- Specimen book for Buddy August 24, 2010
- New release! Buddy: the sans companion to Contenu August 24, 2010
- Classes mess up Opentype Glyph generation August 9, 2010
- A history of the alphabet August 9, 2010
- Going after the look of old fonts? Not likely August 7, 2010
This is an excerpt from my new book, “Finding the Power to Believe”.
Philippians Verse 2:12
“Therefore, as you have always obeyed, not only when I was there but also now that I am not, work out your salvation in deep reverence and careful caution” [MVP]
This is serious stuff. You need to be on guard, watching and cooperating with the Lord. It is a work—it doesn’t just happen magically overnight. It will take you the rest of your time here on the planet.
One of the major things you need to understand is that your salvation is a process. While it is true that people who accept Jesus on their death bed will make it to heaven. It is equally true that they will make it by the skin of their teeth and have no rewards built up.
Now these rewards are not something we earn. They are something we allow Jesus to do in us. Nevertheless they are real. Jesus explained this in the parable of the talents (among other places). You know the story. A man went on a trip (like the one Jesus is on now, seated at the right hand of the Father waiting for the time to bring us home with Him). Before he left, he gave each of his servants different talents.
This is like what we have been given when we are born.
We all have different talents. And we are all expected to do something with those talents. When the master came back he demanded an accounting.
The man with many talents had doubled his wealth. The master praised him and said, “you have been faithful in much and I will put you in charge of many things.
The slave who had been given few was told, “You Ave been faithful in few things. I will put you in charge of many things.” In other words, this slave had few talents, but he got the same reward as the slave with many talents. The goal was not how much wealth you acquire, but how faithful you were to be a good steward of what you were given.
However, for the slave with very few talents, who became terrified of the master and buried his talent (seemingly so he wouldn’t loose it) incurred the wrath of the master. He was told that just putting it in the bank to earn interest would have been acceptable.
But because he was too afraid to do anything and showed his lack of trust in the master (no faith), the following was told to him. Matthew 25: 28–30
“Then the master ordered, ‘Take the talent from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten talents. To those who are faithful in what they are given (db: whether they are given a little or a lot), even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless slave into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” [MVP]
It certainly looks like this is serious. Hiding your talents in fear—not working on your salvation—never doing what is necessary to grow in wisdom and stature in the Lord is an attitude showing lack of faith and can forfeit your salvation. I certainly do not want to be labeled a useless servant tossed out of the master’s household. Of course, this is a radical interpretation on my part. But how else can we read this? Working out your salvation is a serious and fearful (reverent) thing.
One of the more common heresies running around the church today is that we must always speak positively, that negative confessions are, by definition bad. The truth of the matter is quite different.
II Timothy 3:16 {NKJV}
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,”
God tells us the purpose in the next verse [let's use New Living this time]:
“God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
Please notice that the second use of scripture if “for reproof”. The amplified expands this (and correction) to the following:
“for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience”
This does not sound like the power of positive speaking to me.
Jesus could be quite negative
Take the verse I harp on all the time—spoken to the church-goers of the day:
Matthew 7:21-23 [Amplified]
“Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name? And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].”
Notice that these are people using the name of Jesus in power—those whom we would call spirit-filled today. They prophesied, did exorcisms, and miracles in the name of Jesus. Yet, Jesus says to them the scariest words in scripture, “I never knew you: depart from me”.
May it never happen to any of us!
So, how are we to speak?
Paul says it best in Ephesians 4:15
“speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him”
OK, I understand speaking the truth, but that is to be done “in love” . Again Paul says it best in I Corinthians 13: 4–6 [NASB]
“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;”
So, even if the truth hurts we are responsible to be patient, kind, humble, meek, un-offended, in the moment, and happy with the truth as it is reveled. But, we mustn’t pull back if the truth requires a rebuke, a warning, or a so-called negative expression.
If we are prayed for about healing, we are not to lie if it still hurts but positively confess that we’re healed. However, I see nothing wrong with saying, “I haven’t seen the manifestation yet, but I am convinced that He will heal me and stop the pain.” [But only if that is really the truth about how you feel.]
God never requires us to lie. If you think that is what is happening in your life, bite your lip, zip your yap, and don’t say anything until you can say the truth. Sure that is difficult sometimes. But the Christian walk requires nothing less.
Guilty as charged!
Maybe it’s just me, but I rarely find a place where I can really say what I feel. A lot of it is my shyness and timidity on social situations. I can hear the laughing and the “yea, right!”s—but I ask you, “How many of you have seen me in a social situation?” Surely you can see my motivation to teach and write.
However, as a writer and teacher, I really need to be careful. First of all, scripture says I’ll be judged more severely than non-teachers.
James 3:1 esv Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
So, I really want to be in control of what I say. In addition, I really find that it is easy to miss opportunities by offending people—especially Christians. I really don’t know why that is such a problem. One of the fruits of the spirit is to not be easily offended. I usually write it off to personal taste; that I do not like fashion; that I do not like crowds; that I do not like sports; and on & on. It’s more likely that my flesh is really obnoxious.
