Followers of Jesus, Followers of Men and Followers of Wolves!
Only One will Inherit Eternal Life!

We are living in The End Times and There is Only One Gospel!
Anything with a word added in front of it is not the Gospel:Prosperity Gospel, Word Faith Gospel, Liberation Gospel, Emergent Gospel, Seeker Sensitive Gospel

“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:6-9

Another Gospel?
Does it take on the name of Jesus? Yes
Does it use the name of Jesus? Yes
Is it’s followers the followers of Jesus? No
They were the followers of men!

“For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

What is The Gospel?“For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:21-24

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-2

It’s All About God!
Is the Gospel all about you and getting your best life now or is the Gospel all about God?It’s all about God! It’s all for the Glory of God! When we suffer, we do so to the Glory of God! When we rejoice, we do so in the Glory of God! When we are persecuted, we are either persecuted in the Cross that we are called to carry or we are persecuted because of our choice to live in sin not as punishment but as a consequence.
Who is this Book about? Is it all about you? Is it all about the preacher on television? Is all about the multi million dollar mega church that’s run like a Wal Mart catering to your every need?No It’s all about God!

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations.” Ezekial 36:22-30

God The Center of The Universe! Ephesians 1:3-14

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
You are not the center of the universe! God is! And if you make yourself the center of the universe or anything else: You are an Idolater! You have created another God whether that be yourself, some thing or someone else.

The End is Near? Matthew 24:3-8
“Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.” Matthew 24:3-4
Who will deceive us? Buddist, Muslims, Hidus, Athiest? No! It will be people who profess Jesus is the Christ or Messiah!
“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” Matthew 24:5
Jesus also Warned us in Matthew 7:15: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”
“And you will 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. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:6-8
We have all of this now. Israel and Iran are threatening each other with war. Just in the past few years, we’ve had wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Earthquakes are on the increase worldwide causing disastrous tsunamis.
Since the death of Christ, famines worldwide have been constantly on the rise.
1996 North Korean famine. Scholars estimate 600,000 died of starvation (other estimates range from 200,000 to 3.5 million)
1998 Sudan famine caused by war and drought 70,000 dead
1998–2000 Famine in Ethiopia. The situation worsened by Eritrean-Ethiopian War
1998–2004 Second Congo War. 3.8 million dead, mostly from starvation and disease
2000–2009 Zimbabwe’s food crisis caused by Mugabe’s land reform policies
2003 Famine in Sudan/Darfur
2005 Malawi food crisis
2005–06 Niger food crisis
2006 Horn of Africa food crisis (Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya)
2008 Myanmar food crisis. Cyclone Nargis devastated Burma’s major rice-producing region.
2008 North Korean food crisis
2008 Horn of Africa food crisis (Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya)
2008 Afghanistan food crisis
2008 Bangladesh food crisis
2008 East Africa food crisis
2008 Tajikistan food crisis
2009 Kenya food crisis 10 million Kenyans face starvation.
2010 Sahell food crisis
2011 Horn of Africa (Somalia and neighboring countries)

Famines, Pestilences and Persecutions
As Food Prices go up as they are doing now: Worldwide Famine is inevitable.
According to the UN, these are the reasons for rising food prices.
Changing weather conditions
The rise in oil prices
Increase in farming of biofuels instead food crops
Increase in the consumption of meat in growing economies such as China
Food riots in some countries are increasing and if something is not done soon many will starve to death.
“We are seeing a new face of hunger. We are seeing more urban hunger than ever before. We are seeing food on the shelves but people being unable to afford it.” Josette Sheean, Director of the UN World Food Program
Pestilences – Aids, Cancer, Bird Flu, Swine Flu.
34 million people have hiv aids and nearly 2 million people died last year with more people being infected daily.
In the U.S. Alone 11,958,000 people have Cancer. It is approximated that 31% of the world population suffer from cancer and these numbers are expected to climb to 50%.
Swine Flu, Bird Flu, Staff Infections all highly contagious are all evolving to states where anti-biotics are no longer effective.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:9-14

According to Voice of The Martyrs, Intolerance toward Christians continued to grow in 2011. In Nigeria 40+ Christians were killed while attending a Christmas Service.
The Government of Iran has declared war on the Christian faith, imprisoning Pastors, clossing churches and putting believers to death.
In Egypt, Iraq, Malaysia, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia, Christians are viewed and treated as second-class citizens. In these countries, believers are being imprisoned, experiencing torture and sexual abuse to try to make them convert to Islam. Christian’s homes are also being burned, many believers have been physically attacked and murdered.
In Indonesia, incidents of Christian persecution nearly doubled from 2010 to 2011, and an Islamic extremist group is threatening to have five Christian churches demolished.
In Ethiopia, a group of 500 Muslims burned down a church that stood for over 60 years on land owned by Christians.
This will happen to true believers in America surely as prayer is being taken out of schools and everything with the name of God on public property will be taken down.

Wolves on the Prowl!
Right now many in America follow “Another Gospel” a Gospel with a name in front of it such as the Prosperity Gospel. We build massive mega churches / entertainment centers that cater to every materialistic desire that a believer could have. The preachers tell the people what they want to hear from the pulpit. Many no longer preach against sin or holiness, judgment and repentance instead we’ve chosen to cater to itching ears to create man made ministries of the flesh.
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 3:1-7
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” 2 Timothy 3:12-13

A Self/Man centered gospel turns God into man’s Servant instead of man’s Lord. Man through God can get and receive everything he wants, every material blessing, every desire of his heart all in the name of Jesus.
Jesus is reduced down to nothing more than a Sugar Daddy or a Santa Clause type figure.
Things like repentance are ignored as God now becomes a blessing machine.
This is false as Repent is the very thing that Jesus, Paul, The Old Testament Prophets, The Apostles and John the Baptist preached first of all.
Following Christ begins with repentance! Following Christ causes one to deny his self as center of the universe and places God as center of the universe. The love of money is gone, as is the love and desire for the things of this world.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:15-17

The Gospel is and always has been: Come to the Cross, Repent, Believe & Deny Yourself.We live for Eternity not temporary material blessings.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

“If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it iscertain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:3-10

How to Spot a Wolf!
The True Gospel leads people to Jesus Christ and to an Eternity with him in Heaven not to cater to the desires of you heart and flesh. A True Christian wants to glorify God not cater to self!

