What is dung...is dung!

The apostle Paul stated in Phillipians 3:7-9, 'But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yeah doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. (KJV)

My friends I believe the word dung is very discript! And by definition simply means crap; human or animal waste; fecal matter and the like. In other words, something to be discarded and avoided at all costs. Yet it seems that many modern day pastors and teachers have not only picked up this dung, this crap, but have submerged themselves in it to the point of smearing and flinging it over everything and everybody they touch. Now I don't know about you, but I don't want any dung slung on me. I'm just not that kind of monkey! Just sayin...

Please read Phillipians 3:1-10

The top of the mountain!

When Moses went up Mt. Sinai to meet with God, the nation of Israel stood at the bottom in fear; waiting for the man of God to return. My friends, the Lord has come to live in our hearts! Why are so many still waiting at the bottom of the mountain; living in fear; and subjugated to another man?

Jesus is God, Emmanuel, and He is with us eternally! So let us take our rightful position with Him, all fears removed at the top of the mountain!

'Then they said to Moses, 'You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.' ~ Exodus 20:19

God, who at various times in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things.

'While He was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!'

Commentary by:

George L. Miller

Right life - wrong message!

When we preach a standard of living instead of the life of Christ, we are preaching self. God did not call us to testify of ourselves; He called us to give the testimony of Christ. We must understand that should we choose to teach law with the emphasis of adherence to the ten commandments, we are setting ourselves up to fail before the eyes of the world; because even the non-believing world is able to see that we cannot keep the law nor maintain the standards we so piously tout. It is no wonder that when you ask the average Joe why he doesn't go to church, the answer is almost always, 'I don't go because the church is full of hypocrites!' Now though this statement may seem like a direct attack on the shortcomings or abilities of the saints in not keeping with what God requires, the real root of the problem is not the saints but rather the message. We were not called to live, preach, and teach the righteous requirements of the law as a standard; we were called into the life of Christ, the Righteous One, to preach and teach the finished work of the cross.

'But now the righteousness of God is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propititiation by His blood, through faith to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.' ~ Romans 3:21-26

Commentary by:
George L. Miller

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We are declared righteous!

It is paramount that the believer understand to the point of internalization the sufficient finality of the cross. That he or she understand without a doubt that we have been declared the righteousness of God by God Himself. So that just as surely as He said, 'Let there be light', and there was; so we are perfected forever in His sight.

Lord, that we would know you! That we would come to understand what great love you bestowed upon us in the precious gift of salvation. That your all empowering grace would be just as effective in our failures as it is in our victories!

Blessings....

George Miller

Conformed or transformed – Brain-washed or changed!

Have you ever searched your heart in an attempt to discern whether or not your Christian walk is simply based on repetitive brain-washing towards a certain set of principles, or right moral conduct? Have you ever pondered with any regularity the distinction between applying your will to the trials and temptations of life, verses a total reliance on the power of Christ in you?

My friends if these questions are yours and the desire of your heart be the diligent, yet, ever so patient quest for an answer to these questions, you are totally in the right place; because these questions are the super-natural utterances of a God who actually lives inside of us. A God that wants us to know Him above and beyond the often confusing confines of our own human intellect! A God who’s highest desire is that we would walk with Him, and talk with Him; all the while shrouded in the power of His perfect love; for this is the power of God in salvation, and to know Him, the victory which has overcome the world. He is Christ in us, our only hope of glory! Emmanuel, God with us! The Eternal One who has literally placed us into the God-head, thereby making us one with Himself!

Authors note:

There is a great distinction between the power and intellect present in the will of man than that which is given to man by God via the Holy Spirit. Now although this distinction may be difficult to pinpoint at times, a correct understanding of its origin makes it easy to discern. This can generally be achieved by honestly examining the motivations of one’s heart. Once this has been accomplished, we can give it all to Jesus and move on. We are looking for His love, His power, His intellect, His life! Not a mere brain-washing accomplished by external conformity to a certain set of moral principles or right rules of conduct; but rather a transformation performed by the spirit of life in Christ!

‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’ Romans 12:2

‘There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.’ Romans 8:1-2

Commentary by:

George L. Miller

P.S. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

No lie is of the truth!

It seems as though of late, I have been surrounded by debate over the issue of salvation; this contention of course being rooted in whether or not we can somehow lose, walk away, or simply stop believing in Christ once we have received Him into our hearts. The proponents of this theory generally pull the meat of their argument from Hebrews chapter 6:4-6; further adding a couple verses from the book of Revelation for good measure. And although these arguments seem compelling at first glance, they quickly lose their veracity once they are taken out of their immediate context, and placed within the total context of the entirety of God’s word. It is no great feat to pull one verse from here, and another from there in an attempt to validate one side of an argument; however, it is an entirely different matter when these few scriptures can no longer stand alone, but are met with 2 or 3 hundred that state the opposite.

In short, in all my wrangling with those that say you can lose your salvation, I can count the scriptures used within the confines of my two hands. Furthermore, upon close examination taking the totality of scripture into account, I find time and time again that the scriptures folks use to substantiate this claim do not say what they are attempting to make them say. In fact in all, there seems to be a total lack of divine logic and discernment throughout.

From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’

(Matt. 16:21-23)

Peter did not want to believe the pain Jesus was about to go through in order to resurrect man from the dead and give him eternal life. This was a bloody endeavor and much too costly to be left within the realm of human weakness; for Peter was about to deny Him not once, not twice, but three times.

And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.’ But he said to Him, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.’ Then He said, ‘I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.’ (Luke 22:31-34) There is only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus! And there is only one mediator between Satan and man, the man Christ Jesus! And He alone is our victor!

Authors note:

I realize that there are many Christians who view this argument as immature, but I beg to differ. This argument is essential; for it is the power of man and his righteousness verses the power of God in salvation. It is the truth verses error; a lie verses the promise of God. My friends, we were drawn into this new covenant agreement by the very will of God, and we are held by that will under the authority of Christ; and I can assure you that no lie is of the Father; but there is only one liar and the father of them. Who will you choose to believe, God or man?

Commentary by:

George L. Miller

Can a believer actually stop believing?

The following is a commentary based in response to Bertie Brits position on salvation, in which he states: “I do not believe the once saved always saved” thing. Further stating “I believe that a Christian can actually stop believing and as a result lose or walk away from there salvation.”

You can catch his take on this by going to: http://www.dynamicministries.com/index.php?option=com_preachit&id=606:falling-away-hebr-6&view=study&Itemid=138

There you will also find I and my wife’s contention. Please read the commentary I submitted to him via The Redemption Center entitled False Prophets, Ministers of Righteousness, Teachers of the Law. Believe me, Bertie was the last person we ever thought to take and support that position.

Enter Mark chapter 16:9-15. Here is what Jesus told the apostles regarding their unbelief and hardness of heart. “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’”

Notice He did not give up on them nor allow their carnal minds the opportunity to bind them in hopeless despair, but rather presented Himself alive in the fullness of His resurrection to personally remind them that they were His, further instructing them to continue in the ministry which He had entrusted them to preach. Jesus does not leave the believer to the whims, attitudes, or emotions of the carnal mind. He in fact does not leave us at all; claiming the victory for us even in the midst of the worst of Satan’s demonic oppressions. (Romans 8:31-39) (Col. 2:15)

Our faith is definitely responsible for voluntarily opening the door to our hearts, however, once this has occurred; it is not our faith that keeps Him there; but rather the working power of God through Christ in us. (Romans 10:9) (Phil. 2:13) (Gal. 3:6)

Authors note:

To say that our faith is responsible for keeping us saved is to deny that our faith is a gift from God; and to make statements such as ‘I will continue to the end based on my great faith’ nothing more than the dishonest boasting of a soul unaware of its own failings. (Eph. 2:8) Our faith is a gift from God, and we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus, and we are saved by His life. (Romans 5:10)

Commentary by:

George L. Miller