Are you a Christian who is scarred and defeated?

Dear friends and readers,

Peace and grace to all of you in Jesus name.

Are you a follower of Christ who somehow doubts that He loves you or that you're life is important to the kingdom of God?

Many within the church do have those feelings but the question is, does God see you in the same way you see yourself?  Are you feeling worthless and irrelevant? And are those feelings valid?

All of us have gone through things in our lives that can and often do bring us to areas of self doubt.  I fully understand---been there and done that.  As I was growing up I was told several times by my parents that "you were just an accident".  I was dropped at an orphanage at the age of 5  (although through family pressure was redeemed somewhat later).  My parents were both severe alcoholics with terrible bouts of  violence in their relationship.  Each of them seemingly took turns running off---disappearing from my life  for weeks on end.   I can remember only one time that my father told me he loved me and on that evening he was drunk on a bar stool.  In short I had a painful youth and very much regret that I have nothing good to say about my parents, both of whom died very early from substance abuse.

In my own case, I made up my mind early in life that I would not be defined by the opinions of others including my own family.  I determined that I would not use the failures of my parents as an excuse for my own failure.

I was 7 years old when I made that pledge to myself.

I had my own full time job at 14 and have been on my own ever since.  It was not that I did not love my parents but I refused to go down the road that most people would think was preordained for them.  At some point during those years my Grandmother told me about Jesus and after all, who does not believe Grandma?  I did not know much and really nothing about the Bible, nor did I  walk with the Lord until much later in life, but I did always know He was there.

Over the years as a pastor, I cannot tell you how many times I have heard variations of that story but in most cases people DID become defined by the actions of others and this tragedy has followed them through their entire lives, lurking in the background as an anchor of self defeat.  Frankly why I was spared from all that I may never know but what I do know is that each and everyone of us really were created in the image of God and He has a far better opinion of us than most people have of themselves.

Before I served the Lord, I served in a career of law enforcement so between the two I have seen just about every example of marriage and divorce, tragically broken abused women, sexually abused children, drug or alcoholic destruction and many other miserable things that have happened to people in all walks of life.   Some people, but very few escape the carnage that these horrible circumstances bestow upon their lives.  Most, unfortunately carry unspeakable emotional, social and spiritual baggage with them throughout their entire lives.

Many are Christians who are somehow unable to accept the redemption that was guaranteed by a merciful God who paid the price for all of that with His own life on the cross of Calvary.

Oh, how I have counseled people having gone through those terrible times, as have many of my pastoral colleagues.  We have taught and explained relevant scripture.  Encouraged and provided opportunities for healing, or rehabilitation.  But sadly in very many cases children of God cannot bring themselves to believe that God really does love them.  I fully realize that you cannot simply throw scripture at very real human problems and expect them to disappear over night.

It is so simple from a scriptural point of view.  James 4:8 tells us "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you".  Ah, but there is a catch;  How exactly do we accomplish that?  The problem is that healing of emotional problems plays out very differently for each and every person.  Scripture also tells us to simply give our problems to the Lord.  Great advice but unfortunately easier said than done.

The Hebrew word "RAPHA" in the Old Testament means HEAL and when coupled with a Hebrew name of God is JEHOVAH RAPHA, or the God who heals.  This word RAPHA is used in various Biblical scriptures as PHYSICAL HEALING, EMOTIONAL HEALING and SPIRITUAL HEALING.  When we look at a New Testament scripture in Luke chapter 9 verse 11 we see a picture of Jesus Christ healing the multitudes.

Obviously there is healing available at all levels when we draw close to God.  SPECIAL NOTE: Some folks become discouraged when loved ones are not healed.  I cannot explain that other than to say that "SOMEDAY" we all come to the end of our lives but none of us know when that time will arrive.  I personally have learned not to second guess God.  I may not care for the outcome of a particular problem but second guess God, I do not.

As stated we all must find our own solutions in drawing near to God and that plays out differently for all of us.  I will share with you some things I do and hope they will help someone reading this article.

