Replacement Theology
by Anonymous, 1989
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is a lot of confusion going around these days about God's
promises, even among our own ranks here at (unnamed organization).
I'd like to take this opportunity to dispel a little of the confusion.
There is a powerful movement afoot called Replacement Theology
which states that the church is Israel and the promises given to
Israel were primarily for the church. This movement is
incurring the wrath of God, as it increasingly condemns the
nation of Israel as illegitimate, which is natural for folks who
believe the church has replaced Israel. Even among those who
still hold to Israel to one degree or another, there seems to be
a propensity for yanking Old Testament promises out of the Bible
-- and, I might add, out of context -- and indiscriminately
applying them to modern church situations. The tendency is to
select those promises which fit church theology (like healing,
prosperity, victory) and ignore those which do not (like
punishment for rebellion, keeping of feasts, sacrifices). To
set the record straight: the church did not yet exist when
those promises were given, and they were not given to Israel as
a "type" of the church until the church should inherit them.
The Old Testament promises were given to Israel, and they apply
to Israel. Many of them ALSO apply to the church in a general
way, and many of them apply to all nations in a general way, and
many of them apply only to Israel. We have got to quit assuming
that just because some teacher of the Word says the Bible says
something is ours, that it is. We must understand the situation
and context in which the promises were given -- promises of
blessing and/or cursing, of redemption, et-cetera -- before we
can understand the promises themselves.
Let's take as an example 2 Chronicles 7:14. Most people today
are familiar with that verse, but unfortunately the vast
majority of the church in America seems to have gotten the idea
somewhere -- not from God -- that the promise is to America. It
most assuredly is not. Let us read the passage in its context
(2 Chronicles 7:11-20):
Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the
king's palace, and successfully completed all that
he had planned on doing in the house of the Lord and
in his palace. Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at
night and said to him, "I have heard your prayer,
and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of
sacrifice. If I shut up the heavens so that there
is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the
land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and
My people who are called by My Name [over whom My
Name is called] humble themselves and pray, and seek
My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will
hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and
will heal their land. Now My eyes shall be open and
My ears attentive the prayer of this place. For now
I have chosen and consecrated this house that My
Name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart
will be there perpetually."
The context here is the completion and dedication of the temple
in Israel. Note God's promise concerning "this house".
Speaking to Israel, the Lord promised to forgive the nation and
heal the land if the nation would repent. The entire nation is
called "My people". Israel is called by God's Name. This
promise was NOT given to Japan, Albania, or the United States,
none of which is a nation "called by My Name". Unfortunately,
we in western society have twisted the meaning for our own
supposed benefit to allegedly say, "If My people which are
called by My Name (the Christians within the country) ..." But
it does not say that. Now the promise CAN apply to a nation
other than Israel in a general way: certainly if any nation
(America included) will repent, God will restore the nation and
forgive the sin and heal the land. The key is the distinction
between who is Israel and who is not. If the church is Israel,
then one can truly say, "If the believers will repent and pray,
I'll restore their land." But believers have already repented,
or else they wouldn't be believers! The confusion comes from
erroneously assuming the church is modern "spiritual Israel",
having replaced national Israel. It does not say "If the
Christians will pray and intercede and repent". Repent of what?
The believers are already the righteousness of God in Jesus, and
it's not for the righteousness of the believing 1% that America
will be judged, but for the sin of the wicked 99% who refuse to
repent. The promise concerns a NATION repenting, not God's
people WITHIN A NATION repenting and praying. We are the temple
of the Holy Spirit, it is true, but our repentance does not
nullify the justice and righteousness of God. He cannot leave
America unjudged and remain a righteous judge!
