Good Tree Bad Tree

Matthew – Chapter 7 – verses 15 thru 20

Be careful of false prophets who come to you in Lambs clothing, but

within they are ravening wolves. You will know them by their fruits. 

Do they gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles?

So every good tree bears good fruit; but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 

A good tree cannot bear bad fruit; neither can a bad tree bear good fruit.

Every tree which does not bear good fruit will be cut down and cast into the fire. 

Thus by their fruit you will know them.

What are these trees?

Jesus is the Good tree. We are grafted into the good tree.

Satan is the bad tree. We come from the bad tree.

Do I have any arguments here? 

Please correct me if I’m wrong.

Good Fruit Vs Bad Fruit

The only Good tree is Jesus. 

From Jesus sprouts the branches. 
If you are  born again you are now considered a branch or member of the body of Christ. As time goes on you will begin to produce fruit. The Holy Spirit is the one who provides the nourishment required to produce good fruit. 

As we learn to understand what these fruits are and apply them properly to our daily lives, the tree comes into perfect harmony and produces the most wonderful fruit that all the members of the body can enjoy. 

Jesus said in John – Chapter – 15 – verse 1 and 2

I am the true vine, and my Father is the laborer. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he cuts off; and the one which bears fruit, he prunes so that it may bring forth more fruit.

Did you notice how the Father is the one who does the pruning? 
I love that! It is the role of our heavenly Father alone to prune us.

Did you also notice how the Father will remove a branch if it does not bear Fruit? 

That’s scary!

That statement by Jesus shows me that the saying, “Once saved always saved” is truly a false teaching.


 
So what is good fruit? 
 
Galatians – Chapter 5 – Verses 22 and 23 - 

But the fruits of the Spirit are 
love , 
joy,
peace, 
patience, 
gentleness, 
goodness, 
faith, 
meekness, 
self-control;



If you are truly of the good tree, you will see each one of these fruits coming forth in your own life. 

The Holy Spirit will transform you over time and bring you into full harmony with the true tree. 

If you do not see these fruits coming forth in your own life, I suggest you take a closer look at who you are and make sure you are truly grafted into the good tree.

Revelation – Chapter 22 – verse 2 – 
In the midst of the great city, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life,(Jesus is the tree of life) which bore 12 kinds of fruits, and each month it yielded one of its fruits; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the peoples.
 
Paul spoke of nine fruits in Galatians. 

Any thoughts or comments on what the other 3 fruits might be?

Now let’s talk about the bad tree and the bad fruit. 

This is where it gets interesting!

We all know that Satan is the bad tree. 
We all know that Satan is the Father of all flesh. 
Whatever fruit we produce in the flesh is from Satan. 

Some examples are obvious as taught by scripture.  

Galatians chapter – 5 verses 19 thru 21- 

For the works of the flesh are well known, which are these; adultery, impurity, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, stubbornness, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings and all such things; those who practice these things, as I have told you before and say to you now, shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. 


These fruits are easy to identify and relate to. 
Each one of us contends with these fruits on a daily basis. 

However, would you believe that Satan also produces what appears to be the same fruit that the Holy Spirit does? 

He absolutely does!



We have many teachings put out by man on the subject of Love. There are teachings on how to live a joyful life and how to achieve the ultimate peace. Just look at the thousands of religions and new age technologies created by man.

Our psychologist and psychiatrist are constantly striving to find ways for us to develop our minds and be gentle creatures. 

Our yoga teachers and spiritualist are teaching us to reach our higher power and learn the art of self-control.

Our bookshelves are lined with thousands of self-help books and how to be a good person. 
We are taught that we are capable of achieving all things! 
Will power is all it takes!
You can do it! 
Nothing is impossible!

But these teachings are vain productions as they are bereft of the highest power, bring no mention of a submission to the Lord Jesus and are void of the guidance of Holy Spirit.

Do you get it? 

Satan is capable of generating by all appearance good fruit.

Great, so how do I know if the Fruit I’m producing is from me or the Holy Spirit?

Very simple: Have you been grafted into the true tree? 

If not, then all the fruit you’re producing is not from the true tree.

Are you following the first commandment and loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? I can’t answer that question, only you can. That is between you and the Father.

Are you following the second commandment and loving your neighbor as you love yourself? Again, only you know the answer to that question.

The obedience to each one of these commandments will produce fruit for all to see. As each day passes the Holy Spirit will nourish us and teach us the ways of our Father. 

Every so often the Father will prune us (and yes, that can be painful). 

