|City on a Hill - Writings for Refuge

It is essential to understand the way the Christian life works. It is actually very simple, but it requires continual effort on the part of the believer. It is a yoke and a burden, though light and easy. It satisfies anyone willing to try it. Jesus is the pattern we are to follow. The standard of life He exemplified is the minimum requirement to live with Him. Jesus didn't show us the pinnacle of obedience, and then tell us to expect a lesser expression of it in ourselves. Never. When Jesus spoke of His brethren... His friends... He talked of even GREATER expressions of godliness: John 14:12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. 15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give...

"Jesus coming in the flesh" means Jesus came as a man, lived like all men should live, and showed us the path to life. 1 John 4:1-3 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (2) By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, (3) and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. 1   John 2:9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. Anyone who see's Jesus' walk as different than the way His followers should behave denies Jesus came in the flesh. They separate the Shepherd from His sheep. They assert, whether intentionally or not, that Jesus was supernaturally different than they are required to be. This is antichris...

Every time Jesus warned His disciples to be ready for His return, the implication was that it was sooner than believed... that life would appear normal... The one exception is the parable of the Bridesmaids where He promises a delay. He doesn't suggest it, He says the Bridegroom will be delayed. The delay produces an assumption that the watcher watched too early, then gives up, then get's run over by the unforseen nature of the return of the Lord. MANY in the Church have way-overdeveloped assumptions about what is required in the return of the Lord. These assumptions disregard the VAST majority of warnings Jesus gave of His own return: 1. like a thief... undetected unless you were actively trying to detect it 2. In the midst of a cultural concern about the cares of this life that ignored obvious signs that judgment was necessary (as in the days of Noah) 3. In the midst of deep division in the church to the point where believers would side with the world against portions of the ...