From the Mountain to the Valley: Recharging the Spiritual Battery.

Did you ever experienced the glory of God in a way that you didn't want to leave that place, that you hoped it would last forever? I did and i can tell you that i felt like that! That's what i call, "the mountain top experience". Jesus revealed His glory to three of His disciples and they were overwhelmed by it and wanted to stay there forever. Matthew 17:1-4. As you can see, Peter told Jesus that it was good for them to be there and he had the idea of building "tabernacles". That's what usually happens when people have "the mountain top experience", it's not enough for them to have Jesus Christ, they have to build something to prove that Jesus is (was) there, thinking they can "confine" Him in their "tabernacles" or "shrines". That's one of the reasons why we see so many "tabernacles" (church buildings) nowadays, of course other reasons are "money", "control", "entertainment", etc. Of course, as Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God cannot be confined, right after they came down to the "valley" and already faced some challenges. Some people are against "mountain top experiences", they say that it is just "emotionalism", that it doesn't do any good for the believer. I completely disagree with that, i think the "mountain top experience" is not just necessary, it is vital for every christian to have that experience once in a while. Why? Because you will realize how sinful you are, how awesome God is and how much you need Him. The mountain is as real as the valley! Unfortunately, most believers think that the "mountain top experience" is just for Moses, Elijah and Jesus' disciples, that it does not apply for them. That's why most believers are unhappy,  ungrateful, spiritually empty or lukewarm. Why am i saying that? Because i used to be like that! But when Jesus Christ revealed His glory to me, i realized that He is the most Loving, Beautiful and Peaceful person i ever met. I think without the "mountain top experience" we will never experience the JOY OF A TRIAL: James 1:2. Is it possible to be joyful in trials? If we believe in the Bible it sure is: Acts 5:41. One of our problems here in America, is that Christians think that persecution and trials are just for believers that live in communist or islamic countries (among others). That's why even if the Bible is not clear about the subject, the vast majority of christians here believe in the "pre-trib" concept, because in the bottom of their hearts they don't think that we will ever have persecution here in America, if we will, it will be after the "rapture"! Am I suggesting that you have to pray to be persecuted or reviled? Of course not! What I am saying is that once you "enlisted" in God's army, you must go through an intensive training in order to become a soldier, well prepared for the battle. See what Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:4. If you are wondering why you don't grow spiritually, here is the reason: Luke 8:14. There's a parallel between what Paul teaches about the soldier and what Jesus teaches about the Parable of the Sower. If the soldier does not forsake everything to be prepared for the battle, he will never be. The same way, if the seed grows among thorns, they (thorns) will choke it, there will never be a mature fruit. If our hearts are divided between our lives here on this earth and the Kingdom of God, THERE WILL NEVER BE A MATURE FRUIT (fruit of the Spirit). That's the reason Jesus said this: Luke 14:33. It is time to bear fruit, otherwise we will be cut of from the tree (Jesus Christ). We must be willing to pray Habakkuk's prayer: Habakkuk 3:17-19. If Job (Job 1:21), Paul (Philippians 4:11-13) and many others were able to pray like that, so are we, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

Righteousness: The Proper Garment for the Wedding.

