Get Ready For Loss

I pledge my allegiance, to the flag... wait a minute, what? Let's start again, shall we? 

I pledge my allegiance to the Lord, God Almighty, Creator of heaven, earth, and everything and everyone, in-between the two. 

There are two camps standing apart, and they are known by their conduct as creatures in the world. The two camps are represented by earthlings in the one, and diametrically opposed, soon to be citizens of heaven, in the other. 

How pray tell, do we tell them apart? My answer, is willingness to endure loss in one realm, and gain in another, while still in the body. 

Dying to sin is the key that unlocks the door to eternity with the Saviour. By means of prayer, we ask God to give us the gift of being repulsed and repelled by sin. Have you ever prayed for God to help you refrain from doing and saying what he abhors, so that you are no longer inclined to indulge your carnal, fleshly nature? I have prayed this type of prayer often, and I have asked God to help others in a similar fashion. We are saved by grace, and while we are here in the body, we are called to sanctification, and to turn away from sin. 

But, dear reader, there is so much to lose when we pledge our allegiance to the King of kings, Lord of lords, forsaking all others. Earthlings like pleasure, entertainment, socializing, and they do not like the idea of giving up what gives them that happy-happy-joy-joy feeling. Christianity to the masses, is a buzz kill, and yet, Christianity to the Christian, is the most glorious balm to the soul we can experience on planet earth... 

Christ conquered death and it is sin that kills. Jesus was sinless as Man/God, and if you have been baptized, you died to sin so that you could rise to new life, in Christ Jesus. Here is a magnificent rendering of what Jesus has done for us, as presented by Matthew Henry, Acts to Revelation, Volume 6, page 323:

The greater the strength of the enemy, the greater the honour of the conqueror. This abounding of grace he illustrates, v. 21 (Romans 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord). As the reign of a tyrant and oppressor is a foil to set off the succeeding reign of a just and gentle prince and to make it the more illustrious, so doth the reign of sin set off the reign of grace. Sin reigned unto death; it was a cruel bloody reign. But grace reigns unto life, eternal life, and this through righteousness, righteousness imputed to us for justification, implanted in us for sanctification; and both by Jesus Christ our Lord, through the power and efficacy of Christ, the great prophet, priest, and king, of his church. 

The great prophet, priest, and king of his church:

righteousness imputed

for justification

implanted in us

for sanctification

by Jesus Christ

through Christ's power and efficacy

Our goal while walking the earth is to be sanctified, if indeed, we are in Christ Jesus! We have heaven to gain as our eternal home when we pray to sin no more, and when we conscientiously refuse to indulge the sin that we previously invited in, and enjoyed. But, dear reader, as I indicated above, there is so much to lose in the way of earthly pleasures and entertainments, not to mention our beloved relationships with family, coworkers, neighbours and friends. Let us pick-up once more, what Matthew Henry spells out to us, in the way of loss for saints. 

Acts to Revelation, Volume 6, page 324:

Thus must we be dead to sin, obey it, observe it, regard it, fulfil its will no more than he that is dead doth his quandam (former) task masters - be as indifference to the pleasures and delights of sin as a man that is dying is to his former diversions. 

He that is dead is separated from his former company, converse, business, enjoyments, employments, is not what he was, does not what he did, has not what he had. Death makes a mighty change, such a change doth make a mighty charge; such a charge doth sanctification make in the soul, it cuts off all correspondence with sin.

Dear reader, sanctification is a cutting off of all correspondence with sin. This is a painful truth, because while we love people, we may find that we are completely intolerant of the sins they embrace, commit, and encourage in others. The process starts at home of course. We must first, get our own houses in order, purging of all impurities with God's mighty strength as ours when we face the difficulties, of letting go of what we know he does not look upon with favour. How can I clear the speck of dust in my sister or brother's eye, when I have a plank in my own, is our admonishment. 

Dear one, are you willing to to be separated from 

former company

converse

business

enjoyments

employments

If you pledge your allegiance to the King of kings, and live a life with the intention of being sanctified, while turning your back on sin, then be prepared to live a quieter life, with fewer people in it. You will be repugnant to the majority of folks, when they learn that you cannot tolerate their sin: they will say you judge harshly, but really, dear one, all you want for them, is to be saved from the sin that infects humans, to the point of being casualties of death. 