1).  I have chosen a life of service.  Not everyone can do that full time but we can always help those around us.  Speaking only as one man, I have discovered that when I am concentrating my efforts on helping someone in need, even though my own problems do not disappear, they do fade into the background and are no longer the central focus of my life.  If nothing more than a  commitment to pray for someone, it concentrates my own efforts on that person or problem and not upon myself.

2). I enjoy pondering just how grand, how big, how magnificent and powerful is a Creator who gave me life and is able to keep a huge universe running smoothly.  When my wife and I sit quietly on our patio in the evening and have tea, we have absolutely zero sense of movement.  And yet scientifically that is far from the truth.

I can look up into the night sky and  clearly see the "MILKY WAY" which is a Galactic plane encompassing an area so immense that it occupies an area including 30 constellations.  The constellation Sagittarius is roughly at the center and we here on  Earth can see it all. Except we can't see it all because the planet Earth upon which we sit is also included as part of the Milky Way which is hurtling through the universe at 190 miles per second while it also rotates at 140 miles per second.

 At exactly the same time, the Earth we are sitting upon is rotating on its axis at 1000 miles per hour and orbiting around the sun at 66,000 miles per hour.  But the liquid in our tea cups does not slosh around because we feel zero movement.  God has created an order within the Universe that has enabled it to function perfectly and has for untold gazillions of years.  Planet Earth is a huge ball suspended by absolutely nothing, except the will of God.

3). It is that very same God who gave life to each and everyone of us.  At the moment of conception he gave us a human soul and a body that is exactly imprinted with the same DNA as our relatives who may have lived thousands and thousands of years ago.  Our human families cannot be confused because DNA cannot be confused.

It is important for us to try and view ourselves from the same perspective that our Creator sees both in us and about us because then and only then do we realize that we are not an accident.  We are not worthless.  We were created for a very special purposes that sadly very many people during their lives never realize.

I learned a few things during my Law Enforcement career that left an incredible impression on my soul.  And helped me see myself as yes, a flawed human being but one in whom our great God has hope and a plan for my life.  AND YOURS.

Perhaps you have heard the statement than in all the world no two snowflakes are alike?  That is not an accident because God is capable of creating an infinite number of anything.  Including human beings, and each and everyone is special and distinct from all other humans who have ever been created.

Many people when born have their foot prints placed upon their birth certificate.  The reason for that is Gods desire that no two human footprints are alike and have not been since Adam and Eve.  But thats not all;  Did you know that your individual finger prints, exact shape of your ear and  imprinted coding within the corneas of your eyes are all specific to you and only you?

You are a one of a kind and there has never ever been another exact replica of you that has been made nor will there ever be.  You and I and all of mankind were created in the image of a Holy and Righteous God who has a plan for our lives even though we are drastically flawed.  And as far as the flaws of mankind are concerned, God even provided a way for us to escape righteous judgement through a simply, heart felt prayer of repentance of our sins and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives.

That tells me that God also has something specific for me---and you to do in our lives that will glorify Him.  Something absolutely no one else that has ever been created is capable of doing.  At least not in the same magnificent way that you can because you are the only one He created with the abilities to do it.  Oh, others might do the job, but not the way you can because you were created to do so.

Sad that so many folks have never discovered what it is that the Lord created them to do.  By the way, that special job might be finding the cure for cancer, bringing peace instead of war, creating a painted master piece, writing an inspired book, Being a good father or raising your children as a Godly mother who's legacy might be told through the lives of a Godly great grandson or daughter.

Of one thing I am certain;  God really does not make any accidents and you are special.  There is a supernatural plan for your life.  God does not want you bound in yesterdays pain, agony and carrying emotional baggage thrust upon you by either accident or design through the thoughtless acts of others.

How do you discover your calling regardless of age and history?  Well, how is this for a starter?  Ask the Lord and keep on asking until He tells you.  John 10:27 (Jesus speaking)  "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me".

Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.  Have hope, you are special.

God bless you all,
Pastor Rance.

STRESS? Are you a Christian drowning in stress?

Dearest friends and readers,

Peace and grace to you all in Jesus great name!

