THE REAL "A" TEAM AND THE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

... Then one day this chippie, a few trawlermen, a government bean counter, a doctor, an academic, a writer, a few housewives and mothers, a prostitute, and a whole bunch of other social misfits and outcasts got together and said, "Hey guys, what say we make a team and do the impossible?" .... and they did!

Some of you might know these people by another name - Jesus Christ and the first disciples. But that really misses the whole point of the power and plan of God. I think we should choose a new name for us the disciples of Christ Jesus, who are ALL in the same team as those first disciples. I think we should call ourselves "THE 'A' TEAM OF THE LORD".

Sadly so many churches these days and in history have gone down the corporate path of "churchianity" with almost universally disastrous results. Yes some of them may appear very successful from a corporate point of view, but like the church at Sardis while they may have all the appearances of being successful, large, alive, and rocking in the eyes of men they are moribund and spiritually dead in the eyes of The Lord. Corporate success and corporate performance has never been a measure of spiritual success and spiritual performance and never can be. They are quite literally concepts that are alien to each other and don't really work together very well if at all. Corporate churches are "regular army", stiff, formal and largely inflexible. Full of rules, regulations, drills, strict uniformity and conformity, ranks, protocol, strict chains of command, unquestioning obedience, rule book battle plans, pomp and ceremony. The Lord however works with 'A' Teams. An eclectic bunch of rather eccentric, sin damaged, somewhat flawed individuals. Each one a unique mixture of amazing strengths and a whole lot of really strange and odd weaknesses and habits. So unique that one can't help wonder how each even managed to be in the same place at the same time, let alone work together on the same team. And yet work together they do, without rules and regulations, pomp and ceremony. With nothing even resembling a uniform look, or behaviour, or even the ability to stand in a straight line let alone march in the same direction.

They work so well because they are not united by an allegiance and obedience to a mixed plethora of ad hoc traditions, rules, regulations, uniformity, conformity, and ever changing hierarchies. They are united by ONE thing only ... LOVE. Love of their Father in Heaven, love of their sovereign Saviour, Lord and King, Christ Jesus, love of and obedience to, the ONE Holy Spirit that dwells in them ALL, and love of, and a desire to be obedient to, the ONE and ONLY word of God, and, not least of all, love for one another. THAT is what binds them together, THAT is what makes a bunch of raggle-taggle, sin damaged, outcasts and misfits the mission impossible accomplishing 'A' TEAM of the Lord. And it drives the world crazy because what binds the 'A" Team of God together and makes it both a team as well as uniquely invincible and successful ... is not of THIS world and it's culture of corporate thinking.

What a lot of churches do not understand is that corporate church thinking is very much Old Testament thinking. The Old Testament is where we find large, lavish, ornate temples and synagogues, structured and formalized worship services, hierarchical and structured organisational charts of exactly who has what authority, who has what duties and responsibilities where and when. It is where we find all the rules and regulations, do's and don'ts, transgressions and appropriate punishments. ... And it didn't work!

Jesus came to highlight that the  Kingdom of God was not in the things AROUND you. If it is not WITHIN YOU, you are not part of it, and if it is within you nothing AROUND you can separate you from it. No church has the power, authority or ability to stand between you and Christ Jesus. Indeed NOTHING on Earth, OR in Heaven for that matter, has the power, authority or ability to come between you and Christ Jesus, or to oust you from HIS Kingdom. If Christ is WITHIN you, you are part of God's 'A' Team whether the world thinks you should be or not. It is the Holy Spirit WITHIN YOU, not your outward appearance or the opinion of, or conformity and uniformity with, the expectation of others, that bears witness to your membership of it!

(Romans 8:16 (KJV) "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:")

Remember that the person you have to be acceptable to is NONE - other than The Lord Himself.

D.J. Ludlow

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IT'S NOT ABOUT SHEEP FARMS!

