His Love Extended Ministries, International

Foolish And Weak And Yet Chosen To Conquer

2005-05-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

Foolish and Weak and Yet Chosen to Conquer!

Sandra Thompson

The Bible tells us it takes a fool to say there is no God. Yet many of us say there is a God and say we believe in Him and yet act as if His help is not needed. That also is foolish. Could this be why so often we are reduced to 'ground zero' in our lives before God can really use us? Often what God calls us to do looks foolish and we can not make sense out of it. But remember in I Corinthians 1:25-29 it says the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men. He uses the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.

God intends to reveal His Glory to the human race. He intends to do it His way and His way nearly always involves the use of human beings like you and me in all of our foolishness and weakness. Could it be that the more inadequate you feel, the greater will be your potential role in God's plan? Let's look at Gideon. God chose this unlikely man from the smallest and weakest clan and the one who was the most unlikely in his father's house. Oh the Bible is filled with such illustrations. He couldn't believe that God could use him. Then when he did step out and gathered an army of 32,000 men for battle, God said that was too many men and the army was reduced to 22,000 men. If Gideon thought this was bad, he was in for a big surprise as God said this was still too many and the army was reduced to a mere 10,000 men.

But God still knew his heart and the heart of man and He knew they could still take some of the glory, so God required an even bigger step as the army was finally reduced to 300 men. Then God told Gideon that now he was getting prepared to see what God could do. They were coming against an army estimated to be 135,000 men. Did it look foolish? How would you like to have been there? All they could take to battle with them was a ram's horn and a jar of clay and at the exact time they blew the rams' horns and broke the jars of clay and VICTORY took place. Could man take the credit for something so foolish? NO!

What a testimony of God and His Power! God can't really start to do the 'miracle' in your life until He doesn't have enough of you or your resources left to begin. In that state you may look foolish and weak, but you will find yourself in the very place where God can begin! Let go and let God and you will be chosen to conquer! An amazing Truth.

Pray for Nazir

2005-05-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

Friends, my friend, Nazir in Pakistan has been threatened because of his faith and is asking that we pray for him. He is determined to serve the Lord regardless what the consequences are. His Brother-in-law is involved in the plot to take him down but he said that his faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, as God brings him to your mind please send up a prayer asking God to 1) protect him and his family and 2) To give him an effective witness wherever he might go. Thank you and may God bless you!

Happy Mother's Day to you Moms out there!

Rev. Joe Diaz

Beware of false prophets and miracles

2005-05-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Touch Of God

Beware of False Prophets and Miracles

By: Abp Leslie "Mary" Trombly

(Under the direction and guidance of The Lord Jesus Christ)

Copyright(c)2005

In these endtimes there are many strange things happening. There are some miracles and some resurrections from the dead or are they what they claim to be ? True miracles? I do not doubt the Power of God in doing this; but I question the authenticity of the recent claims of resurrections that have flooded the media and the secular world. Remember Satan was once theLight-bearer and now has become the bearer of darkness and evil. When the Lord requested that I write on this; I had no idea of how to approach this subject. I asked the Lord to guide me in what I am about to write and to give me the words to write. This is one of the hardest lessons about God and Satan that I will probably ever have to write and I can only pray the People of God will listen and hear and see. I can only pray that with this, God's people will be able to distinguish the real Miracles and Resurrections from the false ones. I can only pray that God's people will not be lead like "lambs to the slaughter" by the evil deceptions from Satan that are taking place in the name of God and religion.

The True Resurrections recorded in God's Word:

---------------------------------------------

(A) The son of the Widow of Zarepath - By Elijah (I Kings 17:8-24)

(B) Son of a Shunammite - by Elisha (II Kings 4:35)

(C) Dead man restored to life at the touch of Elisha's bones (II Kings 13:21)

(D) Jairus' Daughter - By Jesus( Matthew 9:25; Mark 5:42)

(E) Saints at the time of the crucifixion of Christ (Matthew 27:52)

(F) Son of the Widow of Nain - By Jesus (Luke 7:15)

(G) Lazarus - Brother to Mary & Martha of Bethany - By Jesus ( John 11:44) (H) Dorcas' Daughter Tabitha - by Peter (Acts 9:40)

(I) The Resurrection of Jesus Christ - by God, Himself (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20 & 21; Acts 10:37-41; Romans 6:9,10:9; I Corinthians 15:4-7; Ephesians 1:19-20; I Peter 1:3,18; I Thessalonians 4:14; II Timothy 2:8)

The next "resurrection event" will take place at the Rapture (I Thessalonians 4:16; I Corinthians 15:35-57) and in the resurrecting of the Two witnesses in Jerusalem after they have preached and are killed by Satan. This will be followed by the final resurrection of the non-believers to face the Great White Throne of Judgment (Book of Revelation - Chapters 11:1-13; 20:1-15)

What False Prophets Do

----------------------

In Revelation 13:11-16. it tells of the beast (Satan) that deceiveth by Miracles and wonders; so it is with false Christs, false religions and false Prophets. They give people false hopes, false miracles, false prophecy and lying wonders. Jesus speaks to us concerning this in Matthew 24:3-5,11-14, 24-25; Mark 13:22

(3) "And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

(4) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

(5) For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

(11) And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

(12) And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

(13) But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

(14) And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

(24) For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

(25) Behold, I have told you before." There are also false Prophets spoken of in Deuteronomy 13:5,18:22; Isaiah 9:15; Jeremiah 2:8,5:31, 14:14, 23:16; Ezekiel 13:2,22:28; Hosea 9:7; Micah 3:5; Zephaniah 3:4; Zechariah 13:3;Matthew 7:15; Mark 13:22. There are false teachers as well and they are described in Matthew 5:9, 15:9; I Timothy 1:7,4:2, 6:3; II Timothy 4:3; Titus 1:11; II Peter 2:1. But let us go a little further and speak of false religions. They also lie and deceive. So how does one distinguish the true religion of God from those that are false?

I. True Religion

-------------------------

(1) Scriptural Definition

(A) In Deuteronomy 10:12 it says this: "And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee. but to fear the Lord thy God. to walk in all his ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy god with all thy heart and with all thy soul."

(B) In Ecclesiastes 12:13 it goes on to say," Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."

(C) In Hosea 6:6 it is written: "For I desired Mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."

(D) In Micah 6:8 it is recorded:"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

(E) If we turn to Mark 12:33, it also says; "And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more that all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

(F) In Romans 13:10 again true religion is described by Paul."Love worketh no ill to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law. (2) Then what is pure religion? Turn in your Bibles to James 1:27. It is written as this: "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their afflictions, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

II. False Religion:
----------------------------

(1) Characteristics of False Religion

(A) Ceremonialism - Mark 7:4; Acts 5:10; Galatians 4:9,5:1; Colossians 2:20; Hebrews 9:10

(B) False Profession - Psalms 78:35-36; Proverbs 26:23; Ezekiel 33:31-32; Matthew 7:21; Mark 7:6; Titus 1:16

(C) Legalism - Mark 2:24; Luke 6:2, 13:13; John 5:10; Acts 15:5, 16:3,21:20, 22:3; Romans 10:2; Galatians 1:14

(D) Sanctimony - Distinguishing Marks:

(1) An outward show of righteousness - Isaiah 58:2
(2) Pharisaic Separation - Isaiah 65:5
(3) Assumed Innocence - Jeremiah 2:35
(4) Religious display - Matthew 6:5; 23:14
(5) Hypocrisy - Job 32:1, 33:9; Matthew 23:30; Luke 10:9, 16:15,18:9; Romans 10:3

(E) Formalism - Isaiah 1:13, 29:13; Matthew 23:23; Galatians 4:10-11; Colossians 2:20; II Timothy 3:5

(F) Insufficiency - I Samuel 15:22; Psalms 51:16-17; Ecclesiastes 5:1; Hosea 6:6; Romans 14:17; I Corinthians 7:19; Hebrews 9:10

(G) Inconsistency in religious life - The general marks

(1) Uncharitableness - Matthew 7:3, 23:3
(2) Religious Talk - Luke 6:46
(3) Legalism - John 7:23
(4) Harsh Judgment - Romans 2:1
(5) Preaching & Not Practicing - Romans 2:21,; Galatians 2:14
(6) False Profession - Titus 1:16
(7) Selfishness - John 2:15-16
(8) Double tongue - James 3:10

(H) Brings reproach upon the cause of truth - II Samuel 12:14; Nehemiah 5:9; Ezekiel 36:20; Romans 2:23-24; II Peter 2:2

(I) Superstition - I Samuel 4:3; I Kings 20:23; Jeremiah 10:2, 44:18; Matthew 14:2; Acts 12:15, 14:11, 17:23, 28:8

The Word of God has clearly defined false prophets, Christs, religion, miracles and lying wonders for all the world to see and understand. Yet many continue to remain blinded and mislead; especially when they see such miracles as the "resurrection of the dead". It is vitally important that it be pointed out that when Jesus walked the earth, He made it abundantly clear that "He was the resurrection and the Life and that no man cometh unto the Father but by Him." (John 11:25) Yes, He gave the apostles a command to preach the gospel to all nations. (Matthew 28:18-20).

Yes he did give them power to cast out devils, speak in tongues and heal the sick. Not be hurt by anything they may drink that is deadly or if they take up a serpent. (Paul was the example of this when a viper bit him and he suffered no ill effects) (Mark 16:15-20).

