The attempt to coercively persuade an individual to a “right mindset” is not new to mankind. It has been tried throughout the centuries–by the Papacy during the Medieval Inquisitions; the Russian secret police; the prison systems; the mental healthcare facilities; and so on. 
 
During the Korean War, brainwashing was put forth as the explanation for why captured American soldiers were making anti-American statements and defecting at a higher rate than normal. It was found out later that the Chinese had been using de-humanizing techniques and once the POW’s were out from under the heavy hand of their captors and able to reassert their own will, they quickly reintegrated back into their previous life style. In other words, for mind control to be effective and lasting, there was a need for willing participants.
 
Though some may believe that “mind control” is a reasonable explanation when it comes to many of the organizations that claim Christianity or any other religious persuasion as their foundation, the truth is that adherents willingly submit themselves to being molded and shaped. As a major tenet of the Christian religion, its followers believe that they are to allow their minds to be changed by the power of the Spirit of God.
 
However, what must be recognized is that there are two spirits at work which are an antithesis of each other. This is why we are admonished in 1 John 4:1, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God…” Satan has the ability to negatively influence the human mind, and he has and is making the most of it by deceiving the whole world. Though many follow the Devil’s lead ignorantly–without realizing that they do so—it is nevertheless true that due to Satan’s deceptions and evil devices from their childhood, they have acquired a will and a desire to follow Satan willingly.
 
It is this same sway that man’s Adversary, a being of vast power, seeks to foist upon true converted Christians who have received God’s Holy Spirit. Even though we, the Spirit-begotten Children of God, have a hedge set about us, Satan desperately wants to direct our thoughts especially. 
 
If we are to combat the wicked one, we must allow our minds to be transformed in the right way. James says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). We are to obey God and truly be led by His Power in us. Doing so will put us in the right frame of mind to overcome all that besets us. To avoid being conformed to Satan’s world and all that is in it, we must willingly replace our mind with the perfect Will of God (Romans 12:2).

When we think of Christ’s prolonged suffering and excruciating painful death, we might perhaps ask ourselves, could there have been a better or easier way to accomplish the purpose and end result of His First Coming?

Why did He become a Man to die? We know that God the Father created everything—including man—through Jesus Christ. As man’s Creator, Christ’s life was of more value than the sum of the entire creation. He died by shedding His blood, and there is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood. The penalty for our sins is death, and Christ died to pay our penalty on our behalf. His death was necessary for the remission and forgiveness of our sins, with man’s potential of inheriting salvation and eternal life in the very Family and Kingdom of God.
        
But why not choose a fast and nearly painless death, such as beheading in the manner in which John the Baptist  was killed? Christ would still have died for the sins of mankind; He would still have shed His blood for us–but that was not what God and Christ had decided before the world began. And there are reasons for that decision—in fact, no other way would have been possible (compare Matthew 26:36-42).

Focusing on the events after the last Passover that Christ observed with His disciples, we find that Judas betrayed Him to His captors in the Garden of Gethsemane with a kiss; that all His disciples forsook Him and that Peter betrayed Him three times; that He was illegally “interrogated” all night; that He was brought before Pilate, Herod, and again Pilate for further “questioning” during the day; that He was brutally beaten by the Romans—apparently three times—with no limitations on the amount of stripes which He received; that He was spit on, mocked, ridiculed (with a crown of thorns placed on His head, inflicting further pain and wounds); that the Romans beat him on the head with a reed; and that He was finally sentenced to death by crucifixion, after He had been repeatedly declared to be innocent by Pilate and Herod, and while Pilate instead released a convicted murderer in His place.

By the time He was nailed to the stake at the place called Golgatha (the Place of a Skull), together with two convicted robbers, He had been without sleep for some 30 hours. He had lost blood by the beatings and scourging which all by themselves could have caused the death of a person. He was indeed greatly weakened because Simon of Cyrene had to assist Him in carrying His stake to the place of crucifixion, where His hands and feet were pierced through with nails and where He endured terrible agonies and thirst on the stake for another three hours, being continuously blasphemed and ridiculed by bystanders, before dying at around 3 o’clock in the afternoon, when a soldier murdered Him by piercing His side with a spear.

Why did God the Father and Jesus Christ allow this kind of inhumane and cruel “punishment” to be executed against the very Son of God? And why did they allow the kind of suffering that Christ endured throughout His human life—and especially during the hours following the Passover? Christ knew all that would happen, and He told His disciples that He had desired to eat the Passover with them before He would suffer.

