AND what's your Point!

I get that question ask to me a lot. What does it matter there are no female angels described in the Bible but that is all that you find in Christian bookstores. Or does it really matter that Paul wrote that women should be silent in church but today the most vocal voices in most church is the woman. Or thatthis is the toughest for most people, that the bible has mistakes in it and that translations vary. So if you are going to call the bible the word of God, first you have to find out which translation is truly the word of God. Secondly, how do you know that the bible is the word of God? Just because someone told you it was, doesn't make it a fact. The problem I have found is that most people read the bible but don't really read the bible. Let me explain, if I was trying to put together a Christmas toy on Christmas eve, I have to read the instruction and follow them so I can have a gift to give Christmas morning. Today's Christian reads the bible as if it is something they are suppose to do to maintain their salvation, when in fact once you have read the bible (instructions) you are to do what it tells you to do. But a big problem begins to exist with that attitude. Man decides what God was wanting you to understand from the bible and we sit there and agree with out really knowing for ourselves if the man is right or wrong. The early church was a good example of this where man decided what God's sheep was going to be fed. Since, in the early beginnings of the church, we did not have a bible to read for ourselves, they relied on man's interpretation of what he wanted us to know about God. This lasted for about 1600 years when the bible was finally made available to most of the people. But another problem arose in the fact that most people at that time couldn't read even if they had a bible. But the ones that could, found that the early church had not truly represented what the bible was saying for mankind. As a result Martin Luther created what we now call the protestant religion. Did it change things from God's perspective? Man was still telling man what God wanted you to do and not to do based on a book that man put together. Most of you are probably reacting to this the way most people react to me when I make a statement like this. But did God truly expect the bible to be His only way of telling you the TRUTH? The amazing thing that you will find in the reading of the bible is that it will tell you exactly what God's will for your life is and how to obtain it. Sadly most people pick a denomination, one that makes them feel comfortable with there relationship with God because it is easier to join a group than it is to walk you salvation alone. Let me now back up my idea with what the bible saysthe bible is the word FROM God, not the Word of God. Revelation 19:11-13 describes the return of Jesus to the earth and tells clearly that His name is the Word of God. In John it says in the first verses in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and that the Word became flesh. You are probably asking yourself nowwhat's your point? My point is that God never intent man to think He stopped talking to them after 66 books. And what is amazing to me is that the bible itself backs this up. Why is this important to understand? Because God knew mankind and He also knew satan that was loose on the earth. Why would God ever repeat what didn't work on tablets on clay by writing a book that could easily be changes with a stroke of a pen? Read what I think is one of the most important verses in the bibleJeremiah 31 31-34. It explains to you the new covenant that you are presently under with God. The important part of that covenant is how God will keep you in check with His will for you. He said that He will write His laws in your heart and in your mind. You know we forget that Jesus, God Himself, was under the authority of the Father while on earth. Jesus said that I only do what I see the Father do. Jesus totally operated under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That was His authority and guide while on earth and He gave us that same Holy Spirit to all of His believers so we could operate the same way as He did. Check out  John 16:13. So if this was the way the new convent was to operate, why did man think it was all right to change it by selecting 66 different letters and books to become the authority of God and not the Holy Spirit? The easiest way to back up this fact is to read in the bible how the early church functioned. Every day miracles were occurring and they were witnessing the Truth about Jesus under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. They were not getting their information from a book because the book would not be assembled for another 300 plus years. Imagine how many people die and went to hell because they didn't have the Bible and a preacher to explain it to them. Remember the bible was not given to all people to read well into the 1600's, that means there were a lot of people going to hell because they hadn't read the bible. Wrong!! Man took God's word and mess with it to satisfy man. God knew this was going to happen that is why He said I will write my laws in their hearts and in their minds. The difference between us today and the early Christians is that they knew and understood the new covenant. They walked in the guidance of the Holy Spirit and no one else. So what do we do with things that we don't agree with in the biblesuch as women being silent in church. Do we say that it was a cultural issue of that day and that is why Paul wrote about it in his letter to Timothy. I have heard that excuse for years that the women were being noise and unrulely in the church and that today that does not exist so women don't have to be silent any longer. The problem with that thinking is we want to over look the reason Paul gave as to why women should be silent read 1Timothy9-15. It is very clear why he felt the way he felt. But if this is the Word of Godhow are we to deal with this issue? It is easier to deal with if you understand that this was what the Spirit told Paul for that time and that situation. And that because the Spirit dealt with that issue then, does not mean that the Spirit would deal with it the same way nearly 2000 years later. That is why we need to understand that the 66 books represents the Word FROM God. It applies to you only when the Spirit confirms it in your heart. The problem that exist today is that we haven't been taught this way. We have put God's word in 66 books and taken it out of our hearts and our minds. The solution starts with throwing away everything we have been taught and read the bible and listen to the Holy Spirit and trust in the new convent and not some denomination or religious leader. I remember when God first dealt with