King Asa (2 Chronicles 15) did many good things that pleased the Lord. He cleansed the temple by tearing down altars and statues to other gods and even kicked his grandmother out of the palace (She was the Queen Mother) because she had Asherah poles that she worshiped.
When he went to war the first time he consulted with God through a prophet and God gave him a great victory. Later he decided to go to war but failed to consult with God. He asked another king to help him and proposed his own plan. God didn’t necessarily punish Asa for not consulting with Him, He just let him reap what he had sown. God said Asa would now be at war for the rest of his reign as king. Asa left God out of his plans so God decided not to be involved in helping him in any more wars and now he would have plenty of wars to think about it. Likewise if we choose to leave God out of our plans he will be quite obliging to let us continue on the path we started, without Him. That is what is much of what is happening to America today.
Why is revival so lacking amongst our great American churches? I believe because years ago God moved through America in various revivals movements and a number of the traditional dominations and churches shunned and rejected them because the movements didn’t fit their idea of how God was supposed to behave. Many churches have been taught and still firmly believe that when the bible was completed then there was no more need for apostles, miracles, healings and all the supernatural stuff. They believe that miracles, signs and wonders ended with the original apostles. The consequence of this is when the charismatic movement came in the 1970’s with signs and wonders they rejected it. When God moved through America with the worship revival in the late 1980’s they again rejected it and a number of years passed before they decided it was actually a work of God. Then when God moved in the early 1990’s in Melbourne and Pensacola, Florida, Toronto Canada and other places it was outright rejected even by some churches that had embraced earlier moves of God. These rejections of the different powerful moves of God have accumulated and the results are being reaped by America today. We are suffering the consequences of our own decisions. The many churches and denominations have chosen not to follow God when He revealed Himself to us because He didn’t follow their denominational beliefs. They chose to leave out the parts of God that didn’t suit them so He has let them go their own way.
We can sing “God bless America” all day long but look around at reality people. The churches are not growing. The percentage of Christians in America is down by 10%. Our government is run by an ungodly group of people who wish to eliminate all remembrance of Christianity. Our schools have been nearly purged of moral and spiritual teachings. Our economy is tanking, and the Gulf coast is having a disaster of epic proportions. A disaster that could destroy much of the aquatic life in the gulf and all the jobs that goes with it. And if we don’t get control and solve the debt crisis we will cease to be a nation, period. Our unfunded liabilities, social security, Medicare, etc is nearly 100 trillion dollars. That means every family in America is in debt through the government for one hundred and twenty thousand dollars each this year. That is one hundred twenty thousand dollars you and your children owe right now. Is your government adequately taking care of this problem?
Like Asa we have failed to depend on God. Like Asa we have failed to consult God and let Him fight our battles. Like Asa we have turned to men, influential preacher, politicians, etc. to solve our problems. Our Churches have failed. Our denominations have failed. Our leaders have failed. We have looked at moves of God and said that is not how we want do things. Now there is only one answer: each of our churches must humble themselves, pray and totally sell out to God. Don’t look to the past for the ways and means to do things. Don’t look to old traditions. Look to God with a new attitude and say to Him ‘whatever and however you want to do it God we will believe and follow you’. There will be a new revival soon. Will you continue to reject God and do your own plan, operate in the past and accept the status quo or will you embrace everything the new revival brings? Will I shed my old ways like sackcloth and old wineskins? Will I receive the new wind of the Holy Spirit, wear a new robe of repentance and drink from the new wine that the Holy Spirit pours out? Will I? Will you?
Nubby
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
A revealing of the book of Revelations (Revival Part II)
If you read the book of Revelations in the bible at one place John says "the second angel sounded and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood: and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died." (Rev 8:8-9)
The aerial images of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill the globules of oil have the look of dried blood, a brownish red color. Could this have been the picture of what John was describing, a huge oil spill that covers a third of all the oceans of the world? As I write the Gulf oil spill is over 52 [revised from 40] days old and it is still gushing. It will be August before the relief wells are finished and a permanent fix is in place. All other methods to stop the leak have failed so far. If the leak continues for another sixty or eighty days it will affect the entire Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean. In other words the whole planet will be affected physically, economically and politically. This could be an ‘end of the world’ type catastrophic event. Was this the event John saw or one like it?
