CONSIDER THIS: TESTIMONY

   TESTIMONY….”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….Revelation 12:11

CONSIDER THIS: The word “Testimony” means the giving of evidence in support of facts. In personal terms, it serves as evidence of a life completely converted, rejuvenated and turned around by Jesus Christ. If a person does NOT have a testimony, they have not been saved. This may sound rather harsh, but the Truth is meant to both set a person free, as well as to inspire them towards doing the right thing…..as this verse plainly states. We can ONLY overcome/win/defeat the enemy and have eternal victory in Jesus via the precious, supernatural Blood of the Lamb of God, for the forgiveness of ALL our sins and the substitutionary atonement thereof.

ACTION:  Do YOU have a testimony? Can you “testify” under oath…give evidence to…and speak publicly about HOW and WHEN Jesus Christ changed your life? Can you? Our very eternal future has been bought at a price and we immediately know it in our very being. So now, that we are keeping, maybe not daily, but somewhat, a note in our Bible or prayer journal, can we act on this – write out your testimony OR tell someone this week, how Jesus Christ removed you from the Dominion of Darkness into the Kingdom of His Marvelous Light.

Father in the Name of Jesus, I pray for that divine appointment to share my testimony with someone this week, about what You have done for, in and through me, because Jesus is my Lord and my Savior. It could be, Lord, a family member, or friend or someone completely unknown, I pray for that opportunity to witness for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in order that both the hearer and myself, may be edified and the Name of the Lord will be greatly to be praised, in Jesus’ Name amen.

THE APPLE OF HIS EYE

Apples are an amazing fruit. In the summer, it's a favorite of picnics everywhere as baskets get packed for the great outdoors of Creation. In the Fall, the fragrance of apples light up the atmosphere as cold pressed cider from your neighborhood orchard attract us like bees to the honeycomb. By winter, Apple pies coming out of hit ovens and garnished with vanilla ice cream are the essence of life.

There's an apple for every taste bud- the stock red delicious for everyday, or the Gala for the exquisite. How about the Jonathan, Braeburn or golden delicious itself! Most of the apples on display from late summer through Fall are grafted. They come from rootstock which combined with the PH factor soil and the scion added to the rootstock, gives us variety of apples we see at Apple barns and markets. The rootstock is the main root in the ground and the scion is the chip or portion of another tested variety which is grafted to the rootstock. The same is true to other fruit trees like pears, berries and more.

When a new apple tree is transferred from the nursery to the ground....whether the residential backyard or the commercial orchard, everything then depend on the rootstock and the soil. The apple tree in this photo was planted less than two years ago. However, it will be another 2-3 years before it begins bearing fruit by the bushel, no matter how many tiny little apples are showing here. So it is with our faith. 

At the moment of conversion, when Christ brought us out of the domain of darkness into the kingdom of His Marvellous Light, we were grafted into the very Rootstock of Heaven! Everything depended on and still depends on Him. We are the little scion grafted into the rootstock. The Holy Spirit provides the nutrition for us to go and it does take time for us to grow and bear fruit. 

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude....Colossians 2:6-7

The analogies to the productive and powerful Christian life are so real in relation to apple trees that it's uncanny. These two short verses are proof from the Word of God. The maturing Christian life starts with Christ, remains in Christ and grows in Christ! 

So, how do we grow, mature and live a fruitful life which is pleasing to God?

1. Receive Christ. Jesus is Lord and He died for all. The Holy Spirit convicts, we respond, relent, repent, reach out and surrender to His calling for rejuvenation. We must then receive the gift.

2. Just a closer walk with Him. When Jesus saves you and I, He is immediately our best Friend! He knows the way because He is Way. He saved us to be with Him for eternity so this is absolutely natural. Enoch WALKED with God for 300 years and was no more because God took His best friend at the time Home, to be with Him while he (Enoch) was still alive. The fruit of Enoch's evangelism, faith and family was found in men like Methusalah and Noah! 

3. Be a scion to the Rootstock. Like the bunch of grapes is connected to the vine, we. MUST be firmlygrounded, having taken up personal residence in the Rock and Root called Jesus Christ. 

