Monday, April 30, 2012

The Coming Great Persecution by Greg Gordon


“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other" (Matthew 24:9-10)

Our Lord spoke these sobering words to us in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 24 . Something in us does not want to accept the idea that in the end times all nations will hate and persecute Christians. This seems like a non-reality to us and something that could never happen because we live in such religiously tolerant countries such as Canada, United Kingdom and America. We would like to edit our Lord's words and abbreviate them with a softer less harsh reality. But this will not change the truth our Lord said would happen. We live in cultures that shun away from pain of any kind, there are pills and remedies for even the slightest discomfort in our bodies. In such an environment persecution and suffering in our bodies for the faith of Jesus Christ seems even more absurd. There is not only a confusion over these things but there is a danger of complacency and comfort that will have us unprepared for the time that will come upon us.

I recently watched a short documentary on the sad events of the 2004 boxing day Tsunami that hit Indonesia that caused almost a quarter of a million deaths. The video showed the Tsunami spreading to different regions and hitting the shores of heavily populated areas. What struck me with the complacency of the people in the different areas, even the amusement of it all. At one beach they see a white crescent on the distant horizon spreading across the entire large bay. People watch memorized as this white crescent comes nearer and nearer. When the save swallows up 2 ships in the bay some of the watchers realize the magnitude of the event that is about to strike but for most it is too late. In another shoreline people smile and laugh in amusement as the entire bay is emptied of water and ships are beached. It begins a spectacle that is full of fun and amusement as people take pictures and as the water comes back in their consider it something fun to watch. Yet when the wave came into that shoreline so many were caught unawares and their running was in vain, multitudes are screaming as they are swallowed in the waves and dragged back out to sea never to return.

I was watched the video a sobriety came over me not just over the deaths of so many people but of what is about to come upon the world of Christians and some of us not being aware of the times are living in. Many of us do not believe this could be the end of times we are living in. Just as the Tsunami came without warning and even came with a delusion or spectacle, so the coming of the end times persecution will come upon many Christians unawares. I am not arguing for any type of position of the rapture of the church if it either pre or post in this short article. Yet I believe firmly that we will all feel like we are in the great tribulation when this end time persecution wave hits the church. The birth pains will become worse and worse and many of those that have believed in a pre-tribulational rapture that would have them escape from all suffering will be 100% unprepared for what is going to come upon them.

Persecution of Christians has not diminished but world wide has been increasing yearly. More Christians were martyred in the 20th century than in all previous centuries combined. Most of the apostles (Philip, Matthew, Mark, Peter, Paul ...) were martyred. Many were martyred in the Middle Ages (Huss, Jerome, Joan of Arc ...). Between 1540 and 1570 some one million Protestants were publicly put to death in various countries in Europe. Overall, some 50 million were martyred by the Roman Catholic Inquisition for 'heresy' between 606 AD and the middle of the 19th century. Protestant reformers (More, Tyndale, Latimer, Cranmer ...) were martyred. Some 20 million were martyred during the 70 years of Russian atheism and communism. And some theologian just over 100 years ago in a land were persecution does not exist promoted a theology that the end times church will not suffer and be taken away before all these things happen. This is not only a sad mistake in dispensational theology it is resulting in many Christians in our day to not be aware of the coming persecution.

The Apostle John said to the church in his day that they should not be surpassed if the world hated them (1 John 3:13). Our Lord Jesus said in the Gospel of Luke that all men will hate us not just nations (Luke 21:17). But also gives us the comfort in these words: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." (John 15:18). May we prepare in our minds to suffer for the Name of Christ in our bodies (1 Peter 4:1). May we be aware of the times and seasons that are coming upon us.

I offer a few practical suggestions: One to start with is to read the lives of martyrs in the Christian faith from such as the great book "Foxes Book of Matyrs." Develop a theology of suffering from the Scriptures and don't allow small inconveniences and pains to disturb you. Study the Scriptures towards the theme of martyrdom especially in the book of revelation. May we also be bold to stand for the Name of Jesus Christ and therefore not be ashamed before Him before others (2 Timothy 3:12).

