Spiritual Covering: The Deception Pt. 2

    1 Corinthians 11:1-7 ESV  (1)  Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.  (2)  Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.  (3)  But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.  (4)  Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head,  (5)  but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven.  (6)  For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head.  (7)  For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man.

 In Part One we talked about how the man is covered by Christ and that if he allows anyone else to cover him spiritually, he is placing a veil between him and Christ. Thus, handing the authority giving to him to someone else. Now we are going to talk about the woman's responsibility. In this scripture the wife must pray or prophesy with her head covered. According to the scripture the head of the wife is the husband. So what does this mean? It does not mean that a woman cannot pray or prophesy, however it does mean that when the woman does these things, that she does it under the spiritual authority of her husband. It is not always what you do, it is the way in which you do it. If you want others to believe that you are more spiritual than your husband by your actions in the church, then you do not truly consider him to be your covering. Irregardless of what you might think of him, saved or unsaved, he is still your husband, the man you chose and scripture says that he is your cover.
   
Dr. Vernon McGee states "The head of the woman is man"—there is no article in the Greek, it is not the man. Notice it is not every woman; it is not an absolute. It refers to marriage where the woman is to respond to the man. It is normal for the woman to be subject to the man in marriage. If a woman cannot look up to a man and respect him, she ought not to follow him and surely ought not to marry him. But a real woman responds with every fiber of her being to the man she loves. He, in turn, must be the man who is willing to die for her—"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it" (Eph_5:25). 

    Men are bound by the same laws, when a man finds a wife, he must be willing to cover her spiritually. The push in today's churches are almost cult like, in that the leader has made himself the head of every family in the church. The man has submitted to his spiritual covering and by default, the wife and the kids follow suit. The wife now sees that her husband has submitted to the leader and wants her husband to be just like him. Now, the leader not only has the husband, he has the wife. Now the wife will tell the leader things she has not or is it willing to tell her husband. The wife will seek confirmation from her leader rather than her husband. When the leader gives her advice, she expects the husband to accept it, after all, if the leader is our Spiritual Father, doesn't he know best? If the leader criticizes either spouse, the other would say"If he said it, then it must be true".      


      This is a very unhealthy atmosphere Christians. Because of hunger, Esau gave away his birthright for a bowl of soup. Today, husbands and wives are giving away their spiritual rights just to be covered by a leader and gain favor with them. The scripture states in Gen. 25-34 that Esau despised his birthright. Despise means to have a low opinion of something or someone; to show contempt. Husbands do you have such a low opinion of your wives, that you would allow another man to cover her spiritually? And wives do you hold your husbands in such contempt that you would allow another man to cover you? The reason that divorce among Christians are as high as non-Christians is because either the husband, the wife or both, are following someone other than Christ. 1Ti 2:5  says "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus". Why is this important? 1 Corinthians 7:12-16 KJV  (12)  But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.  (13)  And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.  (14)  For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.  (15)  But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.  (16)  For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? 1 Peter 3:1-2 ERV  In the same way, you wives should be willing to serve your husbands. Then, even those who have refused to accept God's teaching will be persuaded to believe because of the way you live. You will not need to say anything.  (2)  Your husbands will see the pure lives that you live with respect for God. If we seek Christ in our marriages, he will always guide us correctly. He is the perfect marriage counselor. He is an unbiased mediator, and would never allow one spouse to show disrespect to the other. When we place the advice men first before the word of God, they may inject their personal feelings into your situation. Telling the husbands that their wives should be like his wife and likewise telling the wives that their husbands should be like him. This inevitably causes discontent in the marriage and when one fails to comply, divorce becomes the easiest solution.




Ephesians 5:33 WNT  Yet I insist that among you also, each man is to love his own wife as much as he loves himself, and let a married woman see to it that she treats her husband with respect.      There will be failures and defects on both sides, in the present state of human nature, yet this does not alter the relation. All the duties of marriage are included in unity and love. And while we adore and rejoice in the condescending love of Christ, let husbands and wives learn hence their duties to each other. The husband should love the wife as himself and as Christ loved the church. The wife must submit and show respect unto her husband, because they were two, but now are one and because he left father and mother for her and is the head of her.

