Blessay #224

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WASHING OF WATER BY THE WORD by Pastor Bulldog
Text: Ephesians 5:26; “That He might sanctify it and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.”

There was an ignoble ritual in the Army in the 40s decade called a GI bath (General Issue). I would assume it is still being done, except that it may not be necessary in this day and age of designer fragrances.

There was a young GI in my barracks who was not hindered by cleanliness. He went for extraordinary lengths of time without so much as a wash rag to his face - UNTIL: the emanation from him formed a different aura, so thick that it was hurting our eyes. So, it was necessary to put together a *committee*. He was captured and carried, kicking and screaming, into the latrine where he was deluged with water from a hose and with G.I. soap. The poor guy was scoured, scrubbed, and rubbed until he was spic and span, mad, and left to drip-dry.

OUR COUNTRY NEEDS A G.I. (God Inspired) BATH

There is a stench of rottenness that has caused a smog of smut over our country and it is like an incoming tide, washing up flotsam and jetsam and ugly little sea creatures. Media people, bloggers, entertainment Novas, super ambitious politicos, and just plain downright mean, cantankerous, ignorant, disappointed, envious, greedy, filthy mouth no talent ... (you fill in the rest), are wasting their time and ours on trying to destroy careers and to topple those in the spotlight. They do the work of Huns and Visigoths

Their main target is Jesus Christ, the Bible, and Christians. Nominal Christians don't bother them, because Nominal Christians have no sense of solid doctrine and "fold" easily and join in with them.

We need outraged up-holders of Judeo/Christian moral values to form committees to backwash this flood with GI baths of decency, purification, high level thoughts and deeds; to saturate the air with stinging rebukes of scripture, and prayer vigils in non-public places: non-violent, but visible, prayer warrior sessions.

Avoid noisy demonstrations: they are what give godless humanists, fuel to ridicule with nasty, degrading terms from filthy mouths and polluted hearts. The offenders have no shame and to respond in kind is to give them what they want. Let them ridicule believers for praying and reading our Bibles. Heap coals of fire on them with pity and kindness and let God deal with them. Isn't that what Paul instructed the Corinthian church to do in regard to incest?

In my years of observing Presidents, administrations, Congress, lobbyists and the court system, I have never witnessed such falsification, blaming, name calling, manipulation, hypocrisy, political game playing, skull-duggary and blatant in-your-face, white-washed larceny . . . and it's only May.

Congress is such an amusing place, Will Rogers found most of his irony in Congressional malarkey. It is where every mean and nasty barb and dart that is aimed at another is followed by ‘. . . My good friend and colleague the honorable [ Representative/Senator] from the great state of . . . ‘.

"These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots (Jude 1:12)".

(No disrespect to the good law makers with right motives; may their tribe increase, God bless them.)

The Culture of Corruption and
the Culture of Concupiscence

Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, boasted about cleaning out the culture of corruption within 100 days. That was when Republicans handed over and just gave Congress to the DNC. Her goal was noble, indeed: corruption she knows something about, But a larger phenomenon is growing like yeast in bread dough. It's the Culture of Concupiscence (def: No holds barred ) The Psalmist heard it in his day, Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.

Sometimes I feel like Elijah. Am I the only one who is sick of it? Are there others who are as outraged as me?

School kids have always been savvy about adult stuff, but their daytime domains are now infected with low life lures. The culture of concupiscence is loaded with Socialists and Secular Humanists, whose manifestos denounce God, the worship of God. and they explode from emotional internal combustion and rage at those who do worship God - we are a threat to them and their ugly lifestyles. *How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water? (Job
15:16) .* (Gee, I wish I had said that!)

WE NEED TO FORM G.I. COMMITTEES
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap (Galatians 6:7).

From heaven, Jesus selected a committee of 40 holy men of old: prophets, judges, kings, business men, and priests, and breathed His testimonies, ordinances, and commandments into their personalities and considered backgrounds to form a guide book of 60 books, unchanging and absolute. It's called THE BIBLE, one book; no need to call it anything else; it is the ONE BOOK by which men may find God and be guided by Him in peace, grace and safety.

