Pastor Buddy’s Blog

Journal,

We believers accept the Bible as God’s word to us. It is a living book. But there is also something extra special about certain Scriptures that the Lord speaks into our hearts in our times of trial. Each of these special Scriptures moments always have a story wrapped around them.   

Yes indeed. I’ve long found that when I pray, I am talking to the Lord. But when I pick up my Bible, it is time for the Lord to speak to me. Learn this and you will learn one of the greatest lessons in Christian living.

Here are a sampling of Scriptures the Lord has spoken to me at various times in my life. There is a story wrapped around each of these Scripture moments. I will leave off the story part and just let the Scripture speak for itself. –  

“Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, ‘Shew us the Father’?” - John 14:9 KJV

“Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”  - Psalm 37:4 KJV

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” - Phil 1:6 KJV

“Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.” - Ecc 9:9 NASB

“It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.” - Psa127:2 NASB

“When You came down long ago, You did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations. And, oh, how the mountains quaked!” - Isa64L3 NLT

These few Scriptures barely scratch the surface of all that God has spoken to me from His written word. But is it little wonder why God’s people fall in love with their Bible!

God puts the pieces together even in the little things…

Through my many years of walking with the Lord, I’ve learn to recognize the fingerprints of God in just about everything that concerns me. This is why I’m not much for coincidences in my life.

Here’s a story that depicts what I mean. In 1964, I bought my first Bible as an adult believer. It was a Holman King James Version. I fell in love with that Bible. In fact I read it through in about two weeks. Haven’t been able to stop reading the Bible ever since.

But I had a quirk that Betty did not like. It was this tendency to give my Bible to someone who did not have one. She did not like me doing that because of all the personal notes that I make in my Bibles. She wanted each of our children to have one of my Bibles. But before I realized this, I managed to give my Holman Bible to an army nurse that Betty and I had been ministering to. (Believe it was somewhere around 1969.)

Well, since that time I’ve had all kinds of good Bibles. Yet for some reason I missed my Holman Bible. It wasn’t about it being a King James Version. No, there was something more. In fact I much perfer the New American Standard Bible. Perhaps it was just a memory that I had a hard time letting go of.

This morning that memory arose. Nathan and Lori had given me a gift certificate to Books-A-Million, for my birthday. Straight to the religious section I went. And there I saw it - ‘The Holman Illustrated Christian Study Bible.’ I picked it up, read through a bit, put it down, walked around. Came back, picked it up, put it down, wandered around a bit more. Came back the third time, picked it up, found me a chair, sat down and took a serious look at it. Man I dearly love Bibles.

After careful study I realized that the CSB was a very good translation. I’m a real stickler on a translation being without bias.

I found that the Holman Christian Standard Bible is as close to the NASB as you can get, and even offers some translation effects and notes that are extra-complimentary to the study of the Scriptures. Yes indeed. I bought me a new Holman Bible. Felt like my old Bible had come home. That may sound silly to others but not to me. 

Am I giving up on my New American Standard Bible. Not at all. What I plan to do is to devour my new Christian Standard Bible in the next bit of time and refer to it as much as needed. (I’ve done this with other translations.) Until it is firmply planted in my heart to take up another translation as my primary ministry Bible, I’ll just stick with my NASB.

Yes indeed. The Lord puts all the pieces together.

And so, with my new Bible in hand and along with my trustful New American Standard…

Off to the mountains of Tennessee we will go…

Overlooking Gatlinburg

Yup, early Thursday morning, Betty and I, along with some of my Fletcher kin are headed for Gatlinburg, and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and surrounding areas. It is time for a bit of overdue vacation.

Smokey Mountains, look out, here we come!!

What do you think? Do you think that the Lord is able to put all the pieces of your life together?

This is what makes the Christian walk so adventurous. He is ever present to meet us at our point of need. Why not share some of your stories on this blog. I’d love to hear about those little things in your life that you know the Lord put together.

With that in mind, have you ever sat down just to wonder over all your blessings in life?

Its hard to do. We are so blessed. Even in our trials, we are able to look back and say, ‘The Lord met me there!’

Ok, I’ve said enough. Let’s give it up for ‘Count Your Blessings - Smokey Mountain Style.’

Don’t you just love Mountain music!

Don’t forget — Jesus really, really, loves you and do I.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Journal,

I’ll lighten up a bit with this entry and share some on a personal note.

The writer of wisdom said,

“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven– A time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted…

“…A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. A time to search and a time to give up as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away.” - From Ecc. chapter 3 NASB

The reason I ‘bolded‘ ‘a time to weep and a time to laugh’ is because this past week I’ve carried laughter in one hand and weeping in the other. Sometimes laughter and weeping are nearly impossible to separate.

Ok, here’s the story. Thursday, August 21st, was my sixty-eighth birthday. There is really nothing great about that, that is, until Nathan, Betty, and the church decided to have a surprise birthday party for me the evening before my birthday.

The party took place at the end of our Wednesday evening service. This was our final Wednesday service before the Community Groups kicked in.

Anyway, during the service Nathan ask folk to share memories from our Wednesday services, and they did. I even shared. Then at the end, Nathan picked up his guitar, had the church sing ‘happy birthday’ to me. I thought that was such a warm thing to do. We’ve done it for others. What happened next caught me completely off guard.

That was when Nathan did something extra special. This something extra special was the keynote for the weeping and the laughter. Betty had asked Nathan to sing a special song to me. He did and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the congregation, certainly not mine. It was a very humbling moment for me.

I wanted to share that moment with you, but first I also need to put a disclaimer on it. The purpose of Nathan’s song was to honor me as founder of Christian Challenge. It was entitled ‘A Faithful Man’. Yet in my heart I have never felt that I was much of a faithful man. I’ve never felt worthy of my role as a preacher of the gospel, nor have I ever felt adequate to that role. I am too acquianted with my own failings in life. Just like everyone else, I needed and still need a great Savior.

But be that what it may, I still wanted to share that special moment with my readers. Some of you will finally get to see what Betty and I really look like. Here it is – The moment of tears…

Of course that wasn’t the end of things…

Kids and grandkids gathered to our home the next evening to have a family celebration of daddy’s birthday. There is no greater joy in our earthly journey, than to know and experience the love of a family, especially when the family consists of believers. Of course the Martin family needs no encouragement for a celebration. Every birthday from kids to grandkids is a major production. Mine was no exception.

André did the grilling and my sweet love Betty prepared a spread that she knows I love. And once again laughter and tears were in place. Betty shared how that August, a year ago, no one knew if daddy would be here for another year. Those who have kept up with my blog over time, you know of my miracle healing from cancer.

