the fake & the real

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Rev12:11

Fake country……fake news, fake reporting, fake crisis, fake wars, fake actors, fake blood, fake government, fake presidents, fake govt. leaders, fake laws, fake victims, fake show, fake savior, fake power,

fake Church….. fake worship, fake prayers, fake Christianity, fake actors, fake doctrines, fake believers, fake pastors, fake Church leaders, fake traditions, fake show, fake Christians, fake jesus, fake gospel, fake power,

real Babylon, real deception, real delusions, real crisis, real death, real evil, really satanic.

Real preaching, real judgment, real separation, real snakes and scorpions, real Judases, real “repeat”, real voice of the Spirit, real prophets, real witnesses, real kingdom of heaven, real wilderness, real Shepherd, real saints, real narrow path, real blood, real suffering, real persecution, real betrayal, real mocking, real tribulation, real martyrdom, real commandments of Christ, real teachings of Christ, real Master and Lord Jesus Christ, real discipleship in Christ, real conditions, really abiding, really following, really obedient

real devotion, real Israel, real Zion, real remnant, real bride, real gospel, real testimony, real temple, real ekklesia, real deliverance, real food, real drink, real covenant, real forgiveness, real Life, real resurrection, real Jesus Christ is come in the flesh (really),

real repentance, real love for enemies, real love for neighbor, real courage, real forgiving others, real love for one another, really caring for the saints, really serving them, real picking up cross, real dying to self,

real gentle, real humble, real meek, real poor in spirit, real hungry and thirsty for righteousness, really merciful, really pure in heart, real peacemakers, really persecuted for righteousness sake, real insults, really hated, really receiving false accusations of evil, real lonely, real tears, real rejection,

real Jesus, real Word of God, real edification, real rejoicing, real glad, real reward, real prophets, real salt, real light, real fellowship, real unity, real communion, real love, real power, real glory,

real faith, real obedience, real enduring, real overcoming….. real overcomers.

War and Killing

Blessed are the mourn for they shall be comforted, Blessed are the gentle (humble, meek) for they shall inherit the earth, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied, Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy, Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God, Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God………..Matt5

All the presidents in my lifetime (i was born in ’67) were either warring and killing openly and/ or covertly, or preparing for war and killing and approving war and killing preparations for future planned wars. war. and. killing.

WAR AND KILLING. Hurting, destroying, raping, pillaging, torturing, burning, maiming, crusading, dominating, subjecting, crushing, (and lying!)……. not what Jesus Christ told us to do. He said we are not of this world, He is not of this world. We are in Him He is in us, we do not war and kill we have His life He lives in us. The sheep do not go out and kill and support world leaders who do, the sheep are killed. LIKE JESUS whom we follow.

Public Reading of the Bible

Project Ezra is an outreach ministry dedicated to the public reading of the Bible. Believers simply present the Word of God by reading it aloud in a public place where there are people gathered or walking by. This is a wonderful ministry because it gives glory to God through the public exaltation of Christ and the proclamation of God’s Word. This Bible reading often provides the reader with an opportunity to then preach the Gospel to groups (crowds) in the public venue, or to share the Gospel one on one with people who stop to listen and then ask questions.

On Saturday God gave me the opportunity to read Isaiah 53 to ten teens and homeless older people hanging out downtown, which led to opportunity to share the attributes of God, the Law and the Gospel of Grace, and also answer questions regarding the Gospel, the Deity of Christ and the Atonement. One teen asked me, “What is sin?” Others asked about doing “religion”, such as “being a good Catholic”, in order to be justified. Later five more teens joined the group and asked what we were talking about. “We’re talking about how we can have our sins forgiven.” They listened and asked questions for almost an hour. I was overjoyed to see their humble attitude as realization of sin appeared on their faces, and as they heard of the hope of the Grace of God in Christ.

Here is a video of a sister reading a Psalm in public, which was followed by Gospel preaching by another believer. This is an evangelism ministry that can be done alone or with other brothers and sisters. Pray first for His power and courage before you go and ask the Lord to lead you to the people He wants to hear the Word of God. May God be glorified as His Word accomplishes what He desires.

Before the Throne of God Above

Before the Throne of God Above
words by: Charitie L. Bancroft, 1863
tune by: Vikki Cook, 1997 (?)
listen to the tune here at Sovereign Grace Music

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

The King on His Wedding Day

The wedding approaches. The King will be so glorious, handsome, celebrated and blessed.

