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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Struggling with the Do-Do's!


It has been well over two years since my wife and I regularly attended a physical church. We left the church because we were asked to leave following some pretty harsh debates surrounding the New Covenant. We wrangled over the traditional use of 1 John 1:9 and the churches position in teaching the necessity of asking God for ongoing forgiveness. We argued over mixing the Old and the New Covenant saying that we should not be teaching people to work to please God through keeping the 10 commandments. That God's desire is in fact that we would literally die to the law so that we could truly draw near to Him unhindered by the accusation of sin. And finally, the argument of all arguments; we refused to agree that we could disagree regarding whether or not God's promise of salvation was final, and yet still remain in fellowship one with another. However, in the end, like I said, we were asked to leave. Followed of course by some good old fashioned character assassination and the accusation of heresy. Believe me, we were more than willing to comply! Hence my struggle with the do-do's.

Though it's been over two years since my departure from the physical church, I still find myself mis-applying God's word in my own life. Allowing myself to be drug back under law, chained to destructive and condemning thought patterns that suggest I am not doing my part by actually forsaking the assembling of myself together with the saints. This is when I have to stop and do some serious preaching to myself. The following is an example of that preaching:

True fellowship is only possible when the life, death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is alive through the spirit in those you are attempting to have fellowship with. The apostle Paul makes this very clear in 1 Cor. 1:4-10 which states: I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you are enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement. 

There are several key points here surrounding the issue of true fellowship. #1 - It is established by the grace of God and is given to us through Christ Himself. #2 - It is enriched by Him through the power of the Holy Spirit in all utterance and knowledge, confirming the testimony of Christ in us. And finally, it is God's faithful expression of Himself in us by whom we were called into the fellowship of His Son. It is from this position that Paul pleads with the Corinthian brethren in the name of the Lord Jesus, instructing them to speak the same thing; admonishing them that it's completely possible to be perfectly joined together having the same mind, so long as their fellowship remains spiritually rooted and grounded in the testimony of Christ. Notice he said perfectly joined together! Which of course means, contrary to popular belief that this is entirely possible. The apostle John explains it this way in 1 John 1:3: Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. The point I am trying to make is this: My wife and I were rarely in true fellowship when we were in the physical church. Rather what we were experiencing were foolish disputes and strivings about the law. Which were unprofitable and useless! And what we did in the end was merely to reject this divisive teaching, realizing that the whole congregation was actually warped and sinning by willingly choosing to remain under law; therefore being self-condemned. Paraphrase Titus 3:9-11

Author's note:
I know this sounds harsh because it even sounds harsh to me, and I'm the one living it. However, we are called to support the gospel which is translated the Good News. I thank my God, who is my power, that even though compelled at times to relent for the sake of pleasing man, in order to avoid persecution; He will not allow me to preach another. 

And we have such trust, through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the New Covenant, not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life.

Commentary by:
George L. Miller

Monday, October 29, 2012

Figurative nonsense and the unjustifiable!


It seems the only time the sermon on the mount is preached literally is when it points to yours or my sin. Yet ironically, it is always used in a figurative sense when it comes to the churches responsibility in the civic social arena; namely when it comes to the subject of war or outright crimes against humanity; where there always seems to be some form of figurative justification. I realize that it is impossible to impose true judicial law or to administrate the actions of a civil government based on the sermon on the mount; yet surely, a little transparency and honesty on the part of the American clergy wouldn't hurt. Surely we should not be in support of every military conquest that comes down the pike. Shouting the same old slogan time and time again, 'Support our troops!'; when we are not even sure what we are supporting in the first place. 

Look, by now it should be common knowledge to those who are even remotely awake that our public media sources and outlets are in fact government run. Of course this has been the case for many years, however, the level and sophistication of government propaganda we are being exposed to now is at an all time high. As the devil himself seeks to harness the power and unity of the christian communities faith and make it his own. At present, there is the huge debate over Iran's nuclear capabilities. Yesterday it was Saddma Hussein and his alleged weapons of mass destruction; today it is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Yet through it all there seems to be little or no discourse surrounding our basic needs and interests as human beings. No doubt Saddam Hussein had to go, but the situation was terribly orchestrated so a lot of innocent people died with him. 

