Saints,
Wow. A busy month with your comments back to us, and our replies! Some very comforting, some dicey, some setting us straight… Enjoy, be full of joy, as we move one day closer to Him and Home.
Searching together with you – brother Marc
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AN ANGEL CAPTURED ON FILM – THE SPIRIT WORLD IS REAL [THE DEVIL’S SCHEMES 1] – The unseen spirit world reveals one of God’s protective angels for us to see!
I understand… and believe me I have never felt I can take care of myself, I rely on the Lord to protect my family emotionally, physically, and more importantly spiritually, through my prayers every day. I feel his presence in everything I do. Someday I may need to see an angel or God will send an angel to aid me in some sort of dilemma, as he has to others, until then, my faith tells me they exist and have a purpose in this world as well as the next.
Jackie
One reader’s reply:
That’s a great point Jackie. For me, I had never needed to see anything, but that turned out to be a pride that I had ( I can take care of myself) . We made a decision to go overseas, and inside, I really did worry about who would take ca…re of us. Of course my head and faith rallied and helped me. After the episode our entire family experienced, I was meditating on the whole thing, and sensed the Holy Spirit letting me know, in a very concrete way that he called us to this mission and would take care of us. I think he just knew that “I needed that”, after selling everything, and putting my family on an airplane to a very strange place with not a lot of money. Some things we just don’t learn in books….Jim
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Great story Marc. thanks for sharing. My family has a very similar story as we were departing for the mission field back in 1986. Long story, but an angel intervened very visibly and practically and my kids still talk about it including their own kids. We have all seen excesses in this kind of thing, but need to so remember what we see is but a small part of reality. People can fake stuff, but when u see and touch the reality of Kingdom of God, the fake stuff makes no difference. Reality is what it is! We just can’t see it all!
Blessings to you and your family!
Jim
PREPARING FOR GREAT TRIBULATION [PREPARING FOR GREAT TRIBULATION 1] – Are we getting ready with oil in our lamps?
Amen and Amen. That was right on target.
Some thoughts: One, I believe the reason God did not allow everything to totally crumble in 2008 was to mercifully allow His bride to wake up. (Sadly, up till now, most have not.) Two, most people who believe in the birth pangs focus on the birth pangs themselves instead of the end result. Three, as you know, most church-goers in our culture cannot imagine God allowing us to go through it. Surely He’ll rapture us away. But I liked the picture presented in a book called “The Bible and the Future.” The author, Anthony Hoekema, said there was only one use of the term Paul gave to describe believers meeting the Lord in the air, and it referred to townspeople going outside the town gate to greet a visiting dignitary, and then ushering him into the town. What a glorious picture that is.
Thanks for writing that, Marc.
Matt
Reply:
Thx Matt – good illustration…good thing He comes for us!
Brother Marc
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You sound the trumpet loud and clear, Marc. God bless you.
Frank
Reply:
Brother Frank – thx for the enCOURAGEment…I thank God for you, and fondly remember the first time we met at the conference in Oregon. I’m amazed at the number of professing Christians in the west here who still scorn the prophets of discernment. The parable of the dragnet comes to mind and the unsuspecting fish caught in the net unaware they’re being dragged slowly but steadily to shore for judgment. May we be on the alert and ready! thx again dear brother.
Brother Marc
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Yes something is happening in the heavenlies but is not just American greed, it is mankind’s greed. Greece is about to crash and if they do that I believe Italy, Spain, Portugal and perhaps Ireland will follow causing much to happen in Europe and this will ripple to the US with our massive debt and we will pay the piper for our profligate ways as well. But those aligned with Heaven don’t have anything to worry about. Go out and do God’s mighty work in the world!! The times is growing shorter.
Evan
Reply:
Brother Evan – right on, spot on, dear brother. Look soon for the repost of Democracy – the anti-Christ’s tool for end times. Let us remember the eerie truth of arguably the most evil financial influence even to this day, the Rothschild dynasty: “Let me issue and control a nation’s money and I care not who writes the laws.” Mayer Amschel Rothschild, 1790
Brother Marc
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You know Marc, it does seem indeed there has been a “shift” in …something…. I am watching our global economy implode every day, and we are seeing so many manmade disasters, and now even the earthquakes, floods, famines, seem to be increasing. Our country seems to be the biggest war mongering nation, seemingly always looking for another juicy conflict to spend money and lives on. And no one is saying anything.
