The personal experience of a young Christian believer. Part II

Written and posted by Jean-Louis. 2/12
  Continued... There as I sat on a bar stool and ordered a drink, the man next to me with the imposing physique of a huge football player asked me in a “basso profundo” booming voice: “Who, are, you? “

Who wouldn´t be intimidated? I certainly was. So with my best French accent, I recited my resume, name, birth place and other data that we usually give total strangers when we are introduced. This went on for a while as the man kept repeating the same question and didn´t seem to be satisfied with my adding each time true, factual answers about myself. But inside, my chest was heaving as I sensed God asking me the same question: who are you Jean-Louis? Are you going to properly identify yourself or are you ashamed of me?
Bear in mind that I had not yet read the verse on Christ being ashamed of us if we are ashamed of Him. 

The Lord Jesus in Mark 8:38 declares: If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

So finally, unable to resist the pressure of the Spirit, I told the man: OK, let´s go sit down in a quiet corner so we can talk undistracted and I can tell you who I really am.
The man replied: "well, that´s better” as if he knew something that escaped me and was setting me up for a strange encounter. 

Up to that day, I had been shielded, being around Christians and had never had to be in a confrontational situation as this. I proceeded to tell the man that I was a new born again believer and shared with him my testimony of how God had brought me miraculously to the US and had changed my heart and my life.

He, in turn shared how he had turned his back on God and felt his life was a wreck without any hope of finding his way back to his relationship with Jesus. He had become a hopeless drunk. He even passed me a bad check in exchange for a few dollars so he could buy liquor.

After a long heart to heart conversation, I told him about the grace and mercy of God and that if he had done it for me, a wretched sinner,  he would do it for him also. All he had to do was to repent of his sins and ask forgiveness and God would accept him back into the relationship and help him to lead a victorious life.

He was truly touched by my words and his countenance brightened up. He told me to wait for him and that he was going to bring me back a present to thank me.
A few minutes later, he walks to the table with a big black bible and hands it to me as a gift for having taken the time to listen to his story and given him a ray of hope.

To be continued.

The personal testimony of a young Christian believer. Part I.

Written and posted by Jean-Louis. 2/2012
I would like to share with you a personal experience I had with the Lord right after my spiritual new birth which has taught me 4 basic principles which have served to strengthen and sustain my faith. In his goodness and grace, the Lord demonstrated his care and loving-kindness to me by giving me what I call a shot of colostrum in my first steps as a baby Christian along with the spiritual milk of his word. He was preparing me for the weaning that happens as a natural stage in the baby´s growth and the long walk through the desert that was awaiting me.
These principles are:

• We might be doing a good, spiritual, church related activity or service, but actually Jesus-Christ our head may have something different and better that he wants us to do, that is his will for us at the present time, no matter what the circumstances look like to our human eyes.
• Listen to the inner guiding voice of the Holy Spirit in you. With time you will recognize it just like you are able to recognize the particular tone of voice of your loved ones.
• Do not be ashamed of your Lord and Savior Jesus-Christ. and of the Gospel he commanded us to proclaim.
• The Bible is the true revealed word of God. You can trust it as God will speak to you and guide your walk through its pages with the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

Just a few weeks after I was born again -twenty-two years old at the time - I had been going to a Baptist church and joined the choir as people encouraged me to participate in activities. I was giving my testimony on a Christian radio show, enjoyed reading and learning from the Bible, going to church and being fed by My Father´s providential hand.

I had the same exhilarated feeling as when I first put my foot on the US soil just to celebrate my first Christmas with my American sponsor´s family, that of an immigrant who is starting a new life in the land of freedom where nobody knows or cares about your past and where you can look forward to a new exciting life full of opportunities.
One Thursday afternoon as I was walking to the church for choir rehearsal, I felt an inner prompting to turn around and go to the bar in a seedy part of town where I had been drinking a few weeks ago with a friend of mine before I became a believer. This thought left me confused as I stopped in my track not understanding what was happening.

I had barely started reading the New Testament, was not aware of the Holy Spirit as a teacher, a guide and all of his ministry in the believer´s life. I was afraid of being late for practice and went on a few more steps when the impression got stronger. I thought it strange and a temptation to prevent and sidetrack me from doing my service to my new found God. So I walked on until the third prompting was so intensely felt that I just had to turn around and walk back to the bar.
To be continued.

Beauty for Ashes

Written and published by Jean-Louis. 12/2011

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen– for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Cor. 4:17, 18.

This morning as I was writing a message to a friend, I noticed that we use the letters and number B4A, as short for Beauty for Ashes (a community on Facebook) taken from Isaiah 61:3: "and provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor".

