February 2000

[3 of 3]

by Carole Forde

hen you go to Scripture in search of Truth, especially ones that will substantiate or repudiate a Word that challenges the doctrines you have previously held as Truth; you must humble yourself in the sight of the Lord before you do anything else,. because it may wound your pride to find you were believing a lie. "God gives grace to the humble, but resists the proud." ( Jas 4:6 ) Pray to hear the "Anointing that teaches us of all things; and is Truth, and is no lie"! ( 1 Jn 2:27 ). Ask for the "New Wineskin" with which to rethink your church doctrines with HIS Understanding; and to reveal what is the "Truth" (which Christ said He "IS" in Jn 14:6)! Ask Him to continue to confirm Himself to you again and again! Truth can always withstand close scrutiny; only the Lie shuns the Light of exposure! We must do away with all grey zones of double-mindedness and lukewarm devotion to God by settling forever in our hearts this simple Foundation of Faith:

EITHER JESUS CHRIST "I S" the
"SAVIOR OF THE W H O L E W O R L D!"
(as He, His Father, and the Holy Spirit claim)
or just Someone Who W I S H E S He was!

                Think long and hard about this! Imagine that your very life depends on the next question: "Is Jesus Christ the Savior of the WHOLE WORLD, or isn’t He?"If you must equivocate saying, "Yes, BUT..."; then you have more thinking, praying, and Scripture searching to do. Ask yourself if you would rather believe that Jesus failed or succeeded in the only mission for which He was sent when He was equipped with Resurrection Power for His mission. This calls to question whether we do or don’t believe that Resurrection Power is mighty enough to raise every dead soul to Life? Are we happier believing that evil will triumph over good in the end, even in the smallest measure? Does it build our faith to believe that a lying devil- depicted in Scripture as subservient to God- has equal power to vie for the ultimate fate of any soul"that was and is created for God’s pleasure"? ( Rev 4:11 ) Does it glorify our Omnipotent God to believe He would give lowly man autonomy over his own mortal or immortal life? How could the Bridegroom, Jesus ,enjoy His Marriage Feast, or endure an everlasting peace and bliss, with the knowledge that out in the great sphere of eternity there still exists a horrible hell containing a vast majority of the world that His Father so loved, He had sent Him to save them, but couldn’t? Did the Good Shepherd lie when He said that He would "Leave the 99 sheep to go searching for the final lost lamb; whereupon finding him, would set him upon His shoulders and carry him safely home?" ( Mt 18:12 ) All who imply such a blasphemous perspective are in grave error; for although they display "An outward form of godliness; inwardly they deny the Power of the living God!" These unenlightened ones are still prisoners of unbelief; but fortunately for them (and all men), "GOD SHUT UP ALL MEN IN UNBELIEF only so that HE COULD SHOW MERCY ON THEM ALL!"
                If the Man who was born of a virgin; then "Did so many things (besides what is recorded in Scripture) that if they should all be written down, the whole world could not contain the books"; ( Jn 21:25 ) and finally was condemned, tortured, crucified, died, and rose again from the dead- if He was just another martyred Prophet, then this imposter who called himself: Son of God, Messiah, and Savior of the world must be exposed as:

"THE GREATEST LIAR (OR FAILURE) OF ALL TIME!"

                But if He was what He claimed to be, then we need to rise up and proclaim His true identity fearlessly, for the redemption of all His beloved world. In this darkest period of all human history, God is permitting carnal man’s basest, most bestial instincts to be unleashed, while His withheld Christed remnant of overcomers are being comforted and enlightened by glorious revelations of His OMNISCIENCE, OMNIPRESENCE, and OMNIPOTENCE! Only when the scales of unbelief fall from man’s spiritual "eyes of understanding" (as they did with Paul’s natural eyes) can he begin to see the very greatness of our God. The more obscure our vision of the universal Creator remains, the more we will perceive the Will of God as optional and the will of man as sovereign! How foolish we mortals be to "Change the Truth of God into a Lie; and then worship and serve the creature more than the Creator Who is blessed forever!!" ( Rom 1:25 ) What folly to think that Eternal Wisdom would create a weak, inferior mind that has dominion over His Christed Mind! Imagine the Holy Spirit devising such a ludicrous Plan when He could have just as easily conceived a creation wherein Grace and Life would triumph over sin and death. Think about this! Amen.....