Many of the images that John described in Revelations can now be explained as descriptions of today’s modern weapons and technologies. The whole world getting to watch the death of the three prophets of God would only be realized after CNN broadcast images of the First Gulf War into every country of the world. Now it is a common thing to see world wide events develop live on our TV screens.
The stage is fully set for the beginning of the Tribulation and the return of Christ. There is nothing left to be done except have a great end time revival to win people to Christ and experience His return. Things will get much worst. The world as we once knew it may be passing away before our very eyes. The only thing we can do is to turn to God and trust in His word that we will be delivered through what ever event we will encounter.
Many churches are doing the same things they have been doing for the last one hundred years. They are still trying to live in the revivals from the 1800’s or early 1900’s. That will not cut it. The Holy Spirit is a pillar of fire. He comes and stays a while and then he moves on. Not a physical move but a spiritual one. We must go through one revival and move on to the next, not stay in the same place spiritually, not stay where we are and especially not go backwards to live in a past era of revival. Many mainline churches are still living in the past looking to their human roots. Trying to build on the foundations of men who once experienced God in a new way but then God moved on, some men followed the new move and some didn’t. The men who founded many of our churches in the 1800’s are not our foundation, Jesus is. Churches must leave the past behind them and start looking for a new beginning and when it is complete look for another one and then another one, where ever the pillar of fire goes we must follow.
Jesus said we would know when it is the end times. Whether it will be next week, next year or the next decade we are at that place where we must decide to put Jesus first in everything or suffer the consequences of clinging to a dying world that will soon be gone.
Do we cling to our old traditions? Do we cling to our old methods and habit? If our churches are not growing and experiencing the end time revival fire of the Holy Spirit we need to let go of those things and learn to listen and follow the lead of the Holy Spirit.
I was reading in the Old Testament where one of the kings who followed after the Lord went into the Temple and tore down Asherah poles, incense altars and other idols that his father had erected. I was wondering; have we not also built up idols and altars to other gods in our churches, blending the pagan world with the church? Have we not made idols of people, their teachings and methods? Have we not made idols of traditions to the point that our traditions are more important than people? Have we not seen churches rejected by their denomination because (gasp) they didn’t follow tradition. Have we not seen denomination choose to follow the publicly correct rules of men rather than follow God? Are they not desecrating the church of God just as the Temple was desecrated?
It is time to purge the Churches. If we don’t do it ourselves God will do it for us. It is time to get back to the basics of following and worshipping God and God alone. It is time for pure revival, a revival with the energy, fire and power of the Holy Spirit. The church must end in power just like it began, a supernatural one.
Nubby
The aerial images of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill the globules of oil have the look of dried blood, a brownish red color. Could this have been the picture of what John was describing, a huge oil spill that covers a third of all the oceans of the world? As I write the Gulf oil spill is over 52 [revised from 40] days old and it is still gushing. It will be August before the relief wells are finished and a permanent fix is in place. All other methods to stop the leak have failed so far. If the leak continues for another sixty or eighty days it will affect the entire Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean. In other words the whole planet will be affected physically, economically and politically. This could be an ‘end of the world’ type catastrophic event. Was this the event John saw or one like it?
Many of the images that John described in Revelations can now be explained as descriptions of today’s modern weapons and technologies. The whole world getting to watch the death of the three prophets of God would only be realized after CNN broadcast images of the First Gulf War into every country of the world. Now it is a common thing to see world wide events develop live on our TV screens.
