With This Ring I Thee Wed by Brian Hunter 11/9/14

A ring upon the sovereign hand of God (Jeremiah 3:14),

Forged ere before time was for His beloved (1 Peter 1:20, Revelation 13:8),

Reflects such glorious faithfulness entwined (Proverbs 27:19, 2 Corinthians 3:18),

As trusting babes feed hungrily (1 Peter 2:2-3), bells chime (Exodus 28:33-35).

The covenant thus signed in precious blood (Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, Luke 22:20)

Doth seal eternity for those inclined (2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13)

To harden not the heart drawn up by grace (Psalm 95:8, Hebrews 3:8-18)

Nor doubt the promises of heaven's call (2 Timothy 1:9, 1 Peter 2:21).

And at the feast prepared for all His saints (Matthew 22:8, Revelation 19:6-9)

A moment long-awaited with great hope (Matthew 24:4-5, 11:23-27, John 14:1-3),

All trials and suffering here proven to be (Romans 5:3, James 1:3)

No less than bricks in place upon the wall (Nehemiah 4:17). 

But oh, "It's hard," we say, fire purging dross

and purifying silver within hearts (Psalms 12:6).

The husbandman plows (John 15:1) yet throughout the night (Psalm 30:5)

For the joy so set before Him from the start (Hebrews 12:2).

© 2014 Brian L Hunter

www.ministryofwritinghelps.com

#WritingHelps

To My Beloved Daughters #23

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug." (Isaiah 51:1 ESV)

To my beloved daughters, allow me to say this. No matter what anyone in this world communicates to you, never forget that you are as beautiful and desirable as the perfect and holy God who has created you in His image. Therefore, value yourself as we who are in Christ appraise that great and precious promise, the royal diadem (Isaiah 62:3) whose kingdom is without end (Luke 1:33) and of whom all the Law and the Prophets spake (Luke 16:16), aim and press to be high and lifted up (Isaiah 6:1) living and moving and having our being in Him (Acts 17:28). Hallelujah! May these temples be filled only with that which is holy, wholly imitating the Rock from whence we were hewn (Deuteronomy 32:4, Numbers 20:8, Psalms 95:1, Isaiah 28:16). Glory to our preeminently excellent El Elyon, our shield and our exceeding great reward (Genesis 15:1), The God Most High who laughs at those who would limit His infinite continuum of creative possibility to the dungeon of any one name! Hallelujah, oh great and mighty Father of all spirits, Earth, and all who dwell therein! Praise Him from whom all blessings flow! Praise Him all creatures here below! Praise Him above ye heavenly host! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! 

© 2009 Brian L Hunter 

www.ministryofwritinghelps.com

#WritingHelps

The Sound

“The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.” (Exodus 15:2)

Sound helps us to focus and has been taken advantage of for this purpose throughout antiquity. Evidenced by Isaiah 55:12 and Isaiah 44:23, pure sound preceded language as a component of worship. The syllable om from Sanskrit, the original language of India, considered sacred and centrally important in various Dharmic religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, has been included in mantras repeated to aid concentration on various aspects of the divine during meditation since ancient times. Why then should I, having tasted the sincere milk of the Word and experienced proof that the Lord is gracious (1 Peter 2:2-3), let the cat have my tongue and let the Ancient of Days find me silent? No rock will ever need to cry out in my stead (Luke 19:40), for I shall not be silent regarding the Lord’s infinite goodness. Hallelujah!

“I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.” (Psalm 34:1-2)

If you don’t hear me giving the Lord praise, I must be asleep. Hallelujah! If you don’t hear me singing a song of gratitude or adoration, please check my pulse. Praise God! If you pass my space and fail to hear the resounding tone of a drum or sustain from a high sounding cymbal, please pray that I am either in prayer (Matthew 6:6), studying to show myself approved unto God (2 Timothy 2:15), or resting in the bosom of my Father who art in heaven (John 1:18). For now, as annoying as it is to God’s enemies, I shall continue to make a joyful noise! Hallelujah! “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.” (Psalm 150:6)

© 2013 Brian L Hunter
http://www.anointedwritenow.com

Expect Discouragement

"Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me." (Nehemiah 6:14)

The most extreme opposition and discouragement does not come until the light at the end of the tunnel has come into our vision. When deceit and distraction failed to hinder the work of Nehemiah, condemnation and threats followed. The enemy of God’s purpose uses no new tricks today as he, the father of all lies, seeks to abort the gifts and tasks our Lord and Savior has given us. Note that the lying workers of iniquity against Nehemiah were quite comfortable in the religious places, even taking unto themselves titles of prophetess and prophet. Yes. Remember this. Discern the work of God.

