This is Lew. I'm writing to ask all to pray for the Philippine trip this coming February. It's exciting for Johannes to have the opportunity to visit some of the many churches that were planted during his 12 years there in the 80's/90's.
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Friday, January 14, 2005
Suffering
The Word of God tells us a lot about this subject. Specially in the
first letter of Peter chapter 2 till 5 we can find the clear teaching that we
as christians are "called to suffer" [1 Peter2:21 ]. It speaks of two kinds
of suffering. First: the suffering for Christ sake, meaning persecution and
reproach, because of our Faith in Christ. Second: the suffering because of our
sins and the need for correction. Sickness is a major part of this second kind
of suffering, although sin is not always the cause of our sickness.
The book of Job makes that very clear. Job was not stricken because
he had sinned, but because God wanted to proof his loyalty and righteousness
and altowed Satan to put sickness on Job. The bible calls suffering for well
doing "better"than suffering for evil doing. [1 Peter3:17]. This implies that
all suffering is good for us.
We are admonished in 1 Peter4:15 not to suffer for being an evil
doer and called happy when we are reproached for the name of Christ. [ 1
Peter4:14 ] We are also told that afflictions are common to all brethern worldwide
and that after you have suffered II a while", God will establish us firm and
strong". (1 Peter 5:9 and10]
That sickness is a major part of our afflictions and suffering is an
undenialble fact. Paul mentions this kind of suffering in Col.1:24, where he
is speaking of 11 the afflictions of Christ in my flesh". Most likely, he was
speaking of the thorn in his flesh which was given to him.[2Cor,12:7]. We
should realize the our Father God chastises His sons every time there is a need
for it. [Hebr. 12:7]. His purpose is to purify us and make us more Christlike.
And many times He seems to use sicknesses and finances as His major tools to
accomplish this. In Hebrews 12:11 He makes the statement that "it seems
grieveous" but then assures us that afterwards it will yield "the peacable fruit of
rightenouss". Therefore in a sense, this kind of suffering can also be
considered for" Christ sake and His Glory"
Jesus learned obedience by suffereing according to Hebrews 5:18. How
much more are we in need to learn this obedience . Although many of our
sicknesses are self induced by mistreating our bodies, however for christians it is
still our Lord at work to purify us. When Satan is used, he has to be allowed
by our Father God to afflict us . We are encouraged to endure, even to be
happy and rejoycing when we are suffering, much against our human nature. However
it seems that the Lord allows us "to sorrow" about sickness.[Phil.2:27]. But
we should remain steadfast by believing in our Fathers everlasting Mercy.
We know that all things work for the good of those who love God and
are called according to His purpose. [Romans 8:28]. Know also that if we
suffer we shall also reign with him.[2Tim.2:12]
Yours truly in Christ, Johannes G Weiss
Hearing God's Word
The biblical word hearing does not mean hearing with your
phycical ears only. Allthough , it is an important part of hearing Gods Word. The
concept, which is involved includes much more than just physical hearing. That is
already evident from the meaning of the original Hebrew Word in the Bible.
Most of the time the Hebrew word SHAMA is used. According to Hebrew scholars,
that word SHAMA implies much more than just physical hearing.
First of all it implies hearing with intelligent understanding
and an obedient heart. This with a willingnes to tell, publish, call together
when we discern what God is saying .
Reading this explanation made me realize how much we fall short on this, most
of the time when we hear/read Gods Word . Do we lack a spiritual ear most of
the time ?
How does God voice comes to us ?
Primarly through the Bible. Either by hearing some one reading it to us, or
reading it ourselves. The Bible itself speaks more often about hearing,
because in ancient time not many people could read. but today we have the
privilege that most of us can read.
In the old days, the priest had to read the word to the congregation in order
for them the hear Gods Word .
Since we have this privelege to be literate, we should use it
to the utmost.
Because it is my opinion that it enhances the chance that we really " SHAMA
" the Word.
And it eliminates the chance that there is some human distortion through
the person who reads it to you .
Besides the Bible, there are two more ways the Lords voice can be
heard by His people directly and personally. Through His still, small Voice
and through visions and dreams. His still , small voice can be heard some
times when our spiritual ear is inclined and the vision and dreams are promised
to us. Specially in these last days in which we live. [Joel 2-28].
To hear His still, small voice, it is needed that we are filled
with the Holy Spirit and are inclining our "pricked up" ears. Vision and
dreams usually occur when we are asleep and our intelligence does not interfere
with the Lords doings.
From the bible we can tell that God some times even speaks to heathens, but
most of the time you have to be a believer in order to perceive His Voice.
He choose Moses, from all the Israelites, to speak to directly,
the people were sore afraid to hear God speak directly. Do you want to hear the
Lord directly and personally? Or are you afraid also ?. He wants to
communicate with you but His main way is through the Bible. If you think that you heard
a personal word from Him , make sure it is in line with His word. If it is
not in line with His written Word, it is not from Him but from the flesh or the
Evil One.
His Word tell us that Jesus is the Living Word and that He
alone will bring true live. Let us therefore dilegently SHAMA His Word and Live !
Amen !
Johannes G. Weiss
New Testament Giving
the Law of sin and death, called the Mosaic Law. However, many are quick to
bring out that tithing was instituted way before the Law was given and that it was
already practiced by Abraham. However In the light of what the New Testament
teaches on giving, is this a valuable argument to keep teaching to tithe ? I
do not think so !
The second argument, tithing teachers bring up is that Jesus and
the disciples were most likely tithing and that Jesus was teaching to do so.
The first part is probably correct, but to imply that Jesus is teaching us to
tithe is spurious. When Jesus was rebuking the Pharisee in Matthew 23-23 and
Luke 11-42, He added that they "ought " to do that because the Mosaic Law was
still in force. They were still under the old Law. He had not shed his blood yet
to seal the New Covenant. In Luke 18-12 He rebukes the selfrighteousness of
the praying Pharisee for claiming to tithe. Therefore the gospels can not be
used for defending tithing teaching.
Ever since the Reformation, evangelicals have been teaching to
tithe, but it is very obvious that the blessing of the Lord does not rest upon
this teaching. Throughout history and now after almost 500 years of this
teaching, the average giving of the believer is less then 2 %. The Lord is closing
the ears of his children and the teachers words are as "falling to the ground"
It is high time that we wake up to this fact !
The Lord is giving us very clear instructions in the New
Testament. First: He expect us to give our all. Willingly, cheerfully and as a
reasonable service. Realizing that everything we have belongs to him. Romans11-36
states: "For of Him and through Him and to Him are ALL THINGS". And Romans 12:
1-3 is beseeching us to give our entire selves as a living sacrifice. He also
expect to get interest from the talents he has given us as stewards.
Second: 2 Cor. 9:7 gives us the basic principle as how to give.
"So let EACH ONE GIVE AS HE PURPOSES IN HIS HEART, not grudgingly or of
necessity. for God loves a cheerful giver " Verse 6 explains that we need to give
bountifully in order to have the beautiful promise of verse 8 "And God is able to
make ALL grace abound towards you, that you ALWAYS having ALL sufficiency in
ALL THINGS, may have an abundance for every good work " The whole of 2 Cor.
chapter 9 are the instructions on giving. While chapter 8 tells us that He
expects us to give out of what we have and not from what we do not have. ( not even
presumptuous "faith promises")
Third: Then in first Cor.16:1-3 we are instructed to give regularly and
proportionately. "The first day of the week" and ''as he may prosper" Now
proportionality does not mean a set percentage for every one. It means in proportion to
the burden it puts on you. This principle is even practiced by the not so
kindhearted IRS. They have a lower rate for poor people than the richer ones. A
set rate for everyone would be actually out of proportion. Fourth: Malachi 3-10
mentions "God's storehouse". The original Hebrew word used is " owtsar ",
which is translated as depository or treasury. Of course He is speaking
allecorical. Malachi is the only place where this Hebrew word is used. The question
arises, what is the storehouse of God ? The best biblical answer is; the place
from which our Father pours out his blessings upon his children. Where does He
live ? In His temple! Who are his temple? The bodies of his children, the
believers, who make up the Church the Body of Christ. To claim that our group or
organization is the only or best store house really shows a great lack of
understanding what the real church actually is. It is the worldwide
of Christ and His Body. The local church or organization should be apart of
this, but sadly enough that is not always the case. Fifth: Since everything we
are and have came from God and belongs to Him and is going to Him, we have to
make sure that we Love him with all our hearts, soul and mind. And as such
live our lives for Him and in obedience to him. (Rom.11:-6) Hereby returning His
talent with interest. That way we can and must look upon the needed
expenditures for our selves and our family, which He entrusted to us, as expenditures
for the
Most scriptures quoted here are related to practical money giving, but are
also including the principle of 100% giving. Having pointed out all this, I must
say that it is possible that the Lord directs your heart to give 10 % in the
church offering. Make sure you obey. But most likely he will ask you for much
more since He always seems to use finances as a test of our faith and
obedience .