The stage is fully set for the beginning of the Tribulation and the return of Christ. There is nothing left to be done except have a great end time revival to win people to Christ and experience His return. Things will get much worst. The world as we once knew it may be passing away before our very eyes. The only thing we can do is to turn to God and trust in His word that we will be delivered through what ever event we will encounter.
Many churches are doing the same things they have been doing for the last one hundred years. They are still trying to live in the revivals from the 1800’s or early 1900’s. That will not cut it. The Holy Spirit is a pillar of fire. He comes and stays a while and then he moves on. Not a physical move but a spiritual one. We must go through one revival and move on to the next, not stay in the same place spiritually, not stay where we are and especially not go backwards to live in a past era of revival. Many mainline churches are still living in the past looking to their human roots. Trying to build on the foundations of men who once experienced God in a new way but then God moved on, some men followed the new move and some didn’t. The men who founded many of our churches in the 1800’s are not our foundation, Jesus is. Churches must leave the past behind them and start looking for a new beginning and when it is complete look for another one and then another one, where ever the pillar of fire goes we must follow.
Jesus said we would know when it is the end times. Whether it will be next week, next year or the next decade we are at that place where we must decide to put Jesus first in everything or suffer the consequences of clinging to a dying world that will soon be gone.
Do we cling to our old traditions? Do we cling to our old methods and habit? If our churches are not growing and experiencing the end time revival fire of the Holy Spirit we need to let go of those things and learn to listen and follow the lead of the Holy Spirit.
I was reading in the Old Testament where one of the kings who followed after the Lord went into the Temple and tore down Asherah poles, incense altars and other idols that his father had erected. I was wondering; have we not also built up idols and altars to other gods in our churches, blending the pagan world with the church? Have we not made idols of people, their teachings and methods? Have we not made idols of traditions to the point that our traditions are more important than people? Have we not seen churches rejected by their denomination because (gasp) they didn’t follow tradition. Have we not seen denomination choose to follow the publicly correct rules of men rather than follow God? Are they not desecrating the church of God just as the Temple was desecrated?
It is time to purge the Churches. If we don’t do it ourselves God will do it for us. It is time to get back to the basics of following and worshipping God and God alone. It is time for pure revival, a revival with the energy, fire and power of the Holy Spirit. The church must end in power just like it began, a supernatural one.
Nubby
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
America needs Revival
I was watching Glenn Beck last night (May 25th, 2010) and he presented a number of video quotes as he calls it “in their own words”. The phrase “Global Governance” was repeated over and over by the president, many of his cohorts, union leaders and others. The understanding you get is that all these people intend on moving us towards a single world governing body whereby we will no longer chose or elect those who will rule over us and govern us.
The example we currently have is Greece Greece , can now tell Greece what and how to run their country because they are now servants of the lender; who is Europe . Greece
The main Marxist goal in America America
We will be in bondage to the Chinese, the IMF, whoever we owe money to. America America
Currently we are following many of the same trends of the great depression. On our current path we will soon be having 20-25% unemployment. People will have no homes, no food and no place to go for help. My mother told me of times as a child when she lived in a tent city during the depression and had to steal food off a vegetable train car in order to have something to eat. Can it be possible to experience that again?
[For more information on what is happening to us go to:
http://spectator.org/archives/2010/05/26/what-barack-obama-is-thinking
and http://townhall.com/columnists/MarybethHicks/2010/05/26/threat_to_parents_rights_a_bigger_issue_than_rights_of_a_child ]
and http://townhall.com/columnists/MarybethHicks/2010/05/26/threat_to_parents_rights_a_bigger_issue_than_rights_of_a_child ]
If we do have another deep depression, if things do get worse before they get better, if they get better at all, then the churches will have to be ready. People will be looking for answers. People will be looking for help. People will turn to the church and we need to be ready.
The answers are not in government, nor is it in businesses, people or elected officials, although electing the right people will help. Beck correctly points out that the only real hope for America America
It was King Hezekiah (2 Kings:20) who was dying and prayed to God to let him live. God answered his prayer and gave him another 15 years. God also said “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14. If we start doing things God’s way then perhaps we can give our children a chance to experience liberty and freedom for all of their lifetime.
