Alien Nation

Think It Not Strange...

"For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God....These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 

For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city." Hebrews 11:10, 13-16

One of the more prevalent falsehoods in Christianity today is that Christians should be a "nice" people working to make the world a "nice" place.  How do we do that?  By preaching how God loves all people no matter their beliefs or lifestyles.  By downplaying the word of God so that we do not make people feel uncomfortable or estranged from God in talking about sin.  Present day Christianity would have the Christian striving to "be nice", "act nice", and "make nice" with the world.  Yet, this message is in direct conflict with the Scriptures.  

Back in the day, you would often hear Christians say, "This world is not my home."  This statement was an acknowledgement that we are ambassadors in the earth (II Corinthians 5:20).  That means our citizenship (identity, duties, authority, etc.) comes from above, and not here below.

ambassador: a diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign or state to another as its resident representative 

We are to be representatives of God - having been first equipped, empowered, and sent by Him - to those here in the earth.

Consider the text above in Hebrews Chapter 11.  The cloud of witnesses who went on before us had something in common: they were seeking a city not of this world.  They recognized that citizenship in this Heavenly place meant that they no longer belonged to this world, but were strangers to it.  Not only does faith in Jesus Christ prevent us from fitting into this world, but it is precisely this "not fitting in" which makes it possible for us to represent Him!

The Scriptures make it plain; it is either one or the other.  Either we belong to this world or we belong to Christ (James 4:4).  Notice as well that if our minds continue to dwell on the world, we may very well find an opportunity to go back to that vomit (II Peter 2:22). 

We are to be a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people (I Peter 2:9).  We are to appear as an alien nation to those still in love with the world.  Not because we are trying to be different or withdrawn, but because we have within us a supernatural life that is not from this world.  It is a life which is alien to this world...and as a result, so are we.

alien: a resident born in or belonging to another country who has not acquired citizenship by naturalization

People speak of aliens coming to earth, and it is true that the nephilim spoken of in Genesis Chapter 6 are often the spiritual reality behind these claims.  However, we will never fulfill the purposes of God in our lives until we grasp that we too are "aliens" to this world.  We are not "by nature" citizens of the world.  We have been given a new nature in Christ Jesus which makes of citizens of Heaven, even while we are still walking around down here in the earth.  Our home is in the Heavenlies and we have been born again with a life that is out of this world. 

"Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ." II Corinthians 2:14-17

Christians don't have to try to "act" like anyone or anything.  Simply forsake one life (soulish) and you will find the other (spiritual) (Matthew 16:25).  The very life we possess makes us different from those in the world and they can sniff us out apart from any fleshly effort on our end.  We don't have to try and be a Christian or try to show love; simply crucify that old man and the life of Christ will pour out from you all by itself.  It will be a sweet savor imparting life to those who yearn for the Lord, while being the smell of death to those who are perishing.  What kind of death?  Death to this world. 

"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." Galatians 6:14

This world not being our home is not something we simply reminisce upon when folks die, but this is how we are supposed to live every day.  It is the normal existence of a Christian to be ostracized by those in the world (John 17:14-16).  Yet most people do not want to be looked upon as different from the world.  They are unable to stand for what is right when the masses are going for what is wrong.  They don't want to be seen as an "alien nation" because they don't want to experience alienation. 

alienation: the state of being withdrawn or isolated from the objective world, as through indifference or disaffection.

"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also." John 15:18-20 

Jesus makes it plain: we are not of the world and should expect to be rejected by the world.  We must cone to terms with this and stop trying to downplay the difference between life in Christ and life in the world.  And if we find no such disparity with the world, then it is the evidence that the life of Christ is not yet birthed within us.

When we try to fit in and get along with the world, we are quenching the Holy Spirit's work and denying the life of Christ within us.  Why resist being sanctified in the inner man so that the other-worldly life of Jesus Christ can be manifested?  That is the only hope of the world (Colossians 1:27).  Why would God have us exerting so much time & effort trying to make this world a "nice place" to live when He is going to burn it all and fold it up as a vesture (Hebrews 1:10-12; II Peter 3:10-13)?  Why invest so much in that which is temporal and passing away?  Why struggle to be accepted by the world - and thereby the god of this world - when the Lord & Creator of all has made us accepted in the Beloved?  

