Is Your Theology Oppressive or Liberating?

Is Your Theology Oppressive or Liberating?                                                         Kelly Durant

Peter 1:1615 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

2. As time goes on usually there is progress and advancements in most things that make you wonder, how did people live before? How was it done in the old days? For example, for transportation for centuries people rode in carts drawn by horses, but then the first car was made. It was complicated and uncomfortable with several gear shifters that had to be pulled to drive it. You also had to get out and crank the front of the motor to start it, and it would not go much faster than 40 mph. Today however, any modern car is luxurious by comparison with air conditioning, automatic windows, sound systems, gps systems etc.

So everything has a progressive science behind it and today I will comment on how the same can be attributed to theology. When the first apostles evangelized Jerusalem and all Judea, as in the Book of Acts, the men preaching had no background study in theology, no diploma from a Christian University, and some could not even read or write very well. Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.  The conclusion here is being with Jesus and having the Holy Spirit does through you and me what mere education cannot! Their obedience brought them power and liberation from the oppressive, hypocritical, condemning religions of their era.

As a matter of fact, for hundreds of years later most followers of Jesus never got to read what you get to read in the Bible today, they only had a few of Paul’s letters copied, and maybe some had the books of Moses, and others had possession of other Jewish writings as discovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls.  So today we are privileged to have the Canon (Bible) prepared as we do now backed by dozens of thousands of intelligent theological material. Also the knowledge of ‘good and evil’ is augmented and anyone can “google” to read books that were prohibited from the Bible. But when you know God’s heart, when you have the Holy Spirit for discernment, you can determine why the ancients chose to ban certain books due to their inconsistencies with the holiness of God found in the scriptures as relayed from the prophets of God.  

3. After Rome was converted to Christianity by Constantine soon after 300 AD, many Christians came together to unite on the basic points of what Christians should agree upon. Many people believed on Jesus without ever reading the Bible (as the reading of the Bible was only permitted by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church) until Martin Luther, the reformer came along 1,200 years later and translated the Bible into German so that any believer could read it. The Church wanted his head for heresy but God raised up people to protect him in hiding. Many translators of the Bible were persecuted or martyred such as the English translators John Wycliffe and William Tyndale. Be thankful you can open the Bible and read it as millions before could not!

So the early Christian believers only had bits and pieces they could learn from through the predominant oppressive church stepping on the water hose preventing the flow of the truth. How many of you ever learned the Nicene Creed growing up? It was the only doctrine many Christians got to learn after it was introduced in the year 325 AD and they revised in 381 AD. The Nicene Creed is still used today and I want to review it as it is still forms a basis of theology for all Christian believers. Compare it to The Salvation Army’s 11 doctrines as we cover this, and you can conclude how for hundreds of years, millions of believers learned a fairly sound theology of faith, but it was just the basics.

  Nicean Creed: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

                      And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

                   Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

                  And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. (Note, last sentence of 381 AD version omitted for further discussion for a later date).

4. After Martin Luther’s liberating blessing of expanding a full knowledge of Christ through Protestantism, the Bible as a collection of books written by the major and minor prophets with the disciples and Paul’s letters finally were compiled together.  And finally the Holy Scriptures arrived in the hands of any common person who wanted to read them! Christians were liberated by Luther’s more complete theology which included the ‘Sola fide’ declaration (Latin: by faith alone).

The problem was this, the established church for over a millennium maintained that salvation was obtainable only through faith in their church, and through their hierarchy of privileged elect men who placed unreachable demands upon the believers. For example, for salvation, for forgiveness of your sins, for saving a dead relative’s soul out of hell, for a series of sacraments, a monetary amount was required as a means for paying the priesthood to pray to God to convince God of doing the favor. Is it not sad how many people have been deceived by trusting their eternal soul’s fate in the power of others without ever verifying the truth of God for their selves! (See The 95 Thesis) The flawed doctrine emphasis then (still existing today!) is that salvation through Christ, or ‘faith alone’ in Him is not enough, that you need the priesthood’s blessings of their church as well.  How deceptive, right? Sola fide revolutionized Christian theology over 500 years ago! Only Jesus saves!

So Martin helped free captives from many false doctrines with the truth that only Jesus saves (Eph2:8,9) The doctrine of justification by faith alone in Jesus, is an indispensable contribution within our progress of Christian theology. Do you see how we must honor those who risked their lives to fight for the exposure of the truth in God’s Word? Many millions have died defending the truth of the Holy Scriptures being persecuted by violent deceptive ones who claimed that only they had the truth! Governments oppress truth the same way. But the more truth one knows, the more liberation one has from potential oppressors, but then persecution comes to you for possessing the truth! Today, the truth of God is being brutally oppressed!

5. Going forward, soon after this liberation of Luther the pendulum swung back into oppression again with John Calvin. Even though he had many positive things to contribute to Christianity, certain theological views he had were not consistent with an overall compilation of scripture. Here we see an example of how one verse can derail you if not thinking holistically.

His predestination doctrine states that God’s elect were chosen from the beginning, this implies that God created certain people to be predestined for salvation and some others to be predestined for eternal condemnation in hell fire. Say what? Does this not seem absurd that a God of love would create humans with the final end to destroy their souls? In other words, you no longer need ‘to go into all the world and preach the gospel’ because the elect will be saved without your sharing of the gospel.

This contradicts Jesus command of Mark 16:15 to preach to everyone! This false doctrine proves that his interpretation of that issue was not guided by the Holy Spirit, or even common sense for that matter! He was, in my opinion, on a pride trip of knowledge to show he knew more about Bible doctrine than others. He should have heeded the scripture that says in James 3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.  This is only one example, but in many denominations many erroneous theological interpretations exist.

6. With this doctrine in place we see the need for another liberator, correct? And who do you think God raised up? John Westley. He created Methodism, which were Biblical doctrinal basics on how to progress in knowledge and maturity, being ‘sanctified’ in the faith through holy living. He preached over 40,000 sermons in his life establishing hundreds of churches countering the predestination misconception that some are born sanctified and others are born condemned with the ‘whosoever will’ emphasis in his doctrine. We know ‘whosoever will’ from John 3:16. We know that God will save even the most horrible vile sinner no matter their past sins if they will repent and then begin a new life of Godly or holy living. This is basic Christianity 101 that keeps coming under attack and subverted. Salvation and sanctification are there for anyone but people need to learn about it through you and me in order to get it!

Satan is always infiltrating the Christian Church influencing it to be governed by oppressive leaders, false doctrines, and compromises of cultural subversions so that the effectiveness of the church is nil producing hypocrisy instead. So with a lack of ‘holiness’ in the faith visible in the people in the church, undecided observers may conclude that people in the churches are not authentic but rather self-serving.  Hypocrisy never is a value considered to be worthy of anyone’s dedication yet shockingly enough many ‘religious’ people today are blind to it. And don’t even mention to me about any holiness in other major world religions which I have studied and experienced; their corruption, abuse, and hypocrisy is worse than what you can even imagine within your limited Western mind experience!  

So moving forward from John Westley’s time, there was a fire for a few decades, but after the initial Methodist fire died out, after the first generations about the mid 1800’s a comfortable staleness set. So when there was a ‘laziness’ in the institutionalized Christian church, the Lord raised up William Booth to form a Christian Army to evangelize the world by serving and saving the worst of the worst. God seems to always stoke the cooling coals when they are dim so that the flames of Christian passion reignite to burn again to win souls.

