Thought Splatters (Dive!)

Posted on September 2, 2012 by A Whisper, Screamed

You cannot obey God in your own way. Ask Him how He want you to serve Him.

Starve the flesh; feed the spirit. That is why we are supposed to fast (the body under subjection), pray (submission to the will of God, not wishing) and study the Bible (bread for the spirit).

My only saving attribute is that I try to keep You on my mind all day long. Without that much, I would be growing cold and confused again, would I not?

Fidelity is the active (not passive) loyalty to His rule. It is obedience to His Holy Spirit’s commands. It is staying true to Him no matter what happens. It is maintaining and increasing the spiritual connection with Him through worship, prayer, and obedience.

Anyone can do good things. Remember, the adversary can use good works for his purposes as well.

The Evangel will not be finished until it has reached every corner of the world.

The phrase “the word of the Lord” appears 334 times, but not in reference to the Scriptures (also called “the book of the Law of God” in the OT). What is “the word of the Lord” really?

Do not forget to give Him praise and glory at His feet. He is King; He deserves to be talked to while we are bowing, kneeling or lying prostrate.

We must be patient and understand that everything is for preparation for our real home after this one passes.

We are to be about Our Father’s business (Luke 2:49), which is spiritual controlling the physical.

The Book of Judges should be alternately called “Israel Gone Crazy.”

He wants you alone and to Himself, to draw closer to Him. He may have you tell His truth without other people’s interference.

Sometimes, He may send you to people or a place where you would least likely want to witness.

Why can we not take disagreements to the Lord, fast over it, and wait for His answer? Is it pride? Impatience? Forgetting He is sovereign? Doubt? Hidden disbelief? I just do not get it…

No rapture until AFTER the tribulation. Jesus said so in Matthew 24:29 and Mark 13:24. Pray and ask Him to reveal the truth to you!

I do not want to believe as anyone else believes, but as He directs me. Neither my salvation nor soul will be placed into human hands, institutions, or practices.

A short summary of Psalm 2: Some people who want to war against the Lord and His Christ. He tells them, “LOL! You think you can come against Me? Son, You will take care of these fools. Stupid leaders, you still want to come against Me? OK, bring it!”

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Puzzling Passages Made Plain: Who Is “This Rock”?

Posted on August 26, 2012 by A Whisper, Screamed

The centuries-old debate between Catholics and Protestants about who Jesus built the Ecclesia upon is mainly an issue of semantics, ignoring the fact that people in ancient times used idiomatic language. No matter how well something is translated, there will always be discrepancies due to not having a full understand of the culture—the older it is, the more obscure. Thank the Lord He still gives out knowledge and wisdom in this day.

Matthew 16:13-20 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then He strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

John 1:42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas (which means Peter).”

The name Peter (Petros-masculine form) means pebble, little rock, broken piece of rock in the Greek. The word rock (petra-feminine form) is only used four times in the NT; one reference is to Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). Jesus called Himself the stone which the builders rejected, the chief cornerstone (capstone) (Psalm 118:22, Isaiah 28:16, Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17).

Others argue that going by the Aramaic text, Kaypha (Cephas, Peter) means large rock and evna, little rock, the latter not being used. They conclude that Jesus established the Ecclesia upon Simon Peter, making him the main representative of Christ. The problem with that is it ignores the Old and New Testament symbolism both the words rock and stone signify—God and His control over the whole Earth. Also, Jesus gave the power to bind and loose spiritually to all disciples (Matthew 18:18). Going by these definitions alone is inconclusive.

Usually, commentaries have my eyes rolling, but Albert Barnes saw the same problem I did and my position on Christ being “this rock” being a bit off:

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible – Matthew 16

And upon this rock … – This passage has given rise to many different interpretations. Some have supposed that the word “rock” refers to Peter’s confession, and that Jesus meant to say, upon this rock, this truth that thou hast confessed, that I am the Messiah and upon confessions of this from all believers, I will build my church. Confessions like this shall be the test of piety, and in such confessions shall my church stand amid the flames of persecution, the fury of the gates of hell.

Others have thought that Jesus referred to himself. Christ is called a rock, Isaiah 28:16; 1 Peter 2:8. And it has been thought that he turned from Peter to himself, and said, “Upon this rock, this truth that I am the Messiah – upon myself as the Messiah, I will build my church.” Both these interpretations, though plausible, seem forced upon the passage to avoid the main difficulty in it. Another interpretation is, that the word “rock” refers to Peter himself.

This is the obvious meaning of the passage; and had it not been that the Church of Rome has abused it, and applied it to what was never intended, no other interpretation would have been sought for.

