THE STING OF DEATH

I dedicate this article to the loving memory of my father John E. Stahl Sr. who died 3 Jan 2010. Dad I love and miss you so very much and know I will see you again. You have impacted my life is so many ways. In ways as a guide-on to model my life after; in being a Godly man, husband, father, grandfather, and even a great grandfather. In ways I am sure I will only learn about in time, as a life takes its heavy toll on me as it did on you, oh may I be found to be brave and faithful in God to endure to the very end without complaining or asking for pity like you did. Dad I am so proud of you and so proud to be called your son.

While I was at the viewing and sitting during the funeral I thought, all of these many people came today to see my father because he has died. Today in our society we use terms like passing, crossing over, set free, etc. to express what the Bible calls death. We do not like the term death, but did you know the word “death” appears 342 in the KJV of the Bible? Now do not feel bad if you use these terms even Jesus tried sugar coating death with the disciples. In the powerful story of Lazarus in the Book of John we read, “These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. 12Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. 13Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. 14Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.” (John 11:11-14) Jesus had much to say about death in the Gospels. As a matter of fact the number one topic Jesus spoke about was sin and the second most discussed topic by Jesus was life and death. When you really think about it life is all summed up into these three topics. Paul too often spoke of death. In 1 Corinthians Paul asked the questions, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.” (1 Corinthians 15:55-56) Death is our last fear to conquer and this is why we all must allow God to change us, to change our character, our thoughts, and heart condition so that we will have the inward strength to endure the conflicts and battles that war within our spirit, heart and mind. I also believe God wants us to feel the sting of death in our lives. A funeral is one time appointed by God for us to feel the sting of sin (death) in our lives and reflect on it. Today we make funerals a happy and joyous time, let us celebrate the crossing over of our dear departed, well in doing so we turn away from the prick of the Holy Spirit gouging into our spirit and soul. We (mankind) do not like to be unhappy or know grief we even make up songs instructing ourselves we are to live our entire life in total happiness, but Jesus was called a man of sorrows. Speaking of Jesus Isaiah said, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.’ (Isaiah 53:3) Well who wants to be acquainted with “a man of sorrow” when they can be happy? And something as noble yet mysterious as death, it is easy to turn our heart and spirit away from the sting, the pain and overwhelming ache in our heart that comes with the loss of losing our father, mother, brother or sister. In doing so we are rejecting God and His plan to draw us unto Himself. You see when we embrace the sting of death (our sin that could separate us eternally from God) we expose our weaknesses, our need, and our infirmities, all of those things within us that can only be satisfied by God whereby allowing God (and God alone) to minister to us and bring us into the truth and the life of God in the next verse, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57) It is only as we allow God to work in our lives can we ever hope to come into “the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” At the same measure we can embrace the sting of death, at that same measure we will be able to walk in the ultimate victory God has purposed and planned for our lives. I often wonder why some people start walking with the Lord then turn away? Well I am coming to the conclusion they (those who walk away from God) have never really understood the depth of what sin has wrought in their lives. I am convinced the more we understand the damage and destruction sin does in our lives the more we will be able to correctly understand the message of grace. My friend we are to be devastated (oh blessed devastation) when we come to the realization of who we are and how much we need Jesus to save us from our sin. I am afraid the sinner’s prayer (which is found no where in the Bible) lightens the sting of death and has watered down the true conversion process. Oh Lord have mercy on us for our waywardness here.

I would like share some outstanding words Cathy McHenry, (a wonderful lady friend of our family) penned to Karen and I and then passed them along at the funeral, now she knows what she is talking about because she lost her son only two years ago and still to this day knows the sting of death all to well. “God’s peace is not escape from reality. We are not mentally removed from feeling pain or struggling. Peace is not a stupor that that dulls our senses. It is not an elimination of responsibility for addressing hard issues and difficult circumstances. Rather, peace is an undergirding rock-solid foundation so that no matter the tears we cry or the sorrow we feel, deep down inside we know with an abiding assurance that God is with us. God is in control and joy of the Lord is going to emerge far greater than any depth of agony we may be experiencing.”

Now my father has the victory Paul was talking about in verse 57. I feel my father was ready to meet the Lord. When Mrs. Gertrude Ellis (and her daughter Jenny) would bring her white guitar by his home and sing old the hymns of the church he would sit there and big crocodile tears would come streaming down his face as my Mom’s (who now has Alzheimer’s) feet would bounce in-time, in the Spirit, with the music. Thank you very much Mrs. Ellis for loving them enough to ease their pain and bring to them once again the joy of timeless truths. But before my father’s eyes closed in death the Lord prepared me months ago so I would know I was to go to the ICU and make sure it was well with his soul. What a joy it was as big crocodile tears now streamed down my face as I prayed with my father as the ventilator pushed life into his body. Now for sure my father has the victory over sin, hell, death, and the grave.

Most of you all did not know my father was retired, after over 30 years of service to God and Country, from the United States Marine Corps serving in World War II, Korea, and Viet-Nam with great distinction and valor in all three wars. And in 2008 the United Marine Corps honored him as the 64th recipient of the Hard Core Warrior Award. In the Marine Hymn the last verse goes like this, “Here’s health to you and to our Corps which we are proud to serve; in many a strife we’ve fought for life and never lost our nerve. If the Army and the Navy ever look on heaven’s scenes, they will find the street are guarded by United States Marines.” I am sure when my father stood before God (as we all shall do some day) God said, “well done Gunny thou good and faithful servant” and my father standing at attention with a hand salute said, “thank you sir, reporting for duty.” I love you Dad! Karen says, she will see you later you ole fox and from me, Semper Fi. Written by David Stahl

SOMETHING I SEEM TO RE-LEARN

I would like to preface this article by saying this article has been written after much soul searching and inward reflection of my greater need to be more like Jesus in this area and many others. But, in 2009 the Lord again taught me again to keep my eyes on Him. The goal is to be more like Jesus, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) I know this all sounds simplistic, but that is God’s style of teaching. Jesus was a master of deep teaching by using such examples as: wine, bread, light and darkness, and seeds. We think we have made it when God opens our eyes to some unsearchable truth of Scriptures, yet we pale in comparison to the deep truths of life and relationship. Do you know God is more concerned about the maturity of our character than the maturity of our spiritual ability to teach and even know all truth. Now please do not get me wrong here, we must go towards truth and we must even speak the truth in love as Paul taught, “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:15-16) This is something most Christians have a hard time doing and is the biggest reason why most Christians; do not “grow up in him” and why “the whole body” (what we call the church) is not “fitly joined together.” This and of course the wrong teaching in this area that comes with it and because of the grand push in the church for denominationalism. But, knowing the truth and possessing a deep revelation of God must never over ride the maturity and development of our character.

