THE WATER HOLE

We bless God, then, for our afflictions;

we thank Him for our changes;

we extol His name for losses of property;

for we feel that if He had not chastened us thus,

we might have become too secure.   

Continued worldly prosperity is a fiery trial.

C.H. Spurgeon

It was a particularly busy Sunday at the local garden centre.   There was not chance of a seat in the restaurant, you had to book in advance as this was mothering Sunday the day to take the family matriarch out for a traditional roast dinner and a mindless wander around the floral displays, cards, books and trinkets.

"Don't spend too much" Len warned his wife observing her elderly mother wandering into the distance.   This was no joyful outing for Bella having already noted the bored expression and disgust etched on her son-in-law's face at the thought of having to endure yet another Mother's Day outing.

It had to be the lesser menu in the cafe for Bella who would have preferred a quiet lunch at home  watching her favourite television channel enjoying an Irish Coffee.   The little cafe was also busy but they managed to grab a vacant corner table.    

Some people were actually enjoying their special day but over their little corner table misery hung like a wet blanket.   "She's lived too long" Len considered "in fact they are all living too long.   We are keeping this lot on our taxes"

Suddenly Bella's face was illuminated with a big smile that swiftly spread into a toothy grin.   Not that she had many teeth left but a wide smile made it absolutely obvious that she had lost quite a few of her top row.    Across the crowded room she saw a familiar face.   It was Albert.   Heavens above  what on earth was he doing at her local garden centre.

She rose from her seat and stumbled through the sea of shopping bags and zimmer frames.  "Albert, good heavens, how lovely to see you again" she said "I don't want to intrude, where are your escorts"

He smiled "Oh the guards went off in the direction of the garden ornaments, they have all sorts of junk and they keep adding to it.   Its an obsession.   I'm up here for a couple of weeks and then I am heading home.   "Sit down Bella" he gestured to an empty chair "they seem to lose track of time and they won't be back for ages.   How are you girl" he enquired "how long has it been"  

"All of twenty years" she replied.

 "And you are still the same" he replied.

"When was the last time you visited the opticians" she replied "Actually I can still get around on my own, I am fiercely independent but that is a good thing under the circumstances, I just hate having to ask for help when it is refused with every excuse under the sun or grudgingly given.   It is really a sad indictment of how very selfish this generation can be, although I have to say the people in my little town are very supportive of their nearest and dearest and especially today there will be a constant trail of daughters and grandchildren popping in to see my neighbours.  Seems I have drawn the short straw where my kids are concerned."

"You don't have to be lonely girl" replied Albert with a mischievous twinkle in his eye "there's room for two at my place"

"I'm very set in my ways Albert" she replied "and when I look at this sick, selfish society I long for the day I can slip away forever.   The "tall ships" are on the horizon at my age, I'm just waiting for them to dock.

"No you don't" said Albert quite fiercely "It's not over until God says its over.   It's not all that bad, yes its rotten at the top but the roots go deep.   Did you see that lovely young woman at the supermarket selling her golden daffodils for the cancer nurses.   She was brave enough to wear the bright yellow outfit that was attempting to turn her into a human daffodil and whatever they put in her box she rewarded them with a beautiful smile.   There are youngsters that care and they will make a difference but they will face fierce resistance."

Albert was well informed and articulate, he discerned the political agenda and was prone to shout at his television set "bunch of plonkers"    He questioned the agenda of the anti.Russia brigade on both sides of the Atlantic.   What they were really pushing for is another so called "soft war" i.e. no nuclear weapons,  that way the arms dealers and the munition factories will be coining it and will keep things ticking over.

"Do you know my mother's day present was a really expensive nightdress" Bella chuckled "they obviously considered I will need a good stock for when I eventually get incontinent.   The cotton was silky soft and warranted the price tag, but made in Peru.!!!!   Can't we make clothes in this country.   My aunt was an excellent seamstress and worked until she was 75 - God bless her.   Probably treadling in heaven as we speak.

In the name of greater profits and greed nearly everything we produced ourselves has gone abroad from steel to socks.   I think we can drop the GREAT in Great Britain.   Their conversation continued in a mix of humour and satire.   They were laughing and joking until Bella's daughter signalled "wind it up - we are going" and the Guards accurately fitting Albert's description appeared in the entrance to the cafe clutching assorted garden gnomes and a box of solar lights.

