"Trinity Matters" by Raymond Smith A book review

Moral Decision about Sin By Oswald Chambers

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. — Romans 6:6 Have I decided that sin will be killed in me? It takes a long time to come to a moral decision about sin, but when I do it is the great moment of my life. In this moment, I decide that just as Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, so sin will be put to death in me. Sin won’t simply be curbed or suppressed or counteracted in me; it will be outright crucified. No one can bring anyone else to this decision. We may think that getting rid of sin is a good idea. We may agree that it’s what our religion asks of us. But what we must do is come to the decision Paul forces us to in Romans 6. Paul doesn’t describe something he hopes God will bring about in the future; he recounts a radical and definite experience: “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1–2). Am I prepared to let the Spirit of God search me until I see what it means to have a sinful disposition—to have something inside me that wars against the Spirit of God? Will I agree with God’s verdict on that disposition, that it must be identified with the death of Jesus? Have I entered into the glorious privilege of being crucified with Christ, until the only life remaining in my body is the life of Christ? “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). If you haven’t done it already, make the moral decision about sin. Take time alone with God and tell him what you want. Say to him, “Lord, identify me with your death until sin is dead in me.” Only when we’ve been through this radical moment of decision can we consider ourselves dead to sin. 1 Samuel 15-16; Luke 10:25-42

How much do I love my Church? by Frank Hunting

Spiritual Hypocrisy By Oswald Chambers

Edition Modern Classic Updated Classic If we aren’t mindful of the way the Spirit of God works in us, we will become spiritual hypocrites. Instead of interceding in prayer when we see another person failing, we’ll turn our discernment into criticism. Be very careful that you don’t act like a hypocrite and try to fix other people before you yourself are right with God. The Holy Spirit isn’t revealed to us through the intellectual workings of our mind, but through the direct penetration of our souls. If we aren’t alert to the source of the revelation—to the fact that it is God, not us—we will become cauldrons of criticism. We’ll forget what Scripture says about our dealings with others: “You should pray and God will give them life.” One of the subtlest burdens God puts on his disciples is this burden of using discernment when it comes to other souls. Why does he reveal certain things about others to us? It isn’t so we’ll criticize them. It’s so we’ll take their burden before God. It’s so we’ll form the mind of Christ regarding them, interceding with him on their behalf. God says he will give them life if we pray in this way. To intercede in prayer isn’t to tell God our opinions or to let him in on the workings of our minds. It’s to stir ourselves up to get at his mind, his thoughts, about the people for whom we intercede. Is Jesus Christ seeing the workings of his soul in us? He can’t—not until we are so identified with him that we strive to know his mind. If we want Jesus to be satisfied with us, we must learn to intercede wholeheartedly on others’ behalf, as he intercedes for us: “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

"How To Pray For Nature" by Agnes Sanford

Agnes Sanford believed Christians could pray about natural events including natural disaster concerns like earthquakes.She built her house on the San Andreas fault lines beleiving that while she was living there there would not be another "big" earthquake.Maybe we should be praying about climate change.My pastor used to say we could learn things from Agnes. I heard her speak in Adelaide when I was a new Christian. She did make a lasting impression on me.Frank Lauback was also one of the "Christian Mystics" who taught many good things about prayer.Saduh Sundar Singh was also a Christian man who some of us woukd finf fault with but has much to teach us. These tapes are from the CFO (Camp Farthest Out) movenent founded by Glenn Clarke.

War Against Saints ~ Jessie Penn-Lewis

Testing the Spirits

We are told in the Bible the following. "1 John 4:1-3 On Denying the Incarnation Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. ..." There are people who have exercised a ministry in doing just this in various countries. There are some in Austalia who have worked in this area.Some in America and I woukd guess other countries as well.What do you think it means? I have put a link below to an audiotape on the internet by the late Stan Motherwell. I have a copy of this and first heard it many years ago.There have been many extremes in the Charismatic and Pentecostal movement.This is a message by Stan challenging the movement as it was gaining much momentum in the 1970's.I have not been involevd in this ministry.This shoukd be listened too with discretion and discernment. In talking to my minister who alerted me to this practice he advised that usually those who agreed to this test discovered the spirit giving their tongue was not from God. These people were Christians who had been deceived. https://promiseboxaudio.com/stan-motherwell-the-movement-of-gifts/