I wonder how God feels about the various versions of His Son that are out there in the marketplace of religion. I don’t know about you but if someone was out there representing my son in a way that was foreign to who and what He really is I would be very upset about it.  Many who call themselves by the name ‘Christian’ seem to have different versions of who Jesus is and what He represents. For some he is the nice shepherd who goes around making sure everyone is happy and making sure noone says anything or does anything that would offend anyone else; He was a kind man who was misunderstood by those around him and eventually he died on a cross because evil men didn’t like the fact that he was becoming too popular. For others Jesus is the broken hearted savior who looks down upon mankind and pines over their problems and troubles wishing they could just love each other more. Some may even see Jesus as the ultimate peacenick who just wants everyone to get along and if he were here today he would probably play an electric guitar and have a band and sing about peace, love and black light posters.

A popular picture of Jesus today is one that makes him out to be a big cash register in the sky who just wants to give us everything we want so we can have wonderful lives filled with the riches and treasures of this world while we wait for our chariot to take us to eternal splendour. Then there’s the other crowd who think Jesus is looking down from heaven eager to judge every wrong word, deed or thought to make sure that one doesn’t slip in to heaven by mistake when he or she should really go to hell. To them the Ten Commandments is a playbook for kids. They are convinced that God is mad as hell and He’s going to make everyone pay for what they’ve done. To them you can live your whole life in fear of Divine retribution and one day you step off the curb into the path of an oncoming vehicle and if you say “damn” before you die it’s straight to the flames for you.

Of course there are also those who think he was a prophet or another one of many spiritual leaders who have come along throughout history so everyone can pick and choose what version of God they want to believe in. In India he was Buddha or Krishna; in Greece He was Dyonesus or some other of the pantheon of god’s available to choose from and sacrifice to. In Islamic states he’s just a forerunner to the real deal Mohamed; in Ethiopia or Jamaica he’s come to us as Haille Selassie ‘The Lion’.

While it’s true that Jesus demonstrated many of the characteristics mentioned above, in truth He far exceeds anything that could be comprehended by the mind of man. To find out what Jesus was like the and is now we need only to go to the Bible, which contains not only a description of the character of God’s Son, but is in fact His essence in written form: He is The Word of God! Here are just a few of Jesus’ titles and descriptions of Him given to us in the Holy Scriptures.

Who Jesus is:

Jesus is the Creator of all things (John 1:1-3; COlossians 1:16 )
Jesus is Light of the World (John 8:12)
Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15)
Jesus is the only begotten Son of God (John 1:14-18)
The only way to Heaven (John 10:9; John 14:6)
Jesus is the only Savior of the world (Acts 4:12; 1 Jn. 4:14; 2 Pet. 2:20)
Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Juda (Rev. 5:5)
Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Tim. 6:15; Rev 17:14; Rev 19:16)
Jesus is the King of Saints (Rev. 15:3)
Jesus is the Bright and Morning Star (Rev.22:16)
Jesus is above all things (Phil 2:9-10)
Jesus is The Lamb of God (John 1:29 and 36; Rev. 5:6, 7:7, 14:10)
He is the giver of the Holy Spirit (John 20:22)

What Jesus did for us:

Jesus left His heavenly glory and became a vulnerable human being (Isaiah 9:6; Luke 2:11; Rom. 8:3; Philippians 2:6-7)
Jesus lived a perfect life without sin (John 8:46; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:22)
Jesus was despised and rejected of men (Isa.53:3;Ps. 22:6,7; Jer.8:9; Matt. 27:39-43)
Jesus paid the penalty for our sins (Isa. 53:4-6; Zech. 13:6; Gal.1:4; 1 Jn. 2:2; John 19:30)
Jesus became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 4:1)
Jesus gave his life for us (Matt; 27:50 Luke 23:46; Rev. 13:8)
Jesus made peace with God the Father for us ( Eph. 1:6; Eph. 2:14; Col. 1:20; Heb. 7:25)
Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; Eph. 5:18)
Jesus has made a place for believers in eternity  (John 14:2-3)
Jesus promised us life after death (John 6:40; John 11:25; Rom. 4:24)

Reminding ourselves of Who Jesus really is might help us to order our lives in the way that He instructs us in His Word.  In these troubled times in which we live we might want to take inventory of our beliefs and make sure they line up with what God has revealed to us.

GIVING OUR BEST TO GOD

Living for Christ in this current time is becoming much more difficult for those who believe they are called directly into the work of the ministry. With the rising tide of governmental support for behaviors and lifestyles clearly condemned by Scripture it is hard not to conclude that those who are making such decisions don’t believe the Bible is God’s Holy Word. Interestingly enough our leaders don’t seem to have a problem saying the words, Holy Qur’an when speaking about the book of Islamic teachings for fear that they may insult someone and bring the wrath of radical Islam upon themselves.

We have seen them run from the homosexuals, run from the abortionists, run from the atheists, run from the A.C.L.U. and now they run from the Muslims. In the case of Islam what they don’t realize is that an obedient Muslim is a radical Muslim. The others are considered apostates by true followers of the Qur’an. If they can stand up for all of these who live or endorse such clearly perverse behaviors, why can they not stand up for The Bible? I believe the answer is simple: they don’t believe it!

