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Welcome to the Café Logos thought bakery where I assemble the ingredients of my daily experiences to share with our diners.
November 8, 2016 God's Purposes I heard a minister read a prayer for today's election. It was a lovely prayer that included an exhortation for believers to fulfill God's purposes. When he finished reading the prayer, he wondered what those purposes might be. This remark left me a bit puzzled. The Bible clearly states what God's purposes are. The problem is, if we don't study the Scriptures we won't know them. As Christians we are supposed to follow Jesus. His call to His disciples, "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men,"(Matthew 4:19), tells us what our primary purpose is as Christians. We are to become fishers of men. In other words, every Christian has been commissioned by God to make sharing the life- giving Gospel of Jesus with everyone. The fact that this minister had to wonder what God's purposes are, is to me another illustration of the spiritual condition of God's church at this hour of church history. We need to restore our vision back to the church's first love, which was bringing souls into God's kingdom. It's time to make the church great again. As we observed the darkness that is enveloping the world today, I wonder this; - if the church had not buried her first love beneath the refuse of the cares of this world, would the darkness be as bad as it is at this moment? As long as we have breath, we have a chance to punch holes in the darkness and let the light of God's love in His Son shine upon everyone in these last few moments of time before Jesus comes again. Don't wonder about what your purpose is in this life, my children. God has already told you. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. - John 3:16. It’s time to go fishing.
August 30, 2016 Make us One I had a strange dream last night. A young man from an Irish music band that had come in fourth place in a talent competition, announced to me that he was a Catholic. I replied, “You are a Christian.” Then I said, “If you put representatives of all the Christian denominations in one room, and a gunman came in and said, ‘Deny that Jesus is the only way to God or I will kill you,’ all the Christians would be lying on the floor dead; their blood mingled as one.” That was the dream and I believe I was meant to share it. Christians should never allow denominational barriers to separate them. We are a powerful force for good in the world. When we unite as one in prayer, demon powers cannot operate. That is why the devil works overtime to cause disunity whenever and wherever he can; in families, individual churches and other ministries. No matter what denominational differences exist, we are all united by one factor, and that is the atonement. Jesus shed His blood to remove our sins, give us eternal life and to make us one. Christianity is not an organization, it is people, unified by the blood of the Lamb of God. In these latter days, let’s all work together to fulfill Jesus’ prayer for all who claim to be His people. – "That they all may be one; as You Father are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that You have sent Me.” – John 17:21
If anyone reading this needs some reinforcement in the atonement, check out our free eBook "Why Jesus has to be the Messiah - Understanding the New Covenant and the Hebrew roots of Christianity"
June 23, 2016 President Obama, Islam and the Truth A local newspaper I saw at a small country grocery store, had a feature dedicated to the bashing of our current President Obama and his attempt to provide badly needed health care to the American people. In this feature President Obama was referred to as a Muslim. Shortly afterwards, I happened to run into the publisher of that newspaper in the same grocery store. I told him I had seen his feature on the president, and I informed him that Obama was not a Muslim. I told him that I knew a pastor who was friends with Obama’s pastor. “Obama can’t be a Muslim,” I said. “Muslims are pro-life and believe what the Bible teaches about homosexuality.” I also told him that Obama was a very liberal Christian who represents a majority of Christians in this country. This statement quickly ended our grocery store encounter and the publisher turned his attention back to the store’s collection of produce. I noticed that in the next edition of said newspaper, the reference to Obama’s Muslim association was removed. This time his picture was encircled with ink and the title above his face declared: “This is the Problem.” Recognizing that President Obama is a representative of many professed Christians in the church today, I would have to say that Obama is not our only problem, but an apostate Christian church is. So many of my fellow Christians believe that if we just manage to elect the right president from the right party, then everything will be all right and we can go back to watching our football games in peace. We refuse to acknowledge what the Bible says is the real problem. – If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. - 11 Chronicles 7:14 If we are not humble enough to repent and change our ways, then nothing is going to change no matter who is running the country or the world. Repentance is a word that desperately needs to be restored to the vocabulary of the Lord’s church. In order to understand those things within the Lord’s house that need to be adjusted, I invite our diners here at Café Logos to sample the latest addition to our menu - Revelation Chapters two and Three - Calling the Bride– an expository study of Revelation Chapters Two and Three. If we can ingest and digest the raw truth of God’s Word, and let it nourish us, the change in our spiritual diets that the Lord requires will change us into the people He desires us to be, and repentance will have her perfect work in our beings. Then just maybe, if God's people change, God will work the changes needed in our country. Enjoy your meal, children.
