Could this really be the end of the age?

by Ray Yungen

Throughout my Christian life I have periodically heard fellow Christians suggest we are in the last days. Often these comments were initiated from current cases of violent crimes, sexual perversions, war, or natural disasters. Since I knew history had repeatedly encountered these calamities, such predictions of Christ’s imminent return rang hollow.
However, in 1984 I had an unexpected encounter that changed my entire outlook. A newfound friend educated me about the New Age movement and its end-times implications. After a period of investigation, I came to believe this could very well be the time period the book of Revelation showcases. Instead of a vague and obscure manifestation of prophecy, I saw something distinct and pervasive happening in our churches and society. And incredibly enough, this shift has been predicted from both sides of the struggle...

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The Cross

Great High Priest, we view Thee stooping,

our names upon Thy breast, In the garden groaning, drooping,

To the ground with horrors pressed. Holy angels stood confounded,

To behold their Maker thus, And shall we remain unmoved,

When we know ’twas all for us?

Joseph Hart, 1712-1768

A Slave of Christ

'Wilma'

I want to share with you a tremendous blessing I received from the Lord today.
I went to the nursing home I work at today to pick up my paycheck; I was early so I decided to visit one of the residents, Wilma. I have had several conversations with Wilma in the past, so it wasn't unusual for me to visit her. I knocked on her door and was greeted with the usual smile, with a greeting that was filled with love, from the heart. BTW, Wilma is 97, she's been saved longer than I have been alive!
I sat down and asked Wilma how her day was; I am so glad I asked! Wilma told me she got the opportunity to share the Gospel with one of the afternoon nurses yesterday, she was filled with such joy and enthusiasm as she talked. She has shared the Gospel with many of the residents, and any who will listen. After filling me in, Wilma said these words, 'you know, God put me in this nursing home for a reason!' I was so blessed by her understanding of what it means to serve the Lord! I responded, 'Wilma, you are so right! We are never too old to serve the Lord!'
Wilma also talked about how she looks forward to when the Lord calls her home, I could see the anticipation in her eyes of being with our Lord, face to face. This dear sweet saint has given me such courage; I pray to have such zeal and passion for the Lord! If we all only had the 'fire' within our hearts like Wilma does, we would turn this world upside down for Christ!

If any man serve me.....

by Pastorboy

The conversation that Jesus began with the Greeks in John 12 is a very fascinating one for me. It was not hi, nice to meet you, how are you doing? No, it was get to the point- The hour has come, unless a grain of wheat falls and dies it cannot produce, If a man loves his life he will lose it… It is clear in this passage that the shadow of the cross is weighing heavily on Jesus. He knows it is coming, He knows the approaching agony of the weight of sin and God’s wrath being poured out on Him. It becomes the focus of His mind and thoughts and teaching over these next several chapters and verses. In reality, he is preparing his followers for the cross that he must bear, but also the one they must bear. It is what makes this passage and these individual verses so very important to understand, for it is a clarion call to each of us about our life in Jesus Christ.

John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.

In this verse, Jesus is presenting a hypothetical situation. In this tense, the word If (Gr. ean) means perchance and indicates a hypothetical “any man” serving Jesus. Literally, this verse reads ean-if ego-I tis-any (person) diakoneo-serve/minister ego-I. So the call is to any man, to you and to I describing what it means (with the following words) to serve (diakoneo) or minister to Jesus. This Greek word indicates that the servant or the minister is in the presence of the one being served, in order for one to efficiently serve, they must be in close contact with the one being served. In this case, in order for us to serve Jesus, we must be a servant of Jesus. To be a servant of Jesus, one must be born again to be in his effective service. Let me illustrate with another verse....

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Waxing Cold in these last days

By Ron Graham
“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Matthew 24:12. Jesus, speaking to four of His disciples about the times just before His Second Advent, tells them that because sin will be so rampant, so commonplace in the last days that the love people once had for one another will become, for the most part, nonexistent. The Greek word “polys” is translated into our English word as “many”. It’s used in numerous places throughout the New Testament denoting multitudes, great and very significant numbers. Imagine, if you can, a world made up of people thoroughly devoid of “love” for their fellow man.

I believe Jesus is alluding to the seven year tribulation period that will begin just after the Rapture of His Church. It stands to reason that this “loveless” generation Jesus speaks about as being full of iniquity (wickedness) doesn’t just appear one day after the Rapture, but that societies would gradually migrate toward degeneracy and ultimately to a crescendo of rampant and overwhelming depravity.

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Longing for a Heavenly Body

Mike Ratliff writes encouraging posts for the body of Christ. He is a warrior for truth; God continues to use Mike to bless many, including myself with his writings. This piece is no exception...

