The Asking Price

The asking price. Nobody wants to pay it. We have become accustomed to getting everything for less than the full value. If we can't get it on sale or if we don't have a coupon, chances are we'll pass. Doesn't matter if it's shoes or shampoo. "What's the best price?" or "What's the lowest you'll take for it?", have become common questions. It has become so prevalent that sellers intentionally mark up their item just so you'll feel good about buying at a perceived less price.


Here's my point. God has an asking price. He wants it all. Everything. All too often we walk away sad like the rich young ruler who came to Jesus asking what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus' answer was "Go, sell all that you have and give it to the poor, and come follow me." You might say, "well that's a pretty steep price". But look at what the young man was asking for. Eternal Life. Is temporary riches more valuable than permanent life? Jesus was essentially inviting him to become the 13th disciple. "Come follow Me". The Bible says Jesus was grieved when the young man walked away, because He loved him.

What in the world do we value more than heaven? More than walking with Jesus? More than being His disciple?

At one point Jesus, who was used to being thronged by crowds of thousands, watched as everybody left, the price He was asking was to great. Then He looked at His 12 disciples and asked them this question, "Will you also go away?". My question to you is this, "Are you willing to pay the asking price?" Or are you looking for a cheaper version? Something that will cost you less?

That was one of the temptations of Christ. "Just bow to me", the devil said, "and you can have it all". It's the temptation that we all face. Do we want it all, or will we be willing to give our all?

Jesus was never one to glorify following Him as a life of ease. He told one "The foxes have holes, the birds have nests, but I don't have a place to lay My head." You still want to come? This is a far different doctrine than one you will hear in most churches today. The Cross? Anyone hear about the Cross? It's where Jesus gave His all! It wasn't a life of prosperity, cars, and homes. Jesus said "If any man does not deny himself, and take up the cross, and follow me, he cannot be My disciple".

You are being summoned by God, "Come follow Me".

Are you willing to pay the price?

this blog was previously posted at http://www.thirdoptionmen.org/blog/price/.

It's No Joke!

Can you believe it?

Where did the time go?

We are racing towards 2012.

Which if you haven't heard, according to many people,

 (who believe the Mayan calender),

 is when the world is supposed to come to an end.

Personally, i don't buy into that at all.

If you think you  have until 2012, you may be over estimating.

I didn't think I'd be here this long.

It wouldn't surprise me a bit , if we were called home before then.

Doesn't the Bible say that we are to long for his appearing?

What does that mean?

To desire for it earnestly, cant wait for the day of it, to want it more than anything.

Is that what we are doing?

Longing for his return?

So do I really believe that we could be caught away soon?

Yes I do. I have to. and it scares me to no end.

And if I were a betting man I'd bet it scares the be-jeebers out of you too.

Why is that?

I don't feel the need to go into it. I think we both know why.

Why is it that so many Christians,

 who know that the rapture could happen at any second,

 who know that the end is near,

 act as if it doesn't matter?

It doesn't faze us.

I'm reminded of the story of Lot in Genesis 19.

Two angels told Lot, "We are going to destroy this place,

 the Lord has sent us to destroy it.

 Whoever you have here, family, sons, daughters, sons-in-law,

 you need to get them out of here."

The Bible says in Genesis 19:14, that Lot went out, and told them,

"Get out of this city, the Lord is going to destroy it."

You know what they thought?

They thought it was a big joke.

He seemed to them as "one that mocketh".

They laughed at him.

"What's gotten into you Lot, getting all preachy on us?"

"Stop it Lot, your embarrassing yourself."

"Cut it out, your cracking us up."

"Don't get yourself all worked up."

Lot told them. They may have laughed, but he did tell them.

We like to make a big stink about Lot living in "Sodom",

 but let me ask you,

 how close are you to living in the "world"?

How easily do you fit in?

You ever wonder why they thought he was a joke?

You ever wonder why they laughed at him?

You ever wonder why when he told them, they didn't believe him?

 if they would believe us?