The most important thing was to "feed His Sheep" That was Jesus' commandment to the apostles. It is also true that one or more of the apostles raised the dead. Peter was one that did this, but it was only by the Lord's Permission that they were allowed to do this and only when the Lord wanted it to be so. Now in these endtimes we are seeing more and more reports of people being "resurrected from the dead". I advise extreme caution in believing all you see, hear and read about this. Use the Discernment that Christ has indwelled in all of us with the Holy Spirit to tell the "true resurrections" from the "false ones". "Near Death Experiences" are true resurrections, because it is Jesus that has given the life back to that person who has died and they have either heard His voice or seen Him. In Revelation 20:4-6, it says:

(4) "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

(5) But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

(6) Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." This clearly states that those who are dead for longer than a few minutes because of certain events and have remained that way to the point of having Rigor Mortis set in and even to the embalming of the Body can not be resurrected by human hands and or claims that Lord raised them. The Near Death Experiences where a person dies for a brief time and returns to life is because the Lord has willed it to be so. This also makes it obvious to the observer that is Jesus was going to restore a life...it would be in the matter of minutes and rarely past too many hours. The only time this event is even mentioned in the Bible is concerning the two witnesses that are killed in Jerusalem during the Tribulation. Being from Heaven in the first place, these two witnesses will die and lie in the street for three days untouched by human hands and not embalmed, then God will restore them to life and carry them away. He has a specific purpose for doing so. Most of what you read in the newspapers concerning resurrections come from Africa, Haiti, Honduras or Mozambique...even a few here in the USA and in other countries. If anyone has any knowledge of voodoo and witchcraft that is practiced in these countries then they are aware that "witchdoctors" have the means to artificially induce death and to give the appearance of being embalmed by the used of certain spiders found in their particular region or have them imported. "Zombies" are "created" in the very same way. they can be declared dead, yet when the witch doctor has decided to use them...they will dig them up and give them the antidote for it and months or years later will be found walking around perfectly healthy and alive. This can be done by anyone with that evil knowledge to create a false resurrection. When you read or see or hear of such things, ask God to confirm it for you.

Do not believe all you hear or see.....even if it is from an Evangelist, pastor or priest or rabbi.... they may very well be false teachers and prophets ...and perhaps even false Christs. I again remind you that if you are a Christian and instilled with the true Holy Spirit, then use the Holy Spirit to discern the truth from a lie or deception. I would also remind you that Jesus taught me to tell His people, whenever I or anyone else wrote or spoke on something concerning Him to do the following: Believe not what you hear from others or clergy, Got to His Word and confirm it, then Confirm it with the Holy Spirit and Him. Once it is confirmed that way then you know it is the truth." As a called by God Servant and minister of His word...I can not impress the importance of doing this enough on any of you. Believe what God has written and said - not man. Beware of the False Prophets, False Christs, False teacher, False religions and False miracles and lying wonders, such as the "resurrections" that are being so widely claimed in recent days. The Lord your God has provided you with enough information here to guide you, the rest is up to you and how you chose to discern or believe what you see or hear or read or are a "witness" to.

In Christ's Name;

Abp Leslie "Mary" Trombly

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

JESUS IS COMING SOONER THAN YOU THINK! ARE YOU READY? HIS HAND IS ON THE DOORKNOB!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Website: Jesus Of Nazareth Website: http://tanaya.net/adjn

For the Christian Chat & Bible Study: http://tanaya.net/adjn/parachat.html

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

PLEASE NOTE:

For the Message Board: Go to the Website above and click on the the blessings picture below the Sanctuary

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

PrisonMinistry.net where Prison Ministries of the world fellowship http://PrisonMinistry.net/JNA

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Beloved, this is Joe Diaz and I humbly request that you prayerfully consider supporting this ministry in prayer and with your finances. Our ministry is strictly a faith-based initiative and as such, we depend on your support. As you know, we not sustained by any political, special interest or parent organization. Nor do we accept any online or e-mail advertising. Our mission and operations are funded by -- and depend entirely upon -- the voluntary financial support of our friends. If we have blessed you in any way, we ask you to help us. Your gifts and offerings may be sent to Charity Tabernacle, Attn: His Love Extended Ministries, 2700 S. Tibbs Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46241, U.S.A. Tel. 1-317-241-1707. Tax-exempt receipts will be issued. Please know that your gift of any amount is appreciated and will pay eternal dividends. Thank you in advance! God seems to be opening the door to this ministry for me to travel internationally to evangelize and I need to purchase Bibles and other evangelistic material and funds are needed for those purposes.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Ad Maiorem Gloriam Dei!
(For the greater glory of God!)

Blessings in His love,

Rev. Joe Diaz
Founder, His Love Extended Ministries International

http://www.hisloveextended.com
http://HisLoveExtended.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hisloveextended_PrayerCloset

Happy Mother's Day

2005-05-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

Daily Encounter

1. Happy Mother's Day

“Be followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1, KJV).

Lee Strobel tells about a mother from Costa Mesa, California who told about the day her three-year old son was on her heels wherever she went. She was having trouble doing her routine chores. “Whenever I stopped to do something and turned back around I would trip over him,” she said. “Several times I suggested fun activities to keep him occupied, but he would just smile and say, ‘That’s alright Mommy I’d rather be in here with you.’ He continued to follow me and after the fifth trip, my patience wore thin and I asked him why he was following me constantly.” He said, “My Sunday school teacher told me to walk in Jesus’ footsteps but I can’t see him so I’m walking in yours.” The greatest way we can teach our children about and show our loved ones the love of Jesus is through the example of how we live, and how we model his love in our everyday life.As another has said, “We raise not the children we want but the children that we the parents are.” Suggested prayer, “Dear God, please help me to so live that people, especially my children (and loved ones), will see Jesus in me and will want to follow in my footsteps and have Jesus in their life too. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

<:))))<><

2 Beloved, this is Joe Diaz and I humbly request that you prayerfully consider supporting this ministry in prayer and with your finances. Our ministry is strictly a faith-based initiative and as such, we depend on your support. As you know, we not sustained by any political, special interest or parent organization. Nor do we accept any online or e-mail advertising. Our mission and operations are funded by -- and depend entirely upon -- the voluntary financial support of our friends. If we have blessed you in any way, we ask you to help us. Your gifts and offerings may be sent to Charity Tabernacle, Attn: His Love Extended Ministries, 2700 S. Tibbs Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46241, U.S.A. Tel. 1-317-241-1707. Tax-exempt receipts will be issued. Please know that your gift of any amount is appreciated and will pay eternal dividends. Thank you in advance! God seems to be opening the door to this ministry for me to travel internationally to evangelize and I need to purchase Bibles and other evangelistic material and funds are needed for those purposes.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Ad Maiorem Gloriam Dei!
(For the greater glory of God!)

Blessings in His love,

Rev. Joe Diaz

Founder, His Love Extended Ministries International

http://www.hisloveextended.com

http://HisLoveExtended.blogspot.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hisloveextended_PrayerCloset

Struggles

2005-05-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

STRUGGLES

(Author Unknown)

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force it's body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair ofscissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened!

In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life strugglingaround with a swollen body and shriveled wings.

It never was able to fly.What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings, so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved it's freedom from the cocoon.Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly.

++++++++++++

Dear Friends in Christ,

God has built into the world of "nature" many examples of His wisdom for us to learn from. This is hinted at in this interesting verse:

Prov 6:6 (KJV) Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

The example of the butterfly and the cocoon is yet another such source of wisdom. It reminds me of the Christian song lyrics which say, "If I never had a problem, I'd never know that He could solve them". The point is, God allows and designs suffering and affliction to come into our lives to give us the ability to grow as we endure the problem. Our reaction to the problem is also a measure of our maturity in the Christian walk, and may change as we grow in our faith.

Just as there are three opponents to our walk with Christ, the devil, the world and the flesh, so are there three kinds of sufffering that we must endure: Persecution or suffering for our faith; Affliction or medical problems and the accompanying pain or inconvenience; Temptations to worldiness, or idolatry.

Persecution for our Faith, or "Suffering"

In the concordance you will find that whenever the word "suffering" or "suffer" occurs, it seems to be related to our Christian testimony. The devil works overtime to try to negate our Christian testimony. He does this through fear, lies and intimidation. His aim is to get us to cowar and go silent about what Christ has done for us and what He can do for others. Either by our words or our actions, we are tempted to deny our Lord in response to the fear of threats or lies or damage to our reputation or to our life.

1 Pet 1:3-7 (KJV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
{4} To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
{5} Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
{6} Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
{7} That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Pain and Affliction-

Affliction is physical or medical suffering that we may have to endure. Of course, the book of Job shows us that the devil is also the one who tries to encourage God to take away our health so that we will perhaps "curse God and die".

Job 2:7-9 (KJV) So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
{8} And he took him a potsherd[broken piece of pottery] to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
{9} Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die [H=kill yourself].

Here in a nutshell is satan's true goal for causing pain and suffering to a Christian: he wants you to have to endure such pain and depression that you will curse God for putting you through it, and then deny your faith, and then to kill yourself...a triple victory for satan from bringing suffering into our lives.

Of course, the story of Job's affliction does not end in defeat, but in continued and persistent faith as he endured the suffering. Consider his response to the faithless response of his wife from the above verses:

Job 2:10 (KJV) But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh.
What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

And at the end of Job's trial of medical affliction and loss, we find the true result of what God had in mind for Job all along. Although He permitted all the evil things to happen to this good man, His intent was to deepen Job's faith and give him a personal relationship with Himself that Job did not have before:

Job 42:1-6 (KJV) Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
{2} I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.
{3} Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.
{4} Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
{5} I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
{6} Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

Worldliness or Riches- Idolatry of worldly things.

We also often find ourselves struggling with the alure of money and material things to take our attention away from serving Christ. As Jesus teaches in the parable of the Sower and the Soils:

Mat 13:22 (KJV) He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word;
and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

1 Tim 6:8-12 (KJV) And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
{9} But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition{Gk=eternal damnation}.
{10} For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
{11} But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
{12} Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

And as we endure the suffering or temptation, and struggle to overcome it, Christ is watching us and limiting the intensity of the temptation so that it will not be above that which we are able to bear.

1 Cor 10:9-14 (KJV) Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
{10} Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
{11} Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
{12} Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
{13} There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful,
who will not suffer{cause} you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
{14} Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

The unexpected consequences of suffering and affliction for the Christian are Christian growth, and experiences of victory that you will have as a treasure with which you can help and counsel others. Observe:

2 Cor 1:2-4 (KJV) Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
{3} Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
{4} Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

May the God of all Comfort Bless you as you ponder these things.

In Christ..brother bob...<><

Isa 30:20-21 Though He give you the bread of adversity and water of affliction, yet He will be with you to teach you--with your own eyes you will see your Teacher.And if you leave God's paths and go either to the right or to the left, you will hear a Voice behind you say, "This is the way; walk ye in it."