However, there’s no place for speaking in the flesh
That’s one of the main reasons I do not like the phone or face-to-face meetings. It’s not that my reactions are bad—they’re not thought out. Every time I get off the phone and talk about the conversation I always get, “Why didn’t you ask…” “What are they doing…” I never have an answer. Talking in reaction to interaction is fearful for me because I do not trust my flesh at all. It always gets me in trouble.
What about my call?
Maybe the problem is who I am designed to be. I know the Lord has used me as a prophet—and no one likes prophets. I know that I was trained as an “artist” dealing with getting in touch with my personal vision. I know that I’m creative, in my limited up-tight manner. But this cannot be an excuse to be rude or uncaring or self-centered. I must put down my flesh and walk by the Spirit. Only in the Holy spirit do I have any hope of getting past myself.
I must pull my punches
There is no room for me to allow the flesh free rein at all. My ideal and goal is peace, joy, gentleness, self-control. I have to focus on my audience and seek to hear what they need—what the Lord would have me share, what Jesus wants to say in the situation.
It is always fascinating to watch one of these postings as it develops. So far I have written and tossed a half dozen complete paragraphs and several more sentences. I began with a four/five paragraph stream of consciousness and I think all of that is gone now. The entire point and focus of it has radically changed as I pray and repent to hear better. This is the way it should be. I’m not an apostle or leader. I’m a prophet/teacher. My responsiblility is to be much more careful of what I say. Jesus’ words are really scary to me,
Matthew 12:36-7 esv “… I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
What could be more worrisome to an artist/author who merely tries to be a good steward of the ideas he is given? Before Jesus, I was the arbiter. I was taught in school that good is defined as what I like. What a shock it was to discover absolute truth and its personification [& what a relief]. Now, the Holy spirit has the final say—I hope.
As you’ve noticed, I’ve posted several pieces lately about prophecy—specifically how the modern teachings on prophecy seem to miss obvious issues. I’ve added a section on the site about prophecy. I’ve covered some real problems with the currently popular teachings on the subject: the name of the King; Gog & Megog; the rapture; the three comings; & the millenium crew. Yes, this spat of writing is part of the build up to the release of my apocalyptic novel, Surprised? But these issues are real.
The Lord told me many years ago to stop all the speculation
In several prophecies, He made it clear to me that no one (including myself) has it figured out. In fact, once He said, “I did it so they couldn’t figure it out the first time, why do you think you’ll be able to figure it out the second time (or the third)?” But this is just a small part of the problem.
One thing we noticed as my wife led the sheep the Lord gave her was that we could not teach about prophecy without arguments—that often got nasty. It seems to be impossible to seriously examine prophecy without disagreement and controversy. I’m sure some of you might be upset by my personal conviction that because there are such convincing arguments for pre-, mid-, and post-tribulation rapture it is likely that all three are correct—for different segments of humanity.
Will you be ready when He comes back?
That’s the bottom line. It is your discipleship that matters. Your character counts. You are known by your fruit—AND understanding prophetic manifestations is not a fruit of the Spirit. However, we cannot just ignore prophecy. It does seem like the end if near and we need to be ready. The scripture from Ephesians seems appropriate here:
Ephesians 5: 15-16 [NIV]: Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
This is serious stuff. Be aware of what is happening in the world and in the Kingdom. If the Great Falling Away (2 Thess 2:3 NKJV) is in process [& I believe it is], be careful. Rejoice! He is coming soon.
Get your act together—grow up! This is life or death—with God or not with God—salvation. If you haven’t accepted Jesus, you need to do that.
Just talk to Him like you would to friend. Something like,”Jesus, I need you in my life. I give you control of my life.” If you have trouble, email me and I’ll talk you through it. BUT this is a transaction you need to make—before it is too late.
Do not be confused!
Refuse to speculate!
Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal is the subject of endless speculation. This is considered one of the definitive signs of the latter days and the Great Tribulation. A minor note is that it is Magog in Ezekiel and Megog in Revelation—but that’s a quibble.
But are they necessary for the coming of the King?
No they are not! In fact, scripture seems to indicate pretty strongly that they will become a factor at the end of the millennium. Prior to that, the scriptures do not apply except under certain conditions.
You can see who he is below.
Ezekiel 38:3-7—I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all his hordes; Beth-togarmah from the uttermost parts of the north with all his hordes— many peoples are with you. “Be ready and keep ready, you and all your hosts that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. After many days you will be mustered.
But when is he coming down upon Israel?
- Ezekiel 38:8-11—…In the latter years you will go against the land that is restored from war, the land whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. Its people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them…On that day, thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme and say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates…
This doesn’t sound like the Israel I know today.
After the millennium
As you can see below in the only other place mentioning Gog and Megog, this attack specifically comes when the millennium is ended. Again, that is not today. We haven’t even seen the King yet.
Revelation 20:7-8—And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle
Keep an open mind & be prepared!
No one knows the day or the hour.
Do not be confused! (Visit the prophecy section of the site)
One of the major things that became clear as I studied prophecy was the over-emphasis on “the second coming”. It became very clear that prophecy was talking about three comings at least.
