ESV Verse of the Day VOM Moment with the Persecuted Human Rights Watch Compass Direct News
If you have not yet been on www.Time2Stand.com, now is the time for you to check it out! I would love to hear your feedback! You may contact me directly at: urgencytorise@yahoo.com God bless all!
Please check out our new website: www.time2stand.com Feel free to comment, make suggestions and/or contact us! Please send to everyone you know! Feel free to send out via email, blog or any other website. Hope you enjoy and would love to hear your suggestions. Please do not feel offended if we do not use every suggestion. We hope to have fully finished very soon. Please check back often as we will continue to update.
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On Friday Dec 11th, 2009, Time2Stand will be giving away a Christmas package consisting of:
A new copy of, Spiritual Man, by Watchman Nee
A new signed copy of, Christian-A Dangerous Title to Claim, by Jeremy B. Strang
Plus, audio CDs of Paul Washer, David Wilkerson, Carter Conlon and a DVD copy from HeartCry Missionary Society.
Plus, free stuff from Voice of the Martyrs.
To enter:
post a comment on this blog. Winner will be selected on the morning of Friday Dec 11th.
Winner will be notified via email. Once the winner has responded, package will be mailed.
So…..
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This is a most powerful passage of Scripture and a very dangerous warning to those who says that they are of the Lord, when indeed they really are not. Oh may we come to understand what is true spiritual worship and that which is of the flesh. Take heed of God’s Word.
“Behold, all you who kindle a fire,
who equip yourselves with burning torches!
Walk by the light of your fire,
and by the torches that you have kindled!
This you have from my hand:
you shall lie down in torment.”
Isaiah 50:11 ESV
Very good message for us to rest in God.
The Apostle Peter tells us, “If God…spared not the old world, but saved Noah…bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes…making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly; and delivered just Lot…[then] the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations” (2 Peter 2:4-9).
Despite the severity of these examples, God is sending a clear message of comfort to his people, as if to say: “I have just given you two of the greatest examples of my compassion. If, in the midst of a world-engulfing flood, I can deliver one righteous man and his family out of the havoc…then can I not deliver you also? Can I not provide a miraculous way of escape?
“If I can send down fire-and-brimstone judgment that consumes entire cities at a time, yet I manage to send angels into the chaos to deliver Lot and his daughters…then can I not also manage to send angels to deliver you out of your trials?”
The lesson here for the righteous is this: God will do whatever it takes to deliver his people out of fiery trials and temptations. Think about it: It took the opening of the Red Sea to deliver Israel out of the clutches of its enemy. It took water out of a rock to save those same Israelites from their wilderness trial. It took miracle bread, angels’ food literally sent from heaven, to spare them from hunger. And it took an ark to save Noah from the flood, and “angel escorts” to deliver Lot from fiery destruction. The clear point is that God knows how to deliver his people, and he will go to any extreme to accomplish it, no matter what their circumstance.
Peter’s phrase “God knoweth how to deliver” means simply, “He has already made plans.” The wonderful truth is that God already has plans for our deliverance even before we cry out to him. And he doesn’t sit on those plans; he only awaits our cry for help. We may be entangled in the struggle of a lifetime, wondering how God will deliver us, yet he is ready all at times to put his plan into action.
We see this illustrated in Jeremiah 29, when Israel was in captivity to Babylon. Here was perhaps the greatest trial God’s people had ever experienced, yet the Lord promised them: “After seventy years, I will visit you and perform my Word to you.”
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11). The last phrase literally means “to give you what you long for.” God wants us to keep praying so we’ll be ready for his deliverance.
This is a video by Nate Pfeil and a wonderful truth and call to all professing christians.
