Being Wary of Spirits of Deception and Impostors Among Men
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 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 4:1-3).
"But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived" (2 Timothy 3:13).
APRIL 12, 2005 AT MILGARD WINDOWS, PULTRUSION DEPARTMENT--As the night took its time to tick by, still thinking about the discussion of the end times with my supervisor the night before, I motioned for him from the production line I was working at and proceeded to resume it. We conversed about the signs of "the beginning of sorrows" before Christ's return which He had told His disciples on the Mount of Olives. This world is wicked. We know this. Even an atheist can see this to some extent. "You'll hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet" (Matthew 24:6). The earth groans and aches like the braces of an old wooden ship at sea. "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places" (v. 7). My boss lead the conversation as I wiped down a fiberglass profile, giving his interpretations on demonically influenced people and witchcraft, the occult.
Busy talking, and busy attempting to seem like I was working at the same time, I gave my input on his story about a friend who was captivated by the occult through reading and being immersed by some book on witchcraft and spiritism. "As Christians we can feel the presence of such Satanic forces, knowing that it is near. But as we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the presence cannot fill us." I can recall an illustration, either from Corrie ten Boom's book, Tramp For Christ, or some other means, which gave this look on the Christian's refuge in Christ. Once a Christian, the evil forces of Satan which at one time had influence and the ability to possess you when you were an unsaved sinner cannot do so anymore. The demonic hosts are like burglars unable to break into your house, only able to frighten you from outside as bothersome hooligans. Paul made it clear that we are at odds with the "spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12) which is why he then encourages us to put on the whole armor of God, that we may be able to stand against the "wiles of the devil" (v. 11).
The Malik and Mohammed's Deception
When I took a survey of the Middle East during my short stint at Pierce Community College last year, Mr. Vanneson, the history, political science, and brilliant Christian professor, had revealed to the class and to me that the founder of Islam, the merchant-turned prophet Mohammed was supposedly given angelic revelations from God (Allah). The angels (Malik) would minister to him during the hottest part of the day in the late afternoon as he rested, when shepherds and almost everyone in the desert would take an hour to two hour long naps in cool caves or anywhere they could find shelter. This was the time when Mohammed said the angelic hosts came to him, revealing a new word of God.
Out of these messages, Mohammed was presumably told that his way would be the only way to attain entrance into Paradise. With this alibi, Mohammed began to proselytize converts to his new religion, becoming unpopular with many merchants and powerful people in Mecca (the place of his birth) to Medina (or Yathrib) in 622 AD. His teaching was deemed heretical I would imagine, for some of his friends turned against him. He put to death all who shunned him and tried to kill him in Mecca when he returned with more followers and an army.
What is so very interesting about this presentation of a new way into heaven, overall a new concept of God, is that it was an angelic presentation, and a presentation that is so much against what is breathed into all the Scriptures before the 7th century and since the beginning. A couple enormous errors in the religion of Islam I would like to address is the roll of the Jews has been utterly dismantled and the roll of Jesus Christ is totally warped. As one who hasn't read the Koran, I cannot quote from the passages directly, but having understood the basic premises of Islam (such as the Five Pillars and the basic doctrine that one must attain salvation through rituals and obedience to the laws), and more importantly as I am a child of God through the atonement for my sins through Christ, I do not believe in the teachings of Mohammed. The very fact that the angels dismissed the fact that Christ is Lord shows me that from the very fundamentals Mohammed was mislead and so mislead others. I believe that if he truly was visited by angels he was then visited by fallen hosts of heaven, which stirred up an effective way to break unwary souls away from the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Christ the Redeemer, Christ the I AM, Christ the Word
"Doubtless You are our Father, though Abraham was ignorant of us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O, LORD, are our Father; our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name" (Isaiah 63:16).
"Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM'" (John 8:58).
There are numerous passages in Scripture, which corresponds to every part of the canon, that is the Word of God, that to find false prophets arise after Christ, such as Mohammed, Joseph Smith the co-founder of Mormonism, and Charles Taze Russell the founder of Jehovah's Witness, and to declare contridictions against the Word is overwhelmingly obvious to the Christian deeply rooted in God's words. Christ Himself prophesied and said, "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15). Because the New Testement compliments the Old Testement, being that the law of the prophets was fulfilled by Jesus on the cross and resurrection, it is proven to be the inspiration of God, and it is to be used in every aspect of man's life and used as a guidebook (2 Timothy 3:16), "that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equiped for every good work." The Bible is like a love letter to this world, to every soul on this planet, said one preacher; to the nonbeliever in Christ it is written, though he may not desire Him, God remains faithful even to the faithless. To the believer in Christ it is written, and for all it is the key to the promise of everlasting life and a warning of the coming judgement upon this dying world.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Leaning on Providence
"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" (Matthew 6:26-29).
