A WORD ON THE HOLY SPIRIT

A WORD ON THE HOLY SPIRIT

         I was chatting with a dear friend today, and she reminded me of the incredible ministry that is available to all Christians through the Holy Spirit.  Growing up in a denomination that didn’t teach very much on the Holy Spirit, I really had no idea what His purpose of function was.

         First of all, the Holy Spirit is a person, not a force or a power and we should address Him as “He” and not ‘it’ or some other non-personal term.  He is the third person of the Triune God, and as such, has every bit as much power, authority and glory as do the Father and the Son.

         When I end my daily devotions, I end with the phrase, “For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever, Amen!”  I acknowledge the greatness and glory of the Father – the All-wise Creator and Designer of everything that is in existence.  Then, I follow by praising Jesus Christ, who willingly stepped down from His throne in Heaven and came to the earth to be one of us – a man.  He walked among us and taught us about the Father.  He taught us the Word of God and ultimately laid down on that Roman cross and allowed those soldiers to nail His hands and feet to the cross and pierce His side with a spear.  The then descended to Hades and, as promised in Genesis, crushed the head of the Serpent, crippling his power over the believer forever.  Then, glory of glories, Jesus rose from the dead and passed on to us Eternal Life, which we will share with Him and the Father and Holy Spirit forever in the New Heavens and New Earth.

         I then begin to acknowledge the Holy Spirit as ruler of the Kingdom, power and glory of God as well.  This is a little less obvious in how to attribute these divine qualities to the Spirit, Who we know so little about.

         Jesus said in John 14, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (Jn 14:16-18).  Jesus is saying He will not leave us alone to do the work of the ministry once He ascends into Heaven, but will send the Holy Spirit as our Helper – and He will be with you and in you.  He will reside within our hearts from the moment we give our lives to the Lord until we meet Jesus at the end of our days.

Jesus spoke many things to His disciples.  Far too many for their feeble, human minds to remember or understand.  So, He knew we would need help in unraveling the mysteries of His Kingdom.  He said, “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (Jn 14:25-26).

The Holy Spirit has many ‘duties’ here on earth.  Jesus said, “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.  And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”  (Jn 15:26-27).  Because the disciples had been with Jesus since the beginning of His ministry, they would know Him and His teachings better than anyone else on earth.  But – they would still need help, as we do, in bringing to our remembrance the things that Jesus said when we come to the place of sharing with another person, whether it be our testimony, or bringing comfort and consolation to a ‘wounded’ child of God.

Jesus lists three of them here, but the primary one will be spoken of later.  As difficult as these words were for the disciples to hear, they were true nonetheless.  Jesus would eventually return to His rightful place at the Right hand of the Father in Heaven, and He did not want to leave the disciples without great assistance in doing the work He had called them to do.  He said, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world (Satan) is judged.

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”  (Jn 16:7-15).

Jesus is saying, and rightfully so, that the disciples couldn’t bear to carry, remember or utilize so much of what Jesus had taught them and showed them while He was with them.  Yet, they would need these things if they were to be an effective witness for the Lord after He left them and returned to Heaven.

So, now we come to what I feel is the primary ministry of the Holy Spirit – that of “witnessing” of the power, glory and honor of Jesus Christ.  That is what the Holy Spirit came to the earth to do – empower us to be witnesses of Jesus Christ.  Nowhere in Scripture do we see that the Holy Spirit desires to be publicly glorified or lifted up.  His sole purpose is to bring glory to Christ.  Like John the Baptist said, He must decrease the Jesus might increase!

The Holy Spirit came to indwell the believer and fill him/her with the overflowing power  of Christ to be the kind of witness of Christ we could not be on our own.

And so, “being assembled together with them, Jesus commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me (John 14, 15 and 16); for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized (immersion) with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4-5)

A rather crude example of what this type of ‘baptism’ means can be found in a simple process of making a pickle.  If we merely take a cucumber and ‘dip’ it in brine for a few minutes, it will come out still being a wet cucumber.  But, if we first dip the cucumber in boiling water for a few moments, then take it out and let it ‘cure’ in the brine for an extended period, it is no longer a cucumber, but it is now a pickle.  It has physically changed or ‘metamorphosed’ into something different.  So, we need to become ‘pickled’ in the Holy Spirit J.

  The book of Acts continues, “Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Jesus, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”  And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses of Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  (Acts 1:6-8).

That is why the Helper, Comforter, Teacher, Holy Spirit has come into the world.  And so, when I’m ending my morning devotions, I make sure to ask the Father to fill me to overflowing with the power of the Holy Spirit to be a witness for Christ.  I ask Him to give me the gifts (tools) of the Holy Spirit to make the work Jesus has assigned to us easier.