In His service, Johannes G. Weiss
Father Knows Best
This concept is entirely based on TRUST. And Trust is the ultimate
form of honoring someone. It is a necessary ingredient in the love
relationship between father and child. God's Word speaks a lot about this Trust and
requires it in our relationship with Him. Because, He is our Heavenly Father. The
main reason why Jesus used little children as example in Math. 18:3, is the
fact that a little child has a complete trust in his parents and totally relies
on them. He said " unless you be converted and become as little children, you
shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven ". A normal child does never have fear or
worry about his/her needs, but assumes naturally that all needs will be
supplied.
The trouble with us so called grownups is, that we think most of
the time, we are capable to figure out what we need and what we can do to bring
it about . I come to the conclusion and are convicted myself by it, that most
of us acknowledge "Father knows best " with our mind and lips, but in our
hearts and our spirit we do not believe it and therefore do not act according to
it. This hurt our heavenly Father very much and He expresses His dislike for
it several times in His Word to us. Therefore, there is a great need for us to
repent of this mistrust and change ways.
One of tHis most searing indictments of our hypocrisy in this
matter is found in Ezekiel 29:13. " And they come unto thee [Ezekiel], as the
people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear My Words. But
they will not do them, for with their mouth they show much love, BUT THEIR
HEART GOETH AFTER THEIR COVETOUSNESS". Ezekiel describes us rather well !
Covetousness seems to be our big problem. Isaiah 28;13 gives another reason why we
honor Him with our lips without obeying Him. " Wherefore the Lord said. For as
much as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor
me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is
taught by the precepts of men." I myself also has been taught wrongly that one
should not fear the Lord but that it only means that we should be in awe about
Him !
Indeed many of our prayers are expressing our concern over the
lack of things, which we supposed to be needing. Other prayers are often asking
the Lord to fix our problems the way we think that they should be fixed. God's
Word telling us that His ways are higher than our ways seem to have very
little effect on our thinking ! Many of the Lord's beautiful promises are
connected to our trust in Him. PS 84:5 sums it all up" Oh Lord of Hosts, Blessed is
the man that trusted in thee ". It would be a very good thing if we all study
Gods Word, specially concerning our trust in Him.
We are created to give Him Honor, TRUST is one of the highest
ways of doing this. We can worship and praise Him no better than to Trust Him and
while doing this let the Holy Spirit convict our hearts by the words of
proverbs 3:3. " Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not unto thine own
understanding " Prov, 16:9 is a serious reminder to us that regardless our
scheming. The Lord is the one who decides. "A man's heart deviseth his ways: but
the Lord directs his steps ". Do we really love and trust our Heavenly Father?
Do we really know that ALL Things work together for good to them that Love
God, who are called according to His purpose?{Romans 8:28} Even when disaster
strikes? "The Lord redeemeth the soul of His servants: and NONE of THEM that
TRUST in Him shall be desolate" Ps 34:22. LOrd help me to put my complete Trust in
You by knowing that You my Heavenly Father always know best . AMEN.
Johannes G Weiss
form of honoring someone. It is a necessary ingredient in the love
relationship between father and child. God's Word speaks a lot about this Trust and
requires it in our relationship with Him. Because, He is our Heavenly Father. The
main reason why Jesus used little children as example in Math. 18:3, is the
fact that a little child has a complete trust in his parents and totally relies
on them. He said " unless you be converted and become as little children, you
shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven ". A normal child does never have fear or
worry about his/her needs, but assumes naturally that all needs will be
supplied.
The trouble with us so called grownups is, that we think most of
the time, we are capable to figure out what we need and what we can do to bring
it about . I come to the conclusion and are convicted myself by it, that most
of us acknowledge "Father knows best " with our mind and lips, but in our
hearts and our spirit we do not believe it and therefore do not act according to
it. This hurt our heavenly Father very much and He expresses His dislike for
it several times in His Word to us. Therefore, there is a great need for us to
repent of this mistrust and change ways.
One of tHis most searing indictments of our hypocrisy in this
matter is found in Ezekiel 29:13. " And they come unto thee [Ezekiel], as the
people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear My Words. But
they will not do them, for with their mouth they show much love, BUT THEIR
HEART GOETH AFTER THEIR COVETOUSNESS". Ezekiel describes us rather well !
Covetousness seems to be our big problem. Isaiah 28;13 gives another reason why we
honor Him with our lips without obeying Him. " Wherefore the Lord said. For as
much as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor
me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is
taught by the precepts of men." I myself also has been taught wrongly that one
should not fear the Lord but that it only means that we should be in awe about
Him !
Indeed many of our prayers are expressing our concern over the
lack of things, which we supposed to be needing. Other prayers are often asking
the Lord to fix our problems the way we think that they should be fixed. God's
Word telling us that His ways are higher than our ways seem to have very
little effect on our thinking ! Many of the Lord's beautiful promises are
connected to our trust in Him. PS 84:5 sums it all up" Oh Lord of Hosts, Blessed is
the man that trusted in thee ". It would be a very good thing if we all study
Gods Word, specially concerning our trust in Him.
We are created to give Him Honor, TRUST is one of the highest
ways of doing this. We can worship and praise Him no better than to Trust Him and
while doing this let the Holy Spirit convict our hearts by the words of
proverbs 3:3. " Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not unto thine own
understanding " Prov, 16:9 is a serious reminder to us that regardless our
scheming. The Lord is the one who decides. "A man's heart deviseth his ways: but
the Lord directs his steps ". Do we really love and trust our Heavenly Father?
Do we really know that ALL Things work together for good to them that Love
God, who are called according to His purpose?{Romans 8:28} Even when disaster
strikes? "The Lord redeemeth the soul of His servants: and NONE of THEM that
TRUST in Him shall be desolate" Ps 34:22. LOrd help me to put my complete Trust in
You by knowing that You my Heavenly Father always know best . AMEN.
Johannes G Weiss
The Fear of God
The common meaning of the word fear is being afraid of something. But right
from the start we must understand that we as God's children should have a
trusting and loving relationship with our Heavenly Father and have no fear for him.
There are therefore 2 kinds of fear. The ordinary fleshly kind, which our
creator has build into us for our self preservation and the biblical fear of God.
The first kind works mainly through our adrenaline system and can be either
good or bad depending on what we are afraid for and how we react to it. The
Godly fear is commanded by many scriptures of God in His Word. I will quote here
just a few; Deut.1 0: 1 2 "and now Israel, what does the Lord thy God require
of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him
and to serve Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul " This connects
fear with the Lord's first commandment Pslm 33:8 says; "Let all the earth fear
the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him" . Here we
see that godly fear also means to be in awe and have reverence for the Lord. The
New Testament also tells us in several places to have the fear of God. Eph.
