Pecan Pie made with maple syrup

My son who is currently in Scotland is having a joint Thanksgiving dinner with the other exchange students he dorms with at University of Edinburgh.  In his living situation the guys who share a flat have to do their own cooking. They often pool their resources and one flat will cook for a few others so that the cooking chores are not daily. 

 

He called with a cooking emergency because apparently in Scotland they do not have corn syrup (at least at the store my son shops at), and he wanted to know if maple syrup would substitute for making a pecan pie.  I found a recipe for him and thought to share it with you. Praying you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.

 

Below is the most recent picture of him on a trip he made to Paris. His smile and the Mona Lisa's seem to have a similar mysterious quality about them.

 

 

A maple pecan pie recipe with maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, and pecans.

Ingredients:

• 1 prepared unbaked pastry shell, 9-inch
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups pecan pieces or halves

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350° and place rack at lowest position. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add maple syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Blend well and stir in pecans. Pour into prepared pie shell. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes, or

Isaiah 9:6-7 and qualifications of the unpardonable sin, blaspheme of the Holy Spirit by Pastor Don

Isaiah 9 contains a powerful prophetic message. God has established a balance of order in the universe. Yet there are many who do not like the whole picture of this balance.

Some want to think that Israel is a picture of the Church and that the Church has replaced Israel. This is not true. If Israel permits sin, God will let evil come - and if you look at the history of the nation of Israel, you see that many nations came against Israel and attacked them. God gave the people time to repent, but when they did not repent, judgment came. But then God has also promised to save a remnant, and restore Israel. He will do this and gave the people of Israel the following awesome promise.

Isaiah 9:6  For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,  Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Notice, that this passage mentions judgment and justice forever. The zeal, enthusiasm, of the Lord will bring this to pass.  God is a God of LOVE, but He is also a God of JUSTICE. Some read this and fear that they will commit the Blaspheme of the Holy Ghost, and fall away and not come back to God.

Pastor Don wanted the people to know that most of us are not at a point where we can Blaspheme the Holy Ghost, and he took us to the passages that show us who qualifies for that. In our walk in the Lord we struggle so much with unworthiness. People are afraid that God has discarded them, that God heard that negative thought and pushed them away.  But if a person is concerned about blaspheming the Holy Ghost they probably have not done it.  Those who blaspheme the Holy Ghost do it deliberately and do not care or fear that they have done it.

So, how do we know if we have committed the unpardonable sin?

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

These are ELEMENTARY principles of Christ that lead to perfection.  Repentance from dead works - or sin and anything that we have done in the flesh.  If we do works in the flesh, even if they are godly works, Jesus could say, Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ These would be dead works.  Some things we did as believers just for show. Jesus did most of His spiritual works in private.  We are to do works to glorify Christ, not to make it all about us.  The dead works will be burnt off like the hay and stubble.  It is important that we examine our flesh and ask ourselves why we did what we did. As we bring the Gospel to others, it gives us an opportunity to examine ourselves as well. 

FAITH TOWARD GOD, faith in God.  It is not faith in faith, but faith in God.  Mark 11:22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.

Hebrews 6:2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

The DOCTRINE OF BAPTISMS.  There are several baptisms in the Bible.  THE BAPTISM INTO CHRIST - making Christ the CEO, and obeying Him.  We don't do things our way, but we seek to do what Christ wants us to do. Jesus is our boss and if He tells us to not touch something or to not go there, we don't.  BAPTISM INTO GOD - Jesus told us that He did what He saw His father doing and if we know Him, we know the Father.  BAPTISM INTO THE BODY - we are part of the whole Body of Christ, and we need to love the brethren.  There are many who come to Church and don't want to connect with other people, but God has told us to not forsake the assembling of the brethren.  This is what God has given us, and we are in a benevolent dictatorship - we don't get to vote.  When we are immersed in the Baptism of the Body, and we subject ourselves to the flow of God, knowing that Jesus is the Head, and we all have a part.  WATER BAPTISM, an outward manifestation of the forgiveness of sin that we gained by accepting Christ into our lives. BAPTISM INTO THE HOLY GHOST where we gain an endowment of power.  There are two kinds of power, exusia - which is authority, and then dunamis power - which is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with power.  In John we are told that the Spirit and the Word must agree. John 3:5-8 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

We know that the Spirit is the Holy Spirit, and that requires an action of the Holy Spirit.  But what is the water?  Pastor Don had those who already know keep silent, but we went to various scriptures to look at what is meant by "water" so that people can see for themselves.

We first looked to see if it was being born of the water of the womb.

We then went back to John 3:3  Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Jesus is teaching the things of God, and Nicodemus as a rabbi should have known the things of God to teach them to his people.

John 3:4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

Nicodemus did not understand, thinking Jesus was talking about the physical womb.  But it was not the water of the womb.

John 3:5-6 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Being born of the womb leads to death, and thus the water of the womb is not the answer.

John 3:7-10 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?

Jesus points out that Nicodemus is a teacher of Israel and doesn't know this mystery.  Jesus likened it to the wind where we don't know where it comes from our where it blows.

John 3:11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.

Therefore the answer to the puzzle can only be figured out by someone who knows the answer, and Jesus knows the answer for He is God.

John 3:12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

You can only receive the answer by spiritual revelation.

The Bible is its own dictionary, and thus the same truths are expressed in other places in the scriptures. When we think of healing today people want to get the person saved first (and salvation is tied up with dying and going to heaven. But Jesus never said that.  He never went up to a person and asked them, "Do you want to be saved?"  He asked them if they wanted to be healed. Jesus healed the sick and touched lives, and through that salvation came.  Salvation means wholeness, deliverance, freedom, peace.  Not just being taken to Heaven when we die. People try to get people to confess Jesus, and then the people walk away, but they may still have their health problems - marriage problems, financial problems.  When Jesus comes into a life He wants whole salvation - wholeness, peace, deliverance, and comfort.

To understand what is meant by the water, we need to get a revelation of the mystery, and the Bible as it's own dictionary will help us to understand.

Ephesians 5:26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

washing of water by the WORD.

1 Peter 1:22-23 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

John 15:3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

Ezekiel 36:25-27 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

Titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

By looking at these scriptures we see that the water is the Word of God - and we know who the Word of God is - Jesus.

When the person first hears the Word the seed is sown, and what the person does with the Word determines the outcome.

Someone mentioned that in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13 that if the seed sown does not get wet it cannot begin to grow.  The more that we sow the Word of God into people the more they grow in God.

Sometimes churches only focus on certain scriptures and other scriptures of the Bible that make the pastors uncomfortable are not dealt with.  In those churches the people can starve to death eating the same seed over and over again. We need to eat from the WHOLE Word of God, vary the diet.  Give a varied diet of fundamental teachings. 

We then continued in Hebrews with the fundamental doctrines.  I think I will write that part tomorrow.

I am praying you are all preparing for Thanksgiving, we sure do have a lot to be thankful for - number one JESUS!!!!