Jesus told us plainly in Luke, “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Lk 11:11-13).

First of all, we need to know who the Holy Spirit is.  Then we need to understand His ministry on the earth – what it is and what it is not.  It’s all about Jesus!  Then, we need to desire to be a witness for Christ and not just a pew-warmer.  Finally, we need to ask the Father to give us the Holy Spirit along with His associated power and gifts.  Then, the Lord will ‘pickle’ us with the power (dunamus) of the Holy Spirit so that we can keep our part of the Great Commission – to be a witness of Jesus Christ through our part of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth.  God knows we are incapable of doing this on our own, that is why He gave us the Holy Spirit to baptize us – so that He could use us effectively.  God is good, and He will never ask us to do something that He doesn’t supply the power for us to do.  So just ask Him and He will answer.  You will be very pleasantly surprised with how it feels to walk in the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Be richly blessed as you serve Him,

Pastor Tony Marinelli

THE IMPORTANCE OF FELLOWSHIP

   “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”  (NKJV - Heb 10:24-25)
        “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (NLT -Heb 10:24-25)
        My dear brothers and sisters, the Lord has been laying on my heart many of those in our Fellowship who have not been around lately, or who attend church very sporadically.  Everyone is busy and has reasons why it is difficult to ‘make’ church on a regular basis.  But to the Lord, our attendance is very high on His priority list.  There are many reasons for this.
        First of all, we need one another.  If you come to church in order to ‘receive’ only, you are missing half the boat.  Half boats don’t float very well.  The rest of the Body of Christ needs  you in order to make it whole.   Each member has an important role in making the Body of Christ a whole, living organism.
        The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” (NKJV - 1 Cor. 12:12)                 
        Paul wrote later in the same chapter, “For in fact the body is not one member but many.  If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body?  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?  But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.  And if they were all one member, where would the body be?  But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.  And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’  No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.  And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.  And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.  (NKJV - 1 Co 12:14-27)
        What the Holy Spirit is saying through the apostle Paul is that every member of the Body of Christ is needed to make the Body complete.  Without any part, it is lacking.  If you think you don’t play an important role in the fellowship, you are wrong.  God says that on those members that seem less honorable, on these we bestow even greater honor.  You may think you simply ‘occupy space’ at church, but that is a lie from the enemy.
        Also in 1 Cor. 12, Paul speaks about why the need for every member of the Body to be present is so important.  “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. (NKJV - 1 Co 12:4-12).
        You see, God knows that each one of us are different.  Each of us have different strengths and weaknesses.  And God adds to our individuality by giving us the gifts of the Holy Spirit in different measures to different people so that when the whole Body of Christ comes together – it is complete; whole; lacking nothing.
        If any one of us misses an opportunity to fellowship at church, we are not only depriving ourselves of the blessing of God using us, but we are also depriving the Body of our special and unique gifts.  It’s like a car running on 3 cylinders.  It will get there eventually, but it will be a rough ride and much slower to complete.
        In the Book of Acts we see the first century church behaving the way God intended for the church to function.  “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.  (NKJV - Act 4:32-35)
        You see, when the Body of Christ functions as God intended – all of the members are equally needed and used.  They may not be as ‘visibly’ used or ‘stand out front’, but a prayer worrior is worth more than a musician any day.  “The effective and fervent prayer of the righteous avails much.” (NKJV -  Jas 5:16).  When a member of the Body of Christ has a need, if the Body is functioning properly, the need can be met by the whole Body coming together.  No one should have to suffer loss if the needs can be met through the common resources of the Fellowship.  I have seen men, proud men, work on their houses or kitchens or bathrooms or yards by themselves because they were too proud to call the brethren and ask for help. “Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”  (NKJV - Jas 4:2-3).  I have seen some families go without food, or diapers for their children, because they didn’t feel like they could ask the fellowship for help.  That is understandable – if you are only a pew warmer and not a vital part of the Body of Christ.  But that is not what God intends for any of us.
        The Lord wishes the each of us have enough, - not too little that we have to steal nor too much that our heart grows far from the Lord.  “Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches— Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the Lord?”  (NKJV Prov 30:7-9).
        So, what is the end of all this?  Don’t forsake the fellowship of the Body of Christ.  Be there and be an active member whenever it is at all possible.  And the Lord will see to it that you are used mightily by the Holy Spirit and that you never lack for anything. “Once I was young, and now I am old.  Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.” (NLT - Psalm 37:25).
        I hope to see you at church tomorrow!  I love each of you and pray for you every morning.  May the Lord richly bless you.
        Much love,   Pastor Tony Marinelli 