Rom 8:16-18 (KJV) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
{17} And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
{18} For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

2 Cor 1:3-7 (KJV) Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
{4} Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
{5} For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
{6} And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
{7} And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

Phil 1:29 (KJV) For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Phil 3:7-10 (KJV) But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
{8} Yea 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,
{9} And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
{10} That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

1 Th 3:3-4 (KJV) That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.
{4} For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.

Rev 2:10 (KJV) Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

IXTHEUS CHRISTIAN GROWTH DEVOTIONALS
ALWAYS FREE OF CHARGE
(but not necessarily free of COST)

Feel free to redistribute these materials to whomever you want.
Please submit all questions, comments, suggestions,
or REQUESTS FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS to ixtheus@execpc.com

Request a free email copy of my evangelistic presentation:
"The God Who is Really There" from ixtheus@execpc.com

View back-issues of Devotionals at this site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IxtheusChristianGrowthDevotionals/
Just click on "messages".

God Bless You.....brother bob.......<><

Christ has made us free

2005-05-01T17:09:00.000-07:00

"Christ hath made us free." Gal 5:1

WE were once the slaves of sin, Satan, and the world; we were under the law as a covenant of life; but Jesus has made us free. We are now delivered from the law, and are under grace. We are dead to sin, and are justified from it.

We are delivered from Satan, and are at war with him. We overcome the world, and are hastening out of it. We are at liberty to serve God, and walk with Him in friendship and holy
love. The price of our freedom was the life and death of Jesus; the efficient cause of our freedom was the power and operation of the Holy Spirit; the grand moving cause, was the infinite and
everlasting love of God our Father; the instrument by which we are made acquainted with our freedom, is the holy gospel; the grace which puts us into possession of our freedom is faith; and
the end of our freedom is, that we may serve our God in righteousness and holiness all the days of our life, and then be glorified with Him for ever.

We are freed from sin, that we may be holy; and are introduced to and accepted of God, that we may be happy. Let us stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.

Sweet is the freedom Christ bestows,
With which He makes His people free;
A liberty no mortal knows,
Till they His great salvation see:
Freedom from wants, and fears, and cares,
From worldly lusts, and dangerous snares.

Beloved, this is Joe Diaz and I humbly request that you prayerfully consider supporting this ministry in prayer and with your finances. Our ministry is strictly a faith-based initiative and as such, we depend on your support. As you know, we not sustained by any political, special interest or parent organization. Nor do we accept any online or e-mail advertising. Our mission and operations are funded by -- and depend entirely upon -- the voluntary financial support of our friends. If we have blessed you in any way, we ask you to help us. Your gifts and offerings may be sent to Charity Tabernacle, Attn: His Love Extended Ministries, 2700 S. Tibbs Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46241, U.S.A. Tel. 1-317-241-1707. Tax-exempt receipts will be issued. Please know that your gift of any amount is appreciated and will pay eternal dividends. Thank you in advance! God seems to be opening the door to this ministry for me to travel internationally to evangelize and I need to purchase Bibles and other evangelistic material and funds are needed for those purposes.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Ad Maiorem Gloriam Dei!
(For the greater glory of God!)

Blessings in His love,
Rev. Joe DiazFounder, His Love Extended Ministries International

http://www.hisloveextended.com
http://HisLoveExtended.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hisloveextended_PrayerCloset

The trash removal that saves your life

2005-04-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

A WORD WITH YOU By Ron Hutchcraft

"The Trash Removal that Saves Your Life"

1 John 1:7

Listen to the audio broadcast! http://www.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/ramhurl?p=pnm&f=/rhm/sounds/awwy/awwy4775.rm

Twenty-three seconds. It takes you longer than that to eat a slice of pizza - or at least it should. It takes me about that long to just say three our four sentences. A short TV commercial is longer than that. But every 23 seconds, something absolutely amazing happens inside you. Your blood pumps through your body, delivers oxygen and nutrients to all your cells, and carries away the impurities from your cells and starts back through again ... all in 23 seconds. Mind-blowing! That's what it takes to keep you going. You've got to have that oxygen delivered regularly. And you've got to have your cell garbage taken out regularly, and your blood gets it done. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Trash Removal that Saves Your Life."

In the amazing ways of the God who made us, it's the blood that cleanses our body from the garbage that could kill us. And it is the blood that is our only hope of our soul being cleansed of the poison in there that could cost us our life - forever. Except my blood can't clean my soul. It takes blood that has never been poisoned by human sin. It takes the blood of Jesus Christ. Our word for today from the Word of God makes it absolutely clear what it takes for you and me to get rid of the guilt and the penalty of the sin that will keep us out of heaven. 1 John 1:7 says: "The blood of Jesus, God's Son, purifies us from all sin."

There's something about that blood Jesus Christ shed on that horrific cross that has the power - the only power - to remove your sin - to remove my sin. The way God made for our body to get clean inside is the way God made for our soul to get clean inside - blood. For our soul - Jesus' blood. From the first sin in the Garden of Eden to the lie you told or the person you hurt today, God has minced no words telling us the penalty: "You will surely die" (Genesis 2:17). And the devil's lie to Adam and Eve went like this: "You will not surely die" (Genesis 3:4). He's been trying to get people to believe that lie ever since. He wants you to think that somehow you can escape the death penalty for your sin when God said that penalty in irrevocable. But in His love, He set in motion a way the death penalty you and I deserve (The Bible calls that hell.) could be paid without us being away from Him forever.

A blood sacrifice - someone with no sin of His own to pay for, dying in your place. And there's only one someone who meets that qualification. That's the Son of God. He came, as the Bible says, "to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (Hebrews 9:26). Is it any wonder God says then, "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22). You can't get rid of your sin by earning it doing good things.

You can't inherit God's forgiveness from a Christian family or pick it up by osmosis from being around Christian things. Your only hope of getting clean, of getting to heaven, is the cleansing power of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Not Christianity. Jesus. The question is, have you ever thrown yourself on His mercy and said, "Jesus, only by the blood You shed for me can I be clean before God. Please, Lord, this day, carry away the garbage of my life in Your precious blood." He'll do it if you ask. And why wouldn't you?

Why would you risk one more day carrying in your soul the guilt of your sin and its awful death penalty? Why, when Jesus carried it for you on the cross so you would never have to carry it again! If you're ready to be forgiven, if you're ready to be clean through what Jesus has done for you, then let me send you something that I think may help - my little booklet called Yours For Life. It's helped others begin with Jesus, and I'll send it to you if you just let me know you want it. Picture yourself carrying all the sins of all your life up that hill where Jesus' cross stands and leaving it all there, never to carry it again. It could happen today. If you're not sure you belong to Jesus, and you would like to make sure today, Ron would like to send to you a free copy of the booklet, "Yours for Life: How to Have Life's Most Important Relationship."

To read it online, click here: http://www.yoursforlife.net/ OR, to request your free copy of "Yours for Life," click here: http://rhm.gospelcom.net/yours/yflorder.html

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Discuss today's "A Word With You," post your comments, or encourage others in our discussion forum! http://forums.gospelcom.net/view/rhm/awwy How can I help support the work of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries? http://rhm.gospelcom.net/support/ To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit YOURS FOR LIFE: HOW TO HAVE LIFE'S MOST IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP at: http://www.yoursforlife.net Or, call 1-888-NEED HIM. "A Word With You" by Ron Hutchcraft is a daily radio challenge, with slice-of-life illustrations and insights - providing practical help on the issues that matter most.

If your local Christian radio station does not air "A Word With You," please let them know how much you value this program. Over six years of transcripts are available online, at http://rhm.gospelcom.net/awwy/ Ron Hutchcraft Ministries is a member of the Gospel Communications Network - http://www.gospelcom.net "A Word With You" is a production of: Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc. http://www.gospelcom.net/rhm/ Email: RHM@hutchcraft.com Phone: 1-877-741-1200

Copyright (c) 2005, Ron Hutchcraft. Permission to distribute this material via email, or individual copies, is automatically granted on the condition it will be used for non-commercial purposes, and will not be sold.

To reproduce "A Word With You" transcripts in any other format, including Internet websites, written permission is needed from Ron Hutchcraft.

Copyright (c) 2005, Ron Hutchcraft.
Reprinted with permission.

"A Word With You" is a radio outreach of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.

Learning to trust God's methods and timing - a thought for today

2005-04-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

Learning to trust God's methods and timing is a lifelong course. When you need to wait patiently for God to act, first look to Him and lay hold of His promises in Scripture. Then rest in His care. He knows your situation, and He keeps His word. He will act at the right time.

Warren Wiersbe

Beloved, this is Joe Diaz and I humbly request that you prayerfully consider supporting this ministry in prayer and with your finances. Our ministry is strictly a faith-based initiative and as such, we depend on your support. As you know, we not sustained by any political, special interest or parent organization. Nor do we accept any online or e-mail advertising. Our mission and operations are funded by -- and depend entirely upon -- the voluntary financial support of our friends. If we have blessed you in any way, we ask you to help us. Your gifts and offerings may be sent to Charity Tabernacle, Attn: His Love Extended Ministries, 2700 S. Tibbs Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46241, U.S.A. Tel. 1-317-241-1707. Tax-exempt receipts will be issued. Please know that your gift of any amount is appreciated and will pay eternal dividends. Thank you in advance! God seems to be opening the door to this ministry for me to travel internationally to evangelize and I need to purchase Bibles and other evangelistic material and funds are needed for those purposes.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Ad Maiorem Gloriam Dei!
(For the greater glory of God!)

Blessings in His love,

Rev. Joe DiazFounder, His Love Extended Ministries International

http://www.hisloveextended.com
http://HisLoveExtended.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hisloveextended_PrayerCloset

The Sheltered Life

2005-04-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

Parents having become volunteer home missionaries (Biblically described as carpenters, today known as church planters), I was raised much like a preacher's kid ~ among preachers, evangelists, missionaries, summer workers, and such. In fact, dad had a preacher's license, too. Only, not feeling called to lead a church in the pastorate position, dad chose not to magnify that office, by way of ordination, so as to not lose his position as a church deacon; as would have otherwise been a requirement, within our given denomination.