7. William Booth created a new religious movement in 1865 that, in my opinion, has been the most effective church ever in alleviating suffering by providing homeless shelters and rehab centers, and while helping the poor, preaching to them to save their souls in the process.  Our doctrine is not much different from the Methodists holiness, but what is different is the application of it; the main element required is a love in action! A liberating holy love and compassion from your heart and mine for the needy and lost souls of the whole world! This is theology in practice proving ones sanctification in word and in deed!

So, this modern holiness movement teaches that you go through a ‘second work of grace’? Do you know what that means? It is a regeneration process of your soul. I like how it is expressed in Titus 3:5 “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,” In other words, at the moment you receive Jesus or soon afterwards, the Holy Spirit starts cleaning your heart over and over to the point that you will lose your desire for the sinful damaging things that you use to enjoy while living for the sinful flesh.

The danger we face today is the resurgence of another unholy oppressive Christianity without a liberating Christ! The church goer often attends a church trying to believe that they will go to heaven just because they belong to that certain more righteous church, or because they give money to gain the acceptance of the leaders. But take into account this was the similar condition of the church throughout the dark ages as covered earlier, and how sad it is when people barely know their Bibles and theology in its current developed state.  Many ‘believers’ often do little to obey Jesus serving as He did to proclaim to everyone the good news of God’s purifying holy love and salvation that comes ‘only’ through Jesus.  

8. Also, notice that the holiness church went through a phase (some are still stuck there) of defining what is holy and acceptable and what is not in the way of behavior, and this led to an extremist application of ‘dos and don’ts’. Certain ‘more holier than thou’ churches even declared that music played by bands in the church must be of Satan as people in the world dance, drink, and get crazy while hearing music. Imagine, this led to certain denominations making a rule of ‘no musical instruments’ permitted in the church!? The less extreme at least did allow only a piano, ha! Today, sacred dance, women preachers, and many things are prohibited by certain major denominations. So why does this happen? Holiness can be liberating, or it can be oppressive depending on whether the leaders are led by the spirit or led by the letter of the law. This narrows down to what theology is practiced.

So the problem is some Christian leaders of certain theologies keep getting doctrinally confused as to how they should enforce Christians to be acceptable or ‘holy’.  A change of heart must come from the inside, not the outside. True ‘Holiness’ will be a love for God and others so strong that it will produce a clean heart that is liberated, joyful, and compassionate.

9. I am glad the Salvation Army from the beginning believed in music bands, dancing with tambourines (which in the 1800’s mostly shunned gypsies played?!), and converting bars into places of worship! It is known some Salvation Army tunes were even copied from pub drinking songs with Christian words added! I am glad there were no strict copywrite laws back then!

So church history reveals much about God’s people, how they can be oppressive and abusive, or liberating and compassionate depending on whose theology they follow. It is as it was in the early church. 1 Corinthians 3:3-4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? It is a shame so many denominations and theologies divide us as Christians, and it is all because some are not up to date in their practice of a more complete and developed theology. It is also because Christians, despite having a vast wealth of historical knowledge available, are unwilling to read about it to learn a higher theological comprehension. 

Holiness in the end, is the love of God manifested in tangible acts! So how are you and I going to transmit that love? By living in a manner that reflects this pure liberating holiness doctrine of love, serving in order to have opportunity to win others with salvation! Have you been guilty of being a self-righteous, condemning, law enforcing controlling hypocrite practicing ungodly antiquated oppressive church doctrines?  Repent, let the Holy Spirit clean your heart right now, and ask God to help you to radically change so you love others into God’s kingdom! The more holy you are, the more Jesus conduct will be seen in you! 

Childlike People Love & Are Loved by God

Childlike People Love & Are Loved by God     Kelly Durant

Eph 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

Matt 18:4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

2. February is the month of love, and we are going to get up and hug each other right now!(pause) And here with Cubans and Latinos we can even give the ‘holy kiss’ on the cheek too! Romans 16:16 Greet one another with a holy kiss... (I Cor. 16:20, 2 Cor. 13:12, I Tess. 5:26) Four times we are commanded in the New Testament to kiss one another! And it is sad how some cultures don’t practice that greeting. I learned it is taboo for a Korean (along with several other cultures) to touch another when they greet! In essence I feel a bump on the cheek is a humble acceptance granting permission another person to be up close to your vulnerable face: I think it makes one feel loved, and accepted to be in your space, how about you?

How many of you get up in the morning, pray, and say, ‘Good morning’ to Jesus, your family, or dog, and then after that you feel a warmth that God’s love is in your life because he gave you another day to live? It is so hard to describe God’s love and mercy, right? It is more than a feeling. It is a faith and trust that His Holy Spirit is keeping you secure, peaceful, pure and holy, and keeping you energized with love to keep advancing in the fight of life!

Never forget your mission in life: it is to love! The greatest command is to what? Matt 22:37 Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” So, love is what we are commanded to do above all things, but who really does it all the way as God does it?

3. So how can you and I learn about love the way Jesus taught? Imagine Jesus right now with a child in his arms? That is beautiful, right? Now imagine that that child is you! That really would be amazing, right?

Jesus had a child in his arms when he said: 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus created you and all things with God, and He loves you! God loves us best when we let ourselves be like a child and that means to soften up your hardened grown-up nature. What is it that happens to us as adults that we develop all these bad and ugly attitudes to the point no one can hug us and love us like a little child anymore?

What is it about children that we love? They are innocent and sweet. They also are humble and simple and even can be funny. Jesus states that we are to humble ourselves as a child? What does He mean by that? How do you and I become humble as a child when it seems impossible to turn back the hands of time?

A child is humble due to the fact that he or she respects and obeys the parents, who are the authority over him or her. A child just submits and accepts His father’s word and will. A child is a humble because he has faith to believe all that you teach him, and he will believe you instantly, which is faith. A child will be affectionate. Also, a child will also speak the blunt truth, something that most adults are too embarrassed and proud to do.

4. Let’s reflect deeper on Jesus statement. A child is humble because he is meek and un-ambitious to control others. A child usually has no worries about their image, until later society teaches them the hypocritical values of who is pretty and who is ugly, of who is rich and who is poor. A child has no false pride or a desire for power, and especially that was true in the Jewish society in Jesus day, remaining this way in most cultures today.

How are healthy normal children? They are usually playful, laugh, have fun, and they are by nature loving and forgiving.  So what do you need to work on if you’re going to become humble like a child?

It means you must force oneself to be more innocent, loving, and happy. It means you and I will be obedient to God, not proud, but simple to accept the unconditional love of God without question and spread it around to others.

5. Do you recall another statement Jesus made about children? One verse before the one of study today. Matt 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. So being humble and being like a child determines if you will go to heaven or hell! That is very serious!

God is love and is as meek and humble as a child, so the elimination of pride along with innocent belief go hand in hand for salvation!

Try to strive to be humble and childlike in your Christian walk and see what happens. The simple and sweet people seem to easily connect with my wife and I and we all get along well. But the only problem is when we encounter arrogant people. Even some so called Christians can be arrogant. They seem to interpret our meekness as implying we are simpletons or ignorant for being so nice loving the simple people. And sometimes you and I must hide our real nature acting harmless as doves, knowing inside that we are being wise as a snake in order to deal with the vicious poisonous pride of another person who may be challenging you.