CITIZENS OF HEAVEN

CITIZENS OF HEAVEN


I am walking through a lush green field, looking at the beauty of the mountains and streams in the distance.  I am in a crowd in New York City waiting hungrily for my delicious looking slice of pizza to be served to me so I can sink my teeth into it.  I am holding my beloved 12 string Ovation guitar playing and singing praises to the Lord.  I am helping my mother and father get some food ready for the big family dinner.  I am camping with my precious wife and children at our favorite camping spot in Vermont – our new camper all dressed up and made ‘homey’ by Doreen.
Then, I begin to slowly slide upward from the depths of some nether world and begin to ‘feel’ my body lying in bed.  I suddenly realize that I have something ‘stuck’ in my throat.  For some strange reason, my mouth is burning.  I slowly open my eyes and – more burning – and I don’t see any of the things that I was just beholding.  My mouth still waters for that slice of pizza or cheesesteak, but I soon realize that I cannot eat this.  My breathing is clogged with mucous and I grab a rag and ‘blow it out’.  I rub around my tummy – thinking of that tasty bite of the best Pizza in the world – New York City pizza, and I feel this plastic tube sticking out of my stomach.  What is that for?
I rush to call my wife and ask her to put something in my eyes to stop the burning.  I can’t see anything except blurry figures.  The light hurts my eyes.  I ask for some lidocaine mixture to stop the burning in my mouth.
Who is this?  Where am I?  What happened to my parents?  Where is the camp ground?
I am Tony Marinelli.  I play guitar and sing and preach the Word of God.  I am an expert with computers.  I love to travel and do adventurous things with my wife.  This isn’t me!!!  It can’t be me.  This is someone else.  I am dreaming now.  This isn’t real.
Suddenly, overwhelmed, I burst into tears – and my wife asks me ‘Why am I crying?”.  I say, “I don’t know.”  I know she can’t understand – and I am unable to explain it to her.
As I slowly drift up through the fog, I realize that this is me.  This is the ‘new’ Tony Marinelli!  But why?  How did this all happen?  The answers begin to come, and gradually I start to come to grips with the fact that this is who I am now.  I have changed.  The Lord has allowed my body to become dysfunctional for some reason.  I look up into His eyes and I hear His voice say, “Yes, my son?  What is it that is troubling you?”
I answer, “Lord, this is not me – what have I become?  How can I go on like this?  I don’t even want to get up out of this bed.  Please let me go back to my dreams – I was just about to bite into that pizza J.”
But the Lord answers me by saying, “No, my son, this is you – it is the same ‘you’ that I made from the beginning.  Your heart has not changed.  Your spirit is still in love with me.  I still live in your heart.”
“But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.  He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.”  (NLT - Phil 3:20-21).
I ask the Lord, “But Lord, how can I do the things I love to do?”  How can I play the guitar?  How can I preach?  How can I eat? (That is a BIG question!!)”
And the Lord says to me, “I have new things for you to do.  This world is coming to an end rapidly, and I need you to labor in my fields in a different way – a way that will produce much more fruit than you have ever done before.”
“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (NKJV - 2 Cor 5:20-21).
“But Lord,” I say, “how can I do anything for you in this condition?  I am disabled.  I am without strength.  I don’t know what to do.”  And the Holy Spirit responds, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  (NKJV - 2 Cor 12:9-11)
When I am fully awake, I try to be strong – sometimes on my own, and it is always abject failure.  When I just give it up and let God take control of my life, He begins to work in me a spirit that isn’t so much concentrating on what I can’t  do, but rather what I can  do for the Kingdom of God.
I have had a good life – a full life.  I’ve traveled all over the world, married a most Godly woman who has born me a quiver full of children – each of which have been a huge blessing to my life.  I have made lots of money – and I have gone bankrupt.  Like the apostle Paul wrote, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (NKJV - Phil 4:11-13).
Brothers and sisters, let us know that we are but sojourners on this earth, which is passing away before our very eyes.  I hope to someday soon write a message on Bible Prophecy, and I think that we will clearly see just how close to the ‘End of Time’ that we really are.  The things that are going on in the world are not a coincidence.  The President we have has been appointed by God, and what he is doing is all part of God’s plan for the ‘beginning of the end.’
Each of us must realize that we need to do as Jesus did, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (NKJV - Jn 9:4-5).
Jesus wasn’t only speaking about Himself.  Since the Holy Spirit lives in us, we also are the light of God in this dark world.
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  (NKJV - Matt 5:14-17).
The night is coming, my friends.  Let us be sober and vigilant.  “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.  And they shall not escape.  But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.  You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are neither of the night nor of darkness.  Therefore, let us not sleep as others do, but let us watch and be sober.  For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day being sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.  For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
“Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. (NKJV - 1 Th 5:2-11).  Yes, the King is coming soon.  And we who love Him and follow Him, no matter what our ‘condition’ will be with Him, having been raptured with the church, the Bride of Christ, before that great and terrible Day of the Lord.
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse.  And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.  He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called, The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.  Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron.  He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (NKJV - Rev 19:11-16)
     