“Thou art a rock. Thou hast shown thyself firm, and suitable for the work of laying the foundation of the church. Upon thee will I build it. Thou shalt be highly honored; thou shalt be first in making known the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles.” This was accomplished. See Acts 2:14-36, where he first preached to the Jews, and Acts 10, where he preached the gospel to Cornelius and his neighbors, who were Gentiles. Peter had thus the honor of laying the foundation of the church among the Jews and Gentiles; and this is the plain meaning of this passage. See also Galatians 2:9.

But Christ did not mean, as the Roman Catholics say He did, to exalt Peter to supreme authority above all the other apostles, or to say that he was the only one upon whom he would rear his church. See Acts 15, where the advice of James, and not that of Peter, was followed. See also Galatians 2:11, where Paul withstood Peter to his face, because he was to be blamed – a thing which could not have happened if Christ (as the Roman Catholics say) meant that Peter was absolute and infallible. More than all, it is not said here, or anywhere else in the Bible, that Peter would have infallible successors who would be the vicegerents of Christ and the head of the church.

The whole meaning of the passage is this: “I will make you the honored instrument of making known my gospel first to Jews and Gentiles, and I will make you a firm and distinguished preacher in building my church.”

Satisfied with this explanation, I put the issue aside. The Father was not finished with it because the next morning I awoke to the words, “Peter was the first stone.” Their meaning filled my mind: the Spirit of God spoke first through Peter; therefore Peter became the first rock laid beside the cornerstone, Christ Jesus. Jesus also told Peter he was already a part of Him, His Body (kingdom, temple, ecclesia), by what the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to say (Matthew 16:17, Luke 9:20, John 6:68-69).

Some time later, He caused me to dig a little deep. The Hebrew equivalent of peter means firstling (firstborn), that which separates (from the whole, offspring), first opens. Jesus used a pun, a play on words! Matthew and John through the Spirit knew exactly what they had written. The Father will confirm His word to anyone who truly seeks Him and His truth.

All praise to Him for His precious insight! See how we make a simple thing so complicated? God exalts no man but His Son; only His will through His servants is paramount. Oh, look, Peter and Paul agree.

1 Peter 2:4-8 As you come to Him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in Him
will never be put to shame.”[Isaiah 28:16]

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone,”[Psalm 118:22]

and,

“A stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”[Isaiah 8:14]

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

1 Corinthians 3:8-11 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:19-21 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone. In whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

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How sovereign is God: What is evil?

Posted on August 15, 2012 by A Whisper, Screamed

This is a partial rewrite of something I posted elsewhere. May it edify those seeking solid food.

Isaiah 66:2a, Acts 7:50 “For all those things has My hand made, and all those things have been,” said the LORD.

Isaiah 42:5 Thus said God the LORD, “He that created the heavens, and stretched them out; He that spread forth the earth, and that which comes out of it; He that gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to them that walk therein.”

Deuteronomy 10:14 Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’s your God, the earth also, with all that therein is.

Acts 17:24-25 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands. Neither is [He] worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing He gives to all life, and breath, and all things.

Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Colossians 1:17 And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist (continue).

Romans 11:36 For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things. To whom is glory forever. Amen.

The famous tale about what is evil has a major flaw in it: it denies the omniscient power of God. How can He be absent of the very creation He holds together?

Amos 9:2-4 Though they dig into hell (Sheol, the grave), there shall My hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, there will I bring them down.

And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out there; and though they be hid from My sight in the bottom of the sea, there will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them.

And though they go into captivity before their enemies, there will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set My eyes on them for evil, and not for good.

Amos 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD has not done it?

Amos 5:18 “Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! To what end is it for you? The day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.”

Matthew 5:45 He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Proverbs 16:4 “The Lord hath made all things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.”

Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Isaiah 54:16 “Behold, I have created the [black]smith that blows the coals in the fire, and that brings forth an instrument (weapon) for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.”

Romans 9:17 For the Scripture said unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised you up, that I might show My power in you.

Romans 9:21-22 Has not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel to honor, and another to dishonor? What if God, willing to show His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?

2 Timothy 2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor.

If He abhors sin, how can He have created evil? First, we must understand the difference between sin and evil. Sin (Hebrew: asham, aveira, avone, chet, pasha, etc., Greek: amartia or hamartia) is the (intentional or unintentional) transgression against God’s will and nature (holiness), also translated as missing the mark (bull’s-eye).

