End Times Witnessing: Be Baptized while there is Today!

The watchman was led to require all to say the sinners’ prayer again. He obeyed. Someone just died. He repented just in time. A lot more have not even been baptized. No one really know whether they have accepted Christ Jesus as their Savior and Lord or not. The come to church at least once weekly or fortnightly. They say they are Christians. But a number of times he noted that whenever the sermon were going to be evangelical or when the Gospel of Christ was due to be preached they happened to be absent. Yet they take Holy Communion and desire the filling and power of the Holy Spirit and all the signs and wonders and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

On one occasion he asked the Lord about such a person, he was led to read Acts 8 on the account of a sorcerer named Simon who was fascinated by the signs and great miracles Apostle Philip performed. He even offered money so he could have the power to lay hands on people so they would receive the Holy Spirit through him!

He asked the Lord what to do and he was asked to pray for their salvation. So he did for awhile. Then last night he was led to ask all to repeat the sinners’ prayer after him. After that he urged all to receive baptism as a mark of submission to the Lord Jesus who Himself went through water baptism too. he wondered if they would listen.

Today he looked up verses in the New Testament about baptism. He prayed that those who do not think they want to baptize because they do not want to commit their lives to a corporate body of Christ think twice. Baptism is for unity in the One body of Christ (See Ephesians 4 below). When taking Holy Communion you have also included yourself in the One body of Christ. How can you want to take Holy Communion and yet do not want to be baptized? (If you are not taking the Holy Communion in One Spirit and One Body of Christ with the other believers in Christ Jesus you are wasting your time here!)

His advice to those who do not want to commit to this church yet is ”go today and find your church and be truly a part of the Body of Christ. There may not be tomorrow for you and/or your loved ones. Seek and you shall find!” (Hebrews 3:15 As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”)

Baptism verses from the Bible_________
Matt. 28:19
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (The Lord Jesus commanded baptism for those who are saved )

Mark 16:16
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
(When you believe you need to show your faith by baptism)

John 3:5
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
(It is a requirement for entrance into the kingdom of God)

John 3:22
John Testifies Again About Jesus
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.
(Jesus Himself and His disciples practiced baptism)

John 4:1
Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman
1 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—

Acts 1:22
22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

Romans 6:4
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
(Baptism is identification with Jesus’ death and resurrection)

Ephesians 4:5
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
(Baptism is an act of unity with the Body of Christ)

Colossians 2:12
having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
(Baptism identified with Christ’ burial and resurrection)

1 Peter 3:21
and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
(Baptism saves you!)

Ephesians 4

Unity in the Body

1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

End Times Witnessing: “Do not scoff at spiritual matters!”

Today’s verse is on Jude 1. The passage is the entire Book of Jude. The watchman urges you to read and take heed today the importance to know and understand the spiritual realm is real.

Ponder and meditate on this truth: God is real, angels are real (good ones who minister to God and to believers; and bad ones-devil), heaven and hell are real, rewards and judgments are real. Prayers are real. Spiritual wars are real. The attacks by spiritual beings (devils) causing sickness on your bodies, minds and emotions are real. Eternal life and eternal death (by being forever separated from God) are real!


_______________________The watchman’s comment is at the end of the passage.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Jude 1
Greetings from Jude
1This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.
I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.
2May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.

The Danger of False Teachers
3 Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. 4I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

5 So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful. 6 And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment. 7And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.

8 In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings. 9 But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.) 10 But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. 11What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.

12 When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. 13They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.

14 Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones 15to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

16These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.

A Call to Remain Faithful
17 But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said. 18 They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. 19These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.

20 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, 21and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.

22 And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others,but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

A Prayer of Praise

24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.
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Watchman’s comments: “They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.”

The reason why a group of ‘church members’ who even take part in Holy Communion with the believers of Jesus Christ, and yet live the life of the un-believers, is because they do not have the Holy Spirit in them.

They are not born again by the Spirit of God. It is natrural for them to be guided by their natural instincts and desires. It is natural for them to scoff at spiritual and supernatural things.

But these people will perish if they do not repent and turn back to worship the true God in Spirit and in Truth.

O, church goers, laugh no more of the spiritual matters. The Lord hears and sees you… (Even the devil and his demons see and hear you too, scoffers).

End Times Witnessing: Rebuilding the Sheep Gate -keep proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes!

The watchman took the class to continue with the faith in action project in emulating Nehemiah 3: Rebuilding the Wall. The first gate group is Sheep Gate Group. Why Sheep Gate is recorded as the first group to build? This is very important to know and remember.

Revelation One: It is definitely a crucial and powerful prophetic act to keep proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes!

Every Christian knows and acknowledges that there is no way one can reach God except through the blood of Yeshua (Jesus) on the cross. Not preaching the cross (and the blood of the Lamb of God), even not taking the Holy Communion often, have placed church members at a very vulnerable position. Not knowing the spiritual implication means they have no defense against the attack of the enemy. Yeshua commanded His followers to partake the Holy Communion as often as they did. In addition, the Holy Spirit (through Apostle Paul) further explained in 1 Cor.11:26 ” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” Not discerning the Lord’s body (and His complete salvation) resulted that many were weak, sick and many even died.

