Martin Luther delivered life, hope, grace and freedom on October 31st, 1517--

[HeraldtheNews]

DON'T BOW TO THE PAGAN IDOLS OF HALLOWEEN

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October 31st is coming soon, and it's a good time to remember as some cultures are flooded with images of evil and death, that the monk Martin Luther, who became a leading teacher of the Protestant Reformation (The Apostle Paul refers to the "day of reformation.") delivered life, freedom in Christ through Grace, and freedom from bondage and death, especially the spiritual death that comes from religious legalism, on October 31st, 1517-- Christ, "who is life itself" (John) on the day of the dead.

Although they do not like to admit it, the Catholic Church had erred greatly and fallen into the idolatry of legalism (thinking we can be saved through performance of religious laws and rules). Martin Luther reminded the church that the number one "Law" of God's Grace, is that entering into the New Covenant of God's Grace with Jesus, must be received as a free-gift. This is a clear and unmistakable teaching of the New Testament. Crystal.
And was powerfully made clear through the life and teaching of the Apostle Paul, who spoke for Jesus on this.

Religious legalism produces doubts and insecurity in a relationship with God, while Grace gives birth to freedom, as Jesus said, "The truth will set you free." Religious legalism causes a person to think and feel that they are "just one mistake away," from falling out of God's favor. We have to live the Gospel for sure, or face dire consequences, the Apostles warn, such as facing God in shame, or even worse: being told, "I never knew you."

John reminded his church that our minds or hearts, or actions, do not have the power in and of themselves to justify or condemn us as Christians saved by grace who walk in God's friendship. He said, "If our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart." This is one of the lessons of the anguish of depression: Realizing that our own resources can not save us or deliver us from spiritual death. Only the power of God can raise us from the dead. Medical help may or may not help, and are not meant for a permanent fix or replacement for a living relationship with Jesus, in Spirit and power. If people put our hope in mental health drugs alone and reject the help of God's grace, it can become idolatry.
On the day of the dead, we as Christians should show the world what life in Christ is, and not take part in the world's pagan celebrations of idolatry.
Remember what Shadrach, Mesech, and Abednigo said in the Old Testament:
(paraphrase from memory)
When the king was forcing his people to bow to his idols. When these servants of God refused, they were threatened with being thrown into a hot oven. They said these famous words: "No, O fallen ruler, we will not bow to your idols, for our God will preserve our lives; AND EVEN IF OUR GOD DOES NOT PRESERVE OUR LIVES--"WE WILL STILL NOT BOW TO YOUR IDOLS!!"

You have to read the story to find out how it turns out....

 

[HeraldtheNews]

This is worth repeating with Halloween coming up--

"Even if I knew the world was going to pieces tomorrow, I would still plant my apple tree."
--Martin Luther

This was written last November--
Jesus said, "I have come to announce freedom to all who are imprisoned upon the earth (physically and spiritually)"

This message is delivered with "all authority of Heaven and earth," (Matthew 28:18) as Jesus said, and the sword of truth given to Christians that I received at a young age from the Lord. May the Lord bless it and sanctify it with His truth, love and power, power over all those who oppose Christ, and a warning to those who oppose me: "He [or she] who hears you, hears Me, and who rejects Me rejects [Adonai/Elohim] who sent Me." (Luke 10:16). "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the powers of evil, and nothing can by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19.
This means that true servants of God are always spiritually protected as we obey God and as one pastor put it, "until we are called by God we are pretty much bullet-proof." We may not always be worthy of it, but it is the same power of the Apostle Peter and all the Apostles to do the work of God, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, all Christians are given through His Church. (Matthew 16:16-19).
The enemies of Israel were defeated millenia ago by divine intervention in the Red Sea: (Exodus 15:19). Militant legalism and the oppression, bondage and violence it produces, was overcome without violence by the New Israel when Jesus rose from the dead 20 centuries ago, of which I am a witness, long before the rise of Islamic violence.
The enemies of Israel, and of humanity, were defeated again 20 centuries later in Europe by Allied Forces, beginning with the Battle of Normandy in 1944.
The enemies of France in 1431:"I do know that they will all be thrown out of France, except those who die there."
---St. Joan of Arc, age 19, deliverer of France
While on his way to Damascus, north of Syria, to persecute christian enemies of Judaic legalism, Paul of Tarsus encountered a vision of Jesus of Nazareth, and became a beloved christian leader and teacher who, like Jesus, emphasized that the only way to Heaven was faith in God's love and mercy and putting it into action, not empty legal religion. This was also re-discovered by the German monk, Martin Luther of 16th century Europe, who delivered Europe from Medieval blindness. He is also the namesake of american Martin Luther King Jr., another ambassador of freedom, who helped deliver america from racial blindness.


