Are you where God isWritten by Terry Dashner
Faith Fellowship Church…PO Box 1586…Broken Arrow, OK 74013…Pastor Terry Dashner“Am I Where God Is?” Where He leads me, I will follow—or so goes old hymn. Now, if I can only find Him… Saint Augustine of Hippo found true liberty in 386 AD. Listen to his words, “How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose!... You drove them from me, you who are true, sovereign joy. You drove them from me and took their place, you who are sweeter than all pleasures.” The “place” that Augustine once reserved for immorality and debauchery was invaded by God who then filled that empty place with His great joy and sweet pleasures. Augustine found God and followed Him. He could truly say, after his conversion and throughout rest of his life: I am where God is. Blaise Pascal once said, “All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end… The will never takes least step but to this object. This is motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.” Blaise Pascal is not very well known in church circles because he was a mathematician who invented, among other things, calculator— hundreds of years before electricity ran through wires. He is very well known, however, among Bible students because of term: “Pascal’s Wager.” No time to explain that here, but there is time to consider Pascal’s statement. He believed that all men were motivated by need for pleasure. If suicide could end their misery and bring them relief, then suicide it was. That sounds odd, but I think it is true. People seek things, even various religions, because they think they will bring them happiness. But, “things” in this world, even religious devotion, can not give man true pleasure or happiness. That’s right. Only God can give man fulfillment. Allow me to continue, please. I don’t consider true Christianity a religion but a relationship with person, Jesus Christ. Religions are many and are basically any attempt by man to make himself right with God on his own terms. On other hand, Christianity says that it is impossible for a man to make himself righteous (right standing) before God. The Bible concurs and says that any attempt by man to stand right before God without a mediator is futile. The Bible declares that self-made righteousness is not unlike “filthy rags.” Any religion that promises happiness through acts of humility, good deeds and morality may sound genuine, but in end it is discovered for what it is—nothing more than man’s attempt to earn his way to heaven. Religion apart from God is not “true religion.” Man’s need for lasting peace will never be met by religious works (life style).
| | Advance or Retreat?Written by Ed Howes
The Christian Scriptures strongly imply Age of man ends 6,000 years from Adam. In Genesis, man was created on sixth day. The number of man is six; imperfect and incomplete. The number of divinity, perfection, and completion is seven as days of our week. The number of beast is six deified, 666 = me, myself and I, an unholy trinity. As mankind transitions from Age of Man into Kingdom Age, in his struggle to dominate, he cannot succeed. It is only a reflex action in a long history of struggle.When we read of end of Age of Man in Scriptures, we find a time comes when prudent action is to run and hide. 11 September, 2001, servants of God destroyed two chief symbols of Mystery Babylon Great. The servants did not destroy power of Mystery Babylon, only symbols. The world is warned. The foolish ignore warning. The wise retreat and prepare to survive greatest upheaval since Noah’s flood. End time Scripture points to a global population reduction of two thirds. This is good news for all who are sure we are too many today. They will not be required to decide who lives and who dies. Millions believe they will be removed a safe distance from these events because they have been deceived. Hence, there is no reason for them to prepare for Armageddon. I have long seen story of Three Little Pigs as story of prophetic fulfillment. Except I do not believe for a moment, that many survivors will survive in comfort. Only best prepared are likely to do so. There is and never will be such a thing as national security. Men at war will say peace and safety and many will take comfort in their words even as they intuitively know promise to be false. Scriptures are clear. There is only personal security. A man of personal wealth might provide survival security for a hundred or a thousand for a year or two and what then happens if provision is required for six or seven years as it was in Egypt? Where will you turn for security and comfort? This is not a time for risk taking. This is THE time for minimizing risks. What are we willing to do without over next twenty two years? The recent U.S. election is portrayed as a great polarization of people and it is a distraction from global polarization. The fundamentalists of every faith know truly that world is divided between servants of God or servants of oppressed and servants of Mammon or Mystery Babylon Great alternatively known as corporate power - global trade, etc. In spite of this truth, fundamentalists cannot decide which they serve, God or Mammon. As a result they fight one another, they kill their prophets, discount or ignore their prophecies. Believe whatever you like and you will pay price of that belief. If most people cannot see this polarization, it is only because they had their choice made for them and they are content with it, come hell and high water. For rest of us, time is short for choosing.
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