An Enemy in the Kingdom

At one time this earth in its perfect splendor was the crown jewel of the universe and in harmony with heaven. In it dwelled two of God’s most precious creations, two beings that were created in the image of God Himself. Perfect in every aspect and feature they were brought to life by the life-giving breath of God. Every impulse and thought was pure and their characters reflected in every way the flawless character of God. Even the natural world was in perfect stability. And God saw that His kingdom was good.
The world today is far from God’s perfect kingdom. Humans are far from having pure impulses, thoughts and desires. Though humans may perform many basic functions necessary for survival and socialization, there are certainly many problems which plague the human spirit and limit one’s ability to achieve perfect function as God originally designed. The natural world has been greatly impacted by ecological instability. God’s kingdom is no longer pure, good, and stable for an enemy has spoiled it.
Through pride and self-exaltation Lucifer became an enemy of God and His heavenly kingdom. He chose rebellion over reconciliation and destruction over restoration. The sin that grew in Lucifer’s heart was not confined to his own thoughts and inner conscience. Rather from his heart came deceptive words and deeds and by these works the human race would become undone.
Christ often made references to the condition of the kingdom of heaven in his parables.
It was necessary for Christ to use different illustrations to bring light and insight to those longing for an explanation as to what was happening to cause so much trouble in this world. Many of Christ’s parables regarding the kingdom of heaven involved the description of an antagonist whose intent was to destroy and threaten God’s kingdom.
In his parable of the sower, Christ likened the kingdom of heaven unto a man which sowed good seed in his field and while he slept an enemy sowed tares among the good wheat. When the crops grew the servants noticed that there were tares among the wheat and they wondered what had happened. The sower replied: "an enemy has done this" (Matthew 13:28).
Satan is tirelessly at work planting evil thoughts and desires in the hearts of man. By tapping into pride and selfishness he will accomplish great destruction. In these last days it will become more evident what works are good and what works are evil. Those who are good will reflect the humility and meekness of Christ while those who are evil will reflect the pride and self exaltation of Lucifer.
The sacrifice of Christ has already vanquished the enemy but the good and the evil must remain until the harvest is ready; that is until mankind has run its course and decided for God or for Satan.

Our Battle Cry

The wars waged in the world today are wars of ideas and views. The battle cries, like resounding trumpets, are being carried forth all around the world each proclaiming and representing an ideology and viewpoint by which the suffering in the world will be alleviated. Some believe that by man’s own “inner goodness” the world will be changed while others believe that this can only be achieved through violence, terror and death. As a result there is a struggle for survival and a quest for answers.
In the midst of it all where is the battle cry of the gospel? Where are those who will hold up the blood stained banner of Christ which reveals sin to the world? Violence, intolerance, injustice, oppression, tyranny and so forth are all consequences of sin and the fallen condition of man. We cannot fight and vanquish sin by virtue of our “inner goodness” or by claiming to be able to penetrate our spiritual wonder by deepening our understanding of human nature and spirit. This is not the message of the gospel. The gospel reveals the sinful nature and wickedness of all humanity and reveals the plan of salvation through Christ. From this perspective the only solution to sin and wickedness is Christ Himself. Unless there is true heart felt repentance that leads to Christ, there is no victory over sin and wickedness neither is there pardon nor divine intervention for those who flatter themselves that their life has been upright and that their moral character is correct and thus feel no need to be humble before God.
So let our battle cry resound unto every nation, kindred, tongue and people with the everlasting gospel message of the first angel: “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Revelation 14:7). Let our cry of repentance and humility be the battle cry that leads to victory.

The Spiritual Truth

A spiritual progressive movement is on the rise and seeking to make inroads into our nation’s social and governing structures. Spiritual progressives, a group of inter-faith activists, call for a “new bottom line” in dealing with the ailments in our world today. This “new bottom line” consists of the following:

“We believe that they (institutions and social practices) should be judged rational, efficient and productive not only to the extent that they maximize money and power, but also to the extent that they maximize love and caring, ethical and ecological sensitivity and behavior, kindness and generosity, non-violence and peace, and to the extent that they enhance our capacities to respond to other human beings in a way that honors them as embodiments of the sacred, and enhances our capacities to respond to the earth and the universe with awe, wonder and radical amazement.”

This movement hopes to increase it potential momentum by characterizing itself as an alternative to Right wing fundamentalism and Left wing liberalism which they have criticized as having misused and misrepresented true spirituality and religion.
This movement hopes to rid the world of spiritual and social oppression by deepening spiritual understanding:

“We hope to have the courage-- in the tradition of the Jewish prophets and interpreters of Torah, In the spirit of Jesus and the early Christian communities of resistance to Rome, in the spirit of Muhammed, in the spirit of the activists of the labor & civil rights and feminist and gay rights movements-- to speak truth to power.”

Jesus said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:31:32). Christ also taught that the scriptures pointed to Him as being the Messiah. So it is the word that leads us to Christ and in Christ is the truth. To speak the truth to power is to speak of Christ. Anything or anyone short of proclaiming Christ as the sole Redeemer and Saviour of this world is in darkness and in the spirit of the flesh.

