Tag: Repentance

Connecting to the True Vine

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I am sure like me many of you have read John 15, where Jesus says, ‘I am the Vine, you are the branches and My Father is the Husbandman.’ There is a wonderful little book that was written many years ago by Andrew Murray called The True Vine.

While this pandemic has been on, I have spent over ten weeks studying this passage of scripture. I have been asking myself the question, where is the real anointing of Christ and why does the world seem to be in such a mess, the established churches and their leaders so weak and ineffective? I have come to the conclusion as many prophetic people around the world have that Satan is now present on the earth and is establishing his kingdom. We are told in the word of God that the time will come when Satan will be allowed by Almighty God to establish his kingdom upon the earth and go to war with the saints. Many years ago, Pastor David Wilkerson of Times Square Church, New York, preached a message Satan’s Final War Plan Exposed

He brought out the point that if we allow the fly in the ointment (Ecclesiastes 10:1), which refers to the anointing of God, then it turns the oil to putrefaction, which is the same with the anointing of God. This is in direct correlation with John 15. If we allow unconfessed sin into our hearts and our lives then there is a disconnect with the True Vine, Jesus Christ.

Over the many years, I have seen a lot of nonsense in pentecostal churches. Like Pastor David, I have seen people fall on the floor, I have seen people writhe on the floor like snakes, I have seen people scream and shout, but sadly when they get back up off the floor they are no different. I believe the true anointing comes through the word of God by allowing the word of God to permeate through our souls, to become obedient to what the word is saying and put it into action in our lives.

There is a major word that is missing from many ministries across this world. Is the first word that Jesus preached in Luke’s gospel, it is the first word that John the Baptist preached to the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the people of his day. Peter preached it, also Paul, and it is a word that is lost from our churches and sadly our ministers. It is the word repentance. Many Christians today do not understand what true repentance is. They are living under the delusion that their sins are forgiven, past, present and future, and they can behave in any manner they choose, as grace covers a multitude of sins. Many people would call this hyper-grace. I would call it deception. There is nowhere in the New Testament where it tells a believer we can live like an angel on a Sunday and a pig on a Monday.

I personally believe this COVID-19 is a wake-up call for the world and the body of Christ. The Chief Executive of Christian Concern, Andrea Minichiello Williams, recently has put out a YouTube video where she states clearly where is the voice of the true body of Christ?

Why are there not senior church leaders standing up for the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Sadly, we all know the answer to that if we are close to Jesus. God our Father, Jesus Christ our Saviour and God the eternal Holy Spirit are allowing Satan to set up his kingdom. Satan does not have to go after the minions; he has already got them. He does not have to go after the media; he owns that. He does not have to go after the Internet or Hollywood; he is in total control of all this media. So what can we do? If you are a born-again, Spirit-filled believer, you can revoke your BBC TV licence as you are allowing filth and degradation to come into your homes. You can write to your MP to ask them to push back the abortion laws and promote the freedom of speech and the decency of our nation. You can vote with your feet and not buy videos or watch Netflix with programmes which blaspheme the name of God or use foul language. You may say that you are strong enough spiritually to withstand this onslaught but I would like to tell you, you are deceiving yourselves. If more of us in the body of Christ stood for holiness and righteous lives I believe the spiritual dimension of this nation would change. If we spent more time on our knees seeking our Father than the box in the corner or our hobbies I believe we would see a true major revival in our land and across the world again, but as long as we compromise with the world and the world system we affect the anointing that only comes from Christ.

Many years ago, the former Pastor Reinhard Bonnke said, to understand the anointing we need to understand the anointed one, Jesus Christ. We as ministers have no power of our own. We are as Pastor Bonnke once said, no more than fuse wire, but I am led to believe the most perfect conductor is pure gold. So if you want to be effective in the body of Christ, you need to go and open yourself up to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to clean out the garbage and to purify you. Your pastors, your elders are not the answer. We are told in the word of God to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto us, and we are also told to look unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith. So if you are tampering with sin then I can assure you, you are drawing your source from another system. So I leave these challenges with you as I am challenged too as I believe it is time now to prepare ourselves for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. I personally do not believe we have long, but that is dependent on God.

Rev Ross Rennie

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The Litmus Test

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Even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! (Galatians 1: 8)

My Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ our Lord,

We are living so close to the end of the world that it is frightening. We are seeing the emergence of the one-world church. We have seen in the UN a major meeting of the world faiths. In this clip from YouTube, we see clearly the major faiths of the world signing a document of unity. There is no mention of the Bible or the word of God. This document has been signed purely for the purpose of world peace.

