God Was Looking / Satan is Also Looking - Part 2

(To read Part 1, click here.)

Just like God was looking, Satan is also looking. Satan is also looking for a man. He is looking for a man through whom (and by whom) he can dominate the world and destroy people's lives. (John 10:10a) He is looking man to man to man at the greatest men who ever lived. He looked at Pharoah. He looked at Judas. He looked at Stalin. He looked at Hitler. He looked at Ahmadinejad. He can't do it until the men appear. (Satan is not like God who can look across all of history past, present and future. Satan must wait until men are born and demonstrate a complete disregard for Jesus Christ.)

The fact is Satan is looking for the most wicked man of all. This man will portray himself has someone he is not. He will be a liar and deceiver. (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11) He will be a sociopath who disobeys the law (2 Thessalonians 2:3c) while enforcing it upon others. (Revelation 13:16-17) The masses of people will go after this man. (Revelation 13:3-4)

Could it be Satan has finally found him?

• How to Recognize Antichrist - Part 3 (in 30 seconds)
• Pre-Tribulation or Pre-Wrath Rapture?

God Was Looking / Satan is Also Looking - Part 1

God was looking. He was looking for a man. He was looking for a man through whom (and by whom) He would save the world (people). (John 3:16) He looked man to man to man at the greatest men who ever lived. He looked at Pharoah. He looked at Julius Caesar. He looked at Mohammed. He looked at Gandhi. He looked at Ronald Reagan. He looked across all of history past, present and future. (God can do that. He's God.)

The fact is God couldn't find a man. He couldn't find anyone. (Romans 3:10-12) So He accomplished salvation Himself. (Isaiah 59:16) He became the Man He was looking for. (Matthew 1:23) He died on the cross and rose again on the third day. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) We have been freed from our sins (who believe) because of it. (Romans 10:9-10, 13)

Satan is also looking ~ for a man...

(To read Part 2, click here.)

• One Man
• Signs of the Evil Times

Who Raised Jesus From The Dead?

Adam's Wife, Eve: She Had Some Good Qualities, Too

Testimony of a (pre) Teenager

"And when He (Jesus) became twelve ... He said to them, 'Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?'" (Luke 2:42a, 49)

I recently tweeted (shared on Twitter) the following:

I testified at Bible study the other night that in my over 25+ yrs of serving Jesus I had never met anyone with so dramatic of a salvation experience...

I mean, I compare it 2 myself. When I got saved in 1983 it was dramatic, dynamic. My worldly friends were undone. They couldn't believe it...

This salvation experience~in many ways it's equal 2 & more than mine at the same time. It's the only way 2 describe it.Do u want 2 know who?

It's my 12-yr old daughter! Wow

This is not bragging (except on the Lord~God knows my heart). She reads her Bible daily.She is so invested in the Left Behind Teen Series...

We meet every evening 2 read together.She speaks of Jesus Christ like I've never seen a teen speak.(And I've been a children's/youth pastor)

She will say 2 me, "Dad, r u listening? Tell me what I just said." Sometimes I stumble back & she clarifies. (Lord, keep up ur good work) :)

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• Insatiable Awakening
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Are You a Nincompoop?

We've been lied to. We've been handed a lukewarm Gospel (from some pulpits in America?). This "Gospel" compartmentalizes Christianity.

You see, it's not to be "worn on one's sleeve" (your faith). It's not to ruffle any feathers in the marketplace ~ separation of Church and State, after all.

You can't talk about that kind of stuff in the schools, you will offend somebody. And no "Merry Christmas" in the stores. Don't you dare. "Happy Holidays" is the only thing acceptable.

What? Are you a nincompoop? That's what the Gospel is. That's what Christianity is.

It's supposed to be worn on your sleeve, down your shirt and pants to your shoes. (Put on the full armor of God!)

The Gospel is offensive. Christianity is supposed to ruffle feathers. It's supposed to slap upside the head (figuratively speaking) those in the direction of hell. (Wake up!)