What a lot of churches do not understand is that corporate church thinking is very much Old Testament thinking. The Old Testament is where we find large, lavish, ornate temples and synagogues, structured and formalized worship services, hierarchical and structured organisational charts of exactly who has what authority, who has what duties and responsibilities where and when. It is where we find all the rules and regulations, do's and don'ts, transgressions and appropriate punishments. ... And it didn’t work!

Jesus came to teach us many things. One of them was that the  Kingdom of God was not in the things AROUND you. If it is not WITHIN YOU, you are not part of it, and if it is within you then nothing AROUND you can separate you from it. No church has the power, authority or ability to stand between you and Christ Jesus. Indeed NOTHING on Earth, OR in Heaven for that matter, has the power, authority or ability to come between you and Christ Jesus, or to oust you from HIS Kingdom. It is not about the churches of men, it is about the Kingdom of God.

Sadly so many churches these days and in history have gone down the Old Testament corporate path with similarly disastrous results. Yes some of them may appear very successful from a corporate point of view. Large well structured, well oiled, smooth running corporate machines housed in large, architecturally designed, luxuriously appointed, rather expensive, corporate style buildings replete with offices, auditoriums, theatres, multifunction rooms and halls, etc. They have great looking organisational charts with all sorts of departments and departmental directors, corporate plans and visions for the future, corporate in-house training and team building plans, impressive goals and performance targets, etc. And above all, that necessity of all successful corporations, a carefully, nurtured, protected, and projected "corporate image".

BUT they have forgotten that they are called to be shepherds, not sheep farmers.

What is the difference between a shepherd and a sheep farmer? A sheep farmer looks after the FARM. A shepherd looks after the SHEEP! A good sheep farmer will sacrifice sheep for the sake of the farm. A good shepherd will always sacrifice everything for the sake of the sheep. A sheep farmer measures success by the wellbeing and state of the farm. A shepherd will measure success by the wellbeing and state of the sheep. A good sheep farmer will always put the interest of the farm above the interest of the sheep. A good shepherd will always put the interest of the sheep above even his own. A sheep farmer treats the sheep as if they belong to him. A shepherd knows the sheep in his care do not belong to him and he is accountable to another for each and every one of them. A good sheep farmer will consider a loss of 1 per 100 sheep as an excellent outcome for his farm. A good shepherd will leave the 99 in order to save the one who is lost. A sheep farmer loves his farm. A shepherd loves the sheep!

Like the church at Sardis many of today's churches may be corporately alive and rocking, but they have become spiritually moribund and dead. They have lost their first love and now love and serve the church corporate more than they love and serve the Lord's sheep that are in it. They have forgotten that Jesus did not come to build a corporation, He came to save people. He came not as a corporate executive nor as a sheep farmer, but as a shepherd and a servant of His Father's flock. Corporate executives care about the corporations they build and run. Sheep farmers care for their farms. Shepherds care only for the individual needs and wellbeing of each and every sheep entrusted into their care. Servants care only for the individual needs and wellbeing of each and every member of the family they serve.

We must always be careful to remember that in the house of God there are only THREE things you are called to be and not one of them is a corporate position. You can be called to be a Shepherd, a Servant, and ... a sheep! Administration is indeed a gift from The Lord through His Holy Spirit. But it is a gift designed to SERVE the needs of shepherds, servants and sheep, not to master and control them.

D.J. Ludlow

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Copy RIGHT!

S.H.A.P.E. is a very popular course designed to help people understand how GOD has individually and uniquely  shaped them to serve Him and to fit into the team HE is INDIVIDUALLY hand molding and shaping to serve HIS purposes and become HIS people at one with their God.

John 17:20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that ALL of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

Sadly so many churches seem determined to take the people GOD has shaped and try and hammer them into the shape THEY and THEIR church thinks they should be. To make people in THEIR church branded and idealised image.