Grace is poured upon His lips. Mighty with sword on thigh, He is victorious in splendor and majesty, reigning forever in His Kingdom. He defeats His enemies, loving righteousness and hating wickedness. God anoints Him with the oil of joy and clothes Him in garments with beautiful fragrances. Music is playing and He is glad.

Forget your people and your father’s house! The King will desire our beauty. Because He is our Lord, we bow down to Him. We will be glorious within and clothed in stunning beauty. We will be brought to Him. We will be led to the King with gladness and rejoicing! We will enter into the King’s palace! We will declare His name and give thanks and praise to Him forever.

The Day of Atonement is Here! pt.2

These are lyrics from Salvation Plan, from Hazakim’s “Theophanies”. The first half is by Hazakim. This is the second half, written by Stephen the Levite. Here is the link to listen to the song. Here’s a performance video. The teaching at the beginning and end of the song is Dr. Michael Brown.

———————————————————————————————
The Day of Atonement is here! We’re at the top of Golgotha watchin’ the slaughter
as God the Father is offered a spotless Lamb on a cross bruh
The Eternal Word tabernaclin’ wit’ us
stricken, smitten and afflicted for all the sin we commited

Before the beginning, the Lord decreed the ordinance
that these horrible sins would be borne by Him who’s born innocent
so a picture is painted for us in scripture
through rituals we get visual hints of what He was sent for

Consider Him in His intercession for sinners
it’s more than similar, it is an intentional fulfillment of
the High Priest the Mediator between the
Deity and the dirty who need and plead to be cleaned up

so baptism is happenin’ at the Laver
a symbolism of cleansin’ and being buried and raised up
This is identification with the Savior
and after justification we enter the Holy Place bruh

Now behold the glow of the golden Menorah
it’s the Messiah, the Light of the world in all He is Lord of
Peep the table and see the body that’s broken
the blood of the New Covenant it’s the wine and the shewbread

The prayers of the saints are offered up with the incense
since the veil has been ripped, through His body we have an “En:trance”
call it the mercy seat we call it the Throne of Grace
the presence of the King of Kings in the Most Holy Place

The Day of Atonement is Here!

“Rachel” is a woman I have known for at least 10 years. I first met her at the store when our children were little. Every few years I bump into her on shopping trips. Well currently our sons are on the same soccer team, and we see each other every week. The Lord is letting me know that it is past time to witness to her.

I struggle with witnessing to “peers”, friends or even those “acquaintance” friends I see only once in a while. It is fear of man, fear of being labeled and rejected. It is easier to witness to strangers than to those with whom you have a relationship. Even so, I seek out and desire relationships with these that the Lord puts on my heart. He gives me a love for them and a great desire for them to know, follow and worship Him. I feel this way about “Rachel”.

Today at the soccer game, we were talking about our children’s schooling, and then our conversation moved to the topic of her education in Israel and her memories of learning a little bit of Bible in school. Pretty soon we were discussing God’s revelation of Himself as recorded in the Tanakh, particularly the physical manifestations of God to Abraham and Jacob, and the words of the prophet Isaiah. I was very nervous (and felt quite inadequate as usual) as she said she has decided to go on without God, and make personal happiness and goodness her life philosophy. I listened to her talk about all the reasons she has decided to be basically a secular Humanist, including abuse from her ‘religious’ family, the death of a close relative in the 1967 war, the manmade religion of the ultra-Orthodox, (chickens?) and frustration with war and death between Jews and Muslims in her homeland. These things caused her much pain and confusion. She decided to make life about finding personal happiness.

Resisting the temptation to be too fearful to speak, I offered, with as much compassion as I could express to her, that though these experiences are painful, the issue is not one of temporary personal happiness, but one of righteousness before God. I asked her about the whole sacrificial system in the Tanakh: what was the purpose of it? What was God showing the people? Did it not have some very important meaning that God was communicating- over and over again? I brought up how it is almost Yom Kippur. We talked about that for a while; how the Bible teaches that sin makes us unrighteous before the holy God, how the sacrifice and the blood of the innocent lamb showed need for covering for sin. We talked about how it was presented by the High Priest to God at the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies. She pondered these things.