Revelation Two: Another revelation on Sheep Gate is that God has two flocks of sheep in mind, the Israelite and the gentiles. Both are to be saved and redeemed and led back to His fold. No one is to be left out. These are confirmed in the following verses.

Revelation Three: Yeshua is the Sheep (Lamb) which had provided the atonement for all our sins. He is also the Shepherd and the Gate through which all His sheep are to enter.

Revelation Four: After Yeshua resurrected and ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit has made some of His followers overseers of the flocks. They are to serve faithfully and selflessly. They will be rewarded when the Chief Shepherd Himself, our Lord Yeshua returns.
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¹ Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They built as far as the Tower of the Hundred,^[a]and consecrated it, then as far as the Tower of Hananel.
Isaiah 53:6-7
All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
Jeremiah 50:17  “Israel is like scattered sheep; The lions have driven him away. First the king of Assyria devoured him; Now at last this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones.” Ezekiel 34:6 “My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.” Ezekiel 34:12 “As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.”
Matthew 9:36 But when He (Jesus) saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 15:24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
John 10:7 [ Jesus the Good Shepherd ] Then Jesus said to them And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. John 10:16
Hebrews 13:20 [ Benediction, Final Exhortation, Farewell ] Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Acts 20:28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 1 Peter 2:25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 1 Peter 5:2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 1 Peter 5:4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
Revelation 7:17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
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Nehemiah 3: 1-2 Sheep Gate Re-builder Group: The watchman uses Rust color cloth for this group to rebuild their section of the wall (signifies the blood of the Lamb; sacrifices; salvation)
Note the meanings of their names: High Priest Eliashib (whom God restored), the priests , Jericho men (place of fragrance; the city was originally destroyed by Joshua’s conquest, set free from curse), Zaccur (mindful; he builds even as one man).

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: UNDER THE TUTORSHIP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

When Jack told the Holy Spirit he was sorry for not listening and also for not obeying the Holy Spirit’s instructions, he did not expect the Holy Spirit to be so quick in responding. Jack has been listening to teachings and reading books on the subject of prophetic functions that one may be called to carry out, either for specific occasions or as an ongoing role.

He was very interested as he occasionally felt he could be doing something of this nature (not the ongoing type). He has read some very relevant books lately on this topic. Prophets, Healers and the Emerging Church by John and Paula Sandford, and Authority In Prayer by Dutch Sheets are two examples.

He summarizes below the 12 major functions of the prophet as taught by John Sandford and places his own remarks in brackets:
1. Blessing: pronounce blessing and enable God’s blessing. (He was suddenly called to pronounce blessing for someone).
2. Healing. (He was suddenly asked to do this on one occasion within the same week as above).
3. Pronounce judgment.
4. Warn of impending judgment or tragedy.
5. Protect or rescue. (In his intercessions he carried out this function).
6. Give direction, guidance or confirmation. (He was called to do this when being asked to pray for two different persons within the last month).
7. Rebuke, reprove or correct.
8. Edify, teach and interpret dreams and visions. (He thought he was called to do this in his writings).
9. Equip the saints for ministry. (Same as above)
10. Work for unity.
11. Call for intercession and repentance. (He has been praying for others on this line).
12. Express and model God’s love in Christ.

However, except for one case where there was an immediate result, there was no way he could know of the other outcome if any. He merely obeyed and did not jump to any conclusion. Today’s teaching from Oswald Chambers reminds that we have to learn that the aim in life is God’s, not ours. God has taken us up into His purpose by the Holy Spirit.

Sandford wrote that no one in his right mind should want to be a prophet. No prophet becomes a prophet by his or her own choice. Jack was fully aware that what he experienced did not mean that he was called to be a prophet or that he was necessarily carrying out prophetic functions. On the other hand, why was he given the opportunity to experience them? Today something happened to reveal more about God.

This morning Jack reviewed his previous days’ activities and thanked the Holy Spirit for being a good teacher and a personal spiritual tutor for him. He had nothing specific to pray for so he prayed in tongue generally for the bulk of the morning. What happened after that and through out the remains of the day was unbelievable.

Towards noon time, Jack received an urgent intercession call. As the matter involved the lives of people (strangers in a very far off land) in danger, he took Holy Communion for them. When he started to intercede he couldn’t as he did not know how. He asked the Holy Spirit to help him. He waited and nothing came to his mind or heart. So he decided to finish his own chores and take a bath instead. After that he quieted down and continued to pray in tongue and began to see a clear picture and a sentence (of three words) describing the scene, in his mind. He saw what he had to intercede. So he obeyed. It was indeed a spiritual breakthrough as he would never have thought of that aspect with his mind.

Later he was led to sing a hymn, “It is well with my soul”, for those people in captive. Then he was told to take a break. He continued with other chores while praying in the Spirit all the time. He then read the Dutch Sheets’ book and was led to use Psalm 24 to pronounce the arrival of the King of glory and that all gates are to open. So he stood up and obeyed. After that he discovered a song bursting forth in his heart and it was “Majesty” (written by Jack Hayford)!

