For many Christians the Bible is their only link to God. It is the only means they have to know about God and to learn what it is that He requires of them or the benefits that He provides. This leaves them falling very short of the reality of the life in Christ that has been bought for us through His sacrifice on the cross and subsequent resurrection.
I call the Bible God's Diary but it is a bit more than that in that it is also an autobiography because it records not only God's thoughts toward man and his behaviour but also records at least some of God's activities and reactions. Don't anybody get mad at me for simplifying God's holy Word in such a way but I am trying to illustrate a very important matter.
Suppose this man wants a bride and the only means he has to obtain one is by mail order. He gets a catalog and all that is in the catalog are extractions from the diary's of available women. He begins to read each one which contains some of their private thoughts and a brief but fairly detailed physical description of them. Eventually he comes to one that stands out because her writing also describes what she's looking for in a man. He chooses this one and orders her. Now when the chosen bride arrives he sends a friend to pick her up at the train station and says to the friend, "just keep her in a room at your place and bring me her entire diary".
The friend does as requested and this man asks for a priest to marry them by telephone in a four way conference call while the friend listens in as a witness. Now the two are married and the man has promised to be faithful to her for the rest of his life. However, he spends quite literally the remainder of his life reading her diary and really feels that he loves her and sometimes he takes time to set down and concentrate to talk to her but instead of going directly to her he makes a tape recording and sends it to her and in it he is trying to express the love he feels and how he wishes he could feel her love or know for sure if she really loves him. To make matters worse he struggles with fleshly issues. He sees other women and struggles with lust because his needs are not met but he feels guilty because after all "he is married". He eats poorly because he's a lousy cook and his house is dirty because he has nobody to clean it for him because it is way beyond his ability. Now the shame of all this is that the woman he has chosen is amazing beyond description. She is more beautiful than anyone can imagine or describe, exquisite might be a good word, delicate but strong, wise beyond imagination and full of compassion, loving to a fault and has amazing domestic abilities. This woman could fill his every desire and keep his house so clean that he would gladly eat off the floor. She would wash his clothes and press them to perfection and he would never go out of the house with a hair out of place and what is more , he would be perfectly happy with this arrangement and in perfect peace. His friends and whoever met him for the first time would say what has happened to him? Where can I find a wife like that, I never met anyone so happy and well adjusted. Oh did I forget to mention that this woman is also filthy rich? She is very wise in how she distributes her wealth but all her true friends have never gone hungry or without shelter.
So there we have it, how tragic that this man has settled for just reading the woman's diary and trying to live according to the wishes of the woman without ever coming to know her personally. It is no different than you who read my blog. You may think that you know something about me but until you meet me and spend considerable time with me you should not decide that you can trust me. Would you just on the basis of my writings trust me with not only your life but your eternity?
Now let me tell you what I think about the Bible. Is it God's Word? Yes and is it infallible? Yes it is but when men trust in it alone for their understanding of God we get thousands of different interpretations of the same Bible. It is given us as a confirmation of what God is speaking to us in our relationship with Him. God will never speak anything to us in terms of doctrine that are not already written. They may be there hidden from our understanding until the time of His releasing them to us but were there all along. It is though the man has let the woman out of her room and invited her to come and really be his wife in actuality and practice and she says things to him that he's not sure he really believes. Maybe she tells him how much she loves him and he cannot believe that he's that lovable because he knows himself and how could such and amazing exquisite creature as she love him but then he goes to a room by himself and gets out her diary and begins to read it again and sure enough, it it he reads her most intimate thoughts about him which she wrote even when she thought he would never accept her and it is so full of love and desire that he is swept away with emotion and regret that he didn't accept her sooner.