As I was thinking that alphabetically A comes before B, a verse came to mind from I Corinthians 15 that says: v. 46 "The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual". Suddenly, I saw more clearly the application of both verses about the resurrection in the light of the grand scheme of God. This is about the celebration of the grand finale when the Lord will display His glory and we will share in that glory. The A in the Ashes, the Natural has to precede the B of Beauty of the Spiritual.

Verse 42. "So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[f]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we[g] bear the image of the heavenly man".

But the best thing is that we do not have to wait until the Lord comes back in order to rejoice, be glad and be clothed with the garment of praise.

    ■ We are already clothed with his righteousness, we have passed from death to life, we have died with Him, our sins nailed to the cross and we live in him, for him and through him. Rom 6:8-14

If today you feel like the ashes cover you with their grayness suffocating your life, keeping you from seeing your way out of the heaviness of grief, the suffering of carrying an albatross of guilt as a heavy yoke around your neck, let him take your burden for he cares for you:

    ■ He has already provided the way for you to let the wind of his Spirit blow away those ashes, II Corinthians 1:3-5
    ■ He has provided the hope of standing firm, rooted and established in the grace in which we stand, Romans 5:1-5.
    ■ He has anointed us with his oil as priests who serve him with gladness in our hearts, I Peter 2:5, 9.
    ■ He has clothed us with his garment of salvation and a robe of righteousness as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10-11,
    ■ His name is Emmanuel, God with us who “lives in a holy place, but also with him who is contrite in heart and lowly in spirit, I will guide him and restore comfort to him creating praise on the lips of the mourners…and I will heal them, Isaiah 57:15-19
    ■ His yoke is easy and his burden light, go to him and rest in him, accept and welcome his will for your life.
    ■ His word is true, his promises are sure and he never disappoints those who are hurting, empty, hungry for real food and drink and come to him with humble hearts seeking the comfort that they need.
All these and more are reasons to be grateful, thankful and praising him.

Personally Christmas time and other main family holidays have always been the hardest season for me, I must confess and this year especially away from my family and American friends. I know that it so for a great number of other people who get depressed. What I am sharing with you has filled me with hope, a renewed sense of his wonderful presence and the scriptures that I quoted have comforted me. I hope that they will help you to turn your eyes away from the ashes of the past and enable you to contemplate the Beauty of His Holiness.

We thank you and praise you Lord Jesus for your great love for us and reaching down to us to transform our lives and our heart that is yearning for you, the desire of the nations.

Jean-Louis.

ESCAPE INTO FREEDOM

Written and posted by Jean-Louis 12/2011
http://thelightseed.blogspot.com
 
The cage door opens and closes slowly
Hesitating as in an off-beat ballet
The bird contemplates her fate
To languish a prisoner inside
Or risk everything and escape
The stalking black cat plays dead
Waiting patiently to hear a movement
A flutter of wings indicating
The delicious horror of stumbling


Freedom is so close, prudence calls
To go unnoticed, blend with the walls
The feline dreams salivating with malice
Fright overwhelms the fettered prey
She trembles hoping for a rescue
Wishing for a miracle of deliverance

Suddenly the bird takes fresh heart

Remembering that she is blessed of her Creator

By more than the beauty of her plumage

She starts singing a song of praise

To her Protector rendering homage

And in a flight of notes reclaims her liberty

The enemy scampers off startled

By the powerful war shout

Shouted with invincible joy and faith

In the One who helps us conquer fear.

Jean-Louis.

The Nicholaitans - Of false teachings and practices

Written and posted by Jean-Louis. 11/2011

In Revelation chapter 2:15 John mentions the Nicolaitans twice. This group is formed as a partnership of the Church and the world, through the ordination of a supposedly superior clergy elite class ruling over a supposedly inferior laity, the spiritually uneducated masses if you will. The supposed  meaning in Greek, is derived from Nico and Laitan or the name Nicholau " one who conquers the people".  It begins with a compromise and ends in powerlessness and destruction when the Lord judges and removes the candlestick of such churches. The institution can have the appearance of a functioning organization ruled by men but its life source, its spiritual guidance and dynamic power have been removed as when the glory of God departed from the temple in the time of Ezequiel or “Ichabod, the Glory has departed” was pronounced in 1 Samuel 4:19-22.

Who were these Nicolaitans? It is supposed that this group whose name is derived from a man named Nicolau, compromised with pagan practices in order to allow Christians to associate with popular customs.
Does it remind us of another time in Israel’s history when the people wanted a King like the other nations around them and rejected God´s rule? God told them that their King would lord it over them. This is exactly what happened to the institution of the church through the ages, the clergy, a separate hierarchical class of trained ministers, taking the control of God´s people through different methods that are not from God and are not recorded in His Word. WE are ALL a nation of priests according to Peter, none of us superior to the other. In the last half of the twentieth century, the Church has been infiltrated by the world’s philosophy and has found a most welcome reception in both "liberal" and "conservative" elements in its ranks. 