Or would they laugh?

Would they ask, "Where is all this coming from? You never said anything before. What makes you think your so much better than us?

You really love us and want us  to be saved?

Yeah, right. That's a good one."

You ever wonder what the people around you think of you?

You ever wonder how effective your witness is?

Can you imagine how Lot must have felt,

 as he's pouring his heart out, trying to warn them, trying to save them, and in their eyes it's all a joke?

I wonder how many people Lot told that night,

 before he went home because no one believed him?

Today with all the social media available to us, how many people could we tell  by the click of a mouse? How many "friends" do you have on facebook? How many "followers" do you have on twitter?

It's amazing how quick we are to say or post, what we eat, where we eat, what  movie we've seen or are going to see, what song or video we think is so good, how badly we feel we've been treated, or how misunderstood we are, how rotten our life is, or how we wish we didn't have to study or stay up late, or wake up early, or how awful the weather is.

Man, we can really let the words fly. 

We love it when people hit the "like" button, leave a good comment, or re-post.

If Lot were living in our day....he would have texted, called, emailed, tweeted, posted and had his status say, " Get ready, get your house in order, you don't have time to play around, the END is closer than you think".

I wonder if you, called, texted, emailed, posted, and tweeted that...what response would you get? 

Would all your friends and family laugh at you?

Or unlike Lot....would you even warn them?

Are you afraid of what people might think of you?

Are you to afraid to warn them?

Here's the hard part to deal with....our family, friends, co-workers, and classmates are going to be destroyed.

I get it that we don't care, that we're chicken-hearted and weak kneed, and don't love them as much as we profess too.....

So let's just take everyone you know that is going to hell...let's just take them all, out of the equation.

What about you ? Are you sure that you're going to make it?

I see people, Christians, going about their days, especially during the holiday season, laughing, having a holly jolly good time, being merry, spending money they don't have on gifts they can't afford, going into debt for things they don't need, eating, drinking, being festive, acting as if they don't have a clue that when they woke up, that this could be the day.

It's as if Christians today have this fog of complacency around them.

Just going along in their own little happy world and couldn't care a lick that everyone in the mall they are shopping in, is going to hell.

Not even considering that today could be the day, more concerned about shoes, and skirts, and suits, than they are their soul.

More concerned about where they are going to eat, than where they are going to spend eternity.

Paul said in Romans 13:11, "It's high time, we wake out of our slumber." 

Snap out of it! Wake up! Smell the coffee!

In Luke 12:20 Jesus said about the man that thought he had lots of time, "Thou fool, tonight they soul shall be required of thee."

Lot really believed that Sodom was going to be destroyed.

Do we really believe that Jesus could come back at any time?

I think a lot of us are like, "Oh yeah....I believe that...just not any time, soon!"

What?! Are you kidding me? Can you not see what is going on around you?

Don't you read the newspaper? Or listen to the news?

How convinced are you that Jesus is coming back soon?

Hasn't He made it clear enough? Hasn't He said it over and over again in His word?  How may messages have we heard? Recently? What are we waiting for? How much clearer does He have to say it before we'll believe it?

Or will we be like Lot's family, and we'll be the ones laughing? 

We'll be the ones thinking that it's all a big joke.

Sit down preacher, we don't need to hear that again. I've heard that for soooo long. Surely our Lord delayeth His coming. His coming is far off.

Do you know what Jesus' last words are in Revelation 22:20?

"Surely I come quickly."

(Here's some homework for you when you get the time.

Get a dictionary out, and look up the word "quickly".)

Don't be like the people in Noah's day. They heard him preach day in and day out, "It's gonna rain!"

For a hundred years, the same message, "It's gonna rain, get in the boat!" 

Looking back we can say, "How can they not have known that it was going to rain? He preached the same message, he warned them, he preached for so long. How could they not know?"

Well, how many times have we been told, heard it preached, and read it in the Bible...Jesus is coming back, Get ready, He's coming soon......

