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Greetings from True Hope!
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Greetings!
What IS this world coming to anyway?
AN END!
Actually, this world is facing several "ends" and the question is, which one do you want to be a part of?
The first end that we are soon - I believe very soon - facing is the end of the Church Age! In fact, in reading Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 coupled with Paul's epistles to the Thessalonians and to Timothy and Peter's epistles - - I am convinced that we are experiencing the very developments and events that make up the ending of the Church Age!
Depending on your spiritual condition, you will either be zealous for righteousness in the Body of Christ or you will be sensing increasing measures of fear and desperation!
Remember this: Christ is returning for a GLORIOUS CHURCH and we all are faced with the opportunity to be a part of His glorious church or to cling desperately to those worldly comforts and ideas that many false teachers have spent decades convincing us is the reason God saved us!
The Church Age ends with God's judgment upon the very Church for which Christ is returning! Why God's judgment? Because God's judgment always produces one of two results: Repentance or removal! Many will repent from their world-loving ways and become devoted to our Lord Jesus Christ but many more will reject God's judgment and remove themselves from the paths of righteousness and so ordering their own condemnation!
Then comes the end of human authority on the earth! This "end" process takes seven years and is commonly called the Great Tribulation! This ends with the enthronement of the Lord Jesus Christ and the institution of HIS government under HIS (not man's) authority which lasts a thousand years!
Then comes the end of satanic influence on the earth! The devil, satan is released for a very short season at the conclusion of our Lord's 1,000 year reign - - in order to finally and forever remove the influence and power of the devil from earth and humanity!
Then comes the end of sin on the earth! With satan cast into the lake of fire forever and all those who rejected God's love and salvation in Christ Jesus with him, God literally burns out all effects and remnants of man's sinful dominion over the earth by Holy Fire and recreates the surface of earth to be once again pure and holy for mankind will again be in God's image!
So the next time you think of or hear the question: "What is this world coming to?" You know the answer! AN END!
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MANY BLESSINGS!
Dr. Timothy
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From Dr. Timothy D.TH
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of FEAR
CONCLUSION
Supernatural fear is satan's way to misdirect our thoughts to do what is destructive: NOT TRUST GOD! Unchecked, supernatural fear will overwhelm all "spiritual reason" and at the time we need to jump into the hands of our Heavenly Father - - we either become spiritually paralyzed or jump back instead - - just like the brothers of David and the armies of Israel when being confronted by Goliath!!
Spiritual fear motivates people to respond to God and enables us to reject sin and what is wicked! To fear God is to hate sin and every evil way ...
Supernaturally induced fear has the opposite effect! This motivates us to reject God and to cling to what resists God and His power!
Here is an example: You begin to take a stand for Jesus and what is righteous but along comes the devil and threatens you with the loss of your job, or the love of your spouse, or some such thing - - this fear stops you from doing what is right in the eyes of God and in fact, cause you to turn against those who do continue on and trust God!
This is what happened with David and the armies of Israel! David showed up and the whole army of Israel was paralyzed in fear because of one warrior - - who happened to be a giant, but just one all the same, and this one paralyzed the king of Israel and his whole army who were obviously a greater fighting force than were the Philistines.
But that's not all - - when David commenced to stand with God his brothers ridiculed him along with many others and even the king resented David's fellowship with God - - especially after this young lad showed all of Israel what faith in God accomplished!
Supernatural fear is fear that is manufactured by the devil and employed against our flesh which is always protective of its pridefulness! Supernatural fear is the fear that is a weapon of the kingdom of darkness and operates best under cover of darkness!
The remedy for supernaturally induced or produced fear?
God's Truth! And the fear of God - - seeing who you are in the light of Who God is! Seeing your abilities in comparison to God's abilities! Seeing your strength in contrast to God's strength!
Then as you stand there fearing God, God's LOVE then manifests in your heart and mind and you discover that perfect love (God's love) casts out all - ALL fear! How?
Because God's love makes you realize and understand that Who God is, God's abilities and God's strength is freely made available FOR YOUR BENEFIT, for what is in your best interests!
And at THAT point you can then be at peace and with full confidence declare: What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee Lord! This battle belongs to you and not to me and in comparison to You, man can do nothing against me and, oh yeah, God is for me so then who can be against me?