The end result is that we will bear fruit more abundantly for all to enjoy. 
We come from the tree of Life. 
We are not of this world. 
We have already died in Christ. 
We are taught the ways of Love and what it really means to be full of our Lord and to be one with Him and the Father.

John – Chapter 14 – verse 23

Jesus answered, saying to him, He who loves me keeps my word; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make a place of abode with him.

Who is my Neighbor? 

As Jesus said in Matthew – Chapter 5 – verses 43 thru 48; 

You have heard that it is said, Be kind to your friend, and hate your enemy. 

But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless anyone who curses you, do good to anyone who hates you, and pray for those who carry you away by force and persecute you. 

So that you may become sons of your Father who is in Heaven, who causes his sun to shine upon the good (tree) and bad (tree), and who pours His rain down about the just and the unjust. 

For if you Love only those who Love you, what reward will you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same thing? 

And if you salute only your brothers, what is it more that you do? Do not even the tax collectors do the same thing? 

Therefore become perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.

Every human being on this earth is your neighbor. 
Your wife, your sons and daughters, your mother and Father. Everyone!

Love your neighbor – Simple enough. 

Really?

When’s the last time that you asked the Father in heaven to save your neighbor across the street from you? 
Or that person next door who you only see once in a while and very rarely talk to? 
How about you own children and Family? Do you ask daily? 
Or is when you remember well enough? 
There is no tomorrow or yesterday, only today.

True love requires an action. 
Loving your neighbor requires an action.

Are you sure you love your neighbor as you love yourself? 
When is the last time you reached out and really helped your neighbor? If you look hard enough you will see the many needs that our neighbors have. 
We don’t have to go across the country or around the world to fulfill our Fathers will. 
Look around you and in your own neighborhood and you will see those that are truly in need.

We are in a spiritual warfare. Our war is not with just flesh and blood.

We’re not here to see how much Knowledge we can gain about the Kingdom and all things spiritual. We’re here to Love. All the gifts we receive mean nothing if we don’t have Love.

Satan is mounting a great warfare against those of us who have the testimony of Jesus in our Hearts. He will do everything in his power to keep you from loving the Father and our neighbors. He will fill your life with the things of this world and keep you so busy with spiritual things that you won’t have time to live out the second commandment.

Jesus came here to save us all and destroy the works of Satan. He has already destroyed the works of Satan. He needs us to rise up in these last moments and fight. Satan has no authority in you. Put off all manner of flesh and start this fight today! There is no tomorrow!

Love your neighbor and watch what happens. This my friend is what it’s all about.

Good tree, bad tree. 

Which tree are you really from?

There is one other thing I need some help on understanding.

I constantly see members of the body asking other members to support their ministry. 

Recently I watched a brother’s video and was really enjoying his teaching. Then towards the end of his video he announced how the Father had given him a plan on how to raise the 2 million dollars that was required to support his ministry for this coming year. He went into great detail and spent at least 5 minutes expounding on this great plan the Father had given him. 

Part of the plan was he needed  brothers and sisters to donate into his ministry on a monthly basis and by doing this he would be able to fulfill Gods will. Needless to say, as soon as I heard all this a Red Flag went up. 

If a person’ ministry is truly from our Lord and Father, would not our Father supply all their needs? Jesus himself said to take nothing with you, that the Father would take care of everything.   

Now I begin to question from what tree they are really from. Jesus made it very clear that we are to be very careful. He told us that many would come in his name and perform great miracles and show us many wonders and signs, but in reality they are wolves in sheep skins. Jesus even said that the very elect (if possible) could possibly be deceived.

Remember how Jesus fed the five thousand and then again the seven thousand? He didn’t ask any man. 
He asked the Father and the father produced.

Am I wrong?

I see this as bad fruit. Bad fruit can only come from a bad tree according to Jesus. Now I have to question everything coming from this person’s ministry. Is this really a bad tree? 
A wolf in sheepskin?

If I’m wrong about this, I need someone to step up to the plate and show me where I’m wrong. I really need to see it in the word of God or I will not be able to accept your explanation. I am not going to Judge this brother by any means, what he does is between him and our Father.

However, Jesus has instructed us very clearly, be careful, you will know them by their fruits. 

As a member of the Body of Christ it is my duty and obligation to discern all things that are being presented to me. 
We are to test all the spirits. 

I really would appreciate some feedback on this matter.

Let’s all go forth this day and share the good fruit we’ve been blessed with.