Just like it was in Noah's day, when you see that it's happening it's to late to start getting ready. When you feel the raindrop, it's to late.

In Lot's day, when you looked up and saw the fire and brimstone falling from the sky, it was to late to start preparing. No matter that you were told, no matter that you were warned, when the fire was falling, it was to late to get ready.

This time of the year, we like to tell the story of Jesus coming to earth, and we see nativity sets, and we sing songs like "Go Tell It On The Mountain", and we can't believe that there was no room in the inn.

But there are as many, if not more, promises about His second coming to earth than His first, and they are all coming to pass.

Are we going to be like the chief priest and scribes in Herod's day and say "Yeah we know there's a promise, we know a saviour is coming, we know where he is to be born, we know what the signs are.......", and yet, they missed it.

What excuse will we have if WE miss it?

Yeah we knew, we were told, we read about it, we knew the signs, we just didn't think about it all that much.

Don't think you have a year, a month, a week. You have NOW.

That's all you know for certain.

Costumes, Masks, and Make-Up

Costumes, Masks & Make-Up

by David Munn

http://www.thirdoptionmen.org/blog/costumes-masks-make-up/

I was thinking this morning, that a lot of people went out over the last few days or weeks, and purchased costumes and masks, and make-up, and went door to door trying to get people to give them some candy.

 Some people may have even gone overboard, trying to impress others with their creativity, and how “different” from what they really are, they could make themselves look.

Why?

For some sort of acknowledgement, maybe a prize, and even some goodies.


AND HERE’S THE THOUGHT THAT CAME TO ME.


For some people, every Sunday morning is that way.

(Not just on Halloween Sunday.)

Let me get some nice clothes, look the part, smile,

and like some masquerade ball,

we’ll never be able to figure out who is really beneath that costume and mask.

And maybe if I’m good enough,

I’ll get some candy, or God will bless me,

even though I know it’s just a show.

And then the next morning we wake up and put on another costume and mask and go to work, and look and act totally different.


God is not happy with just the Sunday you, just part of you; He wants to set you free from the costumes and masks. He wants the real, genuine you.


He won’t be satisfied with less.

How To Get What You Want

How To Get What You Want

written by David Munn

I was at the church the other night praying.

 Just going through the normal rhetoric

 of what I wanted from God, and what I wasn't seeing,

even though it's promised in the Bible.

 I was telling the Lord of all the crazy things

 people have seen and have had happen to them,

 that are attributed to Him,

 and yet I haven't experienced any of that kind of stuff.

As I was praying this, the verse that says,

"these signs shall follow them that believe;

In my name shall they cast out devils;

they shall speak with new tongues;

They shall take up serpents;

and if they drink any deadly thing,

it shall not hurt them;

they shall lay hands on the sick,

 and they shall recover",

 came to mind.

I said "Ok God, that makes sense.

 I don't need to see angel feathers floating from the ceiling,

or gold fillings appear in my teeth,

or oil flowing from my hands,

or jewels appearing on my doorstep,

 but I do want what You promised!"
After all it's in Your word,

 shouldn't I expect it?

I do believe,

but just in case,

let me be like the man that said

"help thou mine unbelief."

Is that the case?

 That I'm not believing enough?

"These signs shall follow them that believe."

That's what it says.

You said it.

And I kept on berating God about what I'm not seeing,

 signs and wonders.

Telling Him that's what we need in our church,

more spiritual manifestations.

(All the while thanking Him of course,

for all that He has been doing.)

Reminding Him of what Paul had said,

"And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom,

 but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power."

That's what I wanted!

 A demonstration of the Spirit,

 a display of God's power.

I said kind of laughingly to God,

 "I know that I'm asking for a lot,

and not really offering you much to work with,

 I'm asking for a lot

 and not really giving you much."

And as I was praying that,

 I had to stop.

I took myself by surprise.

 I had to repeat what I was telling God, to myself.

Isn't it funny when God repeats your words back to you?