Does it mean that something is up spiritually? Earlier in my walk, I had a heavy emphasis on this, and it seemed I was continually “looking” for things to confirm that something is up. As now, my focus is to live each day in close relationship with Jesus, I don’t seem to focus on this stuff much anymore…..but as I look around and watch, I believe I am seeing true signs of the times. I am now actually starting to document the things that I see out of whack. Interesting to me is that YOU see the same thing. My preparation, and I believe all of our preparation is to stay close to dad. Hmmmmm….appreciate your posts..
Jim
Reply:
Thx Jim -good point. we think (not focus) about the schemes of the devil so we’re not ignorant of them as Paul admonished us. I’m persuaded that the lack of “looking” (even scorn towards those who do) amongst the saints is the perfect scheme for the evil one. Distraction in deceit is his best weapon. As our brother Mike Smith of Hard Core Christianity, the deliverance ministry to oppressed believers proclaims, the devil is a super natural genius.
Marc
His reply:
There are always those trying to make a buck off of peoples fear and insecurity. Yes the devil is smart and very cunning, I have come to adapt an overview on the issue I receive from another dear brother….”I’m AWARE of the Devil….but IMPRESSED with God. Seems to keep things in perspective for me!
Jim
Reply:
Jim – I’m not sure how to take your post. Does that mean by “make a buck” you were speaking of Mike’s work?
Marc
His reply:
Back at you Marc. No, I reference was not made at Mike as I don’t know him or his ministry. Actually I wanted to underline the importance of keeping things relative between the existence of the devil and magnificence of God. We are exhorted to keep our eyes FIXED on Jesus….yet I have watched (and I suspect you have seen them too) some ministries doing everything they can to get people to look and marvel at the power of the devil. And we know what happens….the boats begin to sink, the fear and anxiety increases.
It is important to understand we have an adversary, but he is nothing but a “little bug with a big microphone” in comparison to our wonderful Father and his son Jesus. As for the “make a buck” comment, ….just take a look at the guy telling everyone they were getting raptured last month. I read about some of the broken people and families as a result. The pieces will have to be picked up. That was all about making a buck….looking at the financials was just amazing. Again, someone focusing on stuff that causes and takes people eyes off of Jesus and onto something else. blessings…
Reply:
Jim,
We see it here at Walk Worthy not as an either-or but a both-and. Keeping our eyes on Jesus also means keeping on the alert especially our roaring adversary who can indeed destroy us…and will. I see many believers that “keep their eyes on Jesus” they say, but live more like the devil himself than the Savior they claim as power to overcome!
Marc
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LOVING BIN LADEN – WHAT DOES JESUS EXPECT US TO DO? [AT THE BATTLE FRONT 89] – Loving our enemies…or killing them?
Thanks for sharing this Marc! When we talked about this together, I was sure you would share my heart for such radical application of Jesus’ teachings. How can we impact places that hate us as a nation. This man had the chutzpah to do what Jesus taught!
Galen
Reply:
Brother Galen – the Lord’s commands are not burdensome! The magnificent grace that changes the vilest sinners can easily invade our heart to love and care for those Jesus died for. I love you, dear brother, for your courage to stand for the true truth. How different from the world is the love that draws our enemies to God by doing the exact opposite of the world. Keep preaching the Word, dear one. Time is getting shorter.
Marc
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Amen and Amen! There is a mandate to the called out ones and a mandate to the nations of the earth, may they not mix… And may we know what kingdom we of, and what Spirit we are of.
Luke 9:54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said , Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did ? 55 But he turned , and rebuked them, and said , Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of.