Have you ever heard the expression "the elephant in the room"? You know, that area of our lives that is undeniably present but no one wants to talk about? No one wants to acknowledge or even really admits exists?

Everyone has those at times including myself. For some people it is facing the reality of a recently lost loved one. For another it is dealing with rapidly increasing debt or the threat of foreclosure. It could even be the stress of Christmas approaching, an upcoming trip to Disneyland, a nosey neighbor or just plain old worry about???

The elephant in the room for many people including within the church is STRESS!

You know, the kind that causes rapid heart rate, shortness of breath or other very real health issues. There are of course many folks who have verifiable health issues who need a doctors care and some form of medication to control stress. Not everyone is the same and not all precursors to a stressful situation are the same. They can come in various forms and last for short periods of time or in some people's lives can become a constant integral part of their lives.

Several years ago I wrote an article entitled " THE TYRANNY OF HECTICITY". Oh, yes I do realize that "hecticity" is not a word found in Webster's but is should be! In fact maybe we should start a hecticity drive for the acceptance of a new word.

Did you know that for the average person who is not experiencing  a severe tragedy of some kind, that it is possible to NOT ACCEPT STRESS? By the way, I am not writing this article because I have discovered some new formula or anti stress juice for sale at just $2.98---but only if you call in the next 5 minutes because supplies are limited.

Don't you just hate that? Do those T.V. advertisers think we are all idiots? Well er, perhaps they do.

I am not totally stress free myself but at the ripe old age of ? (it's none of your business), I have come to the conclusion that many outside influences that affect my life are really within my own control. I can accept the personal consequences of someone else's actions or I can reject them. I can choose to lose sleep over something I have zero control over or I can say NO!

Did you know that NO is a very powerful word? Like in "what about NO do you not understand?" When I learned the value of NO as a young pastor it set me free. At the same time I learned that I do not have to know the the answers to everyone else's problems.  But that's another story for another time. I really do not want you to think my statements about NO are in any way callused because I sincerely care about people and what is bothering them. But I have learned that as human beings we can make decisions in our lives (and encourage others to do so), that will lead to peace, not stress.

I want to give you an example of something that happened to my wife and I many years ago that was STRESS ON STEROIDS. At the time I was Senior Pastor of a rapidly growing missions organization and our field headquarters was in Mexico. We were dealing with local churches and visiting church groups from all over the United States and Canada. We were blessed with a fairly robust group of missionaries and as such reputation means a lot. Not in a prideful way but still it is something to carefully nurture.

I was sitting at my desk one day speaking on line one. Line two began to ring so I asked one of my guys to answer the phone. Almost immediately I knew from the look on his face that all was not well.

As it turned out a missionary from another town and another organization was telling our missionary "I just want you to know that we all feel so sorry for you people because of what Rance and Brandy have done. It is so horrible that they have stolen all the money from your missions organization and snuck out of Mexico". Now bearing in mind that our guy was sitting six feet away from me at the time, he said, Whoa pardner not true, pastor Rance is sitting right here looking at me. The other missionary said " Oh don't worry you don't have to cover up for them and I want you to know that I am calling everyone I know about this so we can all be in prayer for you poor folks" AND HUNG UP!

Ever been the victim of vicious rumors? That is STRESS!

Can I possible explain to you what kind of stress that can represent when you find yourself the subject of an area wide scandal of that nature? People of God or no, folks have a tendency to believe whatever they have heard last. And the problem is that when someone thinks ill of you, no matter what you may say in your own defense, that seed of doubt has already been planted and is extremely difficult to over come.

At this point I had a choice to make. I could either react and fight rumors or I could find another way.

So, I chose to go another way and it worked. Rather than fight and try to defend myself, I chose to pray. And of course my wife and our missionaries did as well. The result was that gradually people came around and would say things like, "you know we heard all this evil stuff about you but realized you have never said a bad word back about this other person and you are still here on the job. By the way what ever happened to that person who said those things about you. They don't seem to be around any more"!

Since that time many years ago I have applied a simple rule to my life, my family and my ministry. Simply this; If I fight my own battles I will lose every time. If I allow the Lord to fight my battles for me, I will win every time. Do you know that we were able to pass through that miserable time with very little stress---and the problem---the rumors all went away.