It was as if He said "Did you hear what you just said?"

It stopped my prayer in its tracks.

It isn't You God. It's me.

It's not that You won't or can't or don't want to,

it's just that I am not at that place yet.

 I haven't prepared myself,

I have not put in the necessary time,

 the necessary "blood, sweat, and tears"

so to speak.

He reminded me of two verses.

"The effectual fervent prayer

 of a righteous man

availeth much."

A righteous man?

I don't know if I would really consider myself in that category.

I began praying "Lord put your robe of righteousness around me, make me as you are."

The Lord has imputed unto us His righteousness.

(James 2:23)

But what about the effectual fervent prayer?

We can't expect God to do that for us can we?

Could that be the reason we aren't seeing anything spectacular or special or undeniably spiritual?

Could that be the reason we aren't "availing" much?

Once we know that we are in right standing with God(righteous),

what's to stop us from that effectual fervent prayer that availeth much?

That's the question isn't it?

What does stop us?

(don't continue reading, think about it for a second)

"you have not because you ask not"

The second verse He reminded me of was this one.

"...He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him"

let me give you a few more translations:

1. He rewards those who earnestly seek Him

2. He rewards those who sincerely seek Him

3. He becomes a Rewarder to those who seek Him out

4. He rewards those who sincerely look for Him

5. to those seeking Him He becometh a rewarder

6. He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him out.

Are you seeing the picture that God was painting me? 

Tell me this, why would God give you anything that you really didn't want?

How does God know that we really want something?

When we ask and continue to ask.

When we sincerely, earnestly, and diligently seek Him.

And not just once.

Consistently.

"lest by her continual coming she weary me"

(Luke 18:5)

In vs.7, it goes on to say that

those who cry unto God day and night, even though he bears long with them, are God's own elect.

"Covet earnestly the best gifts"

How diligent have I/we been in seeking God?

How earnest have I/we been?

How consistent have I/we been?

And yet I/we have some expectation of a reward?

God is a just God.

He doesn't just go around doling out rewards to those

who haven't worked for them.

In fact, He took away from the slothful servant and gave his portion to the servant who had worked the hardest.

Like I said in my opening sentence....

I was at the church praying.....

and God in His own way....

was telling me that the secret to getting what I wanted,

 was to continue doing what I had begun doing....

praying more. 

But not just praying...desiring, hungering, thirsting,

 being more diligent in seeking, being more fervent,

 being more consistent.

What is it that you are seeking after?

What is the reward that you want from God?

Is there anything that you want, or are desiring, from God?

As simple as it seems, the answer is found in prayer.
(By prayer I mean communication with God,
 not just vain ramblings to fill time.)

And these two verses are the blueprint.

"The effectual fervent prayer

of a righteous man

availeth much."

and

"He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

HARD-CORE

Hard-Core

by David Munn

I was at the church praying tonight,

 and as usual,

 if you give the Lord a half a second of undivided attention, He's likely to give you something.

Give and it shall be given kind of a thing.

But thats for another blog.

As I was praying I began thinking about

 the cross.

The beating. The bruising. The piercing.

The humiliation. The agony. The blood.

That's when the thought came to me,

 Jesus was hard-core.

He was not playing,

and He was not complaining.

He was dead serious.

Racked with pain, but filled with love.

For me.

I began praying

"Thank you Jesus, for dying for me.

What else is there to say?

What else is there to do?

You said it, and You showed it.

You backed up your words with action

Thank you. I can't say it enough."

Words don't give it justice,

when you are picturing yourself at the foot of the cross.

I'm reminded of something I read that said

 "Show me your scars. You cannot have followed far,

you who have no scars."

There is nothing like gazing upon the supreme sacrifice to shine a light on my lazy little Christian walk.

I want to be hard-core like my master.

Full of love. Understanding the cost.

Able to shed some tears, 

but not afraid to shed some blood too.

Hard-core Christians....there's a thought.

Seen any lately?