Elsewhere in the Bible we find the answer to how God deals with
a wicked nation where a few people are righteous. This is one
of those passages the modern Word of Faith and Kingdom Now
people like to avoid, because it pretty well debunks their
misinterpretation of 2 Chronicles 7:14. This is found in
Ezekiel 14:13-20, and it is one of those places which speaks of
all nations in general (starting with verse 21 -- not quoted
here -- the Lord starts to apply it directly to Israel):
"Son of man, if a country sins against Me by
committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand
against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine
against it, and cut off from it both man and beast,
even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job
were in its midst, by their own righteousness they
could only deliver themselves," declares the Lord
God. "If I were to cause wild beasts to pass
through the land, and they bereave of children, and
it became desolate so that no one would pass through
it because of the beasts, though these three men
were in its midst, as I live," declares the Lord
God, "they could not deliver either their sons or
their daughters. They alone would be delivered, but
the country would be desolate. Or if I should bring
a sword on that country and say, 'Let the sword pass
through the country and cut off man and beast from
it,' even though these three men were in its midst,
as I live," declares the Lord God, "they could not
deliver either their sons or their daughters, but
they alone would be delivered. Or if I should send
a plague against that country and pour out My wrath
in blood on it, to cut off man and beast from it,
even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst,
as I live," declares the Lord God, "they could not
deliver either their son or their daughter. They
would deliver only themselves by their
righteousness."
Can our righteousness deliver America? What does God say about
it? The only people who will be delivered are the righteous,
and we've got to quit praying out of God's will and asking Him
to deliver the wicked, because He is a righteous and just God
and He will judge sin. The smart thing is to get your sin
judged on the cross so you're free of it and you don't get
judged yourself. We need to pray for people to get saved, and
for wisdom for our leaders, and whatever else the Word tells us
to do. But know this: God is about to judge this nation. It
is His will to do so, indeed, He MUST do so. It is NOT His will
that any perish, but that all be saved. Nevertheless, Scripture
is clear that God hates sin, and He will destroy the nation that
continues to sin. He will also leave a righteous remnant.
The next time you hear someone quoting 2 Chronicles 7:14 over
America and admonishing you to pray for restoration of America,
just remember God isn't going to restore America. God is
restoring Israel now, and human government is coming to an end,
because the Messiah is about to return as King of kings and Lord
of lords; and soon the Word will be fulfilled which says, "The
kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and
He shall reign forever and ever." Why should God put off
Messiah's return so Americans could enjoy a few more years of
materialism and debauchery? We need to get in on what God is
doing, not try to make Him conform to American Christianity and
an American Jesus.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
THE STAGGERING QUESTION
“Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel 37:3
Can that sinner be turned into a saint? Can that twisted life be put right? There is only one answer: “O Lord, Thou knowest, I don’t.” Never trample in with religious common sense and say – “Oh, yes, with a little more Bible reading and devotion and prayer, I see how it can be done.”
It is much easier to do something than to trust in God; we mistake panic for inspiration. That is why there are so few fellow workers with God and so many workers for Him. We would far rather work for God than believe in Him. Am I quite sure that God will do what I cannot do? I despair of men in the degree in which I have never realized that God has done anything for me. Is my experience such a wonderful realization of God’s power and might that I can never despair of anyone I see? Have I had any spiritual work done in me at all? The degree of panic is the degree of the lack of personal spiritual experience.
“Behold, O my people, I will open your graves.” When God wants to show you what human nature is like apart from Himself, He has to show it you in yourself. If the Spirit of God has given you a vision of what you are apart from the grace of God (and He only does it when His Spirit is at work), you know there is no criminal who is half so bad in actuality as you know yourself to be in possibility. My “grave” has been opened by God and “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.” God’s Spirit continually reveals what human nature is like apart from His grace.
—————————————————————————————————————–
“Is my experience such a wonderful realization of God’s power and might that I can never despair of anyone I see? Have I had any spiritual work done in me at all? The degree of panic is the degree of the lack of personal spiritual experience.”