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14
A Wolf will always Try to Convince you that The Road isn’t that Narrow and many are being deceived!
You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” Matthew 7:15-20
False Teachers always appear as Sheep & Angels not Wolves & Devils.If you don’t see any, it’s because you’re looking for the wrong thing.
False Teachers seldom preach self denial, repentance and especially holliness.The devil can imitate a great many things but he can never be holy.
Questions to ask:
Does their teachings appeal to the flesh?
Do they preach the Narrow way?
Do they preach against Sin and encourage Repentance?
Do you hear Humility in their preaching or do you hear pride and arrogance?
Does this person appear Worldly and Carnal, catering to materialism and the desires of the flesh?
At the End of this Life Followers of Wolves and Followers of Men will Hear: “I Never Knew You”
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21-23

Once you’ve been given the Truth, you can do one of 3 things with it: Accept it, Reject it or Conform it. Rejecting it results in eternal damnation and you get to chase satisfaction your entire life all the while living in the Illusion of Your Best Life Now.
Conforming it results in the same only you’ve made yourself much more comfortable because you believe you’ve accepted the Truth but in reality you’ve only conformed it to your world of greed, pride, materialism or something else. Accepting it is a Narrow Path and only a few find it. It’s not easy but you realize that nothing compares to knowing The One True God who created you for His Glory!

‎”But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them asrubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:7-11

Slaves to your own Flesh!
We can become slaves to men, slaves to false doctrine all while professing the Name of Jesus. We can also be slaves to our own flesh:
Slavery to Self:
“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:16-22

We must ask ourselves: Are we followers of Christ or are we followers of man!The truth is many of us profess Christ but we are slaves to the very flesh that we walk in.

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.” 2 Corinthians 13:5

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Phillipians 2:12-13

Religion is demonstration of an attitude or lifestyle that lives under total condemnation. Those displaying this attitude consistently condemn themselves and/ or condemn others. Religious bondage is a restriction that allows for keeping up with, or one-upping the Jones’s, while maintaining an outward appearance of piety. I heard it said that for religion to flourish, there must be a neck to step on.

I have personally been treated this way by (religious) groups of people, by those who name the name of Christ. It’s a terrible day, ladies and gentleman, when fratricide is displayed in the body. This is a sin as leprosy is a sin. Eventually, the body left undiagnosed will eat itself up. Back biting is defined in some cultures as the actual eating of another’s flesh, stealing the strength of the victim for the biter. Religion permits back biting one another until the entire body is crippled, paralyzed and dead.

The Bible says, true religion, undefiled, is ministering to widows and orphans and keeping oneself unspotted by the world. (Jam 1:27) BIBLICAL religion demonstrates a love for others that comes out of a heart that loves God. Can I ask if we are demonstrating the love we KNOW, and is our demonstration evidence of the love we DON’T KNOW?

Jesus said ANY man may come and drink of the water of life. He also said that if we believe, out of our belly will flow rivers of living water. (John 7:37-38) Let me ask you, have you denied another believer the blessing of refreshing from your life because of a religious decision?

That person is too _____.
I just don’t agree with _____ about _____.
They go to ‘so and so’ church and it’s a _______ church, so I can’t be their friend.

Brethren, the Lord loved you while you were still a sinner. He died for the ungodly, bearing the worst punishment imaginable; the very wrath of Almighty God. (Rom 5:6-8) He loves you still, as He is molding you and shaping you into a vessel of honor. He extends His grace to you, His mercy upon you, His Word to feed you, His presence to comfort you. He constantly forgives, consistently forgives. Jesus is our redeemer. God is LOVE.(1 Jhn 4:8) He bids you to come to Him and find rest for your soul. Won’t you demonstrate today, that you know the love of God, by loving others the way the Lord loves you? (1 Jhn 4:16)

As we have stepped into this New Year, I believe we also have entered a season when the Lord is asking His people to stop and consider something. Most likely it will be a short season, but a critical one—a season to seriously consider the extent to which we are willing to embrace and follow the full pathway that God has put before us.

Unfortunately, we are living in a time when much of the church of Jesus Christ has become hemmed in by the boundaries that society has set around it. We have allowed a handful of people to dictate when we can and cannot pray in public; what we can and cannot do in the name of Christ. Such limitations have been put in place despite the fact that those who believe in Jesus statistically comprise over 70 percent of the American population. We have retreated to a place where we can be assured that we will be tolerated—knowing that the world will have no problem as long as there is nothing in the church that stands as a definitive contrast to a society that continues to cast off moral restraint at an unprecedented level.

In God’s Word we read of a church called Ephesus—a church known for its works, endurance and doctrinal purity. Yet Jesus said to them, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” (Revelation 2:4). The church had lost the very thing that made her attractive—a wholehearted love for Christ and the embracing of His work on the earth. Those outside the church must have looked in and seen a relationship of merely mutual tolerance, much like a marriage that had lost its spark of love and passion.

Do you remember the first time you fell in love? The first days of your marriage? You were filled with passion, unashamed to be seen in public with your spouse. You walked down the street arm in arm, proud to acknowledge that this was the person you had given your life to.

Sadly, we look at much of what is purported to be the testimony of Christ today and cannot help but wonder where the passion is. It is like the married couple who stays together for convenience or for the sake of the children, all the while completely unaware of how unattractive their relationship has become. No wonder so many people have concluded, “If this is what a relationship with God looks like, no thank you! If this is the passion it produces, if this is the character that evolves from it, I would rather find something else.”

A MERCY CALL

Although we have in large measure moved away from the simplicity of Christ and have formulated theologies to justify our backslidden condition, I am thankful this is not the end of the story. The Bible tells us that we have a season to consider our ways. The prophet Haggai spoke to the people of God who were called to rebuild the testimony of Christ in their generation:

“Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little…Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord. Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit” (Haggai 1:4–10).

Consider your ways! Haggai was saying to the people, “You have settled into a form of religiousness. You developed strategies to fill the house of God and mask the encroaching spiritual bankruptcy, but now you suddenly find heaven closed. You boasted of a great harvest that was going to come in, but where is it? You had sporadic gatherings, seemingly with no substance, and the Lord blew it all away.”

Today’s church has made conversion so easy. There is no longer a need for repentance, no requirement to turn from sin, no admonition to give one’s life fully to the work and cause of Jesus Christ. Instead, people are told that if they will simply repeat a little two-line prayer, their sins will be forgiven and they will be on their way to heaven. We have opened the gates wider than the Scriptures have opened them. We have brought in a supposed harvest, but now are finding that this harvest has no power to stand against all that society is throwing against it. Many claim to be Christians, but where are the warriors—the men and women of character? Where are those who are willing to stand in the face of the storm?

“And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands” (Haggai 1:11). The Lord called for a drought, and this is exactly where we find ourselves today. The Lord has called for a drought in America in order to get the attention of His people, as well as that of a lust-laden society.

