Hello my brothers and sisters! When our Elder Brother walked this earth and was doing what it is our Heavenly Father told Him to do, and said what our Heavenly Father told Him to say, He taught His B.C. listeners this "pray something like this" prayer. Something like this has turned into a rote prayer that has little meaning. But at the time it was significant.
Mathew 6:9-13
"Our Father in heaven,
holy is your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
as we also have forgiven those that sinned against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one."
(Added by the Church-for yours is the Kingdom and Power and the Glory forever and ever, Amen.)
Great prayer! It would be a safe bet that each and every one reading this message right now has repeated the words in one way or another in their life. Probably many times.
But did you take notice that Jesus taught the listeners at the time, the time was, B.C.? Before the Cross! Since the Cross, since the bringing in of God's new agreement with mankind, after Jesus died for the sins of the world, for you and for me, would He still teach us this prayer?
The answer is an unabashed, NO! If Jesus were here with us today, in human form, and was teaching us a "how to", not a repetitive prayer, as he ALSO taught the first time, it would go to our Father something along these lines:
Our Father in heaven,
Holy is Your name,
thank You that your kingdom has come,
thank You that your will is done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Thank You for our daily bread.
Thank You also for forgiving us our sins,
as we should forgive those who sinned against us.
And lastly Father, thank You for not leading into temptation, but more, for
giving us a way out when we get caught up in our own desires.
Yes, thank You Father for delivering us from the evil one.
For who is going to be against us Father, if You are for us? Amen."
Much more appropriate for a Grace Believer, don't you agree?
Dr. Lamby
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Two Million Apostasy Sites!
How interesting it is to note how the world is turning away from religion?! A quick Google search on the word "apostasy" will find over two million sites, some very well put together, contemplating this very serious issue.
The "apostasy" is, to put in simple terms, the time when people that once believed in God begin to turn away. In the Old Testament, the Prophet Amos put it like this:
Amos 8:11 - "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord God, "That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord."
Today, in our local newspaper, which by the way, is no small town paper, it circulates in the hundreds of thousands each day, featured a fairly large column on Atheism.
Specifically the article sited three prominent atheist's and their recent books, all close too, if not best sellers, and of course, go about condemning religion. Of all sorts. Now normally this is not something we would discuss. But up until just a couple of weeks ago, this same page was the "religion" page, where local pastors, preachers, rabbis, and priests of various beliefs were allowed to espouse a point of view.
That is gone. The radical element of religion has begun to take a toll on the senses of those that would give them a public forum, and this seemingly small, quick change in a metropolitan newspaper, is just the tip of a very large movement that will soon lead us to what is known as the apostasy.
The overkill of so called Christian TV evangelists, far right preaching and action from all religions, and the heavy load of promises coming from, again so called Christian preachers who don't know the Bible from their bottom, are going to cause an awakening.
Soon, church going people who are easily swept away by believing that God and their idea of a good life, equate, will come to realize that all they have done is allow their money and their mind to go to people that live the life they promise, but only because those that are seeking answers, are paying for it.
When the eyes open to the total dishonesty of broken promises, misused Biblical verses, and more, extra-Biblical(outside the Bible, things not in the Bible)teachings come into the light, there is great anger. People may not lose their interest in God, but the church as it is now slowly, will go by the wayside.
There is evidence all around us to prove this out. Look at Europe as one example. The Jews were set for extermination, just prior to WWII, under the guise of what was considered to be the mindset of a good Christian. Now the Churches of Europe are all but empty. The reality of the lie set within the religious teaching, set in motion a backlash of anti-church. Not necessarily against God, as most in Europe still profess to believe, but most certainly against the Church.
In fact, take note of the explosion here in American these last few years of the Evangelical movement. The bulk of these church's are filled with former mainstream religion church goers. People who saw hypocrisy in one place and now fall for it in another. Why? Because they like the person delivering the message and/or the music. Doctrine is so confused for these that to tell them the truth actually confuses them.
This little note is not an alarm, it isn't to scare anyone. It simply is notice to try to open eyes to the world that is beginning to move in a direction we may be missing. It is information so that as people who believe in God, in His Provision in Christ Jesus, in the Grace in which have been so Blessed, that we don't get swayed by some, what will be very convincing, rhetoric that is just lately beginning to get noticed.
