Messages Page 4

All scripture is linked courtesy of Blue Letter Bible, World Wide Study Bible or Bible Gateway

Change that Releases GOD's Power
by: Ray C. Underwood

Who needs to repent?   -   me.
Who else needs to repent?   -  everyone, Please continue reading.
Who's job is it to tell them and select when?  -   GOD and GOD alone.
"He who loves Me obeys My commands."  -  JESUS

Since no-one on the planet obeys all of the commands of Christ all of the time, we can all assume that anything added to the commands of Christ is extra added burdens for the disciples who are already overloaded with this life.

All of the children of GOD are going through trials in this life.  You are not unique in this.  Please continue reading.

"Ye have made the Law of no effect by your traditions."  -  JESUS

no effect = no power = no dunamis.  Please continue reading.

2Cor 3:6 The letter kills but the Spirit gives life.

Why is everyone overloaded?  Because all of us obey some "letter" whether it be this or that...  Why are we overloaded?, because we obey the letter and the letter kills the spirit.

How does the letter kill?  Please consider the following...

Should GOD obey man?  I think not.  So when you are obeying religious rules, obeying peer-pressure, obeying church-rules, obeying church-traditions, you would force GOD to obey the same if He were to use you.  When GOD does not have to obey man's law in you, then GOD can work through you.  Please continue reading.

When you get to the point where you obey the commands of Christ, only, then are you not forcing GOD to obey religious rules, peer-pressure, church-rules, or church-traditions.   When GOD does not have to obey man's law in you, then GOD can work through you. Please continue reading.

Hey!, you can try forever to get GOD to obey your religious rules, peer-pressure,   church-rules, or church-traditions.

• 1) GOD has forever,

• 2) you have a short time down here,

• 3) and then the judgment seat of Christ.

GOD will not obey your religious rules,  peer-pressure,  church-rules, or church-traditions.  Please continue reading.

Obedient children in the house readily obey their parents but fight against obeying other siblings.  They hate it in their heart.

Are we as wise as JESUS!?, I think not.  We just need to trust JESUS.  We need to trust that His commands are complete and that our brothers and sisters will receive their lessons in time when the Spirit is flowing.

"I am the Word."   -   JESUS.   Please continue reading.

Are we as wise as God's Word!?, I think not.  We just need to trust God's Word.   We need to trust that His commands are complete and that our brothers and sisters will receive their lessons in time when the Spirit is flowing.

The Spirit writes God's laws in our hearts and on our minds.  (Heb 10:16-17)

What gets done in the physical realm is nowheres near as important as what gets done in the heart, the true eternal work of GOD.  Rules and traditions focus on the natural or manifested realm, the Spirit upon the Heart.  When we speak by the unction of the Spirit, GOD did what He wanted!

What needs to be repented of?   -   Using the letter and not the Spirit.

Every church-rule beyond the commands of Christ commits some spiritual murder and stops up GOD's grace.  These rules have not worked for the past 6000 years or so and I fully expect GOD to continue to avoid obeying man and man's laws, rules and traditions. As such they will never work.  These rules have not  worked for the past 2000 years or so under the covenant of the blood of JESUS. Please continue reading.

• Bind up obedience to the letter in me by the blood of JESUS.

• Bind up un-ordained human-pleasing desires in me by the blood of JESUS.

• Bind up un-ordained church-rule obedience in me by the blood of JESUS.

• Bind up un-ordained church-tradition obedience in me by the blood of JESUS.

• Bind up obedience to the letter in me by the blood of JESUS.

Loose obedience to the Spirit in me by the blood of JESUS.
Loose obedience to the commands of Christ in me by the blood of JESUS.

AMEN

A Prayer:
Submitted by: Jim W & Julie Parr

PRAYER FROM THE KANSAS SENATE LEGISLATURE      November 30, 1998

This prayer was actually spoken before the Kansas   State Legislature.

When minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but what they heard instead was a stirring prayer, passionately calling our country to repentance and righteousness.

The response was immediate.  A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest.  In six short weeks, the Central Christian Church had logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only a few of those   calls responding negatively.  The church is now receiving international   requests for copies of the prayer from India, Africa and Korea.

Commentator PAUL HARVEY aired the prayer on The Rest of the Story on the radio and received a larger response to this program    than  any other he has ever aired!!!