Albert reached to take Bella's hand.   "God is gracious, you are just as I remembered you you haven't changed"  He pressed a business card into her hand and said "phone me.  I have had a vision, call it what you will,  a rallying call for committed christians to make a difference, lets talk.    And with that they moved in different directions waving at each other as they disappeared from view.

"Who was that" enquired Albert's son.   "Oh just someone I met at church from way back" he replied smiling.

"I hope she doesn't think she is getting her feet under your table" his daughter in law suggested her mind firmly fixed on his assets.

"I doubt it" replied Albert "she was never that kind of woman, she's more concerned about the state of the world and the mess your generation is making".

"Nice one Dad" said his son wondering how soon the payback would come from his annoyed wife.   Thats all the thanks we get for sacrificing what little spare time we have to take you out for lunch."

"Pull the other one" replied Albert glancing at the garden gnomes stashed on the seat beside him.   When will you two realise time is short.   You won't be able to hide behind your gnomes or possessions when God deals with us all.

It was as good as a red rag to a bull.   "Shut up Dad" replied his son "we don't share your religious beliefs, you know there are times when you are extremely irritating keep the evangelising to yourself.

Albert knew he had hit a nerve but silently he was redirecting his attention and assets to a worthy project and when the "tall ships" arrived to take him home prayerfully it would be up and running and the groundwork already completed for the children of the King who were facing increasing persecution.    Meanwhile he hoped Bella would phone, somehow he knew she was part of his vision.

Beloved reader, set not your affections upon things of earth: but seek those things which are above, for here the moth devoureth, and the thief breaketh through, but there all joys are perpetual and eternal. The path of trouble is the way home.   Lord,  make this thought a pillow for many a weary head.

C.H. Spurgeon.

          

WILDERNESS KIDS

I have found a desire within myself that no other experience in the world can satisfy;

the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.

C.S. Lewis

Wilderness kids don't seek fame or wealth, they seek the Kingdom.

They are increasingly alienated from a corrupt decadent society.   They stand alone and isolated but they are the 'jewels' in Yeshua's crown.

Their focus is the 'Word of God' - they shine - obeying His Laws and refusing to condone or rubber stamp behaviour that is offensive to a Holy God.   Where ever their home or country tribulation is heading towards them, perhaps not so much death by the blade in the western world, more a creeping persecution by governments, at the mercy of corrupt officialdom,  often labelled mentally challenged.

Steer well clear of any government intrusion.   State churches will never be an issue the sheep are neutered and mix with abominations embracing every unholy act to fill pews. Evil stalks the halls of power.  Dark celebrities rise pursuing another crack of the whip. Others stand in the wings watching, waiting for their comeback.

Rejoice no genuine child of God can despair whatever the future holds:

 Psalm 116

Precious in the sight of the Lord

Is the death of His saints.

Matthew 22 - 32

And Jesus answered and said to them,

'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?

GOD IS NOT THE GOD OF THE DEAD, BUT OF THE LIVING.

As I discussed the latest developments in volcanic activity in numerous 'hot spots' around the globe a relative suggested "you have your insurance policy."   Caught off guard I replied "yes I have" remembering the life insurance I had taken out to cover the disposal of my remains.   "No" he replied "I mean your faith"   Thank you Lord just keep reminding him of that fact.

And perhaps the very best way to drift off to sleep in this manic world  "The book of Psalms - Sleep with this on!!!" a soothing and brilliant rendition of all 150 Psalms on You Tube - mind you I usually slip away by No.4.   And for those who love number crunching just look at the 'hits' 1,072,436 views for Jonny a Blaze for Christ.   That in itself is very encouraging - WE ARE NOT ALONE.

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MANKIND IN THE DOCK

Genesis 2 - 15

Then the Lord took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden
to tend and keep it.
KJV

The Hebrew translation of scripture to tend is Shamar - meaning to GUARD.

As custodians of the earth and animals God will require an account of our behaviour and those responsible for the carnage in the Middle East and elsewhere around the globe will ultimately face THE SUPREME JUDGE.   They will be sentenced for all eternity.     

God's love and compassion for His creatures is evident throughout the bible and sadly there has been an horrendous increase in cruelty where our lesser brethren is concerned.    When you take the time to observe nature compared with the antics of mankind you might consider we are the lesser brethren.  