 

Many people Regina and I meet have had hard lives, we feel the pain in their stories, and often I just want to hug them and tell them, Jesus is going to heal you with faith; it is going to get better! Compassion and love for another will move you. Real love in your heart begins with Jesus. But do you or I even get that chance? Not often enough! Pride, disbelief, and sin are walls that people build up around their selves to protect their damaged hearts. How sad it is when a person will not allow in an innocent childlike love!

6. Some people can be described as turtles that retract into their hard shell when they meet someone who is getting too loving, personal, and too close! They will not let you love them with a prayer and a hug because their pride gets in the way! They do not want to allow you to see their fears and worries.

Here is the mission you and I have: God wants to love everyone through you and me! We can do our part but the other person must be willing to be humble to receive it! You and I and you must go the extra mile and love all people despite how unloving they may be. We must model love and humility first! Prostitutes, drug addicts, and everyone no matter who need love but often they only get criticism from those who do not love as Jesus enough.

Jesus wants everyone to start life over by being like a child and even being reborn as a baby. He said we must be “Born again”, meaning one must make one’s spirit as clean and blank as a new baby or child! A child learns everything from the beginning; now that is humility! Read John 3:3

7. Jesus command that you and I must go preach the gospel to every creature (Mk 16:15) is humbling and actually very few of His Christian followers ever obey this to the full. I want to confess I felt like a baby or a child when I could not even speak a word of Spanish or Portuguese out on the mission field. I had to pass dozens of moments of embarrassment every day babbling like an idiot just to communicate.

I know what it is like to feel like you are a child, and many of you here do too, having to learn to talk all over again. I was determined to be able to learn to speak so well I could share the Bible with anyone and get them saved and to get them to be a disciple of Jesus Christ our Lord! And later I even had to learn sign language to talk with deaf people! Why don’t you try being deaf sometime and not use your mouth and see if you can get others to understand complex abstract parables. The Lord answered my desire to learn, as is in the promises of His Word. Ps 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Love for what you do will bring success!

People are not always kind when you tell them about Jesus. One thing that came to my mind over and over back then was that I needed to have enough love for the people that I possessed the quality of longsuffering as mentioned in Eph 4:2. “Love suffers long”. Love, I have learned, is not just good vibes and passion of the flesh as our culture often defines it, but rather love is an enduring quality that is willing to suffer in its process of doing good. Love means you are willing to be remade into God’s imagine being like a little child.

8. God can make you humble like a child, if you ask Him to! Have you ever asked Him for that? Everyone has to become as a child in their faith and walk with God or they are useless to love anyone! Children want love and children give love, so it is best you and I get started today before your heart gets hard as a stone! Claim this promise…

Ezekiel 11:19 “Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh”. I feel a pain and sadness for people who need love with a cold heart and love should you feel their pain too. Some of you here in the Corps need more love! Is this not a true statement?  

Do you know how it is with pastors and spiritual people that God gives gifts to? You have a spiritual gift, what is it? Often those with the gift of discernment see many things that are inside of others just by looking in their eyes. We want to help but often we do not get the chance to pray and communicate more about it because they avoid us because they perceive we know. The bottom line is you and I must be more loving and sensitive to everyone so we can give love to even the most hurting and undesirable person. 

9. Just a reminder, no one, not me or my wife are supernatural and there are times we miss perceiving you or someone’s needs for attention and love. But consider that Jesus expects you and me to swallow our pride and speak up when we have a need. We must tell God and others. He expects you to pray and talk to him and share with your Christian brothers. Remember how children have few inhibitions to cry out when they need you. 

Ask yourself, am I proud, self-sufficient, and hurting inside and hiding my pain like the turtle in his shell? The greatest mission we all have is to be like Jesus! How was Jesus again? He was pure love, pure communication to heal the pain of those who would let Him. We strive for this pure state of being humble and simple because God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.

There are suffering people that you and I know who have not yet discovered the joy of releasing it all to God being humble and feeling the arms of Jesus around them being loved as if they were a child!

10. Jesus is expecting you to over and over be like a little child, and in learning lessons of love this month, the love of a parents and children is one of the purest forms of love. When you learn a submissive love, a submission to your Father God only then you will be able to understand and practice a deeper love with others. Love is a bond made by faithfulness and kindness to another. Real love begins at a humble vulnerable point like a child growing up and then it develops into maturity to care for another. Are you striving to be as loving as Jesus? Decide today to be great in the kingdom of God by loving God and others!

The challenge today: to love more! Love is everything! Every person we win to the Lord is like a new born child into His kingdom. In the church when you make friends with a new person, I want you to adopt then as if they were your own child! Everyone should have children in their lives, especially spiritual children that they (you) are discipling for Jesus.  

So the greatest thing God wants from you is lovingkindness (which is pure holiness)loving Him and others. It starts with humbleness. God renews all hearts with love! What does a revived heart look like? It is a vibrant one, loving to all with not prejudgments, full of life and spirit, and overflowing with love for God and all people! Ask God for the heart of a child before it is too late! 

In The World of No Love: Love!!

In The World of No Love: Love!!                                     Kelly Durant

I Cor.13:4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

2. How many of you recall in your growing years falling down playing basketball, soccer, or having some accident and you got really hurt but no one was compassionate enough to come to your rescue? The others yelled at you, “Hey, get up crybaby and keep going!”, but what do you do when the pain is so sever you actually are paralyzed? We are reminded in many ways we live in an unloving, uncaring world full of indifferent people every day!

After you catch your breath you sit it out for a while and think about how you felt abandoned for a moment, how the game just kept on going without you, of how you really were of no concern to anyone as the game in the midst of the war battle was more important than you or your life and your pain. How do you respond to the “no one cares for me” reality as you experience pain in your life’s events? Humanity exalts ‘the systems’ of their inventions above life, while God loves His living creatures above all and not even a sparrow falls without him knowing! Matt10:29 He even knows how many hairs you have!

The good news is Jesus cares and you can feel the Holy Spirit inside you when you ask for it! The good thing as well is, our bodies usually do heal and they hurt a week or a few months but then get mended. You put ice on the bruised leg, but what can you put on the heart when it gets hurt? Who around you will take time with you to listen to you to love you authentically giving you hope to heal?

3. Many pains and cuts leave a scar and you and I are reminded of the pain until death what happened. But what about the scars on the mind and soul? What do minds and hearts look like with scar tissue? We know. We see the behavior of the wounded everywhere! Now focus on yourself, can you identify your past or present pains, disappointments, and moments of abandonment with no love? Many people are blind to them! When was your wake-up call that you live in a world with no love? The worst pain of all in life is the one of realizing that you are not really being loved by someone you counted on! There is the what was done to you factor, but what are you doing?  How much love do you give anyway? You know how reaping works, to get love, you must sew and give love.

So when was the first time you felt unloved? I bet many of you who are Christian cannot even recall that well because God has healed you of that pain! But I can tell you this by experience, I am sure many of you felt deep hurt after you had loved, sacrificed, and given your max to someone close and then you woke up one day to see that this person(s) did not appreciate and love you back in return. Jesus said, Matthew 10:36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ That is the pain God feels: He gave His Son to die for us and a vast majority of his created humanity are prideful, unthankful, and unresponsive to His great love!

