Monday, August 30, 2010

Universal Life Church

ULC SEMINARY SERMONS

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They built underground shelters and prepared themselves for the total destruction of the planet"s surface. They didn't know whether this was going to occur, but they wanted to be safe. They knew they had a safety margin and that if they were prepared, their race would survive. They began learning to use alternate energy sources that could be used underground without any dependency on sunlight or oxygen from the surface. Thus they created a world that would be totally independent from the surface ecosystem.

Preparation stretched out over many generations. They were farsighted, for they were certain this change needed to occur. They paced themselves and moved slowly. They began to see that they were evolving at such a rapid rate that the Apexian cranial size was quickly increasing. The natural birth process became difficult, for the cranial size was expanding more quickly than the female pelvis could accommodate. Thus there were many deaths during childbirth - of both the mother and the child. Since what you call caesarian delivery was not part of their belief system, they were certainly facing a species crisis.

They were faced with a dilemma. Their population was decreasing. It became obvious that they had to prepare for planetary catastrophe as well as the possible death of their own species. They thus began turning to cloning techniques so they would not be dependent on the birth process. Then they could actually reproduce their species in the laboratory without the need for the reproductive act, conception, or natural birth. They assumed this knowledge would take care of them and they would be ready for anything.

The Apexians did attempt to reverse some of the conditions that were occurring on the planet"s surface before they took shelter underground. However, it had progressed too far. Many Apexians were dying from various diseases resulting from radiation or air pollution. They knew this was the time to move beneath the planet"s surface.

Gradually, individuals wrapped up their business on the surface of the planet and began to inhabit the underground cities. This was a great shock to many. Imagine knowing that you could never look at the sky again. . .that you could never lie under the stars...that you would be trapped in a rock environment for the rest of your life. Imagine the fear and sorrow these people were experiencing.

Eventually, they all were moved underground. They had to learn how to adapt. Through their cloning capabilities (which they had been working on for at least 100 of their years), they began to understand how a body could adapt to an environment such as this. They began altering their genetics so that when new babies arrived they could be part of the underground ecosystem.

This entailed restructuring bodies so they could absorb frequencies of light beyond the visible spectrum and then change these frequencies into heat. This required a completely different way of body functioning and a new way of teaching the body to absorb nutrients. The bodies began learning to ingest nutrients from some of the luminiferous rocks underground. They had brought from the surface luminiferous plants as well. They studied these plants (which were chlorophyl-based) and allowed themselves to incorporate these qualities into themselves.

All of this occurred over a span of hundreds of years. Many Apexians died. There were successes as well as failures. They eventually got to a point where the population growth leveled out as the death rate decreased. The methods by which they were taking in nutrients and recycling into the ecosystem became symbiotic and balanced. They knew they could survive this way for an indefinite period of time.

While this was occurring under the surface of the planet, profound changes were occurring on the surface. The Apexians did not realize that the planet"s toxicity had set a chain reaction in motion. Severe radiation had begun breaking down the planetary energy field on a subatomic level. This created an electromagnetic warp in the time/space fabric surrounding the Apex planet. While they were underground, Apex actually shifted its position in the time/space continuum because of this dramatic subatomic energy breakdown.

Time and space is very much like swiss cheese. A planet in one location is connected through a series of multidimensional networks or passageways to other areas of your galaxy. When this warp began around their planet, the planet was moved through the fabric of time/space to another time/space continuum - which was a significant distance from their point of origin. You have labeled this area the Reticulum star group. The Apex planet was inserted in the Reticulum system around one of the faintest stars is that star group. This occurred simply because the planetary shift followed the fabric of time and space. The underground Apexians were totally unaware of this as they continued with their lives under the surface. They continued saving their species.

If something such as this occurred on Earth, there would be various factions of people living underground who would have no communication with each other. These factions could develop very different cultures over hundreds of years. This is what occurred on Apex. These different factions represent the different variations that have been viewed in the Zeta Reticuli groups. Some individuals say they are very negative; others say they are very benevolent. But it really isn"t as black and white as that.

Over the hundreds of years that they were underground, they deliberately manipulated their body type to suit their underground environment. They allowed themselves to become shorter in stature than they originally were so they could make better use of the cavern space. It was merely a conservation effort. Because they were not procreating physically, their reproductive organs atrophied. Their digestive tracts atrophied because they were no longer taking in solid nutrients. They had mutated to allow themselves to take in nutrients through the skin. Their eyes adapted to the environment through the pupil mutating to cover the entire eye. This allowed them to absorb certain frequencies of light beyond the visible spectrum. They had to do this in order to make optimal use of their underground environment. This description of their changes is a general one, since different factions would have made slightly different alterations to their genetic structure.

During this time, they evaluated what they had done to their planet. They concluded that emotions were largely responsible, so they no longer allowed emotion in their lives. They also vowed that they would no longer allow diversity in their culture. Thus they deliberately bred out variations in emotional reactions to differing stimuli. They were adamant that their passions would no longer rule them. They began creating a neurochemical structure in which every external stimulus produced the same reaction in every person. They felt this would allow them to integrate into one people and eliminate the warring and passion that had ruled their culture in the past.

Generally speaking, the separate underground factions followed the same reasoning. Most of them adapted themselves biologically in much the same way. This was a natural progression - they were following an equation. But the differences in the factions were more noticeable in their philosophie orientations.

Each faction had differing points of view about their own sense of self The ones you now call Zeta Reticuli are the more benign and benevolent beings. There are those we can term the negative Zeta Reticuli who stemmed from a faction that was interested in gaining power. They carried this desire from their Lyran roots into their mutation. There were other groups whom you have named the Greys who were from this Apex world but had slightly different genetic structures. You will find that the extraterrestrials playing a big role in your abduction literature come mostly from this original Apex planet. This is why there is so much controversy over who is who. Though they have the same lineage, their orientations and motivations are quite varied.

Eventually the Apexians realized that enough time had passed that they could return to the surface of the planet. The atmosphere had not totally regenerated (thus their time on the planet"s surface was limited), but they did allow themselves to emerge. When they did, they had quite a shock. Observing the star field, they knew the planet had shifted its position in the cosmos. The stars were very different. The astronomers who had been plotting the heavens during the seclusion were astonished. They realized then what they had done. The more benevolent Zeta Reticuli now were firmly committed to becoming one people and finding out what they had lost during the time they were underground. Thus they diligently learned about the folding of time and space. They didn"t even know where they were. They wanted to find out what had happened. They wanted to learn about themselves through other cultures. It was also their desire for no one else to ever do to themselves what they had done. At this time, that was their primary motivation.