Matthew 22:1-14 In this parable, Jesus is saying that we can have the INVITATION (calling) for the wedding and yet, not be PREPARED (garment) for it. We can even be the bride, as the five foolish virgins (read the post: "Wisdom vs. Foolishness: What kind of Believer are You?"), and yet not be ready for the marriage. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Christians believe that once you receive the calling (ministry) and gifts (healing, prophecy, etc.), you are already saved (married), but this is far from the truth! Calling and Gifts are only the evidence of God's character. Because God loves us He speaks to us (prophecy), because He loves us he heals us, because He loves us and we don't know how to pray (talk to Him), He gives us the gift of tongues, etc. Our calling and gifts are not evidence that we are saved, our CHARACTER is! Matthew 7:22-23. I can give you a personal example: I grew up in the church. When I was about 19 years old, I went to my friend's house and there I saw a lady from the Presbyterian church I used to go. When she saw me, she hugged me and said: "Julio, I am praying for you my son". I thought that was very nice of her and even if I felt loved by her, I wasn't impressed because I knew there were other people praying for me at that time. Many years latter, after God's work in my life (deliverance, salvation, anointing, etc.), I was praying one morning and asking God why He didn't allow the devil to kill me (a demon told me he was going to kill me), and God showed me that scene, the old lady (her name was Canuta) hugging me, and then He said to me: "You didn't die because there were many righteous people praying for you!" For me it came true the verse that says: James 5:16. What am I trying to say with this example is that our faith has to be followed by our works. Because people believed that God could save me (even if many times I didn't), they prayed for me, and because they were righteous, God answered their prayer. I love king David's story, because I can relate to it in many ways. There's a proverb that David quoted that is very interesting, is found in 1 Samuel 24:13. When David said this proverb, he was saying that Saul's works were showing who he (Saul) was, because Saul was wicked he practiced wickedness. That's a principle, it works for everything else. If we are lovely, we will show love, if we are peaceful we will show peace, if we are evil, we will show evil deeds. OUR WORKS WILL EXPRESS OUR CHARACTER. We can fake for a while, but sooner or latter we will show our character. James also says that faith has to be followed by works: James 2:20. So, why am I saying that "righteousness is the proper garment for the wedding"? Because we can only practice RIGHTEOUSNESS (works) if we are RIGHTEOUS (faith). Do you remember what is said about Abraham? Genesis 15:6 (Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23). If you remember Abraham's story you know that his works (deeds) were the result of his faith. If you got an invitation to Jesus Christ's wedding, check you works (acts), if they are righteous then you will be the bride: Revelation 19:6-8. God is calling us (His people) to a life of holiness, Jesus is coming for a "spotless bride" (church), if we are not wearing the "proper garment" (righteousness), we will be "cast into outer darkness". Holiness is not an option for the believer, is a commandment: I Peter 1:15.

Love Isn't Love 'til You Give It Away.

If you are a fan of Reba McEntire you probably know that song. It carries a profound truth, that we can say we love but if we don't show it (give it away), it doesn't exist. Jesus Christ used another words to describe this truth, when He dealt with a lawyer who came to test Him in Luke 10:25-37. The lawyer asks: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replies with another question: “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” The lawyer got it right but like every lawyer (well, maybe there's an exception out there), he was evasive and tried to justify himself. As Jesus knew his heart, He went straight to the matter. Most people, when Jesus Christ told a parable didn't understand, but this lawyer did, when Jesus asks him who was the neighbor of the man who was wounded, the lawyer said: “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” In other words, Jesus showed him that OUR neighbor can be the one we don't associate with, maybe we even consider our enemy, as Jesus commands us in Matthew 5:44. He (Jesus) also made it clear that our involvement with the "church" does not justify ourselves, when He spoke about the Priest and the Levite who didn't care for the wounded man. Why did Jesus used the Samaritan as the "good man" in the Parable? Maybe to fulfill a prophecy that came from Moses: Romans 10:19. The Jews considered the Samaritans to be their enemies because Samaritans were half-Jews. The race (Samaritan) came about after the Assyrian captivity of the northern kingdom of Israel (its Capital was Samaria) in 721 B.C. Certain people from the nation of Israel stayed behind. These people intermarried with the Assyrians producing the Samaritans. They "worshiped" YAHWEH but not in Jerusalem (Mount Zion), instead they had their temple on Mount Gerazim: John 4:20. Maybe Jesus was trying to tell the lawyer that knowledge (faith) without works is dead. Maybe Jesus was showing the lawyer's hypocritical way of living. Whatever the case might be, one thing is for sure: It doesn't matter how big our knowledge about the kingdom of God is, if we don't practice what we know, it will only count for our condemnation. God's love is practical not theoretical! As faith without works is dead, so is love without works! 
James 2:15-16. There's a beautiful song by Steve Camp that I love, that talks about the love of Christ, a compassionate love. The song is called "Don't Tell Jesus Loves Them" and this is the chorus:
Don't tell them Jesus loves them till you're ready to love them too;
Till your heart breaks from the sorrow and the pain they're going through;
With a life full of compassion may we do what we must do;
Don't tell them Jesus loves them till you're ready to love them too.
That's Jesus' feeling or attitude for the people, just like it says in Matthew 9:36. What kind of Christianity are we living: A theoretical one? A hypocritical one? A denominational one? Or a Christ-like One? Let's put Christ back in our Christianity! Revelation 3:20.