Many blessings!
Dr. Timothy
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1. But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
2. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
3. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
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'Staying in His Lane'
Joel Osteen’s Gospel of Affirmation Without Salvation
http://www.bibleprophecyblog.com
Joel Osteen was back on CNN this week, appearing Thursday morning on “Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien.” Osteen’s new book, I Declare: 31 Promises to Speak Over Your Life, has recently hit the nation’s bookstores.
Osteen’s positive thinking theology was on full display in the interview, as in the book. O’Brien asked if he really believes that speaking declarations out loud can make them come true.
Osteen assured her that he does, promising that speaking positive words can bring positive results and warning that speaking negativity will bring negative results. “I don’t think there’s anything magic about, but those words go out and comes right back in and affects your own self-image.”
In the book itself, Osteen asserts, “you’ve got to send your words out in the direction you want your life to go.” The theme of his book is simple: “With our words we can either bless our futures or we can curse our futures.”
The most enthusiastic response to Osteen’s message came from Deepak Chopra, the New Age self-help guru, who was also on the program. He affirmed Osteen’s message and added, “I’ve believed forever that there’s no mental event that doesn’t have a brain representation, that every thought actually generates molecules.”
The two self-help experts then elaborated on their ideas, with Osteen urging “activating faith,” because “faith is what causes God to work.” Later, he even spoke of “speaking to the seeds of greatness that God’s placed in all of us.”
The appearance of Osteen and Chopra together was a priceless demonstration of the fact that the New Thought positive thinking philosophy that drives them both can be grafted onto either Christianity or Asian religion.
In the end, it all sounds the same. Chopra’s New Age spirituality and Osteen’s updated version of the word-faith movement end up as the same message, just with different trappings.
Soledad O’Brien then shifted the topic to homosexuality, as would be expected. As she said to Osteen, “almost every time we have a pastor on, it’s a conversation we have.”
She then said to Osteen, “when you say homosexuality is a sin and there’s a bunch of people who clearly are gay in your church. You’re calling them sinners. I mean, that’s the opposite of uplifting, I would think.”
She established the perfect platform for Osteen to respond with the gospel of Jesus Christ, but he did not. “Well, Soledad, I don’t necessarily focus on that. I only talk about that in interviews.”
So this pastor only talks about sin on televisions interviews, and then only when forced to do so. He then tried to broaden the talk of sin to being critical and even “being negative.”
Osteen then tried to explain that he has tried to avoid such issues by intention. “I think part of my, if you want to call it success, I’ve stayed in my lane and my lane is lifting people’s spirits and there are issues that good, Bible-believing people see on both sides of the fence.”
So, “good, Bible-believing people” are found on both sides of the fence when it comes to the issue of homosexuality, Osteen says. His intention is clearly to straddle that fence.
As he has said previously, he affirmed that homosexuality is not “God’s best” for humanity. Even then, the words had to be put into his mouth by others, including a major homosexual activist also on the program.
Pressed again by Soledad O’Brien, Osteen repeated, “first of all, in my services I don’t cover all those issues that we talk about here.” Later, he responded to another question by stating: “And I don’t understand all those issues and so, you know, I try to stick to the issues that I do understand. I know this, I am for everybody. I’m not for pushing people down.”
Viewers of CNN saw a display of confusion, evasion, and equivocation coming from one presented as a Christian pastor. What they were really seeing is the total theological bankruptcy of the word of faith movement and the gospel of positive thinking.
Osteen cannot, or at least will not, speak even the simplest word of biblical conviction. He states his intention to stay in his “lane” of glib affirmation.
Affirmation is important, and humans crave it. But affirmation as a sinner is the worst possible form of pastoral malpractice. Christianity is based on the truth that sinners need a Savior, not merely a coach or a therapist.
Joel Osteen’s appearance on CNN Thursday revealed little that is new. It was Osteen as always—evasive and confused, but constantly smiling. This is now his calculated and well-practiced approach. He offered no word of the gospel, and no reference to Jesus Christ, but he was introduced as “one of the most recognizable faces of Christianity in America today.”
There, for all to see, was Joel Osteen . . . staying in his lane.
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-by Andrew Strom.
