Promises

The Great Falling Away

Posted on October 29, 2011 by mcalmond

The Lord Jesus Christ one day while he was teaching asked a vitally important question. This question is almost too easily overlooked because of the way that it came forth. His question arose at the end of his teaching. He was telling a parable of the importance of persevering in faith, in earnest prayer, of how we need to be those who learn the power of and value of our praying through until we have what we are seeking the Lord.  For in Spirit and Truth, He is willing, just and ready to answer our prayers. As the Lord was finished sharing his brief parable, suddenly, almost as a passing thought Jesus says, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8 ESV)

Will we as believers persevere in faithful prayer, in genuine faith, while waiting for the Lord’s return? Or will we give up and walk away, throwing in the towel, turning around and no longer walking in the faith, hope and love of the Lord Jesus Christ?

We live in crucial times with rapidly accelerating darkness and sin all around us. We live in a time that all too quickly approaches, what the Word of God refers to as the time of The Rebellion, The Apostasy, The Great Falling Away.

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Categories: Anointing, Apostasy, Awakening, Being Built Up, Belief System, Believer, Body of Christ, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Darkness, Dependency, Disobedience, Dying to Self Will, Edification, Empowerment, Encouragement, Exhortation, Faith, Fear of God, Flesh, Following Through, Genuineness, God Faith, God's Faithfulness, Grace, Growing in Faith, His Chosen, Holy Spirit, Hope, Knowledge, Last Days, Mercy, Ministry, Noise and Distractions, Now Word, Obedience, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Openness, Paradigm Shift, Persecution, Perseverance, Prayer, Presumptions, Priorities, Process, Profession, Promises, Readiness, Relationship, Rest, Righteousness, Rock, Salvation, Saving Faith, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Source, Spirit, Spirit of Truth, Spiritual Warfare, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Teacher, Teaching, Tenaciousness, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, Victory, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord, Witness, Word, Word of God, Work, Worship | Leave a comment

Let Us Arise, Yet Again!

Posted on October 8, 2011 by mcalmond

There is so very much more than we are experiencing in and of Christ Jesus. There is so very much more of the Kingdom of God than we know or understand. There is so very much more of life in the Spirit than we are living out on a daily basis. There simply is so very much more yet to do and that needs to be done; I for one, long to know, do and experience the more. I also am haunted by what I have known, have accomplished or think I know. I also understand how tempting, as I get older, it is to remain in what I have come to know and experience.

What I mean is, that what I have known, done or think I know of Christ Jesus and the Kingdom of God, seems at times to get in the way of the more. It gets in the way by having captured my attention, my heart and the battles that were for or needed to contend for it has passed. Yesterdays victories become all too easily today’s excuses. As I look forward to the more, this means more battles, contending, more stretching, more dying, more of that which we already and all too often resist in our growing in the Lord Jesus Christ. This looking forward seems to be less and less attractive when I honestly consider the cost of the past. While I know that nothing of what life and ministry has cost us compares to that sacrifice of Christ Jesus, it still, for us remains a very tangible, real and essential counting of the cost. We have given our all so many times, yet the call remains, to surrender our all yet once again.

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Awakening, Belief System, Believer, Body of Christ, Breaking Forth, Calling, Character, Christian Maturity, Church, Commands, Confidence, Covering, Dependency, Dying to Self Will, Edification, Empowerment, Encouragement, Exhortation, Faith, Family, Father, Fear of God, Flesh, Following Through, Foundations, Genuineness, God's Faithfulness, God's Love, Grace, Healing, His Chosen, His Gift of Love, Holiness, Holy Ghost Burdens, Hope, Humility, In Spirit and In Truth, Inspiration, Light, Ministry, Mother, Noise and Distractions, Now Word, Obedience, Persecution, Perseverance, Pioneering, Prayer, Priorities, Process, Promises, Readiness, Relationship, Rest, Resurrection Life, Righteousness, Sacrifice, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Self Justification, Selfishness, Selflessness, Separatism, Simplicity, Spiritual Fathers/Mothers, Spiritual Warfare, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Tenaciousness, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, The Lord's Fullness, The Power of God, Timing, Truth, Victory, Wind of the Spirit, Witness, Word, Word of God | Leave a comment

Bring It On World!

Posted on September 18, 2011 by mcalmond

It wasn’t all that long ago when I was reading an article on the World Magazine web site titled “R is for Religion[1]”, written by Gene Edward Veith. He was making us aware of the very real possibility of a day sometime soon when we will find ourselves as Christians rated in the same way that sex, nudity and violence is rated, with a warning, “you are entering a strongly religious zone in which the messages are from one religion and therefore might indeed be offensive to those of other faiths or even those with no faith at all.”

