Things As They Are: SEPT 2020 newsletter by Greg Reid - Perilous Times

Dear Friends,

I trust and pray you are staying strong and knowing that Jesus is with you through all things. This truly is a time of everything being shaken. But we have an unshakable Kingdom!

One of the difficult parts of this time is that it is almost impossible to talk about anything that is happening without it being politicized, and you risk misunderstanding if you take a stand on an issue. But it is so clear to me that we are witnessing one of the greatest wars in the heavenlies we have seen in my lifetime. And why should we be surprised? 

If we know we are in the final hours, it makes sense that Satan would unleash every power in hell against believers. It is so much bigger than politics. The answer is Jesus. The answer is transformed lives in Jesus. 

But we have entered a unique time (for us) where the hostility to Jesus, and believers, is so visceral in the media and out in the streets that it is shocking. I’ve been in street evangelism for most of my life. And you expect some negative reactions. I was with brother (David) Wilkerson in San Francisco, and we hit every subculture in the city in a week. Some welcomed us. Some were mocking. Some were indifferent. And only in one place did I experience raw hate, and that was in the gay district. I got punched hard in the mouth. By God’s grace, I did not react but was able to give a Holy Spirit, loving response. 

Mostly, people considered street evangelists like the cartoon guy with the sandwich board that says, “The End Is Near,” and they are ignored. That has changed. Now believers are being targeted like never in our history as a nation.

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Prove All Things!

by A.M. Kisly

We would like to take the opportunity to announce that we have created a new page that will provide resources specific to the New Apostolic Reformation.  This page is listed under the Apologetics tab.

"The New Apostolic Reformation, or NAR, is an unbiblical religious movement that emphasizes experience over Scripture, mysticism over doctrine, and modern-day “apostles” over the plain text of the Bible. Of particular distinction in the New Apostolic Reformation are the role and power of spiritual leaders and miracle-workers, the reception of “new” revelations from God, an over-emphasis on spiritual warfare, and a pursuit of cultural and political control in society. The seeking of signs and wonders in the NAR is always accompanied by blatantly false doctrine." - from gotquestions.org 

I just wanted to quickly address a growing concern among our followers. I have been observing more and more posts regarding spiritual warfare and language that strongly resembles the false teachings by NAR/Dominionist proponents, and their Word - Faith counterparts in our social media groups.  

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EXODUS – GOD’s MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE of ISRAEL FROM EGYPT – Chapter THREE

Exodus 1-5 by pastor Chuck Smith 

Contributing commentaries by pastors Sonny Islas, Albert Lopez and James Fire

EXODUS 3 – by Sonny Islas, for the Facebook video, go here. 

INTRODUCTION:
I would like to begin by sharing two brief thoughts: 

1. Regarding the great wildfires in California (and the West Coast in general)  - On Sunday, I said that “I don’t doubt that God’s hand is in the record-breaking wildfires in California.” The reason why I said this was because as you, the Church in California is being harassed – gathering to worship the LORD in a church house is banned. And one of the first things that came to mind was how God sent Moses to tell Pharaoh to “let His people go” and “sacrifice/worship in the wilderness.” 

Pharaoh refuses (like Governor Gavin Newsom) and God sends judgment. In my humble opinion, a similar scenario is most likely happening in California. I believe that Old Testament scenarios serve as examples for us today in regard to how God deals with people and situations like these. 

I can’t say for sure that California’s wildfires are God’s judgment, but it sure does looks like it. Either way, let’s be praying for our fellow Americans in California – for their safety but even more for true repentance and saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Now, I’m sure that God is pleased with most churches being closed in California due to false doctrine etc. But there are many good fellowships that should be open in order to freely worship God together in person (HEB 10:25).

2. Regarding the name of Moses – Moses means: “Drawn out of the water.” This name was given to Moses by Pharaoh’s daughter because she drew him out of the Nile River (out of water).
The thing that crossed my mind this morning and that I find interesting is that it pleased the LORD for Moses to be named by Pharaoh’s daughter and not his Father (primarily) and mother which was not common at all. I’m sure that Moses was named by his parents and if I had to make a sensible guess, they probably named him Yaphet means handsome because HEBREWS 11:23 says that they “saw that he was handsome.” And most Jewish people are named according to their looks (i.e. Esau), the place or a certain situation. But again, this is just reasonable speculation.

Either way, Pharaoh’s daughter’s choice of name is better fitting seeing that God through the hand of the princess drew Moses out of the Nile River (out of the water) and God through the hand of Moses drew Israel out of the Red Sea (out of the water). Moses’ name is a reminder of God’s rescuing power! He draws us out of the flood waters of this world and brings us close to Himself!

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OUR THREE ENEMIES: PERSECUTION By Satan, the Flesh and the World

~ By pastors James Fire, Albert Lopez and Sonny Islas

The disciple of Christ upon entering into the kingdom of GOD as a citizen, via the born again experience through faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, becomes an instant target for the great enemy of GOD, the church and humanity in general. He employs every means at his disposal to ruin the Christian, whether directly, or by his influences over the world and the lures and enticements our sinful flesh is attracted to.

