THOUGHTS FOR CONSIDERATION: Greetings again my friends. Let us continue looking at the Prophet of God, no has his physical attributes, but as his character and spiritual attributes. God is not so concerned about our physical things (maybe as much as we are) as much as He is about our character and ability to function in a spiritual way. I would freely add our character and integrity is God’s number focus in our lives, not our ability to sing, dance, paint, play a musical instrument, work around the church, speak in tongues, or pay our tithes and offering. Oh no, but God is concerned if we are people of our word. Do we do what we say we will do when we say we will do it? Can we be counted on by sinner a Saints alike? Is our word the “Gospel Truth” or do people hear our words and do an eye roll no matter the topic. And why is God so concerned with this in us? Well, He knows if He cannot count on us to be people of integrity then He cannot use us and we will disqualify ourselves for serve by our own actions and words. One area of our words that a prophet and any Believer MUST take heed not to speak presumptuously. Presumption is to presume (to be bold as to dare, to take for grant, suppose) you know what you are saying is true, but in reality you do not know what you are talking about.
Ant time I hear someone say, “thus sayeth the LORD” my ears perk up and my spiritual antennas go up. When it is all said and done and you say, “thus sayeth the LORD” you are speaking for God and we MUST ALAWYS be right, if not then we saying God is a liar. It is not a questions of almost getting it right oh no, no points for second place, either we are right 100% or either we are wrong. It is like salvation, either we are saved by the grace of God through faith or we are not. Either we ae going to heaven because we are saved or because we have NOT excepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior we are on our way to hell. No middle ground here my friend, God always works in absolutes. The life of a Prophet in the Old Testament was not a happy life. Most Prophets lived not in the palace, but in the prison for telling the king God said change your ways. And for the prophets the people did not really like it was of the Law, which kills, that if a prophet prophesied something and it did not come true then they were immediately stoned to death. Unlike today, not too many people wanted to be a prophet. But that ws then. The Word of God has much to say about prophets. The weeping Prophet Jeremiah has a lot to say about warning prophets to speak truthful, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.” (Jeremiah 23:16) In verse 21 of Chapter 23 of Jeremaiah we read, “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.” (Jeremiah 23:21) and in verses 28 and 29, we read, “The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. 29Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 12:28-29) The Bible tells us there is nothing new under the sun and this holds true for prophets, Now, I will be honest, I do not see the need for prophets today. After all we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, who lead and guides us to all truths. Now please do not say (I do not want nor need the emails) David Stahl said he does not believe in prophecy or prophets, I am not saying this. But, what I am saying is, I do not understand the apparent lap over of prophets and the Holy Spirit. Another area we said we would talk about is the swiftness to speak for God as a prophet. When we speak for God we must be sure, be life and death sure, that we are speaking for God. To do this we must take our time and wait to hear God speak maybe again. I do not know about you my friend, but I would rather have God speak a second or third time to me to be sure than to speak for God presumptuously and wrong. You know not to many things we do fast in God turns out better. I find the things we slow down in God and make sure of always turns out for the best. I remember an old Nurse Anesthetist, named Larry Green would always tell the patient moving from the gurney to the Operating Room table, “no points for speed just for grace and accuracy.” So too in God. We need to slow down and make sure we are doing that which God tells us to say and do.
Next month we will continue looking at the “Prophet of God” as we look at how we must NEVER diminish God’s Words. Is this is you my friend? Are you a Prophet of God? To be a Prophet we must be able to hear His voice. Listen closely and you will.