Remember, the mercy of God sends us into the storm. Yes, it is judgment, but mercy precedes and triumphs over judgment. We need to be brought into a place of realizing our true condition. How tragic it would be to live as if everything is fine only to discover later that we missed the whole purpose, stopped short of the gateway to eternal life, and lived a cultural Christianity with no reality in it.

AN ALTAR OUTSIDE THE GATE
The writer of Hebrews tells us, “We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle” (Hebrews 13:10). We have an altar! Yet there are those whose whole relationship with God is based on ordinances, laws and obligations. They have lost their passion and settled for a mediocre Christianity, just doing their time, reading their Bible for ten minutes every day, and vocally professing to be a Christian. They may not have the courage to love God in public or the heart to do His work, but there is also an altar for that—an altar with no power. There is no lasting ability, no sustaining strength, no revelation—nothing but ideas out of men’s natural minds.

On the other hand, there exists an altar that is much deeper and more satisfying, but it requires a refusal to settle for rituals and profitless labor. That is why Paul said to Timothy, “Stir up the gift of God that is in you” (see 2 Timothy 1:6). When you first came to Christ, the hand of God came upon you, and you were called to do something that only you could do. God gave you a responsibility, and He endowed you with gifts to glorify His name. So do not let things spiral down to the point of merely coming to church out of obligation; a passionless relationship with God that bears no fruit in the earth. If you allow that to happen, you can be certain that nobody will desire what you have. People will look at your relationship with God and conclude, “I am already despairing enough. I do not need religion adding to my misery!”

“Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate” (Hebrews 13:12). He suffered outside the gate! For the sake of saving us and enabling us to walk again with a holy God, Jesus traveled outside the gate—outside the limitations, outside the borders of the religion that tried to confine Him. He could have risen to become one of the highest in the whole echelon, but He refused to play their game. Therefore, they dragged Him outside the gate, outside of the city.

“Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:13–15). You and I are called to “go forth out of the camp” to where Jesus is. In other words, we have a chance as a church to come out from our cultural captivity—to come out to a new place where our mouths are open in constant thanksgiving. We can come out and approach the altar where the fire of God truly is, where His glory abounds, where people are given abilities that could only come from the heart of God.

Going to that altar requires humility, a contrite heart—admitting that perhaps our religion falls short of the glory of God for our lives. Notice that the Scripture speaks of “bearing His reproach.” That means it will require a death to self and a willingness to step outside the gate, for that is where this altar is found. At this altar we are willing to endure the scorn of a fallen world; we will not let the snickers in the workplace prevent us from bowing our heads. No! We have an altar, and it is called being given for the glory of God and for the souls of men. There is a place that this church age has been called to—a place where we fight to bring people into true freedom.

Hebrews 12:1 says it this way: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses…” The writer is referring to those saints described in the previous chapter—those who faced threats, fire, flood, trial, personal inability—yet none of these things were able to stop them. The same holds true for every genuine believer in Christ today—there is nothing that can stop the plan of God ordained for those who choose to be given for His glory.

“…Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). No weight can crush us; no sin can keep us! Jesus came to give sight to the blind, to open the prison doors to those who are bound, to heal those whose hearts have been wounded. That means we are free to get up and walk out of every place of captivity, and no opposition or limitation can stop us in this race. The only thing that can stop us is our personal choice to live within the confines that a fallen society has placed around us, cowering when they regard us as narrow, misguided, weak or foolish.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him… ” (Hebrews 12:2). The source of His strength, the vision that was before His eyes, was the joy of seeing you free; the joy of having you back in a living relationship with Him! It was all about you and me. Yet what have we set before us in this generation? Gold, cars, jobs, position and power. No wonder there is no joy in much of what professes to be Christianity. Our focus is wrong—it should be all about people! Jesus did not quit or give in to the scorn or accusations that came against Him, because He saw you and me ruling and reigning with Him forever. We will not tremble or remain silent once we begin to see the men and women around us the way Jesus sees them.

“[He] endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus won a victory! That is the altar that you and I have if we are willing to join Him outside the city; if we are willing to escape the boundaries and be put outside of a people who really are fighting against their own salvation.

“For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:3). Consider Him! Consider what He endured, and consider what you are willing to endure. Consider how deep and how far you are going to go in this walk with God. Are you going to settle in and become a powerless voice as Lot did—a man who was so intermixed with the ways of society that even after meeting with angels, he could barely bring his own family out of captivity? Or will you be like Noah, who built an ark, enduring the ridicule of people who passed by every day, and said, “You foolish old man, it has not rained here for years, and you are building a boat?” Yet the Bible says that Noah was a preacher of righteousness, and he brought his whole family to safety with him.

STOP AND CONSIDER
Do you feel the urgency of this hour? Do you realize that we are about to enter a storm of unprecedented proportions? Just as in Noah’s day, some people may ridicule this message and put it away. However, I urge you to get oil now, to get strength now, to make a choice now. As Joshua said, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

The prophet Isaiah said that in the last days, in the midst of the darkness, there will be a people who have a song of praise to God (see Isaiah 30:29). Of course, that does not just happen. It all starts when we make a choice to consider Jesus, understanding that the victory He has already won can be ours. We make a choice to go to an altar in a place that those who play games with God cannot go.

I encourage you to let 2012 be a year when you consider Jesus. Consider whether you will follow Him all the way. That means not being half-measure, not falling short, not running a cheater’s race, not bowing to the boundaries of society, not settling in to a relationship of begrudging service in the house of God. If you are determined not to settle for anything less than the fullness of what He has for you, you will find that the Lord will give you the strength of character to be salt and light in your city. He will give you compassion for all men, even those who oppose you. You will be taken into the divine life of Christ, and this will be a year when God will astound you!

Carter Conlon
©2012 Times Square Church

People all over the world are broken hearted and in despair. Can we, as Christians, present the answer to them, ie…. Jesus Christ and Him Crucified????

You know maybe we can…….. If we would smile instead of snarl……. If we could somehow put ourselves in their place (we all have been) instead of looking down on them and making them feel like second class humans…… If perhaps we could give a little more than we take; fix a few more than we break; and realize that in their eternity, we have a stake…..