It is only through daily constant relationship in which he holds nothing back and she responds accordingly that the fullest of the relationship can be realized. As I said she is a world class chef and as long as he stays out of the kitchen she prepares the most amazing meals that are not only delicious but healthy but he may have a tendancy to interfere and wants some control so she just walks out of the kitchen and says go for it and do it yourself. The end result is not only tasteless but at times simply toxic. We meddle in God's affairs way too much. He said "not by might and not by power but by my Spirit says the Lord". And that goes for everything. If man could do it it would have been done and Jesus would not have had to die but man proved he could not do the simplest things and carry them out faithfully and God said "ENOUGH" I will send my Son and do it myself. Haven't you ever said "if you want it done right do it yourself"?
We have got to stop interfering with God's work in our lives and spend our time getting the Word of God into our hearts and constantly asking Him to open our eyes to the truth so that we might see that He has already made the preparations for our completeness and holiness. We just have to accept it as a done deal and stop striving and start believing. He has a life for us in which everything has the taint of the miraculous about it if we will make Him our life and accept no other.
Based on recent experiences I am convinced that most of God's people are like the Greeks of Paul's day that always wanted to learn something new but were never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Friends it is all about RELATIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP. Get your relationship with Jesus right and every other relationship will come into harmony.
1 John 1:7-10 (New King James Version)
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Only Jesus can give us the light in order that we can walk in the light. He has committed Himself to that end. From the day we accept His urging to come to Him He has been working and will continue to work to bring us to that place of relationship with Himself that He can work the works of God through us. All we need to do is accept the fact that we are dead and incapable of doing anything and accept His offer to do it for us. You see if He does it all and you know that He did it all then you can't get puffed up and steal His glory. That's enough for now, I have been up since 3:30 am and now it's time to get ready for work.
God bless you all and please pray that He would open your eyes to understand as you have never understood before and He will do it.
john Martin
email justjohn@eoni.com
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Clarification
Sometimes as I reread my writings I find typographical errors that need editing. It seems that no matter how many times that I go over a piece before posting it that something escapes my notice. It would be wonderful if I had someone who would go over these things for me and pick up the errors and also let me know if I haven't made a certain point clear but alas that is not the case just now. We're all so very busy doing I don't know what. However I have found several errors in my last blog that I think are now corrected but I also found a point that I was trying to make that maybe I need to clarify. It would be tragic if my readers would miss the whole point of my writing because I can't make it clear. Everything that I am writing about is right there in scripture and is very plain and simple but unless our point of view is correct we will not get the message. I'm sure we all have seen a picture that has all these hidden things in it, I think a particular artist named Bev Doolittle is one who is skilled at such artistry. Once our eye has gotten accustomed to looking for them there is no end of interesting and unusual figures in her paintings. So it is with scripture, it was there all along, we just needed someone to point out that there was more than first meets the eye and then train our eyes and mind to see from the appropriate angle. In Paul's day I believe that their understanding was much different than we have today. Spirituality had a much more prominent place in life than it does today. Actually everything that we need to live a powerful, victorious Christian life is contained in the four Gospels, all the rest of the New Testament was written because of the thick headedness of the people that just didn't get it and we today are so much worse off than they were with all our modern conveniences and entertainments. I can remember 45 years ago with my wife and two daughters that we didn't have television so nearly every evening we were either in our neighbors home or they were in ours, visiting, playing cards or out picnicing or camping together. Now these were not necessarily spiritual activities but we were much more loving and kind and generous with each other than we are today because we simply were forced to interact with others. Well I have gotten completely away from the point I set out to clarify so let's get back there.