Speak gospel truth to yourself first and foremost. Read scripture solo, uninterrupted, so that you can absorb what the Ancient of days has to say to you and yours; and pray, for a mind and heart that longs to glorify God, rather than sully your own soul. 

And dear reader, sin no more. 

Rapture Question

I have a question about the rapture: How bad does it have to get, before God says, Okay y'all, I am pulling believers up to heaven, so you don't have to suffer the nonsense anymore. Here is another question for you: What manner of nonsense, will be deemed horrible enough, too horrible for humans to endure, for God to spare us of a sudden, and pull the plug on the persecution we are subjected to?

Martyrs are murdered every day, in droves, and yet, they have not been spared, plucked by a mighty hand lent to them from the skies, delivering them from the hatred that had their killers hunting them, torturing them in some cases, and then snuffing out life. Is the rapture for North Americans? perhaps those that until recent events, have lived soft and cushy lives as free citizens, without too much governmental imposition. How lovely, that God will imminently, in his mercy, save us from our pathetic and very current state, of mass and flaccid delusion!

God did not spare his only begotten Son, and yet, the creatures that we are, would have him delivering us from the hounds of hell, before it gets too too bad, because we are o so weak weak. Yes indeed, you and I are very weak, and we certainly wouldn't want to be subjected to the cruelty of being unpopular, or targeted as a Christ follower, or being cut off from society, shelter, food, drink, and the finer things in life. O no, that is not the life God wants for his children (yes, you are detecting a sardonic attitude, dear reader). Take me away, God, for I cannot bear the burden, sigh, faint.

This reminds me of a Calgon commercial: Calgon, take me away! This was the plaintive cry from an overwhelmed mother, that longed to soak in her tub in Calgon bubbles, as an escape after having to deal with family life, and all its accompanying challenges. Bubbles are so fragile; they burst, leaving a scum that needs to be rinsed after bathing: I do believe many bubbles will burst, when Christians that have lived a lukewarm life, come to realize, that their pseudo faith will be severely tested, in the very near future. 

And wasn't faith severely tested with the cv crazy, dear reader? Did we not see those that professed faith in Christ, turn coat, and place all their trust in the pharma gods? And are they not still, handing over their health, as shot pincushions? In my city, the "flu" injections are very popular, and highly promoted. Being injected with the flu or any other virus, is such a strange thing, when one stops to think about it. How is it, that something contagious, is suggested as the very thing, to ward off the contagion? 

Do you know what is truly contagious, dear reader? Death, death is truly contagious. Everyone has caught it, and while they live, death ages their cells and shows up with every passing day. Death deteriorates and damages bones, skin, joints, hearing, sight, and eats away at strength, nibbling in small bites that over time, reveal the devouring, in shortened stature, a slowed gait, hands that cannot grip, and legs that wobble with unsteadiness. Do you know what the common denominator is for all that have caught death? If you are a Christian, I am sure you will guess the answer without aid from me, but if you are not a Christian, I tell you, it is sin that rots the body, and eventually, putrefies the soul. Sin and death are contagions that curse and demean the infected. 

There were twelve disciples. One infamous disciple, self-murdered, after betraying the Lord for thirty pieces of silver, and we all know him by name, Judas Iscariot. That left eleven. Out of the remaining eleven disciples, ten were martyred, leaving one. The one disciple that was not martyred, lived in exile, and wrote the book of Revelation, among other books that can be found in Holy Writ. Now, dear reader, you tell me, why these faithful men of God, were not rescued from persecution and suffering, but rather, went willingly about the business God had for them, of preaching and teaching the gospel, for the salvation of sinners? They already knew Jesus, in the flesh, and followed him about for three years. They also knew Jesus when he returned to be with them, off and on during the forty days after his resurrection. Why, did they bother, to go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is Lord? 

And you, dear one, why should you, tell everyone and anyone with ears to hear and eyes to see, that Jesus is the Redeemer, even if it means you may not make it in this life, meaning you may be martyred too? 

The point is this: we will not make it out alive, and this truth is so obvious, as to be laughable. God does not remove us when the going gets tough, he strengthens us for the battle that rages all around us, with the bootie being souls. Once you know the Saviour, your eternity is secured, but do you not have compassion and love for the lost, that have yet to know him? Is it a wonderful idea to cling to, and comfort yourself in, to be taken up, raptured as the saying goes, while so many continue in enmity, with the God that made them? Does your existence cease to have significance, once you are secured in the arc, and whilst the barbarians scream from outside in fright and terror, not knowing that God saves the repentant? 

