The Way of the Lamb: (TA Sparks)

The city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. (Revelation 21:23 NLT)

Light is not a mental thing: that is to say, it is not just a matter of having a store of mental knowledge. That is not light. It is possible to have an enormous amount of doctrine and truth and never be luminaries, that is, never register impact upon darkness. Real light is experimental: that is to say, it is the fruit of experience, the experience of suffering. How have you children of God come to know what you do know of the Lord, that real kind of knowledge of the Lord which is so precious to us, which means so much and which makes you in that measure of value to others? It is through suffering, it is through the difficult way the Lord has led you, it is through the work of the Cross that He has wrought in you. “The Lamb is the lamp” – suffering leading to knowledge, to light, to understanding. It is the only way. These people at the end will be in the good of a great and wonderful revelation which has come by their fellowship with Christ in His sufferings. It is very true. It may not be too comforting from one standpoint, but it is true; and it ought to help us to realize this: that the Lord, in the way in which He is dealing with us, in the sufferings which He allows to come upon us, is really seeking our education, that we may have a knowledge of Himself which can only come that way, and which is a peculiar kind of knowledge of tremendous value to us and through us to others. We do not learn in any other way. It is the Lamb, always the Lamb-principle, the way of suffering and sacrifice and self-emptying, that brings us into the knowledge of the Lord. “The Lamb is the lamp thereof”; and, just as it is deeper death unto fuller life, so it may often be deeper darkness unto fuller light.

The Lord seems to lead us in a way where we are less and less able naturally to understand Him. He gets us altogether out of our natural capacity, beyond our capacity for interpreting His ways. We just do not know what the Lord is doing, or why He is doing what He is doing; yet it is the way by which we come to a very real kind of inward knowledge of Himself. It may not be capable of explanation in words to anybody, but we know, somehow or other we know, and that is a mighty thing, a mighty power of knowledge. It is light through the Cross.

 

Is There Good in Temptation? (Oswald Chambers MUFHH)

Is There Good in Temptation? (Oswald Chambers MUFHH)

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man . . . —1 Corinthians 10:13

The word temptation has come to mean something bad to us today, but we tend to use the word in the wrong way. Temptation itself is not sin; it is something we are bound to face simply by virtue of being human. Not to be tempted would mean that we were already so shameful that we would be beneath contempt. Yet many of us suffer from temptations we should never have to suffer, simply because we have refused to allow God to lift us to a higher level where we would face temptations of another kind.

A person’s inner nature, what he possesses in the inner, spiritual part of his being, determines what he is tempted by on the outside. The temptation fits the true nature of the person being tempted and reveals the possibilities of his nature. Every person actually determines or sets the level of his own temptation, because temptation will come to him in accordance with the level of his controlling, inner nature.

Temptation comes to me, suggesting a possible shortcut to the realization of my highest goal— it does not direct me toward what I understand to be evil, but toward what I understand to be good. Temptation is something that confuses me for a while, and I don’t know whether something is right or wrong. When I yield to it, I have made lust a god, and the temptation itself becomes the proof that it was only my own fear that prevented me from falling into the sin earlier.

Temptation is not something we can escape; in fact, it is essential to the well-rounded life of a person. Beware of thinking that you are tempted as no one else–what you go through is the common inheritance of the human race, not something that no one has ever before endured. God does not save us from temptations–He sustains us in the midst of them

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:18
 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16

Redemption: A Moral Restoration to the Divine Image by AW Tozer

Redemption: A Moral Restoration to the Divine Image by AW Tozer

Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means…. 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Symmetry is a right proportion of parts in relation to each other and to the whole. By this simple definition symmetry of character is both highly desirable and extremely difficult to attain. Yet it is precisely what Christ had in supreme degree and what every one of us needs if we are to become saints in something beside name!

We can hardly conceive of God’s creating us in such a way that we should be forced to sacrifice one good thing to attain another.

If redemption is a moral restoration to the divine image, (and it must be that ultimately), then we may expect one of the first acts of God in the Christian’s life to be a kind of moral tuning-up, a bringing into harmony the discordant elements within the personality, an adjustment of the soul to itself and to God. And that He does just this is the testimony of everyone who has been truly converted!

The new believer may state it in other language and the emotional lift he enjoys may be so great as to prevent calm analysis, but the gist of his testimony will be that he has found peace, a peace he can actually feel! The twists and tensions within his heart have corrected themselves as a result of his new orientation to Christ.

