What IMPRESSION do YOU make?

 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden."  

Matthew 5:14

 I define an "impression" as an undeniable presence that cannot be ignored.  The most powerful physical impression in all creation is the sun.  Right now, it affects you.  It warms or scorches you.  It gives light to your room, or it's is hidden by curtains.  The earth's revolution may hide the sun, and so it's absence ends your day.  One way or another, the sun affects your life.

Those who believe in Christ are like the Son, like a sunrise, as it is written:

"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, 

shining ever brighter till the full light of day." 

Proverbs 4:18

Who is not impacted by a sunrise!?  This is your impact if you are a child of God. Whether speaking or silent, if you are true to who God is, you “cannot be hidden.”  Love or hate, acceptance or rejection, as it was with Christ, so will be with you. 

The sun's simple existence brings acceptance or rejection, an open or closed curtain.  

Shine.
Be the light of the world.
Some will open the windows of their lives to you.  Others will close these windows against you, as it is written,

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  
But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”  John 3:19-21

By definition light and darkness are in opposition, as it is written,

You are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness."  1 Thessalonians 5:5

What impression do you make?  If you believe in Christ, you reveal the truth of who God is to those who want to know, and to those who don't, you expose their rejection of God.

How?  "Live by the truth," as Jesus said, and let this be plainly seen by all who witness you. For those who live by the truth do so through God, and these have nothing to hide or to be ashamed of.

Make an impression.
Be light.

Two LIES of the DEVIL

According to the Lord Jesus, the devil is the father of lies.  Thus, by definition, he hates and opposes the truth.  God's word is truth, as the Lord said.  So the devil tells two lies against God's word.  You may hear these two lies when there is a disagreement among Christians.  He puts these two lies in the mouths of the immature, the selfish, the rebellious.  If one of the Christians attempts to use scripture to establish a truth or refute a falsehood, the immature or unrepentant Christian usually says one of these two lies:

1. "The devil can quote scripture too."
2. "The Bible can be twisted to mean whatever we want it to mean."  (Or "The Bible can be used to establish whatever our personal opinions are.")

Let those who love and submit to truth expose and resist these two lies.  

The first step is to unveil the false assumptions behind these two deceptions.  It began in the garden of Eden with these words from Satan to the first woman, "Did God indeed say..."  Satan's assumption is that God's words are uncertain.  We can't know what He really means (or even what He really has said.)  After all, isn't it a matter of discussion and interpretation?  That is the assumption behind Satan's conversation with Eve.  She should have NEVER entertained the discussion.  God's command was not open to discussion and was very clear in interpretation.  We must resist any attempt of Satan or a person to make God's word's unclear and thus untrustworthy.

The first lie comes from a misapplication of Jesus' temptation.  Jesus was tempted by the devil three times on His 40th day of fasting in the wilderness.  Jesus resisted each of the three temptations with scripture.  This alone shows that we should use scripture to resist the tempter and deceiver, Jesus being our example.  Notice one of the temptations of Satan:

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

'He will command his angels concerning you,

and they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  Matthew 4:5-7

Satan misquoted scriptures, taking them out of the overall context of the God's word as a whole.  Jesus resisted this misuse of scripture by a correct use of scripture.

In other words, the first lie assumes that because the devil can use scripture, we cannot rely upon scripture, or that scripture is unreliable in resisting evil.  This is not what Jesus thought or taught.  The Apostle Paul calls the word of God the "sword of the Spirit."  It is a part of the whole armor of God by which we resist the deceptive schemes of the devil.  Yes, the devil and other liars can use and twist the scriptures for their selfish ends.  But this does not make scripture unreliable.  It makes those who misuse it unreliable.  

The second lie is not very different from the first.  In both lies there is an attack on the character of the ones who use the scriptures.  They are made out as no more sincere than the devil himself in his use of scripture in Jesus' temptation.  Yet in the second one, though there is still the assumption of insincerity, the main issue is scriptural reliability.  Can the scriptures be used and interpreted accurately to establish truth and refute deception?

The devil would have us believe it cannot;  that there is no absolute standard of truth, even in using the Bible.  But instead of listening to the devil, we should listen to the Lord Jesus.  Hear his words:

 Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. The people were surprised when they heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked. So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. 