The time is just around the corner where Amos' prophecy will come about. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit, and have no worries about this. But, we should be aware, just as happened only six generations from Adam to his great to the fifth generation grandson, who not only did not believe in God, he claimed to be God.
The "man of lawlessness" as the Bible names him, may possibly state his claim soon. That is, "Man is God." How does that saying go? Oh yes, "History repeats itself."
Be watchful, but be assured, because we are not left as orphans, we are children of God, Who will never leave us nor forsake us! Amen!
Dr. Lamby
The "apostasy" is, to put in simple terms, the time when people that once believed in God begin to turn away. In the Old Testament, the Prophet Amos put it like this:
Amos 8:11 - "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord God, "That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord."
Today, in our local newspaper, which by the way, is no small town paper, it circulates in the hundreds of thousands each day, featured a fairly large column on Atheism.
Specifically the article sited three prominent atheist's and their recent books, all close too, if not best sellers, and of course, go about condemning religion. Of all sorts. Now normally this is not something we would discuss. But up until just a couple of weeks ago, this same page was the "religion" page, where local pastors, preachers, rabbis, and priests of various beliefs were allowed to espouse a point of view.
That is gone. The radical element of religion has begun to take a toll on the senses of those that would give them a public forum, and this seemingly small, quick change in a metropolitan newspaper, is just the tip of a very large movement that will soon lead us to what is known as the apostasy.
The overkill of so called Christian TV evangelists, far right preaching and action from all religions, and the heavy load of promises coming from, again so called Christian preachers who don't know the Bible from their bottom, are going to cause an awakening.
Soon, church going people who are easily swept away by believing that God and their idea of a good life, equate, will come to realize that all they have done is allow their money and their mind to go to people that live the life they promise, but only because those that are seeking answers, are paying for it.
When the eyes open to the total dishonesty of broken promises, misused Biblical verses, and more, extra-Biblical(outside the Bible, things not in the Bible)teachings come into the light, there is great anger. People may not lose their interest in God, but the church as it is now slowly, will go by the wayside.
There is evidence all around us to prove this out. Look at Europe as one example. The Jews were set for extermination, just prior to WWII, under the guise of what was considered to be the mindset of a good Christian. Now the Churches of Europe are all but empty. The reality of the lie set within the religious teaching, set in motion a backlash of anti-church. Not necessarily against God, as most in Europe still profess to believe, but most certainly against the Church.
In fact, take note of the explosion here in American these last few years of the Evangelical movement. The bulk of these church's are filled with former mainstream religion church goers. People who saw hypocrisy in one place and now fall for it in another. Why? Because they like the person delivering the message and/or the music. Doctrine is so confused for these that to tell them the truth actually confuses them.
This little note is not an alarm, it isn't to scare anyone. It simply is notice to try to open eyes to the world that is beginning to move in a direction we may be missing. It is information so that as people who believe in God, in His Provision in Christ Jesus, in the Grace in which have been so Blessed, that we don't get swayed by some, what will be very convincing, rhetoric that is just lately beginning to get noticed.
The time is just around the corner where Amos' prophecy will come about. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit, and have no worries about this. But, we should be aware, just as happened only six generations from Adam to his great to the fifth generation grandson, who not only did not believe in God, he claimed to be God.
The "man of lawlessness" as the Bible names him, may possibly state his claim soon. That is, "Man is God." How does that saying go? Oh yes, "History repeats itself."
Be watchful, but be assured, because we are not left as orphans, we are children of God, Who will never leave us nor forsake us! Amen!
Dr. Lamby
Friday, July 20, 2007
What Religion Is Acceptable To God?
Some of you may remember from reading your Bible that God does give His Blessing of one type of religion. The passage is in James Chapter One Verse 26: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
Pretty straight forward, is it not? Look around the entire world today and it is striking at what is happening to God's Will. Frankly if we listen to most preachers in the Christian community, they talk all about being in God's will, doing what it is He would have us do, and the end result is that most of the time the preacher either lands his sermon boat on "you can know, just send me dough." Or, he doesn't land the boat at all, and we don't have a clue what God's will is for us.
