Most believers would never consider themselves as abominations in the sight of God. Yes we all fall short and are well aware of those areas of our lives that we have not yet totally surrendered. But abominations...me? Never!

Yet because of one sin which many Christians are guilty of God sees us as unclean and wicked.
Let me expound. "These six things the Lord hates. Yes seven are an abomination to Him. A proud look. A lying tongue. Hands that shed innocent blood. A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil. A false witness who speaks lies and one who sows discord among brethren."   (Proverbs 6:16-19)

How many of us are guilty of criticizing and condemning a fellow believer because of hearsay or some offense we have taken? What about denominations that criticize each other over trivial points of doctrine? Or the Home Church movement condemning more formalized expressions of church and visa-versa? In almost all christian circles there is some form of division, segregation, bitterness, envy, gossip, slandering, criticizing, anger and even hatred. Things that should not even be named amongst those who have been called out of darkness and are now supposed to be children of God who have His Spirit indwelling them. We the Church are guilty of a perpetual sin against the Father and we need to address this as a matter of urgency...and it begins with you and me.

The Scriptures teach that all who are born of the Spirit are all part of one Body no matter where you live or where you fellowship. This one Body is the Body of Jesus, with Him and Him alone being the head. Would you cut off your toe because you do not like the way it looks? Or would you pluck out your eye because it does not have 20/20 vision? Obviously not. Then why do we attack other members of the same Body that we are part of?
Do we think we are more Christ-like when we mock those who do not have the same understanding that we have? Are we demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit when we publicly condemn and criticize individuals and churches when we have made no effort to try address what we see as error in a spirit of love, gentleness and humility? 
The true child of God is a peacemaker not one who brings division. "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9) But one who brings division and strife is an abomination in God's sight.

We are commanded in Scripture to, "endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."  Paul continues, "there is one body and one Spirit...one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all."  (Ephesians 4:3-6)
Do we not see that the same Spirit that is in us is also in the very people we are destroying by our wicked conduct?
Unity of the Church and loving the brethren are not restricted to your local church or fellowship. It is for the unity of the whole Church that we must strive and labour.

I am not addressing church discipline or bringing correction in this blog. We are called to judge error in the Church and then try to bring correction in a spirit of love and humility. The point of this blog is to address division, strife and sectarianism in the Church.

One of the last things that Jesus prayed for before His crucifixion was that the Father would make us all one as He and the Father are one (John 17:11-25). It was His cry that those who would believe on Him would be of one heart, one mind and one purpose just like the Godhead is. Would you and I dare to actively oppose the will and desire of Him who will judge us? Do not forget the warning that Jesus gave in Matthew 7:21-23. Not all who call Him Lord, Lord will enter into Heaven but only those who do the will of the Father and the Fathers will is that we all are one and united in love.
How are you doing in this area?

The greatest evangelism tool that the Lord has given the Church is not the gifts of Holy Spirit but something less spectacular but much more effective. And that is demonstrated love for the brethren. At the last supper when Jesus was sharing about the New Covenant He was about bring forth, He said, " A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Christian, you and I are called to work and walk together with the whole Body in a spirit of love and unity. I challenge you in the Lord to search out your heart and turn from being an abomination to a blessing and to become a true child of God, a peacemaker.

May the Lord give us all the grace to walk in love and peace.

Shalom (peace unto you)

I have been asked on many occasions what my views are on the doctrine of "predestination". This blog is a response I wrote to a sincere question on the subject.

The subject of predestination or election is a branch of theology that has its origins with the beliefs of Calvin. From his doctrine which supposed that God chooses some to be saved and others to be doomed to hell came such atrocities as apartheid and the holocaust of Hitler. These policies were sanctioned by pastors, ministers and priests because they embraced Calvinism as a true doctrine of the Bible.
If God deems that some are bound for hell no matter how much they might desire salvation then it is acceptable for us to exterminate these whom God finds so deplorable. It is very sad that this wicked doctrine is again gaining popularity in certain denominations but let me now answer your question.

I have read the scriptures you sent me and if we take some of them (many of them do not even suggest or hint at predestination) out of context with the rest of the passage or book that they find themselves in, it would appear that this is indeed a Biblical doctrine. But these verses do not hold up when we expose them to the basics of doctrinal scrutiny.
To make a claim that something is Biblically true one needs to subject your doctrine to 4 tests. Firstly, am I understanding what I am reading in context with the entire passage, chapter and theme of the Book.
Secondly, is what I believe supported by more than one scripture.
Thirdly, does what I believe line up with the nature and character of God.
Fourthly, does what I believe contradict other Scripture.

