Last Days of the Age

Why? Because the Lord gives grace to the humble, but resists the proud.

4 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? ² You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. ⁴ Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

Mickey Merrie Says:
August 29, 2013 at 6:30 pm

For me it goes back to the fallacy of the word “church” which is not the meaning of His Ekklesia. Wherever you see the word “church” in the bible, (by the way it is seen in both the Old and New Testaments, thanks to translations such as King James), simply substitute “the physical building” and then ‘the called out elect of God.” Since there are about 150 opportunities in scripture the exercise will become quite profitable.

Now IF you see this as “the place of fellowship” ie a physical building where a particular group meets, then it would be man’s natural process to name it. However, If you see this as ‘the called out elect of God” then you perhaps would better see this as a gathering that transcends places and times. The question for them then really boils down to, Who created this Ekklesia and what does He call it? For you see even the name Ekklesia was borrowed from a political setting.

He calls this gathering from the Old and New Covenants various names, Israel, His Bride, the Elect, The Ekklesia/Ecclesia, and even His chosen people! Some saved by faith in the coming Messiah and other saved through faith in His finished Work at Calvary.

So now we are down to the particular naming rights issue at hand. Scripture shows that various “churches”/”gatherings were referred to as for example the 7 “churches” named in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ as given to St John. These were “named” by physical geographic location. In other places we read of the “church” that meets at somebody’s home, or in the outer courts of the temple, or from house to house. In each case it was merely used a way of differentiating fellowships that were specifically being referred to in scripture.

Is it then a sin to choose as a fellowship to name your fellowship? I don’t think so… But the question remains, WHY do we feel the need to take on a formal name, when the history of those who have chosen this method of identification is so anti Christ in their eventual walk? As in all things, fruit will be born from our choices. Any ‘works” that originate from Christ through me will bare good fruit. Any “works’ that are bore from me doing for Christ will bare bad fruit if fruit at all and will then be cut off and burned.

Should we break from fellowship over this matter? Or should we split over what we see as essential or non-essential? Well isn’t that the very meaning of and fruit of denominationalism? And just what denomination didn’t originate in the flesh and as the satanic fruit it is?
Denominations are divisions and Christ’s on “fellowship of the elect” will never taste of such fruit!

http://ianvincent.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/its-up-to-you-now/#comment-39921

¹¹ For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³ each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. (I Cor. 3:11-13)

So what’s in a name? Why such a fuss? Here’s something that I think is important to understand. Our Lord said that when we pray we pray in His name right?

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶ In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; ²⁷ for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. ²⁸ I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.” (John 16:25-28)

So what does it mean to pray in His name? It’s not just some magic words is it? Aren’t we praying in His character and nature? Here’s another example from the book of Revelation.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”’(Rev 2:17)

So in this Scripture the Lord is talking about giving His faithful disciples a new name. When you think of receiving a new name, isn’t there some kind of change taking place? When you think of who you are in Christ now compared to who you were before Christ, hasn’t there been in a change in your character and nature? Haven’t you been given a new character and nature by the working of the Holy Spirit in your life?

So what’s in a name? A name represents the character and nature of that which is named. When we think of how some things or individuals are named different emotions and reactions are evoked based on our understanding of that name. Some names like satan can bring on emotions of fear, loathing, contempt and so on. (Talking in a general sense here.) Some names like Disney World evoke happy and excited emotions. And of course the name of Christ can evoke all kinds of emotions based on a persons relationship with the Lord. So when we name something or someone we are naming it\them based on the character and nature we perceive it to have.

Which brings me to the point of naming an assembly of Saints. I struggle to understand how we can name God’s work. First, it’s His and not ours. Second when we look at the example of the apostles in Scripture, no where do we find that they named their assembly. Why not? Because everyone understood they were disciples of the Christ by word and deed. They were all one in accord with each other. One Body, One purpose functioning by the Holy Spirit.

Today we have a fractured view of Christianity. Whether true or false it’s a fractured witness because each denomination claims to have the truth when in fact they are only displaying a partial witness of Christ, if at all. If this wasn’t true there wouldn’t be so much confusion.

The truth is Scripture shows only one Body of Christ, One bride whom Christ is the bridegroom. So what kind of Bride is the Bridegroom preparing? One that is Holy and Righteous by the Blood of the Lamb. If we each are members of that pure Bride that Christ is preparing for His return, what manner are expected to walk?

One more point. Christ is teaching us to walk in the Kingdom principles. If we are walking in the Kingdom, then we have no need of names, structures or any added doctrine. In other words, if we can’t imagine something being in existence when Christ returns, it’s likely that we don’t need the practice now as we walk in the Kingdom.

If a disciple of Christ is outside of the institutional church, does that mean there is something wrong with his or her witness before the world? I guess that would depend upon their walk in Christ. If this disciple had a love for lost souls, showed God’s judgement on sinners, tempered by His Grace and Mercy in Christ then that might be a start to know who they are in Christ. If they minister to poor, sick and destitute. If they visited their brothers and sisters in prison. In summation if they followed the Commandments of Christ as set out in the New Testament in Love, then the fruits that we see will be an indication that this brother or sister is secure in the Lord.

It all starts with fear of the Lord followed by a humble walk, knowing God has power over all. So why are the people inside the churches so concerned about us outside the camp if our heart, mind and soul are fixed on Christ?

I have long wondered why churches of today separate people when they study the Bible. They separate the men from the women, the children from the parents and the old from everyone else. This seems very wrong to me. For if you separate the assembly of Saints, then aren’t you dividing the house? If you divide the house it will fall. And so it is today as many of us who are awake in Christ compare institutional church with how the Saints of old walked in the Spirit we see how divided the witness of Christ has become. First it began along denominational lines, then along gender and age lines. Is this really in the name of Christ? How can the young see the walk of the more mature? The mature are teachers whether they realize it or not. How can Saints along all gender and age lines easily hold each other accountable in the Gospel? If a younger Saint begins to speak of a problem he or she has, then if a more mature Saint has gone through that, if the whole assembly were together, then it would be easy to guide the less mature in Christ. Do you see what I’m saying? Our fathers have added to the word of God thinking they have done us a favor. Rather they have listened to the enemies lies and divided the Assembly in Christ that it would be compromised, both in power and Spirit. Yes the Spirit is quenched as well. Let us not divide His house! It is an apostate practice that works against the will of God! Rather let all come together at once in peace and order. Not just for the sermon, but also for Bible Study, also for the discussion of all things related in Christ.

All the world is bound in chains. We don’t see them, but we see the effects of them. We see how they drive men and women into actions and emotions that goes against what we were made to be and do. Yes they cry joyously sometimes about the freedom they have, they raise their arms in victory saying “I can do what I want when I want to”. But this freedom begins to take a toll in their lives. Some of us wake up to see it, some still lie in delusion.

Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.(John 8:34)

So then if there is a slave, that one is in bondage. But what is sin?

noun

1. transgression of divine law: the sin of Adam.

2. any act regarded as such a transgression, especially a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle.

I like the first definition for our purposes. Transgression of divine law. In Scripture God has given us a divine law in the Ten Commandments.

20 And God spoke all these words, saying:

• Proverbs 3:34
  Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble.
• James 4:6
  But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
• 1 Peter 5:5
  [ Submit to God, Resist the Devil ] Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

If God gives grace to the humble, why wouldn’t we want to humble ourselves before Him?