This is exactly what Paul, Peter and John were warning their flocks about. In Revelation chapter 2, the teaching of Balaam is mentioned in the same paragraph as the teaching of the Nicolaitans. To study more about this, see 2 Peter 2:15 and Jude 11.
Of course, this practice in the churches is not new. Since the absorption of pagan practices in the church under Roman Emperors Constantine’s and Theodosius’ reigns resulting in a syncretism which has permeated the church until now, we have witnessed this phenomenon in the comtemporary "church" that will culminate in the unification of all the apostate ecumenical churches under the rule of Antichrist during the greatest deception ever perpetrated on mankind.

As far as I know, God has not rescinded His commands to the Church. He has not changed one iota of His perfect, pure, eternal, unchanging Word. He still keeps on building His Church on the perfect, indestructible “foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone”. Ephesians 2:20.


Maybe our human hands build buildings imperfectly on faulty foundations that will crack and not support the weight. Not so with the Lord and his Word. Everything He creates and builds is perfect. We do not need to try and improve on it.
Furthermore, there are warnings throughout the Bible for those who would try and change it. Deuteronomy 4:2 declares: “do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you”.

Several other passages give the same command, with consequences added in the case of Revelation 22:19: “And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”

Further in 2 Corinthians 10:8, Paul continues with this theme after explaining to us the good use of his authority when he declares: “For even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it”. We can see from these words that Paul always had his disciples’ best interest at heart.

In conclusion, let us beware of practices prohibited by God in His Word, first introduced by people outside and inside the Church who distort the Scriptures to back up these practices and later on formulate a false theology once the practice has been entrenched through decades or centuries of traditions in the lives of people. 

True Christian practices should always have as their basis pure and sound doctrine and should stem from biblical principles and the leading of the Holy Spirit who will never contradict His Word. Sound teaching should always precede good practices, not the other way around because the human heart is so deceitful. Let’s leave this type of behavior to the politicians who have perfected it to an art.

The Lost Little Lamb Part 2

The lost little lamb Part II

Written and posted by Jean-Louis http://thelightseed.blogspot.com
Translation from the French version by the author.
To read the French version click: http://thelightseed.blogspot.com/2007/12/leons-de-laire-de-battage.html

John 10:9-18 (NIV) I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

The reality of the horrible incident was still alive in his mind, but fortunately, he calmed down immediately because the herd did not show any sign of being in an imminent danger. His only worry came from hearing the desperate bleating of the little she lamb that was standing in a corner of the enclosure. Throwing a quick glance around him, he could not notice any visible danger. Yet, instead of being reassured by his presence, the poor lamb continued her desperate crying. He reasoned that she was calling to her mother. But, strangely nothing nor anybody prevented her from rejoining the flock. She could have been guided on her way by responding to the others´ bleating in echoing her own.

When the young shepherd came close to her, she started jumping and running in the opposite direction. That led him in a totally useless chase, because every time he tried to run after and catch her, she would bound aside and escape him. Since he did not have much else to do, he tried several times in the afternoon to go after and capture her without success. The sun was setting and goats and sheep were on their way back to the barn. But the little lamb, stubborn as a mule was still refusing to join the flock. She spent the whole night outside bleating loudly calling for help.

This little game lasted three whole days. From time to time, the shepherd was attempting to gain the confidence of his little friend by talking to her gently and softly, but she tenaciously refused the helping hand that she so desperately needed. He loved all the animals in his charge and decided that he would bring back to safety no matter what the cost. The only thing he could not understand is that his older brother has given him this responsibility without asking the help of the children or his neighbors. Maybe he thought that since she was going to be sold or her meat put in the freezer a few weeks hence, she would find the way back by herself. After all why run after this obstinate animal that was not worth the time or physical energy that were so precious to him?

The shepherd that enjoyed solving problems resolved that he was not going to be satisfied until he returned the lamb to her mother.
On the third day in the afternoon, he thought of an idea that seemed to be feasible and could be successful. He drew from the stock of his childhood memories several episodes of cartoons in which the hero and the villain try to escape from a hot pursuit . Certainly you remember the scenes. While they are in a free fall after having jumped from a high cliff, they continue running with their legs in the air as if they were trusting the ground support on terra firma. Of course, back then, the comical scene elicited a lot of laughter. But this simple and innocent return into childhood was providing a serious answer to his problem. He elaborated a rescue plan that would put an end to the unexpected interruption in his monotonous life.

Taking advantage of the lamb being stuck in a marshy corner at the bottom of the pasture, he chose this propitious moment to put his plan into action. Facing her and moving his arms to make her move in his direction, he was getting closer to her, step by step in the soggy muck that was reaching his calves close to his knees. The little lamb frozen with fear was preparing to bounce as usual and right at the moment when facing him launched into the air. The young shepherd let himself fall backwards in the mud catching the lamb in his open arms, while she, imitating the characters in the cartoons was trying to run, beating the air with her short legs without any firm support. She, taken aback was caught in the tender trap of the shepherd´s protective arms. He, bursting into a celebrating laughter and shouting rejoicing cries of victory alerted the rest of the family that wondered what could have happened. 

