When FAKE Recognises REAL

When Fake Recognises REAL

 

Every day we hear it, we read it in posts on Twitter and Facebook. "Real recognise Real" is a phrase that is coined by one appreciating the work of another while at the same time not downplaying their own noteworthy contribution in the same or similar area.

 

When two fakes meet:

In his own eyes, fake is real. More than often even the realest. Thus when you bring two fakes together they'll also coin the phrase "Real recognise real" not recognising the absence of real in this instance. The sons of Eli, Hophnei and Phenias most definitely viewed themselves and each other as real, thus their inability to reform when corrected. Walking on the wrong path has a blinding effect. One can no longer look beyond oneself, thus in their own eyes they are always right.

 

Real doesn't always recognise real:

 

I have seen countless posts on social media networks as well as videos of Christians criticising other Christians. This is usually a case of one "REAL" Christian speaking out because he feels he has identified a "FAKE" Christian. What we often forget is the fact that walking on the wrong road does not make you a "FAKE" Christian, more than often it reaffirms the fact that we are actually human beings, flesh and blood that is not perfect. What I've always found queer is that the ones that criticise others seem to forget that they too are not perfect. I am always pleased to see us as a body of Christ identifying and alerting one another to our short-coming. I for one would not be pleased if I were to find out that I have been walking the wrong way while others who could see this did not say anything, we ought to be one another's keeper.  However what I do not usually approve is the methods that we use to reach those we see walking off course. People post on the social media for the whole world to see. Once this is done room for dialogue is closed thus one person here is pushed away. Correction should always be in private. Nowadays I see of lot of believers who behave the same way that the Pharisee did in the story of the Pharisee and tax collector.

 

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus:' God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get. ' 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner! ' 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

John the Baptist had recognised Christ even before his birth. The bible says while he was still in the womb he was excited at the presence of the mother who carried Christ.

 

Luke 1:41: And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

 

None of us can say John the Baptist was not "REAL", he was as real as it gets. He baptised Christ, he honoured him with his mouth. He paved the way for Christ. Yet in the darkest of hours the man who had always recognised the REALNESS of the Messiah sent a messenger to confirm this realness.

 

Luke 7:18: 18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, 19 calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" 20 And when the men had to him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another? '" 21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. 22 And he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."

 

Just because you do not recognise their realness does not mean that they are not real. The bible teaches us to identify these people by their fruits, which is why Jesus instructed John's messengers to go and tell him what they had seen

 

Real can be enlightened by Fake:

Nicodemus was part of the religious elite of his time. Man of authority. Man whose words were always accepted by most as fact when it came to spiritual things. In the eyes of most, Nicodemus was real and Christ was fake. I mean Nicodemus spent his time with "righteous" men like Capphais the high priest while Jesus spent his time with "wicked" men like Zaccheus. However the bible speaks of a time when "REAL" went in pursuit of "FAKE". It says he went to Jesus by night to seek enlightment.

 

When Real realises he is actually fake:

The book of Acts speaks of a very passionate man by the name of Saul. Saul had such an amazing passion for whatever his conviction was. When he believed those that followed "the Way", or Christians as they are known nowadays were blaspheming the name of God by claiming Jesus was Lord he mercilessly went after them. His conviction was so great that his own territory was becoming small. He sought permission to go far and wide to persecute more "FAKE" people. Obviously his friends who were as "REAL" as he was and shared his conviction made it possible by providing the necessary paper work. On route to Damascus, his story changes. We understand that a bright light crossed his path and he fell off his horse. When addressed by Jesus, he responded  "Who are you LORD?" He recognised that this was a power greater than any he knew or possessed. It went on to say that from the time his sight was restored to him through Barnabas, Saul began to preach about this Lord whose people he had long persecuted.

 

There is a brutal fire that is set ablaze when fake recognises real. Saul travelled as far as the Lord could carry him and took this message of Christ even to Rome. He faced more opposition than he had faced before but his fire burned even more for Christ. He celebrated his suffering for the name of this man that he had always viewed as "FAKE." The fake Saul became REAL Paul and wrote about half of the new testament, his teachings live on. That is what happens when fake recognises real!

Modern day examples: 

The monk who rose from the dead: I have followed a few leads on this story but have been unable to prove it true or false. As the story goes, a bhuddist monk died and went to hell. Apparently he was dead for three days and arose thereafter to tell what he had seen. He saw Bhudda and other monks in hell. He saw what he thought was "REAL"  in hell, thus recognising that it was actually fake. He shared his experience and many monks have given their lives to Christ.

