"Cursive Promise"

"Cursive Promise"

"For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."  (Matthew 5:18)  Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, knows the beginning from the end; His plan has no kinks, no missteps, no programming errors, no uncalculated risks, no system failures  ...  He made a promise ...  He created the world and He will judge the world  ...  the jots and tittles are all in their proper place.  The written Word declares it  ...  it is an absolutely infallible, unerring, indisputable, undeniable and sovereignly remarkable "Cursive Promise!"

"Cursive" means 'letters joined together.'  The Books of Romans to Jude in the Bible are "letters" joined together in the Holy Ghost, if I may use a pun on words here, which were written to the Churches explaining how to live, holy and godly, until the coming of our Lord.  These promises of God are the hope to those who obey His Word. 

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but

my words will never pass away." 

(Luke 21:33)

The Lord Jesus Christ is the light of the world; the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.  The Word of God is our roadmap; how do we understand and follow this roadmap?  The old testament was comprised of and encompassed three laws: the ceremonial law (regarding sacrifices offered for sin, etc,); the civil law (regarding conduct of individuals with crime and punishment); and the moral law (consecration and holiness; the Ten Commandments). 

In the new testament, the ceremonial and civil laws changed, because Jesus Christ our Lord died on the cross and became the ultimate sacrifice for the whole world; without the shedding of blood, sin is not eradicated.  The animal sacrifices and blood shed in the old testament only "covered" their sin for a time, but the blood shed by the Lord Jesus Christ eliminated sin for all time.  We need only repent, with deep Godly sorrow, for our sins to be "eliminated;" when we do this, God remembers them no more; they are cast as far as from the East to the West.  Then, we must obey Acts 2:38. 

This is very important: the moral laws of the old testament did not change.  The Ten Commandments are not simply Ten "Suggestions;"  we are bound by the laws of the Commandments forever.  

Why was the Church established by God in the New Testament?  To give the world a Savior; to give the world the Bible; and to keep the world from moral decay.  Our roadmap, the Bible, tells us what was, what is, and what is to come  ...  All will be fulfilled as written, and as promised!

"He that turns away his ear from hearing

the law, even his prayer shall be abomination."

(Proverbs 28:9)

How important is the Bible?  Do you want to go to heaven?  Do you want to walk on golden streets, dip your feet in the River of Life, cast your crown before the King, have no more tears and study war no more?  It's laid out for us, "We know that God does not listen to sinners.  He listens to the godly man who does his will."  (John 9:31)  Herein is the dilemma of all mankind; what is the Will of God?  Everything God is; everything He says; all that He knows; the answer to all questions, is in the Holy Bible  ...  the whole Bible. 

The old testament is a foretelling of things to come in the new testament, and is so valuable for example and instruction in following God's moral laws; we readily see the beauty of all that Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross when we read of the animal sacrifices of the old testament.  The Bible is our sword of the Spirit, our insight into the mind of Christ, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:5)  The "Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path." (Psalm 119:105) 

"And we have the word of the prophets made more

certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as

to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns

and the morning star rises in your hearts."

(2 Peter 1:19)

How do we know what is coming upon this erratic world, what is happening in Israel, what to expect, and what to pray?  We know by the prophets of old, like Ezekiel and his vision seen above, and the prophetic Word uttered today in relation to Biblical prophecy.  You say, "I don't understand it, and what does all of that have to do with me?"  Very good question.  "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?  And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?  And how shall they hear without a preacher?"  (Romans 10:14)  We must all have an anointed, Godly, praying, fasting, called, sent Preacher!  We can have Bible studies in our homes, be ministers of the Gospel, be sent into all the world as missionaries, but we all must have an anointed Preacher over us, one who watches for our souls.   

There "will" be a Rapture of the Church, a catching away in the clouds of true believers of the Lord Jesus Christ; there "will" be a battle of Armageddon as prophesied; there "will" be a Tribulation period of judgment upon the earth for all those "left behind" after the Rapture; and the Lord God Almighty, the First and the Last, the Alpha and Omega, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is coming again  ...  Then, finally, there "will" be a thousand years of peace; it is written prophecy; it is a "Cursive Promise!"