Regardless of the video junk on You Tube there are some graphic examples of this appalling cruelty and the work of committed individuals who rescue and salvage those on the receiving end of the deranged twisted perpetrators who take pleasure in abusing their hapless victims.   On the other hand we consider ourselves superior to the animals that share the planet but just maybe they are more intelligent than we think, which brings to mind an interesting video regarding the work of Plymouth University some years ago regarding the concentration span of a goldfish which was originally considered three seconds.

Memories return of children clutching a plastic bag with a single captive goldfish from the rag and bone man or from a stall in a visiting fairground destined for a small round glass bowl, condemned to swim in small circles until its demise, that's if the tap water doesn't kill it first or they remember to feed and clean it's tiny environment, to say nothing of the watchful eyes of the family cat intent on a fishing expedition.

Scientists at Plymouth now consider the little goldfish has a memory span of between three to five months,  can actually see more colour light than the human eye.  It can remember training up to a year later and can be taught to push levers (for food) and play football.   (Perhaps the only thing they have in common with today's kids and their lesser concentration span)   They can recognise their human feeders and tell the difference between classical music and jazz.   In reality you are being watched by your goldfish.   A recent report stated most children these days have a concentration span of eight minutes rising to 20 minutes for teenagers and adults.   The goldfish wins.  

As for our precious planet.   Seas dying, flocks of dead birds found on sea shores around the globe, continuing pollution from the metal maggots that invade every part of our daily lives, be it car, bus or lorry on increasingly congested highways and motorways.   Fracking continues contaminating water supplies when the powers that be know full well it would be cheaper to finance solar panels and wind turbines.   The power companies have a vested interest in bleeding the poor, keeping their executive salaries regardless of the fact they are poisoning the very air we breathe and giving our cradle earth a good kicking in the name of greed not withstanding the security issues involved with nuclear power.

Back to our friend the little goldfish.   It is actually therapeutic watching a tank full of fish and far preferable to the drivel, lies and misinformation that television offers these days.  Perhaps the message has to be very basic for today's generation with a crippled concentration span.

Garbage in - garbage out.  Monitor your internet access, television viewing and hold fast to basic moral standards.  That should hold good for everyone in a decent society where knowing and serving  God is fast becoming a label for being mentally challenged and anti.social. 

Proverbs 22 - 6

Train up a child in the way he should go,

And when he is old he will not depart from it.

U.K. Education Authorities - TAKE NOTE - Its the responsibility of parents to guide their child and protect them from those in society who would enforce their alternative moral standards on innocent minds.   Of course we all realise their dark agenda and who is pulling their strings.    But then I was taught God sees everything, knows every thought and is perhaps fast running out of patience with a wilful disobedient generation.   Man is simply out of control and we all know the consequences.   THE BIG BURN.

If you can concentrate for twenty minutes start at the beginning and read a chapter of the book of Enoch - considered sacred by the Jewish people.   It foreshadows the bible written 2000 years before Christ and reveals the end of all things,  an easy read compared with the Book of Revelation.   You really need a bible expositor for the book of Daniel and Revelation.   

Of course "that's a load of rubbish" is the common cry from the blind and the deaf.  They might well have to struggle through a Mad Max scenario on what will be left of our dying planet.   Meanwhile the writer prays for a fast shuttle out to join those who have gone ahead - human and furry friends,  prayerfully there will be quite a zoo waiting.

Biblical history tells us the Jews were not always faithful to their God.   They cried out to Him in times of great need but were off with the Molech worshippers in times of prosperity.   Unlike the much maligned goldfish they easily forgot their God when things were going smoothly, when disaster loomed they were on their knees crying out for mercy.

Yeshua had many followers and contrary to some christian perspectives it was not the Jews who crucified Christ it was the religious leaders of the Sanhedrin.  He was a threat to their power and control.   He paid with His life as will many who rise against the status quo and an intrusive State.   

But the Good News is Yeshua (Jesus) IS coming back,  this time in power and glory and men will run to hide and wish the stones would bury them. 

Revelation 6 - 15 - 16

And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the Wrath of the Lamb (Yeshua-Jesus) 

   

Perhaps you consider you have only committed minor sins, you haven't murdered anyone or beheaded next door's cat, in fact people say you are a really nice guy.   But pride, arrogance and ego are even more deadly in the eyes of the God you choose to ignore.   You might find yourself firmly held in an endless plain of talking heads next to the neighbours from hell, moaning and complaining forever.*  

*Vincent Ward's "What Dreams May Come"

The end is only the beginning.