Just as we have these three enemies to face on a daily basis (Satan, the flesh and the world), we have three Allies as well: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Let’s examine each of these three enemies and learn of them – because to know your enemy in any warfare is always wise. Included in the study of these three enemies, there is an accompanying Facebook video at the end of this article.

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The TTUF STUDY on The REVELATION of JESUS CHRIST – Chapter FOURTEEN

~ by James Fire

Introduction: Before we get into this chapter, let’s take a closer look at what we saw previously in Chapter Thirteen, using the book of DANIEL as our lens:

DANIEL 9:25-27 states the following:
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

What we learn here is that the Beast is the one who “confirms the covenant” – and since this deals with the temple, sacrifices and oblations, this can be none other than the Mosaic covenant. This is for “one week (shavuim)” or seven years. It’s three and a half years in, that he stops the whole thing and commits “the abomination of desolation” (MATT 24:15; DAN 12:11).
So, what does “confirm” mean here? The Hebrew word used is gabar and it’s defined as follows: “to prevail, have strength, be strong, be powerful, be mighty, be great; to confirm, give strength to confirm (a covenant); to show oneself mighty; to act proudly (toward God)”

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SHOW CASE SALVATION – Examination of JAMES 2 and 1 JOHN 2 - PART ONE of TWO

~ By James Fire

PART One: James Chapter 2

It’s the desire of everyone that’s received salvation through Christ to express their gratitude and worship of the LORD for what He has done, for what He is doing, and for what He has promised to do for us, in us, and through us.

In dying on the cross for our sins, in His burial in the tomb, in resurrecting to new life, the LORD provides forgiveness for us by His sacrificial death, the ability for us to die to self as He also died and was buried in the tomb (a spiritual dynamic that is exemplified in baptism) and gives to us His Spirit by resurrection, as the Spirit of the LORD no longer dwells in temples made of stone (HEB 9:11-15), but in the hearts of His saints, the children of GOD.
The truth that GOD Himself dwells in us with the life that is Christ means that we’re able to produce fruit for His glory, the fruit of the Holy Spirit (GAL 5:22) and as His children, we begin to grow in our spirituality and become more and more like the LORD Jesus.

Both James, the elder of Jerusalem as well as John the apostle elaborate on what this means in their epistles, in their two respective chapters (Chapter 2 for them both), and what they have to say is rather hard-hitting, challenging, and direct. 

Everyone who expresses genuine faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross for our salvation is justified – the penalty of sin is eviscerated from our very being. We will not suffer the condemnation and judgment for our sin, because Christ was condemned in the flesh (ROM 8:3) on our behalf, and the judgment for our sin fell upon Him (ISA 53:4-6)*. We are considered just in the eyes of GOD Almighty, because of Christ's atonement for sin and granting the Spirit of GOD to us!

* Check out the TTUF articles entitled, ALTAR of the ALMIGHTY Part One and Two, that will plunge the depths of ISA 53 and PSALM 22!

Nothing we do can be added to this work of justification; this is wholly the ministry of Christ Jesus, our Blessed Redeemer. To even attempt to do so is blasphemy because it would attempt to equate our “filthy rags” (ISA 64:6) to the holy character of Christ (1 PET 1:19; HEB 4:15).

Just as justification takes away the penalty of sin from us, sanctification takes away the power of sin over us, not immediately, but over the course of time as we mature spiritually, until we are completely sanctified (and glorified) at the appearance of Christ Jesus our LORD, when we see Him face to Face (1 JOHN 3:2). Just as justification happens in the lives of the saints, by the grace of GOD, so too does sanctification, which leads to the production of good fruit and, or good works:

JOHN 15:5
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

EPHESIANS 2:10
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Such sanctification is the birthright and the (super)natural outflow of every saint of GOD; all believers are considered saints, and the word for ‘saint’ comes from the same Greek word used for ‘sanctify’ (hagios). Just as we are counted holy in our position in Christ, holiness is something that's created in us as we yield to Christ and practice holiness (HEB 12:14; 1 TIM 4:8; 2 COR 7:1).

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Beware: The Enemies of the Cross!

by A.M. Kisly

What incredible times we live in! We are surrounded by a world who calls evil good, and good evil. Humanity has always been dexterous at confusing evil with good. If evil were not made to appear good, there would be no such thing as temptation.

Modern social righteousness often differs from the righteousness of the Bible. Many of you have probably had someone say to you that a wrong deed is right if the majority of people declare it not to be wrong. By this principle, we are seeing our standards shifting away from God's standards to Satan's standards according to popular vote.

Yet the Bible clearly says: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil." God has not changed. His standards have not been lowered. He still calls immorality a sin, and the Bible says that God is going to judge it.

Many are experiencing division in their own families over these diabolical changes. We are even seeing division within the Church. Fellow believers are compromising the biblical message of the Bible, with the world's standards as a so-called means of sharing God's love with the lost. These standards have taken precedence over sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. It has indeed become man's ways over God's only way, and true means of salvation.