To appreciate love, God made it so that you and I have to experience this unloving world full of no love! God’s love is an oasis in this world’s horrid desert! It was not God’s original plan to have to allow people to learn this painful lesson of being rejected and unloved (as Jesus was), but this is the predicament our past forefathers put us in, and we cannot change the people of the world’s past sinful destructive practices. Only with the love of Jesus can we change our present! What we can change in the world is those around us and our own heart and mind with the Holy Spirit and with Jesus reshaping our thoughts, character, and actions as He heals our pains with love.

4. I just spent a week in Bolivia last week and I was reminded by my sister-in-law something I said when I left back in 1981. I told her after 3 and a half years there I was done with the unreceptive people of Bolivia! But I actually went back to stay another 3 and half more but in La Paz! I was angry and disappointed then that few people would convert to become true Christians instead of being Christians in name only. The only real disciple converts I got from Bolivia was my wife (and kids!)  But there also was my sweet sister-in-law who still brings tears to my eyes when I remember how she tried her best to grow and read the Bible. She did grow spiritually and progressed materially as well but now she tells me she has a broken heart like mine, sad that very few convert to authentically love and serve God. There are a few others in my wife’s family on fire for God though, and I got filled with hope from them! God’s love is alive around the world despite the selfish survival mode people live contributing to this world with ‘no love’.

I identified then, and still do now, to Jesus words, Matthew 11:16 “But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, 17 and saying: ‘We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.” As a missionary I used to give out gospel tracks in the markets, I use to play guitar and sing songs to the market venders and to people in the jails, hospitals, and orphanages. I loved the smiles on the children’s faces and that was a special time in my life. But deep inside I was heart-broken and frustrated that little love for God was returned, few chose to serve Him, but only a little repentance took place. What stubbornness!  I have often felt like Jerimiah who preached for many years and no one repented!

Many people I met were content to excuse their sinful life of excessive partying, adulterous affairs, binge drinking, coca use, extreme greed and arrogance, and the continual excuse that they did not need to know God any deeper because they believed in their own way or went to church (which was usually only once a year!) So where was the all so powerful dominating church in correcting the unloving destructive ways of these resistant people? Imagine Bolivia: it is as most of the world. It has high poverty, crime, and families divided and destroyed, and no one seems to care?! Where is the love? Where is the disappearing love in this country too? No love means no respect or values, ‘no love’ means hell on earth!

5. The message I had for Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and have for Hialeah, Florida today is what works, 4: “Love suffers long and is kind,” I can tell you now I have meet too many people who are not kind to their neighbors and their own family members, and this lack of love has created deep scars and pain! It is a global epidemic!

But because I love God, I make myself be kind anyway! I have suffered greatly by the indifference and rudeness of others and only because I love God, pray and read every day, have I been able to remain kind through it all! For one, everyone has to at some point forgive offenses. Jesus taught us to pray that in the Lord’s prayer: to forgive offenses! I can’t say to anyone anymore as I did before serving God, “Hey, You go to hell!” With God’s love I humble myself and control my anger and say, “Hey, how would you like to go to heaven? Do you know Jesus?”

How tragic in life that many people usually do not see their own unkindness and sin: that they are not reaping love and kindness from others in this moment in time because they have not sewn love and kindness in the past. Basically the ignorance of not knowing and loving God and being kind is killing their ability to ever obtain love and have peace!

6. Have you noticed that politicians gain power from the people claiming that the financial divide of rich and poor is over race and the privilege of some (which they will fix of course.. yeah right, they haven’t yet!) These deceptive words are nothing but propaganda to feed the monster of the inner demons of envy and hate. Carnality and anger are opposite the spectrum of love’s values.

Vs.4:”Love envies not”, who is mature enough to not have envy? The anger between the haves and have nots is very real everywhere. Friends and families divide over who makes more money and who does not. Envy is manifested in political choices with the hope of gaining more from the haves. Some gain for a while, some lose due to poor choices, and this is just life. But to live with envy will kill you! Satan uses human weaknesses to achieve more control and destruction!  

Often when kindness, generosity, and love is shown to a person who is contaminated by this unloving world full of greed and envy one finds that they interpret the gift as indebtedness and dumbness on your part. The factor is, what have you done with your life in the way of being wise, prudent, and blessed by God? Some people refuse to accept that another has gained more than them by merit with God! Envious people are continuous complainers that have not learned the value of loving, of even loving your enemies. How sad and bitter are many.

7. “Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;”. This part refers to remaining humble even though you may be a loving, blessed by God person. This unloving world is made up of pride and most of the time people parade their good deeds only for shallow praise from others. Self-praise is arrogance, that ‘I am’ so good.

Love given to a person who does not have a heart like Christ’s can become an ego-centric thing.  Haven’t you always hated it when someone you know met a famous singer or actor and they were treated indifferently and rudely by them when they said, “Hi”? Be careful who you love! Even though many people may love a certain famous singer, politician, or person, this does not mean that they will get love back from them, or that this vain one will give love to anyone!

Also love, 5 “does not behave rudely,” The world is becoming more and more rude, have you noticed? Matt. 24:12 “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold”. It is up to us to keep on showing love despite the increasing lack of love and rudeness everywhere. Fight rudeness with kindness!

8. And finally we have 3 commands, 5,”does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;” Those who love with God’s love should never do anything with self-interest, that is to seek their own gain in something. Love just loves no matter what may come back or what may not come back.

Love ‘is not provoked’ implies that you do not make a big deal out of how offended you are over stupid words or unkind actions. If you have love, you will just let it go, but in some cases you may need to stand up to defend a Godly cause. It basically means you are not a sensitive crybaby making a mountain out a mole hill but have enough maturity to not let your angry emotions take over your actions. There are too many in this world who immediately allow their emotions to govern their actions!  Be controlled by God’s spirit of love instead!

‘Thinking no evil’ implies not seeking revenge on those who have wronged you or not loved you as you expected. We should never desire evil to happen to anyone! To the contrary, however, do not allow yourself to be abused over and over by someone! You must love yourself too, and if someone is harming you so much you are thinking evil like in dreaming of killing them, then you have to repent, give it all to God, and get as far away as possible from that person with ‘no love’!

9. Today I am challenging you to mature in love! When a person gets authentically full of God’s love they will become so loving, so dedicated to others, so kind and forgiving, and so selfless that the only thing they can see their self doing in this life is serving God!

I feel so sorry for so many people I meet in life! I can tell by their words and by their faces that they have never felt the intense amazing love of God deep inside! The fact is few people repent and give up their sins! Each person decides to accept God’s transforming love or not. God’s love in one’s spirit is best described (my opinion) as a person crazy in love or high on drugs! Remember how the town’s people thought God’s people were a bit too happy and crazy as in Acts 2: 15 “For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.” It was the Holy Spirit giving them the power of love to preach the Good News to all the different races and people.

The first disciples filled the ancient cities that had a ‘no love’ religion,  with love. Millions of Salvationist Soldiers and Christians worldwide keep spreading this same overwhelming emotional amazing love throughout the world! You and I have the task of filling the world void of love with love! Love is supernatural and will cause you to live by the I Corinthians 13 values we covered today. Do you feel called to love God more, even to the point to serve Him full time? Love heals scars and pains! Come now and pray! 

