Do not go beyond what is written. I Cor. 4:6

Throughout history many have ventured to go beyond what is written in the Scriptures. They all claim to have received “Special Revelation” from God. In every case, this has led to a different gospel than the one that Paul preached. And Paul said if anyone preaches a different gospel than the one he preached, that that person would be eternally accursed.




It is sad to say that there are people out there who gain the trust of people and then lead them so far away from the truth. But it is done. All the time.



There are many religions out there that have spawned from “Special Revelation.” I hope that some of the people who have been drawn into those religions will read this and understand that the Holy Spirit commands us not to go beyond what is written. To stay with what is written is a safeguard for us and protects us from false doctrine.



Any doctrine that leads people away from the Truth of God’s Word is a doctrine of demons. I believe these doctrines of demons are intended to introduce to those who hear it a different Jesus, a different Messiah. I’ll speak specifically about a doctrine I’ve only learned about recently, that has far reaching implications.



There have been some recently who have been saying that the Lord has revealed to them

that after the Lord died on the cross that He was taken into hell and had to take on the nature of Satan in order to defeat Satan, that Jesus became a sinner. That is completely contrary to what is taught in Scripture. That goes beyond what is written. In Hebrews chapter 7 verse 26 we are told that Jesus is set apart from sinners. And in the same chapter verse 27 we are told, “Unlike the other high priests, he (Jesus) does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the people.” For Jesus to have taken on the nature of Satan would have made Him the epitome of sin. This is blasphemy. And in the eyes of those who preach this, doesn’t this leave room for another Messiah? These same preachers claim that the Lord told them that they could have made the same sacrifice on the cross that He did and saved all of us.



It is important for all of us to read God’s Word on a regular basis so that we will recognize false doctrine when it comes along. So I encourage you to do this. It will be a safeguard for you.



Pray also, along with my wife and I, that the Lord will bring the conviction of His Holy Spirit upon those who are preaching these doctrines of demons, and that if they will not repent of it, that God will remove them from their position and raise up men and women who will preach the truth from the pulpit.



And again, pray that God’s children will read their Bibles, so that they will recognize the difference between truth and error.

Draw close to Him

Draw close to God and He will draw close to you.


Why are we to make the first move? Why doesn’t God draw close to us so that we can then draw close to Him?

I believe it’s because He wants our faith in the finished work of Christ at the cross.

The high priest was the one who offered the sacrifice for the people, and then entered into the Holy of Holies.

Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away your sin, is the Great High priest who entered into the Holy of Holies. Who was it who rent the curtain in two and entered in? It is the priest who enters in.

Jesus said, “It is finished (paid in full),” and then left His body.  The curtain was then rent in two.

Jesus destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility between God and us, our sin. Ephesians 2:14.

What prevents you, or me, from confidently going to the throne of grace to receive help in our time of need? Is it that God is holding something against us? He’s not. Love keeps no record of wrongs, and God loves you.

I believe what hinders us is self-condemnation or the accusations of the devil. “God won’t forgive you for that,” he says. But that’s a lie. There is no dividing wall of hostility. The Holy Spirit tells us that.

So, no matter where you’re at, by faith believe what God has told you. God’s not angry with you. Because Jesus Himself has destroyed the barrier, enter with confidence in the work of Christ to the throne of grace and have fellowship with your Heavenly Father. He longs to fellowship with you and wants you to know that Jesus His Son made the way for you to do that, no matter what you’re going through or what you’ve done.

Draw close to Him today, and watch Him draw close to you.

Wave of Discontent

Who will ride the wave of discontent?




We’ve seen it in Iran. We see it in Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia. We see it here in the United States. Discontent. Injustice. Poverty.



We all want contentment. We all want justice. We want all of our needs to be met.



I heard something on the news last night. Usually when people are discontent and protesting injustice, there are always sinister people who are ready to ride that wave, offer promises if we will only let them be our leader, promises that they will never fulfill.



But God is able to ride that wave and bring contentment, justice, and fulfillment to our lives.



Psalm 118:8,9 says: It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.



Jesus said in Matthew 6:33: But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things (our needs) will be given to you as well.



It is good to respect and honor our leaders, and to pray for them. But let us put our trust in God to meet our needs and make our petitions known to Him. When we look to a man, an institution, or an organization to meet those needs, we give opportunity to those who don’t have our well being in mind.