People need to be warned about this. Seriously. The Elijah List is the biggest “Prophetic” email list on the planet. It goes out to tens of thousands of Charismatic Christians around the globe. We have had cause to warn people about the Elijah List several times in the past, but a week ago they published one of their most “New Age” articles that I have yet seen.
The article was called ‘A “Quantum” Change’ by Kari Browning. Here are some major extracts:
‘A “Quantum” Change’ by Kari Browning…
“There is great understanding coming to the Church about the
quantum realm, and I believe it will help facilitate the change that
has been prophesied. Albert Einstein said everything is energy.
Remember his formula E=mc squared? He believed that energy
and matter were interchangeable. Everything is vibrating energy,
including our bodies. Every word and every thought carries a
certain vibrational frequency…
It can be scientifically documented that everything has either
positive or negative frequencies. Foods even have frequencies.
Fresh food has a higher frequency than processed foods. On the
other hand, coffee has a negative frequency. Prayer actually
raises a person’s frequency by 15 MHz. If our frequency gets low,
we get sick…
God provided a way to raise our frequencies by using essential
oils. These oils were used Biblically for medicinal purposes. The
oils were not used symbolically as we have come to believe, but
these oils had healing properties. For example, hyssop is a releaser
of swallowed emotions and a spiritual cleanser. Prayer and essential
oils together are a powerful combination, as both raise our frequencies.”
ANDREW STROM AGAIN: Someone needs to let the Elijah List
know that they are (yet again) promoting pure “New Age” junk to
the Body of Christ. As if “Ekstasis” dancing, portals, gold dust,
‘angel feathers’, fire tunnels and spiritual drunkenness were not
enough. Now we have “vibrations”, special ‘frequencies’ and healing
oils being promoted in the church.
Does it really require that much “discernment” to see that these
people have simply taken obvious ‘New Age’ techniques (not found
in the Bible) and are repackaging them for gullible Christians?
Where will it all end? How “New Age” do things have to get?
At the close of the article, the Elijah List adds:
“Kari Browning, ‘New Renaissance’.
Kari Browning and her husband, Mike, have been involved in church
planting for over 25 years. They are about to open a Healing and
Creativity Center. This center will focus on releasing creativity and
teaching on wellness. Kari has traveled nationally and internationally
as a conference speaker.”
It then goes on to promote Kari’s next speaking event, which is
entitled “Global Call School of the Prophets” with Bill Hamon as
the main speaker – along with other ‘prophets’. Thus we have the
Prophetic Movement to thank (yet again) for this latest New Age
deception to enter the church. Very sad. People need to be warned.
-Original article from the Elijah list-
http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=11267
Posted in Uncategorized by Andrew on August 15th, 2012 at 7:40 pm.
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TIME WITH TRUE HOPE TEACHERS . . . Michael Cochran
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Michael is a Live Study Consultant with True Hope Bible Institute as well as a doctoral student.
LEGALISM -vs- OBEDIENCE
By Pastor James Kelm
True Hope Church of Duluth
There are many theological terms that are unfamiliar to many Christians. One of the theological terms that is almost unavoidable within modern Christianity however, is the term or concept of "legalism". This term is so widely used within modern Christianity, that one can hardly attend a church or assembly for any period of time, without at least hearing the word. Unfortunately, the term "legalism" has been so widely used, that the true meaning or definition of the term has largely been lost. Legalism has come to mean almost anything, dependent upon the intent of the user. In this paper I want to explore the classic meaning of the term legalism, and contrast it with the ways that the term is so often incorrectly used. I also want to contrast it with the concept of Christian "obedience", with a conclusion that may surprise you!
Today in the west, we have become almost obsessively protective of our freedoms, liberties, and personal rights. We fiercely defend our personal expressiveness, and abhor anything that inflicts on our freedom of choice. In short, we have become preoccupied with what is "right for me", and reject anything that may overtly or covertly suggest that "I" and "my personal reality" is not of central focus within a particular subject or situation. We have become equally defensive over our personal freedoms within the Christian church.
We say all of the correct words concerning our views on Jesus Christ's Lordship and concerning our own position of obedient slaves to righteousness, but our actions and inner convictions frequently tell a much different story. This is well demonstrated when it comes to our understanding, and reaction to, the concept of religious legalism. Now days the term legalism has become a general negative term, applied to just about anything that suggests to us that our freedom of choice has been violated. If a situation or behavior hints that we have been commanded, directed, required, or other such adjectives, many of us are quick to label it "legalistic".
