Open Spaces

A lesson not always “easel -ly” learned or “pallet-able” ...

Reverence, Music, and More

Musical illiteracy (not being able to read music notation – a.k.a. “sheet music”) is right “up” there (or down there?) with being unable to write in cursive. If you went to a good old Lutheran parochial elementary school, you know that nobody got out of there without being able to read music and write legibly in cursive. Like it or not.

One wonders if that standard still holds. I’ve no way of knowing. It was a tale of the distant past. What ever happened to glorious soul uplifting choral music and traditional hymns with theologically sound lyrics that actually teach, since the mind can grasp what’s sung more easily than by rote memorization? It craves beauty, and the flow of good lyrics and melody can bring that. There’s a place for these disciplines in worship music excellence, which must have a foundation of musical literacy.

It’s been replaced in many churches by, frankly, a dumbed down dysrhythmic nonsense that is only a rock and roll stage show!!! That comes from mostly younger people who regard “classical” music as going back only as far as Elvis. They cannot entirely be blamed for this, since their parents and maybe even grandparents before them do not know any better either. (Heaven help us!) And so we offer the music and beats of the streets to our Lord?

Standards are poor. We used to show respect for God, others, and oneself by dressing nicely for church. Not to mention modestly! (Good grief, ladies and girls! Sorry, but short shorts have no place in church!) What’s become of that, all the while dragging your latte, cola, or water into the sanctuary.

People used to fast before church and communion. But now? Oh, we will just die of thirst! You Tube says we must stay hydrated lest we perish.

And then there’s the chattering. What ever became of quietly taking our seat and reading through one of the hymns, or the Scripture reading, or preparing your heart to receive a blessing from the Lord’s Word and in Holy Communion, by spending the time in prayer, before worship officially starts.

The understanding used to be that in worship we join the saints and angels in heaven before God’s throne. It’s called Communion of Saints. This is how we meet together with “Papa” and come into His house. It is no worldly place.

Is it any wonder that many are departing for very strongly liturgical settings, where there’s an actual, shall we say, protocol as to how to enter the worship space? Especially as the Woke Ness monster begins to infest so many seminaries, churches, and parochial schools. May Papa wake us up! Maybe it will require a trip to the woodshed, where we learn by experience to fear the Lord.

There’s a part of our soul that hungers for reverence! Fear / reverence renders us receptive to something bigger and better than wanting an emotional high. There are tried and true approaches to seeing to the soul’s care and feeding. Many have no idea.

Ask, seek, knock… if you are one of the hungry ones. Papa will answer.

Peace and good on you in Christ Jesus.

Contentment

Contentment.

Where are you, where am I, with this? This world passes away like a vapor, and is nothing – with eternity stretching out before us.

Yet we are bombarded with ads and endless info every day that is designed to set its hook wherever there may be a “wandering eye” (See James 4:4) inside of us – whether it’s for more “stuff,” or simply “life enhancement products” – whether pills, powders, procedures, and promises – or some bogus “best life now” baloney about “manifesting” your dreams.

But where will all of that be when “that day” comes? And come it will for all of us. The advertisers want us to buy into the lie that we’re never going to die, quite bluntly, if we just get onboard with this or that. (Personally I’m convinced that this is a MAJOR source of stress and anxiety.)

This reveals that there are 2 ways to live as if there’s no tomorrow: one with a view of the passing away of this life and being in it to prepare and prioritize for eternity; or to live for this life because we do not believe there’s anything beyond it – in denial that we grow old and pass away with all that we have known of this world.

What has become odd to me is how much we worship public and entertainment figures who adhere to the latter, and then try to emulate them. Look how youthful so and so is and all he’s accomplishing… And so forth. Who knows if a “deal” has been struck for that? Yet, there will come a day of reckoning.

If we say we belong to Christ, our thoughts, words, and deeds should reflect that we do not belong to this world and its values which are passing away.

1 Timothy 6:6. But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Hebrews 13:5. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Proverbs 16:8. Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.