Quotes taken from www.tikkun.org

Give Me a Drink

Every discouraging moment in life seems to take the life out of enjoying every moment. How many blessings do we forfeit or simply pass by during times of discouragement because we have lost our sense of hope and direction. Nothing takes the vitality out of one’s desire to be persistent and steadfast like the sense that one’s world has collapsed under the pressures of life’s circumstances.
Just as when we are thirsty and instinctively make efforts to quench the thirst with a satisfying drink, when sensing the weight of discouragement upon our minds we instinctively try to find relief by pursuing some kind of fulfillment. But many fail in finding a sense of direction from which to find that joy and fulfillment.
I recall the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. We can deduce from the story that the Samaritan woman perhaps lived a very discouraging life. First of all, as a woman she did not enjoy the privileges of social status and secondly as a Samaritan she was not looked upon as a spiritually privileged individual. The Jews considered the Samaritans “dogs” unworthy of God’s blessings and revelations. What a discouraging place in life; stripped from social and spiritual fulfillment! Even her relationships did not last. She had been with five husbands and the one she was currently with was not even her husband. She may have been living with this person just to maintain a sense of physical presence and proximity. This woman thirsted for peace and joy but had not been satisfied. Not until Jesus engaged the woman and offered her a “well of water springing up into everlasting life” did the opportunity for encouragement spring up. Following Jesus’ sensitive inquiry into the shameful past of this poor woman and her confession regarding her current relationship, she instinctively perceived that Jesus was someone special. Her curiosity welled up inside of her and through further dialogue she discovered that she was speaking with the Christ!
Christ longs to meet us when we are discouraged and offer us a drink of his selfless interest. There is nothing more quenching for the broken and burdened soul than Christ-like encouragement. Every self proclaimed Christian has a duty to follow this example. By exemplifying Christ-like interest we are to well up the curiosity within the downtrodden and discouraged and lead them to the satisfying waters of redemption and reconciliation with our Lord.

No Time to be Merciless

A picture of Madonna hanging from a giant mirrored cross took center page on the drudge report this week with the headline underneath reading, "Church Slams Madonna on the Cross." The news article reported on how the singers most recent tour has been drawing fire from the Church of England for its insensitive use of Christian imagery. The vatican has also voiced its stern disapproval on more than one occassion and even called for a boycott of one of her tours in 1990.
It is likely that if one is a Christian one's first reaction to this act is disgust and perhaps rage. But this is no time to be merciless. Sin is reaking havoc in the hearts of many individuals and it is the Christian's duty to show Christ's love and share the message of the gospel even with the most insensitive kind. Boycotts and other legal measures are but external barriers and temporary methods of dealing with the wickedness in this world. The root of the problem is what lies in the hearts of people. The gospel presents the only solution for this problem. The more that the Christian focuses on what others are doing or not doing the harder it will become to focus on what he should or should not be doing for God and for others. Let us not be merciless as the world is but rather keep our perspective as to who we are before God. We are all sinners and guilty before God but we all have the hope of salvation through Christ, yes even the most insensitive and disrespectful have the privilege of hearing this good news.
"Brethern, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest ye also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1).

Feed the Will

Lately, I have been giving thought to trying to understand will power. Here is what I have considered so far:

The Will Fuels Our Desires
We have all heard about the importance of having will power. The will is the powerhouse behind our desires and actions. The will is a source of inner strength that when reinforced compels us to actively pursue what we desire. When we weigh the costs or benefits of some endeavor we determine its worth and utilize the will (strength) to pursue what we consider desirable.

Will Power is not a Sudden Burst of Energy
In a moment of desparation have you ever cried out, "Lord give me strength?" Indeed, there are times when it feels as though we have no will power to overcome temptations and we quickly find ourselves in trouble. It is as if though the strength to resist is simply not there and we fall into the hands of the enemy. In times like these I have discovered that in vain I call out to God to give me the will to do at that moment, expecting God to grant me a sudden burst of energy or power to overcome. But God's power does not come in bursts of energy, He wants our will to constantly be His will and our strength to be His strength. If you experience this despair on a frequent basis God may be alerting you to a problem of the will.

The Will To Do Good Requires Patience
If there is one thing that I have learned about God is that He rarely responds to requests for immediate gratification or relief. If patience is His virtue He expects it to be ours as well. Therefore, patience is what is required to maintain the boundaries necessary to keep the will in proper balance and in touch with pure desires. If God delivered us every time out of every trouble with the least amount of effort on our part it would not help the development of our will and our desires to have an intimate relationship of trust and understanding with God would be diluted to simply having divine aid at our disposal. Impatience and intemperance can be destructive to maintaining the will power necessary for directing ones desires in the right direction. Ever seen an impatient person will to do good for himself or anyone else?