Let me pose a question: If I am allowed a pistol, a rifle, and a shotgun to protect my home and my family, yet my neighbor is not; even though his character has been subject to criticism in times past; does he still not have a legitimate complaint in asking for the same protection afforded me? In this case, the right to bear arms. Of course the natural argument here would be, 'We are not talking about a rifle or a shotgun; we are talking about a nuclear weapon!' My answer to this would be the nuclear weapon is today's basic armament. 

This is a very basic human argument! No critical thinking necessary! Yet in all our self-proclaimed wisdom as a people and a nation, simple principles such as this seem to fly right over our head. Leaving us to justify the unjustifiable. 

Author's note:
When one man tells another that he cannot do something or possess a thing which he himself both possesses and is doing, can the one making this demand honestly expect his desire to be met? Is it not unreasonable?

'Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Then God said to Noah, the end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them.' ~ Gen. 6:5-6, 13

My friends, if you do not know the Lord, just call on His name, and Jesus will come into your heart and love you! His love is the answer!

'For when we were still without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. Demonstrating His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we become the righteousness of God in Him.

Commentary by:
George L. Miller

Saturday, October 27, 2012

God's desire!


When we stop trying to love others in order to please God, God's desire is fulfilled. God does not care whether or not we please Him; He wants us to truly love. Despite what many think, God is not self-centered. He is utterly and completely others centered. If we do not believe this, we need to take another good long look at the cross.

'Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship in the spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interest, but also for the interest of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of man. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ~ Phill. 2:1-8

When we work to please God through our obedience to certain commands, our focus is in the wrong place; because whether we realize it or not, this approach will always produce an operation of the flesh. It accomplishes this in several ways, but the root of the problem surrounding this approach is that it is based on self. Because the love we are attempting to give another or the goodness we are trying to accomplish is based on us receiving something in return; which unfortunately in this case is the love and acceptance of God. Something we should already know we have.

On the other hand, when our focus is on Jesus, and the fact that He has made us as loved and as well pleasing to God as we are ever going to get, there remains nothing to work for! Leaving only the pure motive of God's love to perform it's miraculous and eternal task.

'Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifest towards us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts our fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.' ~ 1 John 4:7-11, 18-19

Authors note:
While I was thinking about what the Lord just gave me to write, His desire, this is the scripture that came to heart: 'Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.' ~ Phill. 3:13-14 What an awesome ride brothers and sisters with so much to see and learn..amen!

Commentary by:
George L. Miller

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Sowing to the flesh!

When a person sows to the flesh by attempting to please God in apparent service to the kingdom of God through observance to the law, behavior modification or external conformity, that person/ministry may reap the temporal harvest of a clean looking life; but the kingdom of God is much more than that!

My friends, the life, death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ was designed to join man with God in spirit. That we may work in supernatural unity with the Creator of the universe to reap a harvest unto everlasting life. This life begins and is found and continues in the spirit; or it is no life at all.

The apostle Paul warned the Galatians in this way stating:
'This only I want to learn from you, did you receive the spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the spirit are you now being made perfect by the flesh.' ~ Gal. 3:2-3

Paul then goes on to say:
'Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh, will of the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the spirit, will of the spirit reap everlasting life. ~ Gal. 6:7-8

And finally he states:
'As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.'

Authors note:
There is a sad chapter recorded throughout the pages of humanity. This story began in the garden and will continue into the new millennium  It is the tale of man in his righteousness attempting to suppress and supersede the overall goodness of an all-knowing and ever merciful, righteous loving God. 

P.S. This is all God has ever desired for man; that we choose to let Him give us life, and that life is just to know Him. And this is eternal life, that we may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Commentary by:
George L. Miller

Home improvement - The inner man!

When the thrill of the next home improvement project fades into the Autumn of the bodies failing ability to perform the task, and ones children, family and friends are either too busy, too far away or too old themselves to visit; one will need more than ever the powerful and encouraging and strength of the Lord. God help the man that did not take the necessary time to know the Lord a midst the things He created with his own hands out of wood steel and stone.

Remember now your Creator, in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, 'I have no pleasure in them.' Before the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Contemplation by:
George L. Miller

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Stuck on milk!


When a person is under law, there remains a veil over the heart. This veil represents a blindness surrounding the seat of one's intellect concerning the eternal mysteries of God in Christ and Christ in us. It is a blindness chained to external conformity which is unable to grasp and internalize the supernatural power within God's perfect plan of redemption. Which unfortunately leaves one to the tit, perpetually unable to digest solid food. The author of Hebrews puts it like this in his epistle to the Jews:

'For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have there senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith towards God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgement.'