Suggested Listening:
God's Blueprint For Wives
 

Spiritual Covering: The Deception Pt.1

1 Corinthians 11:1-7 ESV  (1)  Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.  (2)  Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.  (3)  But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.  (4)  Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head,  (5)  but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven.  (6)  For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head.  (7)  For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man.

        Paul not only preached such doctrine as they ought to believe, but led such a life as they ought to imitate. “Be ye followers of me,” that is, “Be imitators of me; live as you see me live.” Note, Ministers are likely to preach most to the purpose when they can press their hearers to follow their example. Yet would not Paul be followed blindly neither. He encourages neither implicit faith nor obedience. He would be followed himself no further than he followed Christ. We should follow no leader further than he follows Christ. Apostles should be left by us when they deviate from the example of their Master.

         First of all, we as believers have to understand something. The word of God is written so that we all can comprehend it. When Paul is talking about covering, he is talking about the spiritual covering put in place by God, not man. There is a chain of spiritual command that we must follow. Break this chain and we will find ourselves in a virtual spiritual dead zone, where the spirit cannot communicate with us because our heads are covered by someone other than who God commanded. Let's start at verse 1. Paul would have the Corinthians follow him in, as he did Christ: both in private and public, and more especially in his ministerial service, to do all things to the glory of God, and not for his own popular applause, in which he imitated Christ, who sought not his own glory. If your leaders are seeking to make a name for themselves, they are not imitating Christ. Therefore we should neither imitate or follow such a person. Christ never sought to control the actions of his disciples, so why do we follow weak, insecure leaders that seek to be covered by influential ministers to make themselves look important to their members. Whatever that covering leader does, your leader is going to do and so will you. And if a person leaves the ministry, they are considered an outcast and the members are discouraged from maintaining friendships with those who leave.

         So what is the spiritual chain of command? Not too many people have an argument about the top of the chain, first there is God and under God there is Christ. That one is easy. It is the next one that the proponents of spiritual coverings and spiritual fathers have a problem with. Verse 3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ.     FYI-When Paul talks about the head being covered, he is not talking about hats and doilies, he is talking about spiritually. There is only one covering for the man and his name is Jesus. This is precisely why Paul states in (4)  Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. When a man allows another man to cover him, he has robbed Christ of his rightful position. I Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” Christ alone is worthy to cover us. He earned this right by his willing sacrifice on the cross for our sins. It is a dishonor to Christ to pray or prophesy when your head is covered by a man. When Christ is your covering, he leads you to a closer relationship with the Father. When man is your covering, he wants to control you and lead you away from the Father. This type of covering is rooted in Catholicism and its purpose is to place you under authority of the person above you. This helps to keep you in your place in their ministry. This type of ministry can be labeled as codependent relationship church. But this is not one-sided, the leader of this type of church is insecure, and needs to be needed but he can not be successful unless there are members that do not want to take responsibility to hear God for themselves.

        Why is this spiritual covering deception so important? As the leader of a ministry, it is a ego boost to know that other ministries are willing to allow you to cover them. If the pastor will submit, then his members will follow. Whatever I ask for, the pastor will make sure the members will provide. Think about it men, if your pastor is covering you, who is covering your family? Not you. Your family is suppose to follow you as you follow Christ, but if you are not following Christ, they will follow who you follow. Therefore, when we slip up and our wife is looking for guidance, who is she going to? Your spiritual covering, the pastor and not Jesus. Our daughters need to run to us for spiritual guidance, if not us then Christ. Another man has no business knowing more about what is going on in our house than us. We have  relinquished so much authority to our leaders that our wives and children will go to them before coming to us. And in many cases, will ask the pastor's permission to share that information with us. In this type of ministry you are what your leader says you are. If your pastor says you are backsliding, the wife says you are backsliding. If he says you are not growing in God, the wife says you are not growing. The spiritual covering doctrine is wrong simply because it is based in fear. This doctrine says that your life is not spiritually protected, ie, that you are open for demonic influence and attack in your life if you are not submitted to someone over you in the religious pecking order or if you leave the ministry.

           Steve Hill wrote - Command and control structures are focused upon position, place, hierarchies and call that “proper order”. When loyalty to the structure, institution or a man takes a higher place than loyalty to the truth we have entered into the ethics of the mafia. Loyalty has a higher value than truth. This is the basic characteristic of a cult. All cults are ultimately concerned with power, money and sex.