To this day I catch myself slipping into stress from time to time but then I remember that minus some earth shattering situation, I can choose NOT to accept stress. I can also choose not to be insulted, not to have hurt feelings, and not to jump to someone else's tune. I can choose to live in peace with myself and others no matter what they may chose for themselves.

So here are some things I have discovered that may help you in your life. And by the way, these things do not come easily, it takes commitment and practice.

1). The word "PEACE" is mentioned in the Bible a minimum of 450 times. I have learned as a pastor that sometimes in life you cannot simply throw scripture at a problem and it immediately goes away.

Still we are followers of Christ and when we draw near to Him He draws near to us. Ephesians 2:14 says "For He Himself is our peace". In my opinion, mankind cannot find true peace within himself. Only the Lord can provide that in our lives but we must be willing to accept that gift from Him just as we accepted his gift of Salvation by grace.

2). Praying in the midst of turmoil brings peace. I know some folks speak in terms of "My prayer closet" which is a nice turn of words but really all that means is getting alone someplace and talking to God.  I also believe that the greatest form of praise and worship is when God knows that we trust Him with our lives.

So the question is simple; Do you trust the Lord with your wife and children as much as you trust Him to care for you? Do you trust Him with your problems? Worry is a natural emotion of mankind but are you spending more time worrying than praying? And before you think I am more than  I truly am, frankly I have a tough time with prayer. It is not my first natural instinct. I am not a "prayer warrior". I am just a man who has discovered that I am not in control. I am simply a guy who has discovered who is really in control and my prayer time generally is a running conversation throughout the day. As in, I have a problem here Father and don't have a clue what to do about it. I need you to help me, Amen. There are certainly times that I pray more than that but I think you get my drift.

3). When I feel myself getting stressed out, I try and take care of what ever it is rapidly and then stand back from it. Go sit down, put your feet up, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Ask the Lord to bring your peace back to you.

4). My wife and I do not handle counseling or any other contentious things in our own home. We go out to others to do those things but reserve our home as a place of peace. We are a normal human married couple and sometimes we have problems between ourselves just like anyone else. When those times rear their ugly heads it is generally because we have allowed the Tyranny of Hecticity to steel our joy. One of us gets snarky and snappy with the other. Much more so myself than she by the way.

As a family we reset frequently. That means we talk through our schedules and cut things that have begun to encroach upon our family peace. As humans we all tend to, as they say, "bite off more than we can chew". Sometimes our peace is dependent upon asking ourselves a very critical question. Is this thing that I (or we) are doing really necessary? Is doing so improving our lives or bringing with it activity that is unproductive to our personal lives?

Do I really need to do this? Is this taking away from my time with my family? Am I running all day doing "THINGS" and at the end of the day I cannot remember what it was that I accomplished? Am I so tired at night that I collapse into bed only to drag myself out in the morning to do it all again?

STRESS!

5). And finally: Are you taking time off? Do you set aside a day each week to rest and be with family and friends? By the way I do know full well that there are many folks who are raising children alone and have to work day in and day out to put food on the table. Life is not easy for many people.

Having said that, I cannot tell you how many Christians confess that the 10 Commandments really do still apply to them but when you ask them about number 4 (a Sabbaths rest), they seem to believe that it is all just some sort of "Jewish Legalism". Well friends the 10 Commandments are not Jewish anything. They are words of wisdom placed into the Bible by the Creator of the Universe. They apply to Jew and Gentile alike. And yes I know we are New Testament creatures saved by Grace not by the law. So let's look at Mark chapter 2 verses  27-28. This is JESUS speaking to us; And He said to them "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath". Therefore the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath".

I know for many people taking the literal day of Saturday off is not practical and may even be required as a work day. But if you are not taking time off to rest you will become a stress cadet. Man was made according to Genesis to walk in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden with God. Of course Adam and Eve made a grave error which we are still plague with to this very day---handy to have someone to blame don't you think?