Love, 
Brother Greg

Heart of Gold

Heart of Gold

Our Father has a heart of gold.
The abundant blessings that He pours out to us, His children, are sometimes overwhelming!
And I love it!
I'm so very grateful for all that He does.

My thoughts today are about His heart and how it relates to the Body of Christ.
I have two specific trains of thought on the matter.

Let’s begin with scripture.

Colossians; Chapter 1 – verse 18 
And he (Jesus) is the Head of the body, the church;

1st Corinthians; Chapter12 – Verses 12 thru 14 
For as the body is one and has many members, and all the  members of the body, even though many, are one body, so also is Christ. For all of us are baptized by one Spirit into one body whether Jews or Arameans, whether bond or free; and we have all received through the one Spirit. The body is not one member, but many.

We can see very clearly from these scriptures that Jesus is the head of the body and that we are it's members.
However, I wish to make mention of the two parts of the body that Paul did not discuss.

Within the center of this body lies the most important member of all.
That member is the heart.
It is the member that causes the blood to flow throughout the entire body.

The heart works 24/7. It does not cease to do its job.
The blood which it pumps thru the body provides nourishment to every single cell.
All life comes from this blood. The ability of each cell to be able to perform and do its job comes from the blood. This blood cleanses each cell and keeps it healthy and pure.
All the power that each cell has comes from the blood.
All cells then work together to bring forth a healthy body.

Every cell is different, no two are alike.  

Some are similar in appearance, but, each is still unique.

The Father is the Heart, Jesus is the Head and the Holy Spirit is the blood. 

All working in perfect harmony to sustain the body. If you take a few minutes to contemplate this, you’ll begin to see the point I’m trying to make.

One other point, that I think is really cool is this! Man shall not live by bread alone, but, by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

This is the food that the body needs to consume daily. Only God's word can provide the food that the body needs in order to be healthy. You have to consume this food every day.
For every day is a new day, and in His Kingdom there is no yesterday or tomorrow.
The body needs to be fed ... daily.

Keep one other thing in mind. 

If the body is not fed, and it does not consume good food ( the Word ) or if the body is being fed food that is not healthy ( processed or unnatural ), it starts to negatively affect the body.

In fact, the body could even arrive at the point of being damaged and disabled due to it's poor diet.

What I am referring to here is this. When we eat the words of other doctrines and teachings of men, it eventually leads to ill-health. See what I mean?
If you do not eat daily the body also begins to shut down.
In fact, the body will eventually die if it does not receive nourishment.

If you’re not being sustained by His Bread on a regular basis, you will fall into infirmity, and yes, perhaps even die.

You need to eat!

1st Corinthians; Chapter 12 – Verses 15 thru 27

For if the foot should say, Because I am not the hand, I am not a part of the body; is it therefore not a member of the body?

And if the ear should say, Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body; is it therefore not a member of the body? If the whole body were eyes, where would hearing be? And if  the whole were hearing, where would smelling be? But now God has set every member in the body, as it has pleased him.

If they were all one member, where would the body be? 

But now they are many members, yet but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you. Nor can the head say to the feet, I have no need of you. But rather those members of the body which we think to be less honorable we bestow more abundant honor; and the parts that are uncomely we dress with greater care. For our comely parts have no need for attention. 

But God has so tempered the body together, and has given greater honor to the member which is inferior. That there may be no discord in the body, but that they may care one for another, all members should be equal. So when one member is in pain, all the members suffer with it; and if one member is honored, all the members will glory with it. 
Now you are the body of Christ and members in your respective places.

Each one of us has a duty to find out from God what our respective place is in the body of Christ.

You need to ask.
And the Father will show you. 
Whatever He assigns to you, accept His will.

As a young Christian, I always held high expectations of what my life would be like.
I wanted to be a great evangelist.
I wanted to be a great preacher.
I wanted to be a healer!

On and on I would go!
I had strong, captivating desires encouraged by the winds of a vivid imagination.
However, the Father had a very different plan for me.
Yet His plans are far more wonderful than anything that we can conjure.

As time went on, I learned that this was not the place in the body where the Father wanted me.

I learned to accept the position that was assigned to me.

Like millions of other brothers and sisters, I am a cell.
I don’t have the gift of being an evangelist. I don’t have the gift of preaching. I don’t have the gift of healing. And I’ve learned not to be led by my will. Father and Lord, by Your will, I shall abide.
I am a member of your body, and that is good enough.

I will do as You instruct me.
 I love being a cell!

