decrees

FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING
"the law of The Lord is perfect"

Preaching is simply declaring or telling the decrees (instructions, laws, commands etc) of God.

God runs the kingdom by declaration not by debate.

The kingdoms of this world and laws of men evolve from discussion and debate about differences of acceptance and belief in the LAWS OF NATURE AND OF NATURES GOD.

Divisions come about when there is disagreement about acceptance of the LAW OF THE LORD. - "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" - 1 Timothy

Adam had an instruction from God.
Eve had a disagreement based on a discussion she had with "the serpent".

The disrupting pattern repeats itself through history • DECLARATION • DISCUSSION • DISAGREEMENT •

Gods intended pattern is
OBSERVATION
OBEDIENCE
ORDER

"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that (WE) they are without excuse".

IMHO, The current political debate in the US about legitimacy of leadership may hinge on our willingness to acknowledge the foundation of our system of government as based on LAWS OF NATURE AND OF NATURES GOD. - http://bit.ly/2iw6hnD

Rather than adamantly defending one side or the other I am inclined to go back to the bible to find answers.

It is my firm belief that preaching and preachers hold the key to all the political problems.

THEIR INSTRUCTION:
"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples . . .

OUR INSTRUCTION:
"Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief". . .

God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom • men that had understanding of the times •


THE PAAYER
Lord Jesus Christ,
watch over those who
are leaders in your Church.
Keep them faithful to their vocation
and to the proclamation of your message.

Teach them to recognize and interpret the signs of the times.
Strengthen them with the gifts of the Spirit, and help them to serve you people, especially the poor and lowly. Give them a vivid sense of your presence in the world
and a knowledge of how
to show it to others.

In Jesus Name
Amen.

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Whom

"to whom is the arm
of the Lord revealed?"

Dictated

HARDCORE - preaching is telling people how God wants things to be

Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

#gettingbusy
FOOLISH & IMPORTANT
### "it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." ###

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

MANDATORY
"repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

PREACHED
I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.

The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils

PREACH
"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine".

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to

1. preach the gospel to the poor;
he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,

2. to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind,

3. to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.


PREACHING (what)
they went out, and preached
that men should repent.

this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

RESULTS
straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and

he preached the word unto them.

they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.


Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

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Tender

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
#beyekind #tenderhearted
@EPHESIANS

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THE FARMER STORY

2017

THE GOOD FIGHT . . .
And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel.

A WARRIORS MINDSET - expect the fight, accept the battle; attack !!

And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.

A WIMPISH ATTITUDE?
when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled

1 Samuel 28
http://bit.ly/2bpgn8k
JESUS I HAVE PROMISED
to serve thee to the end;
be thou forever near me,
my Master and my friend.
I shall not fear the battle
if thou art by my side,
nor wander from the pathway
if thou wilt be my guide.

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they_said

#notmypresident
"they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it." - NUMBERS 12


THE CHOOSING
"there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God."

THE CHOSEN
Just because we have elections doesn't mean we choose our leaders. I didn't get to choose my parents or my police chief or my school principals . . . and our pastors and primary caregivers are not always persons of direct of our choosing.

THE CHOICE
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

The law-giver, Moses was first a law breaker - a fugitive from justice -
God said :

"With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them" . . .

My attitude towards authorities if guided by scripture is one of submission and obedience.

A rebellious attitude invites disaster, divine judgement and is "the curse".

IS GOD'S PLAN THIS SIMPLE ?
Disobey = Curse
Obey = Blessing

Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day • And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God.

I ALONE MUST DECIDE.
What is my choice ?

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with_God

Today it's very windy and it is cold. It is now 36 degrees F but feels like 7 below freezing ! but I had to walk, been neglecting my daily walk - it's final exams at school and I have a teaching engagement assignment I've been preparing for. It's scheduled for tomorrow.

So I'm out walking in the cold and this song from my Salvation Army days came to my mind:

1.

He walks with God 

who speaks to God in prayer,

And daily brings to 

him his every care;

Possessing inward peace, 

he truly knows

A heart's refreshment 

and a soul's repose.

2.

He walks with God who, 

as he onward moves,

Follows the footsteps 

of the Lord he loves,

And keeping him 

forever in his view,

His Saviour sees and 

his example too.

3.

He walks with God who 

turns his face to Heaven,

And keeps the blest 

commands by Jesus given;

His life upright, his end 

untroubled peace,

Whom God will crown 

when all his labors cease.

http://bit.ly/2hf10Pd

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19:12

TRANSFORMING?
Proverbs 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

Building and keeping trust can be a challenge. I may not receive the favor I need from you because you are in a bad mood. But what if our "trust account" is overdrawn?

Will reputation defender be able to provide the credit or credibility repair that will solve our problem?