An Academy Award Winner for "Best Special Effects"

The film stars the late Robin Williams and his excellent portrayal of Chris Nielsen and his journey through hell to find his wife who after losing the family dog and later her two children and finally her husband in separate car crashes decides she can't take any more and commits suicide.   Of course its very Catholic that those who commit suicide go to hell.   Isn't God a God of love, mercy and forgiveness?   Wouldn't he understand her state of mind and know she had hit the end of her strength to fight despair.   I know which God I believe in.   

There's quite a popular simple saying for those who try to reach the unsaved.   "If I am wrong, then I have lost nothing.    If you are wrong you have lost everything.

In his book "Amusing ourselves to Death" Neil Postman believes the attention span of humans is decreasing as the use of modern technology increases.   Professor Gary Small used an MRI scanner to observe the brain activity of six volunteers.   Three were web veterans and three were not.   The professor found the web veterans had developed "distinctive neural pathways"  Interesting.  

We have advanced so far in what is a relatively short period of time.   We have the toys to destroy humanity but God is watching and He will act.

Most have a conscience and know the difference between good and evil, but many believe when they die that's it.   End of.   There are endless witness statements to the contrary from both specialists in the medical professions to the experiences of the common man.   But may be it will take the next plague or disaster to convince you that man is not in charge - GOD IS.

Of course atheism is on the march and people who deny a creator God merely replace Him with self and it is futile to debate the subject as they usually consider themselves the superior intellect.

The atheist replaces God with Self

The believer replaces self with God.

T. Hills

Self is the opaque veil that hides the Face of God from us.

It can be removed only in spiritual experience, never by mere instruction.

A.W. Tozer

I believe in God as I believe the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.  - C.S. Lewis

Atheists express their rage again God although in their view He doesn't exist.  C.S. Lewis

It amazes me to find an intelligent person who fights against something which he does not at all believe exists.   Mohandas Gandhi.

Matthew 24 gives a clear countdown and warning of coming events but those who trust in the Lord will be saved.

The worse moment for the atheist is when he is really thankful

and has nobody to thank.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

SPARROWS AND CUCKOOS

Even the sparrow has found a home,

And the swallow a nest for herself,

Where she may lay her young

Even your altars, O Lord of hosts,

My King and My God.

Psalm 84 - 3

"If you could fly to the feet of your God and King what type of bird would you choose to be" the Watcher asked the woman in the wheelchair.

"A sparrow" she replied.    

Having observed he was being closely watched by a man and woman standing in the shadows he called out "and what sort of birds are you"   

There was no reply to his question they stood detached and pensive still staring at the woman.   "Perhaps you are cuckoos" said the Watcher.   "Did you take advantage of this sparrow, is that why she was pushed out of the nest"?

Still there was no reply.

The Watcher knew in a busy nest there were always litter favourites and there were always runts.  Litter favourites stayed close to the nest until it was quite empty.

The crippled sparrow sang for joy.   She knew her time would come when she would soar to the throne of her God and sing with the angels, but for now she would patiently wait remembering His promise.   "I will look after you"  

He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge.

His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

Psalm 91

3 - 4

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Lucy was a 'go for',  the eldest girl in a family of five children, and it did not go unnoticed in the neighbourhood that it was always Lucy struggling with the shopping and watching over her younger siblings.   The neighbours were watching as she pushed an old pram full of books up the ramp on to the removal van that was to take them to their new home.   Giving and serving were grounded in her nature, polishing the family shoes the only way to get noticed, win her mother's approval and catch little scraps of praise.

Eventually cinderella Lucy left home and married her prince.   Her domestic training ensured it was a smooth transition from one sink to another.  Three generations later, widowed and alone she faces a world that has changed beyond recognition.   When today's young people don't get their own way they riot.  When the educated elite don't get their way they blame the elderly generation and the honest hard working salt of the earth men and women whose kids can't even get jobs.      Anarchy is no stranger on streets in the western world.    The fabric of society is crumbling.   The elderly are often abandoned by the children they fought to feed, cloth and educate.    Family squabbles cause division.   When you refuse to dance of the music of this world you face opposition from every corner and when you are a genuine "born again" christian you even face accusations from supposed fellow christians.    