I see the working of the body every day.
I pray for the unsaved and they become saved.
I get to share the gospel as the Lord directs. I see healings take place all the time (not so much in a physical sense, but spiritual). I see miracles that our Lord performs.
I have been blessed with a business. I have the chance to bless others every day.
I’m in war with the enemy 24/7, fighting to establish the Kingdom of God.

I am a light in this dark world. 
One that is shining brightly! HIS Glorious blood flows through me daily.
Yes, I am indeed a member of this body! All glory to the Father and Lord.
As He is, so am I!

Recently, I have had the chance to spend some time with Tom and Sarah Ahava Fischer.
(I’m sure most of you know them). They are hands and mouths in this body of Christ.

When Tom Fischer touches people with his hand, the power of God flows out.
In fact, Tom just touches people with the finger of his hand and they receive power! When he prays for people, things happen.

I see the Father working uniquely through both of them. They have been blessed with full time service, 24/7.

They feed the poor and homeless, they visit those incarcerated in prison. The fruits they bear are for all to partake of and consume. I get to talk with and learn from both of them. I have the chance to pray with them. I have the privilege of praying for both of them. I have great fellowship with them both.

As a member of the body, I am coming into perfect harmony with them both.
When they are in their glory, so am I. When they struggle, so do I.

I see the perfect harmony of the body and nothing less. As we are told, be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven.
Please keep Tom and Sarah in your prayers daily, they need us just as much as we need them.

I really appreciate the chance to share this message with all my brothers and sisters everywhere.
I encourage each of you to find your respective place in the Body. Each one of us has a part in bringing forth the will of our Father and Lord.
Some of us will be seen, and most will not.

However small your part might be, please remember this.

The Head needs you in order to successfully function. With every member in activity, the blood will flow, the heart will keep pumping.

Again I say  - Our Father has a Heart of Gold!

Your brother,
Greg.

The following extract is taken from NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC -

" The heart is the body's engine room, responsible for pumping life-sustaining blood via a 60,000-mile-long (97,000-kilometer-long) network of vessels. The organ works ceaselessly, beating 100,000 times a day, 40 million times a year—in total clocking up three billion heartbeats over an average lifetime. It keeps the body freshly supplied with oxygen and nutrients, while clearing away harmful waste matter.
About the size of its owner's clenched fist, the organ sits in the middle of the chest, behind the breastbone and between the lungs, in a moistened chamber that is protected all round by the rib cage. It's made up of a special kind of muscle (cardiac muscle) that works involuntarily, so we don't have to think about it. 
The heart speeds up or slow downs automatically in response to nerve signals from the brain that tell it how much the body is being exerted. Normally the heart contracts and relaxes between 70 and 80 times per minute, each heartbeat filling the four chambers inside with a fresh round of blood.
Since the heart lies at the center of the blood delivery system, it is also central to life. 
Blood both supplies oxygen from the lungs to the other organs and tissues and removes carbon dioxide to the lungs, where the gas is breathed out. 
Blood also distributes nourishment from the digestive system and hormones from glands. 
Likewise our immune system cells travel in the bloodstream, seeking out infection, and blood takes the body's waste products to the kidneys and liver to be sorted out and trashed."

Casualties of War

                             

 Casualties of War

Matthew: Chapter 10 – verse 34  (Jesus is speaking)

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace on Earth; I have not come to bring peace but a sword.

2 Corinthians: Chapter 11 – verses 24 thru 27 (Paul is speaking)

By the Jews I was scourged five times, each time forty stripes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was in a shipwreck, a day and a night I was adrift in the sea in the shipwreck. On many journeys I have been in perils from rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my own kinsmen, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils from false brethren; In toil and weariness, in sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, through much fasting, in cold and nakedness.

Acts; Chapter 7- verses 59 and 60

And they stoned Stephen as he prayed, saying, Our Lord Jesus, accept my spirit. And as he knelt down, he cried with a loud voice and said, our lord, do not hold this sin against them. When he had said this, he passed away.

I would say that based on these scriptures, we are most definitely in a war with the evil one. I cannot even begin to imagine suffering on the scale that Paul did. Here in America, we have it far too easy compared to what Paul had to endure.

The casualties listed in these two verses are just some of the scurgings that we have to bear in our endeavor to be Christ like and worthy of being one of his disciples. 

I’m going to share with you one form of suffering that has been wrought upon our fellow brothers and sisters. 

What I have to share is lengthy, so please bear with me.

Back in the year 1990, I was actively pursuing to understand and to know the will of our Father and Lord. I knew that He had a ministry for me. 
I was being very careful that it would be at His direction and not of my own accord. 

As we all know, our own intentions usually do not work too well.