Additionally, our home was the 'Home away from Home' for countless people in spiritual need and the hangout of teen preference. So, we experienced 'church', every day.

Mother also having the gift of teaching (for which there was always one more lesson to learn) and being the best example I have ever been blessed to witness of someone who truly walked in the Spirit, I was not ignorant of such things. In fact, I was mother's pen. Whenever God would give her a new song, poem, or other words to share ... my job was to run and grab a pen and pad then write, as fast as I could, as the words flowed through her. And, even though I hadn't the first clue as to shorthand, I was the best available; for which we, thereafter, would manage to make out all the scribbles.

But also, while growing up, my service was welcomed in the church. Though it might not have happened that way had we had additional mature laborers, there was no forbidding of literal or spiritual children in serving our Lord ... only a general avoidance of passing on information to the one who gossiped.

At age 12, I became the church pianist of choice. Serving beside mom, we transformed the unwanted nursery duty into a real ministry. On occasion, I taught a children's class and once directed the children's choir, always worked in VBS, and many etceteras. And, I must have had some wisdom even then, as adults would come to me for advise.

Among other things, when an adult suddenly resigned from their elected duties, I revamped the church library and served as church clerk.

Younger sisters being welcomed to serve also, we improvised a bus ministry. Joining forces, we went on visitation, most every Saturday (except when we used the phone), and built our youth into the largest group within the church. Then, with dad's driving assistance, Sunday mornings were busy picking up loads of children and teens in our family station wagon.

Though, however we served, it was often said we did a better job than adults ... not just better but 'way better'. In fact, at one time or another, I've served in most every church elected position except preacher, deacon, music director, and treasurer.

However, even though not elected for such, I once discretely did hubby's job as the church treasurer, too ... mostly because I liked doing it. Though, it was dad who warned me to keep a low profile on that one, due to other's fears regarding the church's money.

So, while we females did let men take occasional bows for our service, for a greater good, we never heard of such a doctrine as people supposing to live balanced lives between church and family. That's about the same as separation of church and state. The church was our family and our life! Thankfully, our service was never belittled, disregarded, disrespected, or under valued; regardless of age or gender. Had that happened as children, we might have thought God to blame.

All this is to say I received 'what now appears to be' a rarely given opportunity to serve (apart from acceptance of the gift of prophesy, which was not then recognized or understood); sheltered from prohibiting doctrines of men.

Only, as one grows up, moves away, finds a new church home, then moves again ... my service became less and less welcomed, my family name further not known (sometimes elected into assistant positions for the purpose of training men for those roles) until, one day, I looked around only to discover I was a nobody. Having been stripped of identity, I was no longer a preacher's kid or any variation thereof. All referenced childhood training was spat upon. I was not the right gender, not thought good enough to serve for whatever legal reason was invented next, and certainly not of qualified substance to teach a man anything.

Even so, I would have met guidelines for the privilege to serve. And though I tried, the ever-changing rules of acceptance never did end.

Though, occasionally, under false pretense, request would be made for credentials or some other form of infallible proof as to my calling. I'm a Christian! That's it! Would anyone like to say, "Duh?" And, since when did anyone have to prove good enough, at anything, to serve God? Can't you see the Spirit compelling me? The Spirit doesn't lie. So what if God didn't give me an eloquent speech. I don't like the limelight, anyway.

All I really wanted was for people to stop running interference, second guessing God's heart when He'd show me people that needed love. Then, if people couldn't do that, to give me a title wherein I wouldn't have to explain every time I breathed in the church building.

Little is always much, when done for our Lord. Psalm 37:16, 1 Cor. 5:6 (And, having been welcomed while only children, we proved it to be true.) Faithful is he who calls you who also will do it. 1 Thes. 5:24

What was the matter with these people? There were holes in their bags! Blind guides, I guess. (But no, I didn't shout ... even though I could provide a good sermon for them, now.)

There was no way I could doubt in my heart but what such doctrines were wrong. After all, I had been an eye witness and testament against such fallacies. But besides that, regardless of their lack of acceptance, God never stopped calling and that was the torment of it all ... to hear the cries of God's wounded, to know the plight of their souls, to see destruction in the making ... without any consideration that God might actually be capable of speaking to me, too; a female, of all things! Only God knows how many times I stood in the gap and sobbed in intercession for His wounded saints.

Having personally declared war on Satan (which is another story), he used the corruption of the church to try and destroy me.

With scripture quoted every which way but up, in order to validate positions of authority and their agenda, I began searching to 'know' the truth. And, having declared this war on Satan, even more so, absolute understanding of God's intent was required (on every given subject matter) ~ so my walk and service would always be under the umbrella of His protection.

Thus, the more they persecuted, the more I ran to God. Then, as I searched and researched, the more I learned, and the stronger I grew ... 'til my faith became my own. Only, through this, God didn't make it any easier, as He kept gifting me for more areas of service thought only men could do.

Then, having once shared of the incredible growth and learning I had discovered with my Heavenly Father, that had been shown to and also rejected by the church, dad said if I had been a male having brought this to church leadership, they would have set me up as some awesome teacher/leader, to say the least, to be highly respected and learned from.

Dad was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said this never would have happened had I been male. And to this day, it brings tears to my eyes to remember my dearly departed daddy for this ... as a reminder, when no one in the whole world did, apart from God, my daddy believed in me.

None-the-less, life became harder, still, mostly because legalists don't stop until 'til they destroy the body; which turned out to be a good thing because death finally puts an end to the curse of the law.

So, yes, I, too, know the mourning of being separated from one's mother's womb, rejected by church and family (all I had ever known, loved, or placed any additional faith in) in order to follow a higher call. And though most are not visible except to the spiritual eye, my body bears the marks of having given God all.

The signs of the times are in God's children. Isaiah 8:18 But if your wounds were not to that degree or you thought such as a wheel chair had separated you from your church, thank God you were so spared!

The righteous perisheth,
and no man layeth it to heart:
and merciful men are taken away,
none considering that the righteous
is taken away from the evil to come.

Isaiah 57:1

Like most of you who are reading this, I am among the Persecuted Church, longing to be 'welcomed' home ... also knowing that, once truly welcomed, captives will finally be free; including you and me.

However, I would not change the fellowship that came in knowing the sufferings of Christ. I would not change having discovered God to such a degree He is my life. I would not change having overcome battles that were intended to keep me from knowing whose I am, who I am, and the purpose of my creation. And, I would not have changed my time here with you, all my fellow brethren (wounded and, if there be any, whole); my church and my family.

We built websites. We planted church communities. We developed, grew, and sometimes transformed ministries. We reached out to the world. We valued our aged. We welcomed the handicapped into service, again. We embraced people from around the world and welcomed whatever each had to offer; the only requirement being having a heart for it. We opened doors; providing opportunity, skills, tools, and labor.

We proved Christians can serve in unity, regardless of doctrine, for a greater good. We lifted the fallen. We mended wounds. We offered unconditional love. We shared truths to help others overcome, too. But mostly importantly, we learned to listen from our heart instead of our eyes or ears. In such, we became heavenly cheerleaders; the universal church ... sheltering each other from the rudiments of the world.

Having way surpassed the structural church, we did sooo good! And now, in the end times, we are the ones most trained for Kingdom building. Matthew 5:10

It is the structural church our lost sheep; the ones with no shelter or sure foundation. And for all the true sob stories we can share (enough to make us all cry were the details known), Jesus still thought the structural church was worth saving, worth dying for.

We are exhausted beyond reason, for a reason; pulling us away from our universal shelter because our calling isn't finished yet. It is time to rest in God until we're rejuvenated and ready to go again. Only then, we have a new assignment, the one we were created for ... to bring God's children home.

If that means returning to the hurtful church of our past or learning to love a new one, follow God's leading. And no matter what you see or hear, if it isn't love, it isn't true and you are the one most qualified to know the difference. 1 Cor. 6:4

It's your turn to be a shelter. Don't accept, receive, or give anything less than love ~ as love is God. Then, when persecution comes, shake the dust off your feet and keep going. Only, this time, it won't hurt so much ... because it was your choice.

© 2005 by Joyce C. Lock

A Tornado is coming

2005-04-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

By Kathy Niles

I have to tell you about a vision that God gave me.I'm sure that you get these all of the time, and soI ask you to pray and ask God to show you this.This is very urgent. While sitting in my living room, I was suddenly shown a tornado. This tornado was so huge! If you have watched the weather channel, a F5 tornado is huge. Only, this made a F5 look like a baby. This tornado was heading straight to the church and I saw people inside of a church building, leaning against the doors, trying to keep the storm from coming in. God told me that there's a mighty storm coming and it's going to be a storm that His children have to really be prepared to win. In order to win this war, His children have got to start praying, get on their faces and pray from deep within; cry out to God like never before. God also said, in order to win this war, His children need to really get into His Word and really study ... not just read a chapter and that's it, but He wants His children to REALLY get into His Word and meditate, and learn His Word. Thirdly, He told me that His children need to start fasting. These three things God said is REQUIRED to win this war. While I was watching this tornado (usually, a tornado is throwing things out all over and you can see things inside of one spinning around, that's what I've seen on TV, but in this tornado) there is nothing spinning or being thrown out from all around it. This is a major storm that is going to come against the Body, and it's unlike any trial or storms that anybody has ever faced before. It's not the people that like to start trouble in the church. That will always be. But, this is a storm that is coming against all churches . no matter what denomination. This war is going to be coming from atheists, Christian haters, bisexuals, gays, lesbians, murderers, liars, thieves, and even the government. Now, you're probably saying 'that's going on today'. Yes, it is. But, this is going to be worse. Christians have let the devil have too much power and (it's sad to say, but) atheists will stand up for what they believe in while God's children sit on their hands and let them do whatever they want to do. This is going to be the world really coming after Christians because they can see that they are weak and, unless God's children do what He said, then they will fall. It's time to return to your first love. God said that the storm is coming. It's even at the door. But, He is a God of love. So, He has given instruction on what it's going to take to win. If the body will come together, as one, and pray, fast, and get into His Word ... then, they will win the war and will reap the harvest. Many souls will be saved because of this ... IF His children will obey.
___________________________________________________________________