This committee of “washers"; members of a spiritual spa of sorts, where you are rubbed down with oil, lifted up spiritually, and given peace, mercy, forgiveness, and access into God's grace, and are inwardly clean and refreshed. They recorded God's infallible words as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. By them you can know that all the wrong things you ever did in your lifetime have been washed away.

For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit (1Thessalonians 4:7-8)”

The greatest benefit of all for believers is that we can be washed daily, morning, noon, and night. The sign on God's door says, "OPEN 24/7" Our privilege is a walk with the Lord who listens anytime to anything we need to say, and washes away the guilt of sin by His word and enables you to be a beacon in a world gone mad.

A TIME OF MEMORIAL OBSERVANCE

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army
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In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/flanders.htm

A TIME TO REMEMBER AND PRAY for Our Military Units around the world, for our Government Officials, and for our President and God-given right decisions in these times of global indecision.

O God, our Father, Strong to save: Consider this Nation, our issues are grave. Bless our young folks who willingly serve, Your grace in service, they strongly deserve. For the parents of the fallen, we ernestly pray, that we'll see loved ones again, in that great peaceful day. We pause this day in order to say, 'Dear Lord, their memories we keep sweet, 'till someday we'll meet, with a hug and kiss, on a great golden street! Amen.

BLESSAY #223 (Weekly email)

GOOD QUESTION!
by Pastor Bulldog
"LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? (Psalm 15:1)"

My mind can do crazy, but interesting things, at times, when I meditate on a Bible passage like, "Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?” I'm sure of my salvation, but there are others who are not. So upon reading it again and again, I was reminded of that old gospel song we used to sing at church camps and youth meetings.

"Do Lord, O do Lord, O do remember me,
Do Lord, O do Lord, O do remember me,
Do Lord, O do Lord, O do remember me,
Way beyond the blue."

And the reply that I hear in my mind's eye is, "My child, how could I forget you. You are a special creation and I have had a plan for your life since you were first formed in the womb. No, my child . . . I remembered you when I descended to earth as the only begotten Son of the Father, and I bought your redemption . . . all I ask is that you remember me . . . 'way beyond the blue!'"

So, there are two ways of regarding this Psalm of David.

The First Way: it causes believers in Christ, and non-believers, to pause in the midst of dozens of duties and packs of projects to allow the Holy Spirit to inspect their hearts. Then, we ponder, "Have I allowed presumptive sins to become obsessive sins? Or have I truly been forgiven for my sins?" "Will I dwell in your tabernacle on your holy hill Lord? I have assumed that I am saved, but there are times when I wonder."

The time I spent 45 days in the hospital for a very serious internal difficulty that almost cost me my life. I had no problem answering the Psalmist's question. Like the Apostle Paul, he was "cool" either way: if at last his trophies he would lay down, he knew what was ahead with certainty, an eternity of blessing and praise to God was to be his lot. If God chose to leave him here, then he knew he had a ministry and a purpose - a "win, win" situation. Who could do better than that?

As for me, my mental gear shift was in neutral, a "win/win" situation. Not to appear to be pharisaical, but I had my Bible on my side table and doctors and nurses who came into my room every morning saw it open and being used on my lap. Some stopped to make an appreciative comment.

It made me realize that we cannot allow sin to ruin our testimony. There is a world that is "white unto harvest" and it is watching what we Christians do and say. They may just want to stick their toes in to test the water, but we never know how the Holy Spirit works on individuals who hear what we say, watch what we do, and make a judgment call. They cry out, "Lord, what must I do to have eternal life. Who can live with you in the heavenlies?"

The Second Way: to think of this Psalm as a joyful reminder that, because of Jesus, we have access into God's matchless and unending grace, and the capacity to live what God requires of us – through Jesus, and to know the depth of the riches of His wisdom and knowledge for His unsearchable ways and judgments “past finding out!” This makes utopian fantasies; dark dreams from man-made religions, seem shallow and spiritually impotent. Moreover, thinking about the throne of God in Zion on the sides of the North in the heavenlies expands our souls.