One night as I was lying in bed, I saw something that made me shake my head three or four times to make sure I was fully awake. 

On the wall at the foot of my bed appeared a picture of a bench. The background behind the bench was a brick wall. 

Needless to say, I found this quite strange. 

I thought to myself, "Lord, what is this?"

This picture stayed on the wall for at least 30 minutes and then slowly began to fade away. 

Keep in mind now that I was wide awake. After seeking an answer to what this vision meant (which proved a fruitless endeavour as none came to mind), I finally drifted to sleep. 

About two weeks later, my brother Ken (who is my brother in the flesh) called me on the phone and asked if I could fill in for him that night as a volunteer driver. 
He explained to me how my duties would involve picking up blind people and taking them to their monthly support group meeting. 

Of course I said yes.

That evening I proceeded to pick up about a half dozen people and I drove them to a building where they had their monthly meeting. 

Once they got out of the vehicle I pulled the vehicle forward a bit and shut it off. I was instructed to wait for them as the meeting would be about two hours long. 

As I was sitting in the van, I just happened to look out the passenger window and lo and behold, there was a bench and behind the bench was a brick wall. 

The very same bench and wall that I saw just two weeks earlier ! I was thrilled! The Holy Spirit was confirming to me that this is where I was to be.

How excited I was! 

He had given me a sign!
I know that the Lord can heal all things including blindness! 

I was thrilled at the opportunity to bring that power and authority of the Kingdom to these brothers and sisters who were trapped under the bondage of blindness. 

For the next year, I would pick up these people on a monthly basis. I would patiently wait for them to conclude their meeting and then drive them home.

During this time I came to be friends with them and started to learn what it was like to be blind and the different ways and means that they used to cope with it. I listened intently to the details of all they endured. 

Then I would go home each time and pray fervently for them. 

"Come on Lord, when are you going to allow me to command them to be healed in the name of Jesus?!"

During the second year of my driving I was invited to come in and join them in their meeting. "A very interesting development," I thought to myself. (And little did I know what I was in for ...)

I started to learn what it was really like to be a blind person. 

How horrible it is to one day to have your sight and at the next moment to be without it. 

How you lose your independence. 

How you lose your driver’s license. 

How you lose all your friends. 

How you have to learn to live all over again. 

How you have to struggle to learn how to walk without a guide. 

How you have to learn to trust and lean on your hearing. 

How you have to learn how to pick out the same color socks! 

How to cook without sight. 

How to learn to groom yourself within the confines of your available senses. 
(Oh yes, this is all possible!)

I would always go home from these meetings with many questions on my heart. Questions that I sought answers for from our Father and Lord. 

"Why can’t you just heal them? 

Why won’t you allow me to do this thru your authority? 

I don’t understand?"

Then one day, I received a very clear answer from the Father and Lord. 

"Why can’t you accept them as they are? 

Why can’t you just be there for them and Love them? 

Why do you always have to have it your way? 

Humble yourself under my hand and I will exalt you in due time."

What a wakeup call. 

"I will do as you ask Father, please forgive me for questioning you."

How humiliating this was! 

I was very ashamed at the recognition of my impudence yet at the same time very grateful for this revelation. And I took His word to heart. 

For the next 17 years I fulfilled my duties with much joy. (I only missed one meeting) I came to be friends with all these people.

I learned to love them with all my heart. I came to share their fears as well as the moments of laughter. My prayers changed for them. I prayed that our Lord would help them and please bless them with His great love. 

I came to learn from my friends that the high light of their life was this monthly meeting that we would share! 

During the month they would just wait at home for the next meeting and in between meetings they would talk to each other on the phone. 

They were always encouraging one another. 

Especially those who were blind for 20 or more years, they were the strong ones. 

I learned that being blind is a life filled with little hope. 
You are abandoned by all your friends. 
You are doomed to a life of loneliness. 
These are the victims my brothers and sisters, the forgotten causalities wrought by this great war we are in.

There is one other thing that I learned and that is what has compelled me to bring forth this message.

Most of the people that are blind are very financially poor. 

They are unable to even acquire the resources that are available to them due to a lack of money. Some of the products geared towards to the blind are very expensive. Most of these folks rely on monthly disability checks for their only support.  (And as we all know, that barely cuts it.) 

In addition to this, I asked a question one day at one of the meetings. "Where are all the Churches? Don’t they come to offer support and help?"

The answer was 
“That’s what we would like to know!” 

I felt like I was just stabbed in the heart! 

