Michael Sprague’s Post

Chapter 7  The Overcomer by Dr. David Jeremiah Wisdom that overcomes the day’s confusion, chaos and clown showings. Wisdom for myself comes from Jesus Christ and a concept of what Jesus would do. Born again I have put the deadly sins behind me (I have turned away from them) and I have turned to the production and delivery of the fruit of the Spirit that Jesus has directed to make me powerful with prayer and focus. I know I am not praying enough for a nation that is sick, but I also know I am saved; so what is the wisdom that makes this work in me the individual and in us the nation? God the father will save everyone from the sickness he describes as sins unto death if that everyone chooses to turn from evil in faith and forgiveness giving us everlasting life. Groups do not go to heaven. The reborn Christians, as a group, have never been in a majority in the USA to impact civility from main street. But groups have grown at times to dominate the space standing against evil with its salt and light.  We are not, regretfully, in one of those periods of enlightenment. God’s plan is to rapture the living and the dead to the point on earth that the world is of total unbelief and evil; and then shocked into a new small groups of true believers that will go through a fear of God tribulation to a black and white saved or not saved ending on this earth. The evil of the antichrist will not be noticed by most. I cannot make a decision for anyone else (my wife, children and their children included). Ronald Reagan could not make the decision for his father-in-law. https://lnkd.in/gY2sarXu Faith does prompt works that fall into the direction of producing and delivering the fruit of the Spirit. How do I know this? I believe it, so unbelief is behind me. There is more than adequate evidence (wisdom?) of God the Father and Son and Holy Spirit. There is no reason to risk eternal life, the wisdom to position myself this way is obvious in the bible (a book that if the world was truthfully without Christ would not exist in its numbers after 2000 years).  Plus, it is so much easier (peaceful) to live on earth with this belief that my God saved me and allows me the freedom of choice that other faiths do not. Is there wisdom in just standing for kindness (Civility) without choosing the whole deal (Christ)? This is my choice. Faith plus works, black and white, decided on saved or not saved - the whole deal. #leadership #people #challenges #problemsolving #decisionmaking #morality #ethics #values #humanity #attitude #quality #intrinsicmotivation #power #liberty #work #moralhazard #federalreserve #privatesector #earlyeducation #equity #presentvalue #toc #publicsector #theoryofconstraints #firstthingsfirst #CSLewis #EpochTimes #MatthewKelly #christianity #freedom #civility #hope #charity #family #religion #kindness #civil

Many Christian marriages fail due to lack of happiness. We all can only be held responsible for our own happiness. No one outside of yourself is responsible for your happiness, period. The way to happiness is virtue. What is virtue? A quick google search says it is behavior showing high moral standards. But the scripture has a higher meaning than just morality. Virtue as it is described in scripture is personal love for God the Father which is our motivation in life, the same motivation that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ had when he prayed in Luke 23:34a “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” In this fundamental function of love, our Lord Jesus Christ had personal love for God the Father and he also had impersonal love for every human being that ever existed or ever will exist when He stayed on the cross and kept receiving the judgment for our sins. Impersonal love is the function of love towards all mankind that is a result of personal love for God the Father. We can’t even love our wives (or anyone else) unless we love God first. We can’t love God unless we know who He is and how He functions towards us in His perfect justice. How does this all relate to the marriage of Christians? In Ephesians 5:25 we read “Husbands love your wives as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself as a substitute for her.” As a Christian husband this is the absolute standard by which we are measured by God for loving our own wife. We can have the same level of love towards our own wives that He had towards the Church by knowing who God is, what is His plan is, and how do we do it. 1 John 1:9 If we acknowledge our sins, He is faithful (every single time) and justified (by the judgement of our sins on the cross) to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (unknown sins at the time of the prayer to God the Father). We are then filled with the Holy Spirit and able to study the Word of God. If all of this sounds like Greek, then the Scripture has an explanation that may work: 1 Corinthians 2:14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