I know that God has been at work in me but it has been so subtle and gradual a process that most of the time I don’t realize anything has changed until I stop and go over my life and realize that indeed I have changed, but I just don’t ‘feel’ like I have really had any ‘personal spiritual experience” that I can fall back on. When I asked God into my life, I felt nothing, I felt no spiritual presence. My whole Christian experience has been a matter of personal decision of my will and choosing to believe that this path is the right one for me, but it sure hasn’t been one of any personal ‘spiritual’ experience of any Presence from God in my life. This has been my greatest leap of faith just using my will to believe. Choosing to have faith in God and His process of transformation in me. This faith in Jesus is based on knowing that there is nothing out there in other religions that comes close. My problem sometimes is listening too much to other people’s testimonies and hearing all the most spectacular things God had supposedly done in their lives ,that many times I walk away feeling a bit left out or that I must have been behind the door when God was passing out all these experiences. But in the end I must realize that God deals with each of us differently and our walk with Him is personal and so my experience will not be like any one elses. The passage of scripture that does my mind good on this topic is here in
the Gospel (John 20: 19-31) which recounts one of the Post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ to his disciples, where Jesus appears to his disciples, coming through locked doors and says “Peace be with you” breathing upon them the Holy Spirit and communicating His authority to forgive sins.
However, Thomas was not present. The Beloved disciple John records this exchange between the Risen Lord and Thomas which follows: “Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
“Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them.Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
This encounter led to Thomas being called “Doubting Thomas”. Yet the tradition tells us that so called “doubting Thomas” died a martyr for his faith. He also became a messenger of Mercy to India, a missionary who shed his own blood for the Master whom he encountered on that day. His insistence on touching the wounds presented the Disciple John another opportunity to explain for all of us the implications of the Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ.But what is outstanding is what Jesus then says to us who have trouble believing, but still choose too without the experience of some tangible proof..29Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” So this is where I am and because I have not ‘seen’ Him and yet believe, I can trust that I will be blessed in this.
Can that sinner be turned into a saint? Can that twisted life be put right? There is only one answer: “O Lord, Thou knowest, I don’t.” Never trample in with religious common sense and say – “Oh, yes, with a little more Bible reading and devotion and prayer, I see how it can be done.”
It is much easier to do something than to trust in God; we mistake panic for inspiration. That is why there are so few fellow workers with God and so many workers for Him. We would far rather work for God than believe in Him. Am I quite sure that God will do what I cannot do? I despair of men in the degree in which I have never realized that God has done anything for me. Is my experience such a wonderful realization of God’s power and might that I can never despair of anyone I see? Have I had any spiritual work done in me at all? The degree of panic is the degree of the lack of personal spiritual experience.
“Behold, O my people, I will open your graves.” When God wants to show you what human nature is like apart from Himself, He has to show it you in yourself. If the Spirit of God has given you a vision of what you are apart from the grace of God (and He only does it when His Spirit is at work), you know there is no criminal who is half so bad in actuality as you know yourself to be in possibility. My “grave” has been opened by God and “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.” God’s Spirit continually reveals what human nature is like apart from His grace.
—————————————————————————————————————–
“Is my experience such a wonderful realization of God’s power and might that I can never despair of anyone I see? Have I had any spiritual work done in me at all? The degree of panic is the degree of the lack of personal spiritual experience.”
I know that God has been at work in me but it has been so subtle and gradual a process that most of the time I don’t realize anything has changed until I stop and go over my life and realize that indeed I have changed, but I just don’t ‘feel’ like I have really had any ‘personal spiritual experience” that I can fall back on. When I asked God into my life, I felt nothing, I felt no spiritual presence. My whole Christian experience has been a matter of personal decision of my will and choosing to believe that this path is the right one for me, but it sure hasn’t been one of any personal ‘spiritual’ experience of any Presence from God in my life. This has been my greatest leap of faith just using my will to believe. Choosing to have faith in God and His process of transformation in me. This faith in Jesus is based on knowing that there is nothing out there in other religions that comes close. My problem sometimes is listening too much to other people’s testimonies and hearing all the most spectacular things God had supposedly done in their lives ,that many times I walk away feeling a bit left out or that I must have been behind the door when God was passing out all these experiences. But in the end I must realize that God deals with each of us differently and our walk with Him is personal and so my experience will not be like any one elses. The passage of scripture that does my mind good on this topic is here in
the Gospel (John 20: 19-31) which recounts one of the Post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ to his disciples, where Jesus appears to his disciples, coming through locked doors and says “Peace be with you” breathing upon them the Holy Spirit and communicating His authority to forgive sins.