MY SOCIAL CREDIT SCORE ?
"information gathered from
Chinese citizens' online behavior"
http://bit.ly/2fJKDMX

BRAVE NEW HELPS?
http://bit.ly/2gDfveU

Psalms 19:12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.


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Led?

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

STOP OR BE STOPPED
The Ass saw and stopped
BALAAM did not see
He was stopped

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itchy_ears

DYNAMIC EQUIVALENCE or
Filibuster is not a bible word.

"every battle of the warrior
is with confused noise"..

Bully is not a bible word
Bigotry is not a bible word
Sexism is not a bible word
Racism is not a bible word
Misogyny is not a bible word
Xenophobia is not a bible word

"the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth."

RELEVANCE & CONTEXT
are not bible words either.

SIN, however, is a
perfectly 'good' bible word !

**Retirement is not a bible word**

"Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together."

PROMISE ???
Psalms 31:20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

=============

I got converted in November of 1997. My pastor then was a graduate of Hyles Anderson College.
He was a determined and self-described 'soul-winner'.

Today, 19 years later my current 'pastor' is also a graduate of Hyles Anderson College.

In the interim I have had other 'pastors'. One in particular has left unmistakable "marks" on my life when he taught me about PURE WORDS.

I may never be fully able to give a coherent exposition as he did but I can share as he did the following text:

Psalms 12:6 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

=============

It seems as if some words are being **retired from our vocabulary. All across the planet pastors are preaching and people are listening.

What are we hearing?
The phrase "LET HIM HEAR" is 'scattered' 16 times throughout the New Testament.

KJV Revelation 13:9 If any
man have an ear, let him hear.

MISSION • MESSAGE • MINISTRY
"go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

=============

Some preachers in
pulpits are silent on sin.

One was heard reminding the hearers that he was not - as this Old Testament prophet - told to:

"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins."

Another felt pretty comfortable discussing Racism, Xenophobia and Misogyny while confessing the absence of teaching on sanctification (a bible word).

So, 'discussion' around dining room tables in church parishes around the nations, center no longer on 'soul-winning' but rather are about bigotry, bullying and blame.

=============

KJV Psalms 11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?


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unreality

WHAT DO WE KNOW FOR SURE
is going on right now ?

1. The enemy is coming in
Like a flood . . .

2. False witnesses have risen
Up against me breathing out cruelty

3. An host is encamped against me

4. A great cloud of witnesses
Are watching

WHAT ELSE . . .
Nothing shall separate
me from The love of God

=============

So, this guy told me
he only deals in facts.

It must be
"mathematically provable"
"empirically verifiable" &
"rationally defensible"
everything else is useless.

He says:
"I live a life of logic". I must have "facts and hard evidence; always."
I CAN'T DO THE 'GOD STUFF'.

Not_saved2

"In too many of our churches today, the congregations are reaching no one for Christ in the course of an entire year". SAYS TOM

"Churches in our nation are much less evangelistic today than they were in the recent past".

WHY IS THIS ?

ONE RESPONDENT
TO A POLL SAID:
"Churches have unregenerate members who have not received Christ themselves".
http://bit.ly/2eGtgKT

not_saved

"In too many of our churches today, the congregations are reaching no one for Christ in the course of an entire year". SAYS TOM

"Churches in our nation are much less evangelistic today than they were in the recent past".

WHY IS THIS ?

verdict

INTEGRITY - Do we need it?

If we can't judge you by our standards, can we judge you
by your own standards?

You know we have
to judge you, right?

"A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold."

biased

REBELLION AGAINST GOD?
Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

FOOLISH
Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

FAIRNESS
"We don't believe in your standards but we will still judge you by them."

FREEDOM?
Proverbs 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts.

JUST US
"We can do whatever we like, we have no standards so you can't judge us."

JUSTICE
Proverbs 16:2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.

Points

CONCEDE ?
All the games immediately acknowledge when either team scores a point. In many conversations I hear where is debate on an issue, this practice is not followed. It makes for great confusion. The lack of clarity that results from this kinds of discourse may be the root cause of the gridlock we see so often in our political process.

Tell them

Why do they play
it so loud . . . in their car ?!!!

INFLUENCE(D)?
Everyone is evangelizing
Everyone is a disciple
Counterfeits = devil's speciality

TELL THEM
http://bit.ly/2eFsttL

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Risk

MORAL COURAGE?
Luke 5:11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

DISCIPLESHIP?
IT'S RISKY - MAY INVOLVE LOSS
& change of plans in Business & Career - I may give up my position, lose my possessions; popularity may be zero . . .

#theyforsookall
#theyfollowedHim

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important

You don't need to be an executive to make important decisions. Every position comes with critical choices every single day

1. Surround yourself with people who are different from you.
2. Know what you don't know.
3. Say yes to people
who can tell you no.

http://bit.ly/2ewnSHz

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