by David | Jun 7, 2015 | Blog
Last week we discussed the role that demonic possession plays in mental health and physical sickness. There is a lot of reticence and misunderstanding about demons. In fact, 86% of Americans believe in “God” but only 70% believe in Satan. If we are to be true to the word of Scripture we cannot believe in YHWH and then deny His explicit statements about Satan and demons. There is a lot of confusion between angels, fallen angels and demons. This week’s message “Demons” compares the characteristics of angels and demons revealed to us in the Bible. Angels can manifest among us to be seen by one, some or all of the people. They can talk with us, touch us and eat with us. They can reveal themselves as mighty beings from YHWH or as regular people giving us no clue who they really are. Demons cannot manifest themselves in the flesh. The only way they can interact with this physical creation is through the possession of another being, human or animal. The one who is possessed can have supernatural powers while under the influence of the demon. But when the demon is cast out, or the being dies the demon must find another host or it will be condemned to the abyss, until the time of final judgement. The Hollywood image of these horrific all powerful beings destroying humanity with impunity is seriously inaccurate. Demons can invoke human beings to kill and destroy other human beings, but they themselves have no power to directly interact in this physical domain. Also, demons and Satan himself have no power or authority over... read more
by David | May 31, 2015 | Blog
A lady wrote to me a couple of weeks ago with a very pertinent question. June asked, “So, long intro to why is no one being healed? Jesus said that greater things than he did would WE do. He raised the dead, for crying out loud…so what is wrong with us? Wouldn’t a good Father tell us what we’re doing “wrong” if that’s the case?” This question has troubled many who believe the Scriptures are the inerrant word of YHWH, including myself. Y’HoWShUA said we would do greater miracles than He did, so why are there no miraculous healings today? Some people try and make the case that if we are not seeing healings in our assemblies, we are not truly members of the body of Messiah because our prayers are not being answered. If this assertion is correct, then Paul is not a member of the body, YHWH did not take away the “thorn in his side” even after Paul asked three times. Using this logic you could also argue that Y’HoWShUA is not in the body of Messiah as YHWH did not answer His prayer in the garden of Gethsemane to take the cup from Him. Obviously this is nonsense. The real answer is that YHWH always answers our prayers, sometime He says No! In today’s message “Why are there no healings?” we explain the real reason why there are no healings today. In the message we explore who was empowered to do healings and what purpose these miracles filled in the ministry of the early church. We also explore the risk associated with performing miracles, especially... read more
by David | May 26, 2015 | Blog
I hope you enjoyed a wonderful celebration of the Feast of Weeks, the Day of Pentecost! There is a scripture in Revelation chapter 19 which states, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready” (Rev 19:7). Who is the wife of the Lamb? And how does she make herself ready? Most people would automatically state that the church, the body of Messiah, is His wife. But in chapter 21:2 we’re told, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev 21:2). Is the bride of Messiah the assembly of the saints or is it the New Jerusalem? What is New Jerusalem? Walls 1,500 miles long, wide and high, it is like no physical structure man could ever conceive. At 1,500 miles high this is 6 times higher than the International Space Station and 300 times higher than Mount Everest. The walls are made of gold. If each wall was just one standard house brick wide and the entire structure was totally hollow we would need almost 50 trillion tons of gold to build it! There is also an apparent contradiction between Revelation chapter 3 and chapter 21. In chapter 3 Y’HoWShUA tells us that we will be pillars in the temple of The Mighty One. Yet in chapter 21 we are told that there is no temple in the New Jerusalem. If the scripture cannot be broken, how do we reconcile these two statements? How... read more
by David | May 17, 2015 | Blog
In last weeks message we discussed the verse, John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life“. We identified that the love YHWH has for us “agape” love, is given unconditionally without any expectation of return. It is interesting that this perfect love gave us everlasting life. Y’HoWShUA further expanded this blessing when He said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly“. (John 10:10). Y’HoWShUA came that we may have life , and have it more abundantly. Many people are concerned with the concept that as the children of YHWH we have the opportunity to amass abundant wealth. They will point to the scriptures – “money is the root of all evil“, and, “you cannot serve God and mammon” – and draw the conclusion that if we are to be set apart we therefore cannot have money, or the possessions which it brings. This position is a mis-rendering of scripture. The full verse reads “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows“. (1 Tim 6:10) Money itself is not the problem. It is when we place the acquisition of money ahead of our relationship with YHWH, then it becomes idolatry which is a problem. Similarly, those who choose to express their faith through deliberately choosing a life... read more
