Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Building blocks

The verses in the bible are built upon each other. Remember the reference in Romans 8:1 that there is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Well here is another proof that the phrase in bold in my other post (about the KJV Bible) is the inspired word of God and should not have been erased by the apostate versions in circulation.
Anyway today I invite you to look at Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

PastorTom Bard from New Hampshire preached at our church this past Sunday and gave a beautiful explanation of Romans 8:2. He used the analogy of the law of gravity and said that the natural tendency is for things to fall to the ground. He said the law of gravity is constant, it does not go away, however it can be overcome by another. Take for example the law of thermodynamics and how it works in the case of airplanes. You engage the engine and it soars in the sky, thus defying the law of gravity. In the case of Christians, the law of the flesh is constantly at work, but when you engage the law of the Spirit of Life, you will overcome the law of sin and death which is at work in our mortal bodies. Remember what Isaiah 40:31 says "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; ". Eagles don't flap their wings, they are there in the sky. They soar and the law of gravity cannot pull them down.

Christian: What law have you engaged in your daily walk. Is it the law of sin and death, satifying your worldly lusts, or have you engaged the law of spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

Should you like to continue reading the passage:
Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Thursday, October 20, 2005

The KJV Bible 1611 stands alone - A challenge to all

I invite you to read Romans 8:1 from whatever English Bible you have and let us compare. I challenge you all to find that second segment of the verse in any version other than the King James Version (KJV 1611). Then I have a story to tell you on the subject.

KJV: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

RSV: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Darby: [There is] then now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus.

NIV: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Go on. Keep trying. You will not find the condition in bold above in any other version. Here is a real story that happened three weeks ago in one of the homeless shelters in Montreal where Brian, our Assistant Pastor, works.

Brian our Assistant Pastor told us this story which involved him. Three weeks ago a fellow walks into the Welcome Hall Mission where Brian has a night job ministering to homeless men. The fellow claims he is a believer and had been saved some years ago but his life is a mess. He complains to Brian that everytime he opens his bible (The Living Bible) he acutally feels spirits crawling all over him, and it is freaky.

Brian explains to the man that his life is a mess because he has been living in sin. But, the fellow replies by quoting a scripture verse, Romans 8:1. Look here, as he opens his "living" bible. Doesn't the Bible say that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.
Brian (who is well versed in the Bible) looks at the fellow and tells him to continue. But the man says that's it. Where's the rest of the verse? Asks Brian. There is a continuation to the verse, keep going. But the man just stopped. A key phrase was missing. Then Brian read the same verse from the KJV which continued who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. At that point the man's chin drops. He looks at the KJV in one hand, and looks at his so-called living bible, and then waves the two books in the air exclaiming. What is that? Can someone tell me which one is the Word of God? Brian asked him. Which one gives you peace? The fellow replied by pointing to the KJV. Then take it to your room and read it, says Brian. The man did and since then (three weeks ago) Brian says this fellow's life has been transformed and he is now the most docile man at the mission.

And you want to tell me that all versions out there are the word of God. I don't think so. This man's living book had no power over the demons who were crawling all over him until he read the truth in the KJV 1611 Bible.

Amen. 1 Corinthians 14:33 - For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Romans 15:6 - That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

PeaceofChrist blog

I was feeling bored this morning because I am the only one to post on penofiron, it seems. I like to write, it's true, but I also like to see what others have to say. So I turned to Seth Wilson's blog (which I hate to admit I had not visited in ages). I was pleasantly surprised and I loved what I saw. That is why I am advertising it here. PeaceofChrist.blogspot.com

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Twelve Baskets

I have often wondered at the parable of feeding the five thousand especially where the Holy Spirit tells us that after everyone ate and was filled, the disciples removed twelve baskets full.
Here is a quick description of how Pastor Sowell put it. He believed that the basket is a picture of the christian. First you have the meaningless baskets. To begin with our life is meaningless. People who followed Jesus into the wilderness took some empty baskets with them and they would have served for nothing empty as they were. Then you get the miracle baskets which refer to our life once the Lord has performed a miracle and we get born again. Then our life becomes meaningful and we can go out and teach others feeding them on the bread of life. This is the missionary basket. The twelve full baskets of left over food were taken back home to feed those people who did not come out to meet the Lord. Towards the end of life the basket becomes a memorial basket when stricken with age we cannot go out and do the same work we did. You look at the old men of God and you remember what they did in their lifetime. These are the memorial basket.