It goes without saying that he was covered from top to bottom with foul smelling mud but it did not seem to bother him a bit. He has completed the task entrusted to him by his older brother. Not letting go, he got up and grabbing the lamb´s legs he strapped her around his shoulders, talking to her tenderly and scolding her gently.
Finally, a glorious twilight marked the happy homecoming reunion of the little lamb with her mother. Needless to say the ewe was happy to see that her run away progeny had not forgotten how to suckle at the mother´s breast.

Dear reader, if you still don´t know the Lord Jesus, here is your personal invitation. Click on this post address that will show you how to be saved or born again.
http://thelightseed.blogspot.com.br/2011/04/how-can-i-be-born-again-spiritually.html

If you are looking around for your way back to God, if you feel despondent and at the end of your strength tired of struggling against insurmountable odds without success, listen to God´s voice calling you to give you life abundant and eternal. Confessing your sins and renouncing the things that caused you to stray away from your shepherd, simply ask him and he will respond because he has promised to do so.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
John 7:16-18 (NIV) 16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.


You can also find spiritual help by clicking Ask a bible teacher
 
Jean-Louis

The Lost Little Lamb. A short story. Part I

Written and posted by Jean-Louis 
http://thelightseed.blogspot.com 

To read Part II click Here

John 15:10-13 (NIV) 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Luke 15:4-6 (NIV) 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’

Baa… baa… baa! This heart wrenching bleating sound startled the young shepherd half asleep on the grassy knoll from which he used to keep a watchful eye on the sheep and the goats at his older brother´s farm. Still immersed in his usual day dreams, he sat up straight with a disquieted glance toward the bottom of the fenced pastures that separated the sheep from the goats. The  flock of  sheep gathered in small clusters, some resting peacefully on the grass, others swallowing the last mouthful of grass before joining the rest to ruminate. He could not exactly pinpoint the spot where the bleating came from, but he perceived that the distress call emanated from the outer edge of the farmland adjoining the forest.

While running towards the unceasing cries, gathering to a pitch level of harrowing intensity, his thoughts traveled back to the dawn of the preceding summer when around 6:00 AM, he was awakened, startled by a dreadful concert of distress calls that could signify only one thing. The goats which spent the warm summer nights outside the barn were in danger. He had yet to ascertain the origin and the gravity of their predicament.

Once he had raised the gate, he discovered several goats with a bleeding throat not far from the protective cover of the stable that they were trying to reach, stumbling because of their weakness on the path full of scattered pools of blood. He could not believe his eyes, his favorite goats each of them known by their names and personalities were climbing the hill out of breath, apparently trying to escape a still unknown sinister danger. From looking at the throat of his animals, he concluded that it could only be the result of one thing. This was the indisputable signature of a wolf or a wild dog that jumped the fence and spread panic among the flock. The ones that had no wounds were those with horns strong and sharp enough that they used as a successful defense.

Alas, as he approached the gate left half open by the ensuing stampede , he had a hard time stemming the backed up flow of tears when he understood the reason for this carnage. Three dogs among which was his own mixed German shepherd were still running after the poor defenseless goats that were running in circles around the perimeter of the enclosure without finding the exit. In a state of disorientation, fright and exhaustion, they were falling one right after the other under the sharp teeth of two Rottweilers, as the blood coming out of their torn throats was splattered all over the green arena in the fresh morning breeze.

A sudden surge of anger took hold of him and without thinking, he had started gathering stones. As a sharp shot trained in his native country to zero in on bottles and tin cans, he was throwing them at the hungry dogs that turned around with an ugly snarl and menacing growl. He decided to drive back the predators with his faithful shepherd walking stick. Finally, seeing that the survivors had escaped, the two dogs had jumped the fence and disappeared. A total of seven goats died and many others were wounded. Later in the day, in order to stop it from happening again, he placed a wolf trap with fresh meat to attract and capture alive the Rottweilers that had escaped from their owner´s house and were running around the country side for three days looking for food. 

I hope to meet you again soon for the second and final part of the story of our young shepherd and his lost lamb.

Jean-Louis.