~ Introduction ~
“Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand.”[1]
What man dares to stand up for the truth? Now I am not talking about standing up against abortion, although we should. I am not talking about standing up against the godless immorality of our culture, although we should. I am not talking about standing up against the mistreatment of the Scriptures by our crooked politicians, although we should. I am talking about standing up firm against our own selfish desires and the corruption within when we are by ourselves with no one looking. I am talking about standing against the sin to which you and I have engrained in us. I am talking about standing up in our homes, in our family leadership, in our manhood/womanhood and within the so called ‘churches’ of America. There is much talk of reformation,[2] but who dares to stand up to themselves and to a blinded christian culture as an American indigenous missionary reaching out into the lost churches[3] in our homeland?
Who is willing to repent, fight the good fight of faith, live in spiritual truth[4] and go out reaching the dying church members of America? This job will be dirty, nasty and down right vicious. The salvation of souls is on the line. When Christians in affluent America become swept into a move of the Holy Spirit, watch out, because then we will be able to send thousands upon thousands of indigenous missionaries out into the harvest lands of Africa, Asia, India and the entire 10/40 window[5].
But why does this occur only after a move of the Holy Spirit? Until men in America truly repent and turn towards God, resources will be spent largely in vain. When men begin to see, with Spiritual and eternal eyes, only then will living and giving as a style of life be edifying unto the Lord. There is a cost to true revival in America – denial of self, the crucifying of the flesh, a deep sacrificial love for the souls of others and emotional, possibly even physical persecution is only the beginning of carrying out such a movement. Most importantly, it has to be a work of the Holy Spirit or true revival will not occur.
The American indigenous missionary (this may be you) will face persecution – that is a promise.[6] Are you willing to examine your claim of Christianity? Proclaiming that you are a Christian is a dangerous title and in America a very ignorant title it has become.
I have not arrived at some spiritual pinnacle nor attained some spiritual state greater than anyone else. But, I must say that I am a new creation in Christ Jesus and thus this world is not my home. I have not yet been glorified. I certainly have not yet resisted sin to the point of shedding my own blood.[7] This book was written for my own need to carefully examine my Christian claim, encourage professing Christians in affluent Western Christianity to grow in holiness, continue understanding biblical family leadership and to do whatever I can to possibly raise a few dollars and raise awareness for my suffering brothers and sisters in the other two-thirds of the world. It very well may be true that I need this book more than you do. That is ok as long as I heed God’s Word, respond in personal application, repent where convicted and live by complete faith in obedience to the Spirit of God.
If the message of this book does not cause me to repent of my sin and lead me into further sanctification then it is all in vain. What will you do with the Scriptures that are presented within this book? Merely skim through them? All that I pray is that you are open to hearing from the Lord and that you dig into the Scriptures for yourself. Find out for yourself if what I am saying is true, regardless of whether you like it or not. Cry out to God for the truth in what I am saying. If it is indeed true, then we all ought to be much more afraid, with a holy fear of God, and repent of our shallow, non-committed American christian faith.
I will strive to be holy as He is holy.[8] I will strive to be pure as He is pure.[9] I will strive to be diligent in supplementing my faith as I have been commanded.[10] And these three, holiness, purification and supplementation, have been commanded of you. A proper response is demanded of you this day as well. Are you still open?
Now I am aware of what it says in 1Timothy 1:1-2 and in Leviticus 19:32 and I take these passages very seriously; so I approach you with great respect, love and admonition. But with that said, I now ask you, are you sure you want to read on? Scripture tells us that with whom much is given, much is required.[11] With much knowledge comes greater accountability on the final judgment day. If the popular American christian culture does not repent and turn to the only true, righteous, just and holy God of the Bible, man-centered, self-righteous knowledge will condemn many to hell.
Are you married? Are you a husband? A wife? Are you a father? A mother? Are you a leader within Christ’s bride?[12] If so, know that greater responsibility, greater accountability and a greater judgment is held just above your head. There is no escape plan other than the redemptive work of Christ upon the cross. His only plan involves a faithful Father lovingly disciplining His children through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, thereby leading to continual repentance and continual sanctification. Any other plan or way of escape is heresy and outside of God’s will.