Mankind was not made to become first responders, warriors, police, fire fighters or corporate raiders. Nearly all of us have to work at things we were not created to do.We were also not made to work ourselves to death 7 days each and every week. Regardless of what day may be available to you, please consider spending a day each week with your family. So very many people, both men and women have lost their families because they lost track of what is important. Including by the way, a church commitment in which you are fellowshipping with people of a like mindset.

So here is the deal spoken from a man who is still fighting for a stress free life myself.

If you get the following order of things upside down, you are going to loose, and perhaps even shorten your lifespan in the process.

1). First priority is your personal relationship with the Lord.

2). Second only to that is your relationship with your wife and children.

3) Then and only then come job, career, ministry or any outside activity.

Say NO to the tyranny of hecticity. Say no to stress. Talk to the Lord and get your peace back.

God bless you all in Jesus Name
Pastor Rance.

Overwhelmed by what is happening right now?

"Look up, for your redemption draws near." (Luke 21:28)
I have to admit, as I'm sure some of you are as well... am bit overwhelmed in my FB newsfeed, emails and TV about all the horrific things happening in Israel, Iraq, the entire Middle East, Africa, the US and ALL around the world. My Israel Red Alert in my phone app was  going off CONTINUALLY  as the Hamas terrorists fired more than 4,480 rockets into Israel in less than 2 months.  Christians, Muslims, Syrians and many others are being brutally murdered by ISIS and they are throughout the world as we speak. Threats of death and destruction are running rampant. Tempers are flaring and hearts are ripping at the beyond cruel injustices. It simply breaks my heart to a point where I don't even know how to describe it. There is so much information coming out on a daily basis, that is not only mind boggling, but if not weighed in the light of Scripture, one can become totally depressed. We as believers need to be STEADY in the Word of God, knowing that these wars were all foretold thousands of years ago. We are living in an hour where is is CRUCIAL to remain planted in the Word of God, placing our faith and trust wholly in God's Word and Truth.

I was thinking on what Jesus said in the book of Matthew chapter 24 this morning. If you have the time, refresh yourself in this chapter in light of what you are being bombarded with daily. Especially verses 6-8... "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs". The birth pangs ARE HERE. We as believers need to be about our Father's business, whatever our callings may be. With our families, in our workplaces, in our ministries, WHATEVER and WHEREVER He has us. Wherever God has planted us we must remain faithful to Him in our callings and not grow weary or frightful and remain planted in love. We are one body, but many different parts. No part is more important than the other, all have a specific purpose to cause the body to function as a whole ~ we are one in Him and must remain faithful to that body part we are called to be! (Romans 12:43-5 and 1st Corinthians 12) So dear ones, stay firm in the Word of the Lord. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world." (1st Peter 5:8-9) All that to say, is the only Hope, the only Peace, the only Truth we have is the Word of God. If you don't have a Bible, get one. Read it. Immerse yourself in it. Stay rooted and grounded in love, for love covers a multitude of sins. (1st Peter 4:8) Hebrews 11:15 says "looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled." Are we not seeing this today? We can ALL fall into this temptation. I have myself and have had to repent. But thank God, by His grace and provision of forgiveness by the sacrifice of Messiah, we have forgiveness of sin when we turn to Him in repentance. (1st John 5-10)

So dear ones, in the powerful admonition in the words of Jesus Christ ...

“There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Then He told them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
(Luke 21:25-36)

He is at the door my friends. For those who have set their faith and trust in Messiah ~ LOOK UP FOR YOUR REDEMPTION IS DRAWING NEAR! We do not know the day or the hour. But we do know this, Jesus said "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming." (Matthew 24:42

Jesus said:
"Surely I am coming quickly."
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
(Revelation 22:20-21)

Shabbat Shalom and keep the Faith. Pray without ceasing. Stay strong in His Word. 
Brandy

Unnoticed Gnostics ~ by Steve McGlade

Greetings friends and readers! 

I would like to introduce you to Steve McGlade, a brother in the Lord and student of the Word of God.  Our brother Steve has written several Bible studies and we are looking forward to sharing them with you!  Here is the first of many...