One answer is, of course, that God the Father and Jesus Christ chose this manner of suffering and death of the very Son of God so that they could never be accused of taking the easy way out. But there is much more to the answer.

We read in 1 Peter 2:24 that Christ “Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes [we] were healed.” (Compare Isaiah 53:2-5; Matthew 8:16-17).  While the shedding of His blood made possible the forgiveness and redemption of our sins, His numerous wounds, stripes and beatings made possible the healing of our physical deformities and sicknesses.

We also read that Christ learned obedience by all the things that He suffered. He came in the likeness of sinful flesh to overcome sin in the flesh. He never sinned once—but He had to experience in His flesh what it took to be always obedient to God, even in times of excruciating pain and prolonged suffering.

We read in 1 Peter 2:21-23 that Christ “suffered for us, leaving us an example that [we] should follow His steps: ‘Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth’; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously…”

Let us truly appreciate what Christ went through on our behalf. It was not a light matter to pave the way for our spiritual forgiveness and physical healing, and God expects of us to live worthy of our calling by following Christ’s sinless example in everything—especially in times of temptation, trial, sickness and severe suffering.

In Matthew 18:3, Christ gave His disciples the following very poignant admonitions: “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Some great points are given here.

Firstly, we are to be become converted. Conversion describes a total change in how we think and act. It refers to a rejection of the ways of this world and a transformation by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). It requires constant effort and constant learning. Paul had to correct the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 because they were not growing spiritually. They behaved, as it were, like mere carnal men, full of envy and strife.

Secondly, we are to become as little children. But we are also told that we are to be growing (compare also 2 Peter 3:18). We start as “newborn babes [who] desire the pure milk of the word, that they may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). Babes in Christ are to be growing in maturity and Godly wisdom. So how does being as little children fit into this?

Albert Barnes Notes on the Bible has this to say: “Children are, to a great extent, destitute of ambition, pride, and haughtiness. They are characteristically humble and teachable. By requiring his disciples to be like them, [Christ] did not intend to express any opinion about the native moral character of children, but simply that in these respects they must become like them. They must lay aside their ambitious views and their pride, and be willing to occupy their proper station–a very lowly one.”

This is not to say that we are to become as children in respect to foolishness, as Proverbs 22:15 tells us that foolishness, which is bound up in the heart of a child, must be driven far from it. Rather, we are to take on the attitude of being faithful and trusting in God, of accepting correction in humility, and of wanting to learn and being teachable and receptive to God’s words. As we read Christ’s statement in Luke 18:17: “… whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

While we are to have a teachable and humble attitude like little children, we must also realize that we are to be working towards perfection in all things (compare Ephesians 3:13-19).

Thirdly, we are told that we need to enter the kingdom of heaven. We are not already in the kingdom of heaven, nor are we to go to heaven to enter it there. Rather, the kingdom of heaven is the kingdom of God—the kingdom of our Father who is in heaven—which Christ will restore on this earth when He returns; and when God’s children will enter His kingdom, they will rule with Christ on this earth for a thousand years.

So are we “as” little children? Where are we in faith, understanding, truth and knowledge? Paul again gives a strong warning and rebuke in Hebrews 5:12-14, when he writes: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are full of age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Where are we in being able to discern good and evil? The times are evil and the time of Christ’s return is drawing closer. Let us all work towards a good, solid and mature understanding (1Corinthians 14:20), and when we, by reason of use, continue to “exercise our senses to discern good and evil,” and to practice the good and reject the evil, then we will continue to be like little children and be allowed to enter the soon coming Kingdom of God.

When was the last time you were corrected? More importantly, when discipline came your way, did you take it and actually make a change in your life?
 
When Nathan was sent by God to confront David for his sin with Uriah’s wife and of Uriah’s murder, David simply said, “‘I have sinned against the LORD’” (2 Samuel 12:13). Psalm 51 gives us more details of King David’s heartfelt repentance—let’s note some of the key verses:
 
“For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me, Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight…” (verses 3-4).
 
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (verses 10-11).
 
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise” (verse 17).
 
Because David was willing to take his correction and profoundly change his approach, God forgave and accepted him and continued to work with him. So great was David’s repentance, that God’s covenant with him continues until this very day, and it will find even greater fulfillment in the future.
 