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)

© 2013 Brian L Hunter
http://www.anointedwritenow.com/

Miracle of Faith

“Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17)

I am saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Yes! The work is in what I labor zealously to believe, not in what I do with anything other than my heart and mind. This work does not save me and yet this work is more than worthwhile. Hallelujah! Reverence is work. Fervent prayer is work. Obedience is work. Believing is work. Money cannot buy me love. Love is work. Confession is work (Romans 10:9-10). The entire full gospel is all about the work God is doing in those and through those who have opted to believe the good news that Jesus’ blood and righteousness are sufficient to atone for their sin. All things therefore work together for their good (Romans 8:28). Oh yes. “Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (James 1:4) Work with the Lord, saints. “The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.” (Proverbs 20:4)

Yield and allow the Lord to work His miracle of faith in you once you have surrendered to do the work which pleases the Ancient of Days and pays the dividend of peace eternally. “Jesus, the Messiah, is the same yesterday and today—and forever!” (Hebrews 13:8) Jesus, the Word who became flesh and made His dwelling among us (John 1:14), God Almighty, changes not (Malachi 3:6, Hebrew 13:8). I stand by His Word and not by the clever ramblings of today’s bestselling authors seeking filthy lucre (1 Timothy 3:3).

I don’t know much and I may understand even less. I am alright with the fact that God’s thoughts and ways are infinitely higher than mine (Isaiah 55:8-9). I acknowledge that God is an infinite continuum of possibility who must speak baby-talk in order to communicate anything to my comparatively miniscule, finite human mind. Where my understanding ends, faith picks up the baton and looks unto Jesus as the author and finisher of my faith (Hebrews 12:2). Hallelujah! Who and what am I that this talking God who parted the Red Sea should cause all things to work together for my good? Bless His holy name forever and ever!

© 2013 Brian L Hunter
www.ministryofwritinghelps.com

All or Nothing Gospel

“But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing." So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.” (2 Samuel 24:24 NLT)

Many are being wooed away from the Old Testament altogether by the enticing words of man’s wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:4) reducing the multidimensional God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob down to a one dimensional God who consists only of pleasing aspects such as grace, peace, love, prosperity, and forgiveness without repentance. Such a god pleases the flesh because such an unrighteous deity requires nothing of the flesh. Such antiquated concepts as obedience fall by the wayside and are condemned by the new warm and fuzzy gospel best sellers with perfect hair. The new school theologians say that Jesus abolished the Law and therefore, today, the gospel is all about grace and nothing more. Coincidentally, it is common practice now to lead lost sheep to slaughter and simultaneously grow our own kingdom by selling millions of books to those we have successfully beguiled.

There is such a thing as a full gospel of Jesus Christ which begins with the Book of Genesis. The father of all lies grins with satisfaction every time orthodoxy is annulled. I will therefore gladly pay the price for orthodoxy and endure the ridicule. I will believe the truth of the entire canon of Scripture, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I know that God’s wrath and perfect judgment are every bit as holy as the love, grace, and mercy He sovereignly administers. He is not a god of man’s making. I will surrender to the chastening as well as to the goodness and the blessing. God is an infinite continuum of creative possibility. “Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” (Romans 11:33)

Inasmuch as tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes are graceful, I concede that responsible exegesis of Scripture in conjunction with a prayerfully systematic examination of nature shall prove that sometimes God’s grace is most evident in His unfathomable justice. Repentance comes at a price. The chastening of the Lord is not fun (Hebrews 12:6). Perhaps this is why His love is so much more advantageous than the love we find in a Harlequin romance novel. I will not condemn the passages of Scripture my flesh disagrees with and I will not close my eyes when it rains simply because I prefer to go outside and play forever in the sunshine. A life of submission to God’s will is going to require a faith that survives the hard sayings (John 6:60) and the harsh realities of life, embracing the good, the bad, and the ugly business of picking up my cross daily and following Jesus (Luke 9:23), who, “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) Can my eyes be so fixed upon Jesus as the author and finisher of my faith that I can ignore each new fad and fashionable gospel that blows in on ever new winds of doctrine?