God bless you,

Pastor Rance

The early church was infiltrated by certain people who were called gnostics. Their name comes from the Greek “gnosis" which means to know.  The infiltration is clearly spoken of by Jude, whose little one chapter book is an exposure of the gnosticism of that time.  Without quoting all of Jude, I will pick out some interesting statements.

"For certain men have crept in unnoticed ". Jude v 4

Notice here, these people were in the Christian congregations but they often went unnoticed.  As we know, the early Christians would have agape feasts where they would get together for a shared meal and Christian fellowship Jude also says -

"These are spots in your love (agape) feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves".  Jude v.12

  

They are described as comfortably joining with us in intimate fellowship.

"They are clouds without water."  Jude v. 12

As we know water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, the Lord said that rivers of living water would flow from the belly of the true believer, yet these are described as having no water.  John 7 v. 38.  Jude also goes on to say that -

"These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit ".  Jude v.19.  Jude then describes them as people who "have not the Spirit ".  The Scripture is clear -

"Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His".  Romans 8 v. 9.

There were two main types of gnostic heresy in those days. Both groups believed that matter was intrinsically evil.  The docetic gnostics denied our Lord's humanity.  The word " docetic is from a Greek word which means " to seem ". They argued that Christ never had a real physical body, he only "seemed” to have one.  This is the heresy that John immediately begins to address in his first epistle.

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life." John 1 v. 1.

Notice here how John is emphasizing the humanity of Christ.  That...which we have HEARD.  Which we HAVE SEEN with our eyes.  Which we have LOOKED UPON.  And our HANDS HAVE HANDLED.  Even the word "handled" here is very informative, it is a word that is not used very often in the New Testament. It means to handle deliberately with a view to investigate. The word in Greek is “psailafao", it's root is “psallo , from where we get the word psalm.  It is used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament when Isaac who was blind, handled Jacob's hands with a view to investigate whether or not the person before him was Esau, because his voice sounded like Jacob's voice.

"So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he FELT him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”  Genesis 27 v. 22.

This same word is used in Luke 24 v 39, where Jesus bids his frightened disciples -

"Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: HANDLE me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have".  Luke 24 v. 39.

Jesus wanted His disciples to handle him so as to investigate that he was not a spirit, but rather he himself risen bodily from the dead.

Again when Paul was preaching to the people on Mars hill in Athens, he used the same word when he said -

"That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might FEEL after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us ".  Acts 17 v. 27.

As stated earlier, the root of this word is "psallo" from whence comes the word “psalm ".  The relationship between the two words is clear when we consider some of Strong's definitions of psallo -

a) to touch or strike the chord, to twang the strings of a musical instrument so that they gently vibrate. 

b) to play on a stringed instrument, to play, the harp, etc. 

c) to sing to the music of the harp. 

d) in the NT to sing a hymn, to celebrate the praises of God in song.

And when someone touches and handles a musical instrument, they must do it carefully in order to get the right sound.  It is as if they are investigating the instrument to see how to achieve the quality of sound that they desire.

Number 2.

Getting back to the first epistle of John , he explains to us one of the reasons why he wrote his first epistle.

" These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you ".

1 John 2 v 26.

As we have already seen , the deceivers in the early days of the church were known as gnostics.

Also we noticed that they believed that matter was inherently evil and that the body of our Lord only appeared to be material.

This helps us to understand certain remarks that John makes in chapter 4 -

" Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world ".

1 John 4 v 2-3.

Years ago when I would read these verses I would find them a bit difficult , because all of the cults that I had come into contact with did confess that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh.

These cults believe that Jesus Christ was born as a flesh and blood baby in Bethlehem.

It was only when I came to understand about the gnostic threat to the early church that I was able to understand these statements in their first context.

John also says -

" Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

1 John 2 v 18 - 19.

Notice here that John speaks of these people going out " FROM US " instead of " CONTINUING WITH US ".

Many people that are born again often backslide and leave church. They are not the ones that are spoken of here.

These statements recall to mind similar statements uttered by Peter in his second epistle -

" For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit, and, a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

2 Peter 2 v 20 - 22.

I have often wondered if Peter is speaking here of gnostics. It is known that they confessed Christ , although not according to the true Gospel. 