However, Thomas was not present. The Beloved disciple John records this exchange between the Risen Lord and Thomas which follows: “Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
“Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them.Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
This encounter led to Thomas being called “Doubting Thomas”. Yet the tradition tells us that so called “doubting Thomas” died a martyr for his faith. He also became a messenger of Mercy to India, a missionary who shed his own blood for the Master whom he encountered on that day. His insistence on touching the wounds presented the Disciple John another opportunity to explain for all of us the implications of the Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ.But what is outstanding is what Jesus then says to us who have trouble believing, but still choose too without the experience of some tangible proof..29Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” So this is where I am and because I have not ‘seen’ Him and yet believe, I can trust that I will be blessed in this.
THE TEST OF SELF INTEREST
THE TEST OF SELF-INTEREST
by Oswald Chambers
"If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left." Genesis 13:9
As soon as you begin to live the life of faith in God, fascinating and luxurious prospects will open up before you, and these things are yours by right; but if you are living the life of faith you will exercise your right to waive your rights, and let God choose for you. God sometimes allows you to get into a place of testing where your own welfare would be the right and proper thing to consider if you were not living a life of faith; but if you are, you will joyfully waive your right and leave God to choose for you. This is the discipline by means of which the natural is transformed into the spiritual by obedience to the voice of God.Whenever right is made the guidance in the life, it will blunt the spiritual insight. The great enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but the good which is not good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best. It would seem the wisest thing in the world for Abraham to choose, it was his right, and the people around would consider him a fool for not choosing. Many of us do not go on spiritually because we prefer to choose what is right instead of relying on God to choose for us. We have to learn to walk according to the standard which has its eye on God. "Walk before Me."
==========================================================
The goal in many of our lives is for the 'self' , to try to change our circumstances and make it what we want to happen in our lives, but to live the life of Faith in God is to let go and let God be Lord ,Master and King in our lives, to have the faith to know that what ever happens in our lives that it is God who either brought it about or allowed it to happen for His purpose in us. The goal of the Christian life is to walk in faith and believing that Gods Spirit knows what we need in our lives . Many of us are not quite here, we don't realize that it is God who is shaping our lives, and it is the 'tests' that we go through that help us realize our weaknesses and total dependence on God ,that is the outcome of the ordeals we go through in life. This is what it means to walk in the Spirit or to be Spirit led, it is the trusting of our lives to His care that will produce the transformation that God desires in us.
God is the Master Artist , crafter, gardener and He is the one who decides how we are to be molded and formed as a vessel for his use. It is worldly ,fleshly and self thinking to always try to change our circumstances, but it is an act of faith to rely on God to do what we need to have done to form us into vessels fit for the King.The reason why I do not believe in 'spells' or positive affirmations to try to change my situation or circumstances in my life, is because I believe that the 'role' of a Christian believer in Yahshua/Jesus is to believe that whatever comes our way is for a purpose that only God may know, and it is a walk of faith on our part to believe that God knows what situations or circumstance we need to go through in order to grow in HIM. That does not mean that if we are sick, in pain, or dis-eased not to get medical help. We must do what we need to do but we must trust that it is God that is allowing these things to happen. The serenity prayer is a good place to understand this process.