Are we to allow our friends and family and neighbors and coworkers to just glide through life until they die and then discover the place that burns with fire and brimstone having not ruffled their feathers or offended them ahead of time (in this life) at the slightest chance that they might seek to avoid such a place?

Don't be a dope (nincompoop!).

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Marks of a Defective Faith - Part 2

I'm continuing a discussion of faith in this second of a two-part blog post series. (To read Part 1: click here.) I'll be highlighting three final marks of a defective faith from three parables of Christ. To be defective means there's a flaw with whatever it is you're talking about. Right? I remember I drove away a used car I bought in Minneapolis from the used car dealer. And right when I got out of the parking lot that's when it began to spit and sputter and miss and cough. No lie. Can you imagine having something like that happen to you? (And then imagine having to explain it to your wife!) Did you ever buy a lemon? - a car that had problems - that was defective? Some people's faith is a "lemon." If it's marked (characterized) by any or all of the following three things it is...

Three More Marks of a Defective Faith:
(I gave you the first three in Part 1)

Mark #4: When You Think Gaining Stuff/Notoriety Is A Higher Priority Than Caring For The Less Fortunate.

In our Lord's parable of "The Sheep and The Goats" (Matthew 25:31-46) we are given a peek into eternity. We see Judgment Day. At that time Jesus will be looking over His followers. And what He's going to be interested in seeing is how much money we made? No. What we did for a living? No. What car we drove? No. What house we owned? No. How many followers we had on Twitter? No. How many friends we had on Facebook? No. Christ is not going to be looking for any of those things. Quite to the contrary. Those are the things that the world measures by. Right? Those are important things to the world. But not to Jesus. Sometimes we need our priorities rearranged. Are you putting people's needs ahead of gaining stuff/a name for yourself?

Mark #5: When You Think Just Because You're A Christian You're Better Than Others.

In our Lord's parable of "The Publican and the Tax Collector" (Luke 18:9-14) we are given a peek into an attitude that can overtake church people. Even Christians can begin to get caught up with themselves if they're not careful. I mean, when you've overcome tough habits and conquered them and replaced the old habits with new good ones like you ought to as a Christian (and as undoubtedly the Pharisee/religious person in the parable is representative of this very thing) and then you don't do things that sinners are known for doing anymore. "And, after all, those awful wretches and despicable individuals that live like that. How can they do such things?" And, of course, we're not like them. We don't go to movies. We don't go to carnivals. We don't go to bars. We go to church. We go to Bible study. We go to prayer meetings. Aren't we just so good? No, we're not. We're just forgiven. "'Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?'" (Matthew 7:3)

Mark #6: When You Think God's Okay With Your Refusal To Forgive Someone.

In our Lord's parable of "The Unmerciful Slave" (Matthew 18:23-35) we are given a peek into the heart (of some). It's a selfish heart. It's a bitter heart. And in the story a king wishes to settle accounts with his slaves. One slave owes the king ten thousand talents. To understand the depth of payment required to settle accounts, you need to know the worth of a "talent." A single "talent" was equal to 20 years worth of wages. Do the math. 10,000 talents times 20 years equals 200,000 years worth of wages. Let's say you make $20,000 a year. That means one talent equals ($20,000 times 20 years) $400,000. Then ten thousand talents equals 4 billion dollars! Bottom line: The slave can't repay such an enormous debt. But the king forgives the debt of the slave any way. (It's a picture of God's forgiveness of us.) The problem is the slave goes out afterwards and demands payment of a (in comparison) $7,000 debt he's owed from a fellow slave. Think of all the people in your life that have hurt you. Now think of that one person that's hurt you the most. And now consider, as much as these have pained you, their debt to you isn't even a drop in the bucket to how much you've hurt God in your unbelief. "'He who is forgiven little, loves little.'” (Luke 7:47c)

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A Biblical Look at Hell

10 Wrong Thoughts About God

What do you think about God? I mean, what do you mostly ponder as thoughts concerning Him? I'd like to suggest that a whole lot of men and women's thinking is not in line with who God really is. Truth be told, in many cases it is far, far from it. There a number of reasons for that. Our parents (especially fathers) are meant to portray Him. They don't always do such a good job. The media definitely presents God in a warped way. (That's being kind.) Even His own people (Christ followers) at times misrepresent the Lord through ungodly attitudes and actions. (Ouch.) That's why it's so important to always look to the Scripture for our understanding. There we find out who God really is. It's a good picture. It'll help you to overcome the following...