So you’re a #christian… you say you #believe, but does your life show sign of #salvation? This is the 4th test in my little series… do you pass it?? Hint: it’s the one most people rather not talk about! 4. – Speak Up! The last check that your salvation is real, is whether or not you speak about it. Let’s start with what the Apostle Paul tells the Christians in Rome: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” – Romans 10:9 Paul sent a similar message to the Christians back in Jerusalem, indicating that one of the fruits of our faith (remember the 1st sign?) was to proclaim the name of God to others: Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. – Hebrews 13:15 Certainly, if you are truly saved, there should be a deep joy in your heart that just wants to come out – similar to how you might want to tell others about your kids’ achievements or other big event in your life. Being saved is the very best thing that can ever happen to you! You should want to jump up and shout out the good news to everyone you meet. It is THAT GOOD, right?? Even though it really is that good, daily life seems to put up so many constraints all around us. So we don’t easily jump up and proclaim the goodness of God or tell others all about our salvation. We are a little afraid and don’t want to make a scene and embarrass ourselves. Sadly, that’s often the case, right? But check what Jesus has to say: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” – Mark 8:38 If your salvation is real then you are not embarrassed, not ashamed and certainly never want to deny Christ. If you are too embarrassed to speak up even when you know you should, or you are ashamed, then yes, perhaps your salvation is not real after all… The good news is that if we are doing well with the other 3 checks – doing good works, loving others and forgiving those who wrong us – then this 4th check should flow just naturally. You don’t need to be a full-time evangelist or stand on a street corner with flyers – you just need to be yourself; the person that God created you to be: There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.– 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 This is the last of 4 checks to be sure your salvation is the real deal - to read the other 3 conditions, check this link: http://bible.us/r/CKF

In less than a week I will cross over to the 5th floor by the grace of God. Some few lessons I have learnt as I exit 4th floor... 1. God is supreme and if He wants to use you for a certain purpose, you can run but you can never hide! He will still get you and place you back on the rails so that you can fullfill what He destined for you. As my coach always says, God is always standing by His original intention..let me add that the Bible is truly beautiful. It is God's word that truly guides. Read your bible. 2. There is joy in having a relationship with God. It is easy to get lost having a relationship with religion and the prescribed religious practice and fail to know God in a deeper way because you are lost in doing religion..I have found liberation since I understood that the whole gospel of Jesus was really about the Kingdom and this discovery was very liberating. 3. Everyone has a genuis within them waiting to be tapped. The genius longs for free expression and the world has too many cages that keeps the genius locked up. It is your work to find the key to unlock the cage and set the genius free. Unlocking the cage is a process. Sometimes you will need to use resources to let someone else show you where the key is. Once you locate the key...don't stand there and watch...open the cage and set the genius free! 4. Do good because there is always a boomerang effect as more good comes back to your life. 5. Let go of pains and hurtful feelings that bring a burden to your heart. Forgive, let go and release so you can travel light. 6. Life is joyful...live joyfully and love immemsly. 7. If you are blessed with a family, do whatever you can to keep your family together. Love your family nuclear and extended and forge tight ties and if you can be the Joseph of your family, by all means go forth and do good to everyone even those who may have sold you to Egypt. Love them unconditionally. 8.Prayer is what keeps you truly centered. I call it the great password 9. Being a good steward of the money that God gives you is an important and nobble duty. Remember the good samaritan was able to help someone because he had money. Make the money, manage it, multiply it and mesh it so that your tommorrow and the future of your children and your grandchildren remains in focus. Kazi iendelee....

The scepticism of cessationism, which argues that these gifts ceased after the apostolic age, might be influenced by the lack of visible spiritual gifts in the lives of its advocates, possibly leading them to conclude that such gifts are no longer in operation. This perspective challenges the cessationist view, aligning instead with the biblical narrative of the Spirit’s enduring work throughout the church age. Continuationism holds that spiritual gifts like prophecy, tongues, and healing continue until Christ's return, based on scriptures such as 1 Corinthians 13:8-12, Ephesians 4:11-13, and Acts 2:17-18. This view emphasises the ongoing role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church, asserting that gifts are vital for its maturity and mission. #Continuationism #Cessationism #SpiritualGifts #HolySpirit #Prophecy #Tongues #Healing #ApostolicAge #BiblicalModel #ChurchHistory #Pentecostalism #CharismaticMovement #JohnWesley #WilliamJSeymour #JohnWimber #1Corinthians #Ephesians #Acts #MiraculousActivities #Scepticism #BiblicalNarrative https://lnkd.in/eDCAvgiP