Back in 2009 two great men of God that I have known for many many years, men I have looked to as mentors, men who I have read and studied their books, teachings, and lives, men in some ways I have idolized well let’s just say were exposed in their ministries and in my eyes for who they really were. This is a very scary place for all of us to come. And when we arrive at the place of knowing who we really are we refuse to agree with God what He is trying to reveal to us. We ignore and dispute what we see blaming everyone else or most often we through up some bogus teaching we have been preaching, but all of this will not work in our lives if we truly desire to walk in the truth and grow up and come to maturity in our character. Now if you willfully put yourself under someone make no mistake that person, unless they have truly dealt with and been humbled by God, will take that position in your life and even expect certain things from you. I have seen and even experienced this for many many years, but here is the problem. It is not you being a servant to someone, God desires us all to serve one another, but the problem is when someone thinks they are better than someone because of their message, revelation, or deeper teaching. At the heart of this thinking is: ambition, arrogance, and pride. Our human nature goes towards this in a great way. I have caught myself doing this, maybe that is why I can see it clearly when someone things they are better than me because of their understanding of God and His ways. Well here is a spiritual revelation my friend, no one is greater than the other. It does not matter how deep your knowledge, revelation, or teaching of the Scriptures is these do not qualify someone for being a leader of being over someone. The standard Jesus taught was, “But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 44And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 45For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Luke 10:43-45) True greatness, true spiritual leadership is achieved not by reducing men to one’s service, but in giving oneself in selfless service to them. And this is never done without a cost. At the same measure you can become a servant you will be great in God. At the same measure you can become a servant at that same measure you will be able to walk, not just teach, in the revelation God has given you. It is one thing to teach something (no matter how deep in God), but is it a different matter to walk in the revelation of the words we speak. I have seen it for years. It is funny how people really know the truth. Words often are cheap. It has been said, the way up is down and this is true, but let us not forget deep in God is also down.

Charles Haun (my teacher) addresses this issue in his four tape teaching series on “Truth.” Here Charles shares the importance of knowing the truth, by allowing the truth to develop our character so that we can come to greater levels of maturity not only spiritually, but also personally where God also desires us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us never forget truth is heavy to carry. Truth often can be too much for us to handle, especially if it is about us. In Daniel we read, “And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. 27And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king’s business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.” (Daniel 8:26-27) I cannot think of anyone in the Bible that has received more truth than Daniel. Here we see Daniel’s response was “I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days.” It weakened him and caused him to lay sick for some time. Have you ever approached to know so much the things of the kingdom that it simply drains your strength? Again it takes strength to carry truth and the more truth you carry the more strength you must have. The more you know in the spiritual realm the more grace and strength you will have to have in order to live. And this is why men in God progress and the grace of God is upon them, they gain and gain in their knowledge and revelation until they are staggering under the load and to add to that load a claim to fame that comes with all that and some men neglect the other critical elements in their lives such as grace, mercy, and judgment which are necessary to grow in to sustain them under that heavy load and they fall. Most men in work of the Gospel have risen to an apex and then at some point they begins to decline and fall away because they have not cultivated and sought the grace and strength to develop their character to help bear up under the load. As the armor of God is not for children it takes strength it is not made for babes, those who are weak, so too we must develop our character so that we can develop strength to be able to bear up under truth. We can get too much truth and it will drown us and someone will haul up our body and say (what I said after I handled the ungodly things of these two men) I would have never expected that of him, nor did anyone expect the great loss to their ministry that follows their fall. For us to be developed correctly with truth we must be continually exercised in truth that is not to be selective, but receive whatsoever truth God gives to us and from whomever God brings our way.

Let us not think we are greater than what we really are. Take heed my friend, going after revelation and a deep teaching will lead you down that road and if you do not develop others abilities and skills in God you will find yourself being pulled out of the water wondering what happened. “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 4For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” (Romans 12:3-5) This is the place of unity where the “whole body” can grow and come to maturity and spiritual development. Let us take heed to our selves. Written by David Stahl

THEY OVERCAME

After Thanksgiving 2009, Jake Luffy and I departed for Nairobi, Kenya to be with Pastor Joesph Mutua for a few weeks. Niki Marsov from Silistra, Bulgaria joined us when we arrived from Mombassa. We were asked to share in a week-long conference Pastor Joesph was holding and in some local churches during the week-ends. Jake brought a deep mysterious word that left the hearers in quiet contemplation and thought. He prefaced his word by saying, “if you do not understand what I am saying hold my words before the Lord and in time He will give you understanding.” I have known Jake for over 30 years and have had the pleasure of hearing him speak these many years, thus I know the depth of his message and his ability to skillfully weave the scriptures. Niki brought a strong relevant word mixed with humor which the people really responded to. It was his first time in Africa and he was magnificent. Humor sometimes helps the medicine go down. I can see in Niki a Timothy today and a Paul tomorrow, Niki and Lord willing. I brought a more sublime yet simplistic word directed at their hearts that enabled the folks to apply my words to their difficult circumstances and situations in their lives. Unless our words reach their hearts then what we say will profit the hearers little. The heart should always be our target and our goal must always be to see how low we can come down in our self so that the word of God we speak will be able to take root in their heart and lives. Jesus was a master of this, simple in His approach using wine, bread, water as examples to convey deep spiritual meaning that the people understood. I wonder why we try to get so deep and try to unwrap the dark mysteries of the Scriptures. Jesus talked about a corn of wheat falling into the ground and dying (John 12:24) to be fruitful. Maybe we should reevaluate our approach.