The Hindu guru preaching Jesus in their temple: This I saw filmed in a Darren Wilson documentary. The footage is as real as it gets, no retakes. Jesus appeared in a Hindu guru's dreams and also in that of an Indian evangelist. They were both instructed to meet up and on meeting up the evangelist, Ravi went on to teach about Christ to this guru. Who accepted Christ and went on to teach about him in his Hindu temple, with his talk accompanied by miracles. What a mighty God we serve.

Conclusion:

The distinction between real and fake is often so blurred, we need wisdom to recognise it. It take a lot of guts to accept when you are fake, and pursue realness. Humility is the key. Let us approach those we feel are fake in the right way, with an aim to redeem and not to annihilate. Do it privately, there is no need for the whole world to know. Salvation only occurs when FAKE recognises REAL.

 

 

 

References:

Monk story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSM8I-05Bm4

Hindu guru: Darren Wilson, Father of Lights (Documentary)

 

Whose Jesus do you believe in?

Whose Jesus do you know?

Is your faith a "Hotspot Faith?"

Your God is the God of Abraham? The God of Isaac? The God of Jacob? Does this lineage stretch all the way to you or does it stop somewhere on Pastor or Reverend or perhaps Prophet so and so? Is your faith a hotspot faith? Whatever could you mean by that? you may ask. A hotspot faith is a faith that is not able to stand alone. You see once a wifi hotspot is switched off or shutdown everything that is connected through it also loses connection. Throughout his ministry on earth, Christ equipped his disciples to stand alone and not be "hotspot believers". This is why even after he died, their faith remained alive. Sadly nowadays we witness masses of believers turning away from their denomination and often times even from God himself because such and such a pastor, or reverend, elder or prophet has sinned and fallen within the public eye. I'll pose my title question again :Whose Jesus do you know? If you know "my Jesus" you are bound to fall because I am a man, and as hard as I may try to live a righteous life I am bound to fall short. If you are following "my Jesus" you'll stray when you see me stray. When I fail in your eyes it will be as though Jesus has failed.

God wants a personal relationship

However God desires to have a personal relationship with each and every one of us. Take note: I said "personal" not "inter-personal". He wants you to know him for yourself. When you know Christ personally, no matter what any prophet or elder or Science itself may say or do your faith is unshaken! Jesus desires to walk besides each one of us on a daily basis. When believers become dependent on a leader who is human, the burden on him becomes great. In mega-churches with hundreds of thousands of members it becomes less and less possible to have direct access to the leaders. This leaves us to walk alone. Jesus is omnipresent! He is able to walk on each and every one of us' paths without giving more attention to another or loving another any less than another. That is why is extremely essential to have direct access. When Christ died the veil that blocked us from accessing the holy of holies was torn from top to bottom. This was done to grant us direct access to the king.

Sons of Sceva

Acts 19:11-20 speaks of a season in which God was doing some mighty works. In a season such as the one in which we are living today. While Paul and the other apostles were moving in the spirit and bring liberty to the captives. The bibles speaks the sons of Sceva. These boys I believe were amused by what they saw the apostles do. They picked up what I have heard described as a "hotspot" anointing. They tried to cast out demons "in the name of Jesus whom Paul spoke of." Their knowledge of Jesus was not first-hand. They knew him through another. Their results were different from what the expected. They were beaten until their clothes tore off them. The problem here was not that the sons of Sceva did not have the right motives. The issue here was that they knew of Jesus "whom Paul spoke of." If you are in the same place life will answer you in the same way, "Jesus we know but who are you?" You can not be identified in Christ until you know Christ personally. Someone else put it more beautifully, he said "God's aim is to make us his BRIDE, not just disciples." When you become a bride, you share in the power and possessions of your groom. Just because he knew God himself Elijah was able to stand up against the prophet of Baal. When you become one with Christ, people begin to see him when they look at you. The bible says when you saw Jesus you saw the father! The authority is not placed on individuals but on Christ who is in these individuals.

 

Distortion

I have read of multiple things being done in the name of Jesus, most recently that of a "naked church." Until you know Jesus for yourself you are open to being led astray. However when you know Jesus personally you have the ability to read something of that sort and instantly know that is not the Jesus that you know. Many will come in his name, the bible prophesied this long before we lived. It still speaks today, with even more relevance. The word is distorted or twisted because we as believers follow our "leaders" blindly! You eyes should be more on Christ himself than on any preacher or whatever else they call themselves.

Verdict

I am happy to see a great work of God. Am always pleased to see the hand of God on people's lives. To see the young prophesy and such, that is what I live for! However when I begin to see people focus complete on the map of God and not the God of that man. You see one says the God of preacher or prophet so and so shall see me through. You hear of these individuals then placing these leaders' picture and what not and then attesting their deliverance to these things. You see God is a jealous God. He will not share his glory with men!!! Anyhow that is a subject for another post. As a believer you aim is to be open to God's pursuit of you, to draw nearer to him and he draws near to you. Your aim should be to know him more and more so you and Jesus become a union. The purpose of leaders is guidance, in the same way that parents and other elders would guide us in marriage. They are not to take the place of Jesus, in the same that a best man at a wedding does not take the place of the groom.