Grace on a silver platter and a bowl of cherries happily ever after is not what the whole counsel of God’s Word illustrates. There is a cost for right relationship with God. The cost is the sum total of repentance which entails brokenness (Psalm 34:18, Psalm 51:17), submission which involves loving obedience to God’s Word (John 14:15), and perseverance in steadfast love which equals freedom (John 8:31-32). “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” (2 Timothy 3:16) All means all, not half. The whole roll (Ezekiel 3:1-3) may be tight. However, it is the whole roll and not merely part which is right. The new gospels, other gospels as Paul labeled them (2 Corinthians 11:4, Galatians 1:8-9) sound appealing because they allow us to reign instead of Christ. This is humanism of the highest world order. Don’t stake your eternal destiny upon perfect hair, a professional stage and light show, and a best-selling book. That 2003 comedy starring Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and Will Ferrell was onto something. Sometimes old school really is the best school.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are personal journal entries of Brian Hunter and are in no way endorsed by any church, fellowship, or ministry with which Brian Hunter is affiliated officially or unofficially. The author has not sought to place any argument or opinion above God's (Romans 3:4). Peaceful discourse is only possible where the fruit of the Spirit resides. Thereby is doctrine proven to be sound and God, who is peace, is lovingly glorified. 

© 2013 Brian L Hunter
http://www.anointedwritenow.com/

The Whole Truth

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.” (1 Peter 3:18-22 ESV)

If we water down the truth of the gospel so that we please each and everyone, we become servants of Antichrist. Though such enticing words of man’s wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:4) are always politically correct, likely to charm filthy lucre out of unsuspecting rattlesnakes, easy for lynch mobs to focus their hatred and rally around, and meticulously fashioned into their own zealous form of godliness (2 Timothy 3:5), these words prove nothing more than the cunning artistry of Beelzebub who is the father of all lies. Such deceit will always help one grow in popularity. People are more likely to return phone calls, respond to emails, and comment on social media posts when our message is so homogenous that not one heart is convicted or motivated to repentance and godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10).

I am not willing to take a chance on winning the world’s approval lottery while failing to fulfill the function for which God has called me. If I wear the moniker of trouble maker, then all is well. As I am delighted when God opens doors of opportunity, so shall I be thrilled when He closes others. I am learning to let go when God says let go. The only real gain in this life is from Him, through Him; and, to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen (Romans 11:36).

Therefore, I do not believe in chance. I believe that the full gospel of Jesus Christ, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth of God’s Word “is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Hallelujah! My hope is built on nothing less. Hallelujah! My conscience is therefore clear because my righteousness, my godliness, is not my own. I have believed and shall hereafter believe in the promises of my King, Jehovah. Bless His holy name forever and ever. Amen.

“ No victor believes in chance.” (Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844–1900 German philosopher)

© 2009 Brian L Hunter 

www.anointedwritenow.com

#WritingHelps

No Appreciation Necessary

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Whatever one’s contribution to a truly intimate and reverent time of worship, physiological appurtenances and feelings of déjà vu aside, regardless of theological camp, denominational enclosure, age, or gender, a person must eventually weigh the experience against the sovereignty and omnipotence inherent in God’s glory.

In spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). Reminiscent of something akin to an Elvin Jones or Tony Williams rhythmic etude or improvisatory utterance upon a drum kit, I would imagine my own contribution from behind a battery of percussion at times must seem unintelligible, foreign, and even extremely bizarre by some standards. Yet, as the little drummer boy in the popular Christmas song, I bring my offering. Any sound I coerce from such basic and archaic apparatuses as drums and cymbals is my humble offering unto the King of kings and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah! Oh, what a range of frequencies is the sound of many waters (Psalm 93:4, Revelation 1:15, Revelation 14:2, Revelation 19:6) and simply the blast of God’s holy nostrils caused waters to be gathered, piled up, and consumed (Exodus 15:8, Job 4:9). Just as the feminine is suggested in the masculine, so is violence existent and inherent in the sublime beauty of grace. Hallelujah! Alas, once again I have thought too much and worshiped too little. Perhaps, one day, thinking, doing, and being may perchance be melded into one glorious act of exaltation.

I am content to be completely insignificant in this life. I am but a worm! All of my hope is in things eternal, Almighty God. Lord, please perfect that which concerns me, the good, the bad, and the ugly, so that I may walk more consistently in the Spirit than ever before. Let Your holy Word have free course in me, working in me both to will and to do of Your good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). Help me to remain ignorant enough of my many flaws to be ever more cognizant of Your infinitely glorious perfection in Jesus’ mighty name.

“First and foremost I am a drummer. After that, I'm other things... But I didn't play drums to make money.” (Ringo Starr -quoted in The Big Beat by Max Weinberg, 1984)

Help me to be who You most desire me to be so that I may be my utmost for Your highest in Jesus’ name. Amen.

“Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

Refrain:
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!” (At the Cross, Hudson, Isaac Watts, pub.1707,ref. by Ralph E. Hudson, 1885)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqMgYbQhcvs

© 2013 Brian L Hunter

One Doctrine Encompassing Law and Grace

“And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out , and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.” (Matthew 18:9 KJV)

Grace is no more unpredictable and misguided than the options of a bowling ball headed down the lane. There are laws which make it clear when activity has gone too far to the right or to the left. Thank You, Omniscient Lord, for the benevolent wisdom of the gutters. Hallelujah! I will count it all joy (James 1:2-8) and not seek to divide the whole counsel, Mosaic law and grace conjoined and taken together, into separate and mutually exclusive axioms. Narrow is the gate (Matthew 7:13-14), God’s Word is not a smorgasbord, and salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) is not sold ala carte.

God is an infinite continuum of possibility. Yes. However, Shema Yisrael. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4) Law and grace are hence mutually holy and righteous and together stand as a house united and not divided against itself (Mark 3:24-25). “For THE LORD JEHOVAH is One, and the faith is one, and the baptism is one, And One is God The Father of all, and over all, and with all and in us all.” (Ephesians 4:5-6 Aramaic Bible in Plain English ©2010) God has told us what pleases Him. Why then should we displease Him? God’s righteous judgment and wrath make Him no less graceful. He has made a way of escape in Christ. Hallelujah! Don’t gamble unless you push all your chips to the center of the table and bet it all on God alone. Enter ye in at the straight gate.

“If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

© 2009 Brian L Hunter

www.anointedwritenow.com

#WritingHelps

Marriage? Really?

“It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.” (Proverbs 21:9)

As my sister in the Body of Christ, though the Word of God should motivate you to press for the mark for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus, “if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you (Romans 8:9),” I make demands upon neither your level of maturity (Hebrews 5:15) nor your love quotient (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). However, when you say you want to be a bride, then the Word of God judges your worthiness to be so. Do you qualify?

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1) Period. There is no condemnation to them which have been abused sexually as children, stalked, raped, maimed, disfigured,  addicted to drugs,  prostituted, or oppressed in any way, shape, or form. Hallelujah! You are, most assuredly according to 2 Corinthians 5:17, a new creation in Christ. Praise our Most Merciful Father who art in Heaven. [I capitalize Heaven because, since God resides there and He is the preeminent Creator of all things (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16), Heaven is, in my heart, mind, and soul, a “proper” noun.] Hallelujah!