If someone makes a statement to us suggesting that we "should", "ought to", etc, we quickly proclaim that such statements are "legalistic". The proclamation that something is "legalism", often is given in the attempt to label the thing in question as negative, anti-Christian, and to suggest that it should be strongly rebuked! What exactly is legalism though, and does it always apply accurately in the ways that we so often apply it?
First, let me offer what I believe to be a solid and correct definition of the term "legalism" as in "religious legalism". Legalism is the term used to describe any attempt, that an individual or group undertakes with the object of advancing their personal acquisition of eternal salvation, through their fulfillment of the Holy Law of God.
In other words, "legalism" is the term describing those actions or behaviors that a Christian adopts, out of the belief that by doing so, they will become "more saved", and less "condemned". By this definition, we can understand that legalism is in fact negative, and scripturally incorrect.
Legalism suggests that we can gain our salvation, if indirectly, through our own actions. Legalism places us in a kind of partnership with God, and says that we must assist Jesus Christ in obtaining and or maintaining our personal salvation. This belief is extremely dangerous, and unquestionably contrary to the teachings found in Scripture! Legalism says that Christ's crucifixion and resurrection was not complete, and that our salvation requires additional efforts from us.
There are countless verses and passages within Scripture that illustrates the incorrectness of such beliefs, such as: "Because by grace you have salvation through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is given by God," Ephesians 2:8, "Not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but in the measure of his mercy, he gave us salvation, through the washing of the new birth and the giving of new life in the Holy Spirit," Titus 3:5. When we are discussing our personal salvation, we must remember that it is only through the blood and justification by Jesus Christ that we are or can be saved! Our own actions and conduct cannot, does not, and never will have any positive or negative effect upon our personal salvation!
Our salvation is "all about Jesus"! The only "action" that we are responsible for, is to accept the free and completely undeserved gift of personal salvation offered to us through Jesus Christ! Anything that suggests otherwise is anti-scriptural, and contrary to the Word of God! Therefore, legalism should be avoided at all times, under any circumstances!
CONTINUED NEXT ISSUE
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BECOME A CHARTER MEMBER TODAY!
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A MINISTRY FOR LEADERS
BY MINISTRY LEADERS!
You will not only be blessed,
YOU WILL BE A BLESSINGS TO OTHERS IN MINISTRY AS WELL!
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SPIRITUAL REBOUND
This title is what I gave to a "Thought for the Day" from
Brother Jerry Williams
of Epic Ministries.
1 Kings 19:7-8
And the angel of the Lord..touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, because
the journey is too great for you." 8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights. NKJV
How many times in our lives have we experienced great victories from the hand of the Lord to then see them almost immediately followed by great disappointments or failures?
Elijah had just experienced two amazing victories that shook an entire nation. First he had an encounter with 450 prophets of Baal who were all slain by the hand of Elijah as he was under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Then the prophet prayed and a deadly three and a half year nationwide drought ended in glorious rains from heaven. What spectacular victories were wrought through the faith and obedience of the man of God!
Then only a few hours later astoundingly we see him running for his life in fear of the threats of one wicked prophetess named Jezebel. What could have possibly happened in the mind and heart of this man of God that caused him to run so hard and so far he was found more than a day’s journey away sleeping because of exhaustion under a broom tree.
What happens next is comforting and hopeful news to each of us. The angel of the Lord appeared to him at the site of the broom tree and awoke the fear laden man of God. The angel of the Lord then instructed him to eat a meal the Lord had specifically prepared for him. Upon eating this heaven sent meal the prophet fell back asleep in a God sent rest. The angel of the Lord awoke him a second time and once again instructed him to eat another portion of what the Lord had prepared for him ‘because the journey is too great for you’.
Too often after great victories we neglect to continue to sit at the table of the Lord and eat the only food that can give us the necessary strength to traverse the path on which the Spirit of the Lord is leading us.
Should we attempt at any time to walk in our own abilities, wisdom or strength we will end up like Elijah running in fear in a direction the Lord never intended us to go from an enemy who otherwise would have no power over us. We will become so exhausted we, too, will find ourselves asleep under the shelter of an earthly broom tree rather than resting under the shadow of the wings of the Almighty.
