Category: Evangelism

HEY, CHRISTIANS – What Are We Doing, Anyway?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

 

HEY, CHRISTIANS –

WHAT ARE WE DOING, ANYWAY?

Let’s please, ask ourselves: Are we doing WHAT Jesus told us to do and to be? HOW is it that we are doing WHAT Jesus told us to do and to be? WHEN are we doing WHAT Jesus told us to do and to be?

Let’s start with Church. Why do you go to Church?

What are you learning in Church, and WHAT are you doing with what you have learned?

Jesus has told us WHO we are to be, HOW we are to be. He completed His earthly ministry by telling us WHAT to do. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.“

So, please ask yourself, how exactly are you fulfilling the Great Commission? Jesus specifically told His disciples, then and now, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

When is the Church – you and me – going to do exactly what Jesus has taught and demonstrated for us to do – the way He demonstrated it?

What am I saying? Please, read and consider these MAIN THINGS Jesus demonstrated and taught:

(1). Jesus came to save the lost. (Luke 19:10, Matthew 18:11).

(1a). Jesus sent “The Saved” to reach the lost. (Matthew 28:16-20).

(1b). Jesus showed the way to send “The saved” to reach the lost. (Matthew 4:17-25)

(2). Jesus set the example for how the saved are to think. (Philippians 2:5, Matthew 9:36).

(2a). Jesus showed how we, the saved, are to think and to live. (Matthew 5:1 – Matthew 10:42. Matthew 22:36-40).

(3). Jesus set the example for how the saved are to live. (Matthew 5:1-Matthew 7:28).

(4). Jesus sent “The Saved” to reach the lost and to tell and teach the Good News of Jesus, and to tell the lost how to be saved.

(5). Jesus sent “The already Saved” to show “The Newly Saved” how to think like Jesus and to think by our example.

(5a). Jesus sent “The already Saved” to show “The Newly Saved” how to think like Jesus and to think by their example.

(6). Jesus sent “The already Saved”  to show “The Newly Saved” to imitate Christ. (imitate Jesus).

(7). Jesus warns “The already Saved”, The “Newly Saved” and others of the coming Judgment. (Matthew 24 – Matthew 25).

(7a). Jesus warns “The already Saved” and “The Newly Saved” to get ready and to stay ready, by doing what He teaches and commands in preparation for the coming judgment and rapture. (Matthew 24 – Matthew 25).

(7b). Jesus sent “The already Saved” to show “The Newly Saved” to get ready and to stay ready, by doing what He teaches and commands in preparation for the coming judgment and rapture. (Matthew 28:16-20).

These are the Main Things of His Great Commission. Anything and everything else Jesus has done or will do before the Judgment comes, He will do through us – “The Saved”. He has prepared these works ahead of time, that we might walk in them (see Ephesians 2:10).

And, HOW are we to accomplish these Main Things? (You might say or think, “I’m not a missionary, a preacher or an evangelist. So I can’t do all these main things”. But I would say, “Oh, but you are a missionary, a preacher and an evangelist – of sorts”. God has gifted you with Spiritual Gifts, so that you can effectively participate in the Great Commission, and you must.

Here is a list of the Gifts which God gives His Body, i.e., “The Saved”, equipping them to be able to do the Main Things that Jesus taught and demonstrated.

You see, it would seem that we have come to think that these Spiritual Gifts are exclusively self-serving. But they are not. “God gave some the Gift as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ”.

In addition to the Gifts of the Spirit, we receive and exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (see Galatians 5:22-23).

These are the things that say,“we are a pleasing fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing“. (see 2 Corinthians 2:15). These are the things that lift the Name of Jesus in and through our lives.

(See if you can find which gift or gifts He has given to you – and, please remember, they are His gifts given to you for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry and for His use of building up the Body of Christ, The Church. You are among “the called” and “the sent”.)

​Romans 12             1 Corinthians 12       Corinthians 12       Ephesians 4

Prophecy               Word of wisdom            Apostle                  Apostle
Serving                  Word of knowledge       Prophet                  Prophet
Teaching                Faith                                Teacher                  Evangelist
Exhortation           Gifts of healing              Miracles                 Pastor
Giving                     Miracles                          Kinds of healing    Teacher
Overseer                Prophecy                         Helps
Mercy                     Distinguishing spirits   Administration
Tongues                  Tongues
Interpretation of tongues

(SPECIAL BONUS: click here for a free Spiritual Gifts explanation, assessment and a Test tailored for you).

Again, please remember, these supernatural graces are given to individual Christians by the Holy Spirit with the purpose of building up the Body of Christ which is The Church and are needed to fulfill the mission of the Church. Spiritual Gifts enable Christians to serve the Lord and His Church. (They are not for our personal entertainment, no matter how beneficial we think our own ideas for these gifts might be.)

These are the Main Things. But it seems that most of the Church of the 21st century, are making other things their main things.

So, WHAT, WHY, HOW, and WHEN are we to do these Main Things?

Jesus did tell us that “of the many that are called, few are chosen”. And that the seeds of the Gospel are spread far and wide, but some fall on rocky soil and spring up, but the sun comes out and they wither away. Some fall on thorns and the thorns choke them out. But some fall on rich good soil, and they yield a crop, some a hundred some sixty and some thirty-fold.

A good example of this is to consider that great crowds followed Jesus, some out of curiosity, some out of desperation. But when the responsibility to follow Him became difficult, the crowds disappeared and the numbers diminished.

When Jesus crossed the sea, only His disciples were with Him, and they saw Him walking on the turbulent waters at night. The disciples were terrified and clung to the boat. But Peter left the safety of the boat to follow Jesus. He was the only one.

So, as the crowds of curiosity seekers begin to go away, you be ONE OF THE FEW; you be the GOOD SOIL; You be the ONE TO GET OUT OF THE BOAT. Go, and follow Him.

God has made a way for those who are willing to GO. Hence,

Many are called.

The lost will hear His Voice

The lost receive the Word and are saved.

The lost become devoted followers of Jesus.

The few will Go and Make Disciples, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that Jesus has commanded – Just like the 11 disciples followed Jesus and many more have followed them until someone told you about Jesus. Now it is your turn, to Go, to show, and to tell others. 

Let’s pray for one another as we witness to the world around us through the Spiritual Gifts and the Spiritual Fruit He has put within each of us.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young.

 

ARE YOU FOLLOWING JESUS? (Can you be sure?)

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

 

ARE YOU FOLLOWING JESUS?

 Can You Be Sure?

Typically, in our church buildings and organizations today, we are being taught or “fed” an entertainment based gospel intermixed with just enough religion and “Bible idealism” to make us think that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am not saying the information presented in the sermons you may hear is incorrect. I am saying that it is just that – It is  information. Most of these sermons are recitals, stories and narratives of what is written in the Bible. It is left to you to decide what to do with that information, how to apply or use that information in your daily life and why applying what you have heard is important.

Compounding the problem of making these decisions, as I see it, is the fact that methods used by churches to communicate this Bible recitals, stories and narratives is by way of,

Religious Lectures

Religious Addresses

Religious Discourses

Gospel Preaching

Bible Sermons

Religious Teaching

Christian Discipleship training

Studies show that most people don’t remember sermons, lectures, addresses or speeches. They don’t even remember paragraphs. What people remember are simple statements, slogans, and phrases. I don’t remember any speech John F. Kennedy gave, but most of us of a certain age remember his statements,

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” and, “I am a Berliner!”

I don’t remember any sermon preached by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but I do remember his famous phrase,

“I have a dream!”

People tend to remember:

10% of what they read.

20% of what they only hear.

30% of what they only see.

50% of what they see and hear.

70% of what they say and write down.

90% of what they DO

People will more frequently remember simple repeated statements, slogans, and phrases.

This is the difference between having the truthful statement and knowing the truth.

But most churches are giving sermons that are little more than narratives about the Bible. That is not to say, they are informative and educational, and some are even inspirational – at times. Sometimes these narratives even conclude with a moral motto or an exercise on ethics. Other times the hearer is left to make their own conclusions.

But this is like an alphabet soup. All the letters are in there, but they are all mixed up – just floating around in a broth, so you can nibble on the ones you find to your liking.

Conversely, God has a Message, and His Message gives us His Purpose, His Plan and His Methods and directions for life. It is for us and all of His creation. You can live but you cannot live successfully without it.

One man simply puts it this way:

“Listen. Do you hear God calling you? If you can hear Him, you should listen. And He can change your life in amazing and radical ways, if you really do wish to change. If you wish to become a different person altogether in the sight of God and man; if you really do want health and peace of mind, and spiritual growth that leads to maturity, then Jesus, clearly shows you how it is to be done. The task is not an easy one, but we know that it can be accomplished, because there are those who have done it, but there is a  price which must be paid; and the price is the actual carrying out of these principles in every corner of your heart, mind, soul, life, and in every daily transaction, whether you feel like it or not, whether you want to or not, and more particularly where you would much rather not.

 If you are prepared to pay that price in order to really and truly break with the ‘old man or woman’, and to allow God to start the creation of the new one, then the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and following Him will indeed be your Sermon on the Mount of Redemption, Salvation, and Liberation.”

Jesus’ Gospel Message and plan shows that there is a purpose to His creation. It shows that there was and is a beginning that had and still has a purpose. His Message and Plan has an end with a purpose, and He has prepared an eternity with a purpose, waiting for those who respond. And whether you believe it or not, does not change one iota of His Message, His Purpose, His Plan and His Method. But whether you believe it or not, does make all the difference for you.

Here is a brief outline of His Message, His Purpose, His Plan and His Methods, for you, from its beginning to the end:

  1. In the beginning God created. (Genesis1:1-3).
  2. Humankind was created with a flaw; a sin nature. (Genesis 2:17).
  3. Humankind sinned and thereby failed, and condemned themselves to toil in the soil by the sweat of our brow, and ultimately to eternal destruction. (Genesis 3:19).
    1. The great global deluge, also known has Noah’s flood, was a harbinger of things to come and an example of God’s judgements. He says there is a judgement coming, however, such as the world has never seen and will never see again.
  4. God provided a remedy for our sin-flaw and for our ultimate destruction; a Savior to redeem us and to save us from our sin, failure and destruction. (John 3:16).
    1. There are those who say they don’t believe this and that they don’t need to be saved. Their ultimate end is set. They will live and they will die and that is the end. And they are right, for themselves, if they believe that. They will indeed perish.
  5. God, through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, our redeemer and Savior, made a way for us to live now and eternally with Him. He gives us an internal roadmap for life and for our eternity. And, by this one offering, this sacrifice, God is bringing us into the sinless perfection that is required to be in His presence. And by this one sacrifice, He is perfecting all those who are being sanctified – that is being made right and holy with Him. (Hebrews 10:14).
  6. God, through many trials, persecutions and tribulation, is perfecting us to the image of Christ. (Daniel 12:10, Romans 8, Corinthians 3, Ephesians 4).
  7. We must endure to the end of this testing in order to be saved. (Matthew 24:13).
  8. He is coming, at the sounding of the trumpet, on the clouds where every eye will see Him, and He will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other, and we will be with Him forever. (Matthew 24:29-31).
  9. He will gather His armies and defeat His enemies and cast them into the lake of fire. (Revelation 19:11-29).
  10. In the End, He will have created a new heaven and a new earth. Perfect in every respect. We will live with Him, in His perfect presence, and with one another (those who have been called and chosen), in the new Jerusalem, our perfect home in heaven, forever. (Revelation 21, 22).

Everything that occurs in everyone’s lifetime is part of this process. Some will respond and begin this process of being made into His perfect image.

However, be aware that much of what happens in your lifetime will be nothing more than a distraction, and unless you keep your mind focused on Christ and His Calling, His Message, His Purpose, His Plan and His Methods, you can be distracted and in danger of straying.

Let me break it down this way:

  1. THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE JESUS SAYS

Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

But the Good News is,

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes Him should not perish but have eternal life.

And Jesus instructs us in,

John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Romans 10:9, “Because, (it is only) if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

John 3:3, “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 7:21-27, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”

  1. WHAT DOES JESUS SAY WE ARE TO DO?

1 Peter 2:21, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”

Matthew 16:24, “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

John 8:12, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

1 Corinthians 11:1-2, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.”

Luke 9:23, “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

3. WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH ME AND TO ME?

Matthew 10:22, “And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

John 12:26, “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

Matthew 4:19, “And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

1 Peter 1:14-16, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

John 15:16-17, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”

Matthew 4:19-25, “And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.”

4. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO ME?

John 15:14, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.”

Matthew 10:38, “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

James 2:20-24, “Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”, and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. “

John 15:5-8, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

John 14:2-3, “In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be.

Revelation 22:12-14, “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.”

  1. WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

You know, it’s odd that people say they believe this or that they believe that, but have no substantial basis for what they believe. It just sounds good to them. One saying goes, “it is your own truth”. Okay. But that is truly a fools-folly.

Finally, please, reason with me.

If you were a gambling man or woman, and you were given the odds of 1 to 100, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, (or 1 to 10 to the 157th power), in favor of something coming to pass, would you bet against it?

These are the odds against – yes, AGAINST – Jesus Christ having fulfilled just 48 of the over 450 prophecies written about Him. But, facts show that

In order to give you some perspective, electrons are very small objects. They’re smaller than atoms. It would take 2.5 TIMES 10 to the 15th power of them, laid side by side, to make one inch. Even if we counted 250 of these electrons each minute, and counted day and night, it would still take 19 million years just to count a line of electrons one-inch long.  19 MILLION YEARS!

Read that again, please.  Why is that significant?

It is significant because it gives us evidence that the Bible is true and correct when it says that Christ Jesus came to earth and is the Savior of the world.

It gives YOU evidence, if you choose to pay attention, that your life can be eternal with the only LIFE source which gives eternal Peace, Safety, Security, Joy and fulfillment the universe has ever known or ever will know.

Just think about it: It is a scientific and a mathematical impossibility that HAS COME TO PASS! No odds can defy the REALITY of Jesus Christ.

5.  FROM THE   ALPHA TO THE OMEGA

So, that is the alpha to the omega. From the beginning to the end. Now, it is up to you. I would urge you to use the one gift God has graciously given to each of His created – the power of choice. A free will. You only get this one chance at life. Make your choices wisely.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

THESE WORKS

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

 

What would you think, if in passing, you were to ask me, “What are you up to nowadays?”, and I were to answer, saying…

“Oh, just testifying to the Truth,

“Bringing a sword to the world and

“Turning sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers.

“I am working at fulfilling the Hebrew and Judaic law and that of their prophets, and

“Calling sinners to righteousness.  

“I am bringing fire upon the earth and to creating a lot of division.  

“I guess you might say I have been busy working at saving the world”.  

 WHICH WORKS?

It is interesting that Jesus commanded His disciples (Christians) to do the works that He has done and even greater works than these.  We are to continue in His mission, using His methods and His ways. (John 14:12, Matthew 10:1)

It can be a bit confusing, but He promised us that He will be with us, in His authority, giving us direction and even giving us the words we should use.  (Matthew 28:16-19, Luke 21:15, Luke 12:12)

WHY DID JESUS COME INTO THE WORLD?

“For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”  This, too, is our calling!

 TO TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH

John 18:37 “Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”  This, too, is our calling!

TO BRING A SWORD

Matthew 10:34, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Verse 35. For I came to TURN A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; Verse 36 and A PERSON’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.”  This, too, is our calling!

 TO FULFILL THE LAW

Matthew 5:17, “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.”  This, too, is our calling!

TO CALL SINNERS

Mark 2:17, “And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  This, too, is our calling!

TO SAVE THE WORLD

John 12:47, If anyone hears My teachings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”   In a very real sense, This, too, is our calling, by lifting the Name of Jesus, telling others and leading them to Him

TO CAST FIRE & BRING DIVISION UPON THE EARTH

Luke 12:49, “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! Verse 50. But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Verse 51. Do you think that I came to provide peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather to create division;  This, too, is our calling!

 WHAT HE REALLY MEANT, WAS…

John 14:12, “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

I have heard so many preachers and bible teachers try to justify or explain away these Words of Jesus because they just cannot fathom the gentle and sweet ‘dashboard Jesus’ saying such things as we find in the verses cited.  These same confused preachers really get tied in a knot over John 14:12.  They will begin their commenary of teaching it with, “what this really means is…”.

Jesus said what He meant and meant exactly what He said.  We need to get over it and get on with it.

CONTEXT

The year is now 2024.  A recent-past president of the United States has declared that America is no longer a Christian nation.  Postmodernism is a term used to describe this new paradigm.  Our churches are practicing a new version of the Gospel of Jesus Christ often described by a “3-line motto” which can be seen across the spectrum of churches in America:  “Gather, Grow, Give” or “Love each other, Enjoy Jesus, Share Him with others”, etc.

These mottoes are an attempt to describe the church and its ministry to the watching world or to the ‘church shopping Christian’.  But, if these mottoes or labels are supposed to describe Jesus and His Church, they fail.

Jesus’  purpose in coming to earth was not to teach a social gospel, create a ‘family life center’, to make you a better you or to shake up the existing religious institutions.  Jesus was on a specific Mission from God the Father as is reflected in the foregoing Bible verses.  Jesus confirms that He is on His Father’s mission,, in John 5:19,  “Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same way.”

With this in mind, can you, in your most vivid imagination, see Jesus announcing “mother’s morning out”, “cookies and campfires for kids”, “fishing with fathers and sons”, “financial workshops”, etc?  You might say “what’s wrong with that?”.  I would respond that there is nothing wrong with these activities, but, they have nothing to do with Jesus Mission and our calling to that mission.

THE BOTTOM LINE

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. 17For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.”

FACING REALITY

Everything Jesus has done is IN THE CONTEXT of what God the Father said. But, the world, both Christian and secular worlds seem to have decided that Jesus is exclusively a gentle little lamb.  But, if you make a closer inspection and take an honest look a what the Bible says, you see a different picture:  Jesus is both the Lion of Judah and the Sacrificial Lamb.  He is both careful with His words and brutally honest.  He is both gentle and forceful.

THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE

If you came home and saw your house on fire, knowing your family was inside, what would you do?  Would you politely suggest everyone might want to step outside or would you take immediate action, sparing no effort or words to alert everyone to the immediate danger and move them to safety at any cost?

Likewise, God’s creation is perishing because of lack of knowledge of Him and Jesus is doing what is necessary to save the world.  We may not always understand His words, His methods or His ways, but it would be prudent to observe, listen, think and obey Him.

The world has long held a misconception, a distorted view of God.  We have made Him into a “kinder and gentler” image which we would prefer.

Jesus is setting that record straight in order to save the world from itself.

SO, WHAT ABOUT JESUS BEHAVIORS?

Most who have read this far, should have been shocked by the opening paragraphs of this article, but, that is EXACTLY what Jesus said and did.  These are EXACTLY the behaviors of our Savior.  Jesus’ words and behaviors are the perfect balance of love for this world coupled with rebuke, correction, and training in righteousness  This, too, is our calling!  

His words and actions must be kept in context, lest we misuse them, ourselves.  Read John 3:16 again, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. 17For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.”

Jesus’ words and behaviors are the perfect balance of love for this world coupled with rebuke, correction, and training in righteousness.  This, too, is our calling!

WE ARE IN AN END DAYS WAR

We are locked in the eternal Spiritual struggle.  Millions upon millions of souls are at risk.  We cannot fight and win this battle using our own means, methods and ways.  It is urgent that we return to Jesus, to His methods and His ways.  It is urgent that we have the mind of Christ at all times and in all matters.  Anything less ends in defeat.

If you dispute or dismiss the idea that God’s ways may seem strict harsh or unfair, remember, God sacrificed His own Son for you.  That seems strict, harsh and unfair.

Jesus willingly gave up His own life for this Cause which also seems strict, harsh and unfair.

And, if God did not spare the natural branches (His own Jewish / Hebrew people), how will you stay secure in this Cause without following Him?  Does this also seems strict, harsh and unfair?  Perhaps.  But it is the only way!

WE MUST GET THIS RIGHT

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  We cannot fight this war with conventional earthly method, means or way.  WE MUST GET THIS RIGHT in our minds and do this in real-time!

This is the only way, for as it is written.  This will shake the very foundations of your life, your church and the world!

  • TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH
  • BRING A SWORD
  • FULFILL THE LAW
  • CALL SINNERS TO REPENTANCE
  • SAVE THISWORLD
  • CAST FIRE & BRING DIVISION UPON THE EARTH
  • WHAT HE REALLY MEANT, WAS “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”  (John 14:12 ).

Time is short.  His return is near.  It is time each of us, individually and collectively, to pick up our cross and really follow Him.  Now!  Today!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(Contact me and let’s work, together!)

whitestonefellowship1@gmail.com

PS:  Just in case you were wondering.  The Bible is clear:  I am not talking about us saving ourselves.  No one can earn their way into the Kingdom of Heaven by what they say or do apart from Jesus.  Our salvation and place in heaven is secured solely by God’s Grace and through our faith in Jesus.

How we act, that is, our words and our behaviors are a reflection of our attitude.  And our attitude, our mind set, must be the same as Christ. Philippians 2:5,  exhorts us to “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus”.

Your attitudes and resultant words and behaviors are what will free you or will limit you.

You will overcome because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of your testimony, and that you do not love this life even when faced with death!

BE THE WATCHMAN – The Signs of Christ’s Return

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

BE A WATCHMAN

The Signs of Christ’s Return

We completed the last chapter, “WARNINGS ABOUT THE RISING PHARISAICAL SPIRIT OF THE ANTICHRIST, HIRELINGS & THE 8 WOES”, with the words from Matthew chapter 23 which are both an indictment of the Pharisees of Jesus day and a warning of the coming Apostasy as prophesied in the Bible. An Apostasy which is now spreading and intensifying and is evident in many, if not most, so-called mainline churches.

There are still many good and well-intentioned Churches, pastors and disciples of Jesus working diligently to follow Jesus and to do the Works He has prepared ahead of time. But, even among these faithful, there are the temptations and distractions of the Pharisaical spirit which have crept into their hearts and minds, leading them astray.

The easiest thing and yet the most difficult thing you can do is to…

  1. Be the salt and light of the Gospel of Christ where you are. Make your closest associations with likeminded Christ following believers. But do not hide. Make His influence felt through your life and behavior, wherever you go.
  1. Try to find a Church (a local Body of Christ) who are not staining themselves with the things of the world (see Galatians 5:19-21).
  1. Seek to become “the living stones, being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.( 1 Peter 2:5).

Remember that you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9)

Next, Jesus gives us an account of the Last Days and The End of the Age from two distinct perspectives. We need to look at a Biblical comparison and correlation of The Seals of the Tribulation as seen in the book of Matthew and correlated with the book of The Revelation (1). so we can know the sequence of these events that may be prepared and ready at all times. (2). It is also important so that we will not be taken by surprise or frightened and lose focus and composure; (3). It is also a remember that we are to inform and warn others of the present and coming judgements. To Wit:

  • Matthew 24:1-5 tells us, “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
  • Revelation 1:1, says, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place…”

These words were written sometime around A.D. 90. Over 1,900 years have passed since this prophecy was written, and according to the God-breathed and Holy Spirit inspired Word of God. The first ‘contradiction’, if that is possible, is if these were ‘to soon take place’, why haven’t they? But that is the wrong question to ask.

  • The right question to ask is, “Is this is more rock-solid evidence that the breaking of the first tribulation seals began at the birth of Christ and ‘the things which must soon take place’  began to appear around the time John the Apostle wrote his Apokalupsis?”.
  • Later, Jesus and these same disciples testified that these present and coming prophetic judgments and events had already begun in or around A.D. 30, calling them “events of These Last Days”: 
  • Hebrews 1:2, “but in these last days He (God) has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
  • Hebrews 9:26, “For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, He (Christ) has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”
  • Acts 2:14-17, “But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.

  • 2 Timothy 3:1,“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.‘
  • 1 Peter 1:20-21, “ He (Jesus) was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
  • 1 Peter 4:7, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. (Spoken in or around A.D. 30).
  • 2 Peter 3:3, “Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.
  • 1 John 2:18, “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have (already) come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.“
  • Matthew 24:29-31, ““But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

It is important because we must be mentally, physically and spiritually of and ready for the things that are upon us so we do not faint or fall away.