The doctrine of Predestination contradicts both the nature and character of God who desires all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4; Titus 2:11; 2 Peter 3:9; Ezekiel 18:23-32; John 1:12; John 3:14-17; 1 Timothy 4 :10 and 1 John 2:2) and the rest of the New Testament that declares "whoever calls upon the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13; John 3:15-17).
So far it fails 2 of the 4 tests.

The Scripture that these people use most often to support their heresy is Romans chapter 9 but they do not quote further than verse 21. Up until verse 21 it seems as though the apostle Paul is making a very strong case for predestination until you read verse 22. Before I explain verse 22, it is important to note the typically rabbinical style of Pauls teaching. He would often ask a question or make a statement that seemed to contradict sound doctrine then he would answer his own question and expound doctrine (Romans 6:1 is one example). This is what he was doing in Romans chapter 9. In typical Jewish academic style, he begins to teach something that seems to contradict the Gospel and the nature of God.

Can God really show partiality even though there are many Scriptures that teach that God is not partial and loves all men equally? Paul then responds with verse 22, "What if God...endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath..." Paul now tells the reader that those who God "hates" are those who refused to bow the knee and repent and so God will use them and their destruction for His purposes.
God did not withhold salvation from these people, they chose to turn their back on God.

The Scriptures are emphatic regarding God's impartiality. Here are just a few verses that contradict the Calvinist view of a "God of partiality", Acts 10:34-35; Romans 2:11; Deuteronomy 10:17-18. What these people do not understand is that God dwells outside of time. Because he is not limited to time, He can be present at any time in history whether past, present or future. As such He already knows who will believe on Christ and who will not. He desires all to be saved but He knows who will reject His love. Does this knowledge then cause God to hate some and embrace others? Certainly not. He still will seek for them to repent and be saved.

The fact is that the Bible tells us that it is not God who hardens men's hard against Him but rather men choose to harden their hearts against God (Isaiah 6:9-10; Zechariah 7:8-14; Matthew 13:14-15; Hebrews 3:12; Revelation 16:9) In conclusion, predestination contradicts the God of the Bible who is no respecter of persons. He loves all equally for He is perfect, with un-flawed love and desires all to be saved.

Predestination is a perversion of the gospel that can only be regarded as a heresy as it preaches another Christ who came to die for some and not all.

I hope that this is of help.

Richest blessings in Christ,
David

In the Law of Moses, Deuteronomy 21:22-23, a man that was executed and hung on a
tree would have to be taken down before nightfall. If his body remained on the tree it would defile the land and thus the wrath of God would be incured.

The apostle Paul wrote that  Christ became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13) in order to pay the price of our redemption and salvation. The empty cross and the empty tomb speak of His
finished work. In so doing He fulfilled both the Law and the Prophets.

His followers removed His body according to the Law but elements of the Church have
left His body on their crosses for nearly 2000 years. An empty cross is a
reminder of the finished work, the fulfillment of Gods love.  To have an image of Christ on a cross is not a reminder of the price paid but a violation of the very Law that He came to fulfill for our redemption. Remember that He, "...was delivered up (on the cross) because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification." (Romans 4:25)

Please lets honour our Lords sacrifice and remove His image off the cross. For He is no longer nailed to it. He died, was buried and is now risen. The cross is empty, the tomb is empty.  He is no longer there but desires to now be enthroned upon your heart.

But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct because it is written, "Be holy for I am holy."    
                                                                                                                        1 Peter 1:16-17


Those of you who were radically saved, do you remember the first few weeks of being a newly adopted, born-again child of God?  Do you remember how alive you felt? So filled with love, joy, peace and passion for the Lord.  But, do remember something else that you might now have lost? 
In those first few weeks you lived in wonderful holiness before God. It seemed as though sin had lost its power and the very thought of sin was repulsive to you, you were living in holiness without even trying. What went so wrong, so very quickly that sin seemed to revive in you and it became harder and harder to live in holiness before God?