Sure I received gifts - But the greatest gift for me has always been ‘family’. Thank you Lord for my children, my fifteen grandchildren, and the two great-grandchildren who are on their way.

Ok, nuff about me and the Martin plantation.

Remember the song, ‘School Days, School Days?’ Sure you do. It was written in 1907. See if you remember some of the lyrics:

School days, school days
Dear old Golden Rule days
‘Reading and ‘riting and ‘rithmetic
Taught to the tune of the hick’ry stick
You were my queen in calico
I was your bashful, barefoot beau
You wrote on my slate, “I Love You, Joe”
When we were a couple o’ kids

Now you are wondering, ‘What does that song have to do with anything?’

Very much indeed. It is that time again.

It is time to enroll in the CCI 40th School for Christian Workers…Here is the schedule:

If the chart to the right is a bit difficult to read, take note – School begins September 7th and 8th, 2008.

Classes offered:

The Disciple’s Heart Training Program, Sundays, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

(2nd) Disciples Heart Training Program, Mondays, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The Shepherd’s Heart Minister’s Training Program, Sundays, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Old Testament Bible Survey, Mondays, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Conversational Spanish, Mondays, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00  p.m.

Well, thats it for now.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Journal,

After my last entry on ’sorcery in Christendom’, I had thought to move to other things. But I have a request to provide additional information in this area. I also feel pressed in my spirit to address this issue further.

There is a movement today that is very likely a precursor to the great antichrist revival Paul says will cover the earth in the last days. The antichrist revival will be replete with signs and wonders and will be conducted under the name of Jesus Christ.

Again this study will be a bit longer than usual. But if you read it through I’m sure you will be better informed on how to judge spiritual issues for yourself. 

Let’s begin with what the prophet said.

In the last days you will clearly understand…

Listen carefully to what the prophet Jeremiah had to say…

“But who has stood in the council of the LORD, that he should see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and listened? Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone forth in wrath, Even a whirling tempest; it will swirl down on the head of the wicked. ‘The anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart;

“… in the last days you will clearly understand it. I did not send these prophets, but they ran. I did not speak to them, but they prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, then they would have announced My words to My people, and would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds.” -Jer 23:18-22 NASB

Jeremiah

Notice again what the Lord says through Jeremiah, “In the last days you will clearly understand it. I did not send these prophets…”

The Hebrew term for ‘last’ days is the word ‘achariyh’, pronounced, akh-ar-eeth’. This word speaks of the end, the last time, or the latter time. It is often used prophetically for the wrap up of a time, a final hour, or to a complete ending of a redemptive era.

This prophesy by Jeremiah likely had a dual fulfillment. The first fulfillment would be in 70 a.d., with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Here is a statement from my first entry as to what the early Jewish rabbis said had predicated the destruction: (Of course they don’t mention Jesus, the real cause.)

“There is an interesting statement made in the Tosefta, concerning why the Lord allowed the temple to be destroyed in 70 A.D. It says, ‘When the number of whisperers in court increased, wrath came upon the world and the Shekhina departed from Israel.” The ‘whisperers’ was a term used for sorcerers.

“It appears that the spirit of sorcery had infested Israel prior to the destruction of the temple. False prophets abounded. It was these false prophets who contributed to the uprising against Rome. But this wasn’t a new thing in Israel. They had long been noted for consulting mediums.”

False ‘anointed ones’ and false prophets…

Every time there is a change in redemption history, you will see a spiritual upheaval including sorcery and false prophets, and behind that a following judgment. This is what we are seeing in this very hour. The apostate Christian movements keep having pockets of resurgences. With each resurgent you will have a special ‘anointed one’ to whom peoples stream to.

Jesus said this would be the case. Keep in mind that the very word Christ, means ‘the anointed one.’ Listen again to the Lord:

“And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’, or, ‘Behold, He is there’, do not believe him; for false Christs (anointed ones) and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect.” (Mak 13:21,22)

Here is the real struggle area…

Many Christians do not understand what a false prophet is. In the former testament the term ‘false prophet’ was not merely a term for the prophets of Baal, or Ashtoreh, or any other pagan deity. The false prophet that Israel had their direct struggle with were those prophets who identified with the God of Israel, and prophesied in the name of Yahweh.

And so the danger for believers today will be those ’special anointed ones’ who do their work in and under the name of Jesus Christ. In fact this is how a false prophet today will attempt to disarm the discerning believers. The false prophet will freely use the name of Jesus in things like, ’Jesus, said this’, or, ‘Thus saith the Lord Jesus’, and will fill his preaching and prophesying in the the name of Jesus,

In fact, the use of the name of Jesus will be one of the classic marks of a false prophet. Listen:

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. …

“So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’” - Mat 7:15,20-23 NASB

The term ‘lawlessness’ or ‘anomia’ (an-om-ee’ah) is a general term often associated with wickedness or iniquity. Keep in mind that the antichrist is called ‘the lawless one.’ The antichrist and the antichrist spirit never changes. It puts twists and turns on the word of God, very much as Satan did in the temptation of Eve.

It is crucial that believers learn how to appraise spiritual things accurately.

Those who are born from above have a unique ability to recognize the things that are of God. The believer’s ability to place a value on all things becomes more acute with spiritual maturity. Paul said that a spiritual man ‘knows’ and ‘appraises’ all things. In 1Corinthians 2:12, the apostle says,

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.”

The word ‘know’ is ‘eido’ in Greek. It means ‘to see, perceive, to turn the eyes, the mind, or the attention to anything; to get knowledge of; to be skilled in, or to know the meaning of.

Then in verse 15, Paul says,

“But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.”

The word ‘appraises’ is ‘anakrino’ in Greek. It means to examine, to ask questions, search, discern, and enquire into, to scrutinize, to sift. In a forensic sense it means to hold an investigation to determine the excellence or the defects of any thing.

The apostle is bringing out the strength and beauty of a believer’s spiritual life. The crown of a believer’s walk is his ability to know that which is of the Lord. It is this spiritual ability that protects a believer from error.

Satan cannot successfully mislead a mature child of God.

Two other Greek words relate to this area. They are ‘ginosko’ and ‘epignosis’. Jesus said,

“I am the good shepherd, and I know (ginosko) my own and my own know (ginosko) Me.” (John 10:14)

Then Peter says,

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge (epignosis) of God and of Jesus our Lord.” (2Peter1:2)

Ginosko means to be personally acquainted with; to understand; to have knowledge. Epignosis speaks of a deepening knowledge. It means precise and accurate knowledge.