I, then, asked God why He showed me this ... that people will not believe me because, although I love God, I am a backslider. I told God that people are going to ask me why would God show me this and not show them. God told me to reply to them that they need to ask themselves why He had to use a sinner to get His message out to people, and couldn't use them. I was willing to be used and willing to hear what God had to say. God's children have gotten too busy to listen to what He has to say. They no longer care what happens to others, to the world. They've gotten too comfortable and they think 'whatever happens' is supposed to happen. That's not true. God's people have tied His hands by refusing to be obedient, and they have lost their concern for sinners. His Word says to go out to the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in. But, people have put other things in front of God and God will not have any other gods before Him. His children can't even cry and shout anymore when a soul is saved, delivered, and snatched away from Satan's hands. This is going to be a war that will require Christians to be ready and prepared; to know His Word, fast, and pray. Then, by doing these things, Christians will draw closer to God and they will return to their first love, and they will face the storm like David did Goliath . without any doubt or fear. Whoever is reading this, I beg of you to please get the word out about this storm. If you don't think God can use a sinner, then explain that to God and tell God that He couldn't really use a donkey like His Word says ... and tell God that Saul, who went about killing Christians, who knew God's voice immediately when he heard it, couldn't really have heard Him because Saul was a sinner and killed Christians. God is giving His people a warning. But, He has also given them a way of escape. By winning this war, the body will see miracles happen. Souls will come to God wherein others think there's no chance for them to get saved. God will bring them in. Sinner's eyes will be opened and they will see that Christians have the power to overcome the world, and that no demon in hell can shake them from their foundation. It's time that His people stand up for the God in who they believe in. Then, even atheists will believe that there is a God and will be drawn in. In order to win this war, it's urgent that His people start now ... start right now, getting prepared for this war.
___________________________________________________________________

Now, I've told you what God has shown me. God told me to warn the people, and the devil has tried so hard to stop it ... even by making me fall. I tore the ligaments from my shin down to under my ankle bone, and am in a boot and on crutches. I made God a promise, and I will use whatever means that I have to get this out. While I was being shown this, I was literally shaking. It wasn't from fright, although what I saw was very scary, but the Spirit was on me so strong. I felt such a sense of urgency, like when people had to be warned that the British were coming. That's how strong it was on me. It's up to you about whether or not you believe this. But, my conscious is clear, because I have done what God has told me to do. I do not want anybody's blood on my hands.Thank you for taking time out to read this and I sincerely hope that you take this seriously. © 2005 by Kathy Niles

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Ad Maiorem Gloriam Dei!
(For the greater glory of God!)

Blessings in His love,

Rev. Joe Diaz
Founder, His Love Extended Ministries International

http://www.hisloveextended.com
http://HisLoveExtended.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hisloveextended_PrayerCloset

When you stand before the Lord

2005-04-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

The day will soon be coming
To stand before the Lord
God will hold the Book of Life
Where all the names are stored.

Look into the Saviour's face
Stand on holy ground
Kneel before the King of Kings
Pray your name is found.

The time is nigh, it's drawing near
Tis' closer than you think
Eternal life with God above
You'll either rise or sink.

God doesn't care `bout bank accounts
Or gems of pearl and jade
Your style of home, the car you drive
The money that you've made.

He's not concerned with age or height
The colour of your hair
The number of the friends you have
The brand of clothes you wear.

He'll ask you if you spoke His name
Thought of Him each day
Knew He gave His life for you
Took the time to pray.

He'll know about your closest friends
About the books you've read
The kind of thoughts that filled your mind
On what your spirit fed.

He'll take a look inside your soul
He'll go beyond your pride
Your sins will be as crimson red
There's nothing you can hide.

For once you've stood before the Lord
He'll see through every crack
And if you were to die today
There is no turning back.

You'll gaze into His crystal eyes
He knows the things you did
There's nothing you can keep from Him
Your secret thoughts aren't hid.

So before you meet the Lord
You better make it right
Start by getting on your knees
Kneel down to Him tonight.

Get rid of all your worldly ways
They'll just lead you astray
Find time to walk with Jesus
The Truth, the Light, the Way.

I'm telling you, it's not too late
God's waiting up above
To add you to His Book of Life
In Heaven up above.

When your life on earth is over
He'll take one final look
When the roll is called up yonder
Will your name be in "The Book."

Marilyn Ferguson ©2004

Redemption fallacies refuted

2005-04-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

FALLACY: All sins, past, present, and future, are forgiven once and forever.

TRUTH: Christ bore the sins of all men, but one cannot receive forgiveness until sin is committed and confessed. Even sin that is committed and not confessed cannot be forgiven. (Acts 26:18 "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.")

TRUTH continued: Redemption cannot become effective with anyone who refuses to repent and conform to the whole truth. (Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost...")

FALLACY: God cannot and does not see the sins of believers. In fact, their sins are not real sins. All He sees is the blood of Christ that automatically covers sin. One born again cannot commit sin.

TRUTH: These claims are denials of every principle of divine and human governments.

TRUTH continued: No government could possibly be just and righteous that permitted such a program with criminals. In human government no case is known where a criminal was forgiven and told that he could not possibly be held responsible for committing the same crime again; that if he did commit such it was not really a crime in his case; that it would be automatically forgiven; that the law would never again see any crime he committed; that all it would see would be the pardon he had received; and that stipulated in the pardon was absolute freedom from any future punishment even for the worst of crimes.

TRUTH continued: Every sane, just and righteous being would rise up to overthrow such a government if one existed. And yet, this the kind of government many in the church teach a! nd belie ve in as divine government.

TRUTH continued: God has repeatedly stated that He will punish every sin, even to every idle word.

TRUTH continued: (2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad.)

TRUTH continued: In view of this we are to persuade people to turn to God. We do not preach ourselves neither are we "beside ourselves" as some say. If we are it is for God, and if we are sober it is for the good of others.

FALLACY: It dishonors the blood of Christ to teach that it covers only past sins or the sins of the faithful only..\believer does not have to continue to be faithful to be saved, sin can never reign over a saved person again regardless of what he does.

FALLACY continued: Sin can never reign over a saved person again regardless of what this person does. This person is saved even though they serve sin and Satan.

FALLACY continued: Not one child of God can return to his former state of sin and be condemned. He cannot choose to be saved or lost, God chooses people to be saved and all such are secure in His choice.

FALLACY continued: If a person could choose to be saved or lost then they would be more powerful than God. There is no human element in salvation. All men sin every day...If man's choice governs his destiny, then the sovereign grace of God is subject to the will of man and God Himself ceases to be sovereign.

TRUTH: There is not one Scripture to support these false claims. God does not lose sovereignty through His plan of redemption requiring men to meet His terms or be lost.

TRUTH continued: Obedience to God according to the gospel is the basis of all justification and imputation of righteousness to man.

TRUTH continued: God requires confession of sins (Luke 13:3, 5:1),

TRUTH continued: faith (John 3:16;Ephesians 2:8-9), and choice on a person's part in confor! mity to the plan of redemption before He justifies a person (Mark 16:16, Romans 1:5, 16).

TRUTH continued: From God's standpoint, redemption is provided for all people and it is His will that all accept Christ and be saved, but no person will be forgiven who personally refuses to believe and conform to the gospel.

When one does obey the gospel, then, and then alone, sins are forgiven and not imputed to him; and this is all imputation means. God, help thou our unbelief...Amen

Rev. Thecla St. Romain

Satan, Society, or Savior?

2005-04-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

Note: The red letters indicate Jesus speaking!

"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." -John 8:36

There are three forces at work in the life of the demon-possessed man in Mark 5. First there is Satan. Just like a roaring lion, Satan had already come into that man, intending to destroy him (see 1 Peter 5:8).

Next, there was society. What had society done for him? They had chained him up, but he broke the chains. What else could they do? Society couldn't solve the problem, because the problem was in the man's heart. No one could help this man. His situation was hopeless. But then the Savior came into his life. What did Jesus do for him? He came to the spooky little graveyard where the man lived. Jesus saw his hurting, tortured soul and offered hope. What society could not do to release the man from Satan and sin, Jesus did with one simple command: "He said to him, 'Come out of the man, unclean spirit!' " (Mark 5:8).

The demons came out of the man, and went into a herd of pigs. Jesus transformed the man's life. He was free indeed. As Jesus said, " 'Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed' " (John 8:36). Isn't it interesting that with all of our wonderful achievements today, society still cannot deal with problems caused by Satan and sin? We cannot overcome Satan in our own power. We don't know what to do. Society doesn't have the answers. We, too, need a Savior to help us. Jesus Christ can transform your life and make you free, too. We know that's true, because He has already done it for many of us. Come to Him, let Him make you free. Let Him be your Savior. Copyright (c) 2005 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from the New King James Version.

Copyright (c) 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.

Author Unknown

Beloved, this is Joe Diaz and I humbly request that you prayerfully consider supporting this ministry in prayer and with your finances. Our ministry is strictly a faith-based initiative and as such, we depend on your support. As you know, we not sustained by any political, special interest or parent organization. Nor do we accept any online or e-mail advertising. Our mission and operations are funded by -- and depend entirely upon -- the voluntary financial support of our friends. If we have blessed you in any way, we ask you to help us. Your gifts and offerings may be sent to Charity Tabernacle, Attn: His Love Extended Ministries, 2700 S. Tibbs Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46241, U.S.A. Tel. 1-317-241-1707. Tax-exempt receipts will be issued. Please know that your gift of any amount is appreciated and will pay eternal dividends. Thank you in advance! God seems to be opening the door to this ministry for me to travel internationally to evangelize and I need to purchase Bibles and other evangelistic material and funds are needed for those purposes.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Ad Maiorem Gloriam Dei!
(For the greater glory of God!)