The New age Movement - Beginning in the Garden of Eden

Post written and posted by Jean-Louis. 4/2011

What is the New Age Movement (NAM for short)? What are its beliefs?
The NAM does not consist of a single group of people and is not identified by a single set of beliefs or source book like the Bible. Rather, it is a network of organizations that are independent and yet bound together by anti-Biblical religious beliefs. Some of these beliefs are:
1. Monism: the belief that everything flows out from one divine energy. All is one.
2. Pantheism: the belief that God is all and all is God, including nature and mankind.
3. Reincarnation and Karma: explaining good and evil.
4. Universal religion: all religions are just alternate paths to the same goal.
5. Personal transformation: a mystic or psychic experience that will usually result in a shift from an “old world” belief system to the realization of the “New Age” belief system.
6. Planetary vision: the belief that the earth possesses a life in and of itself. New Agers are attempting to realize the notion of a “mother earth” or “Gaia” whose children are assimilated into a religio-socio-political consciousness. They believe that a shift of political power that emphasizes the environment (pollution, acid rain, etc.) will help bring about this planetary consciousness.
7. New Age eschatology: the belief that a coming world leader or avatar will usher in the New Age. (For a more thorough study , see Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult, George A. Mather and Larry A. Nichols)

In Eccl. 1:9 Solomon stated that, “ There is nothing new under the sun.” The New Age ideas are old, but repackaged in a deceiving look of updated and more sophisticated vocabulary.
With New Age philosophy, Satan is using the same temptation that he used in the Garden of Eden: the promise of “hidden knowledge” that will make people be “like God”.

PRINCIPLE: DO NOT ENTER INTO A DIALOGUE WITH SATAN.
• What does God say? In Gen 2:16, “ The Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” It means that they were alive and immortal before eating of the fruit.

• What does Satan say? In Gen 3:1, first, Satan plants a seed of doubt in Eve’s mind by hissing sweetly, “ Did God really say, “ You must not eat from any tree in the garden.” Eve should have stopped him right there, rebuked him with the Word of God like Jesus and run away like Joseph. Then, openly contradicting the word of God, he asserts in verse 4, ” You will not surely die… for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened.”
• Were their eyes closed before? Certainly not.

Then, Satan further states in the same verse, ” You will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

• Weren’t they like God already? In which way? Gen 1:27 declares, "So God created man in his own image.”
• Didn´t they already know good? Absolutely! They knew God as Creator, Father, Provider, Teacher, Master Gardener, to name a few of the ways God related to them. They knew Him whose “ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights.” James I: 16.
• Did they know evil? No. They had not yet met the father of lies.

So, before the fall, they saw and knew only the good there was, God their father, their creator, the person whose nature and character are absolute, pure and eternal goodness and the source of all that is good according to Gen 1:31 which says that, “God saw all that he had made and it was very good.” Consequently, the only knowledge that they could gain or acquire was that of a deadly and confusing mixture of good and evil. They fell from the free state of God-consciousness to the state of enslavement that is Self-consciousness which carried to its extreme logical conclusion leads to Self-Realization, the state of having and experiencing the fullness of self in all its ugly rebellion and defiant independence from God and being like its original, perfect model and example, Satan himself. “The acorn doesn´t fall far from the tree”!

It doesn´t get any clearer than this. 
Examine the following statements about the nature and practice of Kriya Yoga and see if you can find any similarity between the first temptation in the garden of Eden. 
These define the primary meaning of Kriya. The involuntary movements caused by the repeated practice of this technique are just the symptoms and results of a deeper involvement with things forbidden by God.  

Kriya Technique Source http://kriya-yoga.com/english/what_is.htm "The teaching of Kriya Yoga is done gradually. It is sectioned into six stages referred to as First Kriya, Second Kriya and so on. The beginner starts with First Kriya. First Kriya is the root, the very foundation which allows for progress through the spiritual path for followers of any religion. It gives access to knowledge of the body, of the Soul and the chakras. It allows for comprehension of the gross body, the astral body and the causal body. Later, after having practized regularly over a period of time and achieved the necessary demanding level of mastery, one can receive second Kriya, and thus progress towards the higher Kriya levels. Describing Kriya Yoga in words has little meaning. A person may truly understand only through practice. If you wish to know what an apple is, a simple description is not enough. Take the fruit, touch it, taste it, then you will really and immediately understand what an apple is. The same goes for Kriya Yoga." (Blogger note: Sounds pretty convincing, doesn´t it? This is precisely the point at which most people get taken in. In my own case, this is exactly the same salesman  spiel that tilted the balance in the favor of the knowledge of godhood and perfect bliss on earth and eternity, contrasted with a life of constant struggle and doubts and the search for the divine reality that they told me already existed inside of me. Although the guru (teacher) was different, the exact same words were used expect that it was an orange instead of an apple. To make it more appealing, The recruiters were offering free weekly lessons for serious seekers who were commited.)   The Ultimate Goal. continued The constant practice of iswara pranidhana (practice of breath control in every moment) gives the siddhi (perfection) of samadhi. The incoming breath is î - power, outgoing breath is ra - light, sva - yourself, is between these two. isvara gives life and will fill yourself.  Iswara pranidhana  means that by constantly observing the breath which enters and leaves the body, through practice one will come to the formless state. Then you remain in the divine light enabling yourself to achieve constant nirvana or liberation in your life time. As Jesus Christ said in the Bible: "You can’t see, feel or realize God, but you can be". To learn more about Kriya yoga click on the link below:
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Notice that Satan says: Not if you eat, but when you eat. As if it were understood that they were going to do it, that it was only a matter of time. Satan always presents an alluring picture to us, the undeniable pleasure of sin before we discover the very high price we have to pay later for disobeying God.

