From The Pastor's Pen - 7/30/12 - The Act Of Being Acquitted

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith;as it is written, the just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16-17 AKJ).

There's a dual set of vital Kingdom principles here, in these verses from Romans Chapter 1. We should first take note that, Paul is affirming to the fledgling church at Rome, his unabashed proclamation of the gospel of Messiah Jesus by; declaring it to be the very power of God effectual unto salvation, to any and all who believe. And Paul, of course, includes the Jew, as well as the Greek speaking gentile populations of his day, to whom he preached.

Today, however, few within the denominational churches at large, believe that the gospel is in power,

or effectual, beyond a simple born again experience. These are they whom Paul referred to as, "having

a form of religion, but deny the power thereof..." That spiritually bankrupt condition was included in his enumeration of end time signs, elsewhere in his writings. The Apostle then continued writing in the 17th vs. that, "therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith..." That kingdom principle, clearly defines Paul's purpose in these two verses, concluding the teaching by appropriately declaring that the just shall live by faith. That type of faith, to which Paul alluded in the 16th vs., is an ever increasing faith, with limitless possibilities within the context and parameters of the promises of God, and the empowerment of the Holy Ghost to every one who believes.

Yet, many professing believers today miss the mark of their full potential for spiritual power and authority, by subscribing to a weak and watered down gospel, perpetuated and endorsed by the doctrines of men. And to many more, there are continual doubts, and questions, about their own worthiness to qualify for these promises. We therefore need to clarify for ourselves, and others, exactly what it means to be just; and further, who among believers fall into that category of being justified in the eyes of God. Simply put, to be in the state of divine justification, which Paul so matter-of-factly teaches here, one must be in right standing before God. The original Greek. root, from which the King James translators derived the Anglo word "justified" was a legal term which denoted a definitive acquittal of an accused person for a crime or crimes rendered by a court of law. The acquittal, however, was contingent upon an admission of guilt. Once that condition was met, the pronounced acquittal, could never be revisited again. Today, as in Paul's day, all true remnant believers stand in a spiritually equivalent verdict of "not guilty"of our sins, transgressions, and iniquities, by virtue of the divine blood of Messiah Jesus our redeemer. And all the scriptural promises of God are ours by faith!

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus..." Romans 8:1 AKJ

From The Pastor's Pen - 6/25/12 - Being About The Father's Business

"And He said unto them: How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I should be about my Father's business? (Luke 2:49 AKJ)

In this verse, there is a message to the serious believer, beyond the obvious reality recorded by the

inspired author. Take note here that, we find the young 12 year old Messiah Jesus, (see vs.42), set

upon a path to pursue the business of His Father, which He was preordained to carry out.

If we are born-again, though our individual course may vary, the Father's agenda is ours as well, as

joint heirs with Jesus, (see Romans 8:16-17). We are likewise the children of the most High, with all

the preordained promises of power, and authority, to go forth against the powers of darkness. And that

is an important Kingdom truth we cannot afford to be ignorant of. So let's take a closer look at these

principles which are involved in His example, and how they apply to us, as Kingdom citizens today.

Firstly; we need to understand that, once we're born again into the Kingdom of God, we have the responsibility of stewardship over the created world, having become co-laborers with the Godhead.

Secondly, that stewardship often takes the form of spiritual warfare which extends into every realm

of the natural world, including the family, church and civil sphere, each of which are separate

governments. These truths were once clearly understood by the church, tho much of that knowledge

has been obscured, and or denied, in our day and time. And we as a people are paying for it!

You see, during the historical period of the 16th century, known as the Great Reformation, small groups

within the community of believers were immersed in scriptural revival and revelations, which literally

shook the very foundation of the Roman church and civil governments of the European continent.

The result, was a new and abiding awareness of Biblical knowledge, which subsequently resulted in

a break with Rome, and the birth of the protestant movement. Equally as important; the descendants

of those spiritual warriors continued the battle in the face of papal, and government persecution, finally fleeing their homelands, while carrying with them the understanding of the absolute truth that; everything, in every sphere,and realm, is a spiritual matter, subject to divinely inspired law. That seed

of knowledge, primarily from Scots immigrants, became The United States of America, a Constitutional Republic, whose declared cornerstone was Christ, and Christ alone. A nation and people

created by an act of divine providence, and subject to the oversight and stewardship of all remnant Christians who love liberty, and justice, and will settle for nothing less!

Today, as serious remnant believers, our God directed purposes, and course, is to be about our Father's business, and to occupy every territory of His created world, until Jesus comes in power and glory.

Soli Deo Gloria! Have a great 4th of July!

Consider these words of Jesus, in a parable to His own ..." Occupy till I come" (Luke 19:13).