While sin can be evil, other transgressions may be the failings caused by our nature. The prophet Jonah was not evil, but disobedient and ignorant of the Lord’s objective. Although Moses had sinned, losing his chance to step foot on the Promised Land, he had not become wicked as a result. YHWH Himself may tell you directly to do or avoid something, even though He spares others the same order. How many times have you repeated an action to later understand that it was a sin for you?

Evil (ra’ in Hebrew) means disaster, calamity, adversity, bad, affliction, displeasure, distress, injury, and misery. In the Greek text, ponéros (evil) is derived from poneó (toil, hard labor), penomai (to toil) and its derivative pónos (labor, pain, anguish, and suffering). This definition reflects back to our works and intent apart from His exact will as insufficient (Job 14:4, Psalm 14:3, Psalm 53:1-3, Isaiah 64:6, Matthew 19:17, Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19) and that our trials in the faith purify us (Psalm 66:10, Matthew 5:12, John 15:20, John 16:33, Acts 14:22, Romans 5:3, 1 Corinthians 3:13, Hebrews 10:34, 1 Peter 1:7, James 1:2-3, James 5:10-13, Revelation 2:9, Revelation 2:22, Revelation 7:14). Another word, kakia (the Greek goddess of depravity), is also interpreted as evil, which could be a source for the confusion.

In the ancient Semitic languages, the letter ghah (gh), meaning dark, crooked, twisted, and goat, was represented as two rope strands twisting together. This led to the English word, wicked, derived from how wicks for candles were created.

Simply put, evil is good, twisted. One slight turn can set off a cascade of troubles as Jacob discovered over the years after he brought his brother’s birthright. Judah explained to Jeremiah why they served the Queen of Heaven along with the God of their fathers (Jeremiah 44). As Jesus taught the spiritual meaning of Torah, He warned about the leaven (man-made pollution) from the religious and governmental rulers of His day (Matthew 16:6 & 11, Mark 8:15, Luke 12:1). He also warn us of doing good things to garner the attention of others (Matthew 6:1-4, 16-17), another little twist.

But how? The will of God and the actions performed by the hands and minds of less than perfect beings, whether physical or of spirit. Why? To refine (or chastise) His children as they learn not to desire this temporal existence over His Kingdom. The adversary is but a mere tool to achieve this end. Take the story of Job, for example. The Father was the one who brought up Job to the adversary (Job 1:8, Job 2:3), which prompted all of the events to excise Job’s self-righteousness (Job 32:1, Job 42:1-6) and his friends’ assumptions about how the Lord operates (Job 42:7). Through a whirlwind, the Almighty Himself announced that He alone is the author of everything, good and bad, upon the earth for His own reasons (Job 38-42). Note: YHWH had nothing bad to say about the young man, Elihu.

This is seen again during David’s reign; both the 24th chapter of 2 Samuel and the 21st 1 Chronicles tell the same story:

2 Samuel 24:1 And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them to say, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”

1 Chronicles 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and incited David to number Israel.

There are many examples in the Bible of how mankind uses corrupt means to try to achieve what it wants and how the Father “untwists” them to get His will accomplished.

Genesis 45:5-7 – [Joseph said,] “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years has the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be ripening nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”

Genesis 50:20 – [Joseph said,] “But as for you, you thought evil against me; but God meant it to good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

With eyes wide open and aware of Who He was, the Ancient Hebrews entered a covenant (contract, pact, marriage, testament, agreement) with the Almighty, taking upon themselves both blessings and curses dependent on their obedience (Deuteronomy 28). Scores of times He warned Israel [and now spiritual Israel (the ecclesia)] not to fall into rebellion because the negative consequences would be activated. He takes no pleasure in meting out judgment (Ezekiel 18:23, Ezekiel 18:32, Ezekiel 33:11, Lamentations 3:33), but He must deal with things against His nature and desire (hence His long-suffering patience with us).

For another analysis, Dr. Lorraine Day has a great one called The Difference between Evil and Sin. Yes, this is a tough subject, but trust His Guiding Spirit and take it to Him for clarification.

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Thought Splatters (Take Heed!)

Posted on August 8, 2012 by A Whisper, Screamed

The word angel comes from both the Hebrew hammalak and the Greek angelos which simply means “messenger.” Anyone who the Lord chooses can be a messenger at any time, whether that person is human or of the Elohim [the heavenly hosts (spirits)]. If you are spreading the pure, unadulterated seed of Jesus, you are a messenger.

Something to ponder: the antichrist could use the statues and laws of Moses to subjugate the entire world. Jesus said, “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.” The elect would not be fooled by the current religious system, but if the Mosaic system was installed and later twisted (just as the Pharisees did prior to Jesus’ arrival), then they would have a tougher time identifying it.