Kriston
Reply:
Thanks for your comments, Kriston. You are a rare one, dear brother. I appreciate you, and your courage to stand in this truth. Killing our enemy is so much easier in the beginning of our walk. But as we turn our eyes on Him, we see the patience of God and letting Him take revenge in His grace. You know, I really hope we see OBL in heaven. We never know what he did in the last moment, and which type of angle whisked him away to his eternal destiny. I just know the Savior got the gospel somehow to him over the years. Won’t that be a conversation of how he made it…if he did?
Your brother Marc
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OH NO! EVERYONE LIKED HIM. [MONDAY MANNA 132] – Woe to the man who is liked by all, says Jesus.
Your words are true, but they could be dangerous in the hands of a cantankerous Christian who makes no attempt to live in right relationship with others and misses Paul’s admonition to “as much as is possible, live in peace with all men.
Balance is still the key. Balance requires humility and wisdom, that only comes from God: how to be winsome when possible without falling victim to the temptation of popularity – how to stand firm for God’s truth and righteousness without being mean-spirited and arrogant about it.
It is possible to be well-respected for you integrity without pandering to the crowd.
Popularity among men is not a measure of righteousness, but then neither is unpopularity.
One day closer to wisdom that comes from God’s guidance
Lon
Reply:
Hi Lon,
Good to hear from you. I see your point. It’s been our experience that the churches of both persuasions, Biblically based home churches and the spin off institutionalized types after 300 AD, rarely if ever disciple their people in the fine art of Acts 15 congregational consensus. As you rightly point out about cantankerous style, both types specialize in this unfortunately. The other extreme is too sweep things under the rug in the interest of peace-keeping, not peacemaking.
Balance is a popular term. But I dare say it’s way overworked, and not altogether appropriate in most cases. Was Jesus “balanced” as we define it? How about Paul? I once read an article entitled, “Was Jesus Christ-like?” Fascinating, as the author painted a picture of our misdefinition of Jesus and His life. Men killed for their faith, in our opinion, are not “balanced!” Yes, humility and wisdom come from God to an individual directly, and also through the efforts of Spirit led mature and new disciplers.
Being well respected endures for a season only with the real man of God who believes and lives Matthew 5-7, etc. Well respected is not enough to sustain the interest of most when the whole Gospel is brought to bear in their lives. Then the aroma of death amid the mediocre and drifting believers becomes too much. They seek their own, or must jettison the world’s way that have ensnared them and really join the narrow road. “Many of you will say to Me in that day” is a chilling reminder not to self congratulate ourselves but seek the Spirit for His approval.
Popularity among men is much more apt to indicate wholesale compromise. Unpopularity, conversely, most likely indicates the opposite. Of course, there may be exceptions. But, if so, they are just that – exceptions. Your statement sounds good, and might be popular! But the brethren in the Word and throughout history who have attempted to live and proclaim the true truth have always been unpopular, especially with the tares among them.
That’s our take on this anyway. And if I go to the Word and look carefully at the examples of their lives after Pentecost, it seems righter than wronger! So, I’m open to correction at any turn when persuaded. But are you too? I greatly appreciate you, but the tone and slant of your response sends me the signal that I’m off base and must be set straight. Not sure I see a “come let us reason together” attitude where you are semi-sure of your position. It may not be the signal you intended to send, but it is the one telegraphed to my brain and heart. Always ready for more wisdom from my brethren. And we are one day closer to Home and Him! Every grace today.
Marc
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So should his obituary read, “Most people hated his guts!”? I’m almost certain that rosy language is common of the dead unless they were a serial killer, rapist, etc. I think the connection you are trying to make is strained at best and completely in error at worst. Is it your position that “real” Christians don’t laugh? Aren’t you smiling in your profile picture? Laughing even?
Lawrence
Reply:
Lawrence – it seems the words of Jesus have hit a nerve! what do you think he meant then when he said that? for it’s a commandment of the King. you as a follower must determine what His commandments mean in order to live a righteous life an…d give an account of every action at our judgment 2 cor 5.10 – so, what did he mean in your opinion? remember in my post I knew him and had the opportunity to watch his life and the comments people made. what comments did many people make regarding Jesus and His life when He was dying? blessings today!