The Jesus you believe in should shift from being the God of so and so to being your God! When that shift occurs you gain authority, you speak more boldly and with more confidence in these things. My prayer is that the kingdom of God would live in each and every one of us and not just in a chosen few. In the last few months the question I have gotten the most from all over the world is "How do I do what you do?"  "How can I hear from God as you do?" These words bring the realisation that some people begin to focus on YOU instead of HIM (God). I believe we are living in a great time where the holy spirit is moving among us like no generation before. Acts 2:17 says: In the last days,' God says, 'I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.

We are in these lasts that were spoken of. And take note that he says he will pour out his spirit upon "ALL" people and not "SOME" people. Seek Christ and not man.

Put service back into the church service

Put service back into the church service by Jeremy Myers (Book Review)

 

 

This is possibly one of the most thought provoking and challenging books I have read in a while. The title of the book itself had my attention, because I agree that there is little service left in the church. I am always looking to learn from others perspectives so as to correct the ills in my own ways and also to be able to impart the good things that I learn to others. I'll attempt to review this book chapter by chapter, if I am successful you will be on your way to get a copy.

Cancel Your Church service

Yes this chapter actually suggests the ridiculous thing that the title says, to "Cancel the church service". In this chapter Jeremy explains why we ought to cancel the church service in order to actually be able to serve. His perspective is so well explained that I was convicted throughout this chapter. I have always been of a similar opinion, well not as bold as his is. As rightly pointed out in this book cancelling church service would potentially put the pastor out of a job as we know it. This is even more beautiful coming from a former pastor himself. Jeremy suggests that by cancelling church service we would potentially allow people to actually go out there and serve. Which would in fact bring "service back into church service." A great analogy in this book is that of a Christian on her way to a church service when they receive a call for help from a neighbour. Would they go on to church and come back and see the neighbour afterwards? Or would they forget about church service for that day and go out and serve this neighbour? What touched me most about this point is that I was actually able to replay one moment where I picked "church service" over actually serving. It was not a particular emergency but does someone have to have an emergency for us to go out and serve them? As Jeremy clearly explains that our great commission from Christ is to "Go out there and serve."

 

Do not forsake the assembling

I guess to silence the critics whose valid point would have been that there is a need for assembling as believers. What we as believers often forget is that the church is not the building but the people who come together. Jeremy explains how more effective it would be if we as believers would  spend less time bundled together and more time reaching out and loving those in our sphere of influence. I have personally been of the opinion that the issue we as a body have is that we present our love as a trade. Come to my church and we'll pray for you. Give to my church and we'll pray for you. Come to my church and we'll try and get you a job. Jeremy point out how extremely low the church's conversion rate was, and how we constantly "recycled" believers. We have many believers moving from one congregation or denomination to another and very very few new believers actually coming to the knowledge of Christ. Why then are so much of our resources used for evangelism? With such a low success rate there is surely something not right.

 

What about training

A lot of our gathering in church are always this and that form of training. The issue Jeremy raises is that we have believers being constantly trained at very high financial costs and seldom do they actually get the chance to go out there and use these skills that they learn. Jesus did not give his disciples any form of formal training. He took them out with his and they learned on the job. There were explanations here and there after they had had an experience. This is the method that today's church should adopt in order to see more success.

He also speaks of the need to get rid of church programmes. These programs often become a hindrance to the move of God himself, as they are man-made programs. Any form of church program should have an expiry date. This allows for re-evaluation of circumstances and evaluation of success or failure of this program.

Each of chapter starts with a quote that sums what the chapter is going to speak of. Some of my favourites are

1: "I would rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it."-Thomas Aquinas

This in my humble opinion sums up the need for training on the job, as many know these things in theory as the church trains them but are never really ready in practice.

2: "The more organisation you bring to church life, the less life it will contain"- Wayne Jacobsen

This also sums up the fact that the more we as humans put into organising the church the less room we give the spirit of God to manoeuvre.

 

Final Thoughts

This is a well written book which will challenge and question every reader. I recommend it to you all. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and have gone on to getting the rest of Jeremy Myers' books. He gives them free to his mailing list as they are released. Head over to his blog and find out more about this man and his books.  You will be offended, challenged and most of all you will learn quite a lot.

To connect to Jeremy : Twitter or his Blog

What lessons can we draw from Da T.R.U.T.H?