Within this article the question is asked, “Why are references to Christ so offensive?” and then he goes on to explain, “In today’s climate, religion is relative. According to the conventional wisdom, no one religion is true for everyone, and all religions are equally valid. Mention of a generic “God” is acceptable, as long as He is not defined. So is invocation of other concepts common to various religions, such as prayer, spirituality, mystical experiences, and salvation by good works.

But Jesus Christ is too specific. God in the flesh is too tangible. And He says, “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). That Jesus—despite His goodness and love—offends people is simply more evidence that the Bible is true. He is “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” (1 Peter 2:8). That He died on the cross for our sins is especially offensive (Galatians 5:11).

So no one should be surprised when secularists react to Jesus with shock and outrage. But “blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Matthew 11:6).”

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, A Simple Reminder, Absolute Dependency, Authenticity, Awakening, Baptist Theology, Believer, Body of Christ, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Character, Christian Maturity, Church, Commands, Confidence, Covering, Encouragement, Following Through, Genuineness, God Faith, God's Faithfulness, God's Love, Grace, Growing in Faith, His Chosen, His Gift of Love, History, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Hope, Humility, In Spirit and In Truth, No Other Name, Noise and Distractions, Obedience, Persecution, Perseverance, Political Correctness, Process, Profession, Promises, Prophetic, Protection, Readiness, Relationship, religious idolatry, Resurrection Life, Sacrifice, Salvation, Saving Faith, Separatism, Spirit of Truth, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, The Power of God, Transformation, Truth, Victory, Waiting on the Lord, Word of God, Work of God | Leave a comment

I’m No Scholar, I’m Just a Guy

Posted on September 3, 2011 by mcalmond

Acts 4:13 (NKJV) Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

I can think of no greater compliment than that one was recognized as having been with Jesus. I believe that for me, this is genuinely my goal in life, to become one who is recognized as having been with Jesus. To become one whose life was so changed and impacted by the Life of Christ Jesus that while my other deficiencies may be noted, Christ Jesus is still readily visible and evident in and through my life.

 As was true of Peter and John, I would find myself, in regards to ministry, as fairly uneducated and common. I come from a line, albeit brief line (grandpa, dad and myself), of uneducated and common men who loved the Lord and believed that Jesus had called them to follow Him and so they picked up their Bibles and did so.

 My grandfather was saved out of the Navy shortly after World War 2 under Amy Semple McPherson’s ministry. He believed that he was called into the ministry as preacher of the Lord Jesus. He bought a tent, a flatbed truck (to use as a platform for services and to haul the tent), picked up his Bible and went preaching the Word of God.

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Categories: A Simple Faith, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Authenticity, Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Being Built Up, Belief System, Benefits, Body of Christ, Breaking Forth, Calling, Christian Maturity, Church, Churches, Confidence, Dad, Dependency, Empowerment, Encouragement, Faith, Family, Father, Following Through, Foundations, Genuineness, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Growing in Faith, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Benefits, Holy Spirit Hearing, Holy Spirit Listening, Holy Spirit Seeing, Hope, Humility, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Inspiration, Ministry, Ministry Motivation, Now Word, Obedience, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Openness, Pastor, Pioneering, Prayer, Preaching, Priorities, Process, Promises, Reflections, Relationship, Rhema, Righteousness, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Simplicity, Source, Speaking in Tongues, Spirit, Surrender, Teaching, Thanksgiving, The Power of God, Theology, Training, Transcendence, True Love, Truth, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord, Word, Work of God | 2 Comments

A Simple and Unsophisticated Gospel? Part Two

Posted on June 12, 2011 by mcalmond

Let us please continue with a Simple and Unsophisticated Gospel, from last week.

My Grandfather and Dad at one point in their lives just picked up their Bibles and went forth preaching. Lives were changed and impacted and yet when I honestly look at their lives and ministry, I can’t help but feel there was something lacking that was vital and important. However, you know what, I did the very same thing. I just picked up my Bible and went a preaching. I also feel that something vital and important came to be lacking in my life and ministry as well. I have sought to continue growing and learning from the Lord Jesus, each and every step of the way, yet I know there is more. What is it that I am not seeing?

I do not want to make church and ministry, life and living, overly simplistic. I just desire to see, live, and understand it in a way that is much more genuine, in the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore much more effective in terms of the Kingdom of Almighty God. I continually long for the revelation of the truth that is of a yoke that is easy and light, yet gets the work of the Kingdom accomplished in such a way that He, our Lord and Savior, is genuinely glorified, honored, praised and worshiped, in Spirit and Truth.

I want this for my family and I, yet I so desire this for us all, for the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ at large. I know that there is more here than is meeting my eye of understanding. I just know there is. I so long to continue learning from and growing in the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of God the Holy Spirit, that His simplicity may be recaptured and realized as a powerful truth once again, in our lives personally and corporately. That place where we are completely at rest in Him, in the midst of His life and living, of His church and ministry, no matter what is before us, one and all.