Longing For A Heavenly Body

I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. (2 Peter 1:13-14 ESV)
Unlike Peter, the Lord has not made it clear to me the putting off of my body will be soon (see the passage above). However, I do not deny that my desire for the ending of this tabernacling in this earthly tent grows deeper with each skirmish or battle in the Truth War. I am not overly sad here. I do not even consider myself to be that ill, but with each step in spiritual maturity, the natural byproduct of standing firm in the hot parts of the battle, I find that my joy is in the heavenly perspective rather than in anything in the temporal with the only exception being in my personal relationships and fellowship with family and friends and fellow warriors.

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Deliverance

Salvation all of grace

by C.H. Spurgeon

"For by grace are ye saved...' Ephesians 2:8

Other Divine attributes are manifest in salvation. The wisdom of God
devised the plan; the power of God executes in us the work of salvation;
the immutability of God preserves and carries it on—in fact, all the
attributes of God are magnified in the salvation of a sinner: but at the same time
the text is most accurate, since grace is the fountain-head of salvation, and is most
conspicuous throughout. Grace is to be seen in our election; for "there is a
remnant according to the election of grace, and if by grace then it is no more of
works." Grace is manifestly revealed in our redemption, for ye know therein the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and it is utterly inconceivable that any soul could
have deserved to be redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. The mere
thought is abhorrent to every holy mind. Our calling is also of grace, too, for "He
hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began." By grace also we are justified; for over and over again
the apostle insists upon this grand and fundamental truth. We are not justified
before God by works in any measure or in any degree, but by faith alone; and the
apostle tells us "it is of faith, that it might be by grace." We see a golden thread of
grace running through the whole of the Christian’s history, from his election
before all worlds, even to his admission to the heaven of rest. Grace, all along,
"reigns through righteousness unto eternal life," and "where sin aboundeth, grace
doth much more abound." There is no point in the history of a saved soul which
you can put your finger and say, "In this instance he is saved by his own
deservings." Every single blessing which we receive from God, comes to us by the
channel of free favour, revealed to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Making pets of tigers

It is never safe to make pets of tigers! (J. R. Miller, "The Story of Cain and Abel" 1908)

"Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast." Genesis 4:5
"Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him!" Genesis 4:8See here, the fearful growth of the evil feeling in Cain's heart. It was only a thought at first--but it was admitted into the heart and cherished there. Then it grew until it caused a terrible crime! We learn here, the danger of cherishing even the smallest beginning of bitterness; we do not know to what it will grow! Some people think lightly of bad temper, laughing at it as a mere harmless weakness; but it is a perilous mood to indulge, and we do not know to what it may lead."Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you!" In His reproof of Cain, the Lord likens his sin to a wild beast lying in hiding by his door, ready to leap on him and devour him. This is true of all sin which is cherished in the heart. It may long lie quiet and seem harmless--but it is only a wild beast sleeping!There is a story of a man who took a young tiger and resolved to make a pet of it. It moved about his house like a kitten and grew up fond and gentle. For a long time its savage, blood-thirsty nature seemed changed into gentleness, and the creature was quiet and harmless. But one day the man was playing with his 'pet', when by accident his hand was scratched and the beast tasted blood. That one taste, aroused all the fierce tiger nature, and the ferocious animal flew on his master and tore him to pieces!So it is, with the passions and lusts of the old nature, which are only petted and tamed and allowed to reside in the heart. They will crouch at the door in treacherous lurking, and in some unguarded hour--they will rise up in all their old ferocity! It is never safe to make pets of tigers! It is never safe to make pets of little sins!We never know what sin may grow into--if we let it abide in our heart! "Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him!" That is what came of the passion of envy in Cain's heart! It was left unrebuked, unrepented of, uncrushed--and in time it grew to fearful strength. Then in an evil moment, its tiger nature asserted itself!We never know to what dreadful stature--a little sin may grow!

from Grace gems

Playtime for kids and it's called 'DIVINATION'

Here is a warning from Jan Markell on the latest attempt by Satan to 'get at' your kids...



I was planning to write about a current event issue when this story hit my in-box. I am no longer shocked by issues like what I am about to report. Our kids and teens have been seduced for decades. Harry Potter hasn't helped nor has Twilight. Both kids and adults have been introduced to the paranormal in dozens of TV programs and movies. So much so, in fact, that the paranormal is the new normal.So now Toys-R-Us has a cute little pink Ouija board and one that glows in the dark, both marketed for children. They advertise that kids as young as 8 need to have these new sorcery objects! (Well, they don't call them "sorcery objects" but the Bible does.) I know it is billed as a "toy" but I have enough personal experience that I can tell you it is blatant divination.

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The Truth