 

What lessons can we draw from Da T.R.U.T.H?

 

 

A while ago the press was awash with the news of Emmanuel "Da Truth" Lambert's stumble. You could see Christians all over discussing this issue in drones. On social media it was everywhere, Da Truth has fallen! I guess when you are in a position open to the public eye your transgressions are also open to public scrutiny. We discussed this topic in a previous post.Christian Leaders Scandals...What has gone wrong? , various comments were left with all sorts of variable opinions. Yet only God could have penned Da Truth's resurrection! What lessons can we draw from it all?

1.       Even leaders are human

For some reason we tend to forget that those leading us are just as human as we are. They too are flesh and blood, they face the same if not more temptations than we do. The feel the same way that we do. If we are to be honest we all have fallen short of God's glory, we are all sinners. I found it astounding though the number of individuals that were quick to cast stones at Da Truth in whatever way. Jesus said "Let he that has no sin cast the first stone."

2.       The righteous may fall

Alone we are filthy and sinful, however in Christ we find righteousness. Once we step out of him we are bound to fall, but this time we have no one to pick us up. It is Christ that picks us up when we have fallen. In an interview that I heard of Da Truth he openly admitted that he had grown apart from Christ. It took returning back to that first love to reform. This is a long race that we are in, we may stumble along the way but what matters most is how we pick ourselves up and carry on.

3.       Accepting Fault

I believe the first step of healing is accepting fault. Romans teaches that salvation begins only when man accepts that he has sinned. I was not personally in a position to see this happen in Da Truth's life, however I have been able to hear testimony of this in interviews.

4.       Working through it

It is one thing to accept fault and yet another to actually want to work on rebuilding that which has been broken as a result of that fault. For Da Truth marriage was at stake, credibility as a minister was also at stake. Most would have easily curved and conceded defeat but he chose to let God lead him through it. This is however not possible without the strength of the woman who has a willpower to work with you through this. More power to Mrs. Lambert, may the Lord continue to increase her. I understand from one of his interviews that Da Truth had support from industry veterans and other believers. That is what Christianity is about, being able to pull a brother up when he is down, and not talk or kick him down.

5.       Re-launching and Resurrecting

Just because Christ died did not mean that he could not live again! In the same sense, just because you have fallen does not mean that you do not get up and walk again. I was blessed to see Da Truth back in ministry again. Although many tongues were still wagging he soldiered on.

 

6.       Speaking it out (Sin come out through the mouth)

Having fallen in the public eye, I believe the most empowering thing that Da Truth did during his rise back up was to address his sin in the public eye as well. This closes another loophole that the enemy would exploit. Once secrecy is removed, the wagging tongues begin to decrease in number. The enemy's power is in secrecy. That's why many found his album "The Whole Truth" very powerful and empowering. It was written from a broken man's point of view. I have spoken to some broken man who have been helped in their mending phase by just listening to that album.

7.       Refocusing on what matters

It is easier to get through all this but harder to refocus on what really matters. In the same way a surfer who is attacked by a shark will not find it easy to ride the waves again. We've all seen Da Truth do this through the grace of God. Being able to refocus on family and on ministry. We've seen him tour the US and Africa and release his latest album "Love, Hope, War" He is a testimony that indeed J.I.F.E. (Jesus is for everybody). I for one am grateful to have witnessed the hand of the Lord work on this man. To watch the porter remould a broken vessel!!!

 

My only wish is that the church learns to view situations more like Christ did. To love when one is undeserving. To lift those who fall instead of talking about them or just watching them. As you finish reading this post I would like to ask you to just take a moment to bow your head and send a prayer up for Da Truth, for his wife, for his family, for his ministry and all that concerns him.

 

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Birds of the same feather don't have to flock together

Birds of the same feather don't have to flock together.

About a year ago I ran into the ever-so-common statement "Birds of the same feather flock together". However for the first time I actually put some thought into it. I decide to question and analyse this statement instead of doing what we often do "accept it because everyone else does." After reading that statement I started to pose questions to the one who had posed it, my argument was so well delivered that he and others backing him conceded. Don't get me wrong, I do somewhat agree that birds of the same feather do flock together. However, are they really effective when they flock together? Are they?