It is important because the context, the uses and meanings of these various words which refer to Tribulation affect our attitudes and our motivation for GETTING and STAYING READY for His return. They also affect our view of the timing of the coming Tribulation and the Great Tribulation.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Why does it matter “when” the tribulation starts or “when” Christians are to be raptured into heavens?

It matters because being ready for His Return is proof of True Christianity and only a True Believer in Christ will be guaranteed to join Christ at the sound of His Great Trumpet call and escape the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord.

It matters because being ready requires believing and doing what He has instructed us to do in preparation for His return.

It matters because He has warned that “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

It matters because many Christians are sitting idly waiting for an event that has already begun and they are not DOING what He told them to do and therefore are in grave danger.

It matters because some of our family, friends and neighbors are completely unaware or just don’t believe that Christ will return and God’s final judgments will sentence them to outer darkness.

It matters because as Christians, our faith, our convictions and our behavior
Are speaking louder than our words if these things are coming to pass – we need to be getting ready.

Correlation of the Seals from equating Matthew to Revelation:

(Jesus, in the book of Matthew gives a present view looking to the future – Jesus, in The book of The Revelation gives a panorama of a continuous past, present and future.)

After reading the following, please ask and answer, WHAT IS GOING ON in:

  • Matthew 24:1 –5, “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them. “See to it that no one misleads you. “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.
  • Revelation 6:1-2, “Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come!” I looked, and behold…”

Seal 1 – Matthew 24:6-7 – also in Revelation 6:1 – 6:3 – WARS & RUMORS OF WAR, RIDER ON WHITE HORSE.

 

WHAT IS GOING ON in the First Seal in Matthew 24?

Matthew 24:6. “And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

  • “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars -Matthew 24:6”
    • (future tense – spoken in A.D. 30).
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 30, are continuing to occur and have been increasing in intensity to this day).

WHAT IS GOING ON in the First Seal in Matthew 24?

Matthew 24:7-8, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.

  • “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against – Matthew 24:7”
    • (future tense – spoken in A.D. 30) .
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 30, are continuing to occur have been are increasing in intensity to this day).

WHAT IS GOING ON in the First Seal in Revelation 6?

Revelation 6:1–2, Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

  • “A white horse rider went out conquering and to conquer – Revelation 6:2”
    • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D.)
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 95, are continuing to occur and have been increasing in intensity to this day).

-The Completion of the First Tribulation Seal –

Seal 2 & 3: Matthew 24:7-8 – also in Revelation 6:5 – FAMINES & EARTHQUAKES & A RED HORSE.

WHAT IS GOING ON in the Second and Third Seals in Matthew 24?

Matthew 24:7-8, “…and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.

  • and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 30, are continuing to occur and have been increasing in intensity to this day).
  • “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
    • (This is the beginning – in or around A.D. 30,and they have been continuing to occur and are increasing in intensity to this day).

WHAT IS GOING ON in the Second and Third Seals in Revelation 6?

Revelation 6:3-4. “When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.

  • “A red horse went out to take peace from the earth and people would kill one another – Revelation 6:4”
    • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95)
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 95, are continuing to occur and has been increasing in intensity to this day).
  • People would kill one another.
    • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95).
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 95, are continuing to occur and has been increasing intensity to this day).

 -The Completion of the Second & Third Tribulation Seals –

Seal 4: Matthew 24:9 – also in Revelation 6:7 – PERSECUTION, DISEASE, FAMINE, DEATH.

WHAT IS GOING ON in the Fourth Seal in Matthew 24?

Matthew 24:9, “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

  • “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 30, are continuing to occur and have been increasing in intensity to this day).

WHAT IS GOING ON in the Fourth Seal in Revelation 6?

Revelation 6:7-8, “When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.”

  • An ashen horse of death.
  • Death by sword, famine, pestilence and wild beasts.
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 95, are continuing to occur and have been increasing in intensity and will culminate with over one-fourth of earth’s inhabitants killed).

– The Completion of the Fourth Tribulation Seal –

 

Seal 5: Matthew 24:10-15 – also in Revelation 6:9 – APOSTASY, FALSE PROPHETS, HATRED, LAWLESSNESS, ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION, GREAT EARTHQUAKES, MARTYRS, DEATH.

WHAT IS GOING ON in the Fifth Seal in Matthew 24?

Matthew 24:10-15, “At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. Therefore, when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place – let the reader understand. (this is the last of the prophecies to come).

  • Many will fall away and hate one another (the great Apostasy).
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 30, are continuing to occur and have been increasing in intensity to this day).
  • False prophets will arise and mislead many..
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 30, are continuing to occur and have been increasing in intensity to this day).
  • The Abomination of Desolation (<-link).
    • (A past event foreshadowing the future event which marks the last of the prophecies and the coming End).

WHAT IS GOING ON in the Fifth Seal in Revelation 6?

Revelation 6:9-11, “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.”

  • Persecutions, martyrs and death of the saints of God.
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 30, are continuing to occur and have been increasing in intensity until the end).

 – The Completion of the Fifth Tribulation Seal –

Seal 6: Matthew 24:29-31 – also in Revelation 6:12 – COSMIC CATACLYSMS after the tribulation of the previous days, TERROR, SUN DARKENED, MOON WILL NOT SHINE, STARS WILL FALL, HEAVENS SHAKEN, SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN, SON COMING ON THE CLOUDS, GREAT TRUMPET BLAST, GATHERING OF THE ELECT, RAPTURE.

WHAT IS GOING ON in the Sixth Seal in Matthew 24?

“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET BLAST, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

  • “But immediately after the tribulation of those days
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).
  • THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).
  • THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).
  • THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).
  • the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).
  • the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).
  • they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).
  • He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET BLAST, and
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).
  • THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).

WHAT IS GOING ON in the Sixth Seal in Revelation 6?

Revelation 6:12-17, “I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

  • There was a great earthquake.
    • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95)
    • (has been prophesied to occur as of A.D. 95, therefore, it is continuing to occur in God’s Time until its completion).
  • The sun became black

    • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95)
    • (has been prophesied to occur as of A.D. 95, therefore, it is continuing to occur in God’s Time until its completion).
  • The moon became like blood.
    • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95)
    • (has been prophesied to occur as of A.D. 95, therefore, it is continuing to occur in God’s Time until its completion).
  • The stars fell from the sky.
    • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95).
    • (has been prophesied to occur as of A.D. 95, therefore, it is continuing to occur in God’s Time until its completion).
  • The sky was split apart like a scroll.
    • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95).
    • (has been prophesied to occur as of A.D. 95, therefore, it is continuing to occur in God’s Time until its completion).
  • Every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
    • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95).
    • (has been prophesied to occur as of A.D. 95, therefore, it is continuing to occur in God’s Time until its completion).
  • Him who sits on the throne.
    • (Present historical tense; is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95).
    • (It has always been this, from the past to the present).
  • Hide us from The Wrath of the Lamb.
    • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95).
    • (has been prophesied to occur as of A.D. 95, therefore, it is continuing to occur in God’s Time until its completion).
  • The Great Day of Wrath has come.
    • Notice this is in the Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95)
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 95, are continuing to occur and has been increasing in intensity).(A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).

An Interlude between the 6th Tribulation Seal and the 7th Tribulation Seal. (the last of the prophecies yet to come)

 

WHAT IS GOING ON in the Sixth Seal in Revelation 7?

  • Revelation 7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 2And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”

 WHAT IS GOING ON in the Sixth Seal in Revelation 7?

The 144,000 Sealed

  • Revelation 7:4-5 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
  • from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, 6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, 7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, 8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.

A Multitude from the Tribulation – The Rapture

WHAT IS GOING ON in the Sixth Seal in Revelation 7?

Who is the ‘great multitude’

  • Revelation 7:9-16, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10and they cry out with a loud voice,

 WHAT IS GOING ON in the Sixth Seal in Revelation 7?

Where is this great multitude?

  • saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
  • saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Where did this great multitude come from?

  • “Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?”
  • “I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
  • “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. “They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 17for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
    • See Revelation 22.
    • All of these final events have culminated with the elect of God having been raptured before the Throne of God and in their eternal home, God’s Eternal Tabernacle.

– The Completion of the Sixth Tribulation Seal –

Seal 7: Revelation – SILENCE IN HEAVEN for half an hour, SEVEN ANGELS and SEVEN TRUMPETS, PEALS OF THUNDER, SOUNDS AND FLASHES OF LIGHTENING AND AN EARTHQUAKE.

WHAT IS GOING ON in the Seventh Seal in Matthew 24?

Silence. (Jesus will continue in Matthew with instruction of recognizing the times and days, preparing for these Last Days and the Blessings and Consequences for not preparing ahead of time – preparing NOW!

  • The scene now moves to the heavens (see Revelation chapter 8).

WHAT IS GOING ON in the Seventh Seal in Revelation 8?

  • Revelation 8:1-2, “When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
    • A lull in the cosmic and terrestrial storms.
    • 7 angels standing BEFORE GOD and 7 trumpets are given to them. (These are the 7 trumpets of judgement).
  •  Revelation 8:3-5, “Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

 – The Completion of the Seventh Tribulation Seal –

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT: Jesus’ Instructions and warnings about getting ready, being ready and staying ready for His return.

THE RISING PHARISAICAL SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

WARNINGS ABOUT THE RISING PHARISAICAL SPIRIT OF THE ANTICHRIST, HIRELINGS & THE 8 WOES

THE WARNING SIGNS OF WOE

(An Expression of Grief or Denunciation)

It is interesting to me, that in this postmodern age of religious humanism, those infected with the Pharisaical spirit and the Hirelings who do their dirty work, will attack the Biblical Church by calling it names such as “Legalist”, “Fundamentalist” or “Pharisees”, which meant to be derogatory, but is in fact façade, a mask or a diversion to cover their true identity: The workers of the antichrist, possessed by the spirit of the antichrist, “which you heard is coming, and even now, is already in the world”. (1 John 4:3)

Jesus spoke directly to this matter in…

Matthew 23:1-3, “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying:

“The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses. Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and comply with it all, but do not do as they do; for they say things and do not do them.”

Jesus led by example. At the risk of overemphasizing this statement: Jesus is our Lord, Teacher, Leader, Master and King. He taught by example and He led by example. He did everything He expected of His disciples.

Does the pastor of your Church, and the elders, the deacons or other ‘church leaders’ DO what they tell (or expect) you to DO? Do they witness Jesus to others, lead others to Jesus? Do they greet those coming in the doors? Do they spend time with ‘the flock’? Do they Invite others or bring others to Church? In other words, do they lead by example? Or do they just wait for you to do these things so they can ‘finish the job’ and take the credit? (Roles and responsibilities within the Church are about Spiritual Gifts, and not a façade invented to avoid following Jesus’ example.)

Matthew 23:4-5, “And they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger. And they do all their deeds to be noticed by other people; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.”

Do you not hear it all the time: “Give sacrificially; Give until it hurts; Bring your friends”. Then they stand in the pulpit, in their classrooms at their positions, trumpeting their accomplishments. We may not see phylacteries and tassels, but these same ‘officials’ substitute identifying garments and garbs to project ‘the look’ of authority and self-importance..

Matthew 23:6-10, “And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the seats of honor in the synagogues, and personal greetings in the marketplaces, and being called Rabbi by the people.”

This is easy enough to figure out. If your pastor and ‘church leaders’ cluster together at the ‘head table’ or gather at the same table together, excluding ‘you and the others’ to watch and listen to them, then Matthew 23:6-10 applies to your church. Advice? Find a Church.

But as for you, do not be called Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ.

This one is too easy. There is a reason ‘the clergy’ does this – using titles reserved for God – and it is never good.

Words are powerful. And these words (Rabbi, Teacher, Father, Leader), create perceptions, ideas, and religious ideologies. This is where the ‘form of words wrongly creates the false image of religious function’. The deliberate misuse of these words when relating to the Church has led many astray, and has deformed the image of the Church of  Jesus.

Matthew 23:11-12, “But the greatest of you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”

Who sets up and cleans up? Who leads in prayer? Who tends to the needs of the ‘sheep’? When within this paradigm do the ‘sheep’ visibly become THE CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, so that they may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light? Or is the spotlight always on the hirelings and the credit given to the professionals?

Eight Woes – The Indictment

(Try to read these WOES at face value as you are able and whenever possible relate them to the Church in this age – especially to your Church. However, since some of these statements are from a time and an era with which we are unfamiliar, I am providing a commentary page for your convenience. Enduring Word Commentary.)

