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I wanted to share this email I
had written to a christian brother:
We all have
those times when we question our faith or our walk with God. I
sure do, but this I hope to strengthen you in those
times.
Isaiah
6:12-13 "The Lord has removed men far away, and the forsaken places
are many in the midst of the land. But yet a tenth will be in it,
and will return and be for consuming, as a terebinth tree or as an
oak, whose stump remains when it is cut down. So the Holy seed
shall be its stump."
You were on
my mind last night when I went thru the veil in prayer –it was what
you stated that you had been Feeling
afar off from God lately. This came to my heart and I wanted
to share it with you. The first purpose of a Christian brother to another is to pick him up
and exhort when he is in a low point.
Isaiah
6:13 The life of a tree is not determined by the shape of the
branches, nor by the way it grows,
But it is
the substance. The shape of a church is not its life. In
one place I see a church formed in an Episcopalian Shape; in
another place I see one formed in a Presbyterian shape; in another
Baptist, another on an independent Principle.
Here I see one with 16 ounces to the pound of doctrine; there I see
one with eight, and some with very little Clear
doctrine at all. And yet I find life in all the churches, in
some degree-some good men in all of them. How do I Account for
this? Why, just in this way- that the oak may be alive,
whatever its shape, if it has got the substance.
If there be
but a holy seed in the church, the church will live; and it is
astonishing how the church will live under a Thousand
errors, if there be but the vital principle in it. You will find
good men among the denominations that you can Not receive as being sound in faith. You
say, “What! Can any good thing come out of
Nazareth
?” and you go
through, And find
that there are even in them some true Nazarites of the right
order. The very best of men found in the worst of
churches!
A church
lives not because of its rubrics, and its canons, and its articles;
it lives because of the holy seed that is in it as the Substance.
No church can die while it has a holy seed in it, and no church can
live that has not the holy seed, for “the holy Seed is the
substance thereof.”
Observe,
again, that the substance of the oak is a hidden thing; you
can not see it. When the oak or the terebinth is standing
Destitute
of leaves –as in winter, you know that life is there
somewhere. But you cannot see it. And very likely you
can not and do not
know the men that are the holy seed, the substance of the
church. If you are a church member, let me ask- are you
one of the
Holy seed? Has God made you Holy by the sanctifying influence
of His spirit?, and by the justifying righteousness
of
Christ, and
by the application to the conscience of the blood of Jesus? If
so, then you are the substance of the church. They may
Pass by and
not notice you, because you are little; but the substance is little;
the life-germ within the grain of barley is too small for us,
perhaps, to detect; the life within the egg is almost
unrecognizable. Rejoice, if you are much in prayer; you are
the life of the church.
How is it
that good men are the means of preserving the visible church?
The Holy seed does this, because it derives its life from Chirst.
If the Holy
seed had to preserve the church by its own purity and its own
strength, the church would go to ruin tomorrow; but It is
because these holy ones draw fresh life from Christ continually that
they are able to be, as it were, the salvation of the body, and by
Their
influence, direct and indirect, shed life over the whole visible
church. The prayers of those living ones in
Zion
bring down
many a blessing Upon us;
the groans and cries of these earnest intercessors prevail with
heaven, and bring down very argosies of mercy from the gates of
paradise.
And
besides, their Holy example tends to check us and preserve us in
purity; they walk among us like God’s own favored ones, wrapped in
White,
reflecting His image wherever they go, and tending, under God, to
the sanctifying of believers, not through their vaunting any
sefl-Righteousness,
but by stirring up believers to do more for Christ, and to be more
like Him. “The Holy seed shall be the
substance
Thereof.”
This is
true of every individual believer: His substance is in him when he
has lost his leaves. Some say the Christian when losing his
leaves That he is
dead. “No, says the Word of God, he is not; he may look as if
he were dead, and not have so much as here and there a leaf
upon
the
topmost bough; but he is not dead. Their substance is in them
even when they lose their leaves. Christian men lose their
leaves when they lose
their comforts, when they lose the sensible enjoyment of their
Master’s presence, and when their full assurance is turned into
doubting.
A wintry
state came, and your joy all departed, and you stood like a bare
tree, after the wind had swept it in the time of winter, with just
perhaps one Leaf
hanging by a thread on the topmost bough. But you were not
dead then; no, your substance was in you, when you had lost your
leaves.