This brings us to the importance of discernment. The ability to know if a thing is of God is important because the supernatural realm makes up more than the things of God. Satan is a spiritual being.

The hallmark of Satan’s work is deception.

We are especially warned that in the last days there will be a great increase of deception at work in the earth. The Lord said that this deception would be so acute that even the very elect will have to maintain a special guard. (Cf. Matt24:24; 1Tim4:1-6; 2Tim3:13.)

To take this a step further, the work of demons is closely linked to the prideful flesh of man. Demons work with fleshly people. And what the fleshly person attributes to God are ’soulish’ powers that are in cooperation with spirits of darkness. (Cf. Gal 5:19-21)

How do we know if it is a soulish power at work in a person, or if it is truly of the Spirit? I will share some basic principles you can use to judge a thing. However, James gives us the basic description of how soulish powers work. Listen to his writings. (Cf. James 3:13-18)

“But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic..”

The word ‘natural’ is ‘psuchikos’ which speaks of the soul or mind. Its reference is to the sensual side of our lower nature. Notice how ‘psuchikos’connects to ‘demonic.’

Then James goes on to describe what is truly of the Lord;

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”

(It would help if the reader would take each of these words and study their Greek meaning.)

When prideful flesh is at work it glories in itself.

It seems that the Corinthian Church is a classic example of an immature flesh-driven church. Certainly there were godly people in the Church, but the Church itself had such a low level of consecration that many of the peoples were unable to discern evil works. They were unable to discern when ‘another’ Jesus was being preached. (Cf. 2Co11:2- 4,14,15.)

On the other hand, the Thessalonians believers seemed to be more mature. (Cf. 1Thess5:12-22) Paul told these believers there were things they should do in dealing with people who claimed to speak for God. In verse 21, Paul says, “Examine everything carefully.”

The way Paul taught to examine things was by use of the Scriptures. The ‘what is written’ is always to be the testing ground for teachings, and experiences, and prophecies. 

Then Paul says believers are to, “Hold fast to that which is good.” If it is a true revelation, it will be in accordance with the Word of God. It must be kept for future generations.

In verse 22, the apostle continues; “Abstain from every form of evil.”

‘Abstain’ is the word ‘apecho’. It means to hold back; be distant from. The evil in view is anything falsely attributed to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will never give a revelation that runs contrary to God’s Word. This applies to a prophecy, a teaching, or an experience.

A good example of this is when teachings began to center on money. Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Mammon was the Greek god of wealth. The word came to represent a lust for silver and gold. Of course this is where we have a need for spiritual balance. It is God’s will to prosper His people. But we have to understand what true Biblical prosperity is.

The balance comes in where God’s people are told to keep a pilgrim attitude about life. We are to hold tightly to Jesus, and loosely to the world. Paul said,

“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10)

The apostle included this thought; “If we have food and clothing, with these we are to be content.” 

Now compare that to much of what you hear coming from the TV pulpits today.

True Biblical prosperity has a spiritual base.

It is an outflow of a proper relationship with the Lord. This proper relationship has a heart attitude that is set forth in the word ‘humility.’ We are to live with humble hearts before the Lord, never striving after things of the world. The Lord Himself said that if we will seek first God’s kingdom, and His righteousness, then everything else will be provided for us.

What then are we to examine? To begin with we are to examine ourselves to make sure we are in the faith. But we are also to examine teachings of others to make certain they are in agreement with the gospel message. This is where caution is important. It is easy to prove many things in the Scriptures, but are these things in accordance with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Satan does his work through half-truths. (Cf. 1Co15:1-4; Gal1:8,9; Rom10:8-10)

Then we are to examine things that are said to be spiritual operations. Demonic spirits bring a false anointing. These spirits love to prophesy. They love to provide information about people. They love to be the center of attention. Careful examination will often reveal a deceiving spirit at work.

It is here that I wish to share a couple of situations …

… that I’ve come across in my many years of ministry to show how people can be duped. I’ll leave off the many failures that we are all aware of when it comes to well-known television evangelists. The ones I will share are likely not to be known.

I counseled a fallen minister who found out that what he thought were gifts of the Spirit were actually workings of a strange spirit. This man came from a line of pioneer preachers of his movement. He saw miracles. He knew things about people that he could not have known in the natural. But it always left him puzzled. For some reason this anointing drew him to women. He had had more than one failure in this regard.

Why was he unable to discern? Some of it was due to his roots. The movement he was from taught that it wasn’t God’s will for believers to understand the supernatural. He was taught to do things by faith, and let God fill in the blanks. Yet all during this time this brother continually had a sensing that something was wrong.

Then there was the case of the leader of a missions group. He was well respected. He traveled to various Churches, was known to prophesy, and do all the things that were expected with his religious roots. The problem was this gentleman was having incestual relationship with two of his daughters. And his son who was a missionary was also involved. What is wrong with this picture? 

Keep in mind that the things I am sharing are not a picture of the Church at large. There are many, many God-fearing pastors, who are faithful to their charge, and who would never ever think of doing the things that I am describing.

These are only samplings of cases I am personally aware of. These cases come from the same kind of movement. Think about it. Why are marriages coming apart, ministers remarrying, and carrying on as though nothing had happened? What is wrong with this picture?

The ’something is wrong’ is what the apostle tried to warn us about. He said,

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in latter times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” (1 Timothy 4:1)

The word ‘deceitful’ is an interesting word in the Greek. It speaks of a restless, wandering spirit, that works a deception. A more literal translation says, “They will believe spirits which deceive and teachings of demons.”

Here are some things you can do to arm yourself.

First - Keep in view that not all supernatural things are from God. Don’t be afraid of offending the Lord by questioning. Remember that everything the Lord has, the enemy has a substitute.

Second - Understand that anyone can be deceived, even the most devoted of believers, and even for a season, if the believer is ignorant of how Satan works. It is this knowledge that will help keep you on guard.

Third - Learn to trust your own spiritual judgment. This is what the renewing of the mind is about. As we consecrate ourselves to God’s service, we find our ability to judge becoming keener. (Cf. Rom12:1-3)

Fourth - Understand that discernment and testing aren’t the same thing. You discern by the Holy Spirit. You test by the Word of God. Therefore when you may sense a thing is wrong, don’t ignore that sensing. But the more you become acquainted with God’s Word, the more you will be able to determine why what you sense is wrong. [Be willing to test every experience; dreams, visions, etc., by the Word of God.]

