My Testimony...

I have always been an entrepreneurial spirit with a positive mental attitude towards the projects I have done in my life. In my youth I teamed up with a Christian fellow to make a board game. I used to tease my friend about his faith daily and I used to get his goat on a regular basis. When we ran out of money and were left holding a useless proto-type. I knew we had failed miserably.

All we had left for food was a box of macaroni and cheese (Kraft Dinner) I said to my Christian friend almost as a joke that I would pray for bread and milk, even God must know you need bread and milk for Macaroni and cheese. We walked a bit and there on the ground was a bag with bread and milk in it. The milk was still cold. You should have seen the look on his face like wow you can do that! I thought someone just left it for a moment so we waited for them too come back. We waited for about 30 minutes. Nobody showed up, so away we went and enjoyed that Kraft Dinner with our new found bag of bread and milk.

At first I said coincidence but knew in my heart I had witnessed an answered prayer. Although I never accepted Christ that day I did shortly afterward. One of my brothers had accepted Christ and after him explaining how Christ came to be the redemption of sinners everywhere I decided to make Jesus my Lord and Saviour through repenting from this world and entering into His grace. After spending thirteen years in the desert of my mind trying to figure out what it meant to be a follower of Christ. Some of my colleagues who were Christian, invited me to a Promise Keepers meeting in the Edmonton. As I walked through the Colosseum and looking at all the vendors selling Christian merchandise I thought all they want is my money. I heard a voice loud and clear say "You can spend your money on much worse things than this".

As I looked around there was nobody beside me my buddies were off buying hot dogs and I was alone. Then I thought great now I'm talking to myself. Later that year I sold my business and moved back to Winnipeg and bought myself a beautiful black leather bound bible. I was reading my new bible at 2 Peter 1:5-7 that said add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness love.

I remembered in my youth an aunt that we would visit each summer in the country that was a devout believer of Jesus Christ. She would visit us in the winter and we would go there in the summer. One time when she was at our house she would retire to her room early each evening. Being curious I wanted to see what she was doing her room door was open and I peeked in and asked "What are you doing?". She was reading her bible and replied "I am meditating on the word". I asked "what word is that" and she showed me her bible and said "the word of God". The bible was huge it was bound in black leather and looked like something I wanted, but I did not know how to meditate.

When we visited her in the summer I cut her wood and carried water and did any chores that required muscle. She had what I thought were scrolls on the table that we as children used to fight over reading at meal times. I looked for this product everywhere but could not find it. So with this new scripture and my thought about the scrolls my entrepreneurial spirit thought hey you can make this product. Only one problem I am not a theologian and didn't one have to go to school for many years to understand God.

So I prayed and said God if you want me to do this I will but you must provide everything I need to make it so. No sooner did I say amen my wife walked back into the apartment after taking out the garbage and said "Bruce there is a big box by the refuse bin with all types of bibles and books about God". I went and looked and there was concordances and bibles and reference material and text books. Books about Latin, Greek and Hebrew. It looked like what a theological student would need in university.

So I invented the product called it Holy Scrolls, transliterated the words in Hebrew, Greek, Latin and English and I am not a theologian either. I will release it when I reach the final step of Love. That was nine years ago, I am still working on perseverance. This is my testimony of coming to be a believer in Jesus Christ.

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

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Got the Spirit of Christ?

In my previous posts some folks may have felt offended by the facts presented or even the way they were presented, if this is true for you allow me to apologize my message is not one of condemnation but one of searching, seeking, knocking relentlessly in search of the door of truth as C.S. Lewis said;

It is not for us to say who, in the deepest sense, is or is not close to the spirit of Christ. We do not see into men's hearts. We cannot judge, and are indeed forbidden to judge. It would be wicked arrogance for us to say that any man is, or is not, a Christian in this refined sense….And obviously a word which we can never apply is not going to be a useful word.

…When a man who accepts the Christian doctrine lives unworthily of it, it is much clearer to say he is a bad Christian than to say he is not a Christian.

C.S. Lewis – Mere Christianity

Lewis then goes on to say then in the search we end up in a hall that leads us to a place to wait in, a place from which to try the various doors, not a place to live in. Some will wait longer than others in finding the door they must knock at. Once we enter the door that may represent our personal place of ministry we more than likely feel that the wait was of some help in finding that what we sought. Perhaps you have an inner peace at having found God’s will for you in Jesus Christ this place puts us in a position of obedience to Jesus Christ and his commandment of “Love your neighbour as you love yourself” we are required to pray for those who may still be in the hall and not to judge we are under orders to “pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:17-18.