You could
not see that substance, and good reason why, because your life was
hid with Christ in God; you saw not your signs, but you had
Your
substance still, though you could not discover it. There were
no heavings of faith, but faith was there; there were no lookings of
hope, but
Though
hopes eyelids were shut, the eyes were there, to be opened
afterwards; there were no liftings of the hand of prayer, but the
hands and arms Were there,
though they hung powerless at your side. God said,
afterwards,”strengthen the feeble knees, and lift up the hands that
hung down.”
Your
sunstance was in you when you had lost your leaves. So if
faith be in exercise you will perceive your evidence, but if faith
be slumbering And still,
you will be led to doubt its existence; and yet it is there all the
while. It is a common error of young converts that they
attempt to live
By
experience, instead of tracing their life up to its precious
source. The Lord will sometimes strip you of your leaves of
evidence to teach you to live By
faith.
13 Aug TS Kingdom
Fellowship:
-I gave my
testimony (condensed version). I hoped to point out that my
life is an example of a quest for seeking God in all the wrong
places. In doing so I wasted so much of my life attempting to
fit into religion and not finding a true relationship with God
Himself. I called myself a false teacher for much of my life
because I pointed people to mans doctrine and not to Jesus. I
thank God that my quest for God brought me to a point of despair and
brokenness. This is the point where I decided I would truly
submit and seek Him with a whole heart. Instead of submitting
to mans doctrines I submitted to the creator-what I found was
freedom, peace, and rest in my savior. I hope you now can understand
and relate to me better as a christian brother. Not as a
leader, pastor, or evangelist. But a christian brother who is
trying to make up for lost and wasted time-a heart that is
empathetic for all of those who really want to submit to God but are
handcuffed by mans misleading doctrine. I am sympathetic
because much of my life I walked with shackles and handcuffs in
captivity to mans tradition which resembled christianity but served
man ultimately. I want to share a quote from John
Macarthur:
Evangelicalism seems to have been
hijacked by legions of carnal spin-doctors, who are trying their
best to convince the world that the church can be just as inclusive,
pluralistic, and broad-minded as the most politically-correct
worldling.
The quest for the world’s approval is
nothing less than spiritual harlotry. In fact, that is precisely the
imagery the apostle James used to describe it. He wrote: “Adulterers
and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is
enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world
makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).
There is and always has been a
fundamental, irreconcilable incompatibility between the church and
the world. Christian thought is out of harmony with all the world’s
philosophies. Genuine faith in Christ entails a denial of every
worldly value. Biblical truth contradicts all the world’s religions.
Christianity itself is therefore antithetical to virtually
everything this world admires.
Jesus told His disciples, “If the world
hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you
were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are
not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the
world hates you” (John 15:18-19).
Notice that our Lord considered it a
given that the world would despise the church. Far from teaching His
disciples to try to win the world’s favor by reinventing the gospel
to suit worldly preferences, Jesus expressly warned that the quest
for worldly accolades is a characteristic of false prophets: “Woe to
you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the
false prophets” (Luke 6:26).
He further explained: “The world . . .
hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil” (John
7:7). In other words, the world’s contempt for Christianity stems
from moral, not intellectual, motives: “And this is the
condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For
everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the
light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (John 3:19-20). That is why
no matter how dramatically worldly opinion might vary, Christian
truth will never be popular with the world.
Yet in virtually every era of church
history there have been people in the church who are convinced that
the best way to win the world is by catering to worldly tastes. Such
an approach has always been to the detriment of the gospel message.
The only times the church has made any significant impact on the
world are when the people of God have stood firm, refused to
compromise, and boldly proclaimed the truth despite the world’s
hostility. When Christians have shrunk away from the task of
confronting popular worldly delusions with unpopular biblical
truths, the church has invariably lost influence and impotently
blended into the world. Both Scripture and history attest to that
fact.
And the Christian message simply
cannot be twisted to conform to the vicissitudes of worldly
opinion. Biblical truth is fixed and constant, not subject to change
or adaptation. Worldly opinion, on the other hand, is in constant
flux. The various fads and philosophies that dominate the world
change radically and regularly from generation to generation. The
only thing that remains constant is the world’s hatred of Christ and
His gospel.
30 July TS Kingdom
Fellowship:
-Thank you Brian Barkley!
Brian was a breath of fresh air...His testimony reminded us that
Prov 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is
old he will not depart from it." Deut 11:19 "You shall teach
them (His words) to your children, speaking of them when you sit in
your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when
you rise up. And you shall right them on your doorposts of
your house and on your gates."
God tells us that as the
spiritual head of the household we are responsible for training and
teaching our children the commandments and words of God. We
are to be a living testimony to our children. What is wrong
with our children when they grow up and depart from God? They
departed from God because they were never taught the commandments
and word of God in their youth. Psalm 71:17 comes to mind for
my brother Brian "O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to
this day I declare Your wondrous works."