Signs, Wisdom and Christ Crucified.

1 Corinthians 1:22-24 I'd like to start this post by asking you a few questions: Are you following Jesus? If you are, what Jesus are you following (read the post: What Jesus: The Narrow Way or the Broadway?)? Who do you love the most? Is your faith growing or stagnated? If Jesus told you to forsake everything to follow Him, would you do that? Do you believe in the signs that Jesus spoke about it? We're living in a very strange time, more and more we're been "induced" to "seek after signs and wonders", to "live in the supernatural", to "experience the power of God". To be honest with you, before writing this post i was asking these questions: Is it wrong to seek after signs and wonders? What did Jesus teach about it? Let's see: Mark 16:14-18. The question is: To believe in Jesus or to believe in the signs? My take on this is: BOTH! If you believe in Jesus but don't believe in the signs, how do you expect that those signs will follow you? On the other hand, you may believe in the signs and yet you may not believe in Jesus. How come? 2 Thessalonians 2:9. Paul is saying here that people will believe in the anti-Christ because his power, signs and wonders, the problem is that they are all lying! Another problem is that he (anti-Christ) and the false christs will be very convincing when doing it, because what Jesus Christ said in Matthew 24:24. Do you thing that the signs Jesus Christ and Paul spoke were not real? Of course they were (are) real, but the source (power) is the devil, which means that they are lying (deceiving) in essence since the devil is the a liar and deceiver. According to Jesus Christ himself, if we are not careful, even we the elect, will be deceived. I believe this is the right way: We believe and follow Jesus Christ and the signs will follow us. If we don't believe in the signs He spoke about it, we don't believe in Him. But if we believe and follow the signs, Jesus Christ will never follow us, in fact, we will be following the devil and as a result, one day we will hear these words from Jesus Christ: Matthew 7:21-23. Miracles, signs and wonders have been done since the early age. Even among God's people there were false prophets performing false signs: Deuteronomy 13:1-3. So, if you see a miracle, sign or wonder and the miracle maker does not preach Jesus Christ crucified (unconditional obedience to the LORD), don't follow this person, he (she) is a deceiver, a false one, an anti-Christ, it doesn't matter how "holy" this person might look. My advice to you is: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and mind, take your cross and follow Jesus Christ wherever He sends you and allow the Holly Spirit to transform your heart and mind that you will prove the good, perfect and pleasing will of God and if anybody tries to teach out of the way (Jesus Crist crucified), reject such person. What are you seeking? Signs and wonders? Wisdom? Power? Supernatural experiences or Jesus Christ crucified?