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness  and to seek Your direction and guidance.  We know Your Word says, "Woe on those who call evil good, " but that's exactly what we have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We confess that We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism.
We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism.
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn children and called it a choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.
We have abused power and called it political savvy.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.  Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the center of Your will. I ask it in the name of Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called a Christian nation that fears the Lord!

The Little Girl: (and the best argument) - by Roberto Rivera

"Now, at last they were beginning chapter one of the great story, which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before." -C. S. Lewis, The Last Battle.

I'm not much of a country music fan. But I'm a radio channel surfer. The other day, I was driving home from the supermarket when I came across WMZQ, Washington's leading country music station. The DJ said something like "get your Kleenexes ready, it's John Michael Montgomery's 'The Little Girl.'" Now, I've spent a lot of time cultivating a detached irony, so I took his introduction as a challenge, and I listened.

"Her parents never took the young girl to church.

Never spoke of His name. Never read her His word.

Two nonbelievers, walking lost in this world,

took their baby with them. What a sad little girl."

I was surprised at the use of phrases like "His word" and "nonbelievers." So, I listened some more.

It's a country song, and a sad one at that, so of course mom and dad were a drug addict and drunk, respectively, who never had time for "kisses and hugs." I said "were" because, as Montgomery tells us "her daddy, in a drunk rage one night, used a gun on her mom and then took his life"-while the little girl hid behind the couch. Now I was feeling depressed. But Montgomery's story doesn't end there. The little girl is adopted by loving family who do what her parents should have, but never did. I'll let Montgomery tell the rest of the story:

"Her first day at Sunday school, the teacher walked in.

And a small little girl stared at a picture of Him.

She said 'I know that man up there on that cross.

I don't know His name. But I know he got off.

Because he was there in my old house,

and held me close to His side.

As I hid there behind our couch, the night that my parents died."

The heck with ironic detachment. I was lucky to make it home. As you might infer from the DJ's introduction, my reaction was pretty typical. And that, even more than the song's message, is what I find fascinating. Apparently, country music stations across the country are getting lots of requests for the song. So many, in fact, that the song, which will not be available for sale until September or early October, debuted at number 20 on the charts and is climbing.

The response isn't just emotional, either. The second time I heard the song, the DJ said "Jesus sure took care of that little lamb." That was interesting, since Montgomery never uses the word "Jesus," only "Him."

It's interesting that even in our ironic, post-Christian culture, we expect Jesus to take care of little lambs. I suspect that a large part of the response to the song isn't due to the happy ending, but rather the affirmation of something we want to believe is true: the idea that God cares and is with us in our darkest moments, that there's a basis for daring to hope that we're not alone. This makes me wonder if, in our larger witness to our neighbors, we neglect the most powerful argument for the Gospel: Jesus himself.

At the risk of coming off as a quietist, the best argument for "the faith once delivered to the saints" isn't a retrospective look at the civilization that Christianity built. (For starters, Western civilization is a mixed bag and if Christianity is responsible for the good stuff, it has to take some responsibility for the bad stuff as well. Besides, other faith systems like Buddhism and Confucianism built great civilizations.) Nor is it a philosophical apologetic. No, the best case for the truth of Christianity is Christ himself. Or, as the author of Hebrews puts it, "the power of an indestructible life."

In his most recent syndicated column, Mike McManus writes of the challenge posed by Eastern religions that have "flooded" the West. The challenge is real. Eastern religions offer potential adherents a workable understanding of reality, an understanding of goodness, and an ethic that seems to have worked for several billion people. What they can't offer them is a God who came down from heaven, lived and died as one of us, and rose from the dead. They can't offer an eschatological basis for hope. They can't offer a basis for believing that any force larger than ourselves cares about what happens to us. Put differently, they can't account for what happens to the little girl in Montgomery's song. (See, I planned on getting back to it all along.) As a friend of mine once put it, a Buddhist equivalent of the "Four Spiritual Laws" would start with "The Buddha loves you and has a wonderful plan for the extinction of your ego."

People will reject Christ. That's why Paul called it the scandal of the Gospel. Emphasizing the uniqueness of Christ will offend modern pluralistic sensibilities. But if people are going to reject our message, let it be a direct rejection of the person and work of Christ, and not some peripheral matter. And certainly, let it not be on the basis of ignorance.

I know; I read a lot into a country record that hasn't even been released yet. Wait until you see what I do with my favorite song, "Caballo Viejo."