Culture Shifts: Good vs Evil

Culture Shifts: Good vs Evil                                                  Kelly Durant

I Corinthians1:22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks[b] foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

2. Today is Cultural Day celebrated by the Salvation Army in the Southern Territory! Here in Hialeah we are authentically culturally diverse with people from over 10 nations in our midst! We are atypical! The typical with most churches is they are predominately 90% white, black, Latino, or something else! Church, across the nation, is the most segregated day of the week! But you cannot stop people wanting to meet with those with whom they feel comfortable.  It is natural for birds of a feather to flock together but a wealth of knowledge can be gained from mixing with those different from you and even better is living years immersed in another culture.  I feel privileged by God to have gained 14 years of wealth in South America in 5 different countries that are not similar in culture, music, food, or political pasts.

Cultural events are an opportunity to get to know people from other experiences in life other than yours. I grew up in your typical mid-west American setting where 90% are white and I only met a foreigner, a Chilean, for the first time when my best friend had an exchange student live in his house.  We experienced many funny situations because Fernando arrived not knowing any English and everyone had a laugh and a hard time communicating with him in the beginning. Many youth today go to schools surrounded by hundreds of others who are different and from other countries. But different is often either accepted and embraced or protested and mocked. Reality checks need to be done on the motives of either. Movies influence attitudes.

Have you ever noticed how jokes about another culture shape how many people may view that other culture? When I was young people use to tell Pollock jokes; How many Pollocks do you need to change a lightbulb?  Five, 1 to hold the bulb and 4 to spin the ladder! The impression I had a long time ago I recall was that they must be pretty dumb, but I have read articles on the intelligence of different nations and they actually rate quite high in intelligence. Read about their fight for solidarity! One deduction I make concerning these jokes is that those of another culture concocted these jokes to counter the influence of them and to diminish their influence as immigrants.

3. Today I want you to think about how you see other cultures, how others see your culture, and then determine what you think God’s view is concerning your culture. How is your culture influencing you for good or for bad? Are you aware of the strengths and weaknesses, the historical and current influences which overtly or subliminally influence and control your decisions, habits, and attitudes? How Biblical is your personal culture? To be counter-culture is often a positive, have you ever thought of that?

Today we are extrapolating the implications of the cultures using the example of what Paul said from his time: “For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks[b] foolishness”,

Basically, the attitudes from his time still remain today! Paul was criticizing his own race! Paul really rips his people in the book of Romans Today the people of the humanist secular type mentality who are resistant to the things of the spirit and the miraculous and think of themselves as logical and scientific, are basically the same as the Jews who wanted a sign to believe. We might compare this mentality to certain liberal European or communist influenced cultures. There have been and there will always be people who are doubtful, unbelieving, unspiritual, and unwilling to accept that more realities exist in the world than what their limited experiences offer them as a reference. In other words, these types of people thinking they are smarter than those who believe in signs are actually more ignorant and they are “fools”.  Faith is a real quality whether it is backed up by a sign or not!

4. The Jews, and all cultures around Jesus in his time, were given many miraculous signs of healings, demon liberations, and even the one of the raising of the dead (Lazarus). But the sign that Jesus came out of the grave is the one that is most important to proclaim to all! If a person will not accept this amazing feat by the Son of God, then they by their unbelief cannot be saved into eternity. If you doubt that Jesus holds the keys to life hereafter, then God honors your choice; the hereafter and resurrection will simply not be there for you after you die. You chose, but..

Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”.

Anyone from any culture must become as a child to believe. It is God’s test. It was God’s test for the Jews and still is for all cultures.  Faith is not seeing to believe, faith is believing and then you will see, or I should say you will have no more doubts of the unexplainable of God because God will reveal Himself in small but noticeable ways to you through the Holy Spirit.

5. It is carnal and prideful to want a sign from God, but many people want one. I even asked God for a sign to know if I should serve Him or not (but I did already believe) and soon afterwards I dreamed a few very vivid dreams confirming God was perusing me and that I needed to escape with my life away from the selfish self-absorbed culture in my day. This is one reason, along with being convicted by the Word of God that I chose to serve Him as a young man at age 21. So God will even show you or me signs, but it is usually not through miraculous signs but through the witness of people with whom He makes us cross paths with. The gospel of Jesus is preached everywhere and multitudes of people everywhere get a chance to hear, believe, and follow, or to reject and mock. But you and I must be a messenger of God’s love! Acts 2:17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.

What is my culture? Now it is just Christian! But growing up American for me in the 1960s meant I had been exposed to a country in turmoil that had a problem respecting blacks and minorities. It meant I learned that the youth should protest against a corrupt system when it creates wars only for certain politicians to get rich. It meant that I knew I was privileged as a middle class person to be able to work and be a little wealthier than most of the majority poor in other nations.  It also meant that I was exposed to powerful loud music, psychedelic drugs, the supernatural beliefs of the Irish, of Native Americans, and of Hinduism. I also had friends of friends who read Ouija boards and followed the Satanic Bible. Good and evil is in abundance in this American culture! I don’t know about you but right now I hate seeing evil growing like weeds overtaking the beauty of the good fruit that could exist in this developed society. We are in a cultural war of good versus evil and we must fight and defend what is Biblical, righteous, and pure or we are failing God and allowing corruption and hell to take over.

I do thank God for the good within this technologically advanced culture.  The predominating American culture of the 1960s meant that people in society were very Biblically literate and God-fearing and most everyone was honest, hard-working, loving and Christian.  Communities were safer, people gave their word and trust was given, few divorces existed, and no one locked the doors to their houses or cars. I miss those days! Christians have failed to fight evil!

6. Cultures shift. The U.S is not what it was. Also, no longer is Cuba the richest happiest island of the Caribbean either. Stale despotic politics leading to poverty and hunger has killed the joy of these formerly highly educated and culturally wealthy people. Extreme corruption is affecting almost every nation today! Google it, you find that India, Mexico, Russia, all Muslim countries, and now even the U.S. is seen as one of the worst! 75% of Americans agree that the current corruption is at its worst and is out of hand!  (by Steve Forbes, a well-respected news outlet) https://www.facebook.com/SteveForbesCEO/photos/a.433882903357704.102553.372261619519833/982226698523319/?type=3&theater   

What happened to the Greeks, mentioned in verse 22? They dominated the world for a time, they brought in enough peacetime that the old men had enough leisure time talk all day and philosophize and write down interesting things such as what we read from Homer, Plato, Socrates, and the rest. They might have been a great culture before, but they degenerated. They became so proud they could not listen to anyone else’s wisdom so they became fools.

Think about what we know now, of all the Greek mythological stories of gods with winged shoes, and others with lightning bolts, and yet they considered that wisdom.  Some of their philosophical deductions and mathematics are quite amazing when you consider the framework of the culture in which they lived. In their society you thanked God you were not born a slave, nor born as a woman! You would think they would have embraced the account of Jesus crucified and then resurrected (which is less far-fetched than their stories) but no, they were too proud of being who they were, and their culture of stubbornness made them become an old bunch of bankrupted degenerated fools who rejected God’s truth and they have not even recovered even until this day! What a humiliation despite trying to be right with God through their own form of Christian Greek Orthodoxy. Things just always had to be their way.