We who call ourselves by that precious name of Jesus Christ (Christians) must not cowar down as the hour of trial comes upon us. We must be prepared to bring the best and most valuable of what we have and administer it to the Lord. Though we cannot do it directly to the feet of Jesus as Mary did that day, we must remember that whatever we do for and to the least of His we do for Him. And we must remeber the words of the Apostle Peter who wrote, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.” 1 Pe 4:12

As those who sat with Mary that day experienced, “. . . the house was filled with the odour of the ointment”. And what was the odou that filled the room? The odor of total commitment. Where there is little or no sacrifice there is or no little fragrance. If the Church of our generation is to be purified it will be accomplished just as have those in past generations: by fiery trial.

With the new laws which label Biblical preaching to be hate speech you can be sure that the price of speaking Bible Truth will become more costly day by day. When they come for our tax exemptions or 501(c)(3) like they are already doing in Canada we may find out where we really stand in these matters. If we can turn back this tide through political action we must support those who are on the forefront of that battle, but we must remember our history and be prepared to stand fast regardless of the cost.

Remember the words of Paul from Romans 1:16  “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

HERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS: WE WIN!

With all of the things that are happening in this world today some might find it easy to get discouraged or even fearful of the future. If you have loved ones who are close to you, though you may not fear for yourself, it is a natural thing to be concerned for those you love. Today we live in a world that is so visible and open it can easily make us feel that we are unprotected from anyone who really wants to harm or take advantage of us. Truly it is a day when being sheep in the midst of wolves seems to be much more understandable than it used to be.

Satan must find it to his advantage to have such easy access to the hearts and minds of humans through all the various media forms that are commonplace in our daily lives. It can be a constant battle not only protecting our children from such things but keeping oneself from being drawn into the anger, malaise and hopelessness that often seems overpowering as the world turns from the truth of God

Television and radio media may keep us abreast of all that’s happening in the world but rarely will it be Good News as the media finds the bad news sells better, or at least the people who want that kind of info are more likey to tune in regularly. Between terrorism, murder, crime, corruption in politics, drug abuse, home invasions, hostage situations, child abductions and other vile happenings that find themselves beating on the doors of our lives, it almost seems reasonable to cover your head and hide in a hole somewhere until it all goes away.

At times like this it is good to read the end of the story and remind ourselves how it all turns out. We win! Those of us who have put our trust in Christ will one day awaken to the victorious sound of “a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:” (Rev. 19:1) And we will be a part of that great throng singing praises to the Lamb of God. There will be no more tears, no more pain and no more death when this world of sorrows has passed away and we dwell forever in the presence of our Glorious Lord.

But what now? How should we live our lives while we await the eternal bliss that lies ahead? What about those around us who still don’t know of God’s great love for them. What about
our loved ones who still need Christ in their lives? This is where our job comes in. Though Jesus defeated Satan through His death on the cross two thousand years ago, the full victory
of that sacrifice has not yet been realized. And while we await the culmination of all things we must devote our lives to the task at hand: spreading the message, “The Kingdom of God is at hand”.

Whatever your life is, give it to Christ. Whatever your dreams are, give them to Christ. Whatever your situation is, give it to Christ. Whatever your need is, give it to Christ. Whatever your talents are,  give them to Christ. Whatever you have, give it to Christ. Give all to Him who gave His all for you.

Does this seem unreasonable to you? Are you unsure of these things of which I write and have you forgotten the promises of God for those who love Him? Are you holding back what you have to make sure you have enough to take you through what lies ahead? Maybe you have given your all before and things didn’t turn out the way you expected so you have been living in the ’safe zone’ to avoid future disappointment. Jesus told us that our lives would face great struggles and trials, but He also said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”. (Heb.13:5)

As Jesus beheld Satan fall from heaven, so we too will one day look upon the fallen angel who became the adversary of all goodness and say, ” Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;” Isa. 14:16

So lift your head up high and find the strength to go forward looking to the One who fought the battle for us and conquered the enemy. Yet a little while and we will see Him face to face.

TRUTH ON THE INSIDE

It is a wonderful thing to hear the truth. There’s something about it that rings in the heart if you are looking for such things. Some people are very blunt and like to pride themselves that they speak plainly and honestly, but that isn’t always the same as truth. Truth has with it the desire to reveal something beneficial inside, while honesty often is just a stating of someone’s opinion or of what someone believes to be true. Honesty may often be cold and cruel and used to demean someone or shame them. Truth seeks to edify and often can provoke change in a heart that desires to have it.

Sometimes when I have preached a message I recognize that there are those who do not want to hear what I have to say. In that way truth can be a divider. This is what Jesus meant when he said he came to bring a sword. (Matt. 10:34) What a privilege it is to be able to speak the Word of God and know that it represents the highest form of Truth to be found. Jesus said He is the Word of God and He is the Way the Truth and the Life.

It can be easy to use the Word to control others or to make them believe a specific idea or philosophy if one desires to do so. Most people are busy struggling to make their life work and take care of their family or business; they look to ministers to tell them the truth and sometimes this makes them easy game for deceit or manipulation. I have often heard messages that were geared to get a group of people to support a program or follow a doctrine that will ultimately benefit the speaker more than the hearers. I would not want to be the minister who chose that path.

To receive the Truth is a great privilege. Jesus told Peter this when he correctly ascertained who Jesus really was. “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”, replied Peter.  Jesus answered, “Blessed art thou Simon Barjona”. To know the Truth is to have a divine revelation from God.