The God most deny is moving, He is shaking relationships and households, cities and nations by the entry of His Holy Spirit power working in people.   Matthew 24 is unfolding.  

Those who challenge any concept of a designer God will simply put all the turmoil  down to anti.social behaviour.   Perhaps if they had stared evil in the face as did the butchered christians in the Middle East they might not be so complacent.   Most don't believe in a creator God but there is a small matter of conscience.  Exactly where does the prompt come from.   The suggestion that your behaviour was hurtful or that what you did would inevitably have its consequences.   Of course if you can happily kill someone without a shred of emotion then obviously you are seriously damaged and society needs to be protected from your actions. 

On the opposite side of the fence you have the religious 'basket cases'  sentencing people to hell fire at every opportunity.   The prosperity preachers - how will they cope when God actually decides to deal with us all.  Their possessions and money will burn along with the rest.

God has been incredibly patient thus far.

You can't scare people into the Kingdom but there are plenty of examples of this on You-Tube.  God chooses to touch lives and every word spoken by an evangelists or fellow christian should tie in with biblical truth.

Then there are the precious and preferred mob who condemn just about anyone who has a differing opinion.   Obviously they consider they know the mind of God and are quick to condemn.

It can be the simplest quote or saying that will trigger the journey.   Or it can be the loss of all we hold dear that might bring us to our knees.   Suddenly we get our priorities right.   We are not important in the scheme of things.   There's a bigger picture.  Self is in the ascendancy in a society that promotes personal freedom.  Live your life to the full and taste absolutely everything a decadent society offers.  The latest attempt at silencing christian witness in the U.K. would be the proposed Equality Act. 

When you suddenly experience the hand of God you try to explain the unexplainable and how it changed your life. The man who so eloquently put this experience into words is Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Ever to be remember is that best and brightest of hours, when first we saw the Lord, lost our burden, and received the roll of promise, rejoiced in full salvation, and went on our way in peace.   

Then the flowers appeared in our heart; hope, love, peace, and patience sprung from the sod; the hyacinth of repentance, the snowdrop of pure holiness, the crocus of golden faith, the daffodil of early love, all decked the garden of the soul.

Just how beautiful the words that describe spring, new beginnings, a shoulder to lean on and a rock to stand on in the coming days.

It all starts with repentance, you leave your past in the past and move forward in a new life in Christ.   

The recent Jacob Prasch video freely available on You Tube  "The Day of the Lord" might give those wallowing in the Sloth of Despair a new urgency.   Time is short and even shorter for those who knew a better world where the experience of war made people look to their neighbours and care for those unable to care for themselves.    

Perhaps if christians stopped jostling for position and power and started to actually follow their Saviour a watching world might just consider the 'precious pearl of faith'  worth having.

Matthew 13 - 46

"who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Even the Lord's disciples squabbled amongst themselves. A mother requested her sons had a place of privilege on the right and left hand of Yeshua's throne.

  

Matthew 20 - 22

Yeshua said:  You do not know what you ask.   Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink, and be baptised with the baptism that I am baptised with"  They said to him we are able.   The baptism here refers to the fact that Yeshua was divinely appointed to suffer and die - would they? 

The film Ghost is still extremely popular.  Why?  because it gives those who have lost loved ones hope of a reunion in another place, a better place.   Of course the scary things that came up out of the pavement also remind us we are not all going to make it.     But hey its only a film.   Who wrote the script and where did the idea come from.?

There is a small chip called conscience - most have it.   It's that thought that says - hey that wasn't very nice - or should you be doing that and a prompt warns there would be consequences.   Of course some are totally devoid of conscience, perhaps that's a fault in their gene pool but most are and realise we are facing a very uncertain future.

Genesis 6 - 3
And the Lord said "My spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh.........................

Genesis 6.6
And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

Genesis 6.13
The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them.

No one can deny the appalling greed of the elite and the suffering masses.   The persecution of those who stand for the Word of God will continue unabated until Messiah Yeshua comes.

"but the best life of Christ is His living biography, written out in the words and actions of His people"

Charles Haddon Spurgeon. 

Amen and Amen.

