THE CUP OF SUFFERING

St. John 18:11 " Then said Jesus unto Peter, put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it ?"

This cup very often points to some kind of suffering. God is in control, even of our suffering. No one likes to suffer. I do not enjoy suffering. I did not wish to be the victim of injustice nor to be apart from my wife and loved ones. I did not wish to hear all of the sad stories of all the broken lives around me.  But God allows the things He allows for a reason; His reason.

God's reasons for allowing suffering in our lives are never for our destruction. Read Romans 8: 18,28.   

When we drink deeply from the cup of God; He is revealed in us and to us. The Glory of God is resident within us and can only be revealed when we come to the end of ourselves.

Sometimes it is as if we must force ourselves to choke down a bitter cup. Why ?  We do it because we believe in the Fathers bigger picture.  You see, your suffering is not your end. Yes, Jesus died on the Cross, but He rose from the dead; thereby making our redemption complete. The suffering is only a part, not the whole. Our completeness is awaiting us on the other side of the storm.

God's purposes for us are always good, no matter where we are today. He has called us to His glory. God has equipped us to rise above any challenge, any struggle, any suffering; and be more like Jesus when we are through to the other side of the storm. Read Romans 8:37.

The purpose of God's intense glory is often to change people &/or circumstances. So, we yield to a cup from our Father. We often do not know the " why", but still we yield to God in the midst of questioning. We echo Jesus words in Gethsemane " Nevertheless, not My will but thine, be done." [ Luke 22: 42].  As Jesus dreaded the coming brief separation from the Father, I too have dreaded my separation from all I know and love. But as I have learned to trust God, He has revealed a little of His glory in my heart and this increases daily. 

We are coming through the storm. We will not die in the storm.

We will drink the cup and although it is bitter; we know that the future God has for us will be filled with His Glory.  Parts of our character may die, but we will experience the resurrection of God's Glory in that area of our lives. The Lord will use the cup to accomplish His purposes and to make us what He desires us to be.

Suffering accomplishes another purpose as well. It often allows us to see some things from the perspective of Christ. If you have never suffered, it is difficult to see things from the perspective of those who do suffer. Jesus bore intense pain and only when I bear intense pain can I even begin to understand something of His thoughts and Love.  Sometimes, I have prayed and told Christ that I couldn't stand much more. He spoke to my heart and said " I know how you feel, I've been there too."  Then I realized that in my suffering I could identify with Jesus in a way I had never known before.  Jesus and I are brothers in suffering and now I can see some things from His perspective.

Times of trial and suffering are never pleasant but God's purpose can & will be accomplished as we learn to respond correctly to the cup that the Father gives us to drink.  We must never lose sight of Christ and Him Crucified. Our victory is through the Cross.

This was originally a partner letter that I wrote during a very difficult time in my life.

Angie and I had suffered betrayal at the hands of people that we cared alot about. It is our prayer that if you are in the midst of any kind of suffering today, that this message will encourage you.  We love you. 

MORE ON TRIALS.

One of the most difficult and trying things about going through severe testings and trials are those moments when God is silent.

He is always there, for that is His promise, but sometimes we cannot feel His presence or hear His voice.

It is during those silent times that we must learn to walk by faith.

Beloved, always remember that God's silence is for His purposes and He is always working on the behalf of His children.

Often we do not know and are not aware of the mighty and miraculous things that God is doing for us during these silent times.  God's silence does not indicate His absence and God's delays are not denials.   If we allow the Holy Spirit to train our inner-ear, even during the " silent"  times, we can hear the echo of what God has spoken to us before.  This is enough for faith to feed on.   I love you all,  Bro. Len

CHECK OUT OUR SHORT DEVOTIONAL POD-CASTS

 In the upper left hand corner of this Cross Talk blog, you will notice a link that is new. This is our brand new pod-cast of short devotions. We added this in addition to our teaching pod-casts which can be found at our web-site, www.acts2618.com

If you are a itunes user, you can subscribe to these devotional pod-casts and I encourage you to do so. But you can listen to the devotions with any system.  Many, if not most of these short devotions will be added by telephone. They will probably appear on the player as a date, followed by "phone call"

Thank you to all of you who are visiting our sites. We pray that the material we make available to you will be a blessing in your life. I want to encourage you to tell all of your friends about us and join us often. We love having you; we really do.

                                         In His service,

                                             Rev. Len Paxton

               

A Confession In Times of Trial

Through my trials and testings I am: 1- going to reaffirm my position in Christ.
2- I will profit from them.
3- My faith will be tested and proven.
4- In times of testing and trial, I will learn what is valuable in my life.
5- My faith will mature.
6- I will be purified by the Lord.
7- My faith throughout the trial will bring glory and honor to God.
8- I will learn to love God even more.
9- I will learn of the faithfulness of God.
10- As a result, my life will become more useful to God.
This confession of faith is based upon 1 Peter 1:3-11

Our Trials

Sometimes it is very difficult to maintain our courage during times of trial. Satan loves to discourage us and to put fear on us. Let none of us imagine that we will have smooth sailing merely because we follow Christ. Trials will come to each believer.God allows us to go through so that we can get to.
We must often go through something in order to get to something.