She knows in Whom I believe. She may already know what I’m getting at, and yet, she may not. I hope this is the first of our conversations on this topic. As we were leaving she excused herself from all she heard: “Well, everyone chooses their own way to believe; whatever makes them happy.” But she knows these things we spoke of are in the scriptures. I pray she will come to believe on the One who fulfilled and accomplished God’s salvation plan.

God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished… Rom.3:2

Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the things pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. Hebrews 2:17

The Gospel is Everything- Pt.3

..even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forebearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Rom.3:22-26

That which is most important.

In his final talk on Saturday at Legacy (this 7 part video), Washer reviewed “that which is most important”: the heart of the true Gospel, which is Justification and the Atonement.

He stressed that regeneration is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, and went on to teach why the carnal methods and traditions of Decisionism, Easy-Believism, and manipulation are unbiblical and unnecessary. He deconstructed the modern methods of evangelism, even going through all the common verses (John1:12, Rom.10:9, Rev.3:20) used in tracts to get someone to “repeat this prayer after me”, teaching what the verses really mean.

Washer defined and gave examples of true conversion and exhorted the flock to PREACH like Ezekiel, delivering God’s Word to dead bones; understanding and trusting that only God can make them live. We must understand what conversion actually is.

He also mentioned how we must understand what The CHURCH really is. It is not the institution of “Evangelicalism”. It is not beautiful buildings full of people, many of whom are not converted. The church is the Bride of Christ; the sheep, who love and follow Jesus, and go on in sanctification in Him. He finished by encouraging us to go deep into the Gospel and to cultivate a close love relationship with our Lord and Savior.

The Gospel is Everything- Pt.2

He was crushed for our iniquities.. Is.53:4.. The LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief..Is.53:10 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Is.53:11

The LORD was pleased to crush Him.

Washer (in this 6 part Friday devotional video) discussed the imputation of our sin by God onto the sinless Christ who was crushed under the wrath of God, achieving our justification; our being declared righteous in Christ.

He spoke of how churches and ministers in the USA do not understand the Gospel; they are Gospel ignorant. He exhorts them to teach the knowledge of God and the Atonement, for “the Gospel is everything”.

Washer expounded on the event of the cross: the Atonement, with emphasis on the Love of God for men. He spoke of how this Atonement results in NO MORE guilt and condemnation for the justified, and that Jesus, in His great love, was willing, able and glad to take it for us.

This talk ended with a reminder of the beautiful meaning of Abraham and Isaac: how YHWH provided God’s only Son, the Lamb of God, as the sacrifice. “God, my God!, I know that You love me; You have not withheld Your Son, Your only Son from me.”

God is Good!

God is so good to me! He lets me be a foreign missionary here in my “native land” of the Bay Area. Yesterday I was at a community center with one of my children and I ended up having a conversation with Shirin, an older woman who is originally from Iran. This was the first real conversation I’ve had with someone who practices the Zoroastrian religion. I was amazed to hear her describe her philosophy of life: it was exactly as I learned from my brief study of this religion. She was telling me how it is all about having “good thoughts, good words and good deeds”. In other words, “It’s all good”!

Resisting the temptation to contextualize or just do the “friendship evangelism” thing, I decided I must go for it and risk offending this grandmother, and respectfully tell her some Truth. So I shared about how we are not good, and do not have good thoughts, and do not do good, but just the opposite. I told her truth from scripture about our sin and breaking God’s Law, and the pride, idolatry, unbelief, self-righteousness, and general wickedness that is really going on in human hearts. She recoiled at hearing this -distress apparent on her face- as though I would bring “bad karma” and spiritual chaos to her happy spiritual equilibrium of goodness. I felt bad about making an elderly lady uncomfortable and consciously asked myself, “Do I really believe what the Word of God says about God’s judgment of sin and Jesus being the only way of salvation? Yes!” Although such evangelism is deemed improper, (even by many Evangelical church leaders) I knew I must love God, Truth and people’s eternal souls more than culture, feelings, and social correctness.

She kept repeating the “I think good, I do good, I am good” mantra and I kept gently responding with Truth from scripture. She was even telling me I was good. I have not spoken to her of the Gospel; she is confident she is a good person, acceptable to her (false Zoroastrian) god. She agreed to meet and talk more tomorrow. I have some Farsi gospel materials left over from last year’s Nouroz. I long to tell her of Jesus Christ, the only God and Savior, and how she can be saved from her sins by trusting Him and the goodness of His Grace towards those who are not good.

“Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” Mark 10:18