SHALOM

   

  

  

      

   

     

      

MONGRELS IN THE KINGDOM

His strength is sufficient

He has saved you.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

"What breed is that" enquired a curious hill walker "she's very pretty"

"She actually has three breeds" replied the proud owner.   Her father was a Pug crossed with a Boston Terrier and her mother was a pure Lhaso Apso.

"Really" the woman exclaimed "I would never have guessed"

"I had no idea what I was taking on" said the woman on the end of the dog lead.   She's just a mongrel but full of character,  sturdy and strong.    I am told nature takes the best of the gene pool and they are very resistant to the woes of the pedigree breeds.  She can leap like a kangaroo,  with longer back legs she can out run any large dog teasing, twisting, turning to avoid any unwelcome attention.  She happily sits on her bottom like a Meerkat her eyes observing every morsel of food that passes my lips.   The downside, if she has one, is her long fur which gathers tiny twigs of bracken hiding them away under her armpits.   She is rather like the brush on the street cleaner's machine  - gathering the mud and muck from the gutters.  

Somehow the conversation turned to dog ownership and how a large Alsatian would be a considerable deterrent in hot spots around the globe.    

"Gosh" replied the owner of a beautiful young pedigree labrador.    I didn't get Lucy as a deterrent she is a family pet and very loving but her bark might just deter an intruder.   They say German Shepherds are the best dogs for that job.    I would certainly have one if I lived in the Middle East.  This Isis stuff is horrendous and it's all religion once again.   War after war, so where is the christian God in all this? she questioned.   "Can't He stop the slaughter."

"You need to understand the concept of free will" said the owner of the eccentric terrier.  "God is not a dictator.   We have the choice between good and evil.   If you don't understand the entity that is behind this killing machine you are obviously oblivious to the power of evil and its source.  Beware the hordes of hell.!!!!

"Oh this is getting too deep for me" muttered the hill walker calling her dog.   "Bye I'm off, busy, lots to do, take care" considering the little dog's owner probably had mental health issues, poor old thing.   Might be prudent to take avoidance tactics if their paths crossed again.

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Many years ago I talked with a man who considered heaven would be a trifle overcrowded with all the people who had walked on the earth since records began.   After all most consider they are sorry for their transgressions on a death bed.   Although some would happily suggest "I did it my way"   A very popular song at funerals.   "Well" he replied "what happens to everyone else" his expression implied 'now get out of that one'.   "I have no idea" I replied "but no doubt eventually I will find out.  Hell is obviously the destination for murderers etc. etc.   Oh for heavens sake read Revelation"  He laughed at my irritation.   I had yet to realise that many are victims and captives, someone else clearly pulling their strings.       

Matthew 7 - 14

Jesus warned "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it."

Matthew 5 - 8
Jesus taught "Blessed are in pure in heart, for they shall see God.
That narrows the field considerably.
Thankfully even though sin pollutes and defiles, the blood of Jesus washes the stains away.
John 14 - 6
I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.   

Sadly the teaching is twisted and perverse by men like Stephen Sizer and his followers.  Yeshua is coming back to His people, the Jews, but thankfully Gentile believers are grafted into the vine.

There's a tongue in cheek joke about Jesus leading a group of christians past a doorway announcing "sssssh the Catholics think they are the only ones here.   I remember well asking my mother "if only Catholics go to heaven, where does everyone else go"    She didn't know what to say to her inquisitive daughter who was always asking 'WHY" and expecting an answer.

Jesus said "In My Father's house there are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you. 

If you were raised Catholic or Muslim you probably didn't have access to a bible.    It is difficult to understand without taking into consideration the Jewish mindset and the fact that Yeshua spoke in hyperboles to get his message across to his followers.   When you can't even pronounce most of the names it is understandable folks get bogged down in Numbers.   

Then there's the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.      Christ returns to claim his bride (the church).  (Ouch   pray he doesn't head for the Church of England or Rome) His real sheep are underground.

The invitations go out.    R.S.V.P  Back come the replies - sorry I can't get the time off work.   It's a busy time of the year for us we are all doing overtime.    Got to get those Easter Eggs off the production line or  every excuse we have used to get out of the family occasions we dread.     

Matthew 22 - 3 - 14
God tells his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.
9 - Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find invite to the wedding.   The great unwashed are now going to the banquet.   But one man is still in his ordinary clothes so he is thrown out.

Why - did you get that one?    I didn't for a long time until - Jacob Prasch arrived on the internet. 