Take this example for instance. An ever bright light that is Christ was sent to a dark world. And that was very effective! Christ himself said in Mark 2:7, Matt 9:12, Luke 5:31 But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick." To be very effective Christ had to be in a place where no one was like him. A light is brightest when it is surrounded by darkness! Someone else said to me "Stars are brightest when it is darkest!" Unfortunately I feel that as believers in Christ we have forgotten this. We seem to be more interested in creating our little "holy" cliques. Don't get me wrong I understand the significance of surrounding oneself with like minded people. The Great Commission will however never be fulfilled if we refuse to move out of our comfort zones. Matthew 28: 19-20 says "¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Let's explore this verse. He says GO, which means leave. Get out of your comfort zone and reach out to others. He says "make disciples of ALL NATIONS", which means to reach out to all people. At this point I have to mention that it is very sad to note that the ones who need to hear this gospel the most are the ones that we neglect. We stick around in our little "holier than thou" cliques pointing out how the world is falling apart, what are you doing to make amends to it? What are you doing to reach those people? If we spent less time discussing the problems that we have identified and actually used that time to try and fix those problem we'd be a better world! How many more people would come to Christ if we spent more time loving them and less time pointing out their fault?

The most effective birds are the ones that break away from the flock

In our day and age would Jesus spend his time on Twitter and Facebook posting about how John the Baptist is failing or has fallen? Of course not, yet that is what we spend our time doing. Jesus spent his time furthering the Kingdom, he did not go around chasing after or criticising the Pharisees. If you read through the scripture, they are the ones who always came to him! Focus more on your own mission and less on how the next person may be failing on theirs! Jesus would have ordinarily been expected to flock with his own, the Jews. Yet what made him most effective is that he went direct to the ones that needed him most! At times to be effective you have to move from your own people. Go where God says for you to go. Abraham's greatness begins when he decides to leave his own people and follow God. To leave the birds of his feather and have no one to flock with, but God. Saul's greatness as chronicled in the book of Acts begins when he decides to follow the Lord that he had been persecuting, and go against his own people. Against all who had supported him all along! I could go on and on with examples Nichodemus, Rahab, Elisha, the disciples (their own feathers were fishermen, but they left to become fishers of men!).

Being an effective flock

As a flock we ought to remember that we are in the time of the end. The church has no time to look at one another and compare faults. There is a world out there that needs to be reached. The church needs to realise that no matter what our denominational differences are we are a part of one body, the body of Christ. We need to remember that our mission is not to see who fills a bigger room and gathers and bigger congregation. Our mission is to reach out to those who do not know Christ! We ought to remember that those whom we look down upon because of the "filth" on their feathers are no different from where we were before we were cleansed by his blood. We ought to remember that it is not by our own wisdom or skills by which we are in Christ, it is by his grace and mercy! If we remember that we will be more tolerant of others and love others more. Should we choose to flock together, let us use the power of our number to cast our net wider and reach more souls.

Moreover we need to remember that the religious regarded Christ as a filthy and sinful man, yet he was the truth! Just because you can see someone else's wrong does not make you right!

To summarise:

Be your own man. Follow Christ and not man. Don't be afraid to fly alone, after all eagles fly solo.

I challenge you today, commit to be different. Commit to be more accomodating. Commit to love and not criticise. Commit to be an extension of Christ to all around you. And remember "BIRDS OF THE SAME FEATHER DO NOT HAVE TO FLOCK TOGETHER!"

Then they say, "Don't judge me!!"

 

Title: Don't judge me

Whether you are religious or not you have more than likely come across the phrase "Don't judge me!" It is often used by individuals who feel as though others are viewing themselves as being more righteous than them. For many Christians it has become a smoke screen against correction. It is very important to be able to distinguish between the two. If you'd allow me, let us explore this phrase.

Origin of statement:

No one can really say when this phrase was first used. However it is drawn from the scriptures:

Mark 7:1 1"Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2"For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

Luke 6:41 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

John 8:7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

Romans 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

Others include Rom 14:10, Rom 14:13 Luke 6:37 and 1 Cor 4:5

Context:

If you read carefully, all these scriptures were directed at self-righteous believer who were faulting other believer in the same areas that they were failing. Jesus tells the one that has not sinned to cast the first stone! From the verse we can derive the proper context of that statement. A judge is one that weighs evidence against and accused and decides if they are guilty or innocent. Now imagine taking a known murderer and having him be the judge of a murder case. That would be preposterous, and unimaginably hypocritical. That is the essence of not judging, for we all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. However, take a second scenario: If I see you walking on a path that I know to be slippery and warn you that you will fall, am I being judgemental? Absolutely not! There is no element of me being better than you. I did not say that you are doing a wrong thing, I simply pointed out a possible outcome of you actions. Furthermore a judge also renders a verdict, which in this case I do not.

I say judge me please:

If I was going the wrong way on a road that you know and you didn’t notify me I would be absolutely livid when I find out that you knew all along. Perhaps if you tell me I will rebuke you and get made, it is in human nature to want to always be right. However no matter how adamant I am that I am going the right way, your comments will make me re-examine my path. And if I choose to ignore you warning and continue until I fall, the blame is all mine. However, if you do not warn me, the blame is also on you.