Oh, how I long for that day.  Everything that is happening now is leading up to that wonderful hour, when our Righteous King will judge the nations.  Let us not waste any more time on our own selfish needs and ambitions.  “For we have wasted enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.  In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.  They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” (NKJV - 1 Pet 4:3-5)
So, in a way, I am living in a dream right now.  This life is not our ‘real’ life.  No matter what condition my body is in, or what financial position I may find myself in, or what may be going on in my life in any area, I am merely traveling through this realm on my way home.  But while I’m here, the Lord has asked us to love Him, abide in Him and spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God wherever and however we can.  As the reality of our standing in Christ becomes more secure, it is easier to obey the command that Jesus gave His disciples just before He ascended into heaven.  He said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (NKJV - Mt 28:18).
Each of us has been called to give witness to the King.  We need to truly understand that we are not of this world and as Paul wrote, “If we live by the Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit.  Let’s not let the ‘flesh’ rule our lives.  The world is falling apart.  The Presidential elections are coming up in one year – and it will really make no difference in God’s economy who gets elected.  We each have our favorites, but God’s plan will be worked out no matter what.
The rest of the world is waiting to hear the Gospel message.  That should be our priority, and let the Lord work out all the details of our lives as we give them over to Him.  “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt 6:33).
Now, what are you worried about?  As my friend, Pastor Lloyd Pulley says, “Foget about it.”  Live life to the fullest in Christ and you will find true peace, joy, patience, kindness, gentleness and the other ‘Fruit of the Spirit.’  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (NKJV - Prov 3:5-6).  I’d much rather have the Lord direct my paths than to try to depend on my own ‘wisdom and knowledge’ to direct my life.
May the Lord continue to bless you as you seek Him and desire to walk in His ways.
          God bless,    Pastor Tony Marinelli

B.U.S.Y

B.U.S.Y. Bondage Under Satan’s Yoke This message has been on my heart for some time to write. But now is the time that I have found inspiration to write it, so I am trusting that this is the Lord’s timing and will. Most of us find ourselves so busy that we hardly know what we should do next, so we just ‘fall’ into the next thing to try to get everything done. Very few of us are disciplined enough to run our lives based on an actual ‘schedule’ that we stick to ‘religiously’. I do know only one or two people in the WORLD that are able to do this – and they do it religiously. At the end of this message, I’m going to let you in on an imaginary ‘conference’ that Satan had with his demons to discuss ways to render Christians ineffective for Christ. A ‘fruitless’ Christian is a ‘useless’ Christian. The greatest lesson that the Lord needed to teach me in this regard involves two things: 1) Learning how to set my ‘limits’, and 2) learning how to say “No” when asked to help out or do things for other people. First, let’s discuss the limits. Every one of us has certain limits in what we are ‘safely’ able to do before we get stressed out or enter the ‘overload’ mode. Little done in either of these postures is effective or of any real quality. If we ask the Lord to show us where our limits are, He will do so. We each have a certain size ‘plate’ and when it is full, it is FULL. If we try to put any more on a full plate, something falls off, or the whole plate tumbles. The Bible says: “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” (NKJV Dan 12:4) Another version puts it this way, “But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.” (NLT Dan 12:4). The amount of knowledge that man has amassed since the beginning of the twentieth century is mind-boggling. And with the advent of computers (which were supposed to lessen people’s work), they have, in fact, increased it significantly. Many of us now find ourselves a slave to a computer somewhere – wither at work, at school, or at home – or all of the above. Not only have computers invaded our time-space, but the fact that so much knowledge is stored in so many places, puts a heavy burden on all of us to do more, know more, go more – and do it all faster. But, with all of this said, our personal limits do not change. God commanded us to work for six days and on the seventh (of time) to rest. He called this commandment the Sabbath. The Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments. Name one other of those ten that you think you might be exempted from – or excused from obeying because you have some ‘special’ job or circumstance! (Now the ‘Sabbath’ is NOT a certain day of the week – but a certain ‘period of time’ during every week). Once we ‘learn what our limits are, we come to the second part of this lesson – learning to say “No”. If you are anything like me, you are quick to say “Yes” to anyone who asks for help, especially in the family or the church. We will often find ourselves having committed to do something that really is not God’s will for us. Most of the time, this is a result of a lack of prayer about the assignment, project or ministry. Sometimes we feel ‘privileged’ to have been asked to do a certain thing, that saying “No” would actually hurt our pride! We don’t always have to say “No” when someone asks us to take on something new. That is the time when we need to examine our limits (plate) and either, 1) say “No” to the new task if our plate is already full (which most are), or 2) ask the Lord to show us what needs to be replaced on our plate so that we can take on the new ministry or task. Before something new is taken on, something ‘old’ needs to go. At times, we will find that the Lord is asking us to ‘give up’ something that we really like! That s when it becomes really difficult. So, the keys to overcoming the B.U.S.Y. syndrome are two words: “limits” and “No”. This means saying “No” to the TV, radio, friend, family member or whatever unless we can hear from the Lord what we can remove from our already full plate in order to satisfy this new requirement. ========================================== Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, "We can't keep the Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from conservative values. But we can do something else. "We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding relationship experience in Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, let them go to bibles studies, let them get together with other believers, but we must steal their time, so they can't gain that experience in Jesus Christ. "This is what I want you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!" "How shall we do this?" shouted his angels. "Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent numberless schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, then borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6 or 7 days a week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the daily pressures of work. "Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or iPod whenever they drive, to keep the TV, DVR, cell phones and their PC's going constantly in their homes. Make sure the TV is the first thing they turn on in the morning – even before their coffee pot! And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical, contradicting music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ. "Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail order catalogs and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes. Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted and unprepared for the coming week. Don't let them go out in nature to reflect on God's wonders. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead. "And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotions. Let them be involved in soul-winning. But, crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from the Lord. "Soon they will be working on their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause." It was quite a convention in the end. And the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments, causing Christians everywhere to get busy, busy, busy and rush here and there. Has the devil been successful at his scheme?? You be the judge. How about this definition of busy: B - Burdened U - Under S - Satan's Y - Yoke Wow, makes one think.... If Satan doesn’t win ‘First Prize’, which is our soul, his alternate goal is to take our minds and hearts off Christ and then steer us toward the cares of the world. God wants us to enjoy life, but HE must be first. If we are too busy for God, then we are too busy.