Shouldn’t we both rebuke the adversary and ask Him to block our own thoughts before we pray to hear Him?

Psalm 29:2 (Tanakh) Render unto HaShem (THE NAME, THE AUTHORITY, THE POWER, the Self-existing, the Merciful One, the Jealous One) the honor that is due His name (power, authority). Bow (prostrate) before Him in the beauty of holiness.

The word name is onoma in the Greek, also meaning authority, power, or cause.

1 Corinthians 1:29 That no flesh shall glory (stand) in the Holy of Holies.

Worship (physical) – kneeling, bowing, face to the floor, lying prone (face down)

The famous sinner’s prayer is a starting point, not salvation itself. Salvation is an ongoing process that ends at natural death.

In the end, we go before His Throne alone (Romans 14:11-12). No church, no religion, no person’s words or works can get you in His favor for that time. We are called to work out our own salvation (Philippians 2:12, 2 Corinthians 7:15) through Him and Him alone (Psalm 138:8, Philippians 1:6, 1 Corinthians 1:8, 1 Corinthians 3:13).

Does everyone just pick and choose what parts of the Bible they choose to believe? This is a lack of trust in God’s Power to give them the answer.

The popular phrase “the armor of God” is also ta hopla tou photos in Greek, meaning the armor (equipment) or weapons of light (Romans13:12). A friend of mine thinks “weapons of light” sounds a lot more direct and engaging.

Parts of the OT have not been translated. The experts claim the original meanings were lost over time. Sorry, but I refuse that excuse. What are they trying to hide?

To ended or amend a contract in ancient Israel required two or more witnesses and driving a nail through it. Is that not what Jesus did? (Colossians 2:13-14, Ephesians 2:14-16, 1 Peter 2:24)

His body = the old contract
His blood = the ink and the writing
The cross = the item in which the contract was nailed to
Everyone at the crucifixion = the witnesses (the four books of the Evangel)

Adam’s body was a creation from a creation (dirt); Eve’s was a creation from a creation (Adam)  from another creation(dirt). More evidence YHWH set this whole thing in motion on purpose.

When will believers realize they have no control over this world, but through Christ? Why continue to use the adversary’s devices (i.e., economics, politics) to try to control the adversary?

The first fast was when God told Adam and Eve to eat of any tree in the garden except from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (the tree of spiritual death).

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Thought Splatters (Heads Up!)

Posted on July 2, 2012 by A Whisper, Screamed

The lead-up to the Battle of Jericho mirrors the seven trumpets in Revelation.

Rahab and her family being spared due to her oath with the spies reminds me of the remnant He always sets aside. Also, it foreshadows the Gentiles’ salvation.

What I have noticed about Scripture:
1. Everything done gives Yah the glory.
2. Everything has its purpose and it is usually symbolic.
3. There are layers of interpretation that should not conflict with each other.
4. That everything gets repeated on a larger scale.

Idolatry – to serve (focus on, indulge, love) what you see, what you perceive with the senses (the tangible) (Colossians 3:2).

Worship – to serve YHWH, servitude to YHWH.

Works – obedience to God’s will through His Holy Spirit.

Humility (meekness) – the complete absence of self in all we think, say, or do.

Praise – giving the Father compliments; reveling in the nature of God and His Kingdom.

Thanksgivings – thanking Our Father for His role in our lives.

Giving glory – celebrating of God and Jesus’ triumph over the adversary, the world and flesh.

Supplication – a petition to God in bold meekness.

Intercession – to speak to God on someone else’s behalf.

Name – authority, nature, character, cause, power.

Grace also means the ability (the blessing) to obey.

Animal sacrifice started with spilt blood and had to end with spilt blood.

Seeking the Lord’s help is an act of worship.

Lord, inspire someone to write a song called “Burn it on the altar; nail it to the cross!”

The assembly is not doing what Jesus said or did, making the power of the Evangel ineffective. If it did, the world would be in a better state. Did not our Savior say we could move mountains and plant trees in salt water? The Body is, but they are harder to spot without the Spirit’s help.

Don’t believe what anyone tells you; ask Him yourself. Seek Him for the truth in all things.

As a few who are aware of the times we live in have said, “This economic downturn may be a blessing in disguise.” How else can we separate the wheat (the born-again and ready to be birthed in spirit) from the tares (the willfully deceived among them) and get the chaff (the world and flesh) off the grain (the spotless Bride)?

The Evangel will not be finished until it has been proclaimed every corner of the world.

Does “keeping from profaning the Sabbath” mean to stay in His will and not our own under the new covenant?