From the start of our trip I knew God wanted to do some things in my life, things that needed to be done. At first I was reluctant, because as Karen and I travel and minister from church to church, both in the States and around the world, I hear a great desire to be an “overcomer.” Now this in itself is not a bad thing God desires to bring us to victory in Him, but where we miss the mark is the desiring and all that goes into the presumptive approach to God and not the developing, the way God has designed for us to come into victory. Why there are even conferences and seminars today in the church where the theme is “Overcoming to Fulfill Our Destiny in Christ” (or something like that), but seldom do you hear of the real requirements at conferences and seminars to become an overcomer. John gives us three requirements to become to be an overcome, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Revelations 21:11) They overcame him, “by the blood of the Lamb,” “by the word of their testimony,” and “they loved not their lives unto the death.” We will talk more about the last requirement in detail. Most Christians will agree today in the church without the shedding of the precious blood of Jesus Christ (the Lamb of God (John 1:29)) we would not be able to overcome anything, so this is kind of a given, but the other two well they will require much more from us if we desire to apply them to our heart and lives to become an overcomer. John said, “by the word of their testimony.” Please know the word of our testimony is not what we say, but what other people see us do. I can tell you swelling words of faith, words that would bring tears to your eyes, words that would manipulate you to do things for me, but if my life does not reflect what I am saying then my words will profit me little to nothing and not benefit you at all. Remember, if you want people to give you money or do things for you just tell them what they want to hear and what they already know. But to be a true overcomer our lives and words must match up in unison with what the Spirit of God is saying. I do not care how many miracles God uses us to perform or how deep our revelation of God and His word is, if the works of God in our lives and the revelation we possess never affect changes to our character then it is all for nought. Make no mistake my friend I am talking about myself here. One thing I have learned at the heart of every issue it is always an issue of my heart. God’s work in our lives is to change us first then others second. Our understanding, wisdom, and knowledge of God must ultimately bring us down into a place of humility and humbleness if not we are no better than sounding brass and tinkling cymbals. Paul shared this critical truth with us in 1 Corinthians when he said, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) Now many call 1 Corinthians 13 the love chapter, but Paul does not use the word “love” but uses the word “charity” here and is at the heart of what Paul wanted to convey to us. The word “charity” has been translated agape, but it comes from and gets its root origins from Strong’s #25, “agapao” to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of which has little to do with love and much to do with being a humble and lowly servant. Agape, Strong’s #26, is a stronger mature love that has to do with a dedication of ourselves towards someone, as Jesus dedicated Himself toward the world in John 3:16 or a dedication that a husband has toward his wife for giving him 30 years of her life. Paul was talking about giving help to people in need, a kindness in judging people, and a good will to all other people. It is this heart condition that is greater than faith and hope. Now reread verse 2, “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." Do you see the difference? Jesus said it this way, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Jesus was not talking about giving one’s life so another may live, but laying one’s life down as a lowly servant, losing their life so that they may find it in servant hood to the Brethren. It is not about love, but about being a lowly servant like Christ. All throughout Paul’s writing he warns the newly established churches (and us to today) take heed not to think highly of our self. “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” (Romans 12:3) There is a subtle danger here to exalt our self that can over take our witness and destroy our character. Again I can say amen here. If we desire to become an overcomer we too must lose our life and all those things that we think elevates us above our brothers and sisters. How arrogant we are to think just because God has given us something special it makes us special, oh no my friend anything that God gives us (special or not) should bring us to our knees and make us a servant to the Brethren the more.

Now on this trip to Africa one of God’s main intentions (as I said) was for me to become more of an overcomer in a certain area. I knew right from the start God’s intention for me to be successful during this trip was for me to walk in restrictions and limitations to maintain my health, I could not eat what I wanted to eat and drink what I wanted to drink, but I had to maintain strict adherence to what I knew to do to fulfill what God wanted me to do. As a matter of fact the first opportunity I had to speak I spoke of how restriction and limitations not freedom and liberty bring us to completion and fulfillment in God. And I knew I would have to love not my life unto death. I knew God wanted be to go to Africa, to endure, to preach the word He put within me, and finish the trip strong in Him. Now this was first time I have traveled in the last two years. Before that a few of my trips were cut short due to health problems. For years I have pushed myself (zealousness in God is not what He is looking for) going abroad six to seven times a year, the air miles, stress and strain of ministry took a heavy toll on my health and on my desire to endure in the face of real sickness to the end. Now I will be honest this really bothered me. How could I stand and teach endure till the end and all I could think about was how I could get home sooner. But now on his trip I knew God wanted me to stay the course, finish strong in Him. For God to be able to do this I would have to love not my life unto the death. I would have to come to a place of assurance and rest (beyond what I have experienced before) in God that He will take care of me even if I get sick and He would make sure I get treated and come and go home as scheduled. I know all of this may sound strange, but this is where I found myself. Like Job I had to come to a place where I said and believed, “though God slay me yet I will trust Him.” Or like Esther, “If I perish I perish.” Now that is real faith. If we really desire to become an overcomer we must allow God to work in our lives, through His dealings and judgments, and bring us to the place where we willfully give over our physical life to God. We are not ready to life in God until we are ready to die in God. Each time the airplane lifted into the sky I would say, “Lord I commit my spirit, soul, and life into Your hands.” It is funny how the older we get the more our mortality is ever before us. How we can see our days quickly coming to an end and in our heart we bristle against what we see. The older we get the more we are concerned about our health and develop a desire for ease, good food, and comfort. It seems the older I get the more I enjoy hot water. When I was younger hot water cold water no problem, but now I like hot water. Well, if God will still use me as I feel He desires He will have to work in my life and get me over this desire for ease and comfort. I do not think I am any different than the next man we all are touched by our infirmities and weakness as grass we shall wither away some day to be with Him, but it is wonderful to know God knows our frame and He will work in our lives, if we desire Him to help us become (a process of learning to lean on our Beloved, Song of Solomon 8:5) an overcomer. I leave you with the words Jesus spoke to the disciples before He was taken to the cross to die for you and I, “Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:32-33) Please hear the end of verse 33, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” It is nice to know Jesus too was an overcomer. Written by David Stahl