The other more negative or self-serving groups also emerged on the surface of the planet and realized what they had done. The negative Zeta Reticuli group allowed themselves - with the technology they had in the past - to build ships and move to other planets in the Reticulum system where they built their culture. Others of the self-serving orientation allowed themselves to explore the universe, setting up colonies in several systems including Orion (Betelgeuse) and the Sirius trinary system.

Have any of these beings on Apex been reincarnationally connected with Earth?

Reincarnationally speaking, a good number of them are upon your planet now. Many of these Apexians who died out were somewhat opposed to the idea of manipulating the Apexian genetic structure. But at the same time, they were adamant about not creating pollution and toxicity and knew the Apex planet had to change. So they have incarnated all through the galactic family - especially whenever they saw a planet coming to the brink of the same kind of destruction they had created in their past. It is their wish to share their knowledge of what occurred in their past so that others will not need to recreate it.

So the Zetas are not indigenous to the Reticulum system?

Correct. However, after Apex shifted into the Reticulum system, the Zetas had many thousands of years of evolution. They have been there so long that Apex is only a dim memory to them.

If the Apexians had spacecraft, why didn"t they leave Apex when the catastrophe was occurring?

They could have left had they desired. Understand the nature of their being: they were pioneers; they had the same motivations and passions as the individuals who colonized your America. Even when the pioneers were faced with Indian attacks, they did not want to leave. The Apexians saw this as a great challenge. They felt that by going underground and changing their species, they would heal their past. They felt they would not recreate it again. The majority of them felt that if they left and went somewhere else, they would continue to recreate the pattern. Some of them did leave and went to other planets in the Lyran system, but only a small number. For the most part, the individuals who were committed allowed themselves to stay, feeling that this was an opportunity for them to heal their society.

You were saying that the pupil of the eye mutated to cover the whole eye. Does the pupil also grow larger through expanded consciousness?

In their case, yes. The brain was growing larger and therefore the eye structure as well as their desire for knowledge facilitated the enlargement of the pupil. But they also genetically manipulated it as well. Over a long period of time it would have occurred naturally because the surface area of the eye was not large enough to take in all of the light they needed. Also, the Lyran beings who were their forefathers had larger eyes than the Earth human.

Did the Apex planet move back to its original location once they began healing themselves?

No. The planet still remains in the Reticulum star system. The underground caverns are still home to many of them, though for the most part a good number of them spend time in space on their ships.

Is it possible in our time that our world could create something like this?

Yes, it is. In your current development and use of atomic power, it is not possible, but should you continue using your knowledge of atomics for more destructive means without allowing yourself to evolve from atomics to something else, then you could create that scenario.

Understand that there is a certain evolutionary scale (on average) that a civilization will follow. You are now at the stage of playing with the nuclear or atomic energies. There is a natural evolution from atomics that moves you away from the danger point. You are at the point now of almost deciding to move away from the danger scenario. You are still deciding whether or not you are going to take the natural evolutionary process away from atomics.

Most of the Zeta Reticuli that we interact with today are quasi-physical, almost approaching non-physicality. How did they get to that state? Was it simply the great length of time they've been focused on developing themselves?

The length of time has something to do with it, yes. But also it was because of their technological advancement, which allowed them to evolve themselves physically. They have allowed themselves to evolve to the point where they are on the brink of becoming nonphysical. However, they do not wish to leave physicality because there is still something they think they need to learn.

Never forget that there are different factions of the Zeta beings. Some of them are very altruistic. There are others who are here purely for their own reasons and those reasons can be either positive or negative or any shade in between. As an overall idea, they want certain things from you they feel they lack. You see, they think they have made some mistakes in what they have eliminated through cloning. They are now trying to watch you and learn how they can successfully integrate these things within themselves.

In a sense we can say that you are their past as well as their future. It is as if at every corner they turn, they face you. You represent their past; you also represent their only hope for a future.



Authors Details: Lyssa Royal - Excerpt from the book Visitor from Within Chapter 1

Talk to you next week!


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Saturday, August 28, 2010

Universal Life Church

A sermon Preached from Grief and Victory 

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LET GO AND LET GOD

By Dr. Ron Ostten



"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." Second Corinthians 1:3-4

By way introduction to this article let me give you dear readers a background on the recent problems that the Ostten family has experienced and is experiencing. What God has done for us and is doing for us may help someone through some bad times.



On August 29, 1999 Sandra Kay Ostten McKenney, our oldest daughter was killed when the vehicle she was driving stalled on a railroad crossing and was hit by a train. The vehicle was pushed 1,100 feet down the track, exploded and burned up. We believe she was dead on impact and did not suffer in the fire. On September 1, 1999 at 10:00 in the morning we held her funeral and that morning a 1:00 A. M. my father, Walter Lee Ostten, Jr., died. We buried him September 3, 1999 beside his oldest granddaughter Sandra. Needless to say the Ostten and McKenney family have been in the fires and trough the fires. We do not need your sympathy, but do covet your prayers.



In this time of troubles, tragedy, and trials we have individually and as a family experienced the comfort of God. The blessings of knowing where your loved ones are cannot be emphasized too much. We know that dad and Sandra are in heaven and they are not suffering any pain or troubles. Thank God for His great salvation.



We, the family, are all involved in the work of the Lord. Sandra's husband, Bro. Danny Mckenney, is the pastor of an independent Baptist church, her two oldest brothers, Ronald Lee Ostten, Jr. and Steven H. Ostten are pastors of independent Baptist churches, her sister Hope Ostten Curtis is the wife of Bro. Vance Ray Curtis, Sr., associate pastor of Bethel Bible Baptist church, of which I am the pastor. Her youngest brother, Jean-Paul Ostten, is finishing up his Bible College work and is serving the Lord in our church. Her mother, Mrs. Jean Marie Granger Ostten, my wife, is a great preacher's wife and is a great servant of the Lord. We all have access to the grace of God and the comfort of God because we are the children of God. Born again by the blood of Jesus Christ.

When this happened we all went into shock at the offset but we soon realized that we had resources that the lost did not have and that the back-slidden child of God did not have. We then began to draw on those resources. We have the Saviour, the Scriptures, and the family of God to help us through these great trials. We quickly turned to all these sources of help and are receiving great comfort. DON'T GRIEVE FOR US, PRAY FOR US TO BE USED BECAUSE OF THIS GREAT TRIAL!



Many people have sent us literature and notes to encourage us; this has been a great encouragement. Don't count it lightly concerning the notes you send to a grieving family or person. The notes, cards, phone calls, and e-mail have been a great comfort in many ways. But the great God of Heaven has been our greatest source of comfort. I am going to share with you the things that God has given us.

When a trial, tragedy, troubles, and testings come in life, here is what one must do to go on to a higher plane of service and spiritual warfare.