10 Wrong Thoughts About God:

1. He doesn't care about me (Romans 5:6-8)
2. He isn't a part of my life (Psalm 139:1-18)
3. He's mad (Luke 15:11-24)
4. He makes bad things happen to me (Romans 8:28)
5. He isn't on my side (Romans 8:31-32)
6. He doesn't want to be my friend (John 15:13-15)
7. He doesn't have good plans for me (Jeremiah 29:11)
8. He doesn't hear my prayers (Jeremiah 29:12)
9. He's hiding Himself (Jeremiah 29:13)
10. He doesn't love me (John 3:16)

How to receive Christ into your heart & life (in 30 seconds): CLICK HERE

The Truth Is Out There?

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32; NKJV)

If there's anything I've learned (and noticed) while serving the Lord is there is just a whole lot of mis-appropriation, application and interpretation of the Bible (God's Word).

Take for instance the above verse. How many of you have heard, "And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make (set) you free"? Have you heard that quoted? Rarely is it spoken of, referred to in it's context (immediate and/or in view of the entirety of the Scriptures). Usually, it's stated randomly ~ like somehow the truth is "out there" (kind of like Fox Mulder looking for extra-terrestrial life in the X-Files) and it'll somehow find you (the truth, not aliens) via some sort of new age cosmic osmosis.

The Bible says nothing of the sort.

If we would know the truth that makes us free, there's only one way for that to happen. It's actually a conditional promise whereby a condition must first be met for the result to take place. That condition is found in the verse prior to "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." That verse is John 8:31 where Jesus says, "If you abide (or continue) in My word, you are My disciples indeed." (John 8:31; NKJV) Then and only then comes: "And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make (set) you free." Do you see that? "If you abide in My word" comes first.

Abiding in Christ's Word ~ it's equal to abiding in Jesus Himself. (John 15:4) And it's the proof that we are His disciples. "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed." "Abiding" is an initial transaction (the salvation experience) and then an ongoing progression (the sanctification process). It includes not only the intake (reading the Bible, studying and meditating on it, etc), but the outworking ~ the living out in our lives what the Scripture says (what God tells us to do or not do).

Let me say it again. Then and only then (with the "abiding" in place) comes: "And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make (set) you free."

8 Responses to Christ's Call

There are many responses to the call of Christ. The Scripture presents us a number of examples. Jesus says, "Follow Me," and some men and women...

1. Are unwilling to (Matthew 22:3)
2. Pay no attention (Matthew 22:5a)
3. Go their own way (Matthew 22:5b)
4. Don't realize the cost (Matthew 8:19-20)
5. Prioritize family commitments (Matthew 8:21-22)
6. Are distracted by day-to-day activities (Matthew 22:5c)
7. Mistreat God's messengers (Matthew 22:6)

With this in mind, I am grateful for (Simon) Peter. With all his failures and foibles, he got one thing right. (It's the 8th response to Christ's call.) Peter left everything and followed Jesus. (Luke 5:11)

And if we are to be our Lord's disciple completely, we must do the same. We must leave everything of our own will. (Luke 22:42) We must leave everything of our inattention to God's voice. (John 10:27) We must leave everything of going our own way. (Isaiah 55:8-9) We must leave everything of our not realizing the cost of being a disciple. (Mark 8:34) We must leave everything of our affection for family (in the sense that they cannot take priority over Christ). (Luke 14:26) We must leave everything of our own business dealings. (Mark 2:14) We must leave everything of our wrong attitudes towards ministers of God. (Acts 4:1-3)

Leave everything. It's the only proper response to Christ's call.