Matthew 23:13-14, “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

The word ‘hypocrite’ here, is a Greek word meaning ‘an actor or a pretender’. These are the men (or women) who put on a good act of being holy and righteous but do not follow Jesus. You can know them by their fruit if you are willing. These are the ones always putting on and leading the ‘show’, but never doing the things Jesus has done. Their destination and fate is “depart from Me, I do not know you”. Do not follow these men or you will find the same end.

Matthew 23:15, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

Matthew 23:16-22 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is on it is obligated.’ You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering? Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. And the one who swears by the sanctuary, swears both by the sanctuary and by Him who dwells in it. And the one who swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

These verses have to do with the complex system the Pharisees invented for the making oaths in order to circumvent the plain prohibition of making oaths sound grave and authoritative by swearing on the temple (sanctuary) or the altar. However, it is also reminiscent of the inordinate and unrighteous value placed on ‘church properties’ over the value of the Church (Body).

Sadly, I have seen members of churches who are not willing to ‘fall into line’ and obey the pastor’s or ‘church leadership’ wishes when it comes to building larger buildings or expanding facilities, sacrificed on these same ‘altars’. They are marginalized and eventually driven away.

Matthew 23:23-24, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

Matthew23:25-26, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may also become clean.

The ‘outside of the cup’; that which is visible to the audience. The illusion you want to display. Pastor salaries which put the Church and the members of the Body under financial stress or wasteful spending. Salaries that are twice, three times or more that what is reasonable – pastor’s being paid millions, “getting a percentage of the take” of the fleecing of the sheep! (And these ‘pastors’ justify their theft by their own greatness).

Matthew 23:27-28, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So, you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Matthew 23:29-36, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So, you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. You snakes, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?

“Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

These words from Matthew chapter 23 is both an indictment of the Pharisees of Jesus day and a warning of the coming Apostasy as prophesied in the Bible. This Apostasy is spreading and intensifying and is evident in many, if not most, so-called mainline churches.

There are still many good and well-intentioned Churches, pastors and disciples of Jesus working diligently to follow Jesus and to do the Works He has prepared ahead of time. But, even among these faithful, there are the temptations and distractions of the Pharisaical spirit which have crept into their hearts and minds, leading them astray.

So, what should our response be? In two simple words: Follow Jesus.

In a few more words: This will most likely be, both, the easiest thing and yet the most difficult thing you can do. But you CAN DO it.

  1. Be the salt and light of the Gospel of Christ where you are. Make your closest associations with likeminded Christ following believers. But do not hide. Make His influence felt through your life and behavior, wherever you go.
  1. Try to find a Church (a local Body of Christ) who are not staining themselves with the things of the world (see Galatians 5:19-21).
  1. Seek to become “the living stones, being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.( 1 Peter 2:5).

Remember that you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9)

Please, dear friends, let’s take this as if our lives depend on it, because our lives and many other lives do depend on this.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  BE WATCHMEN – Signs of Christ’s Return.

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TAMING THE JESUS REVOLUTION

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 3 Comments

THE TAMING OF THE JESUS REVOLUTION

“IN PLAIN SIGHT”

I call this chapter, “IN PLAIN SIGHT”,  because the problems facing the 21st century postmodern Church are hiding in plain sight. The evidence of the illness in the Church is there for all to see – but we are blinded by our own desires. We either cannot see the root cause of the spreading malaise and the apostasy engulfing the Church or we choose to ignore the symptoms and a diagnosis because of our expediencies.

We ended the previous chapter, saying, “The height of this Jesus Movement was from 1968 through approximately 1976. The beneficial effects lingered and spread for decades afterward. There have been attempts to copy or replicate this so-called JESUS REVOLUTION, but they have been just imitations, using the form and hoping for the function. But sadly, as is usually the case, the religious bureaucrats and the religiously politically astute arrived and have ‘organized the movement to death’.

What has remained, however, is what has always been in the heart of every man, woman, boy and girl from birth: A God-shaped vacuum. That is, a need to love and to be loved just as we are. A need to belong and to have a sense of purpose and usefulness. A Cause bigger than oneself that give hope and makes an eternal difference. A means to escape the mental prisons of fear, doubt, worry, anxiety, sickness, disease, hate, loathing and the like. A way to a peace that brings joy. A way not only to receive these things, but to give these things in return.

When someone says the Church needs to be more relevant to the society around it, remind them that the Church has always been irrelevant to the world’s ways, is counter-cultural to the world’s ways and is relevant only to God and His Ways of life, peace, joy, holiness and righteousness.

When someone says we must return to the ways of the early Church, remind them that we do not need to return to the ways of the early Church – we need TO TURN to the ways of Jesus and we will BE THE CHURCH.”

Before I continue this message, I want to be clear that I love the Church that Jesus built. I very much like the Church I attend and the staff at that Church. The Church and staff I attend, in my opinion, are doing all they can possibly do to follow, obey and implement the commands of Jesus and the Bible. I will venture to say that the Church I attend, and of which I am a ‘member’, if put on a scale of effectiveness and obedience to God’s Word, would rank in some regards, near the Churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna (from the Book of The Revelation).

Contained within the wording of the preceding paragraph, however, lies the problem. Phrases such as “Attending Church”, or “at the Church”. The Church of Jesus, the Bride of Christ, cannot be ‘attended’, ‘gone to’, ‘visited’, or given a physical street address. The Church is the Body of Christ. And the sooner we get back to the idea that The Church is an Ecclesia (Ekklesia – “Ek” = ‘out of or out from’ + “Kaleo” = ‘called or summoned’ = “The Called Out Ones”, the sooner we can function as Jesus intended.

What follows is not a complaint about the Church nor is it a judgment or a condemnation of the Church. I pray this will be heard and received as a wakeup call to the Church.

It is up to you, however, to read what is presented, study the scriptures presented and to compare the “Church you attend”, your idea of Church, to the “Ekklesia” of Christ – and, I pray, make any necessary adjustments.

INHERITING THE ‘EDIFICE COMPLEX’

“THE CHURCH BUILDING” vs BUILDING THE CHURCH

(The following paragraph within quotation marks denotes  (Excerpts taken from Frank Viola & George Barna’s book, “Pagan Christianity”, Tyndale Publishing, 2002, 2008).

“The idea, that the Christians in the apostolic age, erected special houses of worship is out of the question.

“The Savior of the world was born in a stable, ascended to heaven from a mountain. His apostles and their successors down to the third century, preached in the streets, the markets, on mountains, in ships, sepulchers, eaves, and deserts, and in the homes of their converts.

“Thousands of costly churches and chapels have since been built and are constantly being built in all parts of the world to the honor of the crucified Redeemer – who in the days of his humiliation had no place of his own to rest his head!” — PHILIP SCHAFF, NINETEENTH-CENTURY AMERICAN CHURCH HISTORIAN AND THEOLOGIAN

“MANY CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANS have a love affair with brick and mortar. The edifice complex is so ingrained in our thinking that if a group of believers begins to meet together, their first thoughts are toward securing a building. For how can a group of Christians rightfully claim to be a church without a building? (Or, so the thinking goes.)

The “church” building is so connected with the idea of church that we unconsciously equate the two. Just listen to the vocabulary of the average Christian today:

“Wow, honey, did you see that beautiful church we just passed?”

“My goodness! That is the largest church I have ever seen! I wonder what the electric costs to keep it going?”

“Our church is too small. I’m developing claustrophobia. We need to extend the balcony.” “The church is chilly today; I am freezing in here!”

“We have gone to church every Sunday this past year except for the Sunday when Aunt Mildred dropped the microwave oven on her toe.”

“Or how about the vocabulary of the average pastor:

“Isn’t it wonderful to be in the house of God today?”

“We must show reverence when we come into the sanctuary of the Lord.”

“Or how about the mother who tells her happy child (in subdued tones), “Wipe that smile off your face; you’re in church now! We behave ourselves in the house of God!”

“To put it bluntly, none of these thoughts have anything to do with New Testament Christianity. Rather, they reflect the thinking of other religions—primarily Judaism and paganism.

FROM HOUSE CHURCHES TO HOLY CATHEDRALS

“The early Christians believed that Jesus is the very presence of God. They believed that the body of Christ, the church, constitutes a temple. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He made some radically negative statements about the Jewish Temple.’

“The one that angered many Jews most was His announcement that if the Temple was destroyed, He would build a new one in three days! (See John 2:19-21.)

“Though Jesus was referring to the Temple that existed in the architectural sense, He was really speaking of His body. Jesus said that after this temple was destroyed, He would raise it up in three days.

“He was referring to the real temple—the church—which He raised up in Himself on the third day (Ephesians 2:6).

“Since Christ has risen, we Christians have become the temple of God.

“At His resurrection, Christ became a “life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). Therefore, He could take up residence in the believers, thus making them His Temple, His house. It is for this reason that the New Testament always reserves the word church (Ekklesia) for the people of God. It never uses this word to refer to a building of any sort.” (Excerpts from Frank Viola & George Barna’s book, “Pagan Christianity”, Tyndale Publishing, 2002, 2008)

“When Christianity was born, it was the only religion on the planet that had no sacred objects, no sacred persons, and no sacred spaces.

“Although surrounded by Jewish synagogues and pagan temples, the early Christians were the only religious people on earth who did not erect sacred buildings for their worship. The Christian faith was born in homes, out in courtyards, and along roadsides. For the first three centuries, the Christians did not have any special buildings!

“As one scholar put it, “The Christianity that conquered the Roman Empire was essentially a home-centered movement. Meeting in homes was a conscious choice of the early Christians.”

“Then, in the late second and third centuries a shift occurred”

“Christians not only had adopted sacred spaces; they also had created sacred objects. (They would soon develop a sacred priesthood.) It might seem they had forgotten Moses and the golden calf.

“In all of this, the second and third century Christians began to assimilate the magical mind-set that characterized existent pagan thinking.

“These factors made the Christian terrain ready for the man who would be responsible for creating church buildings. In AD 327, Constantine began erecting the first church buildings throughout the Roman Empire, some at public expense.’ In so doing, he followed the path of the pagans in constructing temples to honor God.

“Interestingly, he named his church buildings after saints — just as the pagans named their temples after gods. Constantine built his first church buildings upon the cemeteries where the Christians held meals for the dead saints.

“Constantine brought peace for all Christians.'” Under his reign, the Christian faith had become legitimate. In fact, it had risen to a status greater than Judaism and paganism.

“For these reasons, the Christians saw Constantine’s rise to emperor as an act of God. Here was God’s instrument who had come to their rescue.

“Christianity and Roman culture were now melded together.”

“The Christian building demonstrates that the church, whether she wanted it or not, had entered into a close alliance with pagan culture.’ As Will Durant, author of The Story of Civilization (a sweeping, eleven-volume work on world history that earned him a Pulitzer Prize), put it, “Pagan isles remained in the spreading Christian sea.”

“This was a tragic shift from the primitive simplicity that the church of Jesus Christ first knew. The first-century Christians were opposed to the world’s systems and avoided any contact with paganism. This all changed during the fourth century, when the church emerged as a public institution in the world and began to “absorb and Christianize pagan religious ideas and practices.

“As one historian put it, “Church buildings took the place of temples; church endowments replaced temple lands and funds.”

“Under Constantine, tax-exempt status was granted for all church property.

“Consequently, the story of the church building is the sad saga of Christianity borrowing from heathen culture and radically transforming the face of our faith.

“To put it bluntly, the church buildings of the Constantinian and post-Constantinian era essentially became holy shrines. The Christians embraced the concept of the physical temple. They imbibed the pagan idea that there exists a special place where God dwells in a special way. And that place is made “with hands.”‘

“As with other pagan customs that were absorbed into the Christian faith (such as the liturgy, the sermon, clerical vestments, and hierarchical leadership structure), third- and fourth-century Christians incorrectly attributed the origin of the church building to the Old Testament. But this was misguided thinking.”

“Most Americans are struggling to clarify their identity. They tend to see themselves as unique individuals, Americans, members of their family, occupational professionals, consumers, and then as followers of Christ — in that order of priority.

“In the minds and hearts of most Americans — even those whose beliefs classify them as “born-again Christians”— their identity as a follower of Christ pales in importance in comparison to the other roles they embrace.