I. TURN TO THE LORD, OUR GREAT GOD.



We hear some folks say, "When you get to the end of your rope then tie a knot in it and hang on." But this is not what one should do for one will never move on if they hang on to the rope. One must turn loose and let God have his way in their life. When we turn to the Lord and allow Him to minister to us, to show us His grace and to comfort us in the time of trials, then we can see that He is working all things out for our good and for His glory.



Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.



When one does not turn loose and allow God to have His way the pain and suffering will not begin to be healed and will not be eased. We still have tears and sometimes we miss Sandra and my dad, but we are seeing how God is working in our family, church and friends through all this trial. To God be the glory He doeth all things well!



II. TRUST IN THE SAVIOUR AND HIS PRECIOUSE WORD.



One of my preacher friends, Bro. Bill Haag, said, "When something happens in my life, some trial or something I do not understand, then I ask myself this question, 'What does the Bible say about that'?" The Bible has the answer to all our troubles, trials, tribulations, and testings. It has the all the answers we need. Human physiologists, human reasoning and human philosophy does not have the answers, but the word of God has the answers.



God is the sovereign God of this Universe and of our life therefore He is working everything out according to His will for our life. Nothing happens without His direction, control and authority. THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS WITH GOD!

Heb 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

When we turn to the Lord and trust in Him and His word then we can rest assured that He has our best interest at heart and that He is working out His will in our life.



We do not know what all these testings are going to produce in our life but we know that if we pass the test and trust in our dear Lord then He will show us what He is doing in our life. We may not know all of what He is doing in this life but we will in the life to come.



III. THANK HIM FOR WHAT IS HAPPENING AND WHAT HE IS DOING.



The hardest thing in the world is to thank God for the trials when you are going through the trials, but that is what we must do. We do not know what the future holds but our great and gracious God knows what will come to pass and He knows the way through the wilderness. We need to remember that "Joy cometh in the morning."



Your may think that you cannot give God thanks for that trial but you can let go and let God have His way in your heart and then He will give you the grace to thank Him for the trial. He wants you to be grateful for all that He is doing in your life. It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.

1 Thes 5:16 Rejoice evermore.
1 Thes 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
1 Thes 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.



It was and is the will of God that we experience this great trial and burden, therefore we must give Him thanks for what has happened and is happening. When we do not get to the place in our life where we can and will give Him thanks for the trial then we will become bitter or we will never get past the suffering. We must, to grow in grace and not have to take the test again, give Him thanks and do it from a heart trusting in Him.



Some people say that God puts His children through tests and trials to see what they will do. That is an unscriptural and ignorant statement, for God is all knowing and sees the future as well as the present. He knows what one will do before they do it. He does not allow trials in our life to see what we would do, but so we can see what we will do during that test. HOW HAVE YOU DONE IN THE TEST?



IV. TESTIY ABOUT THE GRACE OF GOD IN THE TRIAL.



One of the problems people have during trials is that some want to hold their feelings in and do not want to talk about the problem or do not want to testify about the trial. When we begin to talk about what has happened and is happening we begin to see the grace of God in the trial then we can allow God to have his way in our life and heart. My wife and I begin to talk to each other about what happened, about what was happening and what the future might hold. We spent some time talking to each other about Sandra, about daddy, about our other children, our daughter-in-laws and son-in-laws are our children, about our grandchildren, about my mother and about what this trial would do if we allowed God to have His way.



We spent time in prayer talking to God and thanking Him for all the things that He has done in our life. We are so grateful that we know Sandra and dad are in Heaven and we are so grateful that we know we can go to meet them one of these days. GOD HAS BEEN GOOD TO THE OSTTEN FAMILY!



Psa 77:11 I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.



Psa 77:12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.



It is God that is working in our life and it is God who has the reins to our well being. We must turn to Him, trust Him, thank Him, and testify of what He is doing in our life. In conclusion let me encourage each of you dear readers to turn to God in your trials and you will know that God's grace is sufficient for any trial or trouble that you are going through or are going to go through. Remember these great truths found in our text.



2 Cor 1:3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.



1. God is the source of all comfort.
2. God will comfort us in all our tribulation.
3. God is making us able to comfort others.
4. We can comfort others with the same comfort God has comforted us.

Dr. Ron Ostten



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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Universal Life Church

Passion part 2 (Finding Passion) 2-02-03



Last week we identified one of the great needs of mankind, passion. We could see that the Enemy of our soul would rather we were apathetic, as this is the one thing God cannot stomach. A life that is passionately worldly will find the emptiness and meaninglessness of that kind of existence and be challenged to find real meaning. It is the apathetic life that does nothing and goes nowhere that is most disastrous for any culture. It silently draws multitudes toward oblivion without God.



How do we find passion that will motivate our life to rise above this mediocrity to make a difference for the Kingdom of God? How do we find a vision of what God really intends for our life? First you have to have the desire to rise above mediocrity. You may have heard of the young student that went to Socrates asking for wisdom. Socrates took him out into the ocean. He asked him to remind him what it was he wanted. When the young disciple asked again for wisdom, Socrates pushed him underwater and held him there for about 30 seconds. When he let the young man up he asked him again, “What is it you seek?” The young man replied, “Wisdom, oh wise master, wisdom.” Socrates held him under a little longer each time until the student finally cried out, “I want air!” Socrates replied, “When you desire wisdom, like you want air, you will learn wisdom.” We could say the same for passion. It takes a continuous effort and intense desire on your part rise out of apathy.



We see passion in the life of Jesus. He resolutely set out to go to the cross (Luke 9:51) because of His passionate love for you. We saw in our study of John, Wednesday evening, how his whole ministry was focused on the time in which He would pay the price for our sins. Though He did not have a sin nature, He was tempted in everyway that you and I are. We would readily point to the fact that He is God and so excuse the indifference in our lives. But the fact is, He was all man, even though He is all God. He woke up tired and sore just like you and I do. He had to find passion to live only for His Father just like you and I do. So where did He get it?



The Scripture doesn’t tell us specifically, but it draws some strong inferences. Allow me to speculate just a bit on where the LORD found His intense passion to live only in obedience to the Father. He knew the Word. As a boy he must have studied with all the other children at the local synagogue. He memorized passages from the Scriptures in Hebrew. Most of the children would memorize the first five books of the Bible, the books of Moses, and many of the psalms. We can assume that Jesus did also because He often quotes from them. Though Jesus memorized, that alone did not make a big difference. Many of the other children did too, but we don’t read about them. The difference was Jesus’ application of what He memorized to His life. It wasn’t just letters and rules in a book. To Jesus, the Law was a light for His path. It showed Him what to say, how to act, and how to interpret His circumstances. He allowed it to be such a guide to His life that when Satan came to tempt Him, He immediately turns to Scripture to answer. It wasn’t a rulebook but a guide for Spirit filled living, revealing the heart of God.