Matthew 6:33. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Philippians 4:11. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

James 4:4. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

(All Scripture quotes from English Standard Version)

Might it be time to hear and heed what our Creator Father knows is best for us? He speaks from the broad expanse of Eternity; we are finite here in time, space, and physicality. We do not grasp the big picture of infiniteness in our finiteness! We have to take His Word for it!

Words from an old song I love: “Dance in the darkness; slow be the pace; SURRENDER to the rhythm of redeeming grace…?

Yes, SURRENDER.

Thy will be done, not mine.

Might it be a good idea to reflect on these things? How seriously do we take Jesus? Or are we just “nice people” who really have nothing different going for us, as we embrace humanistic values and the world’s ideas about what’s good and right for us, and wind up living for that? Let us remember that the whole “world” lies under the power of the evil one. (1 John 5:19)

Food for thought and prayer.

Peace and Good on you in Christ.

Testing the Spirits

Time to get serious about spiritual discernment. It’s been time for a very long time…

1 John 4:1
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

2 Peter 2:1
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.”

1 Timothy 4:1
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,”

Proverbs 14:15
“The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.”

Matthew 7:15-16
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?”

Deuteronomy 13:1-5
“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.” (This one is interesting because the signs and wonders told of actually come true! A test of faithfulness to God’s word. Beware.)

Jeremiah 5:31
“the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?”

There are many more, but will stop with these – plenty of fodder for thought and prayer. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing and snakes everywhere. So –

Matthew 10:16
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

1 Peter 5:8
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

(All quotes from ESV.)

Old hymn:
“Lord, keep us steadfast in Your word;
Curb those who feign by craft or sword
to wrest the kingdom from Thy Son
and set at naught all He hath done.”

We Are Post Apoc-Eclipse!

Just a quick offering…

A word to sign seekers:

“He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. And you do not know the way the Spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.”

Ecclesiastes 11:4,5 ESV

“Keep your hand on that plow; hold on, hold on, hold on…”

An evil generation seeks for signs, said the Lord Jesus.

Ponder that. Seek Him.

Work while it is day. Sow, plow, reap. The night comes when no one can work.

Boulders, Binders, and Blinders

Lazarus: a lesson in removing obstacles to spiritual resurrection?

Jn 11:44. “And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him and let him go.’”

Prior to Lazarus coming forth from the grave, Jesus also says  :39 “Take away the stone.” He does not do this Himself but instead enlists the cooperation of those who will witness this miracle.

The stone which prohibited the one to be resurrected from coming out of the grave had to be taken out of the way. Then once the newly resurrected came forth from the grave, he had to be freed of those binding, blinding things prohibiting him from walking, moving, and seeing in newness of life.

John 5:25 promises in Jesus’ own words, “Most assuredly I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.”

(An aside: Jn 4:23 also employs that intriguing “non linear” phrase, “the hour is coming and now is.” Subject for another day. Suffice it to say, The Way is not that linear thinking. It is non local.)

The physical obstacles to Lazarus’ coming forth from the dead seem to hint at representing the tasks of believers prior to and afterwards in respect to the ones being called forth out of death and darkness. They hear the voice of Jesus calling them to newness of life. Those witnessing this participate by heeding what He says: to first remove the stone, then the grave wrappings, and face covering.

Much of this has to do with prayer. Such prayer deals effectively, in the authority of Jesus Christ, with the boulders, binders, and blinders in the unseen realms – those forces impeding or objecting to knowing Him and the power of His resurrection!

In other words our prayers ride on the authority to speak the word of the fully accomplished redemption on behalf of anyone Jesus is calling forth out of spiritual death and darkness into the glorious light of His kingdom and authority.

Some claim that when people are reborn there is no need for deliverance prayers. Yet throughout the journey of the Way, all seem to experience binders and blinders, and need the prayerful assistance of our brothers and sisters. Some of this may be in terms of physical needs as well.

Yet we may all be bound or blind to what needs to happen to move forward in the Lord, which can mean that these times must be dealt with at the word of the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit by confronting unseen forces. A blindness may need to be lifted. Or likewise a lameness if some sort in the spiritual sense. We must see clearly. We must be empowered to move forward when it seems impossible.