That message was a booster in the life of so many in our church. Christian: Are you a missionary basket and is your basket filled with the bread of life and of fish? Are you filled with the word of life and have you led men to Christ? Jesus said if you follow me, I will make you fishers of men.

Thank you Lord for Pastor Sowell's ministry. I finally understand why the numerous references to the twelve baskets that were lifted once Jesus had fed the thousands.

Friday, October 07, 2005

Boot Camp

Pastor Rick Sowell from Toledo, Ohio is conducting revival meetings at our church. Preacher So Well as our Pastor described him gave us these four points on Wednesday night. Referring to Ephesians chapter 6 about putting on the whole armour of God he noted that putting on the armour comes at the end of the Epistle. Because first the Christian has to have basic training before he is sent out to war. Soldiers go to boot camps when they are first recruited. There they undergo hard and basic training until they learn to obey orders with eyes closed. They are exposed to harsh living conditions, every comfort is taken away while they train over and over and over again for the battle field. When David was a young lad and Goliath was threatening the nation, he was offered the full armour of King Saul for the battle, but he couldn't wear it because it was too heavy for him. However, later on when David had matured into a strong man after God's own heart, Samuel gave him the giant sword of Goliath, and this time it was not heavy for him. The four points or four factors which are included in the basic training are as follows:

Ephesians 4: 17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind.
The pastor called this the Pursuit Factor. As a Christian, you must change direction in life. Don't pursue the vain things of this world. Don't go that way. If the world wants to go right, you go left.
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.
Factor two. The Procrastination Factor.
Postpone things he said, if you want to take a literal explanation of the words "put off". You can deceive your flesh, and decide to put things off for the next day may, and the next day tell your flesh that you will do what it likes but put it off again to the afternoon for example, and so on until you learn to put off the things of the flesh completely away.

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Factor three. The Pretense Factor I believe this was. Put on even if you fake it. Tell yourself you are going to do something, and you will end up doing it. Do the right thing even if you don't like it.

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of...

This is the fourth factor, the Persistence Factor. Persist in doing the right things. Notice the links with lying, is anger, stealing, corrupt communication (foul language) etc.
Once you have passed all these factors we read in Chapter 6 the following:

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Christian: Have you been trained in forsaking the ways of the world, its vanity and deceitful lusts. Boot camp training makes you fit to put on the full armour of God and go out to battle for the Lord and his coming Kingdom.

Monday, October 03, 2005

The houses of the gods of Egypt (Jer 43:12, 13)

May the Lord God help me as I pen this post to try and bring out to you in a very clear fashion the reality of the idolatry that I saw in the land of the Pharoahs during my recent trip to Egypt.

I don't know where to begin in order to describe what I saw. I will retrace my steps and try to describe what I saw and what went on in my mind as I compared all the ruins with the biblical prophecies and God's word in relation to Egypt and the gods of the Egyptians. I am sure I will skip a few things here and there but please bear with me. My trip began in Cairo where we had a business meeting, but on the Saturday that preceded, my colleagues who had been to Egypt for the first time decided they wanted to see the pyramids of Giza. I will try to upload a picture in another post. I have been to the pyramids three times now but everytime I see them I discover something new about them. If you have any idea at all of the geometrical or astronomical design of the pyramid of Giza you will be aware that it was built in the centre of the earth, to align with a certain configuration of the stars, and that the circumference of the pyramid compares to the nth degree to the circumference of the earth itself. The inside of the pyramid is design to reflect an upward path called in the Egyptian book of the dead "the passion of the Christ" (believe it or not). The passion of the christ leads to an uppper chamber called the queen's chamber (made of pink stone) that also leads upward to the King's chamber which is in the uppermost part of the pyramid. At some point in this path, there is a path that leads to a what a called a bottomless pit. Many tourists have falled and died inside this payramid, that is why the authorities have now closed the inside labyrinth of the pyramid, and you are only allowed to go few meters down. Inside the pyramid of Giza, and surprisingly enough, no statues were found, no graven images, just an open sepulchure. Beside the pyramid, the archeologists have recently found dug underground a boat like shaped like the ark of Noah. This was new to me, it has now been raised to surface level and turned into a glass museum. Why am I writing all this description is to bring to you the subject of the giants and the fallen creatures which we read about in Genesis chapter 6. Let me say one thing before I proceed. I offer no apology for my comments herebelow. All you have to do is reserach your Bible, and you will be faced by the most convincing of biblical truths, although I will leave the subject of the pyramids to your imagination.