The Perilous Times and the Loveless Generation.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 Two thousand years ago, both Jesus Christ and Paul painted the portrait of this current generation: A Lawless and Loveless Generation. The question is: How can this be a lawless generation if we never had so many laws and regulations as we have today? The answer is very simple: This generation is despising God's Law. Of course if we read the Gospels we'll find out that Jesus' generation was already crooked, even the religious Pharisees were adulterating God's Law because a thing that we are always creating, called tradition: Matthew 15:3-9. What makes it different today is that the whole world, at once, is rejecting and becoming hostile to God's Law, and as a result, we are heading to a perilous time as Paul described. Jesus Christ also said that this last generation will become as sinful and corrupted as Noah's generation (read post as it was in the days of Noah). Unfortunately, today even the religious system called "Christianity" (fortunately Christ came to give us life, not tradition), just as the Pharisees did in Jesus' time, is adulterating God's Law to take advantage and rule over its followers. Jesus "hit the nail on the head" when He said that they transgressed the commandment (law) of God because of their tradition. We see the same pattern today: "Christianity" is filled with traditions, rules and commandments of men and that is leading God's people AWAY from Him. Again, Jesus already spoke about this "system" and its rulers: Matthew 23:13-15. Every religious "system" that entangles with a yoke of bondage is NOT from God and its ruler is NOT Jesus Christ: John 8:36; Galatians 5:1. We are on the verge of "collapse", the "system" (both world and religious) is corrupted to the core and it's about to break and as a result we'll face dangers and disasters as never seen in human history, the world will be chaotic and then the last tyrant, the man of sin, the anti-Christ will be revealed. You may love watching "Left Behind", but if think just for a second (it's not a sin) you'll reach the conclusion that "you don't need a savior if there's no need for salvation", "you don't need a doctor if you are healthy", "you don't need food if you are not hungry", etc. The same way, "there's no need for the anti-Christ if the world is as ok as it is right now". CAOS IS COMING TO THE WHOLE WORLD! Just pay attention to what is going on around the world (it's not sin to watch the news), countries that were ok few years ago are now in turmoil. If you really think that this "false peace" that we have right now is going to last, you are deadly wrong. So, cheer up my friend, if the church is going to be under the worst persecution in human history and you are a true Christian, you won't be "left behind", you will be under the same persecution. If the church won't be under the worst persecution in human history and you are a true Christian, you won't be "left behind" either, you won't be affected. In either case, you will know if you are a child of God or not. 1 Peter 4:12-14. 

Hipster Christianity: Is There a True Religion?

It's amazing how we talk and act according to our perception, even if we are not aware of it. I'm saying that because there's a video on YouTube called "why i hate religion, but love Jesus" with over 24 million views (cool like Rob Bell). On this video, the guy (a poet) makes his case on why he hates religion and loves Jesus by talking about sin, the poor, single moms and the people who killed Jesus, but because he mixes the good with the bad just to prove his point, he failed to recognize that there is a difference between TRUE and FALSE RELIGION and by doing so, he proves that he can write nice poems but ignores the FACT that Jesus Christ practiced TRUE RELIGION, what Jesus despised was the HYPOCRISY of the religious people, so much so that He told His disciples to do what the religious taught them but NOT to do what the religious did, because they did not do what they taught: Matthew 23:3. The Bible is clear about TRUE RELIGION: James 1:27. Malachi 3:5. If your perception of religion is the same as the world's, then you're already being corrupted by the world (same perception), you're not being transformed by Jesus Christ but conformed to the world: Romans 12:2. Why most people here in America (christians included) care more for their pets than they care for orphans? PERCEPTION! Most people here don't think that orphans are more valuable than pets and most christians care more for their pets than orphans, widows and poor because their pets have something to OFFER them, e.g.: Loyalty, companionship, etc. Casting Crowns has a song called "While You Were Sleeping" that says: "United States of America, looks like another silent night, as we're sung to sleep by philosophies that save the trees and kill the children... America, will we go down in history as a nation with no room for its King, will we be sleeping?". Unfortunately, that's the reality not just in America but across the globe, pets and trees are more valuable than children and the church is SLEEPING! Soon, God will  "shake" the earth and the REAL church will WAKE UP! Haggai 2:6. I have the privilege to be part (sponsor) of an amazing ministry called "Oasis For Orphans", a TRUE RELIGIOUS institution that is changing the lives of abandoned and needy children in Africa, giving them a future, treating them with love and respect. I love TRUE RELIGION and i think we as christians, should the be ones who care for the "least of these" (orphans, widows and poor). I'm not against having and caring for pets, i just think that human beings are more valuable than pets and if you call yourself a christian and care for pets but forsake the "least of these", what's the difference between you and the hypocrites (they loved themselves) who killed Jesus Christ? Don't you say you love God and your neighbor? I think is cool and right to save pets and trees but i think RIGHTEOUSNESS is saving and caring for PEOPLE! If you think I'm been harsh, wait until you meet JESUS CHRIST! I hope, instead of thinking that you are right by caring for everything else but the "least of these", that you become a RIGHTEOUS person and make a difference in the lives of the orphans, widows and poor, because if you do that, one day you will receive your reward: Matthew 25:31-40. Are you a Hipster Christian or a Righteous Christian?