John 7:14-17 NLT

Notice the two things Jesus said about His message:

1.  It was not His own.  (Not merely his opinion, view, or perspective.)

2.  It's origin, and the origin of his mission, was God Himself.  (not his own initiative)

And how did Jesus say anyone will know whether His teaching was from God or merely His own?  This is a crucial question.  This exposes the crucial assumptions and accusations against those who use scripture to establish truth.  Isn't this what we want to know:  Is this person's teaching/interpretation of scripture merely His own, or is it from God?  How can we know?

Jesus gives a clear answer:

Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether a teaching is from God or merely comes from human opinion.

ANYONE.  Not just those educated in Greek or Hebrew or seminary.  This idea of being untrained is the very thing that started the discourse with Jesus in the scriptures above.  They were amazed that Jesus knew so much WITHOUT TRAINING. So training alone is not the issue.  The issue is our desire to DO God's will.  GOD'S WILL.  NOT OUR OWN.  

So, if we want to do God's will, we will know whether a teaching if from God or merely human opinion.  Jesus held Himself to this standard!  He said that if anyone wanted to know whether HIS OWN TEACHING was from God or merely His opinion, all they need to do is sincerely seek to do God's will.  

Isn't this what those who are in dispute should be seeking?  Is it possible to remain in dispute if both ONLY want to do God's will?  They don't want to be "right" or "win the argument."  They want the will of God alone!  And if both want God's will, and thus to agree with God, will God refuse to reveal His will?  Not according to the promise of the Lord.  He promises that anyone who wants to do God's will will know whether a teaching is from God or merely from man.

Do you want to do God's will alone?

If so, then you can expose and resist the two lies, as it is written, 

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 NIV

This present world system is against God's will.  It does not seek nor approve of God's will.  It considers God's will bad, displeasing, and imperfect.  As believers in Christ, we reject this present world and all that is in it, the temporal and transitory.  Paul again says that one who seeks God's will will have the ability to test and approve what God's will is.  

We can know if the devil is misusing or abusing scripture without dishonoring the reliability of scripture.  And we can know whether someone's use of God's words is merely to promote his or her own opinion, without ever discrediting the words of God.  

May we never deceive or be deceived.  May we always honor God's word as perfectly trustworthy, giving God glory.

In the name of the Lord Jesus and by His Spirit,

Amen.

 

Is Freedom of Speech simply the right to be WRONG?

People who are in fact wrong tend to express their wrong views loudly, confidently, and boldly.  But make no mistake:  they are, indeed, WRONG.  And they often strongly defend their right....to be WRONG!

Now when people who are in fact right express their RIGHT views just as loudly, confidently, and boldly, the people who are in fact wrong feel "offended," accusing the people who are in boldly right of being arrogant or intolerant.  Please don't forget that those who are in fact wrong are also intolerant and offensive to those who are right, AND EVEN SOMETIMES TO THOSE WHO ARE ALSO WRONG. 

Question:   How is it prideful to be right and know that you are right, but humble to be wrong and not know that you are wrong?  Or worse still, is it humble to be wrong and to care nothing about right and wrong at all?  One of the most successful deceptions of Satan is this:  To make us believe that those who are wrong MUST be heard, while those who are right MUST be silenced.

What do you think?  Am I wrong?
Or do you "respectfully disagree?"
Or do you simply not care AT ALL, one way or another?
Or better still, do you think I am "entitled" to my "opinion" or "perspective?"

Well what if I said, "The Lord Jesus Christ is the standard by which we measure all reality and beauty, by which we measure right and wrong, by which we measure good and bad; if one accepts and obeys the Lord Jesus, this one is indeed right, and if one rejects and deliberately disobeys the Lord Jesus, this one is indeed and in fact, wrong.  This is not my opinion or perspective, but truest and most real reality, whether I believed it or not?"  What if I said that?  In America, surely I have the "right" to believe AND BOLDLY EXPRESS this, do I not?  Even if you think I'm wrong--in America don't I have the right to be boldly wrong?

Many commonly say things like, "Well, as long as your views/opinions/perspectives/actions based upon your opinions don't cause me harm or infringe upon my freedoms." 

Says who?  Who says that one's views/opinions/perspectives shouldn't impose upon the freedoms of others?  How or why is freedom an ABSOLUTE STANDARD?

Because that's what we believe ABSOLUTELY as Americans:  

That everybody is free...except God.

Are YOU on God's side? (Part 2)

"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."
The Lord Jesus Christ, Matthew 12:30  NIV

I find these words humbling and encouraging.