Scriptural reference:

Pro 27:17 “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Galatians 6:1-2 “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”

James 5:19-20 “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

Gentle correction:

Galatians 6:1-2 is the scripture that should teach all those who are found to be judgemental. Correction ought to be gentle and done in love. It should not be done in public or in a place that could bring ridicule to another person. Furthermore, correcting someone does not make you right. As believers we ought to remain coach-able throughout our walk with Christ, we never know who he uses to minister to us. The bible recounts how he has used the least among us. He surely uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. You may be 88% good at something and someone else may be 68% good at the same thing. If they pointed out where you are wrong, you should not ignore their advice because you are better than they are. For their 68% knowledge may include some of the 12% that you lack.

Closing:

Mat 18:15-17 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone…

Are Social Networks Evil?

I have read and heard so many people talk about the negativity that is embedded within the very foundations of social media. Facebook and Tweeter have been constantly on the receiving end and have been branded by some religious factions as "evil". The main barrier we pose ourselves as humans is blindly following a leader without ever taking time to consider the validity of what they teach, more so without weighing it against the bible.
I do not care who said, that facebook or twitter is evil...the only opinion that ultimately matters is that of the heavens. What opinions can we draw from the bible about social media? Well I'll take you through it. By definition social media is a platform for communication and sharing media. The key word there being a "platform". Let me take you to the story of Nicodemus (John 3:1), Nicodemus was a leader in the religious circles. He had a "platform" to voice his thoughts and understanding before the high priests and other leaders. We are not aware of how he used this platform in the past. All we know is after meeting Christ he is later seen to use this same platform to defend the Lord when his colleagues.
Thought pattern number 2 is, if social media is a platform for communication we could also say that it is an extension of our tongues which are also platforms for communication of what our heart hold. The bible says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks(Matt 12:34). The mouth is therefore that platform that is used to express what the heart hold. The bible also says that the tongue holds the power to life and death(Pro 18:21). So from this we understand that a platform has the power to kill or to give life. The bible also says "I set before you life and death, choose life."(Deu 30:19) Therefore what is set before us is always an option of life or death, but God goes on to say that we must "choose life". This does not take away the option of death. As with any situation where there are options, some will choose one and others the other, yet the fact remains that there was an option.
What we seem to forget is that facebook and twitter may be the most successful and most efficient but there are not the first forms of socia media networking. Social media is primitive, letters, radio stations, newspapers, tabloids, magazines and many others are all forms of social media which date back to times before the internet. If we say that facebook is evil, why then have we not said that letters are evil? As a matter of fact letters have been used to directly kill more people for generations than facebook and twitter have. We have all heard about parcel bombs...letter poisoning and so forth.
That being said, many are exposed to harmful things such as pornographic material and hate speech, to only name but a few. These have undoubted fatal effects to the indivuals. On the contary we could also see that millions have also and are also being reached, encouraged and lifted by the gospel of a ressurrected Christ through this same platform.
I'll give a few physical examples. Think of a knife. Sharp as it is...it can be used to kill. Yes? It can be used to give life. Yes? Murders use a knife to stab and kill their victims, yet surgeons will use this same knife to restore life. Shall we then say the knife is evil because it has been used to kill? I think not...why then is it the murderer that is incacerated if it is the knife that is evil? The murderer has a choice, to kill or to give life and in this case he chooses to kill.
I wish we would stop making excuses as believers, blaming social media for our failures as parents. Yes social media will have a significant effect, but the bible teaches us to train a child in the way that he should go and he will not depart from it. Have you trained your child how sacred the act of sex is? Have you trained your child to respect women? There is the answer to why he is stuck on the social media feeding on pornography.
If you and I play our parts we would not make a scapegoat of social media network. Rather we would use it positively. We would appreciate how it has allowed us to reconnect with long lost friends and family.
Thanks for taking your time to read this. I trust you have been edified. Let me take this chance to invite you to partner us in prayer this month. Follow the link below or find us on facebook "The Prayer Relay Movement"
http://guardianrecords.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/prayer-points-for-november.html?m=1

Willow Smith : Next Illuminatti Star?

Was browsing the web when I ran into this disturbing article. Sad as it may be, the music industry is infested with Illuminatti. Giving artist wealth and fame for their souls...careful what your children are listening to. Read and feel free to comment.

Willow Smith: Next Illuminati Star?

Willow Smith, heir of the Hollywood royalty couple formed by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett, is definitely being groomed for superstardom. The 9 year old has been signed to Jay-Z’s label Roc Nation and there are already signs of her becoming a mini-Rihanna – a young singer trained and dressed to propagate the Illuminati agenda.