Church leaderships often forget that they are not meant to be in the business of making clones of themselves. Their sacred responsibility to God is to help HIM make clones of Jesus, and if they do not include themselves as among those who need to change then perhaps the beam in their eye has caused them to lose sight of their own imperfections. Unless you are claiming to be perfect you are neither a role model to be emulated nor a judge to pass sentence. The Lord has already given us the perfect role model and the perfect judge .... And it is neither us nor any of our imperfect Earth born churches by a long, long, way.

We are called to fellowship, not to judge one another, nor to shape one another to our many and varied ideas of what a "good Christian" should look like and act like. We are called to fellowship with fellow believers as one among equals in order that we might support, encourage, protect, share with one another, and to lift one another up as Christ Himself works in each and every one of us individually to grow each one of us into Himself by the path HE has chosen for us to take. Our journeys begin from very different places. The paths our lives take are many and varied. But the oneness we share is in our destination. Let us therefore try not to trip others up or tread on their toes along our way.

REMEMBER THAT THE CHILDREN OF THE LORD ARE BORN OF GOD, NOT FASHIONED BY THE HANDS OF MEN AND THE INDWELLING HOLY SPIRIT IS THE STAMP OF HIS COPYRIGHT UPON US ALL..

D.J. Ludlow.

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A BUTLER IN THE HOUSE OF GOD.

Mark 10:42-45 "Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,  and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Mark 10:42-45 should be required reading for all who would aspire to any position of leadership in a church. In a democracy people elect those who will have power and authority over them. In this passage Jesus reminds us that the Kingdom of Heaven is not a democracy, it is the household of the FAMILY of The Lord. And a family household works very differently to a democracy.

If you want to understand the advice of Jesus to those who would seek leadership in His Church  it helps to understand how the large manor houses of England work. In each house there is always one and only one leader, one and only one head of the house, the father. But the household itself was run by servants. But even the head of all the servants (usually the head butler) still had less standing and authority than the youngest or least member of the family. Servants did not have authority OVER  the family, they had responsibility TO the family.

Consequently should a member of the family decide to become a servant they do not gain any greater authority or privilege than the authority and privilege they already possessed as children and heirs of the Father. What they gain is .... greater responsibility TO the family and to the Father.

In  Mark 10:42-45 Jesus reminds us that even though He is the firstborn heir of the Father He chose to become the head butler in the house of His Father in order that He may serve and care for His brothers and sisters who are also joint heirs of the Father. Already having all authority over the household of the Father as the firstborn Son, Jesus took upon Himself responsibility TO the household of the Father. He became its head butler.

If we want to serve in the household of the Father we are not called to become a great leader, we are called to become ... a great servant. But not just a servant, a servant UNDER the authority of the head butler of the household of God .... The firstborn heir of the Father, Christ Jesus Himself!

D.J. Ludlow.

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YOU HAVE TO BE CRAZY!

Insanity is preferring to believe a lie because you think it sounds less crazy than the truth!

We gather each week as fellow believers ... but believers in what? A particular "worldview" and lifestyle? A doctrine? The ideals and teachings of a man who lived around 2,000 years ago?

If we believe these things we are doing better than many. But if this is the extent of our belief, if we have put "realistic" limits and boundaries on our beliefs, if we have settled for living a different ideology but not a different REALITY we have not understood the mind boggling truth Jesus has revealed to us about the actual reality in which we live and the amazing destiny for which we were created.

To be a true follower and believer of Christ you HAVE to be as "crazy" as He was. You cannot escape being regarded as totally bonkers and nuts by non-believers. You have to believe crazy things are actually real and true AND you actually have to live and act as if they are.

Here are some of the crazy things I, as a follower of Christ, believe are actually real and true.

I believe the Earth and the universe were created by a being who exists outside of and independent from both time and space. That very dead people can be raised up bodily and restored back to life. I believe in non-terrestrial, non-human, beings who have invited me to join them. AND I actually look forward to them literally "coming to take me away".

I believe it is possible to walk on water unaided, to turn water into wine, to divide the waters of seas and rivers without mechanical intervention, that all medical conditions, disabilities, and injuries can be totally cured without medical intervention SHOULD The Lord will it. And many even crazier things.