Written by David Stahl
ARTICLE REVIEW:
Our Christian Profession
What do you believe and why do you believe it? What is the profession of your faith? Most Christians do not know what and why they believe things in God. Most Christians are confused with the word “salvation” because they have been taught “salvation” only deals with our sins. We will talk about that later. There are websites where you can pick the church of your choosing (and call it God’s leading) to use your God given ability and talents. Whatever happened to God directing our steps? Most Christians see the Christian job market as a way of life. Thinking this small church is a stepping stone to something greater. Whatever happened to greatness in God is being in His will? Why you can even get a Dove Award for being a great Christian singer. Whatever happened to God’s reward being enough? And recently Hollywood has discovered Christians have wallets stuffed with money too with the making of “faith based” movies why they do not even call them Christian movies, well maybe they are not. Ah yes, we can get a job (that pays quite well) in the Christian world, but that is not the profession I am talking about. Just ask all of the folks on Christian TV or pastors of those so called churches on TV. There is much money to be made on the backs of widows and good hearted folks who do not know better than to tune in and watch these charlatans or even the good hearted folks who do not know better than to attend crusades, conferences, and churches of apostate pastors (like T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Rick Warren, Rod Parsley, sadly the list go on and on) who preach and teach a prosperity, humanistic, or seeker sensitive message that is pure anti-Christ. Paul told the Christians at Galatia, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?” (Galatians 3:1) Today these thieves and charlatans have “bewitched” the feeble minded unlearned people to the truth of the word for personal gain and power it is no wonder most Christians do not know what they believe. Now I am not talking about such things in this article, but what I am talking about is what we as Christians ought to profess of our faith. Now the word “profession” (secondary meaning) is an interesting word and means, openly declaring what ones believes. Not too many Christians openly declare what they believe. In most cases most Christians are closet professors. For years I have wondered why so many Christians have to be pinned down (almost like in a fire fight) in a conversation before they will admit they are a Christian. Why so shy and backward in admitting their allegiance for Christ? Now I can understand why in some places of the world where sharing your allegiance can mark you for death, but in countries (like America) where we have Christian liberties to share what we believe, it just blows my mind to know most Christians hid the good news of the Gospel, and in their shame of the Gospel, by hiding their profession (what they believe) of their faith in confusion and deception. In reading the Bible it is critical we keep all things in context if not then we will get the precept (foundational truths) wrong and if we get our precepts wrong then we will get our concepts (our ways of daily Christian living) wrong. A prime example of this is how we have neutered the word salvation. We today equate salvation with the removal of our sins, but in reality “all of his benefits” are include in our salvation. David said in the Psalms, “I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted: 11 I said in my haste, All men are liars. 12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?” (Psalm 116:10-12) There are more “benefits” in salvation than just our sin removal. I will save this for another article. Many mainstream denominations walk the Roman Road of salvation: Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9, Romans 5:1 to tell one how to be saved, but these verses are NOT the profession (what we believe) of our faith. Read them for yourself and do not make the same mistake. As wacky as the many Baptist dominations march up and down the Roman Road of salvation many Pentecostal denominations (Oneness types, United Pentecostal Holiness, and the like) profess Acts 2:38 as the only verse for salvation. Foolishness just foolishness, yet they push their half-truths (which is a lie) out deceiving good hearted folks. I do not know about all of this stuff (sounds like a lot of religion to me) you judge, but all of these are not about our Christian profession (or what we believe as Christians) they are about the dos and do nots for salvation. The dos and do nots are not what we believe (our professions), but how we can be saved and usually are works focused. Even the wonderful verse of salvation found in John, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Is not a profession of our faith, but a verse that shows us how to be saved. There is a huge difference between our salvation and our profession of faith. Sadly, the word salvation has become a religious cliché that only talks about our sins being forgiven, but salvation is much much more that. If you believe your sins are forgiven and if you would die today you would go to heaven, but you are not experiencing: joy, peace, healing, wholeness, spiritual growth and development, even prosperity, and daily battle with a sin consciousness then you do not understanding grace and faith. In days gone by the church never really struggled with the profession of faith. In the past the “church” was united on what it believed based upon a common creed statement. Today every one believes what they want to believe maybe that is why there is little to no unity within the Body of Christ. A creed (also known as a confession, symbol, or statement of faith) is a statement of the shared beliefs a of a community of believers in the form of a fixed formula summarizing core tenets. A creed is one of the three cords that ensure no heresy in the church: Scripture, creed, hymns. Ah the Scriptures and hymns two other foundational church pillars being displaced by the contemporary movement in the Body of Christ. The first creed was developed in 325 AD at the first Council of Nicaea and was based on Christian understanding (or belief) of the Canonical Gospels the letters of the New Testament and to a lesser extent the Old Testament. Affirmation of this creed which describes the Trinity, is generally taken as a fundamental test of orthodoxy for most if not all (then and through the years) Christian denominations. The Nicaea Creed reads:
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy catholic (universal) and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. How could you not get behind that? Well, most denominations (even the Assembly of God and Church of God) would dispute the facts of the Scriptures as delineated in the Nicaea Creed. Go figure. So, what do we profess as our statement of faith? As essential as salvation is there must be more and it must come from the word of God. Paul in Ephesians gives us (in my humble opinion) the foundational truths that enable the profession of our faith. We read, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:7-10) If our salvation is of us than it cannot be from God. And if we miss the mark in understanding correctly “grace” and “faith” than we will be confused and the profession of our faith will be skewed from the truth of the word o God. There is a critical balance we MUST walk with the two. If we get “grace” wrong in our daily living then we will get over into sins of lascivious or sins of the flesh, the end product is cheap grace where we think we can do whatsoever we want and God will forgive us. If we get “faith” wrong then we will get over into the law and believe we are saved through a performance based (saved by good works) religion like most if not all of the mainstream religions. Our salvation and our daily Christian living which makes up our profession of our faith must be founded in “grace” and “faith” (two things of the Spirit of God, but not of man) if not we shall never see the requirement to become the workmanship of God. It is not what we can do or not do for God that drives the profession of our faith, but what we can become in God, “For we are His workmanship.” For this to ring true in our heart and lives it must be pressed into our spirit as God presses us, molds us, and shaped us. The age old truth still rings true, knowledge is not truth until it becomes personalized to our heart and lives. Richard Wurmbrand said, “a man really believes not what he recites in his creed, but only the things he is willing to die for.” What do you believe and why do you believe it? What are you willing to die for? What is the profession of your faith? Written by David Stahl
THOUGHTS FROM KAREN:
Paul’s Parameters for Young Women
(Part 2)
Last month we talked about Paul’s parameters for young women so let’s touch on that a little more with the point that I didn’t touch on that the Word of GOD not be blasphemed. Sound doctrine and righteous behavior in Christian societies is as good as preaching itself. In small communities everybody knows everybody. A good Christian witness would go far! Paul said in Titus: “That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children. To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of GOD not be blasphemed.” (Titus 2: 4-5) So, if you profess to be a Christian or better a Believer, certain standards will be expected of you from your family, friends, and acquaintances, even if they are not a Christian or a Believer themselves. The Cretians of Paul’s time were pagan, and though there were many Jewish people there (though not particularly righteous) Paul said of them, “For many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially of the circumcision: whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith. Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.” (Titus 1: 10-14). So, in contenting with unrighteous Jews in Greece they were also assorted pirates, morally lax, and other just greedy people. So, Paul and Titus had their hands full. If the older believing women were asked to tell the younger to love their husbands and children – one has to wonder what on earth was going on there? The influence of a pagan society would have been tough indeed on the new Christians and the transforming power of the Gospel in the lives of the Believers would have been a shining light in the pagan darkness, though always an uphill battle. Much sound Biblical encouragement was needed and necessary to keep the Believers on track. People are so eager to scrutinize the character and motives of Christians and Believers and would quickly blaspheme Christian doctrines as quickly as possible, but even in Paul’s day they, the Christians and Believers, were to live above reproach, but we know their Godly living would never stop the bad mouthing and false accusing of them who know not Christ. All we have to do is look at Jesus’ life and see how the religious hounded him and treated Him like the off scouring of the earth. I have no doubt this was a tall order even for the Believers, living in such a civilized yet pagan society. That being said, today, our Christian example is just as important now as it was over 2,000 years ago. Remember, your life may be the only Bible that people read. So, for now be the shining example: love your spouse, show them respect due them, pray for them. Love your kids, don’t spoil them, and hold them accountable! Love our Heavenly Father who is rich in mercy and grace. Paul writes, “For the grace of GOD that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world: Looking for that blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great GOD and our Savior Jesus Christ: Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2: 11-14). GOD bless, read your Bible. Written by Karen Stahl
NEEDS NOT WANTS:
1. In Dobrich, Bulgaria Pastor Niki Marsov and in Silistra Pastor(s) Yanko, and Marcho. Times are troubled in Bulgaria much prayer and support is needed.