Rather than standing firm in the Biblical counsel of God, brothers and sisters in Christ are bowing the knee to organizations whose goal is to tear down God's institutions in society and replace them with chaos.

Many are questioning why so many Christians are falling prey to the unbiblical call to liberal social justice, and supporting organizations whose goal is to tear down God's institutions in society.

This morning I happened upon a blog written by a lady who lives in Zagreb, Croatia. Her name is Rosalind Jukic, and I think you will be blessed by what she has to say.
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EXODUS – GOD’s MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE of ISRAEL FROM EGYPT – Chapter TWO

Exodus #01 Ch. 2 Typology In Exodus-Chuck Missler, Contributing commentaries by pastors Sonny Islas, Albert Lopez and James Fire

EXODUS 2– by Albert Lopez, for the Facebook video, go here.

INTRODUCTION: A story of a nameless baby for 10 verses, before he is revealed. This baby is protected in dangerous, uncertain times; we read about how important this child would be in the future. And we know that he would eventually flee from Egypt.
Jesus would also be protected and would flee to Egypt as a baby. Yet when Jesus was older, he became exposed and not protected, but vulnerable – to the point of being crucified!

God exposed Jesus to such a degree, that on the cross He cried out:

MATTHEW 27:47
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”

Moses, which would be the name of this child, would be born of slave parents and the adopted child of Princes. (Royal lineage). This points to how we before Christ are sons and daughters born into slavery (of the world and of sin) but when we come to Christ we are brought out of slavery and into our King Jesus’s Holy and Royal lineage!

We read in 1 PETER 2:9-10.
“But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”

So, with all that said, let’s get into Chapter Two of Exodus!
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The NAME That Is ABOVE ALL Names!

by A.M. Kisly

Long before the Conservative Resurgence, Dr. R.G. Lee was the Southern Baptist champion of biblical infallibility and inerrancy. In his sermon, “The Word of God – Not Broken and Not Bound,” first published in 1930, Dr. Lee proclaimed, “All who wrote [the Bible] are immortalized by their writing of this great Book, supernatural in origin, divine in authorship, human in penmanship, infallible in authority, infinite in scope, universal in interest, personal in application, regenerative in power, [and] inspired in totality.”

I ran across a sermon by R. G. Lee entitled “The Name Above Every Name”, and I feel that it is definitely worth posting here. 

Jesus has the name above all names because Jesus Christ is Lord of all! This name, given to Him by the Father, affirms His divinity and supreme authority. It is to Him that we surrender, and it is Him that we must come to know.

“Wherefore God hath also highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.” PHIL 2:9-10

“Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.” EPH 1:20-21

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LORDSHIP Salvation: What Is True Faith? Parts 1, 2 & 3

 By A.M. Kisly

The reality of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

PART ONE ~

Jesus is Lord!  This statement is the truth of WHO JESUS IS.  He is Lord!  And that means that Jesus is God. He has “all authority in heaven and on earth” (MATT 28:18). He is Lord of the Sabbath (LUKE 6:5). He is “our only Sovereign and Lord” (JUDE 1:4). He is, in fact, the Lord of lords (REV 17:14).

It is my prayer that this article will provoke serious soul searching in all matters concerning salvation and right living in Him.

Who do you say that I am?

In MATTHEW 16:15-16, Jesus asked His disciples a very important question, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

Clearly, Jesus thought it fundamentally important what others believed about Him. He wasn’t interested in neutrality, for instance; He teaches us that we must be all in, or all out.  No one can sit on the fence when it comes to God (LUKE 11:23).  There is no such thing as faith that sort of believes. When Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” (JOHN 14:6) He wasn’t making meaningless, abstract statements. His divinity was central to His messages; Jesus regarded the two as inseparable.

Why is this important? It is important because what we believe about God will in fact determine our eternal destination.  

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EXODUS – GOD’s MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE of ISRAEL FROM EGYPT – INTRO and Chapter ONE

Exodus #01 Ch. 1-2 Typology In Exodus-Chuck Missler, part 1 

Exodus #01 Ch. 1-2 Typology In Exodus-Chuck Missler, part 2

These with Contributing commentaries by pastors Sonny Islas, Albert Lopez and James Fire
EXODUS 1 – by James Fire, for the Facebook video, go here.

INTRODUCTION: This book covers the time period between the death of Joseph, through the time of deliverance of Israel from Egypt to the establishment of the Tabernacle and the worship of YHWH. The primary focus of this book is redemption by deliverance from bondage as well as righteousness by GOD-ordained redemption.
The book of GENESIS is about a family: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph – the patriarchs of Israel. 

Here the book EXODUS is about the nation of Israel, and a singular man of GOD, Moses, the Deliverer, the Law Giver, the one who spoke with GOD face to Face, the meekest man in all the earth (though Jesus Christ is the meekest in all heaven and earth!).

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