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by David Wyper

Almost all Christians know the story of Jesus turning water into wine, but very few really understand what was the real miracle at the wedding feast in Cana.  Today we have magicians and illusionists who do incredible tricks. Turning water into wine, by comparison, isn’t all that amazing to some. But that wasn’t the miracle.

When Jesus turned water into wine, he didn’t just provide “a” wine.  He provided the best wine anybody had ever tasted, from grapes unknown to wine makers of the day.  To make the very finest of wines today takes a very, very long time. There’s planting and growing, harvesting, de-stemming and crushing, fermentation, aging, and as we would say today, bottling.  Jesus did this in an instant. He was - and is - God!  He is The One who holds time in His very hands, who can stop it or speed it up. Only God could put years into an instant.

Jesus revealed Himself as the very Lord of Glory in that moment. He also showed us His nature as God-man, to provide what was needed for a great celebration.

Abide in the doctrine of Christ. When you do, you have both the Father and the Son. You have GOD!

Ed. note:  David Wyper’s music is available here and here. His song “Here’s the Wine” from the album Dedicated Heart is on this page.  If you like music videos, try the  David Wyper Youtube channel.

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Tags: Christianity, Culture, David Wyper, Doctrine, Uncategorized by Sharon
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 by Sharon Wyper

The editor forwarded a  press release to me for comment here, pertaining to the rumors of imminent disclosures to be made of a long-standing cover-up by the USA and other governments who have recovered bodies and craft from space aliens, and even made contact with them.

The July 28 press release, from christiannewswire.com, is titled “Could Aliens Become Spiritual Mentors?” and breathlessly asked the question “Is our society about to acknowledge the existence of aliens?”  This is brought on because “Just last week former NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchell, speaking on BBC Radio, said aliens exist and have been observing earth for “quite some time.”"

In fact, if one follows such things, many credible witnesses have attested to the reality of UFOs and visitors who are “not of this world” - usually to the jeers and scoffing of nearly everyone everywhere.   What does seem to have changed is the attitude of the media toward the subject, if only by a little, given the stature of the speaker.

This is a fascinating and scary press release on the “aliens from space’ topic from Christian News Wire, in that it is trying to make the case that an alien invasion might inspire us earthlings to be more spiritually aware, bringing wisdom and higher planes of existence to us  - who are less evolved!  Since I have long ago given up Science Fiction as a hobby, I was unaware of the movies cited, but the trend as described is clearly toward mind-controlled Hollywood propaganda prepping us to accept aliens (spirits not of God) as religious gurus - if not as demi-gods.  That is so scary.

This press release says, “We can always choose to embrace the unknown–the alien–instead of fearing it.”

Well, doh! - maybe we could get back to the Bible!  What about we just return to God our Creator, the Lord, God, and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved.  We could be protected from these devious unclean alien intruders by God Almighty, instead of welcoming them into our bosom.

Non-human intelligent beings are very much evident in the Bible, and are of two sorts, the Servants of God, ministering spirits who have gone forth on the earth, who always point men to Jesus Christ, and the Devil, whose servants are evil, adversaries of God, thieves, who come only to kill, steal, and destroy.  What is so hard to understand about that!?  Yes, they are here and have always been here.  It’s all in the Bible.  Also in the Bible are the complete instructions for dealing with them.

Also, by extension, Christian Newswire  now seems sort of scary - why would any “Christian” source offer a story like this?  You can read the whole thing here.  What do you think of this press release?

Tags: Christianity, Culture, Doctrine, Uncategorized by Sharon
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by David Wyper

What does God have to say about our imagination?

Through Moses, God said of mankind that “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” After hearing the words of a curse, man then blesses “himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst.” God says our imagination will testify against us and evils and troubles will befall us.

God has Solomon call our imagination “wicked,” and Jeremiah calls us deceived when we think our imagination can bring peace and that “no evil shall come upon you.” Jeremiah also compares our imagination to rebellion against God.

Jesus said the the proud are scattered “in the imagination of their hearts.”

Also, Paul refers to our imagination as vain and something to be cast down as it is a “high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.”

Yet, in the last decade or so,  the church has lifted up a song glorifying the imagination to be one of the most successful songs in Christian music, and God’s people have followed after like lemmings, singing, “I Can Only Imagine.”

Go figure.