Come on now, let us build your faith muscles. Get into your Bible and see the saints fall and fail, and then get back up again, lifted heavenward by God, with their fealty significantly fortified, because the Lord kept them during their times of tribulation, trouble, and testing. I want to be like Ester, Ruth, and Jael, and I want to be like Deborah, and all the rest of the examples of feminine faithfuls. And I want to see David, Paul, John and Timothy, along with Job, and many Boaz's, amongst the men that call themselves Christians. Let us not give in to cowardice; instead, we must pick-up the cross given to each of us, and follow in our Lord's footsteps.

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

Clinging To Christ

Favours are not given, when Christians "meet people where they are at" in their sin. Christian love, is not noticeable, when said Christian, entertains the devils and demons residing in others. 

Recently a very good friend of mine left the church she has been attending for three years. We, dear one, are called to be members of the body of Christ, to assemble together to hear scripture read, to worship in unison, and to glorify God in prayer and song; however, when the church a person has been attending, transforms itself via the leadership, into a synagogue of Satan, by celebrating the wickedness of halloween, it behooves individual believers to remove themselves, and to make a great noise of warning to the brethren, as they exit the building and the fellowship, for: 

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)

Communion: We commune with one another, and when the body and blood of Christ are spoken of, as broken and shed respectively, for the sins of the world, and we take the bread and the wine in remembrance of Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross for each of us, past, present, dead or alive, then we must hold fast to these facts:

1. We have sinned

2. We must repent

3. We acknowledge Jesus as our Mediator, Redeemer, and Saviour

Dear reader, if someone is fornicating, cheating, lying, stealing, committing adultery, fraud, worshipping idol gods, directly and obviously disobeying God's commandments, or living under the weight of any number of sins, we do them an injustice when we freely associate with them, and say things like, I'm not judging you. I'm not judging you, has now become one of the biggest, ugliest excuses, for colluding with wickedness. We are not to judge and condemn, or to do what we accuse others of doing, but this must not be a way of sending someone down river heading for rapids and a cliff, in a leaking boat without a paddle: meaning, they are never told that Jesus loves them, died for their sins, and that they must repent, and sin no more, in order to be saved. Disaster awaits the unrepentant..

It is love that rebukes the wayward. Love does not walk and talk as a companion, along side a disobedient person, speaking wishy-washy messages that in the moment, helps the sinner continue to cling to their sin, while weakly reassuring the Christian, that the relationship will hold for another day. This arrangement is tenuous, and tedious too. If it feels as though speaking the truth is akin to walking on eggshells, or skating on thin ice that will break the tie of friendship, then one must evaluate, to whom they pledge their allegiance. 

Risking all for the sake of Truth, and clinging to Christ, not just the edges of his cloak, requires complete commitment to speaking and living the truth, and course correcting, with a recalibrating to Christ, when we wander off the narrow path that leads to eternity with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Love, has us wanting the people we care about, to be on the very same path, and helping them lie to themselves, weakens our relationship with Jesus, and most certainly, puts them in jeopardy, since you or I, may be the only person they will ever meet, that will care enough about them to tell them the truth.  

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17)

There is an old expression: If you love someone, let them go, and if they return, they are yours. 

Dear reader, Are you willing to speak biblical Truth, even if it means you will lose a person from your life that you love? even if that person prefers their favourite flavour of sin, over your relationship? No one belongs to you, but all belong to God, for he is the creator of every creature. 

It is wonderful when there is resolution between two friends, and they are reunited after a time apart, but this is not the end goal. The end goal, is clinging to Christ at all times and in all circumstances, knowing he is our all and all. We, as Christians, want each person to know God, and to abide in him, with or without us! God lets us go, he lets out the line and gives us room to roam away from him if we so choose; God never forces us against our will to follow where he leads, and yet, we are called to Christ, and to being like our Saviour, and dear one, is this not what we want for all that are in our lives?

There are buildings that currently stand, and they are called churches. Inside these buildings, any number of abominable activities are taking place, that are expressly prohibited in God's Word. We must read scripture, and when we see sin, challenge sinners with the hope, that they will repent, recover, and reclaim their life according to God's will and his ways. God gives us strength when we are weak, and our faith is fortified when we take action, and stand on the principles of biblical truth. 