Praying your day is blessed.

Heather

Authority of the Believer - Acts 4 - How to receive by Pastor Don Moore

We all need the Authority of the Believer in these days to a greater and greater degree. We want to have anything and everything - all that God has for us. We want His healing, relationship, power, presence and manifestation.  People want to receive a touch from the Lord, fall in the spirit, enter into worship, but without proper work and knowing how to receive we won't receive what we are seeking.

Giving and receive requires acts and basic things.

We can have a love relationship: Husband to wife, pastor to congregation, mother to daughter, parent to child.  All these relationships should be based on love.  Every love relationship does not have the same dynamic.  Not every one in a love relationship has a clear understanding of how to give or receive.  For example there is a book out regarding love languages.  Some people feel that the only way person can demonstrate love to them is by a public act of affection such as holding hands when walking down the street.  Others think that small acts of service demonstrate love. If you give the person who seeks a public act of affection some act of service they will not perceive that as an act of love for you are not speaking their love language.

Sometimes a person seeking a particular kind of love language gets frustrated and says, "This ....... is what I want."  The person trying to please the needy one does that action only to have it rejected because the person wanted the other one to do what they wanted without having to be told to do it. So it becomes a situation of yes you did it, but it wasn't enough. That person needs to learn to receive within the dynamics of what is acceptable.

This inability to receive puts a strain in the relationship and the person feels they are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

If we can understand how to receive and give, then we can understand how God stoops down to give to us.

Mercy is God giving something to the pitiful, giving something from the bigger to the lower, God pities us. We can either receive what God is giving or be prideful and reject it. We can in effect tell God, "I don't want your pity."

How you receive is very important.  The problem is receiving and God gives us good and bad examples of receiving in His Word.

Peter and John arrested.

Acts 4:23-30 And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, and the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the LORD and against His Christ.’ “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. (29) Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, (30) by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

Verse 29-30 - Believers are to speak God's Word, and stretch out their hand, seeking His signs and wonders, waiting to receive. They ask for what has already been promised, and now they receive from God. When you ask God for what He has promised it releases great power.

Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

If we want to receive from God, ask what God has already promised. We are asking God for Churches and He wants to give us the planet.  We ask Him for money, and He wants to make us prosperous. Ask God for what He has promised. Ask Him for a ministry and a calling and we know that out of the 12 Spiritual Gifts there is something for everyone.  Acquire what has been provided.

They had asked to start a Church in Damascus, but did not get an instant response to that. They asked for Boldness and the Lord shook the building and gave them an infilling of the Spirit with boldness.

The Lord is looking for one who is listening.  He is calling someone and is prepared to give us what He knows we need, not what we FEEL we need.  We ask God to show us His love, but we also have to be ready to receive it.

Ask God for what He wants to do, and tell Him you will take what He wants to give any way He wants to give it, and be ready to receive it. Find out what the Word of the Lord is on this issue. God has provided signs and wonders, and when we pray His Word to Him in the Name of Jesus, He shows up.

John 16:23-24 And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

The disciples - after Jesus goes to Heaven to be with His Father, ask in Jesus' Name.

The fullness of joy does not come by satiation of an emotional moment. God wants us to be JOY FULL.

We can ask God for a car, but if we are using it for some illegal purposes, God probably will not give us the car. 

John 16:26-27 In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.

To receive from God is based on our relationship to Him. It is based on I know He loves me. We don't have to earn God's love. If we aren't assured that He loves us, if we aren't assured of our relationship to Him, it makes it difficult to believe we can receive in the fullness of Joy.

We mess it up every time.  Something good happens and we think we did it ourselves. Something happens and we blame God, which is not honoring the Holy Spirit. Every good and perfect gift comes from God. Some people fear that they have blasphemed God.  Pastor Don spent some time showing people the qualifications of what it takes to do that, to show us that few believers do blaspheme God like so many fear that they have done. We need to know we don't qualify.

Hebrews 6:1-3 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits.

We do not want to go back to laying a foundation of repentance from dead works and faith toward God. We do not need to relay the foundation. That is a phoniness out of the flesh. We are seeking to move to perfection, and we are to move beyond the Elementary principles of Christ - these Paul considered elementary.  The first principle is FAITH TOWARD GOD. The second principle is the DOCTRINE OF BAPTISMS.

There are several baptisms mentioned in the Bible There is the BAPTISM INTO CHRIST - the fellowship of the revelation of who Jesus is, it is when we are born again.  Just because we believe in Jesus does not mean that we have made Jesus our CEO. Jesus is Lord of our life, our Chief Executive Officer.

BAPTISM INTO THE BODY - the Body of Christ (the Church).  There are some members that attend church but never connect with others at church, don't volunteer, don't spend time with other members.  They come to church and just want to worship and go home, but have their walls up regarding others in the church. Pastor Don shared how one time he and Cynthia went to hear a friend speak at another church. After the service they had a coffee hour, no one greeted Pastor and Cynthia, no one welcomed them, offered them coffee or anything.  Finally Pastor Don and Cynthia took a cup of coffee, no one smiled, shook hands or anything. His friend came by and said isn't this amazing - they didn't even greet me and I was the speaker. People should not come to church and be ignored.

We are part of the WHOLE BODY OF CHRIST - it is nondenominational.  When a person is Baptized into the Body, they aren't baptized into a denomination. And as they look at the members of the Body, they need to realize that they should be treating others of higher importance than themselves.  To look out for the welfare and offer kindness to others in the Body of Christ.

The BAPTISM INTO THE FATHER - as we know Jesus, we learn about the Father and develop a relationship with Him.

BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - which gives us the fruit of the Spirit.

WATER BAPTISM - The baptism of John the Baptist, immersion in water as an outward sign of what happened inwardly when we were forgiven of our sins when we accepted Jesus.

The other ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES - laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead (yes, that is an elementary principle), and Eternal Judgment.

There are some who are teaching there is no hell, that even satan will be forgiven in the end. That contradicts the Word of God. When a brother in Christ moves out from the foundations of faith, begins to believe doctrines that do not agree with the Word of God, we can be nice and sweet to them, but our fellowship with them can't be the same for they are not in agreement with the Word of God.

Hebrews 6:3 And this we will do if God permits. The "this" is keeping the foundations of faith.

Hebrews 6:4-5 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,

For those who are enlightened about the basic, elementary principles of faith, that fully understood them, have operated in the signs and wonders, and have received the Holy Spirit and operated in the power of the Holy Spirit. - it is IMPOSSIBLE to:

Hebrews 6:6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

The only way that you can blaspheme the Holy Spirit is if you do all the five things mentioned in verses 1-3, and the fall away, it is impossible to renew into repentance.  Why?  Because you can't crucify the Son of God a second time - Christ died ONCE for our sins.  The bulk of people do not qualify in all five of the areas - so if they fall away, they can repent and return.  It would have to be someone who flowed also in the gifts of the spirit - one example Pastor Don gave was Judas Iscariot.  Also lucifer who knew God, knew Jesus, did signs and wonders, but fell.  There is no way back - it is eternal judgment and ETERNAL JUDGMENT is ETERNAL. Jesus spoke of dead men's bones, white washed tombs. Not everyone would qualify.