Blessings in His love,
Rev. Joe DiazFounder, His Love Extended Ministries International

http://www.hisloveextended.com
http://HisLoveExtended.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hisloveextended_PrayerCloset

The Esasentials of Salvation

2005-04-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

I wrote to the Pope explaining the essentials of salvation (see below). Pray that he has a receptive heart to receive my message. Bro. Joe

The Essentials of Salvation

The Greek word translated into English as salvation literally means to heal, preserve, or make whole. It's always used in connection with the judgment coming at the end of our lives as our Righteous God requires recompense for our sins. The penalty for sin is to be banished to a place of eternal separation from God: a place of solitary confinement with no hope of release ever. The Bible describes salvation as an event that immediately and irrevocably changes our destiny from this eternal separation to eternal life in God's presence. It happens the moment we ask in faith, before anything good or bad has happened that would either commend or condemn us, and is made possible through a pardon purchased for us with the life of God's son, our Lord Jesus.

Ephe 1:13-14 is especially clear. "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed you were marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance ..." We hear and believe and immediately the Lord marks us with the promised Holy Spirit and guarantees our place in His Eternal Kingdom. The Greek word translated deposit actually means earnest money and is a legally binding obligation to perform just like an earnest money deposit in the real estate industry today. It requires Him to follow through on His promise to us.

What About Those Who Hear But Don't Believe?

Nowhere in Scripture have I found a verse that promises salvation even to those who have heard the Gospel but don't believe and therefore don't ask for it. Quite the contrary in fact. In John 3:3 we read "... no one can see the Kingdom of Heaven unless he is born again." And in Romans 10:9-10 "if you confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified (regarded as though innocent) and with your mouth that you confess and are saved (delivered from judgment)." Asking God for deliverance is the confirmation that you believe He can and will grant it. This is the issue in Matt 7:21 where some who call Him Lord are excluded from the kingdom. They missed the invitation in Matt 7:7-8 to ask, seek and knock and therefore know Him as Lord but not as their Savior. There is a big difference. John 3:18 states plainly that those who don't believe stand condemned. 2 Thes 2:10 agrees. "They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." So much for those who hear but don't ask. Our need for a Savior to deliver us from judgment is so self-evident that the Bible actually uses the same Greek word for disobedience as it uses for unbelief.

What Those Who Don't Hear And Therefore Don't Ask

This self evident need is described in Romans 1:18-20 where man is left without excuse. Anyone who looks at the creation should be able to comprehend that there is a God. But even a cursory study of the nature and character of God will lead the most casual student to conclude that He will not require of someone that which He has not made possible. Therefore the mentally incompetent, the underage child, the "pygmies in Africa" are only responsible for what they have received and can comprehend. With God accountability is always a function of privilege. The more (or less) you've been privileged to receive, the more (or less) you're responsible for knowing. (Read What About the Pygmies in Africa.) Every child is born saved (Matt 18:10-11), but after reaching the age of accountability must exercise his or her agency and consciously choose to remain so (Rom. 7:9). It's the sole purpose of our lives.
Since asking is such a simple thing, and since all who ask receive it's an enormous victory for Satan to have convinced so many that they needn't do so. If we find out we didn't need to ask and did so anyway, what have we risked? But if we find out that we needed to and didn't, then what? "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom but only he who does the will of my father." (Matt 7:21) "For My Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:40). Remember, asking confirms belief.

Salvation and Sanctification

By the way, don't confuse salvation with sanctification like some do. While Salvation is an event that changes our destiny, Sanctification is a life long process by which we are conformed to the likeness of our Lord. It's really only complete at our resurrection. Note the comparison in Hebrews 10:14 "Because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever (salvation) those who are being made holy (sanctification)." In the grand scheme of things, the two are actually meant to go in tandem. First comes Salvation a gift given freely and irrevocably to all who ask in faith, assuring Eternal Life with God. Next comes Sanctification, the process of living our lives in submission to the indwelling Holy Spirit here on Earth. Obedience to the Spirit's guidance brings the dual rewards of a more fulfilling life here and the promise of special rewards in Eternity (Read Crown Him with many Crowns). Believers are admonished to obey God's commands both as evidence of our faith (James 1:22 & 2:14-17) and in a show of gratitude for what we've been given. Disobedience can trigger earthly consequences and the loss of rewards in eternity, but does not put the believer's salvation at risk (1 Cor. 3:10-15).

Whose your daddy?

Look at it this way. Salvation brings adoption into God's family (John 1:12 & Gal 4:4), and once we're His children we're His children forever. Through disobedience we can strain the relationship just as disobedience to our earthly parents does, and sometimes even our ability to communicate can be disrupted. This is called being out of fellowship with God. With our earthly parents, the relationship can remain strained for years, and in some cases may never be healed, but even so we'll always be their children. So it is with God. But unlike our earthly parents, with Him confession always brings immediate forgiveness, restores our sanctification (1 John 1:9-10) and it's as if our disobedience never happened. And sometimes He Who is the Giver of every good and perfect gift will even turn the event into a great blessing once we've come to our senses and repented. For what man intends for evil, God intends for good. These are the essentials of salvation

Beloved, this is Joe Diaz and I humbly request that you prayerfully consider supporting this ministry in prayer and with your finances. Our ministry is strictly a faith-based initiative and as such, we depend on your support. As you know, we not sustained by any political, special interest or parent organization. Nor do we accept any online or e-mail advertising. Our mission and operations are funded by -- and depend entirely upon -- the voluntary financial support of our friends. If we have blessed you in any way, we ask you to help us. Your gifts and offerings may be sent to Charity Tabernacle, Attn: His Love Extended Ministries, 2700 S. Tibbs Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46241, U.S.A. Tel. 1-317-241-1707. Tax-exempt receipts will be issued. Please know that your gift of any amount is appreciated and will pay eternal dividends. Thank you in advance! God seems to be opening the door to this ministry for me to travel internationally to evangelize and I need to purchase Bibles and other evangelistic material and funds are needed for those purposes.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-13) Ad Maiorem Gloriam Dei!
(For the greater glory of God!)

Blessings in His love,

Rev. Joe Diaz
Founder, His Love Extended Ministries International

http://www.hisloveextended.com
http://HisLoveExtended.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hisloveextended_PrayerCloset

2005-04-22T00:38:00.000-07:00

A Message That Will Raise The Dead

by John Giordano (Connie's 23 year old son)

The Bible states in Psalm 30:5 - "For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favor is life: weeping may endure for a night; but joy cometh in the morning." A couple of weeks ago, the Lord brought this Scripture to mind. With it, He brought several other examples from His Word to correlate with Psalm 30:5. I soon remembered that many things that were done literally in the Bible hold a symbolic or figurative meaning for the church today. For example, when we read of Joshua and the children of Israel possessing the land of Canaan and vanquishing the Canaanites who lived there, this could be applied to the church today fighting Satanic forces for the souls of men, financial breakthroughs, etc.

As I began to think about and study the subjects of "night" and "morning" in the Bible, I found a similar reoccurrence. God chose to move during the "night" but to manifest His power and glory in the "morning." I believe that the symbolism behind these literal occurrences was that there are two phases of the Christian walk - "night" and "day."

During the "night" in the Christian's life, he or she may feel like God is nowhere to be found. Satan and his hordes may be closing in from all sides. It may appear that the end is near. Then comes the "morning." The "dark night of the soul"(as some have called it) is over. A new day has come, and with it, comes a turn around in the Christian's life. He or she discovers that God was working through the "night" to bring about miracles of deliverance.

Let me give several examples. In Genesis 32:6, Jacob discovers that his brother Esau is coming to meet him. The last time that he had seen his brother was several years earlier when Esau had threatened to kill him(Genesis 27:41-45). Now, Jacob feared that Esau was coming to kill him and his family. He cried out to God for help(Genesis 32:10-11). His answer came in the form of an angel who wrestled with him"until the breaking(dawning) of the day"(verse 24). He was wrestling through the "night" for a blessing from God(verse 26). He was wrestling for his promises that God had given him. He was wrestling for his family, future, and destiny. In the "morning," he got all that he desired. God changed his name to "Israel" - meaning a prince who has power with God and men and hast prevailed. Child of God, do you feel like you are wrestling through a long "night" for a blessing from God?

Be encouraged! God is about to bring the "morning" to your life. With it will come a change in your future and destiny. You will no longer be cursed but blessed. You will no longer be destined for mediocrity. When your "morning" comes, God is going to give you new goals, a new vision, mission, and power that you have never had before.

In Exodus 14, we find that Moses had just led the children of Israel out of Egypt. Pharaoh, however, had hardened his heart and determined to pursue after the people of God(Exodus 14:1-10). Israel was in quite a predicament. They had the Red Sea at their backs and Pharaoh and his army coming to meet them head on. During the "night," the angel of the Lord came in a pillar of fire to block the way of the Egyptians(verse 20). Also, at the direction of God, Moses stretched out his rod over the Red Sea, and the Lord caused it to go back all "night"(verse 21). As the children of Israel started to cross the Red Sea which the Lord had parted for them, the Egyptians pursued. Then came the "morning." The Bible states - "And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians. And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians"(verses 24-25).

Brothers and sisters, are you feeling like you are backed up to the Red Sea? Do you feel as though Satan and all his fallen angels have been unleashed against you? Do you feel like they are closing in on you and your family? Be encouraged! During the "night," the Lord has been parting your "Red Sea" and making a way for you. Just when you thought the enemy would destroy you, God provided a buffer between you and him. During your dark "night," He was giving you a pillar of fire - the light of His Word - to lead you. Then your "morning" will come. Here is the best part. Not only will God part your "Red Sea", but now, in the "morning," He'll turn around and look at your enemies and trouble them. He will take off their chariot wheels or inhibit their purposes. All that have been coming against you will have to watch as you are blessed and they are destroyed.

In 2 Kings, we find that God did a similar thing for King Hezekiah and the people of Judah. In one "night," the Lord destroyed the army that was threatening Jerusalem and in the "morning," they "were all dead corpses." 2 Kings 19:35 says - "And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred and fourscore and five thousand(185,000): and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses." The people of Judah went to bed that "night" with the Assyrian host closing in around their capital city. When they woke up, however, they found that the Lord had been working through the "night." In the "morning," they were not the conquered but the conquerors. People of God, don't be discouraged by a dark time in your life. Things can change quickly. When they do, you will see that God has been working through the "night" to bring about victory in the "morning."