The scepticism of cessationism, which argues that these gifts ceased after the apostolic age, might be influenced by the lack of visible spiritual gifts in the lives of its advocates, possibly leading them to conclude that such gifts are no longer in operation. This perspective challenges the cessationist view, aligning instead with the biblical narrative of the Spirit’s enduring work throughout the church age. Continuationism holds that spiritual gifts like prophecy, tongues, and healing continue until Christ's return, based on scriptures such as 1 Corinthians 13:8-12, Ephesians 4:11-13, and Acts 2:17-18. This view emphasises the ongoing role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church, asserting that gifts are vital for its maturity and mission. #Continuationism #Cessationism #SpiritualGifts #HolySpirit #Prophecy #Tongues #Healing #ApostolicAge #BiblicalModel #ChurchHistory #Pentecostalism #CharismaticMovement #JohnWesley #WilliamJSeymour #JohnWimber #1Corinthians #Ephesians #Acts #MiraculousActivities #Scepticism #BiblicalNarrativehttps://lnkd.in/eBhtcGti

The Forfeiture of Grace "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." -- Jonah 2:8 Forfeit grace? How can any of us forfeit grace? In the same way that we commit the "unpardonable sin." By rejecting ultimately and finally the Source from which grace and forgiveness springs. Everyone believes in something. Everyone has an object of worship. There is no such thing as a true atheist. It requires faith to believe that there is no God. It requires a presupposition. An unprovable premise. An atheist is as much of a religionist as the most fanatical rattlesnake handler. We all worship something, whether it be God, money, power, influence or ourselves. However, unlike belief in money, power, influence or ourselves, faith in God provides its own proof. To the person who believes in money and these other things, life is one continual test of proof after another. All of it can vanish in a heartbeat. Their belief system is never secure. Ask a believer in Jesus Christ to prove there is a God. Of course, he or she can't prove it to you, but such a person has already proven it to him or herself. One cannot prove the existence of God prior to a leap of faith. After such a leap, proof is overwhelming. In a similar fashion, we come to understand grace. We may know it, feel it, or experience it only if we are willing to trust the One who is the Source of it. Ego cannot provide us with grace. It can only provide license. Money cannot provide us with grace. It can only provide us with material emptiness. Power will never provide us with grace. It usually makes people corrupt. Influence will not provide us with grace. It will only provide the leverage of temporal control. Atheism will not give us grace. It will only provide disillusionment and smallness. The forfeiture of grace is the forfeiture of all that is decent in human experience. Grace is from God. The forfeiture of grace is the forfeiture of Truth. -- PDM Click this link: https://lnkd.in/gNa5g-q9 www.paulmorris.org

Once any church or group of churches embraces or submits to atheism in any form: bolshevism, communism, or any other; such a church or group of churches has ceased to be a church or to retain any canonical, ecclesiastical, or ecumentical authority of any kind. Once such authority is squandered it cannot be regained or restored by any means. The victims of such travesties must flee such institutions: else, caught continuing in such false organizations, forced to begin again as novices. The officers of such travesties must be stripped of all authority and power, and after appropriate periods of penance (7 or more years), begin again as novices, never to be trusted with church authority or office or power of any kind. This being said, several formerly atheist groups are still being discussed in Christendom as though they were really churches. This practice must cease. Even the World Council of Churches is defiled by atheist members and officers and anti-Christ adherents. This calls into question whether the WCC should even be allowed to continue at all: but, the WCC should not be allowed to continue without making strong statements denouncing and renouncing atheism and anti-Christianism, at the same time removing all such unrepentant members and adherents from its bodies. On the other hand, we are required by the Bible to be of one mind, to speak with one voice. The WCC has failed miserably at this task: so, it might be best to start over again with a new organization. We have failed to obey that Scripture entirely ever since the fourth century. Even so, the wheat is now so heavily infected with tares in most places, that is appears that the tares are in control of the wheat. If this is in fact the case in your assembly, town, or city, you must make an earnest effort to separate yourself from such society. Denounce and renounce all such organizations as non-Christian. At the same time, judgmentalism must be avoided at all costs. The outcome is that it is very difficult to live as a Christian in modern society. Please give yourselves to earnest prayer for the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God in all things. If your assembly denies the present existence of such spiritual aid, authority, and power in this age, it is an indication that you are in the wrong group. Leave.