Fifth - Be willing to adjust the way you do things. Even the apostles had to make changes. Peter would not go to Cornelius’ house until the Lord opened his understanding. (Cf. John7:17)

In all this, every believer must study the Scriptures to make sure they have a clear understanding of the gospel message.

Hope I’ve helped a bit with this study.

The Lord bless you,

Buddy

Journal,

The study I wish to share may be a bit disturbing to some, but that is not my intention. The Bible plainly teaches that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. Jesus also said that His sheep know His voice and they will not follow another. The apostle said there could be no separation between us and God’s love for us that is found in Christ Jesus.

The point at hand is that every true believer has been sealed in Christ and has an eternal salvation.

Yet there is a problem that all believers will have to confront at various times in their life. Paul said it this way,

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces in this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm …” - Eph6:12,13 nasb

(Note: This study will be a bit longer than normal but it will be well worth the reading.)

This brings me to a response that I recently received on one of my web studies. The study in question is entitled, ”The Spirit of Babylon - Magical Practices and Sorcery.’  I’ll share on an anonymous basis just a bit from his response. (This person is a church leader.) 

– He wrote…

“I write you to let you know that I have read your Bible study named, “The Spirit of Babylon - Magical Practices and Sorcery.” After reading this, #1 I agree with you 100%. Lately, I’ve been noticing it on TV in church leaders all the time. And also in my church as well.

“After reading your Bible study I have felt convicted. I felt convicted because I’ve been a Christian for a little over 20 years and the sexual problems remained with me for most of that time. I myself have had problems with sorcery, sex drugs etc etc. - Before and after becoming a Christian.  I’ve recently given up the last of my habitual sins and know that I have been delivered.  I thank God for that.”   - Anonymous

So, with this response in mind let me draw on the study in question as a backdrop to what I wish to share now. However, it is not my intention to use names or point to any group or person in particular. I simply want to share a general premise that deals with the question of sorcery. Believers must learn to discern for themselves if a certain activity could truly be of God.

The original study can be found at this site:

http://christianchallenge.org/hebraic-foundations/HF037.html

So the premise question is,

Can there be sorcery in the Church today…

It should go without saying that the historical Church has always had to deal with the problem of witchery. This spiritual working can be found in every religious society on the earth. But the problem we have to deal with is when it appears under the guise of Christianity. 

Here is the Scripture we can use as a beginning point:

“Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, ‘This man is what is called the Great Power of God.’” (Acts 8:9,10)

Earlier Christians had a number of traditions about Simon. To distinguish him from other Simons of the Bible, he was given the name Simon Magnus. Justin Martyr said Simon went to Rome and was worshipped there as a god. Over time the word ’simony’, which comes from the name Simon Magnus, was used for someone who bought or sold a spiritual office for a price. - Sort of like merchandizing the gospel.

History has proven over and over again that the Simon Magnus’s will always be around. These men are actually sorcerers. And when God’s people are led astray, it is usually one of these people who is involved. They are deceivers, but their powers are of a spiritual nature. This is one reason that we are warned not to be followers of signs and wonders.

What we know from the Scriptures is that Simon Magnus claimed to be ‘the Great Power of God.’ But was he actually claiming to have an association with the God of the Bible? It seems so. Jerome quotes from the writings of Simon Magnus, where Simon writes, “I am the Word of God, I am the Comforter, I am the Almighty, I am all there is of God.”

So when Simon said he was the Great Power of God, he was placing himself as God manifest.

This is how sorcery works.

The sorcerer seeks to draw attention to himself as being someone great. He does this by mesmerizing the peoples. To mesmerize a person is to bring them under your power by spellbinding them.

Lets consider more about Simon Magnus. Irenaeus has this to say,

“Simon, having purchased a certain woman named Helena, who had been a prostitute in the city of Tyre, carried her about with him, and said that she was the first conception of his mind, the mother of all things…” He then adds, “On this account he [Simon] himself came, that he might first of all reclaim her and free her from her chains, and then give salvation to men through the knowledge of himself.”

The spirit of sorcery is generally accompanied by sexual excesses. Women leave their husbands. Husbands leave their wives. Wherever you find the spirit of sorcery at work, you usually find the breaking down of families. Right and wrong get twisted together. And spirits began invading the home. These spirits attempt to validate the teachings of the sorcerer.

What many don’t realize is that while sorcery is a spiritual activity, it works on a sensual level. This is why Peter said,

“These [evil workers] are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones living in error.” (2 Peter 2:18)

Another legend about Simon Magnus is that he was actually once a disciple of John the Baptist. This legend is found is several different forms, so it is likely to have some validity to it. Many false prophets have had an association with Christianity.

On a historical note, Simon’s followers took to themselves the name Simoniani. They regarded Simon as their Christ. To them the Christ spirit manifested itself in different peoples over the ages. Jesus Christ was only one of these peoples.

The Simoniani had a great mixture of teachings that were derived from paganism, from Judaism, and from Christianity. Origen has this to say about the Simoniani;

“It escapes the notice of Celsus that the Simonians do not in any way acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, but they call Simon the Power of God.”

So did the early Church have problems with sorcery?

Most assuredly. As I said earlier, this has always been a problem for the Church. Jesus Himself said that tares would be sown in with the wheat. He explains the tares as being children of the evil one. Paul adds to this by saying that our warfare is of a spiritual nature.

The apostle Paul explained how that Satan’s servants actually masquerade as servants of righteousness. In writing the Corinthian Church, Paul said,

“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or your receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4)

The apostle went on to say that,

“Such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.” (1 Corinthians 11:13-14)

Think about it for a moment. If the spirit of sorcery could be in the Corinthian Church, what would prevent it from being in a Christian group today? Again we need to understand that the spirit of sorcery has always been around. You will find it from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation. And again, sorcery is also known as ‘the spirit of Babylon.’

Notice especially how God calls his people out of Babylon, in Revelation chapter eighteen;

“Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquity.” (Verses 4,5)

In verse twenty-three, the Lord says that “all the nations were deceived by your sorceries.” John is pointing out that the spirit of sorcery will pervade the earth during the time of tribulation, but that many of God’s people will have been taken in by this spirit. There could be no other reason for God to tell His people to come out of Babylon.

Then we have to consider Paul’s writings. This apostle clearly shared that an endtime deception will sweep the world that will revolve around anti-Christ. But we also have the words of Jesus. The Lord spoke of the false Christs who would be deceiving peoples in the latter times. Jesus said,

“And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’, or, ‘Behold, He is there’, do not believe him; for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect.” (Mak 13:21,22)

Now lets take a look at what the early Jewish sages had to say about sorcery.