We grow spiritually as we encounter trials and learn to trust the Lord through them.

Allow me to share some things that I have learned about trials.
1-Trials and hardships can be used by God to build our character and purify our faith. [1Peter 1:3-7]
2-The trials that we go through can be used of God to help us have compassion on others and comfort them in their times of trial. [2 Cor. 1:3-7]
3-If we keep our eyes on Jesus and look for the eternal perspective, trials and tough times are survivable. [2 Cor. 4:7-18]
4- Our trials often cause us to examine ourselves and allows our foundation to be tested. If we are grounded firmly in the Lord Jesus Christ, we can make it through with our faith intact. [ Luke 6:47-49]
5-No matter what we are called upon to go through, no matter how hard or difficult: Jesus is always with us in the storms of life. We are never outside His watchful eye, His caring and compassionate embrace, and His holy, awesome, abiding presence. [Mark 4:35-41] and [ Matt. 28:20b]
6-God gives us hope right at the time when our heart is so very, very troubled. We can have the peace of Jesus in the midst of our greatest trials. [ John 14:1-7]
7- We must endure and persevere through our trials.

Read the following verses of Scripture.
Luke 8:15
James 1:2-4
Hebrews 12: 1-3
2 Timothy 4:7-8

In the times we are living in I believe that trials are going to increase, but so will our peace. Calamity is coming but so is our Lord. Dark days are truly ahead, but so is the finish line. As Christians, we should not fear what lies ahead but we must put our trust in the Lord.

A Thought sent to Me

Righteousness in the Bible is a path. A path is something that we walk
on, something we move along. It suggests motion, change, development.
Some people would like righteousness to be some kind of static
condition. Well I'm saved, here I am, I'm righteous. All I
need to do now is sit in church and sing hymns until the Lord calls me
home. That's a mistake. Any static condition in which you do not
change, progress and develop is not the righteousness of the Bible.

The righteousness of the Bible is a path. And we enter into that path
through an encounter with the Son of Righteousness, the Lord Jesus
Christ. And when He shines into our lives, that's like the first
gleam of dawn. It's the beginning of light. And then, as we move
on in that path, the words are beautiful: "The light shines ever
brighter till the full light of day."

If you are walking in the path of righteousness, today's light
is brighter than yesterday's and tomorrow will be brighter than
today's. So do not settle down and say, "I've
arrived," because that's a mistake, that's a
deception. The path of righteousness leads us always on until we come
into the full light of the noonday sun and to the full and final
revelation of God in eternity.

So if you are on that path, keep moving on, and if you haven't
yet found the path, you need to meet the Son of Righteousness, the Lord Jesus Christ

A Message from Pastor Scott Corbin

The Purpose Driven Life", the seeker-sensitive churches, "The Passion of the Christ",... and the list goes on. Who, especially those in "Christian circles", has not heard of these trends and fads in the church today? They supposedly are new ways to reach the lost, new ways to disciple believers, and great ways to grow the church.
But what message is really being sent out from these modern-day phenomenons?
The message must remain the same. It must be Christ and Him Crucified. It is not to be lost in the loud, contemporary music. Reverence for God is not to be lost in "come as you are" services with catchy themes and illustrated sermons. The message of "one mediator between God and man" must not be coupled with an unscriptural worship of Mary, portrayed across the movie screens of the world with all the hype that Hollywood has to offer.
But that is exactly what is happening today.
I'm sorry to say that many fine Christian people who really love the Lord and desire to do as He commands are being deceived by these very subtle plans of Satan that I have just mentioned. But what is wrong with these things, many would ask. What could possibly be wrong with bringing more people to church, or with giving something to the lost that will get them thinking in spiritual terms and asking questions?
Ask the Holy Spirit for discernment. And as you encounter the next big thing to come into the Church, whether it's a book, a CD, a movie, a doctrine, a program, or whatever, ask yourself the question, "Is Jesus Christ and what He did on the Cross presented as the only answer - that and that alone - to whatever problems man faces, especially the sin problem?" Is sin addressed? Is repentance demanded? Is the Cross upheld as the only way, minus the psychological encounters, the cell groups, and all the other foolishness that is rampant in the church world today?
How many major denominations, including the Baptists, Methodists, Church of God, Assemblies of God, etc., are leading their people into a lie by using the Purpose Driven program (or some derivative of it), or the G12 movement, or something else? How many are embracing whatever the Pope says today so that the lines, in most peoples' eyes, are drawn fainter and fainter between Catholicism and Protestantism?
God help us that we might see, and understand, and stand up for the right, no matter the cost.
Remember, Satan's deception is subtle, and his most dangerous moves are made in the realm of religion.
A message from Pastor Scott Corbin

THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN A CHURCH

Where you go to church is tremendously important. Because there is so much deception today, here are a few things to look for in a church.