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Categories: A Simple Faith, A Simple Reminder, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Authenticity, Belief System, Believer, Benefits, Body of Christ, Breaking Forth, Calling, Character, Christian Maturity, Church, Communion, Dependency, Edification, Genuineness, Humility, In Spirit and In Truth, Intimacy, Ministry, Old Blog Post, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Paradigm Shift, Process, Promises, Questions, Quietness, Rest, Revelation, Righteousness, Salvation, Simplicity, Stirrings, Surrender, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord, Witness, Word of God, Work of God | Leave a comment

Personal Mentoring/Discipleship, Pt Two

Posted on May 1, 2011 by mcalmond

We need to disciple/mentor those whom the Lord Jesus would have us to. Therefore we need to seek the Lord as to whom He wants us to disciple/mentor and then how He wants this person to be mentored. It is then that we can begin this process with the confidence of His blessing and provision. We may and most likely will, stumble around at first. We may make it too academic and not enough of a relational experience. We may, depending on who we are, go the other way and want to make it so relational that we fail to hold our mentoree accountable and disciplined along the way. Regardless, if we will obediently give ourselves to this wonderful, albeit sometimes very trying process, we will discover the wonderful fruit of it; the joys of watching those entrusted to us, growing up into their role within their own lives, families and the Body of Christ Jesus at large. We will also have the wonderful hope of building a relationship for life.

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Categories: Anointing, Awakening, Being Built Up, Belief System, Believer, Benefits, Body of Christ, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Character, Christian Maturity, Church, Commands, Core Values, Covering, Edification, Elders, Empowerment, Encouragement, Exhortation, Family, Father, Fields of Ministry, Following Through, Foundations, Grace, Growing in Faith, His Gift of Love, History, Holy Ghost Burdens, Hope, Humility, Lost and Alone, Loving One Another, Mentoring Children/Youth, Mentoring Men, Mentoring Women, Mentoring/Discipleship, Mercy, Metron, Ministry, Mother, Obedience, Openness, Perseverance, Prayer, Preaching, Priorities, Process, Promises, Protection, Remembrances, Sacrifice, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Selflessness, Spirit of Truth, Spiritual Fathers/Mothers, Spiritual Warfare, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Surrender, Teacher, Teaching, Tenaciousness, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, The Power of God, Timing, Training, Transformation, True Love, Truth, Word of God, Work of God | 1 Comment

The Need For Spiritual Stamina

Posted on April 3, 2011 by mcalmond

2Ti 4:7 NKJV I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

As my lovely wife and I walk out this season of our lives, it is easier for us to reflect upon our need for His continued strength, stamina and perseverance. It is easier, simply because we recognize that without He who is our very life breath we will simply not finish well. Therefore, what I write below, continues to be tested in and through our very lives, each and every day.

As I see it, the overall issue for each and every one of us will not ultimately be that we simply started out well. No. Rather, it will be whether we continued and thus ended well, or not. In all honesty, beginning well is important, continuing well is also important, but finishing well is crucial for each of us. To simply assume that we will, when all is said and done, end well and finish well, is foolish. While our ending well is crucial, it also isn’t automatic.

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Categories: A Simple Reminder, Absolute Dependency, Being Built Up, Believer, Calling, Character, Christian Maturity, Dependency, Edification, Empowerment, Encouragement, Faith, Father, Following Through, God Faith, Grace, Growing in Faith, Holy Spirit, Hope, Humility, Intimacy, Mercy, Perseverance, Promises, Remembrances, Resurrection Life, Righteousness, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Surrender, Tenaciousness, The Power of God, Word, Work of God | Tags: | Leave a comment

Persevering Prayer?

Posted on March 27, 2011 by mcalmond

Luke 18:6-8 (NKJV) Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?“

This passage has always bothered me. It has convicted me, challenged me and stirred up in me a deep desire to become authentically a man of enduring faith. This passage is connected in context to chapter seventeen of Luke where the Pharisees have asked Jesus about the coming of the Kingdom of God. This parable in chapter eighteen continues with this discussion and relates to the need of and challenge of our becoming a people who ought always to pray and not lose heart or give up. It is then followed by another parable on prayer within the same chapter.

It is vital that we become a people who pray and keep praying in God’s faith for that which fails to come in a timely manner, in our minds at least, yet will indeed come as promised of the Lord. His justice will come. The question isn’t, does the Lord intend upon answering the prayers of the saints, no, but whether the saints will continue to pray regardless. Will the saints continue to pray, even if there is a delay of His answering their prayers and there remains that which the saints are praying for deliverance from? The waiting, waiting, and continued waiting upon the Lord’s answer could take its toll. There may be those men and women who lose faith and allow their hearts and love to grow cold. There will be those who quit, give up, surrender to the spirit of the age and let their faith and hope perish within them.