Is that how you see Scripture? We must be honest about our attitudes toward the Word or they will never change for the better. Is the Word really the final say, the authority that reveals the will of a loving God? Then we should turn to it every moment of life. If we aren’t doing so, we need to consider what our real attitude is. Sadly, many see it as the back-up manual for when things go wrong, or worse yet, a resource to back their opinion. It should be the source of your opinion. The Pastor spoon-feeds it to us, but we can’t really get direction from those words ourselves, can we? YES! You can! If you will give it the place of authority it should have it will speak to your daily circumstances. The Word was alive to Jesus. He interacted with it continually. That interaction will help kindle the flame. The more I read the Old Testament, the more I see it was the seed thoughts for Jesus’ parables. It was a revelation of the Father’s will and heart. Is that what it means to you? Is that how you interact with it?



As we read the Gospels we find that this was not the only thing that stoked Jesus’ fire. He would rise before dawn and spend time with His Father. (Mark 1:35) Prayer was the place where Jesus communed with God, hearing His instructions for the day or the decisions that lay before Him. Before He chose the 12 he spent all night in prayer. (Luke 6:12) When faced with His betrayal and the cross, He spent His last free hours in prayer with His Father. To Jesus, prayer was the source of direction and comfort. It was where He connected with all wisdom and strength. It was where He got His marching orders as He went forward into battle against the Prince of Darkness. Looking past this world and into the heavenlies, He was filled with the passion of that realm. His Father kindled a fire of purpose and vision there in that secret place. No threat in this life could extinguish it. He did what the Apostle Paul instructs us to do in Colossians 4:2a. Devote yourselves to prayer…



There is at least one more thing that stoked His fire. As He walked in obedience to the Father, He exercised the gifts the Father had given Him. The Apostle Paul told Timothy to, “Fan into flame the gift of God …” (2 Timothy 1:6-7) That takes some work. The picture in these words is to use a bellows. God will put the spark in us through prayer and His word. Then we have to do something about it. We have to make the effort to stoke it, force air over it, until it erupts into a flame. If it should die down, we need to throw on some more fuel of the Word, either written or spoken to us in prayer. Then we stoke it some more. Passionate people make the effort to fan into a flame the gift that God has given them.



I can tell you that after most Sunday morning services I am exhausted but the fire is burning. He answers my prayer to anoint and speak through me, and when I feel His pleasure! Wow! The fire stoked even more. Use your gifts, see God working and the very thrill of being used of God will fan it into flame. When Jesus had taught His disciples how to evangelize and they returned with testimonies of victory, it sure sounds like His fire was stoked. “I saw Satan falling like lightening from heaven.” (Luke 10:18) When the sick were healed and the dead raised, when a man’s sins were forgiven and people saw the light, you know the fire burned in Jesus. In Jesus’ life we see the Word in His mind and heart, prayer that kept Him in communion with God, and the exercise of His gifts kept His fire burning. It will do the same for you!



Jesus’ glorified appearance is like fire. Consider this vision Ezekiel had of the Lord. Ezek 1:27 (NIV) I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. The burning bush that Moses saw was a picture of Christ, the physical on fire but not consumed. Get close to Him and you’ll catch on fire too! Let Him change you into His image – full of passion!



There is more than one kind of fire. In the book of Leviticus there is one of the more unusual stories of the Bible. Some that do not understand the character of God have a hard time with this passage. In Leviticus 10:1-3 the sons of Aaron decided they would use some other (strange) fire than that which God had given. God had lit the fire of the altar with fire from heaven. The fire for the incense was to come from the God given fire. But in disobedience to God, they decided to do it their own way. “We’ll do the God’s thing, but just do it our own way.” Maybe it was easier, or maybe they were experimenting, I don’t know for sure, but I do know God continually has grace upon our rebellion. If at anytime He chooses to exercise judgment because of our bold and arrogant rebellion, He is perfectly just in doing so. Fire came out from the altar and they were struck dead. Aaron wanted to complain, but Moses reminded him that God had warned them that to whoever approaches Him, He would show Himself as holy. He didn’t say merciful, but holy! Arrogant disobedience in the most sacred things of God brought about judgment that caused others to have a healthy respect and fear of God.



I think there is a spiritual picture there of doing God’s work man’s way. We can get a natural kind of emotion and excitement that is very similar to this strange fire. You see men that rant and yell, and yet you sense very little of the anointing of God. They have fire, just not the fire of God. Two days later you’ve forgotten what all the hype was about. Passion is not about volume or gestures or expressions. It’s about a passionate heart for God. Jonathan Edward’s was one of the pastors of the Great Awakening. He was nearsighted and had to keep his face about ten inches away from his sermon to read it. But He had a holy fire. People clung white-knuckled to the pews for fear of falling into hell. It is not about an outward expression but often manifests itself outwardly. The issue is really what is happening in the heart. God’s fire is a work of God, not of man, though man must cooperate and work with Him.



Let me tell you the stories of some men that made the effort to fan the fire of passion into a flame. John Welsh kept a coat by his bedside at night. When the Lord would awaken him he’d drop to his knees, throwing his coat around him, and begin praying. His wife would often say to him, “Honey, you better get your rest. You’ve got work a full day of work to do tomorrow.” He’d answer, “Dear, I have many souls in my charge and I do not know how it is with them.” While on his knees before God the fire burned within him.



Bishop Asbury was on his face every morning between 4 and 6 a.m. You know that as he met with God that embers were fanned into flames. Payson prayed in the same place so regularly that his knees wore groves in the hardwood floor where he knelt and talked with God.



John Wesley was a passionate man. Several times he told his secret. “I just set myself on fire and people come to watch me burn.” What fueled the flames in John Wesley? He spent 2 hours every morning with His God. Benjamin Franklin confessed that he often went to hear Whitefield preach just to watch him burn before his very eyes. That man of faith and prayer, David Brainerd, said, “I love to be alone in my cottage where I can spend much time with God in prayer.” No wonder he was such a man of faith. While he prayed the fire burned. He was a missionary to the American Indians. Listen to one of his written prayers and feel the fire. “Oh, that I might be a flaming fire in the service of the Lord. Here I am, Lord, send me; send me to the ends of the earth… send me from all that is called earthly comfort; send me even to death itself if it be but in Thy service and to promote Thy kingdom.”