In the Scripture above, Peter commands the believers to live in holiness and reminds them of the words of Jesus as well as the Law of Moses in which God commands His children to be holy just as He is holy. Is it right for God to expect us to live in holiness after all we still have a sin nature that is very active and often very powerful? God is without sin, how can He possibly command us to be holy like Him?

For most Christians this seems an impossible command to keep and in a manner of speaking they are quite correct. In Romans 8:7 the apostle Paul writes concerning our sin nature, "because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God nor indeed can be." If our sin nature, which we received curtesy of Adam (Romans 5:12), can never be made obedient to God, how does He then expect us to be holy? 
The good news is that the Lord never asks us to do anything that He does not give us the grace to do. Now please do not misunderstand me.  You will never live a holy life if you try to do so in your own strength. You will probably also fail if you just trust in the Lord to make you holy. "So  then how can we be holy if we cannot trust God to give us the strength to be holy", you might ask.
The answer to this question is both simple and awesome.

You do not have to trust God to help you overcome sin.  Sin has already been defeated through the cross of Jesus. 
I asked you if you remembered the first few weeks after your salvation and how you lived in holiness without trying or being told to.  You were experiencing an aspect of Christ's redemption, namely, being set free from the power of sin. So why did it stop?
Let me explain by quoting the following,
Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin." - Romans 6:6-7

God never expected us to be able to conquor our sin nature and to rule over it. As Paul wrote above, Jesus took not only our sin upon Himself but more importantly, our sin nature was placed upon Him as well.  This is very important to understand. In the verse above, Paul begins by telling the Roman Christians that they need to know, ginosko in the Greek, which means, to know something absolutely. He is emphasising that they need to absolutely know that Jesus took on Himself their sin natures. He then continues by telling them that sins power has now been done away with, or in the Greek, made powerless because of Christ's sacrifice.  Saints, our sin nature was defeated by Jesus and has been made powerless.  We do not have to try to defeat it, it has already been defeated. That is what you experienced when you first got saved.  You were experiencing what Jesus had purchased for you, freedom from sins power. So what went wrong?  You started going to church and very well meaning ministers started teaching you what you needed to do in order to be a good Christian. As you started trying to obey their teaching your faith was now in your effort to be holy and sins power revived.  What you and every Christian needed to learn was that Jesus had already set you free from the power of sin and that you just needed to meditate and rest on this truth.

I cannot over emphasise this truth. Spend time meditating and asking God to reveal His truth in these two verses and I assure you that your Christian lives will never be the same.  If you have died with Christ then sins power has been defeated over you. You are no longer a slave to sin, you have been set free.  Rejoice in your deliverance from sins power, giving thanks to the Lord who has enabled us to be holy just as He is holy.

Much love in His Wonderful name

"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."
                                                                                                                        - Romans 8:29

In my last blog, I expounded on the mystery of the gospel which was that God the Father has adopted those who surrender their lives to the lordship of Jesus as His sons and daughters. We who believe have become co-heirs with Jesus of Gods' Kingdom (Romans 8:17). However, before we can rule and reign with Jesus, we must first be conformed to His image.

It is vital that Christians understand that being born again is a journey not a destination.  Jesus told Nicodemus that unless a man is born again he will not see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3). Being born again is the start of our individual journey to sonship, maturity and ultimately inheritance.

The apostle Paul told the church of Rome that God had predestined all those who believe on Jesus to be conformed to His image.  What did he mean by this?
Paul was revealing a hidden mystery of the Gospel that had been concealed from the Jews in the Law of Moses for 1500 years.  This incredible mystery was that Jesus would not just save those who believe but will cause them to become like Him. (When I speak of becoming like Christ, I refer to our character and nature becoming like His.  We will never become like Him in power or authority for He will for eternity always be the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings) 
This mystery that I am speaking of was concealed in the Feasts of Israel.

Now I do not want to spend to much time giving an overview of the 7 Feasts of Israel.  You are welcome to listen or download the series by clicking here.  Briefly stated, the Feasts all prophetically point to one of the seven works of redemption that Jesus fulfilled at His first coming and will fulfill at His second coming.
For now I want us to focus on the third feast, namely, the Feast of Firstfruits.  According to Leviticus 23:9-14, the Feast of Firstfruits was celebrated on the third day after the Feast of Passover. On this feast day, the Jews would bring a small sheaf of their crop to the priest before they began to harvest their fields.  The priest in turn would wave the sheaf before the Lord as a wave offering, giving God thanks for the harvest which was about to be reaped. So how did Jesus fulfill this Feast and how does it pertain to our salvation and becoming conformed to His image?