What the author of Hebrews was trying to accomplish was to get them past an external relationship with God; and move them into the reality of Christ in them. He desired a unity and fellowship of faith which only this reality could produce. Knowing that only Christ alone could confirm in their hearts the mysterious final and sufficient work within God's precious promise of salvation. He longed for them to leave the elementary principles of external conformity to find God Himself through the New Covenant and enter His rest. 

Author's note:
The only person that can bring about the level of maturity the author of Hebrews sought for them was Christ Himself, the Author and Finisher of all faith. And the only way we can tap into Christ is to unequivocally believe that He actually lives inside us; that we may learn to hear from Him directly, and establish a spiritual dialogue with our King for life. Where even our best theology or works pale in the reality of honestly knowing Him.

'I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.' ~ Col. 1:24-27

Commentary by:
George L. Miller

Sunday, October 14, 2012

The New Jerusalem - Israel, Palestine?


If Israel would have received Christ as Messiah, the middle-east would be in an entirely different state. The conflict between Israel and Palestine would no doubt still exist, but the dialogue between the two would look completely different. As it is now, both parties are responding to one another as of the world.

Throughout history, God spoke to Israel in this way, "I am your God and you are My people, and I will fight your battles for you. I am your protection and your provision; and I do not want you to go to other nations for support. Lest you inherit their pagan practices and forget my Name." Time after time God warned them not to do this; and time after time they refused to listen. They are not listening now!

God in fact will do a miraculous work in Jerusalem, as it will be the center and hub of God's New Jerusalem. The center of the kingdom of God for all who believe and are lead and kept by the authority of God in Christ. The King of kings, and Lord of lords. The Alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end!

When we step into a relationship with God through Christ, Jesus then becomes for us wisdom from God. In other words, when we are born again, we are filled with God's spirit; and His spirit guides and leads us into all truth. We have been given the mind of Christ! On the other hand, God's word is very clear stating, "if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not His." Which is to say that he or she is lost and cannot discern truth. 

My point is simple; it is common knowledge that for the most part, the nation of Israel has refused Jesus as Messiah; choosing rather to serve and worship the Torah, i.e. the books of the law, instead of Christ. Which in turn means that they are currently blind and unable to discern spiritual truths that would enable them to maintain a dialogue more closely resembling peaceful resolution than ultimate military conflict. I am not saying by any stretch of the imagination that this is one-sided blindness, because it is most certainly not, as it takes two to tango! However, what I am saying is this; that all parties concerned are running head long into a murderous self-fulfilling prophecy that will ultimately destroy most of the world.

Of course God warns us to this event, but His warning is designed to lead humanity to Himself through Christ. And these apocolyptic signs given within precise timelines are God's verification of Himself to man saying, "I am the Great I AM! Come to Me, believe Me, receive Me and you will be saved!"

Authors note:
Whether you are Jew or Gentile, Greek, Palestinian or Arab; there is only one way, one door, one entrance into this New Jerusalem. And that door. that entrance, that way is the Lord Jesus Christ! Let us pray that Christ's second visitation on the nation of Israel produces a crop 100 fold! That we may harmoniously be joined for eternity in the splendors of God's New Jerusalem! That every tribe, tongue, and nation may sing the song of victory in praise to His Name!

Commentary by:
George L. Miller

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Would you die already?


Romans 5:19- 6:1-3; 10,11:
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In today's world, where the saints are getting beat to death with a burden that not even our forefathers could bear, I must plead with the saints....Would you die already? After reading the verses listed, and I encourage you to go back and read the context, I can assure you it will be very liberating; I cannot understand why many theologians, pastors and teachers would not spend a year or even two teaching the saints that we are no longer under the sin principle but under grace.

Line upon line, precept upon precept, the context gets lost, it gets turned into fleshly obedience and behavior modification, rather than encouraging the saints to walk by faith being lead by the spirit of God; bearing not producing fruit unto God. I was taught a long time ago by a pastor/friend, (who by the way is no longer our friend because we questioned his teaching), to put myself in the story asking who what where when how why; and much to my disappointment, doing the very thing I was told to do has busted up my family. The ugly head of pride has reared it's ugly head once again in leadership so as to cause many a saint to stumble. Praise God that He is able to keep us from stumbling. Part of the package in salvation I might add. However, I can only imagine all the saints that are out there suffering as we are due to the pride and arrogance of today's leadership. Yes, these words are harsh, but it is the same exact situation Jesus went through with the Jewish leadership of His day. The only difference being that they were being prideful and arrogant to God Himself! It just blows my mind for us to actually think that we are not capable of doing the same thing today.