4. Be built up. The scion is grafted into the rootstock of salvation and we are nourished in the rich soil of the Bible, prayer and praise fueled by the Holy Spirit. 

5. Be established. This kind  establishment is NOT the status quo of mortal worldly lost men. This is the maturing status of the Qualified...the qualified who shows a little fruit in a few years only to bear bushels of bountiful goodness, worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

The maturing Christian is like an apple tree in many respects. The faithfully surrendered believers among us seek to become apples of His Eye. Why not, press on? Amen

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR!

JUDGMENT DAY COMING
Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD!  Why would you have the day of the LORD?  It is darkness, and not light,  as if a man fled from a lion,  and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,  and a serpent bit him.  
Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? (Amos 5:18-20 ESV)

There is a large segment of western church-goers who are extremely fond of saying the following:
"I can't wait..."; "Come take me away, Jesus (also known as "Calgon Theology") or "I wish the Rapture would happen right now" or name your variation of any of this. Usually these statements are made by pew-sitters. These are the majority of Christians in our churches who come in weekly for an hour or so, in order to get their weekly inoculation of what they think they need. They then go about their lives for the rest of Sunday and the following days, thereby leaving no distinguishing mark between then and the next guy. We all know people like this.

We have all been around enough sincere believers to know that weak pewsitter from the "real deal" or the remnant. The remnant are very few as Jesus Himself said when He spoke about the "elect". When He prayed in John 17 for this future followers - the saved, the elect - He said "I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours." in John 17:9. This is absolutely correct. 

There are two truths - God does NOT hear the prayer of an unrighteous man (unless he is seeking forgiveness and salvation) and secondly, Jesus is our Advocate and Intercessor before the Father. The Savior only becomes one's Advocate (or defense attorney if you will), if you and I are one if His Children, His elect. We become that by being born again,  by repentance , by believing the Gospel and being saved.

In Amos 5, we read of the coming Judgment day of the LORD (YHWH, Jehovah, Jesus) on the northern Kingdom of Israel. However we know that ALL Scripture is God-breathed, inspired by the Holy Spirit and meant for OUR INSTRUCTION FOR ALL TIME. There are more End Times (now) prophesy written by the "Old" Testament prophets than the New Testament Scriptures. The modern Christian ignores that truth to his/her peril and should NEVER neglect the Holy Word sent to the ancient prophets who longed to see this day, and are awaiting the fulfillment of the Age.

This passage above (Amos 5:18-20) jumped off the page as relevant for today's wayward church. This is the church full of cultural corruption and doctrinal decay.  We can read through the entire chapter of Amos 5 and replace every mention of the word "Israel" with "America" or "The West"! Like those idol-worshiping 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, to whom the prophet Amos was sent, we have people who have absolutely NO knowledge of the Holiness, Power and Majesty of God, sitting in churches feeling good about themselves.

They know not because they are not taught by a widening pool of building managers called pastors and because they are not shepherded correctly, they know not the Word of the Lord! This is affecting more and more so-called Bible teaching churches in North America! By calling for the "Rapture" or for "Jesus to take them away" when most of them have never been born-again, in your church and mine, or could name a time or place when God. through Christ radically changed their lives from a child of hell to a child of the King, they are basically setting themselves up for a huge, eternally-fatal disappointment!

When a person, who is not really right with God, no matter what nice clothes they wear on Sunday, have the whitest teeth and the fattest check-book or even helps serve donuts and coffee, calls for "THE DAY OF THE LORD" - they are calling down Judgment! God Himself in Amos 5:18 asks them "do you really know what you're asking for"?! You're asking for perpetual darkness, dread, devastation and divine separation for eternity!

So may some of our friends in the seats or pews over from us....or those who even sit next to us, may one to reconsider their wishes, and search their own hearts to see if they are really qualified to call upon the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY for His return, in such a way. When He first came, He came as a Baby to save the world. This time His Return will herald the fearful "DAY OF THE LORD" which was testified of, over 5000 years ago. It will not be a good day, for those who do not belong to Jesus Christ, and have accepted Him as Lord and Savior.