If only you and I could learn to take the words of Jesus seriously when He said to love your neighbor as yourself…. Maybe therein lies part of the problem; maybe you do not see how greatly valuable YOU are in His eyes and His heart… He died on the Cross for you and would have if you were to be the only one…. But you weren’t the only one… Jesus died for every sinful, twisted, warped, perverted, depressed soul in the world; you and I included. Should that not cause us to look at people differently? Tell me…

Sin has done and is doing its deal level best to destroy this world and all of us in it… I can only hope and believe that Jesus will mature His church and teach us the true meaning of His awesome and great love…

They are out there; those who by dust of the Earth are a part of us. They are hurting. They are crying; believe me. And you and I often pass by them every day and seldom offer so much as a friendly smile let alone the message of Jesus… Help me o God… I repent for failing you. Please give me your Mercy and Grace to make a difference somehow, in this world of sin, today…

I LOVE YOU JESUS…. please forgive me for not often showing it……..

I was ministering in a church and I was taken to the back and the pastor said I want you to stand here while I count this offering. I said, “Excuse me?” The pastor said, “You know, so that you don’t think I took anything.” I said, “I beg your pardon?” The pastor said, “Well, some ministers that we had come in here have accused us of keeping some of the money for ourselves and to eliminate that, I just have the minister stand here while I count.” I said, “WHAT?” Then I found myself shocked, mortified, embarrassed for the pastor and for me. I explained that I don’t come there for that.

I next heard from a dear pastor friend of mine that they choose to allow each minister to take up their own offering because they have been accused of keeping some out and it is just easier to let them do it and then they aren’t accused of anything. Am I missing something here?

Next I go to this website where the minister has posted that for something like $20 they will counsel you in a brief email. For $50 a longer email. For $120 a questionaire will be sent out to you and a more in depth analogy of your situation will be sent based upon time spent in prayer over your situation. For over $200 they would be a life coach and give you a series of phone calls…. HELLO? Am I missing something here?

So…. I can not contain this when it happens. Sorry, I just have to say something.

I know that a minister who comes and sacrifices and gives and gives is worthy of a blessing and rightfully so. I also know that we call ourselves the body of Christ and yet we act like this?

Here is my take on it all. I am appalled first of all that pastors feel “not trusted” while I am sure there are some who have not done things as they should have. When someone calls me in to minister or to speak I pray about whether I am to go there. If the Lord leads me to go, I am trusting that Pastor to hear from God about covering our expenses or blessing us for our time there. If that Pastor says to the people that the offering collected is to go my ministry then that should be followed through with. If the Pastor just takes up an offering, I have NEVER thought that “I” had the right to decide that it was ALL MINE or that the Pastor himself didn’t have some type of expenses to maybe cover as well. I don’t go to receive but also to BLESS. Is this some new kind of concept that many have seemingly never heard of? It is my hope in a meeting that the people and the pastor received what they needed to hear from the Lord and what they give to my ministry is between them and God. Now I hear that ministers are going into a region, an area, a ministry and taking (not against one being blessed for their time) but are taking to the extreme of standing by a pastor and watching it be counted so as to not be cheated. If that was to go to me and the pastor did something else, that is between them and God as well. I am just shocked that this is going on. I would NEVER go into a ministry with a predisposed idea that the pastor can not be trusted. Am I perhaps GULLIBLE? Maybe, but I would rather go to minister somewhere with a PURE HEART towards those who have called me in instead of an accusatory one! My Lord!! So many churches are financially hurting and if I can go and minister and the Lord uses me to draw in some people, shouldn’t that church and that pastor be getting something (a blessing) for this as well? Am I wrong but aren’t we ministers supposed to go and help BUILD the Kingdom of God? I am just shocked, shocked, shocked. Am I setting myself up to perhaps be taken advantage of? Perhaps I am. Yet I have already been highly taken advantage of for my willingness to serve and that is stil between them and God. My blessing doesn’t come from man anyway. I don’t look to man for it. I look to God from Whom all provision flows! Do you know I am certain that at times I wasn’t honored or blessed financially for time, but my blessing STILL came in because MY BOSS is JESUS! Do you know when the harvest came in? When I stepped into listening to HIM instead of MAN! Hearing His Voice, obeying it in obediance, even when it wasn’t the most popular. Going simply because He said so and not thinking that I had to manage what the next meeting took in! Hmmm…. Isn’t that called ummmm let me see….FAITH!

Oh my Jesus…I can’t help it. This is not good folks. What is GOING ON? Do you not think that God isn’t going to judge some of this that is going on?

I also have NEVER put a price on the anointing. I could NEVER charge someone for a word or for more of my time. Do I think I have a right to be blessed for my time…yes. Do I appreciate it when God moves upon someone’s heart and they bless me? Of course. Do I require that from them in order to minister…my Lord NO! Can these people who are putting a price on their time, not understand that Jesus never asked for anything and had no place to lay down His head and yet His needs were met? Would Jesus say, I will give you a word or a letter about your situation if you pay me this much???? Lord God help us all. Save us from ourselves!!!

What about those who can’t afford it yet find themselves so desperate that they give their grocery money for this? I can hear it now, some of you are saying that they will be blessed for giving. YOU manipulate their giving by telling them HOW MUCH IT COSTS AHEAD OF TIME! This is manipulation over those those who are desperate for a touch, any touch. It makes you no different than the physicians who made money off the woman with the issue of blood. She gave all she had to get healed and they couldn’t do it. But one touch of the hem of the garment of JESUS and she received all that she needed.

People…don’t PAY these people for a word ahead of time. My Lord! Do you not think that when you are in relationship with the Lord Jesus that you can’t hear Him speak to you YOURSELF? You don’t need this! The real and true can visit you the same as they can speak through another! Of course God uses people to confirm and to speak into our lives but if they put a price on it….if they are taking advantage of the weak and poor and desperate…then I am sorry but that is what the psychic hotlines do. I’m not saying that all these don’t hear from God but before you go PAYING in advance for a word or for a phone call….CALL UP JESUS YOURSELF!

What about the typical phrase that “There are five people here tonight who are going to give $500! If that is you then come up front!” IF the Lord led you to give $500 and He might….man wouldn’t have to tell you, God would and you would pray about that and give it in secret and NOT stand up to show a whole congregation that it was you…you who gave $500….you were one of the ones. When we take our glory from man we don’t receive it from God for we have already gotten our reward. WHAT ARE WE DOING?

And Pastors, as far as having ministers in to speak who demand to stand before you as you count the money or who demand that it ALL goes to them or who DEMAND anything….do you not think that there are other ministers JUST AS ANOINTED BY GOD…who God will use and send in that would NEVER THINK of accusing you of taking some of THEIR money? God will use a donkey! We don’t have to conform to this just because they are WELL KNOWN MINISTERS!