          Graham Cook says, “I have seen many eunuchs in the house of the Lord and very few fruitful sons” (A Divine Confrontation, page 99). Yes, amen! Men who are faithful to the meetings and to the programs! Men who are submitted. But men who have no faith to do anything for God! Some of the most faithful people have the least faith! I have seen men who are totally loyal to a certain “spiritual house” to the point of disloyalty to the house which Jesus is building. The dogma of spiritual covering is part of the spiritual technology used to create such deception and to create eunuchs. Read entire article

Final note: The man has a great responsibility in the home. He is not only called to be the provider, but more importantly he is to be the spiritual leader. His leadership will not be perfect, but he is still the leader nonetheless. This responsibility should not be delegated to another man. Seeking advice from a godly man is strongly encouraged. But when this advice does not line up with the word of God, reject it, regardless of the consequences. Remember, if Christ is covering you, he will never attempt to manipulate, intimidate or control you.

                 

    Suggested Reading:

Covering Lies;
Spiritual Coverings-Uncovered 

Suggested Listening:
 Husband, Love Your Wives

The Truth About Spiritual Covering

Covering Lies - Audio 

 

 An Example Of Godliness

      
         Matthew 9:10-13 KJV  And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. (11)And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?  (12)  But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.  (13)  But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

          Matthew Henry Commentary -  Some time after his call, Matthew sought to bring his old associates to hear Christ. He knew by experience what the grace of Christ could do, and would not despair concerning them. Those who are effectually brought to Christ, cannot but desire that others also may be brought to him. Those who suppose their souls to be without disease will not welcome the spiritual Physician. This was the case with the Pharisees; they despised Christ, because they thought themselves whole; but the poor publicans and sinners felt that they wanted instruction and amendment. It is easy, and too common, to put the worst constructions upon the best words and actions. It may justly be suspected that those have not the grace of God themselves, who are not pleased with others' obtaining it. Christ's conversing with sinners is here called mercy; for to promote the conversion of souls is the greatest act of mercy. The gospel call is a call to repentance; a call to us to change our minds, and to change our ways. If the children of men had not been sinners, there had been no need for Christ to come among them. Let us examine whether we have found out our sickness, and have learned to follow the directions of our great Physician.


          Free At Last - Physically sick people seek help in hospitals, because the physicians are trained to minister to their particular illnesses. Once treated and health is restored, the hospital will release you so that it can make room for someone else. A physician that will only examine healthy people is no physician at all. A church that cannot minister to the lost, is no church at all. Godliness requires that we place the spiritual needs of others at the highest level of importance. To do for others what Christ has done for us, should be a joy for most Christians. However, this is not always the case. Christ never met with a sinner that he did not try to bring to repentance. To be in the company of someone that does not know Christ and not try to direct them into a relationship with God is the most heinous crime of all. Matthew wanted his former associates to met the Master, but the Pharisees wanted to use this occasion to question the righteousness of Christ. Their view was that a godly person would not keep company with publicans and sinners. The truth is quite the opposite. One who professes to be righteous must engage those who are lost, that they may be found. Christians are not islands to themselves, but are bridges that lead from darkness into the light. Those who may want to pick and choose which individuals are eligible to crossover, may find that they are not eligible themselves. Also, at the very moment of our attempt to help others to cross, we will find that our accusers are eager to fix a charge upon us. They were not invited to this feast and would not have come if they had been. But, not being invited, they hang on the outside and criticize the disciples of Jesus for being there. We forget that our sole purpose is to lead sinners to repentance and we cannot do that unless we engage them. We should not join them in their wickedness, but make every effort to lead them out.

Suggested Listening: 
For Whom Is The Gospel Meant?
Defining Ourselves In 2012

Trojan Horses: 

Fred Hammond joins Ciara, Patty Labelle, Juanita Bynum & others for a gospel complilation?!
Pastor Fred Price Jr. decodes Lady Gaga’s new video “Born This Way”
Kanye West gets exposed in TTBHH6

 