Hebrews 6:7  For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God;

We receive blessings from God like the rain that the earth drinks, what comes upon it. We receive the blessings that come from God, we drink and cultivate them.  We drink what God gives - the blessings and authority.  God will not bless what he cannot condone.  Pastor Don spoke about a friend of his who always bought lotto tickets, hoping for the big win. Pastor Don offered to invest the money for this friend, give him the increase in advance, all the friend had to do was to promise not to buy lotto tickets. The man did not do that, and ended up dying of cancer in a state of poverty.

How do we receive?  We receive BY FAITH, BY THE RELATIONSHIP.  We have to know God's heart and when we do then we CONTROL DOUBT AND UNBELIEF.  We fight the feelings of unworthiness, doubt and unbelief.

Pastor Don had us lift up our heads and hands \O/ and open our mouth to receive.  We need to look around every corner in life, knowing that everyday something good is around the corner that we can't see. We can't see what is around the corner until we get there. We walk through life expecting to receive from God with positive expectancy, fulfilling the joy of our daily existence. We are happy we get up to see what God is going to do. Expect it, it is just around the corner.

SILENCE THE MIND. Our thought life can be our worst enemy.  We need to take our thoughts captive. Pastor Don gave the example of what kind of mental thoughts go through our mind when the phone rings at an odd hour.

SILENCE THE MIND - pay attention to our idle thoughts. (Heather's note I keep mistyping idle as idol - but in reality our idle thoughts can be our idols.) God holds us accountable for our idle thoughts, and he doesn't want to hear our inner chatter such as - if she says this, I will say that. God wants to give you good things - don't disqualify yourself by idle thoughts from the blessings God wants to bestow on you.

To silence the mind and receive.

1. Enlarge your spiritual activity. How often do you casually speak in tongues? Some of us only pray in tongues during a church service, but it is not a lifestyle for us. We can speak in tongues quietly, under our breath, as we go through our daily activities. When we are speaking in tongues we kill the idle thoughts that can come in our mind, it helps to empty our mind of garbage.  We are told to pray without ceasing. We can't pray with our understanding incessantly, we would run out of things to say, so when we pray in the spirit, it permits the Holy Ghost to pray with purpose what He knows we need to be praying. It is like turning on a cell phone, and that will guarantee that you receive the call that is coming to you. If you turn off the cell phone, the call won't get through. If our radio is constantly tuned to an AM station with all of it's static and business, we won't be able to hear the still small voice of God. We need to attune ourselves to God's voice.

2. Take time to meditate during the day - this is not the empty the mind buddhist sort of meditation. Meditation means to quietly mutter the Word of God. We focus our mind, not empty our minds.

Pastor Don spoke of his college days when his roommates were experimenting with the ouija board, and it never worked when Pastor Don had his hand on it. He felt that that spirit of the ouija board hated him. Pastor Don asked his friends to ask the spirit of the ouija board why it hated him, and it was that Pastor Don (who wasn't a pastor at the time) had a different spirit, and then it informed him that his friend Rita was at the door. Even the spirits know when we are not open to receiving from them, when we have the spirit of God active in us, the other spirits do not want to deal with us.

We don't empty our mind, for if we empty our mind we can let anything or anyone into our minds - and if it is anything other than God it is dangerous.

When we meditate we can sit for a few minutes each day and think of scriptures. We can look at nature's bounty and thank God for the beauty of His creation, we can look at bits and pieces of the Psalms and quietly mutter one of them. We are focusing on the Spirit and beauty of God. The Holy Spirit will tell us what He wants us to learn through this.

3. MENTAL PROCLAIMATION - We must make our minds come in line with the Word of God - tell our mind it is willing and ready to receive from God. Mentally tell our spirit man what the Spirit of God is wanting him to do. Dictate to our ind and spirit, that I am going to hear from God. God speaks to me. Proclaim it.  We bring our mind, body, and spirit in line with the Word. We can reduce hypertension, increase our health and wisdom. Pastor Don recommended praying Daniel 2:20-23 ...Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers;  You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the king’s demand.

4. Choose your PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT and control it - the time and place where you get something from God. Pick the times and places. For example, Pastor Don expects to receive from God on Sunday, that he will get a Word from the Lord for the people. The world is a noisy place, and we need to find a place where we can get quiet before God.

MAJOR DON"T DO - DON'T GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT.

You grieve the Holy Spirit by formulating assumptions and ignore the commands of God, not taking His Word as commands. Taking what you learn from the Holy Spirit and then assuming another thing later on. Here are some examples from Scripture.

Acts 5:38-42 And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.” And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

The Pharisees and Scribes grieved the Holy Spirit because they said that what the apostles were teaching was not of God. Gamaliel told them to leave the apostles alone, for the fruit of their work would show it to be false or not.

Acts 6:12-14 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law;  for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.”

They accused Stephen of sin, and lied. He would be the first martyr, which we see in Acts Chapter 7.

In Acts 12, Peter is in prison and the church is praying for them.

Acts 12:5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

An angel releases Peter, initially Peter thought it was a dream. Acts 12:11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”

Peter walks to the disciple's place of residence and knocks at the door.

Acts 12:13-16 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.” Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.

Peter knocks, but when Rhoda answers the door, she is so excited she leaves him standing outside and runs to tell the others.  They don't believe that he really was released, but he kept knocking and then the disciples find that it is true and it astonishes the believers.

They were praying continually for something to happen but not believing that it would. They rejected it when it did happen, initially. This is mild in comparison to the following example.

Acts 5:1-3  But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?

They lied to the Holy Spirit. There was nothing wrong with holding back money for their own use, what was wrong was pretending that they had given all to the Church when they had held back some.

Acts 5:4-5 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.

Ananias' wife did the same thing and lied to the Holy Spirit.When Born again members of the church lie, it grieves the Holy Spirit, and in this case he killed them.

Pastor Don then mentioned about Simon the Sorcerer who wanted to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit, and Peter says:

Acts 8:20-24  But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.”

Judas Iscariot took the bread dipped in oil (the Holy Spirit) and ate it, then went out and sold the Savior for 30 pieces of silver.  This grieved the Holy Spirit. Judas had formulated the assumption that God's not doing what he prophesied he would do, and assumed that Jesus would come in a certain way, and Jesus came in a different way.

One other thing that believers do is pray for one thing with their mouths but want something different in their hearts.  They are not sharing their real issues with God.

They are making the assumption that they are afraid to bring their hearts desire to God, for fear that He will not respond to this desire. We need to share with God what we really want. He wants us to be honest with Him.  Some are afraid to ever pray to God about their real concerns, and the devil is waiting there to come in and cause havoc, for the people haven't been honest with God.