Now in regards to the label of “Bad Christian” I think we need to, no we must examine further the very reality of the conditions that breed “Bad Christians”. The condition of the Christian Church is the best place to start. This blog is all about the Christian church as a whole or the whole body of Christ if you will. The very URL of this blog in and of itself asks a question; http://whatisthechristianchurch.blogspot.com/ and the title “The Christian Church Blog…” are synonymous and asks that we pursue the answer diligently, whole heartedly and as we stand in the hall seeking, knocking and pursuing truth. If only to help each other find the room or rooms we belong. C.S. Lewis suggests that our denominational differences are best left to the experts and not for the laypersons to decide. Not to mention that Jesus Christ himself calls us to move past the circular argument (also called petitio principii) as to why we must be a “Good Christian” and focus and meditate on the scriptural order to; “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength”. So if you are offended by another you should use the Mathew 18:15-20 biblical principle of confrontation which is a three part process but you also must be open to being wrong yourself that is why every word must be established in truth when confronting a sinning brother.

1. Have you examined your motivations before confronting

2. Are you willing to admit that you may be wrong yourself

3. Are you doing it to help your brother in the cessation of the ban, of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil?

We must try to pursue truth and the ability to communicate with each other in truth and move away from what C.S. Lewis called the “Law of Nature” I personally am aware that some of us can spend so much time criticizing others that we are not able to hear what God may be saying through other believers to us. And I do believe God is trying to speak through each of us. And that we as believers owe it to each other the ability of attempting to hear each other in truth, patience and love without judgment.

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Try a Bible Quiz and test your knowledge

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All posts by M.A.C. © Bruce W. Moar

Sunday Worship Service - Satan’s last Gasp…

This morning I felt led to a local Baptist Church to worship there so off I went Bible in hand prepared to hear the message. I had made some cards with the M.A.C. tag on them along with the url to this blog and decided to hand them out to anyone brave enough to say hi. The Pastors message was powerful, encouraging, inter-active and full of God’s wisdom. I felt encouraged by the folks I met and gave out my newly made card as a way of allowing them to get to know the spiritual me better by reading my blog. The hymns were great the service was great everything was excellent and right at the end this fella, who I guess owns the church or something gives me back my card.

I took the card back and said ok, no problem but he wanted to engage me as to the reasons he gave it back so I listened.

• Reason #1 – I don’t know you but if you get to know me then you can give me your card.
• Alrighty then, I tried to explain that the card was about a blog and a way for him to get to know me better if he had a mind to. I also asked him out to coffee which he quickly declined. So much for getting to know him better.
• Reason #2 – I don’t want to know you because I think you’re here to change my church. Then he added I don’t know for sure but that’s what I think.
• I said; “I’m just here to worship man and hear the message” I did pray before going in that God would reveal his people to me and that the message would penetrate my heart.
• Reason #3 – I am overly protective of my church and who we let in the doors and then he asked if I understood.
• I said; “No I don’t but I would like to hear more, I just don’t think this is the place, perhaps over coffee”. Again he declined my offer to have coffee together.

I believe that the Spirit world reflects what going on in the physical world and that he felt convicted by my presence (1Corinthians 3:1). I do believe that change is needed in the church today no matter what your denomination may be (consider where we would be without the reformer Martin Luther) or if you would like to explore this ministry called In His Heart it is very revealing and prophetic. Furthermore as a believer I should be welcome in any church that truly worships Jesus Christ. I would like to point out that I did feel welcome throughout my visit there by every person I met with the exclusion of that fella.

So if we are to live a biblical life, then we shouldn’t pick and choose what biblical points we are to follow but should follow them all. The Pastor pointed out, point blank that "we are the temple" not the church building but us as believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Should we not treat each other as such, even when we don’t know someone? A verse that pops to mind is from Jeremiah 7:4

“Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!"

So that fella was trying to tell me that, the church building was the temple of the Lord and that he didn’t like me and he doesn’t want me in his church. Now that doesn’t sound very biblical to me. Now if I was stupid I could have become offended by this and stormed out of there never to return again.(Mark 9:42) But since I’m not stupid and trust in what God is leading me to. I must not be offended but rather choose to pray for my enemy, which is what this fella has more or less, chosen to become to me. This attitude is what is wrong with our middle and upper class churches today they are exclusive instead of inclusive. I went to another church in the poor part of town and not knowing a soul, got up and demonstrated my faith by singing for the whole congregation a song I had written that very day.

Now the thing is, that this guy must have meditated on what he was going to say to me the whole time and probably missed the whole message that was given. The Pastor did talk about someone who was uprooted from their church and had trouble fitting in somewhere else. His advice to him was to fit in or go somewhere else, I guess he thought that I was there to…, not fit in, because maybe my hair is too long, I didn’t have on a suit, or a tie. I just didn’t look like him. Meanwhile, I’m just trying to find somewhere to fit in, thats in my neighborhood, to worship corporately with people like me (100% to Gods word by the Spirit). Somewhere that follows all Gods precepts from the toughest to the easiest knowing that we can’t do it on our own we need God’s help and each other for sharpening.