Those who rely on religion want others to do the same in the hopes of avoiding the bad parts of His Walk (Galatians 6:12).

Previous examples of the man-child (Revelation 12) caught up to the throne and returned – Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jesus, and the apostle John.

Our Father does not like the term “Godhead.” He is not the part of a god or head of a god or gods, but the Great I AM WHO I AM. I very rarely ever used the word, but when I said it the image of Cerberus, the three-headed dog of Greek mythology, popped up.

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Revival, or Reformation?

Posted on June 26, 2012 by A Whisper, Screamed

Revival, or Reformation?

From Chip Brogden‘s book, The Church in the Wilderness:

There have always been some who not only recognize the glaring deficiencies of what the church is, but are grieved and troubled by what they see, to the point that they cannot remain content to let things continue on, but are compelled to do something about it. Of these blessed few who choose to stand up and speak out against the religious system, the response seems to fall along one of three approaches. As we will see, only one approach is harmonious with the prophetic example set forth in the history of the people of God, and it is the one approach that seems to be the last resort instead of the first recourse. But let us consider them in the proper order.

First, there are those who call for what amounts to Reformation. These are the Martin Luthers who standup to the religious leadership and rightly confront their unscriptural practices. The well-meaning intention is to fix what is wrong with the church by identifying all of its problems and coming up with Scriptural solutions. But this represents a zealous naivety on the part of all would-be reformers. First, it assumes that once the leaders recognize their unscriptural practices, they will repent and change their ways. History has proven that this never happens. Second, it assumes that the church system is something God wants to reform, when the truth is that the church system was made by man and was never authorized by God in the first place. Reforming it has the same effect as patching an old garment with new cloth, or pouring new wine into old wineskins, which results in ruining both the old and the
new.

These attempts at reformation, if they are not quashed altogether, typically result in the establishment of something very similar to compete with what was already there. When the Catholic church rejected Luther, he founded another religious system based upon his understanding of Scriptural truth. To be sure it was an improvement over the Catholic system; but it was still a religious system nevertheless. From the Protestant Reformation many thousands of denominations have sprung, each more or less based upon their own interpretation of Scripture and upon the founding principles of the Roman Catholic church embedded in their history. The end result is that we are even further away from the simplicity of Christ with each attempt to repair what God never called us to build in the first place.

Second, there are those who espouse Revival as the cure to everything that ails Churchianity. The church is sleeping, and needs to be roused from sleep (so the thinking goes). The revivals of generations past, and the preachers who seemed to be instrumental in stirring up these revivals, are idealized and venerated as great heroes of the faith; the kind of people we need to be (or find) in order to experience the same kind of revival and awakening that they experienced. The Revivalist is similar to the Reformer in that both types of people hope to repair what is wrong with the church, hoping to spark a movement or a move of God that will shake the church out of complacency and restore something of the power that the early Christians had. But the Revivalist lays emphasis more on the spiritual experience than Scriptural integrity. This naturally creates a certain hankering after signs, wonders, miracles, and visible manifestations of the “power” of God as evidences and proofs that God is moving or doing something to revive and restore to what used to be.

Again, the clear witness of Scripture and the prophetic record of God’s dealings with His people rises up to contradict the Revivalist in his enthusiastic naivety. Yes, it is true that revivals and spiritual awakenings have occurred and will continue to occur. One of the greatest revivals of the 20th Century was the charismatic movement, which formed the background of my own spiritual awakening. Even so, however much individual people may have benefitted from these revivals and spiritual movements, none of these things have resulted in any fundamental change to Churchianity itself. The religious system continues on, and the deception and abuse it dispenses in the name of God gets worse with every generation.

God will not continue to pour out His Spirit or send any kind of revival to people who still remain in a religious system that God has judged and called us to come out of. Any real pouring out of God’s Spirit must result in a people being called out; God is not the author of something that requires people to go back to Babylon in order to benefit from it themselves, or to bring Life to it. On the contrary, the very idea of “revival” is frequently used by Churchianity in a desperate attempt to breathe new life into something that is clearly dead. It is dead because it is under the judgment of God. He has not called us to bring it back to life again; on the contrary, His judgment says, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their dead” (Mt.8:22).

While God has certainly been patient with His people and has even blessed efforts to reform or revive, it has always been with an understanding that He was calling those who had been reformed and revived to come out and be obedient to Him. The prophetic declaration is to “come out of [Babylon], My people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues” (Rev. 18:4).

