TGIF
Dear brethren,
I have one message for you this morning.
You’re not stupid.
You’re not weak, vulnerable, emotionally and intellectually unstable people who need to be protected from ideas by religious authorities.
You’re sheep of the Great Shepherd and He says that you will hear His voice.
You are indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit and have been entrusted to the care of Jesus Himself.
He says He’ll lose none of those the Father gives Him.
That includes you.
There’s nothing to fear…even from the bad guys.
Ҧ Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.
I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.
No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.
Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.
And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.
¶ I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.”
(1 John 2:18–27 ESV)
There are folks who would deceive you.
They’re easy to spot.
They leave the Body (“they went out from us”) and they deny that Jesus is the Christ.
It’s that simple.
There, the ODM’s can retire…we don’t need them now.
God promises that the Holy Spirit will guide you, Jesus will protect and keep you, and the Word will inform you of the truth.
Stay in the Body, stay in the Word and feel free to jump any traditional fence you please.
God will keep you inside the only fence that counts.
YeeeHa!
BD,
Do I have an amen?
Michael
Now that was a post even a non-calvinist can love… My YeeeHa was simply about the revival of PP once again.
Amen brother, Amen!
BD,
I thought you were jumping fences… 🙂
Sounds good to me, but I never pay any attention to the ODMers any way. My position has always been that many of them had left historical Christianity long ago.
That message absolutely melts my agitated state of mind this morning. Thank You, God.
Thank you, Michael – it’s an intense morning for me (hate using my liimited brain) and, taking a break, i wondered if Phoenix was back up and here you are… Lord Jesus, bless this man and all under his roof and in his heart
Hard to argue with your post, the Scripture and your conclusions…
God Is, Jesus Is the Messiah, Salvation is through Him. After that…open for discussion.
Still need to hold rogue pastors accountable (and laity when we are in sin)…but don’t need to call their Salvation into question…just their Character.
Michael, bless you for this thread.
I’m reading and re-reading and am being ministered to.
I spent a large portion of my life trying to win approval…win my Salvation if you will…by pleasing my step-dad and fitting into whatever box he put before me (and it was an impossible and deeply conflicting effort).
Then on to a college that had its own boxes.
Then to the PP where God has revealed much to me from all in the Family.
Freedom. That’s what I’m renewed in today. God is my Father…there are many in my spiritual Family…and we can unite on God our Father and Jesus our Christ.
I love (agape and phileo) you…the PP fam…even (agape) the ODMs…even my step-dad and his buddies.
Still praying for repentance and reconciliation…with a right heart…and being continually renewed to check sin in my own life and continue to be a good brother, a good father and a good husband…exampling Christ…not just saying the words.
Holly,
We do protect …by faithfully teaching and preaching the Word and helping you stay in the fellowship of believers.
By being there for your questions and concerns…
The Holy Spirit is Who does the heavy lifting and He never ceases or grows weary in His work.
Believe,
Bless you…thank you for your heart and humility.
Em,
Bless you, my friend…God is with you…really!
“God promises that the Holy Spirit will guide you, Jesus will protect and keep you, and the Word will inform you of the truth.
Stay in the Body, stay in the Word and feel free to jump any traditional fence you please.
God will keep you inside the only fence that counts.”
Great inspiration, I finished reading this and actually breathed out a sigh of relief.
Happy Friday PP freinds, God bless you and yours.
Thank you, Michael.
http://www.newreformationpress.com/blog/2010/05/21/giving-away-the-gospel-for-those-broken-by-the-church/
I guess that makes this web blog unnecessary as well since there is so much agitation regarding calvary chapels and the pastors/leadership gone astray?
Not saying that your blog is unnecessary, just that if you are saying the ODM’s are, then I guess that would apply equally to you as well. What do you think?
Michael in chandler,
That is a fallacious argument.
The Scriptures command us to mark out and rebuke men who fail to follow the standards of ministerial conduct.
That does not mean we’re commanded to rebuke and slander anyone who doesn’t hold to a 20th century dispensational doctrine, practice, and governmental structure.
These are completely separate issues.
Michael in Chandler – the ODM’s are trying to keep us from hearing from certain pastors and teachers. This blog engages those pastors and teachers, asks them questions, discusses the issues and concerns, and is looking to dialogue over confusion, disagreements, etc. That is VERY different. If ODM sites were holding an open dialogue, willing to listen, and slower to call those who differ on secondary issues heretics, then maybe it would apply equally. That’s what I think
Thank you BrianD!
My friend Len;
Michael, the Len Sweet vid.
Wow.
Just a note for you all.
Len Sweet has been a friend to me and this ministry…he has been an example to me of the character of Christ.
I really love and respect him in the Lord.
You know how I am about my friends… 😉
Michael, Thanks for your diligence.
I really appreciated that video…
Joh 14:26* “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your 27* “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Amen, DMW.
DavidH…thank you and the community for sticking with me!
