

 

 

As Paul wrote, we see as in a glass dimly but one day “Face to Face” and we will know as we are known by him. When Jesus comes for us we will see him as he is (The Logos, God the Word) and we shall be like him, the God man. All the fullness of God will shine through us, our minds will be like Christ’s, we, like him will know everything. This will be unlike our current condition where we at times may be filled with the Holy Spirit (Led by him) but many times we are not. This is because of the warfare between the Holy Spirit and our sin loving flesh (Romans 7) but when we receive our new bodies from God the presence and power of sin will be gone forever, replaced with the perfect bliss and peace of God. No more warfare our joy will never end, God our Father will sing over his Sons and Daughters, all being just like his Son Jesus. Even though eye has not seen this, we have the sure word of God that it is so as Jesus said; “In my Father’s house are many mansions” I am coming to receive you unto myself.

* For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 1-Corinthians 11:29 NLT.

*That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died. 1-Corinthians 11:30 NLT.

*But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 1-corinthians 11:31 NLT.

*Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world. 1-corinthians 11:32 NLT.

*But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” John 5:14 NLT.

*

Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 1-John 3:2 NLT.

Author Ken

August 2013

 Posted by at 4:32 pm
Jul 122013
 

My Dentist, what a work of Art!

Her name is Andrea; she is like a pearl of great price, proficient and very nice.

She cares much for her patients like you and me, her talent is there for all to see.

I believe she has a God given gift; her work gave my spirit a big lift.

She may be a little small but in God’s sight she stands tall!

As a Minister I always pray about everything, for this special need, he brought me a

Dentist who could sing!

During her work you may hear her sing, it helped me to relax and peace it did bring.

What else can I say; I’m glad Lord you brought her my way.

I pray that the Lord will bless her and her family every day.

Author Ken

July 11, 2013

 Posted by at 8:09 am
Jul 082013
 

A love story

Through his love the Lord created us out of clay, by the way,

he did it for his own glory; it’s not a simple story.

When Adam was formed something was missing it seems, he

needed someone special, a woman of his dreams. Eve had it all,

she was beautiful; you would never see one like her at the Mall.

She had everything Adam could desire; in her he took great pride,

this was before the fall and they had nothing to hide!

Husbands today have area’s in which they lack but God gave them a

woman to take up the slack.

God gave Adam a perfect woman to love; she was his lover, partner and friend, a marriage made in Heaven that was to have no end.

Despite their fall through sin, their marriage lasted 800 years in all!

That’s awesome and I reckon, sadly, some marriages last only a second

With Adam and Eve, the Lord loved these two, ancestors of me and you.

Remember, only God can give you the love of your life, your own choice can bring much strife!

 

Many people make decisions every day never knowing if they made the right one. Christians are told in God’s word to pray about all things especially if seeking a Husband or Wife. We are to cast all our care upon Jesus for he cares for us.

Author Ken

July 2013

 Posted by at 9:03 am
Jun 092013
 

A dead man walking!

Though I am dead, I still walk, talk and sing praises to God my King.

When he died, I was there with him on that cross, reconciled to God and not

to ever suffer loss.

That day I died and no longer live for sin and pride, for it is Christ who lives in me,

which I cannot hide.

A new life has begun; this hidden treasure within me is the glory of God given to

me through his Son.

This is the same Shekinah Glory of God that was in his Temple in the Bible we do

read but when Jesus died, from that Temple the Glory did leave.

Now God dwells in Temples not made by hands, they are believers in Jesus, found

in all lands.

All these dead people walking and talking but it is not them but Christ who lives to offer the world Eternal Life which only he can give!

 

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3 KJV.

 

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 NLT.

 

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.  2-Corinthians 4:7 NLT.

 

However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says, Acts 7:48 NLT.

And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:

“I will live in them
and walk among them.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people 2-Corinthians 6:16 NLT.

Author Ken

June 2013

 Posted by at 9:03 am