Even at that late hour unbelievers will see heaven and repent.    The man who was thrown out refused to change his clothes (accept Christ as his Saviour)  he didn't belong at the wedding feast - too late he realises what he has lost.   Like every other child raised in religion I knew the potted parable but I didn't understand the context.   It's easy to mislead by false doctrine or misinterpretation - or may even get lost in translation.

In the diaspora the Jews were scattered throughout Europe and many abandoned not only their faith but their roots.   Marriage claimed its victims.   You couldn't marry a Catholic without turning (you know that thing milk does when it goes beyond it's sell by date!!!!)  Jewish families apparently had a funeral for their particular deserter.   Others got the silent treatment and eventually wandered off into the wilderness.

My own ancestors jumped across the denominational divide a few times but thankfully the Lord snatched me back via the Baptist Church.   Regardless the Jewish gene will surface when I hear  Jonathan and Aviva Settel singing Shehechianu.   Other genes include Celtic, Irish, Scottish and there's the odd Viking gene somewhere in the mix on my father's side.   My children have inherited a Welsh gene from their paternal grandmother.   We are mongrels without a doubt. 

Eventually broken and bleeding we turn around and limp home that's if we manage to avoid the Sloth of Despair and all the other traps that lie waiting around the corner determined to pounce on a lone sheep.

Just an ordinary sheep

close to her shepherd curled up at His feet.

SAFE

Sometimes distracted I watch others stray

hurting themselves as they go their own way.

Unseen dangers lurk over the hill

yet they take a chance and follow their will.

I stay close to the Shepherd, curled up at His feet

REMEMBERING.

My Master is loving, gentle and meek,

He came searching for me, just one lost sheep

and carried me home.

FORGIVEN

Now I stay close to the Shepherd curled up at His feet

SAFE.

T. HILLS

2003

    

        

WASTELAND SHEEP

MARY NOT MARTHA

When the church of God addresses herself 

to conflict she will tear evil to pieces.

 William Wilberforce 

According to bible expositor Jacob Prasch* families of believers are under increasing attack and that something is happening between parents and children in the last days.    This is to be expected when there are hirelings in the church and sincere men of God are few on the ground, when doctrinal truth is exchanged for lies.   Discerning children of God vote with their feet and walk,  but in their freedom some have become judge and jury and are sometimes far from the correct interpretation of scripture.     

Out of this unholy mess comes the lone wolf, the critical spirit and those suffering from an extreme bout of spiritual pride.   'I' don't believe this, or that.   Self appointed prophets abound on the internet. 

Some christians pronounce judgement on one another when healing fails.  They don't have enough faith, they are not praying hard enough.  Tell that to the parents of a three year old child dying of cancer the innocent babies murdered in the Middle East or to the cripple in the wheelchair.   It's cruel and its tantamount to bullying.

They forget that the greater part of disease in this world is caused by mankind.   The fact that people die from pollution because they live close to motorways does not seem to bother authorities until air quality in London fails the safety standards.  Man has contaminated the seas affecting the fish we eat and the wildlife.   All part of a food chain that is slowly poisoning mankind.

Years ago I watched a man in a t.v. programme deny the existence of God.   Why, because his son was killed in a car crash.  Should he blame God?  NO.    The blame game is another sign of the increasing evidence that the Father of Lies (Satan) is busy directing his followers.   Truth is dead where news reports are concerned.   Both the U.K. and America seem hell bent on pointing the finger at Russia, their so called elite determined to start wars and fill their coffers with lucrative arms sales regardless of the consequences.     

We are now advised not to eat farmed salmon because of the artificial food they are fed and conditions in which they are kept.   In the name of greed man will literally poison the planet and its residents will have no choice in the matter.

"Thou shalt not kill" yet war after war shows man has no problem ignoring that commandment.   A footnote in my study bible says "this doesn't apply to war"    'Thou shalt not kill' was the commandment handed to Moses and there was no 'codicil'    If you accidentally killed someone scripture teaches God had provided cities to which you could flee.   Man has to learn to talk peace otherwise he will incinerate the planet with his latest toys.

Matthew 5 - 9 - Yeshua (Jesus)  said "blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God"   Peacemakers for the most part appear to be ignored and the agenda moves forward.     They forget that when Messiah returns He will rule with a rod of iron.   Where are those listed as the world's richest pastors going to hide? especially when their fellow countrymen live in squalid poverty.   Just what will they say to Amighty God when called to give account of exactly how they acquired their earthly riches, by selling salvation and bleeding the poor at every opportunity.