LACK OF HEARING THE WORD

A few weeks ago Karen and I did a book signing at the US Marine Corps Exchange (MCX). I so enjoy doing book signings, what a wonderful time sharing the Gospel with complete strangers and selling a few books to support Beholding His Glory. We usually bring a six foot folding table and two comfortable folding chairs, many items from Africa and Asia for the people to handle which opens the door for questions, copies of our newsletter, some of our contact cards (not business cards the sharing of the Gospel MUST never be reduced down to becoming a business), some books, and of course our Bibles. We usually stay around six to eight hours or as long as our bottoms can last. Well by ten o’clock we were all set up, people were scurrying about (on this Saturday morning) things really looked promising, but as time slowly moved on no one stopped. Karen and I just sat there talking to each other as people passed by, it was like we were not there or invisible. A couple of our friends who saw us stopped, but the majority of the people walked by not even stopping to say hello or to see the strange and interesting items on our table. As I sat there the Holy Spirit brought to my mind these verses from Amos, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: 12And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.” (Amos 8:11-12) I thought today is the day. Few people really want to hear the good news of the Gospel, but then I remembered it is God who will “send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.” Now I have always read these verses and thought I understood them, but they really came alive (as we were sitting there) in my spirit due to the lack of curiosity or attention. They could see it was a Christian book and I am sure they saw my Bible maybe that was enough to keep them at arms length. Now I have some Christian friends who would have a problem with this verse, knowing it was God Himself that sent the famine in the land of hearing the word of God. Not the preaching of the word, but the hearing or having the spiritual ability to understand and comprehend what God is saying by His Spirit through His written and spoken word. They would say God would never do this He loves us so much. Oh yeah? Can you believe God creates evil? If you cannot believe God creates evil than you cannot believe God loves you. Most Christians do not believe this they pick and choose what they want to believe, but in the Book of Isaiah we read, God taking about Himself, “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 6That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. 7I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” (Isaiah 45:5-7) Well my friend they do not know the true God of the Bible. God has been known to send evil spirits (Judges 9:23). God even hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 7:14) to bring His will to past. Can you believe God would turn over (give up on) people (who were once Christians) to a reprobate mind? This does not say much for the Southern Baptist once saved always saved doctrine. Oh my friend, do not be deceived. Paul tells us, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;” (Romans 1:21-28) Now Paul was talking about Christians in the local body at Rome. They knew God, but became vain, were not thankful, and glorified Him not. Today in the paper Karen read to me an article about a Presbyterian Church that started a service for their dogs (how about cats, snakes, turtles, birds, etc.) in hopes to draw more people into church, what foolishness. Special services, promotion, programs, and gimmicks will not draw people to Christ, only the Holy Spirit as we lift of Christ. Jesus said, “If I be lifted up (not your animal, denomination, or religion) from the earth will draw all people to Myself.” (John 12:32) They are worshipping creatures and a worldly thinking and not the Creator in Spirit and truth, because of their lack of hearing the word of God and their continual walking (in presumption) away from God, how sad and oh so dangerous. Paul said, “God gave them over to a reprobate (Strong’s #96, that which does not prove itself such as it ought, unfit for, unproved, spurious, reprobate) mind.” God did these things, because these people heard the word of God that could meet the lack in their lives, but like the people at the MCX they did not recognize the real word of God because (I believe) they have been attending churches and denominational religious services that have been telling them lies and half truths ignoring the word of God. Karen and I had the truth we had the word of God, but the people did not stop they were too busy within themselves and spiritually lacking a hunger and thirst for God’s word in their lives. Many have heard the half truth message of the Gospel (like one man we knew from the past who stopped) and in their heart they have been numbed, deadened, and stripped of the power of the word of God’s convicting Holy Spirit. Oh my friend take heed, having our hearts hardened (like Pharaoh) by God to the hearing of His word, a lack of knowledge of who God is to us, and our great desire for a worldly waywardness are some of the most dangerous things in the world, because the end of this process in our lives is destruction. Amos shares these words with us, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. 7As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. 8They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity. 9And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings. 10For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD:” (Hosea 4:6-10) Please never forget God is to us what we are to Him. If we reject God my friend He will reject us. Listen to the last verse, “For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD:” Does that not sound frustrating? Oh my friend let us take heed to the Lord never to walk away from the Lord, but let us always have a open heart for knowledge (God’s personal dealings and judgments in our lives), and a desire not to walk in the way of the world or in the counsel of the ungodly.