We will reach deeper levels of trust only when we can trust God. We don't need to tell God how to do what we need. We can trust that He will do what He's going to do, and He's going to do it in His perfect time, His perfect way. We can trust that He has it under control.

The devil hears us when we pray.  Pastor Don gave an example from the movie Ghost Busters where everyone had to keep their minds empty, and one person decided to think a seemingly harmless thought about the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man - and had no idea that it would turn into something so huge that it destroyed cars and people.

We can't do that to God. We don't want to box God.  Give God free reign in your life. If you try and tell God how to do it the way you think that it should be done you will be in serious trouble. We want to do it God's way in God's timing.

Jesus could have avoided the cross had he chosen to bow to satan - and Jesus would have had the rule of the Kingdoms of the Earth, but He never would have rose to greatness if He did not go by way of the Cross.

Paul suffered much for Jesus, and was willing to go through what he went through, although probably in his flesh he would rather have had a different answer to prayer.

We do not want to tell God how to do what He wants to do for us.  Instead, just be ready to receive and trust Him. God is not out to hurt you or withhold from you.  Sometimes receiving your blessings takes time. Never confuse the fleshly desires with God's desires for you. God wants to feed your soul more than your ego. 

We then went up to the sanctuary and sat waiting on God, with the prayer in our minds that He will bless me tonight, and we are praying to receive what God has for us, and we are ready to receive.

God showed up big. 

Heather's note - take some time today and ask God what He wants you to receive, and receive it. He has great blessings for you.

Heather

Get out of the River by Pastor Ernest Fink

We were blessed to have Pastor Ernest Fink speak at King's Fire in Lake Katrine. Pastor Fink spoke some one line wonders that I have placed in all caps.  Some statements are so incredible that they are well worth noting. His whole message is well worth hearing - for he has shared truths so valuable for these end times.

2 Chronicles 20:20c Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.

Pastor Fink spoke about how he needed to learn how to fight like a Christian.  He met his wife when she was 15, she prevailed over him, and they have been married for 39 years.

He told us that FAITH WITHOUT EXPRESSION ISN'T FAITH.

God is a family man, and we need to be tougher sheep - Lambos (rhymes with Rambo).

The river is refreshing and many love to be in the river, but we need to be harvesting the minerals from the river and all the good stuff in the river and taking it out into the world.

When Pastor Fink was younger he met Jesus, but from the age of 16-20 he spent some time doing what he calls "stupid."  This gave him a testimony, and fortunately for him there was a person in his life who kept praying for him and helping him to come back to the Lord.

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO HELL IF WE DO NOTHING. The Gospel is about people.  Pastor Fink praised God for those who prayed for him when he was in rebelion.  When he was 17 years old a friend of the family cornered him in the kitchen and spoke with him.  This man had prostrate cancer, but God would later miraculously heal him. This man told Pastor Fink that God had a call on his life.  The man's words were like deep calling to deep in Pastor Fink's life.

There is a difference between Facts and Truth. The facts were this man had cancer, the truth was that Jesus died for us 2000 years ago and the man was healed. We need to believe the truth, not look at the outward facts of our circumstances. This person who spoke into Pastor Fink's life was miraculously healed.

We can get into a dangerous place if we are not careful what we hunger for.  YOU HUNGER FOR WHATEVER YOU FEED ON.

There is nothing like the Church when it works.
There is nothing like the Church when it doesn't work.

It is good to spend time in the River, but we need to get out of the River.  Often we use our reasoning to make excuses for why we are not doing what God has called us to do. We need to discern the difference between good and evil, and the Bible will help us to do that.

The Spirit of God speaks mysteries to us, and these mysteries are not always completely revealed.  Colossians 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

We need to remember the lyrics - Great BIG God, little bitty devil.  God wants to touch you.  We need a paradigm shift, asking for greater grace to expedite the transition to greater glory. We need habitation from God, revival.

He had us laughing about a dream he had as a child about a witch flying around on a hot dog.

Then Pastor Fink told us how one night he was tired and went to bed and had a dream about being in a hotel room with 2 Godly men and a prostitute. He knew that the 2 Godly men had partaken of the prostitute, and he could feel her trying to seduce him as well. She was trying to pull him into her spell. But he knew to resist the devil.  James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. He resisted, but there was shame on the other two men. He woke up thinking that it was time for revival.

At 5 AM when he woke up thinking about revival, he looked up the etymology of the Word revival and saw:  from Latin:  revivere "to live again," from re- "again" + vivere "to live". It comes from the root of the word for VITAL, as in revitalization.  In revival, those who are dead become alive.

Pastor Fink prayed about the meaning of the dream and God showed him that the prostitute was some of those in the Church who have been seduced by things of the world, the lust, pride, etc. 

We want to be the generation of the Church that is revived, alive, ready for the rapture.  WE WILL NOT GO UP UNTIL WE GROW UP. In the last days the elect will be revived.  If it isn't broken don't fix it.  Stick with the foundations of the Church.  God wants us to take the resources He has provided for us and use them.  We are called to occupy until He comes.  We are to become equipped and then go out and reach the nations.  Take the Gospel into the market places.  To use our resources wisely, not just financial resources.  But remember, IF IT IS NOT ENOUGH FOR YOUR NEED, IT IS YOUR SEED.  Make your calling and your election sure.  The 5-fold ministry will help to mold you.

There is a shifting and movement in the Body of Christ.  Some of the church splits are of the devil, others are of God.  IF THE CHURCH IS NOT OF ONE VISION THAT BRINGS DIVISION. 

The Baptism of Fire is one of the 7 baptisms in the New Covenant.  It is a type of Christian Experience.  John the Baptist preached a Baptism of Repentance - he totally immersed those he baptized, he didn't just sprinkle them.  Where did we ever get the idea of sprinkling?

We need to realize both the goodness and the severity of God.  God does not want adultery either toward the Church (wrong teachings), Himself, or your wife. 

The great revivals were brought into being because of repentance.  We need to repent of sin, a sin consciousness destroys our sense of righteousness. The war with sin is over - we need to wake to our awareness of rightstanding with God.  We have a new freedom IN CHRIST. Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

People need Jesus to find their freedom, and there are so many that do not have Him. Every 90 seconds a teenager takes their life by suicide, the elderly are also alone and many take their lives as well.  We need to get out of the river and take Christ to the people who need Him so badly. Eighty percent of those who come to Christ come to Him because they were brought to Him by a friend or relative. 

The Holy Ghost gives us power so we can be a worker in the field.  The fruit of a Christian is another Christian.  We need to be discipling people and bringing them to Christ. Take the anointing - revive and refresh ourselves in the river, and then take it back into the world to reach others for Christ. Our financial lack is often indicative of a lack of evangelism.  Sheep reproduce sheep - they don't reproduce shepherds. 