I want to share that Brian was a
little intimidated to share his testimony because the others before
Him had such life changing testimonies where God had pulled them
from the mirey clay. Brian's testimony may not seem miraculous
but he is a living testimony of God's promise to all you parents out
there that if you raise up your children in the ways of the Lord,
when they get old they will not depart from Him. I'm not
talking about dragging those little heathens to the 4 walls of the
church. Be a living testimony of God's word and His
commandments. Teach them the power of prayer-The need for
repentance, the grace we have been given to go into the presence of
God by the rent vale of our sin separation. Do not be
legalistic or hypocratic. Make sure they understand that
religion and those that profess to be religious can possibly deceive
them with mans interpretation (docrine of deceptions) of God's
word. Point them to the cross at all times -even when
discipline is required.
Brian may have strayed at times
in his life but God's words have never departed Him. Brian was
never far from the shepherd, with all of lifes distractions and
temptations I call that miraculous and living proof that God has
kept His promise. Thank you Brian...God bless bro!
24 July TS Kindgdom
Fellowship:
-Neil Turner
gave his testimony. What a marvelous biblical scriptural
example of the plowing up of the soil of Neils soul. Neil's
testimony parallelled that of the former
testimonies by God drawing one to Himself. So far
after 4 testimonies of conversion and justification there are
biblical truths becoming ever so evident. First and foremost
is the need for the (tilling of the soil) law of God to become
evident in the heart of an impenitent sinner. Prov 6:23
"For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs
of instruction are the way of life. As we in our sinful nature
walk in this world we fill ourselves with all the wrong things
seeking prosperity. Yet God's Truth that becomes evident by
enlightening the dark mind and wicked heart makes plain the plain
and right way.
As we
discover through life experience that those things of the world
which have been promised to prosper us only lead us into more misery
and then the law provides us that light to shine forth and the
darkness scatters. It is very evident that many of God's
chosen have been in that valley of the shadow of death much of their
lives. When the light comes-darkness scatters, their soil
is plowed up-good seed is planted into good soil. Only the
sick is in need of a physician. These are the elect of God
that understand Grace; Why? Because they first understood law.
Grace has no meaning unless we first understand law. The
biggest misunderstanding in Christianity is the relaitionship
between law and grace. Man's tradition (hypocrisy-in
Jesus words) or doctrine often misuses law and also grace. But
the bible states clearly if you have been brought out of the bondage
of the law by faith and justified by Christ in Grace you are now
free from that which kept you in bondage. This Paul makes very
evident in the book of Romans. Remember when you were sick and
in need of a physician. The world is sick in their sins and
you dear friends are the means to which the world might see their
need for such a physician-Point them to the cross and He who only
can justify-Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
16 July TS Kingdom
Fellowship:
-Jim Flannigan
(Barefootjim) gave his testimony. I have known Jim for about 3
years now and spoken with him on many occasions but I did not know
he was ordained. Out of the heart of the chosen of God does
the mouth speak of the miraculous. Those that still live in
darkness according to John 1 cannot comprehend the light. We
not only can comprehend it but that light-the love of Christ lives
in us and is working in and through us. So what is it that
separates a child of God from the child of disobedience? It is
the love of God. 1John 4:8 He that loves not does not know
God: for God is love. 1john 4:9 In this was manifested the
love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten son
into the world, that we might live through Him.
The world and those that
live without the light in them have the wrong concept
of "love". Love does not ask for anything in
return. If you really want to express love simply give it away
expecting nothing in return but the welfare of the receiver (a free
gift). 1john 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God,
but that He loved us, and sent His son to be the propitiation for
our sins. You see Jesus defined agape Love on the
cross. He became a curse for you, He was nailed to that cross
for you, His blood flows for you, The sword pierced His flesh
for you. Why? Because He loves you and was obedient to
overcome the suffering and agony of the cross simply that you might
freely receive atonement for your disobedience once and for
all. He was your sacrifice and you know as well as I do
that none of us deserve this because of our sinful thoughts and
actions.
Ephesians 2:4-5 But God who is
rich in mercy,because of His great Love with
which He loved us,even when we were dead in sin, made us alive
together with Christ (by grace you have been
saved). We often speak of grace but without the Love
God has for us we would not have grace. This thanks to Jim and
His wonderful testimony and edification of the body of Christ
is where we all need to grow. The agape Love that
lives in us is the only true love the world will see. Without
them seeing this and experiencing and recieving it they will
never know grace. Go give that love away brothers and point
all to the cross.