I know that this might be a lot to ask for from a church body, but it I will not compromise just like the message that the Pastor gave today about marriage and being unequally yoked with unbelievers. I will leave the unbelievers behind me as I go. And just like that Pastor asked for forgiveness of our human nature within their church walls I will choose to forgive that man for his blatant insensitivity to me, a vessel and temple of the Holy Spirit. I am on a mission to find a church in my neighbourhood (middle class) that follows all Gods ways from the smallest to the biggest. So far no luck but I found several in the heart of our poorest area of town and go for refreshment when needed.

We are not here to judge, exclude, divide because without unity in our own camp, the enemy has us right were he wants us, DIVIDED. I appeal to any who read this that you would not be silent or offended by these things, that you would not allow this type of thing to continue in your church. Its always easier for us as people to look at another and see the sawdust when we should be focusing on the plank in our own eye.

RECOMENDENDED READING FOR PRO-ACTIVE CHANGE;

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Try a Bible Quiz and test your knowledge

click here ---> BIBLE QUIZ <--- click here

Subscribe in a reader

All posts by M.A.C. © Bruce W. Moar

What is the Christian Church...?

What is the Christian Church…?

Who leads the Church?

• The Pastor
• The Chairman of the Board
• The Board
• The Congregation

These are all wrong because the answer should be; God leads the church but really the question we need to ask is;

What in reality, not tradition is the actual Christian Church?

1 Corinthians 6:19 (New American Standard Bible)

19. Or ^(A)do you not know that ^(B)your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that ^(C)you are not your own?

Cross references:

1. 1 Corinthians 6:19 : 1 Cor 6:3
2. 1 Corinthians 6:19 : John 2:21; 1 Cor 3:16; 2 Cor 6:16
3. 1 Corinthians 6:19 : Rom 14:7

So if we are not our own then the church is not owned either since all that we produce is not our own but that of God. That is if we profess Christianity and the acceptance of Christ as our Saviour we are no longer our own but bought and paid for by God. So we are no longer free but slaves to the purpose and will of God.

So it is God’s purpose that we are here NOT to JUDGE but to spread the gospel message of salvation, hope, peace, understanding, mercy, grace, compassion and Love of all these the greatest is Love.

Is this not what JESUS taught us?

That Love is the reason God offered us redemption through the price and saving grace of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death upon the cross.

So why do some within the Christian Church (all denominations that profess Jesus Christ) choose to judge and in the act of judging cause apostasy. Through selective measures of;

• membership
• tradition
• quenching the spirit
• worship
• relationship
• leadership

The answers to these questions lie in the heart of the matter and also in the fact that the church is not a collective but each individual is in him/herself an actual temple dedicated to the Lord we exalt above all.

So then the tradition of the brick and mortar building is not sacred but the people who fill these buildings are sacred as assigned by God Himself. If someone is turned away who is in reality accepted by God then were does that leave you who would turn him/her away in the eyes of God. Does Jesus not say “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

• Do you make God an enemy by the act of creating an apostate

• Who are you to question God’s authority when it is He you apparently worship

• Do you believe you are right and on what basis that your church is more of an authority then the actual temple God created, which is each believer

So in truth as each believer is the actual temple of God then we as believers are responsible for our own relationship with God and our actions. Actions such as spiritual disciplines of;

• Prayer
• Scripture memorization
• Charity
• Evangelizing
• Meditation
• Fasting
• Study
• Service
• Solitude
• Stewardship
• Relationship

So then where does the traditional brick and mortar church fit into all this?

• A place of gathering
• A place of fellowship
• A place of corporate worship
• A place of sharing and breaking of bread together
• A place of teaching
• A place of learning
• A place of healing

The traditional brick and mortar church is not meant to be any of these which in so many cases it has become;

• A place of judgement
• A place of gossip
• A place of slander
• A place of social status
• A place of ownership
• A place of exclusion
• A place of Apostasy

The church we read about in Acts is one of;

• Unity
• Sharing
• Giving
• Victory

Together we can take back the church from those that use it for their own means that contaminate the beauty of what it should be.

How can we do this?

• By prayer
• By supplication
• By accepting God’s power through the Holy Spirit
• By casting out unclean spirits
• By proper leadership

Remember that ignorance is a disease that has every aspect of society trapped, but with the realization of the internet and the ability to share information at speeds previously undreamed of we can overcome traditional ignorance in our brick and mortar churches.

Responsibility without maturity is disaster; power without respect is dangerous…

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Try a Bible Quiz and test your knowledge

click here ---> BIBLE QUIZ <--- click here

Subscribe in a reader

All posts by M.A.C. © Bruce W. Moar