THE STANDING OF THE BELIEVER #2

August 31, 2016 by Ken Blue

THE STANDING OF THE BELIEVER
The Believer’s Abundant Possessions v.3. The blessings of the believer are spiritual and eternal, thus they stand in contrast to the blessings of Israel, which are earthly and temporal. It is true, God has blessed us with the daily blessings of food, clothing, comfort and friends. For these, we must praise Him. Note David’s thanksgiving to God for His benefits. Psalm 68:19 “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.” Psalm 103:2 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:” Psalm 116:12 “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?” Thank God for His many blessings. However, we must be very careful in how we obtain and view these material blessings. There is the danger of assuming that we are spiritual or favored by God because of our abundance. Paul speaks of this in 1 Tim. 6:5 where he says some men suppose “that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.” The church of the Laodiceans were blinded by their riches and possessions and failed to see they were spiritually destitute. May God help us not to make the same mistake.

Our blessings are spiritual and are secure. They never fade away. All others, we may lose. We are blessed with “all spiritual blessings.” They are too numerous to mention. Many are recorded in these three chapters. Some are:

Spiritual birth– This is the new birth from above.
The Holy Spirit– God is a Spirit and dwells in all believers.
Peace with God– Peace is intangible, but it is very real. Spurgeon said, “When I look at Jesus, the dove of peace lights on my shoulder. When I look at the dove, she flies away.” Thank God for His wonderful peace.
Prayer– Oh, the privilege of prayer! This is sweet communion with the Heavenly Father. Is there a greater spiritual exercise? I know of none.
Justification-Every believer stands before the bar of God completely justified. There is no sin that can be brought against him. Jesus Christ has paid for ALL sin.
Sealed by the Holy Spirit– This seal is spiritual and is God’s proof of ownership of each believer.
Citizenship in Heaven– We are now citizens of two countries.
Home in Heaven– Our home in heaven is as real as the one we possess here on earth. It is spiritual yet, it is real.
Abundant Grace– There is no limit to God’s vast supply of Grace. All is of grace!
Sanctified in Christ– Our position in Christ is as secure as Christ Himself and it is spiritual.
Access into His presence– We may come into the throne room of God anytime, day or night.
Fellowship with Christ– The Believer may have a fellowship with Christ the world knows nothing of. This too, is spiritual and real.

All are spiritual and all are found in the Lord Jesus Christ who is seated at the right hand of the Father in heavenly places. If we are to experience these blessings, we must set our affection on Him who sits at the right hand of the Father. All our blessings are in Him and are ours as we set our affections on things above.

The Believer’s Above Position- “who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places”

1 In Heaven- The location of the believer’s citizenship is in heaven. There are three heavens listed same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.” This is the “above” heavens. It is there, the Head of the Church sits. We know there are at least three heavens, for Paul speaks of being caught up to it. 2 Cor. 12:2 “I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.” It is above these, the believer now sits with him. It is there we are to “set our affections.” (Phil. 3:20; Eph. 1:22; Col. 3:1). The Christian is to be so “heavenly minded” that he is no earthly good. Heaven is our home. Are you homesick yet? In the Word of God. (2 Cor. 12:2). Christ is above all heavens. Ephes. 4:10 “He that descended is the

In Christ- Our blessings are in heaven and they are all “in Christ.” Christ is our ‘all in all’ He is everything for us. 1 Corinthians 1:30 “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:” Ephesians is the “in” book. In 1:1,3,4,6,7,10,11,13. 2:6,10,13,21,22. 3:6,12. The reader will note that all the references to us being in Christ are in the doctrinal section of this epistle. Not once does Paul speak of Christ in the believer in the practical section. II Corinthians 12:2 says, “I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.” Not only are our blessings in heaven, in Christ, we are also in Him! Eph. 2:6 “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” This is the “above position” of the believer.

Heaven is not a state of mind. It is a place. Jesus said it was a place. He said He came from heaven and was returning there. He assured those who followed Him that they too would be welcome there. Paul was caught up to the third heaven and saw things that he could not utter. John, the writer of Revelation, was caught up to heaven and shown things to come. Jesus Christ is now seated in heaven and the believer is seated there in Him. Take it by faith and rejoice!