I said in my last blog that the hands of a true born again Christian are just as powerful as those of Jesus and that is an absolute true statement but I need to clarify lest I be attacked for arrogance and high mindedness. (are these not the same?)Now before you rush out with this knowledge with the intention of emptying the local hospital let us examine the matter from scripture:
John 14:12
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
The truth in this is that we do not do the works but He does them through us. It is written that He is the head and we are His body and if we really understood that deep in our spirit we would never do anything until we were truly led by Him to do it. Most often we get saved and out of our love for Him we set out to do good things for Him. Wrong way, we are going right back to works of the flesh. No matter how good they may be if they are wrought in the flesh they stink in God's nostrils. Have you ever seen a chicken have it's head cut off? It flops around like crazy and I have even seen it get on it's feet and run for a while but it is totally without direction or purpose and so it is with the Christian who is not fully abiding in Christ the Vine. Our works and attempts to do something for God are just about as impressive to Him as that chicken flopping around with it's head cut off. We must get ahold of the truth that we are but a body and He is now our Head and mind and until we recieve direction from Him we are to do nothing but rest and wait. If what we are doing for God is not clearly bearing fruit then we can know for sure that He is not in it at all because everything He does is perfect and if He is doing it through you it can still be perfect if only you will let Him perfect His relationship with you. I know you may right now think this is crazy talk but why do you think Paul the Apostle could speak with such faith and certainty? Peter simply said "Silver and and gold have I none but such as I have give I thee, in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." Was this some special gift or did He simply have the Mind of Christ? I say that he had a revelation of Jesus and what Jesus promised that He would do in the lives of those who would submit themselves to His working in them and allow Him total control. I think most people don't want to give anyone total control of their life but I can assure you that the life that you will attain if you will allow just that very thing will be greater than anything you can ever imagine and produce fruit for the kingdom beyond your wildest dreams.
God bless you all and may He open your eyes to understand and see Him as He really is to all who hunger for Him.
john Martin
I said in my last blog that the hands of a true born again Christian are just as powerful as those of Jesus and that is an absolute true statement but I need to clarify lest I be attacked for arrogance and high mindedness. (are these not the same?)Now before you rush out with this knowledge with the intention of emptying the local hospital let us examine the matter from scripture:
John 14:12
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
The truth in this is that we do not do the works but He does them through us. It is written that He is the head and we are His body and if we really understood that deep in our spirit we would never do anything until we were truly led by Him to do it. Most often we get saved and out of our love for Him we set out to do good things for Him. Wrong way, we are going right back to works of the flesh. No matter how good they may be if they are wrought in the flesh they stink in God's nostrils. Have you ever seen a chicken have it's head cut off? It flops around like crazy and I have even seen it get on it's feet and run for a while but it is totally without direction or purpose and so it is with the Christian who is not fully abiding in Christ the Vine. Our works and attempts to do something for God are just about as impressive to Him as that chicken flopping around with it's head cut off. We must get ahold of the truth that we are but a body and He is now our Head and mind and until we recieve direction from Him we are to do nothing but rest and wait. If what we are doing for God is not clearly bearing fruit then we can know for sure that He is not in it at all because everything He does is perfect and if He is doing it through you it can still be perfect if only you will let Him perfect His relationship with you. I know you may right now think this is crazy talk but why do you think Paul the Apostle could speak with such faith and certainty? Peter simply said "Silver and and gold have I none but such as I have give I thee, in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." Was this some special gift or did He simply have the Mind of Christ? I say that he had a revelation of Jesus and what Jesus promised that He would do in the lives of those who would submit themselves to His working in them and allow Him total control. I think most people don't want to give anyone total control of their life but I can assure you that the life that you will attain if you will allow just that very thing will be greater than anything you can ever imagine and produce fruit for the kingdom beyond your wildest dreams.
God bless you all and may He open your eyes to understand and see Him as He really is to all who hunger for Him.
john Martin
Friday, June 11, 2010
Cino-Christians
In recent months a new phrase has been coined and that is Rino-Republican. All the political upheaval has shown many proclaimed Republicans backing down from their stated principles and going along with the crowd for fear of losing something or just to get along and some have been bought out. Anyway the word Rino stands for Republican in Name Only or Pseudo Republican or may I use the word FAKE. Now these guys and gals may be sincere but when the pressure came on it revealed what was really in them. So now here's my real point, in the Church there are Cino-Christians which are Christians in Name Only. Lest you think that this is criticism let me say that at least most of them don't know it and don't intend it to be so. I really believe they are there and in Church because they want to be better people and want to go to heaven and some even love God and His Son Jesus. However when the pressure comes on they will cave like a tent in a hurricane and there's plenty of reason for that. Namely they are not being taught truth nor are they being taught how to seek truth for themselves. I don't think most Christians are as lazy or foolish as many of their critics think for we have a slew of ministers who have been given a mission and are failing to carry it out and they will have to give account for that.