Of the first public words of Jesus of Nazareth when His ministry began in Galilee were that He had come to announce liberty to all those imprisoned on earth, and open the eyes of those who are blind, physically and spiritually. This is happening in america as the prison industry empire here is in the "birth-pangs" of a process of receiving a "divine shakedown," releasing those who have been unjustly sentenced by politicians and a justice system obsessed with imprisoning and punishing and destroying the lives of minorities and women, and even children for the crimes of america in an archaic, dungeon of death designed for hardened criminals and where ordinary citizens like graduate student Sandra Bland, become overwhelmed with despair after only three days in her tomb. The earth is already a prison. Those with mental or emotional disabilities are in a second prison. The poor, including helpless teenagers, are then thrown into a deadly third prison to die emotionally and spiritually, socially and often physically for laws that are often unjust, arbitrary, useless to deter crime, and are clearly "cruel and unusual punishment," according to modern standards of civilization for non-violent and disabled offenders which is a violation of Constitutional rights, to appease a society obsessed with legalistic justice, while those who murder marriages through infidelity and immorality, the innocence of children through abuse, indifference and neglect, and undermine the sanctity of life by murdering helpless unborn, and who murder the futures of young people by teaching them "anything goes," and then labeling them as felons-- these are overlooked. But not by God. Not by Jesus. The Lord has heard the cries of the poor and unjustly imprisoned and oppressed, including those oppressed by Islamic godless thugs, these "brave warriors," who behead innocent Christians, murder the innocent in public, and violate and murder innocent school girls. Those who do not repent will be escorted to Hell by their own demons.


The Lord says: "Trust in the Lord and do good...Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not be distraught...for evildoers shall be destroyed, but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more. But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace..."
...The wicked have drawn the sword, ...to slay the innocent...their sword will enter their own heart..." (Psalm 37:3,7,9-11,14-15)


"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." (Luke 18-19, NKJV)
"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree." Martin Luther

 

[HeraldtheNews]

This is worth repeating with Halloween coming up--

"Even if I knew the world was going to pieces tomorrow, I would still plant my apple tree."
--Martin Luther

I had this quote wrong:

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree." Martin Luther

Jesus said, "I have come to announce freedom to all who are imprisoned upon the earth (physically and spiritually)"
Jesus quoting Isaiah in Nazareth at the beginning of His ministry--

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." (Luke 18-19, NKJV)

This applies to all servants of God, especially Martin Luther whose passionate confirmation of the Apostle Paul's teaching that all Christians, no matter what faith, must receive a born-again relationship with Christ and the free pardon of sins as a free-gift, like being born through a mother's womb, freedom was born through Mary's womb. Entering into the New Covenant of Mercy and Grace through faith, is similar to the covenant of marriage between a man and woman, and only a man and woman-- The wedding is a free-gift of God's grace, that must be confirmed through a faithful and loving relationship. Only the New Covenant marriage to Heaven, is a perfect covenant, whereas marriages can fail. A marriage must be based on God's love and peace and faithfulness. If one of the couple is not honoring this and is abusive towards the other and to the children, the other has a moral obligation to leave the marriage, based on the words of Jesus that say that unfaithfulness (to God's love/marital commitment/and peaceful stewardship of hearts) is grounds for divorce. This is why a marriage to the New Covenant between Heaven and Earth can never fail at God's end, because He never dishonors His Word, and trustworthy faithfulness to His Covenants. Not trusting God is a form of blaspheming God's Spirit since it is implying He is a liar, or His Blood is not enough to save us and we want to make it our own way, or we may be implying that we are by not being serious about our commitment to the New Covenant in Christ, which is a commitment that must be honored even in the face of death.