I would also NEVER think of having a minister in and not doing my best to adequately bless them. I just am that way. They made a sacrifice to come and I know if God called them then He will meet the needs and bless them. Works very well that way actually! Yet I bless with all I have. At the same time, I am sorry but I don’t think I would need to have you come if you are going to mistrust me and accuse me and decide for me what to do with the money that comes in. There are many more people out there that are mightily used of God who wouldn’t treat me that way and would TRUST me to give them all that I could.

What is this mistrust in the body anyways? Do you think I haven’t been hurt? I have gone and ministered a three night revival and drove 7 hours to get there and had an hour and half drive both ways each night for three nights to get there and poured out all that I had to the people and was given NOTHING by the Pastor. Is that wrong? Of course. Does that cause me to say to the next pastor, that I a servant of the MOST HIGH JESUS CHRIST, demand ANYTHING? No, in my opinion, no it doesn’t. That pastor has to answer to God. People gave in those services thinking that they were blessing our ministry and none of it was given to us. I was shocked and yet I am not bitter. God blessed us at the next meeting. God knows our sacrifice and our harvest will STILL come in.

I have this willingness in me to just go serve and you know what the enemy hates that in me. I pray that no matter how far I go that I never loose that. I want to remain ever more His humble and faithful servant. I want to help others and help to build up their ministries and I want to encourage them in their walk with the Lord. It isn’t a one way street for me. I am not there for me and my ministry. I am there because God told me to go. Yet with this kind of belief in my heart, I still was just recently accused of prostituting the anointing on my own life, by going out and holding meetings at all. This was from someone I once trusted very much. It is funny how the enemy operates. The good old accuser of the brethern. He calls us exactly what we would never want to be.

I just felt the heart of God in all of this. If you think He is not going to judge this, you are wrong. As He will judge us all accordingly. Lord Jesus have mercy on us all.

It is so easy to walk through life and just see what is going on in your three feet of life. We experience so much each day and so many things can steal our focus. We can just see three feet in front of us. What am I going through? What is my family going through? Sometimes that is where it ends.

Sometimes we hear all the pains and sorrows going on, we hear it and see it, but then we do nothing because we start feeling hopeless.

Sometimes we listen to the news, we see what is going on around us, and the concerns of the day, then we forget that we have a heritage from God. We must not shrink into our own shell when we see hurt and pain around us.

We are to reach out. We are to make a difference, give hope to the hopeless, to provide a word of life to those who are dying. Do not get caught up in the sorrows and forget who God is. That is what satan wants us to do. If we stay in our own little world and think about ourselves only then those who need our prayers and kind words will not receive the blessings that God has for them.

God wants us to see through His eyes. He wants to make a difference in peoples lives. He wants to use His children.

Even if we can touch one person’s life, give one hope when it looks hopeless.

Yes, you are important, yes your family is important, but who else is God speaking to you about to give hope too? Do not let the news about the situation overwhelm you to do nothing. Example: you hear someone died, someone has cancer, someone lost their job, someones marriage just broke up, someone cannot feed their family, and the list goes on. If you get caught up in the news you can loose hope yourself and not go forward in prayer or in giving a helping hand. In ourselves it can be overwhelming hearing and seeing it all.

We are not to take all the hurts on ourselves. We cannot do anything within ourselves.

Even if we are the ones who are going through difficult times and we are the ones who needs prayer, we can reach out and let God use us through what we are experiencing. Just maybe through our witness to others our healing may come and their lives could be changed. I was going through a hard situation and someone was watching me. I did not know she was watching me, but years later she was going through a hard time and remembered what God did for me and how God brought me through my difficult time and she reached out to God in her time of need. Now she is saved and going to church.
You do not know who may be watching you or listening to you.

Sometimes we start hearing all the hurts and pains of others and we shut it off. We shut the TV off. We shut the voices off. That is what satan wants. No we should not sit there and watch the news all the time. But do not shut the hurts and pains off because you start feeling over whelmed. Just start praying and believing God to change the situations and work in the lives of the people who are involved.

We need to be as Abraham who hoped against hope. Romans 4:18 [For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith…

You are part of God’s plan to touch this “little world”. There is no other hope, No plan B…

You might be the only hope someone has. Do not let satan pull you down or cause you to feel hopeless in your situation or in what you are hearing.

We are not of those who have no hope.

Ephesians 2:12-13

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Before we came to Jesus, we had no hope, but now we have hope.
But where is our hope?
Job 17:15 (AMP) Where then is my hope? And if I have hope, who will see [its fulfillment]?

Let us not get caught up in what we see or hear around us. Keep our eyes on the one who can fulfill our hope. The one who is hope. Share that with others. Let us Hope against hope….

“The Attributes of God”
Sermon for 1/16/2012
God has revealed Himself to us in 2 ways:
His Written Word,The Bible.
His Living Word, Jesus Christ, His Life and His Words.
Our God is an Awesome God!
He rejoices when we rejoice.
He weeps when we weep.
Our God cares about us!
Our God loves us!

Our God loves us so much that He would send His only Son to die on a Cross for our sins, in our place just to have us in His family. That is Love and that is a greater Love than anyone on this Earth could ever give you. That is the Love of Our Heavenly Father!

Knowing Him is Joy. He protects us from evil. He gives us our daily bread. He provides our
every need. He may not give us our every want but He always gives us all we need.
Our God is the source of all life! He is both Infinite and Eternal. He is All Knowing and All
Seeing. He is unchanging and He is both wise and holy.
Our God is Sovereign. Our God is Just. Our God is Merciful and Graceful. He is Righteous and Patient., Truthful and Faithful.

“There’s a difference between knowing God and knowing about God. When you truly know God, you have energy to serve Him, boldness to share Him, and contentment in Him.” ~J.I. Packer
Why is it important to know who God is?
“You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,” Exodus 20:3-5

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

Man is here for one reason and for one reason alone and that is to glorify God!
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:25-26

Jesus’ Prayer For Us:
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:20-26