Bishop Andrews prayed five hours every day! No wonder the fire of God was in his bones. Adoniram Judson saw his wife die in jail, had to beg nursing mothers to feed his starving infant, was forsaken by his supporters, but he never quit evangelizing. What caused the fire to burn so strongly that children on the streets of New York called him Old Glory Face? Seven days a week he spent 2 to 3 hours a day in prayer with God. He met with God at 6a.m and then again at 9. He met with God at noon and then at 3p.m. and 6p.m. He met with God at 9p.m. and again at midnight and at 3a.m. He left behind dozens of churches where the Gospel had previously not been preached.



Duncan Campbell hungered for the presence of God more than anything. At times Jesus was more real to him than his earthly friends. He was known to spend the whole night in prayer with God before a meeting was to begin. People remarked of seeing the Shekinah glory of God on his face. Islands where he ministered fell so under the power of God that visitors, after setting foot on the island, would seek out a church to find salvation.


These are men who were enthusiastic. The very word means in (en) God (theos). When God gets the fire of His Holy Spirit in us we have a supernatural enthusiasm. The passion and power of heaven come with the Holy Spirit.


A traveler was anxious to see where the Scotsman, Robert Murray McCheyne, preached. He went to his church and was met by an old gray haired deacon. He was led into McCheyne’s study and invited to sit in his chair at McCheyne’s desk. With a bit of reluctance but great excitement the traveler sat down. There on the desk in front of him was an open Bible. The old deacon said, “Now drop your head there on that open Bible and weep. That is what our minister did every Sunday morning before he preached.” The presence of God was so manifestly present upon McCheyne that before he said a word, people would begin to weep.



Was it passion that drove them to prayer or was it prayer that fired their passion? They got close to Jesus and He caught them on fire! One thing you can say for sure, they refused to leave their first love. When Paul wrote to the Ephesians he mentioned their love several times. Just a short 30 years later Jesus wrote the same church a letter through John the Beloved. He warned them that they had abandoned their first love. It seemed like they had everything else right, but without that first love, everything else meant little. Jesus warned them that they had fallen from a great height.



Everyone that I mentioned had an intimacy with God that kept their first love a flame of fire. You need a flame from God first and foremost. John the Baptist said that Jesus had come to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The flame must be allowed to burn up all that supercedes Him, and only then it can set your very soul ablaze. Then you need to fan the flame and care for it with communion with God as Jesus and these men demonstrated with their lives. The results are quite visible.



The founder of the Salvation Army, General Booth, warned his ranks, “The tendency of the fire is to go out; watch the fire on the altar of your heart.” One of the jobs of the Old Testament Levites was to be sure that the altar fire never went out. We must always guard our old nature from taking the way of the Ephesians. We are in constant need of recommitment and renewed consecration. We all need revival again and again. We are warned in 1Thessalonians 5:19 to not put out the Spirit’s fire.



But please don’t misunderstand. “ No one is more zealous than a deceived fanatic. There is an infinite difference between the zeal of the sinful nature and the passion born of the Holy Spirit. Self-born zeal is self-conscious. Passion for Christ and for souls is a consuming fire that so possesses the Spirit-filled Christian one is almost unaware of it.” (Wesley Duewel) Strange fire brings death to you and to other with whom you share it. The fire of God brings death to self but life to those it comes in contact with.



I find my passion in looking afresh at the passion Christ had for me to go to the cross. There has never been a greater display of passion. While I was still a rebel against Him, He displayed the ultimate expression of love; He laid down His life for me. Taking on the sins of the world and the onslaught of hell was so horrific; we will never understand the utter darkness of it. He knew how horrible it would be and asked if there was some other way, if there could be found any other means to make you and me right with God, to please go for plan B. There was no plan B that could satisfy the justice and righteousness of God. When He saw that was the only way, as horrible as it was, He looked at eternity future with us redeemed and forever seated at the right hand of God in Him, and He said, “Yes! I will do it. To please the Father and to save them from destruction, I will pay the price, endure the horror.”



Love begets love. When we see His love that was displayed on the cross, when you are willing to not turn your head but to stare there and drink in all you can perceive, how can your heart not overflow with love in return. The love of God has been made visible to us, right there. Love that doesn’t cost anything isn’t worth much. Love that costs everything is priceless. That is where I find my worth, my meaning, my purpose, my life, my passion, and my all. What does our little squabbling about the inconsequential mean in the light of the cross? It makes me want to throw everything else aside and just live in the shadow of it. That is passion!



But go on a little further. He redeemed you to live through you. You have a divine purpose in life. Once you get the vision that your life has purpose that affects all eternity, you marvel that God would be willing to use the little insignificant rebel, you. Who but God could turn a traitor into a hero? But He does that so that He gets all the glory, and yet, He will share that glory with you, if you are willing to suffer with Him. What an honor and blessing and wonder that the God of all creation would want to include us in what He does, but that is what co-laboring is all about. He delights in working with us. That just makes my head spin. It just shows how mighty He is. And if fans my flame of passion! As you see Jesus’ passion for you in the Word, in prayer and in the use of your gifts, your passion should increase.



Do you really desire passion? If not, you need the fire of God. Ask Him for it! If you do, you probably have that ember of fire from the Holy Spirit. Now you just need to fan and fuel it! If you really want passion, you will take the time to fuel it by drawing near to Jesus in His Word and in prayer. You will exercise your gifts at the leading of the Holy Spirit. You’ll pump the bellows by taking time to have intimate communion with God. You are going to leave here this morning in continued apathy, or with a decision to fan into the flame the gift of God in you. It will probably take a reprioritizing of your time. How strongly do you want to be a passionate person? You will leave here this morning quenching the fire or determined to fan it into a flame. It is your decision, and it will affect the outcome of your life.

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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Universal Life Church

Passion 1-26-03

Revelation 3:19; Romans 12:11

One of the most attractive qualities a person can have is passion. Great leaders in every area of life, both villainous and heroic, are people with passion. It draws like a magnet. Hitler is said to have mesmerized people with his speeches because of the passion with which he spoke. Dwight L. Moody had the same affect on people. One affected the world for evil, and the other for good, but they both had the quality of passion that made people pay attention.

What is passion? John Maxwell says, It is the energy of the soul. One of Websters definitions is, A strong liking for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept. The Old Testament idea of passion was often applied to God as the One who was jealous for His peoples heart. It is likened to a consuming fire. Song of Songs 8:6 (NIV) 6 Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.


It was this zeal of God for His people that destroyed their enemies. But it was the same zeal that sent them into captivity when they were unfaithful. It was this passion that restored Israel after captivity. (Isaiah 42:13) The same passion that God has for His house to be clean and holy. (Psalm 69:9) It is the same passion that would send a Savior who would be clothed in zeal. (Isaiah 9:7, 59:17) Using Websters definition of a strong liking for or devotion to Jesus would have to be the most passionate man to ever live. He did not do or say one thing without the approval of His Father. We will never see a more passionate life than that of Jesus. It was a life consumed with pleasing the Father even unto death.