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

(Consider making promiselandchurch.net your church home; streaming is available for every service, Wednesday night 7:15 pm and Sunday mornings at 9:00 am and 10:30 am, or better yet; Move to Austin, Texas  ...  people ARE moving here just to go to this powerfully anointed Church!  But, if you're in another country, any Nation anywhere in the world, we welcome you to become a member by live streaming.  We love you 24 hours a day!)

"Despise Not The Dance"

"Despise Not The Dance"

"And David danced before the Lord with all his might, and David was girded with a linen ephod.  So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet." (II Samuel 6:14-15)  The ark represented the presence of the Lord, and the Hebrew word in these verses for "danced" means to dance in a circle.  Gill's exposition says that he leaped and skipped like a lamb.  David discarded his kingly robes, and wearing a linen ephod, praised the Lord in an exorbitant manner, with wild and boisterous emotion.  No wonder the Lord loved David; he gave his worship all he had   ...   the exact reason we should "Despise Not The Dance."

"And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David,

Michal, Saul's daughter looked through a window, and

saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and

she despised him in her heart."

(II Samuel 6:16)

David's wife, Michal, was barren until the day of her death, because she despised David's dancing before the Lord.  We are entering a time of worldwide revival; every Nation, kindred and tongue will worship as the Lord pours out His Spirit upon all flesh, and we must allow other Nations to worship in "their own ways."  It could even seem uncouth to some of us, but we must never despise "the dance" of another.  

What a glorious age in which we are living!  You say, "How can you say that?  We're having trouble like we've never seen."  Yes, and "trouble" makes people look up!  Trouble sends mortal humans to their knees; trouble causes glorified mud balls to call out to their Creator; trouble is good  ...  in the Lord's eyes. 

The Lord is more concerned about one's soul than one's bank account; He desires the worship of His children in a flamboyant manner, rather than "lay me down to sleep" prayers.  He will take all of it, the weak prayers and the once a week or once a month feeble praises, but He loves the kind of worship that defies logic, that induces a spectacle, that causes one to lose his/her inhibitions, that pushes us through the "everybody's looking at me" syndrome.  Why?  Because "it is Real!"  The Lord Jesus Christ wants, above all, the legitimate you and me  ...  no facade, no "putting on" for others, no making our attendance for show, no doing it because everyone else is doing it  ...  He knows!  God knows!  So, when someone like David throws off his robes, his jewels of honor, his kingly rings, his royal miter, and romps about in joyous splendor of adoration and childlike glee for his Maker  ...  well, you can imagine the elation of Almighty God!

But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been

keeping his father's sheep.  When a lion or a bear

came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went

after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth.

When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and 

  killed it."  

(I Samuel 17:34)

"David said to the Philistine, "You come against me

with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against 

you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies

of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will deliver you 

into my hands, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head."

(I Samuel 17:45)

"And David took the head of the Philistine,

and brought it to Jerusalem ..."

(I Samuel 17:54)

David was not a sissy; he killed lions, bears  ... oh, and Philistines!  He was a man among men, even at a young age.  He told the Philistine, "..I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.  And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands." (I Samuel 17:46-47)  David made his mistakes later in life and paid dearly for them, but nobody can doubt his love, his faith, his devotion to his God! 

Dance David, Dance!  The Lord smiles on you!  And, we have much to learn from you about "worship."  Centuries later, we're still talking about you, David, and as we watch with wonder as Nation after Nation comes to the Lord, are filled with His Spirit and worship Him with exuberance, tamborines banging, tribal feathers flittering in motion, kilts swinging with the music, kimonos swishing in cadence, and painted faces swirling and weaving to drums; we will remember, David, and we will "Despise Not The Dance."

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Weep to Sow; Sow to Reap

"Weep to Sow; Sow to Reap"

Why do we weep and why do we sow?  Our Lord Jesus Christ died and rose again for souls; His nail-printed hands sow seeds of His love to every generation.  It's all about Souls.  The soul winner's crown is otherwise known as "The Crown of Rejoicing."  In I Thessalonians 2:19, it states "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes?  Is it not you?"  You, who?  The World, planet Earth, every Nation, kindred and tongue, the seeds of creation who will receive the seeds of the Gospel, the reaped of the last days, the called out ones  ...  the seeds wet with tears ready to be picked, The Harvest! 