The whole day was thus spent learning from the Holy Spirit. He was led by his Spiritual Tutor to worship and intercede like never before. He was led to practice the priestly intercessory function as well as using the authority of the King (Jesus) to proclaim and pronounce (as taught by Sheets). He was also able to practice some of the prophetic functions described by Sandford.

At the end of the day, he concluded that the whole episode was part of an answer to his prayer of wanting to know more about God. The whole intercession event was another demonstration by God of the readiness of the Holy Spirit and how He could communicate with us the minute we are willing to listen and obey. It was like sitting in a classroom learning an intensive course with a lot of practical!

Another wonderful and meaningful day of living in the Spirit!
2009-11-11

Power in the blood

Many Christians are weak and often feel defeated and depressed, mainly because they are not aware of and/or are convinced in the power of the blood of the Lamb (Jesus). The following Bible verses clearly declare the truth that there is power in the blood of Jesus Christ. For example, how did the Christians overcome the devil? The answer is in Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him (devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they did not love heir lives to the death.”

Knowing the Bible verses and read them often, you will have twofold benefits: able to stand and resist the devil, carrying the powerful spiritual weapon, the word of God (the sword of the Spirit); your faith will increase and it is also spiritual armour (shield of faith, with which you can extinguish the fiery darts of the devil).

All Christians should read these Bible verses, know them well, believe in and use them often. You will be amazed at the power of the word of God.

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Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

Ephesians 1:7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Romans 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Hebrews 10:19-20 Hold Fast Your Confession

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,

Matthew 26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Romans 3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,

Revelation 1:5

5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

Ephesians 2:14 Christ Our Peace For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,

Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Ephesians 2:19 Christ Our Cornerstone

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Colossians 1:20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

Romans 5:10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Revelation 12:11; Ephesians 1:7; Romans 5:9; Hebrews 10:19-20; Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 2:13; 1 John 1:9; Romans 3:25; Revelation 1:5; Ephesians 2:14; Ephesians 1:6; Ephesians 2:19; Colossians 1:20; Romans 5:10

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE: “I AM LOOKING FOR A CHURCH”

Matthew 24:6-8 “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

Reading headline like “the day of death” was no comfort. In the same weekend more than one disaster hit the nations of the world, earthquakes, tsunami, typhoon, and flood with colossal human and financial losses, were certainly bad news for the earth inhabitants. The Christians woke up and asked whether these were signs of the end time. The more sensible ones asked themselves, whether they were ready to meet the Lord, who is coming soon.

Indeed, when shocked out of our hitherto comfort zone, no matter how secure we once thought we were, we had no choice but to re-examine our lives, calculate the possible risk factors and the worst case scenario and decide our best immediate defense actions.

To prepare for the end time, Jack thus is looking for a church. He had escaped from his previous church as it no longer mentioned (and/or believe in the power of) the cross, Jesus’ blood and His redemption anymore. The church had gone the popular humanistic way and thus returned to Egypt, busily prospering in numbers, building colossal multi-million dollars buildings, engrossed in a great variety of programs, works and activities. The music was popular. The attendance rate was high. The number of membership and its growth probably topped the list of its peers in this city.

But it preached anything but Christ. Jack patiently waited for three years. Then, as signs of end time kept popping up, Jack figured that it would be impossible to be part of that corporate body and yet go to heaven. So he abandoned ship when he was certain that the Holy Spirit had called him to progress in his faith (not without feeling sorrowful to leave the familiar).

Now he is looking for a church that preaches Jesus Christ day in and day out. There is no other more worthy topic. But where is that church? At times he wonders if he should advertise. How shall he word it? “A man in the Holy Spirit is looking for a church that preaches nothing but Jesus on the cross, shedding His precious blood to save the world, so that all who believe will not perish but finds eternal life. If any church fits into this category please let Jack know the good news. Those who take the Holy Communion in vain, that is, not mentioning (and/or believing) the redemptive blood of Jesus and healing body of Jesus, need not bother to apply.” Many churches will feel offended. Many will ignore this advertisement. One mere number of memberships is not worth the bother to churches which had gone the Egypt (worldly) pathway. One is nothing to the churches when they already have a hundred or even a thousand. Or worse, many would think this is a cry of an outdated man who has not kept up with the modern religious world.

But Jack is sincere in his cry. Meanwhile he has asked God to make Jesus’ footsteps his pathway. So daily he seeks the presence of God through Jesus, bringing to daily remembrance of His cross through the Holy Communion (remembering the redemptive power of the blood of Jesus and the body of Jesus that was broken for us-our total healing), reads His words and prays in the name of Jesus, living in the Spirit and all by faith. He believes the church is out there, all over the world, with individuals like him, forming the corporate body of Christ, spiritually, not limited by physical distance and time.

1 Cor. 11:24, 25 The Lord Jesus said, “Take, eat, this is My body, which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

1 Cor. 10:16-17 The Apostle Paul wrote (authored by the Holy Spirit): “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” “For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.”

2009-10-02