7. So if cultures rise and develop, and then degenerate and fall, what are we to conclude looking at history? In the past 2,000 years the nations that have been the most Christian have prevailed! Did God allow the U.S. to defeat the empires of Japan and Germany? I think so, but only because people were repentant and praying desperately for the mega murderous Satanic evils to be defeated! In the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s, the U.S. had a more Godly culture and young people donated their time to the churches. Today young people arriving from Cuba, or even those born in the U.S.A. do not give time to the church because that culture is lost. Don’t forget Miami ranks at the bottom, #51, in volunteering in churches or for the community. Miami with a small Jesus culture has a majority culture of vanity and selfishness. Goodness and Godliness in cultures must be maintained and fought for or evil men take over! The evil kings of Judah cost all the people in the Hebrew nations to lose their freedom many times over. Christian leadership is absolutely essential for the light to overpower the darkness!

When it comes to culture, we must always evaluate what is good and what is evil. Here is the problem, we have people calling the good evil and the evil good. Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

You can see the Hebrews did a cultural shift back in Isaiah’s’ time and what happened? Their idolatries, pride, and sins overtook them to the point that God allowed them to become overtaken, humiliated, and made slaves to another pagan nation. This is the cycle of the rise and fall of nations that is all based around culture, whether the culture is worshipping, honoring, and obeying God persistently or not. Don’t blame God for the fall one day if you don’t fight for Godly values to be conserved in your city.  

8. All cultures offer good and evil so how can you discern what is what if you grow up in just one and do not have anything to compare it with? The less there is of God the more the ignorance. Can you see the point of why everyone needs to mix with other cultures to discover how others do things? It is really frustrating to see certain closed cultures lose out by always relying on their own ways and people while living in another country, trying to live as they did back home in the new land instead of trying new ways appreciating a new culture.

Christians have their own culture as well, depending on the denomination. People who attend a church usually have a community experience of worship, Bible study, camps, meals, and fun with people which they normally would never mix with. Rich and poor, white, black, and brown often mix together and everyone enjoys one another because we are all of the same blood, the blood of Jesus. Only Jesus can unite cultures, and the church is the last resort for racial healing! Jesus brought us the culture of the kingdom of God which is one of love and it must preside over all! Col. 2:6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

But be careful with the Christian culture you associate with! Some churches are stuck on philosophies, or on ancient irrelative traditions, or on doctrines proven to be erroneous, and on their own self-righteous stubbornness thinking that only they are the chosen ones going to heaven. Sadly, many Christian churches are essentially useless to Jesus’ cause and mission of loving people into God’s kingdom because they have accommodated the modern day cultural shifts degenerating their mission. Cultures are always remaking their selves and you must ask the question, how are we as a collective group changing and shifting? Where will it lead to, and is God in it? Again, do you really see your culture as God sees it?

9. The Salvation Army has its own culture as well but it has adapted to the cultures of 130 countries! What is the main theme of our culture? It is holiness, service, compassion, and love! Serving others in the name of Jesus! For me, no matter how long a Captain or Major has been commissioned if there is not a spirit of holiness, service, compassion, and love in them then they have shifted away from the original culture of being what a true Salvationist is! May God help you and me to never shift away from this legacy because it is what the true kingdom of God is made of: It is in doing as Jesus did! And we always say, Do something!”

Diverse music, marching bands, camps, clubs, shelters, rehab centers, all of these things make up our culture and you can be proud of it for enduring 151 years. Past great great-grandfathers at a great sacrifice built these operations and today people called by God maintain them all in action all with the motive to win souls to Jesus. You as Soldiers are the front lines keeping our Corps in order, inspiring, and alive with programs, mission, and effectiveness.

So, no matter your race or culture, Jew or Greek, Cuban, Nicaraguan, Colombian, or North- American, you can have the culture of Jesus in your life superseding the surrounding culture you live in now or the one of your past upbringing. Don’t seek signs or worldly wisdom from the so called halls of higher learning of any culture. Accept the good and eschew the evil of all cultures being aware of what is what in each of them. The reward for you will be: “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” in you!

Prophecy, Nuclear Signs, and 2016

Prophecy and 2016                                                                Capt. Kelly Durant 1-10-16

Matthew 24: 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. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

2. Do you want to know my future predictions for 2016? One, I predict that many so called self-ordained “prophets” will predict that the end will arrive in 2016! One reason is because 2+0+1+6=9 so it must be a bad omen since 9 is a mysterious number! (Do you see how people can invent anything?)  And the passing of planet X (Nibiru) near earth must mean that the anti-Christ will come to power! Have you heard of that and other strange predictions already?

Well, I predict that everyone of us will get older this year… (ha!) so that this means that Jesus return is closer than it was before, thank God! But in the meantime it is no laughing matter how we as true sensitive compassionate Christians with alert minds, worn out bodies, and perturbed spirts ache due to all the pain we see the world in! So much deception, poverty, and murder! The suffering is as Jesus described as ‘birth pangs’ that get more and more frequent!

 

Well, you know enough Bible by now, due to the great Bible teachers we have around here, to know that I and no one is qualified to add anything to what we already know from Jesus predictions and revelations! If you or I put an exact timeframe on predictions then we become as a false prophet because… Matt 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But many have tried, and nothing has happened yet!

3. In the Salvation Army colleges no one is taught to adhere to any certain interpretation of the signs of the endtime. Take into account most denominations are not totally clear on “how to” interpret certain events so I think it is wise to read all the current accepted interpretations in the Christian community so come what may, one is at least informed as much as possible. We need to know as much as possible so you and I can preach this gospel prophesy from Jesus to warn others so their souls can be saved. The end of man is not good, but Jesus has a place He is preparing for us in heaven! As the prophecies happen, God will reveal more truth so we know.

In William Booth’s day many thought that the 1900’s with the sudden futuristic leap in progress of the industrial age, with all the new technology of railroads and factories, for sure meant that man had reached a new progressive plateau. People over one hundred years ago thought that for sure Jesus Kingdom was going to be established on earth then and today we refer to those of this belief as Postmillenialists. I will share with you a definition from Wikipedia on its deeper meaning.

“Postmillenialism was a dominant theological belief among American Protestants who promoted reform movements in the 19th and 20th century such as abolitionism[2] and the Social Gospel.[3] Postmillennialism has become one of the key tenets of a movement known as Christian Reconstructionism. It has been criticized by 20th century religious conservatives as an attempt to Immanentize the eschaton”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmillennialism

4. Contrary to what certain religious groups accept (that Christ returned to earth in the 1900’s and we ignorant people just don’t see Him because it was a spiritual, not physical event) I find we should just adhere to what people have accepted for two millennium; that His return will be a major invasion from space! His return will change everything locking in the destiny of souls.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

How and when Jesus return will occur has been the debate for centuries. I look at His return as a merging of our physical world with the spirit world, a combining of our universe with the God’s Kingdom universe in our multiverse universe. Scientists, with their mathematical multiverse theories, prove what we already knew, that several worlds (some say 11, others an infinity) currently coexist at the same time. This collision of universes will bring about an eternal kingdom, which is a variable not well understood in our current temporary existence, but with God, all things are possible!

5.  The end is near but not for any man (woman) to know the day and hour or the exact year for that matter. How many times has the exact year of the predictions of Jesus returning failed already? Probably thousands! Trying to be wise, people become fools!

Despite this clear message by Jesus Christ, many Christians ambitious for undeserved attention, predict times and places of destruction. When they predict, you should reject. I have watched several YOUTUBE videos lately that are very convincing that the soon to come nuclear war will hasten the return of Jesus and these wars may even start by April of this year! Just thank God today no nuclear war began, and we must choose to live day to day praying for peace!  