The Great Commandment was for them to love the Lord their God with ALL their heart, soul, mind, and strength. You could say that God asked them to be as passionate about Him as He was passionate toward them. This is not a superficial emotion! It is a state of being totally involved, wrapped up in, enamored with the one on whom it is placed.



We can be passionate about the wrong things. Romans 10:2 (NIV) 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. The Jewish leaders, at the time of the early church, were zealous for the letter of the Law. They wanted to be perfect at keeping their definition of the rules, while God was looking for changed hearts. Paul said he was so zealous for the Law the he persecuted the church. (Philippians 3:6)

The good kind of zeal is a zeal that is relational, like Gods zeal is for us. That overflows into being zealous to do good works. (Titus 2:14) Just like a when a husband is passionate about his wife, he wants to do things that please her. Men, if you are passionate about your wife, you will not have trouble saying no to the temptations that will come your way. In the same way, if we are passionate about God, about our personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the world will have little sway on us. Why? Because you have a love that far surpasses all others!

Have you met someone that you would say had a passion for a hobby? Some men have a passion for football. This is their Great High and Holy Day Super bowl Sunday. They've followed both divisions all through the year. They can quote stats like you'd love to quote the Bible. They are serious about it. They know every quarterback, his back up, his number, and details about his family. They always have their favorite team that they are extra passionate about. And if that team gets in the Super bowl, Lord help us all. Hes got the team jacket and pennant flag, the mug and T-shirt and if he can, hell mortgage his house to get seat in that stadium. It is a little annoying being around him, but at the same time, it is exciting. Why? Hes alive! Hes got something to live for even if it is a bunch of grown men banging into each other over a pigskin full of air.



Tony Compolo wrote that, We are caught up in a particular stage in our national ethos, in which we are not only materialistic, but worse than that, were becoming emotionally dead as a people. We dont sing, we dont dance, and we dont even commit sin with very much enthusiasm.



Were becoming a nation of self-satisfied couch potatoes. We have what we need. We dont want to be bothered. Just let us go to sleep in our stupor of sufficiency. YAWN! One of my greatest struggles in teaching High School youth is to get them beyond apathy. I hear over and over, What difference does it make. They dont say that to me anymore, because I launch into a passionate explanation of the difference it makes.



Kirkegard wrote, Age will die not from sin but from a lack of passion. If the enemy of our soul can just lull us to sleep in our satisfied, unconcerned, do nothing deadness, we are of no threat to the realm of darkness. Max Lucado put it this way, The poison of the ordinary steals the magic of the moment. What has happened to us?



It reminds me of the church of Laodicea. God just wanted them to be passionate one way or the other, anything but lukewarm. Jesus personal warning for those without passion, who were self-satisfied, not realizing they were desperately in need, went like this, Rev. 3:19 (NIV) 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Be earnest! In Greek that means to boil! In a negative sense, boil with anger, or with jealousy. In a positive sense, it means a zealous pursuit of good, or to exert yourself for something, in this case repentance. Are you boiling? The command from the lips of Jesus is, Be boiling! Change the way you think!



That lukewarm spirit is a spirit of apathy. That is an interesting word in the Greek. A as a prefix in Greek means without. The last half of the word is pathos. It means feeling or emotion. Apathy then means to not have feelings or emotions. You just really dont care. God says that is the one thing He cant stomach. Be cold or boiling, but dont be in between.



The Apostle Paul admonishes us to (Romans 12:11 (NIV)) 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Zeal is from the Greek word spoude spoo day. We have a family in town with that last name. It means to be diligent, earnest, to hurry, with effort. We are never supposed to be anything less than diligent and in earnest. Fervor comes from the same root word we looked at in Revelation (zeo), to boil with heat. Dont simmer! Dont be lukewarm, but keep passionately boiling! Keep your spiritual fervor. So an expanded translation would be, Never be anything less than diligent, earnest, making an effort, but keep on boiling as you serve the Lord!

Would you say you were walking in the fullness of the Apostles instruction?  I can tell you I'm not, but I intend to by the grace of God. Forgive me for not being more passionate. One Gallup pole said the number one factor in people choosing a church is the passion of the Pastor. It ought to be the leading of the Holy Spirit. This deciding factor of a passionate pastor is intricately connected with our cultures search for relevance and meaning. We see passionate people as having found a reason to live, something to strive for. What do your neighbors and acquaintances see in you? Has your passion for the good caused them to wonder what you've found?



Why do we lack passion? I think one reason we lack passion is our dullness to the wonder of all that God is doing for us. We allow our hearts to get calloused toward His display of love. Enough of the tears, I just want to enjoy today, and I dull myself to the magic of the moment. I let busyness fill my mind and numb my heart. The wonder of His interaction in my life, I come to expect as routine, instead of letting my heart be gripped by it. My eyes of faith close as I fix them on the world and troubles around me. And as my eyes of faith close, the realization of Gods great love for me begins to fade.

Passion makes us stand out and be noticed, and we feel more comfortable just fitting in. Lets face it, no one likes the person that makes waves and challenges the status quo, and that is what passionate people are always doing. Their passion challenges every lukewarm person they contact, and just like in Jesus world, they will love or hate you for it. Its so much easier just to blend in. One reason Peter, James, John, and Andrew are mentioned first is their passion. Passion pushed them to the front and opened their mouths. James and John were so passionate they were called the Sons of Thunder. Peter needs no explanation. His passion is his testimony! Andrew was the one that went around recruiting disciples, We've found the Messiah!  We've found the Messiah!



Another reason for the lack of passion is we haven't seen the purpose God has for our lives. We havent grabbed hold of His vision for us. Self is our little tiny goal, and that is not very exciting. Then there is the problem of these physically aging bodies. How can we be boiling when our body is declining? Apathy tends to increase with age. John Maxwell says, Wise young believers are as rare as zealous old believers. The older we become, the more set in our ways and desirous of the status quo we usually are. It doesn't have to be that way, but that is the tendency of man.


Oh but what a difference when we reject the natural tendencies of man and walk in the Spirit! Your willingness and desire for the fire and passion of God are going to be proportionate with how God uses you. Think of it like this: The person with little passion has little vision and little hope of God accomplishing great things. According to your faith, it will be done unto you. Passion is an ingredient for a life that makes a difference. Passion will increase your will power, your self-discipline, raise the level of your goals, and give you a vision beyond that of ordinary man. Apathetic people put as little on their schedule as they possibly can. Passionate people have schedules that are packed and carefully planned in wisdom to accomplish the most they can possibly do.