Yelling FIRE may be what Christians need to do, in order to awaken some from slumber, and have them heading for the exits, out and away from apostasy, and into the bright light that only Jesus can shine in minds, hearts, and souls. 

Blinded by the light

And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 

You are either for, or against Christ Jesus. You either worship him and obey his commands, or you forsake him, and persecute him and his followers. There is no middle road, there are no in-betweens, and a fence to sit upon will not be found. You choose to speak life, or collude with death by accommodating your own sin and that of others, and that yucky feeling you have, that perhaps you are deluding yourself and people you profess to love, will persevere, until you come clean, and are washed in the blood of The Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world.

Lord, have mercy

Christ, have mercy

Take A Stand

In the month of September, my family and I purchased our third major appliance from the same company, Canadian Appliance Source. I have written about this before, but here is a quick recap:

1. The refrigerator stopped functioning 17 days after being plugged in

2. The sales staff, over the phone and in person, stated repeatedly, We only sell

3. I was instructed to contact customer care, the manufacturer of the product, this email address and that

4. Pictures of the unit, front and back, were requested repeatedly by the after care employees

5. I figured out, that the company was procrastinating, was disinclined to resolve the issue, and a mini battle would ensue in order for me to get a refund for the refrigerator that malfunctioned so soon after being placed in my kitchen

There is much more to tell about the strange business practices of CAS, but that is not my reason for writing to you. I want you to know, that taking a stand for your rights, is vitally important at this point in our mutual now. We simply must, have standards of excellence, holding ourselves and others accountable for delivery of services and products bought and paid for in full. Much of humanity is discombobulated, with no ethics, and no morals on display. It is wonderful when we feel confident after an exchange with someone that acts as a representative of a business, and when we can be sure that they will deliver on their commitments; this is precisely what we must expect, and then demand, if the fabric of our society has a chance at strengthening into a community of caring people. 

The course of action I took when dealing with resistance from CAS follows:

1. I was kind and polite with the staff. When I realized I was getting no where; 

2. I called the police for some advice, and to potentially get the company charged with theft; the officer recommended filing a small claims lawsuit 

3. I emailed the after sales staff and informed them that I would be filing a law suit

4. I used social media to let people know what I was experiencing and to warn them not to shop at this store

5. I copied and pasted, with a picture, a Google review, and posted on eleven CAS stores in Ontario

6. I went to businesses in the strip plaza where CAS is located, and informed staff members of my experience, hoping to save them from a similar experience

UPDATE

After a refund was promised and issued last Wednesday, October the 22nd, I finally had the funds returned to my Mastercard this morning.

Here is the most important thing I must state. When you buy something and the people that take your money, also take a stand with wobbly unwarrantable non-principled cowardly statements, and refuse to do right by you, you must, take a stand too, and insist they honour the agreement, even if you have to hit the pavement, go talk to people, share your story, challenge status quo, get out of your pjs and put on your warrior armour ... DO SOMETHING, or cease and desist from complaining. 

While I waited to see a refund transaction on my Mastercard statement, I wondered, will it actually come through, or will I have to go to the next level of challenging this company to hold them accountable? I waited, the money arrived, I bought a new refrigerator at Home Depot in the mean time, and I did not have to up the pressure anti, but I would have, dear reader, because as the saying goes, money does not grow on trees; and I am nobodies monkey. I had a plan, and I will use it, if there is a next time. 

Assert yourself, for goodness sakes, and for your own sense of self-worth too. If you do nothing, that is exactly, what you will receive as your reward. 

Overruling God Has Consequences

Would it be fair to say that humans have a tendency to... I don't know, overrule God? 

Knowing God's Word, and not living it, can make a person feel dichotomous. God does not rule by consensus, popular vote, or the by-way of referendum, and yet, in the human desires of the wayward, and this includes you and me, we really want what he has said, to match what we believe is alright to do. Having God's stamp of approval, even if we have made it up in our mind as a justification for going away, rather than toward him, is what we long for, to continue in our sin. 