Here's a scripture you will never hear in Church, not any Church: "1 John 2:27 (New King James Version)
27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him." Nor this one; "John 14:26 (New King James Version)
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Why is that, after all it is the Word of God that they are committed to uphold?
Because they think it will put them out of a job. They know better than God. In truth their assignment is to work themselves out of a job. Actually, to use a common principle out of nature, Christians are referred to as sheep and Christians are supposed to reproduce but who reproduces Christians? Answer, Christians reproduce themselves just the same as Sheep reproduce themselves. The shepherd does not reproduce the sheep but watches over them and protects them so they can do that for which they were created. Christians reproduce Christians through their daily interaction with others within their families, workplaces and the world. Now before anyone jumps on me let me clarify; God does the reproducing, for no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draw him but what I mean here is that Jesus living and reproducing His life in true believers is using the vessels of clay that He is dwelling in to do much of His work and by this the Father is glorified.
This work cannot be done if the vessel does not even know that he or she really is the temple of the Living God for real and not just a poetic statement. The hands of a true believer are just as powerful as the very hands of Jesus because they really are the hands of Jesus. I'm sick of the lies that are either told outright or by omission that keep people in their "proper place". Again I must regress in order to clarify my statements so my critics don't go balistic on me. Not all pastors and teachers are deliberately omiting vital information or lying outright but rather are themselves ignorant of the truth because they have trusted in the teachings of man more than the teaching of the Bible. Seminaries are man's invention not God's institutions. In the Bible there are no professionals only Spirit filled devotees of almighty God who have been trained by Him."Isaiah 54:13 (New King James Version)
13 All your children shall be taught by the LORD,
And great shall be the peace of your children." and again in the New Testament
"John 6:45 (New King James Version)
45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’[a]Therefore everyone who has heard and learned[b] from the Father comes to Me.
We need a Reformation today even greater than that which was begun by Martin Luther so very long ago. In his day they just didn't let anyone read the scriptures for themselves and today we are all encouraged to read the scriptures but all the parts that could really make a difference and would put the Lord directly in charge of our lives are explained away as no longer being relavant or having only to do with ancient times or just for the early church to get it going. What we now have that is called church is almost entirely the creation of man, no wonder the church is so powerless.
Today we all can appreciate what Jesus did and that is the emphasis that you will find in any church that even believes in Jesus anymore. Namely that man was sinful and couldn't keep God's law and so God sent His Son to die as punishment for our sins. If we choose to believe that He really did that then we are forgiven and can expect to go to heaven. It is also believed that we should try our best to overcome our sinful habits and live better lives and that God will help us. This is where the problem begins because it's back to man's effort to please God and if he has some success then he tends to take some credit for his good behavour and this leads to pride and the tendancy to judge those who don't do so well.
Let me make this statement and it will be the basis to which I will draw my readers again and again in all future writings as I try to unfold the deeper truths of what God would have us to know. The old Testament or Old Covenant failed because it had flaws and I will provide scriptures for that later. "Therefore God said I will give them a Better Covenant for I will write my laws on their hearts." Jesus became the surety or keeper of that covenant or the guaranteeor of the covenant. From the moment of your acceptance to the day of your death Jesus is totally committed to your transformation into His likeness. So what is your part? To "ABIDE IN HIM". Almost no one understands what that means and all my efforst will be to make it plain and understandable to anyone who desires a true walk with God.
In the beginning God came down in the cool of the evening and walked and talked with Adam and Eve until they sinned and though you will not see Him with your eyes that is what He wants to do with you and all His children even today.