Temple Destroyed

There is an interesting statement made in the Tosefta, concerning why the Lord allowed the temple to be destroyed in 70 A.D. It says, “When the number of ‘whisperers’ in court increased, wrath came upon the world and the Shekhina departed from Israel.” The ‘whisperers’ was a term used for sorcerers.

It appears that the spirit of sorcery had infested Israel prior to the destruction of the temple. False prophets abounded. It was these false prophets who contributed to the uprising against Rome. But this wasn’t a new thing in Israel. They had long been noted for consulting mediums.

God spoke to the people in Isaiah 8:19, saying,

“When they say to you, ‘Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?”

At the time of Christ, the Jewish people had long since departed from Biblical Judaism. The leadership had totally distorted the Laws of God. This is one reason that the land was full of demonized people. And this is why John the Baptist came down so hard on the Pharisees and Sadducees, when he said, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matthew 3:7) These peoples were trying to identify with the growing movement of John.

Notice how Jesus uses the same language, in saying, “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell.” (Matthew 23:33)

With the coming of Jesus, the Lord gave Israel a 40 year period to repent and to turn to Him. During this time the Christian Jews were ministering fervently, but many of the peoples were being drawn even further into the occult. (Notice in Revelation 11:8, that Jerusalem is referred to as Sodom and Egypt. Both places were full of sorcery. Recall Moses and the sorcerers.)

Here are some more interesting notes from the Jewish writings.

According to Jewish thought, it was considered a sign of ill omen if the light of the lampstand in the temple ever went out. Based on Mishnah Moddot 3:4, it was stated that exactly forty years before the Temple’s destruction (70 A.D.) the light went out. Exactly forty years before the Temple’s destruction would be the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, in 30 A.D.

There was a teaching during second temple Judaism, that Satan was also present in the Holiest of Holies, to accuse the Jews and their High Priest. This was one reason the peoples did not want the High Priest to linger in the inner Shrine any longer than necessary. So, when the light went out, according to Jewish writings, this must have indicated that Satan was in charge. (According to Jewish tradition, the blowing of the shofar on new year is to disconcert Satan.)

Also according to Jewish writings, forty years before the destruction of the temple, the temple doors began to open on their own accord, and strange voices could be heard coming from within the temple complex. Whether all of this is true or not, it is true that sorcery had a dominate influence among the peoples of that time.

One more point of interest with regard to sorcery in the early times, is that a sorcerer was known to use the name YHWH (Yahweh) along with the names of other gods in doing their work. This lets us understand that just because a person uses the name of the Lord Jesus, does not preclude this person from being under the auspices of an occultic spirit.

The Lord Himself made this plain enough. He said to his disciples, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

Then a little later, He said,

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:15, 21-23)

The early Christian writers said that sorcery is a delusion. There is so much more to be said about sorcery in the church. I’ll leave things open for now. Please feel free to make comments or ask questions.

But always keep in mind that Jesus alone is Lord and He is the true Lord of all believers. It is His presence in our life that the enemy hates. His presence is holy and we are God’s holy people.

And since we are citizens of heaven, Satan is unable to take ahold of any believer’s life.

You have been signed, sealed, and delivered through the blood of the Lamb.

Blessings,

Buddy

I’ve often thought about the intrinsic purpose of the day of Pentecost, in 33 a.d. It seems so much is missed when we fail to make its connection with the story of redemption. 

The day of Pentecostal was not only the birthing of God’s new covenant people, it was also the supernatural beginning of the command of Jesus to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all nations and people groups.

Think about it. The peoples of the earth speak many languages. The Lord set His commission in place on the day of Pentecost by giving the apostles the supernatural ability to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in the languages of the world. And from the many thousands of Jews who accepted Jesus as Lord and Messiah, the gospel would thence return with them to the various regions of the earth. 

This was the beginning of a heavenly movement that would eventually fill all the earth with the glory of the Lord. This was the beginning of what the BIble calls ‘the kingdom of the beloved Son.’

Christianity spread swiftly to people groups everywhere. Its been that way ever since. Certainly there has been an ebb and flow through the ages, and not everyone would accept the message, yet multiplied millions have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their own Savior and King. 

This is where we need to take special note of what the apostles and the prophets said about the glory of the Lord and the message of His kingdom – 

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” - Hab 2:14 NASB

“And one called out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.’” - Isa 6:3 NASB

“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” - Mat 24:14 NASB

“All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O LORD, when they have heard the words of Your mouth. And they will sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD.” - Psa 138:4-5 NASB

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” - 2Co 3:18 NASB

“…but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory…” - 1Co 2:7-8 NASB

The answer for the world is found in one word…

The apostles and the prophets had one message for all the world. That message is contained in this statement -

“And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” - Acts 2:21 NASB

The apostle Paul explained this even further - 

“But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’–that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

“…for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him willnot be disappointed.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for ‘whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” - Rom 10:8-13 NASB

When it is said and done, we are all sinners saved by grace…

Take a moment to listen to this song - ‘Where No One Stands Alone.’

Please take time to read and listen to what I’ve shared in this entry. I had you in my mind. Jesus really, really loves you.

May the Lord’s love overcome your life,

In Christ,

Buddy

Journal,

Betty tells me that our two dogs, the General and Wee Little Man, are just like me. Every morning they insist on going with me for the morning paper. When I say ‘insist’, I mean ‘insist!!’

Then at times I’ll sit on our back porch with my morning coffee, meditate on the goodness of the Lord, and follow through with my morning devotion. The dogs just settle in for a bit of relaxing. With ‘Wee Little Man’, that is a tall order.

Well, my good friend Doug sent me an email this morning that pretty much describes my morning devotion. You can check it out at:

http://www.members.shaw.ca/grandmafaiths/first-cup-of-coffee.htm

Here it is:

First Cup of Coffee

Hope you are drinking from your saucer too…

I’ve never made a fortune,
And it’s probably too late now.
But I don’t worry about that much,
I’m happy anyhow.
And I go along life’s way,
I’m reaping better than I sowed,
‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

Haven’t got a lot of riches,
And sometimes the going’s tough.
But I’ve got loving ones all around me,
And that makes me rich enough.
I thank God for his blessings,
And the mercies He’s bestowed.
I’m drinking from my saucer,
‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

I remember times when things went wrong,
My faith wore somewhat thin.
But all at once the dark clouds broke,
And the sun peeped through again.
So Lord, help me not to gripe,
About the tough rows I have hoed.
I’m drinking from my saucer,
‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

If God gives me strength and courage,
When the way grows steep and rough.
I’ll not ask for other blessings,
I’m already blessed encough.
And may I never be too busy,
To help others bear their loads.
Then I’ll keep drinking from my saucer,
‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

Was that a wonderful poem. Makes me think of the wonderful rest that Jesus came to give us.