All of us need correction, and we, like David did, should seek it from God. Hebrews 12, verses 3 through 11, outlines why Christians will undergo episodes of discipline.
 
How does this occur?
 
It happens (or should) when we study the Word of God, when we hear messages from God’s true servants, when we read the Church’s literature (including our booklets and weekly Updates), when we counsel and fellowship, when we privately pray and meditate, and when we are very attentive and receptive as to how God is working in our lives. In everything we do, we should be sensitive to making changes to walk more and more completely in God’s Way. This is possible because we have God’s Holy Spirit.
 
But we must not ignore or quench God’s Spirit of power (1 Thessalonians 5:19), nor reject learning to think like Jesus Christ thinks (Philippians 2:5).
 
Here is a promise we can count on if we are true Christians—more discipline lies ahead! The next time you are corrected, will you take it?

It may be true for all generations to feel that end-time prophecy is being fulfilled before their eyes. However, the events we read about today seem to take less and less imagination to connect with prophetic Scripture for the last days, than they did just months ago.

In nearly every corner of the world, we are seeing a significant shift in power, which we expect to see as God’s plan is fulfilled. Among the most alarming news is the steady stream of government protests in the Middle East. Countries that are clearly identified in the Bible with prophetic relevance have seen radical changes in only the past weeks and months. The Egyptian government has experienced a complete upheaval. Libya is in the middle of a civil war. Syria too has seen an accelerated rate of protests demanding a change in the leadership governing the country. In the meantime, the international respect for the country of Israel continues to erode at a constant rate. These major disruptions in that part of the world are just a few of the events going on today with prophetic relevance. What in the world IS going on? How can these things happen so quickly and unexpectedly for so many?

The answer is quite simple. We are reminded in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, that for this world, the Day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night! We can expect the unexpected to occur. And even though God has already given us the overall prophetic picture, we might not yet be able to predict how exactly all the minute events will come about, as prophesied in the Bible. But we do have an advantage in that we have the tools at our disposal to develop our understanding about how to prepare for the end-time fulfillment of God’s plan.

So, how can we prepare? We can prepare by following the instructions of the Bible to build our faith, love and hope for salvation. In these virtues we must invest and trust. The corollary truth is that the “comforts” of the world we live in are the things we must turn away from, because they are completely unreliable and work against our spiritual goals. Overcoming the negative influences of the world, and trusting in the one true God must be a way of life for us if we want to be prepared for the establishment of God’s Kingdom.

Even with these truly comforting meditations at the forefront of our thoughts, the unrest in the world makes it far too easy to lose heart and fall into worry. While there is not much that we can control outside of our ability to prepare spiritually, at least we know that we can trust in God. I frequently find encouragement and strength when reading Joshua 1:9, where God admonishes the newly appointed leader of Israel on the threshold of entering the land of Canaan: “’Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.’”

Matthew 24:36 plainly tells us that no one knows the day or the hour when Jesus Christ will return. Even if it was possible to have such information, it would be of no use without the virtues that we are told to develop. Even if we always had the ability to accurately predict every minute sequence of prophetic fulfillment, we still would not be prepared for the coming of Christ without the love of living God’s way of life. We must not be afraid of the events contributing to the fulfillment of prophecy, but even more importantly, it is critical that we work to prepare spiritually, so we can be among those who have succeeded in overcoming the world when that Great Day arrives.

How many times have we felt a compelling urge to do or say something?—and we might have done so before thinking about it. How many times have we reflected too late on our words or action?—and having realized our mistake, we might have tried to excuse it by saying: Satan made me do it! Or: I could not help it!

On the other hand, how many times have we felt a soft and gentle influence, not to say or do something?—but we did not heed it until it was too late. How many times did we realize afterwards that we were being led into not doing or saying something?—but we simply ignored that gentle leadership.

Simply put, how many times did we follow the push of Satan, self and society to do something wrong—and how many times did we follow the lead of God’s Holy Spirit to refrain from acting that way?

And so I ask: Are we being pushed or led? Because it is Satan who pushes, while it is God who leads.

Paul makes this profound statement in Romans 8:14: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” And he adds in Galatians 5:18: “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law”—that is, you are not under the penalty of the law (death) for having broken it.

This sounds quite straightforward in English, but sadly, not so in other languages, for instance in German. The Luther Bible translates Romans 8:14 as, “For as many as are driven by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” In German, the word for “driven” is “treiben” and could also be rendered in English as “to be urged, to be pressed, to be incited.” But this is NOT how God’s Spirit works. We are LED to do what is right—we are not pushed or forced to do something against our will.