The written word of God demands faith. The spoken word of God demands faith. Jesus Christ, the very truth and essence of the word of God, demands faith. For if we hold on to nothing more than a mental ascent of who Christ is, we are not wise. Wisdom is applied faith that takes knowledge and moves it into action through a style of life that is Christ honoring and biblically accountable. Faith takes knowledge into captivity and restrains it under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In other words, wisdom is faith in the fullness of God, through obedience, and empowerment by the Holy Spirit. True knowledge starts with a holy fear of the Lord.[13]
The problem is that most men, including many pastors, have no real spiritual understanding and experience of walking by the power of the Holy Spirit. Their ‘Christianity’ is nothing more than emotional experience and intellectual knowledge void of spiritual truth. But this can not be held to their works or their sincerity of heart, no it is much deeper – I dare say that many need to be born again;[14] or at the very least they have not totally surrendered and submitted themselves, by faith, into the hands of the living God. It would be better for them to crucify their hearts, stop their works and cry out to God seeking His Holy Spirit and His eternal presence.
I submit to you that most men in the world of popular christianity have only given a mental ascent to the doctrines of Christ and have no spiritual understanding at all. Most men believe that spiritual understanding can be obtained by their own ability in acquiring knowledge through study, attending some school or by showing up to some church service once a week. God can use these things as a means to lead a person to a true filling and application of His Spirit, but God cannot and will not be boxed in by man’s ways, methods or thoughts. It is the person who denies himself[15] the things of this darkened world, risking self-esteem, status and even bodily harm, who seems to be most sensitive to hearing from the Holy Spirit, and demonstrating the most joy.
Now I am not at all saying that this comes through works or human effort, for this could never be. Rather, I am talking about a man who is completely open to the Spirit of God in his life and not in a way that meets his selfish desires for personal gain. A man who is truly humble and contrite of heart – to such a man does God abide, not by man’s strength, but by the strength and person of Christ Himself[16] through the Spirit. This is not to remain in the intellectual knowledge of God nor remain in the intellectual preaching of the cross using worldly human methods. No not at all! Most of the time our intellect closes us off to hearing from the Holy Spirit, this is why we are called to renew our minds.[17] Do not limit God to your feeble human understanding.
Now you may be asking, “What is the point to all of this anyway?” Simply this, a man who is void of the Holy Spirit in his so called, christian life, will show himself to be a hypocrite to his wife, his children and to those outside the Church. Or worse, he may even be liked as a ‘good’ person by carnal men. Without the power of the Holy Spirit bringing about a new birth, true biblical manhood will not be found and the results will be catastrophic. The eyes of such a man’s child will be blinded to the truth.[18] Those who are outside the Church will see no reason to go to some building once a week. When the profession of his faith contradicts the style of his life, a lie is lived, sin is spread and destruction is left in the wake. Taking the name of Jesus Christ is no game. We have been given a great privilege and responsibility to carry the Son’s name in total truth. Our lack of commitment to carry out God’s will has the power to blind others to the truth, deceive ourselves of true salvation and damn our children to hell.
A great majority of men in the so-called church today are in these very shoes, because they do not know the power of God in their lives. They continue to go to some church at times making a verbal profession of half-truths they have learned from some ear-tickling smooth talker. They actually blaspheme the very gospel that they claim – a gospel they know very little about. And if they are ever challenged in regards to the authenticity of their faith, they reject the person who dares to question their salvation; they twist what little Scriptures they do know, claiming that they are being judged as they attempt to justify their sin-filled godless lifestyle.[19] These men have an idea of Christianity that is nothing more than half-truths and emotional experiences with no Scriptural basis for what they believe. These men falsely imagine that there is gain in godliness.[20] And here is the thing, these men could never teach and lead their children in a Christ honoring way, love and lead their wife as Christ does the Church, be of any real asset to the building of the true Church nor be of any opposition to the prince of this world.[21] Why? They do not have the truth in them.[22] Repentance is a spiritual word found only in a dictionary to these people and not a desire of their heart. Repentance is only seen as something for others and not themselves. Hypocrite is their title and one rightly given.