Joh 14:16* “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever–
Joh 7:39* But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Ac 1:8* “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Ac 2:4* And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
He was with them — then He was in them — then He was upon then
We need it all
BTW apart from Him I can do nothing — and nothing means nothing
But Through His I can do all things,
Without Him I am dumber than a fence post
DMW,
Keep it going…you’ve got it down.
We need to point people to Him…thats how we protect them!
That was perfect…again…thanks!
Ahhhh, Phoenix 8.0, rises from the ashes again 8)
Welcome back, Brother!
Relationships by their very nature defy formulas. The Bible is not a technical how to book. It is designed to lead you into a personal relationship with God.
So read the Bible. Read the whole Bible. But always remember the purpose of the author is that he wants a relationship with you. He didn’t create Adam because he needed a gardener, he created him to be His friend.
Isn’t it interesting that Adam was to be a gardener, and our Lord after he rose was mistaken for a gardener
The woman lead to the fall, and it was a woman who was first to see our Lord after He rose, therefore a woman was the first to be fully restored.
The Bible is full of things like that. Each one makes Jesus more personal to us
PN,
Thank you. 🙂
Apple, you’re always welcome!
DMW is on a roll…
So, this is a case where you just have to Be There. 🙂
(What a wicked heart I have, I really want to know who Len was talking to.)
AW Pink “”Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Ps. 119:105). The metaphor used here is taken from a man walking along a dangerous road on a dark night, in urgent need of a lantern to show him where to walk safely and comfortably, to avoid injury and destruction. The same figure is used again in the New Testament. “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place” (2 Pet. 1:19). The dark place is this world, and it is only as we take heed to the Word, to the light God has given us, that we shall be able to perceive and avoid “the broad road which leadeth to destruction,” and discern the narrow way which alone “leadeth unto Life.””
Pink “It should be observed that this verse plainly intimates God has placed His Word in our hands for an intensely practical purpose, namely, to direct our walk and to regulate our deportment. At once this shows us what is the first and principal use we are to make of this divine gift. It would do a traveler little good to diligently scrutinize the mechanism of a lamp, or to admire its beautiful design. Rather he is to take it up and make a practical use of it.”
The Leonard Sweet video was simply profound. Focus on Christ, it is that simple and it is that profound. Jesus Christ is the center of our Gospel, not the peripheral things we are putting up as roadblocks.
I do believe that there is a place to point out error, but before one goes after someone, they better be able to prove it.
“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3-5 [ESV]
Have you all seen this thing on Google yet? (Click on Insert Coin)
http://www.google.com
Yes yes & Amen!
Another Sweet volley … instead of ‘friendly fire’ here is some fire from a friend.http://www.chuckfromm.net/
Was that for the article or Pac-Man? 🙂
BD,
That made my night!
That looks like it’s headed for the magazine…
Just viewed the Sweet video. Very powerful stuff. Thanks for sharing it.
That was very encouraging Michael a true Pastor’s Heart. God be with you and your ministry.
“You’re not stupid.”
Michael, can I quote you on that?
CK,
Quote me and if anybody argues with you send them to me… 🙂
OK, Michael, but please be gentle with my wife. 🙂
John 8: 12* ¶ Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
DMW,
I take that as a promise…
When I was a kid my dad was a sucker for a good sales pitch. He came home with a water filter, and told us all that you could take water out of an Elephant water hole in Africa and that filter would make it safe. That left an image in my head. I remember thinking to myself, when are we ever going to have to drink water from an Elephant watering hole. In any case I couldn’t take any difference between his filtered water and the tap water.
People today claim they can filter out the bad, and keep the good….
I have a Bible, and many time tested commentaries, I have a living spring to drink from, why would I want to go to the polluted garbage that is being written today and try to filter it.
I have a kind of self imposed rule, I don’t ready anything less that 100 years old. I kind figure if it still around after the a hundred years I must be worth reading. Just being honest. I don’t read any of the book you all talk about. I just read the old stuff. Most of what I read is free on the net… that’s a big plus for me.
Huh — that didn’t post?? I’ll try again
—————-
When I was a kid my dad was a sucker for a good sales pitch. He came home with a water filter, and told us all that you could take water out of an Elephant water hole in Africa and that filter would make it safe. That left an image in my head. I remember thinking to myself, when are we ever going to have to drink water from an Elephant watering hole. In any case I couldn’t take any difference between his filtered water and the tap water.
People today claim they can filter out the bad, and keep the good….
I have a Bible, and many time tested commentaries, I have a living spring to drink from, why would I want to go to the polluted garbage that is being written today and try to filter it.
I have a kind of self imposed rule, I don’t ready anything less that 100 years old. I kind figure if it still around after the a hundred years I must be worth reading. Just being honest. I don’t read any of the book you all talk about. I just read the old stuff. Most of what I read is free on the net… that’s a big plus for me.
Oh well — I give — must not have been meant to be
Oh Oh — did I just break something ??