No Strings Attached: Unshackled From Generational Curses.

I'd like to start this post with a few questions: Are you a free person? Are you a sinless person? Are you a holy person? Do you believe that is possible to be holy? What does the word indeed mean? Before answering or trying to answer any of these questions, you have to know (if you claim to be a christian) what the Word of God (Bible) says. Let's start from the sinless question: If you claim to be a sinless person, according to the Bible you are a liar: 1 John 1:10. It reminds me about a false teaching i heard in a youth retreat: We were there, three different churches, and one of the pastors started teaching that, since we are born again we do not sin, if we sin we are not born again. He was emphatic and misused the Bible to prove his point. i was so chocked because nobody stood up to confront him that even if shyness was my "trademark", i stood up and asked him about King David after his adultery and murder and the pastor was dead quiet for a little while but just ignored my question and kept going. Then my sister (another sinner like me) stood up and confronted him also. Not a single pastor or leader said anything! I was so disappointed that i felt that i and my sister were the only sinners there. Nowadays they gave up on that teaching because they realized how "sinful" it was. I wish i knew this passage in John 1:10 because i would call him a liar (his first sin?). You have to understand what John the Apostle is talking about (context), otherwise you will be the second, Jesus Christ was the first (only) sinless human being ever. They probably got this false teaching from this passage: 1 John 3:6. If you think John is talking about sinlessness you are dead wrong! He is talking about the practice of sin (also called iniquity): 1 John 3:7-8. John is saying that the one who practices righteousness is righteous (child of God) and the one who practices sin is sinful (child of the devil). I hope you understood and you don't think you are a sinless person. There are many passages in the Bible talking about holiness, do some research and you will find out. But i want to tell you that if you think that it is impossible to be holy, you are dead wrong! I'll show you some passages just in case: Exodus 19:6. Leviticus 11:44. 1 Peter 1:15-16. If those verses are not enough to prove to you that we (christians) are called to be holy, then read this passage, change your mind or else: Hebrews 12:14. If you keep asking God why you are not "seeing" (experiencing, hearing from) Him, you just heard His answer: You lack holiness! Today i can talk a lot about freedom and i can be a witness before God that Jesus Christ was right when He spoke about making people free indeed: One of my "addictions" was pornography, it started very early, then when i was about 15 years old i used to go to the movies to see porn movies (the worst you can imagine). Don't ask me how i got into the theater, i just did. When Jesus Christ (i truly love Him) gave me a vision that He was going to set me free, He did it! After that i was free indeed! I never struggled with pornography (among other sins) anymore, it was amazing! When God told me that He was going to set me free, He kept His Word! I wrote about my deliverance on the post "http://faithorelse.blogspot.com/2009/12/personal-testimony-new-life.html". So, if you think that there's no way to be set free from the devil and curses that are upon your life, i got excellent news: It's not just possible, that's the will of God for you my friend! This is what Jesus Christ is speaking to you right now: Luke 4:18-19. Are you poor (financially or spiritually)? Are you brokenhearted (emotionally)? Are you captive (physically, emotionally or spiritually)? Are you blind (physically or spiritually)? Are you oppressed (physically, emotionally or spiritually)? Jesus Christ is the answer! If you are willing to die to yourself He will set you free (indeed). If you don't believe, you will never see the glory of God in your life! Unfortunately, most people are not aware or they don't believe that they are under a curse. Worse, they don't believe that they are slaves of sin! John 8:34. Are you practicing any sin right now? It does not matter if you claim to be a christian or not, was born and will die in the "church", if you are not in Christ (disciple) and producing fruit (Galatians 5) and die like that, you will be cast into the fire (hell), because Jesus Christ either spoke the truth (He is the truth) or He was a liar (the devil is the liar one), because He said: John 15:1-8. Please, read the post The Tree, the Branch and the Fruit: "http://faithorelse.blogspot.com/2010/03/tree-branch-and-fruit.html".