Passion touches lives but it also changes you! Augustan said that unless you had something to die for, you haven't begun to live. When I do a word study, I always want to find out how God uses the word in Scripture. When we took a look at the way God used the word love, we found that it was almost always defined by a willingness to die. That is passion. That is love that goes beyond reason, beyond intellectual thought. Have you found something you are willing to die for?

The very first definition in Websters for passion may surprise you. It is the scene that ultimately defines passion. It is the suffering of Christ. That is why we have Passion plays, Passion week. We describe passion by Christs display of His passion to free us from our sin by dying in our place. The more man abused Him, the more passion He displayed for us. He could have just gone over the hill where the Garden of Gethsemane was and kept on going. Why stay and sweat drops of blood thinking about our sins being placed upon Him? Ill tell you why. He passionately loves you. He could have revealed His glory in that Sanhedrin trial, and they would have all been crying out for mercy. Why didn't He? It was His passion to see you right with God. He could have answered every accusation with such wise clarity that Pilate would have been ashamed not to let Him go, but His passion held His tongue. At any time during His scourging and crucifixion, He could have called a legion of angels to destroy His enemies. Why didn't He? You know the answer. Passion!


In every revelation of God through Jesus we are called to be like Him. You've probably noticed that I use the word Christ-likeness in nearly every sermon. It is God's passionate vision for you. If God is so passionate about us, how should we be toward Him?  Have you ever seen a one sided relationship where the wife is so in love with her mate, but the husband is nonchalant? Don't you just want to smack him upside the head and say, Hey, the girl is head over heals for you! Don't you get it? Don't you appreciate it? I think we could all look at the cross the Passion and slap ourselves. Get over the numbness, the callous attitude, and get some passion!



What are we about? What is Wayside here for? Are we just being comfortable and happy till Jesus comes for us? That is how you spell APATHY. So what would a passion that reflects the passion Jesus has for us look like? How would it express itself in your life? There is not one answer for all of us. We can generalize, but there is a specific answer for you. Only a passionate heart, willing to behold the cross, will lead you to that answer!



I can wind you up, but I cant give you passion. No one can! Jesus isnt going to hand it to you on a silver platter. He handed it to you already on a bloody cross. You've got to take it and let it heat you up until you boil. What is burning on the inside will manifest itself on the outside in your daily life. It will manifest itself in an intense love for God that will keep you from sin. I'm not saying you'll never make a mistake, but when the question is clear, you wont have to sit down and figure it out. Your passion will have already made the decision. Passion results in a radical commitment the kind that is willing to not only stand out, but die for the passion you've found. It will affect your work, you leisure, your worship, your home, and every area of your life. It will include the all of the Great Commandment, all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength. It will cause a hatred for sin and love for the things of God.



Passion is contagious. (2 Corinthians 9:2) Those who don't run from you will end up being more like you as you become more like Jesus. Why is passion so powerful? God is passionate, and the angels are passionately praising God! The departed saints are passionately worshiping God. All heaven is passionate. Maybe people are getting a glimpse of eternity when they see godly passionate people. The world doesn't see enough of them. It saw a dozen passionate men in the first century, and the world was never the same. Christians have every reason to be the most passionate people on the planet.


How do we find passion?  How can we let our hearts boil?  Where do we catch the fire of God? You'll have to wait till next week for part two, but you don't have to wait to start passionately responding to His love for you.  Be praying for a willingness to become a more zealous person because of His passion for you.

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.

Ordination with the , is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.


 
The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
 
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Sunday, August 22, 2010

Universal Life Church

How To Have Mountain-Moving Faith

I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. (Matt. 17:20)

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I received an email the other day with a story of a person traveling to a mountain range in Canada. The person entered the valley and was hit with the beauty of all the flowers. They were not wild flowers. There was someone or some people who had taken time to plant all those flowers. It was ablaze with color. At the local restaurant the traveler asked the waitress if the town had paid for the planting of the flowers. She said no and told the story of a lady who was now in her seventies who planted each and every bulb. As a little girl this woman had vowed to plant flowers in this valley. Every day she would buy a few bulbs and go plant. Every day she would set aside a few coins. Over 60 years of patient planting produced a portrait of beautiful flowers.



What about you? Is there something in your life that needs to be accomplished but you believe that the challenges soar above you like the Rocky Mountains? Let me ask you, How did these United States of America in the 1960s begin to have a dream of flying a man to the moon? Consider all of those obstacles and the technology of that time. Computers then filled rooms and had much less memory. We did not have the metals and plastics then that we have now. What happened? Faith!



Jesus Christ taught that all you need is a little bit of faith. Jesus was stating this in a middle of a discussion as to why his disciples could not cast out a particularly strong demon from a child. So He says, However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. So lets break it all down. Let me give you a few steps that you can begin to put into practice and have mountain moving faith.



First Begin Small. Did you realize that all big corporations, big movements, and big changes all begin with a small idea or group of people? Dell computers started in a dorm room. Subway began an idea of a father given to his sons so they could earn money at college. Abrahams faith in God makes him the father of three major religions today: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Consider Jesus parable of the talents. He tells of a master who gives his servants some funds to manage. Two of them double the investment and one hides his one talent. The two who managed their small amounts are rewarded. Note the commendation:



"His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord (Matt. 25:23).



George Washington Carver was a brilliant scientist and a Christian. I read once where he prayed to God to let him study the peanut and learn everything about it. He would develop 300 applications for the peanut that we use today.



Second - Be Persistent. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. Persistence is a key to moving mountain faith. The people who get to the top in their sports do so because they persist. Persistence in noted in the daily practice of a skill. It is witnessed in the ability to accept each failure as a lesson learned. Every inventor who successes with on great idea will have thousands of failures behind him or her. My son played high school football and his junior year his team went all the way to the state championship were they lost. The coach turned their frowns into cheers when he told them, Do not look at this as a failure. Only two teams make it to the state level. And you are one of them! You made it to the show! You have nothing to be ashamed of. It was a close game. Either team could have won. Persistence helps us to keep going. In the movie, Rudy, the main character had a desire to play for Notre Dames football team. He did not have the grades or the money to go to Notre Dame. He was small in size but he had a big dream. Persistence led him to find ways to make it to the team.



Third - Be Patient. Patience is the twin sister of persistence. Patience is the attitude of the mind. The book of James teaches us: But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:4). Patience gives perspective to a challenge. It helps us to slow down, to observe, and to avoid mistakes. Proverbs teaches us: The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty (Prov. 21:5).