Do we really receive that this world is not our home?  Where do we spend the bulk of our resources: time, money, attention, thoughts, effort?  Is it with the work of the Lord in mind or to build up some earthly kingdom for ourselves down here?  It is only as we esteem the life God has given us to be worth more than anything this world could offer that He is not ashamed to be called our God.

Think it not strange to be considered different, set apart, peculiar or alien to this world.  Rather embrace the promises of God and confess that you are strangers here, knowing that a better place has been prepared for you.  Understand that you are not here to make of yourself a home, but to lay down your life so that others may join you in the place prepared for us by the Father.  Let your mind be set on being but pilgrims & wanderers in this land, working not to store up riches here, but to everlasting life.  Give yourself wholly to the Lord and His Kingdom for which you are ambassadors.

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:19-21

Man Up

"And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him." Joshua 6:5

Omega Church & Ministries Center has issued a clarion call to all men: Man up!  What does that mean?  It is time for men to stand up and take their rightful places in the home, in the church, in the community, and in this world at large.  While the beliefs supporting this proclamation are listed below, you can read the entire "Man Up Manifesto" here.

Consider Joshua 6:5.  Once the trumpet sounded - once the call came forth - the walls of the enemy came down flat and the men walked up straight.  This is my prayer for the men of the Church, that every weight, hindrance, and bondage would be removed in the name of Jesus so that they may walk upright and straight in the calling & power given them of the Lord. 

The call has been given.  Who will answer?  Who will rise up and have their crooked paths made straight before the Lord?  The choice is yours to make.  Don't be found MIA (missing in action).

In addition to the Man Up Manifesto, other messages have been listed below to edify and encourage.

MESSAGES

Balls
There is a necessity for men to loose themselves from that which disempowers them and take their place in the spiritual war against wickedness.

Our Father
What does it mean for God to be our "Father" and why is that important?

Commanders
God is a Commander and He is looking to delegate His authority to commanders.

Catamites
What is a catamite and why has this become a plague amongst men in these days?

You MUST Be Strong!
God is calling you to rebuild the walls.

Anointed for Battle
Why we have to be prepared to go on the offensive in this war against the enemy.

Biblical Manhood
What is the Biblical definition of being a man and what attributes should he have?

Biblical, Godly Authority
Throughout His word, God proclaims that the authority ordained by Him is reflected in patriarchy.

Where Is Mine Honor
Every spiritual problem we deal with has its roots in not knowing how to relate to God as our Father.

The End of Men
Why are men these days predominately portrayed in the media a buffoons or dimwits?


TENETS OF THE MAN UP MANIFESTO

• Tenet #1: God made man in His image and imparted life into man personally marking him as God’s genetic offspring. (Genesis 2:7, Genesis 1:26-27, Luke 3:38) 
• Tenet #2: Men are responsible for governing God’s creation under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who establishes communion with a man’s spiritual authority, Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:3) 
• Tenet #3: Men are responsible for establishing the foundation for civilization which is the nuclear family composed of father, mother and children. (Ephesians 5:25-33) 
• Tenet #4: Men are responsible for governing God’s nuclear family on the earth known as the Church of Jesus Christ, governing the Church by displaying selfless love, humility and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Men are also responsible for protecting the Church from the attacks of Satan, the enemy of God. (1 Timothy 3:1-16, 1 Peter 5:1-8) 
• Tenet #5: Men are responsible for leading and conducting a spiritual war against God’s spiritual adversaries, Satan, fallen angels and demons. (Ephesians 6:10-20, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6) 
• Tenet #6: Men are primarily responsible for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to save men and women on earth from impending disaster and eternal damnation heeding the warning from Scripture that reveals that God will soon destroy this world along with unrepentant sinners. (Mark 16:15-20, Romans 1:16) 
• Tenet #7: Homosexuality is a sin against God, against nature, against civilization, against natural order and against God’s creation. (Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:27, 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:9-10) 
• Tenet #8: Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and salvation is not available through any other religious source or pathway. Mankind has only two choices, come to Jesus Christ in humble submission through repentance from sin or be damned eternally in a lake of fire for refusing to do so. (Acts 4:12, Mark 16:15-16, Romans 1:16)

"Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand...And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit." Joel 2:1, 28-29

Wednesday Bible Study

You can tune in to Bible Study sessions being broadcast over the Internet by Omega Church & Ministries Center:

Wednesdays
7:30 pm EST

To join the Bible Studies, simply go to: http://new.livestream.com/accounts/2720052.