Sunday, April 29, 2012

"As the deer panteth for the water"




 Psalm 42- 1:3
1As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
 2My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
 3My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

Lyrics - http://www.ap0s7le.com/list/song/626/Marth_Nystrom/As_The_Deer/

Friday, April 27, 2012

God Gives His Best Gifts To Those Who Don’t Deserve Them - Bro.Zac

There is a reason why many believers are not filled with the Holy Spirit. They are trying to earn it. They are trying to be worthy of Him. Multitudes of sincere people in many religions too are seeking for the forgiveness of their sins in the same way. Why don’t they get forgiveness? It is because they are trying to earn it.

How did you receive the forgiveness of your sins? Did you earn it or deserve it? A day came in your life when you realized that you would never deserve God’s forgiveness. You came to Jesus then, not as a Christian, but as a sinner. And your sins were forgiven immediately. We must come in the same way to receive the fullness of the Spirit.


There are many believers today who are fasting and praying and tarrying to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. There is nothing wrong with doing any of these things. They are all good. But if you do any of these things in order to make yourself worthy to receive the fullness of the Spirit, then you are on the wrong track.


When you don’t receive the Spirit’s fullness, you may even question God saying, "Lord, I have fasted and prayed and waited. Why haven’t you filled me?" But you can never earn or deserve the Holy Spirit, even as you can never earn or deserve the forgiveness of your sins. Both of these are God’s gifts. And you can’t pay Him for either. You have to take them free - or you will never get them.


God’s gifts are all free, but man makes the mistake of trying to pay God for them and so he does not receive any of them. If you try to make yourself worthy to receive God’s gifts, you cannot receive them. This could perhaps be the main reason why you have not yet been filled with the Holy Spirit.


When Jesus was on earth, the Pharisees thought they deserved the forgiveness of sins more than anyone else. But they didn’t get it - and they went to Hell. On the other hand, notorious sinners like Mary Magdalene received the forgiveness of sins immediately. A thief who had lived a life of crime was forgiven in a moment and went to Paradise the very night he was crucified.


God gives His best gifts to those who don’t deserve them. Those who came to work in the vineyard at the eleventh hour, knew that they deserved nothing and so got paid first. But those who had come earlier, who felt they deserved their wages, ended up last.


In the story of the prodigal son, we read that the father had a ring on his hand. One day, he took it off and gave it to his younger son who had wasted all his money. Why didn’t he give it to his elder son? It was because the elder son was self-righteous. In man’s eyes, it was the elder son who deserved that ring, but the father gave it to his younger son.


That’s God’s way. He does things like that to humble the pride of man, so that no-one can ever boast in His presence. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.

Friday, April 20, 2012

The Way Of Cain by Bro.Zac (MP3)

Source - http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=8162&commentView=itemComments


MP3 - The Way Of Cain by Zac Poonen

Scripture(s): 1 John 3:12-13  

Description: Brother Zac Poonen shares on the subject of the "Way Of Cain." This message is a strong Biblical warning and such a message is rarely heard in any churches. Some of the eternal truths shared in this message are absolutely essential for leadership of churches to appropriate and know. Oh may we repent where it is needed and fully God with a full heart of faith in these terrible last days. Are you in the way of Cain or in the way of Abel?

Friday, April 13, 2012

THIS WAS YOUR LIFE !

