Feb-27-Checking Out Those Dusty Bottles

Key Word:- REPENT

Title:- Checking Out Those Dusty Bottles

Proverbs 23:21
For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.

We may be well into the movable season of lent by now and I remember growing up, attending Roman Catholic schools and being tutored under the watchful eyes of the Jesuits. In particular, I well remember the preparations made for the 40 days of lent.

In those days of my youth and long, long before, this purely man made tradition would be a time of austerity and serious contemplation prior to the celebration of Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Lord. Ash Wednesday would mark the ‘kick off’ of these religious proceedings and the Tuesday before, would traditionally be a day of sincere shriving. Yes, I said SHRIVING!

Shriving is an archaic word referring to the confessing of sins to a priest, thereby receiving both freedom from guilt and the gift of reconciliation. This particular Tuesday, or Shriving Tuesday or rather, Shrove Tuesday as it became known, would have been a day of confession, repentance and forgiveness. In my house however and in the houses of most modern Catholics and Protestants in the United Kingdom, it was a day for pigging out on pancakes!

In the not so long ago, like so many other poorer households in the West, the giving up of food for lent would have meant a waste of precious perishable and expensive goods. To that end, the larder may have been cleared for lent but nothing was wasted, no sir, everything was eaten and much of it was rolled and served in lightly battered parcels which we now call pancakes. What with all the abundant eating of Shrove Tuesday it then very quickly then became known as ‘Fat Tuesday’ and the literal French translation of ‘Fat Tuesday’ is in fact, ‘Mardi Gras.’ How interesting, that a time of repentance and reconciliation should so subtly be turned into a raucous party!

Sin always seeks to spend itself and before it is finally extinguished, and like a dying firework in its final moments, it will consume itself and all who pass within its fiery perimeter, will be burnt up with it, in its own self-indulgent madness. Mardi Gras, in the present bankrupt and previously flood water leveled city of New Orleans, pictures the world, like a red nose drunk, pedal to the metal, just one last time, before he drives into the waiting school children on the corner. Or paints the world in oils, sitting on an old leather lounger, leaning back with open and disdainfull legs, reconciled to death like a stage four cancer patient, sucking deep on his last cigarette before the final piece of lung is coughed up in his smoky sputum. Or like a pox faced hoar, pimped to the devil, syphilicticly deceived, still thinking she’s beautiful and so still trying to sell her wares on the brink of destruction, just one last time before her all indulgent legs are closed forever. Sin, you see, is a gigantic and greedy, self undulgent, self consuming madness.

When we as Christians look at the state our advanced civilizations, you would in my opinion, have to be on an astonishing amount of anti-depressants, not to tremble in fear at the obvious fact, that God is giving us up to our own sins and all their gross consequences. Whilst clothing ourselves with painted costumes, rather than repentant righteousness, nationally, we have sold our souls for a handful of plastic beads and continue to jiggle our teats before the dead but golden calf of self-indulgence. It’s all scary stuff friends but what is more disconcerting is the absence of any current and loud prophetic voice, announcing impending doom on such once blessed nations that now so blatantly shake their fists against God Most High!

The controversy of our age, is not found so much in wars, racism, poverty, perverse political agendas or even in genocide. No, the controversy of the age is found in our hard hearts towards the long, long-suffering, good and gracious God. A long lie is being perpetuated along these Western shores, that God is at work saving people. However, let me ask you this today, “If indeed so many people are becoming Christians in the West, then where do we go, to even get a sniff of its impact on our culture? Where is the change?” There is none and so like I say, there is long lie being perpetuated among us..

It is obvious that there is no real change, no real response of repentence and our beloved nation’s present answer to so consistent and merciful a chastisement, to all the certain and clear signs of a coming calamity, that seems to draw nearer with every sunrise, has been to simply continue to dance upon the breaches. To party on and party on. We the church in our own diminishing little way, are joining in this same devilish delusion of safety, and are even perpetuating it with pitiful little picnic’s in the park and big days out in the countryside, painting faces, finding space to ‘worship’ and of course, buying as much Chisrian ‘tut’ as we can cart away with us, especially music tut. Yes, especially music ‘tut’.

We in the church must remember that snake oil never did cure any nation of its scourges and its ills. It never did and it never will. So, as we tout our so called spiritual wares, let’s take the time to wipe the dust off the bottle and take a little longer look at just what it is we are selling, because whatever it is, it’s just not working!

Listen: - “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. And they shall say to the elders of his city, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.' Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear. Deuteronomy 21:18-21 NKJV

Pray: Lord, we Your people humble ourselves and pray. We call for the healing of our land, and Your merciful provision of those from among us who shall be called ‘The re-builders of the old waste places, the repairers of the breach and the restorers of streets to dwell in.’ In Jesus mighty name we pray, amen.