Now, we know that sanctification is a process through which we must (Imperative - no “other” way) press toward the mark (Philippians 3:11-21) diligently, with great zeal and fervor (the fervent heat mentioned in 2 Peter 3:10) as opposed to a luke-warm temperature (Revelation 3:15-16). If we are not actively killing sin, sin is actively killing us. We can have multiple doctorate degrees in psychology, theology, Christian counseling, law, or medicine and be light years away from deliverance from the pain left behind as a residue from our past experiences.

Therefore, though we can dress you in Versace and parade you down the runway of life looking quite fabulous and you, through practice and rehearsal, have perfected the mechanics of praise, worship, and even, to a degree, ministry, your pain is showing and your attitudes, lack of patience, inability to trust, and rebellious self-reliance, greatly hinder and short-circuit your chances of experiencing the abundant life paid for by Christ upon the Cross. How then, are you qualified to be a help meet for any man of God? How then, shall you have peace in your home? How then, shall peace, like a river, attend your way? How, then, shall you be able to cease being a brawling woman in a wide house?

Please, learn. Please accept the fact that you do not have all the answers. Please let go of the rebellious notion that you are able to experience deliverance without the proper instruction and wise counsel. As James Brown so eloquently sang, “Please, please, please.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKNCySAvY5Y Imagine that God, rather than James Brown, is singing this song to you, Beloved of God. Also, I cannot recommend enough that you read and follow the “steps” outlined in the Books of Pastor Larry Low; first of all http://www.amazon.com/Eight-Steps-Inner-Peace-Low/dp/1466365706 then http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Christianity-L-F-Low/dp/1589824830 and finally http://www.amazon.com/Your-Pain-Showing-Attitudes/dp/1452857024 Please, please, please do this “work” before spending even one more minute considering marriage. Be sober, be vigilant, and be ready before you say “I do.” This will save not only you, but also any men with whom you become emotionally entangled prematurely, much time and energy that would be, could be, and should be invested rather more profitably in seeking first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Beware the flesh. The flesh should be disciplined to wait upon the Lord to renew strength (Isaiah 40:31) before entertaining the lusts thereof (1 John 2:16).

I don’t expect many to say amen regarding this. And, please, understand that I am just talking about what I am talking about and not directing this toward any individual or group. If the Word of God convicts and the shoe fits, then “despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” (Proverbs 3:11-12) Hallelujah! Don’t shoot the messenger who loves you enough to risk hurting your delicate feelings. Trust God! Evict that foul spirit and his lies! "Crack that whip! Give the pass a slip. Now whip it - into shape. Get straight. Go forward. Move ahead. Try to detect it. It's not too late - to whip it - whip it good." (Devo, 1980)

Let us pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Expository Preaching?

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14)

Of politically correct humanist self-sufficiency couched in Darwinian overtones and faith flavored promises of going to the next level regarding profundity and wealth, I shall prove to be rather ignorant. I come not with enticing words, three points and a poem, nor a fundraiser in the form of a theatrical performance. No. I fear God too much to allow the world to classify me as a preacher by today’s standards. Just call me Brother Brian if you please. For preaching of the highest order, I would direct ones attention to the oratory of John Chrysostom, other Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers willing to be burned at the stake or thrown into the lion’s den rather than recant their testimony of Christ as Lord, and Jonathan Edwards.

Concerning modern expository preaching, I would also caution us that it is possible to go completely overboard with exposition for the sake of exposition even when based upon thorough and defensible exegesis. Reason, even when doctrinally sound and theologically relevant, cannot save, heal, deliver, or set any captive free from sin. Personally, I will always tend to reject an argument that is mean spirited or made by an individual or group claiming absolute moral and intellectual superiority. In this regard, I cannot imagine that I am altogether different from most people. The question then arises, “Is it Christ or the preacher that is being lifted up?”

We are not angels, saints. Therefore, the mechanics of our communication can easily become more important to us than the power, love, and sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7) meant to be conveyed by our singular message of hope, the kernel of which is Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). We can therefore, much like the Pharisees, “err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29) Has God made us to be ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit? Yes! For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life (2 Corinthians 3:6). Shame on us, if, by way of arrogance and pride, we work against the abundance of life that is the inheritance of all those who are in Christ. Let faith and not condemnation come when we have spoken.

 © 2012 Brian L Hunter