Fourth Be Prepared. Praying and fasting are means of preparation for mountain moving faith. The prayer aspect is seeking Divine will, strength, cleansing of the soul, and increasing sensitivity to the move of God in moving mountains. Fasting is simply denial. It is self-sacrificing. This is gets to the foundation of moving mountains. A young girl dreams of being a figure skating and winning the gold medal at the Olympics. This means practice. It also means giving up time and certain pleasure her friends enjoy. It means she makes practice a priority over Girl Scouts, parties, and even some vacations. It means following the instructions of coaches and parents. It means giving up candy and junk food (not a bad idea!) for a healthy diet. It also means that when opportunity arises to go!



Conclusion. Mountain moving faith is hard work. But we must remember the Wisdom of Solomon who writes, The end of a thing is better than its beginning (Eccl. 7:8). We need to keep the end in focus when we step into mountain moving faith. So



Begin Small.

Be Persistent.

Be Patient and

Be Prepared

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.

Ordination with the , is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.


 
The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
 
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Friday, August 20, 2010

Universal Life Church

The following came to me in prayer the other afternoon. It was as if I could see a swirling cloud that looked like a hand that was rising and reaching into the heavens. Reaching, Reaching and finally connecting with another greater hand that came down from heaven. This smoke was coming out of a room.

The Room that is You

When David sat on the backside of a Judean hillside playing his psalms of praise, lost to his own thoughts and forgotten by his father, what did God see?

When David stood their shocked and surprised as the oil dripped off his chin and splattered on the dirt floor at his feet, what did God know?

In another time and setting, Noah is offering a sacrifice to God of the Clean fowl and beast, and this sacrifice ascended into the presence of God as a sweet smelling savor, what caused God to declare a covenant and a token of the same? What did God see when he looked at Noah on this day?

Humanity is bound up and is surrounded by a reality that does not affect God. This undeniable power and fact of our existence is time. So often we don't think of the past or the future because it is yesterday and the other we do not know. So we plunge headlong into the moments of life only thinking of the present. However God does not see us this way.

I like to think of our lives and how God sees them as articles and objects in a room. The milestones in our lives that happened in time, I see them as unique objects in the room that is our life. Because we are so time conscious, and the present is always so pressing it causes us to reach, stretch and strain to get in touch with that presence of God. This presence is beyond the present, it is an Eternal Spirit. The Eternal Spirit that we know as God.

You know what I think God saw when David thought he was alone and forgotten? Or when he was listening to the bellowing blaspheme of a Giant named Goliath? Or when he stood stock still looking at a man that wanted to kill him? God saw David in his finest moment. I think that was when David escorted the Ark of God back into Jerusalem dancing in a linen ephod with all his might bringing the presence of God into it's rightful place.

Noah standing their on that mountain that day offering a sacrifice God was not overly impressed with the clean birds burning and swirling smoke rising, but it was the essence of the man, the spirit of the man that came into the nostrils of God that caused him to say, "That smells so Good."

Noah working on a boat in a world that did not need boats, propelled by a purpose that was not logical in his time, but made perfect sense to God. Noah had heard from the Eternal presence of God, and that voice gave him a connection to be able to build an ark that took him one hundred and twenty years to build. In a generation that cannot perceive ten years, this man waited one hundred and twenty years building an object that had absolutely no purpose until it rained. He worked on it everyday, because the weather never interfered.

This man that devoted his life to a divine word from God that was so outlandish that the whole world did not believe him. Today you can gather a crowd that believe in UFO's and Aliens with no proof, and Noah could not even get one person out of his family to be saved. Home Missions might be tough, however I don't know anyone who would judge Noah as successful in today's world. Give him his due; his family was saved.

So here is Noah offering a sacrifice, I really don't think God was looking at Noah in the present, but he was looking at "NOAH" the man, the life, the sacrifice, the obedience, the prayer, the message, the perseverance?Noah was the savor that God accepted.

In David, all Samuel could see was a young kid that smelled like sheep, but God saw a him dancing in an ephod and all of Isreal following his lead.

God sees us for who we were, are and will be. I believe in spite of his foreknowledge, every living soul gets the same grace and opportunity. However for those that will be found called, chosen and faithful, God knows.

You know why I think people fail God, throw in the towel and cease to serve God? They forget about the fact that we are but a vapor or if a may a misty cloud that carries qualities that can please or displease God. They cease to hear the voice that Noah heard as he kept working. People cease to see beyond the moment and become blinded and die a spiritual death to that connection that should not be severed, that connection to eternity.

Sure David demonstrated his failure. However, his failure was an event and not the essence of who he was. Like many of us, we all have events that demonstrate that we have come short.

When God looks at us, it is not simply a linear timeline, but a three dimensional history or if I may repeat the concept, a room. We choose what we represent by the objects we bring into our room and at times get out of our rooms when we realize it does not belong.

When I get down on my knees and pray, I don't believe that the only thing that God hears are those simple words of the moment, but that he hears a chorus of not only my prayers, but the prayers of the tens and maybe even thousands of people that have prayed, wept, fasted and cared for me. They have filled my room with that eternal incense that is prayer. Prayers never die, the saint may die, but the spiritual influence is an element that never leaves us.

In these moments when we interact with Eternity, I believe God looks down on our "room" and will rearrange, alter or maybe just watch over us as we strain in our sojourn in time. In eternity, these things will be different, but now we are in the here and now. Only God knows how we will be able to appreciate "now" when we see it as he does.

To think that when God uses his "white out" it only erases your sins and not your victory. When he looks at the history of your life, he sees your vistas of victory and not your valleys of defeat. How else could the New Testament say that Abraham did not stagger and include Samson in the role call of faith?

Your failures don't have to be final. Your mistake does not forever stay on your record. But your sacrifice is never forgotten. Your labor of love is not overlooked. Your sacrificial offering is still on the ledger book. Your forsaking love, fortune and fame to follow the call of God, that blessing is still accumulating interest in your account.

Look at the room that is your life. Dust the objects of past victory and replay the prophetic utterances you have received. Reread the journal of your journey. You too have a Giants sword wrapped in an ephod. There is a pot of manna of God's provision, there is a rod that proves your priesthood and yes don't forget God's covenants are as real as if he wrote them with his finger on your heart.

If you have been discouraged or distressed? find a dark room, turn off the phone, lose your cell shut down the computer, pull the blind and ask, seek, knock, pray, walk, meditate, rehearse, remember, stir up and cry out to the God that has brought you this far. That Eternal spirit that touched you before, reach out and let that holy hand of the most high touch you again.

This all came to me in prayer the other afternoon. It was as if I could see a swirling cloud that looked like a hand that was rising and reaching into the heavens. Reaching, Reaching and finally connecting with another greater hand that came down from heaven. This smoke was coming out of a room.

I am that room. So are you.

In Him, By Him, Through Him,

Scott Phillips

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