Do you take this for granted? Do you understand that if you believe the Gospel and understand the truth about who Jesus is you are blessed? Most of the world, indeed, many of those who call themselves Christian, do not know this truth in their inner man. They believe Jesus was a good man, a kind man and some would even say a gifted prophet or healer, yet they are not sure he is truly ‘the only begotten Son of God’. (I John 4:9)

Some think maybe God manifested himself as Buddha to the people of the East or Mohammed to the Arab peoples. Some would ask, “Who am I to say Jesus is the only way?” This shows that “the god of this age has blinded the[ir] minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God”. (II Cor. 4:4)

Many today preach a Gospel that is different from that which Jesus told us to preach and they are handling the word of God deceitfully. I would not want to stand before God on that charge.

Have we lost our courage today to say boldly ‘that is not the Truth!’ Are we afraid to offend someone or alienate ourselves from the flock and be branded as being judgmental? In this area especially we must be clear as to what we believe. True there are some doctrines that are not essential, but the Gospel message is not one of them.

This does not mean that we are to spend our time fruit inspecting everyone who comes into our path. But we do need to be ready as Paul told Timothy: “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves;” (II Tim. 2:24,25)

I remember when I first began to preach the Gospel and there were many new doctrines arising that were labeled New Age, or New Thought. I heard them and often thought, People won’t believe that; it is too far fetched. I was wrong. These things have now permeated the church and many have become mainstream thought for some.

Beloved I adjure you to hold on to the Truth of the Gospel as delivered unto us by the Holy Apostles and the Lord Jesus himself. If you do this you show yourself to be enlightened and blessed by God. But don’t take it for granted! Realize it is a privilege to see the Light of the truth. Many will go to the grave thinking all is well and will hear the words, Depart from Me. I never knew you.

May the Lord show you His wonderful Light of Truth and keep you close,

Craig Marlatt

A friend of mine once asked, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could get to the place spiritually where we didn’t have to fall back upon Romans 8:28 so much?” If I remember correctly my initial response was “absolutely”, but after I thought for a while I realized that was the wrong answer. I will probably always need to depend upon God to rescue me from my lack of faith or my lapses in judgment, understanding or obedience while I’m in this world. In reality, I can’t make it without His help and I am pretty sure you can’t either, to which I say, thank God.

I have met people along the road of my life who go up and down in their walk with God upon every circumstance that comes their way. When they are getting what they want they say, “God is good”. When things are going rough, “Why is God doing this to me?” I have been there myself on occasion and in hindsight, it’s a terrible place to be.

Truth is, if we knew the answers to all the hard questions it probably wouldn’t make much difference. It’s not the answers that we lack, it’s the confidence of knowing that God loves us no matter what is occurring in life or what challenge we are facing. Built into the fallen human experience is the reality of something called doubt and because deep down in our hearts we know that we have failed to meet up to the perfect requirements of a holy God the devil can sometimes get to us and attack us with accusations and fears that make us lose sight of God’s promises.

The good news is that we don’t need to feel unworthy because of our failure to meet God’s requirements. Jesus met them all for us on the cross. (Romans 5:1 and Eph.1: 6) Or in the words of the once popular praise song, “He paid a debt He did not owe; I owe a debt I could not pay”.

Having faith in times of trouble sounds easy on paper but it rarely is in reality when it comes down to it. How can it be easy? We are talking about totally trusting a God that we cannot see. We are called to believe in and put our total confidence in Someone whom we have heard is there based upon writings handed down from the past, stories of others that went before us or maybe a personal spiritual experience or answer to prayer that we or someone else may have had at one time or another. In all honesty most of us have not heard God from the burning bush like Moses did. And if we did some doctor would probably show up and give us a prescription for Xanax and tell us we were bi-polar or some such thing. That’s where faith comes in. I tried living without it before and it’s no fun.

Still, faith itself is not enough. Though many of the modern teachers and preachers have put together systems of mindset and behavior that are supposed to produce faith in us, usually the result of such practices is like a basketball that continuously needs to be pumped up in order to keep bouncing back. And so we are told to watch everything we think or say lest we fall short and shipwreck the whole effort. How fragile is this kind of faith?

What about the praying parents filled with a positive confession and faith whose dying child is lying helpless in the hospital bed bathed in prayer, faith and love, yet still they see their loving child slip away into God’s eternal hands? Or the believing man of God, who faithfully lives to love and serve those around him, yet loses his family in a tragic car accident? Where does one go having devoted the prime years of his or her life to working for a company that went belly up and left them with nothing but an unemployment check for their years of dedication?

What words can comfort someone who has walked with God for many years and loses a son or daughter to suicide or drug addition? How many have spent years in a church or ministry totally confident in the spirituality of the leadership there only to find out that the minister had been having immoral affairs or worse during all the years he had preached such powerful sermons?

No beloved, it is not our ability to have faith alone to which we must turn in troubled times, it is the Object our faith that we must trust. God himself! We must believe that no matter what is happening in our life and the lives of those we love and care for, our God will never fail to do what is best for us and for all those who love and trust in Him. It is often only in the crushing of the fruit that the sweet nectar can be released.

As it was for the Son of God himself, “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone”. (John 12:24) Sometimes the things most precious to us must be placed in God’s hands by faith not knowing how He will use them or why He requires them.

Today, much of what was once thought of as secure and stable is being shattered into dust. Hard times are upon many if not most of us and it remains to be seen how we will fare through it all. Our status as a great nation is being ridiculed and assaulted by the very men and women who are supposed to defend and build it. Our financial institutions are failing from long abuses of incompetent and questionable practices, and most of our wealth and job-producing infrastructure is being sent overseas to avoid heavy taxation and labor costs. Our confidence in all of these institutions and in the future is on the verge of reaching critical mass; the shining potential of finding security in the things of this world has never been more in need of a change of batteries.