A Duty to Feed the Will
The will is always present, it is there whether we feel strong or not. We have a moral duty to exercise the will and nurture it. But how many people think of nurturing the will? It sounds strange but if we do not think about the will as being something that needs reinforcing and nurturing then it will become weak and apathetic; it will seem that you have lost power. So how do we feed the will? Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread along but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God." It is through God alone that we will maintain a strong will to pursue the purest desires and the highest standards. It is by gathering daily spiritual information through communion with God and keeping our senses balanced that we will have the oneness in Christ that He requires of us.

Da Vinci Dilemma

Vatican officials say, "Christians should get tough." The firestorm of controversy over the Da Vinci Code seems to have cast a spirit of intolerance into the Christian world. Many Christians are being swept into an arena of contention with the entertainment industry as they feel their beliefs and traditions are being undermined by the fiction of the secular culture. How should Christians respond to this controversy?

God's Justice

The Lord is just. He will not allow man to take pride in his own craftiness. He allows him to be exposed in his deciet and dishonesty. He leaves the proud man's justification defenseless. He brings the proud down from his loftiness and makes his justice foolishness. He who hears the Lord's judgement though he be cast down is wise but he who resists the righteousness of God is a great fool. His paths will never be straightened and he will follow crookedness into deeper despair for the rest of his life. God does not find pleasure in crookedness nor will He allow prosperity in deceit. He will visit both the just and unjust with His judgements. The just man will listen with discernment and wisdom and correct his ways while the unjust man will harden his heart and set himself against His own Maker. The just will thank the Lord for deliverance and the unjust will hide from His mercy and grace.
God's remnant people must learn to not identify this world's sense of justice with God's. We must not follow the paths of this world without questioning it's destination. Many are dissatisfied and feel disillusioned with the courses taken by the nations in today's world affairs. But it is at the crossraods of justice and fairness that man either chooses to crafts his own devices or he puts his pride aside and presents himself fully exposed to God who knows every matter of the heart. Let us be determined to humble ourselves and follow after God's justice.

A New World

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come to into mind" (Isaiah 65:17).
One of the most powerful verses for our time. It contains a remarkable implication and that is that God Himself will create a new world not improve on it's old foundations; "For the former things are passed away and behold all things are made new." World governments and leaders now declare that they have the solutions and designs necessary for securing a stable world yet fail to recognize that their efforts are in vain for God Himself will make all things new. Whatever is accomplished by earthly powers is as temporary and durable as a sandcastle by the shore. The waves of God's power and justice will remove any trace of human vanity and pride from the shores of time. At the coming of Chirst even the great men shall hide from his glory: "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the cheif captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Rev. 6:15-17). If this is the fate that is predicted for those great men of the earth what more can be said about the products of their "greatness"? Their empires too shall be hidden under the rubble of mountain ranges and swallowed up by the waves of the sea never to be remembered again.
Visit http://newheavens.blogspot.com for more on this topic.

Wrestling with God...

"Wrestling with God-how few know what it is! How few have ever had their souls drawn out after God with intensity of desire until every power is on the stretch" (Great Controversy pg. 621).
God may allow one to experience great humiliation in order to draw out one's faith and bring him to the point of abstaining from evil. The enemy is given permission to ravage the soul with ferocious and intrusive accusations and one's conscience is weighed down with an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame over his past sins. For every soul that should reach the highest level of sanctification and boldly claim righteousness the devil must make every brutal attempt to resurrect the old nature if he is to retain the right to deny the sacrificial atonment of Christ for one's life. It is in this state of humiliation and fear when one does not know who is friend or foe, and it is at that precise moment when God puts his hand on the shoulder of the sinner to assure him of his full pardon that he wrestles with God!

Impending Showdown...

A radio commentator made a prediction of an impending showdown between those who are destroying the American justice system through humanist and liberal ideas and those who want the "bad guys" to get the justice they morally deserve. This comes in the wake of the jury's decision to grant Moussaoui, one of the hi-jackers responsible for the terror attacks on 9/11, a life sentence rather than the death penalty. In apparent despair and hopelessness many fear that unless there is some serious restructuring and reorganizing of the judicial infrastructure of our country, the very thing that has made America a prosperous and exemplary nation will be undermined and America will lose its identity as a beacon of light to the world. The big question is where will America turn to find the model of justice it will need to combat the secular wave of "isms" (liberalism, socialism, fascism, etc.) that threaten the foundation of traditional American justice?

Christian Service

One makes a half hearted effort in his Christian duty if he assumes that to merely accept the shortcomings of others is sufficient to inspire motivation for others to give themselves to Christ. True service is more than the simple acknowledgement to another person that his faults are tolerated or recognized. True Christ-like service must be selfless and shown to be so through a steadfast commitment of one's self to the welfare of others in the Spirit of Christ. When this is done what follows is encouragement, comfort, and uplifiting hope to all whose lives have been ransacked by the devil. One who is able to encourage another who has fallen with heavenly speech and action walks in the footsteps of Christ and makes manifest the assurance of Christ's love.

Acceptance

Acceptance without encouragement is without value or benefit. What good is it if I accept that there are evil courses in this world but never do my God given duty to encourage the world to come out of them? Of what value will my acceptance be before God?