Have you read the New Testament and thought to yourself, "how impossible are the commands of God?" Thank the Lord for Jesus because I can't measure up and I have Him to forgive me because He paid the price already for my sin. What a tragic view that is but it is the prevailing view. It is now my purpose to show how far off from the truth that really is and what a slap in the face of God it is to think that is all that Jesus accomplished at the cross.
In conclusion (for now) let me say that if the pastors and teachers understood the scriptures and taught them properly they would not be out of a job but rather their churches would be constantly multiplying because their flocks would be free to reproduce and reproduce they would and I guarantee it.
God bless you all and may your appetite be whetted and may you come back for more.
Please pray and ask God to give you understanding because if you don't you are going to misunderstand because He is the one who opens our eyes.
john Martin
Here's a scripture you will never hear in Church, not any Church: "1 John 2:27 (New King James Version)
27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him." Nor this one; "John 14:26 (New King James Version)
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Why is that, after all it is the Word of God that they are committed to uphold?
Because they think it will put them out of a job. They know better than God. In truth their assignment is to work themselves out of a job. Actually, to use a common principle out of nature, Christians are referred to as sheep and Christians are supposed to reproduce but who reproduces Christians? Answer, Christians reproduce themselves just the same as Sheep reproduce themselves. The shepherd does not reproduce the sheep but watches over them and protects them so they can do that for which they were created. Christians reproduce Christians through their daily interaction with others within their families, workplaces and the world. Now before anyone jumps on me let me clarify; God does the reproducing, for no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draw him but what I mean here is that Jesus living and reproducing His life in true believers is using the vessels of clay that He is dwelling in to do much of His work and by this the Father is glorified.
This work cannot be done if the vessel does not even know that he or she really is the temple of the Living God for real and not just a poetic statement. The hands of a true believer are just as powerful as the very hands of Jesus because they really are the hands of Jesus. I'm sick of the lies that are either told outright or by omission that keep people in their "proper place". Again I must regress in order to clarify my statements so my critics don't go balistic on me. Not all pastors and teachers are deliberately omiting vital information or lying outright but rather are themselves ignorant of the truth because they have trusted in the teachings of man more than the teaching of the Bible. Seminaries are man's invention not God's institutions. In the Bible there are no professionals only Spirit filled devotees of almighty God who have been trained by Him."Isaiah 54:13 (New King James Version)
13 All your children shall be taught by the LORD,
And great shall be the peace of your children." and again in the New Testament
"John 6:45 (New King James Version)
45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’[a]Therefore everyone who has heard and learned[b] from the Father comes to Me.
We need a Reformation today even greater than that which was begun by Martin Luther so very long ago. In his day they just didn't let anyone read the scriptures for themselves and today we are all encouraged to read the scriptures but all the parts that could really make a difference and would put the Lord directly in charge of our lives are explained away as no longer being relavant or having only to do with ancient times or just for the early church to get it going. What we now have that is called church is almost entirely the creation of man, no wonder the church is so powerless.
Today we all can appreciate what Jesus did and that is the emphasis that you will find in any church that even believes in Jesus anymore. Namely that man was sinful and couldn't keep God's law and so God sent His Son to die as punishment for our sins. If we choose to believe that He really did that then we are forgiven and can expect to go to heaven. It is also believed that we should try our best to overcome our sinful habits and live better lives and that God will help us. This is where the problem begins because it's back to man's effort to please God and if he has some success then he tends to take some credit for his good behavour and this leads to pride and the tendancy to judge those who don't do so well.
Let me make this statement and it will be the basis to which I will draw my readers again and again in all future writings as I try to unfold the deeper truths of what God would have us to know. The old Testament or Old Covenant failed because it had flaws and I will provide scriptures for that later. "Therefore God said I will give them a Better Covenant for I will write my laws on their hearts." Jesus became the surety or keeper of that covenant or the guaranteeor of the covenant. From the moment of your acceptance to the day of your death Jesus is totally committed to your transformation into His likeness. So what is your part? To "ABIDE IN HIM". Almost no one understands what that means and all my efforst will be to make it plain and understandable to anyone who desires a true walk with God.