Above picture: © Matthieu Rielger, CC-BY, Wikimedia Commons

Favored One

"And coming in, he (Gabriel) said to her, 'Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.'" (Luke 1:28, 30-31)

Favor with God. I guess another way of saying it is it's being on God's "good side." That's what favor with God is. (Yes!) It's being the "apple of His eye." It's having God's affection, care, love, involvement in your life, etc. That's what favor with God is. (Yes!) Mary had all that (according to the angel). And what I want you to know is you can have it all, too (if you don't already). You can have favor with God, too!

This is how you get it. Not by keeping the Ten Commandments. (You couldn't do that anyway.) Not by being nice versus naughty. (It only takes one naughty to nullify all the nice.) Instead, it's by faith in Christ. It's by believing that Jesus is the Son of God who died for your sins on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day. (Romans 10:9-10) It's by believing! That's how you get God's favor. That's how you become "born again." (John 3:3)

That's really what happened to Mary, isn't it? (Indeed, she is an illustration/"picture" of all of us.) Jesus was conceived/born within her. Right? Christ took up residence (Colossians 1:27b) and ultimately was manifest through Mary to the world. (Luke 2:7) It's God's plan for all who place their trust (faith) in Him. Not to literally bear the Christ Child (don't get me wrong), but to have Him dwell within, nonetheless, and manifest without. Believe. \o/

7 things you probably didn't know about @aheartforgod (but always wanted to)

If there's one thing I've learned about social media, it's this: There are so many people that I'd like to know more about their backgrounds, but a Facebook page and 140 characters on Twitter just doesn't allow for it. With this in mind I'm writing today. And after the example of some others (especially on Twitter), I've come up with 7 things you probably didn't know about me (but always wanted to). I tweeted these initially. That's why they're in tweet form. (I just may tweet them again?) And just in case you saw that first "tweetcast" I felt I should add 3 bonus points from my background to get you back for another look. (With some of you it worked?) So here we go with...

7 things you probably didn't know about @aheartforgod (but always wanted to) plus 3 bonus points:

1. I am Italian #aheartforgod #7things

2. I am a tease ;P #aheartforgod #7things

3. I have had a mustache since I was a junior in high school (never shaved once-kind of like Samson?) #aheartforgod #7things

4. I played in a Christian rock band in the late ‘80s (some of my closest friends-God moved) #aheartforgod #7things

5. My wife&I went 2 the same Bible school,but didn’t even notice each other for over a yr (we had run in2 each other) #aheartforgod #7things

Actually, that last one was 5a. You need 2 know more about my wife & I as we started out...

5b. When I 1st asked my wife out,she said she would pray about it.The answer came in another call:God said No. (ouch) #aheartforgod #7things

6. We pastored a small church in a nowhere place for 10 yrs. It was worth every moment 4 the people we loved&served #aheartforgod #7things

7. Jesus met me in a car crash on the freeway in 1983&was merciful 2 me (a sinner)&gave me a 2nd chance. I ❤ Him 4 it #aheartforgod #7things

BONUS

8. I once went out dressed as Snow White on Halloween ;P (Read “Unmasked” HERE) #aheartforgod #7thingsbonus

9. At age 30 (w/a wife&child) I moved back in w/my parents (yikes) #aheartforgod #7thingsbonus

10. I ❤ foothills (but grew up in SF Bay Area). Then God transplanted me to the Sierra Nevada! (Mother Lode) WOW #aheartforgod #7thingsbonus

A Rhinestone in Heaven

I was a "baby" Christian and I was learning how to hear God's voice. I was part of a street ministry team. We would go to different parts of the city (Fremont, California) on Friday nights to share our faith and to speak with people. We befriended a "drunk" (I don't care about being politically correct) who took to liking me in particular. It was a "God thing" ~ a divine appointment ~ we were meant to meet ~ I and he. This gentleman had served in Vietnam. And now he was living on the streets. He'd be there most every Friday night. I couldn't just leave him. (Of course, there is so much more to this story that a single blog post won't allow.) So I brought him to my apartment. My roommate (who wasn't a believer) had a bottle of Vodka on an uppermost shelf. When I woke up in the morning "Rhinestone" (as he was called) had found the Vodka, downed it all and disappeared.