I witnessed this for myself, there was no help from the churches in any way shape or form. We have a 1000 churches here in Lancaster County, PA, and I have yet to see even one reach out to help these brothers and sisters of ours. 

This not only angers me, it really shows how deeply the enemy has penetrated into the Body of Christ.

Back in 2007, our monthly group meetings came to an end. Two members of our group still call me to this very day. 

They would always call me to wish me a Happy Birthday (this they would never forget) and a Merry Christmas. 

I am really contemplating starting up this group again, maybe this time the Lord will find me righteous and hear my prayers for my brothers and sisters, for they are my beloved friends.

I am going to close with the following words of Our Father and Lord.

Isaiah – Chapter 58 – Verses 6 thru 12

This is the fast that I have chosen; to loose the bonds of wickedness, to cut off the bands of treachery, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke: to share your bread with the hungry, and to bring the stranger to your house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and to refuse not one of your own flesh. 

Then shall your light break forth as the morning and your righteousness shall spring forth speedily; and your righteousness shall go before you; the Glory of the Lord shall be your reward.  

Then you shall call, and the Lord shall answer you; you shall cry, and he shall say “Here I am.”

 If you remove deceit from your midst and release the prisoners and cease speaking falsehood; and give your bread to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; 
then shall your light shine in the darkness, and your darkness will be as the noonday: and the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy your soul with rich food; and strengthen your bones; 
and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring whose water fails not. 

And some of you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the repairer of the breaches, the restorer of paths to dwell in.

James – Chapter 5 – verse 16

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man is powerful.”

The elderly in nursing homes, those in prison, the homeless, the abandoned, the sick in hospitals, the poor... 

These are all casualties crippled by this violent war we are in. 

Let's not forget our brothers and sisters in need who await our open hand.

While writing this message I had a supernatural experience. 

I was overcome by the deep compassion of our Father and Lord. I broke down and cried three times during the writing of this article. These were tears of sadness and repentance. 

An overwhelming compassion besieged my heart. 

I’ve never felt such compassion as this, my heart is crying out ... 

Love,

Brother Greg

How many talents do you have ?

 
Matthew Chapter 25:14-30

[George Lamsa Translation of the Aramaic Peshitta]

It is just like a man who went on a journey, who called his servants and put his wealth in their charge. 

To one he gave five talents, to one two, to another one; to each one according to his ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 

The one who received five talents then went and traded with them, and he earned five others. Likewise the second one, he gained by trading gained two others. 

But he who received one, went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money. 

After a long time, the lord of those servants returned, and took an accounting from them. 

Then the one who received five talents came up, and offered five others, and he said, My lord, you gave me five talents; behold, I have gained five others to them. 

His lord said to him, Well done, good and reliable servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will appoint you over much; enter into your master's joy. Then the one with the two talents came and he said, My lord, you gave me two talents, behold I have gained two others to them. 

His lord said to him, Well done, good and reliable servant, you have been faithful over a little, I will appoint you over much; enter into your master's joy. 

Then the one who received one talent also came up, and he said, My lord, I knew that you are a hard man, and you reap where you did not sow, and gather where you did not scatter. 

So I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground; here it is, it is your own one. 

His lord answered and said to him, O wicked and lazy servant, you knew me that I reap where I did not sow, and I gather where I did not scatter. 

You should then have put my money in the exchange, and when I returned I would have demanded my own with interest. 

Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has ten talents. 

For to him who has, it shall he given, and it shall increase to him; but he who has not, even that which he has shall be taken away from him. 

And the idle servant they threw into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

As I awoke today this parable began crossing my thoughts ...

I have not often pondered on this parable. But today I began to contemplate it after I watched the morning news. The last part of the news was quite horrific. A man and woman were arrested for torturing their 3 year old son. They would duck tape this innocent, little boy to a chair to discipline him. Sometimes they would go so far as to tie him upside down from the ceiling and beat him with a belt. They had been caught and were to be arrested and thrown in jail.

I thought to myself, “What scathing evil I just can't stand this anymore. Enough is enough!”

 

It was then that I began to think about the parable of the talents. Like most members of the body of Christ I have been given at least one talent (gift).

I'm not a big preacher or miracle worker. I'm just an average person who goes to work every day, pays my bills, says my prayers, reads my Bible and engages in fellowship with other believers etc.

In other words, I'm one of those unseen members of the body of Christ.

However I do have something in me that is the greatest gift of all. I have the gift of life in Christ. The Father has put his seed within me and Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I have been blessed with the gift of faith, true love beyond understanding and a fearlessness in all that I do. 

