Background Info

(Mat 11:28-11:30 KJV) Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

(Prov 8:17 KJV) I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

(Isa 58:2 KJV) Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.

(Jer 29:13 KJV) And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Some years ago, The Lord called me and drew me to Him and gave me a hunger for knowledge of Him. He gave me a hunger for His word, the Holy Bible. I did not want to be swayed by the mistakes of men teaching me only parts of the Bible, or even things that are not in the Bible. I had had the experience of misleading doctrines and half-truths many years before. They had led me down a short road of belief in the Lord, Jesus, preaching that just saying a prayer was all there was. Needless to say, there's more to it than that. I believed and said the prayer. Like the parable of the sower and the seed, I had faith... for a while. Thinking that there was no more to the Christian life than that, I had faith for a while. Then things gradually turned sour. The cares of the world grew up and choked away that faith, until it was nearly all gone, along with most of everything and everyone I held precious. Empty, lonely, and nearly lost for good, I finally picked up my mother's old Bible and began to read. He was calling me back before it was too late. He gave me a hunger. He took me by the hand and helped me to understand. He sent me a messenger, an angel, to visit. He led me back to the beginning. He taught me slowly all about how He loved me. 

I continued to read and pray until I became hungry to be with God's people. Then He led me to a church where I would hear His Word preached. I heard; I believed; I repented and was baptized in His name, as laid out in the book of Acts. And I studied His word, the Holy Bible. And then God gave me a new hunger: for UNITY IN THE BODY. You see, I had been raised by parents of mixed faith,  Catholic and Presbyterian. My father had been rejected from his church for marrying a non-Catholic. Yet, he was welcome in my mother's church. I had been brought up with a knowledge of such inter-denominational disputes for my whole life. How many "Holy" wars have been fought between "Christians" and "Christians"? I was really confused because I thought we had found God's true church, until the same old disputes became evident. And all of this was in direct conflict with a burden that the Lord had given me: UNITY IN THE BODY.

Didn't Jesus fulfill all in all and set us free? I wondered where the unity of the early New Testament church was. And, how could a New Testament Spirit-filled church be so inconsistent with the New Testament? And how can so many Spirit-filled churches have such differing doctrine? But, I guess that a good many Christians have similar confusing conflicts, caused by differing doctrines. It seems that many Churches drive their own beliefs, traditions, and doctrines beyond the Bible to the point of superceding the Bible with tradition. Some take away from the Bible, some add to it. And then they are intolerant of another Church's doctrine. 

I remember a day when a visiting evangelist sensed what was going through our minds. He looked at me and said that we would not find a perfect church on this side of the grave. I thought maybe he was right. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but search and seek, even if it meant looking beyond the grave, because I was confused and I know that God is not the author of confusion. I had to go back to the Bible and search and pray hard. And I had to find a church that did not confuse me, but gave me the peace of God through His Word, not in conflict with it. I did just that. Now we are growing again. But that is not the end of the story. 

I had a chance to "Be still and know that He is God" and reflect on all of my life's walk with Him. He has reminded me of all the times when He was there with me helping me, teaching me, guiding me. He reminded me of the people He has put in my path over the years. Then I finally recognized how my whole life had been touched by some people that, I could now plainly see, truly loved God, and all the other church members, and, in fact, everyone. And yet, I have seen such people who loved God and loved one another in other churches! In fact, I have met them around the USA, and around the world, these peculiar people. They just have a way about them. They have this endless faith. They love the Lord. They love me! Why? Because they have been with Him, and often! They have not just repented and been filled with the Holy Ghost once. They KNOW the Lord! They KNOW their Bible. They walk the walk, not just talk the talk. And I realized VERY PLAINLY how many of these people of God I had known over all the years. They are in churches of all denominations, in all walks of life, all around us! They are the ones who are not telling people how Holy they are, they just ARE Holy! They have been to the mountain and through the valley with the Lord. They are the ones who feed the poor anonymously. They are the ones who shut off your car lights when you leave them on. They are the ones who hear that still small voice and listen closely, since they cherish the Words of the Lord. They are the strongholds in a world of trouble. They are the ones who pray for you without you ever knowing. They are the ones who you have a hard time having a hard time with. They are the people who carry out the mission set forth by the Lord. They are the ones who will LOVE you no matter what happens. They are the ones who pick up their cross daily and follow the Lord. They know that being filled with the Holy Ghost is not a one-time-thing, but that we must continually put aside the garbage of the world and be filled and refilled with the Lord's presence, in awe of His Holiness. They are friends of our Lord, because they know Him, love Him, and and do His will. They obey His callings and His commandments. They are working out this thing called salvation, knowing that it is a life-long process, their walk with the Lord.

(Phil 2:12 KJV) Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 

The Bible is the infallible written Word of God, brought to life in our lives by the Holy Ghost. And Jesus is the Living Word of God, brought to life in our lives by faith, which is also a gift from God. Salvation comes by faith and faith by hearing the Word of God. Hallelujah!

To cut this short, the ending is yet to be seen, but we know roughly what to expect; it's in the Bible. Jesus can and will solve your problems. Seek Him while He might be found. I have found God's one true church. It's all around, in the Body of Christ, in those believers who love God with all their being, and love their neighbors as themselves. And guess what? They ARE from beyond the grave, beyond the cross, made anew by the cleansing blood of the lamb, Jesus. 

To God, to the Body of Christ, to the kingdom of heaven, I dedicate this webpage, with His blessings upon us all. Peace be with you. 
 

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