HEARTS OF LONELINESS

August 28, 2016 by Ken Blue

HEARTS OF LONELINESS

By Ken Blue

Loneliness is a heartache that break deep inside,

And only those who have it, fight its vicious tide.

It cannot be described, it’s a feeling we all hide.

Loneliness is a heartache, the lonely must abide.

Loneliness is despair, a night without an end.

Tears are not seen, for they are deep within.

Loneliness is to feel alone, alone without one friend.

Loneliness is a cloud that on the soul descends.

Loneliness is like death, a death to the soul.

The only cure is Jesus, and what we are told.

He said “I’ll never leave thee, even when you’re old.”

So trust Him and His Word, and watch the light unfold.

INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS

August 27, 2016 by Ken Blue

Introduction:

This epistle shows the oneness of God’s people in union with Christ:

In It…

1). The church is called a body, with Christ as the head;

2). It is like a building, with Christ as the cornerstone;

3). It is like a wife, with Christ as the husband.

The Author:

The Apostle Paul (1:1).

The City of Ephesus:

(See map).

Its Location:

Ephesus was a great commercial center of Asia Minor. It was located at the mouth of the Cayster River and on the shore of the Aegean Sea. (An arm of the Mediterranean Sea off southeast Europe between Greece and Turkey.). It was about 50 miles south of Smyrna. Ephesus was noted for the great temple of Diana, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world (Acts 19:27). The site of the city is now covered with ruins.

Its Religion:

The inhabitants of Ephesus worshiped the Goddess Diana. She was called Diana, by the Romans and Artemis by the Greeks. She was the “great virgin goddess” of hunting and childbirth and was traditionally associated with the moon. She was worshipped among heathen nations under various names. (See Hislop, The Two Babylons). She was worshipped as the goddess of fertility. Her most noted temple was that at Ephesus which was built outside the city walls. It was in building about 220 years. It was built of shining marble; was 342 feet long by 164 feet broad and was supported by a forest of columns, each 56 feet high. At the center, hidden by curtains, within a gorgeous shrine, stood the very ancient image of the many breasted goddess. It was made of the ebony tree which was supposed to have fallen from the sky. Behind the shrine was a treasury, where, as in the safest bank in Asia, nations and kings stored their most precious things. The women of Ephesus sold their jewels to help raise funds for the temple. Kings presented columns and gifts of gold from many nations. When it was completed in 323 B. C., it was the most magnificent building ever constructed in the Greek world and was acclaimed one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The temple, as Paul saw it, stood till A.D. 262, when it was ruined by the Goths. (A member of a Germanic people who invaded the Roman Empire in the early centuries of the Christian era.) (Acts 19:23-41). No doubt the devotion to this temple by the Gentiles was what led Paul to speak of the glorious temple of Christ that is made of living stones and groweth continually.

Paul’s Visits:

(1) His first visit is recorded in.. (Acts 18:18-21).

(2) His second visit, when the Holy Spirit is given to believers, is in (Acts 19:2-7).

(3) His third visit is when he addresses the Ephesians elders (Acts 20:17-35).

The Date: The most probable date for the writing of Ephesians is A.D. 64.

The Place Written: Written from Rome while Paul was in prison.

(See Eph. 3:1; Acts 21:15; Acts 27-28)

The Purpose of the Book:

To show that all believers are seated in heaven in Christ and are to walk worthy of Christ. Romans, the first doctrinal letter, sets forth the true relationship of the believer to Christ in death, burial and resurrection. Ephesians, the second doctrinal letter, pictures the believer as sitting together with Christ in heavenly places. It contains the highest of church truth, but not church order.

The Key Words:

(1) Together: 1:10; 2:5; 2:6, 21, 22; 4 16.

(2) One: 1:10; 2:14,15,16,18; 4:2,4,5,6,7,25,32; 5:21,31,33.