“Oddly, most of the born again Christians consider themselves to be servants of God and to have been transformed by their faith in Christ.

“Clearly, there are some missing connections in this self-evaluation. Perhaps the confusion is due to the enormous number of inter-actions and responsibilities that people take on each day.

“Maybe it has to do with the disjointed, topical teaching that most of us receive from our churches. It may even be attributable to the lure of competing perspectives and images bombarding us from the ever-present media.

“The bottom line is really quite simple: You are a priest of God, a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a member of His glorious body. Through your declaration of allegiance to Jesus and your stated desire to live with Him forever, you have a responsibility to be a functioning priest, minister, and member of the Body .

“The organized church has moved down a winding path over the past two thousand years. The only way to get it back on track is for each of us to begin prayerfully exploring the original plan that God had for His people, and then to be willing to respond faithfully to that plan.

“In this way, the Revolution that has begun to take root in our day will spread far and wide. And God will get what He has always been after.” (End of excerpts from Frank Viola & George Barna’s book, “Pagan Christianity”, Tyndale Publishing, 2002, 2008)

I humbly offer this assessment after eleven years of prayer, study, seeking God, asking for His Wisdom to know and follow His Call. I sincerely and prayerfully urge you to do the same.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  WARNINGS ABOUT THE RISING PHARISAICAL SPIRIT OF THE ANTICHRIST, HIRELINGS & THE 8 WOES

PREVIOUS:  A JESUS REVOLUTION?

STAND FIRM

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Are Christians allowing themselves to be led by sheep instead of being led by     The Lion of Judah?

Someplace along the way, over the last two thousand years, it seems that many of the people calling themselves Christians, have come to assume that Jesus was either some kind of a ‘progressive left-wing ideologue’ or a pacifist and have modeled their lives as such. Let’s be crystal clear: Both assumptions are wrong. Dead wrong! (If you are thinking, “I don’t believe either one of those attributes about Jesus”, then, please take this little test, just to make certain:

PART 1.
The Bible CONTAINS the Word of God. We can subjectively pick and choose what parts of the Bible are true.  YES    . NO    .
Jesus Christ was a GOOD MAN, probably the BEST MAN that has ever lived, but He was not necessarily God.   YES    . NO     .
The birth of Jesus Christ was NATURAL and not SUPERNATURAL.   YES    .  NO    .
God is the FATHER OF ALL MEN and not just Christians.  YES    .  NO    .
Man is the product of EVOLUTION  YES    .  NO    .
Man is the unfortunate VICTIM of heredity and environment, but through self-culture and self effort, he can save himself.  YES    .  NO    .
There are MANY ROADS that lead to Heaven  YES    .  NO    .
ALL PEOPLE WILL EVENTUALLY BE SAVED   YES    .  NO    .
PART 2.
A loving God would never condemn anyone to hell. YES    .  NO    .
The judgment and wrath of God was Old Testament. YES    .  NO    .
It is OK to have “MANY FAITHS” and “many faith expressions”  YES    .  NO   .
It is OK to UNITE all churches and all faiths to believe in God.  YES    . NO    .
THE GOSPEL is equal to Social action  YES    .  NO    .
It is OK to meet a person’s PHYSICAL NEEDS (food, clothing, medicine, etc.) without giving the Gospel message. YES    .  NO    .
Concerning the RESURRECTION: Jesus did not literally come back from the dead, it was “The influence and example of Jesus that lives on” YES    .  NO  .
THE PROPHETIC TEACHING of the second coming of Christ is all allegory. YES    .  NO    .
Jesus was a good man and a good teacher, but, He is not God. YES    . NO    .

IF YOU ANSWERED “YES” TO MORE THAN ONE QUESTION, PLEASE GO TO THESE LINKS. READ, PRAY AND THINK.

Christianity and socialism

Christianity and communism

 Bible hub.com

The examples being set by many post-modern preachers and pastors is appalling. Their agenda and practice ranges from CEO-types, dictators and control-freaks, to showmen, and the timid pacifist. (Finding an authentic ‘Fully devoted follower of Jesus styled pastor’ is a tough assignment. But, they are out there, and I strongly suggest you keep looking until you find one. And, for your own sake, don’t put anything ahead of finding a Church and pastor who models and follows the One and Only, Jesus.)

You may be asking, “So, what does the REAL JESUS look like?” It would take more time and space than I can afford at this time to describe all of the characteristics and traits of Jesus, found in the Bible. But, referring to Him as ‘The Lion of Judah’ will get started in the right direction. You can do that in your spare time. I want to focus on just one trait: The dependability and resolve of Jesus.

WHY DID JESUS COME INTO THE WORLD?

 1. TO TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH

John 18:37 “Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”  

 2. TO BRING A SWORD

Matthew 10:34, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Verse 35, For I came to TURN A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; verse 36, and A PERSON’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.” 

  3. TO FULFILL THE LAW

Matthew 5:17 “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.”  

 4. TO CALL SINNERS

Mark 2:17 “And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” 

 5. TO SAVE THE WORLD

John 12:47 If anyone hears My teachings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”  

 6. TO CAST FIRE & BRING DIVISION UPON THE EARTH

Luke 12:49 “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! Verse 50,  But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Verse 51, Do you think that I came to provide peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather to create division;  

 “WHAT HE REALLY MEANT?”

John 14:12 “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

I have heard so many preachers and bible teachers try to justify or explain away these Words of Jesus because they just cannot fathom the gentle and sweet ‘dashboard Jesus’ saying such things as we find in the verses cited.  These same confused preachers really get tied in a knot over John 14:12.  They will begin their commentary of teaching it with, “what this really means is…”.

Jesus said what He meant and meant exactly what He said.  We need to get over it and get on with it.

 Jesus’ time on earth was spent fulfilling the purpose, and will of His Father (Matthew 5:19, Matthew 5:39). Jesus was on a singular mission (John 6 :38) and nothing would stand in the way of accomplishing that mission: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Jesus had a divine appointment with a cruel Roman cross. Read what He said when Peter proposed to get in the way of His mission:

Matthew 16:21– 23, “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

Jesus always, taught the Will of His Father, then, demonstrated what He taught. He expects us to do the same. Ephesians, chapter six, gives us a clear teaching and picture of the type of preparation and resolve we are to assume.

Strong’s Concordance: STAND FIRM (histémi): to make to stand, to stand

Definition: to make to stand, to stand

Usage: make to stand; set up and establish, to appoint; stand ready, stand firm, be steadfast.

Continue safe and sound, stand unharmed: Acts 26:22.

Stand ready or prepared: Ephesians 6:14.

Be of a steadfast mind; 1 Corinthians 10:12.

(Who does not hesitate, does not waver, of one who vanquishes his adversaries and holds the ground, also of one who in the midst of the fight holds his position against the foe, to persist, continue, persevere: (so as not to fall from thy faith).

Ephesians 6:10-17, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Jesus’ demonstration of steadfast, unmovable courage:

CONFRONTING THE STORM

  Mark 4:35-41, “On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

CONFRONTING DEMONS

Luke 8:26-33 “Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.” For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss.

“Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.”

 BEFORE PILATE

John 19:8-12  ”Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.”

BEFORE THE SANHEDREN

Matthew 24:57-67, “Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. But Peter was following Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the officers to see the outcome.

“Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, 61 and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’” The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?”  But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”  Jesus *said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy;  what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death!” Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him.”  

Jesus did not draw back.  He proceeded boldly to the Cross and secured our salvation!

Remember, Jesus came to earth for these stated reasons:

TO TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH. This, too, is our calling!

TO BRING A SWORD. This, too, is our calling!

 TO FULFILL THE LAW. This, too, is our calling!

TO CALL SINNERS. This, too, is our calling!

TO SAVE THE WORLD through Jesus. In a very real sense, this, too, is our calling, by lifting the Name of Jesus, telling others and leading them to Him

TO CAST FIRE & BRING DIVISION UPON THE EARTH. This, too, is our calling!

Don’t be led or misled by the sheep. Follow the Lion of Judah!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

WARNING: The Gospel of Accommodation

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 1 Comment

( David Wilkerson – World Challenge.org )

We are being told that Christianity is under attack. We can see these attacks in the mainstream media and through the legislative actions by many in our government.

But, the most insidious attack is coming from within the church. There are movements that look and sound like the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Bible, but they are counterfeit and dangerous. BEWARE.

Here is a video by David Wilkerson with such a warning:

Here are some more messages by Pastor Wilkerson:

“A Holy Remnant is Born”

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(see another of our STRANGE false gospel warnings on video – scroll MIDWAY down on main page, What is this Strange New ‘gospel’?

BE FREE LIKE GUY

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

(You can listen to the article by audio and pause the audio to follow page links; then, resume the audio when you are ready. Please note that I use PAGE LINKS in lieu of footnotes and references for important details related to this article.)

They said we could be really free. They said we could have it our way. They said we could really know good from evil. They said we wouldn’t die.

They lied.

 ABORTION – Ending the life of a yet-to-be-born child. A baby, waiting for his or her chance at living outside the womb, suddenly, horribly, tragically torn apart, limb from limb, savagely murdered in the supposed safety of his or her mother’s body. What could be worse? What could rival such evil?

I can tell you what rivals the tragedy and evil of abortion. It is the robbery and of the innocence of a young person and of the murdering of the soul of a human being. It is the deliberate erasure of decency, honesty, goodness and the knowledge of right and wrong from the mind and the conscience of our youth.

I just finished watching a movie on the Disney channel named, “Free Guy”.  It is about a bank teller who discovers he is actually a background player in an open-world video game, decides to become the hero of his own story, one he rewrites himself. Now in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way, by being good, before it is too late.

Rating: PG-13 (Language|Crude/Suggestive References|Strong Fantasy Violence)

Genre: Action, Comedy, Adventure

Original Language: English

Director: Shawn Levy

Producer: Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy, Sarah Schechter, Greg Berlanti, Adam Kolbrenner

First, I want to say that I was drawn into the fantasy-movie because it is a fun and silly movie about a very innocent and naive man named GUY, ( played by one of my favorite fun guys, Ryan Reynolds). GUY is neat, articulate, polite, kind and a good friend to all. I was especially drawn to Guy’s kindness and his innocence.

Guy and all of his NPC friends are characters in a violent video game and they are the victims of violence and abuse of the ‘gamers’ (the characters who playing this video game). One day, GUY accidentally finds and puts on a pair of the ‘gamers’ sun glasses and can see what is going on inside this video game. At first, he is confused by the graphics, but he begins to catch on and plays the hero to end the violence.

GUY has been programmed by the games creators, as an Artificial Intelligence experiment, and he comes to life in the program. This is where his character steals the hearts of millions (including those who watch this movie) as a hero, fighting and overcoming evil, but refusing to use the tactics of the ‘murderous’ gamer’s characters.

BEHIND THE MOVIE’S SCENES

Although rated PG-13, it uses exclamatory words such as G.d Da..it, Sh.t, F..k. At one point, one of the characters implies then repeats, “Are you saying that God is a d.ck?” It also, slyly, introduces the political topic of the evils of gun violence in real life, And remember, this was intentionally produced for and deliberately directed at youthful audience – our children.

About half way through this movie, hidden within its fun and exciting exterior, this movie, not-so-sublimely, begins making existential, moral and political statement that fit the Liberal Leftist’s, Marxist’s and Globalist’s agenda.

There is a war being waged in our real world. It has been raging for about four thousand years (see “PEFECTION, Chapter 9”). Like in the movie, the opponents in this real war have generally been known as Good and Evil. In the real world, some attribute the idea of God (Good) versus Satan (Evil).

This movie eventually, (once you are ‘good and hooked’), challenges the existence of a good and moral God and suggests that ‘good’ is possible without God; and Evil is anything you define as ‘being less than your own idea of good’. In other words, good and evil are just inventions of the human experience through your personal experience and imagination.

The movie introduces the idea is that if you eliminate God or the idea of an absolute standard of ‘Good’, you also eliminate the need for evil, and VOILA! Evil disappears. (Which is exactly what the writers and producers suggest in this movie.) The movie is subtly saying that good and evil are constructs of the mind imposed on societies through our imagination and can be eliminated by denying the existence of either.

So, YOU become your own god – just like one of the movie’s characters (GUY’S best friend), ‘Buddy’, says.