God’s ultimate intention is neither Reformation nor Revival, but Repudiation! Repudiation is a strong word. It means, “to reject the authority or validity of; to disown or cast off.” But this is precisely what followers of Jesus have had to do from the very beginning. To the elders and high priests of Judaism, the apostles stated simply, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Later, when the Christian Church took on the same religious spirit as the Jewish Sanhedrin, other men and women followed in the same tradition of the apostles and repudiated the authority of the religious establishment in order to maintain the Testimony of Jesus. They were neither Reformers nor Revivalists; they simply repudiated the religious system altogether.

There is a wonderful reformation happening right now – not within the religious system, but within the hearts and minds of people who are repudiating that system. There is a tremendous revival taking place right now, and it is a revival along spiritual lines, among those who have heeded the call to “come out of Babylon” and have been raised to new Life. God is revealing Christ to people, and people are learning how to enter into Him and how to live in Him, and how to walk in Him. They are leaving the complexities of Religion for the simplicity of Relationship. This is a quiet reformation, a quiet revival, a grass-roots movement that is governed by the Holy Spirit.

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Greater Than

Posted on June 24, 2012 by A Whisper, Screamed

Jesus > mankind
Jesus > religion and traditions
Jesus > Paul
Jesus > all of the Apostles
Jesus > Moses and the Prophets
Jesus > Bible
Jesus = the Word of God

John 1:1, 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

1 John 1:1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life.

John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”

Revelation 19:13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God.

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The Doctrinal Garbage Can: Repentance Means ‘Ask for Forgiveness’ or ‘Turn Away from Sin’

Posted on June 8, 2012 by A Whisper, Screamed

Many things are lost in biblical translation, which cause words and concepts to obtain multiple meanings over time. Pastors and teachers must seek His help when researching the true meaning of idioms and words during the time the passage was written. For example in the English OT, repent actually comes from two different Hebrew words:

nacham: to be sorry, console oneself

Original Word: נָחַם
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: nacham
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-kham’)
Short Definition: comfort

Word Origin: a prim. Root
Definition: to be sorry, console oneself
NASB Word Usage
am sorry (1), appeased (1), become a consolation (1), change mind (6), change minds (1), changed mind (4), comfort (30), comforted (18), comforter (2), comforters (4), comforts (2), console (3), consolers (1), consoling (1), give rest (1), have compassion (2), moved to pity (1), regret (1), regretted (1), relent (5), relented (4), relenting (3), relents (1), relieved (1), repent (3), repented (2), sorry (6), think better (1), when the time of mourning was ended (2).

shub: to turn back, return

Original Word: שׁוּב
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: shub
Phonetic Spelling: (shoob)
Short Definition: return

Word Origin: a prim. Root
Definition: to turn back, return
NASB Word Usage: Too many to list!

With these definitions as the backdrop, check out this piece of pointed prose for a thorough examination of its use in the NT.

Repent: What Does That Mean?
(Author Unknown)

“Repent” is likely the most misunderstood word in the Bible today. A misunderstanding of this word can and does change the true Gospel of Christ. It is used many times in the Bible and a misunderstanding of it will alter the meaning of any passage of scripture where it is used.

First of all let’s understand what it does not mean so that we can grasp the true meaning.

1. It does not mean to turn away from sin.

2. It does not mean to quit sinning.

3. It does not mean to feel sorry for sin.

4. It does not mean to change your sinful ways before you can be saved.

5. It does not imply salvation.

6. It is not the means of forgiveness of sin.

7. It is not salvation nor does it imply that we should live a sinless life.

8. It does not imply sin.

To understand its true meaning lets do a bit of history of the Greek language.

There have been many types of Greek in the past most of which are obsolete now but in the days of Alexander the Great a number of Greek languages existed. After Alexander had conquered the known world around 300 BC he had a problem communicating with the many Greeks under his rule. Rather than learn all of the different types of Greek himself Alexander invented a Greek language called “Koine” (pronounced coin-ā) or common Greek. It was common in that all of the Greek speaking world would be required to learn it in order to resolve the communication problem.

This new Greek language was very precise and mathematical in its precision. Every word had a four fold navigational fix. A word could have only one meaning. It could have several applications but only one interpretation. In English, words can have several meanings but not in the Koine Greek. It was one word, one meaning. In other words, there was no doubt about what was being said in this language. Eventually, this language became the dominate language of the New Testament.

If you have looked up “repent” in your handy Bible dictionary you will likely discover that it gives a definition of everything that I said repent is not. Why is this? Dictionaries get their definitions of words from its common usage. Religions and denominations have distorted the gospel for many years and therefore what the word repent as well. In other words the writers of a dictionary get the meaning from different religious organizations and give several different meanings of the word in their publication without regards to the original language that it was translated from.

