March 2007
It is such a joy to share
my experience of God's unconditional love
each month. As a child, I memorized John
3:16 but the words were without understanding,
until I heard them spoke by a visitor in
prison. It was as if a light came on in
my heart when I heard, "For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son that whosoever believes in Jesus shall
not perish but have everlasting life. "
1 I pray for God to enlighten your heart
as he did mine over thirty years ago. You
will never be the same!
That Spirit of AntiChrist
The News this month from
the Discovery Channel concerns the tombs
of Jesus and His family found in the Holy
Lands. I do not get the Discovery Channel,
but whatever credibility this company may
have will suffer loss an a result of this
deception. Also, there is a New Age book
named "The Secret" getting lots
of hype. On the surface, this book offers
philosophical truths, but the author does
not confess Jesus as the Christ--God in
the flesh. The Holy Scriptures refers to
him as an antichrist.
"Dear children, the
last hour is here. You heard that the Antichrist
is coming, and
already many such antichrists have appeared.
From this we know that the end of the
world has come. These people left our churches
because they never really belonged with
us; otherwise they would have stayed with
us. When they left us, it proved they they
do not belong with us. But you are not like
that, for the Holy Spirit has come upon
you, and all of you know the truth.
So I am writing to you
not because you don't know the truth but
you know the truth because you know the
difference between truth and falsehood.
And who is the liar? The one who says that
Jesus is not the Christ. Such people are
antichrists, for they have denied the Father
and the Son. Anyone who denies the Son,
doesn't have the Father either. But anyone
who confesses the Son has the Father also.
You must remain faithful to what you have
been taught from the beginning. If you do,
you will continue to love in fellowship
what the Son and with the Father. And in
this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life
He promised us." 2
Discerning False Prophets
The author of "The
Secret" rightfully teaches the progression
of thoughts, feelings and actions. He teaches
on believing and receiving, but with erroneous
belief. Scriptures teach "...this is
God's commandments: We must believe in the
name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love
one another...Those who obey God's commandments
live in fellowship with Him, and He with
them. And we know He lives in us because
the Holy Spirit lives in us." 3
"Dear friends, do
not believe everyone who claims to speak
by the Spirit. You must test them to see
if the spirit they have comes from God.
For there are many false prophets in the
world. This is the way to fine out if they
have the Spirit of God: If a prophet acknowledges
that Jesus Christ [God, the Son] became
a human being, that person has not the Spirit
of God. If a prophet does not acknowledge
Jesus [as God] that person is not from God.
Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist.
You have heard that he is going to come
into the world, and he is already here.
But you belong to God,
my dear children. You have already won your
fight with these false prophets, because
the Spirit who lives in you is greater then
the spirit who lives in the world. These
people belong to the world, so they speak
from the world's viewpoint, and the world
listens to them. But we belong to God; that
is why those who know God listen to us.
If they do not belong to God, they do not
listen to us. That is how we know if someone
has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of
deception." 4
Experience God's Love
The philosophy presented
in "The Secret" teaches the experience
of love that liberates a person to emit
love to others. This is not the Christian
experience of God's divine love [ GK: agape],
which flows from heaven as a result of the
Holy Spirit regenerating our hearts. 5 God's
divine love is missing from the new ager's
experience of brotherly love [ Gk: phileo]
, because they have not been born of God's
nature. 6
The secret of God's love
is not found in the new age movement, but
in the person of Jesus Christ. He loved
us when He gave His life on Calvary's cross
to cleanse our hearts of sin by His blood.
God raised Him from the dead, providing
righteousness and life to all who believe
and receive His love by faith. Jesus Christ
sent the Holy Spirit, as promised, to live
in our hearts so we can experience His unconditional
love.
This Is God's secret for His children from
the foundation of the world. 7 This is real
love. It is not that we loved God, but that
He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice
to take away our sins. 8 We love God, because
He first loved us. 9 As we discover and
experience God's love and forgiveness, we
love much. 10 Only the Holy can reveal this
secret to you as you meditate the Scriptures.
11
What About Exercise
Did you know the Bible
says that, ”...bodily exercises profits
little...?" 12 But if you read this
passage in context, it does not give us
an excuse to not exercise, but says that
"...godliness is profitable [more than
a little] unto all things." It Is of
utmost importance to walk Godly In this
life, but at the same time, we need physical
exercise.
I do a lot of walking outside
around the track and in the building where
I live. I walk several miles a day. It is
often a time to share with someone my faith
in Christ. I enjoy walking around being
friendly, meeting people and learning about
their background, while at the time getting
my exercise.
It has been important for
me to keep my body in shape, but not over
doing it. I do lot of stretching exercises
so I have remained very limber after all
these years. I do one exercise where I work
out my upper and lower body at the same.
I do push ups and other push and pull exercises
that help me keep fit. I think I can honestly
say that I get a little exercise according
to Scripture, smile!
Here's a Prayer for you...
I pray that your love for God and others
will overflow more and more. That you will
keep on growing in your knowledge and understanding.
I want you to understand what really matters
so that you may live pure and blameless
lives until Christ returns . May you always
be filled with the fruit of righteousness
-- those good things that are produced in
your life by Jesus Christ -- for this will
bring much glory and praise to God Amen!
13
Scripture References
1. John 3:16
2. 1 John 2:18-25
3. 1 John 3:23,24
4. 1 John 4:1-6
5. 1 John 4:7,8
6. 2 Peter 1:4
7. Matt. 13:35
8. 1 John 4:10
9. 1 John 4:19
10. Luke 7:36-50
11. 1 Cor 2:9-12
12. 1 Tim 4: 8a
13. Phil. 1:9-11
|