THIRTY NINE OTHER THINGS GOD GIVES US WITH FREE GIFT OF SALVATION

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the

Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow (James 1:17)

There is no more perfect gift than the free gift of Salvation. If we have confessed our sins and turned to the One True God of Heaven. If we are rejuvenated in the inner man and are born again, having accepted the forgiveness provided freely for ALL humanity for ALL time on the Cross, we will send eternity in the Holy Presence of God the Father.

Another thing to think about this "Perfect Gift" is "Imputation". Romans 5:12-21 reminds us that we are born in the original sin of Adam and we have deserved judgment heavily in our debt column, which we cannot pay. The First Adam's sin is imputed to every single human who has lived since Creation and th Fall. But then comes the Cross of Christ, where the Savior of the Universe willingly gave up His Own Godly Life for you and I personally, and all mankind in general. This Cross is where the Second Adam took His pure and sinless righteousness and gave it to us for free to justify (make us right) in the Eyes of God, when we have become forgiven and born again. 

We know from 2 Corinthians 5:21 that "He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. But it gets even better...and for the following, we must be SO ETERNALLY GRATEFUL! Several years ago, a man names Lewis Sperry Chafer wrote an amazing piece on the incredible gifts God gives to each of His children whom He calls to His side. These 39 things are worthy of yours and my study and eternal gratitude, for which we will continue to praise into Eternity and beyond. As we go through these 39 things, let us remain amazed for the rest of our life, at the Manner of Love and Grace which has been credited (and imputed) to our eternal account, when we did not deserve 1% of it! This should make us humble and cause us to fall to our faces before Holy God, as we sing His Praises:

1. The believer resides in the eternal plan of God. (He shares the destiny of Christ) We are:

a. Foreknown: (Acts 2:23; Rom 8:29; 1Pe 1:2)

b. Elected: (Rom 8:33; Col 3:12; 1Th 1:4; Tit 1:1)

c. Predestined: (Rom 8:29-30; Eph 1:5; Eph 1:11; 1Pe 1:2)

d. Chosen: (Matt 22:14; 1Pe 2:4)

e. Called: (1Th 5:24)

2. The believer is reconciled (Removal of the barrier between man and God)

a. By God: (2Co 5:18-19; Col 1:20)

b. To God: (Rom 5:10; 2Co 5:20; Eph 2:14-17)

3. The believer is redeemed (Purchased from the slave market of sin): (Rom 3:24; Col 1:14; 1Pe 1:18)

4. The believer’s condemnation, (Eternal judgment in the Lake of fire) is removed: (John 3:18; John 5:24; Rom 8:1)

5. All sins are judged by the substitutionary Spiritual death of Christ on the cross: (Rom 4:25; Eph 1:7; 1Pe 2:24)

6. Every believer receives propitiation for sins (God satisfied with the work of His Son): (Rom 3:25-26; 1Jn 2:2; 1Jn 4:10)

7. The believer is dead to the old life, (The old sin nature) but alive to God (Retroactive positional Truth)

a. He is Crucified with Christ: (Rom 6:6; Gal 2:20)

b. Dead with Christ: (Rom 6:8; Col 3:3; 1Pe 2:24)

c. Buried with Christ: (Rom 6:4; Col 2:12)

d. Raised with Christ: (Rom 6:4; Col 3:1)

8. The believer is free from the Mosaic Law. He is

a. Dead: (Rom 7:4)

b. Delivered: (Rom 6:14; Rom 7:6; 2Co 3:6-11; Gal 3:25)

9. The believer is regenerated: (John 13:10; 1Co 6:11; Tit 3:5)

a. He is born again: (John 3:7; 1Pe 1:23)

b. A child of God: (Gal 3:26)

c. A son of God: (John 1:12; 2Co 6:18; 1Jn 3:2)

d. A new creation: (2Co 5:17;Gal 6:15; Eph 2:10)

10. The believer is adopted by God (Placed as adult sons because of positional Truth): (Rom 8:15; Rom 8:23; (Future) Eph 1:5).