(3) In Christ: (Eph. 1:1, 3, 6, 12, 15, 20; 2:10, 13; 3:11; 4:21).

(4) In Heavenly Places: (Eph 1:3, 20; 2:6; 3:10).

(5) Riches: of Grace: (Eph 1:7; 2:7); of Glory (Eph 1:18; 3:16); of Christ (Eph 3:8).

The Key Verses:

Eph 1:10, Eph 2:6, Eph 2:14-22, Eph 4:3-16, (especially Eph 4:13)

The following outline will give an overview of our analyses of this epistle.

OUTLINE:

1-3; THE BELIEVERS PERFECT STANDING
The Salutation To Believers
The Standing Of Believers
The Sagacity Of God Toward Believers
The Sealing Of Believers
The Supplication For Believers
The Spiritual Death Of Unbelievers
The Spiritual Resurrection Of Believers
The Strangers Who Became Fellow-Believers
The Slaying Of The Enmity Against Believers
The Special Revelation For Believers

SAUL ALINSKY, A FOLLOWER OF LUCIFER?

July 21, 2016 by Ken Blue

SAUL ALINSKY AND LUCIFER

SAUL ALINSKY, COMMUNIST ORGANIZER, ACKNOWLEDGES LUCIFER AS THE FIRST ORGANIZER TO CAPTURE HIS OWN KINGDOM. HE A FOLLOWER OF LUCIFER.

“Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off and history begins — or which is which), the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom” — Lucifer.
— SAUL ALINSKY

HE CONCLUDES HIS BOOK WITH THE FOLLOWING: “ALINSKY: Sometimes it seems to me that the question people should ask is not “Is there life after death?” but “Is there life after birth?” I don’t know whether there’s anything after this or not. I haven’t seen the evidence one way or the other and I don’t think anybody else has either. But I do know that man’s obsession with the question comes out of his stubborn refusal to face up to his own mortality. Let’s say that if there is an afterlife, and I have anything to say about it, I will unreservedly choose to go to hell. PLAYBOY: Why? ALINSKY: Hell would be heaven for me. All my life I’ve been with the have-nots. Over here, if you’re a have-not, you’re short of dough. If you’re a have-not in hell, you’re short of virtue. Once I get into hell, I’ll start organizing the have-nots over there .: Why them? ALINSKY: They’re my kind of people.”PLAYBOY

(NOTE: I assure he has no doubts now. If he could organize anything in hell, it would be a fire department.)

SAUL ALINSKY MENTOR OF HILLARY CLINTON AND OBAMA

July 16, 2016 by Ken Blue

HOW SAUL ALINSKY INFLUENCES HILLARY CLINTON

In 1969, Hillary Rodham wrote a 92-page senior thesis for Wellesley College titled “There Is Only the Fight . . . “: An Analysis of the Alinsky Model’. The subject was famed radical community organizer Saul Alinsky.

The work was unnoticed until Hillary Rodham Clinton entered the White House as First Lady. Clinton researchers and political opponents sought out the thesis, thinking it contained evidence that Rodham had held strong radical or socialist views. David Brock was unable to access the thesis for his 1996 book The Seduction of Hillary Rodham, writing that it was “under lock and key”, and instead also used some of Schechter’s recollections. By the mid-1990s, Clinton critics seized upon the restricted access as a sure sign that the thesis held politically explosive contents that would reveal her hidden radicalism or extremism.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]David Brock was unable to access Hillary’s thesis, writing that it was “under lock and key”[/perfectpullquote]

Interest in the thesis and in Clinton’s relationship with Alinsky continued during the Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2008, as Clinton battled Barack Obama, who had also been reported to have been exposed to Alinsky-style ideas and methods during his time as a Chicago community organizer.

Interest was renewed again in 2014 with the discovery of correspondence from 1971 between Hillary Clinton and Alinsky at the University of Texas at Austin. Alana Goodman of The Washington Free Beacon interpreted the letters as suggesting that Alinsky, who died in 1972, had a deeper influence on Clinton’s early political views than the thesis had stated.