My recent writing has been a condemning of halloween type celebrations, as representative of pagan practices. Perhaps fifteen or more years ago, my former husband and I had large halloween karaoke parties, and this, while I was a professing Christian! When I look back I am mortified for indulging in what I considered then, harmless fun. I thought Christians that warned against celebrating this satanic day and night, were perhaps wearing overly tight underwear that had been tied in uncomfortable knots. Alas, I was dead wrong, and I was a house divided against myself, indulging my flesh for the sake of self and other entertainment, and turning my back on the rebuke of scripture, that clearly warned against inviting darkness into my abode. When we open the door to the devil, converse with him, and then invite him in, we can be sure, that a bad omen will follow. 

Proverbs 14:1

Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

Way back when - and believe me when I tell you that I prefer to distance myself from my past because it is embarrassing to look back upon all my ungodly choices and behaviours - I was tearing down my own house, with my bare hands. Eventually, with consistent reading and weeping over scripture, conviction for my sins grew my commitment to honour and obey God; he strengthened my faith, and my resistance to the pull of wickedness in the world, increased incrementally.  I pray that I am a wise woman, that buildeth my house!

And this I pray for other believers, that they too, are not wise in their own eyes, but wise as committed to Christ, faithful servants of the Lord. 

Overruling God happens all the time, when en masse, people agree by consensus, that God does not mean what he says - the Word of God is alive. God is unchanging, immutable, and does not accommodate the whims and wishes of each new generation. The Ancient of days isn't fickle, and there are no new inventions of sin, just old ones dressed up in new costumes. The Devil disguising himself is no longer necessary, since common folk openly embrace him, worship him, indulging themselves so that they do not have to abide in the laws that are commands from the Almighty. 

This past Sunday, a friend of mine went to emergency to have a persistent pain investigated. I stayed with her and all told, she was at the hospital for twelve hours and I was with her for the majority of that time. We spent the night in waiting rooms, while watching and hearing the suffering of humanity. It was not the 31st of October, but it could have passed for a horror show halloween set up. 

Real people, vomiting on themselves; real people, unable to make eye contact or recognize that they are amongst other human beings; real people, walking while bent over side-ways and falling down; real people moaning in pain, uttering help ow, help ow endlessly, or screaming vulgarities at the staff; real people, sitting dejected and utterly alone, left there by a friend, family member, or cab driver; real people bringing in their infants, or small children, after having been vaccinated the day before. Dear reader, my friend and I could hear all of the exchanges between the staff behind the glass referred to as fishies by a regular, because they looked like they were encased in a fish bowl, and the people coming in needing immediate assistance. The drug addicts that are coming off of whatever they have ingested or injected, use this place as a detox centre and eventually, they leave unseen, or get ejected by the very polite security staff: what can emergency room staff possibly do for those that self-harm, and will continue to do so, until they come in on a stretcher, or get picked up and taken to the morgue? 

We do not have to have a doctor take our pulse and declare us dead. Oh no, all we need do, is look around, and see the dead eyes, the flat emotionless disconnected zombie like dispositions, the sickness raging and hidden away and out of sight, night after bloody vomit soaked night, in emergency rooms understaffed and overflowing with the mentally, socially, and spiritually, terminally ill. 

Halloween is a celebration of death, but dying and death is not candy and popcorn, movies and family fun after trick or treating. Death is hideous, monstrous, soul reviling, and leaves one feeling helplessly inept. Death is embraced as a welcome friend that can relieve suffering, until of course, it comes to visit, and will not leave until life is extracted and stolen away. 

Oh God, I heard this so many times while sitting and waiting with my friend. Yes, Oh God, please help me, help ow, help ow. It is God that we call to when death says I am here to hurt you and take you away. It is the Creator we recall we rely upon, when weakness in the knees has us falling on our faces, or when the stomach can no longer contain the bile that builds there and erupts, no matter who is watching. 

I sat and listened as the admitting staff asked parents over and over again when they brought in their children: is he/she up to date with their vaccines? Yes, yes, the infants and young children were indeed, up to date with their vaccinations, and it never occurred to the staff member, or the parents, that perhaps, the injections were precisely the reason young and should be healthy new to the world children, were sickly. 

While the detoxing drug addicts roamed restlessly amongst the sick in the crowded waiting room, or slept in awkward positions on uncomfortable chairs, the inDOCTORated continued to enter in and exit the exact same doors, and wait in similar rooms, to have their new to the world children treated, by the very people that promoted the poison pushed into them via syringes. 