We need to always fix our faith and trust in the absolutely finished work of Christ on the Cross; and (as Paul teaches) to not go beyond what is written.

Genesis 6:5 - And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Deuteronomy 29:19 & 20 - And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:  The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.

Deuteronomy 31:21 - And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.

Proverbs 6:18 - An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

Jeremiah 23:17 & 18 - They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.  For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?

Lamentations 3:60-63 - Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.  Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me; The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.  Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.

Luke 1:51 - He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

Romans 1:21 - Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

2 Corinthians 10:5 - Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Tags: Christianity, Culture, David Wyper, Doctrine, Uncategorized by Sharon
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by David Wyper

“My eyes haven’t seen, nor have my ears heard, what my Father has in store.” Words from a song that I recorded years ago, “The Scars in the Hands of Jesus.” They proclaim the words from Isaiah and then repeated by Paul to the Corinthians.

When you hear these words what do you think the following message should be about? If you said Heaven, you’d be wrong. The song was ultimately about Heaven but the scriptures are not. “What! That’s been the message ever since I’ve been in church!” Yes it has, but these verses have nothing to do to with Heaven.

God speaks of Heaven in very specific ways in the Bible and does not leave it up to our imaginations. “In my Father’s house are many mansions”….” “There is a river that makes glad the city of God .” A place with no tears, no sorrow, no dying or loneliness, where God is the light…a city of jeweled walls and gates…

Isaiah says that God has a plan in place before the earth was formed. A plan where He and He alone will save us from our righteousness, filthy rags to Him, with His righteousness and man will not have a clue of what it is He will do for those who love and trust Him. Isaiah is prophesying Christ Jesus on the Cross.

Paul repeats the plan, in I Corinthians Chapter 2, in the context of, “I have come to you not knowing anything but Christ and Him crucified.” He doesn’t say he comes knowing only what God has in store for us in Heaven. Paul says it’s a mystery that man cannot understand except by the Holy Spirit. If the princes of the world had understood, they would, Paul says, not have crucified the Lord of glory. For it is written, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Paul then goes on to proclaim that when this mystery is known and understood, those who are spiritual should judge all things according to this revealed mystery, the Cross.

So when you hear these words, remember the Cross, remember the Lord’s death until he comes. This is what God prepared for you. Man gave up the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. God replanted it on the hill of Calvary, with the blood of Jesus, which now sustains us in all things to this day, the believer and unbeliever alike.

One thing that is very true about the song I recorded, is that God planned our redemption to be fulfilled by the nail prints in the hands of Jesus. It is finished!

Tags: Christianity, Cross, David Wyper, Doctrine, Uncategorized by Sharon
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by David Wyper for TCC
www.thechristiancompass.com

The Mormons, and all other religions that do not abide in the Doctrine of Christ, as specified by the disciple John, do not have have God. Those who do abide in the Doctrine of Christ, have both the Father and the Son, in fact GOD. The Mormons do not believe that God came in the flesh as the Son, Jesus. But Jesus said He was God and John, again, said He was: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the WORD WAS GOD and the Word became flesh and dwelt among
us.”

When Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished,” that’s what he meant. The plan for mankind’s total redemption, put into motion by GOD, Father, Son and Holy Spirit (again, not a belief of the Mormons), before the foundation of the Earth was laid, was completed by the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Nothing to be added (Book of Mormon) and nothing to be subtracted (countless empty theologies denying the person and works of Christ.)

Certainly, Paul, Peter and John, all preached after the cross. In fact, outside of the Gospels, all of the New testament is after the cross. But as Paul said, he comes, not with flowery words or great theologies, but to know only Christ and Him crucified. They didn’t add or subtract from the finished work of the cross, but spoke of the power and peace that comes through His completed work.

Jesus said the bread He gives to us is His flesh, and He gave His flesh for the very life of the world. Believer and non-believer alike exists only because of the finished work of Christ on the cross. “My flesh is meat and My blood is drink.” Everything IS because of His finished work.

Simply, Christ IS GOD. When you believe this and put your faith in the absolutely finished work of the cross, you abide in the Doctrine of Christ and have both Father and Son. If you don’t, you don’t have God. Sadly, the Mormons, and many other, sometimes very moral and well meaning people, don’t have God.

Tags: Cross, David Wyper, Doctrine, Mormons by Sharon
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