Contrariwise, Satan wants to push or force us to do and say the wrong things. And we must be careful that we don’t succumb to his “push” and that we don’t attempt to push others. Note how Job describes the violence on the earth: “Some remove landmarks, they seize flocks violently and feed on them; They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take the widow’s ox as a pledge. They push the needy off the road; all the poor of the land are forced to hide” (Job 24:2-4).  And: “… They have cast off restraint before me. At my right hand the rabble arises; they push away my feet, And they raise against me their ways of destruction” (Job 30:11-12).

Don’t push or allow to be pushed; but rather, lead and allow to be led. Notice what God will do to confused people in the not-too-distant future: “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young” (Isaiah 40:11). And: “… the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17).

Leading others gently, compassionately and mercifully will have a much greater and lasting effect than pushing or compelling them. As we read in Jeremiah 31:9: “They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of living waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble…”

If people are receptive to true leadership, they can be lead. But pushing and forcing them won’t help. Remember that a person persuaded or convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.

Again, I ask: Are you leading because you are being led, or are you pushing because you are being pushed?

On the 29th April this year, just three weeks ago, the marriage took place of Prince William and Kate Middleton, now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.   It was an event that was shown on television around the world to about two billion viewers, with many broadcasters, we were told, scheduling royal-themed programmes  throughout the day. In the UK, it attracted around 24 million viewers and the day was proclaimed a bank holiday.  

It was also one of the biggest ever news days on the internet.   In short, this royal wedding was a massive worldwide event. The wedding was organised and presented in a way that caught the imagination of people all over the world.  The couple received many good wishes for their future happiness.

As far as I am aware, no Church of God member received an invitation to the wedding, but all Spirit-begotten members of the Family of God will be involved in the biggest wedding of all.   It will be their royal wedding when the true Church marries Jesus Christ at His soon-coming return. 

We have long understood that the Christian marriage between a man and a woman is a type of Christ marrying His Church. The Church of God is now “betrothed” to Christ (that is, it is “engaged” to Christ in a legally binding arrangement), and the consummation of the marriage and the marriage supper will take place at His return.   We read of this in Revelation 19:7-9, where a mighty angel declares to John: “‘Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.’  And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.  Then he said to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!”’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true sayings of God.’”

The–comparatively speaking–insignificant and temporary recent royal wedding may have been eagerly anticipated by so many, but how much more are the members of the Church of God to anticipate their marriage to Christ – which will last for all eternity! That will be the outcome of remaining faithful to God until the end!   It will be so much greater and tremendously more important than that which was witnessed just three weeks ago, and it must be something that true Christians must press towards with all of their heart.

The big news of the past week has been the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan.  Many different stories of what exactly happened have surfaced.

Now, I am not here to debate whether he is dead or not; or how he may or may not have died; nor even the ramifications of his death which may be considerable.  Rather, I want to address the reactions of many of those in the US and around the world to his demise.

I was struck, and even a little taken back by the unadulterated joy and happiness of many that bin Laden was murdered.  Of course, I understand the evil that the organization he formed, al-Qaeda, wrought on the world, not only with 9/11 but many other heinous terrorist acts that have caused untold suffering and anguish.

For those affected by Osama bin Laden, here is the hard thing God asks of us in Proverbs 24:17-18, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him….”

Vengeance belongs to God (Romans 12:19) in His time, in His way and for His purpose.  It is not up to us to take matters into our own hands, but rather we are to work and pray that we live according to His Will. 

What God wants and accordingly what we should also want is for “all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).  God would rather that everyone would repent and turn away from their evil ways and turn towards Him.  Is this what we want for EVERYONE as well?

Sin is man’s enemy. It messes with our thinking and can totally corrupt our minds–like Satan’s mind was so corrupted that it is impossible for him to repent. He cannot change because he refuses to repent. On the other hand, God cannot sin because He refuses to sin. He cannot even be tempted by sin (compare James 1:13).

Some time ago, I had a virus in my computer that was generating outgoing spam–up to three hundred emails a day. I spent much time just deleting this junk mail. I had a technician come over, and he stated he had never seen such a virus before. To solve the problem, he had to save all my files and totally delete everything else off my hard drive. Then, he had to re-install the programs and the saved files, which thankfully solved the problem.