A Burning Heart

The following message is from Min. Leonard Ravenhill.  May you each be blessed with a heart burning for the Lord in listening to this sermon.

•  The prophet by the very nature of his calling is a tragic figure.  He has a fierce loyalty to God and a burning heart of compassion for the lost world.
• Holiness is the most needed thing in the church today.
• Jesus undid all that Adam did.  He is the last Adam!
• All that people know in the churches now is that they have had their sins forgiven, but they have been submitting to inward sin for years.  That is not the message of salvation.  Forgiveness is not salvation!
• They preach to sinners in their sin, "You know the Lord loves you just as you are?"  Well, then, why change?  Yet the Psalms says that God is angry with the wicked every day.
• Religious people like to say, "God loves you, but hates your sin."  That is bunk.  God hates you for committing the sin.  Is God going to take your sins at the judgment and judge them, but leave you alone?  The Scripture says that the man who has failed God, he will suffer loss, not his sins.
• Jesus came to save us now from sin. A man living in defeat to sin cannot tell another how to be saved.  We must be saved from lust, fear, doubt, pride, etc.  Christianity is not a sinning religion, but a victorious one.
• The problem with most preaching is that people preaching never really sees or knows God.  Where there is no vision, the people perish.  Every preacher ought to read Acts 26:16-18 on his knees every night.
• The salvation of America does not depend on the White House, but on God's House; and before God does anything, He will clean up the church.  Judgment must begin at the house of God.  
• The most awesome task in the world is to be a man who stands between a living God and a dying people.  We need some Hellfire preachers.
• Yes, Jesus whipped the people in the temple, but a few verses back He wept over them first.
• God doesn't owe you a single thing.  The reason you are a spiritual dwarf is because you won't eat His word, you won't wait on Him, you won't hear His voice, and you won't obey Him.  The secret of revival is obedience!  But you cannot obey what you don't know.
• How can you have a dead church meeting if Jesus is a Living God?  You cannot, unless Jesus is not there.
• God's business is to make us holy.  If you have the Holy Spirit, you will live a holy life and nobody in Earth or Hell will offend you.  Once you get a clean heart, it will not mean a hill of beans who likes you or who doesn't (Psalm 119:165).  The only reason we get offended is because there is some of Satan's character in us, some pride or bitterness.
• Before God promises to pour out His Spirit on all flesh in Joel, He calls upon the people to cry out and mourn for the condition of the people (Joel 1:5-2:18).
• Entertainment is the Devil's substitute for joy.  The King in America is called Sports and his wife is called Entertainment.
• Praise is the gateway to worship.  Worship is the gateway adoration.  Adoration is what you do when you are prostrate on the floor.
• You will get more people to your church with a chicken supper than with prayer.  This shows the pitiful condition of the church.
• The church is mumbling on about the goodness of God, but refusing to acknowledge that there is severity in God as well (Romans 11:22).  
• Moses had been with an angry God and as a result, he became angry.  You get like the people you live with.  You live in the presence of God and you will become like Him.  Another problem of the church is that God's people are not in line with His heart; they do not share His anger over the condition of the people. 
• The church has lost the fire of God.  Our God is an all-consuming fire.  Where did Moses get his life revolutionized? At a burning bush.  Ezekiel said the fire burns him.  Jeremiah said there was a fire burning in him.  Jesus will baptize you with Holy Ghost fire!  
• The early church came out into the world without money, without prestige...only POWER.  Rejected by men on every level - including orthodox religion - but were accepted by God.  They went out anointed by the Holy Ghost and turned the world upside down. 
• The Devil isn't short of captains in his army to do the most vile & wicked things, so what is wrong with the church?  We need the fire of God.

