Death – Page 7 – Cross Culture Church

Meditation: August 31

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; (10) and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power”. Colossians 2:9-10

Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher who announced the death of God placed his emphasis on the strength of the human personality. “Relinquishing the belief in God opens the way for human creative abilities to fully develop.” “The Christian, he wrote, “would no longer stand in the way, so human beings might stop turning their eyes towards a supernatural realm and begin to acknowledge the value of this world.” His idea was that “will power is the essence of reality”.

Today, the death of the God which is expressed through a shift in values is proclaimed even while using religious language. Asserting oneself and accentuating the positive while eliminating the negative supposedly have freed individuals from the bondage of their past. There is a super-human being on the scene that can control the activities of their god and create their own destinies. “If it is to be, it is up to me” has become the motto for daily living. God is about developing the human personality in ways far beyond the wildest dreams of Nietzsche. He thought it was possible to find one’s life while Jesus is about one losing his life that he might find it in Him. The aggression of egotistical behavior contributes to the destruction of the human race rather than the development of society. People are too busy trying to get for themselves what they want rather than having a true concern for God’s agenda and glorifying Him by giving Him what He requires. Listen more carefully to the message of this age or this world system, even in religious circles and you will hear this opposing gospel message seeping into the very center of what is being proclaimed. Only God can complete man and we are complete only in Him. He reigns over the things contributing to the conditions of man’s fragmentation. No one can rescue himself. All are in need of help. All are in need of God who is yet alive and well!

27 Aug 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: August 27

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

To lose heart is to become fainthearted when fear holds its grips upon the soul. It is when discouragement occurs as result of failed hopes and dreams. Things were expected in a certain amount of time; a rescue from a dilemma, but the situation remained the same. Time is beyond our control, but not beyond our management. Each moment must be used as an opportunity to further develop the stature of the soul. Each day, a lesson is learned and applied to our eternal destinies so that even our failures amount to success in God. We are being trained for eternity. God is taking us through a course in life that will increase the measure of our faith in Him alone. The outward man is perishing along with its passions for the external and temporal things. As we grow older we grow wiser in our values. We are now seeking those things which are above where Christ is. All other things are being held loosely in light of their eternal value. The confidence we have in Christ is that life as we have known it to be is not the only chapter in this story. The greatest chapters await us and are yet to be written regardless of how old we may be. Even death cannot stop what God has in store for us but only serves as a passageway into the eternal. The outward man is perishing, but the inward man is being renewed day by day. Now the gospel message is known to be good news to us. We are able to see the goodness of the Lord that surpasses the temporary elements of this world and to see beyond our own feebleness. The time will come when we will be re-clothed or re-suited with a body conducive to the spiritual development of our souls thus possessing the ability to give full expression to what God have placed within our hearts to both be and to do. We do not desire to be naked, but to be clothed in immortality and now we have hope that the God who promises it will deliver.

10 Aug 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: August 10

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” John 12:32

Jesus spoke of the benefits and advantages of His being Lifted up. It was not the elevation that many seek. It was not a platform of prominence, or the glitter and glamour of celebrity. It was the execution of the intentions of His enemies against Him. If they carry out their agenda, God will use it as a means to draw every people-group to a life of surrender. They would come to the very cross and die with Him.

What the devil intended for evil, God meant for good. His death was His life’s purpose. The dynamics of the death of Jesus Christ is too complex to fully explain. He became sin as a sinless sacrifice for our sins. The message is foolishness to those who consider themselves to be too wise and prudent even to need it, But there are those who sense the weight of sin damning their souls to hell. They are appreciative that the consequences of their fallen nature destined to express itself will not be held to their charge.

The message of the cross causes an explosion among people. Hope for eternal life is signaled to a terminal generation whereas a glimmer of hope reaches their soul. They rush in the direction of the new Light that burst forth before them. “Draw me away,” the Shulamite woman cries out to her Beloved. The power of the Holy Spirit implodes and all kinds of people are drawn in a strange direction of death to their self life with a promise and hope of resurrection. Do you desire the life that is lived after death or the death that denies true life because it is too busy giving expression to its own emptiness trying to just make a living?

09 Aug 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: August 9

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

Life takes on a new meaning once Christ has come into the heart of the believer. He does not merely exist among the other things once deemed important, but rather sets the priorities for ones existence. Any other place given to Him constitutes a warms feeling in His regards, but not the quality of life He promises and died to give. This was the revelation given to Paul, the Apostle by the Holy Spirit. “For me, the meaning of life has shifted. For me, it’s no longer a matter of consulting with God as to whether it is permissible for me or not to have my own way. For me, to live is for Christ to fully live His life through me.”

This ought to be the earnest desire of each and every Christian. This is a life of discovery whereas one is freed from pretense or attempting to force himself to do what he thinks that Jesus would do. But rather discovering in his own flesh the life and works of Jesus personally.

“To die is gain.” Death died on the Cross when Jesus was crucified and rose from the grave. The victory of resurrection life becomes our victory as we identify with His death. The more one dies to self, he provides the opportunity for Spirit Life rise within Him. It eradicates the fear of physical death because the assurance of God’s promise become ever present; “To live is Christ, and to die is gain for me.”

13 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 13

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.” Luke 17:37

The vultures gather together around dead bodies. Theirs is to devour the decaying flesh and ruin. They have a victory party before their feast with every intention to consume everything that is left unattended. Where Jesus died is the gathering place of demons and devils. Without His presence and power at work, each one can do as he pleases and have its way against the Way of God. A crowd alone is not the determinant of blessings and prosperity. Funerals draw larger crowds than prayer meetings. Some gather to devour the flesh of the dead and wounded on the battlefield of faith. Their stand, though unpopular, was consistent even to resist the temptations of compromise. While some may pursue optional methods of approaching God, they have stood with Him even to their own injury and ruin. His sufferings have become their own sufferings because His business was their business. But Jesus arose from the dead and His Body did not see corruption. There was nothing for vultures to consume. He is the Living Bread freely given to all who will partake of Him. The vultures gather in their places awaiting His death. But the saints gather in our place celebrating His life as the Body of Christ which came forth through His death into eternal life.