If that is all that was at hand (or in mind) with the producers, writers and actors in this movie, then, so be it. But, that is neither the beginning nor the end of this matter.

This movie does a supreme job of teaching and promoting open and free choice of sexuality, atheism, amorality, a disdain for God, situational ethics, feminism and that violence is just a game where nobody really ever gets permanently hurt. But, that’s the same lie we’ve been told before.

BACK TO THE REAL WORLD

This movie is a reflection of what is going on in our real world; it is a promotion of the Leftist Utopia, a.k.a., Marxism; you can and must be your own god. You must come together and build a city for yourselves ‘which reaches into the heavens’ and make a name for yourselves and nothing will be impossible for you.

But, let’s forget the movie, Free Guy, for a moment. Let’s come back to our real world, and to our very real World War for the hearts and minds of people.

The end of this very real and eternal cosmic struggle, which has been waged for over 4,000 years, is in sight, and the good guys seem to be losing. Our world is quickly descending into a dark and evil chaos; the call for wars and rumors of wars is escalating and the ability to wage devastating and destructive wars and to end all life on earth has never been greater. There is an increase in earthquakes, famines and incurable diseases. Evil is being called as good, and good evil; We substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; We substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! We have become wise in our own eyes and clever in our own sight! And, it is not just the world-at-large, but the postmodern church has fallen into a great and terrible state of apostasy.

Just like in the Book of Job from the Bible, God told Job, in response his lament, “Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me.” (This was God-sized sarcasm at its best.)

Job, like so many of us in our postmodern world, had begun to listen to his family and his friend’s assessments of his maladies, diseases and torments. They said his situation was his own fault because of something he had done wrong. They said he would have to fix his own problems and that God must be angry with him. They were wrong on so many levels.

Isn’t this what our friends, families, our schools and universities, the arts and media telling us? They are saying that our situation is our own fault because of something we have done wrong. They said we will have to fix his own problems and that even if there was a God, He must be angry with us. But, they are wrong on so many levels.

Can the same be said about us and the Christian Church at large? Have we been listening to the “religious-know-it-alls”, and the hirelings, for much too long now, these religious people ‘who tithe mint and dill and cummin but neglect the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness’?  Have they influenced our thinking so that we too are complaining, finding our own reasons for our sufferings and trying to create our own solutions to our malaise? Have we allowed ourselves to become self indulgent, self righteous and lazy toward the things of God, taking on a form of Godliness which lacks power?

Are we living in fear, obsessing and telling God about the sins of others, about what  needs to happen according to our opinions, rather than humbling ourselves, and praying and seeking God, turning from our wicked ways, so God will hear from heaven, and will forgive our sin and heal our land?

The Bible speaks of a remnant of God, being raised up at the right time in the closing days of this age. A foreshadowing of this was Noah and his family when were the remnant saved out of the millions on the earth before the flood (Genesis 6).  Is it now time for the remnant of God to arise once again. Is it time for us to gird ourselves for war?

Matthew chapter 24 records Jesus telling His disciples then and now, of the sign of His coming, and of the end of the age. Jesus’ narrative throws back to the tribulations of the world between AD 1 and AD 69 and gives a panorama of the coming tribulation, concluding with these verses in Matthew 24:29-31:

“But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

The breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal marks the rapture of the Church, the beginning of the 7 years of the Great Tribulation and the outpouring of the Wrath of the Lamb, at which time our task on earth is completed.

 Revelation 19:11-21, says, ”And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.  And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in mid-heaven, “Come, assemble for the great feast of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, both free and slaves, and small and great.”

“And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse, and against His army.”

“And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

“And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”

You can find comfort by finding rest in Christ Jesus. You can be at peace in His Presence. If you don’t know Him, call on Him now. It is almost finished.

(Do you think I am ‘over thinking’ this? Do you think, perhaps, I am being too dramatic? Please, think again.)

You can also see this presentation on Youtube as a video:

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young @ whitestonefellowship1@gmail.com

Pluggedin Chrisytian Movie review on freeguy 2021

AND YOU SHALL BE MY WITNESS

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

“But, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My Witnesses…”

Some people ‘witness’ by leaving printed tracts containing Bible verses, lying around on countertops or in public bathrooms.

Some people ‘witness’ by sketching cartoon-like drawings of ‘cliffs and stranded characters separated from God by imaginary chasms’, quote a scripture or two and invite others to ‘accept Jesus by praying a little prayer’.

roman-road-salvation-plan_233340.jpg

A few people go door-to-door, handing out religious literature or by standing on street corners handing out tracts, leaflets or pamphlets. So, what’s the harm?

Have we, tragically, reduced one of the greatest commandments and prophecies uttered by Jesus, to a “handout” or a sideshow?

Please read what the Bible actually says about being a witness:

Acts 1:4, “Gathering them together, He (Jesus) commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me;

Verse 5.  “for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Verse 6. “So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

Verse 7.  “He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;

Verse 8.  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

These foregoing verses are both a PROPHECY and a command. A prophecy is a foretelling and a forth-telling, commanded by the Word of God.

Defined by Strong’s Bible concordance from the Greek language: Prophecy, (propheteia, pronounced, prof-ay-ti’-ah) is a discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; esp. by foretelling future events;

A prediction of events relating to Christ’s kingdom and its speedy triumph, together with the consolations and admonitions pertaining to it, the spirit of prophecy, the divine mind, to which the prophetic faculty is due;

Gifts and utterances of the predictions, set apart to teach the gospel, accomplish for the works of the Kingdom of Christ

Prophecy begins with a declaration or an utterance. Then it is always manifest in this natural world. The prophecy will continue to reverberate throughout time and will culminate only when the Perfect (Jesus) comes.

Jesus said, “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18)

We must know this because Prophecy is accomplished and continues through God’s people and His creation. We must be obedient to His Word.

His Word, accomplishes His Work, in and through His people

The Bible describes and defines The power (δύναμις dunamis doo’-nam-is) from the Holy Spirit as a mighty work, strength, the working of miracles, of might and of virtue.

God’s Word says you will receive this power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. 

  • You shall be given power, by the Holy Spirit, a strength, a power and the ability to be a witness for God.
  • You shall have an inherent power residing in you by virtue of His nature.
  • You shall exert and put forth miracles.
  • You shall exhibit moral power and excellence of soul.
  • You shall have the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth.
  • You shall have the power and resources as if arising from numbers which rests upon armies, forces and hosts.

So, what does “And you shall receive power”, say, and mean to you and to me?

God’s Word says when you will receive this power you shall be His Witness. Through the power of the Holy Spirit you will become a witness, (witness in the Greek language is, martus, pronounced, mar’-toos).

  • You shall also be a martyr, both in a legal and a historical sense.
  • You shall be one who will hear and will see and will touch the things of God.
  • You shall be one, who, after his example have proved the strength and genuineness of your faith in Christ, even if necessary, by undergoing a violent death.

So, what does “And you shall be My witnesses”, say, and what does this mean to you and to me?

God tells us that His Word which goes forth from His Mouth will not return to Him empty, without accomplishing what He desires, and without succeeding in the matter for which He sends it. – Isaiah 55:11

So, if you and I were to obey the Word of God, what would this look like?

Perhaps it would be like the time Jesus walked the earth, showing us the Father and doing the Works of the Father.

Jesus would preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, and as He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Jesus went, going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. (Matthew 4:17-24)

These are His Works which He prepared ahead of time for us to walk in.

Let’s Go. Let’s Preach and Teach the Gospel. Let’s make disciples, heal the sick, set the captives free.

It is our time to go into the ‘fields ripe for harvest’ and to do His Works.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike and Betty on the Beach.jpg

Mike Young

Two helpful books online

A Simple Guide to Miracles  

Alpha to Omega – A quick Chronology and History 

THINK – Part 3 – Where are you going?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

ANYONE GOING DOWN?

The Gallup organization reported In April 2021, that for the first time since they started polling in 1937, fewer than 50% of Americans claim membership is churches, mosques or synagogues. Sociologists have tracked these burgeoning declines for several decades, with attrition that runs from 70% claiming membership in the 1990s, to 50% in 2019, to 47% in 2021 (with no plateau in sight).

In Gallup’s study, these fissures in religious participation seem evident among every American demographic age group, including “traditionalists,” born before 1945, down from 73% to 66%; “Baby Boomers,” dropping from 63% to 58%; Generation X, from 57% to 50%; and “Millennials” from 51% to 35%, as indicated in 2020 studies.

SO, WHAT’S UP?

The Covid-19 outbreak is being blamed for the recent decline in church attendance, but, that is an anomaly.  Here is some information from a George Barna study reporting on five standing reasons people give on why they drop out of church (the comments are my own):

1. The church is irrelevant, the leaders are hypocritical and leaders have experienced too much moral failure

Yes, I know. That’s three reasons in one. But the Barna study groups all three reasons together as one reason.

2. God is missing in the church

People go to church looking for God, but are having difficulty finding him.

This one hurts, but in an age where perception is reality, you can’t ignore this criticism.  The paucity of personal experience with God is disturbing.

3. Legitimate doubt is prohibited

Honestly, I simply agree with this criticism. It is very difficult to have an honest conversation in many churches today.

4.  They’re not finding community

Sometimes expectations are too high; sometimes expectations are unrealistic; sometimes people really don’t want what they say they want; sometimes a church has metastasized into cliques.  This is a tough one – but can be true on many levels. At any rate, this is not acceptable for the Body of Christ.

5.  They’re not connecting with God

It does not amaze me to hear that people come to church seeking God, and they get some good sermons ABOUT GOD or ABOUT THE BIBLE, then they are discouraged when all they get is a religious pep talk, a religious rock concert or a religious lecture ABOUT GOD or ABOUT THE BIBLE.  They aren’t as interested in knowing ABOUT God, as they what they want to KNOW IF GOD CAN DO, IN THEIR LIVES, WHAT PREACHERS SAID HE CAN DO.  They don’t come to church to get stories about the Bible, they want to KNOW IF THE BIBLE can direct their lives,

Or perhaps, this is what is referred to the “Great Apostasy” (a falling away from the faith) of the Last Days, as mentioned in scriptures?

In either case, you and I need to be very careful because Jesus has warned, “See to it that no one misleads you. “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.”  This can be both individual and institutional deception.

HE SAID WHAT?

So, what was your experience in church this past month?  And, what did your pastor or preacher preach on this past Sunday, and how did he preach on it?  Now, be very honest; was it something ‘about the bible’ or ‘about Jesus’?  Or, was it something the Bible or Jesus said to you and for you to do and, you are doing it?

Just for the ‘fun of it’, let’s compare what you are hearing and seeing in Church versus what Jesus taught and did in ‘churches’ and along His way.

Let’s do a little ‘time travel’ and imagine we can go back in time to when Jesus begins His ministry.  Here’s the scene found in:

Matthew 4;12, “Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. Verse 14.  This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

Verse 15.  “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

Verse 16.  “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light,
And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death,
Upon them a Light dawned.”

Verse 17. From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The First Disciples

Verse 18. Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Verse 19. And He *said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Verse 20. Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Verse 21. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Verse 22. Immediately, they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.”

Calling and making and sending disciples is what Jesus does.  In fact, that is exactly what He told us to be doing.  (see Matthew 28:16-20)  

Did your pastor or preacher say something even remotely like Jesus when He said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” or when He said, “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that Jesus commanded; and remember, He is with you always, even to the end of the age.”?  Or is this something to be left to the ‘professionals’?  You know, ’you invite your friends, family and neighbors, and he’ll take it from there’.

But, that is not what the Bible says.  It says, YOU GO, and YOU MAKE DISCIPLES, and YOU BAPTIZE THEM.  Is your pastor teaching, training and sending you to DO WHAT JESUS SAID?

Put people on mission and let them run with it.  Let the pastors pastor, the teachers teach, the evangelist evangelize, etc., and watch what happens.

Ministry in Galilee

Matthew 4:23  “Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.”

Notice that Jesus does not just ‘talk a good game’, He leads by example.  In fact, Jesus’ pattern and method of ministry and of making disciples is to ‘Say the Words; Show the Wonders; Send the Worker”, and this is consistent throughout His ministry.

How about your pastor or preacher and ‘church leaders’?  What do they do?  Are they leading by example, then sending YOU to follow Jesus in like manner?  Remember, it’s all about YOU making disciples who, in turn, make disciples.