Ok, you asked for it. Heres a devotional study on the wonderful rest that is to be found in Christ Himself. Let’s just call it…

The Rest is His Rest -

There is a prophecy that speaks of the rest to be found in Jesus Christ. Isaiah 32:17, says,

“And the work of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.”

Jesus said,

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy- laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28,29)

We need to reach back into the Messianic promises for a look at the ‘rest’ that was promised to believers in Christ Jesus. For example, when Jacob prophesied over his son Judah, he said,

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” (Genesis 49:10)

The Targums have ‘Messiah’ in place of ‘Shiloh.’ But the old Greek translation ends the prophecy with, “…and he is the expectation of the nations.” The ‘he’ is God’s Messiah. The legend of Messiah can be found in all the nation groups.

And finally, the ending can also be translated, “Until he whose it is comes.”

Shiloh was a name for Messiah. But the heart of this prophecy is found in the statement,

“…to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”

The Hebrew for obedience is ‘yaggahah’. This word speaks of an inner submission of the soul, or the resting heart. The obedience results in a tranquility of the inner man.

The resting heart is what happens when a person truly comes to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Peter speaks of this, when he says,

“Your adornment must not be merely external . . . but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.” (1 Peter 3:3,4. “Quiet” is the Greek ‘hesuchios’, which literally translates as ‘tranquil’.)

Then we have a prophecy that is so misunderstood by certain folk today. Isaiah 28:11,12, says,

“Indeed, He will speak to *this people through stammering lips and a foreign tongue, *He who said to them, ‘Here is rest, give rest to the weary,’ and, ‘Here is repose,’ but they would not listen.”

The emphasis of this prophesy is not on a ‘foreign tongue.’ It isn’t the ‘languages’ that is made the rest. The rest as to do with the Messiah.

This prophecy gets turned on its head when an improper emphasis is placed on ’stammering lips and a foreign tongue.’ The prophecy had a direct fulfillment on the day of Pentecost, 33 A.D. The languages spoken on the day of Pentecost were not some jibberish that could not be understood. The gospel of Jesus was being presented in languages that were known and spoken by the Jews who had gathered from the many nations.

The purpose of speaking in other languages on the day of Pentecost was to draw attention to the Rest Giver, that is Jesus Himself. Notice how the Isaiah prophecy directs itself to *this* people. The “this” people were the Jewish peoples who be gathered in Jerusalem during the festivals of Passover and Pentecost.

The Isaiah 28 prophecy tells you who the prophecy will be about. It is about, *He “who said to them, ‘Here is rest, give rest to the weary.’” The rest giver is Jesus. Jesus is the one who said, “I will give you rest.” And the prophecy has to do with receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Messiah. But many of the people would not listen.

But there is a second factor that is crucial to the rest that is found in Jesus. The second factor speaks of our identification with Christ Himself. This is why John said that as Jesus is, so are we in this world. We have become one with Him.

When a person turns from their sins and turns to Jesus, there is a spiritual dynamic that takes place in which God places this person positionally in Christ Jesus. This means that the victory and rest that Jesus now enjoys, is the rest that is given to all believers. The writer of Hebrews says that we enter into His rest. Paul adds to this in saying that we have been “made complete” in Him. (Colossians 2:10)

The work of redemption is finished. There is nothing to add to it, there is nothing to take away from it. The work of the cross is not our work. There is not one thing a person can do to earn salvation. It is wholly God’s work. God has taken all the human effort out of His salvation in Christ. This is why there is only one thing left for men to do in order to be saved. It is summed up in the statement,

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)

Put these two factors together, that is, the rule of Christ in our hearts, and our full identification with Him in the finished work of the cross, and from these two factors you have what is called ‘the Rest.’ The rest is the full victory of the cross inscribed in our hearts. We have been seated with Christ in the heavenlies.

And this is what the first cup of coffee is all about.

Think about it.

Have you entered into His Rest?

May the blessing of the Lord overtake you,

Buddy

Journal,

A true Biblical disciple is someone who sits at the feet of Jesus, listens, asks questions, learns the ways of the Lord, and takes to heart the path of life that has been ordered for him by the Lord. This is why in the great commission, the only statement that is imperitive in the original Greek is ‘make disciples’. Everything else Jesus says is attached to ‘make disciples’. As you baptise, make disciples. As you teach, make disciples. As you go into all the world, ‘make disciples’. - Cf. Mt28:11-20.

The prophet of old described new covenant spiritual discipleship when he wrote, “The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.” (Cf. Isa50:4 nasb. The reference is to God’s Messiah and by extension to all who are disciples of Jesus Christ.) 

Understanding the principle of true discipleship helps us to appreciate what Jesus meant when he said that Mary had chosen the good part. Follow these Scriptures - Note the words in ‘bold’:

“Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.’

“But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’”
(Luk 10:38-42 NASB)

Here are some good parts that you can choose…

Christian Challenge is an exciting place to be. The heart of our ministry will always be Biblical discipleship. A number of things are presently in play. We are branching out with our Community Groups. These are ’in-home’ care groups where discipleship can be experienced in small group settings. If anyone in Central Louisiana is interested, you can find out more about the Community Groups by visiting our Wednesday evening service, or simply call the church office at, 318 640-4300.

Another good part you can choose is our forthcoming 40th School for Christian Workers. We offer two schools a year. This next School will be extra-special in that we are offering (one time only) two Disciple’s Heart classes. The normal one will be on Sunday evenings, and is taught by Lane Fletcher.

A second Disciple’s Heart class will held be on Monday evenings. It will be taught by myself. This second one is for the purpose of filming and archiving. It will likely be used for our web school of the future. Since I developed this training program, it was decided that I should be the one to provide structure for the future school. Students can choose which ever class they would like to enroll in.

Additional information about the School for Christian Workers is found at the following site - It will be updated shortly with the latest classes offered and the scheduling. The next school begins the Sunday after Labor Day. Registration is required.

http://christianchallenge.org/scw/index.html

Another good thing to choose - 10:00 a.m. Tuesday mornings…

Because of the various ‘branching out’ changes at place at Christian Challenge, and since we will not have a traditional Wednesday evening service, it was decided to reinstitute a Tuesday morning Bible ministry that we had in yesteryear. 