"He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed

for sowing, shall come home with shouts of

joy, bringing his sheaves with him." 

(Psalm 126:6)

What does weeping do for the seed?  Study of seeds tells us that "moisture gets their biochemistry activated!"  Our witness must be "biochemically activated" before we get there  ...  our weeping over lost souls sends forth angels, softens hardened hearts, opens doors of utterance, and prepares the "soil" for the seed to be planted.  You say, "How do you know?"  "...the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)  We are to confess our faults to one another, and pray for others that they may be healed; healing can be for body, soul, mind and spirit  ...  Prayer Changes Things! 

"Cast your bread upon the waters, for

after many days you will find it again."

(Ecclesiastes 11:1)

Barnes' Notes states some interpret this to mean, "Seed cast upon the fertile soil flooded by the early rains would be returned to the sower in Autumn with large increase."  There's that "moisture" application again.  We plant our seeds with tears and we reap our harvest with joy! 

The world is ripe for harvest, because it's dry.  Dry means: thirsty, without flesh or meat, lacking sweetness, unproductive  ...  sounds like our world, doesn't it?  Our world is ready for the Holy Spirit, which is rivers of living water flowing from out of the innermost being; it is manifested with a language we have never learned, taming the tongue, the most wicked member of the body.  What the world needs now is Love, Sweet Love  ... it's true; the hungry in soul just want to experience Real, True Love.  There's only One who can give us that; He is Jesus Christ our Lord.  He is the "seed" to be sown in the hearts of the world.

"Let us not become weary in doing good,

for at the proper time we will reap a

harvest if we do not give up."

(Galatians 6:9)

Every Nation in the world hungers for peace deep in the souls of its people.  Storm clouds hover over our world today like a never-ending tornado of evil, swirling hate, blowing windy screams of discord, marching in thunders of unrest, and causing people everywhere to be so weary, so tired of the continuous barrage of "noise."  The Lord Jesus Christ whispers sweet peace in the middle of our chaos and calms our fears, soothes our hurts, stills our storms, and we breathe a sign of relief, while underneath are His everlasting arms.  Doesn't that sound wonderful to you?  Don't you want peace in your life?  Do you desire Joy?  Everyone can have a certain amount of happiness, but only God Almighty brings JOY; and it's Joy unspeakable and full of Glory, when we receive the Holy Ghost!  Repentance with tears, real Godly sorrow for all of our sins, brings us to the place to be filled with His Spirit.  He is waiting  ...

"He himself bore our sins in his body

on the tree, so that we might die to

sins and live for righteousness; by his

wounds you have been healed."

(I Peter 2:24)

He didn't die for just America, He died for the sins of the whole world.  He died that we might be whole, in mind, body and spirit.  He came to set us free!  You say, "I've been taught another type of religion; I don't know anything about Jesus Christ."  It's not too late to learn!  If you feel Him tugging at your heart; if you have a curiosity about Him; if you are not happy with what you have been taught and you want a God you can really feel inside; your search is over.  The Lord Jesus Christ is nigh unto them of a broken heart and such as have a contrite spirit.  Pray to Him with sincerity and Godly sorrow, repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Then, You are promised that you "will" receive His Spirit  ...  He is waiting  ...

Someone has already wept over You!  You say, "What, nobody in your part of the world knows me?"  We don't have to know you personally to shed tears for your soul.  We lay hands on the map of the world and cry for the souls of men, women, and children from Nation to Nation, Sea to Sea, Country to Country, by the Name of Jesus, the Blood of Jesus and the Word of Jesus!  We say, "North, South, East, and West; GIVE UP the sons and daughters that belong to God."  It's now time to Reap  ...  it's Your turn  ...  Jesus Christ is waiting for Your tears, Your prayers  ...  He's waiting  ...

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

 

"Glorious Neutrinos"

"Glorious Neutrinos"

"And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." (Isaiah 65:24)

"On September 23rd, researchers at CERN, Europe's main physics 

laboratory, announced that subatomic particles called neutrinos 

had apparently sped from the lab's headquarters near Geneva, 

through the earth's crust to an underground detector 730km

(450 miles) away around 60-billionths of a second faster than

light would take to cover the same distance.  The difference in 

speed is tiny, but the implications are huge."