9July TS Kingdom
Fellowship:
-We had 14 members present...I arrived
home late from work and my mic was not working (broken wire).
Thank you so much Mike for leading the fellowship...You picked up
the baton and ran with it. I sat there and
marvelled at a wonderful testimony by Dennis Salvage...I had heard
His testimony before but if you haven't heard it beleive me you
could hear it over and over again and it would continue to praise
God for His unlimited goodness and beyond our understanding
grace. Since I was unable to speak I wanted to write what was
on my heart after Dennis gave testimony.
Deut 29:12 and 2Sam 23:5
are speaking about How God is making an oath with you and your
family. He has a covenant with you and it cannot be broken and
He will honor it.
There are many
scriptures in the new testament that refers to believers that trust
in Christ as sealed by the blood, and saints, even the elect (chosen
ones-referring to the first descendants of Israel which means prince
of or with God)
What is extremely
important here is what was on my mind as Dennis spoke...No one can
separate us from the love of God once we have been sealed by the
blood of Christ. Eph 2:13 states since we have been sealed we
have this covenant, and this oath and He will honor it. Dennis
you mentioned your inner battles and how the attacks still are
felt. That is so true brother as Paul speaks of this in Romans
6 and 7 as the daily battle and denying the flesh. Let me
remind you bros that you have recieved the baptism of the spirit
when you were justified you have all the spirit of God in you that
you need but does God have (have you submitted) all of you? Of
course not at least not while we are in the flesh but Rom 12:2 tells
us that the spirit in us will transform us to be more like Him as He
changes us from the inside out as we walk obediently after and
seeking Him. Heb 9:14 is a breath of fresh air and hope that
if you still are weary because of your flesh to simply think how
much more the blood of Christ will purify your heart. As you
desire to be more like Christ and submit to His will obediently He
will remove the sin rememberance and transform that carnality into
Holiness and purity and you my friends will resemble Christ more and
more each and every day. So what can you do to be more like
Christ-nothing but submit and desire to do His will, He will
do all that is required and He has promised you that by His Covenant
with you and an Oath. He sealed that oath with His own body
and blood. God bless you brother Dennis!
Submitted by Mike
Ruder: That was a powerful testimony Steve B!
Praise You Jesus! Wow, no one can take away that from us. We
have Christ and that is all we really need, even though it took
a long journey before you(Steve) finally understood who this one and
only true Eternal God is! :)But every believer has a testimony, and
it is o.k. if it may not be dramatic. It is yours, along with
the blood of the Lamb. We should not hide it from the
people we rub shoulders with from day to
day!
The first TS Kingdom Fellowship was a success last
night
-We had 8 members show up and had the
privilege of receiving the testimony of Steve Boyer. Thank you
so much Steve for sharing.
Next Monday we will be meeting again
to hear more testimonies from members. All are invited...I
promise if you can make it you will be blessed. If you are new
to CR this is an excellent way to meet the members and get to know
each other intimately. Remember discipleship is sharing what
God has done or doing in your life with someone else. Giving Freely
that you too might recieve.
*************Teamspeak Kingdom
Fellowship***************
Everyone welcome Monday
Night at 8:30est on TS
- If
you would like to give a salvation testimony or simply hear others
share theirs please join us in fellowship.
******************************************************
Submitted by Greg
Jimenez: I am
very happy you led me this page, Rick. I feel blessed by it as
I did not know it was here. I guess I did not pay enough
attention on the front page. I love being part of the CR
family.
Submitted by
Timbercats: Rick, Thank-You for blog on John 14:6. I
myself did not know the relationship it had to the Isralites in
terms of the outer court , inner court and Holy of Holies. I
have always stood on that scripture as a base with my walk with
Christ. For me it is very simple, the way to Heaven is thru my
relationship with Jesus Christ, thru what He did to pave the way for
me. I realize that it has everything to do with HIM, and very little
to do with me. To be in possession of "Absolute Truth" that no one
can take away from me is a gift from my Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. I know the way, I have the truth and he has prepared a place
for me in Heaven, if were not so, he would have told me.
Thank-You Jesus
Teamspeak Kingdom
Fellowship:
If anyone is interested
in some live fellowship During the week of July 1st-8 Please blog or
email me. I have this week off therefore I would love to spend a
couple of nights in fellowship with CR bros. You name the
night/day and time.
John
14:6 I am the way, The Truth, and The life, no one
comes to the Father except thru me.