The things we know, the Word of Knowledge, and the other giftings are not for ourselves, but to be used to reach others.  We are not to be a dry boat rider, but a wet road worker.  Jesus came to bring people to wholeness.  Take what God gives you.

There is Davidic worship which is uninhibited worship.  We have the things in the Spirit, but lately we have gotten in the habit of worshipping worship.  We are washed in the Word, and need to bring this out into the world.

1 John 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. We have the anointing from God, and do know all things.  This gifting is for the revival, and using of the Word of Knowledge to reach others.

Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

There are two different words for "knowledge" in the Bible.  Gnosis -which is informational and epignosis - which is experiential knowledge.

All the patriarchs died in faith, having seen the promises from afar off - they knew them, but did not experience the promises.  They believed them BY FAITH.  They went beyond feeling.

We need to go beyond the need to just feel good about ourselves. Don't define our life by our circumstances and environment.  There is a difference between happiness (circumstantially related) and joy (the joy of the Lord).  We are on a Christian journey - some things will seem good to us, others challenging, but we want to savor the JOURNEY, not the circumstances.

Pastor Fink spoke about his time in the Pentecostal Holiness church, and how people would come up to him and tell him the things that he needed to do to be holy - things like read 10 chapters of the Bible a day.  This seems like good advice, but what if he can only read 8 chapters a day?  Does he feel condemned for lack of two chapters?  There were laws about fasting and clothing styles, haircuts, etc.  Because of the legalism, the laws, sin abounded. 

We need to remember that we are no longer under the law, under sin.  Every sin we committed in the past, in the present, and will commit in the future is covered by the Blood of Christ.  Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

The shed Blood of Jesus speaks better than Abel, for there is redemption through Jesus, and that gives us access to the Throne of God. Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Colossians 1:12-14 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.  He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,  in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

We are qualified and accepted in the Lord.

Pastor Fink reminded us of the song lyrics:  He paid a debt He did not owe; I owe a debt I could not pay; I needed someone to wash my sins away; and now I sing a brand new song; Amazing Grace all day long; Jesus paid a debt I could not pay.

There is potential for your life.  We don't want to stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and tell Him why we did not use the resources He provided for us.  We seem to think that we will be totally happy in Heaven, but the Bible tells us that He will wipe away our tears.  He will wipe away the tears that we will shed for all the opportunities we have passed up to serve Him here on earth, where we were just splashing around in the river, having a good time, playing games, but not reaching out with what we acquired in the river to reach souls. 

God is not interested in us feeling good about ourselves. Yes, we have the joy of the Lord, but there are times when things will not "feel" good on earth as we go about doing His business. Pastor Fink was poisoned 2 times serving God, attacked by the Hindus, and had challenges in his ministry.  He kept reminding himself.  1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

The Patriarchs in Hebrews 11 viewed the promises afar off.  REVELATION IS CAUGHT NOT TAUGHT.  We have to have an open spirit.  All revelation is from the Word.  ALL WORD - NO SPIRIT = DRIED UP.   ALL SPIRIT, NO WORD = BLOWN UP.  THE SPIRIT AND THE WORD ARE NEEDED TOGETHER AND MUST AGREE.

The devil used to make Pastor Fink nervous, now he makes the devil nervous. He uses the gifts, the power of God, and the Word to get people saved. Many in the Body of Christ accept Jesus' death on the Cross for our sins, but are not receiving ALL the promises He has to offer.  We have the answer to what this city needs.  We do not need to all remain within the walls of one church - we need to be equipped to be scattered. 

Pastor Fink spoke about the vision of Jacob's ladder where the angels ascended and descended. Jesus saw Nathaniel under the fig tree and told him John 1:50-51 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” The angels are already here. 

God told Pastor Fink that the greatest sin he has ever committed is the sin of prayerlessness.  If we ask we shall receive.  John 14:13-14 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. Luke 11:9-10 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

If we ask we shall receive, we can't use finances as an excuse or a problem to keep us from doing what God wants us to do.  If we ask we shall receive. We will receive enough money to scatter it. Joseph sowed seed in a time of famine.  There are the principles of seed time and harvest.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF 12 MONTHS FROM NOW?

We are YO-YO CHRISTIANS - if things are going good we say, "Hallelujah."  If they are going badly we back away. 

We need another paradigm.  Once we have become born again, as the scriptures tell us old things have passed away.  2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Pastor Fink started telling us at one point he said things like, "I try to do things like Jesus. I got knowledge. I this and I that."  He said that when he realized that what he was doing in his legalistic way of pursuing Christ was focusing on himself - me, me, me, - it caused him to become all puffed up. He had to change what he was saying about himself, focusing on God, not on himself.

As a Pentecostal Holiness believer - he did not watch TV - considering it the one-eyed devil, or called it DevilVision.  But he found recordings of sermons - at one time it was reel-to-reel, then cassette - and he listened to all the teaching of Alexander Scourby, and started listening to the Bible all the time.  Much of what Pastor Fink did at that time was to say, look at me. But then he got convicted when he remembered: Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Pastor Fink realized he had to get out of the river and do something.  He shared about a man who came to Christ two years ago.  This man was an addict and his addiction had destroyed his family, all he had was the church.  He came to a point where he decided that he did not want to follow the "rules and regulations" of the church, and withdrew.  He came back to the Church and Pastor Fink told him that if he went back to his sin of addiction, that God was going to remove his hand of protection from the man.  The man took drugs and died of a massive heart attack. It really hurts us when we see people withdraw from the church and turn back to those things that once bound them, and then proceed to destroy their lives. We would rather they take their freedom of choice and choose to stay close to Jesus.

When we fall back under the law it is demonic, and makes it hard for us to get free.  Christ came to fulfill the law, and it is through Christ that we gain salvation.  No one can keep the law in their own power.  We need to get back to what is foundational in our faith, to use everything Christ has made available to us to reach people for Christ.  Let our lights shine before us.  Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Get refreshed - renewed - encouraged - equipped - and then get out of here to reach others for Christ.

We are all aware of man's inhumanity to man, without Christ it becomes quite barbaric.  But Christ came to bring peace, and we have wonderful visions of that peace - Isaiah 11:6-8 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.

We want to live in righteousness, not iniquity.  Now is the time to occupy, to anoint with oil.  THE DEVIL IS A DREAM THIEF.  WHATEVER HAS HURT YOU CAN HEAL YOU. WHATEVER YOU HAVE SHIED AWAY FROM, DRAW CLOSER TO.  WHATEVER YOU HAVE SEEN FROM AFAR OFF, YOU NEED TO LAY CLAIM TO.

Paul speaks to Timothy and tells him 2 Timothy 1:6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

We need to stir ourselves up, encourage ourselves, pray over ourselves, so that we do His will on earth. Philippians 3:12  Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

We will face challenges as we go forward to do good in Christ - for the devil will check us out to see if what we say we believe in, we really believe in our heart, not just our head.  We can do warfare by proxy.  Pastor Fink told us his father told him, "Son if you think you are going to hell, you're in the wrong family."  We need a sense of destiny.  When we look at someone who is hurting, we need to see them differently than what appearances show - we need to see them as Christ sees them. 