In short I live with Christ Jesus as the CREATOR, REVEALER, and CONTROLLER of the REALITY I live in, and as if, by HIS will, all things really are possible even when science and "realistic common sense" want me to believe they are not.

After all, if everything the Bible says is actually true you'd be crazy NOT to ..... Right?

With Love from Christ in IslandBard

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THE GOOD GUYS COME LAST!

If you browse around YouTube and the Internet you will find an ever increasing plethora of alien invasion, alien visitation, and " they're already here" conspiracy theories. Should we believe them? Well ... generally I would say no. But if you ask me should we ignore them I will say emphatically not!

Your first thought would be "didn't he just contradict himself?” Rest assured I haven't. You see what is important to note is not the individual reports but the overall pattern of the reports. If I were not a follower of Christ I might surmise that it COULD appear that MAYBE the mindset of the population of the world MAY be getting groomed and prepared to accept the idea of non-terrestrial beings as a reality. However, being a follower of Christ means I am almost certain they are. You see Dawkins may think that the world is dancing to its own DNA. The truth is it is dancing to the tune of the very Biblical prophecy it claims not to believe in. The irony is that more often than not nothing proves the truth of the Bible more than the words, actions and behaviour of those who claim not to believe it. Even they fulfil the very prophesies they do not believe in.

I have been casually observing this increasing focus on things non-terrestrial for some time, noting the interesting patterns and trends in it. For instance have you ever noticed that in Sci-Fi movies involving aliens it use to be that anything coming from space was bad news for the Earth. Yet somehow, against vastly superior technology, strength, size, numbers, etc. the good people of Earth always won because somehow they were always deemed more worthy of winning and more noble and good than the aliens.

But in more recent times there has been a subtle shift and it is that the FIRST aliens to arrive or are already here (usually because they were kicked out of "there") turn out to be the good guys who help to defend earth and defeat the aliens who come next who, not surprisingly, turn out to be the real bad guys. More recent and noticeable are the movie "Thor" in which Thor is first exiled to Earth and then helps to defend it against the imperious "baddie" Loki who comes later (and later again in a sequel of similar pattern). Also very noticeable (if you are expecting it and keeping an eye out for it) is the recent TV Sci-Fi series simplycalled "V". In this show the aliens are actually reptilian but disguised as human-like good-guys but secretly with evil intentions. But wait there are already some of them secretly on Earth already and surprise surprise, they are rebels and enemies of those who arrive later and, yes you guessed it, they join forces with the Earth people to valiantly defend the Earth against the secret evil of the SECOND arrivers. But more on that shortly.

While I have been casually watching this expected pattern emerging slowly for some time now my ears really pricked up recently when I came across a whole lot of internet discussion about the “real reason” the Vatican is running a highly advanced deep space observatory on Mount Graham in Arizona, USA. The pattern, it seems, is much more advanced than I thought.

There is a well known and used ploy when politicians want to test and perhaps mold the public reaction to a plan before officially announcing it. It is called “leaking”. Significantly in this case, it usually means the plan is not inevitable or unavoidable but rather an optional choice based on the perceived public reaction to the “leaked” idea. If the public don't like it the politician can always deny it was ever their plan. Merely some story cooked up by some unknown, unnamed, "person or persons" with an over active imagination.

While I would not declare it to be true or to be totally believed on current information this Mt Graham, Vatican observatory story does bear all the hallmarks of a skillfully leaked story. There is just enough factual evidence to make it believable, and yet at the same time a sufficient lack of facts and confirmations to make it deniable and instantly "killable" as nothing more than yet another "conspiracy theory" if the need arises.