Overruling God appears to be contagious, and clearly, there are consequences. We are witnessing the fallout from a drug and death culture, that can no longer comprehend what is good for them, and what is sickening and gangrenous to the soul. 

Trick, or treat? I say the masses have been godlessly self-tricked, and man alive, there is no treat in sight. 

Revelation 4:11

Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power, for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are, and were created. 

Screaming Birds & Open Paganism

It was Wednesday October 22nd, and I was with a friend and her children when we heard a ruckus that was so loud and persistent, it drew us to the edge of a line of trees, to see what was happening in the creek bed below. Birds sounded like they were screaming in unison. I had never heard this sound before, and it seemed there were hundreds of them, and dare I say, perhaps thousands? I have since, looked up what may have been the cause of such a startling cacophony, and there wasn't much information on the subject, except for perhaps, the birds where trying to ward off a predator in their midst, maybe a fox or coyote, hungry for a tasty feathered treat. We went into the library after not being able to see anything significant to explain the phenomenon, and even as the doors closed, the screaming continued to be loud enough to hear. A predator may very well have run from the sound to save its ears from bleeding!

The birds were my introduction to what I really want to talk to you about today, dear reader. Recently, a friend of mine challenged an elder at her church regarding a newsletter sent to members about halloween and what looks like, a planned party for the event. I wrote about this in another blog entitled, Walgreens & Halloween Churches, published on the 21rst day of this month of October. The mixing of the sacred with the sacrilegious, namely, of giving out candy to children in costumes, with Christ riding on the coat tails of the grim reaper in the form of gospel tracks handed out as light shining in the darkness, is apparently a fashionable decision for this apostate church, that pretends to profess Christ, while inviting the devil into there flock, and also inviting the scorn of residents nearby, that will not be able to distinguish this church, from the pagan world. 

My friend addressed the elder with her disappointment, her concern, and her clear course of action, if this event is to go ahead as planned. Dear one, her voice ought to have been matched in outrage, and the body of Christ ought to have been screaming and screeching in unison, to stop this predatory invasion into the house of God but alas, today she received confirmation that yes indeed, the travesty to indulge pagan practices, inside of the church building and out in the community, was full steam ahead a go, for Friday the 31st of October; I presume it will be bible business as usual, on the reformation Sunday immediate following? 

My faithful friend will not be attending this synagogue of Satan any longer, but she did want them to explain their strange and disappointing choices to her. I suggested no one will care what she thinks, because clearly, they don't care what God thinks. If a person is willing to go in the direction of dastardly deeds and they disregard warnings from the faithful, then it is clear, they aren't bothered about God's directives. For shame, but then again, this is a sign of the times, is it not, dear one?

The birds, the birds, worked together in their screaming to scare off a predator, if that is indeed what they were instinctively and in unison, trying to accomplish. We humans, we Christians, ought to be working together to ward off what is sinister and insinuates itself into our lives, our homes, our places of work, and on Sundays, and even Fridays, in our churches. The pastor, and his tight knit team of men at this church, have made it clear that they will carry on in the course of action they have deemed acceptable, despite God's Word making it very clear what we are not to participate in as believers. They have opened the door to darkness, by planning this event, and if they indeed follow through, they are welcoming in the hounds of hell. 

If you think I make too big a deal of this celebration of death that is called halloween, and think it an innocuous annual event that does no harm, and you call yourself a Christian, then hear my screeching and screaming, a sound I hope scares you away, because I simply do not, want you to come near me, or mine. 

What is forbidden ought not to be entertained, not even in our thoughts. This church was once at a Crossroads, and I pray it is not too late for them to be convicted of conscience and to right the ship, steering clear of the destruction that lies ahead if they do not abide in God's Word as obedient servants of the Lord. There is time for them to stop the wheels from continuing to turn in the wrong direction. I pray they do refrain from this vulgar display of paganism, for the sake of the men and women that made a terrible decision, and for the sake of the vulnerable children that they are exposing to evil, and the vileness of demonic corrupting forces. 

NOTE: My faithful friend, has gone to the church I speak of this day, to strongly rebuke the churchmen gone afoul. This, dear reader, is what we must do, when the enemy of souls dares attempt theft, in the body of Christ. 

Matthew 18:15-17

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile or tax collector. 