We look forward to His second coming to set up His kingdom of heaven in Zion on the sides of the North in Jerusalem. It is not fiction or fantasies, but an actual place waiting to be occupied by those who have completed their pilgrimage with and in the Lord Jesus Christ. It makes one want to shout "Abba Father and - "YES!" Halellujah!

A soul-winning woman and children’s Bible teacher in our ministry was asked if she planned on taking the tour to Jerusalem with a group from our church. She replied, “Thank you, no; I plan to be going there by and by with the Lord.”

Do you think it's easy? Here is what God requires:

”He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved” (Psalm 15:2-5).

When Israel was delivered out of Egypt, walked across the parted Red Sea, and gathered at the base of Mount Sinai, the Lord came down in smoke and fire and dictated the LAW to Moses. He promptly went down and read it to the people. The people shouted, "All that the Lord requires, we will do." But they didn't. No mortal man can live up to the requirements of God, because it takes the power and strength of the Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of the LAW, to enable us to do it. One must abide in Jesus and He in them.

The Old Testament LAW is quite a load of requirements. It takes a lot of hard implementation to achieve everything that is required from God and no man can keep it. THAT'S THE POINT. The Old Testament Jew was bound by the Law and could not implement it into their life-styles. When they forgot God and struggled to live by their own efforts and worshipped the gods of their neighbors, they got weaker and weaker as a people until God sent them into exile.

Paul wrote Titus that it is "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:5); "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it" (1Thessalonians 5:24).

Those who will dwell in His Holy Hill are they which dwell (abide) in Him – and He must abide in you!

Robert N. and Helen Adams
(aka Pastor & Mrs. Bulldog)
"Beloved, wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3John 1:2)

A Proud Time for US

Thank God for Answered Prayer ... the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates, wich involved the greatest Navy in the world and a squad of Navy super hero SEALS.

While the administration and liberals are giving this country away to the world and apologizing for our way of life, for our high ideals and morals based on the Judeo/Christian moral value system, God answered prayer and set the scene for a display that the God of the Bible is the one true God over all ... believe it or not or believe anything you want, HE IS GOD ... NO MAN CAN CHANGE THAT! He is for life and they are for death. And He looks down on the sons of men and intervenes into the affairs of man.
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And one brave man of high ideals sacrificially faced death at the hands of godless pirates and cut throats in order to take the place of his crew, to free his crew members ... a great simile of John 3:16, "God so loving the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosover believe on Him shall not die, but shall have everlasting life."
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This country is still in the business of dispensing compassion to our neighbors and providing rescue from their destructions. We may be tested by those who want to destory our way of life and success, but they use their militaary for murder and extortion; we use ours for our security and offer the lives of our young men and women for their security and relief.

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I am so proud to have been a merchant seaman in WWII, a part of the crew of the SS Robert L. Hague, a Liberty Ship in the service of the US Merchant Marine, a ship which was armed, by the way and prepared to defend itself.

I swell with thankfulness and pride in hearing the accounts of the rescue of this brave captain who offered himself to save his crew ... a fantastic Easter story.

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(Photos: The American stars and stripes, which is higher than the Gadsden flag, yet the Gadsden flag stands for unity and independence. Developed by Benjamin Franklin in 1775, features a rattle snake on a yellow background with the words, "Don't Tread On Me."
Captain Phillips with the destroyer, USS Bainbridge Captain, Commander Frank Castellano.

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Have A Blessed Easter Observance!

It is good to rise up on Easter morning and rejoice over the death, burial, and resurrection of the LORD Jesus Christ. "HE IS RISEN!" is the shout from the tomb, and echoing from the hills of Judea, "HE IS RISEN INDEED?, and as Paul wrote twice in the passage, 1Corinthians 15:1-8, "according to the scriptures".
He is very God and very man, whose life split time in two, from BC to AD.

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But foolish men and women in high government porisitions and with self gain as their motivation, and greedy and godless wealth-seekers of all ilks and sorts, foolishly attack Jesus and the word of God he left us to guide us in civil matters and in our love to God, ourselves and to our neighbors. How foolish they are "spots in . . . feasts of charity . . . feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds . . . " (Jude 1:12). "These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest ... " (2Peter 2:17).