If you watched my Reality Bender. video No. 11 "Renaming TheElephant" you will understand that what the Bible calls "Heaven" science calls "the Universe". In addition if you are familiar with the Bible you will also appreciate that Jesus never claimed to be FROM the Earth, but from HEAVEN. He was always making it clear that He came TO the Earth FROM Heaven (aka the universe.). What's more He made it abundantly clear that that is where He returned to. Not only by declaring it but by the very visible ascension UP into the atmosphere until hidden by the cloud layer. Jesus could have chosen to simply vanish as if into another dimension. However I believe He wanted His disciple to be in no uncertainty as to WHERE Heaven is and where He was going. He was leaving Earth and returning to Heaven by going UP. And as science is now able to tell you the only thing UP THERE is .... the rest of the Universe. But only the name of the destination has been changed (hence "Renaming The Elephant"). The Universe is just Heaven by another name. The Bible is very clear that in the beginning The Lord created the Heavens and the Earth, not the Heavens, the Universe, and the Earth. Just the Heavens ... and the Earth. The Lord called EVERYTHING above the surface of the Earth "Heaven". Even the earth's atmosphere.

So how does this all relate to all this increasing talk and speculation about aliens both already here and coming that is filling the internet, the airwaves, and TV and movie screens more and more these days? And why is this talk about the Vatican, the Mt Graham observatory, and the need to "revise" and alter the Bible such a significant development?

ALL the mass of accumulated evidence points undoubtedly to the Bible being true which means Satan has a huge problem if he is going to try and pull off a powerful deception to deceive vast portions of the Earth's population as the Bible warns he will try to do. When Jesus ascended back UP into Heaven (aka the rest of the universe) angels ( who are also non-terrestrial) told His disciples that when Jesus returns to the Earth it will be in the same way He left it. In other words, having gone UP into the rest of the universe, He will, in like manner, come DOWN to the earth from " up there" where He went . Only next time He will not be alone. I also strongly suspect from what I read in the Bible,that hovering somewhere above the Earth will be a massive object roughly the size of the moon called the "New Jerusalem". If you watch my Reality Bender No.7 you will begin to appreciate the significance of why Revelation is careful to explain just how long, wide AND high the New Jerusalem is. John never saw it land on THIS earth, only on the NEW Earth.

Why is this a problem for Satan? Well he wants people to worship him and not The Lord, and especially not Jesus. That means He is going to have to pull off a pretty spectacular non-terrestrial stage show AND do it BEFORE the real Jesus returns to totally upstage him. His only hope in deceiving large portions of the world's population is to cause havoc throughout the world until it is so desperate for a Saviour that it will jump at the first non-terrestrial to arrive with what seems to be all the answers to Earth's problems and seemingly restore order and "re-educate" the world away from the revelations and warnings of the Bible, and give the world an excuse to divest itself of the Bible's God given commands and instructions . Like any good illusionist Satan will show the people what they want to see and hear, and in their eagerness to believe it they will ask few, if any questions.

Of course, knowing it is only a matter of time until the real Saviour arrives, the only thing left for Satan to do is try and convince everybody that the next one to arrive is the real baddie who is going to destroy the Earth and the only hope for mankind is to help him defend it. But, of course, Jesus never hid the truth that the Earth will not survive His return. Jesus returns to rescue those who are to be saved FROM the destruction of the Earth not to save the Earth itself. That is why Satan has to convince people that what is clearly written in the Bible is somehow not true or not inescapable

It is significant therefore that not only are we hearing these stories about the Vatican monitoring and expecting non-terrestrial visitors who somehow must automatically be considered less "fallen" than man and should therefore be revered as closer to God, but also speculation that their arrival will somehow necessitate a reappraisal and revision of what is written in the Bible and what we believe it teaches to be true.

It could miraculously all be merely coincidental of course. But as a believer in Christ I believe in miracles but place little credence in miraculous coincidences. I am way too skeptical for that. I will continue to watch what happens, but I already know the One who will be the last to arrive, in who I believe and who is able to save me from EVERYTHING else that is coming before AND after then.

And because I know Him NOW I will know Him THEN. But even more importantly I will also know when it is somebody just pretending to be Him.