I hear many Christians walk around saying they have the victory or we need to get the victory over Satan. Why do we talk about needing to get the victory? It is a shameful thing for a Christian to talk about getting the victory, because Jesus (our victory) ought to have us so completely we need not worry about victory. It is one thing to say we have Jesus, but it is a totally different thing to say Jesus has us. Do you see the difference? All we need to worry about is allowing Jesus to meet our lack in our lives. Why should we worry about having faith to do something? If Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith we need not worry having faith, we will live “by the faith of Jesus Christ” and every word that proceeds out of His mouth. Paul shares these words, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Galatians 2:16) I am ever amazed at the women we know who may be qualified (have the schooling and ability), but are not authorized to teach the word of God. But they do anyway in direct rebellion to the word of God and are not content with being the wife of their husband. The Holy Spirit through Paul was very clear on this topic, “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” (1Timothy 2:11-14) How can we walk with the Lord and lack such understanding? Is getting our way that much more important than God’s word being held high above our denominational religious rituals and customs? These women (and other Christians) have a famine of hearing the word of God in their lives as “they wander from sea to sea, (even in ministry to the nations) and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek (in conferences, crusades, and seminars) the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. It is God’s word, He will open it up to whom He desires and that person is the one who has qualified and approved themselves before Him in sacrifice and obedience. Only God can meet the lack in our lives. When will we really (that includes me too at times) learn that? When will we (me again at times) wake up? The day is far spent and night is soon upon us let us keep our thoughts on Him, He who can meet our lack in Him, He who can met our need. Written by David Stahl

WHAT ARE WE AFTER

In the Books of Acts in the town of Antioch of Pisidia Paul stood up in the synagogue on the sabbath and recounted the oral history of the Jews by saying, “And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.” (Acts 13:22) Now most Christians read this verse and make the quantum leap thinking David had a heart like God’s. Oh how wonderful that would be to have a heart like God’s, but how can we have a heart like God’s when Jeremiah tells us our hearts are deceitful and wicked above all things. No I do not think Act 13:22 is drawing the parallel of David’s and God’s heart, but is saying what we all must desire if we would be like God, we all must desire to be after God’s own heart. Do you see the difference? Not have a heart like His (even though this is God’s eternal intention) I believe this will never happen this side of heaven, but be must be after His heart. Did you know it matters what we are after? What my friend are you after? The answer is easy to see all one needs to do is look at our lives and our check book to see what we are after. Our lives reflect what we really believe not what we tell our friends or what we want to be. Our lives are a direct reflection of the amount of revelation and authority we have in God. And our check book tells the story of what we spend our treasure and riches on and what we think is important. Charles Haun always said, (as he got his wallet out of his pants and waved it at the congregation) “once God gets a hold of this (his wallet) He has all of us.” It is one thing to give God our heart (not much of an investment in that on our part) but it is another thing to give God our check book. What are we going after in the world and all of her distractions: religion, politics, sports, hobbies, shopping, gaming, watching TV, reading, leisure time, the list is endless or are we after the things of God: reading His Holy Scriptures, prayer, giving so that others may receive, good works with the reward in heaven, service, communion with God and our brothers and sisters, the list can go on, but it is not so endless. And why? Because the things of God will cost us something to partake of them. If we truly desire the things of God there is price we must pay to be able to partake of all of God’s heavenly glory. Most religions and denominations will tell you, just become a Christian and you will have God’s best for your life, well that is almost true (still a lie), but they leave out the part where we must lay our life down so that Christ can live through us. They conveniently gloss over the verses that tell us we must lose our life for Christ’s sake so that we can find it. Losing comes first my friend, finding second. They go to sitting in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6) with Christ, but never discuss John 12:24-25 where we must fall into the ground and die. I wonder why they do this? Well, they are not after the things of God, but after the things of the world. Religions of men and denominations at best only paint ½ of the truth this is why they are so destructive to the Body of Christ. I promise you my friend if you are really after the things of God it will cost you. To know God’s power it will cost you something (God gets to pick the sacrifice not us), to know God’s presence it will cost you something far different than to know His power, and I promise you by all that is Holy, if you desire to know God’s person it will cost you all you have. It will cost you your life, but that is okay this is God’s plan for our lives for us to die so that He may live through us, but for God to be able to live through us we must die to our selfishness, our self-seeking, self-life, and how do we do this by desiring the things of God (this is our choice) by having a heart that is after God’s.

In Psalms 42 we read, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? 3My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? 4When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday. 5Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” (Psalms 42:1-5) We sing a song about these verses, but few stop to understand what is really being said in these verses. Please notice the progression in these five verses: (verses 1-2) panting and thirsting (verses 3) tears and religious works, and (verse 4-5) repentance and inward sober reflection. I wonder why they made the song from the first two verses? The real message from God here is in verses 4 and 5. But, here in verse 1 and 2 the writer goes after the things of God with great longing and great desire pouring out his heart, but the writer ends these verses with, “when shall I come and appear before God?” What happened to His desire and thirsting? Reality set in. My friend when we have a real encounter with God we will not feel like singing and dancing our emotional projection will be done away with. The clamor of our striving and self-effort will be done away with. We at best will be happy just to be alive and content with our mouth stopped We have been reduced and now God can build in us His character and nature of looking and acting like His precious Son Jesus Christ. We like Isaiah will see God high and lifted up and His train will fill the temple of our heart, what a holy place in God. Oh God, how I want this more and more in my life, but I find I am alive to my self and my will. I hear deep teachings and know them to be true and desire so to possess what I hear, but in the end they slip through my fingers and all I have is a bowl of well wished. Please help me oh Lord.