Paul also writes in Hebrews 2:10 , “For it became him, for whom [are] all things, and by whom [are] all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Then we hear the words of Peter saying, “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin.” (1 Pet. 4:1)

If God is allowing you to go through a time of testing it is to prove the work that has been done in you by the Holy Spirit. As metal in a blast furnace is heated to a high temperature to enable the dross to rise to the surface, so it is for the follower of Christ when it is time to form the metal of the spirit into a weapon of warfare.

How do you feel when you look at what is going on in the world today? Are you fearful? Are you concerned about the future? Are you in agreement with the doomsayers who see nothing but calamity, ruin and despair? Or do you in fact see the greatest opportunity of your lifetime to be effective for Christ. Do you believe that in Christ you possess the answers to the problems of the world around you? Well if you do feel that way . . . you are absolutely right!

To be honest I don’t know when Christ is coming back. There are signs that it could be soon and I believe it is very possible that we are in the final hours, but I’m not putting my chez lounge on the top of a hill to wait for the rapture. I’m rolling up my sleeves and getting to work. The fields are white unto harvest.

Do you recognize these things and have been praying that the Lord will “send forth labourers into his harvest”? (Matt. 9:38) Just remember this: after the Lord told his disciples to pray that prayer, the next morning He sent them. (Matt. 10:1)

You are that city set on a hill. You are the light of the world. You are the lamp that will not be hid under the bed when the darkness comes. Thank God that you have this promise that whatever comes against you can only eventually work for your good through the power of the eternal God whom you serve and the Spirit that works in you.

Have courage and set your eyes on the One who is seated in the heavens high and lifted up, for He has his eyes set upon you and called you His own.

Craig Marlatt

On April 28th I celebrated my 36th anniversary of the day I surrendered my life to Christ in Cross City Correctional Institution. It was a quiet day that actually found me meditating on the week before and the previous four months of writing and getting ready for our first presentation of the play the Lord called me to write. I had focused so intently on preparing for the play that I didn’t even notice that it was my anniversary until the following day.

They say, “time passes quickly when you’re having fun”. I have found that it does so whether you’re having fun or not. Especially after you reach a certain age; for me that was fifty. After that it seemed as though time took on another pace altogether and I was racing toward the finish line at breakneck speed. Maybe the Lord does that so we can focus on the important things and have a good showing when we cross the line.

When I think back about all the changes that have come and gone in my life, in the world and in the Church, I realize how special it is that we serve a God who never changes. “The Lord loveth the Gates of Zion.” Why? Because Zion represents His everlasting covenant with a people: His undying commitment to do that which He set out to do in the beginning: create a family of those who desire to be with Him eternally.

We recently passed another wonderful mark in our family. It was just over a year ago that my wife Jolyn was lying in a hospital bed on total life support for five days. By God’s mercy she suddenly awoke and three days later she left the hospital as though nothing had happened. She spent those days in the presence of God and He sent her back with a message: Tell the people about my unconditional love and tell them to get ready.

It is hard for us as humans to imagine unconditional love. We make stabs at it randomly throughout our time on earth and even find ourselves making fresh commitments occasionally to love others that way but, sad to say, we usually come short of the goal. Yet we keep plodding along hoping to get better at it as we go. “It wouldn’t be so hard if it wasn’t for all those ‘other people’. What’s wrong with them? Why do they make it so hard for me to love them like God loves me?” That’s a good question. They probably feel the same way about you and I.

Phew! That’s what I say when I think about all the different doctrines and methodologies that I have seen and heard along my road to the gates of Zion. After thirty-six years I think I’ve heard them all but nope, I’m sure there are more yet to come before it’s all over. God must have incredible patience. It seems we are always looking for a new way to get God on our side. To get Him to validate that our truth is the right truth. When all else fails it’s great to know that God is still the same as He always has been, and that in spite of our flailing about to get our own way, He still loves us.

I’ve come to understand that it’s not about rules and regulations, it’s about relationship; not about right and wrong, it’s about the incredible love that God has demonstrated in the giving of His son Jesus Christ as an offering for our sin and disobedience. “Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can declare all His praise?” (Ps. 106:2 NKJV)

A few months ago I spoke in a service saying that ‘God loves us so much that He has even prepared a place for those who don’t want to be with Him’. Some who were there commented that they thought that was funny but not true. I still believe that what I said was right. Think about it. How many people have you known in your life — and maybe even in the churches you have attended — that seem like they don’t want anything to do with God? They don’t want to worship Him; they don’t want to honor Him; they don’t want Him in their lives. For that person heaven would really be hell, if heaven is truly like the Bible says it is.

The question that comes to mind is this: Is Jesus the Lord of your life or just the Lord of your death? I think that many people want God to be there for them when they die, but to stay in the background while they live; a backup plan so to speak. I used to think like that before I knew Christ through his Word.

In reality God has made it easy for us to do what pleases Him. We only need to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. (John 6:29) If we truly do that the rest will take care of itself. He will do His part because He is a covenant keeper.

Yet as I write these words I realize that life is still tricky. Who can understand why a little child dies of leukemia before even getting a chance to experience life? Why some people get healed when we pray for them and others do not? Why good people seem to go before their time and bad ones seem to live forever? Why some people struggle all their lives and others seem to drift on a cloud of ease and comfort? So many unanswered questions in this life . . . and sometimes God seems to be silent.