God needs men today - Bro.Zac

  • Men who will stand before His face and hear His voice daily,
  • Men who have no desire in their heart for anyone or anything other than God Himself,
  • Men who fear Him so greatly that they hate sin in every form and love righteousness and truth in all their ways,
  • Men who have overcome anger and sexually sinful thoughts, and who would rather die than sin even in thought or attitude,
  • Men whose daily lifestyle is one of taking up the cross and pressing on to perfection, and who are constantly working out their own salvation with fear and trembling,
  • Men, full of the Holy Spirit, who are so rooted and grounded in love that nothing can ever move them into an unloving attitude towards another human being, however great the provocation,
  • Men who are so rooted and grounded in humility that neither human praise nor spiritual growth, neither a divinely endorsed ministry nor anything else will be able to make them lose the awareness of their being less than the least of all the saints,
  • Men who have an understanding of God's nature and purpose through His word, and who tremble at that word so that they will not disobey even the smallest commandment or neglect to teach it to others,
  • Men who will proclaim the whole counsel of God and expose religious harlotry and unscriptural human traditions,
  • Men who have the revelation of the Holy Spirit on the secret of godliness, on Christ having come in the flesh and opened a new and living way through the flesh,
  • Men who are diligent and hard-working, but who also have a sense of humour, and know how to relax and play with children and enjoy God's good gifts in nature,
  • Men who are not ascetics, but who at the same time live a disciplined life and who are not afraid of hardships,
  • Men who have no interest in expensive clothing or sight seeing and who will not waste their time in unprofitable activities or their money in unnecessary purchases,
  • Men who have mastered their desire for fancy foods and who are not enslaved to music or sport or any other legitimate activity,
  • Men who have been disciplined successfully by God in the fires of affliction, abuse, tribulations, false accusation, physical sickness, financial hardships and opposition from relatives and religious leaders,
  • Men full of mercy, who can sympathise with the worst of sinners and the worst of believers, and have hope for them, because they consider themselves to be the foremost of all sinners,
  • Men who are so deeply rooted in the security of the love of their Heavenly Father that they are never anxious about anything, or afraid of Satan or evil men or difficult situations or anything,
  • Men who have entered into God's rest, believing in the sovereign working of God in all matters for their best and who therefore give thanks always for all men, for all things and in all circumstances,
  • Men who find their joy in God alone and who are therefore full of the joy of the Lord, having overcome all bad moods,
  • Men of living faith, who have no confidence in themselves or their natural abilities, but complete confidence in God as their unfailing Helper in all situations,
  • Men who live, not by the promptings of their own reason, but by the leading of the Holy Spirit,
  • Men who have been genuinely baptized in the Holy Spirit and fire by Christ Himself (and not just thrilled by some emotional counterfeit or convinced by some theological argument),
  • Men who live constantly under the anointing of the Spirit, endowed with the supernatural gifts that He has given them,
  • Men who have revelation of the church as the body of Christ (and not a congregation or a denomination), and who give all their energies, their material wealth and spiritual gifts to build that church,
  • Men who have learnt to bridle their tongues through the help of the Holy Spirit and whose tongues are now aflame with the divine Word,
  • Men who have forsaken all, who are not attracted any more to money or material things, and who desire no gifts from others,
  • Men who can trust God for all their earthly needs and who never hint about their material needs or boast about their labours, either in their conversation or through letters and reports,
  • Men who are not stubborn, but gentle, and open to criticism and eager for correction from older and wiser brothers,
  • Men who have no desire to dominate or advise others (although ready to give advice, when asked for), and who have no longing to be considered as 'elder' brothers, or leaders, but who only desire to be ordinary brothers and servants of all,
  • Men who are easy to get along with, and who are willing to be inconvenienced and taken advantage of by others,
  • Men who will make no distinction between the millionaire and the beggar, the white-skinned and the dark-skinned, the intellectual and the idiot, and the cultured and the barbarian, but who will treat them all alike,
  • Men who will never be influenced by their wife, children, relatives, friends or other believers to cool off even slightly in their devotion to Christ or their obedience to God's commandments,
  • Men who can never be bribed to compromise by any reward that Satan may offer (whether honour or money or whatever),
  • Men who are fearless witnesses for Christ, fearing neither religious heads nor secular heads,
  • Men who desire to please no human being on the face of the earth, and who are willing to offend all men, if necessary, in order to please God alone,
  • Men for whom God's glory, God's will and God's kingdom always take priority over mere human need and their own comfort,
  • Men who cannot be pressurised either by others or by their own reason into doing 'dead works' for God, but who are eager and content to do the revealed will of God for their lives alone,
  • Men who have the discernment of the Spirit to distinguish between the soulish and the spiritual in Christian work,
  • Men who look at things from a heavenly view point and not an earthly one,
  • Men who will refuse all earthly honours and titles offered them for their labours for God,
  • Men who know how to pray without ceasing, and also how to fast and pray when needed,
  • Men who have learned to give generously, cheerfully, secretly and with wisdom,
  • Men who are willing to be all things for all men, so that by all means they might save some,
  • Men who have a longing to see others not only saved but also made disciples of Christ, and brought to the knowledge of the truth and to obedience to all of God's commandments,
  • Men who have a longing to see a pure testimony established for God in every place,
  • Men who have a burning passion to see Christ glorified in the church,
  • Men who do not seek their own in any matter,
  • Men with spiritual authority and spiritual dignity,
  • Men who will stand alone for God in the world, if need be,
  • Men who are totally uncompromising, like the apostles and prophets of old.
  • God's work in the world suffers today, because such men are few in number. Determine with all your heart that you will be such a man for God, in the midst of a sinful and adulterous generation and a compromising Christendom. Since there is no partiality with God, it is possible for you too to be such a man, provided you yourself earnestly desire to be one. Since God demands commitment and obedience only in the conscious area of one's life, it is possible for you to be such a man, even though the conscious area of your life may be limited. (That area will keep increasing as you walk in the light and press on to perfection). There is no excuse then why you cannot be such a man. Since nothing good dwells in the flesh, we have to seek for grace from God to have the virtues listed above. Cry out to God daily then, that He will give you grace to be such a man in these, the closing days of the age.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Recognise That You Are Not Indispensable - Bro.Zac