4: 1 " let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into His
Rest, any of you seem to come short of it. The context of this verse we find
in the end of chapter 3. It shows that that this fear is the fear for loosing
our salvation. Another difference between the human kind of fear and the Godly
kind is, that we have to learn to obtain the fear of God, and we have to
learn it through hearing God's Words. The remarkable verse of Deut.4: 10 tells us
that. "Gather me the people together and I will make them hear My Words, that
they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the the earth
and that they may teach their children" The fear of God has several promised
benefits connected to it: It prolongs our days, Prov.10:27. We will have
endurance,lsai.12:14. It is connected to divine guidance and peace, Pslm 25:12 and
it is a condition for acceptance by God, Acts10:35. God's mercy is connected
to it, Luke 1:50 And it gives you light in the darkness,lsai. 50:10. It is
also, both the beginning of wisdom,Pslm111:10 and wisdom itself,Job 28:28 . The
way I see how the fear of God works in providing all those benefits is; it keeps
you from yielding to many temptations and foolish ungodly decisions. The fear
for the consequences of your willful sin can keep you out of a lot of
trouble.
And I must say that this knowledge came through my personal experiences. Many
times the Lord has provided a way to escape the temptation through the fear
for the consequences. Confirming 1 Cor.10:13.
A verse that at first look seem to be a contradiction to The Lords
Will, to have the fear of God Is: 1 John 4:18. " There is no fear in Love; but
perfect Love casteth out fear: because fear has torment. He that feareth is
not made perfect in Love". However, as I came to understand this verse; God is
saying, if you were perfect in Love, fear would not be needed. The Holy Spirit
did ask me " Which one of you is perfect in Love? ". I had to admit that Jesus
is the only one who was and is PERFECT IN LOVE.
Another verse in the New Testament which speaks against fear is 2
Tim.1:7. " For God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love
and of a sound mind " From the context we can conclude the the Lord is
speaking here of not being afraid or timid concerning our gifts and the gospel. He
was warning Timothy not to be ashamed in verse 8.
The fear of God is closely connected to the Love of God. Because He
chastises us as His sons in His great Love. Therefore we need to have both the
Love of God and the fear of God manifested in our lives.
AMEN
In Christ,
Yours and His servant Johannes G Weiss Sincerely
yours in Christ
from the start we must understand that we as God's children should have a
trusting and loving relationship with our Heavenly Father and have no fear for him.
There are therefore 2 kinds of fear. The ordinary fleshly kind, which our
creator has build into us for our self preservation and the biblical fear of God.
The first kind works mainly through our adrenaline system and can be either
good or bad depending on what we are afraid for and how we react to it. The
Godly fear is commanded by many scriptures of God in His Word. I will quote here
just a few; Deut.1 0: 1 2 "and now Israel, what does the Lord thy God require
of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him
and to serve Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul " This connects
fear with the Lord's first commandment Pslm 33:8 says; "Let all the earth fear
the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him" . Here we
see that godly fear also means to be in awe and have reverence for the Lord. The
New Testament also tells us in several places to have the fear of God. Eph.
4: 1 " let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into His
Rest, any of you seem to come short of it. The context of this verse we find
in the end of chapter 3. It shows that that this fear is the fear for loosing
our salvation. Another difference between the human kind of fear and the Godly
kind is, that we have to learn to obtain the fear of God, and we have to
learn it through hearing God's Words. The remarkable verse of Deut.4: 10 tells us
that. "Gather me the people together and I will make them hear My Words, that
they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the the earth
and that they may teach their children" The fear of God has several promised
benefits connected to it: It prolongs our days, Prov.10:27. We will have
endurance,lsai.12:14. It is connected to divine guidance and peace, Pslm 25:12 and
it is a condition for acceptance by God, Acts10:35. God's mercy is connected
to it, Luke 1:50 And it gives you light in the darkness,lsai. 50:10. It is
also, both the beginning of wisdom,Pslm111:10 and wisdom itself,Job 28:28 . The
way I see how the fear of God works in providing all those benefits is; it keeps
you from yielding to many temptations and foolish ungodly decisions. The fear
for the consequences of your willful sin can keep you out of a lot of
trouble.
And I must say that this knowledge came through my personal experiences. Many
times the Lord has provided a way to escape the temptation through the fear
for the consequences. Confirming 1 Cor.10:13.
A verse that at first look seem to be a contradiction to The Lords
Will, to have the fear of God Is: 1 John 4:18. " There is no fear in Love; but
perfect Love casteth out fear: because fear has torment. He that feareth is
not made perfect in Love". However, as I came to understand this verse; God is
saying, if you were perfect in Love, fear would not be needed. The Holy Spirit
did ask me " Which one of you is perfect in Love? ". I had to admit that Jesus
is the only one who was and is PERFECT IN LOVE.
Another verse in the New Testament which speaks against fear is 2
Tim.1:7. " For God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love
and of a sound mind " From the context we can conclude the the Lord is
speaking here of not being afraid or timid concerning our gifts and the gospel. He
was warning Timothy not to be ashamed in verse 8.
The fear of God is closely connected to the Love of God. Because He
chastises us as His sons in His great Love. Therefore we need to have both the
Love of God and the fear of God manifested in our lives.
AMEN
In Christ,
Yours and His servant Johannes G Weiss Sincerely
yours in Christ
Once Saved Always Saved?
There are numerous warnings to believers in God's Word, which are
talking about the possibility to fall away from the Faith. It is therefore very
dangerous and arrogant to believe that once your are saved, the Lord will
always keep your salvation regardless what you do.
It is true, and I have experienced it myself, that the Lord is His
great mercy will do a lot to prevent you from falling in perdition and turning
away from eternal life with Him. However, there will come a time that He will
give up on you if and when you keep persisting in not to follow Him any
longer.
At that time, the Bible states that there is then no longer a cure
for your condition. " If you have trampled under foot the Son of God, [Hebr.
10:29] and are "crucifying Jesus afresh,putting Him to an open shame"[Hebr.
6:6]. Verse 4 says, then it is impossible to be restored . Ofcourse nothing is
impossible to God, but He let us know that there is a time in which He let us go
into damnation and hell.
Throughout the New Testament there are many references to the fact
that we can backslide and fall away from the Faith . It is a very clever trick
from Satan to use God's Word about our security in Christ in order to make us
believe that it is unconditional and that we can not loose our salvation.
It may be that this wrong believe is caused by misunderstanding the
New Covenant. A Covenant involves two parties. the New Covenant which is
sealed by the blood of Jesus involves the Triune God and the believer. It is the
believer who can and does break the Covenant sometimes. God however is always
faithful.
The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom [Pslm111:10]] It sure
looks like that those people who believe in the false doctrine of " once saved
always saved " do not have sufficient fear of God. They seem to lack the most
common sense and wisdom. Hebrew10:31 warns us that it is a fearful thing to fall
into the Hands of the Living God. If you are a believer and in the hands of
God, are you sufficient fearful?
TAKE heed, LEST THY FALL! [1Cor.10:12]
talking about the possibility to fall away from the Faith. It is therefore very
dangerous and arrogant to believe that once your are saved, the Lord will
always keep your salvation regardless what you do.
It is true, and I have experienced it myself, that the Lord is His
great mercy will do a lot to prevent you from falling in perdition and turning
away from eternal life with Him. However, there will come a time that He will
give up on you if and when you keep persisting in not to follow Him any
longer.
At that time, the Bible states that there is then no longer a cure
for your condition. " If you have trampled under foot the Son of God, [Hebr.
10:29] and are "crucifying Jesus afresh,putting Him to an open shame"[Hebr.
6:6]. Verse 4 says, then it is impossible to be restored . Ofcourse nothing is
impossible to God, but He let us know that there is a time in which He let us go
into damnation and hell.
Throughout the New Testament there are many references to the fact
that we can backslide and fall away from the Faith . It is a very clever trick
from Satan to use God's Word about our security in Christ in order to make us
believe that it is unconditional and that we can not loose our salvation.