Pornography

PORNOGRAPHY Pornography is one of the most pernicious and vile evils to enter the hearts and minds of mankind. It is not new in fact, it is one of Satan’s most effective tools in bringing both men and women down since the beginning of history. Though most men (and women) will not acknowledge this, pornography is very addicting and once the ‘habit’ of viewing it regularly has begun, it is VERY difficult to stop without the power of a repentant heart and the Holy Spirit. It is a two sided evil that affects both men and women, both perpetrator and victim. It is by far a more serious problem with men, but women are by no means exempt from this demon’s talons. God meant from the beginning that one man and one woman should come together in marriage, and the act of sexual intimacy should be exercised only within that context. But, as Satan so often does, the ‘counterfeit’ to God’s gift to man – sexual intimacy – was brought to bear in the form of pornography. In earliest recorded history, we see pornography in the form of sexual gods and goddesses. Often these were merely ‘images’ of pornographic scenes etched in stone, marble, gold or other such materials. Men and women ‘worshiped’ the gods and goddesses of sex both visually and physically. Priests and priestesses of these false gods were most often merely prostitutes in disguise. Some of the more well know sexual gods were Inuus, Diana, Eros, Ishtar, Aphrodite, Venus, Baal, Moleck the list goes on. Every culture has their sex gods and goddesses. King Solomon clearly stated in Ecclesiastes 3 that, “There is nothing new under the sun.” The purpose of this message is not to recount the history of this evil, but to try to deal with the ‘here and now’ of how this sin affects men and women - both in and outside the Church of Jesus Christ. As I mentioned earlier, the problem with pornography is primarily a problem for men. I will try to deal with the woman’s issue later in this message. Forty years ago, men had to sneak around movie reels with pornography on them – they were called ‘smokers’ or ‘stag films’ back then. Then there were the XXX shops, with small ‘booths’ that took quarters for a 3 minute ‘clip’ of a porn movie. Men would leave their workplace at the lunch hour and visit their local Sex shop for a few dollars’ worth of ‘pleasure’ – then innocently go back to work. No one the wiser, right? Next comes the video market, with easy to purchase and use video cameras and projectors. Video stores began to carry pornographic videos, so it became easier for men to walk in and rent a few porn movies, take them home and wait until late at night (usually after everyone – especially the wife) went to bed and then watch them. Then pornography hit the jackpot – the Internet. Once the Internet became a ‘commodity’ among households, the purveyors of pornography no longer had to go looking for an audience – the audience came looking for them!! As the Internet grew, so did the pornography industry, until today, it is the single, largest money generating computer based industry in the world. The pornography industry is one of the largest money-making businesses the world has ever known. I don’t have the figures, but more money is spent on pornography than on food, clothing and shelter for all persons in the United States combined. That is simply mind-boggling! According to “Internet Pornography Statistics” - The statistics are truly staggering. According to compiled numbers from respected news and research organizations, every second $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography. Every second 28,258 internet users are viewing pornography. In that same second 372 internet users are typing adult search terms into search engines. Every 39 minutes a new pornographic video is being created in the U.S. It’s big business. The pornography industry has larger revenues than Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo, Apple and Netflix combined. 2006 Worldwide Pornography Revenues ballooned to $97.06 billion. What would it be in 2011?? How much good could be done for the Kingdom of God with even a fraction of that wasted money? This means several things. First of all, many Christian men are spending God given money and precious family time on a toxic evil. Rather than help feed a hungry child or purchase a Bible for a Bible-starved country, or being responsible and paying bills and putting food on their own tables men will spend money to satisfy their most evil kinds of lust – the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. 1 John 1:16 Jesus said, “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matt 6:22-23). Meaning – once you have polluted your eyes – you are in deep, deep trouble. Jesus also said, “And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’ (NLT Mark 9:47-48). Most men don’t realize just how evil pornography is. They think it is just a problem between them and God (Mano y mano). They think, “I know it isn’t right, but I’m really not ‘hurting’ anyone, so as long as no one finds out, it’s really not that bad.” How utterly deceived men are who feel this way. And I will venture a guess that every Christian man who views pornography feels dirty and sinful after they have done so – and will ask God for forgiveness. They will not ‘repent’ (turn from the evil, not to return), but they will ask for forgiveness. Some Christian surveys estimate that nearly fifty percent of Christian men have a problem with pornography. What is even more mind-boggling is these same surveys suggest that the same percentage of pastors also have the same problem. Since my book has been published, and I have ‘outed’ myself, many of you know that I had a serious problem with pornography. It began when I was eight years old and I found some 8mm ‘smoker’ films under my father’s bed. I didn’t know what they were – I thought they were family films. So, I