From The Pastor's Pen - 4/14/14

“And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, this is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves” (Matthew 21:10-12 Authorized King James).

It's important that we note the significance of Jesus' first act upon entering Jerusalem during the final week of His ministry. Matthew records in the 12^th verse of his 21^st chapter that, Jesus purposely cleansed the temple, as an act of divine authority. However, this was not the first time He did so. In fact, in the 2^nd Chapter of his gospel account, John records a similar incident in which Jesus cleansed the temple.

It's important, too, that we understand that, chronologically, Matthew's record is a second confirmation of His authority as the Son of the Living God. Yet, in neither case did the Pharisees, or the other temple officials, seek to have Him arrested, or taken before the Jewish court, the Sanhedrin, because they feared the common people, who recognized, and acknowledged, Him for Who He was.

Note, too, that, in both accounts, He literally drove out all who bought and sold, thus defiling the temple with their methods. In reality, His problem was not so much with these errant merchants, as with the chief priests who were allowing it, and with whom they were working in partnership, referring to them as 'a den of thieves.'

Jesus knew that those religious leaders, like their modern day counterparts, weren't truly interested in truth, and were thus holding the multitudes in bondage to dead rituals and powerless tradition. And, by these cleansing acts, Jesus was setting the stage for the New Blood Covenant.

“And they that went before, and they that followed, cried saying, Hosanna! Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord” (Mark 11:9 Authorized King James).

- John Knox

From The Pastor's Pen - 9/23/13

by John Knox 9/23/13 -

Today ushers in fall; and of course, the countdown to the final quarter of the year beginning Oct. 1. By virtue of that fact, it's the perfect time to begin preparing for victory on every front; Physical, financial and spiritual. to the born again believer, these 3 aspects of our covenant with the Father, are well within our reach, if we apply Jesus teaching and Apostolic d...octrine, to the difficulties we face daily. And, we can do that, by bringing those obstacles and mountains which seek to prevent our receiving everything that is ours, in line with our words. The key to that type of total victory, is found in Jesus foundational teaching on the mechanics of the operation of faith, in Mark 11. There He set forth for us the vital Kingdom Principle, which governs every single aspect of our spiritual walk, even our original confession, which transformed us into new creatures, and citizens, as well as, joint heirs of His Kingdom. (see Romans 8:8-10) In Mark 11: 23-24, Jesus taught Peter, and the others who were with Him, the principle of verbally applying spiritual authority, to a problem or circumstance, while at the same time being confident in our spirit that, our spoken words to the obstacle, has already become reality just as in His example with the fig tree. He cautioned, however, that doubt can not be allowed once we have spoken. Now, that's not complicated, although the traditions and doctrine of men, often seek to undermine this principle, and confuse or complicate the issue. Simply put, it's the same method by which we obtain our born again position, or salvation within the Kingdom! It's the same faith principle which Paul stated in Romans 8:9; "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved". But Paul goes on to further clarify that scriptural truth in the 10th verse by declaring..."For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." How simple is that? However, once understanding this important Kingdom Principle, we need to get a hold of the scriptural condition by which it operates, which Jesus included in His teaching in Mark 11;now take careful note of His command in vs. 25..."And when ye stand praying, forgive if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in Heaven may forgive you your trespasses." A simple command to assure the victorious operation of power and authority in our faith walk; a second confirmation of which is found in Paul's letter to the Galatians, in which he stated by inspiration of the Holy Ghost, telling them and us, that the key to operating in Jesus type of faith, and being successful imitators of His life and ministry, is understanding that it's not ritual or religious tradition, or any legalistic act which avails our victory, but rather the condition which Messiah Jesus set forth,(Mark 11:25), ...faith, which worketh by love." Galatians 5:6. I urge all serious believers to study with the Living Word Himself today, and make scriptural truth, the final authority in your life. Have a great day everybody!

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!