It may be that this wrong believe is caused by misunderstanding the
New Covenant. A Covenant involves two parties. the New Covenant which is
sealed by the blood of Jesus involves the Triune God and the believer. It is the
believer who can and does break the Covenant sometimes. God however is always
faithful.
The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom [Pslm111:10]] It sure
looks like that those people who believe in the false doctrine of " once saved
always saved " do not have sufficient fear of God. They seem to lack the most
common sense and wisdom. Hebrew10:31 warns us that it is a fearful thing to fall
into the Hands of the Living God. If you are a believer and in the hands of
God, are you sufficient fearful?
TAKE heed, LEST THY FALL! [1Cor.10:12]
Thy Loving Kindness
The Bible, God's Word mentions His Loving Kindness some 30 times. No wonder
that when our family was Baptized with the Holy Spirit in 1970, this particular
expression became very significant to us. We started singing from scripture
and specially sung Psalm 63-3/4: " because Thy Loving Kindness is better than
live, my lips shall praise Thee. Thus will I bless Thee. While I live I will
lift up my hands in Thy name". Ofcourse, you can not sing this without lifting
up your hands. However at first we did not lift our hands up very high visable.
Many newcomers like us were fllying them " half mast". But later on we
started to lift our hands as high as possible, even waving them to the Lord.!
Freedom in the Spirit was released ! Kindness and to be kind is certainly of divine
origin. Webster defines it as "being disposed to be helpful and solicitous"
Indeed the Lord's Loving Kindness is definite connected to His deeds of help and
His concern for our well being. It is good to proclaim and tell about the
Loving Kindness of the Lord, which you yourself do experience. Because Isaiah 63-
7 says" I will mention the Loving Kindness of the Lord" And on the end of the
verse" according to the multitudes of His Loving Kindnesses". Psalm 25-6 is
also speaking of His Loving Kindnesses. Notice that it is mentioned in plural
form here. This means that Loving Kindness is not only the attitude of the Lord
but also HIs Kind deeds. Because someones attitude is not expressed in plural
form. King David cries out in dispair, apparently sick and depressed. Psalm
88-11 "Shall Thy Loving Kindness be declared in the grave ? Or Thy Faithfuness
in destruction "? Thus he is pleading to be healed and able to continue to
declare the Lord's Loving Kindness. What also deserves notice is that God's word
mentions twice His Loving Kindness in the morning. Psalm 92-8 and Psalm 143-8.
: "to shew forth Thy Loving Kindness in the morning and Thy Faithfulness
every night." " Cause me to hear Thy Loving Kindness in the morning: for in Thee
do I trust. " Is it not wonderfull to start your day with God's Loving Kindness
? If we do that, an other verse connects it to all day and the night. Psalm
42-8 says " Yet the Lord will command His Loving Kindness in the day time and
in the night " His song shall be with me and my prayer unto the God of my life
". What a blessing it is to wake up sometimes during the night with a song and
a prayer unto the Lord in your mind ! Several other verses are connecting
Loving Kindness to our human lives. Starting to tell us that we need redemption
and contuing to tell us that it draws us resuting in His salvation through
Jesus. Finishing with our complete preservation . Psalm 103-4 It redeems our lives
from destruction. Jerimia 31-3 speaks of it as " drawing us" Psalm 17- 7 Is
telling us about salvation through HIs Right Hand ! Psalm 40-1 Is speaking
about our preservation.
I am ending this devotion with
my biblical reason for E mailing it to you all : Psalm 40-10 I have not hid
Thy rigtheousnous within my heart.1 have declared Thy Faithfulness and Thy
Salvation: I have not concealed THY LOVING KINDNES and Thy Truth from the great
Congregation .Yours in Christ.
Johannes G Weiss. PS . If you were blessed by this, Please send it on to
others .
that when our family was Baptized with the Holy Spirit in 1970, this particular
expression became very significant to us. We started singing from scripture
and specially sung Psalm 63-3/4: " because Thy Loving Kindness is better than
live, my lips shall praise Thee. Thus will I bless Thee. While I live I will
lift up my hands in Thy name". Ofcourse, you can not sing this without lifting
up your hands. However at first we did not lift our hands up very high visable.
Many newcomers like us were fllying them " half mast". But later on we
started to lift our hands as high as possible, even waving them to the Lord.!
Freedom in the Spirit was released ! Kindness and to be kind is certainly of divine
origin. Webster defines it as "being disposed to be helpful and solicitous"
Indeed the Lord's Loving Kindness is definite connected to His deeds of help and
His concern for our well being. It is good to proclaim and tell about the
Loving Kindness of the Lord, which you yourself do experience. Because Isaiah 63-
7 says" I will mention the Loving Kindness of the Lord" And on the end of the
verse" according to the multitudes of His Loving Kindnesses". Psalm 25-6 is
also speaking of His Loving Kindnesses. Notice that it is mentioned in plural
form here. This means that Loving Kindness is not only the attitude of the Lord
but also HIs Kind deeds. Because someones attitude is not expressed in plural
form. King David cries out in dispair, apparently sick and depressed. Psalm
88-11 "Shall Thy Loving Kindness be declared in the grave ? Or Thy Faithfuness
in destruction "? Thus he is pleading to be healed and able to continue to
declare the Lord's Loving Kindness. What also deserves notice is that God's word
mentions twice His Loving Kindness in the morning. Psalm 92-8 and Psalm 143-8.
: "to shew forth Thy Loving Kindness in the morning and Thy Faithfulness
every night." " Cause me to hear Thy Loving Kindness in the morning: for in Thee
do I trust. " Is it not wonderfull to start your day with God's Loving Kindness
? If we do that, an other verse connects it to all day and the night. Psalm
42-8 says " Yet the Lord will command His Loving Kindness in the day time and
in the night " His song shall be with me and my prayer unto the God of my life
". What a blessing it is to wake up sometimes during the night with a song and
a prayer unto the Lord in your mind ! Several other verses are connecting
Loving Kindness to our human lives. Starting to tell us that we need redemption
and contuing to tell us that it draws us resuting in His salvation through
Jesus. Finishing with our complete preservation . Psalm 103-4 It redeems our lives
from destruction. Jerimia 31-3 speaks of it as " drawing us" Psalm 17- 7 Is
telling us about salvation through HIs Right Hand ! Psalm 40-1 Is speaking
about our preservation.
I am ending this devotion with
my biblical reason for E mailing it to you all : Psalm 40-10 I have not hid
Thy rigtheousnous within my heart.1 have declared Thy Faithfulness and Thy
Salvation: I have not concealed THY LOVING KINDNES and Thy Truth from the great
Congregation .Yours in Christ.
Johannes G Weiss. PS . If you were blessed by this, Please send it on to
others .
Surely Goodness and Mercy
In 1970, a team of Asbury college students, who were touched by
the Holy Spirit, visited a church on the Southern border of Georgia. That church
was set on fire by the Holy Spirit also and in turn did send a team of young
people to our church in Orlando Florida. The same Holy Spirit Fire came down
upon our church and our entire family of 5 was greatly effected by it.
The Lord gave me a special promise scripture for my family to
remember always. It was from Psalms 23 verse 6 " Surely Goodness and Mercy shall
follow me ALL the days of our lives: and I will dwell in the House of the Lord
forever" We have been singing it ever since and we truly have experienced the
reality of it.
The Lord"s Goodness and Mercy has become daily very real to us.
However, we had to discover that the Lord has a different and better idea of
what His Goodness and Mercy is for us. It can and does sometimes include some
very unpleasant and hard things for us. Like Accidents, disasters, sickness and
sufferings.
At first I did not understand this and I had to learn the hard
way that " His Ways our higher than our ways" { Isa. 55:9 }. But then slowly we
learned to trust Him and believe that " ALL THINGS work together for the good
to them that love God, to them who are called according to His
purpose"{Rom.8:28}.