So we can see now the emergence of the apostasy church. There are preachers around the world who are now saying that there are many ways to Almighty God. Those of us who know the Bible and what Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14: 6), can clearly state that no matter what the Pope or religious leaders say in Christendom or other faiths, there is only one way by which we can be saved. Peter said at Pentecost, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2: 38) and later, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4: 12). It is so clear to me and those of us who are true believers that the antichrist has infiltrated many megachurches and large ministries.

Just recently, John Hagee said there is no such thing as hell. Jesus spoke more about hell than He did heaven. If you read the gospels, you will see how many times He spoke about Hades and Gehenna. Do your own study.

The Bible also says we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. If you get to heaven, you will not be asked what denomination you were from, what ‘pastor’ you listened to, but you will be judged by your own works, your own walk and whether you listened to the voice of Jesus. Jesus said that He needed to go so that God the Holy Spirit could come and teach us all things appertaining to Jesus. We have compromised in the church. We have exchanged Jesus for Santa Claus and the Christmas tree in many parts of the world. We have exchanged the cross for a chocolate egg and an Easter bunny. The nativity of Jesus Christ has been driven out of our schools and much of our culture. We have pastors and leaders who are so compromised they cannot discipline their own people because of their own condition.

You may have a very good pastor or leader, but I suggest you use this litmus test and see whether your pastor or your church teaches these things as follows:

  • The deity of Christ – Jesus is very God and very man
  • Jesus is the way, the truth and the life – there is no other way to God, only through Jesus Christ
  • Repentance, righteous living and a consequence for sin – a non-compromised life
  • Holiness/sanctification – this does not mean a religious spirit but a holy nature
  • The second coming – will Jesus find faith on the earth when He returns?
  • The infallibility of the Bible – either you believe the whole Bible or you do not

If your pastor or leader does not stand this test my suggestion is to do what the Bible says, get out from amongst them. If you stay with these kinds of ministry, the chances are you will be deceived and the consequences could affect your eternal destiny.

If you wish to comment on this post, please do so below.

If you wish to contact me I always reply to all those who take the trouble.

I love a debate and if you believe this article is not correct, please tell me why. I challenge you.

Rev Ross Rennie

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On the Down-Grade or Pressing on for the Prize of the Upward Call?

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2018 has been a very interesting year. I am sure like us you have had good times, you have had sad times and you have had bad times. But there is one thing I have learned as Paul learned, to be content in all situations.

There is much wrong with the body of Christ but in the end Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” We are also told that there will be sheep and goats, wheat and tares. The decision is, what are you, a sheep or a goat, wheat or tare? The amazing thing about this is it is one of God’s mysteries. Only you know. Jesus said, “What would it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?” This scripture has haunted me all through this year. Another scripture that has challenged me is where Jesus said, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7: 22-23)

We see many things in the church today that do not make sense, but Jesus and the Holy Spirit have taken me back to listen to sermons over 100 years old by the mighty men and women of God such as Charles Haddon Spurgeon, and to look at the great controversy the down-grade, which has found its way into many mainstream churches and sadly has compromised the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

There is one word which ministers from all persuasions are reluctant to use: repentance. John the Baptist preached it, Jesus preached it and the apostles preached it. Now we are told we cannot offend people. I believe this is much of what Charles Haddon Spurgeon gave his life for, and if you ever look at the story of Charles Haddon Spurgeon you will find he was an ordinary man from the fens. He was called the people’s preacher, but he preached to many hundreds of thousands in his lifetime. You can find his story on YouTube. I suggest if you really want to know the truth, take a look.

Other stories which have challenged me this year are the story of John Hus from Bohemia, Martin Luther from Germany, John Wesley, Tyndale and Coverdale who changed this world, DL Moody and Hudson Taylor, not forgetting dear old Gladys Aylward and many others who have given their lives for the gospel of Jesus Christ. None of these people looked for fame, adoration or even worship as many do today. They did not ride around in Cessna jets or live in mansions. They were humble and had contrite hearts., So I would challenge these big ministries: are you built on the rock or on sand? Jesus in one of the parables said the foolish man built his house upon the sand and the wise man built his house upon the rock. A brother has just said to me recently, would it not be amazing if Benny Hinn and his like gave everything they had like Zacchaeus did and paid back what I believe they have stolen (but that is just my opinion) to the widow the orphan. We could change this world.

I also believe with many Christians as one great preacher once said, the hardest thing to convert is a man’s wallet. We are all guilty of this. So this holiday season I would challenge you and myself to give fewer presents, reduce our expenditure and what we conserve give to the poor and other ministries around the world. I believe this would send a signal to the world that we are truly God’s people. I know the argument that many use about Christmas, but you owe it to yourself to research all the traditions of men that we have accepted blindly about this season, as I myself have realised much of it has nothing at all to do with our Lord or the kingdom of God. Did not the apostle Paul say that we should not conform to this world or the traditions of men, or have I read a different Bible? Sadly, many Christians do not read their Bibles. They just listen to the opinions of men on YouTube or sermons that they have heard. My prayer for all believers is that we shall get back to our Bibles and if need be challenge public opinion. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” (Luke 21: 33) As far as I know, these are the words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, not the opinions of men.