• Was the fruit really good or did it appear pleasing to Eve’s eyes? Gen 3:6.
• How did she know that it was desirable for gaining wisdom? Satan told her.
All she knew about the fruit is what Satan told her, and what she could see with her own eyes. Satan could not give them anything that they didn’t have before the fall, except the knowledge of evil, the disease of sin, the curse of the ensuing fall of all mankind and his destructive, demonic wisdom.

He lied to them - but was it a total lie?
• What truth was mixed with the lie?
• Was it true that they were going to know evil? Yes.

Eccl 10:8 states: “He who digs a pit shall fall into it; and whoever breaks a hedge, a snake shall bite him.” (NKJV)
If we are on Satan’s territory, he defines the terms, the rules. We don’t. When he says “you will know”, he doesn’t mean “you will have information about evil, some data to store in your computer memory so that when you see evil you’ll run away from it.”.
Knowing evil on Satan’s terms involves participation, just as knowing God involves participation in His life, His works and the lives of His people.
Satan meant you will know or experience evil in your mind, soul, and body. And in that he was right and true.
• What does God say about wisdom? Prov 2:6 declares: “It is He who gives wisdom.” Wisdom is not just having knowledge of evil, as Satan said.
Isaiah 11:2 -3 says this about the Lord Jesus: “And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear.” (NAS)

PRINCIPLE: WHEN YOU ARE NOT SURE OF AN IDEA, AN ACTIVITY, STRETCH THE POSSIBILITY OF INVOLVEMENT TO ITS CONCLUSION.
There are 2 trees in the beginning: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
• 2 kinds of fruits. One gives life, the other death.
• 2 kinds of choices - one right, one wrong
• 2 persons:
1. God, our Father who loves us, wants the best for our lives.
2. Satan, who is a liar from the beginning, and who seeks to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to take us away from God and His blessings, he wants to take us out of commission instead of being a part of the Great Commission.

The New Age fruit that is so desirable is a change in consciousness through various methods, means, techniques that will cause one to look at God, the universe and oneself, in a different way.
Look at Psalm 1., this psalm gives us the general principle of the progression in involvement with sin: walking, standing, sitting. In the case of drugs, it also includes lying down and flying out of one’s mind.

New Age techniques produce the same effect without the help of drugs and deceives people into believing that they have had a spiritual encounter with the source of life. It produces in the adept or devotee a sense of superior self-righteousness due to a false sense of their own purity as they compare themselves to the drug addict or drug user. 

However, they have fallen into the bigger trap of Satan which has them bound in their pride which is the first step to anybody’s downfall and destruction.
Look at Gal 6:7: “ Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

If you are asked to accept a new idea or participate in a questionable activity and have any doubt in your heart that it is right remember Romans 14:23 which says: “But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith and everything that does not come from faith is sin.”

As Christians, if we want to know, we can study, meditate on and apply the words of life, the Holy scriptures. Deuteronomy 29:29 says: “The secret things belong to the LORD but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”

In the beginning there were 2 trees: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. At the end in Rev 22:2: “on each side of the river stood the tree of life.” In the end there is only one tree, the tree of Life. Only one God, only truth, only the righteous.

When it comes to something seemingly new, we have to ask ourselves 2 questions:
1. Where does this come from, what is the source of the information? (The seed, the root)
2. Where does it lead? (the branches and the fruit)

• FIRST STEP: Be informed. Ask your parents, your youth group leader, your Pastor, an older Christian or anybody spiritually mature enough in this area who can answer your questions or direct your inquiry to someone knowledgeable. If you want information, don’t read directly from the New Age authors. There is plenty of material written on the New Age and cults by people that have been involved, have come out and given their testimonies. You can trust the word of a burnt person who tells you that fire burns.
Don’t assume that you are different, that you know better, that you are smarter than the next person. Here is a warning to us from Israel’s history. I Cor 10:1. “(Do not be idolaters…be careful that you don’t fall.)”

• SECOND STEP: Look at the fruit. This is the hardest test of all, because a lot of New Age people seem to be very calm, peace loving, well organized, caring individuals who use their personal resources and energy to promote what they believe are positive changes in themselves, their environment, and society. These may seem good, but they are done in ignorance and rebellion against our Creator, who has His own good plans for bringing peace and light to the world. And they don’t address the real problem with our world - sin.