Lord Change Me

Lord Change Me

by David Munn

I was at the Apostolic Man Conference in New Stanton, PA this weekend, and before the first service there was a time of prayer.
It was during this time of prayer, that I received what I am going to post here in this blog.
Many times when I pray, I pray out of my spirit, not really premeditated thought. Not weighing each word carefully, just speaking from the heart, as if it somehow bypasses my brain.
During this time of prayer, I heard myself praying, "Lord change me."
It was almost as if God made me hear it,
the way He heard it, and I had to stop.
And repeat it. And think about it.

Wait a minute, I said to myself. Do I really mean that?

What if the Lord asked me to change some things?
To give up some things?
To add some things?

Is this a prayer that I recognize the consequences of?
Do I really want to be changed?
What will change look like?

Lord change me, but not in any ways that will require anything of me.
 Is that what I mean?
Or is it just vain rambling words that have no weight or meaning?
Change me how?

Change requires sacrifice, and who wants to do that?
UNLESS, your desperate, and hungry enough to do ANYTHING, to be more like Him, to feel His presence, to be used, to go to a deeper level.
Are you at that place?
Am I?
Or am I just saying things that I think He wants to hear, and that makes me feel good.
Like I'm saying/doing what He wants me too.
Lip service.
So many words.
But where is my heart?

Would I be ready to lay it down, sacrifice and obey.....or am I really just kind of comfortable with where I'm at?

I'm reminded of James and John, who wanted to sit, one on the right and one on the left of Jesus.......
and Jesus' answer to them wasn't a yes or no answer.
His response was....."Are you able?" "Can you?"
I'd like to think that what He was really asking them was "Are you willing?"
Are we?
Am I?
There is no telling how close we could get to God, and how much God could use us.....if we were truely willing.

If you want to draw close, you have to pay the price.
Front row seats always cost more
than the nose-bleed sections.
Some of us are here for the show, to watch,
and others want back-stage passes.
Access to the band.
Access to the Man.
But it comes at a price.

If any man wants to follow me..... let him first (not somewhere along the journey) deny himself. Ouch!
Take up his cross. Ow!
And follow Me.
How good are we at following?
It requires keeping Him in sight at ALL times.
(Like the Elijah and Elisha story)

Lord change me.
We expect God to do for us, what we are not willing to do for ourselves.....or Him.

We really do need to change.
Don't we?
Don't you?

What are we not willing to change?
If anything comes to mind.....your not ready.

What are we willing to change?
If your answer is anything...if your answer is everything....
Get ready.
Change is coming.

So you think we're a cult?

It's not really big news that people consider us a cult....lots of people have...

Bro. Bernard addresses that issue here in this youtube clip:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVQIx_gOLUA&feature=related 

You see when you say that JESUS is THE way, THE truth, THE life, and that NO man can get to heaven except through Him, because He is THE door, and anyone who even tries to come another way is a thief and a robber..in other words not legitiment and trying to break in...when you say that, that messes with ALOT of people that don't believe that.

Contrary to popular belief you cant just believe anything you want to , and live anyway you want to, and do any old thing you want to, and still get into heaven.

 Narrow is the path and strait is the gate and few there be that find it.

 So in order for "others" who aren't willing to believe the truth, not willing to pay the price, to feel better about themselves for not obeying THE truth, they have to discredit you .

Did the world love Jesus? NO, and it still doesn't.

 The Bible says it you refuse THE truth..God will send you a strong delusion so that you'll believe a lie.
 I would never take a backsliders (someone who knew the truth and walked away) advise about the state of our church.

 The world HATED Jesus and his disciples and followers. They tortured them, killed them, persecuted them, fed them to lions, burned them at the stake....and believe it or not ...they still do.
 just look at ( www.persecution.com ).

Jesus went so far as to say "blessed are you when men shall revile and spit on you"......KNOW what you believe and in WHO you believe and dont back down because Satan has his imps "in people shape" trying to bring you down.
 
 Jesus always had his haters, and so will you.