They humble me in the sense that the Lord takes no half hearted following.  All or nothing.

They encourage me because the choice is clear and clarifying.  I define all allegiances and every allegiance by my sole allegiance to Christ.  And this allegiance, once chosen, makes obvious the opposition.  I know where I stand and I know where all others stand.

It humbles me because neutrality is enmity.  If I refuse to actively choose Christ, I am passively against Him and His mission.  

But if I choose to simply and actively choose His purposes as supreme, then my life becomes simple as a result of this choice.

Jesus is Lord.

The Lord came to do three things:

1.  Bear witness to the truth.
2. Seek and save the lost.
3. Destroy the works of the devil.

These three are one.  Because the truth is, we are all lost without Christ, which is the ultimate work of the devil.  

The truth is our need of His salvation, which is indeed the devil's destruction.

To be on God's side is to ONLY focus on what Jesus focused on. 

What are you focused on?
Are you on God's side?

 

Why we don't do what we believe

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.  James 1:22-25 NIV

We don't do what we believe because we are deceived. 
Self-deceived.

We experience truth, but don't act according to it, yet we tell ourselves that we want the truth.
Perhaps we don't even do that!

Bruce Lee said, "Knowing is not enough, we must apply.  Willing is not enough, we must do."

I never learned this.  Not truly.

I learned to study, study, study.

Read, read, read.
Think, debate, argue.  But not to do.

Who can argue with what we do?

Jesus IS the word of God literally personified.
He IS the truth.

We should personify the truth of God's words, hearing them and immediately doing them upon hearing them.
No delay!

Some of us like hearing the truth.
Some of us find it entertaining.

But who loves to DO what is true!?

What do your actions prove about what you REALLY believe?
What do you KNOW is true?  Is this seen in what you do?

The Beauty of GOD and SATAN (part 3)

i believe we communicate with and without words.
i believe we broadcast our thoughts and feelings, intentionally and unintentionally.
where we agree, we attract.  where we strongly agree, we strongly attract.
i believe attraction, but definition, is mutual. 
now the interpretation of attraction bears variations.

a man is drawn to a woman.
either he ALONE is drawn to her, or many see her beauty and desirability.

a woman is drawn to a man.
but she feels he draws too many.

one drawn to one.
or one drawing many.

it depends on volition.

my wife felt like i was "committed" when she saw me before we married.  i "came across" as one who was not "available" to many.

this was (and is) true for me.

now we come to my theory of the way of God and satan's beauty.

a beautiful man can determine how his beauty is seen and experienced.  he determines whether he or God will receive glory for his beauty.  

a beautiful woman determines who sees and receives glory for her beauty, spiritually giving her being to whom she chooses, discreetly or indiscreetly; discriminating or undiscriminating.   

will her pearls be cast before swine?
will his pearls be for all girls, both theirs and mine?

the beauty of God can be adored or ignored.  this is His way.  
the beauty of satan seems insatiable and irresistible.  this is his way.

so what do i say about the beauty of the woman the man saw in the story?

this is my theory.

she didn't come to draw him.
he didn't come to be drawn by her.
but there they were.  
drawn.  
in agreement.  
attraction.

she wanted to be impossible to be ignored by simply being.
he found her impossible to be ignored while she was simply being.
he told her.
she heard him, seeing herself through his eyes.
her un-ignorable beauty a reality.

satisfied, she continued to read.
satisfied, he left.

but was her "un-ignorable beauty" God's or satan's?
it depends on her intentions, the man's intentions, God's intentions, and satan's intentions.

as far as her beauty, did she intend God's glory or her own?
did the man seek to worship God, himself, or her?
did satan see an opportunity with her beauty?

this is my theory.
she wanted her beauty to be an objectivity.  a reality.  an un-deniability. 
why?  she felt ignored.  unappreciated.  insignificant.  she felt like her beauty in this world was not "enough," though she wanted it to be.  her inner vulnerability was an objectivity, a reality, which could be felt by all who WANTED to see.

so, in the sense that she wanted reality, she wanted God's glory.

the man's desires were not sensual or sexual at all.  they were strong, but resistible, yet irresistible.  how so?

lightning is seen by those who can see, whether they want to see it or not.  in that sense it is un-ignorable.  her beauty was like lightning.

yet one can close a window and close himself off from the sight of lightning.  indeed, one almost HAS to do this to ignore lightning.  when he moved so he couldn't see the woman, he closed the window of his mind to the lightning of her desire.  it worked.  

