The "Lesser" Apostles

So many people want to be likened to the better-known Apostles of scripture. These include Peter The Rock, John The Beloved and Paul The Apostle Born Out of Time. All of these get the most “coverage” in the New Testament as well as in modern study and books written on the Apostles. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that either, so don’t think this is a tirade on how great these men were made out and are made out to be – because they were great men that God did His work through. In that light they should not be glorified, as no man should be – but the Lord Himself that gave these men the knowledge, boldness and understanding of His Word.

First, do you liken yourself to any of these men? Have you ever said, “God gave me the boldness of Peter and John” (Acts 4:13)? Or how about likening your situation to Paul’s thorn of the flesh (2 Cor. 12:7-10)? Have you ever acted out of emotion in haste to defend the Lord and just come an inch short of taking a mans head off (John 18:10) I’m sure many have, many will do and many will always do just that. Why is that? Because to me these Apostles that were taken from everyday life are just like us. They were workingmen that knew nothing of the Lord. That is until He called them to follow Him. They walked with the Lord, physically. Christ Himself chose them.

So what about the other Apostles? Why do people not liken themselves to them? I for one relate much more to Andrew, Jude, Thomas and even Matthias. I have never had the boldness of Peter, but I have brought men to Christ as Simon Peter’s brother Andrew did. I haven’t preached and 3000 got saved, but I have proclaimed the Word and contended for the Faith as Jude did. Well, I have even doubted as Thomas did.

I am actually content with being a “lesser” of the Lords. Just as long as I am of the Lords flock is all that matters to me. I have nothing to brag of except the Lords saving Grace, extended to a sinful man like me. I do however relate to Paul’s brokenness for sinning – I do what I don’t want to do and do not do what I should do (Romans 7:15-20). I stand broken before God, unworthy of His mercy and grace. I have done nothing to deserve His hand extending to me, His outreaching arms of love and forgiveness. I stand in awe that the Creator of the Universe knows me, chose me and forgives me. How can a person explain that? I certainly can’t, I know only Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor 2:2). What a wonderful passage of scripture 1 Cor 2:1-5 is, in that passage I do relate to Paul on a personal level. I speak with much trembling and without much wisdom or ability to speak. Wow! Paul, the pen and ink that penned the Words of the Lord, much of the New Testament was fearful too? Paul didn’t know what to say either? Paul didn’t know how to speak to men or what to say? I can relate to that. But what is even greater is what God did through Paul and Paul never got a big ego about it. Paul was grounded, maybe even through his thorn of the flesh, the buffer given to him.

So what of the other Apostles do you relate? I am fine with being a Andrew or Jude. I glory in the Lord choosing me out of this World to become His child. I am about to start a study into the lesser-known Apostles. God chose them for a reason, if not then there would have been just a handful of Apostles, the better known ones – Simon Peter, John The Beloved, James, Paul.

Only one of the original 12 do I not want to be likened. You guessed him, Judas Iscariot. But we all know a Judas. I am sure we all know many Judas’ and if you think you do not, then you better make sure you are not a Judas yourself. Examine yourself (2 Cor. 13:5), make sure that you are a true child of God and not just walking a lie and doing things for a cover, while you secretly live a life betraying the Lord. Do you rest your faith in a decision and not in Christ? Do you look to your past for a proof of salvation in a prayer or a decision? Does your spiritual life consist only of an occasional visit to church on a sparse Sunday Morning or saying bless you when someone sneezes? If so then you really need to cry out to the Lord to show you His grace and to change your heart of cold stone into a heart that He can mold and conform to His desires.

Do not rest your faith in a sinner’s prayer, or 4 spiritual laws, a walk down an aisle or a preacher’s affirmation that you were saved. If after any of those things you did not become a new creation (2 Cor 5:17), you did not repent and turn from your sins you are in serious jeopardy of hellfire. Stop reading this now, stop surfing the web now and cry out to God to show you mercy and change your God hating heart. Only He can do that. Not a preacher, not a prayer, not 10 stanzas of “Just As I Am”, not being baptized, not going to church, not being a good person. Nothing but Gods grace can save you.

A great learning wxperience of the Lord's will be held on October 11th at the Robert Cherry Civic Center in Paducah KY. Beginning at 10:00 AM, there will be 3 session that outline What is Wrong With American Christianity, The Essential Elements of the Gospel and What is True Conversion. The Lord is really moving through the planning and execution of theis conference. Please make plans now to attend as space is limited. Click this paragraph for a link to the website with info on how to register and more info on the conference and the speaker, Pastor Michael Durham.