Apart from timeframes, many evangelical groups, and even the History Channel predict the places of destruction in the United States. The assumption is we are long overdue a major hit of destruction, so possibly it could even happen this year. Despite blanket forecasts, it is a reality that a volcano such as Krakatoa, a mega 10 earthquake, a comet crash on earth, an economic meltdown, or a possible nuclear war could cause all the world’s systems to collapse and bring about mega destructions as described in Revelation.  Here is verse that confirms the effects of nuclear war. Zechariah 14:12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

6. Why do we hear about impending doom so much? Because the majority of people in the world who do not know Jesus have an appetite for destruction, they even long even for their own destruction! Some people want the glory of bringing down the system as well! Kind of like how Nero celebrated while Rome burned down, the world leaders today are just as despotic as him and currently practically all governing  systems are being hurled into chaos! This recurring theme of destruction affects you and me in one way or another; to either want to be on a more heightened alert and prepared, or to just live in a denial sleep ignoring the spiritual warnings being deadened with prophecy fatigue.  

Concerning what could happen this year people are either more fearful, concerned, and stressed, or more distracted, asleep, or indifferent! We as Christians are to remain prayerful, patient, and encouraging despite the pain and fear we experience empathizing and supporting those who suffer!

Those who want to see mega-destruction and death, who have a Satanic hateful nature, who want to help usher in the apocalypse, having a secret death wish to die and be killed are this way because their sins and guilty conscience haunts them!  Like the serial murderer who the police can’t catch because he hides the evidence too cleverly until finally he wants them to stop him from his own evil so he leaves evidence behind to get caught. Millions of demon possessed psychos want to help usher in the apocalypse hoping this will bring about a higher new world order of peace reducing the population. The problem here is their spirit will remain forever incarcerated in their disturbed hellish destructive state once they die and Jesus returns! A spirit that rejects God’s love and ways is destined to be sent to the jail of hell to contain that evil.

Rev.22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

7. There is heavy persuasion in the Holy Scriptures of the Bible that there will be a nuclear war or a mega destruction of some kind in the Bible. Act 2:19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 2 days Act 2:20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Nuclear power is now in the hands of dictators in unstable nations such as North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan.

It is tragic how there is evidence of a “falling away” from the faith of our Christian fathers. Many people today are a living abomination to God as they are carnal, sick-minded, destructive, prideful irrational sin-justifiers, being worthless consumers, unrepentant, not honoring God and hateful persecuting God’s saints, the Christian people of the world. Why will God judge with wrath? Because men have insulted Him and disrespected the life he created on earth! War is man’s invention due to his sins of greed, hate, prejudice, and lack of obedience to God’s Word! 

8. The reality is this, there is evidence of an ever increasing universal world-wide apostasy.  Godless materialism, prideful humanism, and murderous cult religions seem to be the god of choice lately as people in many nations mock and murder those of faith (in particular the Christian faith) deeming them as fools. They are the real fools accusing us as fools…I Cor. 1:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The good thing is most of you here in this Corps are wide in the things of God and have the Holy Spirit and you have already studied Revelation several times and are aware of the 4 horsemen and of the 3 major events involving the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 vials.

It is conclusive that these coming destructions will occur sometime in the future and they will actually involve 1/3 or the entire world with devastations that have characteristics of some type of mega nuclear destruction.  

9. So do not get disturbed by predictions! All things are on God’s clockwork, so all we can do is warn others hoping they understand God wants to be worshipped, obeyed, and served as the time is short.  It is not our fault Satan wants to destroy it all, the victory is God will save our souls!

So I recommend that you do not trust in books on numerology, individual predictions, alarming scientific statistics,  politically motivated charlatans, and preachers who exclude certain parts of the Bible to make fit prophecies to their likings when they are just carnal men and not worthy of interpreting prophecy! We are going to live with peace in our souls, no matter what may come!

There are more and more false Christs Jesus like warned us about! And all the new radical religious people in the world that demand that you worship their prophet (who is not Jesus) are false prophets as well! Any teaching that distorts, adds to, or takes away from the entire teachings and prophecies of Jesus Christ who sits on the right hand of God, who reigns forever and ever, who will have every knew bow to Him, are heresy and blasphemy! The offense of rejecting God’s son carries a consequence! 

10. The time to study more about the end-times is now! The time to wake people up is now! The time to feel time is short is now! More and more prophecies are coming together to be fulfilled and more and more nations are gaining nuclear power. We know that there will be Satanic despots launching them one day.  

'Joel 2:30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

Come and pray and get serious with God! Don’t think we have 7 more years or 1260 days before Jesus comes as those are markers concerning the ant-Christ, but consider this: When you die, that is when Jesus returns for you! The end of man’s kingdoms will come to an end, but our end may be sooner than the final end. If your end comes soon, you will be blessed because you will escape the tribulations to come! No one is guaranteed tomorrow and men’s hearts will fail for fear! As we continue in in this year, pray for strength from the Holy Spirit, warn others, and live in holiness! Just live ready to go, or ready to stay and serve even if earth becomes hell!

Appreciation: For Jesus and Others Who Honor God!

Appreciation: For God and Others Who Honor God!                                 1-3-16 Kelly Durant

John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Proverbs 21:21 He that follows after righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honor.

2. Do you want to know about the character of a person? Ask yourself, who do they love and appreciate?  Who do they talk about and spend money or time on? Are they the vain type of person that idolizes mere men or women in high places of power? Ask, who are their favorite performers, movie stars, or rich and famous ones they look up too? Or do they (or you) speak of what God is doing in their lives or in the lives of others having their pleasure in those who inspire by praising their good deeds? Who we honor says everything about we are as a person!

Basically, to appreciate is to reciprocate! Appreciation is a reaction, something was done for you, and now you seek to return a favor or gesture to reveal your thankfulness. Often you and I cannot return the same value of what was given but to do something reveals an honorable heart. Friends are often those whom we appreciate most but often you or I do not get a chance to thank them appropriately! Appreciation can be shown in different ways but one must always be a support to the person. This may also include being an imitator or admirer of their goodness. Appreciating a person by sharing with them something of value like a gift is a good thing but simply time spent with someone may reveal that you appreciate their presence and value them as a person. But often people do nothing, and they do not even say, “Thank You!”

Since the year is ending, it is time for an inventory; it is time to do an assessment, who and what do you appreciate in life? Like the old rock song that repeated over and over, “Who do you love?” we need to ask ourselves does our love for someone translate into showing them a meaningful appreciation?

3. Let’s start with priorities, how do you show appreciation to Jesus for His love to you by dying on the cross to give you eternal life? The verse of today are Jesus words, He gives us eternal life and the blessed assurance that no “man” can ever take it away. Eternal life? How amazing! How incredible! Jesus had appreciation for His followers so much so that He granted them ( from the present and the future) life after this life in a perfect utopian heavenly world!

How can you or I ever thank Jesus enough for saving our soul? Eternal life in heaven is something that no amount of money can buy and there is no way to earn it! Eternal life has been the obsession of all cultures since mankind’s inception and is usually the basis for all religions, disciplines, and sacrifices throughout time. Before Jesus, the Hebrews, the Hindus, the Egyptians and all humanity have sought ways to gain eternal life and earn position by purification and respect by following Godly standards (laws) which would carry over in the next life. But mankind’s attempts at being worthy and clean are never enough to gain a purified soul acceptable enough for a Holy God who is the embodiment of pure holiness and love.