Now it is important (if you want to know where I am in God) to know I am more a Quietest more along the line and teachings, as far back, as St. Augustine, Father Lawrence, Francois de Salignac de La Mothe-Fenelon, Mike Molinos (Fenelon’s student), and more modern John Wright Follette and Walter Beuttler (both Charles’ teachers), Charles Haun (my teacher), and then me. But the line does not stop there, anyone I disciple probably will walk in this way out from the teaching they have received from me. You know it does matter who your teacher is. In these lives runs a thread of teaching and understanding that believes as we are quiet and still before the Lord (waiting before the Lord), during our solace reflection and meditation on God can we really hear from Him, when our mouth, desires, hungers, thirst, and thoughts are still and silent before Him then our spirit can rise up from the depth of our soul, then will we hear from heaven. In the Psalms again we read, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10) and so many more verses that encourage us to quiet our spirit so that we can come to know God who speaks to us (1 Kings 19:12) in a small still voice. Oh no my friend it is not an emotional or mental projection to God, but an inward swelling of our spirit pushing up and out of us towards God who put this desire in us to touch His heart. My heart within me drops when I hear Christians justify their emotional presumption with, “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 18And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;” (Ephesians 5:17-19) These three verses have nothing to do with singing songs in church, but here Paul is encouraging us to “be filled with the Spirit” and to make “melody in our heart to the Lord.” Why do we think this is about singing songs in church? The direction of our heart melody is always to be to the Lord. Oh no my friend this is not singing songs or playing musical instruments, but communion (no words required heart to heart) with the Lord, by the Spirit of God. Communion with God is a thing of the Spirit where our heart is fine-tuned and then in tune with God. Our spiritual growth and development will never happen in our lives if we continually press into God with our emotions and feelings which are deceptive and always will mislead us astray from the truth of the word of God. Peter also takes up this thought when he said, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” (1 Peter 2-3) How can we do this? First, by desiring the “sincere milk of the word” where-by we can grow learning the basics and fundamentals to achieve an elementary level of spiritual development that we can use to build on to be able to take on the meat of the word of God. The word “sincere” here (Strong’s #97) means unmixed, unadulterated, and pure. This “milk of the word” must not be mixed with the things of the world nor with our flesh if we are going to grow spiritually and establish healthy understandings and principles in the Lord. Spiritual things that are not mixed and adulterated by other contaminated teachings. So many young Christians from the start are taught a denominational religious dogma that sets them up for frustration and ensures they will always stay a babe in the Lord. Sadly often I believe this is out of design, who wants their kids (young Christians) growing up and asking their parents (religious denominations) some hard questions or wants to see their kids leave the nest (church) for what God wants for their lives, because if they do leave valuable hands to work around the home (church) will be lost. And second, we must walk in obedience and submit to what God has for our lives, then and only then can we “taste the Lord is gracious.”

My friend we must be after the things God is after, we must have a heart after the things God has a heart for. Many of my friends ask me if we are not to use our emotions to make our approach to the Lord then why did God give us emotions? Well that is easy, God gave us emotions so we could have a compassionate heart and feel sadness for those people who are lost and undone without His precious Son Jesus Christ not so we can thrill our “selves” at church when the music gets rocking or at some Christian rock concert. The same reason God gave us arms to reach out and care for people and legs so we can travel the many miles around the world to share the Gospel for Him not to up jump up and down and spin around like some top, how foolish to think so. And an understanding deep within us to be able to know the Creator and to be able to appreciate the beauty of a sunrise or sunset He has created. I have learned over the years when I am feeling weak in my emotions and in my self-strength I am usually moving correctly in God, but when I am feeling good and strong in my emotions and my self-strength I find myself getting off track and not going after what God is going after. My friend what are you going after? Written by David Stahl

AT THE END OF GOD'S LINE

Often times we mistake God’s longsuffering for His faithfulness. Now that is worth repeating again, often times we mistake God’s longsuffering for His faithfulness. Did you know there is a plum line of righteousness and truth we must walk correctly in to exist in God? I wonder why we think we can do and say whatsoever we want to say and do and think we are existing in God? Oh no my friend existing in God is far more than just going to church, paying our tithes and offerings, singing in the choir (or a special number on Sunday morning), or working around the church. Existing in God is an understanding and a knowing of how God operates and functions and this only comes to us by way of our daily submission and obedience to God’s word and His ways. At the heart of this submission and obedience is our requirement (in God) for us to discipline (a nasty word to most Christians, and me too at times) our thought life, desires, and our selfish, self-seeking ways. Alone, by our self effort, nor with religion (what most Christians use to make an approach to God) can we discipline ourselves enough to be able to walk with God, but only with the power of the Holy Spirit moving in our lives can we ever hope to be able to walk in the ways (exist) of God and come to know Him as He desires. Isaiah shares these words with us, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. 17Judgment (translated instruction, discipline, and punishment in that order) also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet (leveling tool or instrument): and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.” (Isaiah 28:16-17) Of course Isaiah was prophesying of the coming of Jesus Christ the “foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation:,” but please notice the end of verse 16, “he that believeth shall not make haste.” The word “haste” (Strong’s #2363) is translated to make haste or hurry, here to quickly lay a foundation. Now God does not build on man’s foundation, nor should we. God always builds one stone at a time as the stone is fitly joined into the foundation and if the stone is not the right shape or size the builder (God) will fashion the stone until it can fit into the foundation. Verse 17 tells us what God will do if we in “haste” lay a foundation, “Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet:” Now please do not think this judgment from God is spiteful and vindictive, oh no God’s judgment for those who love God is meant to cleanse or wash and prune our lives. And those who do not love God, well God’s judgment is a reward (what we have earned) of punishment for our disobedience and waywardness. This not God’s intention, but make no mistake my friend God will keep us on the line only for so long, He will allow us to play fast and loose only so long then with a mighty heavy hand God will come to us personally or a nation (like America) and execute His holy righteous judgment. I really believe the church (for years) has presented God’s judgment wrong so that many could manipulate and control people. Did you know people will willfully give all they have and even lay their lives down for someone who says they have the power to withhold God’s judgment or they will pray for them and God will heal or bless them? I have seen this for years. Oh no my friend God does not operate like this. The heart of God’s judgment for man is for learning and without this “judgment” (instruction, discipline, and punishment) moving in our lives we will never be able to build correctly on the “sure foundation,” our foundation will always be unleveled, uneven, and not plum. Our lives will be a wreck every relationship we build will crumble like a house of cards. Everything we try will never come to completion and purpose in God, oh we may have some success (in man’s definition), but the end that God has planned and purposed will never manifest because it has been built on a foundation not of God.