Our 4 children are married and gone now. My wife of 54 years and
I are close to entering the House of the Lord forever. Praise His Holy Name!
Gratitude and Praise overflows our hearts. We are still making that melody in
our hearts and devotions. Because our Lord is faithful and is doing what He has
promised. So must we !
AMEN
Johannes and
Clazina Weiss
11/8/2oo3
the Holy Spirit, visited a church on the Southern border of Georgia. That church
was set on fire by the Holy Spirit also and in turn did send a team of young
people to our church in Orlando Florida. The same Holy Spirit Fire came down
upon our church and our entire family of 5 was greatly effected by it.
The Lord gave me a special promise scripture for my family to
remember always. It was from Psalms 23 verse 6 " Surely Goodness and Mercy shall
follow me ALL the days of our lives: and I will dwell in the House of the Lord
forever" We have been singing it ever since and we truly have experienced the
reality of it.
The Lord"s Goodness and Mercy has become daily very real to us.
However, we had to discover that the Lord has a different and better idea of
what His Goodness and Mercy is for us. It can and does sometimes include some
very unpleasant and hard things for us. Like Accidents, disasters, sickness and
sufferings.
At first I did not understand this and I had to learn the hard
way that " His Ways our higher than our ways" { Isa. 55:9 }. But then slowly we
learned to trust Him and believe that " ALL THINGS work together for the good
to them that love God, to them who are called according to His
purpose"{Rom.8:28}.
Our 4 children are married and gone now. My wife of 54 years and
I are close to entering the House of the Lord forever. Praise His Holy Name!
Gratitude and Praise overflows our hearts. We are still making that melody in
our hearts and devotions. Because our Lord is faithful and is doing what He has
promised. So must we !
AMEN
Johannes and
Clazina Weiss
11/8/2oo3
The Sovereignty of God
THE SOVEREIGNITY OF GOD
" Know therefore this day and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord is
God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath: there is none else". (Deut
4:39] This is just one the many scriptures in which the Lord is telling us that He
is totally sovereign and completly in charge and control of everything that
is happening on this planet and in all of His creation. In Deut.32:39 God
declares "see now that I even I am He and there is no god with me : I kill and I
make alive ; I wound and I heal, neither is there any that can deliver out of
my hand" From this and several other verses like Isaia 45:7, we can get the
sure impression that our God wants us to know that He is doing it all. From
beginning to end, the bible is full of verses which are speaking of the Lords total
power and sovereignity. Therefore it is hard to understand why so many
believers keep denying the Lord's doings in their lives! One of the reasons seems to
be the wrong application of the Mens free will doctrine. It is true that the
Lord has given menkind the opportunity to choose (Josh.24:l5 and
Deut.30:19].To choose Him and choose between right and wrong. However the word also makes
clear that with this opportunity to choose, He stil remains in charge and
control. Many times the word shows that He keeps pulling the strings so to speak.
He does it in al kinds and different ways. It is good to look up some of these
scriptures: His eyes upon them(Ezra 5:5] Sending an evil
spirit(Judg.9:23]Harden their hearts or spirits Exod.14:4 and Deut2:30] Stirring them
up{Cyprus](lchr.5:26 and 2chr.36:22] Turning kings hearts (prov.21:l]. Specially the
remarkable story in 1King22:22/23 and 2Chron.18:2!/22, is lifting up part of the
veil hiding to us what is going on in the Lord's spiritual realm. It does show
clearly that He even uses evil Spirits some times to accomplish His will with
men although He gave them power to choose. The term mens free will seems to be a
misnomer in the light of these revelations from the Lord. Although He said
"choose you this day", many times He seems to steer and direct our wills and
actions. However He does it in a way so that we humans remain accountable and
responsible for our deeds. The parable of the potter and the clay (Jer.18:6 and
Rom.9:15/22) makes it very clear that He does what He wills and we cannot say
"why hast thou made me thus?" Verse 16 of Romans 9 sums it all up. Speaking of
us humans, He says "So it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth.
but of God that sheweth mercy" . As far as Satan is concerned and his power
over humans, we must realize that Satan is completely subject to God's will. He
can do only what our Heavenly Father allows him to do . The two prime
examples of this are found in the book of Job and in the saying of Jesus concerning
Peter(luke22;3l]. In both cases Satan had to get permission to do harm. God's
Word assures us that we the righteous, are in the Lord's hands(Ecl.9:l].
Although we must see to it that Satan does not have anything in us.(John14-30] The
only way for us to be in that state is to be washed clean of sin by the blood
of Jesus.
Therefore it is of primary importance that we believe and ask the Lord for
forgiveness all the time. Only then Satan has "nothing in us "
As far as our salvation is concerned, the doctrine of predestination is very
difficult to understand and seems to bring a lot of controversy. The most
important thing for us to know and remember: it is the ultimate desire of our
heavenly Father that all of menkind will be saved. There are several indications
of that in God's Word. For instance, the word WHOSOEVER in John 3:16 indicates
that Christ died for everybody. But there are conditions attached to our
salvation. The first one: we have to believe in Jesus. Many people are not willing
to fulfil the conditions and therefore were not, and are not going to be
saved. In that sense God has not chosen them.The Lord is the one who does the
choosing. There are many scriptures indicating this. One of the most well known,
declared by Jesus himself in John 15:16" you have not chosen me, but I have
chosen you." But we, as being chosen have to respond to His Love and believe in
Him. In the light of us having a choice, the biblical doctrine of
pre-destination is hard to understand with our carnal mind. However we are not required to
understand it, only to believe and accept it. Eph.1:4/12 is very clear, it even
states that before the foundation of the earth was laid, our Father has
chosen us. The total foreknowledge of God is impossible for us to grasp. It has to
do with God's timelesness. In His spiritual realm there is no time. Meaning no
past, present or future as we know it. This is an impossible concept to our
human mind and causes many useless debates. But we must believe and accept
God's Word. It will stand forever !
AMEN !
" Know therefore this day and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord is
God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath: there is none else". (Deut
4:39] This is just one the many scriptures in which the Lord is telling us that He
is totally sovereign and completly in charge and control of everything that
is happening on this planet and in all of His creation. In Deut.32:39 God
declares "see now that I even I am He and there is no god with me : I kill and I
make alive ; I wound and I heal, neither is there any that can deliver out of
my hand" From this and several other verses like Isaia 45:7, we can get the
sure impression that our God wants us to know that He is doing it all. From
beginning to end, the bible is full of verses which are speaking of the Lords total
power and sovereignity. Therefore it is hard to understand why so many
believers keep denying the Lord's doings in their lives! One of the reasons seems to
be the wrong application of the Mens free will doctrine. It is true that the
Lord has given menkind the opportunity to choose (Josh.24:l5 and
Deut.30:19].To choose Him and choose between right and wrong. However the word also makes
clear that with this opportunity to choose, He stil remains in charge and
control. Many times the word shows that He keeps pulling the strings so to speak.
He does it in al kinds and different ways. It is good to look up some of these
scriptures: His eyes upon them(Ezra 5:5] Sending an evil
spirit(Judg.9:23]Harden their hearts or spirits Exod.14:4 and Deut2:30] Stirring them
up{Cyprus](lchr.5:26 and 2chr.36:22] Turning kings hearts (prov.21:l]. Specially the
remarkable story in 1King22:22/23 and 2Chron.18:2!/22, is lifting up part of the
veil hiding to us what is going on in the Lord's spiritual realm. It does show
clearly that He even uses evil Spirits some times to accomplish His will with
men although He gave them power to choose. The term mens free will seems to be a
misnomer in the light of these revelations from the Lord. Although He said
"choose you this day", many times He seems to steer and direct our wills and
actions. However He does it in a way so that we humans remain accountable and
responsible for our deeds. The parable of the potter and the clay (Jer.18:6 and
Rom.9:15/22) makes it very clear that He does what He wills and we cannot say
"why hast thou made me thus?" Verse 16 of Romans 9 sums it all up. Speaking of
us humans, He says "So it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth.
but of God that sheweth mercy" . As far as Satan is concerned and his power
over humans, we must realize that Satan is completely subject to God's will. He
can do only what our Heavenly Father allows him to do . The two prime
examples of this are found in the book of Job and in the saying of Jesus concerning
Peter(luke22;3l]. In both cases Satan had to get permission to do harm. God's
Word assures us that we the righteous, are in the Lord's hands(Ecl.9:l].