So how do you and I show appreciation for eternal life? Are you taking it serious how much God loves you? What can you give back to God? I wrote a song inspired by the words of others about 30 years ago and here is a part of it just for a quick reflection:

The gift of God, is eternal life, but it cost Jesus His, to give it to you,

And it will probably cost you yours, to live it too

You are no fool to give a life you cannot keep

To gain a love you’ll never lose

4. For the gift of eternal life people will do anything! Some religions teach you must earn it by being selfless, sacrificial, ritualistic, and generous to their church, or even live separated from society. Some religions also teach that you must kill others who are unfaithful to God (what they think God wants as described by false prophets) so people will also even commit murder and violence. Until when will this time of horrible radicalism dominate mindsets submitting people to misrepresented idea of god?! The only way to conquer is with Jesus! Violence and the murder of the unfaithful brings no justice to any God or to anyone. It is the system of satan and only serves to satisfy man’s lust for power, wealth by robbery, and sexual domination and it is the total opposite of what we know our God of mercy, compassion, and love to be!

Imagine such a perverted way of thinking that in order to please God, to show God appreciation and in order to gain eternal life with rewards you should murder another human being who does not agree with your god as defined by so called prophets?! John 16:2 (b): “Yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service”. Appreciation and how it should be expressed has always been misguided by those carnal and dead towards God. God sent Jesus as the ultimate example of how we are to live and love. God Jehovah is the only one who taught us how to love through Jesus granting obedient ones eternal life and God will honor them with crowns and rewards in heaven.

5. What I can witness is this, once Jesus really touches your spirit, you will be changed, you will understand that your life is not yours anymore and that you owe Him everything! To show Jesus appreciation I chose as a young man to give up everything to follow Him. I gave up all my possessions, I gave up comfort for poverty in poor nations for 14 years, and I still am giving up all my years in service to Him, I can never pay Jesus back so all I can do is to show Him I love Him by obeying and following Him! Appreciation for Jesus requires being His disciple full of love for everyone, appreciating every soul you meet as a potential future lover of Him!

We know how we all should appreciate God by living for Him worshipping Him, but who should we appreciate in this life? Should not appreciation be shown to those who do the most for God and Jesus? Think about who you know here in the Corps church, about who are obeying the Lord, “serving another in love” as commanded.

Each person according to their talents do what they can for the Lord and sometimes amongst ourselves we are unaware of what the other is doing for God or the Corps because not everyone is here all the time to be informed about who does what. In general you and I should try to not judge who to appreciate more than the other, but instead just take an attitude to appreciate and love everyone that we know are here for God! It is God that keeps a record of words and deeds.

6. Many times others do many good things for the Corps church that you may not be aware of and often these are things you could not do yourself. For example, some people have a talent to raise several hundred dollars every time they go out ringing the bell for the red kettle and others do not. Some others of you can repair broken doors and locks; others can decorate amazingly while others know how to cook and provide great meals for a hundred people. Each person has value, and to appreciate that try switching the tasks and ask the decorators to repair the sound system!? We all must show honor and respect to one another! All have value!

Christmas just passed and in general in the church some people are like the kings who brought gifts to Jesus, compared to those who tithe and give generously, while others, especially in our Salvation Army church, are more like the poor shepherds who were without goods and simply brought Jesus their dedication, honor, and worship.

Someone asked me recently, what did the shepherds give Jesus? (Assuming they gave Him a sheep) The Bible does not record that they gave Jesus a sheep, but they did run to admire and worship him! Maybe they did give Him a sheep, I don’t know, but the important part is they gave Jesus their heart, praise, and worship! That surrendering of the will is what anyone can give and is what God wants! We should not expect people to give what they may or may not be able to give.

7. Do you want to know what has been a hard lesson for me in life? It is to appreciate broken-ness and to just work with broken people! Right now many of our volunteers have had bodily injuries and cannot lift more than 10 pounds, some of them are homeless, some of them are not to solid emotionally but do I reject them? No! I appreciate them! At least they are serving God in some manner as best they can around here. Some Christians are too good and too proud to work with a Motley Crew but not me because I know Jesus disciples were a mess, and I know I am still a work in progress!

In this life our Corps church will never be perfect with perfect people altruistically loving and sacrificing for each other to the level Jesus expects. Some of you sometimes I perceive are not happy with each other and you don’t like the way some show or don’t show appreciation to the Corps church as you think these people are benefiting more than giving and in some cases this may be true.

Like it or not, people always are measuring who does what and they comment about it so try to examine yourself well in what you do for God. But also remember none of you are ever seeing the whole picture of all that goes on behind the scenes. Some people with rough edges that may appear undesirable are actually doing God’s work and going out and visiting the sick and helping the helpless while others stay back and clean, serve food, decorate and repair and even provide a gift for someone in need without call attention to it.

8. Concerning the things of God, you and I should concern ourselves with own ourselves first, so ask yourself, do I actually give enough to God as He wants to my Corps, family and friends? Do I do all of what God expects of me? Do I show the appropriate amount of appreciation to God and others? Do I, as in the Proverb of today, concern myself to be full of “righteousness and mercy” which invokes life and honor?

The reality is everyone should take conviction to be more appreciative to Jesus, to their brothers and sisters, and to their Corps church which should shine like a light in the community with evidence of the love a God present in each person. In order to please God we must appreciate every act of kindness, appreciate every visitor, and appreciate and love each other!

There are different types of appreciation. You may appreciate a person who feeds you once, but what about someone who over a course of more than a decade has fed you hundreds of times? Now that is where a deeper appreciation takes place! It is obvious some of the people of this Corps have provided service, food, and acts of kindness for the people of this Corps and for those of the community a few hundred times. Now that is truly worthy to be admired and appreciated on a deeper level! Each one of us will reap what we sew!

9. As human beings and animals of habit we often take for granted the good that others do for us through the church or on their own and sadly we later only take notice of it once it is gone! It is sad reality that ‘you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone’? We should all wake up and notice all the good that each person does, whether they be a driver who picks up people on Sundays, or whether they be a cook in the kitchen, or a Bible teacher who brings clarity to God’s word.

                                                                                                            

But just how missed will you be when gone? We lost several people last year and we all can go with the Lord at any time! Are you someone who did things for God and others, or someone who expected others to do for you? Will they say of you that you were you a faithful servant, faithful in the little things so the Lord appoints you worthy to be in charge of the more glorious bigger things in His Kingdom?

My grandmother use to say some people would not do things neither for love or money, and it is true people are motivated or not motivated to do things as it affects their personal gain but with God things works to the contrary. You are expected to love, give, and serve expecting nothing in return! But the reality is, however, that by being obedient to Jesus, sacrificial, and generous you gain things that money can’t buy such as honor, respect, righteousness, and love! And most importantly, Jesus will grant you eternal life and rewards in heaven!

This year Jesus wants your appreciation to Him to go to a higher more dedicated level so let’s ask God to forgive our past failures and ask Him to give us a love and appreciation for Him so deep that it will sustain you and me to do greater things for Him, for our brothers and sisters, the Salvation Army Corps, and for all others out there in the community!