And then I see Jesus “. . . who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2) When I read this I realize that if all other questions go unanswered God has still given me something beyond all I could ask or hope for in my own strength: the privilege of a relationship with Him through the sacrifice of Christ.

I pray for you today that you will know the unconditional love of God in your own life and that whatever you may be going through at this time you will look to Him for the answers. He will not fail you though He may not do things the way you think He should. As I learned last year at the bedside of my wife, God is in control. Our job is to trust and obey.

May the Lord watch over you in these troubled times and forever

Craig

It is interesting to see how different people are reacting to the situation surrounding the Lakeland Revival and Canadian Evangelist Todd Bentley’s fall from grace. It certainly is a stark reminder of how frail we all are when we walk outside of God’s Word, and how much our adversary, the devil, will allow a believer to climb high up the ladder before knocking him or her off. Although it is one of his favorite methods – especially with those in leadership positions – it is surprising how easily ignored or forgotten this is by all of us when someone is in the midst of their ten minutes of fame.

We must never forget the warning from James, ” Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God: for god cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed.” (James 1:14) In other words, sin is already inherent in the fallen nature of man, our job is to subject and subdue it to the will of God by obedience. The devil cannot be blamed for our sin, he just has thousands of years of experience in knowing when and how to entice us. The late comedian Flip Wilson was wrong when he cried, “The devil made me do it!” He should have said, “The devil told me to do it, but it was me who did it!”

Though God does not tempt us, often his testing is similar in appearance to the temptation of Satan. Satan tempts us to destroy us, while God tests us to prove us. We would do well to remember King David whenever we think we are above temptation and vulnerability to sin. King David was a great man after God’s own heart, yet he committed terrible acts of sin when seeking to fulfill his own lustful desires. (2 Sam. 11)

It is important never to forget that our adversary is in fact a very powerful spiritual being. He was once a great archangel with tremendous authority and power. Though he despises man (and especially those who follow Christ) his primary target has never changed: He hates God and seeks always to blaspheme God’s authority and scorn his holiness. Men are just readily available paraphernalia which he uses to accuse God when he so easily traps them into sin and rebellion. (2 Sam. 12:14) And he is patient in his work.

It has been a growing idea in the Church that Satan is in fact nothing more than a loud mouthed bully with no real powers to threaten or harm a Christian who knows how to stand his or her ground. Much of the Warrior Church mentality comes from this teaching and it certainly lends itself for an exciting service. I have been to meetings where the praise music or the sermon turned quickly into fist shaking and shouting down the devil, somewhat like professional wrestlers often do to each other before entering a match. I must say I have never sensed any great anointing at that time, though often people go away shouting and grinning, convinced that they have won a great battle and put the devil in his place sulking in a corner somewhere watching Dr. Phil.

It would do good to remember Michael the archangel and his encounter with Satan when disputing for the body of Moses. He did not dare to bring a railing accusation against the devil but he said, “the Lord rebuke you”. (see also Zech. 3:1,2)

Some reading this may be thinking to yourself, “But haven’t we been raised above all powers and principalities in Christ?, and isn’t Satan under our feet?” While this is true from God’s perspective, it is only true in the same way that we are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:6) Other than Bentley, Bob Jones, Patricia King and some of these other modern day “prophets” who claim to go to the third heaven on a daily basis, I don’t know many others who would tell us they are quite so close and familiar with the Almighty God. We are there by faith in God’s Word and the finished work of Christ. In this life we must still wrestle against these powers that call upon our flesh, and we gain the victory through obedience to God and resistance to Satan’s temptations. This is the process of growth that is conforming us into the image of Christ.

The recent rise of the Neo-Apostolic Movement is, I believe, an idea hatched in the ego of man, driven by a need to see God do something powerful in our time. We today are so trained by media for a constant stream of excitement and experience we don’t know what to do if things are not happening the way we like them. Because of this, many churches have gone to an extreme variety of programs and media to make sure the people are receiving the level of stimulation they are accustomed to in their daily life. Many pastors know that if they don’t provide these things people will go elsewhere to find them, so rather than live with a smaller congregation they make the necessary investment to stay current.

It is not untypical for each generation to believe that they are in fact THE GENERATION that is of the utmost importance to the plan of God. The founding of this movement is primarily attributed to C. Peter Wagner. His basic premise is that for the past twenty centuries the institutional church has never properly recognized the Apostles role and that now God is raising up a new generation of Apostles who will lead the Church out of denominationalism into the great light of this truth. Of course he and his other leaders are the ones “mandated” to recognize these New Apostles and so they travel the world doing seminars and ‘aligning’ those whom they see as the Chosen Ones.

The recent coronation in Lakeland, Florida of Evangelist Todd Bentley by Wagner and others from this group certainly brings to question the lack of discernment and/or motives that somehow overthrew their reason and good judgment. Just a few weeks after their proclamation of Bentley’s “alignment and commissioning” Todd was discovered to be in a relationship with a female staff member and it was announced that he and his wife were filing for divorce. Shortly after that he stepped down from leading his ministry. Bentley Coronation Ceremony

While many of us would agree that the institutional church structures leave much to be desired, certainly they are only as individually diverse as their leaders are. If there is to be a renewal movement away from denominational thinking one can easily see the limited potential of organizations promoting such far fetched teachings substantiated only by experience, hype and numbers, while swapping Biblical Revelation for popularity and excitement.

