Post by Les Brewer on Sept 3, 2012 11:20:46 GMT
John Wolf
Calvary's Cross Ministries
Preaching Christ Crucified
From the pastor's desk....
Bless the Lord,O my soul,and all that is within me,bless His holy name! Good Morning to all,in the blessed name of Jesus Christ,the LORD of glory and grace!
"And so we have the prophetic word confirmed,which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place,until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;knowing this first,that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,for prophecy never came by the will of man,but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (II Peter 1:19-21,NKJV)
I think it necessary to bring our attention to this particular text of Scripture for a couple of reasons.There seems to be much confusion in the body of Christ,especially in these last days we have entered into.Many people read the pages of Holy Writ,and develop many strange and false ideas about what the Scriptures say.Some who read the Word of God,have never entered into a relationship with the Lord of glory,through His Son,Jesus Christ.
The Scripture tells us that "...the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God,for they are foolishness to him;nor can he know them,because they are spiritually discerned." (I Cor.2:14).The natural man (unsaved,unregenerated man) is not capable of understanding the Word of God.This is why many pick up the Bible with the desire to know what it says,and get discouraged so easily,and put it back down,giving up in defeat,believing it's too hard for them to understand.This is exactly what the enemy of your soul wants you to do.The Bible can not be understood without first,coming to Christ in childlike faith and confessing to Him our faults and failures,and receiving Him as our Lord and Savior.The Holy Spirit will then come into your life and take up residency in your heart,and the Bible will then be something you can begin to understand.It is understood and taught to us by the direct work of the Spirit of God working in us.
The prophets of the Old and New Testaments were not perfect men who lived sinless lives.This is not what is meant by "holy men"
of God.What is meant,however,is that as the Holy Spirit moved upon them (breathed on them;carried them along) they penned the words of Scripture.In other words,during the time that they wrote the words of Scripture,they were not able to make any mistakes in writing what God the Holy Spirit was telling them.The words of Scripture are in fact the very words of God.These men were normal men just like you and I,they had all the same problems that we face,they had faults and they did commit sin,but at the time when the Lord was giving them the Scriptures,God made sure they wrote what He wanted written.
These men did not choose on their own to be the recipients of the words of the Scriptures,therefore it is not the words of mere men,who had a Jesus complex,as some assert they did.Often times,when God talked to them,they didn't want the responsibility of taking His word to the people.Often times,it brought severe persecution against them and all types of problems for them,sometimes it even cost them their very lives.They knew the price was high when delivering the word of God to the people.
And so it is today,when men of God bring the word of God to the people of God,often times they are ridiculed,lampooned,lambasted,made fun of,are made the laughing stock of the media and stand-up comedians.This is not something people choose to do to themselves,it's not something anyone sets out to do in their life,to be the brunt of everyone's jokes.But,if a man or woman of God has heard from God and are determined to deliver the message that God has given them,they already know that the chances of being well received are slim.They know that most will not receive it with joy.
This is one way of knowing that the motivational speakers that flood the T.V. airwaves are not giving out the whole counsel of God.It tickles the ears of the listeners and they are made to feel comfortable in their complacency and lack of fervent love for Christ.
As II Peter chapter 2 points out very clearly,there are false teachers out there that care nothing at all about making merchandise of God people.They are more than willing to tell you what you want to hear,if the funds will continue flowing into their coffers.
My dear loved ones,get into the word of God.Ask the Lord to show you the truth of His word.He will do it.He desires that you know Him and the power of a transformed life through His Son.Not everyone carrying a Bible knows the Author of the Book.Be careful who you listen too.One of the things Jesus declared about Himself,was that He was "....the Way,the TRUTH and the Life,no man can get to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6).He is the truth about God,once you come to know Him,He will set you free.The truth will set a man free.....Amen!...Be blessed in the Lord Jesus Christ.....Love,brother John.
Calvary's Cross Ministries
Preaching Christ Crucified
From the pastor's desk....
Bless the Lord,O my soul,and all that is within me,bless His holy name! Good Morning to all,in the blessed name of Jesus Christ,the LORD of glory and grace!
"And so we have the prophetic word confirmed,which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place,until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;knowing this first,that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,for prophecy never came by the will of man,but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (II Peter 1:19-21,NKJV)
I think it necessary to bring our attention to this particular text of Scripture for a couple of reasons.There seems to be much confusion in the body of Christ,especially in these last days we have entered into.Many people read the pages of Holy Writ,and develop many strange and false ideas about what the Scriptures say.Some who read the Word of God,have never entered into a relationship with the Lord of glory,through His Son,Jesus Christ.
The Scripture tells us that "...the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God,for they are foolishness to him;nor can he know them,because they are spiritually discerned." (I Cor.2:14).The natural man (unsaved,unregenerated man) is not capable of understanding the Word of God.This is why many pick up the Bible with the desire to know what it says,and get discouraged so easily,and put it back down,giving up in defeat,believing it's too hard for them to understand.This is exactly what the enemy of your soul wants you to do.The Bible can not be understood without first,coming to Christ in childlike faith and confessing to Him our faults and failures,and receiving Him as our Lord and Savior.The Holy Spirit will then come into your life and take up residency in your heart,and the Bible will then be something you can begin to understand.It is understood and taught to us by the direct work of the Spirit of God working in us.
The prophets of the Old and New Testaments were not perfect men who lived sinless lives.This is not what is meant by "holy men"
of God.What is meant,however,is that as the Holy Spirit moved upon them (breathed on them;carried them along) they penned the words of Scripture.In other words,during the time that they wrote the words of Scripture,they were not able to make any mistakes in writing what God the Holy Spirit was telling them.The words of Scripture are in fact the very words of God.These men were normal men just like you and I,they had all the same problems that we face,they had faults and they did commit sin,but at the time when the Lord was giving them the Scriptures,God made sure they wrote what He wanted written.
These men did not choose on their own to be the recipients of the words of the Scriptures,therefore it is not the words of mere men,who had a Jesus complex,as some assert they did.Often times,when God talked to them,they didn't want the responsibility of taking His word to the people.Often times,it brought severe persecution against them and all types of problems for them,sometimes it even cost them their very lives.They knew the price was high when delivering the word of God to the people.
And so it is today,when men of God bring the word of God to the people of God,often times they are ridiculed,lampooned,lambasted,made fun of,are made the laughing stock of the media and stand-up comedians.This is not something people choose to do to themselves,it's not something anyone sets out to do in their life,to be the brunt of everyone's jokes.But,if a man or woman of God has heard from God and are determined to deliver the message that God has given them,they already know that the chances of being well received are slim.They know that most will not receive it with joy.
This is one way of knowing that the motivational speakers that flood the T.V. airwaves are not giving out the whole counsel of God.It tickles the ears of the listeners and they are made to feel comfortable in their complacency and lack of fervent love for Christ.
As II Peter chapter 2 points out very clearly,there are false teachers out there that care nothing at all about making merchandise of God people.They are more than willing to tell you what you want to hear,if the funds will continue flowing into their coffers.
My dear loved ones,get into the word of God.Ask the Lord to show you the truth of His word.He will do it.He desires that you know Him and the power of a transformed life through His Son.Not everyone carrying a Bible knows the Author of the Book.Be careful who you listen too.One of the things Jesus declared about Himself,was that He was "....the Way,the TRUTH and the Life,no man can get to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6).He is the truth about God,once you come to know Him,He will set you free.The truth will set a man free.....Amen!...Be blessed in the Lord Jesus Christ.....Love,brother John.