Compound words were very common in the Koine Greek and this brings us to our subject

In the New Testament there are two different Greek words which have been translated repent. The word repent is an English word. It is an obsolete old English word and means nothing to us today. It was not even used in the Bible until the King James Bible came along in 1611. It was translated from the compound Greek words metanoeo and  metamellamai. These two words have completely different meanings and remember in the Koine Greek a word can have only one meaning so how can anyone give one definition or numerous definitions to the word repent? There must be two and only two definitions for repent.

1. Metanoeo. This is a compound word. “Meta” means change; “noeo” means thinking. This word is derived from “nous” which means mind. So, metanoeo means to “change your mind”

2. Metamellamai. This is also a compound word. “Meta” means change; “mellamai” means emotions [derived from melo – to care, to be concerned]. It means to have a “change of emotions”.

Some brilliant mind somewhere along the way added “of sin” to repent and came up with the moronic phrase “repent of your sins” and someone else added “and be saved” and came up with “repent of your sins and be saved.” This is a false gospel because it leaves out two things: faith and Jesus Christ. People who use the phrase “repent of your sins” as a condition preceding salvation or as forgiveness of sin are either ignorant or are intentionally teaching a false gospel. Anywhere metanoeo is translated repent you can substitute “change your mind” and the verse will make sense. If you are thinking “of sins” after you see repent the whole gospel message shifts from accepting the free gift of God to something you have to do as a condition of salvation.

Of course no one can turn away from sin completely. You can minimize sin in your life and you should but to turn away from sin in total is impossible. The Apostle Paul tells us:

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lust thereof” (Romans 6:12). Paul is not telling us here that we must quit sinning completely; he is saying that we should not let it rule our lives.

“If we say that we (Christians) have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). John here was speaking to Christians and included himself as having sin.

In the Bible there are verses which do say to repent or change your mind about sin but in every case this is speaking to Christians who are sinning. It is simply saying to us to quit letting sin rule our lives and turn our attention back to the things of God and to worship him.

In 2 Corinthians 7 the word metanoeo is used in verse 9 and 10. Read verse 10 carefully. “For Godly sorry WORKETH repentance (metanoeo – a change of mind) to salvation”…

Notice that “Godly sorry” is not repentance but rather it works to repentance. In other words a person can become sorrowful of his sinful ways and then repent (change his mind about Christ.) Jesus Christ is always the object of salvation not turning away, refraining, quitting or whatever of sin. In Mark 1:15 Jesus said speaking to unbelievers in Galilee “Repent (metanoeo – change your mind) and believe the Gospel.” It tells us right here what we are to change our mind about the Gospel, not our sins. He was speaking to unbelievers who did not believe the Gospel. We are condemned because of unbelief not because of our sins:

John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already BECAUSE he has not believed in the name of the uniquely born Son of God.”

Since we are condemned because of unbelief does it not follow that we should turn from our unbelieving mind and not our sins? We are not condemned because of sin. Sins are forgiven when we believe in Christ. Repenting of sin prior to salvation is meaningless because God will not forgive an unbeliever of his sins until he believes. Changing your mind about Christ is repenting which is salvation.

In Rev 2:20-21 Jezebel is a false prophetess and an unbeliever. She seduced God’s servants (believers) to commit fornication (turn to false gods etc). God gave her time to change her mind (metanoeo) of her fornication (unbelief of the true God) and she refused to. In verse 22 God casts Jezebel into a (death) bed and causes great tribulation (trouble/Divine discipline) for the Christians gone astray. In other words he punishes them while they are on earth if they don’t change their mind about their following false gods. You could say that this is repenting of sin however; the Christians being punished are already saved. (Gods servants) This is not a salvation scripture. At best you could take this to mean change your mind about sinning which is a principal for the spiritual life of a Christian but not as a condition of salvation nor is it restoration to fellowship with God or forgiveness of sin.

In Matthew 3:2 John was preaching to unbelievers in the wilderness of Judaea and said “Repent ye: for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” If repent means turn from your sin or feel sorry for your sins John was remiss in his preaching because he failed to mention Jesus Christ and faith. We know from the above verse (John 3:1) that John teaches that believing is salvation and not believing is condemnation. So we can conclude that John was telling the people of Judaea to change their unbelieving mind and believe in Christ thus establishing his meaning of repenting. We have already seen that metanoeo does not indicate sin and sin is not found anywhere in this passage.