With the love of Christ in IslandBard

Glad To Be of Service!

There is this myth that following Christ Jesus is all about denying oneself pleasure. "Thou shalt not have a good time". "If it feels good thou shalt not do it."

But the truth is that those who follow Christ do not give up one single good thing in life. They do not sacrifice one single pleasure. Ask me if there is anything I miss from before I committed my life to Jesus and I can quite honestly and truthfully tell you - "not a single thing".

There was a time I did take pleasure in sinful things - or at least what I thought was pleasure ... what everybody (mates, media, movies, etc.) TOLD me was pleasure. But the truth is that I found no real joy in it all. It's like scratching an itch. It feels good to scratch .... but you'd much prefer not to itch in the first place.

But now I find I have no pleasure whatsoever in sinful things. I have as much desire to sin as I would have swimming in a sewage pond. Neither holds ANY attraction for me whatsoever - I have no itch to scratch.

But let's be clear on what sin is, and what it is not. It is not sin to enjoy having a wife ... it is sin to enjoy having somebody else's wife. It is not a sin to drink alcohol (even though I personally choose not to - but that is just my personal choice and not a command from the Lord) but it is a sin to get drunk. It is not a sin to have stuff that belongs to you - it is a sin to have stuff that belongs to somebody else (without their permission). It is not a sin to have a good job - it is a sin not to do a good job of the one you have. The list goes on but you get the idea.

What most people lose sight of is that "pleasure" is not about what you do or don't do ... it is about HOW YOU FEEL about what you do and what you don't do. MY pleasure is to do the will of the Lord and to follow the word and command of Jesus. MY pleasure is to NOT sin. MY pleasure is to serve my Lord and my Saviour King, Jesus. THESE things are not burdensome to me, rather they bring me joy and pleasure.

Nor do they prevent me from enjoying the company of a beautiful and loving wife, enjoyment of the things I lawfully and legally have, the pleasure of  the good and wholesome food I prefer. I also drink and enjoy what I PREFER to drink, listen to and watch and read and enjoy the things I prefer to listen to and watch and read, etc. AND I can do it all without sinning.

To me being able to serve and be with the Lord IS having a good time. To disobey the Lord or to be separated from Him would be the most miserable and crushing experience I could think of. To me it "feels good" to NOT sin. In following Christ I have denied myself NOTHING - except that which I do not want any part of anyway. In truth I could look the Lord and Jesus in the eye and in all honesty say "I am truly GLAD to be of service ... to YOU!

With Love From Christ in IslandBard.

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CIRCLES IN MY BIBLE - The Chinese Water Puzzle

OK I confess ... I'm a circler and an underliner. As I read my Bible I tend to underline or circle interesting or important passages to make them stand out for easier reference. As I'm reading I often come across fascinating little discoveries and out comes the pen. Consequently my Bible is full of circles and squiggly lines for me to ponder the implications of what lies within them.

I thought I might share a few of these rather intriguing little references with you now and then.

The latest circle to appear in my Bible popped up today in my daily reading as I pondered the words of Amos, a humble herdsman and keeper of sycamore fig trees chosen by the Lord to be one of His prophets. Amos wrote his prophecy during the reign of Uzziah king of Judah somewhere between 810 and 759BC (remember those dates).

Now for a little lesson in how much credence one should put on the "official" verson of history and science and the pronouncement of "experts".

This is the "official" version of the history of our knowledge of the "water Cycle". It is taken directly from the website:- http://www.unesco.org.uy/phi/libros/histwater/1history.html

"I) HISTORY:


understanding the water cycle


Only in the late seventeenth century did European scientists reach a clear understanding of the origin of water and its natural cycle. This cycle has three components: (a) the sea, and to a very small extent, vegetation (evaporation and evapotranspiration driven by solar energy); (b) the clouds (transfer, condensation, precipitation); and (c) continental surface water (springs, rivers, lakes) and groundwater which, with the exception of fossil water, run into the sea after a certain period of time.