In honesty, I can claim that I have no cares for yesterday or tomorrow. For today is today!

I am one with the Father and our Lord Jesus. His will is my will and that, to be succinct, is all that matters

One more trait that I have in common with our Father and Lord is the earnest desire that all should be saved. 
[ Well all of us should have the desire. ]

Luke Chapter 18:1-8

He also spake to them a parable, that they should pray always and not get weary. There was a judge in a city, who did not fear God, and had no regard for men. There was a widow in that city, and she used to come to him, saying, Avenge me of my accuser. And he would not for a long time; but afterwards he said within himself, Though I am not afraid of God, and have no regard for men; Yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, so that she may not keep coming and annoy me. 
Then our Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge said. Would not God avenge his chosen ones much more, who call upon him day and night, though he has patience with them? I say to you, he will avenge them promptly. But when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth?

Are you tired of all the evil and destruction that the enemy has wraught upon all flesh? Are you tired of all the people we know who have been so deeply apprehended by the enemy and are being destroyed by drug addiction? Do you know a person who is who is as yet unsaved? Do you know a person who is suicidal or in great despair? Do you see all the works of the enemy even in your own backyard, amongst your own family and friends?

I challenge you to start annoying your Father in Heaven.

Pick a person you know who needs to be delivered from the enemy. Present them to the Father at least once every day, twice if you remember. And do not ever give up until you see results.

You may see results in one minute, one hour, one day, one week, one month or one year.

Get the hint?

One day the father will avenge you. And it's His decision when.

They will be saved.

They will be healed.

They will become part of God's kingdom.

And all this transpires because you put your talent to work.

What? You don't think so ?

Luke11:9
I say to you also, Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.

 
Over the years I try to keep up-to-date with a prayer list. I petition the Father as often as possible and when I can remember! I admit that I have not done this daily.

However, when I look back at this list I can say that almost all my requests have been faithfully answered. As time goes on I keep adding to the list as well as checking off the answered prayers. One day at a time, I am playing my role in expanding His Kingdom.

Now, the two people that committed the crime, I have mentioned earlier are not on my list. Nonetheless, I have prayed that I'll father would save them and deliver them from the evil one and that is enough.

When I pray for people on my list, I say each person's name and then ask for whatever that persons need might be. I wish I could have everyone on my list, but time does not permit me to do so. I have to trust that the Father hears this once and only prayer.

The whole point is this. Are you going to use at least the one talent that the Lord has given you?

Don't bury it you might lose even that which you have!

May our Father and Lord grant us the love and strength to bring our requests to Him daily until we see victory! 

Use your Talent.

First Thessalonians 5:24
Fateful is He was called you and He will keep his word.

Love,
Your brother Greg. 

Uh oh! ... Am I a goat?

Am I goat ?!

Take a few moments to slowly ponder the following verses ....

Matthew ~ 25:31- 46

When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all His holy angels with Him, then He will sit upon the throne of His glory. And all nations will gather before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will set the sheep at His right and the goats at His left.

Then the King will say to those at His right, 

Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom which has been prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 

For I was hungry, and you gave me food; 

I was thirsty , and you gave me drink; 

I was a stranger, and you took me in; 

I was naked, and you clothed me; 

I was sick, and you visited me; 

I was in prison, and you came to me.

Then the righteous will say to him, 

Our Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? 

Or thirsty and give you drink? 

And when did we see you a stranger and took you in? 

Or that you were naked and clothed you? 

And when did we see you sick or in prison, and came to you?

Then the King will answer, saying to them, 

Truly I tell you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.

Then he will say to those at his left, 

Go away from me, you cursed, to the everlasting fire which is prepared for the adversary and his angels. 

For I was hungry and you did not give me food, 

I was thirsty and you did not give me drink, 

I was a stranger and you did not take me in, 

I was naked and you did not clothe me, 

I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.

Then they also will answer and say, 

Our Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in the prison, and did not minister to thee?

Then he will answer and say to them, 

Truly I say to you,

 Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of these least ones, you also did not do it to me.

And these shall go into everlasting torment, and the righteous into eternal life.

Today’s message is twofold- 

It speaks to those members of the body that are it's unseen members.

It also addresses those members that are highly visible to us all.

To the unseen members:

Ok my Lord and King, let’s do a reality check here and see if I’m a sheep or a goat. 