The perplexing thing about this new movement is that in their attempt to do away with and discredit the existing institutional church denominations, they have created another institutional denomination. The only difference is that they are now attempting to be in charge. To quote The Who song – We Won’t Be Fooled Again – “Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss”.

Of course these teachings are nothing more than a rehashing of the old Manifest Son’s of God doctrine in a new skin called Dominion Theology. This is an attempt to explain Romans 8:19 and set a timetable for the rise of a group of Super Saints who will be like Christ and have nearly all of His powers to boot. I’m reminded of the temptations set before Eve in the Garden when Satan said to her, “and ye shall be as gods”, (Gen. 3:5b) and again to Jesus in Matthew 4:3-9. (All these things I will give thee – verse 9b). After hearing that one of their chief leaders was knighted several years ago by a Roman Catholic organization called The Knights of Malta, I wonder if they will soon openly recognize the Roman Papacy as having been the only church leadership that understood Apostolic Authority for these past seventeen centuries?

As usual, it comes down to a desire to be in Authority. Some men are not contented to rule their own lives, they feel a necessity to reign over others. The problem is history shows us that those who do so usually fail to bring their own selves under subjection and soon a lust for power takes over followed by a false sense of entitlement. Once this happens the only thing that can save them is a hard crashing fall, which Satan will accommodate and God will allow. Having seen this scenario played out many times I am sure of one thing: God will allow a fall from position and power rather than a descent into hell if there is a way to save the soul. There are a host of fallen leaders from recent decades that I won’t list by name who could verify what I am saying.

When I look at some of the men and women emulated by this group as great leaders and prophets from this past century I cringe at the thought of how blind we can become in our efforts to see, all while claiming great spiritual insight. For instance, when I attended the Lakeland Revival for one evening I was stunned to hear Todd Bentley and his associates exalting Paul Cain as the greatest prophet of our time. Paul Cain, the man who was recently exposed as having a long history of homosexuality and a very questionable list of “prophetic” utterances. And Bob Bob Jones (Not the fundamentalist Founder of Bob Jones University) , one who claims to speak daily with angels and have visions which take him into the third heaven as regularly as you and I might go to the grocery store. A man who himself was dismissed from leadership in the Kansas City Vineyard Church for counseling women in private to get ‘naked before the Lord ‘ in order for him to be able to give them a clear word of personal prophecy.

Also that evening in Lakeland, Todd, (in the middle of praying for people onstage),  received a cell phone call from Gwen Shaw of End Time Handmaidens, a woman whose teachings are as occultic as any openly New Age organization on the planet. He also recognized a host of other women “prophetesses” who teach weird doctrines and claim visions and manifestations reminiscent of the ’60’s and ’70’s LSD trips.

This is no laughing matter though to be sure. How dangerous this stuff is to the body of Christ has yet to be seen for sure. It is probably best expressed in one of Bob Jones’ prophecies from a Vineyard Prophecy Conference in 1989:

“I have called the best of every bloodline in earth unto this generation. I have elected to bring them forth in this generation . . . the elect generation . . . even the bloodline of Paul. . . of David . . . of Peter, James and John. They will even be superior to them in heart, stature and love for me. Your children will possess the spirit without measure, They will move into things of the supernatural that no one has ever moved in before . . . coming into the divine nature of Jesus Christ . . . a Church that has reached the full maturity of the Godman! This generation is going to see the beginning of this new world order.” Bob Jones – The New Order

Sounds like something one might hear from one of George Noory’s guests on the Coast To Coast Radio Program in the wee hours of the morning. Only they are usually talking about half-breed children born of aliens mating with earth women, not a coming group of anointed end-time Christian soldiers.

In spite of what Mr. Jones thinks, the Bible teaches that the Divine Nature of Jesus Christ is the Holy Spirit and we receive this Divine Nature when we are born again. It comes as a result of God’s “exceeding great and precious promises” found in the Bible.  (2 Peter Chapter 1). He (Holy Spirit) is freely given to every believer and is transforming us into the image of Christ, not into some Superhuman race coming in the end times to whip up on the Antichrist.

I find it interesting that there is an almost perfect parallel with this doctrine happening right now in the Hollywood movie scene. It seems like the only guarantee for getting a sell out audience these days is to produce a movie about one or more of the DC Comics Superheroes. I’m not sure who is imitating who though. Is the world desperate for superheroes to solve all of our problems or is the Church looking for superheroes because we are bored with the old status quo of being a faithful Christian grounded in Scripture looking for His Glorious appearing?

Either way, I’m not taking any chances. I’d better go out and get some Kryptonite before it’s too late. Hmm, let’s see was that eBay or Overstock.com that had the big sale going?

“While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? And who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”    Matthew 12:46-50

Did you know that God has a will? You might even say that the New Testament scripture is God’s Last Will and Testament. Please don’t think me sacrilegious for thinking this way, for the writer of Hebrews himself spoke in this manner in Hebrews 9:15-17, saying in essence that the death of Christ was God’s signature upon the New Testament (covenant, agreement, will, etc.), that in his death He left an inheritance, and that the beneficiaries would be those of his immediate family.

Although most theologians might agree concerning the benefits of this ‘Last Will and Testament’, there is, as in many probate hearings, much disagreement as to whom the beneficiaries are. Yet I think that it becomes quite clear if we consider verse 50 from the scripture verses quoted: “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother”.