From The Pastor's Pen - 5/21/12 - No Weapon Formed Against Thee

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord" (Isaiah 54:17 AKJ).

The above verse is a rhema word from the mouth of the God, Himself, directly to the prophet, Isaiah. As such, it is easily identified by the phrase, "...saith the Lord." And, although every word from the preserved Holy Scriptures is inspired by the Holy Ghost, this particular promise from the 54th chapters of the book of Isaiah, carries with it a singularly powerful relevance in our time.

The good news is that, when God sends the true remnant believer into the supernatural arena, the entire scope of the battle suddenly becomes His. And once we fully understand that Truth and Kingdom principle, and allow it to operate, we can confidently go forth against any and all odds or enemies. This is not to say, however, that our mission or path will be easy, but, rather, that we can be assured of a positive and victorious outcome.

In fact, the examples of Moses, David, Gideon, and, later, the Acts of the Apostles, and the sending of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost, are recorded to further remind us that no weapon, no circumstance, no difficulty, however large or seemingly impossible, along the path shall prosper. Knowing that, we, as serious believers, are charged to inflict swift condemnation against any and all within, or without, the church who, through word or deed, seek to hinder the agenda which the Father has set before us.

In closing, the example given throughout the ministry of Messiah Jesus, made clear that we are endued with unlimited power from on high to carry out God's sovereign agenda in every corner and crevice of the created world in which we live. In times past that truth was clearly understood by the heads of families and the historical church, as well as the founders of our nation. Every serious believer should be aware that we are stewards of, not only our families and church, but the civil government, as well. Let us therefore conduct our business in every earthly sphere as representatives of the Most High God, and to Him be the glory!

Consider these words of Jesus...

"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Luke 10:19).

From The Pastor's Pen - 5/7/12 - Our Refuge And Strength

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1 AKJ).

In the above verse from the 46th Psalm, we need to take a closer look at the Anglo word 'trouble'. That word was correctly rendered by the King James translators from the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Here the original Greek denoted extreme distress and/or a concerted and focused

attack from an enemy combatant. Further, it is particularly clear from the Greek verb segment that the

enemy in question, whether singular or plural in nature, was of a supernatural origin, rather than

a natural or spiritual one.

That said, the important type, or example, we need to draw here is that, while Messiah Jesus was

likewise continually at odds from the same supernatural entities, He always emerged from these

spiritual battles totally victorious. Part of the good news of the promises in the New Covenant

scriptures is that we can, too! But in order to do that, it is vital that we first recognize their origins

and secondly the motives and agenda of these powers of darkness with whom every serious believer

is locked in a daily life and death struggle.

Now pay attention, because I believe that if you're still reading this, you're probably among the

number of those who want to be all you can be according to the teachings of Jesus and Apostolic

doctrine. You see, if you and I are seriously committed to running the race of the Christian life, and

winning it for the glory of God, we need to begin to diligently studying and applying all of the living Word to every situation and circumstance we encounter (for accuracy we recommend the Authorized King James), and we can only do that by making the Holy Scriptures the final authority against every obstacle or trouble.

Now, briefly, back to our opening verses today. Take note that God is clearly referred to as our 'refuge' and 'strength'. In the original language, this refuge refers to escaping, or fleeing, from an impending, or present, danger while being immoveable. That's no contradiction, of course, because the reality here, is that, our abiding relationship with the Father, via the blood of Jesus, and the ever present help and assistance of the Holy Ghost, provides us with both a place of protective refuge, and divine strength by which we will not be moved, or shaken, by any trouble or events of natural or supernatural origin. I encourage you to approach and stud the preserved word of the AKJ for within the Holy Scriptures are the answers to the issues of life.

From The Pastor's Pen... 4/30/12 - Total Perception

"The woman saith unto him; Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet" (John 4:19 AKJ).

Total perception is everything! It's a scriptural principle that every serious believer needs to

understand and walk in. Total perception, is primarily an operation of the Holy Ghost, in His

capacity as the Spirit of Truth (see John 16:13). And it's full manifestation is the same divine operation which revealed to Peter that, Jesus was Messiah, and Christ, the Living Word (see John 6:68-69).

Like the woman of Samaria, in our opening verse from John the 4th chapter, our perception, or how we perceive something, can have a significant effect on our total victory as believers. In fact, our proper perception of a matter in which we are deeply involved, may also negatively control the outcome if

we view it from the narrow perspective of the natural realm. But let me explain further.

Firstly, in order to perfectly discern every aspect of a matter, we must see the whole picture, by viewing

it, not simply with our primary physical senses, but with our spiritual eyes and ears, as well. That's

why Paul clearly pointed out in the 12th verse of Ephesians chapter 6 that, our battles are not against

flesh and blood, or what may appear to be the tangible evidence before us, but, rather, against very

real strongholds of evil and darkness in the unseen supernatural realm.