We seen this divine spiritual principle in salvation and especially in the spiritual growth we are to have moving in our lives after we complete kindergarten. The writer of the Book of Hebrews shares “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ (kindergarten), let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.” (Hebrews 6:1-2) We are to go on “leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,” but most Christians camp out here in verses 1-2 all of their lives waiting for Jesus to come and take them to heaven, well that is not God’s idea. God has much more than salvation for us. And for us to be able to walk in what God has (and expects) for us we must move on from the elementary things of the faith. Now we must not forget what Jesus did for us on Calvary (this must be an anchor that always grips our heart), but we must not allow the “principles of the doctrine of Christ” to be the central focus of our Christian life, there must be spiritual growth and development in our lives if we are to come into the stature and fullness (Ephesians 4:13) of Christ. In John we read, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) Now do not believe (as some preachers teach) Jesus removed sin from the world, no He did not, because if He did then there would be no sin in the world. All we have to do is take a honest look at our heart condition, ambitions, and motives or watch the news on TV or read the paper to see sin is alive and well in the world. But Jesus did something more important and even harder than taking “away the sin of the world,” He took upon Himself the sin FOR the world. John 1:29, in the Greek says, “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and says, “Behold the Lamb of God, the one taking up the sin of the world.” The words, “one taking up the sin of the world” indicates that Jesus alone bore the entirety of sin as He took upon Himself (not removed them) the sin of the world and made a way for us to be free of sin, death, hell, and the grave. It was such a completeness that it is written, “He was made to be sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21) Do you see the difference? Believe it or not John the Baptist did not see the difference. After serving as the fore runner for Christ, in prison, John (Jesus’ cousin) said, “ . . . having heard in the prison the works of the Christ, sent by his disciples, said to him, Art thou the coming one? or are we to wait for another?” (Matthew 11:2-3) John was at the end of the line God had for him. We all have an end some sooner than others, some more painful than others, but all will come to the end of the line God has for us. Again in Hebrews we read, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, 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) Please notice the writer of Hebrews encourages us to, “let us lay aside every weight and sin which easily besets us.” Every weight is not sin. There are two things moving here in Hebrews 12:1, weights; those things that are not sin, but cause us to get off track like our wrong motives, hard hearted heart condition, wrong ambitions, desires even our plans and dreams that are not God sponsored and of course our sin. Now we know how to take care of sin in our lives, we have already talked about Christ taking upon Himself the sin of the world, but how do we take care of those weights that so easily beset us? That too is easy, by us studying (not just reading) the word of God. When we read the Bible (God’s words) the words contained on the pages are Spirit and life to our mind and soul. And as we study the word of God (if we have the right heart condition) the Holy Spirit will be able to wash us of our negativity and wrong thinking and clean our heart of impurities. Jesus described this process in John 15. Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:1-6) Now the word “purgeth” (Strong’s #2508, to cleanse of filth impurity) in verse 2 is not a pruning or cutting away from the vine, but a washing or cleansing. If God cannot wash us of the dirt of this world and our selfishness and self-centered heart then God cannot use us. The more we study (not read) the Bible and the more we allow the Holy Spirit free reign in our heart and mind the more we will be able to “lay aside every weight that easily besets us.” Please notice verse 3, “Now ye are clean the word of God which I have spoken unto you.” And please do not miss the warning (take heed my brothers and sisters) here in verse 6, “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” If we do not abide in Christ we are “cast forth” or picked/stripped from the vine because we have withered, we lack the power and strength to stay connected to the vine, and look “men” not God, but “men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned.” Many today in the church would say God would never do this, well my friend do not tell Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) or anyone else in the Bible where God’s judgment has fallen on them. Take heed my brothers and sisters. There is a cleansing and a washing in God so that we will be more fruitful, but so true also my friend there is a stripping/picking away, a gathering, and burning for those God brings to the end of their line and turns their back on God. Please do not be deceived by the “once saved always saved” doctrine. Yes, if we stay connected to the vine and live by every word that proceeds out from the mouth of God nothing will be able to remove us from God’s hand, but if we once were saved and walked with the Lord (the Bible is full of examples) then we turn our backs on God we will wither (no mechanism to receive strength from the vine), be gathered by men, and burned up. Make no mistake my friend God has a line for all to operate on and loves to bring us to the end, not to see us flop around or squirm, but to see us stand and withstand in His might enduring, in Christ, all that He and life throws against us.

CORRECTING OUR ERRORS

Karen and I like going to the Farmers Market (a market where there is fresh vegetables, crafts, and sometimes country or blue grass music) on Saturday before we go shopping at the commissary, the military food store I talked about in my last article. One of the reasons we like the Farmers Market is we get to meet our good friends Dale and Linda from Whispering Dove Ranch whom we buy our local honey. Well, one Saturday we stopped by and purchased four bottles of honey, a bar of goat milk soap, and chatted awhile. I enjoy talking with Dale about bee-keeping, something I would love to do if I had the time. So we said our farewells and off we went to the commissary. We shopped (a part of our weekly ritual) and when Karen was paying for the groceries she noticed she forgot to give Linda the check for the honey and the soap, well Karen was mortified she could not believe she forgot to give Linda the check. So I said no problem we can call them and let them know we will get the check out in the mail and Karen said no let’s drive back to the Farmers Market 15-20 minutes by car. I said no let’s call and see what they want us to do. So reluctantly Karen called (I was driving) and Linda said, please stick the check in the mail Monday, no problem, but there was a problem in Karen’s eyes she made a mistake and it had to be corrected as soon as possible. Yes, it could wait until Monday, but why wait until then. Karen said it was her good Catholic up-bringing that kicked in and she was compelled to make it right. Knowing Karen’s sense of morals and heart condition I would think my Protestant friends could learn a lot from my Catholic friends. So in the end we drove back to the Farmer’s Market and Karen gave Dale the check, error corrected. Now this was a minor error, but if we look at the remedy of the error through the eyes of the Scriptures we will learn a truth that will benefit us far beyond just correcting an error. When we miss it in God it is never about just correcting a mistake or error. We look at sin and say, we must not sin. Now this is true, if we are sinning we must stop, repent (flow in the opposite direction) and then try to correct the error. One can never repent and try to correct the error unless they stop sinning. Now I know that sounds simple, but if we will be honest with ourselves and others we know this to be true. Never think the act is what God calls the sin oh no. The act is only the wickedness and disobedience in our heart that manifests itself by doing what God told us not to do. God says, do not lie and we lie. God says do not commit murder and we commit murder. The list goes on. The act of lying and murder is not the sin, but the doing of what God said not to do. Anytime we do what God told us not to do we have sinned, we have missed the mark, we know what is right to do (because the Bible tells us) yet we do not and we sin. It is like it does not matter what we do for God that counts, but how we do things. Well sin is no different. Did you know sin was the biggest topic Jesus spoke on? Yet we seldom hear a message on sin, not a sermon (a moral or religious story you can apply to the Bible), but a message (thus sayeth the Lord) from God. Could it be sin is not important anymore to God? I think not. We focus on the acts, but God focuses on our heart condition, our intentions, and our motives, there my friend is where the heart of sin resides.