            In saying this Jesus was not trying to belittle his natural family, but rather laying the foundation for entrance into the Kingdom of God. Certainly it would have been a blessing to be born into the family of Joseph and Mary and to be a natural born brother or sister of Jesus Christ. No doubt it was a blessing to be the chosen mother of the Christ child, but that in itself would not qualify one for an inheritance according to the New Testament. In fact there is an incident recorded in Luke 11:27,28 that substantiates this: “And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, yeah rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.”

Many hopeful beneficiaries of God’s ‘Will’ place their trust in church tradition, but Jesus made it clear that this was not the correct way: “Making the word of God of none effect, through your traditions, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye” (Mark 7:13; Matthew 15:5, 6; Isaiah 29:13). Neither can we obtain the inheritance through church attendance: “But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22).  Nor by lofty spirituality: “Many will come unto me in that day and say, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me ye workers of iniquity” (Mt. 7:22, 23).

There are no “4 Steps to Eternity” and no concept or success plan which can grant entrance into the family of God, or guarantee an inheritance which has been laid up for God’s children. We must have an absolute upon which we can base our faith, and that absolute is the Word of God. Isaiah said, “ . . . . the grass  withereth, the flower fadeth; but the Word of God shall stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). Other scriptures confirm this thought repeatedly: (Matthew 5:18; 1 Peter 1:25, 26; Psalm 19:7; Isaiah 59:21). We can no longer settle for what others have told us that Christ said, or leave it to the preacher to get to know God for us. Every person who names the name of Jesus as Savior and Lord must give personal attendance to the words our Lord has spoken.

I used to think that saying swear words with the Lord’s name attached to them was taking the Lord’s name in vain. More recently I’ve come to believe that calling yourself a Christian without a real commitment to Christ is also taking his name in vain. We hate to say ‘Jesus Christ’ as a profanity, but we don’t mind calling ourselves Christians , even though our hearts are empty and void of any real love and dedication to the Holy One behind that wonderful name.

            This is not an easy message to share and I have no hopes that it will change the course of history and turn everyone into ‘Super Christians’. It is not a new message, which has not been heard, but rather an old one that has largely been rejected. I pray that God will find even one person reading this today that will listen to the Holy Spirit, and cast down the teachings and traditions of men to walk in the pure light of God’s Holy Word. May your eyes behold his Glory.

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Galatians 4:4,5

MAN SEPARATED FROM GOD

            Did you know that man has been separated from his original relationship with God? If you have ever read the account of mans creation written in the Genesis Chapters 1 through 3 you will see that there was a time when the first man, Adam, had great favor with God. He lived in a place called Eden where there was an abundance of the things that he needed, and he had peace with all of God’s creatures. His only requirement was to keep God’s command not to eat of the ‘Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil’ – as God had told him that if he did that he would die.

            Adam (man) failed to keep his agreement with God and fell into sin, so God withdrew from man’s presence. He also made Adam leave his beautiful garden in Eden and go out into the wild to make it on his own.

MAN STILL SEEKING GOD

            It’s a very sad story but it’s true, and since that time  man has been striving to regain that original friendship he once had with God, but to no avail. It was sin that separated man from God and still today it continues to do the same. There is no hope for man to find favor with God again until this block of sin is removed.

ALL HAVE SINNED

            All sin stands in the same category with God. Sin is sin, whether it’s that of the drunkard or the prostitute; the man who cheats on his taxes (just a little), or the little girl who lies to her mother. There is no difference. All sin comes from the root of our fallen nature, and all sin has the same result: separation from God!

            The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”, and in Romans 6:23 it say’s, ”The wages of sin is death”. If all have sinned, and the wages of sin is death, then all must die!

GOD IS MERCIFUL

            Does this mean that God is cruel and harsh? No! Because the same verse in Romans 6:23 say’s, “ . . .the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Though all men deserve eternal death, God has made an offer of the free gift of eternal life through his Son, Jesus Christ. This is our only hope of being joined again to a life in union with God. God in his mercy sought a way to restore man from his fallen state and there was only one answer: the Holy Son of God must take upon himself the limitations of the flesh and be born in the likeness of men.

LOVED BY THE FATHER, HATED BY MEN

            For over thirty Jesus Christ lived on the earth. He did many wonderful miracles while He lived and was very pleasing to his Father God. Above all Jesus Christ never sinned; not with his thoughts, words or deeds. He was perfect in every way. He was the Father’s perfect sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the world. God would be satisfied.

            The religious leaders of the time hated Jesus because He told them the truth about their own sins, and the truth about God. Because of this they had him beaten to a pulp and then nailed his bloody carcass to a wooden cross. Then they hoisted it up before a screaming crowd who jeered, and mocked, and shouted horrible blasphemous things at God’s only Son. For several hours Jesus hung there in excruciating pain, naked before the world. While He hung there Jesus said these words: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”(Luke 23:24) Before He died Jesus cried out: “It is finished” (John 19:30), signifying that He had completed the work of salvation which God the Father had sent him to accomplish. Three days later Jesus Christ arose from the tomb where He was buried, triumphing over death, hell and the grave.

BELIEVE AND BE SAVED

            All who believe these words in their heart and repent from their sins will receive the forgiveness of God. To repent means to have a change of direction: to turn from your life of sin and unbelief and give your will and the leadership of your life over to Jesus Christ.