Christ desires for us to move freely forward in the freedom for which He has set us free! This is why He calls us from death into life in the hour that is coming and which now is.

So, where does it say that we stop applying Ephesians 6:10-18, and the use of the spiritual gifts at His word on behalf of one another?

See 2 Corinthians 5:3-5!

Unobstructed View

A word for the redeemed:

Tabloid hype – mainstream or “alt”? Do we just pick our poison, the lesser of the evils? Could it be time to change the mental and spiritual “dwelling place?”

… IF….

“Therefore, IF you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4.

Keep on asking, seeking, knocking. You have not because you ask not.

Please grant us the “Vision” – eyes of faith that perceive past the darkness and the fear.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3.

The view of the Savior, the Sun of Righteousness, need not be eclipsed by any earthbound concern or perspective, or for that matter events in the cosmos.

Whom the Son has set free is free indeed.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Believer or Receiver?

It’s one thing to KNOW ABOUT Jesus, the Bible, etc.

It’s another thing to KNOW Jesus.

There are 4 references in the book of Acts where there were believers who needed to become receivers. The Apostles saw to it that this was to be granted to them. Some had been taught well, others not so completely.

Acts 2:1-4. Acts 5:14-17. Acts 10:44-48. Acts 19:1-6.

Few can be as forthright about this subject as was the late David Wilkerson.

John 17:3 NKJV. “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” It is vital! We may know about God, but we cannot know Him without the Holy Spirit.

That’s the dynamo of Christian living. But He is hardly mentioned in many churches, and He is taken for granted – based upon a “conversion” experience or some ceremony at the beginning of one’s entry into an institutional church. People think that being in a church makes one a Christian. But being in a church will not bring this about any more than putting your Chevy into a garage will turn it into a Rolls Royce! There has to be a deep heart desire first of all!

Paul also prays, according to Ephesians 1:15-23 NKJV. “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

And he prays more! Ephesians 3:14-19.  “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height —  to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

What says the Lord Jesus? He tells us to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking! Luke 11:1-13 NKJV. The reader can look up the whole chapter. I will quote only verses 9-13. “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Clearly this is a very important thing, to receive the Holy Spirit. We cannot make the “blessed assumption” that we are in Christ and Christ in us. All of our self righteousness is as filthy rags before God, and our religious practices which someone has told us are how we are saved are equally as useless. These provide false security. We must have the Holy Spirit!

The time is late. Let us go to God’s word, not the doctrines, commandments, and the teachings of men! The importance of Christ’s teaching on the necessity of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus nears His final journey to the cross, found in His “last will and testament” in John 13 through 17. I would direct the reader to pray over and ponder these words and His great high priestly prayer.

May the fellowship, peace, and power of the Lord be with you, as you walk according to His Way and as you seek Him with your whole heart. He will not disappoint!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Return!

Some people promote the idea that not all people are God’s children. (Here’s why I’ll never be a Calvinist: double predestination).

The foregoing is true up to a point. However, when we’re “born again” of water and the Spirit, God is reclaiming what He created who belong to Him, which is all people, who have been held captive by Satan and sin.

Here’s a little, lowly, imperfect “parable” of how that works. If someone is kidnapped, is he or she any less a child of his or her original parents, even if he has spiritual Stockholm syndrome and supports and advances the views of his captors? He may be lost or doomed because of his lostness, born in captivity, but that does not change the Father’s love for him.

The Father comes seeking to save that which is lost!

The evil one has no natural right to those he has taken and holds in bondage, as he is a liar and a thief from the beginning. That is how he maintains control, by repeated lies and illusions – which people buy into.

Additionally, our natural state is one of rebellion against God and “fallenness” from His Grace, because all fell when Adam fell, but that does not mean that we are not – by His rights – God’s children. In the original sense. We have to be redeemed, restored, reconciled. He would have all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth – because all are technically His.

What parent whose child has been kidnapped will not do everything in His power to bring that child back to him? Thus –

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:4-10 NKJV)