June 20, 2016 The Massacre in Orlando It was headline news in Jesus’ day; - ‘Tower in Siloam falls, kills Eighteen,’ (Luke 13:4, 5). When Jesus’ disciples questioned Him about this incident, He responded to their queries about the spiritual condition of those who were slain. “Do you think they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no: but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.” While some Pharisaical Christians were verbally dancing with glee upon the graves of the homosexuals who were shot by a radical Muslim in a gay bar in Orlando, Florida; God was weeping over these ones He sent His Son to die for. – Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? says the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies, says the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live. (Ezekiel 18:23, 32). It is unfortunate that the homosexual has been targeted by segments in the Christian camp as sinners above all sinners, when the Word of God declares:For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23). All have sinned and all need repentance, and Biblical repentance requires a willingness to turn from sin. Divorce without Biblical grounds is adultery according to the Lord (Matthew 5:31, 32), and even though God says in His Word it is something He hates (Malachi 2:15,16) Christians divorce with little regard as to how God has classified their behavior. Yet, somehow this sin is diminished when compared with other sins that are deemed more despicable. In other words, when some Christians view the landscape of human failings, they tend to focus their binoculars of condemnation upon what they deem as mountains while ignoring the failings of their own massive elevations, hills and valleys. Judgment begins at the house of God (I Peter 4:17). And before we start celebrating the demise of those we see as sinners, we need to understand that God beholds the sins of the heart first. In the depths of these inner chambers lurk sins as heinous as any that can be manifested outwardly. For example, pride is a sin that is classified as abomination along with homosexuality (Proverbs 6:16, 17, Leviticus 18:22). How many of us are guilty of the sin of pride? The Bible’s list of inner sins is extensive and many of the Christians who are quick to condemn the unsaved sinner, are just as guilty in another realm. The judgmental, self-righteous, unloving response some Christians have expressed concerning the tragedy in Orlando, is just as wrong as the sin they are condemning in others. As I studied the cover of a magazine displaying the faces of the people who were killed in that bar in Florida, I felt saddened that their deaths had triggered such a spiritually ignorant, apostate and callous response from those who profess love for Jesus. But, at the same time, I thought that if these victims who had been murdered had given their lives to Jesus and were following Him through the guidance of God’s Word and His Holy Spirit, they would not have been in that bar, and would still be alive. God gives His Word to us for our good and protection. When we refuse Him through that abominable sin of pride, then we must all accept the consequences of our own choices. The bodies that were crushed by the fallen tower of Siloam in Jesus’ day, and the souls that were severed from life in Orlando, all have one thing in common: they all needed repentance, they all needed the Lord’s salvation. – For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.– John 3:17
May 17, 2016 Sin or Mistake? I have been searching the Scriptures and I have found that the word for sin, is never substituted by the word ‘mistake.’ It seems in some circles, and a lot of popular devotionals, the word ‘sin’ is unpronounceable, and the syllables in the word ‘mistake’ are easier to say for some. I would like to clarify those word meanings. A mistake is forgetting to pick up your child after school, or locking your keys in your car. A sin is something the Scriptures define as behavior that is an offense to God. Let’s not get these two words, sin and mistake, confused. They are not at all related. True Christians abhor sin and try to live their lives depending on the Holy Spirit to help them keep from doing those things that hurt the God they love. If we fail through human weakness, we are cleansed by heart-felt repentance. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). The closer the relationship we have with God, the deeper the remorse will be when the flesh fails. David was in agony when confronted by his sin and cried out to God not to take His Holy Spirit from him (Psalm 51:11). A Christian who is not impacted by the enormity of sin, can easily be deceived into thinking that the popular application of the word ‘mistake’ is an appropriate label for his failures. This thinking minimizes sin to a level that reduces the impact it should have on our choices. And in some instances can also eliminate the need for an appropriate repentance. Thus it can become a bit easier for the susceptible individual to commit repeated ‘mistakes.’ In the future we can remember not to forget the child waiting on the doorstep of his school, but never make the mistake of confusing the enormity of sin with locking your keys in your car.
April 15, 2016 Prayer Request The other day I was thinking about Jesus’ prayer request for us to pray that the Father would send workers into His harvest fields (Matthew 9:38). I know that the time is getting short and there are multitudes waiting to hear the Gospel. It seems that we still don’t have the man power or the time to do it all. Then it dawned on me; when we pray for God to send more workers, why do these workers all have to be human? Why don’t we pray for God to send angelic workers appearing as humans to minister in areas that are still unreached, and in some cases, unreachable; that is, areas where the Gospel is prohibited. Angelic workers already know how to speak the languages, they can’t be martyred, they can assume any form and know exactly how to reach the person they are ministering to. The precedent for angelic, or supernatural ministering is in the Scriptures. During the great tribulation period, God sends an angel to preach the Gospel (Rev. 14:6), and angels are used throughout Scripture to do the Lord’s work. Let’s get busy and answer our Lord’s request that we pray to send workers, and specifically for those angelic helpers who don’t need airplanes, passports or visas!