Remember, these persons however well intentioned and highly motivated are deceived. They have allowed themselves to believe the lie of Satan that “wisdom” is a tool to acquire “god-power”, when such hidden wisdom is really a trap. Unfortunately, in the eyes of God they are like Eve and Adam, as responsible for their sin as is their leader or teacher.

In Matt 7:15-20, Jesus warns his disciples with these words: “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruits, nor [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you shall know them.” (NKJV)

John 16:1. Right after chapter 14 and 15 about the coming of the Holy Spirit of truth, abiding in the vine, the inability to do anything without Him, the command to love each other and to bear fruit, our Lord Jesus warns: "all this I have told you so that you will not go astray".

Then, there is the temptation to “be open-minded”, rather than “intolerant” of these “alternative religions”. Aren’t we supposed to explore and discover? Here is a good analogy: 
"Let’s say you live in a house and it’s summertime. You want to breathe fresh air, so you open the window. What happens? You get fresh air, but along with it, you get dust, pollen, and bugs. The proper thing to do is to put a screen on the window." ( Source: heard in a talk given by Greg Laurie)

The word of God acts as a screen that rejects all the impurities, corrupt thoughts, lies, and false teaching that invade our minds, but for that screen to be effective in our lives, we have to study, understand, believe, know and practice what the Word of God says in obedience to our Lord´s command. Psalm 119:9,11: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart that I may not sin against you.”

Finally, It is my prayer that, “Your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus-Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Phil. 1:9-11.

Jean-Louis

Winter 1989. Shared at The St.Giles Presbyterian Church’s Youth Group.
Revised and shared in Hendersonville, N.C. Winter 1997 for the 1st. Baptist Church Youth Group.

The Joshua Tree - Final episode - Meeting the Master

Written and posted by Jean-Louis. 7/2011

To read the preceding chapters,starting with chapter I 

click Here

Jesus said: "Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Luke 18:25

"He must become greater; I must become less." John the Baptist. John 3:30

John 10

The True Guide - The Good Shepherd and his sheep - The True Gate.

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. 7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. (or kept safe)[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Do you remember the Scripture passage mentioning Joshua in the very first chapter? Joshua represents a type of Jesus in the Old Testament. The similarity between these verses attests to the fact. We have here a true prophecy announcing the coming and ministry of the Lord Jesus. 

In Numbers 27:15,18 Moses told the people: “May the LORD, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd”. So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him;

Meeting the Master

Fifth and Final Episode

The Dream
Next morning early, after breakfast, Theophilus took leave of his new found friend, thanking him for his kind hospitality.
Thus, day after day, he encountered Joshua’s brothers who helped him recover from his ordeal. His sight was improving and his hope to finally get out of the desert gave him an increase in courage and a new direction towards a definite goal. He was eager to meet this Master who caused the blind to see and healed the hardened hearts.

One shared his light, the other the coolness of his shade. Another listened to him patiently and attentively. All gave of what they had received with gladness and unselfishness. The peace that ruled in their hearts, the words of wisdom and encouragement , the fidelity to their beloved Master went beyond any human value that he had know in his world.
He learned that his name meant “friend of God”. What a contrast with the life that he had lived until now!

One night after an interesting conversation, he had a very different dream from those that usually haunted his conscience. He found himself, unconscious, almost dead in an operating room surrounded by a team of nurses in white coats.

Next to him, another man about thirty years old was lying on another table just beside him with an intravenous needle in his arm. A tube connected another needle inserted in his arm. The blood in the man’s arm was turning into a liquid light when going into his vein, washing his heart that started beating again. His brain became filled with the light that was spreading throughout all the parts of his being through the system of arteries and veins irrigating his lifeless body. A breath filled his chest and he opened his eyes.

The Tree of Life
Theophilus woke up, with tears of joy flowing from his eyes. He was watching an unforgettable scene.
There in front of him, stood up a Joshua tree, majestic and radiant that bore an uncanny resemblance with the man from his dream whose blood had saved his life. He fell down, prostrate on his face against the hot desert sand. He knew without the shadow of a doubt that he was in the presence of the Master of the Joshua Trees. He didn’t dare move from his position such was the power emanating from the glorious appearance. An indescribable ripple of fear coursed through his being.

-- Rise, Theophilus and look at me. The imperious tone of voice was enough to make him obey. He was reluctant at first to lift his gaze directly into the eyes of the Master. Lifting his head up slowly, he saw the pierced feet, then, the pierced wrists. He gathered enough courage to focus on the chest where a scarlet wound in the shape of the tip of a lance or the eye of a needle remained from a cruel wound.
  
-- Don’t be afraid, look at me. I am Yeshua, the Master of the Joshua Trees. What is your quest? Why do you want to meet me?
While the Master was asking these questions, his eyes whispered softly words Theophilus never heard before, words of love that penetrated deep in his heart.

