The Refining Pot
The Coming ONE+, greatly longed-for and
desired, was portrayed in the last book
of the Old Testament as the REFINER+ of His+ Priests... the REFINER+ of HIS+
Ecclesia, His+ Called-Out ones.
Malachi 3:2-3
3:2 But who may abide
the day of HIS+ Coming? and who shall stand when HE+ appeareth? for HE+ is like
a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
3:3 And HE+ shall sit
as a REFINER and PURIFIER of silver:
and HE+ shall purify the Sons of Levi,
and purge them as gold and silver,
that they may offer
unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
In the Old Testament, Our LORD JESUS CHRIST was not portrayed as a baby. Rather, HE+ was vividly and accurately portrayed as a REFINER+
of the Sons of Levi, the priests. Aaron and the "Cohen" were
of the tribe of Levi.
Scripture tells us that Christians will
become priests, also.
Revelation 1:5-6
1:5 And from JESUS CHRIST Who+
is the Faithful Witness+, and the First-Begotten+ of the Dead,
and the Prince+ of the kings of the earth. Unto HIM+ that loved us, and washed
us from our sins in HIS+ own BLOOD,
1:6 And hath made us
kings and priests unto GOD and HIS+ FATHER; to HIM+ be glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen.
What does a "refiner" do ?
As the REFINER+ of our souls, The LORD JESUS
CHRIST, Who+ loves us beyond all measure, allows the church to face persecution.
WHY Does GOD, Our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, allow Christians to
be persecuted ?
Why does the LORD our GOD
allow followers of HIS Beloved SON+ to
be martyred ?
This has been on-going for
two thousand years.
Why does GOD allow evil to exist which attacks and hurts the
Christians ?
Is GOD , the MAKER of Heaven and Earth, incapable of dealing with the evil on planet earth ?
NO!
HE is UTTERLY capable…. with even HIS very thought … of dealing death
blows to every evil plan, every evil design, and every evil person upon the
face of this planet.
Furthermore, the MAKER of Heaven and Earth knows EXACTLY who is
at fault for the evils... knowing each man's contribution to it... and HE cannot be tricked.
Then, is HE unwilling to deal with the evil and gross sins in both
high and low places ?
NO, again.
HE+ is
very willing that evil be stopped and wrong made right. That is why HE+ gave authority over the unclean spirits to His+ Disciples ( but told them to rejoice NOT in this authority but rather to rejoice that their names were written in the Heavens ! Luke 10:20 )
The PROBLEM is we Christians are looking at the evil encasing
mankind through the eyes of our flesh… instead of seeing what The LORD is going
to accomplish through it all.
Persecution is NEEDED
for the CHURCH !
The LORD can deal swiftly with all the evil
on planet earth in a moment of time. BUT
FOR THE GOOD OF THE CHURCH, HE allows persecution to come.
Report after report is pouring out of the persecutions in the
Middle East: churches which had 5 or 10
persons in attendance at services NOW HAVE THOUSANDS of persons coming, hungry
for The LORD.
According to the last
issue of the Voice of the Martyrs magazine, ( Special Year in Review 2015) .
Evangelicals, Catholics, and
Orthodox are worshipping together … and drawing thousands of muslims to CHRIST
with them!
THIS WOULD
NEVER HAVE HAPPENED
BEFORE THE
PERSECUTIONS STARTED.
Why?
The Christians were too lax, concerned only with their own
lives, to endanger themselves to reach out to the un-saved. The muslims were too content, concerned only
with their own lives, to reach out to CHRIST.
Now, with everything stripped away… including many loved ones,
sadly enough ... the church is doing what it was supposed to be doing and the
HOLY SPIRIT is responding by drawing the hungry and hurting ones to CHRIST
JESUS.
This same thing has happened in North Korean under horrible
persecution and in China, as we all know of Brother Yun, the Heavenly Man, and the House Church movement --- and
miracles --- in China.
As our LORD+ and MASTER+ was treated, so HIS+ Children are
treated. We are NOT of this world, even
as HE+ is NOT of this world. TRUTH
clashes with the lie. Therefore the world hates us.
The organized “church” system has turned the Precious Gospel, the
Good News, into something it was NOT intended to be. They have done this in spite of the Words of our LORD JESUS CHRIST and
the Teaching of the Blessed HOLY SPIRIT through HIS+ Apostles.
The Assembly of the Blood-Washed Saints was NEVER meant to become a
“religious social club”.