Will Smith has come a long way since the days of Fresh Prince of Bel Air. He is now one of the most powerful people in Hollywood with important connections in the movie and record industry – not to mention his ties with Scientology – and he is determined to see his children carry on the legacy.

Animal prints, code for beta programming mind control…or for a very bad stylist

You know what this stands for. What is even more disturbing is the fact that her eye seems to be covered by someone else’s hand

Skull and bones, culture of death and all of that stuff

…similar

Will Willow Smith become the next Illuminati pop star? Is she one of those mind controlled child stars born into elitist families? Only time will tell.

Done deal

http://vigilantcitizen.com

The Church is a Workshop Part 1

As I wrote my last post, "Tell the church I'm fed up" this topic was one of the subtitles at that point I felt God had given me more material than I could fit in that one article. The result is this article. I feel that as believers we need to know the nature of the church. It is a tragedy when we are unaware of our own state of affairs. The word of God in Hosea 4:6 says,"My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge." The minister Tyrone "TWyse" Smack says,"...not a lack of public school or a lack of college." No matter what education the world may give you it does not guarantee that you are wise. For this reason alone we have what one minister refers to as "educated fools". I feel at times as a church we've moved so far forward and grown that when the new come in they are rushed to catch up with us. They begin building their faith leaving some fundamental basics behind. They are in a rush to catch up with the tongue speaking, all word knowing folk. Don't get me wrong, I personally strive to be an all word knowing believer. Allow me to share with you some basics

1. The Church is a no spectator Zone


We all come into church for different reasons. Some were born and raised in the church, others came in for a healing, others to find meaning in life...the list of potential reasons is endless. We need to know that because as a result of our different reasons for being part of the body of Christ, we are not the same. Believers need to understand that at some point in your walk in faith you might have to stand alone. Your faith needs to be built up to a point that you are not moved by the actions of those around you. We all have people we look up to. It might be the person who brought you to Christ, or possible just someone whose faith you admire. What happens when that person fails? What happens when everything around that individual seem to fall apart? What we are taught seldom prepares us for these scenarios. Imagine Job. He had people who admired him, a man who feared God and was prosperous in all that he did. At times as believers we take faith to be manifest in material possessions. I believe a lot of people came to God as a result of Job's possessions, his generosity and simply by coming into contact with him. The bible says the man was blameless...he lived for the Lord. Now I need you to be honest with yourself, are those not the same people that came to Job when he had lost everything and told him to curse his God? Hebrews 11 calls faith the evidence of things not seen. Yet some how the church seeks evidence that can be seen.

We have forgotten that we come to church to seek the Lord and not for any individual. As a result of this we have people departing from their walk in faith when the ones they look up to fall. Or even at times seem to have fallen, as in Job's case.What may seem like a fall may actually be the rise, an eagle swoops down before any major rise. Never the less we need not forget our purpose. We need to stay focused on our purpose in the church. At times this is the limiting factor even for worship in the church. Brethren have become too conscious of those around them that they are not longer able to connect with heavens. It's sad how many have become spectators in the house of the Lord. This is how many are missing the move of the Lord, and end up claiming that the Lord is no longer moving. Perhaps we have become too comfortable in his presence that we have trivialised it. John 5:7 tells about the man that was next to the healing water. When Jesus asked him whether he wanted to be well he answered by saying there was no one to put him in the water when it is stirred. This man was seeking healing water yet right next to him stood the healer himself. At times we are too busy seeking man's hand in our situations when the presence of God is what is needed. I charge you to let your faith be the one that goes before you and not your sight. Some of our brothers and sister believe more in their pastors than they believe in Jesus. For this reason churches go empty if the leader falls. Are you following your pastor or Christ? Do not be a spectator. Spectators are there to testify to what the Lord has done for others. They end up believing God's favour is only for a chosen few.

2. It's a hard hat area

Like any workshop the church is a hard hat area. For some reason believers have been duped to believe that the moment they have Christ is the moment everything falls into place. It is not so. The enemy forgets you when you are inactive as a believer because he know that his time is almost up. He has no time to focus on minor issues. He goes after believer, he goes after potential threats to his ways. The moment you are in church you need to wear a hard hat because the devil will throw all sort of things at you. For this very reason Paul in Ephesians 6:10 encourages us to put on the FULL armour of God. How do I know it will not be easy? Well in that chapter in verse 13 it says "having done all to stand, stand". From this I understand that as a believer there are times that will come when I think that there is nothing else that can be thrown at me that I have stood strong. Yet something will still come when I have done all to stand. I will still need to stand. The main focus for the devil are the new believers, those who have just been saved because they are an easy target, which is why we need to remember them in our prayers and help them get the basics. Introduce them to the full armour of God. He also targets the leaders and those who are growing in faith. The leaders because when they fall a lot who are hanging onto them will fall with them, at times even if the leaders rise those who were holding onto them will not. The ones who are growing in faith because of the potential that he is afraid that they may realise. Do not be bothered by this, because in the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy and there is liberty. No matter what is thrown against you our Lord will stand by you.