hooked up the projector and watched them. Even at that young age, I was mortified. I didn’t know what to think – about my dad, about my mom – about sex! Nobody had even explained the ‘birds and the bees’ to me yet!. This horrible find began an addiction in me that would last through much of my adult life. Try as I might, I simply could not keep away from watching pornography for any real length of time. I would make promises to the Lord, and do my best to ‘stay away’ from that fire, but I never really won the battle. I’m not sure why – probably because within my heart, I actually liked seeing those images. Much has happened to me since those earlier years of my life. Today, I am virtually blind, and I can say with all honesty that I would rather stay blind for the rest of my life then to have that plague come back into my life. In a real sense, my eyes have been ‘gouged out’ and I would rather get to heaven blind than to have my eyesight back and fall into this hideous sin-life again. Now, I do pray that I will get my eyesight back, and I believe that I have been totally delivered from the scourge of pornography. I hate it – and everything that it does to me, my poor wife and all the people in the world who are affected by it. Many, if not most, men who view pornography are married. Married to a woman to whom they made a vow – a covenant promise - to “Love and cherish”, among other things, until death do they part. The Bible says the “marriage bed is undefiled.” This means God looks on the act of making love within the context of marriage as a good thing. God invented sex, yes for procreation, but also as our deepest expression of the ‘Oneness’ between a husband and a wife. Every time a man views pornography, he imbeds an image of fairy-tail sex into his brain. Then, he brings these images into his marriage bed with his wife – and the marriage bed becomes defiled. Men will often ‘think’ about what they saw on the pornography films while ‘making love’ to his wife. Worse still, men will expect their wives to behave like these paid whores. Men will become so self-deceived that they think that ‘real women’ like sex that way. Nothing can be further from the truth. Subconsciously, men will often ‘expect’ their wives to behave in bed like the ‘porn stars’ and to do things that may be abhorrent to the wife. This is a gross evil on the part of the man. Real women love intimacy and tenderness and love making that is passionate and pure of heart. A wife wants to know that her husband has eyes only for her and is satisfied with her love. All of this is polluted when pornography is introduced into a marriage. Job said to his accusers, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman? For what is the allotment of God from above, and the inheritance of the Almighty from on high? Is it not destruction for the wicked, and disaster for the workers of iniquity? Does He not see my ways,” (NKJV Job 31:1-4) Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, wrote, “Drink water from your own well—share your love only with your wife. Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone? You should reserve it for yourselves. Never share it with strangers. Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. She is a loving deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love. Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman, or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman? For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.” (NLT Prov. 5:15-23) Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (NKJV Matt 5:27-28) Jesus is saying that the very act of looking upon a woman and thinking about having sex with her is tantamount to committing the act of adultery. We may think we are not actually ‘doing’ anything wrong by simply viewing pornography, but that is not the way that Jesus looks at it. I prefer His interpretation rather than my own (or someone else’s) lame reasoning. The apostle Paul wrote, “Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” God says, “shall become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (NKJV 1 Cor. 6:13-20) Most men think that the women they are watching on the screen either one, enjoy what they are doing or two, are getting paid very well for their ‘services.’ While this may be true for a tiny fraction of the women seen in pornographic films, the vast majority of these women are actually slaves being forced to perform these lewd acts so that the men who control them can make all the money. In many countries of the world, including Russia (particularly), China, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Mexico, Brazil to name a few, young girls, (not even ‘women’ yet) are literally kidnapped and forced many times at gun-point to ‘star’ in pornographic videos. Others are drugged and become addicted, thus using their ‘services’ in exchange for their next ‘fix’ of drugs. For some women, their families are threatened with death or torture if the young girls do not comply. Many of these girls are only 11-14 years old – but made up to look older. There is a giant ‘slave trade’ that finances much of this business. Many of these young girls end up being killed by their slave-masters after their usefulness has expired. Men, think of your daughter or your wife being caught up in this web if iniquity. And Christian men are some of the pornography world’s best customers! Men think they can keep this sin a secret, but God says, “And be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23) When a wife or a girlfriend or fiancé finds out that ‘her’ man has looked at pornography longingly, she is demeaned, broken, violated and literally ‘stabbed in the heart’ by the man she loves. She feels worthless, ugly, insufficient, used and abused, cheated on and abandoned. No woman can compete with the highly-paid, or labor-forced, drop-dead gorgeous women who ‘star in pornography films. Thus, the woman in the man’s life feels empty and, hurt and eventually – very angry. “God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body* and live in holiness and honor — not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways.” (NLT - 1 Thes 4:3-5) Now we come to the woman’s side of this sinful world. There are a ‘few’ women who actually think that being a ‘porn star’ is a glamorous occupation. There are VERY few of these type of women. Many more go to New York or Hollywood with the dream of being an actress and find the ‘starting price’ is working as a porn star ‘for a while.’ The problem is – the ‘while’ never ends, and before they know it, they have been caught up in the web of lies, drugs and wickedness. I don’t really want to address these woman here. Theirs is a unique problem. Rather, I would like to address the Christian women who watch pornography in an effort to ‘appease’ their husband or boyfriend. There are not many of these type of ‘Christian’ ladies – and the ones who do such things are guilty of the same things as men as described above. A much more subtle problem can exist among Christian women that can exacerbate men giving them their ‘needed excuse’ to view pornography. Women can use their bodies as a tool to get what they want – or to ‘punish’ their husband for any number of reasons. If a Christian woman feels she is being ‘neglected’ emotionally, she often shuts down sexually with her husband, feeling that since he is not meeting my needs, neither will I meet his. This can go on for long periods of time. A husband who is deprived of sexual intimacy will often look for an outlet for his passions – and that will most often come in the form of viewing pornography. A woman may also lose interest in sexual intimacy, and therefore not want to engage in it with her husband, no matter what he may be feeling. Again – being ‘deprived’, the husband will look for another outlet for his passions. Women can also lose interest in taking care of themselves physically. The ‘beautiful’ wife that so-and-so married now looks like a harried old maid when her husband comes home from work. She makes no effort to look pleasing or appealing to her husband – as she once tried very hard to do. This is a ‘cold shower’ to a man coming home from a long day at work. There is much that a woman can do to make herself physically and sexually appealing to her husband. But this most often times takes WORK. And usually there is little desire to do this – especially if a wife is feeling neglected by her husband. But that does not give her an excuse to ‘deny’ intimacy or make it difficult. Husbands hate to beg their wives for sexual intimacy. Often, husbands ‘try’ to send out signals of their need, and may attempt to put together what they consider a romantic evening which may not be at all what the wife is in need of at that particular time. Nevertheless, she should consider her husband’s physical needs ahead of her own needs – for the moment. She should later express her own needs to her husband and pray that God will cause him to reciprocate in meeting the emotional needs of his wife. Paul wrote (in his singleness) “It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” (NKJV - 1 Cor. 7:1-5) Men can have the ‘urge’ for sexual intimacy at the most unusual times – sometimes these are very inconvenient times for the wife. However, a woman should learn to expect this, and “in her heart” be ready “in season and out of season.” She should be willing to submit herself to her husband even if it is an inconvenient time. Sometimes this may be impossible or impractical so she should let him know that and make plans for intimacy later – but not too much later. Another ‘cold bath’ for a husband is when he has this ‘expectation’ of the reward (at the ‘right time), and then the wife changes her mind – or ‘gets a headache’. There were many times when my wife submitted to me sexually when she really did have a headache – that is truly laying your life down for another. She wanted to satisfy my desires even though she did not feel well. I should have been more considerate of her – and sometimes I was, but not always. Men are basically selfish creatures when it comes to sexual intimacy. A loving wife can even ‘anticipate’ these ‘odd times’ and ‘surprise him by doing something totally out of her normal character. One time my wife did this for me. It was on Valentines Day and what a surprise it was. I won’t go into details but let’s just say, she desired to keep the excitement in our marriage and she succeeded. I will never forget that day. Women, get to know your husband and learn how to be creative with him without the use of pornography. God has given you the tools you need to satisfy your husband if you would learn to put him first in your life. There are many things that a wife can do to satisfy her man. The most important of all these things is to pray, pray, pray and communicate regularly how you are (both) feeling. Regular, open and frank communications is one of the best remedies for a troubled marriage – and it is also one of the best ‘vitamins’ for a healthy marriage to stay that way. A husband who has a real problem with pornography cannot deal with it alone. Though the wife’s natural (and justified) tendency is to be angry and draw further away from her husband, if she wants her marriage to last, she must try to help him. Working together, with the Lord, (and sometimes with a Christian counselor), this enormous problem can be overcome. Satan wants nothing more than to divide what God has brought together. Do not let the enemy have the victory in your life. We must overcome temptation and sin by the power of the Holy Spirit. And together, a husband and wife can defeat this hideous enemy. May the Lord continue to bless you as you seek Him and desire to walk in His ways. God bless, Pastor Tony Marinelli