Source - http://cfcindia.com/web/mainpages/word_for_the_week.php?display=03_03&year=12

No one is indispensable in Christ’s church. God’s work can easily carry on without us. In fact, it can carry on much better without the help of those conceited folk who consider themselves indispensable! We must recognise this fact constantly. I once read of a prescription to humble the soul of anyone who considered himself “indispensable”! It was suggested that he fill a bucket with water and put his hand in it up to his wrist – and then pull it out. The hole that remains in the water will be a measure of how much he will be missed when he is gone!! Our gifts are useful to the church; but no-one is indispensable.
We must be willing to withdraw into the background anytime God calls us to. But the self-centered Christian worker will never accept that. He will want to hold on to his position for as long as possible. Many such “Christian leaders” are rotting away on their “thrones” today, hindering the work of God. They do not know what it is to fade graciously into the background and let someone else take their place.
You’ve probably heard the saying that success without a successor is a failure. Jesus recognised this and trained people to carry on His work. In 3½ years He had trained others to take over the leadership of His work. What an example for us to follow!
Paul recognised the necessity of training other people to carry on the work. In 2 Timothy 2:2, he told Timothy, “What I have committed to you, I want you to pass on to other people who will in turn be able to train others (the fourth generation)” (Paraphrase). What Paul was saying in effect was, “You must ensure that you commit this treasure to others. Don’t ever hinder people younger than you, from coming up.” Even businessmen recognise the principle that “success without a successor is a failure”. But many Christian leaders haven’t recognised it. Truly, “the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.” (Lk.16:8).
It is indeed nothing but self-centeredness that makes a man jealous of someone younger who can do things better than he can. Cain was jealous of the fact that God had accepted Abel but rejected him. If Abel had been older than him, that might have been tolerable. But it was the awful fact that his younger brother was better than him that made him furious enough to slay Abel.
We see the same in the case of Joseph and his brothers. Joseph received divine revelations, and that made all his ten older brothers green with jealousy – so jealous that they wanted to kill him.
King Saul was jealous of young David, because the women sang, “Saul has slain thousands while David has slain ten thousands.” From that day he determined to kill him. Man’s history – and alas, the history of the Christian church too – is filled with the same story over and over again.
Likewise, the elderly Pharisees were jealous of the popularity of the young Jesus of Nazareth and determined to get him crucified, at any cost.
On the other hand, what a refreshing contrast it is to look at a man like Barnabas in the New Testament. He was a senior worker who took the newly converted Paul under his wing, when no one else would accept Paul. Barnabas brought him to the church in Antioch and encouraged him. In Acts chapter 13, we read that Barnabas and Paul went out together on a missionary journey. And when Barnabas saw that God was calling this junior worker, Paul, to a larger ministry than his own, he willingly stepped back and graciously faded into the background. And the phrase, “Barnabas and Paul” changes almost unnoticed to “Paul and Barnabas” in the book of Acts. The Christian church suffers today, because there are few like Barnabas who know what it is to step back and let another be honored. We are willing to step back in matters of no importance. When passing through a door, for example, we don’t mind stepping back and permitting another to go through first. But in the things that matter – such as position and leadership in the Christian church – we are not so ready to step back. Our self-life is so deceitful. We can have a false humility in things that don’t count. But it is in important matters that we see ourselves as we really are.