His reply:
Mark, The words of our Lord always challenges the uncommitted parts of our life. However, it wasn’t His words that hit a nerve but rather yours. Now, my hermeneutic tells me that the Lord’s words to the Pharisees and Sadducees had a context. It was their religious arrogance that caused Him to upbraid them. And everything the Lord scolded them for was related to that. I can confidently say that He is not against laughter which “does good like medicine.”. And I’ve never read an obituary or been to a funeral where these words weren’t said about the deceased. Most likely they’ll be said at yours and mines. Because that’s how people are raised. You’ve heard that it’s not polite to speak ill of the dead. Btw, no one but God knows how “all” people speak of us. I noticed, also, that you didn’t answer any of my questions.
Lawrence
My reply:
I’m at work right now and have limited time. Many of your responses require a framework to answer rightly IMO since they are popular responses and the tone as I see it is not one to search together but to set me straight – sort of like your right observation of the style of the religious leaders! c u later.
His reply:
Please forgive me if I have offended you. I thought that you were ok with comments, even if they were ones that disagreed with your point of view. It will not happen again. I will remove my previous comments.
My reply:
No, Lawrence, I’m not offended in the least and your comments are valid and good questions = pls leave them – I want to enter into them with you and search together for the truth!
Note: he then deleted all his comments from Facebook, without searching together.
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WHAT IS “WRANGLING ABOUT WORDS?” [RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD 5] – Honorable searching is a holy endeavor, but what is “wrangling?”
Hi Marc,
I find the best way to proclaim the truth without fruitless disagreements or petty quarrels is to just keep proclaiming truth that you know to be truth and to humbly share your opinions for all else, while being careful to label them as merely that. Opinions expressed as such are fine as long as we don’t elevate them to the level of divine inspiration.
Pride seems to be the big problem here. We all assume that our own exegesis is accurate and inviolate, which is the beginning of most error.
A bit of humility is quite effective in preserving the truth.
Lon
Reply:
Brother Lon,
Wise words…from experience I assume! Yes, a bold but cautious and honorable proclamation that invites dialogue is in order.
The apostle Paul’s example in Acts is fascinating to watch as it unfolds. Thanks again, dear brother.Marc
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What a well written post. I enjoyed reading it and hearing your well thought out encouragement and exhortation. I’m finding there are groups of people that seem to have different agendas and purposes. Jesus, has called to us to live life …and that abundantly. We are given much to encourage us along the way.
There are people who really care about us as a person, and those people I listen to intently. If the shoe fits, I will wear it. On the other side, we have all heard from people who have their own agendas, and who keep barking up the tree of right and wrong. Personally, I am just not listening to it anymore. What gets really disturbing is when it isn’t individuals who say that, but pastors who use the pulpit for their own interpretations and agendas. I still remember a sermon, when the pastor said that Jesus really turned the wine into water ….as he couldn’t personally conceive of it the other way around. Or another who bullied the woman in the church to remain quiet and be submissive. I would have all read your post ! Blessings to you and your family….
Reply:
Thx brother Jim – we here long so much for the power of Acts 15 unity and the honor it brings God and each other. True humility is not rocket science it seems but the overwhelming lack of evidence of it in disagreement is appalling. May God help us all.
Marc
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PRAYING ABOUT WHAT TO PRAY ABOUT [MONDAY MANNA 114] – Using our prayerful God given wisdom to even know what to pray about
If we were not expected to exercise the wisdom we are given within our daily lives, why would most of Proverbs consist of exhortations to “seek wisdom”? No–God gives us our free will as a test, to see if we will pursue things in accordance with love and the Holy Scripture and faithful seeking of His direction. This requires instant submission of our own desires (dare I say “lusts?”) when–not if–the Lord provides new guidance, but God does not seem fond of repeating himself once instruction is given, and we have already received great instruction in the form of Scripture.
Jonathan
Reply:
Well put, brother Jonathan…well, put. Even if God does repeat Himself again in grace, we ought to mature quickly since that’s the “job” of grace!
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Saints, we’re one day closer to Home, and Him! Love Him wholeheartedly!
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