Although we must see to it that Satan does not have anything in us.(John14-30] The
only way for us to be in that state is to be washed clean of sin by the blood
of Jesus.
Therefore it is of primary importance that we believe and ask the Lord for
forgiveness all the time. Only then Satan has "nothing in us "
As far as our salvation is concerned, the doctrine of predestination is very
difficult to understand and seems to bring a lot of controversy. The most
important thing for us to know and remember: it is the ultimate desire of our
heavenly Father that all of menkind will be saved. There are several indications
of that in God's Word. For instance, the word WHOSOEVER in John 3:16 indicates
that Christ died for everybody. But there are conditions attached to our
salvation. The first one: we have to believe in Jesus. Many people are not willing
to fulfil the conditions and therefore were not, and are not going to be
saved. In that sense God has not chosen them.The Lord is the one who does the
choosing. There are many scriptures indicating this. One of the most well known,
declared by Jesus himself in John 15:16" you have not chosen me, but I have
chosen you." But we, as being chosen have to respond to His Love and believe in
Him. In the light of us having a choice, the biblical doctrine of
pre-destination is hard to understand with our carnal mind. However we are not required to
understand it, only to believe and accept it. Eph.1:4/12 is very clear, it even
states that before the foundation of the earth was laid, our Father has
chosen us. The total foreknowledge of God is impossible for us to grasp. It has to
do with God's timelesness. In His spiritual realm there is no time. Meaning no
past, present or future as we know it. This is an impossible concept to our
human mind and causes many useless debates. But we must believe and accept
God's Word. It will stand forever !
AMEN !
Hanna's Prayer
I want to share with you one of the most remarkable prayers in the
Old testament. A prayer of thanks giving and praise by the mother of Samuel,
through which the Lord gives a detailed revelation of Himself. A barren woman
named Hannah, had received an answer to her prayer for a child and pours her
heart out in 10 short verses[ 1 Sam 2:1/10} The remarkable part is that the Lord
uses her prayer to reveal a great deal of His being to us. He did this by
putting it in His Word.
It establishes without any doubt His total sovereignty, autonomy and
power over His creation. A Message we are in need to hear very much today.
Because so much false teaching on our authority, healing and prosperity has
eroded our believe in God's complete Sovereignty. I will attempt to give Hanna's
prayer here in a free translation in order to make it clear what God is saying
about Himself :
Verse 1. She start her prayer with acknowledging God and giving Him
credit for lifting up her strength and opening her mouth. Verse 2. Testifying
that God is the only true God and establishing His Holiness and Steadfastness.
Verse 3. Warning against pride and arrogance. God knows all and He is the one
who decides and judges. Verse 4. He humbles the might and strong but helps the
stumbling weak. Verse 5. The rich well fed become poor and in want, but the
hungry poor are fed by God. The barren women become fruitful but the fruitful
women with several children will become weak and depressed. Verse 6. The Lord
kills and gives live. Verse 7. The Lord makes some men poor and others rich. He
lifts some up and cut others down. Verse 8. God raises the poor out of the ash
heap and gives them places of honor. He will have them inherit thrones in
Heaven with the noble. He is in complete control of the earth {pillars] and is the
creator of all. Verse 9. God will protect and guide the feet of His Saints
but the wicked will be silenced and perishing in darkness. No one will prevail
by his own strength. Verse 10. God will break his adversaries into pieces,
thundering against them from heaven. He will judge all people on the earth. Gives
strength to his King [Jesus] and exalt the power of His ANOINTED ONE [Jesus] .
Hallelujah ! For the Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be
glad and give the glory unto Him!
10/22/03 Johannes G Weiss
Old testament. A prayer of thanks giving and praise by the mother of Samuel,
through which the Lord gives a detailed revelation of Himself. A barren woman
named Hannah, had received an answer to her prayer for a child and pours her
heart out in 10 short verses[ 1 Sam 2:1/10} The remarkable part is that the Lord
uses her prayer to reveal a great deal of His being to us. He did this by
putting it in His Word.
It establishes without any doubt His total sovereignty, autonomy and
power over His creation. A Message we are in need to hear very much today.
Because so much false teaching on our authority, healing and prosperity has
eroded our believe in God's complete Sovereignty. I will attempt to give Hanna's
prayer here in a free translation in order to make it clear what God is saying
about Himself :
Verse 1. She start her prayer with acknowledging God and giving Him
credit for lifting up her strength and opening her mouth. Verse 2. Testifying
that God is the only true God and establishing His Holiness and Steadfastness.
Verse 3. Warning against pride and arrogance. God knows all and He is the one
who decides and judges. Verse 4. He humbles the might and strong but helps the
stumbling weak. Verse 5. The rich well fed become poor and in want, but the
hungry poor are fed by God. The barren women become fruitful but the fruitful
women with several children will become weak and depressed. Verse 6. The Lord
kills and gives live. Verse 7. The Lord makes some men poor and others rich. He
lifts some up and cut others down. Verse 8. God raises the poor out of the ash
heap and gives them places of honor. He will have them inherit thrones in
Heaven with the noble. He is in complete control of the earth {pillars] and is the
creator of all. Verse 9. God will protect and guide the feet of His Saints
but the wicked will be silenced and perishing in darkness. No one will prevail
by his own strength. Verse 10. God will break his adversaries into pieces,
thundering against them from heaven. He will judge all people on the earth. Gives
strength to his King [Jesus] and exalt the power of His ANOINTED ONE [Jesus] .
Hallelujah ! For the Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be
glad and give the glory unto Him!
10/22/03 Johannes G Weiss
Prophecy
Prophecy is a gift from God and according to GOd's Word, Prophecy has a three
fold purpose.
1Cor.14-3." But he who prophecies speaks edification, exhortation and comfort
to men," Prophets are so important to God that He gives Prophets to the
church, together with Apostles, Evangelists and Pastors and Teachers [1cor.12:28]
and Eph.4:11. It is not hard to understand why, when we look at the deeper
meaning of these 3 purposes. Edification; literately building up in Holiness.
Exhortation; means giving strong advise or warning, urge strongly, incite or
encourage. Comfort; to console, reduce grief with the purpose to encourage.
Halleluhja, what a great need there is for these 3 purposes of Prophecy today!
Remarkable, although the Lord Himself appoints prophets in the Body of Christ, He
encourages every believer to qualify for the job by learning! First of all He
tells us that He wants us ALL to Prophecy {1 Cor.14:1/5} . Then In 1
Cor.14:30/31 He tells that we can all Prophecy one by one so that we may learn! This to
the extend of the fact that the "regular" prophets have to give the new
learners a chance to learn! The concept of learning involves making mistakes at
first. My conclusion therefore is, that we should not judge the beginning prophets
too harshly for some mistakes, although verse 29 tells us to judge prophecy.
Harshly judging and condemning has been part of the reasons why there are so
few saints who attempt to prophecy. The Evil One is trying with great success
to prevent prophesying. Corrupting it and making the people afraid to learn it.
How sad this is! Our Lord must abhor this! Some preachers are saying that
actually their preaching is prophesying. Although I do admit that preaching the
Word has to involve also the 3 purposes for prophecy, I find the context of
what the Lord is saying in 1Cor. 1 2 and 14 about prophecy, not in line with the
concept of preaching. What the Word says about preaching is different.