            When you acknowledge that you are indeed a sinner in need of God’s salvation, and confess your belief that Jesus Christ has made the full payment required by God to atone for your sins, that He rose from the grave, and that you are ready to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, you shall be saved. (see Romans 10:9-10) It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done. The blood that Jesus shed on the cross nearly 2,000 years ago is still sufficient to remove your sins. You will be ‘born again’ and receive a new heart of obedience so that you can serve God and obey his word.

THERE IS NO OTHER WAY

This is God’s Plan of Salvation for you and it is impossible to be forgiven through any other means then through Jesus Christ.

You must:

1.      Confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus

2.      Believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead

3.      Repent from your sin and disobedience to God

4.      Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior

Do it now! Don’t put it off. God is dealing with your heart and this is the most important decision you will ever make. Satan will try to make you doubt, but it is only because he desires to rob you of this gift of Eternal Life.

             Find a Bible believing and teaching Church gathering where you can  find fellowship and grow, and begin to study your Bible regularly. Ask God to direct you and He will lead you to the right people, but be careful as there are many wolves out there who want to steal what you have. Trust in the Lord and He will direct your path.

             Write or email me if you have any questions, need any help, or just want to share the good news of what God has done for you. Share your faith with others around you and God will surely bless you. May He keep you in his loving care,

Craig Marlatt   craig@craigmarlatt.org

“The greatest freedom is the freedom to believe. Without belief there can be no real freedom.” One might respond that the freedom to not believe is also a freedom, but it is not so. True freedom has borders. The borders are the will of God and the express purpose of God. Unbelief is the greatest of sins because it is in direct conflict with the revealed will of God. Unbelief is to freedom what wishing is to prayer. Wishing is an expression of a desire, frustration or imagination which may or may not coincide with the will of God. When it coincides with the will of God it is prayer.

Often wishing can be the discovery process that leads to prayer, but it can never be prayer. Prayer begins with God the Holy Spirit churning or calling within us or echoing His will through the spoken or written Word of God. God leads us through our frustration and need from imagination to prayer by revealing His will. Often we resist God’s Will because it does not meet with the expectation of our own desire. It is usually our desire that manifests the fallen nature of man and it is through the revealed will of God that we are called to ‘cast down’ imaginations and every thing that is in enmity (exalts itself) against the will of God. It is the nature of the fallen will to resist the borders of God’s perfect will. (2 Cor. 10:5)

Because God cannot be usurped, He is the only example of True Freedom. God is God and can never be less than God therefore He is in perfect union with Himself. He has no fear because there is nothing that can upset His reality. God is perfect love and “perfect love cast out fear”. (1 John 4:18) God is Reality and all that comes from His imagination is the lesser reality of the creation. It is not the Creator, but a manifestation of His expression, His idea. Because it is His idea it is His will that enables the creation to have existence. Because its existence is linked and supported only by His will, its freedom not only is in obligation to God but cannot exist without Him. There is no true freedom outside of the will of God.

It is the futility of man to resist God’s will by trying to usurp something that cannot be overcome. That is why many briefly successful (and horrible) expressions of human government are stolen from the principles of God’s revealed will. They are in fact attempts to capture God’s power without God’s will. For an example consider communism: this is merely an attempt to build governmental and human reality and authority without the revealed will of God. It is an attempt to accomplish the life of the early Church as recorded in the book of The Acts of the Apostles without God and without love. It is to human government what wishing is to prayer. Its history is based upon the frustrations of someone who liked God’s ideas, but not His borders.

Humans are the highest expression of God’s imagination in Creation for in them He has revealed Himself by imprint. Each is expressly different in some way as God himself differs from all things. Some have said that God is everything except that which is not God. But this cannot be true in essence, anymore than to say that a man’s ideas are not the man. Because they come from him they are indeed an expression of some part or idea which is him. Therefore man, God’s creation, is not separate from Him and cannot function or exist outside of Him. Even in complete rebellion from which there is no return he still exists only by God’s will. As David wrote, “Where shall I flee from Thy Spirit or where shall I go from Thy Presence Lord? . . .though I make by bed in hell, Thou art there”.

In marriage God allows the creation to create. God, being not endangered by the result, allows man to express himself in the fullest way through pro-creation. It is an opportunity for man to express his will through the act of creation. God does not interfere with the process but offers a blessing in marriage. In marriage I say, and not just sex, because it is within the boundary that God has supplied for the benefit of man and his offspring. By marriage I mean a union between two persons of the opposite sex who, under God, have covenanted together to form a family. Of course I don’t mean to infer that the laws of the land mean nothing, but since they differ from society to society let us presume that they are being upheld, Righteous Law being one of the clear borders the Lord has assigned for the benefit of man.

Through the act of union with one spouse, man can begin to exercise the nature of God that is given through imprint (Gen.1:26). He also can experience the complexity of that relationship in its development and growth. As man made God in His image and likeness, so has He made woman in the image and likeness of man and children in the image and likeness of their parents: the union of two expressed in one creation, a child.

Freedom, expressed through creation, is not exempt from suffering. God himself suffered separation and the loss of His son Adam in the Garden of Eden and later when Christ went to the Cross, because he endowed the man created in His image to have freedom of will. He could have avoided suffering by making him an obedient robot like creature, but in doing so He would have forfeited family. To create family one must accept with that the potential for disharmony and suffering when free wills come into conflict with each other. God proves His love for man in that He created him a free will creature, thus enabling man to cause suffering in and to God.

                             (to be continued)