me on this issue. We, my wife and I, were overseers at a cowboy church that meant in a barn down the street from us. I was excited about teaching people about the Holy Spirit and the gifts. This group knew very little about the bible much less about the Holy Spirit. They were a mixture of every walk you can imagine but for the most part was a group who had tried church and didn't like it. Well when I turn to the new testament to gather my information, the Spirit said to start in Genesis. Well I didn't want to start in Genesis as well as I really didn't want to think He was telling me to read the whole bible. And after about 3 days of start in GenesisI finally gave in and I am so thankful I did. The first thing I realized is that Adam and Eve was never throw out of the garden because of their sin but for their protection. Read it for yourself it is thereGenesis 3:22-24. I have always been told they were cast out because of there sin not because God loved them so much that He wanted to protect them from the tree of life which if they had eaten of the fruit they would have been immortal and in a state of sin that God could not rescue them for. Secondly, I realized that the mark of Cain was not a mark given by God to tell the world of Cain's murdering Able, but a mark to protect Cain from people who would try to harm him because of his murder. In my bible these stories basically fall beside each other one on one side of the bible, the other the other side of the bible. In less than three pages, God show me that I really didn't know Him but only what I was told about Him. I ask Him for forgiveness and since then it has been and incredible walk with the Spirit as my guide. No longer will I rely on anyone or anything except the Spirit of God or in Acts 16:6-7, He is referred to as the Spirit of Jesus. One of the things I believe that needs to be made clear is that The Holy Spirit, God and Jesus are all the same to me but different in their forms. So when some one may say to me that all I want to talk about is the Spirit, remember that the Spirit is my Lord and Savior. I don't distinguish them as being different. Remember that God had to become flesh to fulfill the old covenant that He had with Abraham. And He had to become Spirit to maintain the new covenant that He has with us now. Once you can grasp this concept you can put the bible and His teachings in the perspective He wanted you to have of Him and the future that we have if we listen to the Holy Spirit. So why do I have a problem with female angelsI bet you were wondering when I would get around to that. If you go with the concept that everything about satan is opposite of God. You can distinguish what is of God and what is of satan. We have a lot of descriptions of angels in the bible. Gabriel in the book of Daniel, Michael as a warrior, the angels announcing the birth of Jesus and the angels described in the book of Revelation. No where are they described as a woman. But when you think of an angel this is probably the first thing that comes to your mind. Why is that if in the bible for the most part, these angels were warriors, big and strong. In Revelation, they hold back the winds of the earth and dish out the judgments upon the earth. So why to we have the concept that they would look great on top of a Christmas tree. I will tell you why satan wants you to think his demons and angels are bigger and badder than God's angels. Why to we think demons can match up with God's angels. It is because when you visualize an angel of God you think of a long flowing hair, with a sweet look, with red lipstick and a gentle smile. Is there anything wrong with thiswell when it comes time for me to stand against the forces of evil, give me the angels described in Revelation. If we realized how God has equipped us we may not fear satan like most of us do. It is just another way satan has been able to turn the truth about God's angels in to a lie. And we are OK with that. And if we are Ok with that lie, what other lies are we OK with and more important, what is God OK with! We have come to think that what ever we come up with concerning our beliefs that God is OK with it. Do you think God sees a mega church of 3,000 members or more and says well if that many belief that way than I must make some adjustments to my qualification for heaven. Remember God is a loving God and would never send His creation into hell. Wrong again. If you read the history contained in the bible, the one thing that is a factGod has a judgment for those who do it their way and not God's. Why do we think something has change God's mind concerning obeying. It is a simple covenant that God set up. My sheep here my voice and they follow me. Not a pastor, not a denomination, not a book, not even the bible. If the bible tells you anything it tells youno it begs you to abide in the Spirit. It is the only place you cannot be fooled by the world. Read for yourself. It is all though the writings of the new testament. The Spirit of God is the key to the Covenant and your ability to fulfill your part in this Covenant. I have been told by someone very dear to me that they believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit were done away with and she doesn't really believe in miracles, and questions the speaking in tongues which is the evidence of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. There are a lot of people with that same point of view and what worries me is if this group of people hold to this point of view, how do they come under the covenant with the Holy Spirit. There is a verse in Romans 8:11 where it says that the same Spirit that rose Jesus from the grave, abides inside of you (the believer). If you reject the power inside of you by denying His power. I wonder when it is time for you to be raised from the dead, how the Holy Spirit will feel about you who rejected His power while living. Only a thought! To sum this up if possibledo you truly know what it is you believe and do you realize just because you believe that way has no bearing on if it is the truth or not. My suggestion to you would be the same that God offer to me. Find out who God truly is. And the best way to do that is to ask Him. And expect an answer. He will not lead you into a lieonly man is capable of that. Remember, God has been trying to have a personal relationship with us since the creation. God isn't hard, and having a real relationship with Him is not one based on the teaching of a denomination but the hearing of the Holy Spirit. Our problem is like the Israelites when God brought them out of Egypt so He could be their God and they didn't want Him. It is no different today, we want God, but on our turns. Sadly that is not how God works. Believe what you want but realize there is an eternal consequence if you are wrong.