Will you stand against your self-centeredness this day? Will you heed the Word of God? Will you test yourself in relation to the Scriptures? Will you actually apply the Scriptures to yourself?[23] Affirmation will result in application rather than mere words from your mouth or thoughts in your mind. Application will result in action. Action must be empowered and led by the Holy Spirit. Are you still open to the Lord of glory?
Today, the true and full Gospel is rarely preached and hardly known. Men walk around blindly carrying their cup of wrath[24] and sipping on it as if it were the latest cultural trend – in the American church this has proven itself true. Most professing Christians are ignorant that God even has a cup of wrath. They are ignorant of the fact that Jesus has taken our sin upon Himself, actually bearing our curse and taking our wrath that was due to be paid by each one of us. His payment for sin is offered freely to all and without charge. But know that it is not given to everyone. Hell is a reality that many professing believers are heading towards. It is just a matter of time; although God is long suffering and desiring that no one will perish.[25]
The most severe wrath will fall on those who hypocritically take the name of Christian, blaspheme the Holy Spirit and live in direct opposition to God’s commandments.[26] This should cause us all to have a holy fear of God,[27] drive us to examine ourselves and give us a clear diagnosis if we are really in the faith.[28]
May the Lord of grace and truth grant us repentance. May the Spirit cause us to fulfill the great commission by sending missionaries, who are sold out for Christ, to the ends of the world. May we become missionaries to the people of our communities and churches where we live. Amen.
For more about this soon to be released book, click on Dangerous Title to Claim under Pages
[2] This is not yet widely known amongst contemporary ‘christian’ media.
[3] Profession of faith means nothing if a transformed life in Jesus Christ is not evident – remaining in willful habitual sin is not a sign of a person being born again – for this very reason and to reduce further confusion, I will use a capital ‘C’ whenever I relate to the true Church of Jesus Christ and I will use a small ‘c’ whenever I relate to the so called church in America today. The same capitalization of the letter ‘C’ in regards to true Christianity verses ‘c’ for a false Christianity. This was taken from the author’s last book, Urgency to Rise – a call to the American ‘church’ pg. 24 © 2008
[4] Romans 8:14; Ephesians 3:14-21
[5] The 10/40 Window is an area of the world that contains the largest population of non-Christians in the world. The area extends from 10 degrees to 40 degrees North of the equator, and stretches from North Africa across to China. – this was taken from the www.1040window.org
[6] John 15:20 – more on this in chapter 3
[7] Hebrews 12:4
[8] Leviticus 11:44; 1 Peter 1:16
[9] James 4:8
[10] 2 Peter 1:3-10
[11] Luke 12:48
[12] The Church
[13] Proverbs 1:7
[14] John 3:5-7
[15] Matthew 10:38; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23, 14:27
[16] Isaiah 66:2, 57:15; Psalm 34:18
[17] Romans 12:2
[18] Hosea 4:6d
[19] Thought owed to Brother Paul Washer – HeartCry Missionary Society
[20] 1 Timothy 6:5b
[21] Ephesians 2:2
[22] 1 John 2:4
[23] Proverbs 23:12
[24] John 3:36
[25] 1Timothy 2:4
[26] Matthew 7:21-23; Revelation 3:15-17
[27] This is not a spirit of fear
[28] 2 Corinthians 13:5, Lamentations 3:40
Truth sometimes hurts, but truth is meant to take us to the Savior and bring us into conformity to the Son and bring glory to the Father – too many reject The Truth – Christ Jesus the Lord! Where is our anguish today?
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Time 2 Stand has a new look! Click below to go to the website. But what is Time 2 Stand? Time 2 Stand is a site where we desire to call people, especially men, back to the truth. There are many links, sermons, videos and more for you to check out.
What then is Urgency to Rise? Urgency to Rise is a book that was released Oct of 2008 calling the professing church back to truth. It is also the blog page in unison with Time 2 Stand. If you know of any links we should know about, please let us know so we can add them to the mix.
Urgency to Rise