Does this sound familiar to any of you? It certainly does to me. I know too well what it is to run in fear from the threats and betrayals of others after experiencing great victories from the hand of the Lord.
I also know what it’s like to be awakened by the angel of the Lord and asked, ‘What are you doing here?’ Notice carefully how the angel of the Lord prepared the meal for Elijah in the exact place he had ended up while running in fear.
The Lord was his provision even in the place where fear had driven him.
So my questions to each of you today are these:
- Are you running in fear from anything in your life right now?
- Have you fallen by the wayside from exhaustion over the threats and woundings of others in your life?
If so, then wake up and see the meal the Lord has prepared for you. If you will rise up and eat then you will most certainly gain the necessary strength to go forward and fulfill everything God has called and appointed you to do for His glory and praise.
By His grace that’s what I did and I am up and running strong again in the strength and sustenance of my Savior Who is the Bread of Life.
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TRUE HOPE BIBLE INSTITUTE
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Now accepting new students!
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THE KEYNOTE OF LIFE
I have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord! (Genesis 49:18).
It is not easy to say exactly in what sense Jacob used these words, in the midst of his prophecies in regard to the future of his sons. But they do certainly dictate that both for himself and for them his expectation was from God alone.
It was God's salvation he waited for; a salvation which God had promised and which God Himself alone could work out. He knew himself and his sons to be under God's charge. Jehovah the Everlasting God would show in them what His saving power is and does.
The words point forward to that wonderful history of redemption which is not yet finished, and to the glorious future in eternity whither it is leading. They suggest to us how there is no salvation but God's salvation, and how Waiting on God for that, whether for our personal experience, or in wider circles, is our first duty, our true blessedness.
Let us think of ourselves, and the inconceivably glorious salvation God has wrought for us in Christ, and is now purposing to work out and to perfect in us by His Spirit.
Let us meditate until we somewhat realize that
every participation of this great salvation, from moment to moment, must be the work of God Himself. God cannot part with His grace, or goodness, or strength, as an external thing that He gives us, as He gives the raindrops from heaven. No; He can only give it, and we can only enjoy it, as He works it Himself directly and unceasingly. And the only reason that He does not work it more effectually and continuously is, that we do not let Him. We hinder Him either by our indifference or by our self-effort, so that He cannot do what He would.
What He asks of us, in the way of surrender, and obedience, and desire, and trust, is all comprised in this one word: waiting on Him, waiting for His salvation. It combines the deep sense of our entire helplessness of ourselves to work what is divinely good, and our perfect confidence that our God will work it all in His divine power.
Again, I say, let us meditate on the divine glory of the salvation God purposes working out in us, until we know the truths it implies. Our heart is the scene of a divine operation more wonderful than Creation. We can do as little towards the work as towards creating the world, except as God works in us to will and to do. God only asks of us to yield, to consent, to wait upon Him, and He will do it all.
Let us meditate and be still, until we see how meet and right and blessed it is that God alone do all, and our soul will of itself sink down in deep humility to say: "I have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord." And the deep blessed background of all our praying and working will be: "Truly my soul waiteth upon God."
The application of the truth to wider circles, to those we labor among or intercede for, to the Church of Christ around us, or throughout the world, is not difficult. There can be no good but what God works; to wait upon God, and have the heart filled with faith in His working, and in that faith to pray for His mighty power to come down, is our only wisdom. Oh for the eyes of our heart to be opened to see God working in ourselves and in others, and to see how blessed it is to worship and just to wait for His salvation!
Our private and public prayer are our chief expression of our relation to God: it is in them chiefly that our waiting upon God must be exercised.
If our waiting begin by quieting the activities of nature, and being still before God; if it bows and seeks to see God in His universal and almighty operation, alone able and always ready to work all good; if it yields itself to Him in the assurance that He is working and will work in us; if it maintains the place of humility and stillness, and surrenders until God's Spirit has quickened the faith that He will perfect His work: it will indeed become the strength and the joy of the soul. Life will become one deep blessed cry: "I have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord."
"My soul, wait thou
only upon God!"
Waiting on God.
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