Godly Mother

The following article is from Pastor Zac Poonen, entitled "The Amazing Faith of a Godly Mother".

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We read in 2 Kings 4:8-37 of a woman - a prominent, rich, wealthy and influential woman – who was also blessed by Elisha’s ministry. God does not choose only the poor and the illiterate and the uneducated to bless. He has no partiality. He chose an illiterate Peter, but He also chose a highly educated Paul. Peter did not know much of the Scriptures, but Paul was a scholar in the Scriptures. There were some rich women who supported Jesus and His disciples financially, and Jesus accepted their large gifts, because they were godly women (Lk.8:3).

Here was a wealthy woman who decided to support Elisha. She was a godly woman too, because when she saw this man visiting them occasionally, she said to her husband, “I perceive this is a holy man of God.” How did she recognize Elisha as a holy man of God without even listening to a single sermon of his? She just observed the way he conducted himself at the dining table. What an example for us! It is the little things that identify a godly man - the way he sits and talks to people, the way he eats his food and the way he conducts himself in ordinary matters. We don’t have to listen to his sermons.

So this woman decided to make a little guest-room in their house for Elisha to stay in - with a bed, a table, a chair and a light. Elisha had never even suggested that he needed any of these things. But she was a thoughtful, considerate woman - as all godly women are. God takes care of His servants by providing such places of rest for them, without their even expecting it. But a true man of God will never remain in debt to such people. So Elisha asked his servant Gehazi what he could do for her in return. Gehazi said that she had no children. So Elisha prayed for her and told her that she would have a child within a year. And she did.

That child grew up, and one day became sick and died (4:20). Think of the faith of this mother that she did not bury the child immediately but said, “Let me first contact the man of God” (4:25). So she went to meet Elisha. When Elisha saw her from a distance, he told Gehazi to ask her, “Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with your child?” (v.26), listen to the answer of faith that she gave concerning her dead child: “It is well.” What faith that was! Elisha went and prayed for that child and raised him from the dead. It’s amazing to see what that mother’s faith did for that child. According to her faith she received. That is why she finds mention in the gallery of the heroes of faith: “Women received back their dead by resurrection and gained the approval of God by their faith” (Heb.11:35, 39). If that mother did not have faith, she would have buried her child. What miracles the Lord does wherever He finds someone with faith.

Who is the Real Beast?

"So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee." Psalm 73:22

The Bible says that in the last days, men will be without "natural affection" (II Timothy 3:3). It is only natural to have love & affection for that which has come from your own loins and is part of you, your offspring.  How much more unnatural can one get than to condone & champion the right to kill your own children? 

In these days, people have more affinity for the "beasts of the field" than for their own humankind because man's vile lusts have degraded him to the point where he identifies more with beasts than with those who were created to bear the image of Almighty God.  Support for abortion in any way is simply the evidence that man has devolved into that which is lower than a beast.

"I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts." Ecclesiastes 3:18

Why It Really Has NOTHING To Do with "Equal Rights"

A number of people - even those who claim to be Christians - say that they support the legalization of homosexual marriage because they simply want to protect "equal rights" for all.  However, these same persons are decidedly quiet about espousing the "equal rights" of others, showing their professed noble intent to be nothing more than mere hypocrisy.

If such persons are so concerned about "equal rights", then why are they not fighting for the rights of felons to work anywhere they choose?  Felons can be automatically disqualified from employment opportunities due to these previous convictions.  Various state laws also limit where they can be hired, such as excluding them from the health care or education industries, preventing them from obtaining professional licenses, or from being hired in public employment.  Why are these persons supporting homosexual marriage not up in arms about such employment discrimination?  Why are they not concerned about these person's "equal rights"?

What about the "equal rights" of sex offenders?  A number of states & local governments restrict where sex offenders can live and require them to be tracked via registration with local authorities.  Shouldn't sex offenders have the right to stay, work, and go wherever they choose, even areas which are in close proximity to children?  Why is it okay to practice residential discrimination against these persons and limit them in these ways?  Isn't that a violation of the sex offenders' civil rights?