Somewhere in Texas

We are back to work, we're in Texas, and we're enjoying the warmer weather. 

We went to chiurch this morning and, among other things, we heard the pastor talk about those who have walked away.  It's sad for them, isn't it?  From my experience, those who have walked away have done so because they took a wrong turn somewhere, opened the door to the powers of darkness, and those powers of darkness have convinced them that they have gone to far and that God has turned His back on them.

So we talk about them.  Some say good ridance.   Some pray for them, and over time, forget about them. 

Is that it?

No!  Jesus said the Good Shephard leaves the 99 and goes after the one that has strayed.  Since Jesus is in heaven, and we are the Body of Christ, it makes me believe that it is we who go.  We go find the ones who have strayed, not with the ministry of condemnation, but with the ministry of reconciliation.  We don't have to tell them the wrong they've done, they already know.  What we do is, with the Word of God, reinforce the truths that God has not left them, God is going to complete the work He began, the Lord is the Author and the Finisher of their faith.  God loves them with an everlasting love.

I recently met a man here who I will call Jay.  He asked Jesus to be his Savior years ago.  He would be the first to admit that he has really gotten off track.  I try to encourage him everyday that God loves him.  You see, for some it is a long road back, and it takes patience on our part to not give up.

Please pray for Jay, that the truths from God's Word concerning him would take root and grow in him.  Jesus said it is the Truth that will set us free.

So let's go out there and find the strays, encourage them, and bring them back.

EXCITING IN WESTERN OKLAHOMA

We've been here for about three weeks now and are enjoying our stay. The people are friendly and the hotel is nice. I'm working nights, and we're still getting used to the new schedule.

Stephanie really has a calling to work in hospice care. Holding the hands of and showing compassion to those who are dying, and to their families. It isn't always easy for her to get involved because the red tape can be time consuming. By the time she is ready to go, we're moving to another site in another state.

But here, she has been accepted as a volunteer Chaplain in hospice. She is on what they call "Death Watch", to be on call when someone is very close to passing. God has definitely given her a unique gift.

Next week, Stephanie will be flying to Las Vegas to see her youngest son. She is really looking forward to it.

We went to Walmart today to get some carry-on luggage for her. When we pulled up to park, we noticed a man pacing close to a broken down car. I thought it would be good to try and help him and maybe get an opportunity to witness to him about Jesus.

We asked if he could use some help. He asked if we had a cell phone he could borrow. He proceeded to make some phone calls.

I told Stephanie she could go into the store and I would meet up with her.

The man was in a difficult situation. He had just bought the car the night before, and it had broken down. He had to sleep in the car all night to protect his belongings. He doesn't have a job, and he's lonely.

I asked him if he knew Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

He said he did, and funny that I had just stopped by, because he was just talking to God about what he was going through. I suspect he was a little angry with God and didn't understand why these things were happening to him. He said he was on the verge of relapse.

I encouraged him. The Lord was never going to leave him, or leave him in the losing position. God was with him, His thoughts were toward him, and He had something in store for him.
I said as hard as it was, it was important to stand firm and not relapse, to wait on God and give God thanks in this difficult situation, and God was going to show up. We prayed and he gave me a hug. He was encouraged.

When Stephanie and I came out of Walmart, he was working on his car, and we noticed, he had a smile on his face.

Search and Rescue. It's exciting.

Applebees

We stopped in to Applebees the other night for dinner and met a nice waiter named Kevin. When our food showed up, Stephanie told him we were about to pray for our food and asked him if he had anything he wanted us to pray about.

He had had a kidney transplant 2 years ago and was wanting prayer for continued healing.

I asked if he knew Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He did.

Pray for Kevin, for continued health.

August in Ashtabula

In August Stephanie and I had the privilege of going to North Dakota. I worked in Ashtabula and we stayed in Jamestown.

Jamestown is home to a buffalo refuge and we saw some beautiful white buffalo. Stephanie loves wildlife.

While staying in one of the hotels, my wife met one of the maids and talked to her about the Lord. Like many people, she thought everything between her and the man upstairs was fine.

Pray that God would open her eyes that it is important for all of us to be sure that we are fine with the One with whom we must give an account.