WHAT ARE THE RESULTS?

Matthew 4:24  “The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. Verse 25.  Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.”

THE POINT?

The point is that Jesus did not sugar-coat the Gospel Message nor did He devise slick advertising gimmicks to get people to ‘come to church’.  There were no worship teams, no missions budgets, no building programs.  Jesus just told it straight, did what He said, and made disciples who did likewise.

The point is that, even under constant and severe persecution, the early church grew exponentially because the Gospel Message was preached and practiced!

The point is that, THIS IS OUR MODEL and God will provide the increase.

Now, stay tuned for “THINK – Part 4 – THE SERMON?”

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Previous article:  “THINK – Part 2 – Repent and Live”

NOTE:  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is about JESUS, first, foremost and only.  He has secured a salvation for you to save your soul from perishing in the most horrible way.  He has prepared a place for you as your eternal home, in His Kingdom.  The other things that happen to and through a believer and follower of Jesus, are the blessing and benefits that follow. – Michael Young, Pastor / Teacher, Whitestone Fellowship.

SAVING FAITH and the Demoniac

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

 

(Please note, links are used in place of footnotes for references and citations.  Please review each link in order to get the full teaching on these matters.  Also, you can pause the Audio podcast to follow a link and resume the audio when ready.)

SAVING FAITH – THE DEMONIAC – Episode 4

Matthew 17:14-20  says, “When Jesus, Peter, James and John his brother came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying,  “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.

” And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.”  And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?”  And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”

This important event gives us a visual of what Spiritual Warfare can look like.

First, this man describes his son as “lunatic” which translates from the Greek word, “seléniazomai”, to be moonstruck; lunatic, to be epileptic (epilepsy being supposed to return and increase with the increase of the moon).  We find out a few verses later, when Jesus heals him, that his symptoms are because this boy has been possessed by a demon.

The disciples had tried to heal the son, but, were unable to drive the demon out of the boy because of ‘the littleness of their faith’.

It is obvious that Jesus is displeased with his disciples, to say the least.  He chastises them, saying, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?”

Note that the word “unbelieving”, translates as, incredulous, without Christian faith; not to be trusted, perfidious; heathen), and the word (“perverted” translates as to distort, misinterpret, corrupt).  A harsh indictment, indeed.

It is both interesting and frightening that although Jesus uses the word “generation”, it is apparent that His angst is directed primarily at His disciples.  It is also interesting that Jesus, knowing His time is short on earth and that He will soon face a humiliating and excruciating death, says “how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?”, as if to say He would rather be gone than to have to deal with this incredible absence of faith and earthbound, twisted and corrupt understanding of God and His ways.

Jesus concludes His remarks with, “for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.” The phrase “for truly I say to you” (‘say’, from the Greek word ‘lego’) is emphatic.  Jesus was not calmly teaching His disciples as much as He was reproving them and admonishing them to embrace faith in Him, do the impossible and “move some mountains”.

This is not just a story for us to read, to muse over or get excited about.  It was, and is, a message from Jesus to His disciples, both then and now.

His words were spoken prophetically and emphatically (and, in the aorist tense), which means that this is a command and an action which has no regard for the past, present or future, it is an ongoing action; i.e., it was true yesterday, it is true today, and it will always be true!  This means that these words were not just for the disciples or for the people of that generation, His words were for all people of all time.

These Words are for you and for me:  “Have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this or any mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”

This is how we – you and I – will engage the enemy, Satan and his demons and beasts – with faith the size of a mustard seed.

You and I will silence the ignorance of foolish men, we will pull down strongholds of darkness, we will destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.  We will be ready to punish every disobedience.

We will put armies of the darkness to flight and will destroy the devil’s works of sickness, disease, fear, doubt, calamity, poverty, loneliness.  This is how we cast out demons, vanquish evil from our land and cause the devil and his legions to flee.

He has given us – you and me, as His disciples – authority

  • Over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and
  • To heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness
  • To Heal the sick,
  • To raise the dead,
  • To cleanse the lepers,
  • To cast out demons.

“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  Freely you received, freely give. (Matthew 10)

As important as the foregoing message is to us, let’s be mindful that it is not the “MAIN THING”.  The primary message for us is,

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.”

Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

Everything else follows the primacy and the Name of Jesus.

Dear brothers and sisters and friends, let’s please enter into His service and be about doing what He has called, commanded and commissioned us to do.

The following chapters in this series are Biblical teaching on the exercising of your faith and the outcomes. This is not just for reading, but, for you and me to learn to exercise our faith and to see these outcomes in our own lives.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Go to the Next Episode, ASK IN FAITH BELIEVING

 

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE – On the Offensive, Part III

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

(Please note, links are used in place of footnotes for references and citations.  Please review each link in order to get the full teaching on these matters.  Also, you can pause the Audio podcast to follow a link and resume the audio when ready.)

​

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE

Going on the Offensive, Part III

“Fighting Back”

NOTE:  If you are a Conservative or a Christian in America, every issue that runs counter to your mores or is in conflict with our existing laws, traditional social norms, our Constitution and our Christian faith, including plain decency, can be attributed to the Democrat Party or any Leftists activist organization’s drive to divide our nation in order to complete their implementation of the One World Marxist Government.

When we try to extinguish each and every political, social or religious ‘brush fire issue’ ignited by the opposition, it only serves to distract us from fighting the Beast orchestrating this evil, and cutting off his head.

Please take a minute and go back a few years in time with me, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Democrat party in America and many Republican co-conspirators, have been working for the past 75 years to complete and implement Socialist-Marxists ideologies and practices into the fabric of our nation at the federal, state and local governments levels though our legal systems, our primary, secondary and university level educational systems, the media, our health care systems, our religious institutions and more.

Then, in November 2019, a mysterious virus began infecting people in Wuhan, China.  Investigations and subsequent reports show this virus had most likely escaped from a virology research lab in the same city. Coincidental?  Most experts think not. China, the clear leader in promoting and implementing communism around the world, using any and all means necessary.

Furthermore, China has been uncooperative in revealing any information about this virus, how it escaped the lab, why they were doing such biological testing and has refused help in containing the virus. The COVID disease quickly spread around the globe.  One has to wonder if this was a planned event.

The Biden administration refuses to hold China accountable and, in fact, is working with China to find new alliances, potentially giving up strategic U.S. advantages.

Several high ranking Democrat members of Congress (Rahm Emanuel, former Obama advisor; Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, Chuck Schumer and House majority leader, Eric Cantor and sitting president Joe Biden), have brazenly used the pandemic as an opportunity to pass legislative spending bills and executive orders which are in clear violations of the constitution and existing laws.

Thus began, the politicization of the COVID-19 pandemic using questionable, if not illegal, methods unrelated to any emergency or crisis at hand.  Democrats in Congress are now regularly using crises or national emergencies to manipulate public opinion and as opportunity to foment unrest and violence to reach their globalist agenda.  They, like Rahm Emanuel, seem to be saying, “Never let a good crisis go to waste” when it comes to promoting Socialist-Marxism in America and around the world.

FIGHTING BACK

There are an increasing number of grassroots movements fighting back politically.  There are some state and local governments passing legislation to fight Agenda-21’s Marxist attack on our Nation and her sovereignty.  As good as this sounds, they are still just fighting “political brush fires”.

Our goal is to resist and counter-attack the Beast by joining God in Spiritual Warfare!

Satan, also known as the serpent, the devil and the dragon are one-and-the-same, and he is behind all the evil which as ever been on this earth.

The New Testament book of 1 John 4:3 tells us, “every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.” 

If you don’t know by now, let me assure you that Marxism, in all its various forms, (Socialism, Leninism, Communism, etc.) is a manifestation of the works of the Beast.

Chapter 13 of the book of The Revelation, John introduces and describes in great detail two beasts: one beast coming up out of the sea and one beast coming up out of the earth.

Maybe you have asked, ‘what are the two beasts in Revelation chapter 13’.  The short answer is they represent the Antichrist and the False Prophet. These two, empowered by Satan, set out with a mission to deceive many during the Great Tribulation. Let’s consider the roles these two will play in End Times prophecy and our preparation and methods to fight back!

HOW TO GET READY

I have been studying eschatology and the End of Days in particular, for the last fourteen years. I have wondered if the conclusions I was making were Biblical and accurate. But, the things I concluded and taught, are coming true before our eyes.  Today, some prominent and mainline preachers are revising their End of Days views and are coming to the same conclusions as I.

I have written extensively about “What it Means to Get Ready” and “How to Get Ready”, but, to keep this brief, I am attaching a PowerPoint presentation with the Bible’s conclusions. Just click on the image to go to the presentation.  The last page of the presentation will summarize “what it means to be ready”.

Matthew 24:32 tells us,  “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to
give them their food at the proper time?”

Again, please pay particular attention to the last page of this PowerPoint presentation.  Much of what it proposes must be done and can be done through your local Church.  But, should the day come – and I believe it is close at hand – when the Church will be forced underground, we must still come together and accomplish His Work. 

We have equal vested interest. We are the Body of Christ.

  • Prepare the Storehouse for the Saints
  • Come Together in Community
  • Make Disciples
  • Find and connect with Christians
  • Plan and coordinate with families
  • Organize “readiness” training classes, and more…

HOW TO FIGHT BACK

First, we must know, that although we may be engaged in the battle, it is God Who does the fighting, giving us the victory, and it is He, Who decides the outcome.

We may be called to a variety of task, such as leading someone to Jesus, calling out and rebuking evil wherever it is found, giving sound Biblical counsel, laying healing hands on the sick and infirm, taking care of widows, orphans, the destitute or a myriad of other things God may put in our way.

Scriptures tell us that although God is protecting us and fighting for us, some of us will give our life in service to Him.  Revelation 12:11 tells us, “And they overcame the devil because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

There are dozens and dozens of verses that give us assurances. Here are just three.

Deuteronomy 1:30 tells us, “The LORD your God, Who goes before you, will Himself fight for you, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes.”

Psalm 20:6-8, says, “Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.”

Joshua 1:5-6, tells us, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.”

Again, for brevity, here is a sermon and message from Pastor Trent Casto of Covenant Naples Church, Naples, Florida, from the book of Deuteronomy on the subject of “THE PROBLEMS OR THE PROMISES?” Although this sermon is not about eschatology, it gives us the answer to HOW TO FIGHT BACK.

Jesus has told us what is coming.  And, in Matthew 24:9-13, He warns, “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.  At that time, many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.  Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”

We will fight and overcome the enemy ‘because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of our testimony’.   You and I must prepare through study, diligence and steadfastness in prayer.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Click this link to the previous Episode:  Going on the Offensive, Part 2

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE – Going on the Offensive, Part II

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

(You can listen to this audio while you read along, then, you can stop the audio to follow a link, then, resume the audio when you are ready)

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE

Going on the Offensive, Part II

“I Have the Full Armor of God – Now What?” 

(Please note: There is no ‘shortcut’, no easy 1-2-3, to defeating our enemy. It takes discipline and training and preparation.  You need to read, study, pray and prepare.  And, you cannot get the complete detail or a complete understanding of the steps we can and must take, unless you read the related links on each of these pages)

A war to resist and overcome the evils enveloping America and the world can be fought in four basic ways:  (1). Conventional or guerilla warfare, using conventional weapons of war, economic weapons, psychological warfare, the weapons of the media; (2). Political weapons; (3). Changing and winning the hearts and minds of the people through Spiritual Warfare; (4). Pulling down strongholds, taking every thought captive, destroying arguments.

The first two methods have been in use since creation and have brought only temporary periods of peace or limited prosperity for the few.  But, the “unsaved” people among us who are share our Christian ideals, but have not received Christ as their Lord and Savior, are still our allies and co- conspirators, and they will continue to wage war against our enemy using traditional methods.  However, we have been fighting wars throughout our history, which have murdered billions of people and cause destruction at unimaginable costs in dollars and human suffering, so the first two methods have not brought any measure of lasting peace or prosperity, except to a few.

The last method mentioned, Spiritual Warfare, the spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the pulling down and destroying the strongholds of rulers, authorities,  cosmic powers, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, is the only way to defeat and eradicate evil and usher in worldwide lasting peace and prosperity.