3. We are all one machine


As believers we form a machine that is the body of Christ. Some form the hand, some the legs and so on. We need one another. For the hand to reach the feet must take it there, the eyes must navigate the way, the legs must balance, the head must hold up the eyes...and so on and so forth. God built us as an entity so we may be able to stand together. His word says that he commands a blessing where there is unity. You and I need to be able to hold our breathren's hand when they fall. To say a prayer for them when they are low and to let them know that you are praying for them, to encourage them and more. From the illustration above of the hand needing other parts to reach something, it is the same with us as believers. In order to reach our destinies we need others. I believe the main reason why there is so much negativity in this world is because some of us are not playing our parts. One song writer says,"If we are the body why aren't his arms reaching?" I'll tell you why the arms are not reaching. How can the arms reach less the legs move, how can the legs take them there less the feet take them there? How can the feet take them there lest the eyes navigate the way.

My brothers and sisters, if you will play your part and realise that even Christ in human form realise he needed a team. That is why he had disciples. Jesus came to earth to show us the way...Leviticus 26:8 says,"And five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand;..." I dont know about you but I'd rather be a part of the hundred that chases ten thousand. Honestly how can we be divided yet we have the same manual, the bible? The bible in Acts speaks of a church at Antioch. Many scholars and preachers have referred to it as the purest form of the Christian church. No one in that church lacked. What we need to understand is that they did not say they were all wealthy. No one lacked simply because they were truly brothers and sisters to one another. They saw a need and stretched into it. If we could all adopt that view and take action to see it through the church will be a better place.

Keep Your Screws Tight


1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Brethren as much as the devil is concerned about the souls in the world, he has sleepless nights pondering on those in the church. One man said, "The devil is not bothered when you say Jesus...as a matter of fact he says Jesus at times, but he is bothered when you keep on saying Jesus." There is unimaginable power in the name of Jesus. Any one in thisworld can say Jesus, that does not bother the devil. It is you and I that are in the church who will keep saying Jesus that will worry him. Don't be misled, just as our father God never sleep neither does the devil. He has his eyes focused on the church as he knows that his time is almost up. He prowls around looking for someone to devour. He looks in the church for loopholes, he seeks to cause division. For how can a city stand if it fights against itself? As I mentioned earlier he targets mainly the new believers; who are still weak, the believers who are growing in Christ; for he fears that they may grow and reach their God designed potential, and the leaders; as he knows that if he strikes them down the flock will be scattered. New believers come in for different reasons. They evade the world to become a part of the body of Christ. Do not be temptation to them. It is dangerous when a new believer who struggled in the world with fornication comes to church and only to see more cleavage than he saw in the world. Are you looking for a man? Well, the way you dress is the first thing a man will notice about you. Ask yourself what kind of men you are attracting to yourself? Are they the kind of men you really need around you? I often hear women say,"Why do I always get the wrong men, the dogs?" Perhaps it's because you present yourself to them as thie kind of woman. These "hounds" are looking for women of loose morals...Are you the one? Like Pastor Evan said,"If you keep getting a dog maybe you're coming across as a flee." Ouch...not his exact words but the same sense...Sweet heart you are better than that it's time you Upgraded yourself.

Instead of being a blessing to this man we are further exposing him to his weakness. At times I feel the church is becoming too civilised for the Lord. People no longer face up to this issue as it is generally acceptable in the world now. What difference are we with the world then. You think you're different just because you fo into that building once a week, give an offering,"praise" the Lord and live worldly the rest of the days? Do you not remember that we are in this world and not of this world? It's time you and I made a decision. A decision to make a difference in our sphere of influence, a decision to be truly in this world but not of it.

As for the gentlemen, many of you have come to church to find the right bride. Well I'll have you that you are in the right place. be cautious however, some of these ladies are are wolves in sheep skin. Some have come from a world of hurt, maybe you ran away from the same. Seek Christ first and all other thing will be added unto you. And remember "Do not let your erection determine your direction." Let God be the one to order your foot steps not your own canal desires.

Thank you for taking your time to read this. I trust you have been provoked to be better in some area of your life. The Lord wants to see a better church and it is up to you and I to make it happen. Don't wait on some one else to do it, be that change that you want to see...like Ghandi said.

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May the good Lord continue to keep you and increase you as you follow him

Love
Street Preacher