Secondly, we need to clearly understand that, all situations and circumstances we encounter in the natural realm, are simply incomplete mirror images of the very real spiritual warfare taking place

simultaneously in Satan's invisible arena; where angelic forces are likewise engaged in the struggle

on our behalf. If we fail to grasp and, more importantly, operate in the truths of these vital kingdom principles, our perception will always be incomplete. Further, a lack of total perception on our part will render us ineffective and dangerously defeated. And that is a serious matter indeed, particularly when we consider the scriptural warning from Messiah Jesus that, our enemies goals and agenda is literally,

to steal, and to kill and to destroy us (see John 10:10).

So, that said, as we go forth this week let's seriously seek to grasp and implement this kingdom principle and, related spiritual gift of total perception, in our daily spiritual walk. Because by doing

that, we can be blessed with victory, while contributing to Satan's defeat, and the glory of God.

Have a great week!

From The Pastor's Pen... - 3/19/12 - Try The Spirits

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they be of God, for many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1 AKJ).

In the above verse from 1 John the 4th chapter, John is literally telling his readers to try, or check

every spirit behind a claimed revelation or truth. You see, John knew, as we should likewise, that,

rarely will we find the whole truth when dealing with Christian teachers and/or authors. But,

hopefully you've already discovered that for yourself. Simply put, it's wise to be cautious when

navigating the spiritual waters of concepts and teaching which are abundantly available today.

That said, let's take this vital Kingdom principal one step further. As believers, we need to learn

to skeptically examine, any and all, preaching, or teaching, which appears questionable even within our own church or denomination. Of course, every seeking believer may easily do so by, measuring

every purported fact or prophetic claim thru the lens of the preserved scriptures, Apostolic doctrine, and historical Christianity (see 2 Timothy 2:15). (We recommend the Authorized King James as the most accurate and authoritative translation to date). Actually, there are two tried and tested methods by which that end can be properly achieved:

#1. Point by point - Take note of the plural form of the word "spirit". Don't assume that, because part of what an individual teaches is accurate, that the entirety of it will always be equally as legitimate. Try, or

test, the spirit in each separate instance.

#2. Check all teaching and preaching by a healthy skepticism, again, comparing the entirety to the

Holy Scriptures, and knowledge of historical Christianity contained therein, by always being alert

to attempts to ignore the whole counsel of the written word (see Acts 20:27).

One final note; as serious believers, we must never fail to remember that, Jesus, the Living Word, remains the same, yesterday, today and forever (see Hebrews 13:8) and, therefore, Biblical truth is never influenced, nor can it be modified, by the secular norms of a particular time, societal opinions, or the doctrines of men. In short, the preserved scriptures must always be our final authority for faith and

practice.

"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation, for the prophecy

came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1: 20-21 AKJ).

From The Pastor's Pen... - 3/12/12 - Divine Healing

" When He was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, there

came a leper and worshiped Him saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand and touched him saying, I will, be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed" (Matthew 8:1-3 AKJ).

These three verses from Matthew the 8th chapter, illustrate a paradox that continues to be present in

our day. You see, the leper in Matthew's account, knew that Jesus had the power to

heal. But he didn't know that it was God's will. Sadly, that very condition is still present today, even within the body of Christ, due most often to ignorance, unbelief, and/or a lack of scriptural knowledge in regard to the subject. The unfortunate result is, disease, chronic illness, and in extreme cases, even premature death, among far too many within the blood bought church, who believing, could minister this Good News of the gospel to others. But the most perplexing question is, why does the Church continue to suffer from this troubling dilemma, when the Word of God so clearly reveals the truth concerning God's will to heal?

To put it bluntly, the gross misinformation on the subject of divine health and the healing promises

is mostly due to the avoidance of the topic by pastors and teachers afraid to approach, or deal with, the controversy. However, an even greater amount of damage has occurred as a result of unbelief and the doctrines of men, within denominationalism. In light of those facts, I urge every confessing believer today who is unsure of the truth, to approach the matter anew, by a serious and thorough study of the scriptures and Apostolic doctrine.

Further, we need to search the examples in the life and ministry of Messiah Jesus which clearly indicate His compassionate and decisive treatment, of all among the afflicted who came to Him for help.

In fact, if we honestly pursue the truth, we will find no instance in which He refused to heal, or failed in an attempt to do so. And the gospels record that He even raised to life a number of persons who had suffered an untimely death, that He might destroy the works of Satan and the powers of darkness.

Today I challenge anyone reading this column, to diligently search the scriptures for any evidence which negates the Kingdom Principal of divine healing, as well as God's will in the matter. But let me

take that challenge a step further, and invite you to honestly present scriptural proof to the contrary.

Consider these words of Jesus;

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."