You will come out on the top. Jesus is for you. He will turn your seeming defeat into victory. One day, you'll be the underdog; the next day, the overcomer. One day, you'll be the vanquished; the next day, the victorious. One day, you'll be the conquered; the next day, more than a conqueror(Romans 8:37). Now for the grand finale - if you will. Jesus had been crucified(Matthew 27, John 19). It looked like Christianity would die before it was ever born. It looked like the gates of hell had prevailed against the church. It appeared as though Satan had won the battle of the ages - the battle for the souls of men. For - you see - the Savior of the world lay lifeless in a tomb for three days and three "nights." Then came Resurrection "morning." Matthew 28:1 says - "In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre." Verses 5-6 record what these women saw and heard - "And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: He is risen, as He said..." Friend, do you feel like something in your life is dead? It could be a dream that God gave you that you feel will never happen. It could be the salvation of a loved one for whom you have prayed which you feel will never occur. It may be a financial situation, a healing, or some other miracle that you've believed for but now seems dead. Rejoice for joy comes in the "morning"! The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead can do the same for any dead circumstance or situation as well(Romans 8:11). The "night" may seem dark and dismal. But your "morning" is on its way. With the "morning" will come joy, a new mission, a way out, the vanquishing of all enemies and hindrances, and the resurrection of all that was dead. This Resurrection Sunday, I pray that each one of you will get a glimpse of this truth - "Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning."

Copyright 2005 by John Giordano
www.walkingintruth.org

Connie Giordano
P. O. Box 383016
Duncanville, TX. 75138-3016
___________________________________________________________________

To reply to this message, write to Connie at GodisTruth@juno.com

___________________________________________________________________

Beloved, this is Joe Diaz and I humbly request that you prayerfully consider supporting this ministry in prayer and with your finances. Our ministry is strictly a faith-based initiative and as such, we depend on your support. As you know, we not sustained by any political, special interest or parent organization. Nor do we accept any online or e-mail advertising. Our mission and operations are funded by -- and depend entirely upon -- the voluntary financial support of our friends. If we have blessed you in any way, we ask you to help us. Your gifts and offerings may be sent to Charity Tabernacle, Attn: His Love Extended Ministries, 2700 S. Tibbs Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46241, U.S.A. Tel. 1-317-241-1707. Tax-exempt receipts will be issued. Please know that your gift of any amount is appreciated and will pay eternal dividends. Thank you in advance! God seems to be opening the door to this ministry for me to travel internationally to evangelize and I need to purchase Bibles and other evangelistic material and funds are needed for those purposes.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-13) Ad Maiorem Gloriam Dei!
(For the greater glory of God!)

Blessings in His love,

Rev. Joe Diaz
Founder, His Love Extended Ministries International

http://www.hisloveextended.com
http://HisLoveExtended.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hisloveextended_PrayerClose

Prophecy on Pope fulfilled by eclipses?

2005-04-21T23:29:00.000-07:00

A 10th Century Irish bishop - St. Malachy - predicted every pope that would preside over the Catholic Church. Almost ten centuries ago, Malachy predicted this pope would be noted by an eclipse of the sun.

In an eerie coincidence, John Paul II was the only known pope to be born on the day of a solar eclipse. But the prophetic link doesn't end there. Pope John Paul II will be buried this Friday during another solar eclipse.

Astronomers say that on Friday, the day of the Pope's funeral, a partial solar eclipse will blot out most of the sun and darken a wide area of the world, from the South Pacific to the Western Hemisphere.

Solar eclipses are not unusual. But what makes this coming Friday's eclipse notable is the fact that there was a near total eclipse of the sun seen across Europe on May 18, 1920, the very day that John Paul II was born in Poland.

Adding fuel to the arcane speculation about these events is the prophecy of St. Malachy.
Malachy was discovered to have left behind a prophetic list of all future popes beginning with Pope Celestine II, whose papacy began in 1143 A.D., up to and including the 112th. The list includes John Paul and just two more popes who will follow him.

In his list of popes, he uses a single line in Latin identifying a characteristic of each pope.
The description applied to the 110th pope on his list - John Paul II - is "De Labore Solis" (Of the Solar Eclipse), which seems to add great weight to the validity of St. Malachy’s chilling prophecy: that the next two popes chosen to succeed John Paul II will be the last popes.
After the reign of the last pope, "Peter the Roman," St. Malachy wrote, Rome will be destroyed.
As NewsMax.com reported April 3, Saint's Prophecy: Only Two Popes Remain, the 112th prophecy says, "In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will reign Petrus Romanus (Peter the Roman), who will feed his flock amid many tribulations; after which the seven-hilled city [Rome] will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people," an indication that the world will end.

Think about this, beloved, and pray!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Ad Maiorem Gloriam Dei!
(For the greater glory of God!)

Blessings in His love,

Rev. Joe Diaz
Founder, His Love Extended Ministries International

http://www.hisloveextended.com/
http://hisloveextended.blogspot.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hisloveextended_PrayerCloset

The Pretribulation Rapture

2005-04-21T17:05:00.000-07:00

Does the rapture take place before the tribulation? Does it take place in the middle? After? Does it take place after the tribulation but before the day of the Lord? These questions and others still puzzle Christians. Is there an answer? If so, what is the solution? There is one thing to understand that will answer these questions. That is the nature of the mystery.

Let us put it another way. The dispensation of the mystery, as revealed in Ephesians 3, is the most important concept we must comprehend to understand the chronology of the rapture and the tribulation. The mystery was never made known before it was revealed to the Apostle Paul. Ephesians 3:9 shows that explicitly. Paul said he was given a commission “to make all see what is the dispensation of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in Godwho created all things through Jesus Christ.” We see again in 1 Corinthians 2:7 that this mystery was hidden: “The hidden wisdom of God in a mystery was ordained before the ages for our glory.” Put another way, it “was kept secret since the world began” (Romans 16:25,26). Finally, it was “hidden from ages and from generations” (Colossians 1:26). What characteristic of the mystery do we see from these scriptures? What is the nature of the mystery? More than anything else, it was a secret, hidden in God from ages and generations. It was never written about anywhere in God’s word until it was revealed to the Apostle Paul. In fact it says in Ephesians 3:8,9, that Paul was given the grace that “I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” That means no prophecy made before Paul’s salvation concerns the mystery. In other words, all prophecy made before Paul received the mystery is silent about the people and things of the mystery. That is the nature of the mystery. Believers in the dispensation of the mystery were baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ. They became part of something brand new. They became joint-heirs, a joint-body, and joint-partakers of a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15; Ephesians 2;14-16; Colossians 1;18-22). There was nothing written about them in the prophetic scriptures before Paul’s conversion. God called this new creation, the body Christ. Again, it was made up of Jews and Gentiles as joint-heirs and joint-partakers. According to the content of this mystery, God broke down the discriminatory barriers. This truth causes us to make a strong distinction between Israel and the church which is His body. Israel was identified as the people of the tribulation by Daniel. First, let us look at a new translation of Daniel 9:24-27 Seventy are determined on your peopleand on your holy city to eliminate violations and to sins, and to cover iniquity and to bring in eternal righteousness, and to seal the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the holy of holies. So know and discern that from the issue of a decree to return and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince: seven heptads and sixty-two heptads; it will be rebuilt street and wall, even in time of distress And after the sixty-two heptads, Messiah will be cut off, having neither the city nor the sanctuary. And the coming one will defile [ the people of the Prince; and his end is in a flood, and until the end of battle desolations are determined. And he will strengthen a covenant with the many for one heptad; and at the midpoint of the heptad he will stop sacrifice and grain offering; and on the summit of abominations one who desolates, until completion, and that which is determined shall be poured upon the desolator. Next, we will see in two more passages in Daniel, that these end times prophecies concerned Israel, not the church which is the body of Christ. Daniel 10:14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come. Daniel 12:1 At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. Israel was also identified as the people of the tribulation by our Lord when Jesus mentioned Daniel’s abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27; 11:31) in the tribulation’s setting in Matthew 24:15-21 Therefore when you see the “abomination of desolation,” spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. The purpose of the tribulation is to purify Israel for her kingdom reign (Daniel 9:24 See above). Zechariah 13:9 also refers to this purification process, I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, “This is My people,” And each one will say, “The Lord is my God.”

In addition to the purification, we see that the tribulation is specifically designated “a time of tribulation for Jacob” in Jeremiah 30:7, “Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.” Therefore, since the tribulation is specifically designated “Israel’s” (lit., “for Jacob”), it has nothing to do with the church which is His body. Historically, the doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture has been a major distinctive of dispensational theology. However, dispensationalists in increasing numbers are shifting to a post-tribulation position. We believe that this realignment stems from a growing ignorance of the doctrine of the body of Christ as a distinct, new work of God for the dispensation of grace. The pre-tribulation coming of Christ is a necessary conclusion of a theology which maintains a strict separation between Israel and the church. Since our Lord identifies the tribulation with Daniel’s 70th week by citing “the abomination of desolation” from Daniel 9:27 and 11:31 within the context of the tribulation (Matthew 24:15-21), we are forced to conclude that “[Daniel’s] people,” the nation of Israel (Daniel 9:24 and 12:1), not the body of Christ, is the exclusive subject of Daniel’s prophecy. As we have shown, the purpose of this period is to purge Israel for her kingdom reign (Daniel 9:24; Zechariah 13:9). We must reiterate.

The tribulation is specifically designated “a time of tribulation for Jacob” in Jeremiah 30:7. Paul wrote the comforting passage, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, to the body of Christ. But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. This whole thought was new to the Thessalonians. He had told them about many other things but not about the rapture. Notice, he wrote, “I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren. Since this was new, we know it was not revealed in the Old Testament or in Christ’s Olivet discourse Further, they seemed more concerned about the condition of their dead loved ones than a theology of eschatology. He wrote this to comfort them so they would have hope in the resurrection of their loved ones, “lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.” But Paul not only comforted them, he went further. He showed them an event where they would be united with their loved ones in the air. Notice, Christ’s resurrection is based on our justification, and our hope is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, “for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again.” Then he described the rapture. Please read it again. 1 Thessalonians 4:14b -17 God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. His whole point for giving them this information was comfort. He had a real pastor’s heart: “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” We can see from this portion of scripture in 1 Thessalonians that Christ is bringing with Him those who died. He will descend from heaven with a shout, the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will rise first. The rapture is Christ’s coming and our going. We “shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” We’ll all be changed at the last sound of the trumpet. What an event! But although these two passages describe the rapture, they do not give us the time when it will take place. In considering the time of the rapture in relation to the tribulation, we must remember the concept we’ve already studied, the nature of the mystery. Since the nature of the mystery shows us that the body of Christ is never referred to in biblical prophecy prior to Paul’s conversion, we can make some conclusions about when it occurs. They are: Prophecy about the people in the tribulation would not refer to the body of Christ.