Doreen Marinelli Speaks at Calvary Boston Womens Fellowship

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Baptism

           Jesus commanded His followers shortly before His ascension, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” (Matt 28:19..)  This is precisely what the disciples did after the coming of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:41; 8:12,38; 9:18, 10:48; 16:15, 33; 18:8).  The challenge of Peter was, “Repent and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38).  It would seem that as the apostles preached the Gospel and as people responded, they were immediately baptized.  Thus, repentance, faith and baptism are very closely related.  Clearly, though, baptism does not contribute to one’s salvation, it rather follows immediately in obedience to Jesus’ teaching.  Cornelius was baptized after having received the Holy spirit (Acts 10:44-48).

            The ordinance of baptism is a symbol of the believer’s identification with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection (Read Romans 6:3-11, Col 2:12 and 1 Pet 3:21).  It is an outward sign of an inward conviction.  In baptism the believer testifies that he or she has, in their hearts, died to their old sinful nature and risen to new life in Christ.  It symbolizes that the believer is identified with Christ, for he is baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  In Scripture, this was done when the new believer called upon the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16).  Baptism was an open and public confession of the Lordship of Christ in one’s life (Rom 10:9).

            Please allow me an analogy.  In the Bible we (the church) are referred to as the ‘Bride’ of Christ and Jesus is the Bridegroom spoken of in Revelation.  In much the same way that a man will ‘ask’ his beloved to marry him (propose) and she will (hopefully) accept, our Lord Jesus Christ ‘invites’ each of us to accept His gracious offer (proposal) of salvation.   If we accept, we become ‘betrothed’ to our beloved Lord Jesus and we await our union with Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb.  A man may present a ring as a sign of his commitment.  The Lord has given us the Holy Spirit in our hearts as a ‘deposit’ on our salvation (2 Cor 1:22, 5:5, Eph 1:14).  I think of our water baptism as that outward ‘sign’ - almost like the accepting of an engagement ring.   It is a time we will remember vividly.  One day, at the end of this age, the Bride of Christ (the church) will sit together with the Bridegroom (Christ) at that great feast - the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9). 

            Baptism is for those who personally and willingly respond to the call of salvation.  All who sincerely desire to repent of their sins and exercise a living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ should be baptized.  In Scripture, some households were baptized together (Acts 10:48; 16:15,33; 18:8; 1 Cor 1;16), and this has been construed to mean that even infants were baptized.  “Household” does not necessarily demand that there were infants; and further, in these cases just mentioned, those who were baptized were those who heard the Word (Acts 10:44) and believed (Acts 16:31, 34).  Nowhere does Scripture teach that infants were baptized.  Dedication of the child to the Lord by his parents is to be preferred above infant baptism.

            We therefore encourage every believer to simply follow our Lord’s example and go to the waters of baptism in faith (Matt 3:13-15).  Jesus said that we should be baptized (Matt 28:19).  Should we not therefore obey our Lord and be baptized?