From Webmaster: For the words of the full song you will find them below. What a powerful song and testimony! 

NOTE: I have included the song also as a dedication to Thomas Carder (CAP ministry and his Family) with the below comment by him. 

*The Little Girl* is, to me, quite probably the most powerful song ever, ever written. Y'see, it has special meaning to me.

It is first a perfect description of the love of He who spent three days in Hell so you and I would not have to spend one moment there. But second, we are "the hugs 'n kisses" family; one of the families to which He sends these little girls. Twenty-three "little girls" have called me daddy. Not all were girls, of course, but we are "the family" to which He sent them. We adopted seven of those twenty-three foster kids. And their stories were sometimes no less vicious than that in *The Little Girl*. So, y'see? *The Little Girl* is, to me, quite probably the most powerful song ever, ever written. 

And it was those "little girls" that gave birth to the CHILDcare Action Project ministry.

To give you another perspective of His Love, I remember when my wife and I were dating 22 years ago that I told her in an avowment of raw independence and arrogance I did NOT want any kids running around calling me "daddy." That was 24 kids ago, one biological and 23 foster/adopted kids. I think He is *still* chuckling. 

Yes, *The Little Girl* is, to me, quite probably the most powerful song ever, ever written.

I love you , Jesus.

Always in thy holy Name. 

Tom Carder - ChildCare Action Project (CAP): Christian Analysis of American Culture

Her Parents never took
The young girl to church
Never spoke of his name
Never read her his word
Two nonbelievers walking
Lost in this world
Took their baby with them
What a sad little girl
Her daddy drank all day
And mommy did drugs
Never wanted to play
Or give kisses and hugs
She’d watch the TV and sit
There on the couch
While her mom fell asleep
And her daddy went out
And the drinking
And the fighting
Just got worse every night
Behind their couch
She'd be hiding
Oh what a sad little life
And like it always does
The bad just got worse
With every slap
And every curse
Until her daddy in a drunk rage one night
Used a gun on her mom
And then took his life
And some people
From a city
Took the girl far away
To a new mom
And a new dad
Kisses and hugs every day
Her first day of Sunday school
The teacher walked in
And a small little girl
Stared at a picture of him
She said I know that man
Up there on that cross
I don’t know his name
But I know he got off
Cause he was there in
My old house
And held me close to his side
As I hid there
Behind our couch
The night that my parents died  - John Michael Montgomery 2000

We Reap What We Sow
Submitted by Awiusdi Darnell

Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem.

And we said, an expert should know what he's talking about, so we won't spank them anymore..

~~~~~~~~~~~THEN~~~~~~~~~~~~

Someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. And the school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued.

And we accepted their reasoning..

~~~~~~~~~~~THEN~~~~~~~~~~~~

Someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents.

And we said, that's a grand idea..

~~~~~~~~~~~THEN~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some wise school board member said, since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they want, so they can have all the fun they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school.

And we said, that's another great idea..

~~~~~~~~~~~THEN~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some of our top elected officials said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs.

And agreeing with them, we said it doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President, does in private as long as I have a job and the economy is good.

~~~~~~~~~~~THEN~~~~~~~~~~~~

Someone said let's print magazines with pictures of nude women and call it wholesome down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty of the female body.

And we said we have no problem with that.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~THEN~~~~~~~~~~~~

Someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of children and then stepped further still by making them available on the Internet.

And we said they're entitled to their free speech.

~~~~~~~~~~~THEN~~~~~~~~~~~~

The entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence, and illicit sex. And let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes.

And we said it's just entertainment, it has no adverse effect, and nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead..

~~~~~~~~~~~AND NOW~~~~~~~~~~~~

We're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves?

~~~~~~~~~~~PROBABLY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with...

"WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In light of the recent shootings in OUR TOWN, Dear God:

"Why didn't you save the little girl or little boy in OUR TOWN?"

Sincerely, Concerned Student AND THE REPLY........

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Concerned Student: "I am not allowed in schools."  Sincerely, God   

If you owe the IRS, you may qualify for a Government Program called Offer in Compromise.  If you qualify, you can pay off your entire liability to the IRS for a very small percentage of the actual liability including interest and penalty.  This is payment in full and forever.    For more information,  see http://www.inewport.net

National Tax and Business Advocates, Inc.
2082 S.E. Bristol Street   #211
Newport Beach, CA  92660
Ph:  949-250-5888
Fax: 949-252-1813