11. The believer is made acceptable to God: (Eph 1:6; 1Pe 2:5)

a. He is made righteous: (Imputation) (Rom 3:22; 1Co 1:30; 2Co 5:21;Php 3:9)

b. Sanctified positionally: (1Co 1:30; 1Co 6:11)

c. Perfected forever: (Heb 10:14)

d. Qualified for inheritance: (Col 1:12)

12. The believer is justified (Declared righteous): (Rom 3:24; Rom 5:1;Rom 5:9; Rom 8:30; 1Co 6:11; Tit 3:7)

13. The believer receives the unique availability of Divine power: (2Pe 1:3)

14. The believer is guaranteed a heavenly citizenship based on reconciliation: (Luk 10:20; Eph 2:13; Eph 2:19; Php 3:20)

15. The believer is delivered from the kingdom of Satan: (Col 1:13; Col 2:15)

16. The believer is transferred into God’s kingdom: (Col 1:13)

17. The believer is now on a secure foundation: (1Co 3:11; 1Co 10:4; Eph 2:20)

18. Every believer is a gift from God the Father to Christ: (John 10:29; John 17:2; John 17:6; John 17:9; John 17:11-12; John 17:24)

19. The believer is delivered from the power of the sin nature: (Rom 2:29; Php 3:3; Col 2:11)

20. Every believer is appointed a priest unto God. We are:

a. A holy priesthood: (1Pe 2:5)

b. A royal priesthood: (1Pe 2:9; Rev 1:6)

21. The believer receives eternal security: (Rom 8:32; Rom 8:38-39; Gal 3:26; 2Ti 2:13)

22. The believer is given access to God: (Rom 5:2; Eph 2:18; Heb 4:14; Heb 4:16; Heb 10:19-20)

23. Every believer is within the “much more” grace care of God: (Rom 5:9-10)

a. We are: Objects of His love: Eph 2:4; Eph 5:2;

b. Objects of His grace (1) For salvation: Eph 2:8-9; (2) For keeping: (Rom 5:2; 1Pe 1:5) (3) For service: (John 17:18; Eph 4:7) (4) For instruction: (Tit 2:12)

c. Objects of His power: (Eph 1:19; Php 2:13)

d. Objects of His faithfulness: (Php 1:6; Heb 13:5)

e. Objects of His peace: (John 14:27)

f. Objects of His consolation: (2Th 2:16)

g. Objects of His intercession: (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25; Heb 9:24)

24. The believer is beneficiary of an inheritance as heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ: (Rom 8:17; Eph 1:14; Eph 1:18; Col 3:24; Heb 9:15; (1Pe 1:4)

25. Every believer has a new position in Christ: (Eph 2:6)

a. We are partners with Christ in life: (Col 3:4)

b. Partners with Christ in service: (1Co 1:9) (1) Workers together with God: (1Co 3:9; 2Co 6:1) (2) Ministers of the New Covenant: (2Co 3:6) (3) Ambassadors: (2Co 5:20) (4) Living epistles: (2Co 3:3) (5) Ministers of God: (2Co 6:4)

26. Believers are recipients of eternal life: (John 3:15; John 10:28;John 20:31; 1Jn 5:11-12)

27. The believer is created a new Spiritual species: (2Co 5:17)

28. The believer is a light in the Lord (Part of the angelic conflict): (Eph 5:8; 1Th 5:4)

29. The believer is united with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are:

a. In God: (1Th 1:1; cf., “God in you,” Eph 4:6)

b. In Christ: (John 14:20; cf., “Christ in you,” Col 1:27) (1) A member in His Body: (1Co 12:13) (2) A branch in the Vine: (John 15:5) (3) A stone in the Building: (Eph 2:21-22; 1Pe 2:5) (4) A sheep in the Flock: (John 10:27-29) (5) A portion of His Bride: (Eph 5:25-27; Rev 19:6-8)

(6) A priest of the kingdom of priests: (1Pe 2:9) (7) A saint of the “new species:” (2Co 5:17) In the Holy Spirit: (Rom 8:9) “the Spirit in you.”