Which brings me back to my topic. Like it says in Romans, For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The wages of sin is death saints. Not out of fellowship; it is death! So if we are still slaves to the sin principle and claim to have fellowship with God, we lie and do not practice the truth! Every time we tell a saint to go back to God and ask Him to forgive them, never mind the fact that the bible we so highly esteem as God's infallible word says that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness; we are teaching them another gospel! That is a fake gospel that spits in the face of God telling Him, 'No it ain't finished! The sins of the world are not really taken away like you said!' Now that is very harsh, but it is absolutely true! There is no room for political correctness in the kingdom of God, and all one must do is look to the brothers in history to see that they didn't have time to worry about that either. It is time for the saint's to be bold and start telling those leaders who are lording over the saints that what you are preaching ain't the gospel. If brother Paul were here, what would he say? Or any of the apostles who understood what real persecution was all about?

There is only one sin God is concerned with now, and that is the sin of unbelief in what He did for the whole world through His Son! Before that, no one could draw near to God because of there sin. But we draw near to Him with confidence, boldness, because sin involves fear of punishment, and being set free from the sin principle, which is what He provided takes away that fear, and our love for the Father is perfected. And the incredible love that He bestowed on us makes us cry out Daddy, Father. We love Him because He first loved us!

Romans 6:22-23:
But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves to God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So I ask you again saints...Would you die already???

In sincerity,
Lisa

Mark 7:6


The belief systems expressed by the average American Christian concerning the wars in the middle-east are frightening. It's as if when discussing the issue of middle-eastern conflict, the average Christian suddenly abandons his/her faith. Somehow instantly leaving the love of God for humanity as well as the core teachings of Christ; in lue of abstract and dillusional justifications that sound more like a Fox News report than that of someone actually professing to know God.

It never ceases to amaze me that the only body count they are concerned with is that of our troops. That we as Christians are somehow able to overlook the faces of over 1 million dead civilians between Irag and Afghanistan. Five hundred thousand of which have been women and children. For God's sake, these are human beings! Wives and husbands, mothers and children. These are real people with real dreams and aspirations just as you and I. In short, when Christians start to mourn the lives of Muslim families lost in these conflicts just as they would there own, then maybe they can call themselves Christians.

Mark 7:6 - He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophecy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'These people honor Me with there lips, but there heart is far from Me.'

Authors note:
I believe it is high time to wake up!

Commentary by:
G.L. Miller

Faith building!


People struggle with many things, and some worse than others. If we are not careful about the way we approach sin, we will destroy rather than build faith. Remember, Jesus took away the sins of the world; He did not temporarily appease God until we sin again. The epistles clearly demonstrate that we have been entirely removed from the principle of sin. That we are to reckon ourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ. This is the liberating and victorious message of the gospel. This is the power of God unto salvation. If we live the Christian life in an attempt to manage sin, we are working against the very principle God initiated in Christ to set us free. Which says to those under this persuasion that Christ died in vain.

Of course there are temporal consequences for sin because sin itself is punishing. However, this has nothing to do with God, and everything to do with us. And I can assure you that if you are living the Christian life in an attempt to manage sin, it will only get worse. The flesh minds no man, not me, not you, not anybody! Our only hope is in the spirit; in placing our entire faith in complete submission to the finished work of Christ and His righteousness.

'But you are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if indeed the spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are lead by the spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received a spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.' The spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.'

Authors note:
The use of the word flesh in Romans chapter 8 points directly at fleshly obedience concerning the Mosaic law. The carnal mind is the legal mind which is still under subjection to that law; rather than being free by the law of the spirit of life in Christ. My friends, which are you?

Commentary by:
G.L. Miller

Come to Me!


Webster's definition of wise and prudent:
Wise: having or showing good judgment; prudent; discreet; prompted by wisdom; judicious; sound; learned; informed; educated.
Prudent: Capable of exercising sound judgment in practical matters, cautious or discreet in conduct; circumspect; sensible; not rash; careful.