God's voice thunders.  it is not only "the still small voice."

in heaven, God CANNOT be ignored.
on earth, He can be.  

yet those in heaven DO NOT WANT to ignore God, which is why they are there.
in hell are those who ignored God while on earth, and rejected Him once and for all and forever.  in hell their wish is granted.  now they CANNOT experience him, even if they WANTED TO.  but they do not want to.  and God accepts this desire.

those who want to ignore God's beauty can and will, now and forever.
but satan's beauty is forced upon us and used against us.

like a hideously strong cologne or perfume, even if seductively sweet, they obnoxiously arrest our sense of smell. 
the fragrance of hell. 

glaringly loud colors and sounds!
abrasive textures and touches!

if you feel you cannot look away, ask yourself why.
it is a lie.
look away and think.
find true beauty in your liberty.  this is God's glory. 

The Beauty of GOD and SATAN (part 2)

he saw her. 
she sat, tossed her hair, began to read.
he attempted to keep reading, but found his eyes drawn to this woman.
her clothes were neither tight nor revealing, yet appealing.
she seemed focused, but her face was turned towards his, while her eyes were focused on pages.  turned towards his, exactly.  if she looked up, they would be looking directly at each other.  yet he "felt" like they were looking at each other...he at her with his eyes, she at him, with her spirit....
he felt...drawn...to look...to approach...to pursue.
what was he to do?
no one watching would know how he felt, or what she did, if she did anything.
it was in the air and in their minds...or was it just in his mind?
he must find out.
he wrote a short poem, a gift, giving her his impression of her.
the gift we all want at times: to know how others perceive and experience us.
he sat in front of her and said, "pardon me."
she looked up, seeming slightly surprised, but not offended or bothered.
he passed the words to her.
she smiled.
"that's very sweet.....that's very sweet." she said as she smiled.
"thank you," he said, and then left.
no introduction.
no seduction.
no preparation for future connection or relation.  he planned to never see her again.
he found his intuition seemed true.  he felt drawn and responded, and her response seemed to confirm his inner witness.  there was "something" in the air, something there...between her and him.
but what was it?  

why did he feel he could not look away?
why did he feel he HAD to break away from her power?
she just...sat there...
but he "felt" a pull...and try as he might, he kept looking, then looking away

even the sun does not persuade as she did.  it blinds, but does not force or coerce.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

possibilities
1. it was all in his head.  he WANTED to THINK she drew him, but really she did NOTHING but sit and read and think.

2.  it was not all in his head.  she expressed in her demeanor and dress an openness...a connectedness to those who would see her beauty attentively...but there was only one...only him, who COULD see her as she was at that time...him, and her, her face towards his, her in view of him and only him at that time...of all the places she could have sat, why there...anywhere but there.  he left abruptly and sat where he could not see...and the pull ceased.  when he first sat to read, she was not there yet....on the contrary, there were three who sat in her place, three men.  his mind was on his books, not on looks or impressions or women...then she came in.

3.  neither he nor she created this reality.  she did not intend to draw him, he did not intend to be drawn to her...but they were.

4.  it was in her head and not his head instead...she saw him when she walked in and sat where it was an impossibility to NOT see her beauty.  she did what some women skillfully can...draw a man without a word or deed that could proven in a court of law!  he saw her as she intended him to.  

but the key is liberty verses irresistibility, God or satan's beauty......

(click here to read part 3....)

The TRUTH is NOT ALWAYS in the MIDDLE (part 3)

Paul also wrote the Corinthians concernings spiritual gifts, and showed the equality of the members of "the body," comparing each believer to a member of the human body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.  If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 
I Corinthians 12:21-26  NIV, emphasis mine.

So with truth there is justice and thus equity and fairness.  The truth does sometimes bring about balance and moderation. 

But not always.


Our commitment is to the truth, whether it is extreme or moderate, whether it causes unions or separations, for sometimes truth unites, and at other times truth divides. 

Christ was and is the Prince of Peace who blessed peacemakers.  The death and resurrection of Christ brings peace between God and people, and between people and each other WHEN HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTED ARE ACCEPTED!