We can have a thought that is not of God, but it doesn't have to take root  in our lives.  A bird can fly over our heads, but we don't have to let it nest.  Some will die and not get the revelation by faith.  Others will hold to the promises that the scriptures give us. Don't say anything different from what the Scriptures tell us.

Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Pastor Fink shared about how he and his wife went through a rough spot in their marriage, and he almost left her - reminding us how wives seem to "change" after the marriage. (this made us laugh) He and his wife went into separate rooms and prayed, and he came out realizing that the devil was the one trying to rip apart their marriage - his wife had already told him that, but it confirmed what was happening.  They made a decision to not give into the devil and they are still together 39 years later. 

YOU NEED TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO STOP YOUR DEVIL. 

Psalm 37:23-24 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand.

We need to get equipped and submit to God.  The principles of Christ create peace, give prosperity, but it can also mean sacrifice. 

We need to begin to meditate on the truth, on the Word of God. It all starts with a seed thought.  It is not like the meditation of the buddhists, where they seek nothingness, we meditate by taking the Word and the promises of God and reflecting on them.

Pastor Fink prayed for Haiti, and saw it in prayer, before he ever went to the country.  He saw it afar off, and knew that he had won the victory for Christ in Haiti. 

When God gives us instructions to go into the world, we need to know that we have the revelation to do what He says.  We do not come out of the river dry.  We embrace the vision for God, confess it before we ever see it.  We see it before we do it.  We need to stir ourselves up.

Speak in tongues, pray in tongues for that builds us up.  Tongues will help us to battle whatever satan throws at us.  James 4:2c Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

Prayer is the key to Heaven.  At one point Pastor Fink was under spiritual, demonic attack, and he prayed in tongues - loudly.  He asked in tongues what he didn't know how to articulate in English.  He prayed with groanings and utterances in tongues. The demonic fled.

Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Pastor Fink closed by praying a corporate prayer with us, equipping us to go and do Christ's work in the nations, to step out in faith.

Praying your day is blessed!

Heather

Atonement for Sin by Pastor Don

Below is the transcript for the Say Amen TV Show on TBN East Coast. Remember what is in [brackets] is what the congregation says.  This is typed verbatim.  Praying your day is blessed.

Say Amen
Show 132
ATONEMENT FOR SIN
9/27/09

Tonight when the sun goes down I will enter into the fast for sundown to sundown.  So, Pastor Don won't be eating.  Is it required of you Gentiles, those of you that are Gentiles?  No, it's not required, but why do we do the Jewish holidays when we're not Jewish?  We do them because the Bible tells us that these Jewish things, the feasts and the holidays, were sent to the Jews as a tutor.  They're to teach us something.  Therefore, when a Gentile comes and knows that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah.  Whoa!  What a novel idea.  Jesus was Jewish.  [hallelujah]   Whoa!  What a novel idea.  Ought not we then know some Jewish stuff?  [right]  It is required of us to understand that if our Savior was Jewish, and lived in the Jewish land, and ministered to the people through the Jewish text, and revealed and then fulfilled the feast holidays, if He was the fulfilling of all the things that were Jewish, then we ought to know some Jewish stuff. 

It doesn't make us a Jew because it says that we are grafted into the tree.  Which means that originally we were something else.  And then we were joined to someone else and we became a new creature in Christ.  Didn't we?  [yeah]  Didn't we?  I said, "Didn't we?"  [yes]  And so I ministered to you from 2 Corinthians 5:17 that if you are in Christ, you are a new creation, old things are... [passed away]  ...passed away, and behold, [all things]  not a few things, how many things?  [all things]  All things become new.  Therefore, we have to understand, what is this newness that God has given us, and why has He given it to us? 

Why can't we just stay the same old person, doing the same old stuff?  Well, the reason is, we'll get the same old results.  [come on]  And if we keep doing, it's a definition of insanity, if you keep doing the same thing, you think you're going to get a different result, you're crazy.  If you keep doing the same thing, the same way, you're going to get the same result.  But in Christ, He has come to us as a Jewish Messiah, trying to give us, through the Jewish law, an understanding of what He was really about and what His goal was, and what was He trying to accomplish.  So, let's do a little bit of basic, basic little mind game here and see if we can't go all the way back to the very beginning and understand a few things.  Are you ready?  [ready] 

Eternal God who sits in Heaven is a supernatural being.  He is a spirit being.  And in our understanding, God knows that we couldn't fully understand Him.  There is no way that the creature can understand the Creator.  That's a basic principle.  The creature cannot understand the Creator.  Ladies, if you make an apple pie, the apple pie has wonderment as it bathes in it's juices and sauces, and it looks up at you.  It goes, "What is she?"   The apple pie only knows about apple seeds and trees.  It has no comprehension of the wonder of the creator of the pie. 

Therefore, you as a created creature, how dare you think that you can understand and define God.  [amen]  So we have to realize then, that the reality is that we don't understand everything.  [amen]  We only understand what God reveals to us at the time that He reveals it to us.  Can you live with that?  [yes]  Obviously, some people cannot...

Some people's faith stop at their level of knowledge... I'm going to let that just sink in for a minute.  Should I say it again?  Some people's faith stop at their level of knowledge... They only have faith for what they know, the way they know it... And when they get into an area where they don't know everything, their faith is... weak.  Amen!  [amen]  Hallelujah!  [hallelujah]  Praise the Lord.  [Praise the Lord]  Glory to God. 

So, God steps out into space, or wherever He steps, whenever He steps.  We don't know where He steps, because no man has really, truly seen God.  So we don't really know where He stepped to, when He stepped out in space.  [laughter]  And He gets a great idea.  He says, "Let Us...make man in Our own image."  We can't really wrap our heads around that.  We are a Spirit  being who lives in a physical body.  That's a problem.  Because our physical body then tries to comprehend and understand the Spirit.  Problem.  God though, doesn't have that problem. 

So God gives us a little information when He says, "Us,"  He is talking about this triune being.  He's talking about this great Spirit, the Father, who also has a Spirit, the Son, who also has a Spirit, the Holy.  [Spirit]  Right, no I'm just calling Him the Holy, He's just the Holy.  The Holy Spirit.  And then we find out that there are seven spirits of God.  That's Isaiah, Chapter 11 if you want to look it up.  So, now, what does God say?  He says, "Let Us make man."  And then He says, "Okay, we're going to make man.  Good idea."  And He makes man. 

Only difference is that man is a spirit who is in a physical body.  God is a Spirit, but He's not in a physical body unless He wants to be.  [right]  Come on, somebody.  I said, unless He wants to be.  [amen]  So, God is a Spirit, who can be in a physical body, if He wants to be.  But His general condition is God is Spirit.  The Son of God, is a Spirit.  He is a Spirit who chose to be in a body. 