Toleration of Sin in the Church

1 Corinthians 5:1-5, 9-12 ERV  (1)  I don't want to believe what I am hearing--that there is sexual sin among you. And it is such a bad kind of sexual sin that even those who have never known God don't allow it. People say that a man there has his father's wife.  (2)  And still you are proud of yourselves! You should have been filled with sadness. And the man who committed that sin should be put out of your group.  (3)  I cannot be there with you in person, but I am with you in spirit. And I have already judged the man who did this. I judged him the same as I would if I were really there.  (4)  Come together in the name of our Lord Jesus. I will be with you in spirit, and you will have the power of our Lord Jesus with you.  (5)  Then turn this man over to Satan. His sinful self has to be destroyed so that his spirit will be saved on the day when the Lord comes again (9)  I wrote to you in my letter that you should not associate with people who sin sexually.  (10)  But I did not mean the people of this world. You would have to leave the world to get away from all the people who sin sexually, or who are greedy and cheat each other, or who worship idols.  (11)  I meant you must not associate with people who claim to be believers but continue to live in sin. Don't even eat with a brother or sister who sins sexually, is greedy, worships idols, abuses others with insults, gets drunk, or cheats people.  (12)  It is not my business to judge those who are not part of the group of believers. God will judge them, but you must judge those who are part of your group. The Scriptures say, "Make the evil person leave your group."

Matthew Henry Commentary: The apostle notices a flagrant abuse, winked at by the Corinthians. Party spirit, and a false notion of Christian liberty, seem to have saved the offender from censure. Grievous indeed is it that crimes should sometimes be committed by professors of the gospel, of which even heathens would be ashamed. Spiritual pride and false doctrines tend to bring in, and to spread such scandals. The devil reigns where Christ does not. The bad example of a man of influence is very mischievous; it spreads far and wide. Corrupt principles and examples, if not corrected, would hurt the whole church. Believers must have new hearts, and lead new lives. Their common conversation and religious deeds must be holyWithout holiness we can neither live by faith in him, nor join in his ordinances with comfort and profit.

On this occasion he tells them that if any man called a brother, any one professing Christianity, and being a member of a Christian church, were a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, that they should not keep company with him, nor so much as eat with such a one. They were to avoid all familiarity with him; they were to have no commerce with him; they were to have no commerce with him: but, that they might shame him, and bring him to repentance, must disclaim and shun him. Note, Christians are to avoid the familiar conversation of fellow-christians that are notoriously wicked, and under just censure for their flagitious practices. Such disgrace the Christian name. They may call themselves brethren in Christ, but they are not Christian brethren. They are only fit companions for the brethren in iniquity; and to such company they should be left, till they mend their ways and doings.

He does not forbid the Christians the like commerce with scandalously wicked heathens. He does not forbid their eating nor conversing with the fornicators of this world, etc. They know no better. They profess no better. The gods they serve, and the worship they render to many of them, countenance such wickedness. “You must needs go out of the world if you will have no conversation with such men. Your Gentile neighbours are generally vicious and profane; and it is impossible, as long as you are in the world, and have any worldly business to do, but you must fall into their company. This cannot be wholly avoided.” But, besides, heathens were such as Christians had nothing to do to judge and censure, and avoid upon a censure passed; for they are without (1Co_5:12), and must be left to God's judgment, 1Co_5:13. But, as to members of the church, they are within, are professedly bound by the laws and rules of Christianity, and not only liable to the judgment of God, but to the censures of those who are set over them, and the fellow-members of the same body, when they transgress those rules. Every Christian is bound to judge them unfit for communion and familiar converse. They are to be punished, by having this mark of disgrace put upon them, that they may be shamed, and, if possible, reclaimed thereby: and the more because the sins of such much more dishonour God than the sins of the openly wicked and profane can do. The church therefore is obliged to clear herself from all confederacy with them, or connivance at them, and to bear testimony against their wicked practices. Note, Though the church has nothing to do with those without, it must endeavour to keep clear of the guilt and reproach of those within. End