After the meeting was over, a few colleagues and I flew from Cairo to Aswan (a one-hour domestic flight) where we began our fascinating tours to the temples of the gods dating back to the Greco/Roman era. There we found huge stone temples fashioned in what seemed to me very similar to the tabernacle of God in the wilderness. In every temple we visited was designed with an outer court for the public, an inner court accessible only to priests and royalty, and then of course the inner sanctuary where the statue of their God resided. Isis and Osoris and Horus, as a triad figured prominently wherever we went. I was constantly reminded of the Trinity. Every temple had on the left hand side a birthing house (called Mamisi). The birthing house represented the mother giving birth to the divine child (does that remind you of anything?) A most interesting detail I found was that in the holiest of holies of their temples, their god was always placed in a boat. Now why a boat, I don't know. I could think of the Noah's ark. I could think of the flood. Did they fear the flood was coming, and wanted their god to sail away. Who knows? Remember they also worshipped the nile river as a sources of life.

Then of course the entrance to the temples, especially at Edfu (and Karnak in Luxor), were decorated by huge statues of either eagles, elephants or even baboons. At the top of the entrance to each temple, was the picture of the sun disk with eagles wings on each side and of course the two snakes one on each side of the sun disk. These were to protect the kings/gods whose images or statues were inside. The pillars that were roundabout in the outer court were huge and decorated with either the Lotus or the Papyrus plants symbols of lower and upper Egypt. The statues of the several Ramses were grotesque, huge and very high. I kept thinking to myself as I stared these must be the giants of old (supposing that these were life size statues). Images from the books of Genesis Exodus, Joshua, Judges etc. came back to life as I visited the temples in Edfu (the most complete temple ever found), Comombo, Philae and Elephantine Island. The two obelisks (of course, how could I forget those) at the entrance of each temple stood huge shaped like an arrow pointing upwards in defiance to God. I was reminded of Nimrod. In one temple one obelisk was missing and our tour guide told us it stands today in the centre of the outer courtyard at the Vatican. I don't understand either why there is an obelisk in Washington too. I leave it all to your imagination. Then of course there was the scarabee and the cartouche. The tourist guide explained to us why the scarabee charm is a symbol of good luck to the Egyptians, and why the cartouche. The cartouche is shaped like the egg of the scarab, which itself is a kind of cockroach that comes out of the manure (dung, excuse the expression) in the morning and returns to it at night. So the ancient Egyptians thought these come up with the sun rise and go to bed at sun set, then these are a symbol of life, and they worshipped it. Do you still want to buy a scarabee as a good luck charm? They also sell what is know as the key of life. I hope you all know who the way, the truth and the life is. Just think that human kind has always wanted to have eternal life but they seek for it in all the wrong places, forgetting the true creater and author of life himself. They have rejected the creator and worshipped the creature.

From Aswan we sailed in a cruise ship along the Nile river(several hours) we came to Luxor where we visited the Karnak temple (the biggest temple ever found about 62 acres if I am not mistaken). It is at Karnak that I saw the huge statues of Ramses and the giant men, and the elephants and baboons. In one area at Karnak we came to a huge man made lake which contained the "holy" i.e. stagnant water which the priests used for their purification. (Does that remind you of anything in the Old Testament?) We also visited the Luxor temple there, but the highlight of the trip was the Valley of the Kings. I hope every one of you can make that trip some day because you will be in the middle of a desert land, with huge limestone mountains, and at the mouth of each mountain are several entry ports. You step inside and you find yourself in a huge but beautifully decorated wide alley made of white limestone leading downwards, and all walls, side walls and ceiling you see colorful paintings of all the mythical gods that you can think of. People offering sacrifices to the mytical gods, and kings offering sacrifies to the gods, and then of course the famous judgment scene as each dead person stands before Horus and his heart is weighed in the balances, and should have led a good life then he moves on to purification, but if he has led a bad life, then his is either mutilated, or his heart is plucked out. You feel a combination of feelings. Disgusted yet fascinated to be in the very famous deserts that were once trodden by Moses and Joseph.