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Categories: Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Being Built Up, Believer, Body of Christ, Christian Maturity, Church, Commands, Confidence, Darkness, Empowerment, Encouragement, Exhortation, Faith, Father, Following Through, God's Love, Grace, Growing in Faith, Hope, In Spirit and In Truth, Intimacy, Loving One Another, Ministry, Perseverance, Prayer, Promises, Prophetic, Protection, Revelation, Sacrifice, Spiritual Warfare, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Tenaciousness, The Lord Jesus, The Power of God, Truth, Waiting on the Lord, Word of God, Work of God | Leave a comment

The Power of His Spirit Words, Pt Two

Posted on March 6, 2011 by mcalmond

As promised, here is the next post in this series of three posts. So, let us pick up from where we left off yesterday.

Deuteronomy 22:9 (NKJV) “You shall not sow your vineyard with different kinds of seed, lest the yield of the seed which you have sown and the fruit of your vineyard be defiled.

The Lord is saying here that we are not to sow different kinds of seed into our vineyards or lives. Now I know that He is actually speaking here, in this text, of the actual process of planting/sowing seed in a vineyard. However, we can see an application here as it relates to the sowing of the Spirit Word of God.

We are not called to sow different kinds of seeds or words: i.e. man’s words, thoughts, feelings,  ideas, etc. No. This is simply because what you sow is what you grow (See Gal 6:7-8). If you sow His Holy Spirit Empowered Words they will bring forth His Holy Spirit empowered Life. If you sow that which  is simply of man, man empowered words, ideas, thoughts, etc.  They will only bring forth what is of man, of his flesh. Hence, there is only one kind of seed that we are called to plant in His vineyard, in our hearts and lives, as well as in the hearts and lives of His people. It is simply His Spirit Word, His Holy Spirit Empowered Word bringing forth His Holy Spirit empowered Life. This is the true seeds of the Kingdom of God and it is this seed that we must be sure we are planting.

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Categories: Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Angels, Anointing, Being Built Up, Benefits, Calling, Calvary, Character, Church, Dependency, Empowerment, Grace, Growing in Faith, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Benefits, Holy Spirit Hearing, Hope, Humility, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Intimacy, Ministry, Now Word, Openness, Prayer, Promises, Rhema, Righteousness, Simplicity, Spirit, Spirit of Truth, Spirit Word, Surrender, Thankfulness, The Power of God, Training, Transformation, Truth, Waiting on the Lord, Word, Word of God, Work of God | Leave a comment

The Power of His Spirit Words, Pt One

Posted on March 5, 2011 by mcalmond

“We are called to sow”, I heard a preacher, whom I respect, just recently speak out in one of his messages. However, for me on that specific day, these words deeply resonated within me, coming alive and impacting my life. I suddenly realized in the twinkling of a moment, that I am called to be a sower and not a reaper.

While others may be called to something else, I suddenly knew that I am and have always been called to be simply, a Sower of the Word of God. The call is to cast forth the Spirit Word of God whenever , wherever ,  and unto whomever the Lord directs. He will see His Words bring forth the fruit of His intended purposes. There is and was suddenly for me, such a liberty and new found convergence. Surprising you might say. Yes, very surprising I would say. I am 60 yrs old and just now, at this moment, I have heard these words, with a personal Holy Spirit understanding, as if for the very first time in my life. Thank you Lord Jesus, thank you.

I have always struggled to describe my calling in the Lord Jesus Christ. I have had many labels attributed to me by others, good and bad, with some I have even tried to put on myself. In the end, none of them seem to truly fit. I only knew that I was a man of God called to the purposes of God and for me, this was enough or so I finally tried to convince myself. However, in truth, there was always a nagging lack of clarity for me. Now with this sudden clarity, my whole life seemed to simplify, open up and actually make sense in way, that as of late, it hasn’t. This is the power of His Holy Spirit Words being revealed to us as He, our Lord and Savior is Now Speaking them. Thank you Lord Jesus for your Spirit Words of clarity, of order and of peace, that are so deeply resonating and powerfully coming alive within me, your humble servant Lord Jesus. Again, thank you!

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Categories: A Simple Reminder, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Angels, Anointing, Believer, Calling, Calvary, Christian Maturity, Dependency, Dying to Self Will, Empowerment, Growing in Faith, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Benefits, Humility, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Intimacy, Ministry, Ministry Motivation, Now Word, Obedience, Prayer, Preaching, Promises, Prophetic Revelation, Rest, Revelation, Righteousness, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Simplicity, Spirit, Spirit Word, Surrender, Teaching, Thankfulness, The Power of God, Training, Truth, Waiting on the Lord, Word, Word of God, Work of God, Worship | 5 Comments

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