Have we as Christians become so desensitized to sin, that we are longer bothered by it. Paul is addressing an issue that is far too common in today's churches. He was outraged that a professed Christian's sin was one that even the sinners were not known to be doing? The report had spread not only in the churches, but even among the sinners, to the great shame of God. When a report obtains such a circulation, it is certainly time to investigate it, and to correct the evil. And yet, there was not one cry of indignation from any of the church members. Instead, the church went about business as usual, praising God as if under His anointing, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, 2Tim. 3:5. Why do we get upset when the community begin to talk about our adulterer pastor, our fornicating deacons, our club going choir members and our homosexual choir directors. When the rumor is true, the church is obligated to deal with it, not cover it up. Then to have our leaders lie on God, saying" I am waiting for God to tell me how to deal with this". God's word already tells us how to deal with it, stop making excuses. Instead of sitting the person down from their position or denying fellowship, we lift them up before the people and honor them. It doesn't take long to realize when someone who has walked into your home, has outside, mistakenly stepped into dog feces. We immediately begin to look for the source of this intrusion. When we find it, we quickly remove the source, clean up the mess and breathe a sigh of relief. Our reaction to the smell of dog feces in our home is the same reaction Christians should have when sin enters the church. It is supposed that this offence that was tolerated in the church at Corinth gave rise to the scandals that were circulated among the sinner respecting the early Christians, that they allowed of licentious contact among the members of their churches. This reproach was circulated extensively among the sinner, and the primitive Christians were at much pains to refute it. How effective can our witness be when we allow fornication, adultery, heresy, homosexuality and others to reign in our churches. Our christian leadership has become weak and ineffective and to compensate for their lack of godly values, they substitute true worship with feel good worship. The purpose of this type of worship is to keep the church focus on how they feel, rather than pleasing God. We must remember that the Holy Spirit will not dwell in an unclean place. Remove that which makes the church unclean and he will return.

Suggested Reading: 1Co_5:2, 1Co_5:7; Psa_1:1-2; Pro_9:6; 2Co_6:14, 2Co_6:17; Eph_5:11; 2Th_3:14

Suggested Listening: The Man of Sin-G. Craig Lewis; Toleration of Sin in the Church-Tim Williams

Trojan Horses (click link)
Monkey see, Monkey do. We can be as wordly as you.
See How They Mock Us
Broken Church Homes
Lady Gaga mocks Christianity

First Fruit Offering

THE GREATEST OF ALL MONEY MANIPULATIONS IN THE PRESENT DAY CHURCH.

Exo 23:14-16  Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.  (15)  Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)  (16)  And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.

            I will start by saying that most first fruit advocates almost always read the scripture correctly. They do this so when we check our Bible, we will say “he is preaching out of the Bible”. However, they refuse to give us the true meaning of the scripture, knowing that if we knew the truth, we might not be so eager to give our first paycheck at the beginning of each year. They do not want us to understand that Old Testament ceremonies and feast were just a type and shadow of things to be fulfilled in the New Testament. So what are types and shadows?

           Type: A type is essentially a prefiguring of something future from itself.  It is a person, institution, office, action, or event, by means of which some truth of the Gospel was divinely foreshadowed under the Old Testament dispensations. Ex. In Romans 5:14, Adam is spoken of as a “type” of Him who was to come, which is Christ.

           Shadow: A reflection, a glimpse or a mere outline. It may be fairly well detailed, but it is not the original.

            In the above scripture God commands the people to keep three feasts throughout the year. Now tell me when was the last time your church observed the feast of unleavened bread or the feast of ingathering? Probably never. You want to know why? These feasts cannot be twisted or manipulated to convince us to give them our money. But, if we insist on observing one feast, we must be willing to observe them all. With that being said, we need to know what the scripture says about how we ought to observe these feasts and I will also give you the days in 2012 that we should do it. Ready?

            Feasts of Unleavened Bread: Lev 23:5-8  In the fourteenth day of the first month  Abib at even is the LORD'S passover.  (6)  And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.  (7)  In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.  (8)  But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Passover begins in the evening of Friday, April 6, 2012, and ends in the evening of Saturday, April 14, 2012. The Feast of Unleavened Bread will begin on Sunday, April 15, 2012 and ends Saturday, April 22, 2012 on the Jewish Sabbath.

            Feasts of Harvest (FirstFruits): Lev 23:9-11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  (10)  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest unto the priest:  (11)  And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. First Fruits was observed on the day after the Jewish Sabbath, on Resurrection Sunday. This is a very important point that I will come back to later. The observance was carried out in this manner, when the standing ripe harvest of barley and wheat was ready to be reaped. The celebrant would take one sheaf from the standing harvest and bring it to the priest. The lone sheaf was called 'the sheaf of the First Fruits.' The priest (remember this) was then to take this one sheaf and wave it before the Lord in His house (the temple). This was to be done 'the day after the Sabbath. There were at least seven different fruits allowed for this offering including wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil, and honey (Deut. 8:8). A description of the procedure for bringing the First Fruits is also given in the Mishnah of Bikkurim(link here). According to the Jewish calendar, FirstFruits should be observed on Sunday, April 23, 2012.