From April 24th 2011
Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com

Feb-26-The Making, The Breaking & The Branding of Mavericks

Dream Word – MAVERICK

Exodus 3:1-2
Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. KJV.

The Making, The Breaking & The Branding of Mavericks

Even though they are rarely wanted by the rest of the herd, there has always been a need for the unorthodox, the unconventional and the non-conformist. The banding together of cattle in herd mentality, might for many, lead to safety, acceptance, corporate fellowship and copulation but for the unbranded bull, all the mooing hides, the hoofed up dust and the half eaten grass by muddy and well trampled waters, offers little consolation for their pioneer spirit. So, they leave the herd or are ejected from it, and plough their own trails on the roads less travelled, through the high sierras and down the rocky crags. It’s a lonely life being a Maverick, but it is only the Mavericks that forge the newer tracks amongst God’s green and rolling hills, yes, it is only the Mavericks that find the mount of the Most High God and return to the herd with a message. All true prophets are of necessity, mavericks.

I have often wondered whether mavericks are made or born? I believe it can be either. I believe it can be both. Pity the born maverick then, penned in by the herd, the deep furrows of the track, the fences, the tall tales of fearful giants and the taller tales of safer days, ‘herdside’, for I tell you that that bull shall die on his frustrated feet, long, long before his horns shall ever hit the dust. Pity the made maverick as well then, who, while longing not to be so unacceptable, and seeking earnestly some respectable conformity, nevertheless, when exhibiting the signs of some seeming, mad cow disease, is rejected and derided, excluded and divided, from those he longs to be with. Forgive me for mixing my animals but maverick bulls are often the scapegoats that are sent away into the desert with a flea in their ear, carrying the sins of the people.

Yes, mavericks are both born and made but both must, one way or another, embrace the loneliness of the backside of the desert. Moses was such a man, born and made a maverick. John the Baptiser was such a man, born and made a maverick. Hosea was such a man, Jeremiah, Amos, Paul, and tens of thousands of others, named and unnamed, were all mavericks, each of them returning to the herd with a burning message from Horeb, that only a maverick man might get!

A maverick with a message is hated by the enemy and he will always try and break him. Remember, that there was once a maverick Levite, (Judges 17:7 onwards) who left the herd at Bethlehem only later to sell his maverick soul for ten shekels and a shirt. Once the transaction was done, he found it easier to sell it again and again, for a little more money each time. The consequences of this breaking of a maverick bull, was that the man and his message was marred beyond recovery. Yes, there are two things that break a maverick and ruin his message once he gets it. First money and secondly the need for herd respectability. Yes, money and the need for affirmation from the other animals are the two siren scimitars which might slice the maverick man in two. Demas was cut in two by the former (2 Tim 4:10) and God help us, Peter and Barnabas were both sliced and diced by the latter. (Galatians 2:11-21)

The original and popular use of the word ‘Maverick’ referred to ‘wayward calves and cattle, who wandered the range, unbranded.’ Such cattle when found, hardy and well fed, became the property of the first person to put their own brand upon them. Broken Mavericks are always branded in the end. Yes, often times, many religious leaders throughout the ages, even Popes and Senior Pastors all, have all discovered that the best way to deal with a boisterous bull, is to brand him first and then cut his balls off, for mavericks always disturb the herd.

Mavericks in the making, wandering in the backside of the desert before they arrive at the Mount of God, before the fire of the burning bush is given into their bosom, might be some of the loneliest, frustrated and disconsolate people I have ever met but oh my God, oh dear Lord deliver us, those now branded bulls, former mavericks of old, now wandering around without their balls but accepted by the herd, are some of the saddest animals in the world, sporting both bad meat for the butcher and polluted manure for the ground. For once the branding took the light from their eyes, they also lost their flavour, their singing salty savour and became respectful, ruined and absolutely rotten. There is no recovery from this.

May God grant His flock, many a mighty Maverick, both born and made and may such Mavericks, avoid both the branding iron and the plush pliers of the caring castrators. In all their wide and windswept wanderings, may they find the Mount of God, see the burning bush, receive the majestic message in their hearts and from such burning and lonely furnaces of affliction, deal death to Pharaoh’s everywhere and reveal the safe paths of deliverance to all the flock of God. Amen.

Listen: - "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV

Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant." Jeremiah 1:9-10 NKJV

For behold, I have made you this day A fortified city and an iron pillar, And bronze walls against the whole land — Against the kings of Judah, Against its princes, Against its priests, And against the people of the land. They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you," says the Lord, "to deliver you." Jeremiah 1:18-19 NKJV

Pray:- Help us O Lord, to arm our Mavericks and not to harm them. May they find new paths, hidden trails, fresh waters, and for their own hearts sake and for our continued deliverance, may they find both The Mount and The Message, in Jesus name we pray, amen.