In the beginning God came down in the cool of the evening and walked and talked with Adam and Eve until they sinned and though you will not see Him with your eyes that is what He wants to do with you and all His children even today.
Have you read the New Testament and thought to yourself, "how impossible are the commands of God?" Thank the Lord for Jesus because I can't measure up and I have Him to forgive me because He paid the price already for my sin. What a tragic view that is but it is the prevailing view. It is now my purpose to show how far off from the truth that really is and what a slap in the face of God it is to think that is all that Jesus accomplished at the cross.
In conclusion (for now) let me say that if the pastors and teachers understood the scriptures and taught them properly they would not be out of a job but rather their churches would be constantly multiplying because their flocks would be free to reproduce and reproduce they would and I guarantee it.
God bless you all and may your appetite be whetted and may you come back for more.
Please pray and ask God to give you understanding because if you don't you are going to misunderstand because He is the one who opens our eyes.
john Martin
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Choose you this day, Blessing or Curse.
Friends I have been silent for a long time and all I can say is that God has had me in a wilderness place so He could teach me something about Himself. It is 3:30 a.m. and though I got to bed 1-1/2 hours later than usual I am wide awake and there is a phrase going through my head that won’t go away and I know the voice of my Lord and it is clear that now the silence is broken and I may now begin to relate what He has given me.
The phrase is this “ A life lived in total harmony with God and His word is a life that is blessed beyond description, but a life lived apart from total harmony is a life that is exposed to every kind of curse and disharmony and the choice is ours”.
It is going to take some time to expound this to my readers because I have to use words and words have limitations whereas God communicates on a much higher plane and can convey a lifetime of information in mere moments if He wishes. The apostle Paul had a few brief encounters with the Divine and spent his entire life trying to describe what He experienced.
May God help me for I do not have much life remaining and I have so much to share but we humans are so very dull of hearing in addition to being stiff-necked and hard of heart.
Even Jesus spent 3 years speaking and teaching in person and still His closest friends and followers didn’t understand until He was gone to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit and they received a heavenly download. More importantly is the fact that the only ones who received this understanding were the ones who obeyed His command to wait until they received power from on high, the promise of the Father. This power was in the form of God’s Holy Spirit but more than that was the opening of their mind and heart to understand what Jesus had been talking about all along.
Imagine spending 10 days just waiting in prayer and fasting, not even sure of what to expect, That's dilegence and God promises that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
I’m sure that if you, my readers are Christian and have spent time with the Lord that at some point or perhaps on many occasions you have suddenly received understanding in some area of your life or clarity concerning some scripture that was confusing to you and you could say that suddenly a light has come on in your head.
Well, like a jury sequestered in an important criminal case I have been sequestered by the Lord and what He has taught me has quite literally changed my life. I have been His disciple for nearly 34 years and by comparison with the last couple of months they seem like wasted years. It is my heart-felt prayer that God will enable me to convey what has been given me and that my final years may yield fruit that will make up for the lost years. Isaiah speaks of the restoration where the lost years are made up and it is my cry unto the eternal Father that I may deliver His message in a way that those who have ears to hear might hear and those with eyes to see might see and receive of Him a desire to follow.
First let me say that you’ve got to really want it. You’ve got to be so sick of life as it is and hungry for God and with your heart aching for the pain and suffering around you that little else matters or perhaps I should say “nothing else matters”. Jesus said, “straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it” and I am beginning to understand what He meant in way that I never have before.
Those who have been reading my blog or have known me for any period of time know that I am serious about my relationship with God but what I have begun to experience is on a completely different level and yet on the outside nothing may appear different to the casual observer. Let me put your mind at ease that there is nothing weird about the kind of life of which I speak. Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life and that more abundantly”. I thought I knew what that meant and I have even written about it and I was right, however I had only merely tasted a little bit of it by comparison.