2. Constanta, Romania Pastors Luke and Jacob at Bethel Church and in Agigea Brother John Vlad as the Director of the Romanian Center for Cross-cultural Studies Bible School.
3. Pastor S. J. Peter, Founder of DAWN Ministries in Hyderabad and Pastor Wilson and his son Pastor Julian at Gospel Assembly in Sankaraguptham, India.
4. Dan, Cathy, and members of Uskudar Son Buyruk Kilisesi in Istanbul, Turkey.
5. Pastor Elieti Msangi in Dar Es Salaam and Pastors Isreal Mutaitina and John Balone in Bukoba, Tanzania.
6. Pastor Tek Dahl at Gethsemane, Church (his church) and their radio station “Good News 105.1 FM” in Kathmandu, Nepal.
7. Bishop John, Samuel Kamanzi (from the Congo), and, Emmanuel Ndolimana in Ruhengeli, Rwanda.
8. Christian and Ina Kopjar Missionaries to the County of Liberia.
NEXT HOME GROUP MEETINGS:
21 October 25 at 7:00 pm
At 232 Everett Drive
Sneads Ferry, NC 28460
7:00 pm please RSVP
(910) 382-9287
BEHOLDING HIS GLORY ON THE RADIO:
On WJCV Jacksonville, NC
“Pebbles of Truth”
1290 AM or 98.3 FM
Every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 7:30 am
FUTURE BHG SCHEDULE:
October: Local Ministry
November: Local Ministry
December: Local Ministry
I am still available to share what God has given me at churches and/or home groups. If God moves on your heart to support BHG or other ministries we personally know we would be honored to serve as a go between. Remember, if we want a blessing from God the spiritual principle is we must bless others. Remember, God is to you what you are to God.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Address:
David and Karen Stahl
232 Everett Drive
Sneads Ferry, NC 28460
Phone:
Mobile: (910) 382-9287
FAX: (910) 741-0489
Email:
Website:
Blog:
http://bhisglory.blogspot.com/
FREE OFFERS
Booklets on Spiritual Authority, Spiritual Leadership, Prayer, Body of Christ, and Righteous Living the Four Anchors of God are now available by contacting us and requesting one. You can see them on our home page. Get one now.
The Author House link below will lead you to our latest book, “Thoughts for Consideration.” Just copy it into your web browser and return. Also you can purchase two of our other books “Adventures with God.” and “God Still Performs Miracles: A Book of Personal Encouragement.”
http://www.authorhouse.com/AuthorCenter/Protected/BookHome.aspx?bookID=61464
Please take a minute and take a look, they all make for a great encouraging gift, giving hope and sharing God’s love through a deeper teaching that someone can enjoy again and again. All of our books can be purchased at all book stores like Barnes and Nobles, Borders, Book-A-Million, and etc., any Christian Book Store that orders, and all book ordering on-line companies like Amazon.com. Or if you are like me from the old school just contact us, we will let you know the price and then we will mail it out to your home address. Postage and handling is on a case by case basis.
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