-- Master, I am looking for the desert exit door. Your trees told me that you possess the keys and that a word from you can set the captives free, can give sight to the blind, make a poor man rich, and heal the afflicted. You can also give knowledge to the ignorant who think they are wise, and you can clothe with your pardon and righteousness the nakedness which I try to cover with my religion and good deeds.

-- It’s true. But you have too big a notion of yourself to be able to go through this door. First, you must answer a few questions.

-- Yes, master, as you wish.
-- What is your name? Who are you?
-- Well, before, they called me Theophilus, but I will accept whatever name you wish to call me.
-- Where do you come from?
-- From the land of deadly illusions and appearances, a world filled with violence and deception.
-- Good, are you rich, or do you intend to be?
-- Well, before now, I had credit cards, bank accounts, a good and profitable business, cars, a beautiful house, but all that didn’t help me very much. To tell you the truth, I will accept whatever you want to give me.

After these answers, Theophilus was feeling his body shrink little by little. What a strange sensation!

The Master continued:
-- What about your reputation?
-- Alas, people looked at the appearances. But I can see that you know me and I desire to become what you want me to be.
-- What do you hope to gain from me?
-- Freedom from the chains that keep me tied up and hinder my walk, understanding truth and knowing which way to go.
-- Good, I can do that for you. But what will do once you are free if I give you the key to the door?
-- Master, I want to belong to you and serve you, for you are the one who healed me.

Each of Theophilus’ responses was followed by a change in his size until at last, the Master's stature appeared gigantic in comparison without overwhelming him. Then, the Master bent forward and catching him tenderly in the palm of his right hand, he lifted Theophilus up to his chest and hugged him close against the wound shaped like the tip of a lance or like the eye of a big needle.

On his way up, Theophilus was helplessly watching on the screen of his memory the video from his first meeting with the touchstone at the crossroad of his destiny, the first step of stairway which led to the royal capital of the heavenly kingdom, illumined by the eternal light. He possessed a law of gravity defying lightness, with no desire to resist the attraction propelling him towards a universe of unconditional freedom. Being transported on this celestial stairway, this bridge between two worlds without any effort on his part, he was about to enter a territory invisible to the human eye and yet so real.

Instantly, going through the open door at a breathtaking speed, Theophilus found himself standing on the desert floor that he had just left.
-- Welcome to the kingdom, announced the master in a warm tone of voice. Open your eyes and look at yourself.

His eyes opened by the voice of his Master, Theophilus looked at his legs, his trunk, his arms and discovered that he had turned into a Joshua tree with soft scars in the place of the usual armor of thorns . Yeshua spoke to him solemnly:
-- From now on your name will be Joshua Theophilus O’Call because I called you to my service and you responded with good will.

Tears of joy mixed with gratitude flowing from his eyes, Theophilus answered:
-- Master, where do you want me to serve you?
-- Right here in the desert to guide those who have lost their way or those who have wandered from the way of truth and need help in finding me.
-- Yes, Master. But I have a question. How do your trees find food and drink? There is nothing but sand in the desert.

Yeshua touched his eyes and now he could very clearly watch a fantastic scene through the desert floor as if it was made of transparent crystal. From the feet of the Master, roots full of a sap that resembled light amber honey extended all the way under the feet of the Joshua trees and fed them constantly night and day.
-- Please, Master, what do you want me to call you?
-- Call me Lord Jesus, for I am both Savior and King.
-- Lord, I can see the trees, the roots, the leaves and the cactus flowers, but where are the fruits?

-- Every time one of my servants extended to you love, kindness, goodness, patience, they shared their fruits with you. When you enjoyed their light, their protective and refreshing shade, their peace, their wise words of counsel, comfort or encouragement, those are the fruits that grow from the source of life that I give each one of them.


Eden Restored
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. Revelation 22:1-5
 

This is what the LORD says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,

who draws strength from mere flesh

and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;

they will not see prosperity when it comes.

They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,

in a salt land where no one lives.

7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,

whose confidence is in him.

8 They will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.”

9 The heart is deceitful above all things

and beyond cure.

Who can understand it?

10 “I the LORD search the heart

and examine the mind,

to reward each person according to their conduct,

according to what their deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:5-10

Dear reader, if you have been touched by this parable and can identify in some way with Theophilus, I invite you to meet the Lord Jesus, the Savior of fallen humanity, the One who has the keys to the Kingdom of God, the One who is the Door that leads to true freedom, to the knowledge of the Truth, to Life abundant and eternal and the only Way to the Heavenly Father. Without Truth we cannot know the Way to the Door of the kingdom and to the Life in Jesus without whom we are reduced to a mere existence without hope.

To discover how you can be born again of the Spirit, Click Here: http://thelightseed.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-can-i-be-born-again-spiritually.html

Thank you for your visit. Have a good and safe journey.
Jean-Louis.