I was getting ready to enjoy a Christian concert in a park with my friends. That's when God spoke to me, "Go find Rhinestone." I immediately thought, "That's the devil." So I continued to get ready for the concert. That's when I sensed it again, "Go find Rhinestone." And you know, you finally just have to do what God says. You just have to. (Who needed to hear it?) I left the concert to find Rhinestone. I drove through the downtown area looking for him at his usual place (in a doorway), but there was no sign of him. "See. It wasn't God speaking to you after all." So I turned the car around to head back to the concert. That's when I saw him. (It was a "God thing" ~ a divine appointment ~ we were meant to meet ~ I and he.) I told Rhinestone to get in the car. This was no small feet. He weighed well over 300 lbs. I drove him to a detox center in Oakland. I checked him in.

(In the meantime, you must know I prayed the sinner's prayer with Rhinestone. With tears running down his face, he gave his heart to Jesus. He gave his heart to Jesus!)

I didn't see Rhinestone on the streets after that. It was like he'd fallen off the face of the earth. But then one Friday night, as we were in our usual street ministry place, there Rhinestone was, walking down the street. He was more pleasantly dressed. The alcohol on his breath wasn't quite as bad as it had been before. And he was praising God! He actually grabbed a guy who was taking the Lord's name in vain (in a loving bear hug is how I would describe it ~ Rhinestone could have broke a person in half) and told him, "Now, don't you talk about Him that way." It was amazing. It was the Lord.

Two weeks later, Rhinestone was found dead of a heart attack in the streets where he'd lived for so long. It was a "God thing" ~ a divine appointment ~ we were meant to meet ~ I and he. (Picture under the Creative Commons license HERE.)

Marks of a Defective Faith - Part 1

I want to talk to you about faith in a two-part blog post series. You've probably purchased something that was defective before. To be defective means there's a flaw with whatever it is you bought. Right? There's something wrong with it to cause it not to function as it said it on the box it was supposed to function this way, but it doesn't. And you're frustrated. You might even be pulling your hair out and wanting your money back. (Been there. Done that.) It can happen with faith, too. Faith can be defective, too. In Christ's Parable of the Marriage Feast (Matthew 22:1-13), the king comes in to look over the guests who've come to the dinner and he sees a man "not dressed in wedding clothes." (Matthew 22:11) And so the man has a defect. And the king who's throwing the party notices it, asks him about it - to which the king receives no answer. (Matthew 22:12) The king then literally has the man thrown out of the building is how the parable ends. (Matthew 22:13) And why is the man thrown out? Again, it's because he has a defect. He's not wearing wedding clothes. And ultimately, it's a defective faith that this man not wearing wedding clothes represents. With this as a background, here are...

Three Marks of a Defective Faith:
(I'll give you three more in Part 2)

Mark #1: When You Think You Can Attain Heaven On Your Own.

It's interesting to note how those who sent out invitations to weddings in Bible times would also send out the clothes the invited person should wear was the custom. And so for the above guy in the parable to show up not wearing the clothes the king sent him was another slap in the face. It wasn't just that he didn't have the right clothes to wear to the wedding, but he literally decided to not dress himself in the clothes the king sent him along with he really thinks he can come to the wedding wearing whatever he decides to wear. It's a picture of the person who thinks he can attain heaven on his own apart from being clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

Mark #2: When You Think Getting Baptized Makes You A Christian.