Personally I have noticed that beginning prophets[including myself] sometimes did
start of in the Spirit speaking for God but then going astray by adding something
in !'the flesh." A gentle correction by other mature saints is in place. We
have to judge Prophecy but not prevent or stop it. 1John 4:1 says that we have
to test the Spirits, whether they are of God." Because many false prophets
have gone out into the world" New Testament teaching about prophecy does not
tell us to stone the false prophets to death if their predictions do not come
true. I believe that is because since Jesus went to heaven, we are living in the
age of Grace until He comes back to judge us. It aiso seems that New Testament
prophecy is not so much about telling the future as the old prophets often
did. He is giving the new prophets Grace for a chance to learn The Lord has
given us a plumbline to judge by. The plumbline is God's Word itself as recorded
in the bible. If It edifies, exhorts and comforts and is in line with the
bible, you may assume that it is from God. Thirteen years ago when we returned from
the Philippines I received a prophecy for the church and I spoke it out in a
congregation. Ever since then I felt that the lord wanted me to repeat it to
as many believers as possible. So here follows a part of the prophecy I did
give: My children, you are living in the last days. And today, the deception I am
warning for in My Word, is taking place worldwide. My sheep are being led
astray by much false teaching. If it were possible the very elect will be
deceived, unless I cut the days short. I want to give you a straight plumbline, to
measure all the teachings of today by. Does what you hear center in on Me and My
Word and thus give Me Glory and Pleasure says the Lord? Or is the teaching
and doctrine centered and focused on man and his comfort? Apply this plumbline
says the Lord. Then You will not be deceived and then you shall endure until
the end. THUS SAYS THE LORD. So let us not despise prophesyings, but let us test
all things and hold fast what is good.[ 1Thes.5:20/21 ]
Christ's Servant and yours, Johannes G. Weiss
fold purpose.
1Cor.14-3." But he who prophecies speaks edification, exhortation and comfort
to men," Prophets are so important to God that He gives Prophets to the
church, together with Apostles, Evangelists and Pastors and Teachers [1cor.12:28]
and Eph.4:11. It is not hard to understand why, when we look at the deeper
meaning of these 3 purposes. Edification; literately building up in Holiness.
Exhortation; means giving strong advise or warning, urge strongly, incite or
encourage. Comfort; to console, reduce grief with the purpose to encourage.
Halleluhja, what a great need there is for these 3 purposes of Prophecy today!
Remarkable, although the Lord Himself appoints prophets in the Body of Christ, He
encourages every believer to qualify for the job by learning! First of all He
tells us that He wants us ALL to Prophecy {1 Cor.14:1/5} . Then In 1
Cor.14:30/31 He tells that we can all Prophecy one by one so that we may learn! This to
the extend of the fact that the "regular" prophets have to give the new
learners a chance to learn! The concept of learning involves making mistakes at
first. My conclusion therefore is, that we should not judge the beginning prophets
too harshly for some mistakes, although verse 29 tells us to judge prophecy.
Harshly judging and condemning has been part of the reasons why there are so
few saints who attempt to prophecy. The Evil One is trying with great success
to prevent prophesying. Corrupting it and making the people afraid to learn it.
How sad this is! Our Lord must abhor this! Some preachers are saying that
actually their preaching is prophesying. Although I do admit that preaching the
Word has to involve also the 3 purposes for prophecy, I find the context of
what the Lord is saying in 1Cor. 1 2 and 14 about prophecy, not in line with the
concept of preaching. What the Word says about preaching is different.
Personally I have noticed that beginning prophets[including myself] sometimes did
start of in the Spirit speaking for God but then going astray by adding something
in !'the flesh." A gentle correction by other mature saints is in place. We
have to judge Prophecy but not prevent or stop it. 1John 4:1 says that we have
to test the Spirits, whether they are of God." Because many false prophets
have gone out into the world" New Testament teaching about prophecy does not
tell us to stone the false prophets to death if their predictions do not come
true. I believe that is because since Jesus went to heaven, we are living in the
age of Grace until He comes back to judge us. It aiso seems that New Testament
prophecy is not so much about telling the future as the old prophets often
did. He is giving the new prophets Grace for a chance to learn The Lord has
given us a plumbline to judge by. The plumbline is God's Word itself as recorded
in the bible. If It edifies, exhorts and comforts and is in line with the
bible, you may assume that it is from God. Thirteen years ago when we returned from
the Philippines I received a prophecy for the church and I spoke it out in a
congregation. Ever since then I felt that the lord wanted me to repeat it to
as many believers as possible. So here follows a part of the prophecy I did
give: My children, you are living in the last days. And today, the deception I am
warning for in My Word, is taking place worldwide. My sheep are being led
astray by much false teaching. If it were possible the very elect will be
deceived, unless I cut the days short. I want to give you a straight plumbline, to
measure all the teachings of today by. Does what you hear center in on Me and My
Word and thus give Me Glory and Pleasure says the Lord? Or is the teaching
and doctrine centered and focused on man and his comfort? Apply this plumbline
says the Lord. Then You will not be deceived and then you shall endure until
the end. THUS SAYS THE LORD. So let us not despise prophesyings, but let us test
all things and hold fast what is good.[ 1Thes.5:20/21 ]
Christ's Servant and yours, Johannes G. Weiss
Lenten Meditation
When our beloved Lord and Savior Jesus Christ cried out in agony on the cross, He used His Heavenly Prayer language, which was not understood by the onlookers. However, it was interpreted by the Holy Spirit in God's Word.
He cried out "Eloi Eloi Lama Sabachtani ? that is to say: My God, MY God, why hast thou forsaken me ? {Math.27:46} Although Jesus had foreknowledge of many things, His Father God had spared Him the foreknowledge of the awesome fact that He had to be forsaken temporarily.
Father God has used and is still using the picture of the human father/son relationship, so that we can have a more clear understanding what the Father went through, by not answering His beloved Son at this time . There has not been any moment in the worlds history in which both our heavenly Father and Son has suffered more intense, than at that moment of Jesus's cry.
Can we really fathom the ultimate suffering of both our Father and His Son at this moment when the temporarily separation occurred ? It should fill us with awe and sorrow. But at the same time with joy, knowing that it happened for us and our sins. Gratitude is flooding our Hearts for this token of His tremendous Love for us !
THANK YOU LORD !
11/14/03 Johannes G Weiss
POST SCRIPT :
I do have a son also and I can not even bear the thought that if he were to be tortured and cruelly killed, I would not even answer his cry although I had the power and ability to come to his rescue. How amazing and awsome the Love of our heavenly Father was and is manifested !And also the Love of Jesus for us, that He was willing to undergo all this suffering. JW
He cried out "Eloi Eloi Lama Sabachtani ? that is to say: My God, MY God, why hast thou forsaken me ? {Math.27:46} Although Jesus had foreknowledge of many things, His Father God had spared Him the foreknowledge of the awesome fact that He had to be forsaken temporarily.
Father God has used and is still using the picture of the human father/son relationship, so that we can have a more clear understanding what the Father went through, by not answering His beloved Son at this time . There has not been any moment in the worlds history in which both our heavenly Father and Son has suffered more intense, than at that moment of Jesus's cry.
Can we really fathom the ultimate suffering of both our Father and His Son at this moment when the temporarily separation occurred ? It should fill us with awe and sorrow. But at the same time with joy, knowing that it happened for us and our sins. Gratitude is flooding our Hearts for this token of His tremendous Love for us !
THANK YOU LORD !
11/14/03 Johannes G Weiss
POST SCRIPT :
I do have a son also and I can not even bear the thought that if he were to be tortured and cruelly killed, I would not even answer his cry although I had the power and ability to come to his rescue. How amazing and awsome the Love of our heavenly Father was and is manifested !And also the Love of Jesus for us, that He was willing to undergo all this suffering. JW
Faithful Women
The first question needing an answer is; faithful to what? The
most complete answer seems to be, faithful to the Word of God, in which He
tells us what His intended role for women is. The part I want to cover here is
the womens role in the work of God.