Let’s look at this year only. (2014)

1.   How many people have you supplied food to? 

     My answer - Once

2.   How many thirsty people did you provide drink to? 

     My answer – None

3.   How many strangers did you take in? 

     My Answer - None

4.   How many naked people have you clothed? 

     My Answer – None

5.   How many sick people have you visited? 

     Two

6.   How many people did you visit in prison? 

     None

Ok. Not Good. 

But wait my King, I have an answer !

I have provided much spiritual food to my brothers and sisters. I have provided them the water of life as drink. I only have so many hours in a day. I work at my job 60 hours a week. 
What free time I do have I try to spend in your word and in fellowship with you. I give what money I can to those in need. 
I love you with all my heart and soul and mind and might. 
I love myself and who I am as you have taught me to do. I am your son. 
You are my saviour!

My King responds; 

Greg, quit twisting my word. 

I appreciate very much that you Love me and try to do all that I ask of you. You have lived up to my first commandment. 

It’s the second commandment I have a problem with. 

Love your neighbor as you love yourself. 

You love yourself, but, how much do you really love your neighbor? 

Truly I say to you, Are you a sheep or a goat?

I have nursing homes and Hospitals full of my children. 

I have my children walking the streets with no food to eat or roofs over their heads or clothes to protect them. 

I have many children in prison that are so very lost. 

I have children dying because they take their own lives. 

Where’s the Love? 

This is my will; you don’t need to ask me what my will is. 

Just go do it! 

Truly I say to you; Are you a sheep or a goat?

Oh no, I’m more of a goat than a sheep ...

Please forgive me my King, I repent of this sin against you. 

Please help me this day to be a sheep and not a goat. 

I pray for all the members of the body my Lord, please help us all.

To the pastors, teachers, healers, miracle workers and all those who have ministries that is visible for all to see.

Matthew 7: 21-23

It is not everyone who merely says to me, 

My Lord, My lord, who will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, 

but he who does the will of my Father in Heaven.

A great many will say to me in that day, 

My Lord, My Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name cast out devils and in your name do many wonders?

Then I will declare to them, 

I have never known you; 

Keep away from me, O you that work iniquity.

Have you ever asked yourself whom the Lord is referring to here? 

I have indeed asked many times over the years. 

It actually concerns me very much. 

To me it indicates that these are people who believe in the Lord and are doing these great things in His very name. 

By all appearances they appear to be disciples of the Lord. 

However, according to Holy Scripture, they are obviously not. 

Who do I think they are? 

Well who am I to judge? No one!

Although it is my duty to rightly discern the word of truth and then to speak as I am led.

I believe they are the leaders of the mega churches. 

They have thousands of followers. 

They live in million dollar homes. 

They have huge churches built by man. 

They have all they need. 

They preach the prosperity gospel. 

Give to us they say and the Lord will bless you. 

Send me $100.00 and I will send you a special vial of Holy oil that will heal you. They are the churches that meet weekly to praise the Lord and fellowship with him. 

They get high on the spirit! 

They see miracles and healings. 

Oh how wonderful, thank you Jesus!

Meanwhile, the elderly are put in nursing homes to die, nobody cares. Those in prison continue in their sense of hopelessness. 

The great teacher John Hagee even said about those who commit evil 
“Lock them all up and throw away the Key!” 
I actually heard him say this and I shudder.

Now what kind of love is that! 

Drug addiction and suicide are running rampant in our communities. The food banks have to beg for donations to help feed and clothe the poor. 

The least among us have been ignored and forgotten by too many.

I could go on and on. 

The enemy has done his job very well. 

Go to church on Sunday, hear the wonderful sermon, see many saved and healed. These are all good things and we give great thanks to our Lord. 

Then we go home and repeat it all again next week.

But my disturbing discourse with my King has provoked me to express my ill-ease.  And so, truly I say to you, Are you sure you’re a sheep and not a goat? 

As leaders of the body, are you teaching your congregation what the true will of our father in Heaven is? 

I think the King has made it quite clear.

So my Brother and Sister, are you leading a flock of sheep or a herd of Goats?

I ask of all my brothers and sisters, if you are seeing more goats than sheep, then you need to step up to the plate and help change this. 

Serving the Lord is not about how much you receive. 

Ask yourself this, are you serving the least of these, our brethren?

The Lord requires us to lay down our life for the Kingdom of God. 

There is no greater Love than to die to personal needs and to lay down your life for another!

We all know that the Lord is pouring out his Holy Spirit like we’ve never seen before. 

We all know the time is near. 

We had better get this right or we will be deceived by the enemy.

We all need to humble ourselves and fulfill the true will of our Father and Lord.

I don’t want to be a goat !!!

Your brother,

Greg