(Quoted from the print edition, http://www.economist.com/)

I knew my Birthday was special for some reason; the discovery happened on September 23rd!  "But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase." (Daniel 12:4) Are we at the end of time?  Are we in the last days?  We are living in the Church Age, which is the final, or some call it the terminal generation.  Here are ten prophetic signs that we are living in the last days:

      *1.  Knowledge Explosion  (Daniel 12:4)

     2.  Plague in Middle East, Nuclear war  (Zechariah 14:12-15)

     3.  Rebirth of Israel on May 15, 1948  (Isaiah 66:8)

    4.  The Jews in 2nd exodus back to homeland  (Jeremiah 23:7-8)

    5.  Jerusalem no longer under Gentile rule  (Luke 21:24)

    6.  International instant communication   (Revelation 11:3-10)

   7.  Days of Deception  (Matthew 24:4, 5, &24)

   8.  Earthquakes of high magnitude  (Matthew 28:2; Luke 21:11; Rev. 11:13; Rev. 6:12)

   9.  Days of ongoing Sin; no respect for human life, as in days of Noah (Matthew 24:36-37)

10.  Plagues and Famines  (Matthew 24:7-8)*

Before they call, I will answer!

If ever we needed an answer, it's now!  "Answer to what?" you say.  Answer to everything  ...  Terrorism?  Nuclear War?  Diseases and Plagues?  Disasters?  Economy?  Housing?  Jobs?  Famines?  Inclement Weather?  Pestilences?  Rioting in the Streets?  Social Unrest?  It goes on and on  ...  we are living in treacherous times!  So, what do we do?  Join the ranks of the Saved, Sanctified, Surrendered, Scriptured, Sculpted, Saturated, and Sealed in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Repent, be filled with the Holy Ghost and speak with tongues, and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and then  .... Then, before You call, He will answer!

                                          

Faster than the speed of Light!

What will science do with the neutrinos?  It is yet to be seen, but Almighty God created "neutrinos," and what will He do with it?  He will use it for His Glory, for Souls around the world, for the furtherance of the Gospel, and for Miracles, Signs and Wonders!  He is the Author of LIGHT; He IS LIGHT!  He will use it to split open the galaxies when the trumpet sounds; He will use it for visions for His chosen and hungry; He will equip His Prophets that He will be glorified; He will use it to blind the scoffers and give sight to the blind; it will be scientific, supernatural, Spiritual seizure of planet Earth for the Glory of God!

"But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light."  (Zechariah 14:7)

"Glorious Neutrinos" 

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

(*"Ten prophetic signs we are the Terminal Generation")

Pastor John Hagee

Ready Or Not?

Ready Or Not?

"And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared."  (Revelation 16:12)  The end times are upon us; the coming great Battle of Armageddon, the mark of the beast, the Rapture of the Church, the great and terrible Tribulation period, the one world government, the one world currency; the rise of the Antichrist, and the "end" as we know it; "Are You Ready?"

                                                                     Mark of the Beast

"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, for the number of his name.  Here is wisdom; let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred three score and six." (Revelation 13:16-18)  The Bible states all of these things will happen before the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  And, we can see how this scripture is absolutely true, since "chips" are already being implanted in animals and humans.  All they have to do is scan one's hand or forehead in any store; it's all set up!  But, the Lord has made a way of escape for those who are ready to meet Him in the air at the Rapture of the Church; Are You Ready?

The Four Horses of the Apocalypse

The Four Horses of the Apocalypse are pawing the ground, ready to ride!  The white horse, red horse, black horse, and the pale horse represent the antichrist, war, famine, and death.  You say, "This all sounds a little strange."  Really?  All we have to do is take a look around the world and we see these things already taking place, except for the rise of the antichrist  ... However, he is alive and ready to emerge upon the scene at any moment. 

"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye

may be accounted worthy to escape all these

things that shall come to pass, and to stand before

   the Son of man." 