Feast of Ingathering or Feast of Tabernacles: Lev 23:39-43  Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.  (40)  And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.  (41)  And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.  (42)  Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:  (43)  That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. According to the Jewish calendar, Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) begins in the evening of Sunday, September 30, 2012, and ends in the evening of Sunday, October 7, 2012. There are instructions on the internet on how to construct an actual booth How to build a Sukkoh.  So, if we still consider ourselves bound to the Old Testament ceremonial laws, then we have to observe all three, every year.

            Now, let’s get back to the FirstFruits. Remember, that the celebrant must bring one sheaf of his First Fruits to the priest, who would then wave it before the Lord in the Temple. But, we no longer have the temple or the levitical priesthood and with the absence of a temple or the priesthood the traditional First Fruits meaning has been lost. You ask “why or how is it lost?” Because Jesus is the true fulfillment of the ceremonial First Fruits. Apostle Paul wrote in 1Co 15:20  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. Do you recall in the beginning, I stated that the Old Testament was full of types and shadows that pointed to something to be fulfilled in the New Testament? Here are the connections:

            Passover - The original celebration centered around the Passover lamb, which was sacrificed and its blood put over the doorposts as a sign of faith. The New Testament says that Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb, his blood staining the wooden beams of the cross. The Passover lamb was to be a "male without defect, which is the same description given to Jesus. In addition, when the lamb was roasted and eaten, none of its bones were to be broken, as prophesied in scripture, no bones were broken on Jesus.

            Feast of Unleavened Bread – The day after the Passover was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This day was a Sabbath. Leaven was a symbol of sin. Jesus was the unleavened sinless Bread of Heaven. The first and second days of the feast were Sabbath days, days of rest. Jesus also rested on these days in the tomb.

            First Fruits – The third day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (the first day of the week) was also the day of the First Fruits. On this day the first fruits of the barley harvest was gathered and waved before the Lord in celebration. Similarly, Jesus rises up from the grave. He is the first fruits from the dead. On that very day He fulfilled the Feast of the First Fruits.  1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept.

 

     The apostle Paul gives us this warning “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ”.  (Col 2:16-17)  1-Here is a caution to take heed of judaizing teachers, or those who would impose upon Christians the yoke of the ceremonial law: Let no man therefore judge you in meat nor drink, etc., Col_2:16. Much of the ceremonies of the law of Moses consisted in the distinction of meats and days. It appears by Rom. 14 that there were those who were for keeping up those distinctions: but here the apostle shows that since Christ has come, and has cancelled the ceremonial law, we ought not to keep it up. “Let no man impose those things upon you, for God has not imposed them: if God has made you free, be not you again entangled in that yoke of bondage.” And this the rather because these things were shadows of things to come (Col_2:17), intimating that they had no intrinsic worth in them and that they are now done away. But the body is of Christ: the body, of which they were shadows, has come; and to continue the ceremonial observances, which were only types and shadows of Christ and the gospel, carries an intimation that Christ has not yet come and the gospel state has not yet commenced. Observe the advantages we have under the gospel, above what they had under the law: they had the shadows, we have the substance. Matthew Henry Complete Commentary

Paul warns us of being slaves and under bondage

Gal 4:8-10  But at one time indeed, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature were not gods.  (9)  But now, having known God, or rather, having been known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which once again you wish to be slaves?  (10)  You observe days and months and seasons and years.

Gal 5:1-4  Stand fast therefore in the freedom in which Christ has made us free, and do not be loaded down again with a yoke of bondage.  (2)  Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.  (3)  And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.  (4)  You have become estranged from Christ, you who are justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

*Many believers in the Church falsely assume that since we have been given the entire Bible (both Old and New Testaments) that God intends for us to adhere to all of it. Again, nothing could be further from the truth. (Acts 15, Ephesians 2:15, Colossians 2:14, Hebrews 10) This false teaching has caused many believers to be caught in the trap of legalism. God does not want us to be in bondage to legalism by serving rules and regulations of the law. Instead, he wants us to serve Christ and walk in a new way- in the freedom of the Holy Spirit.