In this article I would like to look at two areas, the first is the heart condition we must have to be able to repent and then correct our errors and the second is this thinking in the church that says it is okay to make a mistake or error. Let us begin to look at the heart condition of true repentance. In Corinthians Paul shares with us, “For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. 9Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 10For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 11For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” (2 Corinthians 7:8-11) Did you get that, “For Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation.” I wonder what “Godly sorrow” looks like? If you cannot tell me then there is a good chance you have never experienced this sorrow and not really saved. I would think “Godly sorrow” is more of an inward feeling of devastation then just feeling bad. When we see what sin has wrought in our lives and the eternal sublime truth of who we are apart from God it should drop us to our knees as we too like Paul say, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24) This discovery, by the power of the Holy Spirit, of who we really are should kill us, bring us to tears, wailing and sobbing, snot running out our nose, but that is not what we see in church when someone (rarely happens any more) comes to the Lord, they make a commitment after they repeat the sinner’s prayer. Well my friend the sinner’s prayer is something man made up so that they will not have to follow the Biblical format of leading someone to Christ. Paul taught, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10) Confessing (agreeing with God what He is saying about us is true) with our mouth and believing in our heart God raised Jesus from the dead is the only format that will lead us to salvation. And when we really confess we will understand, we will see, we will know of our shame and waywardness from God and it will kill us. Repeating after someone is NOT “confessing with thy mouth.” The words “thy mouth” is an utterance from the heart since thoughts of a man’s soul find verbal utterance by his mouth. Jesus taught, “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” (Matthew 12:34) Make no mistake my friend, whatever is in our heart will come out our mouth. We will be known as God knows us. We must speak true and honest words from our heart to be saved. And not repeating some words on a card, but words (from our heart) like I am sorry and really mean it from our soul. I am afraid many people have been deceived by the sinner’s prayer, thinking they are a Christian, but knowing all along they lack the evidence and power of the normal Christians life. Man is not dumb, he knows when he has something genuine, but I wonder why many people are content with the type and shadow of salvation when they could have the real McCoy? This too is why many fall out of the way so fast, they were never really on the way, no foundation of salvation was laid, no recognizing the cost Jesus paid on the cross, and no counting the cost we must pay to be numbered as a Christian. Oh no just make a commitment, well my friend this is dead wrong. Denominations like to make it easy, just repeat after me, they get more folks that way who have money, well it was not so easy for Jesus it cost Him His life. God does not care about our money, unlike many denominations, He is after our heart something which is far more valuable.

We will never be able to come to salvation unless there is an understanding of our need for “Godly sorrow” so too we will never be able to correct the errors (saying or doing something against someone) we make unless we come to an understanding of our need for repentance (stop making the error) and restoration (try to make it right). Now I am not talking about sin here we have discussed the remedy for sin, but they both require the same thinking process to remove them from our lives. When many people correct an error there is no real repentance, most are sad because they got caught not because the Holy Spirit has convicted them of their error. This is why they are doomed to repeat the error again and again. Yes, the Holy Spirit will convict us of not only our sin, but of the errors we make. How wonderful is this? The error is corrected only when we feel remorse and sorrow for our error and then try to make things right. Both processes must be moving in our attempt to correct our errors. If we only try to make things right (like what most people do) then the price in our heart we are to pay to remember our shame and folly will not be there and we will fail in our heart. If we only remember the shame and folly (not to speak of the condemnation we heap on ourselves) and not try to make things right, then we forfeit the joy and wholesomeness we always feel when we do the right thing. Can you imagine the joy Karen felt when she handed Dale the check for the honey? You will only be able to feel what Karen felt, if you have done what Karen did. Some churches ignorantly sing, “I want to dance like David danced” well my friend you will only be able to dance like David danced, if you went through the things David went through. Oh how we like to dance, but forgo the going through of things.

There is another area on this topic the Lord would have me briefly touch on. In James (one of my favorite Books) we read, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. 16Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:14-17) Now “err” is not error, they are distinctly different. An error is to make a mistake (mild or malicious), but to “err” (Strong’s #4105) is to cause to stray, to lead astray, lead aside from the right way, and to go astray, wander, roam about. Brethren we must not cause “err” for our brothers and sisters. I believe this is one of the biggest failures of the denominational churches today to lead people astray from the truth of the Gospel and indoctrinating them into the denominational doctrine, customs, and traditions of men. This is what was going on in the church of Jerusalem. False teachers had infiltrated the church by 48 A.D., “err” had already crept in and defiled the brethren, sounds like today. The Preacher in Ecclesiastes knew what he was saying when he said, “there is knowing new of the sun.” My friend take heed God takes “err” very serious. God personally will show up and defend His word and His church He is building. We must be very careful (take great heed) not to stray ourselves, but more important not to lead people astray from the truth of the word of God. You know I tell the kids at the school where I work as a substitute teacher we must think right, it is not okay to keep making mistake after mistake, oh thank God for grace, but that is not God’s intention for us. Grace is there in case we need it (and I am glad it is) but God’s intention for us is to do it right the very first time and not make an error to correct. Written by David Stahl