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God has a management system: He tells man what it takes to please God and then lets the evil ones whose hearts are set on destroying the knowledge of God, set their own course and ultimately destroy themselves and innocents along with them. But when His cup is full, He dispenses judgement against unrighteousness. Have you read about Job? The man that was severly tested when God let the Devil have his way with his life, family and fortunes, but Job never cursed God; he asked for a hearing.

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"The Hand of providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more than wicked, that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations ... The blessed Religion revealed in the word of God will remain an eternal and awful monument to prove that the best Institution may be abused by human depravity ... It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favors." --George Washington

Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation

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  Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.
  
  We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.
  
  We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
  We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
  We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare..
  We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
  We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
  We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.
  We have abused power and called it politics.
  We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
  We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
  We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
  Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'
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  With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God..'

What Manner Of Love . . .

From BLESSAY, Number 210, December 6, 2008

Denial is setting in like concrete in the minds of millions who are sick and tired of . . . they don't know what. I believe it is because world events that affect our lives are happening so fast that it is confusing and frightening. The world is out of control and there is no force of a gyrocompass to keep it on course. And . . . I need a hug!

Denial is a “cop out.” It is a naive cover-up for issues that won't go away. Denial cannot stop the spread of cancer or killer stress build-up. The most dangerous result of denial is refusal to prepare sensibly to fight . . . whatever it is that's bothersome. The initial sting of bad news is useful in making one take action to prevent more killer stress, and to keep a clear head to find reasonable remedies.

The world does not know what it means to be “connected” to the God of all creation and to feel the warmth of His love, the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to receive His mercy and grace. I cannot imagine a world without Almighty God looking down on the sons of men and hearing our pleas.

I come from a railroad family and when I think of connection I look back at the images of long freight trains standing in the yards ready to take their load of materials to Texas. I see the conductor at the back wave his lantern to the engineer and off they go . . . that is, just the engine and the first ten cars. The last 75 cars don't move an inch while the front end goes speedily away. Whoops! The brakeman assumed every car was connected.

There are many gods men worship, but there is only one God, the Lord God, and Jesus is His name, who is connected in a personal way in the hearts of believers. Men make assumptions in regard to their eternal state, but an assumption is a form of denial. It keeps them from having God in all their thoughts so that they cannot visualize the truth of the Bible in regard to eternal life. Without God in his thoughts and the Holy Spirit of Christ in his heart, man cannot think beyond his Day Planner.

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not (1John 3:1).”

Who can describe the love of God that exists in the hearts of believers? Does "joy unspeakable" or "peace that passes all understanding" do it? Well, it is adequate for right now until we see Him face to face.

It is a love the world does not have nor does it know how to get, because it comes by faith through grace and it cannot be manufactured by our own efforts. Yet the Bible says “For God so loved the world . . . just think of the price He paid to redeem us to Himself.

Whoever assumes the love of God without accepting it is not connected and when the promise that we will be caught up to meet Him in the air occurs, they will be left behind on the tracks. Better check those lynch pins. Assumption is without knowledge and brings on denial.

There is a remnant of the world's population that the Bible calls "sons of God", and sets us apart from "the sons of men." The “sons of men” find deep faith in the one true God, whose name is Jesus, to be revolting. They resent believers for what we have that that they say they have. They have faith, they say. But to what and to whom is their faith aimed? A positive outlook assumes faith, but there is no connection through grace by faith, and they are left standing on the tracks.

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort." Herm Albright (Illustrator, 1876-1944)

What they do not have is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead. They see no reason for their atonement. The Christian faith is the only belief system that is based on grace through faith, not of works of righteousness. All other religions are require some form of works for purification and atonement. But faith is a gift from God and it comes by hearing the gospel and the gospel comes by the word of God. "Aye, there's the rub."

The sons of God live by faith in and from God (Romans 1:17), but the sons of men live by their faith (works, Titus 3:5), which is self-righteousness, not the righteousness of God. They live in denial with no connection.

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1John 3:2).”