(Luke 21:36)

How can we be ready?  Repent of all of our sins; be filled with the Holy Spirit of God and speak in a language we have never learned as His Spirit gives us the utterance; and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins.  This is the salvation message for all mankind to obey in order for us to "escape" the "judgment" that is coming on the earth for those who rejected Jesus Christ and His blood shed for them on the cross.  He does not condemn those who repent of their sins.  "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."  (Romans 8:1)  He is coming back for those who belong to Him and He has prepared a glorious place for us that where He is, we may be also.  Ready or Not, He's coming! 

The Rapture of the Church is the event that all Christians anticipate, hunger for, await with gladness and joy, prepare for, and we anxiously shout for it with the word, "Maranatha," which means Come Quickly, Lord Jesus!  He will come in the clouds to meet us in the air when the Rapture occurs, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (I Thessalonians 4:16-17)

                                                Are You Ready? 

                              

                                                                                        

                                    (Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

                                            PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips) 

                                                                     

"Born To Be Blessed"

"Born To Be Blessed"

"And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice and wept.  And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee Hagar?  Fear not, for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is."  (Genesis 21:16-17)  God heard the cry of the lad, not the cries of Hagar; why?  The lad was Abraham's son, the heir of daddy's dowry of blessing, the DNA of promise, the recipient of relative endowment, the promise perpetuated; he was "Born To Be Blessed!"

Hagar and Ishmael cast out!



 The "Blessed" of God have inherited favor!  They didn't earn it; they did nothing to merit it; they exist to receive it; they are walkin' talkin' bloodline bearers of omnipotent oaths  ...  they are blessed simply because they were born!  "Unfair!," you say.  The affairs of God are cords that run deep in the word "beget."  It matters to God who you came from, and it bears record for us to take heed of God's ordained promise to the father of the family.  

Hagar and Ishmael

Imagine what Hagar must have felt.  After all, she was somewhat innocent in all of this.  It was Sarah's orders that she bear a child with Abraham, and then when Isaac, the chosen son, came along; Hagar and her son were discarded, sent out into the desert.  After the water was depleted, she put her son under a shrub "to die," she thought.  But, the echo of a Blessing promised whispered through the sere winds of the lonely desert, and the angel appeared and said, "Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thy hand; for I will make him a great nation."            (Genesis 21:18)  

Abraham, the Lord and two Angels!



God was with Abraham!  Remember when the three approached Abraham's tent, coming on a mission to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, but Abraham pleaded with the Lord again and again asking Him to spare them if He could find 50 righteous there, forty righteous, thirty, twenty, and finally asked the Lord to spare the cities if He found at least ten righteous there.  He agreed, and we know the story; there were not even ten righteous people found in Sodom and Gomorrah and it was destroyed.  Sodom and Gomorrah lies under the Dead Sea; nothing lives in the Dead Sea, so great was the judgment upon those cities!  But, Abraham was a friend of God; we see his character regarding Sodom and Gomorrah.  Would we plead with God to save people we don't know?  We should, every day on our knees, for the Nations.  Oh, that we have a heart like Abraham; he was blessed and the "Blessed" should no one touch, for they are surrounded by God.

Abraham and Angels

You say, "Well, that's fine for Abraham and his sons, but what about me?"  Good question!  You are not left out in the cold, as they say.  "He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."  Hallelujah and Amen!  It's best to hang out with the Blessed, and if you can't do that; the next best thing is to "know" personally the Blesser!  That would be Jesus Christ our Lord! 

The Lord's blessings are new every morning, but you have to be in the "family."  How do you get in the family?  Accept Him as your Savior; be filled with the Holy Ghost, His Spirit, and speak in tongues as He gives the utterance, and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.  Then, you're in line for the Blessings of the Father, and you are "born again!"  

What does "born again" mean?  You are born of the water and of the Spirit; you are then "Born To Be Blessed," and that's just two hands away from Your Blessing!  

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com. 

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

"True Deception"

"True Deception"

"Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister, that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee." (Genesis 12:13)  This is a perfect example of a half-truth, and a "slight pun."  Abram knew that his wife was "fair to look upon," so he told her to tell the Egyptians that she was his sister; Abram believed that if they knew she was his wife, they would kill him to take her.  In fact, Sarai "was" his wife "and" his half-sister!  It was a "partial truth," and that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is "True Deception!"

