Shine as Lights

Saturday, June 13, 2015, 2:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “The Lord’s Prayer,” followed directly by “Only In Him.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Philippians 2:1-18 (ESV).

The Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13)

Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.


Consider Others

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Because we have been blessed with the gift of salvation, and have been included in Christ, by God’s grace, through faith, we have fellowship with God/Jesus. We experience his encouragement and comfort (counsel), and we participate in the Spirit in that we have been given new birth (new life) in the Spirit, and the Spirit now dwells within each one of us, teaching, guiding, directing, convicting, counseling, comforting and encouraging us in our walks of faith with Christ. On account of all that our Lord has done for us and is doing in us, we should show that same compassion, love, care, concern and comfort to others as what we have received from the Spirit, and as what was modeled for us by Jesus Christ in his humility, in his obedience, and in his death on a cross. We should not be self-absorbed and looking just to our own comfort, but we should look to what is in the best interest of others, following Jesus’ example, who laid his life down for us so that we could be set free from sin.

Hold Fast

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

I woke early this morning from a dream: There was a huge disaster all up and down the east coast. A huge storm was coming. We were outside in the storm, walking against the wind. We were trying to rescue people and to get them to come indoors, because a tornado was on the way. End

As I have mentioned before, rarely are dreams to be taken literally. They are generally symbolic in nature, much like a parable or an allegory. I prayed through these symbols, and this is the picture I believe the Lord Jesus is giving me here.

The disaster (tragedy, ruin), created by these strong winds (a destructive force or influence), can be read about in Ephesians 4:14: “… children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

The disaster was up and down (to and fro) the east coast. The coast (glide, cruise) has to do with a false doctrine of salvation which teaches that repentance, obedience and submission to God, godly and holy living, and faithfulness, etc., are not necessary components of believing faith, and that, actually, God requires nothing at all from us other than to “believe,” although “belief” is rarely explained. Yet, James said that even the demons believe, and they shudder. Many humans, though, don’t even shudder, but they think they can continue in their sin and still have their ticket to heaven and that God is pleased with them no matter what they do. They have lost the fear of the Lord.

The coast (breeze) is an “east coast,” i.e. “east” being an adjective to describe the kind of coast (sail, drift). I believe “east” is a reference to the influence of middle-eastern religion which has now infiltrated much of today’s modern teaching in the church, which is leading people away from God and away from the gospel to humanistic thinking and philosophy. I have personally seen this drift toward middle-eastern religion in the Christian church, and so many who call themselves Christians are buying into this without question or concern.

We were outside (out in the world) walking (conducting our lives) against (in opposition to) this storm (a strong and powerful attack on the true gospel of Christ and the Christian faith). We were out “in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation” (the storm, winds) giving witness to the true gospel of salvation in order to rescue (deliver, save) people from the storm (false teaching) and to bring them inside (to Jesus; to the truth of the gospel). We were doing so because a tornado (a sudden and violent assault on the gospel of salvation) was coming. I believe the Lord Jesus has been showing me this “tornado” for some time now. It is a viable global force which is coming against the gospel and against Christians, i.e. it is of this New World Order “Beast.” And, this is about Christian persecution, and it is coming to America (the USA).

Obama talked about it in his Cairo speech of June 4, 2009 – “A New Beginning” -
http://joeduck.com/2009/06/04/president-obamas-cairo-speech-transcript/. He mentioned that they had formed a coalition of 46 countries to come against “religious extremists.” He mentioned the “story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed, peace be upon them, joined in prayer.” He stated, “Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance…” “This tolerance is essential for religion to thrive.” “In fact, faith should bring us together.” He said, “Some are eager to stoke the flames of division, and to stand in the way of progress.” He said he wanted “to particularly say this to young people of every faith, in every country — you, more than anyone, have the ability to reimagine the world, to remake this world.”

I believe this “new beginning” that President Obama was talking about is one which involves a new world order and a new world religion, which brings all religions underneath one god and that punishes those who are narrow-minded and who do not tolerate all faiths. As true followers of Jesus Christ and his true gospel of salvation, we are tagged as “intolerant.” We are classified among the “religious extremists” who think their faith is the only one. Obama, completely ignoring the teachings of the Bible, went on to talk about the Holy Land being of Islam, Christianity and Judaism – the “three great faiths.” And, he stated that this was how God intended it to be, all of us living in harmony with one another. So, this is about discouraging belief in the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and the inheritance he has promised to true believers in Jesus Christ. This discouraging of belief in Jesus as the only way to God, in essence, was what Obama was doing in his speech.

Then, there is the vision statement of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, which is said to “work toward a more peaceful, more socially inclusive world, by building mutual respect among peoples of different cultural and religious identities, highlighting the will of the world’s majority to reject extremism and embrace diversity.” Their mission statement says: “The High-level group described UNAOC as an entity that would assist in diminishing hostility and promoting harmony among the nations. The UN Secretary-General has described it as a soft power tool for bridging divides and promoting understanding between countries or identity groups, all with a view toward preventing conflict and promoting social cohesion” (unity, solidarity). See: http://www.unaoc.org/who-we-are/.

Don’t let anyone fool you. This is what is coming, and it is fast on its way. We need to get back the fear of the Lord in the church. We need to conduct our lives according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh; and in opposition to these strong winds of false faith, with the full intention and purpose to proclaim and to live out the true gospel of salvation so that people can be delivered (rescued) out of this crooked and twisted generation, and can be brought into God’s wonderful light. We must hold fast to the Word of Life, and not bend or compromise on the essentials of the Christian faith. It will mean that we will face much persecution, rejection, hatred and perhaps even imprisonment and/or death for our stand for Christ Jesus and for the full gospel message of salvation. Yet, we must hold fast!

ONLY IN HIM / An Original Work / February 19, 2014
Based off Isaiah 30

Woe to those who look to man’s help;
Who turn away from Jesus Christ;
Forming an alliance not in step with God;
Making their own plans, and praying not.

Willing not to listen to truth,
They close their ears to what is right.
Pleasing words are all that they’ll hear;
Feel good messages that bring cheer.

Trust in your Lord; turn from your sin.
Put your faith now ONLY IN HIM.
Do not turn to idols. They’ll not satisfy.
Jesus will save you. That’s why He died.

Your Lord will be gracious to you.
He cares all about you, ‘tis true.
He forgives you all of your sin
When you give your life up to Him.

Oh, how truly gracious He’ll be
When you bow to Him on your knees;
Turning now from your sin; walking in his ways.
He’ll lead and guide you all of your days.

Now you will sing praises to Him.
He delivered you from your sin.
You’ll tell others now of His grace,
So they may see Christ face-to-face.

 
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