Matthew 10 - 8 - 10 

Jesus said:

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast our demons.  "Freely you have received, freely give."

"Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts,"

"nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs, for a worker is worthy of his food."

Where will the so called elite hide in the Day of the Wrath of the Lord.

REVELATION 6 - 15

And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,

and said to the mountains and rocks "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 

From the book of Enoch to the prophets and scribes of ancient history the warning signs of the end of the world are clear, but until Jesus comes many will not even acknowledge their creator or the witness of those blessed with divine revelation.      

  

Spiritual pride is a very real problem.   There are people who consider they are preferred above the average grain of sand and seem to be able to ignore their every failing as a normal caring human being.   They readily condemn any one who contradicts their opinion as "going to hell"    Ghandi is quoted as saying "only God says who goes to hell"   What is incredibly annoying is they are in fact saying "I know the mind of God"   No one knows the mind of God.

Jesus warned his followers he did not know God's plan and when he would return.     

Matthew 24 - 36

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

Not surprisingly these individuals usually give themselves away in many instances.    Just a casual remark puts the spotlight on their failure to follow Yeshua's teaching.  Some have a "brownie points" mentality to catch as many souls as possible before they give up the ghost.    Their lives should certainly reflect the delights of knowing and serving God - but it is actually God that runs after His sheep with the offer of salvation.

Some have to be seen as in a position of authority where the study of scripture is concerned.  Others know that they belong at the feet of the Shepherd King.    God will deal with the world that is His business they are called to follow the Lord, to be a beacon of hope in a dark world.   

Luke 10 - 41- 42

Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.

But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.

Martha was busy bustling about and complaining about a serious lack of help, running herself into the ground trying to be all things to all men.   Mary just sat at Yeshua's feet and she won his approval.   

Charles Haddon Spurgeon said "We shall soon have to handle Truth not with kid gloves (well the  right man for our time is Jacob Prasch who tackles his opponents head on) but with gauntlets of holy courage and integrity.

"Go on ye warriors of the cross for the King is at the head of you."

We are all equal, but some are more equal than others and that still applies in todays world.   God looks down on the pauper and the prince and knows who He chooses for His Kingdom.

The Armenians believed perseverance was conditional upon continued faith in Christ with the possibility of final apostasy.  Many will fall under that sword as the battle to eliminate the christian faith continues apace.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Assuredly the new theology can do no good towards God or man; it has no adaption for it.   If it were preached for over a thousand years by all the most earnest men of the school, it would never renew a soul, nor overcome pride in a single human heart.

This great man of God was chosen at the tender age of 15.   The illumination of Isaiah 45 - 22 moved him from an Anglican background to Baptist Minister.

Look unto Me,
and be yea saved,

all the ends of the earth!

For I am God, and there is none else. 

He is acknowledged as the Prince of Preachers defending the church in agreement with the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith opposing liberal and pragmatic theological tendencies.   At 19 he was minister of the largest baptist congregation in London.   In 1857 he preached to the highest congregation ever.   23,654 at Crystal Palace, London.    

How far the United Kingdom has descended under the "hirling" shepherds and it will surely reap the reward.    Bunyan, Wycliffe, Spurgeon, Tozer, Wilkerson, the list goes on, all men chosen by God and used in their particular expertise.   His Elect set apart and gifted to influence the sheep and lead them in a right direction.   Hence the unholy chaos in this once christian country a direct result of the new order and an enforced politically correct agenda.    

The sheep are all over the place.   They need a shepherd.   They need to know there is strength in numbers and that they must STAND regardless of persecution.   One can only observe the continuing decline with but one consolation the works of the foundation fathers are readily available for everyone and their foresight has been proved correct.   Their lives clearly demonstrated that God chooses an individual for a particular mission/ministry and reveals future events.   

Whatever is wrong we must meet with a firm, strong, uncompromising NO;

but whatever is right we would welcome into our life with a hearty, cheerful 'YES'*

*J.R. Miller - In Green Pastures.




* Chanukah, Christmas and the return of Christ.  Parts 1 - 3 - Available on U-Tube - Moriel - Jacob Prasch.