From April 24th 2011
Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com

Feb-18-Some Hat Pins For Zombies

Dream Word – AWARE

2 Corinthians 4:3, 4
But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. NKJV
Some Hat Pins For Zombies

The Afro-Caribbean spiritual belief system and Hollywood, have given us the scary pictures if reanimated flesh eating corpses, or as they are more better known, Zombies! I bet you didn’t know it but there are in fact two types of Zombies in our world. Yes and this is good to know for I am concerned that I find myself increasingly surrounded by Zombies.

The first type is the C.N.C. Zombie, that is, the Consumer ridden Non Christian. They may be ‘Chav’ like, or boys from Charter House. They may be shopping at Argos or even at Harrods. They may be layabouts or playboys, professionals or stupid! It doesn’t matter. The common factor is that these CNC Zombies are focused only on what is before them. Arms outstretched, vacant eyes, drool at the side of their mouth, they are interested in only consuming and if the eating is at the expense of someone else, or IS someone else, then so be it. The CNC Zombie is unaware of their own death and is merrily happy at the blindness of a sorcerous slavery that binds them in their chains. Yes, the worldwide economic enslavement of the CNC zombies by the enemy of their souls continues but no matter to them, for as long as they are feeding, whether on crepes or crap, it doesn’t matter, not as long as they are simply consuming! As they do this, and this alone, that full and happy, monosodium glutamate glaze of overfed blindness will continue. Zombies! I see these every day.

The second type is the F.F.C. Zombie, the Fixed and Focus Christian Zombie. I detest these the most, for they are fixed and focused on anything other than the simple love of God in the face of Christ Jesus. They are fixed and focused on anything other than the naked revelations of revealed truth. The hammering and beating, the drilling and the banging of the workers of the man of sin constructing his kingdom around their very feet is of no concern to them, for they are fixed on their own churches, focused on their own pet doctrines and pet pastors, fixed on their denominational peccadilloes, focused on feeding the machine and keeping it happy, quiet, functioning and controllable. Focused on wet worship and soft presucked morsels, for as long as they can sing well and have some tasty teat to suck on, on a Sunday morning, they’ll be satisfied with minute microwaved Christianity. They cannot abide strong meat, only milk, lukewarm, watery milk at that, which will be poorly digested, with only just enough spiritual nutrition to make them feel saved and certainly not enough to make them grow and walk properly! Zombies, nice well dressed, well spoken, well ordered ‘pooperninkums,’ all joining in the fiddling while the true saints of Christ burn. As long as they are given a free bunny rabbit when they give their lives to Christ and get their hair stroked regularly with a "there, there, there, poor sweet baby," then they are somewhat happy. Zombies!

Meanwhile, Satan’s New World Order, so enslaves their minds that they refuse to face the smell of the rising stench of Christian decay and see the settling of dust from the crumbling edifice that was once the church, pouring in on them from un-repented and un-repointed brickwork, letting in the Devil’s damp and spreading black death, like a lousy leak from the Hoover Dam all across their “praize” focused faces. Good grief it’s the entertainment industry that is setting most of our teaching titles and discussion groups. Yes sir indeed, it’s consumer Christianity at its best, but unfortunately the best it can do, is to re-animate a corpse and keep it drooling. In the end, whether C.N.C or F.C.C. it doesn’t matter, they are both Zombies.

When the real Christians arrive on the scene, we wont have questions regarding revival! For the clash of arms, the fall of Kingdoms, the leaping lame, the shouts of happiness breaking out of the open mouths of those delivered from deep gloom and a multitude of other magnificent testimonies to the touchdown of God Almighty, will be unchallenged evidence of God amongst us, which in the end, is all that the real people of God are truly longing for. (And, 'No thanks', I don’t want to buy that latest CD. )

Meantime, I am keeping the drool from the sides of my own mouth, keeping my arms up toward heaven, instead of outstretched toward the earth. Keeping my eyes and ears open, my sword unsheathed and my shield well up. I have also bought some old hat pins, they are a mite long mind you, but never the less, they are still sharp, ready to be sunk deep into a few pink professing buttocks. Tomorrow, I’m off to try and wake up a few Zombies. Do you want to join me?

Listen: - I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake. I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one. NKJV

Pray:- Lord, break this great witchcraft of the enemy, that dulls Your churches ears to the sound of his hammering and blinds us to his wicked machinations. Father, please ram the hatpin of the Holy Spirit’s conviction right up our rear end, in Jesus name I ask it, amen!