The first book on scientific hydrology in the Western world was De l'origine des fontaines (On the origin of springs), written by Pierre Perrault and published in 1674 in Paris by Pierre Le Petit. Perrault created a water balance in a basin located in the upper section of the Seine River. In 1687 the Englishman Edmond Halley calculated the evaporation rate of the Mediterranean and then compared that figure with the contributions of the rivers flowing into the sea. To measure the evapotranspiration of plants the French mathematician de la Hire built three lysimeters in 1688.

Outside Europe, however, the Chinese had understood the water cycle 500 years before the birth of Christ, and in India, Kautilya, a minister of the Maurya dynasty (321-185 BC), had rain measured in pails placed in front of rural stores. In terms of public services, the first flood-warning system, set up by the Chinese in 1574 on the Yellow River, used horseback riders who travelled faster than the water. Owing nothing to the West, the Koreans started taking regular, systematic rainfall measurements in 1441 and have continued doing so ever since."

Therefore I thought the following words of Amos written some 760 to 810 years before Christ and some 260-300 years before the Chinese worthy of a circle:-

Amos 5:8  "Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name"

I also put another circle in that equally (if not more) ancient book of the OLD Testament, Job.

Job 36: 27-28 "He draws up (IE evaporates) the drops of water, which distil (IE. condenses) as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind"

If nobody back then knew about the water cycle who (other than the Lord Himself) told this humble herdsman and keeper of Sycamore fig trees?? And the equally ancient man from the land of UZ (thought to be somewhere in what is now the Arabian Desert)??  Just as intriguing is the question WHY does the "official" record not acknowledge that Amos and Job BOTH knew about the water cycle, and documented it before even the Chinese?? The "books" of Amos and Job have been part of the official Jewish records since at least 759 to 810 years before Christ. Surely you can't just conveniently ignore the FACT that they clearly RECORDED their knowledge of the water cycle 260-300 years BEFORE the Chinese supposedly were the first to discover it! After all if your aim really is to ACCURATELY record world history why would you?

Perhaps they found the question of WHO told Amos and Job about the water cycle a bit too uncomfortable to face?

More circles later ...

Extraordinary Indeed Diognetus

It is extraordinary for a Christian to remain a "normal" person because Christians are normal people EMPOWERED and intended by Christ to be .... Extraordinary!

To my mind this extract From The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus (circa AD 130) should be required reading for all followers of Christ, new and old alike. It seems that somewhere along the nearly 2 millennia since Mathetes wrote to Diognetus many of today's Christians have forgotten their ..... manners!

("Mathetes" is not thought to be the writer's actual name but rather a title meaning disciple of the Apostles. This was a time of great persecution of church leaders and use of a non-de-plume was frequently employed to protect the identity of the writer.)

(An extract from ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.iii.ii.v.html )

"Chapter V.—The manners of the Christians.

For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. The course of conduct which they follow has not been devised by any speculation or deliberation of inquisitive men; nor do they, like some, proclaim themselves the advocates of any merely human doctrines. But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined, and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all [others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life. They are poor, yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonoured, and yet in their very dishonour are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honour; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred.

Chapter VI.—The relation of Christians to the world.

To sum up all in one word— what the soul is in the body, that are Christians in the world. The soul is dispersed through all the members of the body, and Christians are scattered through all the cities of the world. The soul dwells in the body, yet is not of the body; and Christians dwell in the world, yet are not of the world. The invisible soul is guarded by the visible body, and Christians are known indeed to be in the world, but their godliness remains invisible. The flesh hates the soul, and wars against it, though itself suffering no injury, because it is prevented from enjoying pleasures; the world also hates the Christians, though in nowise injured, because they abjure pleasures. The soul loves the flesh that hates it, and [loves also] the members; Christians likewise love those that hate them. The soul is imprisoned in the body, yet preserves that very body; and Christians are confined in the world as in a prison, and yet they are the preservers of the world. The immortal soul dwells in a mortal tabernacle; and Christians dwell as sojourners in corruptible [bodies], looking for an incorruptible dwelling in the heavens. The soul, when but ill-provided with food and drink, becomes better; in like manner, the Christians, though subjected day by day to punishment, increase the more in number. God has assigned them this illustrious position, which it were unlawful for them to forsake."