1- The church must preach and teach that salvation is by faith in the shed Blood of Jesus Christ upon the Cross. It is a work of grace, not human effort.

2- The church you attend must believe, preach and teach that the Bible is the Inspired Word of Almighty God, from Genesis to Revelation. There is NO ERROR in the Bible.

3- God is eternally existent in three Persons: God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This is known as the Trinity.

4- Your church should preach and teach the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

5- Divine healing is a part of the atonement of Christ.

6- Your church should be missions-minded. Make sure your church believes in and supports missionary projects. I have always believed that every local church ought to be sending funds to at least one missionary in a country of God's leading.

7- Evangelism. The church where you attend ought to be always involved in soul winning.

8- Your church ought to proclaim the IMMINENT return of the LORD JESUS CHRIST...

And of course there are many more things that comprise a good local church. You need to beware of so-called ministers who deny any of the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith. They are not ministers of God, but of Satan.

BEWARE OF MINISTERS WHO DENY:

1-The Virgin birth of Christ

2- The Deity of Christ. Jesus Christ IS God and that should be proclaimed at your church.

3-The Blood Atonement

4- The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

5- Christ's miracle-working power today.

6- The Imminent return of Jesus Christ.

7- The inspired Word of God.

8- Everlasting life for the saved and everlasting punishment of the unsaved.

Protect yourself from deception in these last days. You should know what the Bible teaches and where you go to church is very important. The preachers and teachers you listen to are very important.

WILL CHILDREN GO IN THE RAPTURE ?

Recently this question came in to the ministry. Let me say that I believe that ALL children are saved until they reach the age of accountability, at which time they must choose to receive Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

The age of accountability will vary according to each child. There is not a set age. Again, that depends on each child and we must leave these things with the Lord. It is important that parents, at an early age begin to teach their children the truths of God. Teach them about salvation by the blood of Jesus from the time they are born.

Some teach that only the children of the saved will go in the rapture but I believe that to be false. The Word of God tells us that small children are favored of the Lord. When David's child died, the king said he could not bring the infant back but would one day go to where the child was [2 Samuel 12:23].

Jesus said that children have angels who behold the face of God [Matt. 18:10].

So, to give a very brief answer, I believe that ALL children below the age of accountability are saved and will go in the rapture.

THE SEEKER-SENSITIVE FAD

The new catch phrase in the church today is to be "seeker-sensitive". In a nutshell, churches have a brief praise and worship service, and then the people sit and listen to some kind of teaching for about 20 minutes. Then they are dismissed. The so-called leaders of this movement make it very clear that you are not to call anyone a sinner, never preach about sin, and you are not to sing songs about the blood of Jesus. These things might "offend" the seeker.

In these new modern so-called churches, the first time anyone preaches against sin, confronts evil, experiences a strong move of the Holy Spirit, or in any way deviates from the normal routine, these "seekers" will seek something and somewhere else because their sensitivities have been offended.

Was Elijah being insensitive when he told old Jezebel that she was going to the dogs? [1 Kings 21:23]
Were the kings of Israel concerned about people's opinion when they destroyed the groves, ran off the sodomites, and tore down the altars of Baal?
Was John the Baptist being insensitive when he called religious hypocrites "a generation of vipers" [Matt. 3:7]?
Was Jesus being a seeker-sensitive leader when He called the same kind of people " whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness" [Matt. 23:27]?
What about Peter when he spoke under a drop dead anointing that fell on people who lied to the Holy Spirit [Acts 5:3-10]?
Did Paul teach us to become seeker-sensitive when he advised turning someone over to Satan [1 Cor. 5:5]?

Lets just face it. None of the above prophets or apostles or even our Lord Himself would be invited to minister in many contemporary churches in America today. The fear of offending a sinner or awakening a lethargic Christian would overwhelm the pastors. Most pastors would choose not to allow such radical statements to be made from their pulpits.

It seems that far too many are more concerned with the seeker than they are with the Holy Spirit. Most have left out God all together. When the true presence of the Holy Spirit is working in the church, strong messages would be received because the Holy Spirit touches the attitude and the heart.

We do not need seeker-sensitive preaching; we need Holy Spirit sensitive and anointed preaching. This would produce conviction and conviction leads to repentance.. That is what is needed.We need to love people with an intense love that will not compromise the truth and the anointing.

The message can be strong, firm, and, at times, rebuking. However, with the compassion of Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, it will be effective. We need the Holy Spirit working among us to change the hearts and lives of people.