Then you have other religions. Take the most extreme Muslims for example. Is there a more ardent way to prove your worth to God than to strap a bomb on your body and blow-up yourself and others? It's extreme, but in reality, I personally have heard so-called good Christians say to me, "If we were that zealous for Jesus, the world would be a different place."
I suppose that is true. People rushing out to kill each other along with themselves to prove to the God that created them, that sending His Son to die on a Cross once for all, well, isn't just quite enough.
God set out creating the entire universe without us. He instituted all that He planned to do in order to stay close to you and I and yet, from one religion to another, from Judaism to Christianity to Islam, all have added to what God intended.
The Apostle Paul in the very first letter written and recorded in the New Testament scolded the Church at Galatia for doing this very thing. They had started out by faith and trusting God's provision, then began to acquiesce to our human desire. To perform. From some bad instruction no doubt. And, Paul in response to finding out what they were doing wrote, in Galatians 3:1-3 "You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?"
So in simple terms we see that not only is the religious world fully confused as to God's intentions for us, but our own Christian teachings are filled with it as well. So what is the answer? How can we live to please God without getting ourselves into "works."
Which, by the way, start with something as simple as the thought "Oh, I better do this, or God may not Bless." From that thought, things get a whole lot more complicated. That innocent thought process goes onto things like lighting candles, to fasting, to pilgrimages to holy places, to speaking in tongues, to tithing, and so on, all the way to "lock and load" for Jesus!
No, here is what God has asked us to do. Just read these few verses and I do believe we will get what God's Will is, that is if we believe in His provision in Christ Jesus already.
Romans 2:18 "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."
I Thessalonians 5:13b "Live in peace with each other."
I Timothy 2:2 "(Pray) for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives..."
Hebrews 12:14 "Make every effort to live in peace with all men..."
And to finish our little study on what makes for Practical Christianity:
2 Corinthians 13:11 "Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you."
Pretty straight forward, is it not? Look around the entire world today and it is striking at what is happening to God's Will. Frankly if we listen to most preachers in the Christian community, they talk all about being in God's will, doing what it is He would have us do, and the end result is that most of the time the preacher either lands his sermon boat on "you can know, just send me dough." Or, he doesn't land the boat at all, and we don't have a clue what God's will is for us.
Then you have other religions. Take the most extreme Muslims for example. Is there a more ardent way to prove your worth to God than to strap a bomb on your body and blow-up yourself and others? It's extreme, but in reality, I personally have heard so-called good Christians say to me, "If we were that zealous for Jesus, the world would be a different place."
I suppose that is true. People rushing out to kill each other along with themselves to prove to the God that created them, that sending His Son to die on a Cross once for all, well, isn't just quite enough.
God set out creating the entire universe without us. He instituted all that He planned to do in order to stay close to you and I and yet, from one religion to another, from Judaism to Christianity to Islam, all have added to what God intended.
The Apostle Paul in the very first letter written and recorded in the New Testament scolded the Church at Galatia for doing this very thing. They had started out by faith and trusting God's provision, then began to acquiesce to our human desire. To perform. From some bad instruction no doubt. And, Paul in response to finding out what they were doing wrote, in Galatians 3:1-3 "You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?"
So in simple terms we see that not only is the religious world fully confused as to God's intentions for us, but our own Christian teachings are filled with it as well. So what is the answer? How can we live to please God without getting ourselves into "works."
Which, by the way, start with something as simple as the thought "Oh, I better do this, or God may not Bless." From that thought, things get a whole lot more complicated. That innocent thought process goes onto things like lighting candles, to fasting, to pilgrimages to holy places, to speaking in tongues, to tithing, and so on, all the way to "lock and load" for Jesus!
No, here is what God has asked us to do. Just read these few verses and I do believe we will get what God's Will is, that is if we believe in His provision in Christ Jesus already.
Romans 2:18 "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."
I Thessalonians 5:13b "Live in peace with each other."
I Timothy 2:2 "(Pray) for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives..."
Hebrews 12:14 "Make every effort to live in peace with all men..."
And to finish our little study on what makes for Practical Christianity:
2 Corinthians 13:11 "Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you."
Not only "with" us, but "in" us. But that is the subject of another study or another time! For now, remember we are Blessed, at all times and in all ways!
Dr. Lamby
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