Now we have to ask ourselves, why would the Son of God, who is a Spirit, He is the Word, the Logos, that's His real name.  His real name is the Logos.  He is the Spirit or the voice of God.  He is the Angel or the Messenger of God.  In the Old Testament, that's what Jesus is described as.  But Jesus doesn't exist until Jesus goes into a physical body.  Therefore Jesus technically, watch out now.  Let me shake you up.  Jesus is not the direct definition of who the Logos is.  [right]  The Word.  It says the Word was God, the Word was with God, and the Word is God.  Well, wait a minute, if the Word is God, who's Jesus?  Jesus is the Word who came into a physical body  [right]  2000 years ago...  He put on a man suit, for a reason, 2000 years ago. 

We would be more appropriate when we pray to pray to the Word... Or to pray to Adonai, or Elohim.  The old Jews knew that there was a problem because the word, "Us," is multiple as opposed to a singular.  So God expresses Himself as a singular God, multiple manifestations.  So we run into a problem when we, the created one, wants to understand this sovereign God.  And so great debates, great theological debates are raged over who is God, what is God, how are we going to define God?  And we're going to reduce God down to something that we can comprehend.  You cannot comprehend the Creator of the universe.  [right]  How are you going to do that?  How in the world are you going to understand the multi-faceted, supernatural, all powerful, omnipotent, omniscient, gracious, holy, merciful, great, expansive, all knowing, super ability, super power, unlimited capability.  How are you going to grasp that?  How are you going to wrap your brain around that?  You don't even understand your wife.  [laughter]  How can you understand God. 

We can only go by what He says that we can kinda, kinda hope we can understand.  [that's right] ... You know, one of the greatest men that ever lived was Job.  And Job goes through all this wonderful, great wisdom, and talking and God finally interrupts the conversation, and says, "Hold on a minute."  He says, "Now I will question you.  I will question you.  How did I put the stars in the sky?  How did I make Leviathan, and Behemoth?"  And He starts asking Job these questions that he can't answer. 

So, when you listen to the radio and TV to these guys who wax eloquent about there is no God, and they understand God, and whatever.  You need to laugh.  I just laugh at them.  I mean, I laugh at them.  They don't even know how their bodies work, let alone they're going to understand God.  But we can understand what God has said in His Word that He wanted us to know.  And here's what He wanted us to know.  When He stepped out on space, He decided He wanted to make man, cause He wanted to hang out with us.  [amen]  That's about as far as you can get to the purpose of God making man. 

Because God, unto Himself, is fully complete.  He needs nothing and no one else.  He is El Shaddai.  He is Jehovah Rapha.  He is Jehovah Tsidkenu.  He is all of those Jehovah's, but even before we found out about all the Jehovah's, He said, "I AM THAT I AM."  [amen]  And that means He was the all-sustaining One who needs no one and needs nothing else.  He always was, always is, always will be.  He is the great I AM.  He is the ever present, all powerful One.  I could go on for hours, and still not define Him.  [bring it on]  Not even touch Him... But for some reason, the great I AM said, "I want some idiots to hang out with."  [laughter]  "I want some prideful, obnoxious, stiff-necked people, that think they know everything, and don't know nothing.  But I'm going to surround myself with billions of them, for some reason." 

God has to do something about our sin, about our uncleanness, about the way we talk, about the places we go to, about the things that we do.  He's got to get rid of that so He can hang out with us.  [yeah, hallelujah, applause]  He can't take us the way that we are because sin is in our nature.  It's what we do.  It's what we think about.  Our minds are in opposition to God.  We live a mental life of unbelief and doubt.  When God says you can do it, we go, no we can't.  When God says, it's yours, you can have it, we go, no, I'm not worthy of it.  When God says you're mine, I love you, I'll never leave you or forsake you, we go, oh no, I don't believe it.  I'm not ready for that.  [Jesus] 

He's got to get rid of all of that, so He can hang out with us.  Because, given an opportunity between choosing right and choosing wrong, we just gravitate over and we'll pick the wrong thing.  We'll just go over there and then we're so smart, we'll justify it.  We'll make excuses for why we did it.  And we'll blame somebody else.  The wife will blame the husband.  The husband'll blame the wife.  The kids'll blame the parents, and everybody's a mess.  There aren't enough shrinks to fix all of our stuff.  At some point it has to be atoned for.  At some point it has to be forgiven.  At some point we have to turn it over to God because He can fix it because He knows what has to be removed. 

Therefore, Jesus says to the Father, I will go down on the earth.  I will put on a human suit.  I will pay for their sin.  I will pay the price to remove the packaging so that we can get to the good fruit.  Somebody that understands that, say, "Praise the Lord."  [Praise the Lord, applause]  We're not all that. 

The only thing that you have control over in your body is your blood... [thank you Lord]  God created everything else and He maintains control over it.  But God gives you blood, which is the life force.  And the life force runs through your body...  And what you do, while you live in your body, concerning your blood, which is the carrier of life.  It carries life, throughout your body, or it carries death throughout your body... That's the only real thing that you have to control...

But God, since He has given you the life force, and He has declared that life is in the blood.  When He gave that blood to you, that blood was holy.  That blood was clean.  When you came into the world it was only carrying disease if you were born of a parent who was a disease carrier... And that's why things are moved from the first generation to the second, to the third, even unto the fourth generation.  So the life force is in the what?  [blood]  The life force is in the blood.  The blood. 

And therefore, what happened in the Garden of Eden, wasn't that it was a physical sin.  As much as it was a sin against the life force.  For God designed your body to carry blood throughout your body to bring you health, to bring you repair, and it was supposed to remain sin free... And that's why throughout the Old Testament there is, when you kill an animal, you are to drain out it's blood before you eat the steak.  The reason is because, that blood is the domain of God.  It is the thing that he has given to the individual  animal and therefore, you have no rights over its blood over the life force that is in it, so the blood is to be drained out. 

Because the blood is the carrier either of the sin or it's the carrier of the blessing.  And you have no right over the authority of it to take another human's life because you are taking his God-given life force.  [yes]  And that's why murder is a sin.  Because you are not to kill and stop and destroy the blood of the life force that God gave that you could not create.  How many of you created the blood that is in you?  You didn't.  You only recycled it, by either eating healthy, you recycled it.  Your body made more blood, or it didn't.  You are a blood factory.  Your body is the only, your body replenishes the blood.  It moves good things through your system, and around and through your body. 

Therefore, when a man sins, and God is going to punish him, watch this now.  The only thing that he has to deal with is the life force is what you have corrupted.  Your sin has perverted and corrupted the life force that is in you, which is the blood... And therefore, God says, your blood will be required of you if you sin. Because why?  Watch this, it's the only thing that you produce that you can use as payment. 