March 9, 2016 My response to a reader in bondage to the occult A recent visitor to Café Logos emailed me with the suggestion that if I really wanted to know the truth about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, to read a book he recommended. The book is an occult writing that originated in Chicago around 1924. He quoted Revelation 2:17, as the hidden manna to be revealed in this book. I am going to record here what I wrote to this one. I am deeply concerned about his spiritual welfare, as I am for all those who visit our café. I hope that my words to him will be helpful to others who are susceptible to spiritual deception. This is the letter, with a short commentary afterwards. – Thank you for visiting Café Logos. If you want to know everything you need to know about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, read the Bible. It records one thousand prophecies that have been fulfilled and we can trust it. The verse you mention, Revelation 2:17, is related to the church in Pergamos. This church is reprimanded by the Lord for marrying foreign wives and harboring those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. The Nicolaitans were the Gnostics.Some within the church at Pergamos were becoming bored with God’s Word and began investigating other sources. Christians who dabble in the occult, join secret societies like the Masons and other cults, are spiritually marrying foreign wives that can lead them away from the soul saving Gospel of Jesus and into pagan philosophies. It’s a big deal in Masonry to discover a “secret name,” and Mormons are also given a secret name in one of their ceremonies. Thus the reference in Rev. 2:17 to a secret name is showing us that God is referring to satan’s deception in this area. The only way anyone can have access to the hidden manna or knowledge and the secret name is through allegiance to the Jesus of the Bible. Gnostics also claimed to have a higher secret knowledge, and Jesus affirmed His hatred of this doctrine. In Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3) and He is all you need. Jesus said that in the last days the deceptions would be so great that the elect could be deceived if possible (Matthew 24:24). I have seen books like the one you mention. They claim no authorship because they have been dictated through someone by demons. Their purpose is to pervert God’s Word and destroy souls. Please note that Jesus mentions the second death in His introduction to the church at Pergamos. Those who marry those foreign wives are candidates for the second death. People who embrace false doctrine will not be included in the first resurrection, and you need to repent while you still have the time. Read your Bible, God’s Holy Word alone for your spiritual health. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. – John 3:16 That’s what I wrote. It seems that the devil always uses the same technique. He begins by undermining the Word of God and does whatever he can to try and discredit what cannot be discredited. Cults will also take a Scripture out of context and build an entire doctrine around it without taking into consideration the entire counsel of God’s Word to render a correct interpretation. Here this one is basing his soul’s survival on a book that popped up in 1924, and at the same time disregards God’s Word and the multitude of accurately fulfilled prophecies that asserts its credibility. Jesus alone has fulfilled over two hundred of them. The odds of one man fulfilling one hundred and fifty prophecies in one lifetime are one in – 1,039,851,278,722,473,896,502,516,467,047,788,121,009,514,090,594,304. The odds of Jesus fulfilling just eight of them in His lifetime are one in - 100, 000, 000,000,000,000. God’s Word found in the Holy Bible can be trusted. But new cults spring up every day. Adam and Eve certainly are not alone in their gullibility.
February 2016 The Meaning of the Word 'Apostolic' Nowadays there seems to be more and more churches springing up claiming to be ‘apostolic.’ The dictionary defines the word apostolic as someone who follows the teachings of Jesus and His apostles. That’s great if all these apostolic churches were apostolic according to the dictionaries’ definition. Whenever a church deviates from following the teachings of Jesus and His apostles, then that church is not apostolic, it is apostate. That’s what the word apostate actually means; it is the exact opposite of the pure, original apostolic faith that was birthed in the first century. We are to contend earnestly for the faith that has been delivered to us from those original disciples of Jesus. - Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. - Jude 1:3 I have observed that some claiming to be apostolic, have deviated from the apostle’s teaching. The guideline I follow in my ministry is; that if a doctrine is correct, then all the other Scriptures will be in harmony with it. If it’s not, then it’s back to the drawing board, so to speak. Have a chat with the higher ups in your denominational headquarters, or your pastor. If the Word of God does not teach it, don’t preach it. Teach yourself to recognize when someone is actually teaching Scripture or taking the Word of God down the side paths of their own personal philosophy. I have to say many aberrant doctrines have infiltrated the church because the Lord’s people have not been discerning in this area. Get back to the pure Word of God, children. Read and study it for yourself. Put yourself among those who were present at Peter’s first sermon in the second chapter of Acts and be among those chosen ones who “continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine,” and fellowship with those who are doing the same. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. - Acts 2:42
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December 2, 2016
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