I am often asked to continue providing open Bible studies. In the past our Tuesday morning studies became a real blessing to many. We had business people attending along with folks from other Christian backgrounds, and not to mention the mommies who were able to attend since the children were in school, and also retirees. A Tuesday morning study seemed to work well for a great many.

What will make the Tuesday morning ministry extra-interesting is that my forte of ministry is on the Hebrew background of the Christian faith. Some believers are not aware that the Bible is a Hebrew document from Genesis to Revelation. To appreciate it even more is to learn to think Hebraically.

Kinds of Hebrew issues that we will be looking at:

Here are some instances where understanding things Hebraically can cause the Scriptures to take on added meaning. 

• (1) Where did Paul get his teaching that we have already been seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus? (Eph2:6)
• (2) What did Jesus mean when He said, “Their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” (Mt18:10)
• (3) Why is there such a stress on the name of Jesus in the apostolic writings? (Acts 4:12)
• (4) What is the one doctrine taught in the new covenant that has many branches of study, but it is called ‘the rule!’ (Gal6:14-16)
• (5) Why did Paul tell us we must learn to “never exceed what is written?” (1Co4:6)
• (6) What did Paul mean when he said the Christ “existed in the form of God.”? (Phil2:6)
• (7) What did Paul mean when he said that God had “bestowed on [Christ] the name which is above every name.”? (Phil2:9)

All the afore mention areas are only understood properly from a Hebraic perspective. Early church theology was simple. Everything they taught and believed was based on the prophets. 

Special note: The Tuesday morning ministry will probably begin with our next School for Christian Workers.

And now for our song…

You knew I was going to do it.  : )

How could I complete my journal entry without something special that draws our hearts heavenward? How about this one by Candy Hemphill, ‘Lord, Send Your Angel.’

Did you know that you have angels in your life?

Ok, beloved of the Lord. Let the Lord help you make good choices.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Journal,

Had an interesting early morning meditation with the Lord. I had gone to bed thinking about what the Lord meant when I heard the words, ‘Branch out.’  I woke up still meditating on those words. Then as I was getting ready for the day, a great peace filled my heart. This is when I realized what the Lord was speaking to my heart in so many words… 

‘I’m not asking you to do anything. The work is My work. All you need is to be obedient to the vision and calling that I gave you in the beginning. Your call has not changed. And whatever I have you do in the future, I will supply the means to accomplish it. Just follow Me.’

Just Follow Me

It is interesting how the Lord keeps drawing me back to the original call that He had given me for Christian Challenge. That vision has not changed. We’ve had a number of branching out times, including both our School for Christian Workers, outgoing missionaries, and even a branch CCI ministry in Baton Rouge. (The BR branch is not in place at this time.)

This ‘branch out’ is another step the Lord is giving for expanding the original vision of ‘Preparing servants for the nations.’ On a local level we are moving forward with our ‘Community Groups.’ Whatever else ‘branch out’ means will have to come from the Lord. Over my years in the ministry I’ve found not to let my imagination run away with me. It is too easy to try and fill in the blanks.

But on a personal level I still had to wonder what this ‘branch out’ may mean for me and Betty. At my age and due to health considerations, neither Betty or I am are in a position to go about trying to raise up branch ministries for Christian Challenge. Most people do not realize how hard it is to raise up a ministry. Not only it is generally a young man’s job, but neither should it be taken without a clear direction from the Lord.

But here again is where you find the faithfulness of the Lord. My custom over many years is to have morning devotions. I begin with Genesis and on to Revelation. Then I begin over again. To me the Bible is a living book. There is never a time when the Lord will not speak to me through the Scriptures. And it really doesn’t matter where I am reading, the Lord always shares something pertinent to my life. 

Anyway my devotion this morning found me in John 21. Peter is at a point in life where he doesn’t know what to do. It is after the resurrection. Peter feels like he has missed it. How could the Lord ever use him again. Not knowing what to do, Peter decides to go fishing. Several disciples go with him. 

What happens next is almost a replay of Peter’s original call from the Lord. The Lord brings Peter back to his original calling. And this is exactly what the Lord has been doing with me this very morning.

See if you can pick it up:

“But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you do not have any fish, do you?’ They answered Him, ‘No.’ And He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.’ So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. …

“…when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.’ Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’…

“Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’”
(Taken out of John 21:3-17 NASB)

Do you love me?

Did you get it? Where did Peter’s original call begin? It begin with fishing. What we see here is nearly a mirror image and a repeat of Peter’s original call. The Lord meets Peter again at the place of his first calling. (If you would like to compare the settings go to Luke 5:1-11.)

The Lord simply brought Peter back to his true calling. Jesus healed his heart, refreshed him in love, and expanded even further on his calling. And this is exactly what the Lord is doing for me. This again shows how the Lord is the author and the finisher of our faith.

Do you have a vision or a calling from the Lord…

Don’t try to read too much into your calling. There is where our imaginations can give us problems. Most callings begin with just a word or two. Where we get in trouble is in trying to fill in too many blanks. All the Lord wants us to do is walk with Him. This is a step-by-step walk.

What I have often taught the disciples of Christian Challenge, is if you don’t know what to do next, just go back to the last thing the Lord told you to do. If there is something else He would have you do, He will tell you and it won’t be a matter of confusion. This is where you will find your rest in the Lord.

Ok, how about if I pass an Irish blessing on to you…

What?! You thought I was strictly cajun Louisianian! Not really. I’ve got a smidgen of cajun-French and Spanish mixture, along with touches of Indian, but the greater part is English and Scotch-Irish. What! My grandmother was an O’Banion. You don’t get much more Irish than that. In fact I have an ancient map of Ireland where our O’Banion forebearers had kingly estates there. (Lots of kingly estates in ancient Ireland.)

Ok, here goes the blessing…

What a great blessing. Did you hear it. Let your soul rest in the hollow of God’s hand.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Journal,

Christian Challenge has a daily devotional site for anyone who wishes to subscribe. The devotions are provided by our dear brother in the Lord, Jim Ross. To subscribe to the devotions go to this site:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cci-devo/

Today Jim shared a devotion that I’d like to pass on to my readers. It is titled, ‘Getting to know the Master’ —

“Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” - Luke 17:20-21 NASB
 
“When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. “A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” - John 10:4-5 NASB

 
A suggestion, shared by my pastor in a “Disciple’s Heart” class without any fanfare, has been one of the single most important ideas to come into my life. I had been told to read the Bible before, but something in this request made it different. The next day I started my journey at Genesis 1:1. At first my mission was to be obedient to my pastor, but as I continued to read through the days, months, and years I heard my Master calling from within the words……through impressions, ideas, and feelings mostly.
 