Sin is like a very destructive virus generating “junk mail,” thereby affecting us and others. If we do not deal with sin, it will totally take over our minds, scramble our brains, and influence others negatively as well.

When David committed adultery, he wasn’t thinking straight, and because he did not repent at first, it only got worse. In trying to cover up his sin of adultery with Bathsheba, he had her husband killed. This only added to David’s guilt. By the time he wrote Psalm 51, he had come to his senses and realized that he had been in danger of losing God’s Spirit. This is an important lesson for us in regard to sin: If we do not repent and get rid of sin, we could lose out on salvation. This would be a high price to pay. David finally did acknowledge his sins and seek God’s great mercy and forgiveness, but he had to live with the constant realization and memory that his sins had caused the death of his son conceived out of wedlock. Still, due to David’s deeply sincere change of heart and mind, he will receive a high position in the Kingdom.

God is offering all of us a great rulership position in His Kingdom. But we need to do our part by conquering and removing sin and replacing it with God’s righteousness. In doing this, we can be confident that we will obtain God’s gift of eternal life, as well as a great reward that Christ is anxious to give us when He returns.

I would like to say that my life is ideal, but it’s not. Is that how you feel? Yet “hope springs eternal as we travel our way, in the hope that tomorrow is more blessed than today.” This “romantic ideal is not real, that we know, but it keeps us alive, so we can’t let it go.” Is that how you feel?

Central to the motivation of man is the belief that this physical life will get better. Emotively spoken by Martin Luther King were the words: “I have a dream.” They touched the nerve ends of those who had no dream, but needed one. It was the “promise” of something better.

Being able to visualize something that is not yet real is a unique gift. It is the first step to creating our dream. The great inventions that we rely on today were first visualised–at first they were only dreams. In other words, we are creative. Is that not ideal? We could answer yes! As far as it goes. It is certainly a God-like attribute! Yet, it has not led to the ideal life here on earth that man is looking for.

Chasing the ideal in our physical lives is nothing new, but is it attainable? Job wrote: “Yet man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7). Nevertheless, the quest for the ideal lives on, but it seems more elusive, as one gets older.

Down through time, the troubled spirit of man has looked to many philosophies, ideas and ideologies for guidance to find a life that is ideal. So often people look forward to retirement to be free from the burdens and cares of life. Unfortunately, during their retirement they get old, and getting old is not ideal. After getting old (and sometimes before), they die, but to be sure, death is not ideal.

So what about us? Do we believe we will find the ideal in this life? Certainly, the life of a true Christian will be more abundant, with many blessings. Jesus said it would be, and so did Solomon:  “The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22). At the same time, Solomon understood that there will be moments of dissatisfaction and disappointment, when we wish to embrace things which we have left behind or given up. But Solomon cautioned us: “Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For you do not inquire wisely concerning this” (Ecclesiastes 7:10).

What this shows us is that the ideal will not be found in this physical life. It will only be achieved when we have become perfect, but that’s not yet. This brings us to cause and effect. To create the ideal life, we will need ideal people!                                                     

The wonders of man’s creative ability have led some to believe that “we don’t need God.” Not understanding his own nature nor why his spirit is troubled, man seeks solace in physical things. In other words, “let’s seek a physical solution to a spiritual problem.” If attaining the ideal for ourselves in this life is the main focus, the real goal will become more and more elusive. It will drift further and further away. Herein lies the cause of many frustrations and disappointments.

Without realising it and unintentionally, the goal of pursuing the ideal in this physical life may become a selfish ambition. People often see this life as their only hope – their only opportunity to “get their dream.” But in order to obtain our ideal, we must be seeking for God’s Will to be done in our own personal lives, to prepare us for a better life to come.

What area of service has God given us to do? Is it “only to pray”? If so, remember that some of the greatest works of God have been achieved through prayer. We are wisely admonished: “In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:6).

We should take much comfort in the promise that God will provide all our needs. The condition is that we “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these [physical] things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). By experience we can say that God provides a great deal more than our needs!

Jesus said: “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). He is preparing for us, individually, a “place” or position of rulership. Yes – the ideal is coming! But it is coming from God, not from man and through man, and it will be GIVEN to us!

God is creating for us the IDEAL life!  A very high position, with great honors, to be born into His Family as immortal Spirit beings! We will be totally thrilled and astonished when it happens. At that time, we will have been MADE perfect! Anything less would not be ideal.