OUT OF THE BOX

Visit my other blog to read articles I have posted on prophetic ministry in the New Testament Church. This series discusses the gift of prophecy as it was practiced in the early Christian church. Just click the "God's Presence With Us" link in the margin to the left of this paragraph. Billy Long 

(This article is a repeat of an earlier post, and many of you have read it before. But it is a good follow-up to the previous post just below it. It continues our study on "Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth."  -Billy Long) “The Lord has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary.”      Isaiah 50: 4 Icy Hot or Preparation-H Years ago a lady in my hometown was suffering from that “burning and itching sensation” that we hear about in TV commercials. She sent one of her children to the drugstore to purchase a tube of Preparation-H Ointment, which was placed in the tiny medicine cabinet above her bathroom sink along with other medicines which promise relief from various physical ailments. Soon afterwards, her hemorrhoids began to “flare up,” and the pain drove her back to the medicine cabinet for the relief she so desperately needed. Reaching for the Prep-H Ointment she inadvertently took the Icy Ho...

His word was good, but it seems to be his only word. I was listening to a very well-known TV preacher who was, in his usual way, giving a wonderful message about how God wants to bless His children, help them to succeed, and “be all they can be.” His message was good, but something troubled me about it.  Then I realized what bothered me. It was not that his word was bad, but rather that it was his only word. He seems to feed his flock one philosophical principle while omitting other important facets of God’s word. No one truth can be our foundation. Of course, the one foundation for the church is the Lordship of Jesus Christ. There is no other foundation. However, the whole Bible must be our foundation in determining our standards for belief and practice. We must not take one truth and lay it as the foundational principle upon which we set the Bible and all our philosophy. We err and open ourselves to distortion and even potential deception when we make any one doctrine or...

This article probably describes SOMEONE YOU KNOW. Interestingly, all the main points in the paragraphs below came to me while listening to a lady complain about her friends at church. She exemplified most of the principles discussed. —B Long SELF-CENTEREDNESS “Self-centeredness” and “selfishness” are two different things. A selfish person wants his own way, his own advantage, pleasure, and comfort without regard for others, and does not care how it affects others. A self-centered person evaluates and judges everything according to how it relates to or affects him, and is oblivious to how it affects others. A selfish person will deliberately hurt you. A self-centered person will hurt you and not realize it. A self-centered person has great difficulty in relationships because he has inner struggles with what he assumes others think about him. He wonders what they really meant by something they said. Self-centered people only get along with people who are givers and those strong enough...

This is a re-print of an article I posted a couple years ago. The purpose is to renew faith and hope and to strengthen the believer to overcome disillusionment.  -Billy Long   The Narrow Perspective To have an accurate understanding of truth as God sees it, we must look beyond ourselves and our moment. We must see God’s purpose beyond our own comfort and pleasure. Disillusionment comes from a narrow and self-centered perspective, from making judgments based on ones limited "now" experience and current moment rather than faith in God and his power to fulfill His will and plan. Sometimes He gives us immediate victory and keeps us from harm and trouble, but other times He may allow us to suffer persecution, adversity, and hardship. Our circumstances may change, but God and His plan remain fixed and inexorably moving forward. Mark Twain’s Mistake Palestine, before the renewal of Jewish settlement during the late nineteenth-century, was virtually laid wast...

When God arises issues are no longer left to the opinions of individuals. God pronounces sentence or blessing based on the reality of where people and things actually are. That which is of God will be blessed; that which is not of God will be judged. Saul and his house will fall in battle. Eli will drop over dead. The earth will open and swallow Korah and all that are with him.Shemei will face the sword of Benaiah. Alexander the coppersmith will be delivered to Satan to receive his just wages. The plaintiffs, the defendants, and the prosecuting attorneys will all have eloquently stated their cases, but God will arise to judge. All of them will be silenced together as He gives the verdict. The builders will be dwelling in the structures they have built. Then God will arise sending the storm to expose the nature of the building material down to the very foundations to test the building and the builders. When things become muddy, cloudy, and confused, when the enemy is entrenched and ...

My purpose here is not to instill negative attitudes of hostility, fear, and defeat, but to encourage believers to cultivate a genuine walk with the Lord Jesus and be prepared to stand courageously in faith and love during adversity. We must listen to the words of Jesus and emulate those first believers who experienced extraordinary grace enabling them to display exemplary behavior in the face of great persecution. We see in them no signs of hate, bitterness, or even discouragement. They were as amazing in their suffering as they were in their power.   -Billy Long The verses below describe what our posture as Christians should be during persecution.   Rejoice and be glad; Count it as an honor John 16: 33 T hese things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”  Matthew 5: 10-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is th...

“Wild Beasts” “I have fought with wild beasts at Ephesus.”  -1 Corinthians 15:32   There are wild beasts that cannot be tamed or domesticated. They don’t recognize kindness, soft words, or loving speech. If you speak softly to a crocodile or tell him how much you love him, he will still eat you. If you are nice to a rattlesnake, he will still bite you. If you bring honey to a grizzly bear for her cubs, she will kill you. Animals can be brutal and savage. They have no capacity for compassion and will kill with no regret or guilt. The apostle Paul said that in the last days people will be brutal and times will be fierce.  “Fierce” describes the people as violent and hostile. “Brutal” describes them as cruel, savage, unreasonable, and acting on a physical and emotional level with no compassion or care for others.     The term Paul used to describe the times is the same term the Gospels use to describe the man out of whom Jesus cast a legion of dem...

“And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev 12:17. The Kingdom of Heaven Suffers Violence And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  Matthew 11:12. But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament.”  Matthew 11: 17. The verse quoted above describes the intensity that occurs around the Kingdom of God—the aggressiveness of those who seek it, and the violent resistance of those who reject it. The second verse compares the religious world to children sitting in the marketplace playing games rather than engaging the realities occurring around them. It is a picture of typical Sunda...

I appreciate all the visits to my blog from so many of my friends, and visitors whom I have never met. I would like to get an idea who my readers are and where they are from. Please consider sending me an email and introduce yourself. It would be great to hear from you. My address is blong8@sccoast.net.                                                  Thanks                                                  Billy Long

[Below is a reprint of an article I first posted in March 2011. I believe it is appropriate for us today. Keep in mind this article was written almost 10 years ago. The virus, the riots and the unrest today confirm the truth of this message. ---Billy Long] “When the south wind blew softly, supposing they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea they sailed close to Crete…but not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon…and all hope that we should be saved was finally given up.”  Acts 27: 13-14. The above verses describe the journey taken by the ship on which the Apostle Paul was traveling as a prisoner to Rome. The journey began peacefully with a warm, calm wind and beautiful weather. But then came Euroclydon, a tempestuous storm that destroyed the ship, and which would have taken the lives of all who sailed on it, had not Paul been there to hear from God and guide them to safety. A peaceful start followed by the storms of disaster is also illustra...