The Attributes of God
God is Self Sufficient
“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.” Acts 17:24-25
God is an All Consuming Fire
“And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.” Exodus 3:2
“For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.” Deuteronomy 4:24
“For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:29
God is Immortal, Infinite and Unchanging
The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, ‘Destroy!’ Deuteronomy 33:27
“ For I am the LORD, I do not change;Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” Malachi 3:6
“Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” Psalm 90:2
“They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed. “But You are the same, And Your years will have no end.” Psalm 102:26-27
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
God is Light
“The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory.” Isaiah 60:19
“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12
“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”John 9:5
“I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.” John 12:46
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:17
“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:5-7
God is Spirit
“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” Collosians 1:15
“For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,” Philippians 3:3
“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
6. God is Omnipotent (All Powerful)
“Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” Jeremiah 32:17
“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” Jeremiah 32:27
“But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
“For with God nothing will be impossible.” Luke 1:37
“But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Luke 18:27
“And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” Revelation 19:67. God is Omniscient (All Knowing)
“O LORD, You have searched me and known me.You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.” Psalm 139:1-5
“He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.” Psalm 147:4
“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good.” Proverbs 15:3
“For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes.” Jeremiah 16:17
“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” Matthew 10:30
“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13
8. God is Omnipresent (He is Everywhere)
“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:7-13
“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
9. God is Jealous
“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:5-6
“For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:” Exodus 34:14
“Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,” Deuteronomy 5:9
“And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.” Joshua 24:19
The Sin of Jealousy is different than the type of Jealousy that God has for us. We become Jealous because someone has something we want. God is jealous when someone gives to another something that rightly belongs to Him. Paul spoke of Godly Jealousy in 2 Corinthians 11:2 “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present youas a chaste virgin to Christ.
10. God is Loving and Faithful
“Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;” Deuteronomy 7:9
“I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.” Proverbs 8:17
“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His So to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ” 1 John 4:8-11
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
“that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19
11. God is Merciful and Gracious
“And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,” Exodus 34:6
“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.” Lamentations 3:22-26
“Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men!” Psalm 31:19
“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.” Psalm 86:15
“For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.” Psalm 100:5
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” Psalm 103:8
“For His merciful kindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!” Psalm 117:2
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” 1 Peter 1:3
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:4-10
“For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:3-7

12. God is Holy and Perfect
“So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Exodus 3:4-5
“Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.” 2 Samuel 7:22
“As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.“For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect.” 2 Samuel 22:31-33
“And one cried to another and said: “ Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” Isaiah 6:3
“To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.” Isaiah 40:25
“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 57:15
“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” Leviticus 19:2
You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours A person more righteous than he?” Habakkuk 1:13
“As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven;He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” Psalm 18:30
“Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord;Nor are there any works like Your works.” Psalm 86:8
“but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,” 1 Peter 1:15
“The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “ Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” Revelation 4:8
“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
“And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” 1 John 3:3
13. God is Righteous and Just
“Yet He is not partial to princes, Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor; For they are all the work of His hands.” Job 34:9
“He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.” Deuteronomy 32:4
“For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.” Psalm 11:7
“For the word of the LORD is right, And all His work is done in truth.” Psalm 33:4
“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face.” Psalm 89:14
“His work is honorable and glorious, And His righteousness endures forever.” Psalm 111:3
“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:21-26
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
14. God is the Judge of all the Earth
“And in the greatness of Your excellence. You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble.” Exodus 15:7
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” Romans 1:28-32
“Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.” Romans 2:1-16
“For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” Hebrews 10:30
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in thae Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15 (Great White Throne Judgment)
“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.” 2 Corinthians 5:9-11 (The Judgment Seat of Christ)

There has been a repeated cry from the people of God for a return to holiness. Reminders of “Be ye holy as He is holy” are prevalent in the words being released today.

I spent some time recently studying the scriptures and reading various commentaries and articles and browsing the web on what it exactly means to “be holy as He is holy”. I don’t know about you, but while I consider myself a sold-out Christian, dedicated to serving God and committed to His will and not my own, to delivering His words and not my own, to serving Him in any way that I can, simply because of Who He is and what He has done for me… I also know the longing and the intimate hunger that I have to continue to obtain a deeper and an ever-growing-closer walk with Him.

The further I go in ministry and the more I am called upon to minister before others, taking very seriously the call on my life to be a mouth piece for the heart of God before the people…I am even more so aware of my own faults, weaknesses and short comings. I, in this human flesh need to renew my mind daily and need God’s grace and mercy. Yet, I hear this cry of holiness and I wonder how can I “be more holy” or “walk in holiness” when, in my own opinion, everything that I try to achieve in and of myself falls to the ground but everything that I do that is in Him and for His Kingdom work on earth is blessed and highly favored?

What I am saying is, that in my own opinion, I feel that holiness can not be obtained on our own and it is not something that we can choose to walk in better or be better at it or somehow achieve some level of heightened holiness. To me, holiness is a gift to us that Jesus accomplished for us in going to the cross. I mean didn’t God send His Son Jesus because there is no way for un-holiness to stand before a Holy God? Wasn’t it God’s plans to restore us back to relationship with Him and didn’t death have to be defeated at the cross for us to receive that precious gift?

My concern was as the cry is going forth that people will see instead this great level that they feel that they in and of themselves just can’t be “perfect enough” to obtain. I found in my studies that religion has used this term holiness to present some before others as holy or to judge others who they considered unholy. Some have chosen to base holiness on works and yet scripture says it is “not of works lest any man should boast”.

As I read some of these interpretations of what man and religion believed holiness to be, I read an article that made a wonderful point. Peter’s words in I Peter 1:13-16: But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” In the article the author posed some challenging questions. He asked if Peter’s words instead of being a challenge to try to live up to were instead a glorious declaration of truth. He asked aren’t we holy BECAUSE He is holy? Finally he wondered if a definition of justification was “just as if I never sinned” instead of the unhealthy and potentially crippling and wrong definition to believe justification means “I will in actuality never sin again.”

I had to stop and ask and allow the Holy Spirit in me to help me examine this not through man’s eyes but through His eyes.

When Jesus ministered to and set free the hurting, the outcasts, the fallen and the sinners, His eyes saw potential even in their fallen states. His eyes saw people that He loved so dearly. We can also see many times in Scripture that man’s eyes, man’s rules, and regulations couldn’t see beyond judgment.

We know sin is a burden and that it destroys relationships and hinders our relating to God. We know that when we come to know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and when we invite the Holy Spirit to take up residency in us that there is fruit of that. We begin to desire to live a life that is pleasing to God. When relationship with Jesus enters the picture and we know Him and we love Him, we are grieved to know that we somehow grieved God because we now know He so loves us.

What happens when we have obtained this precious gift of unmerited grace and mercy and salvation and the Holy Spirit resides within us? Our body becomes His temple. He resides there. No longer is the Tabernacle of David needed or the Ark of the Covenant. When Jesus died at the cross, the veil was rent in two! In all of my studies the very thing that leaped off the pages at me was that all the richness of gold and materials and fabrics that were placed in the Tabernacle of David certainly weren’t what made it holy. The presence of God made it Holy. We, who now are vessels unto God, emptying ourselves to be used by Him, welcoming the workings of the Holy Spirit to be within us, are now His place of residency. It comes by relationship. It comes by confessing with our mouths that we have sinned and need Him. It comes by faith and by believing. It was our gift at the cross! It is because of the presence of God in me, not because of me, not because of anything I have done to obtain, but because He so loved me. Be holy because He is holy. It is not the clothes that you wear or the things that you do. It is not even because one thinks he is more refined or sanctified than another. It is because we are humble enough to realize how very much we need the Lord and that in and of ourselves we can do nothing but in Him we can do all things! The holiness was in the Tabernacle of David because the presence of the Lord was there and the holiness is in us because He is in us.