Having been raised a Catholic I understand the Catholic tradition of infant baptism quite well. (I was baptized as a baby myself.) The thinking behind infant baptism is that it somehow guarantees a person's acceptance into heaven. It's wrong thinking. The fact is baptism confirms you're a Christian, but it doesn't make you a Christian. You must become a Christian by expressing faith in Christ first, then you are to be baptized. (Mark 16:16) No matter what your age, they can dunk you under water or sprinkle you all they want and the only thing that's gonna change is you'll be all wet, but you won't be saved.

Mark #3: When You Think You Don't Need To Meet Regularly With Believers.

You run into people - Christians! - and they're just simply not committed to the Body of Christ like they ought to be. And they suffer for it. And the Body suffers. "I can be a Christian and not go to church," some of these say (or think). It is in direct contradiction of Scripture which exhorts us to make meeting with fellow believers a top priority. (Hebrews 10:23-25) Each of us has gifts that others need (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) and each of us has needs that only another brother or sister in the Lord can meet. When was the last time you went to church?

(Watch for "Marks of a Defective Faith - Part 2" to come soon.)

One Man

One man. That's what our salvation rests upon. You talk about pressure. You talk about a weight on your back. The actions, commitment, faith, obedience, sacrifice ~ love ~ every single, human being who ever lived ~ where they spend eternity rests upon this one man.

There's no one else. There's no other person. There's nobody. No political figure. No founder of a religion. No "god" (small "g"). Not Gandhi. (By the way, he was a sinner, too.) Not Buddha. (So was he.) Not Muhammed. ("There is none righteous, not even one.") Not Allah. Not the 12th Imam/Mahdi. (Exodus 20:3)

One man.

I don't need to tell you His name. You already know.

"For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)

"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) (flickr image by Jasmic)

Cliffhanger

"'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. Many will say to Me on that day, "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 7:21-23) This is a scary passage for some. This is a scary passage, but it shouldn't be. I mean, let's just say there's a cliff over there and everybody's afraid of falling off. So what do you do? That's right. You don't go near the cliff. You stay as far away as possible. Right? This passage in Matthew is a cliff. Let me explain. There's a lot of talk about "Lord" in the above verses. (Check it out again.) Three times the reference is made. Then there's the mentioning of "Your name." Do you see that, too? Three more times "religious activities" take place "in the name" of Christ. (Look again.) But there's a problem with the people who say, "Lord," and use His name in the passage. They "practice lawlessness." And worse than that. They aren't "known" by Jesus. "I never knew you," He makes clear. Another way of putting it: These people don't have a relationship with God. They were doing spiritual things and calling Him, "Lord" (which denotes surrender to a sovereign) while the whole time their hearts remained in an unregenerate and unsubmissive to His will state. It is God's will that none should perish and that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) You don't do works for God to become right with God. You become right with God first (by faith), then you do works for God. So that's the cliff. And some of you reading this post at this very moment may be hanging over it by your fingertips? Time to climb back up, cliffhanger. (Romans 10:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17)

Darkness to Light (my testimony)

I was living in darkness. I was headed for disaster. I had a drug problem. I had a drinking problem. I was out of control. Then came the freeway crash.

But more than that. Someone in heaven reached down. Someone (Christ!) reached down and lifted me out. He opened my blind eyes. He unstopped my deaf ears. He delivered my soul.

I can't explain it. It's like there's this whole other world (spiritual dimension) that I was oblivious to. (After all, it wasn't being taught to me in school.) This whole other world can only be accessed through faith.

Let me put it to you this way. God is not a man that He should lie. (Numbers 23:19) Jesus never sinned ~ not a single time. (John 8:46) Why not believe Him? Take the chance like I did.

You've read my posts. I'm a present day Saul turned into Paul. (Acts 9:1-19) (I wish you could see the tears as I write this.) I was living for the devil. (Oh, how you have no idea how messed up I was.) But then I met the Savior.

Some of you Jesus Christ is trying to rescue at this very moment. He's reaching down from heaven (even via this post). Ephphatha! (Mark 7:34) \o/

"[Christ] has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9c)

Brush with Death (Following Jesus Series 1)