There was good encouragement at the Rietzugs house ("the Church Across the Street") this morning and into the early afternoon, and a good sampling of the bagels they plan to use in the coffee house which is planned to open up on Sunrise Boulevard sometime soon. They message today, presented by Henry, was of a few Scripture passages: Luke 24:36-49 (Jesus appears before the terrified eleven disciples, saying, "Peace to you...Behold My hands and feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as I have."), Acts 26:15-18 (Paul testifies to King Agrippa concerning his conversion which followed his very personal contact with Christ on the road to Damascus), and Matthew 28:18-20 (The emphasis was made on Jesus' words "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.").
Our discussions lead into current events, such as the late Pope Jean Paul II's death, viewing and funeral (see the New York Times' April 9 headline, "Pope Is Buried, Mourned by the Mighty and the Ordinary"), and on the Evangelical missionaries (that includes some of the ones who gather for church at the Reitzugs' home, such as Mike and Anne, an older couple will be leaving for Morocco in a week, and Lisa's husband Bob will be going overseas soon as well) soon to be deployed on the foreign mission field. As the Perelandrean King and Lady said "You make us older, Piebald" (Perelandra, C.S. Lewis) I, too, became a little older and wiser today simply by fellowshipping with some brothers and sisters in Christ. These days my socializing with familiar folks comes biweekly, as I get home from the Saturday shift on Sunday mornings for sleep personal time (i.e., lying around in a state of dormancy and repose). You'll notice in the photos that we congregate in the kitchen soon after the message and discussions with good refreshing cups of tea and coffee waiting with oranges, muffins and bagels to nourish the mind and palate. I love muffins and bagels.
During the last couple months I had thought about what I would do when I attain a job and my mom and step-dad prepare to move to Eastern Washington, and now with the fact that I have a full-time job and the folks are closer to moving, I continually pray and look for rent opportunities, providing that God has that in store for me. I have this surge of motivation and ambition in me when I pray through the day. While I make toast I pray. While I mow the lawns I pray. While I drive to town I pray. While I inspect and pack fiberglass parts I pray. Lord, use that time of prayer for Your perfect plan. I know that whatever You provide for me is right and good, and more importantly, the time in which You provide it is done so in a perfect way. Therefore I know that my housing situation will become known to me by the Lord's timing. I search out this matter because it is a matter of being self-sufficient on God's provision and it is a thing of growth; I must become my own provider of bread as I walk this earth, and thus seeking to honor my life in Christ, the Bread of Life. I find that this is quite an astonishing time in life, receiving miracles and witnessing miracles all the time; this prompts me to desire to continue on bearing and knowing and sharing God's grace throughout my entire life.
There was good encouragement at the Rietzugs house ("the Church Across the Street") this morning and into the early afternoon, and a good sampling of the bagels they plan to use in the coffee house which is planned to open up on Sunrise Boulevard sometime soon. They message today, presented by Henry, was of a few Scripture passages: Luke 24:36-49 (Jesus appears before the terrified eleven disciples, saying, "Peace to you...Behold My hands and feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as I have."), Acts 26:15-18 (Paul testifies to King Agrippa concerning his conversion which followed his very personal contact with Christ on the road to Damascus), and Matthew 28:18-20 (The emphasis was made on Jesus' words "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.").
Our discussions lead into current events, such as the late Pope Jean Paul II's death, viewing and funeral (see the New York Times' April 9 headline, "Pope Is Buried, Mourned by the Mighty and the Ordinary"), and on the Evangelical missionaries (that includes some of the ones who gather for church at the Reitzugs' home, such as Mike and Anne, an older couple will be leaving for Morocco in a week, and Lisa's husband Bob will be going overseas soon as well) soon to be deployed on the foreign mission field. As the Perelandrean King and Lady said "You make us older, Piebald" (Perelandra, C.S. Lewis) I, too, became a little older and wiser today simply by fellowshipping with some brothers and sisters in Christ. These days my socializing with familiar folks comes biweekly, as I get home from the Saturday shift on Sunday mornings for sleep personal time (i.e., lying around in a state of dormancy and repose). You'll notice in the photos that we congregate in the kitchen soon after the message and discussions with good refreshing cups of tea and coffee waiting with oranges, muffins and bagels to nourish the mind and palate. I love muffins and bagels.
During the last couple months I had thought about what I would do when I attain a job and my mom and step-dad prepare to move to Eastern Washington, and now with the fact that I have a full-time job and the folks are closer to moving, I continually pray and look for rent opportunities, providing that God has that in store for me. I have this surge of motivation and ambition in me when I pray through the day. While I make toast I pray. While I mow the lawns I pray. While I drive to town I pray. While I inspect and pack fiberglass parts I pray. Lord, use that time of prayer for Your perfect plan. I know that whatever You provide for me is right and good, and more importantly, the time in which You provide it is done so in a perfect way. Therefore I know that my housing situation will become known to me by the Lord's timing. I search out this matter because it is a matter of being self-sufficient on God's provision and it is a thing of growth; I must become my own provider of bread as I walk this earth, and thus seeking to honor my life in Christ, the Bread of Life. I find that this is quite an astonishing time in life, receiving miracles and witnessing miracles all the time; this prompts me to desire to continue on bearing and knowing and sharing God's grace throughout my entire life.
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