Prophecy about the day of the Lord would not apply to the body of Christ. Prophecy about the people under the wrath of God would not apply to the body of Christ. The rapture must take place prior to the prophetic program. Another passage about the rapture occurs in 1 Corinthians 15:51- Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. "For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” This whole event is called a mystery, something hid in God, a secret. The secret in 1 Corinthians 15:51,52 is not the concept that some will not see death, for our Lord expresses this idea clearly in John 11:25-26: “He who believes in Me will live even if he dies, but he who lives and believes in Me will never die.”

The secret is the event itself. Now, the second coming, including the gathering of the elect, is well prophesied in Matthew 24: 29-31, Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. This event was no mystery to Paul. Let us recall here the precise definition of “mystery”. A musthvrion is not an ambiguous or mystical revelation but an unrevealed truth. The LXX (Greek version of the Old Testament) of Daniel 2:19 employs musthvrion to render the Persian (Aramaic) raz, “secret”, in reference to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.

Daniel did not receive from Nebuchadnezzar a vague or shadowy revelation of the dream. Rather, until the God of heaven revealed the secret to His prophet, the content of the dream was completely concealed to him. Likewise, the secret of the rapture was not the subject of ambiguous or shadowy revelation before Paul, but was concealed in God. This mystery was revealed to Paul early in his ministry, and Paul discusses the rapture in his earliest epistles, Galatians and Thessalonians. Further, the musthvrion of Ephesians is also discussed in Romans and 1 Corinthians. Since the rapture is a musthvrion, the disclosure of the church’s hope prior to the revelation of the secret church through Paul is also a mystery – not revealed. God did not form the body of Christ by bringing believing Gentiles into the covenant blessings of His people, Israel. He did not bring Gentiles into equality with Jews, but equalized the two groups by concluding Israel in the same state of unbelief as the Gentiles because of her disobedience.

The following Scripture from Romans 9:31-10:3; 11:32, establishes this: But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God…. For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. Therefore, the church is an entirely new creation (Ephesians 2:15). Since the church was formed only after Israel was removed from her position of privilege, the body of Christ cannot be the result of including the Gentile believers in Israel’s blessings. The body of Christ is not an extension of Israel’s privileged status to the Gentiles. Likewise, the ministry of Paul, to whom the truth of the body of Christ was entrusted, was not an extension of the circumcision apostles’ commission. Paul’s gospel of grace and his apostleship to the Gentiles represented a new course of divine action (Galatians 1:1, 11-12; 2:7-9). Therefore, a tribulation specifically applied to Israel has nothing to do with the church which is His body. Under the law dispensation, which includes the tribulation and kingdom (Isaiah 2:3), Israel enjoyed a position of high privilege: “The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6). The law covenant brought about this special status (Deuteronomy 4:7-8; 10:15; 26:18-19; 32:8).

The Abrahamic covenant accorded his descendants a unique access to God’s salvation (Psalms 3:8; John 4:22; Ephesians 2:11-13). Even within the redeemed, the Jews are a royal priesthood, mediating between the Lord and the righteous nations (Isaiah 61:5; Zechariah 8:23). In the dispensation of grace, God has abolished Israel’s privileged status. But we know He will never forsake His mercies to Abraham and to David. He will ultimately elevate Israel again to primacy over the Gentiles, but now, He declares that “there is no distinction.” (Romans 10:12) In the world, Jews and Gentiles stand before God as equally condemned unbelievers (Romans 3:23). Now, they have equal access through the gospel of Christ (Romans 3:22) to an equal salvation in His body (Ephesians 2). Speaking about the elect, Paul does not even find it sufficient to repeat, “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek.” Why? Because, “in Christ, there is no Jew or Greek” (Colossians 3:11; Galatians 3:28). In the church, God has gone beyond “separate but equal” in reconciling both into one new man. Now, circumcision is of no value either for our position in Christ (Galatians 5:6) or for our walk in Him (1 Corinthians 7:19). “The church of God” is distinguished from both Jews and Gentiles as a distinct new entity (1 Corinthians 10:32).

When the gospel of the kingdom and its companion gospel of the circumcision are again proclaimed during the tribulation, believers will be brought into the old order. It is impossible to harmonize the new creation within the old framework of Jewish primacy. Dispensationalists agree that we cannot apply Israel’s law to the church. How then can we adopt her prophecy? The body of Christ was concealed in God until He revealed His secret through the apostle Paul (Ephesians 3:6). The tribulation saints are clearly the subject of Old Testament prophecy (Daniel 7:27).

The saints who endure the tribulation and inherit the kingdom cannot be members of the body of Christ, the unprophesied church. Further, we see no conclusive evidence of Old Testament prophecy fulfilled during the dispensation of grace. Our Lord’s prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction can only pertain to the time of the end, for only then will “all things written be fulfilled” (Luke 21:22). A theology is inconsistent which incorporates the body of Christ into Israel’s remnant in Acts, but subsequently distinguishes body members from the renewed remnant church in the tribulation. The New Testament distinguishes between the body of Christ and the Messianic Jewish remnant churches in the first century (Acts 15:19-21; 21:24-25; Galatians 6:16), but we find only Jewish and Gentile believers during the tribulation (Revelation 7:1-9; Matthew 25:32 ff).

We hold to a stricter dispensational theology which recognizes this Acts-period distinction and raptures the body from the world before the resumption of the old order. As stated above, the purpose of the tribulation is the purification of Israel, so that “he who is left in Zion and he who remains in Jerusalem shall be called holy” (Isaiah 4:3). Paul assured the church that Jesus Christ is already our deliverer from “the coming wrath” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). We are not destined for that wrath (5:9). He said that God’s plan for the body of Christ from the beginning was for us to be saved from it (2 Thessalonians 2:13). He instructed us not to make an issue of the day of the Lord, for it will not overtake us (1 Thessalonians 5:4).

The certainty of our future deliverance is based upon the surety of our past justification (Romans 5:9). The Pauline references cited above indicate that the church “will not suffer the wrath of God.” This point forces post-tribulationists to make a sharp distinction between the tribulation period and the day of the Lord, for that day is “the day of His fierce anger” (Isaiah 13:13). The post-tribulationist position must maintain that God’s wrath is absent from the seven-year tribulation. They must maintain that the day of the Lord does not commence until Christ’s actual return at Armageddon. This analysis restricts that day to a very short time frame, perhaps even a literal 24-hour day. It is our aim to show that this arrangement is wrong for the following reasons: 1. The day of the Lord is a period of substantial duration. 2. The day of the Lord and the tribulation coincide. 3. God will be in control during the tribulation. It’s His day. 4. The wrath of God is present during the tribulation If the day of the Lord were limited to Christ’s second advent, the Thessalonians could hardly have been led to believe it had already arrived. At least several months would have passed from the time they were troubled by false teachers until Paul dispatched his epistle to them (2 Thessalonians 2:2). Joel’s extended description of that day could not transpire within 24 hours: “The seeds rot under the clods . . . the grain has dried up .. . . the livestock are perplexed for lack of pasture . . . for the rivers of waters have dried up” (Joel 1:17-20). He then describes a military campaign against Jerusalem which will require greater than one day’s time. Ezekiel extends the battle through Egypt to Ethiopia and Libya (Ezekiel 30:3). Obadiah predicts that the “nations will drink continually” of God’s wrath (Obadiah v16). Zephaniah invokes a standard Old Testament curse to the effect that in that day they will plant vineyards, but not drink the wine, they will build houses, but not inhabit them (1:7-14). According to Zechariah 14:8, the day of the Lord will take place during summer and winter, implying at least a year’s duration, “And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur.”

The major post-tribulationist argument to restrict the day of the Lord is based on Joel 2:31, which places a series of great heavenly signs “before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.” Our Lord, in Matthew 24:29, places these signs at the conclusion of the tribulation. This order is confirmed by the sixth seal of Revelation 6:16-17. On this basis, it is reasoned that the Lord’s day cannot begin until the end of the tribulation. Yet Joel 2:10 and 3:9-14, as well as Isaiah 13:9-10, place the great heavenly signs during, not before, the day of the Lord. How can this be explained? Joel begins his presentation of the day of the Lord with a description of general tribulation judgments: famine, drought, flame (Joel 1:15-20). After an extended description of the armies which converge on Jerusalem, the day culminates with the heavenly signs (2:10), and finally reaches the crescendo: “The Lord will give the command to His army . . . for the Lord’s day is great and very awesome – who can abide it?” (Joel 2:11) God is always supreme, The Lord’s day is when God, in the person of Jesus Christ, moves with direct sovereignty over the earth, “for the Lord alone will be exalted in that day”“the great and awesome day of the Lord” is used to denote specifically the day of His advent in Joel 2:31 and Malachi 4:5. (Isaiah 2:11). However, Joel applies the day of the Lord not only to the climactic return but to the series of events which culminate in His return. Subsequently, The seal judgments in Revelation 6 clearly show God is in control in the entire seven-year tribulation -- the day of the Lord. It is God’s day. His agents, the living creatures that are before His throne, command each one of the four horsemen to go! They give the first horseman his crown. They give the second horseman the ability to take peace from the earth. They also give him a great sword. The third horseman reaped the harvest of the first two -– famine. They give the fourth horseman the authority over one fourth of the earth to kill by the sword, famine, and the beasts of the earth. This is God’s wrath being poured out on the earth. However, because there is so much textual criticism on these passages, I want to retranslate Revelation 6 verses 1-8 giving you the textual support in the footnotes: I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Go!” And I saw, and behold,