To Denominate or Not To Denominate, That IS The Question

It has been bugging me for a while; I wanted to join this church we have been attending...

BUT,

God never gave me the go-ahead.

Everything seems so good, but something was up. There had to be a reason, a solid reason why we couldn't join, and, most importantly, there had to be scriptures to back up and explain everything.

Then one morning a couple "joined" the church. During the member acceptance thing (speech), the pastor was reading out of a book. There was something said to the gist of do you promise to uphold the blah, blah, blah of the "general assembly".

What? What was that?

Something kind of clicked inside letting me know this is why God had not released me to join this church.

I went on to research everything I could find on the denomination.

There was nothing out of line.

Everything was in order. Everything was in line with scriptures.

I could NOT find a single thing wrong with anything anywhere.

Okay, so what now?

I started searching out the scriptures to see if I could get an answer.

There was something about that promise to the general assembly.

I started with looking at "vows" in the Bible. I looked at every verse, but nothing clicked.

I next looked into "oaths" in the Bible; nothing there either.

I pondered and prayed, but nothing came forth.

I talked with some of my friends that are in deliverance ministries and they laughed. The general thinking by deliverance ministers is that you CAN'T join any church. I have explained that I have a wife that has a call of God to work with children; she feels we need to be a part of a church to do that. My kids would like the comradery of going to a church with a good youth group. My son has gone as far as to tell me specifically that he does not want to be the son of a preacher nor does he want to go from church to church (nothing like a little PRESSURE, huh?!). I explain this and people say, "hmm... I'll pray for you".

Then, something clicked last night. What do you do with an oath?

You "SWEAR".

"Swear", that's it!

I started looking that up...

"'Or if a person thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil--in any matter one might carelessly swear about--even though he is unaware of it, in any case when he learns of it he will be guilty.  Leviticus 5:4 NIV84


This is in reference to unintentional sin.

???

Unintentional? How about "presumptuous"?

Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.  Psalms 19:13 NASB


Or,

Don't let me do wrong on purpose, Lord, or let sin have control over my life. Then I will be innocent, and not guilty of some terrible fault.  Psalms 19:13 CEV

So it is boiling down to a sin that will control me, whether unintentionally committed or presumptuously.

Obviously, God does not want anybody to commit any sin whatsoever, whether on purpose or otherwise.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  Hebrews 12:1 NASB

There is no obvious sin that I can see, but it seems there is some hidden snare that God is trying to keep me from.

Faith. If it ain't in faith, it is sin.

My friends, above all else, don't take an oath. You must not swear by heaven or by earth or by anything else. "Yes" or "No" is all you need to say. If you say anything more, you will be condemned.  James 5:12 CEV

But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; Matthew 5:34 NIV84

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Staff Smiting the Earth

This morning I saw something hitting the ground. It was round. As it hit the ground there was a circle of dust that rose up. The view that I had was from way, high up. The place that it was striking was where I would have been standing, but I was not in view.

It was a "staff as it smote the earth".

"You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs."  Exodus 4:17 NASB

'Thus says the LORD, "By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood.  Exodus 7:17 NASB

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats through all the land of Egypt.'" They did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats through all the land of Egypt. Exodus 8:16-17 NASB


Webster's 1828 Dictionary:

Staff
STAFF, n. plu. [G., a bar, a rod. The primary sense is to thrust, to shoot. See Stab.]

1. A stick carried in the hand for support or defense by a person walking; hence, a support; that which props or upholds. Bread is the proverbially called the staff of life.

2. A stick or club used as a weapon.

3. A long piece of wood; a stick; the long handle of an instrument; a pole or stick, used for many purposes.

5. An ensign of authority; a badge of office; as a constables staff.

8. In military affairs, an establishment of officers in various departments, attached to an army. The staff includes officers not of the line, as adjutants, quarter-masters, chaplain, surgeon, &c. The staff is the medium of communication from the commander in chief to every department of an army.

This is interesting...

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Ezekiel's Wheel

I was listening to a good sermon before church this morning. The man said,
"You can spend too much time trying to figure it out, and you'll miss the miracle."

Hmm, for a guy like me that likes details, that a very good point!

Back to lasts week's church services for just a moment.

In the morning service, I had my eyes closed and I could see a vertical sheet of water, actually two of them; one on either side. The water was not still, it was glistening and rippling in all directions. Then, one of the ladies took off shouting and praising God as she walked all over the auditorium.

During the evening service, I could see a bed of hot coals. There was a stick or a torch that was beating the coals and causing them to throw sparks every where and flame upward. Then the pastor really had him a time. He was crying and had a very difficult time closing the service.

That was last week.

This morning was interesting. I was looking for a miracle, but didn't want to get lost in the details on the way there.

I saw something, but it is hard to describe.

Have you ever seen a lake or pond that was perfectly still? The reflection is a perfect image of what it is reflecting. Now throw a rock in it. The ripples move through the whole image.

What I saw was sort of like that, but it was on a vertical plain, kind of like a shock wave moving through everything around me in the church. This was 3D.

The ripples were moving through everything.

I told God I didn't understand what I was seeing, but I didn't want to get wrapped up in details and miss the "miracle".

Then it changed. This is even harder to describe. It was like rings inside of rings, the way the shock waves or ripples were moving and distorting everything on a vertical axis.

Then it hit me- rings inside of rings! Ezekiel's wheel! WOW!!!

I was trying to find the specific references in Ezekiel and discovered that what I saw today and last Sunday is related.

And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches darting back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire. Ezekiel 1:12-13 (NASB)

Spirit, coals, torches?

Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings, for each of the four of them. Ezekiel 1:15 (NASB)

Whenever the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. And whenever the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction. And the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. Ezekiel 1:19-20 (NASB)

Wheels, spirits?

Ezekiel 10:15 says these "living beings" are cherubim.

Cherubim?

Above these 4 cherubim, is the throne of God, (Ezekiel 1:22-28).

Also called the "Glory of God", (Ezekiel 10:18-19).

So, coals of fire and torches last Sunday, the "wheels" today, visible evidences of God moving amongst His people...

Dare I say that the Glory of God was present?

Wow!

I guess we don't have to wish, hope, or pray that we will, some day, see the "glory of God" in church...

IT'S HAPPENING EVERY SUNDAY!!!

WOW!!!

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Metal Core Country???

Here in Greeneville, TN we have an interesting mix.

Of course, there are a lot of people that like country.

This is why I have attended gospel singings in the area; not for the music myself necessarily, but because I know it will draw a crowd. I just want to see people saved.

Then, there's the crowd that likes heavier music (like myself). Most of us are quite content to listen in the privacy of our own homes whether tv, internet, or what-have-you.

I think I discovered a blend of the two genres, sort of.

Tell me what you think via my Space or Face Book.

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