The question is how do we have true spiritual revival? How can America
The original experiences with the Holy Spirit had physical manifestations, vocal expressions, joy and giddiness (they appeared drunk), they fell to the ground, buildings shook, people had visions and when the immediate physical experience was over they were difference inwardly. They had a power. They were bold with gospel, they had love for one another, they shared their belongings, and they took care of one another. Also shared among them were the supernatural gifts that God gave so his body on earth would be like Jesus as He was when He was upon the earth. A true Pentecost type revival will bring the supernatural God down to earth to work through the hands, mouths and feet of His believers, the Church.
The revival need not to be a one time event either. Several revivals I know of started in the early 1990’s and continue to this day. One has had revival meetings six days a week every week since their initial spiritual outpouring in 1993. A revival can be continuous.
We need a new revival; bigger in scope, wider in scale. The old line churches need to let go of their traditions and embrace a new thing, drink the new wine, become energized by a new fresh move of the Holy Spirit. This is not about saving your traditions, or our culture or our ordinary way of doing things; this is about saving our freedoms, our country and the spiritual and physical lives of our children.
How do we start a new revival? A revival that will spread across the United States
Send an email to mynubbysplace@gmail.com and let me know what you think.
Nubby
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The Day Jesus left Heaven
Right now as I write this we are beginning the Easter season. Christmas was over three months ago and all of the decorations have been taken down. As I reflected on Christmas this year I had the image in my mind of heaven just before Jesus left to become the baby boy born to Mary and Joseph.
You know it was nine month before Christmas that Mary was impregnated with Jesus. So it is about the same time in April when we celebrate Easter that Jesus left heaven and it was around April when Jesus returned to heaven. I wonder what the significance of that is? I’ll figure it out someday.
Philippians 2:5 -8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what, not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
9 -11 Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father. (The Message Bible)
To comprehend what Jesus did, imagine him sitting on the throne in heaven next to the Father (they are one but yet still three separate entities). The Holy Spirit is all around. The moment has come. It is time for the baby Jesus to be conceived. The Angel appears to Mary and begins to tell her what is going to happen to her:
Luke 1: 30“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (KJV)
As the angel is telling her this, Jesus stands up in heaven and like an everyday piece of clothing he removes the glory of the father and lays it upon the empty seat of the throne. Then he lays down his majesty, royalty, omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience. He takes off everything except his bare deity and stands spiritually naked before all of heaven. For a brief moment heaven is quiet, not a sound, not a movement, life frozen in time. The heavenly choir is holding its breath. The flickering waves of glory that radiate from the throne stand still like frozen ice in space.
Then suddenly Jesus is gone. You could look through every inch of heaven and Jesus would not to be found because now he has come to earth. He has given up everything and now dwells in the form of a little baby fetus. He has become like us. His deity has joined with the human egg of Mary and for the next nine months he will grow in her womb just as any other man. Then for the next twelve years he will depend on human parents to provide for him, teach him and nurture him until he become a full grown man. Then at Age thirty he will begin his ministry and the rest of the story is well known.
Can you imagine Jesus giving up all those things he had in heaven, the power that created the worlds, the glory, the omniscience, the omnipotence and everything that made him who he was, God, and become a simple man? He was not only just a man but the perfect human sacrifice to pay for the sins of the whole world. That the life he chose to live would pay a painful price to redeem all of mankind from their sins and give them a new life. One in which they could live forever with him in heaven. From the day he was born, that first Christmas morning, he was destined to die a horrible painful death so we might live eternally.
Jesus gave all he had so we could receive all that the father could give; righteousness, peace, joy, fullness of the Holy Spirit and so much more. If we who are now in Christ Jesus are living by the power of Jesus then we are also created or I should say recreated to give as he gave. Not just our money but our time, our hearts, our lives if necessary so that others also might live eternally. Giving is supposed to be part of our new nature. Giving should be easy or is it.