One thing that came to me was a sense of the Presence of the Lord when I prayed to Him, read His Word, or listened to my pastor. And with each day that Presence grew stronger……………..with each reading of the Word of God I get to know Him better as He revealed Himself to me.
 
A lesson I’ve learned through all of this is that most things He’ll reveal to me only when I’m ready and being ready means actively trying to seek His Face through His Word …………..getting to know Him. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had my perspective shifted when I’ve read a scripture again. God was in my “midst” but I just couldn’t sense Him…………………then…………there He was.

And the more I “hear” His “Voice” the easier it is getting to distinguish Him from others who take His Words and pervert them in some way…..some of these being very clever…. all of them leading from the Shepherd to another flock.
 
Love in Jesus,
 
Jim

Thanks Jim for a wonderful devotion.

Now for a word from one of my favorite preachers, and a song by one of my favorite gospel groups…  Don’t be surprised. You knew I was going to do this. 

Ok, how do I say this without sounding so negative. Well here goes…

Have you ever wondered what happened to the message of the cross? Seems like it has become unpopular today to preach the cross. Seems no one wants to die to themselves. After all, why die when a person can have power, and authority, and prosperity, and never have to go to the cross.

Several years ago I was accosted by a Charismatic preacher for preaching on the second coming of Jesus Christ. He let me know that I was out-of-step with the message of the day. Of course I had a few short words for the gentleman.

But on the world scene, it does make you wonder if Billy Graham is not one of the last of the great preachers. Here we have a man such as Billy Graham who has reached untold millions of people with the simple but powerful message of the cross. Here we have a man who lives a relatively simple life with what we would call modest means by today’s standards.

Then on the other hand you have major pulpits in the land not to mention television preachers who are amassing fortunes, collecting air planes, living in fabulous mansions, prancing about like rock stars, and all the while preaching distorted messages of the gospel, and people seem to love it?

Yep, sure makes you wonder.

Guess folk get tired of hearing me say that I have only one message to preach. I can preach it a thousand ways but it will always be the message of the cross. There is no greater message. That one message takes us from the death side of the cross on into the life side of the cross, and then on to a future glory that is reserved for all true believers. And it all happens with simple faith in Jesus Christ.

Ok, nuff said.

May the Lord shine on you with all His love, and may you discover in all its fulness the life side of the cross.

And just in case you forget, you can’t get to the life side without passing through the death side. Yep, the old song said it well enough, ‘For the old rugged cross made the difference.’

Much love is stored at the cross. Why not go for it!

Think about it.

Buddy

Journal,

This is my first entry under the new theme. Took awhile to find the look that I wanted. And thanks to our good Yankee friend, Miss Jenni Baier, we are up and running.

Well, I may as well be up front. Seems training Jenni to our southern culture is a task of and by itself. She sho nuff is trying. See what you think. Here’s a picture of Jenni in my fishing hat. Think she’d make a cajun-type person of the female persuasion?  Not so sure about the ‘cajun-type’ myself. Been wondering if she is a mafia hit-gal, sent to rub out the great and awe-inspiring leadership of Christian Challenge.    

Just kidding. Jenni is a real peach of a girl. We are happy that the Lord sent her to be on our team. What a blessing she has proven to be. And Jenni has well let it be know that she has found her a home at Christian Challenge. Good for you Jenni.

The pulpit…

You will notice a few changes in the new theme. For one thing it is easier to get to the comments made. One that I want to mention in particular is found above the picture-banner. To the left you have, ‘Home,’ then ‘Subscribe,’ and then ‘The Pulpit.’

Click on ‘The Pulpit’ and a new page will come up with five sermon-teachings that can be listened to. Each sermon-teaching addresses a particular need in a believer’s life. The subject titles are:

WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?
A KINGDOM OF THE HEART
TWELVE NUGGETS OF GOLD
THE FRUIT OF DISCIPLESHIP
TURNING POINTS IN LIFE

Now for the branching out…

It is a wonderful mystery in how the Lord works with our lives. I call it wonderful for the same reason that Paul speaks of the ways of the Lord. The apostle said, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are HIs judgments and unfathomable His ways!”  - Rom 11:33 nasb

When the Lord has something for His people to do, it is like He plants a seed in our heart as the beginning point. The seed is often just a word or two. Yesterday morning while getting ready for the day, I kept hearing in my heart, ‘branch out.’ I knew it was of the Lord.

Those two words continue to linger in my heart. As I mused over the words ‘branch out,’ I thought about Jacob’s dream where the Lord said,

“Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” - Gen28:14

Now I know that Jacob’s dream would be fulfilled in Christ Himself. But there was still something missing. I heard two exact words, ‘Branch out.’ Then I remembered that there was another direct prophecy concerning Jesus Christ, where He is called ‘the Branch.’ This was the prophecy that carried the words I heard in my heart. Listen:

“Then say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the Lord…” - Zech 6:12

Again this prophecy has to do with Jesus and the church branching out into all the earth. But it wasn’t the context of the prophecy the Lord was calling my attention to. It had to do with Christian Challenge ‘branching out’ with various ministries.

The time has come…

It is beginning with our Christian Challenge Community Groups. But the impression of my heart was that the branching out goes beyond what we are doing on a local level, that we are to branch out in line with the original vision given the ministry, by establishing branch ministries of Christian Challenge in other areas. But since the word of the Lord was directed to me personally, then it would be my place to see where this goes. Of course only the Lord can bring any of this about.

I’m not sure what all this means. It could be CCI home groups scattered around the state. It could even mean raising up Christian Challenge branches in various places. Our charter calls for establishing what we call WTE Centers. (CCI Worship, Training, and Evangelism Centers.)

Well, I’ll leave all this alone for now. And He doesn’t tell us everything in advance. Maybe all this is simply a reflection on our local Community Groups. The future will have to take care of itself. Sometimes like Abraham, we are simply called to make a step of faith without knowing where we are going.

Did you know that Southern Gospel is the music that is closest to heaven… 

Course you’ll like argue with me about that. But Southern Gospel speaks to the heart of our walk with the Lord. It is down to earth without any pretentiousnesses. Anyway, have you ever felt what this song directs our attention to? It is titled, ‘Why Me?’

That’s it folks.

All the love of the cross belongs to you,

In Christ,

Buddy