The rest of the story is that the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, and Pharaoh asked Abram, "What is this that thou hast done unto me? Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?"  Pharaoh then told Abram to take her and GO!  

"A half truth is a whole lie."

Yiddish Proverb

Herein is where we address the Holy Bible.  If one is told to "only believe and he will be saved;" is that wrong?  Is it wrong when people take "parts" of scripture and build doctrines around them?  Is it wrong to pick and choose what we "prefer" to believe in the Bible?  Will we be held accountable for only obeying part of the scriptures, if we truly didn't know?  If we have heard and read some scriptures, but we weren't raised to believe that way; can we be responsible for not obeying them?  The answer is emphatically Yes, Yes, and Yes!  (Philippians 2:12)  Salvation is not inherited; "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  That means that we must not only know where to look in the Bible for what we want to know, but we must study it and hide it in our hearts so that we will not sin against God. (Psalm 119:11)

Theologians agree the Church began in the Book of Acts, so we are living in the Church Age; we must go to the Book of Acts to find out how we should be saved.  Believing in Jesus Christ our Lord is the first step; then, we must go on to perfection and obey Acts 2:38.  You say, "I believe and I have received the Spirit, but I have not spoken in tongues."  There is more for you!  I don't know about you, but I want "everything" the Bible says I can have in God!  I don't want "part" of it; I want all of it!  Why?  We must have on the full armour of God to withstand the wiles of the devil; that means we must be fully equipped in Word, Spirit, power, walk, and warfare  ...  to "endure" to the end!  Not only that, but our God has given us Gifts of the Spirit to operate in, once we receive the Holy Ghost.  He has empowered us for "purpose!"

"And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the

fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree

which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall

not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.  And the

serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die ..."

(Genesis 3:2-4)

Deception "always" twists, defies, contorts, denies, confuses, disclaims, and masks the TRUTH!  My first question to Eve is, "Why would you believe what anyone says over God?"  But, that's for another day.  The defeated one, satan, always endeavors to make SIN look good.  And, deception "always" uses a "part" of the truth as a convincing measure.  The serpent told her the tree "was" a tree of good and evil, but that if she ate of it, she would "know" good and evil; he made it sound as if she was doing herself a disservice by not eating of it.  It was "part" true, and total utter "deception!" 

    Beware of the half truth.  You may have gotten hold of the wrong half. 

(Author Unknown) 

We are admonished at the very end of the Holy Bible that we must not add or take away from its contents: "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, "God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." (Revelation 22:18:19) 

                                                             

"TRUTH"

"THE RISEN CHRIST"

The TRUTH: Jesus Christ our Lord, hung on the cross, died and rose again to save all mankind.  He is coming again; first in the Rapture to remove, and make a way of escape for, the obedient, faithful and true to His Word, before the great tribulation period; then, He will come back to earth, set His feet on the Mount of Olives and reclaim His world!  Maranatha, Lord Jesus!

Anything that "waters down" the Gospel: the virgin birth, the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; that waters down Acts 2:38: repentance, baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and infilling of the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues; that waters down holiness, purity in mind, soul, body and spirit; and that waters down prayer, fasting, and holy consecration to God and His Word can be referred to as "True Deception."  It is a "part" of the truth, presented as the whole truth, and it is a form of deception. 

The enemy knows the Bible well; that's how he is able to deceive, confuse, and beguile the people of God, and people who don't know God   ...  Why?  Because those people of God and others, who are deceived by him, "do not know the Bible!"  Remember, when Jesus was tempted by satan after having fasted 40 days, He told satan each of the times he was tempted, "It is written."  We must "know" what is written in the Bible, and we must know when the Word is being twisted, added to, or taken away from  ...  we MUST know!  Why is this important?  We are living in a time when people will believe a lie and be damned!  "That they all might be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thessalonians 2:12)  The truth is the delight of the soul, the thrill of the spirit, the awakening of the mind, and purity for the body!  The soul who believes, obeys, trusts in, and loves the Holy Bible will not be enticed by "True Deception." 

The Truth will set you free!

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)