Repentance is the act of changing your mind about something. Not necessarily sin or not necessarily anything. So, how do we know what to change our mind about? What we change our mind about is determined by the subject of the passage. For example: We find in the next verse (Matthew 3:3) that the subject is the Lord. “Prepare ye the way of the Lord” In other words John was saying change your unbelieving mind because the Kingdom of Heaven is coming and be prepared for the Lord. John was preaching the gospel and not about sin. So, the subject is the Lord and not sin.

Whenever metamellamai (change emotions) is translated repent it is simply telling us that someone became sorrowful of something he had done. Judas became sorrowful about betraying Jesus in Matthew 27:3 to the extent that he hanged himself. It does not mean that we will be saved if we feel sorry for our sin.

“Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself (metamellamai – changed emotions) and brought again (returned) the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? See thou to that (that is your own business).”

Judas was never saved (Acts 5:37) although he repented of his sin and confessed his sin. Judas was simply sorry that he was responsible for sending an innocent man to his death.

When someone tries to add “repenting of sin” or emotionalism to the free gift of God he is saying that what Jesus Christ did for us is not enough. We cannot do anything about our sin. This is why Jesus Christ had to die on the cross as a substitute for us:

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Repenting of sins is a human work as is becoming emotional. Works will not save us because the payment for sin is (spiritual) death. Works are not spiritual death therefore it is not salvation.

If all you have done is to repent of your sins you are not saved. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ and you expect to be forgiven of your personal sins by repenting you have not been and you are not living the spiritual life. For a believer to regain fellowship with God he must confess his sin to God the Father. We must search our souls and name each sin (1 John 1:9). Salvation comes by faith in Christ alone. Believing is a non-meritorious act and requires nothing of us except a change of mind.

“And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses” (Acts 13:39).

“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: Yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died (as a substitute) for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood (sacrificial death) we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Romans 5:7-9).

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

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Thought Splatters (Brace Yourself!)

Posted on June 1, 2012 by A Whisper, Screamed

Obedience to His active, supernatural will is the work of faith (James 2:18) and the Sabbath (Rest) from our own labors. Faith is the noun; believe is the verb; obedience is the fruit. Hebrews 5:9 clearly states salvation is for those who obey, no matter which Bible you read.

What would be the outcome if Acts 5:1-11 (the death of Ananias and Sapphira) occurred today? Here is a prediction:

Numbers 16:41 The next day the whole of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “You have killed the people of the Lord,” they said.

Abel symbolized Christ; Seth, the ecclesia.

In Luke 15:11-32, the prodigal son represents Gentiles; the older brother, natural Israel

Fasting and Sabbath observance foreshadowed Christ’s command to deny self. Think of it as practice for other areas we need to let go of in life.

Man has this insatiable urge to add practices, rules, and instructions beyond what the Creator Lord requires. Why is the simplicity of the Evangel not enough? Is it because many have trouble transitioning from the physical and human logic to operating on the spiritual tip? If true, then few believe in the Holy Guide and Comforter Jesus sent.

It amazes me when two or more believers, who do not know each other, come from different positions in Scripture and hit on the same conclusion. How brilliant is Our Lord!

I would rather suffer and do His truth than prosper and live in deception. Any prospering in the natural and/or spiritual is for the edification of His Body.

Jesus fellowshipped with sinners who desired change. He did not hang with those who saw nothing wrong with their sin. Three examples: the tax collector who repented (Luke 19:1-10); the prostitute who anointed Him (Luke 7:36-50); only one person was healed at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15).

A kingdom is a nation; Israel was a nation loved by God, therefore Israel (natural, now spiritual) is the Kingdom of God. During the Babylonian Captivity, the monikers of YHWH were deemed by the Sanhedrin to be too holy for mere man to use. This is why Matthew used the phrase Kingdom of Heaven. Kingdom of Heaven = Kingdom of God.

Sacrificing my life daily by His direction is my reminder of what He did on the cross.

Never get comfortable. Pray often to avoid deception, distraction, and complacency.

Believers think the world does not influence them. I still fight its seduction every day.

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A Time to Teach, A Time to Release

Posted on May 15, 2012 by A Whisper, Screamed

1 Corinthians 3:6-7 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that plants anything, neither he that waters; but God that gives the increase.

2 Corinthians 9:10-12 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

After I had listened to the message, this was the first thing that sprang to my mind:

Pastors, elders: turn His people loose! Let the Holy Spirit do His job! Quit keeping people spiritually dependent upon you! Let them go and do what the Lord called them to do! Take care of the babies they bring to you, then turn them loose. All glory to the Almighty, you mere servants…all of it!

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