He can then sing,

 

“Now rest, my long-divided heart;

Fixed on this blissful center rest.”

Warfare Spirituality part 8

Warfare Spirituality part 8

2. The Nature and Work of Demons

The Scriptures are filled with evidence of the reality of demons (fallen angels) who oppose Jesus Christ (though they are defeated). His people and the preaching of the Gospel to the lost.  Here is a smattering of verses.

They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols to whom they prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come.' Leviticus 17:7
 They sacrificed to demons, which are not God-- gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear. Deuteronomy 32:17
 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. Psalm 106:37
 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out,
 "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!"
 "Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!"
 The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching--and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." Mark 1:23-27
 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.  Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 1 Timothy 4:1-2
 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; 2 Peter 2:4
 And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. Revelation 12:7
 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation." Matthew 12:45

The Properties of Demons

• They are depraved in their persons and work. In their fallen state, demons are twisted and perverse. They are creatures of darkness, bitterly opposed to the holy character of God.
• They are spirit beings (Matthew 8:16; Luke 10:17,20). They are not limited by normal physical barriers (e.g., a legion of demons in one man; Luke 8:30). Demons are incorporeal, but as creatures, they are finite and limited (Matthew 12:43).
• They are invisible but capable of manifesting themselves (Revelation 9:7-10; 16:13-14).
• They have the power of speech through the people they inhabit (Mark 1:24).
• They possess superhuman intelligence. They knew the true identity of Christ (Mark 1:24,34; 5:7) and enabled a girl to predict future events (Acts 16:16).
• They have supernatural power. Demons can physically overpower and afflict humans (Matthew 8:28; Acts 19:13-16). They can also afflict the mind and emotions.

The Program of Demons

• They obey Satan (Matthew 12:24; Revelation 12:7) and greatly extend his power and influence on people, nations, and the world system (Daniel 10:13,20; John 12:31; Ephesians 2:2; 1 John 5:19).
• They induce physical and mental ailments (Matthew 12:22; Mark 9:17-29; Luke 8:27-33; 2 Corinthians 12:7). For example, Jesus cast out a "spirit of infirmity," a "deaf spirit," a "blind spirit," and a "dumb spirit."
• They promote idolatry (Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 96:5).
• They seek to enslave people to the occult. This includes spiritism, foretelling the future, physical and psychic phenomena, magic, and witchcraft (Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:9-12; Acts 13:6-11).
• They support temporal value systems and philosophies (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
• They encourage lawlessness, immorality, and rebellion among people (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 7). Like their master, demons try to steal, kill, and destroy.
• They pervert the gospel of grace (1 Timothy 4:1-3; Colossians 2:18).
• They inspire false teachers and spiritual counterfeits (2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 2 Peter 2:1-2; 1 John 4:1-4). They are part of the dynamic behind pagan religions and pseudo-Christian cults.

·         They oppose believers and seek to defeat their spiritual life (Ephesians 6:10-11). Demons are active in promoting strife, jealousy, selfish ambition, and divisions in the church (1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1-8; James 3:14-16). The devil and his demons seek to hold us captive to do their will (2 Timothy 2:26).

 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:15

Our Moral Climate Does Not Encourage Faith by AW Tozer (written in the 60’s)

Our Moral Climate Does Not Encourage Faith by AW Tozer (written in the 60’s)

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Matthew 10:22

There is a plain and evident fact in genuine Christianity that is often overlooked by eager evangelists bent on getting results: that to accept Christ it is necessary that we reject whatever is contrary to Him!

Let us not be shocked by the suggestion that there are disadvantages to the life in Christ. Everyone who has lived for Christ in a Christless world has suffered some losses and endured some pains that he could have avoided by the simple expedient of laying down his cross.

The contemporary moral climate does not favor a faith as tough and fibrous as that taught by our Lord and His apostles. The delicate, brittle saints being produced in our religious hothouses today are hardly to be compared with the committed, expendable believers who once gave their witness among men. And the fault lies with our leaders. They are too timid to tell the people all the truth. They are now asking men to give to God that which costs them nothing!

When will Christians learn that to love righteousness it is necessary to hate sin? that to accept Christ it is necessary to reject self? that to follow the good way we must flee from evil? that a friend of the world is an enemy of God? that God allows no twilight zone between two altogethers where the fearful and the doubting may take refuge at once from hell to come and the rigors of present discipline?