The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
by Oswald Chambers
"If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left." Genesis 13:9
As soon as you begin to live the life of faith in God, fascinating and luxurious prospects will open up before you, and these things are yours by right; but if you are living the life of faith you will exercise your right to waive your rights, and let God choose for you. God sometimes allows you to get into a place of testing where your own welfare would be the right and proper thing to consider if you were not living a life of faith; but if you are, you will joyfully waive your right and leave God to choose for you. This is the discipline by means of which the natural is transformed into the spiritual by obedience to the voice of God.Whenever right is made the guidance in the life, it will blunt the spiritual insight. The great enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but the good which is not good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best. It would seem the wisest thing in the world for Abraham to choose, it was his right, and the people around would consider him a fool for not choosing. Many of us do not go on spiritually because we prefer to choose what is right instead of relying on God to choose for us. We have to learn to walk according to the standard which has its eye on God. "Walk before Me."
==========================================================
The goal in many of our lives is for the 'self' , to try to change our circumstances and make it what we want to happen in our lives, but to live the life of Faith in God is to let go and let God be Lord ,Master and King in our lives, to have the faith to know that what ever happens in our lives that it is God who either brought it about or allowed it to happen for His purpose in us. The goal of the Christian life is to walk in faith and believing that Gods Spirit knows what we need in our lives . Many of us are not quite here, we don't realize that it is God who is shaping our lives, and it is the 'tests' that we go through that help us realize our weaknesses and total dependence on God ,that is the outcome of the ordeals we go through in life. This is what it means to walk in the Spirit or to be Spirit led, it is the trusting of our lives to His care that will produce the transformation that God desires in us.
God is the Master Artist , crafter, gardener and He is the one who decides how we are to be molded and formed as a vessel for his use. It is worldly ,fleshly and self thinking to always try to change our circumstances, but it is an act of faith to rely on God to do what we need to have done to form us into vessels fit for the King.The reason why I do not believe in 'spells' or positive affirmations to try to change my situation or circumstances in my life, is because I believe that the 'role' of a Christian believer in Yahshua/Jesus is to believe that whatever comes our way is for a purpose that only God may know, and it is a walk of faith on our part to believe that God knows what situations or circumstance we need to go through in order to grow in HIM. That does not mean that if we are sick, in pain, or dis-eased not to get medical help. We must do what we need to do but we must trust that it is God that is allowing these things to happen. The serenity prayer is a good place to understand this process.
The Serenity PrayerGod grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
Friday, September 3, 2010
DREAM OF A HOUSE ,LIGHTS AND FLOOD
My Dream:
There is this big 2 story house I am in it and the house had been pushed off it's foundations and was floating down a river during a very turbulent storm, I believe it was a flooded river. In this house are many rooms and decorated nicely and it still had electricity in it even though there were no 'external' source . The lights were on inside this house as I floated down the river! I remember wondering what was keeping the lights on.
After reading about this other dream I now have a better understanding of my own dream.
Dreams relating to a house often refers to various aspects of the Self.To see your home in your dream, signifies security, basic needs, and values. Because this house still had it's lights on without being plugged in to an external source is very revealing to me, The 'light' comes from within me within my 'house', I am that house or it is Gods house and S/He is the only light/life source needed.
To see a storm in my dream, signifies some overwhelming struggle, shock, loss or catastrophe in my waking life. The storm also represents unexpressed fears or emotions, such as anger, rage, turmoil, etc. On a more positive note, the storm symbolizes my rising spirituality. It may signal rapid changes ahead for me.
To see a raging river in my dream, signifies that my life is feeling out of control. I am feeling emotionally unsettled. Alternatively, a river means that I am ready to confront life's challenges and life's twists and turns.The river is the river of life we are all on, sometimes things get wild and turbulent and the floods really do knock us off our foundations, but God will always be there within each of us.God is not out there somewhere, but within us, especially if we have asked for God to be there, like I have done. So in this dream I am being reassured that my lights are on inside of me, that God who is the light is alive and well within. And no matter what happens as I go down this river of life, God will be with me.
To dream that I am floating in water/river, suggests that I still have a handle on my emotions even though sometimes I might feel out of control of the things happening in my life.
I have always searched outside of myself for God and God has been within me all along! And no matter what will try to disturb my since of security in life, when the storms come and they will, I can have faith that I am not alone in them. My lights will still remain on no matter if I get unplugged from some outside source.
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