There are and have been many faithful Godly women in Gods
Work. Praise God ! The Bible is filled with stories of women who were used by God
in a great way. They were and are obedient to the Lords calling, and those
from the past received a prominent place in Gods Word. Most of them living now
will receive their reward at the coming of Jesus. To mention a few from the
past, in the Old Testament, Debora, Ruth and Esther come to my mind. While in the
New Testament, connected to the birth of Jesus, Elizabeth, Mary and Anna are
prominent. In 2nd Timothy, Lois and Eunice are standing out and in Romans 16
Paul has a whole list of virtuous women who were helpful to him.
To find the Lords intention for creating women, we have to go
back to the beginning. In Genesis 2-18 it tells us that God decided to make a
help meet for Adam, "because it is not good that man should be alone".
Therefore it is biblical to say that womens primary purpose was to be a help meet to
men. As result of the fall I believe, that God ordained women to bear children
and bear them in sorrow and pain. We can conclude from this, that a womans
additional purpose is to bear children. God added " you desire shall be for your
husband And he shall rule over you. [Gen.3~ 16] .
The best biblical picture of a virtuous woman can be found in
Proverbs 31, which list her role as house wife and help meet to her husband.
It is safe to say, that mostly Gods Word pictures the woman as wife and mother.
Therefore we have to ask our selves, what about unmarried and childless
women? One thing is for sure, we should not judge them as cursed by God. They could
be in that situation because of several different reasons in which the Lord
has His Hand. By the Lords great Mercy, there is also a great Godly purpose to
be found for the unmarried and the childless. Those roles can be varied from
case to case, but still comply with the idea that she is a help meet to
mankind.
In the family setting, the Bible tells us clearly that the
wife should be subject to her husband. He is the head of the house as Christ is
the Head of the church. As far as a womans role in the church is concerned, 1
Tim.2~9/12 is an important decisive scripture." I do not permit a woman to
teach or to have authority over a man, but be in silence." This is strong direct
language that hardly can be misunderstood. However, those in opposition
still manage to
reason it away with man made hermeneutics. It is becoming more and
more political incorrect to obey what it really says. The practical outworking
of this ruling is, that there can not be a woman with leadership authority in
the church and this is the reason one canot find any women elders in the New
testament .
Those disobedient people, who are still ordaining women
elders, are claiming Romans 16-7 as proof that Junia was an Apostle among the
Apostles. However, in most all trust worthy translations, it says only that
Adronicus and Junia were well regarded among the Apostles. ! Actually It is not
even sure that Junia was a female, but if she was, most likely the wife of
Adronicus. One must be very desperate to claim this as reason to disobey 1 Tim 2.
It is true however that husband and wife teams are mentioned
some times, with the woman ministering under the authority of her husband.
That could be done today , but one has to view this case by case for being
correct, because it is being mis-used also. Disobedience to Gods Word is increasing
rapidly in these last days. Mainly because of our modern culture and the
thinking that some of Gods Word does not always apply to us today. Disobedience
has eroded the true faith in our churches to the point that some now are even
ordaining homo sexuals ! Yes, a woman can and should do vital important
mininstry in the church, but NEVER should take a position as a leader with authority
over men.
Very remarkable, that God gives the reason for His
ruling in 1 Tim. 2. He does not do that very often! However in verse 13 He
explains why. He apperently found an explanation necessary. "for Adam was first
formed, then Eve:. Verse 14: "And Adam was not deceived but the woman being
deceived was in transgression" Some people feel that God is being unfair and holding
on to an old grudge. But remember, He is our sovereign God and His ways are
higher than our ways ! A virtuous woman who submits herself to God and her
husband is truly being and going to be blessed by God. I can testifY to that
because of my own faithful wife for 54 years. Praise the Lord Oh my Soul. ! Amen
Johannes G Weiss
S1NCERELY , IN CHRIST, JOHANNES G. WEISS
most complete answer seems to be, faithful to the Word of God, in which He
tells us what His intended role for women is. The part I want to cover here is
the womens role in the work of God.
There are and have been many faithful Godly women in Gods
Work. Praise God ! The Bible is filled with stories of women who were used by God
in a great way. They were and are obedient to the Lords calling, and those
from the past received a prominent place in Gods Word. Most of them living now
will receive their reward at the coming of Jesus. To mention a few from the
past, in the Old Testament, Debora, Ruth and Esther come to my mind. While in the
New Testament, connected to the birth of Jesus, Elizabeth, Mary and Anna are
prominent. In 2nd Timothy, Lois and Eunice are standing out and in Romans 16
Paul has a whole list of virtuous women who were helpful to him.
To find the Lords intention for creating women, we have to go
back to the beginning. In Genesis 2-18 it tells us that God decided to make a
help meet for Adam, "because it is not good that man should be alone".
Therefore it is biblical to say that womens primary purpose was to be a help meet to
men. As result of the fall I believe, that God ordained women to bear children
and bear them in sorrow and pain. We can conclude from this, that a womans
additional purpose is to bear children. God added " you desire shall be for your
husband And he shall rule over you. [Gen.3~ 16] .
The best biblical picture of a virtuous woman can be found in
Proverbs 31, which list her role as house wife and help meet to her husband.
It is safe to say, that mostly Gods Word pictures the woman as wife and mother.
Therefore we have to ask our selves, what about unmarried and childless
women? One thing is for sure, we should not judge them as cursed by God. They could
be in that situation because of several different reasons in which the Lord
has His Hand. By the Lords great Mercy, there is also a great Godly purpose to
be found for the unmarried and the childless. Those roles can be varied from
case to case, but still comply with the idea that she is a help meet to
mankind.
In the family setting, the Bible tells us clearly that the
wife should be subject to her husband. He is the head of the house as Christ is
the Head of the church. As far as a womans role in the church is concerned, 1
Tim.2~9/12 is an important decisive scripture." I do not permit a woman to
teach or to have authority over a man, but be in silence." This is strong direct
language that hardly can be misunderstood. However, those in opposition
still manage to
reason it away with man made hermeneutics. It is becoming more and
more political incorrect to obey what it really says. The practical outworking
of this ruling is, that there can not be a woman with leadership authority in
the church and this is the reason one canot find any women elders in the New
testament .
Those disobedient people, who are still ordaining women
elders, are claiming Romans 16-7 as proof that Junia was an Apostle among the
Apostles. However, in most all trust worthy translations, it says only that
Adronicus and Junia were well regarded among the Apostles. ! Actually It is not
even sure that Junia was a female, but if she was, most likely the wife of
Adronicus. One must be very desperate to claim this as reason to disobey 1 Tim 2.
It is true however that husband and wife teams are mentioned
some times, with the woman ministering under the authority of her husband.
That could be done today , but one has to view this case by case for being
correct, because it is being mis-used also. Disobedience to Gods Word is increasing
rapidly in these last days. Mainly because of our modern culture and the
thinking that some of Gods Word does not always apply to us today. Disobedience
has eroded the true faith in our churches to the point that some now are even
ordaining homo sexuals ! Yes, a woman can and should do vital important
mininstry in the church, but NEVER should take a position as a leader with authority
over men.
Very remarkable, that God gives the reason for His
ruling in 1 Tim. 2. He does not do that very often! However in verse 13 He
explains why. He apperently found an explanation necessary. "for Adam was first
formed, then Eve:. Verse 14: "And Adam was not deceived but the woman being
deceived was in transgression" Some people feel that God is being unfair and holding
on to an old grudge. But remember, He is our sovereign God and His ways are
higher than our ways ! A virtuous woman who submits herself to God and her
husband is truly being and going to be blessed by God. I can testifY to that
because of my own faithful wife for 54 years. Praise the Lord Oh my Soul. ! Amen
Johannes G Weiss
S1NCERELY , IN CHRIST, JOHANNES G. WEISS
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)