At that time, Jesus answered and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden light.

Matthew 11:25-30 is not a warning against being wise or prudent; this parable is about the kingdom of God and how it is revealed. Jesus is simply saying if you want rest, and you seek revelation, come to Me. Remain in Me, be with Me, and I will reveal the mysteries of the kingdom to you. Human intellect won't suffice! Not theology! Not semanary! I have become for you wisdom from God, you must come to Me.

When Peter and John stood before the crowd to preach, unskilled and uneducated, the people took notice of them because they realised that they had been with Jesus. That God Himself had revealed to them through the person of Jesus Christ the mysteries of the kingdom. My friends how we need this message today. With all our schools of theology and our misdirected praise of man and his intellect. There is only one life giver, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. May we seek Him in unity, with equality that He may be glorified and we may live. 

Authors note:
The epistles were not written for some 19 years after Christ's death, yet the church was prosperous. Which means that thousands of christians during the time of the early church never saw an epistle. How in the world did they function with no doctrine, books such as Romans, the pastorial epistles? Somehow we think they all had bibles in their laps while they were listening to Paul or John or whoever teach. But they had no bible, they had the Holy Spirit. Now we have schools and papered men. Then they had Jesus. They were keenly aware of Christ in them. Jesus was the pastor! Jesus was the teacher! There was no laity, no central man in control. Their fellowship was with the Father in Christ. No service orientated manipulation necessary! Just the power of Christ through sharing the life of Christ. The power of the Holy Spirit verses that of the flesh. 

You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. John 5:39-40

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matt. 11:28

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power, the your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. I Cor. 2:1-5

Commentary by:
G.L. Miller

Terrorism- It's definition and the hype!


If we choose not to think, God will allow us to remain ignorant. The skull is not a hat rack, it just happens to house one of our Lord's most amazing creations..the human brain. And with that said, I think He would be highly honored should we choose to use it. Which brings us to the topic of the day.

The word terrorism is derived from the root word terror, and is defined in Webster's dictionary like this:
Terror: Intense fear; a person or thing that causes intense fear; the quality of causing dread; terribleness.
Terrorism: A terrorising; use of terror and violence to intimidate, subjugate, etc.; especially as a political weapon or policy; intimidation and subjugation produced in this way.

Upon close examination, we should be able to determine that the word terrorism is more in line with a tactic or strategy than that of motivating factor. For instance, when politicians make statements through the media regarding a war on terror, what they are actually saying is that we are waging war against war. Which of course makes absolutely no sense until you begin to understand the motivation behind the spin. The deception being that as long as we can keep the American people focused on a tactic or strategy, in other words on terror itself; they will not be inclined to examine either parties true motivation for the conflict itself. The real problem with this word game is it's inherent lack of transparency surrounding motive. Let's face it, if we the American people are not given by our government through our media ample enough transparency to examine not only the motives of those we are in conflict with, but ours as well, we have nothing. Which is exactly where this whole ideology surrounding the war on terror leads. To nothing!

Authors note:
If you do not believe what you've just read, do yourself a favor and the next time you hear someone ask one of our well known media pundants the question, "Why do the people of the middle-east hate America?", listen carefully and their trifling answers should be enough to bear witness to the fact that most Americans are ignorant to what's actually going on in the middle-east. Which is exactly what those seeking to gain from this conflict desire. Our ignorance means their survival, so it must be fostered and maintained at all cost. Make no mistake about it, from hasty oil deals amidst regime changes, to multi-national war profiteers and arms dealers, there's a mountain of wealth being extracted through these conflicts. Do not believe the hype my friends! Follow the money and you will find motive.

He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him. The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him. ~ Proverbs 18:13, 17 What these proverbs suggest is that we listen and confirm both sides of a story before making a judgement. Granted, with all the BS going on these days, this is difficult, but not impossible. Nothing is impossible with God; and if you are His, all is yours for the knowing! Please read James 3:13 through 4:4. Sound relevant? You bet.

Commentary by:
G.L. Miller

The cost of justice - the power of love!


If you are feared, your power is limited to that which you can physically control. If you are loved, that power is unlimited and beyond physical control! The future succes of our nation lay between these two principles. Right now we are feared, what must we do to be loved. ~ G.L.M.