Part I The octaves Just a recap, the ascending sorrowful scale is seen as the ages of the doctrinal development of the church. It ascends because the church is growing in her understanding of the mystical truths of the faith. But it is sorrowful because, at each phase of development, a substantial portion of the world rejects her beloved mysteries, which grieves the heart of God and the church. Here are the steps of the ascending sorrowful scale of the doctrinal ages: 1. Pagan Rome F 2. Trinity and incarnation in part 3. Trinity and incarnation in full, Islam F 4. Supreme apostolic successor in full, Great schism F 5. Sacred tradition and apostolic succession in part , great moral fall of hierarchy 6. Sacred tradition and apostolic succession in full, Great heretical rebellion, protestantism F 7. The great supernatural death of the world: enlightenment, deism, rationalism, French revolution, Masons , countless worldly philosophies, science, psychology, etc Humanity trying to find the meaning of life without supernatural Revelation and Grace ,merely by reason and stoic efforts. F 8. The minor apostasy, pagan rome returns in type, godlessness, no reason, no natural law, atheism, relativism, hedonism Here, the octave is formed between one and eight. The Crux is this, it really works in terms of the spiritual nature. The scale begins with complete darkness and ends with complete darkness. Remember that complete darkness in my theology consists of the total negation of the good reasons that we exist. The first reason we exist is to know and to love God in this world. The second reason we exist is effectively to know and to love God in the next life forever, and this will be like a eternal spiritual marriage, seeing as the representation of heavenly kingdom is the wedding feast of the Lamb. Here, the Christ will proceed outward his infinite mysteries and love within our being, we shall fully receive it into our inner souls, conceive it and digest it, and then offer it back to him in unending ecstasy. Of course , when we look at this world, in the first principle, that is, knowing and loving God , this really means faith and repentance, or the baptismal disposition. This is because knowing God is really involving having faith in the truths of God, and loving God is effectively avoiding sin, which in turn is having repentance. And behold, faith and repentance are the intrinsic principles of baptism that extend throughout our lives continuously, and which we especially renew every Easter. And again , when we look at the heavenly bliss that we strive to attain in the next world, which, again, is the second great reason we exist, we see that this is a spiritual marriage. So the baptismal disposition is the first great reason we exist in this world. And the great spiritual marriage is the second great principle that we hope to attain in the next world....

Purpose of Divine Design: In Christianity, human beings are created in the divine image, allowing glimpses of God’s vast design. Our purpose is to love God, contributing to the glorious plan for creation. Christian Spiritual Transformation: Our spiritual formation seeks inner change, drawing believers closer to God. It involves practices like prayer, meditation, and community, leading to personal and communal transformation. In the age to come, whether through organized religion or personal spirituality, we may find ourselves transcending earthly limitations, and embracing new forms of existence. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. In the account of the Burning Bush: ”But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭20‬:‭35‬-‭38‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Jesus addresses the concept of worthiness in relation to the coming age and the resurrection from the dead. Worthiness and the Age to Come: - Those who are deemed worthy will participate in the age to come. - In this future state, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. - Their existence will be different from earthly life, resembling that of angels. - They will no longer experience death. Children of the Resurrection: - These worthy individuals are God's children because they are partakers in the resurrection. - The resurrection is a central theme, emphasizing life beyond physical death. Moses and the Burning Bush: - Jesus cites the account of the burning bush from the book of Exodus. - Moses referred to God as “the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." - Jesus concludes that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. All are alive in His presence. In summary, Jesus teaches that those who are worthy will experience a transformed existence in the age to come, free from death and earthly limitations. The resurrection is a pivotal event, and God's nature is one of life. https://lnkd.in/gQMaHrfN Proverbs 31:10-31: The godly wife as a supreme example of worthiness. Her value is far more than rubies, and her noble character is highly esteemed. She uses her strength, ability, wisdom, and valor selflessly for others. - Godfrey Ong