What people couldn’t seem to understand was that the prophets wrote what they were given without understanding how everything fit together. Isaiah, for example, clearly did not understand that the phrases that we now call Isaiah 61:2 cover two of the comings.
Look at verses 1 & 2: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God…
Jesus fulfilled all of this, except the last line. He left that for the coming of the King (or the end & judgement). The question remains if the day of vengeance comes before or after the Millennium.
The prophets couldn’t sort it out
One of the things about prophecy (speaking as a man who has been used often in that gift) is that the prophet often needs an interpreter to understand the message that the Lord has spoken (or written) through him or her.
The Psalms (as you see below) are confused by the fact that several different people wrote Psalms. For a prophet with complexly mixed messages, we need to look at Isaiah. We’ve already looked at 61:2 but there are countless others.
Let’s look at Psalms
Here we can see the three comings clearly. Let me give you a list of some of them which talk about Jesus, the King, and the End. This is not a complete or prophetic list. It reflects my years of study, but many assignations are debatable. It is certainly worthy of study, and you can clearly see the three events after a while.
Jesus
Psalms 8:4-6 (maybe); 16:10; 18: 4-7 & 18-24; 22: 1-19; 31:5 & 11; 35:9-12; 41:9; 45; 46; 47; 48; 69:8-9, 19-21, 26; 72:mixed with King; 78:2; 118:22-24;
The King
Psalms 2:all; 15:all, 18:43-45; 21:most; 22:22-31; 24:all; 50:3; ?58:10-11; 67; 68; 72:mixed with Jesus; 75; 76; 87; 93:1-2; 98; 110;
The Judge at the end of time
Psalms 9:all; 10:16; 18:7-15; 29:not clear; 50:4-5; 97:1-5; 102:25-28;
Is this debateable?
Of course! It’s a quick list, much of it based on old notes from I Bible I used when teaching in the nineties. If you look these up though, the pattern should become clear.
Where does this teaching come from?
They are all theories
I was perplexed & sought the Lord’s mind on this
Will anyone notice?
Will the church be taken out?
What about the conflicting theories?
I was asking the Lord this morning what to study. Very quickly, he led me to Luke 12:25. Let me share this with you in the Amplified:
“And which of you by being overly anxious and troubled with cares can add a cubit to his stature or a moment [unit] of time to his age [the length of his life]?”
I use the Amplified because it covers both common translations and gives the most accurate sense to the meaning. The King James variants use the cubit to your stature. The modern translations use an hour to your life. It’s in the context of —
What are you so worried about?
Jesus is talking about the silliness of worrying about these things—food, clothing, shelter, health, genetic make up, inheritance, any of it. Now that I am no longer employed, these worries have resurfaced. I had a battle with them back in the 1970s and 80s which I thought I had won. Evidently not. The Lord has put us back under the regimen of dependence for our daily bread again. I’m coming back out the other side of a four year bout with this. For quite a bit of that time we were back to the “Lord, I need some food.” and have him give us ten–fifteen dollars to get what we needed that day. Daily dependence is something we really don’t like much. We want to be able to relax and assume things are covered. I don’t want to have to worry about being responsible with what I have been given.
But it goes much further than that. The NIV version of the verse (no, I don’t normally like the NIV) gives me that sense I am talking about today:
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
Personally, I don’t think that’s possible. I listen to all the shows with their medical advice and guidance for living. I hear all these things I can do to live longer and feel better. But if I listen carefully, all they really say is that by doing these things I can increase the percentage of hope that I might be doing something that might help. As far as I can tell, it doesn’t really change anything. You should do what the Spirit convinces you to do.
That’s different for all of us. I’m convinced, for example, that soybeans are not food. I’ve eliminated them from my life and I feel better and I believe I’m healthier. Is this for everyone? Nope. That’s what I believe the Lord has me doing.
I remember when our daughter died from a cancer that was 95% curable. My wife had said early on, “someone has to be part of the 5%.” That turned out to be prophetic—God warning her of what was coming in our daughter’s life. The cancer got Annie’s attention and she died a strong believer in her mother’s arms. Together they were singing Jesus loves me as she went to be with him. She had a successful life. She knew her Lord. It was clearly part of the Lord’s plan for her life.
The key scripture about all of this is Colossians 2:16-23. Here’s an excerpted version:
“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink… Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism… and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— ‘Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch’… according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value…”
I’m not saying that you should not take these things seriously. You should take every aspect of your life seriously. It’s a life or death proposition and there is only one path to life. But don’t be silly enough to think that you can lengthen your life span or make yourself taller or change your health. Plastic surgery might partially conceal your appearance, but you are still who you are and the person God designed. All of these things are part of your period of training here on earth. You were assigned here under the constrictions of your genetic makeup, cultural heritage, and environmental conditions to make the choice we all must make. Is Jesus really the Lord of Lords, King of Kings, and messiah of God?
Nothing else matters!
Relax! Get to know your king. Talk with and listen to Him. He’s the only one who knows the plan.
We decided to move everything from Blogger to our site. It will take a while to get everything set up, but this is where we’ll post from now on.