Well you say, why, if I sin, why can't I pay with money?  Well, wait a minute.  That money didn't come from you... The money came from, maybe the sweat of your brow, but what did you do?  You grew tomatoes.  You took the tomatoes to the market place, but guess what?  You say you grew the tomatoes, but you didn't.  [yeah]  You didn't grow them.  God grew them by designing it so that that thing would reproduce.  So you say, "I'll kill a goat, and I'll sell the goat."  Wait a minute.  You didn't grow the goat.  I don't care if you even cloned him.  The cloning process is still something that we fell upon due to what?  Knowledge of science, of the process of life that God put here.  [amen] 

I'm trying to help you.  If you get this, it'll change your life.  Because most of us don't understand why God punishes us, why sin is a problem, and why we have to pay for our sin.  You have to pay for your sin with something that you produce.  The only thing in life that you truly produce was the blood system in you, that God designed.  But it's the only thing that you have total, absolute control over.  Therefore, it's the only currency that you can use to pay for sin, is your blood.  [come on] 

What are you going to do?  You sinned, you're going to go get one of your kids and bring them over there?  You didn't birth that kid!  That kid came from the process that God designed.  That's God's kid.  You can't take the kid over and say, UNHNN, take my kid to cover my sins.  And that's why God hates abortion.  That's why He hates human sacrifice.  That's why He hates, it's an abomination to Him, because you are taking something that is not yours and you're using it to pay for your sin.  [come on]  How are we doing?  Are we alright?  [right on] 

You are the only thing that you have to produce is your own blood.  And it came from God, but your body produces it, therefore, your blood is required of you when you sin.  [yeah]  So God says, if Pastor Don is mean to his wife, I sinned against my wife, I curse her, I abuse her, and whatever, whatever.  God then says, His blood is required of him.  What am I going to pay with?  Her car?  I'm going to take her car and give it to God?  God don't need her car.  And I get really personal, I go, I'll take my car.  God take my car.  Receive my car for payment of my sins.  God says, wait a minute.  That won't work.  The only thing that you have that you have full control over is your blood, Don.  Give me some blood, that'll pay for the sin against your wife... What else can you pay with?  What currency can you pay with?  You're going to do good works to pay for your sins?  I don't think so.  The only currency that you have is that which you really have. 

Cain slew Abel.  What was the problem.  Abel brought his sacrifice willingly to God.  Cain didn't want to bring it at all.  And so he gave God just some stuff.  And so, what did God say?  He says, "Satan is waiting.  Satan's waiting for you to slip up.  Guess what's required of you now?  Your blood."  It says that Abel's blood was crying out from the ground.  Abel's blood was crying out.  What's it crying out for?  He's crying out that his debt of death, the taking of his life, of his blood, the only way that Cain could pay for it was that Abel's blood is crying out from the ground, that Cain's blood should now be spilled to pay for Abel's blood, his death. 

We're still fussing and fuming and acting like little kids because why?  The only way Adam and Eve could pay for their sin would have been to die.  God would have had to come in the Garden and say, "You guys sinned."  And He almost did. You know.  Adam says, "This woman you gave me."  So Adam was already trying to get her killed.  [laughter]  "This woman you gave me.  It's her fault."  And what did she do?  She was slick, she says, "That didn't work.  The woman/man thing didn't work.  The serpent."  She blamed the serpent.  Right?  [amazing]  Come on.  How many of you all read your Bibles?  She blamed the serpent.  He blamed her and she blamed the serpent.  [right]  ... They both got kicked out.  And the only way they could have paid for it was with their blood. 

Does anybody understand what I'm telling.  That's the only thing they have.  Adam could have done this.  He could have said, "Lord, You're right.  I sinned.  You made me ruler over the earth, and she's a part of the earth.  I should have taken dominion over this and said, "No, honey.  Don't listen to the serpent.  Matter of fact, the serpent is (stomps)  under my foot.  We'll not listen to Him baby.""  [amen]  "We'll not listen to him. Today, let's go get some mango and papaya. [laughter]  God made it for us and it's right over here."  But they didn't do that.  Therefore, their blood is required of them, is the only currency they had in the Garden, they would have had to pay. 

But what did God do?  God accepted a substitute.  [right, right]  He accepted a substitute.  God, Himself, killed an animal, took the skins so that they could cover their shameful bodies.  So that their sin would be covered.  And He accepted it as an atoning sacrifice, the blood of the animal that was slain to cover their sin.  I think somebody's getting this now.  [yeah]  That was the first atoning sacrifice.  Was it perfect?  No!  It was substitutionary.  How many of you all can say that?  [substitutionary]  A little louder.  [substitutionary]  A substitutionary sacrifice is a good one, but it's not the best. 

When you go to court for an infraction, and the judge says, "Listen, we're going to postpone this, we're going to postpone this, in contemplation of dismissal."  That is substitutionary.  Because he could fine you, or he could lock you up as a direct payment for the crime you committed. But he is saying, "We will accept a substitute.  I will take your word that for the next 18 months, you will not violate the law.  Therefore, as a substitute, we are accepting that.  But guess what, it's still on the books.  If you blow it, we're coming to get you."  [yes]  Did anybody get that?  [yes] 

Therefore, the sacrifice of animals, the blood of animals was a substitute, but it really wasn't direct payment because animal blood and human blood are not the same.  [yeah]  Everybody got that?  [right]  Therefore, animals could only be a substitute.  They could only be a postponement for the penalty of sin.  A postponement for the penalty of guilt.  A postponement for evil done.  We'll accept animal blood for awhile. 

But the ultimate goal was what?  I want man to hang out with me without the box, without the plastic, without the seeds.  Therefore, at some point in time the substitute has to be done away with, and we're going to have to have some real blood, honey.  We're going to have to have some real clean, purified blood that is able to pay for the sin of man.  We're going to have to have the real deal at some point.  No credit card, it's going to have to be a direct blood transaction here.  There's gonna to be no phony promises.  You're not going to wave a chicken over your head and that's going to get it.  You're not going to do some voodoo ceremony and that's going to get it.  You're not going to be mad at God and think that that's going to pay for it.  You're not going to work real hard in the harvest field.  You're not going to work hard in the church and that's going to do it.  Some real, down, red blood is the only thing that's going to pay for that sin. 

And aren't you glad Jesus the Christ gave up His blood to pay for your sin?  [cheering]  Jesus, the Holy One, the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, lived a life without sin, and He gave everything He had for you.  [hallelujah]  That's what we're celebrating.  That's what this week of atonement is about.  That we recognize that the real blood was paid so that we could go free.  So that we could get out of the box, rip out of the plastic, and destroy the seeds and step forth into the light of God and say, "I am purified by the blood of the Lamb."  [hallelujah]  "I'm made righteous by the blood of the Lamb."  [hallelujah]  And when He comes He will see no sin in my blood... When the Father comes, He will see the atoning sacrifice of the Son.  He will see that my sins have been paid for by His sacrifice.  And I will hang out with Him forever.  [amen, amen, amen]