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ZION’S HILL

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By Ken Blue

The heathen imagine a vain thing against the Anointed King.
“Let us break their bands asunder,” is their common theme.
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; having them in derision.
“I’ve set my king on Zion’s Hill; that’s My decision.”

“I will declare the final decree; the LORD hath said unto Me.
Thou art my Son, and this day have I begotten Thee.
Ask of Me and I will give Thee sovereign rule of sea and land.
Thou shalt rule them with the rod of iron in Thy right hand.

“Be wise now O ye kings, be instructed ye judges, every one.
Serve the LORD with fear and trembling, and Kiss the Son.
Blessed are they who put trust in him; His promises He’ll fulfill;
To all who come and worship Him, there on Zion’s Hill.”

TWO TRUTHS YOU MUST GET RIGHT

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By Ken Blue

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.”Isaiah 64:6.

 “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Romans 4:5.

Men and women make two mistakes that are poles apart. However, the end results are the same. These two fatal mistakes are: 1. “I am good enough to get to heaven,” and 2. “I am so wicked I can’t be saved.” I want to ask you to read the above verses and consider what they say.

The first one gets to the very heart of the matter; and the matter is with the heart. God is very clear that our best efforts are like filthy rags. If you want the full impact of this, look up the word “filthy” in Strong’s Concordance.

You cannot be saved by any religious act you perform. This is the difference between Bible Christianity and all other religions. They all say “do” in order to be saved. Some think if they keep the Ten Commandments, they will be saved. First of all, you probably can’t name the Commandments, and if you can, you have not kept them, nor can you. Others think some form of water baptism or confirmation will open heaven for them; it will not.

Occasionally you will hear someone say, “keep the golden rule,” or “judge not.” Again, you have not kept the golden rule, nor has anyone else. Secondly, what people mean by “judge not” is, don’t judge me. Well, my friend, we are not judging you, there is One who will do that, and He will be just and make no mistakes. Our sins are not “mistakes” they are choices that we have made and are accountable for.

You would never think of showing up at a formal banquet dressed in filthy rages. Don’t assume God will let you in His heaven, when He says your own righteousness is filthy rags. It won’t work. Since your own attire is filthy, you must be clothed and made clean by someone else.

That brings us to the second matter where some assume they are such great sinners God cannot save them. Well, I have great news for you! Christ died for sinners. If you really believe down in your heart that there is no hope for you, unless it comes from outside yourself, you are on the road to salvation. You see, since you cannot possibly save yourself, God Himself does it for you. Look at the text again. “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Romans 4:5.

Notice that it is to him that worketh not.” That means you stop all effort and activity to justify yourself. Therefore, there are no works you can do that will save you. That includes all Baptist, Catholics, Buddhist, Moslem, Mormons, Seventh Day Adventist, New Ager, and every one in between.

Notice also, that it is God who justifies those who believe or trust the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ as their payment for sin, that are justified. Since God was incarnate in Christ so He could die for your sins and be resurrected, He is the only One qualified to justify those who accept by faith, His payment. Thus, He is just; sins are paid for, and He is the justifier of all who believe.

So, you see, all your works for salvation are rejected because they are like filthy rags. However, if you see yourself in need of God’s mercy, He can be justifying you freely. There’s nothing you can do, it’s been done!

SHOULD CHURCHES CONTINUE TO GROW

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By Ken Blue

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Regardless of the choice one makes, we cannot argue with the fact that God wants His church to witness to the lost. If a church is healthy, there should be constant professions of faith and growth in membership. If there are no professions of faith, there is something wrong with the evangelistic ministry. If there is no membership growth, there is something wrong with the organization.
How large should a church be? That is the question. There are those who believe a church should have one hundred or less in membership. Others pick a higher number, but not by much. On the other hand, there are those who see the “sky as the limit.”
I always had my sights on building a large church. The reason, no doubt, was the cultural mentality when we started Open Door, and my own personality. However, I never build the attendance I thought possible. Part of the problem was my own inability. Another, barrier was the size of our building. We were always at 80% capacity, or more. A church seldom grows beyond that percentage.
Although I never realized my vision, I can look back and see how God enlarged the ministry of Open Door in spite of me. This was accomplished by the many men and women who committed to fulltime service and built a ministry for the Lord.
There are 6 men from Open Door who are pastoring or have started churches in Washington State, 3 in Arizona, 1 California, 1 in Nebraska, 1 in Montana, 1 in Florida, 1 in Mexico, 1 in England, 1 Germany, and 1 in Michigan. These are the ones I remember, I am confident there are others. This was not my vision for Open Door, but God had a better plan.
I spoke recently to a pastor who averages about 400 in attendance. He said his goal was to start new churches in the surrounding communities with paid pastors from his church. These pastors and churches would be under the leadership and umbrella of the mother church. The new churches will be called “Campus Churches.” Dr. John Rawlins had a similar setup in Cincinnati, Ohio. He called them “Satellite Churches.”