Thank You Mike for your
input. I was hoping that we could cover this verse from many
angles and many opinions. This scripture means so very much to
me as it changed my theology after many months of in depth study and
I wanted to share that with you possibly from a different
perspective. I will be brief but if you want more go to www.familysfirst.net then rick's
weekly word and archives at bottom.
In the book of exodus when the first tent temple of moses was built there
was an outer court, an inner court (Holy Place), and the Holy of
Holies (where the arc was kept and the presence of God
resided).
What I am about to say is not known by many
and is so very relative to the the statement Jesus made in John
14:6. The Israelites in aramaic called this outer court
(The Way), inner court (The
Truth), and the Holy of Holies (The Life).
Therefore if you study the purposes of each you will find each is
specific: Justification, Sanctification,
Glorification.
If you study Hebrews you will find the Author
speaking directly to Jewish Christians who are still confused about
the traditional jewish customs and furthermore the old covenant
versus the new. Hebrews 8 specifically addresses that the old
covenant is no longer and but a type and shadow. Hebrews 9
will define that the pysical tabernacle of Moses is also only a type
and shadow. By Jesus making this statement He has fulfilled not only
the types and shadows of past but created a new covenant,
Priesthood, and living tabernacle where we can at any time go into
the presence of the most High. Jesus stated in John 10:9 "I am the
gate (referring to the entrance to the physical temple); whoever
enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out,
and find pasture". As Mike stated this is not "pluralistic"
there is no other way you can enter the spiritual temple and the
presence of God but through Jesus. I can't promise you
that this truth will change your walk with Christ. I can
brethren speak of what it did for my walk and it has been
tremendous. Please spend some time meditating on the book of
Hebrews in relation with the original temple,covenant, and
priesthood with what I have stated here.
I consider this statement by
Jesus to be the most profound statement in the new testament. I
have done studies on this verse and it seems to envelop so
much of scripture and theology that I'm wondering what does
this statement that Jesus made mean to you? Please
blog your responses to me and I will post them
here:
Submitted By Mike Ruder: We as
true believers must never "cave in" to Pluralism in this
world! We must stand firm when asked if we actually think that
this "profound statement" is true. :) An empty
tomb from Christ Jesus where He rose from the dead; is unique and
unmatched by any "religion" in world history. When the risen
Jesus Christ, in His actual body, was seen for 40
days to thousands of people and His disciples, all knew that
all He said and taught them was in fact truth! And they
themselves would suffer and die too. No one
would have died for a lie, knowing it was a
lie.
We are the church
of Jesus Christ. The body of the living God. We
have been called into existence out of all denominations.to be a
kingdom of priests to serve him. We derive our authority from the
person of Lord Jesus individually and personally. To as many
as received Him, He gave the power to become the sons of God even to
them who believed on His name. We do not need to apologize for
the priesthood of all believers. We do not need to turn aside
because people accuse us of being unloving. It is the zenith
of christian love to tell people the truth when they are on their
way to hell. And if you won't do it, if you won't tell them
the truth, get out of the way of the people that want to. Because
that's the name of the game salvation.
And if Jesus Christ is not Lord of all, if He
is not God the Son (2nd Person of the Trinity), if His blood is not
complete atonement for sin, and His resurrection the seal for
justification.
If He did not tell the truth away with him. If He could not save Himself He
could not save us. But if He is who He says He was and if He
rose from the dead immortal. Then He is to be believed, and He
is to be obeyed. And those that pervert what He says are to be
held up publicly so that the world may know this is not of God.
This is christian theology. If
the church is to survive she must put on the whole armour of God and
stand against false doctrine.
Submitted by Grady Vines
6/14/07 I'm excited about what God is doing at CR and I feel
blessed to be a part of it. I am also thankful that God has placed
and equipped someone as scripturally knowledgeable as Rick to lead
this new ministry endeavor here at CR. I look forward to seeing what
Good does in the lives of those who partake in this journey.
May God bless you and
keep you Rick. By the way, I thoroughly
enjoyed our conversation on the phone last night. It was a pleasure
to get to talk to you.
God Bless,
Grady Vines
Isaiah 40:27-31
Submitted by Mike Ruder
6/14/07
God
bless Rick! I hope everyone may grow because of the Bible and time
spent in communion with Jesus; to better serve Him. I appreciate
your hard work for The LORD. :) Mikey
Return to Christian Racing
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Rick Disler and his wife Christin live in Knoxville Tennessee with their five children. They both work full time outside their home and attend their local Church of God. Rick's ministry is to arm men and women with Biblical truths in order to build a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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