Did Lazarus become a Zombie? The Sadducees and the Resurrection.

The title may sound a little (lot) confuse to you, but if you are familiar with the sect of the Sadducees you understood my question. If not, let me show you some of their beliefs (or disbeliefs): They didn't believe in Angels; they didn't believe in the afterlife or resurrection; they believed in free will; they interpreted the Torah literally. Jesus dealt with the Sadducees in Matthew 22:23-33. So, what does Lazarus have to do with the zombies? Nothing whatsoever! I asked that question in light of the teaching of the Sadducees, because if there is no resurrection of the dead as they taught, then Lazarus didn't raised from the dead, he became a zombie. If you are not familiar with the story of Lazarus (Jesus' friend), you can read it in John 11. Jesus made it clear that they (Sadducees) were mistaken because they didn't know the Scriptures nor the power of God, they misinterpreted the Scriptures and created a doctrine to validate their disbelief. When God created man, He put eternity in man's heart, therefore there's only two choices: Eternal life and eternal death. The "natural" death will only confirm his choice: Hebrews 9:27. Romans 8:11. Today, there are a lot of people explaining what's gonna happen in heaven, like the Sadducees, they are creating doctrines to validate their "dreams" and "desires", because most of the time there's a book or something they are trying to sell. Please, be faithful to the Scriptures, don't try to make it more "attractive" or "exciting" by adding your own version to what is written. Be like Jesus, when quoting or teaching the Bible just say: "It is written". By the way, the Sadducees disappeared around 70 A.D., after the destruction of the Second Temple. Read this passage and answer this question to yourself: Am I a righteous person? Matthew 25:31-46.

God's Gifts: From Blessing to Idolatry.

Numbers 21:4-9. Blaise Pascal once said: "There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus". He got it right because God created us to worship Him in order to fill that "vacuum", this is our calling, and because of that we will either worship the Lord God, our creator, or someone or something else. There is no human being alive right now that is not fulfilling his (her) calling, that is worshiping. Conscious or unconsciously we are all worshiping, even the angels and demons are worshiping. Lucifer was created to worship God, but he wanted to be worshiped instead and deceived one third of the angels to worship him instead of God and they fell. God created mankind to worship Him, but satan (ex-lucifer) deceived humanity and told Eve who told Adam that they could be "like" (divinity instead of character) God (when the Bible says that God created man in His likeness it doesn't mean that He created other gods), knowing good and evil, and they fell. Satan even tried to deceive Jesus Christ into worshiping him: Matthew 4:8-10. Idolatry is worshiping the wrong person! When someone worships an image (idol), he (she) is worshiping a demon: 1 Corinthians 10:20. Sacrifice was part of the worship. Idolatry is as old as humanity, from the beginning man is trying to find something other then his Creator to worship: Romans 1:22-25. When God told Moses to make a fiery serpent, it was a foreshadow of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. If anyone looked at Moses' bronze serpent would be physically healed, if anyone believes and confess Jesus Christ as his (her) Lord and Savior is spiritually healed (have eternal life): Romans 10:9. Jesus Himself spoke about it: John 3:14-15. The church today is contaminated by idolatry, there are many "visible and invisible" idols being worshiped in our churches today: Leaders, traditions, denominations, spiritual gifts, buildings, ministries, to name a few. The reason we are not seeing the Glory of God in our churches as they saw in the Early Church is because the Glory that is due to Him is being diverted to someone or something else. This is very serious but we don't pay much attention, because we are satisfied with what we have (whatever it is). The reason that the "prosperity theology" is so popular here in America is because its followers are worshiping the "blessing" instead of the "Blesser", as Jesus said: Matthew 6:21. Their treasure is "money" (mammon in Matthew 6:24) so their hearts are devoted to mammon (false god). Paul makes it clear that we can become idolaters: 1 Corinthians 10:14. The only way that we would keep ourselves from idolatry is by doing what Jesus told us to do: Matthew 22:37-40. Who or what do you love the most? Who or what are you worshiping right now? Where is your treasure?