Personally, I believe the pastor should let the church grow according to God’s increase, and one’s ability to pastor it. However, wisdom and the Holy Spirit may lead the pastor to start other churches with those members who live a great distance from the church.

Because of the cost involved in attempting to build buildings or rent facilities today, it is practically impossible to do it solo. Thus, the idea of starting other churches with existing members and a paid pastor may be the best method for starting new congregations. It is an idea worth considering.

HOG WALLOW AND DOG PUKE

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The foolishness of man

Foolishness of manBy Ken Blue
“But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” 2 Peter 2:22.

Human nature is a fragile thing and God warns us to guard it and not to tamper with it. It can be altered, twisted, bound, and distorted until we become slaves. One’s unwillingness to obey the truth is justified by questioning or scoffing at truth. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” Psalms 1:1.

The tampering process progresses one small act or thought at a time until the one who believes he is free becomes a slave to the flesh. Once I illustrated the foolishness of man in a sermon at Open Door. I ask Jerry Lundquist, one of the strongest men in our church to come to the platform. I took a spool of thread from my pocket and wrapped one strand around Jerry’s two wrists. Jerry broke it with ease.

Next, I wrapped his wrists with four strands, and again he broke them, but with greater difficulty. Finally, I wrapped about a dozen strands of sewing thread around his wrists and ask him to break them. He could not. This is the way our habits hold us and keep pulling us back to wallow and puke.

I spent my early years on a farm in Arkansas. We had several hogs and dogs. There were other animals, but these two illustrate the point. The hog pen reeked with their excretions. The wetter the mixture, the better and the more attractive it was to them. However, hogs do not have reasoning ability and they wallow in the mire to keep cool. The wallow is disgusting, but we don’t fault the hog. He is a brute beast.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Like the hog loves his wallow and the dog loves his vomit, so the sinner LOVES HIS SIN.[/pullquote]

Then there is the disgusting behavior of dogs. Many times I have seen dogs vomit and return and eat it. They do more disgusting things, but I won’t mention them. Of the two animals on earth, what two could God uses to better illustrate the foolishness of man; man who was made in God’s image and given reasoning power?

I know people who have been to detox over twenty times, only to return to their vomit each time. Men and women spend long years in prison, and most return within a year because they return to run with the pigs. I’ve watched men and women remove the oxygen tubes from their face so they can light up another cigarette. I personally spoke to a woman who ran a rehab facility. She confided in me that they were unable to do anything for any patient who did not want to clean up; and most do not.

Like the hog loves his wallow and the dog loves his vomit, so the sinner LOVES HIS SIN. He or she could get free if they really wanted to. All of them want their sin; they simply don’t want the misery that goes with it. But, you can’t have one without the other. When you really get serious about giving up the wallow and the puke, God will deliver you.

It doesn’t take long for the wicked heart to open wide for sin. Remember, it only took a few strands of thread to bind the strong man, and you are no match for the wiles of the Devil. Flee sin and you can avoid the dogs vomit and the hog pen.

PSALM TWENTY-TWO

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By Ken Blue

“Why hast thou forsaken Me?” was the mystery cry.
“Our fathers trusting in Thee, and found You were nigh.
“While trusting Thee, they were delivered,
They called and were set free.
Mine enemies said; ‘let’s watch, and see’.”

“Gentiles compass me about, as wild, raving beast.
The assembly pierced my hands, my side, and my feet.
My cry for water went unheeded.
For my clothes; they cast lots.
Be not far from helping me; Thou that changeth not.”

“In resurrection power, the LORD will deliver me.
In the midst of My brethren, yet, will I praise Thee.
Praise Him all ye seed of Israel.
Jacob, glorify Him.
Those who seek our GOD; He will save them.”

Nations will acknowledge; all kindred’s worship thee.
The Kingdom is the LORD’S; their Governor He will be.
“An eternal seed shall worship You.
The righteous shall come;
Declaring boldly, what GOD hath done.”