Someone once told me that when they see me they see purity and I broke down and cried. We never see ourselves as Christ sees us. But purity is something that God has given us by His grace and His mercy and it is something that I can never attain myself. Sin and impurity issues were dealt with at the cross.

I came to conclude that the Blood of Jesus made us eligible to be holy. This is called sanctification. Because of the cross we can stand here today and say that we are holy people. Holiness is also an attitude. We must purpose in our hearts that we will not defile ourselves with the things of the world. It comes from a separation. The Hebrew words in the Old Testament and Greek words in the New Testament all involve separation as part of their meaning but even that is not all that there is to holiness. Many Hebrew scholars generally say that these words derive from root words which mean “to cut or separate”. This would involve a circumcision of the heart and allowing the Lord to continue to help us to crucify the flesh and complete the good and perfect work that He has begun within us.

There is also a big difference in who we are in the flesh and who we are in the spirit. (We need to learn to see ourselves as God sees us.) If we allow the enemy constant access to our minds to bring condemnation and to remind us of our short comings, then would any of us ever get back into a pulpit again? Many a strong minister has had to step over the flesh to get into the spirit to deliver a word to the people and many a minister left amazed that God still uses them! (Can we be honest here?)

So….my thoughts continued…what is holiness and can we be more holy? The Most High God who is separate from all that is unclean and evil and Who is positively pure and distinct from all others is continually wanting to penetrate our soul. Allowing His will to be done in our lives makes us holy. We are to show forth the fruit and the change of Who it is that we serve and we are to be in such intimate relationship with Him that we are a strange and peculiar people who longs to be in His presence and who is called to that Great Commission.

Come on. I realized that after a few days here of study that it is really a gift and it is quite simple in all truth. Lay on your face before Him and leave judgment aside and condemnation is not welcome. (You might want to take a mirror with you instead of a pointing stick.) When I am so sold out that I make a commitment to serve Him and when I am dedicated to removing and allowing Him to remove the things that are displeasing to Him, when I lean on His grace and mercy in order to realize that my refinement comes in His timing and my willingness to lay each issue down that He addresses…it is then that my life reflects His very visitation on my life which also reflects holiness.

Allow Him to penetrate your soul and your being and invade your space and fill your room with His glorious light! When He walks into my room, and I can’t help but be silent and fall to my face crying out I PRAISE YOU GOD, I PRAISE YOU GOD, I PRAISE YOU GOD…it is then that I realize I didn’t deserve His presence. I didn’t achieve it. I didn’t even fully understand it all. But when He fills the very depth of me with His pure love…I am holy because He is holy and my life, because I allow His work to occur within it, is ever changing to reflect more of that holiness.

In His Love,
Sue Knauff

In our New Testament the word “Gospel” is euaggelion or “evangel.” This is where we get the term Evangelical. Evangelical is just another term to define true Bible believers.

Some have called the four writers of the four Gospels – Evangelists. By this they meant that these four men presented a Christ-centred Gospel. The message presented and
preached by these four has been called the evangelical gospel. But of course within the New Testament the Gospel or Evangel was not restricted to these four.

We are clearly instructed that Christ, the apostles, the early church and Paul the apostle all proclaimed the Gospel. It was universal. The Gospel was first defined as the “Gospel of the kingdom” (Mt.4:23; 9:35; 24:14; Mk.1:14).

This Gospel was a message. Some try to define the Gospel as social action, but this cannot be a true definition when we look at the NT. Time after time the NT records that the Gospel was “preached” (Mt.4:23; 9:35; 26:13; Mk.1:14;16:15; Lk.9:6; 20:1; Acts 8:25; 14:7, 21; 16:10; Rom.1:15; I Cor.9:16). Two Greek words are used for preach. First kērussō which means to herald like a town crier. Secondly euaggelizō which means to announce or declare. So the correct means to make known the Gospel is by opening the mouth and speaking either personally or publically.

Although miracles, signs, healings and even baptism in water confirm and accompany the Gospel, they in themselves are not the Gospel (Mt.11:5; Lk.4:18; 7:22; 1Cor.1:17). It is also called “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) the gospel of God (Rom.1:1) gospel of his Son (v9) the gospel of Christ (v16) and the glorious gospel of Christ (II Cor.4:4) and Paul also called it “my gospel” (Rom.2:16).

The Gospel must be believed and obeyed (Mk.1:15; Acts 15:7; Rom.10:16). Through it men are begotten or born-again (I Cor.4:15) established (Rom.16:25) and they stand (I Cor.15:1). When Jesus returns He will take vengeance on “them that that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction” (II Thess.1:7-9).

To be Evangelical is to hold the Gospel as it is proclaimed, preached, presented, taught and written in the New Testament without subtraction or addition. John Milton (1608-1674) the famous English poet and author of the 17th century considered the word ‘Evangelick’ to mean ‘consonant to the doctrine of the Gospel.’ In other words to be Evangelical you must line up with the truths that go to make up the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the NT.

In the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary Evangelical is defined as: “According to the gospel; consonant to the doctrines and precepts of the gospel, published by Christ and his apostles…Sound in the doctrines of the gospel.” In the 1913 Webster’s Dictionary it is defined as: “Contained in, or relating to, the four Gospels…Belonging to, agreeable or consonant to, or contained in, the gospel, or the truth taught in the New Testament; as, evangelical religion. Earnest for the truth taught in the gospel; strict in interpreting Christian doctrine; preëminently orthodox.”

Since the term was first coined in Church history it’s greatest leaders, writers, defenders and preachers have consistently held to well defined truths. The Gospel and the New Testament are themselves made up of clearly defined truths which the early members of the Church believed and those who rejected such was not considered to be one of them. Certain truths of the New Testament Gospel have been set forth in such a manner as to divide between those who truely are evangelical and those who are not. Such truths are:

*A belief in the authority and Divine inspiration of the Biblical text as well as a literal acceptance of its historic narrative (Genesis, Creation, the return of Christ, etc).
*A clear belief that salvation is exclusively found in Christ alone through repentance and faith.
*A belief that Christ suffered the righteous judgement of God for our sins on our behalf on the Cross at Calvary.
*A belief in justification by faith alone.
*A belief that good works (obedience, holiness) will follow as the result and fruit of true salvation.
*A belief in a coming day of judgement for every man.
*A belief in a literal eternal conscious state of blessing as a reward to the righteous but an eternal conscious state of punishment in the lake of fire for the wicked.