           *Those ministers today that teach believers that they must give a first fruits offering (Old Covenant style) may tell you that they’ve had a “revelation” from God about first fruits and that this is for the Church today but do not believe them. They did not receive this by revelation from Christ or his Spirit, but they got it straight from the law and teach it according to the law. God will not go against the Gospel of Christ. He will not take you and I back to a ministration of death. No, that’s not a misprint friend; you did read that correctly, it does say "death". The apostle Paul called the Old Covenant Law a ministration of death. Why? It’s because the Old Covenant could only accuse us of sin and condemn us to death due to man’s inability to keep it perfectly. (Romans 7:7-24)

*Excerpts taken from http://www.truthandspiritministries.com/pdfs/firstfruitp1.pdf

Ransom Paid

        Mat 20:28  Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.     

Never was there such an example of beneficence and usefulness as there was in the death of Christ, who gave his life a ransom for many. He lived as a servant, and went about doing good; but he died as a sacrifice, and in that he did the greatest good of all. He came into the world on purpose to give his life a ransom; it was first in his intention. The aspiring princes of the Gentiles make the lives of many a ransom for their own honour, and perhaps a sacrifice to their own humour. Christ doth not do so; his subjects' blood is precious to him, and he is not prodigal of it (Psa_72:14); but on the contrary, he gives his honour and life too ransom for his subjects. Note, First, Jesus Christ laid down his life for a ransom. Our lives were forfeited into the hands of divine justice by sin. Christ, by parting with his life, made atonement for sin, and so rescued ours; he was made sin, and a curse for us, and died, not only for our good, but in our stead, Act_20:28; 1Pe_1:18, 1Pe_1:19. Secondly, It was a ransom for many, sufficient for all, effectual for many; and, if for many, then, saith the poor doubting soul, “Why not for me?” It was for many, that by him many may be made righteous. These were his seed, for which his soul travailed (Isa_53:10, Isa_53:11); for many, so they will be when they come all together, though now they appear but a little flock.

J. Paul Getty III, who was a grandson of the oil baron once believed to be the richest man in the world, was kidnapped by Italian gangsters. The amount demanded was about $17 million, but the eldest Mr. Getty refused to pay the kidnappers anything, declaring that he had 14 grandchildren and “If I pay one penny now, I’ll have 14 kidnapped grandchildren.” Three months after the abduction, the kidnappers cut off J. Paul Getty’s ear and mailed it, along with a lock of his hair, to a Roman newspaper. Eventually the kidnappers reduced their demands to around $3 million. Of which the eldest Mr. Getty reportedly paid $2.2 million, the maximum tax-deductible amount. The boy’s father paid the rest, though he had borrowed it from his father — at 4 percent interest.

Question: What ransom did God pay to set us free?

Answer:  Blood sacrifice of His Son. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Question: Was our rescuer welcomed with open arms?

Answer: No. Matthew 27:22 Pilate saith unto them, what shall I do then with Jesus who is called Christ? They all say unto him, let him be crucified.

Question: Did Jesus respond in anger?

Answer: No. Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

Question: Did God send His Son to die for us because we were good and deserved to be saved?

Answer: No. Romans 5:6-8 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Question: The Gift of Salvation is Free, because Jesus Christ paid the ransom on the cross. So how can we repay God for what he has done?

Answer: We can’t. If we collected all the money available in the world, it still wouldn’t come close. But there is something you can do.

1)      Recognize that you are a sinner. Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

2)      Realize that sin has a price.  Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

3)      Repent. Act 3:19a  Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out

4)      Acknowledge that Jesus is the only way. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

5)      Weigh your decision carefully.  Jesus said Mark 8:34b Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

6)       Accept the free gift of salvation. Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

To believe on Jesus Christ as your Saviour means to believe that He died for you, paid the price for your sins and that He is the only way to Heaven.

The choice is yours and only you can make it. Choose Jesus.

Christian News

Outreach Releases Largest, Fastest-Growing Churches Report

Facebook Apologizes, Republishes Abortion Instructions After Protests?