Dear reader, men of God do not go against the church and Word of God. The offence is despicable in the eyes of God, and must be seen similarly by the body of Christ.

1 Timothy 5:20

Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.

My faithful friend was appalled at the invitation, twice over, that she received, to participate in halloween events as an attending member of her church. She addressed her concerns and upset directly with an elder she trusted, and yet, all remained as previously plotted and planned. Today, she was compelled to go directly to the church and challenge the churchmen's position. For shame, that this woman is doing the rebuking, when it was the elder's job to do so, when informed what travesty was soon to take place. Apparently, some elders were in the dark regarding this celebration of death that is halloween... a house divided against itself cannot stand. 

Titus 2:15

Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

God's All-Sufficiency

Conforming to Christ is an impossibility, unless God enables via his transforming power. Quickening from a dead and degenerate state, is also an impossibility, unless God warrants a faith that enlivens.

It is God's all-sufficiency that endues, endows, enriches the hopeful, and the trait of hopefulness too. Against all odds, and with common concerns, we walk about wondering, How will God get us out of this mess? and by what means? It is hard to fathom that he will never forsake us nor leave us, when we see the wickedness rampaging all about, and yet, this is his promise. For the children of God, the spiritual seed of Abraham, we his people, grin, sometimes grimace, watch, and next wait, in eager anticipation, and periodically, knee knocking trepidation. We get a sense of what is to come, and in our unpreparedness, God assures that he goes before us, and that he is our rear guard. 

There are two directions in which we can go: conform to Christ, or conform to the ways of this world. 

The early Christians were referred to as people of The Way. I like this very much. While I go my own way, the wrong way, the opposite way often, I just as frequently, return to The Way. The plank in me pirate eye is inclined to swinging and hitting people that I perceive are not conforming to Christ, and that is when I am most, far away from The Way. When God's all-sufficiency redirects me to the narrow path, I once again, in my newly acquired and familiar state of having been humbled, join the saints that long ago went before me: what a glorious goose-pimply image. Picture in your minds eye, saints in their white robes (washed in the blood of Christ, so that his righteousness becomes ours by virtue of his propitiatory crucifixion) walking side-by side, some linking arms, sharing remember-when accounts of God intervening, God chastening, and next lovingly instructing, Look to my Son, he is my perfect example of obedience. 

I have heard some state: It isn't easy being a Christian. I would counter, it is much harder to be a conformed to the world, non-Christian. Easy isn't the issue at all, since life is not easy to navigate; but is especially difficult, when one gets up each morning without recognizing the impossibility of doing so, without God's sustaining power. How, pray tell, is it that so many cannot see, feel, hear, touch, how magnificent all of creation is, and not attribute these perfect gifts to the One that created all? 

We are walking and talking dead things when we do not have Christ as our giver of life. We are time stamped, this is true, since our bodies last until they no longer function: alas, I declare it a marvellous wonder when dead things are brought to life, when a soul is saved from its treacherous self, and renewed by the awesome power of faith in God as Sovereign. 

It does not matter what the wicked do, for the wicked will continue to do the bidding of their daddy the devil; what matters, is what each person believes, and in whom they place their confident faith. Faith, and hope, do not happen to a person: these are God's to give, and it is his all-sufficiency that we rely upon to strengthen our ability, to conform to Christ. 

It is self-betrayal to deny Christ. It is self-delusional to believe we can make it, as in be our own self-contained success unit, on our own. All the people we see and admire; all of nature that sings his praises and groans too, because of the sin that has soaked the earth, exists from his hand. Nothing from nothing leaves nothing, and dear reader, God is the Someone in all that is good, pure, and right in this world. It is his gift to each believer, when we actually believe in him. God makes plain for us what he has given, and we can be grateful, or attempt to bypass by looking in the opposite direction, but no matter how we approach or walk away from God, he remains magisterial.  

I have often made the mistake of underestimating people, but the very worst sin I have committed, is underestimating God's almighty capabilities to enliven the dead. God can and does, snatch brands from the fire, and he will continue to do this very thing, until his declared in heaven, last day for man on earth, arrives.  

Let us go now to scripture for encouragement and to end our time together.

Jude, verses 17-25 

A Call to Persevere

But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions. It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt, save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear hating even the garment stained by the flesh. 

Doxology

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.