I was challenged by a close loved one concerning the responsibility of teaching us (believers) right from wrong. Isn't that the job of a pastor, preacher, teacher at our Corporate Church to do this. I'll answer that question the way John did in his writing of 1 John 2:27And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.This may sound strange to you it was for me. But God said He was my Father. A responsibility of a father is to raise his children in the way he would want you raised. It stands to reason no one could do the job better than God Himself. Why do we have all the different denominations and beliefsmaybe we haven't been listening to the person we needed to be listening to.  Is there a penalty for not hearing the Holy Spirit for yourself and choosing to walk after another man's teachings that you feel is lead by the Spirit. I don't know, but I do know that He will judge your heart and your intentions because that is the covenant that you are under. So why take the chancelisten for Him, He will be there. We just need to learn to listen and then walk in faith what He told us to do. The early church did and they operated in a power we have only read about!

And, what's my point? Each day a believer dies. The question iswas what they believed the truth? Saying that you believe in Jesus and that you were baptized, is that all Jesus requires of you for salvation? It is confusing because you can find scripture that seems to make it be just that simple, but you can also find scripture that makes it sound a lot harder. So does anyone truly know? Or do we just decide that this is the way I believe and that should be good enough for God. I would truly like to believe that once you are saved, you cannot lose your salvation. But I read too many scriptures that say I can. {Read the letter to Sardis in Revelation}. Jesus said that I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.(John 14: 6). I break that statement down to say that the Wayrepresents the offering of eternal life with Him and the Father. Through His resurrection and conquering of death. The Truth,I believe means that He is the only one that you can truly trust in for everything. And the Lifewell this is where the rubber meets the road. Like I said earlier, Jesus while on earth operated under the authority of the Holy Spirit. Remember He said I do only what I see the Father do. So His life was guided by the Spirit, and the Spirit was directed by God. The question iswho is truly guiding your life? You, your church doctrine, a pastor, a bible study, a book that you were given or found at a bookstore, how about the bible. Do any of these fit the requirements that Jesus said you had to meet to come unto the Father? Is God going to cut us some slack for not getting it right while we were on the earth? Maybe He will because He said He will judge your heart and your thoughts. (Sounds like the conditions in the covenant!) What grading curve do you think He will make for us if we don't live up to our part of the agreement? I believe He showed us an example of His grading curve in the parable of the Ten Virgins found in Matthew 25:1-13. I say it is an example because the first verse starts out the kingdom of heaven is comparable to ten virgins. All ten of the virgins went out to wait for the coming of the bridegroom (Jesus). They were all virgins, which represent purity, they all had lamps filled with oil, which represents the Holy Spirit. The oil was to be used to light the way for them while they waited for the bridegroom return for His bride, which is us, His Church. Why did only the five virgins who had oil in their lamps get to go into the wedding feast? They all started out with oil, they all were looking for His return, they were all virgins which represents purity. What happened? This is when you are going to have to decide for yourself the answer. But one fact remains; the five virgins that were not prudent with their oil (Holy Spirit) were not ready when Jesus returned for His Church. Ephesians 4:30 says, And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. And it is interesting what Jesus said to them when they wanted in to the feast later on. He said go away, I do not know you. Not a grading curve that most of us would like to have. But it is His heaven and He makes the rules for getting in and we had better not forget that very important fact. So it might be a good idea for each of us to check our level of oil in our lampsdaily! What about those five that had oil and would not share it. By today's standards, that wasn't very Christian of them. Why couldn't they at least offer to let them share the light from their lamps? Did the other five have to have oil in their lamps? In the parable, He said that the five without oil were not prudent. Maybe that includes a lot of Christians today. We started out with the infilling of the Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus as our Savior, but have not been prudent with what He gave us. Is that important today? Remember five Christians were waiting for the return of the Lord and were deemed not fit to go into the wedding feast because they were not ready when He came. Was it because they were away looking to refill their lamps and were not present when He came? Could they have gotten in if they would have stay even if their lamps were not filled? When you read the parable, you read that all ten were asleep when the cry came out that the bridegroom was coming. They didn't wake up worrying if they had gone to church every Sunday or read the bible daily, or were doing all the things that we as Christians feel we are suppose to do. They were worried about one thing and one thing onlythey needed oil. We have to remember that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. If it is missing in our lives when Jesus returns, I believe we will end up just like the five virgins that were not allowed in. Sounds hardbut read Revelation, two thirds of the people of the world is going to be destroyed. Not because He didn't love His creation, it was because they didn't love Him. If you love me, you will keep my commandants. John 14: 15. The only way to do this is to listen to the Holy Spirit. If you are not doing thisyou have to ask the question, who are you listening to? They adhere to a form of godliness, but deny the power within. 2 Timothy 3: 5.

And what's my point
Ezekiel 33:6-7. I believe God has put this message on my heart and I have to obey or be held accountable. I believe I am doing what God has appointed me to do. My job just like yours is to never let my lamp run out of oil.