Sanctity of Life Month: Dozens of Sonograms to Convey Pro-Life Message

 

Free At Last

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (Joh 8:31-32)

           The truth here means the Christian religion. Compare Gal_3:1; Col_1:6. The doctrines of the true religion shall make you free - that is, it will free you from the slavery of evil passions, corrupt propensities, and grovelling views. The condition of a sinner is that of a captive or a slave to sin. He is one who serves and obeys the dictates of an evil heart and the promptings of an evil nature. The effect of the gospel is to break this hard bondage to sin and to set the sinner free.
            We learn from this that religion is not slavery or oppression. True freedom (intellectual, moral, spiritual) is only attainable when we are set free from darkness, sin, ignorance, superstition and let the Light of the World shine on us and in us. However, even those who are true believers, and disciples indeed, yet may be, and are, much in the dark concerning many things which they should know.
            Gospel truth frees us from the yoke of the ceremonial law, and the more grievous burdens of the traditions of the elders. It makes us free from our spiritual enemies, free in the service of God, free to the privileges of sons, and free of the Jerusalem which is from above, which is free. The Gospel truth obeyed, frees us from the yoke of Satan, from spiritual task-masters, from fear, fills the soul with hope and the free spirit of a son who serves the Father from love.

            Since the fall of Adam, mankind had been held in bondage to sin. God gave man the means to cover their sins through sacrificial offerings and ceremonial laws. But a greater sacrifice was needed, a sacrifice that required blood from one that knew no sin. His name is Jesus Christ. His sacrifice gave us the ability to break the chains of sin that bound us and to set us free. There was but one catch, we had to acknowledge that we were sinners, repent of our sins and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Nevertheless, Mat 7:15 says" Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." There are some who would that we remain slaves, by concealing and manipulating the true word of God. From the Word of Faith Movement, the Prosperity Doctrine and the secularization of Christian and Gospel music, the church is under constant attack. Relentless pressure from the world have cause some to change essential biblical doctrine to make it more suitable to those who refuse to live by it in its original form.
             Free At Last is only one of the many resources whose purpose is to set the people of God free. It is my intent to provide you with accurate biblical information. May God Bless You.

Trojan Horse Alert!!! Church Beware!!!

Oprah Winfrey says that Jesus is not the only way to heaven, but these Christian artists support her anyway.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QNmIW5hKV5E

Church Dance Group, What happened to True Worship & Praise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE7f5CJEuMM

Church says yes, to LGBT & Liberalism
http://exministries.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/presbyterian-church-says-yes-to-lgbt/

Facebook, Google & Apple censor religious speech
http://exministries.wordpress.com/2011/09/16/facebook-google-apple-censoring-religious-speech/

New Year, New Creature

2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

          This ought to be the care of all who profess the Christian faith, that they be new creatures; not only that they have a new name, and wear a new livery, but that they have a new heart and new nature. And so great is the change the grace of God makes in the soul, that, as it follows, old things are passed away - old thoughts, old principles, and old practices, are passed away; and all these things must become new. Note, Regenerating grace creates a new world in the soul; all things are new. The renewed man acts from new principles, by new rules, with new ends, and in new company. The believer is created anew; his heart is not merely set right, but a new heart is given him. He is the workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Though the same as a man, he is changed in his character and conduct. These words must and do mean more than an outward reformation. It is vain for a man to profess affinity to Christ according to the flesh, while he is unchanged in his heart and life, and dead in trespasses and sins; for he that is in Christ, that is, a genuine Christian, having Christ dwelling in his heart by faith, is a new creature; his old state is changed: he was a child of Satan, he is now a child of God; he was a slave of sin, and his works were death; he is now made free from sin, and has his fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. He was before full of pride and wrath; he is now meek and humble. He formerly had his portion in this life, and lived for this world alone; he now hath God for his portion, and he looks not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are eternal. Therefore, old things are passed away.


          Are we going to be the same person in 2012 that we were in 2011? Are we going to continue using the same foul language? Are we going to continue in fornication, adultery and homosexual lifestyles? Are we going to continue to support those who twist and manipulate the word of God and deny the deity of Christ. Will we continue to support the entertainers that profess Christ, but support antichrist views and conduct in order to gain fame and fortune? How long will we continue to accept sin in the church and look the other way? When we are in Christ all things are become new - we have new life, new senses, new faculties, new affections, new appetites, new ideas and conceptions. Our whole tenor of action and conversation is new. Let us make 2012 a year of true change. Not on the outside, but more importantly on the inside.


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