Those defined as Evangelicals have held to these and other truths for 500 years. But more than that, true believers have held them as a continuing unbroken line from the days of the apostles down to our own day. Evangelical, when used correctly, is just another name for a Bible beliving Christian. When men move away from holding certain truths of Scripture they cease from being both Evangelical and Biblical.

Sadly today the term Evangelical has been redefined and twisted to be a broad term to mean and include anything and everthing. Even those who deny all of these key points now call themselves Evangelicals. Compromisers, heritics and apostates have constantly pressed to broaden the term Evangelical in a manner that includes themselves and their associates.

Let us again define, clarify, protect and proclaim these simple truths of Christ as a part of the New Testament Gospel. “I am set for the defence of the gospel” (Php.1:17). ‘I am appointed for the defence of the euaggelion – the Evangelical Gospel.’

The first usage of the term Evangelical in recent church history was in Germany at the time of the Reformation. In 1517 Luther nailed his thesis to the church door at Wittenberg. Two years later his followers were called Lutheran’s by their enemies but Luther preferred the term Evangelical.

When Luther finally broke from Rome and established churches free from Rome’s jurisdiction he called the new movement the Evangelische Kirche (evangelical church). It was a church built upon the true Gospel of Jesus Christ as opposed to a church built upon tradition, heresy and man-made regulations as that at Rome most certainly was.

The term Protestant was not used until 1529. The meaning of the Word is ‘to protest or to proclaim.’ Luther and many others were protesting against the error of Rome but were also proclaiming the truth of the simple Gospel of Christ. Philip Schaff the great church historian stated that the term Protestant must be supplemented by the term Evangelical for this reason: “The gospel of Christ, as laid down in the New Testament, and proclaimed again in its primitive purity and power by the Reformation, is the basis of historical Protestantism, and gives it vitality and permanancy.”

Writing in 1520 Luther said “We were all Hussites without knowing it.” By this he meant they had discovered the same truths of the Gospel and were holding to them in the same way John Huss (1373-1415) of Bohemia had done 100 years previously and for which he was martyred. His ministry and martyrdom gave rise to a spiritual movement called the Hussite’s which spread to other lands and later resulted in the Moravian revival. Huss had previously been impacted by the writings of John Wycliffe (1329-84) of England who through preaching the simple Gospel of the Bible had birthed a spiritual movement called the Lollards. These poor but profound preachers spread everywhere preaching the simplicity of the Gospel.

This reveals something of the unbroken line of leaders and spiritual movements which ran from the days of the apostles down to the days of the Reformation and onwards who held to the clear truths of the Bible.

In the mind of the Reformers to be Evangelical meant having a true grasp and understanding of the Gospel as a result of a conversion through justification by faith. That’s why they stood for Sola Scriptura – the Scripture alone. To be Evangelical meant that they believed the written Word of God was absolutely authoritive over every doctrine, tradition and practise in the church, in ministry and in life. Because of Sola Scriptura many spiritual leaders and movements were birthed in the following centuries that were Christ-centred. Evangelicalism has always been Bible-based and as a result of that has been Christ-centred.

The Reformation in Europe spread quickly from Germany to every corner of Europe raising up national reformers. They were not dealing with just a veneer of church order, structure or government; they were dealing with the foundation, the most vital issues of the Gospel, of justification by faith alone and the place of God’s Word in the Church. It was the beginning of a fresh return to the church of the Bible. To be evangelical meant conformity to the written Scriptures. Those who make light of the Reformation just show that they know little or nothing about it.

A return to the Gospel as presented in the Scriptures literally shook Europe from top to bottom and inside out, socially, politically and spiritually. Countries like Switzerland renamed individual counties ‘Evangelick Cantons.’ Through forty days of Gospel preaching John Knox saw Scotland set free from darkness, superstition, religious tradition and bondage. This return to an Evangelical Gospel led to great multitudes of genuine believers being martyred across Europe over the next 100 years. This was a spiritual revival.

William Tyndale

One of the greatest English Reformers was William Tyndale (1494-1536). The Lord used him in translating the Bible into the language of the English people. He was eventually martyred for his zeal in proclaiming the true Gospel. The first recorded usage of the term ‘Evangelical’ in the English language was made by Tyndale in his writings in the year 1531. Within his writings he spoke freely of the true Gospel as “evangelical truth.” In the following year Thomas More wrote a six-volume response to him in which he talks of Tyndale and his ‘evangelical friends.’ So from its first usage in English it not only defined the Gospel message but those who believed it as well.

The term Evangelical was then brought into the English language and used widely by those who held fast to the same fundamental doctrines of the Gospel which Tyndale held to, defended and died for.

In the 17th century men like Samuel Rutherford in Scotland and John Owen in England freely used the term Evangelical not for a party-name but for true Bible-believing Christians of whatever denomination. The Covenanter’s and Puritan’s of both nations continued their pursuit of a full reformation of the Church by the Word of God. The Reformation was a beginning not an end. During this era the Lord blessed the preaching of the Gospel by pouring out His Spirit a number of times to speed the work forward.

The breadth of Evangelicalism has been its recondition of all those who uncompromisingly hold to the foundational truths of the Gospel which makes Christ preeminent and central in all things.

Evangelical has always been broader than finer points of teaching concerning church structure, the Lord’s Table or baptism. Men have stood on either side of such arguments yet been solidly Evangelical. But let a man weaken on the foundational truths of the Gospel and he has departed from being Evangelical. A church group, denomination or movement is only Evangelical while it remains faithful to the truth of the Gospel.

John & Charles Wesley

In May 1738 almost 200 years after the Reformation young Charles Wesley (1707-88) while reading Luther’s commentary on Galatians was convinced, converted and found peace in Christ Jesus. Just three days later John Wesley (1703-91) was converted as his heart was strangely warmed at a meeting of Moravians where Luther’s commentary on Roman’s was being read. These two brothers as well as a great host of other preachers were to be used in God’s hand to proclaim the Evangelical Gospel with great power during what was called the Evangelical Revival (Awakening). But this was only another stage in the Lord’s progressive work; not the beginning of Evangelicalism. Through their preaching, their writings and their hymns the truth of the Evangelical Gospel spread to the ends of the earth.

To be continued…