Churches have
everything “the world” has to offer its attendees: groups and activities to
meet a wide-variety of interests and ages, gymnasiums, self-help programs,
music programs of every shade, and a few missionary activities on the side…
besides the ENDLESS meeting-and-eating round.
However, The CHURCH was created and formed by The SON+ of GOD to be
The Light of the world. It was created to give forth the Example of what it
means to follow The MESSIAH+ in SPIRIT and in Truth.
The organized church has thrown this aside in order to placate the
“social and emotional” needs of its members. By casting aside the stark words
of JESUS, the organized church has made itself to be a laughing stock to the
world and worse, has the satan laughing at the impotency of its prayers.
Scripture says in Psalm 89:7a :
GOD is greatly to be feared
in the assembly of the saints.
Is this happening?
NO.
The un-regenerated sinners who are coerced to
enter the portals of the church by some hapless friend and the wicked spirits
which torment the half-stepping churchians have NO fear fall upon them inside
the church.
Neither human flesh nor wicked spirits feel the heat of the HOLY
LORD GOD during most Sunday services.
So, what is wrong ?
Picking up one’s Cross to follow JESUS is ignored and the young
people on fire for The LORD are directed to the nearest seminary instead of to
Self-denial and taking up the Cross, as JESUS said.
The organized church pastor ( aka CEO) is hired for his
administrative skills in setting up “programs” for the congregation. Little
ministry goes on in them and no-one is lead to The CROSS of JESUS …. but, the
church members all “feel good” about themselves.
Evangelism revolves around
drawing outsiders into the flock… so that they can learn to feel good about
themselves,
Our LORD, then, has a solution...
..... for those who are bringing SHAME upon
The Eternal SON+ of The FATHER, crucifying HIM+ anew and putting HIM+ to an
open shame.
For THIS REASON, the CRUCIBLE ...
.... is now upon us. It is at the door. A
crucible is used to remove IMPURITIES from any substance, so that it may become
completely PURE. It is for our Eternal GOOD.
Persecution is ALSO the means
by which the church
evangelizes most
effectively !
What is being passed off as Christianity does not even resemble the
true and original Christianity. The ancient Church, the Ecclesia trusted and
actually followed MESSIAH…. through persecutions. They actually lived their lives as HE+ had
taught and commanded them to do NO MATTER WHAT.
They were a VERY different race of people and the pagans could tell
the difference. They were “not of THIS world.”
They had met JESUS and laid on the altar
of His+ Cross all worldly values and all loyalties to countries, cultures, and
ethnic ways right along with all their sins.
Because they considered themselves
to be sojourners on the face of this earth, they refused to bear the sword and
would not injure ANY person, even that person hurt them.
They laid on the altar their “rights” and all
their allegiances… except to CHRIST JESUS.
And, they STOOD.
Thus, STANDING for JESUS, they were
hated by certain groups, among them the State. They were declared to be “ enemies of the
state and of the human race” by the man
– worshiping Roman government. No
punishment was deemed too bad for the Christians.
In our own time, Christianity has become something it was never
intended to be. If this situation is
allowed to continue, the organized religious system ITSELF will wipe out the
Gospel of Life from the earth, which is satan’s goal.
Therefore the crucible MUST come;
It must come
for the sake
of the Church itself.
The LORD+ will see who really loves HIM+ and who will walk with
HIM+ and not deny HIM+. We will see that some “life-long attendees” will fall
away; we will see that some tax-collectors and prostitutes will immediately repent and
follow CHRIST to the death.
HE+ will send forth HIS+
angels and will gather out of HIS+ Kingdom ALL things that offend, and them
which practice iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire and there
shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their
FATHER.
Matthew 13:41
The CRUCIBLE will remove the pretenders and will separate the wheat
from the chaff.
Amen. Let it be so, LORD JESUS, according to Thy+ will and purpose
for this last great time of harvest before Thy+ Return in power and great
glory.
Let us pray:
O LORD JESUS, help us to stop playing at activities designed to
make us feel good about ourselves. Help us to mature, to pick up the Cross, and
to die daily to our Self, in all seriousness.
Help us to stop our insatiable craving for interaction... which we
call "fellowship" ... and learn to have fellowship with THEE+ in
SPIRIT and in Truth.
Prepare
our hearts for going through the crucible with THEE+, to rescue as many as
possible from the torments of hell, for Thy+ great glory and to our endless
comfort and joy.
We offer up to THEE+ praise and thanksgiving, for THOU+ doest all things well and knoweth the end from the beginning.
According to Thy+ Good Will and Pleasure, we pray; Come, LORD JESUS.