Why are children not allowed to work whenever and wherever they choose?   Federal law - and various state laws - bar children from entering the workforce until they have reached a certain age and even prevent them from working in certain environments deemed too "hazardous".  Is this not an example of age discrimination?  Why aren't these same persons supporting homosexual marriage not waging a war against these unequal practices?

What those in support of the homosexual agenda have done here is the same as what has been done with the issue of abortion.  They have redefined their argument by hiding it under the cloak of civil rights.  This accomplishes two things.  One, it removes focus from the perversions being espoused so as to sanitize it for public consumption.  Two, it provides a broad brush by which you can paint anyone who stands against your position as a bigoted oppressor.  Interestingly enough, many who support the "equal rights" of homosexuals to marry couldn't care less about the "right" to life of in utero babies being slaughtered in the womb; "equal rights" indeed.

Understand that when people tell you they support homosexuality due to a position of "equal rights", they are either lying or greatly misinformed.  The truth of the matter is that - even in civil laws - all do not share rights equally, and never will.  The basis of law determines what rights a person has, and those who commit infractions against the law - or who are deemed to be in need of additional protections by the law - can have these rights curtailed.  Not only is the restriction of rights a commonly accepted practice, such is often deemed a moral necessity for the public good.  Even now discussions are underway to restrict the "right" to bear arms amongst criminals and those who are mentally impaired.  So you see, the banner of "equal rights" in relation to homosexuality is really a misnomer; it is an intentional red herring used to silence the opposition...but I will not be silenced.   

God Himself established & defined the covenant of marriage in the beginning when He created man and woman (Genesis 2:22-24).  His law specifically declares any other type of sexual union outside of this definition to be an abomination (Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:26-27).

I am against the legalization of homosexual marriage, not because I fear or hate homosexuals, but because I desire to honor the law of God.  As such, I am not a supporter of sin nor of those who seek to validate sin (Isaiah 5:20).  This is why I do not fight for the "rights" of criminals not to be incarcerated, nor the "rights" of felons to work wherever they please, nor the "rights" of sex offenders to live near/with children, nor the "rights" of children to work at the age of 7.   I understand the principle that it can be not only fair, but just for an individual's rights to be limited based upon their violation of the law or vulnerability without the law.  And no matter how much they may squawk about "equal rights", supporters of homosexual marriage understand these principles as well.

I expect the world to champion the ways of the world; they are after all led by the same god (II Corinthians 4:3-4).  I even expect them to play name games as they attempt to pull the wool over people's eyes about the actual issues at hand.  However, there is no such thing as a Christian who supports gay marriage, for the supreme law for those in Christ Jesus is the law of God.  Those professing Christians who do support gay marriage have forsaken Jesus Christ in deference to being a friend of the world (James 4:4).

A Christian can stand firm in not supporting homosexuality because that very lifestyle is against the law of God, making such persons ineligible to participate in the "right" of marriage.  Such a decree is fair.  It is just.  It is righteous.  While the laws of man may be capricious or evil, we know that the laws of God are always good, for He is good (Mark 10:18).  Even the decree itself outlawing homosexuality is for our good, so that we can be reconciled to God, coming to know Him and His love.

Now, I am not politically motivated.  I am not holding up picket signs, attending marches, or advocating that people become political activists.  I am merely stating the truth of the situation at hand.  It is written that the whole world will be given over to the mind of the beast prior to Jesus' return, and such is the mind of a sodomite (whether homosexual or heterosexual).   This is in fact the only reason anyone supports homosexuality: they share in the same nature as the sodomite.  Instead of being born again and having the spirit of their minds renewed to reflect the mind of Christ (Romans 15:6; Ephesians 4:23; I Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5), they not only commit such acts of sodomy themselves, but they take pleasure in those who do (Romans 1:32).

My reason for posting this is to help you keep your eyes on the truth and not be swayed by worldly wisdom & carnal platitudes appealing for you to partake in some pseudo form of world tolerance or peace.  As a Christian, we are to stand for the Lord and His righteousness alone...that is if we are truly His.