Spiritual Warfare and spreading the Gospel is the method, mission and ministry to which God has called us.  It is through Spiritual Warfare, that, in the end, God will judge the entire world, defeat the forces of evil in the bloodiest of all battles.  It is through this warfare that Satan and the Anti-Christ will be cast in the lake of fire for all eternity.)

If you cannot, or will not, believe that this is your mission and that He will  accomplish these things through you, then you are not yet His disciple.  And you cannot know how and are unable TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE THE EVIL ENVELOPING OUR NATION AND THE WORLD IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

Engaging in the Spiritual War raging across America and the world, requires that you know Jesus as your Lord and knowing what He requires of His disciples (a.k.a., Christians).  It is the indwelling presence of God that enables you to understand what God is saying and to gain the wisdom and abilities to fight this war.

Our relationship with God requires more than just knowing about Him. We must know Him, believe Him and we must follow Him, which requires our FAITH in ACTION. 

Pastor and author Henry Blackaby points out, in his study “The 7 Realities For Experiencing God”, what we should know about God’s ways, His plans and His purposes. It illustrates how we can follow Him. :

      1. God is always at work around you.
      2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
      3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.
      4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
      5. God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.
      6. You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
      7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him, and He accomplishes His work through you.

I.   JESUS’ MINISTRY IS OUR MINISTRY

Our relationship with Jesus is more than ‘Just Knowing’; it requires Believing and Doing.   Jesus has

(a) The plan for us to follow,

(b) The purpose which becomes our purpose, and

(c) The ministry for us as His disciples.

For example, in Matthew 10:2, we are told that “Jesus sent these twelve out after (a) instructing them (b) He gave them authority

      • over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to
      • heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness
      • “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
      • “Heal the sick,
      • raise the dead,
      • cleanse the lepers,
      • cast out demons.
      • Freely you received, freely give.
      • “Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.
      • “And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. “As you enter the house, give it your greeting. “If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace.
      • “Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. “Truly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

If you cannot, or will not, believe that this is your mission and that He will  accomplish these things through you, then you are not yet His disciple.  And  you cannot know how and are unable TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE THE EVIL ENVELOPING OUR NATION AND THE WORLD IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

II.  JESUS’ MISSION IS OUR MISSION

After Jesus’ death and resurrection and just before His ascension, He said:

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

So, Jesus was sent by His Father and was on The Mission of His Father.  If you are a disciple of Jesus (His follower) this is your mission, and He will do this work through you.

If you cannot, or will not, believe that this is your mission and that He will  accomplish these things through you, then you are not yet His disciple.  And  you cannot know how and are unable TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE THE EVIL ENVELOPING OUR NATION AND THE WORLD IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

III. JESUS’ PURPOSE IS OUR PURPOSE

1 John 3:8 “The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, TO DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL.”

These are the WORKS of the devil, the thief comes only to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY (John 10:10)

The devil is the accuser, a liar, a thief, a murderer, the author of disease, pain, despair, loss, lack, fear, hopelessness and the like.

IV.  JESUS’ METHOD IS OUR METHOD

Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him (the devil) because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word (logos) of their testimony (Maturia -> Martus), and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

Here is how Jesus destroyed the works of the devil.  And, how He will continue to destroy the works of the devil, through His yielded and obedient disciple:

  • Condemns a Fig Tree Matthew 21:17-22
  • Feeds More than Four-Thousand People Matthew 15:32-39
  • Stills the Storm
  • The Catch of Fish
  • The Second Catch of Fish
  • The Temple Tax Money Obtained from a Fish’s Mouth
  • Walks Upon Lake Galilee
  • Water Converted Into Wine
  • Cleanses the Leper
  • Cures a Man With Dropsy
  • Cures the Woman With the Issue of Blood
  • Healing of the Immobile Man
  • Heals a Demoniac
  • Heals Peter’s Mother-In-Law
  • Heals the Daughter of the Non-Jewish, Syro-Phoenician Woman
  • Heals the Demoniac
  • Heals the Ear of Malchus
  • Heals the Epileptic Boy
  • Heals the Nobleman’s Son
  • Heals the Paralyzed Man
  • Heals the Woman With the Spirit of Infirmity
  • Opens the Eyes of a Man Born Blind
  • Restores a Blind Man
  • Restores Sight to Two Blind Men Near Jericho
  • Restores the Centurion’s Servant
  • Restores the Deaf-Mute Man
  • Restores Two Blind Men to Sight
  • Restoring the Withered Hand
  • Throws Demons out of Two Men of Gadara (Gerasa)
  • DEFEATED DEATH
  • Raises Lazarus from the Dead
  • Raises the Daughter of Jairus from the Dead
  • Raises the Widow’s Son to Life at the Village of Nain
  • “Miracles in the Name of Christ”

If you cannot, or will not, believe that this is your mission and that He will  accomplish these things through you, then you are not yet His disciple.  And  you cannot know how and are unable TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE THE EVIL ENVELOPING OUR NATION AND THE WORLD IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

V.  OUR THREE-FOLD RESPONSE & OUR MISSION

1. Philippians 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus,

2. John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

3. Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

When you ‘hear His Voice’, submit yourself to Him, obey and spring into action!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Previous Episode:  Going on the Offensive, Part 1

Next Episode:  Going on the Offensive, Part 3

THESE WORKS

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

 

What would you think, if in passing, you were to ask me, “What are you up to nowadays?”, and I were to answer, saying…

“Oh, just testifying to the Truth,

“Bringing a sword to the world and

“Turning sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers.

“I am working at fulfilling the Hebrew and Judaic law and that of their prophets, and

“Calling sinners to righteousness.  

“I am bringing fire upon the earth and to creating a lot of division.  

“I guess you might say I have been busy working at saving the world”.  

 WHICH WORKS?

It is interesting that Jesus commanded His disciples (Christians) to do the works that He has done and even greater works than these.  We are to continue in His mission, using His methods and His ways. (John 14:12, Matthew 10:1)

It can be a bit confusing, but He promised us that He will be with us, in His authority, giving us direction and even giving us the words we should use.  (Matthew 28:16-19, Luke 21:15, Luke 12:12)

WHY DID JESUS COME INTO THE WORLD?

“For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”  This, too, is our calling!

 TO TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH

John 18:37 “Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”  This, too, is our calling!

TO BRING A SWORD

Matthew 10:34, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Verse 35. For I came to TURN A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; Verse 36 and A PERSON’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.”  This, too, is our calling!

 TO FULFILL THE LAW

Matthew 5:17, “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.”  This, too, is our calling!

TO CALL SINNERS

Mark 2:17, “And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  This, too, is our calling!

TO SAVE THE WORLD

John 12:47, If anyone hears My teachings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”   In a very real sense, This, too, is our calling, by lifting the Name of Jesus, telling others and leading them to Him

TO CAST FIRE & BRING DIVISION UPON THE EARTH

Luke 12:49, “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! Verse 50. But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Verse 51. Do you think that I came to provide peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather to create division;  This, too, is our calling!

 WHAT HE REALLY MEANT, WAS…

John 14:12, “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

I have heard so many preachers and bible teachers try to justify or explain away these Words of Jesus because they just cannot fathom the gentle and sweet ‘dashboard Jesus’ saying such things as we find in the verses cited.  These same confused preachers really get tied in a knot over John 14:12.  They will begin their commenary of teaching it with, “what this really means is…”.

Jesus said what He meant and meant exactly what He said.  We need to get over it and get on with it.

CONTEXT

The year is now 2024.  A recent-past president of the United States has declared that America is no longer a Christian nation.  Postmodernism is a term used to describe this new paradigm.  Our churches are practicing a new version of the Gospel of Jesus Christ often described by a “3-line motto” which can be seen across the spectrum of churches in America:  “Gather, Grow, Give” or “Love each other, Enjoy Jesus, Share Him with others”, etc.

These mottoes are an attempt to describe the church and its ministry to the watching world or to the ‘church shopping Christian’.  But, if these mottoes or labels are supposed to describe Jesus and His Church, they fail.

Jesus’  purpose in coming to earth was not to teach a social gospel, create a ‘family life center’, to make you a better you or to shake up the existing religious institutions.  Jesus was on a specific Mission from God the Father as is reflected in the foregoing Bible verses.  Jesus confirms that He is on His Father’s mission,, in John 5:19,  “Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same way.”

With this in mind, can you, in your most vivid imagination, see Jesus announcing “mother’s morning out”, “cookies and campfires for kids”, “fishing with fathers and sons”, “financial workshops”, etc?  You might say “what’s wrong with that?”.  I would respond that there is nothing wrong with these activities, but, they have nothing to do with Jesus Mission and our calling to that mission.

THE BOTTOM LINE

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. 17For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.”

FACING REALITY

Everything Jesus has done is IN THE CONTEXT of what God the Father said. But, the world, both Christian and secular worlds seem to have decided that Jesus is exclusively a gentle little lamb.  But, if you make a closer inspection and take an honest look a what the Bible says, you see a different picture:  Jesus is both the Lion of Judah and the Sacrificial Lamb.  He is both careful with His words and brutally honest.  He is both gentle and forceful.

THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE

If you came home and saw your house on fire, knowing your family was inside, what would you do?  Would you politely suggest everyone might want to step outside or would you take immediate action, sparing no effort or words to alert everyone to the immediate danger and move them to safety at any cost?

Likewise, God’s creation is perishing because of lack of knowledge of Him and Jesus is doing what is necessary to save the world.  We may not always understand His words, His methods or His ways, but it would be prudent to observe, listen, think and obey Him.

The world has long held a misconception, a distorted view of God.  We have made Him into a “kinder and gentler” image which we would prefer.

Jesus is setting that record straight in order to save the world from itself.

SO, WHAT ABOUT JESUS BEHAVIORS?

Most who have read this far, should have been shocked by the opening paragraphs of this article, but, that is EXACTLY what Jesus said and did.  These are EXACTLY the behaviors of our Savior.  Jesus’ words and behaviors are the perfect balance of love for this world coupled with rebuke, correction, and training in righteousness  This, too, is our calling!  

His words and actions must be kept in context, lest we misuse them, ourselves.  Read John 3:16 again, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. 17For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.”

Jesus’ words and behaviors are the perfect balance of love for this world coupled with rebuke, correction, and training in righteousness.  This, too, is our calling!

WE ARE IN AN END DAYS WAR

We are locked in the eternal Spiritual struggle.  Millions upon millions of souls are at risk.  We cannot fight and win this battle using our own means, methods and ways.  It is urgent that we return to Jesus, to His methods and His ways.  It is urgent that we have the mind of Christ at all times and in all matters.  Anything less ends in defeat.

If you dispute or dismiss the idea that God’s ways may seem strict harsh or unfair, remember, God sacrificed His own Son for you.  That seems strict, harsh and unfair.

Jesus willingly gave up His own life for this Cause which also seems strict, harsh and unfair.

And, if God did not spare the natural branches (His own Jewish / Hebrew people), how will you stay secure in this Cause without following Him?  Does this also seems strict, harsh and unfair?  Perhaps.  But it is the only way!

WE MUST GET THIS RIGHT

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  We cannot fight this war with conventional earthly method, means or way.  WE MUST GET THIS RIGHT in our minds and do this in real-time!

This is the only way, for as it is written.  This will shake the very foundations of your life, your church and the world!

  • TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH
  • BRING A SWORD
  • FULFILL THE LAW
  • CALL SINNERS TO REPENTANCE
  • SAVE THISWORLD
  • CAST FIRE & BRING DIVISION UPON THE EARTH
  • WHAT HE REALLY MEANT, WAS “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”  (John 14:12 ).

Time is short.  His return is near.  It is time each of us, individually and collectively, to pick up our cross and really follow Him.  Now!  Today!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(Contact me and let’s work, together!)

whitestonefellowship1@gmail.com

PS:  Just in case you were wondering.  The Bible is clear:  I am not talking about us saving ourselves.  No one can earn their way into the Kingdom of Heaven by what they say or do apart from Jesus.  Our salvation and place in heaven is secured solely by God’s Grace and through our faith in Jesus.

How we act, that is, our words and our behaviors are a reflection of our attitude.  And our attitude, our mind set, must be the same as Christ. Philippians 2:5,  exhorts us to “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus”.

Your attitudes and resultant words and behaviors are what will free you or will limit you.

You will overcome because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of your testimony, and that you do not love this life even when faced with death!