If you have any arguments about this article, do not blame me. I am just the messenger. I believe the Lord is speaking to His church, but most of the time it is not listening. I believe 2019 is going to be a crucial year for the body of Christ and many of us will have to make choices. Unfortunately, those choices may be painful. We can no longer accept compromise, as sin is sin whether it is inside the church or outside the church. I personally will not accept gay ministers, those who practise homosexuality, liars, cheats, deceivers, as God has made it very clear none of these will enter the kingdom of heaven. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord, even, as it says in Revelation, if we have to suffer unto death. Are you prepared to do the same as Jesus idid it for you and me when He died at Calvary?

I hope this article challenges you. It many offend you but ultimately you will give an account before the throne one day on how you lived.

If you want to debate this, please add your comment. We should love to hear from you.
God bless you and may you have a good holiday.

Rev Ross Rennie

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One Minute to Twelve

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Clock at one minute to twelveDear Fellow-Ministers and Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ and to the True Church,

Many of us are witnessing in our spirits that the time of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is very imminent. I am sure like me you are being challenged by the events around the world. The tsunami in Indonesia and it seems every day there is a new disaster around the corner. John the Baptist came with only one message and it was a message of repentance. I do not see much of this going on in our churches around the world today. I see as in the time of Amos:

The Prophet Amos – עָמוֹס- lived in the Eighth Century BC and was a common herdsman and keeper of sycamore fig trees (7:14) before he was called by God. He moved from Tekoa in Judah to the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II and prophesied the destruction of the Northern Kingdom. He is the first Prophet to have a Book of the Bible named after him. His book should be first if the listing was chronological, as he lived just prior to Hosea.

While Israel was prosperous at the time, it was also a time marked by social injustice – a time similar to our own! Amos castigated the extravagance of the Northern Kingdom, who “trampled the head of the poor into the dust of the earth” (2:7). Amos in 5:24 called for justice – מִשְׁפָּ֑ט – mishpat, and righteousness – צְדָקָה – tsedaqah, in one sentence. We live in a time of corporate greed and domination, a time of social inequality when 20% of the world consumes 80% of the world’s goods. The Book of Amos is relevant to this day!

[biblescripture.net]

So like me I would hope you would agree with the statement above. There are many in the kingdom of God who are living off the fat of the land as Amos warned the Northern Kingdom. I would say this is a parallel with the western church today. As many of you know, I have travelled to many countries and I have seen many injustices. I see pastors running around in the latest Mercedes and there are members of their congregations who cannot afford shoes. I see pastors and leaders living in mansions while their congregations are living on foodbanks. This cannot be right. I see people in the body of Christ giving to receive. Unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen, we as ministers are guilty of this, as we have allowed the world to enter into the church. It is time for the church of Jesus Christ, I believe, to come to repentance. We are crying out for revival and a change in our nations. But I believe, as the word of God says, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

I have just recently seen a YouTube clip of the late Billy Graham calling the nation of America to repentance in the 1970s. Many of you will not remember when the Shah of Iran was their leader and Iran was relatively free and had the freedom of religion. It was a different time. Now his son Franklin Graham is carrying on the message. Just recently, Franklin Graham was in Lancashire and many souls came to Christ. But I pray that the leaders of the major denominations will put away their petty differences and I for one pray will call the nations to prayer. I believe like many around the world that the Holy Spirit is calling the church to repentance. We are at one minute to twelve, and as it tells us in Matthew 24 we should be watching and praying as we do not know the time of our Lord’s return. It is time now, church, that we put aside our denominations, our affiliations, and came back to the word of God and interceded for our nations. This is not an opportunity for another worship service or people to puff themselves up or even sadly some ministers to make some extra money. This is a sincere cry from my heart for prayer. We in the west seem always to turn these into Christian concerts. This is not what the Lord is looking for.

Many of us remember the March for Jesus, which I believe was a move of God, and other events down through the years by people like Bob Dunnett and great prayer initiatives. But where has all this stuff gone? What a signal would be sent to the world if all the true believers around the world came together and prayed. This is not an opportunity for radio stations, TV stations or leaders in the body of Christ to make a few bob or even take up an offering, but to do as they say, seek God and pray. What a time this would be: no celebrities, no superstar Christians, but a true move of God. Who knows what God would do?

Rev Ross Rennie

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