NO SAFE PLACE .... EXCEPT ONE!

Throughout history Christians have been looking for a safe place to meet. A safe place to talk, worship, fellowship. Some sought it in monasteries and nunneries. Some in segregated communities and compounds Even on the internet I have seen people expressing the desire for a "safe place" to interact with other Christians.

The truth is there is no safe place on Earth for followers of Christ and few of those seeking one have understood that while we are told Satan has been confined TO this world (that is - Earth), the Bible tells us he is not confined ON the Earth. Rather that he "as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8)

Satan is the Prince of THIS world and there is no place he cannot be on it ..... except one. The only place Satan cannot be is ... in Christ. This is why Jesus could say: "These things I have spoken unto you, that IN ME ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

What then does this mean for us? Firstly it means we cannot make A VENUE a safe place for Christians. Make no mistake Satan has been here a long time already and we know he can masquerade as an angel of light. Masquerading as a good and devout Christian is something he has had a lot of practice at. Do not be deceived, he is among us in many guises, indistinguishable from anybody else - to the human eye. He roams as free here as anywhere on earth. Indeed the internet is probably among his most favorite playgrounds these days. But like elsewhere there is only one place he cannot be even on the Internet and that is, in Christ.

There is only ONE safe place for Christians to be no matter where in the world (and cyber world) they may find themselves, and that is to remain in the will and in the word of God - for that is where Christ is and will always be.

But what IS the will and word of God? It is what is WRITTEN in the Bible. It is what the words of the Bible themselves say and mean for the Lord means what HE has said and has said what HE means. No matter how learned or knowledgeable they may be no man's or woman's, or church's interpretation of the Bible is the word of God. The world's foremost authority on the Bible is the Bible itself. But so many want you to give more authority to what THEY say the Bible says, than what the Bible says for itself. But no man is an authority on the Bible, rather the Bible is an authority OVER all men.

Want to know about Revelation? The world's foremost authority on Revelation is the Apostle John - LISTEN to him. Want to understand the book of Daniel? The world's foremost authority on the prophecies of Daniel is ... Daniel - note carefully what HE says.

The foremost expert on the letters of Paul is Paul. On the book of Isaiah it's Isaiah, etc., etc.. Understand for WHO God wrote the Bible. He did not write it for theologians, or church leaderships, or commentators. He wrote it for ... YOU AND I.

The Bible itself there in YOUR hand is the fulfillment of a prophecy.

"And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."  (Jeremiah 31:34)

If you want to make wherever and whenever you meet a safe place for Christians let every conversation remain in the word and will of God. Let God Himself teach you through HIS word. The Lord Himself has promised you He will. That is why He wrote it all down - for YOU!

Satan CANNOT preach and teach or allow to be preached and taught, the word of God truthfully and correctly for then he would serve Christ. He can only preach and teach falsely and do whatever he can to discourage or prevent people from turning to and invoking the actual word of God Himself. BUT the Lord has given YOU His word in writing in your very own hands. Pay careful attention, in the counsel of the Holy Spirit that dwells within you, whether or not any man's words agree with the actual words the Lord has WRITTEN down for you Himself and you will remain safe in the word and will of the Lord for that is where you will find yourself in Christ, a place Satan cannot enter. For God has written His word so that YOU will be able to read AND understand it for yourself and not be deceived.

There, and there alone, will you find the safe place for Christians that you seek. Let no man prevent you from invoking and declaring the authority of the WRITTEN word of God Himself. Rest assured it will soon reveal to you the true nature of all present.

"Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name." (Malachi 3:16 KJV)

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D.J. Ludlow copyright  2014.

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