But if Christ is rejected, then He does not bring peace.  He brings a sword that divides families and friends.  The Scriptures declare these absolute truths:

Friends of this world are enemies of God.
Those who are not for Christ are against Christ.
No one can serve two masters.  One master will be loved and the other hated.
God is light.  In God there is NO darkness AT ALL.

These truths are not "in the middle."  Truth, by definition, excludes falsehood or that which contradicts it.  This does not mean we should strive to be as obnoxious, abrasive, and blunt as possible, "in the name of the Lord!"  It does not mean we should see how many people trust in Christ, NO THANKS TO HOW RUDE AND STUPID WE ACT!!!

No.  We should speak the truth in love always, being as gentle as possible.  Yet at times, no matter how gentle we try to be, and no matter how loving we say it, the truth will indeed offend some who hear it!  Who is more gentle and meek than Christ?  Who has EVER been more loving and wise than the Lord Jesus?  Yet He was hated and called demon possessed!  He was accused of blasphemy and crucified as a result.  Therefore, as Christ warned His followeres, if we are as committed to truth as Jesus was, then we will experience the same responses He did.  The Lord Jesus said:

"For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world:  to bear witness to the truth.  All who are of the truth hear my voice." 

Our cause is His cause.  Those who hear Him will hear us.  Those who reject and hate Him will reject and hate us.

Followers of Christ are His witnesses, as well as witnesses of the truth.  They cannot, do not, and will not tolerate contradiction or compromise.  If a truth is "moderate," they will proclaim it.  If a truth is "extreme," they will proclaim it.  They live for and are willing to die for the truth.

Are you?

The TRUTH is NOT ALWAYS in the MIDDLE (part 2)

Put it another way. I have a phone number that you must dial PERFECTLY. If you get ONE number wrong, you will NOT call my phone. My phone number is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE EXPERIENCE OF CALLING ME BY TELEPHONE. No one can call me except by dialing my telephone number.

One address
One phone number

The truth about my address and my phone number is not "in the middle."

Now let's define truth and what it means for it to "be in the middle."

By "truth" I mean absolute fact or reality, that which exists whether we know it or not, like it or not, believe it or not.

Now when I say "the truth is always in the middle," I mean a belief that some have about reality or statements concerning reality. Those who say "the truth is always in the middle" or even "the truth is somewhere in the middle" or "the truth is usually in the middle" speak of balance or moderation, verses imbalance or extremism.

Take what I said about my address and phone number and apply it to what Christ said about Himself and His Father, or where His Father is.

Did Christ give a middle ground for reaching the Father, a way that we can consider "balanced;" a way that is not "extreme?"

What about "the mind of Christ" spoken of by Paul, the mindset that Paul told the Philippians to take as their own mindset?

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross! Philippians 2:5-8

Does the kind of obedience Christ gave to God sound "in the middle" or extreme?

And what about the call to discipleship given by Christ, the call to "deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me?" Christ made it clear that anyone who refused to do those three things COULD NOT be one of His followers?

Sometimes the truth is extreme. Sometimes the truth is "in the middle," meaning "moderate" or "balanced." For example, the scriptural principle given by Paul concerning equality in the body in 2 Corinthians 8:15:

"Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”

The TRUTH is NOT ALWAYS in the MIDDLE (part 1)

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

To be mistaken about the truth is to be deceived by definition, and is the foundation of spreading deception. I write to resist the deceiver, deception, and deceiving.

Jesus spoke the words quoted at the top of the page on the night in which Judas Iscariot planned to betray Him, the night in which He would be sentenced to crucifixion. The subject of discussion was where Jesus was going. The purpose of this discussion was the encouragement of the 11 remaining apostles. He told them they knew the way to the place where he was going.

Notice He said, "the way to the place," not "a way to a place." From the beginning He speaks of an exclusive place reached an exclusive way. Key word: exclusive.

If I gave you directions to my apartment in Key West, Florida, depending on where you were coming from, you would approach following those directions differently than someone coming from a different location than you were. For example, if you were at Denny's on Roosevelt Boulevard, and someone else was at Denny's on Duval Street, you both would come to me from opposite directions. You both would be at the same restaurant located at different addresses. You both would be coming to my apartment.

Here is the key. No matter what direction or address you and the other person came from, once you both reach Roosevelt Gardens, you must BOTH come THE EXACT SAME WAY to my apartment.

My address is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE EXPERIENCE of my apartment. No one can come to my apartment except by that address.