Yet somehow their testimony of Christ enabled them to infiltrate the true church.

I remember once reading a collection of early 

Christian writings and there alongside people like Athanasius and Polycarp was Valentinus , a significant second century gnostic , and incredibly there was no mention of the fact that he was a gnostic and not a true Christian.

It appears that they can still infiltrate today.

Getting back to Peter's statements , he appears at first to be speaking of born again Christians as some of his statements are very extreme , but then he goes on to speak of a dog returning to his own vomit and a sow having been washed then returning to the mire.

This is interesting as dogs are spoken of in the Bible as unbelievers -

" But outside are DOGS and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Revelation 22 v 15.

Also the washing of the sow could refer to an outward washing which would produce a form of outward godliness without the inner reality.

But if you take a sow and clean it up on the outside , dress it in a nice suit , and seat it in the front row. It is still a sow inside and if it leaves the church it will soon go back to wallowing in the mire again.

Also the Biblcal languages are not always as nuanced in my opinion as our English language. Often the Bible will speak in extremes in a way that maybe we would not. Just to give two examples , firstly Jeremiah says to Israel -

" For thus says the LORD ‘Your affliction is INCURABLE , Your wound is severe. 13 There is no one to plead your cause, That you may be bound up; You have no healing medicines ".

Jeremiah 30 v 12 - 13.

This sounds pretty extreme. Yet further down in the same chapter the Lord says -

" For I will RESTORE HEALTH to you And HEAL you of your wounds,’ says the LORD ".

Jeremiah 30 v 17.

Our second example is Jacob's attitude toward Leah , the Scripture says -

" And he went in also unto Rachel, and HE LOVED RACHEL ALSO MORE THAN LEAH , and served with him yet seven other years ".

Genesis 29 v 30.

Then the very next verse says -

" And when the LORD saw that Leah was HATED , he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren ".

Genesis 29 v 31.

The word " hate " here ( sune ) , does mean " hate " in the Hebrew.

Strongs description of the word " hate " here is as follows -

To hate, be hateful.

Interesting how the " loved more " of verse 30 is the equivalent of the " hated " of verse 31.

This is what is known as the comparitive degree. 

For Jacob did not hate Leah as we use the word hate in english. It is simply a case of Rachel being Jacob's favorite wife , and that Leah was less favored.

After all Jacob and Leah had 6 children together.

This also sheds light on something Jesus said in the New Testament -

" If anyone comes to Me and does not HATE his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

Luke 14 v 26.

This word " hate " ( miseo ) is just as strong in Greek as it is in Hebrew , and is where we get the first part of the english word " misogyny ", ( hater of women ).

Strongs entry for this word says -

To hate, pursue with hatred, detest.

Again although Jesus uses this very strong word to express the comparative degree , yet that is exactly what is meant here. Whenever there is a conflict of interest between our devotion to the Lord and our devotion to our nearest and dearest , the Lord must always comes first.

This is apparent when , after Jesus had explained to his disciples that he must needs go up to Jerusalem to be killed and raised from the dead. Peter probably in an attempt to display to the Lord the depth of his devotion took Him to one side and said-

" Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”

Matthew 16 v 22.

Jesus , far from being grateful , responded with single minded devotion to His Father's will --

But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Mattthew 16 v 23.

After receiving such a stinging rebuke , Peter's wounded heart may have momentarily felt that Jesus love for him had suddenly turned to hate, but Jesus was more concerned with doing His Father's will than worrying about Peter's feelings.

Author:  Steve McGlade

Editor:   Ruth~Ann Waterhouse

Would you like to visit Israel?

We are just counting the days at this point until our departure for Israel.  For more information, our website link is listed below.  If you decide to join us, we can guarantee it IS the trip of a lifetime.  If you  go, your life will never be the same.  Come join us and visit the Land God calls "His Own". 

http://www.friendlyplanet.com/sponsored/cook-israel-2013.html#tab0

God bless you and keep the Faith,

Pastor Rance