With all that's going on in the world today, the price for true justice has never been higher. It is one thing to say that you are just; it is an entirely different matter to support that claim honestly. True justice is supported by a bold nobility which is unafraid to lead with the chin. Which is to say that true justice stakes it's claim and holds it's ground despite the fact that it knows it's going to be struck in the process. This is the price of true justice! And it cannot be marginalized or circumvented. If you are going to play the justifier, you must be willing to face the possibility of being sucker punched. And you must face it with resolute self-control. The just must be willing to sacrifice self for the sake of justice, or it is merely an empty posture.

It is no mystery that the civilian casualty rates from World War I until our most recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have gone through the roof. Here are some statistics to validate this claim. World War I - 10%; World War II - 50%; Vietnam - 70%; Iraq and Afghanistan - 90%! These numbers are a matter of public record. What these numbers tell me is that the U.S. is more than willing to play the justifier, but not so willing to pay the cost in terms of military casualties. I believe this lack of commitment speaks to the world in this way: #1 - Our blood is more valuable than yours, and we will not sacrifice ourselves for you. #2 - We will fight if it's in our best interest, we will not if it is not. And finally, we will avoid personal casualties at all cost, and we will do whatever necessary to ensure this. Now while all this may sound wise and noble, it is most certainly not just. I believe the numbers speak for themselves. A 90% civilian casualty rate is not just under any circumstances.

If we are to be loved rather than feared, and we are to sustain our power as a nation, we must re-evaluate our sense of justice in terms of our physical commitment to war. We must be willing to take our just ideologies and put them to visible action. The survival of this nation rests in the heart of each and every one of us. We can choose simply to win, or we can choose to actually be winners. The choice is ours! How shall we be remembered in history?

Authors note:
Fear is not a life sustaining quality apart from sheer survival. For it feeds upon itself in such a way that neither the hunter nor the hunted are every truly free of it's grip. It is a kill or be killed equation which allows no rest and fosters no solution apart from death.
'When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love, and love never fails.' ~ I Cor. 13:11-13


P.S. During World War II, American and British pilots flew over the English Channel at night to drop flyers on the German people warning them that they were about to get bombed. We had not even declared war on Iraq before we struck them, let alone warning the citizenry. We are two worlds away from where we were as a nation at that time.
'Therefore I exhort first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings, and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.' ~ I Tim. 2:1-4

Commentary by:
G.L. Miller

The authority of scripture vs. the person of Christ!


The only person who has ever been fully qualified to oversee the church according to God is Christ. We are taught over and over again that Christ is the head of the church, and rightly so because He is the head of the church. Yet, our stringent adherence to the pastorial epistles coupled with law-based theology has undermined Christ's headship; rather placing it directly in the hands of man. Unfortunately, the over-zealous and often dogmatic emphasis given to the authority of scripture so prevelant in many of our modern schools of theology has in fact become a stumbling block rather than an asset. Especially in regards to the saints actually learning and knowing God. The authority of scripture taking preeminence over the revelatory power of the Holy Spirit. Which brings us back to point.

If Jesus is the only qualified overseer to the church according to God, and the Holy Spirit is in fact the active part of Christ in us, what then should be our focal point when teaching; the authority of scripture, or Christ in us? The answer to this question should be simple; because for all pretense and purposes it is. The problem of course rests with man and his propensity to hold the reigns at all costs even though knowing, particularly in this case, to do so seeks to restrict the power of God.

The scriptures were given to lead us to Christ; that we may both receive and proclaim the power of the ressurected life. The scriptures were not given to lead us to Christ so that He in turn would lead us right back to the deadness of the letter, once again placing us under the authority of scripture and a new set of laws! No! The scriptures, i.e. God's word has and will always have one main theme; that man be reconciled to God through Christ and find peace in his soul. Eternal freedom! For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. ~ Romans 8:2 For we did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but we received the spirit of adoption by which we cry out, "Abba, Father." ~ Romans 8:15

Authors note:
The history of the early church as recorded in the book of Acts has one primary leading; which is of course the third person in the trinity...the Holy Spirit. Which is actually God Himself, harmoniously orchestrating the inner workings and power of the God-head. There were no apostolic doctrines to follow. The epistles to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, etc. were written long before the so-called pastorial epistles of I and II Timothy or Titus; which means that these early saints were actually lead by the Lord Jesus Himself. And with that said, is it any wonder that these early years were the most dynamic and fruitful years in Christian history? Lord that we would hear and return!

Commentary by:
George L. Miller