We might think it was easy for Jesus to leave all those things in heaven and become a man, after all he is God, but maybe it was not so easy. The bible said he had to humble himself to become a man. That is not necessarily an easy thing to do. To be number one in heaven and take yourself down to become lower than the creatures that you created. Man had submitted himself to Satan and became a slave to Satan. Jesus was not under the power of Satan but had to accept the status of a slave to be truly human. Giving up his place in heaven wasn’t necessarily easy but Jesus was committed to the plan that the triune God developed before the foundations of the world. Giving was a choice and a commitment.
We always think of Christmas as the season of giving but Easter is the real time of giving. God so loved the world that he gave us his only begotten Son. Jesus.
Nubby
You know it was nine month before Christmas that Mary was impregnated with Jesus. So it is about the same time in April when we celebrate Easter that Jesus left heaven and it was around April when Jesus returned to heaven. I wonder what the significance of that is? I’ll figure it out someday.
Philippians 2:5 -8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what, not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
9 -11 Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father. (The Message Bible)
To comprehend what Jesus did, imagine him sitting on the throne in heaven next to the Father (they are one but yet still three separate entities). The Holy Spirit is all around. The moment has come. It is time for the baby Jesus to be conceived. The Angel appears to Mary and begins to tell her what is going to happen to her:
Luke 1: 30“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (KJV)
As the angel is telling her this, Jesus stands up in heaven and like an everyday piece of clothing he removes the glory of the father and lays it upon the empty seat of the throne. Then he lays down his majesty, royalty, omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience. He takes off everything except his bare deity and stands spiritually naked before all of heaven. For a brief moment heaven is quiet, not a sound, not a movement, life frozen in time. The heavenly choir is holding its breath. The flickering waves of glory that radiate from the throne stand still like frozen ice in space.
Then suddenly Jesus is gone. You could look through every inch of heaven and Jesus would not to be found because now he has come to earth. He has given up everything and now dwells in the form of a little baby fetus. He has become like us. His deity has joined with the human egg of Mary and for the next nine months he will grow in her womb just as any other man. Then for the next twelve years he will depend on human parents to provide for him, teach him and nurture him until he become a full grown man. Then at Age thirty he will begin his ministry and the rest of the story is well known.
Can you imagine Jesus giving up all those things he had in heaven, the power that created the worlds, the glory, the omniscience, the omnipotence and everything that made him who he was, God, and become a simple man? He was not only just a man but the perfect human sacrifice to pay for the sins of the whole world. That the life he chose to live would pay a painful price to redeem all of mankind from their sins and give them a new life. One in which they could live forever with him in heaven. From the day he was born, that first Christmas morning, he was destined to die a horrible painful death so we might live eternally.
Jesus gave all he had so we could receive all that the father could give; righteousness, peace, joy, fullness of the Holy Spirit and so much more. If we who are now in Christ Jesus are living by the power of Jesus then we are also created or I should say recreated to give as he gave. Not just our money but our time, our hearts, our lives if necessary so that others also might live eternally. Giving is supposed to be part of our new nature. Giving should be easy or is it.
We might think it was easy for Jesus to leave all those things in heaven and become a man, after all he is God, but maybe it was not so easy. The bible said he had to humble himself to become a man. That is not necessarily an easy thing to do. To be number one in heaven and take yourself down to become lower than the creatures that you created. Man had submitted himself to Satan and became a slave to Satan. Jesus was not under the power of Satan but had to accept the status of a slave to be truly human. Giving up his place in heaven wasn’t necessarily easy but Jesus was committed to the plan that the triune God developed before the foundations of the world. Giving was a choice and a commitment.
We always think of Christmas as the season of giving but Easter is the real time of giving. God so loved the world that he gave us his only begotten Son. Jesus.
Nubby
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