All my Christian life I have read and heard teachings about the Israelites and their failure to enter the Promised Land and their rebellion and the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness as a result. Hebrews chapters 3&4 speaks of this and also speaks of a day of rest promised to the people of God that some would enter into because of the failure of the Hebrew people. For the first time I am beginning to understand and perhaps to experience that promise.
Finding that Pearl of Great Price and actually obtaining it are two very different propositions. Many think that adding Jesus to their life is it but they completely miss the mark because they must actually make Jesus their only life and that is much different. Some are going to be offended with me but I don’t care anymore, if what I have to say offends anyone then they are not honest with themselves and will not likely find what I am trying to give them anyway and what I have found is too precious to keep to myself.
Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 6 speaks of the Rest of God that “since therefore it remains that SOME must enter it and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because if disobedience vs7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “today after such a long time as it has been said, “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, vs 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God”.
Mark my words friends, this very moment you have a choice, reading this blog you can harden your heart and say who is this fool and who does he think he is and you can ignore what I have to say or you can open your heart like a good Berean “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true Acts 17:11
The choice is yours. When I write I may make references to scripture without quoting the scripture in full or giving you the exact location of that scripture and that is for several reasons. First is to save time, I am slow on the keyboard and second I expect my readers to have their bibles close by and you will gain much by spending time in the scriptures but I also expect that those who are seeking are not afraid to do a little digging. Often Jesus spoke of scripture without giving it’s location simply by saying “it is written” or “Isaiah said or David said”
I am going to bring this to a temporary end by suggesting that everyone get your Bible out and read the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy. This is God’s ideal, This is what the people of God could have had and I am speaking of the first 14 verses. This is abundant life, this is life blessed beyond imagination, this is the life I am speaking about being available yet today to those who will choose to enter the Rest of God. Unfortunately, verses 15-68 sounds much more like the life most people including most Christians that I know of today are experiencing. I hope that I have written enough to whet your appetite to come back and read what I have to share in the days to follow. You may be asking “ why don’t you just spite it out John”?
I told you at the beginning that this would be a process and I must repeat myself that I can only relate to you what God gives me. I write under inspiration of the Holy Spirit and nothing I have to say apart from Him has any value at all, so you are going to have to been patient but diligent. But I can promise you that if you will seek Him as you read what He gives me to write your life will change remarkably and that is a Promise. If you think these kinds of statements are arrogant then you don’t know me and you may not know much about the Lord I serve. He used a bunch of uneducated fishermen to turn the world upside down and according to 1 Corinthians 27-29 He’s going to do it again.
God bless you all and may He give you a hungry heart.
john Martin
The phrase is this “ A life lived in total harmony with God and His word is a life that is blessed beyond description, but a life lived apart from total harmony is a life that is exposed to every kind of curse and disharmony and the choice is ours”.
It is going to take some time to expound this to my readers because I have to use words and words have limitations whereas God communicates on a much higher plane and can convey a lifetime of information in mere moments if He wishes. The apostle Paul had a few brief encounters with the Divine and spent his entire life trying to describe what He experienced.
May God help me for I do not have much life remaining and I have so much to share but we humans are so very dull of hearing in addition to being stiff-necked and hard of heart.
Even Jesus spent 3 years speaking and teaching in person and still His closest friends and followers didn’t understand until He was gone to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit and they received a heavenly download. More importantly is the fact that the only ones who received this understanding were the ones who obeyed His command to wait until they received power from on high, the promise of the Father. This power was in the form of God’s Holy Spirit but more than that was the opening of their mind and heart to understand what Jesus had been talking about all along.
Imagine spending 10 days just waiting in prayer and fasting, not even sure of what to expect, That's dilegence and God promises that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
I’m sure that if you, my readers are Christian and have spent time with the Lord that at some point or perhaps on many occasions you have suddenly received understanding in some area of your life or clarity concerning some scripture that was confusing to you and you could say that suddenly a light has come on in your head.