06 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 6

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” 1 Thessalonians 1:10

The posture of the follower of Jesus Christ is anticipation for what lies ahead. The word of God received has lifted his sights above the persecution of trials and the tests that come against him. It has the ability to stabilize us even when the circumstances remain the same. It is word upon word that increases faith and raises the level of expectation for the return of our Lord. Nothing could be more valuable than this. Jesus, whom He raised from the dead provide for us a model of what awaits our future. He was delivered from death through death. The wrath of man measured against us in this world is nothing in comparison to the wrath of God. We must endure the intermediate in order to experience the ultimate. He has delivered us from the wrath to come against all unrighteousness and now we are a part of His kingdom where righteousness reigns. Our deliverance is as result of hearing and obeying the message delivered to us from heaven. It was delivered to us to deliver us from the wrath that is sure to come. As we wait for the return of the Son of God who is in heaven, we must patiently wait for Him to turn the tide in His favor. All things are working together towards this end.

01 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

July 2016 Article: “Freedom Is A Choice”

Posted by wwalker Categories: Articles

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19

Although we are free to make choices, we are not free to determine the outcome or consequences of the choices that we make. Somewhere down the road we will meet the fruit of past decisions that will remind us of what we once thought and whether we were right or wrong. One writer mentioned that “The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” but we also know that the trail of tears left behind is moistened with regrets. If it were possible to hit the rewind button of life, how many mistakes would we delete? Even though we are the product of past choices, the road of possibility lies ahead to choose to live a better life.

Freedom in choosing ought to be preceded by a careful examination of the facts. Wisdom must be applied because facts alone can be deceiving. How those facts align themselves to absolute truth will determine the outcome of the decision. When words like absolute are used, it suggests that there is an established standard, and if there is an established standard, that standard must be unalterable with an existence that preceded the presentation of facts. Now what or who could this standard be? God alone is that standard and His Word has established it.

Freedoms without boundaries collide and degenerate into chaos. If two are more people are free to do as they please, their pleasures would impose upon the freedoms of other free thinking people. It would require a world consisting of only one inhabitant if people were free to express whatever came to their mind. Trace history and you will see a parallel between what is happening today with the history of ancient Rome. They sought after freedom that was void of an established standard, which is similar to what we see in America today.

“Rome tolerated every abominable practice, embraced every foul idea in the name of freedom and the rights of the common man. Citizens no longer carried on deviant behavior in private, but pridefully displayed it in public. It was those with moral values who could no longer freely walk in a public park without having to witness a revolting display. What happened to the public censors who protected the majority of citizenry from moral decadence? Did freedom have to mean abolishing common decency? Did freedom mean anyone could do anything they wanted anytime they wanted, without consequences?” ― Francine Rivers, A Voice in the Wind

Our daily choices contribute to our final destiny. There are many opportunities ahead of each individual, and God will not completely constrain anyone from doing whatever comes to his or her mind. Yet His Word reminds us that there is a way that appears to be right but the consequences lead to death. To put it simply, life is contained within right decisions and death is contained within wrong decisions. The time will come when the nature of the choices made will completely manifest. And the destiny of the decision maker will be forever sealed! Choose life…choose God!

12 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: June 12

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” 1 John 4:20

There is that moment in the life of every Christian where love is indiscriminately distributed. This is the mark of true conversion that one has passed from death unto life. It does not mean that the person will remain there, but if he has never been there, he has never received conversion. All too often very little is required of the seeker that limits his expectations of God. If God does not require the whole heart of the individual, how can that individual expect to receive the fullness of Christ? The test is openness to others with a heart overflowing with love. We cannot contain the authentic love of God for its objective is to be given away. Our mission is to fully follow after Him allowing His love to be shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. If we love Him we will love our brother, love, and keep His commandments.

03 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: June 3

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3

In an age of diversity, tolerance, and political correctness, to speak exclusively that One would stand out among the crowd condemning all others beside as false, lifeless, and insignificant. So it is with God who has no respect for other gods. None other is to be worshiped and the exclusive course to the Father is through His Son, Jesus Christ. What is most difficult to many is to understand the effect of original sin. None had access because of man’s nature as sinners. When sin is ignored then the need for a Savior is unnecessary. But thanks be to God, a provision was made through the death of His own Son that we might be redeemed! Idolatry is the pursuit of a god that is either after Him or in place of Him. He must stand alone. He is to be worshiped. Renounce any idols in your life that may be competing for your exclusive obedience to Him.

20 May 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: May 20

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.” Ezekiel 47:9

The waters of life will flow from the Temple thus producing life wherever it flows. The dry and brittle soil will receive the refreshing of revival when the Temple has enough water to flow from it to places beyond its doors. God has given us what the world so desperately needs. In a culture of death and spiritual stagnation, many are in pursuit of a truth that is able to reach the soul. The cosmetic treatments of fatal illnesses have not sufficed. There remains a wound deep within the soul that nothing external is able to satisfy. It requires the living water so that one would not have to continue coming to the well. God has given authority to the Church to be salt and light to the world. But His anointing will flow from His people touching the whole of His creation that now groans for redemption. God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. It will awaken a people who will align themselves with the Lord, thus allowing His glory to be reflected throughout the whole earth. They will not try to usurp the glory and honor that is God’s alone, but rather reflect it, thus bringing glory to His Name. Everywhere the river goes will be healed.

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