At some point, I wanted to leave the land because I had seen enough paganism and idolatly, and I came to grips with God's words about the gods of the Egyptians and his hatred for them. I remember seeing blue painting in the ceilings of the temples representing the stars (you could still see the colors even though faded with time) and how they worshipped the host thereof. A woman wrapped around the ceiling represented the goddess of whatever. There were gods for anything and everything painted on the walls. We even saw mummified crocodiles. The ancient Egyptians worshipped anything they feared and tried to please them in order to avoid their evil. Anything ugly or evil. Three headed snakes were to be feared the most, crocodiles, rats, mice, baboons, eagles, reptiles, eagles. (Think of the ten plagues). Every mythical god had either the sun disk or the moon shape on his head. All this time I kept telling myself, this is what God meant in Jeremiah 43 and in other reference too where he said he will break the images of Bethshemesh (house of the sun) that is in the land of Egypt and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire. Remember I did see some blackened ceilings too because apparently when the early christians were persecuted in Egypt, they ran and hid in these huge temples (some are still standing, one is rather complete) and since they cooked their meals inside them, it is thought that they had caused the black ceilings of some of the temples we saw.

You would not believe the deceit and idolatry that pervaded the land of Egypt in those days. Its greatness and its riches are still manifest, although the present day Egyptians are not the same people. The stories that are told along side every wall of every temple talk about the need for pleasing the gods in order to obtain eternal life. Unfortunately they missed the point big time. And as the Bible says in Romans 1: 25. As a matter of fact Romans chapter 1 verses 19 onwards came brilliantly alive as I toured in the lands of the pharoahs, and when Jeremiah 46:25 says, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings even Pharaoh and of them that trust in him, I felt sorry for every tourist who unwittingly thought it a privileg to visit the goldsmiths and buy either the "key of life" as a pendant, or even more popular the cartouches with their names engraved inside the egg of a beetle.

I should not forget to mention that we also visited the high dam built by Gamal Abdel Nasser in the late sixties, early seventies. We saw the nubian areas where nubian villages are now flooded because of the high dam project. Some nubians (who speak nubian as well as Arabic) village people who have been relocated tell you the stories of their flooded villages. They recount how once a fertile soil is not bereft of the silt which covered when the Nile flooded. The older folks told us that even the taste of the fruits have changed. The soil is not as rich as it used to be. That was one negative aspect of building the high dam.

One place I would have loved to visit would have been the temple of Abou Simbel. This temple was going to be flooded when the high dam was built but UNESCO intervened, and they chopped up the temple into 15000 pieces and they raised it. Here's a fascinating detail however. Apparently the temple was built to align with the stars in such a way that on the birthday of the king (21 October) when the sun rose, at midday the sun rays would shine right on the face of the god or king. Apparently after UNESCO raised the temple, using all the atronomical calculations as though it was built at the time, they missed by 24 hours. Therefore when the shines on the face the king it misses it by one day and now it shines on his face on two days, 22 October and 22 November of each day, thus missing the date by one day. Does that remind you of a missing day in the Old Testament? Think of Joshua and you might have a clue.

May be on another visit if the Lord permits I would like to also visit Tal El Amarna as well as Abu Simbel temple.

There, I hope I have been able to present you a bit with what it felt like to be in the lands of the pharoahs. In three days we were transported thousands of years back into history. Fascinating and saddening at the same. To me it only made me glorify the Only True and Living God all the more for his grace and mercy which saved a sinner like me from the deceitfulness of worshipping idols which come hidden in the form of charms. Who knows?

Saturday, October 01, 2005

On an upcoming Bible study

This is in answer to Consecrated's excellent comment in "Back to Montreal".

Yes, how very true. In fact, just today I presented the youth group a sketch of Jesus' descent into hell to declare his triumph and take hell's keys, as well as to Abraham's bosom to "lead captivity captive" Ephesians 4. Some great great truths appeared, which Lord willing I will be writing in an upcoming Bible study.

God bless you all

Newer Posts Older Posts Home

Modified by Blogcrowds