Is Worship really what happens every Sunday Morning?

Worship? What is it to you? How do you define your worship experiences? Is singing a song and clapping your hands worship? Is reading the bible worshipping?

In the truest biblical sense the act of worshipping has nothing to do with most Sunday morning services across the land. Most churches have “worship time”, “worship bands” or even “worship leaders”. My main question is: Are any of the things promoted as worship in most churches as worship really worship in a biblical sense? Most instances of worship through scripture also portray a physical act of bowing of the head or kneeling. Most are also a personal event or act and not a corporate event or act.

The first instance I can find of the word worship in scripture is Genesis 22:5, we are all familiar with the story of Abraham offering up his son Isaac as a sacrifice. In Genesis 22:5 Abraham told the 2 men he had as travel companions that he was taking his son Isaac to worship. So in the sense of this first verse of usage worship in it’s truest sense means to follow through with what God has set forth before you, or more clearly to bow down to God’s desire for you and do it. Most importantly here is that it is God’s desires and not your own. Did Abraham want to give Isaac as a sacrifice? Not in the least bit. But when Abraham followed through with Gods desire, then God made a way that Isaac would be spared.

Now what about Isaac’s worship? Most people glaze over the fact that Abraham was about to kill his son, but most don’t see that Isaac was a willing participant in this. There was no mention of a struggle, no mention of even a “Please don’t do this”. Isaac was probably the most worshipful in this story – if there are degrees of worship that is.

Now let’s look at the story of Job. This is said to be the oldest book of the bible. We all know the story, but have you overlooked the fact that Job after losing his children and possessions fell upon his face and worshipped God Job 1:20? He then proceeds to say that the Lord gave him everything and God had the right to take it all away. Is that your heart? If you lose a dollar out of your pocket do you think, “Well God allowed me to have that dollar and God decided to let it fall from my pocket and with that I am content?” One would probably not say that, as most people will go into a tirade and snort and fume over the loss of a single dollar. What if you lost everything? Or maybe that is the point; God wants us to be broken when we come to Him in worship. God wants us at our purest calling out to Him in adoration and thankfulness of all He does for us, all He gives to us and all His grace he bestows to us.

So, to me, that is worship. Not singing songs (my voice is not that good), getting in the mood to hear a sermon (you should always be in the mood to hear from God through His servant) or fellowshipping with other believers (fellowship is a fruit, not worship). Worship is the act of revering God as He should be, acknowledging God in His greatness, falling down before Him stripped and exposed with your hearts flowing praises to the King for His mercy of reaching out to you when all you really deserve is the opposite. One on One with the Father. We deserve hell and damnation and what does the Lord do? He supplied The Way of forgiveness through Christ, His Son that He offered a Sacrifice but did not make a different way. He was The Way, The Sacrifice, The Atonement. God spared Abraham’s son Isaac, but not His own Jesus.

Don’t get me wrong, I think there is good that comes from the singing of hymns and songs that praise God, but you might want to redefine what it is called. Is it really “Praise and Worship” music? Or should it have a different label? Maybe just “Songs of Praise” or “Music Time”, but probably not worship music unless everyone falls upon their face and actually worship God.

Please check out the Real Truth Matters page. There is a very important and informing conference taking place on October 11th that I highly suggest attending. Check out the conference link for more information and sign up now as seating is limited.

Todd Bentley Discredited . Praise God!

In case you have not heard, Todd Bentley and his estranged wife, Shonnah, are getting a divorce, well not yet but heading that way - officially seperated. You can read it here from the godtv release.

To me this is a great answer to prayer to shut the mouth of this heretic that is defiling the Lords Great Name. While I do feel pity for their children and do not wish divorce on anyone, to me this is Gods way of showing that Bentley is a liar, a false prophet and has only been tickling the ears of those that are searching for anything except what is Biblical.

To make it crystal clear.... I am not happy for the Bentley's divorce - I am in praise to the Lord for shutting Bentley's mouth and stopping the lies of those he has been misleading. How unfortunate is any marital problem for anyone, I am a product of a broken marriage home so I know first hand. The Lord works in ways we have no idea of, and to me this is one of those ways. I asked time and time again for God to shut Bentley up and look what happened. I just pray that this will open the eyes of some of his cult members followers. The Church of Todd Bentley has officially shut it's doors for now. But be prayerful, because like old slue foot himself, Bentley will come back with a vengeance spewing even more lies from the depths of hell.