"But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."
                                                                                                               - 1 Corinthians 15:20 

Jesus was crucified and buried on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nissan which was the same day as the Feast of Passover.  We know that Jesus fulfilled the Feast of Passover by becoming the Lamb of God.
At His resurrection on the third day, which was the 16th day of Nissan 3 days later, Mary Magdalene meets Him at the tomb (John 20:1 & 11-17).  She tries to embrace Him but He would not let her touch Him lest she defile Him because He had not yet ascended to the Father and presented Himself before the throne of God with His blood (Hebrews 9:11-12). 
In 1 Corinthians 15:20 (above), Paul writes that Jesus has become the firstfruits of those who had died.  How does He fulfill the Feast?

When the Jews under the Law presented their sheafs before God, they were giving Him thanks for the harvest which He had blessed them with.  The sheaf was a representation of the rest of the harvest that remained in the field.  The sheaf had the identical DNA to the rest of the harvest, it was in every way identical to the rest of the crop that was about to be harvested.  In the exact same manner, Jesus is the firstfruits to the Father, the firstborn from the dead (Colosssians 1:15).

When Jesus stood before the Father at His resurrection, He presented Himself as the firstfruits of all those who were to be resurrected in Him. i.e. those who would be born again. As He stood before the Father, He showed Himself to be the exact representation of all those who would come after Him.  Just like the sheaf carried the same DNA as the harvest so we have the same Holy Spirit in us that filled Jesus at His baptism.  God wants us to carry the same DNA so to speak as Jesus. That is why the apostle John writes, "beloved, now we are the children of God...we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him." (1 John 3:2)

It was always the Father’s will, plan and purpose that all His sons and daughters would become like Jesus, our firstfruits. This is what Paul had been explaining to the church of Rome, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." (Romans 8:29).
Gods' priority with your life is to make you like Jesus, that you would have the same nature and character as our Lord.  How does God do this, what means or tools does He use?

"But we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 
                                                                                                                  - 2 Corinthians 3:18

Firstly, the Holy Spirit is at work in every believer to conform us to Christ.  We are called to yield to Him and obey Him as He reveals areas in our lives that displease the Lord.  Through repentance, obedience and asking the Lord to search out our hearts we become more and more conformed to Christ's image.

Secondly,

"Though He was a Son yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered."  
                                                                                                                           - Hebrews 5:8
"...We must through many tribulations enter the Kingdom of God."             
                                                                                                                              - Acts 14:22

The New Testament has much to say about suffering, trials, tribulations and even death for the sake of Christ.  Many Christians do not believe that God would test them through trials but I can guarentee you that as a Christian you will face many trials and hardships.  Jesus had to, the apostles and the early church had to and believers today have to.  God uses trials to test and prune our faith and character (James 1:2-4; Hebrews 12:5-11).

Do not believe anyone who tells you that serving the Lord is easy. It is not. Nor believe them when they tell you that hardship is a sign of sin or unbelief.  If that were true then the apostles would have been the worst Christians that had ever lived as their lives were plagued with hardship and eventually execution.
But I want to encourage you that the trials you face are working in you an eternal weight of glory.  God is wanting to mould you so that He can give you the Kingdom.  We will never be perfect this side of eternity but we can allow God to mould us and to change us so that we can begin to reflect Jesus more and more.

Gods will is to conform you into Christs image.  As you yield so you will draw closer and become far more intimate with the Lord.
Praise God that we will not remain the same as we are now but we are daily taking on the image of Jesus more and more as we yield to Him.  Be encouraged God loves you to much to leave you as your are.  He has greater things in store for you.

Shalom until next time, David

"Cursed is anyone who hangs from a tree" - Deuteronomy 21:23 & Galatians 3:13

Six years ago, the Lord gave me a most disturbing and shocking vision regarding His Church. I have been reluctant to share this vision over the last six years as I did not believe that the Body of Christ was ready or willing to hear what the Lord had revealed. Yet I know that this message is for the whole Church and the time has come that the Church understands how her Lord sees her so that she can repent and become His cherished and beloved Bride.