Well, like a jury sequestered in an important criminal case I have been sequestered by the Lord and what He has taught me has quite literally changed my life. I have been His disciple for nearly 34 years and by comparison with the last couple of months they seem like wasted years. It is my heart-felt prayer that God will enable me to convey what has been given me and that my final years may yield fruit that will make up for the lost years. Isaiah speaks of the restoration where the lost years are made up and it is my cry unto the eternal Father that I may deliver His message in a way that those who have ears to hear might hear and those with eyes to see might see and receive of Him a desire to follow.
First let me say that you’ve got to really want it. You’ve got to be so sick of life as it is and hungry for God and with your heart aching for the pain and suffering around you that little else matters or perhaps I should say “nothing else matters”. Jesus said, “straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it” and I am beginning to understand what He meant in way that I never have before.
Those who have been reading my blog or have known me for any period of time know that I am serious about my relationship with God but what I have begun to experience is on a completely different level and yet on the outside nothing may appear different to the casual observer. Let me put your mind at ease that there is nothing weird about the kind of life of which I speak. Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life and that more abundantly”. I thought I knew what that meant and I have even written about it and I was right, however I had only merely tasted a little bit of it by comparison.
All my Christian life I have read and heard teachings about the Israelites and their failure to enter the Promised Land and their rebellion and the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness as a result. Hebrews chapters 3&4 speaks of this and also speaks of a day of rest promised to the people of God that some would enter into because of the failure of the Hebrew people. For the first time I am beginning to understand and perhaps to experience that promise.
Finding that Pearl of Great Price and actually obtaining it are two very different propositions. Many think that adding Jesus to their life is it but they completely miss the mark because they must actually make Jesus their only life and that is much different. Some are going to be offended with me but I don’t care anymore, if what I have to say offends anyone then they are not honest with themselves and will not likely find what I am trying to give them anyway and what I have found is too precious to keep to myself.
Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 6 speaks of the Rest of God that “since therefore it remains that SOME must enter it and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because if disobedience vs7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “today after such a long time as it has been said, “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, vs 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God”.
Mark my words friends, this very moment you have a choice, reading this blog you can harden your heart and say who is this fool and who does he think he is and you can ignore what I have to say or you can open your heart like a good Berean “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true Acts 17:11
The choice is yours. When I write I may make references to scripture without quoting the scripture in full or giving you the exact location of that scripture and that is for several reasons. First is to save time, I am slow on the keyboard and second I expect my readers to have their bibles close by and you will gain much by spending time in the scriptures but I also expect that those who are seeking are not afraid to do a little digging. Often Jesus spoke of scripture without giving it’s location simply by saying “it is written” or “Isaiah said or David said”
I am going to bring this to a temporary end by suggesting that everyone get your Bible out and read the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy. This is God’s ideal, This is what the people of God could have had and I am speaking of the first 14 verses. This is abundant life, this is life blessed beyond imagination, this is the life I am speaking about being available yet today to those who will choose to enter the Rest of God. Unfortunately, verses 15-68 sounds much more like the life most people including most Christians that I know of today are experiencing. I hope that I have written enough to whet your appetite to come back and read what I have to share in the days to follow. You may be asking “ why don’t you just spite it out John”?
I told you at the beginning that this would be a process and I must repeat myself that I can only relate to you what God gives me. I write under inspiration of the Holy Spirit and nothing I have to say apart from Him has any value at all, so you are going to have to been patient but diligent. But I can promise you that if you will seek Him as you read what He gives me to write your life will change remarkably and that is a Promise. If you think these kinds of statements are arrogant then you don’t know me and you may not know much about the Lord I serve. He used a bunch of uneducated fishermen to turn the world upside down and according to 1 Corinthians 27-29 He’s going to do it again.
God bless you all and may He give you a hungry heart.
john Martin
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