30. Every believer is the recipient of the ministries of the Holy Spirit. He is

a. Born of the Spirit: (John 3:36)

b. Baptized with the Spirit: (Acts 1:5; 1Co 12:13)

c. Indwelt by the Spirit: (John 7:39; Rom 5:5; Rom 8:9; 1Co 3:16; (1Co 6:19; Gal 4:6; 1Jn 3:24)

d. Sealed by the Spirit: (2Co 1:22; Eph 4:30)

e. Given Spiritual gifts: (1Co 12:11; 1Co 12:27-31; 1Co 13:1-2)

31. The believer is glorified: (Rom 8:30)

32. The believer is complete in Christ: (Col 2:10)

33. The believer is possessor of every Spiritual blessing granted in eternity past: (Eph 1:3)

34. The believer receives a human spirit (The basis for Operation Z, along with the Holy Spirit): (Rom 8:16; 1Co 2:12; 2Co 7:13; 1Th 5:23)

35. The believer has scar tissue removed from the soul: (Isa 43:25;Isa 44:22)

36. The believer is the recipient of efficacious grace: (Eph 1:13)

37. The believer is guaranteed a resurrection body forever: (John 11:25)

38. The believer is the beneficiary of unlimited atonement: (2Co 5:14-15; (2Co 5:19; 1Ti 2:6; 1Ti 4:10; Tit 2:11; Heb 2:9; 2Pe 2:1; 1Jn 2:2)

39. The believer has equal privilege and equal opportunity under election and predestination.

BONUS....AND THIS IS A PERMANENT IRREVOCABLE GIFT:

40. The ten problem-solving devices are available to every believer. They are

a. Rebound: (1Jn 1:9)

b. Filling of the Holy Spirit: (Eph 5:18)

c. Faith-rest drill: (Heb 4:1; Heb 4:10-11)

d. Grace orientation: (Jas 4:6)

e. Doctrinal orientation: (Rom 12:2)

f. Personal sense of destiny: (Php 1:21)

g. Personal love for God: (Deut 6:5; 1Pe 1:8)

h. Impersonal love for all mankind: (Jas 2:8)

1. Sharing the happiness of God, +H: (John 15:11)

j. Occupation with Christ: (Eph 3:19)

Compiled by Lewis Sperry Chafer Revised by R. B. Thieme, Jr.

THE DAWN OF GLORY

NEW SERIES ON 1 & 2 PETER BEGINS

KEYS TO A GODLY LIFE -PART 1:WHO IS PETER, THE ROCK?

A couple months ago, a 12 part series on the Book of Ecclesiastes was posted here, along with the video teaching from my PLUMBLINE TV show to go along with it. That series on Ecclesiastes kicked off the topic on the general "Meaning of Life", according to how God sees it. God used a deeply flawed man to get His point across, while at the same time, giving us a Living Example of what we should not become - like Solomon.

First and Second Peter are the bookends to Ecclesiastes. While the latter explained the Meaning of Life, Peter showed us exactly HOW we are to walk out that Life in expectation for the "Dawn of Glory" - that is, the coming Kingdom of God! How did a rude, crude, three-time denying, jump-out-the-boat and walk on water only-to-sink kind of guy end up with this lofty position of writing for ALL people of ALL ages? Well, because GOD HIMSELF through Jesus Christ His Son - gave Peter the Keys to the Kingdom!

The Keys to the Kingdom are not to let people into Heaven! Only Jesus Christ can do that. The Keys to the Kingdom are to show us HOW we are to live DAILY as saved and rejuvenated people, so we can come into the Fullness of what Christ expects of us. Remember this - Peter means "rock" but only in the pebble size sense of the word. Jesus Christ IS the Rock. Peter is a servant. Jesus is the Master.

The Apostle Peter was personally selected by the LORD Jesus Himself to be the Head of the Church - His Church. Peter is NOT the first pope and the word pope is nowhere near the canon of Scripture. The rough and tumble Galilean Fisherman sure had his ups and downs as a follower of Christ, yet we see in Paul's writings that he ministered with his wife and ended up in Rome where he was crucified upside down between the age of 65-70 years old.  

These next twelve teachings are not done by Chapter but by sections and are fully fleshed out for the most part. Pray, read and be blessed, in Jesus' Name, amen.