As a young believer, I always had a very deep burden for the Body of Christ and found it difficult to pray just for my local church. I would always find myself praying for the Church as a whole, that we would all come to the unity of the faith and maturity in the Lord.

Six years ago, I was living in Durban and had been seeking the Lord's will for my life and His Church through prayer and fasting. During this time the Lord gave me the vision I am about to share.

I was in a forest made up of huge trees and saw many women dressed in medieval peasant clothes in a clearing in the forest.  As I looked on this large group of women, they were suddenly all tied to the trees with large ropes.  Then they all merged into one woman tied to one enormously massive tree and she was bound with very thick ropes.  As I looked at her and saw her beauty and innocence, I knew immediately that she was the Bride of Christ but she was not clothed in glory with white washed garments but in the rags of a peasant.
As I gazed at her the Lord brought me right in front of her face.  At that very moment, with a small trickle of blood running down from her forehead where a rope had cut into her skin, she opened her eyes.  I will never forget that look in her eyes.  It was one of absolute amazement, shock, bewilderment and confusion all expressed simultaneously as she tried to reason and understand how she had become bound to this gigantic tree.

Then the Lord spoke to me and said, "There are three who have done this to my Church."
The next instant I was in what can only be described as a "crack house".  Although I could not see anything except grey smoke, I knew in my heart that every form of sin, wickedness and perversion was taking place in this house.
The Lord spoke to me a second time and said, "the sin of the world is in my Church and My people commit the same sins as the unsaved." This was the first who had bound the Church.

Suddenly I was in London outside a house in a very up-market suburb.  As I was looking at the house, the front door opened and a woman dressed in a tweed business suit came out with two large black dogs on silver leashes.  She walked passed me with an air of arrogance and looked at me with disdain. It was obvious that she had been accustomed to wealth and luxury her whole life and had never given a second thought to anyone but herself, her wants and desires.

Again the Lord spoke and said, “My people lust after the wealth and riches of this world and are bound by their lust as they pursue after  the things of this life.” This was the second who binds the Church.

What happened next made me tremble in fear for the next two weeks.  Then the Lord spoke to me saying, “And I am holding you accountable for my Church!”  At that moment I woke up trembling and immediately asked the Lord how He could hold me accountable for His Church.  After all, who am I that I can be held accountable for so many?  Since resigning as an associate pastor at a very large church in 1993, I have never had much influence in the Body of Christ nor have I been involved in any ministry that has been recognized as being successful. On the contrary, I have been a servant to small numbers of believers for many years. 

 
For two weeks I wrestled in fear with the Lord over His words to me and also wanted to know about the third who had bound His Church in the vision.  The Lord led me to the Book of Ezekiel chapter 3v16-21 and said that as He had commissioned Ezekiel to warn Israel to escape the coming judgement so he is commissioning me to warn the Church of the coming judgement of God upon her.  Saints, God is referring to 1 Peter 4:17 which says, “For the time has come for judgement to begin with the house of God and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

A few years ago the Lord revealed to me the third that had bound His Church. It should have been very obvious to me for it was the reason I had left fulltime ministry and moved to Durban.  

The third who has bound the Church is false or incorrect doctrine.  As Paul warned Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but according to their own desires because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.” 

Let me summarize what the Lord showed me in this vision and has revealed to me as I have sought understanding through prayer and waiting on Him.

The Church in general is in a very bad place with the Lord. Instead of being dressed in royal robes of righteousness (Revelation 7:9-14) as priests of God (1 Peter 2:9) she is dressed in peasant rags. Her dress speaks of slavery to sin, lust for riches and false doctrine.  It is these three things that have bound her to a tree and this is the most devastating part of the entire vision. The Bible says,"Cursed is anyone who hangs from a tree"(Deuteronomy 21:23 & Galatians 3:13). Instead of the Church being free in Christ, righteous and sanctified to the Father though His blood, she is bound, unrighteous and estranged from the Lord.  God does not see the Church as holy and sanctified but rather as accursed.  

The Good news is that He wants her to repent and come back to Him.  I have been convinced by the Lord and through His Word that we are about to experience a great restoration of the Church.  A revival of repentance and restoration is starting. It will release the Church to become the Army of God to take the gospel of the Kingdom to a dying world (Matthew 24:14) and to become the Bride of Christ.