Reconcilation Outreach l Worlds In collision

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Paul & Nuala O'Higgins

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WORLDS IN COLLISION

           The secular order and the kingdom of God are on a collision course! Jesus’ claim to be the King of a greater kingdom – the Kingdom of God, created a clash of kingdoms that continues to this day.

In the 4th century, when the persecution of Christianity by the Roman Empire stopped, the collision of Christianity and Empire produced not fission but fusion. This fusion evolved into the Catholic Church. The Emperor Constantine and his successor Theodosius first tolerated Christianity and then made it the religion of the Empire. Unconverted people were accepted into the church simply by membership in the Empire.

The Protestant Church (a movement of partial reform) which restored the authority of the scripture and the need for personal faith, began in the 16th century. However, Protestantism still allowed the unconverted into the church, and became as much a political movement as a spiritual one. Politicians exploited the reformation to rebel against the Roman Empire and to expand their personal dominions. Thus nationalism was born and national churches emerged. People were declared Christian - in its various national forms - on the basis of their citizenship.

The era of Protestantism has been an era of half reformed Christianity. The energy of Christianity was sapped by the state, and the loyalty of the believers was yoked to the interests of the state rather than the interests of the God’s Kingdom. Protestantism, like Catholicism, paid lip service to the values of Christianity while ignoring the need for conversion and repressing further reform. The vision of The Kingdom of God was obscured behind the political agendas of nationalism and colonialism.

The United States (though it did not establish any church or create a national church, and gave freedom and toleration for all expressions of faith) still followed the Protestant pattern of connection of church and state. In this arrangement the state pays lip service to Christianity while pursuing its own agenda. The citizens assume that by membership of the state and occasional church attendance they are Christians

We are now entering a secular era that is post nationalist, post colonial, post Catholic, post Protestant, and post denominational.

In this new secular era

•         Nationalism is replaced by internationalism,

•         Colonialism is replaced with globalism,

•         Catholicism and Protestantism are replaced by the equality of all religions.

•         Racial distinctiveness and racism (thankfully) are replaced by multiculturalism.

Christianity is still respected, but like a doddery great grandfather, no longer listened to.

Today we are at the end of the age. The relationship between Christianity and the secular order is rapidly descending from

•         patronage,

•         to respect,

•         to toleration,

•         to intolerance

•         to possible persecution.

As these developments take place in the political arena Christianity itself is moving in two opposite directions.

•         Nominal believers are being drawn by the spirit of the age into the secular, international, value free ‘equality of all religions’ agenda.

•         Real disciples, on the other hand, who see the Kingdom of God and recognize the Lordship of Jesus, are being drawn by the Spirit of God into an increasing distinctiveness from the world around them.

            The Kingdom of God - the perfect rule of Jesus - is the ruling principle in their lives and they render to Caesar only the things which are Caesar’s and to God all the things which are God’s.

Alternate Lifestyle

Christianity recognizes that the secular values of the world are the fallen ways of the unsaved and calls its members (and as many as will join them) to an alternate set of values and to put off the values and lifestyles of the world. It respects, prays for and pays taxes to Caesar, but sees another kingdom with a greater leader from whom it takes.

Christianity recognizes the secular order’s political freedom to make laws that reflect the fallen values of the age. It also recognizes that when the secular order chooses ways that are contrary to the eternal values of God it sows the seed of its own destruction.

Christianity testifies to the secular order that its ways are evil and one day will be replaced. It is a counter kingdom with a different set of values existing within the world’s kingdom. It is a counter culture. That is why we are called ‘the church’ – ekklesia – the called out ones.

In the old era of Protestantism and Catholicism when ‘church and Caesar were hand in glove’ the distinction between Christianity and the secular world could not be so clearly seen. The compromised Christianity of the nations obscured the reality of the kingdom of God.

Today the mask is off. Many believers are coming out of compromise and discovering the throne of God, the power of God, and the agenda of God. They are in the world but not of it.

On the other hand, the pressure for financial security and numbers has pushed many Christians down the path of compromise. This propagates a false and powerless gospel of the unconditional love of God, which states that God’s love and blessings are equally available to the godly and the ungodly.

God’s love is total and undeserved but it is not unconditional as it took the price of His only begotten Son to make it available to us. His love is available to us personally only through the remission of sin by faith in His Atoning Sacrifice. God has made it clear that light has no fellowship with darkness that immorality is to be forgiven and then removed. When we lay down our old natural life (‘good’ or ‘bad’) He can replace it with His Spirit, Who empowers to live the Kingdom lifestyle.

Caesar & Christ

There are two communities that cannot fit in with the new secular world order – Christianity and Israel. Both testify to a world order that has its origin not in man but in God

•         Christianity cannot fit in with the secular world’s morality and remain faithful to its values.

•         Israel cannot fit in with the Secular World and remain fateful to its destiny.

Both are on an inevitable collision course with the moral and political agenda of the secular world order.

Christianity, since it will not comply with the secular agenda, including the false teaching of the equality of all religions and moral relativism will be parodied as bigoted and a threat to the unity of all men, all values and all religions.

Similarly Israel, for all its willingness to compromise, cannot fit in with the secular world order because it is destined by divine purpose to possess territory and to follow beliefs, which bear witness to God’s plan for man.

The last day’s Church will relate to the secular order exactly as Jesus and the apostles related to it. We do no evil to Caesar but we do not follow his agenda. We obey the civil laws except when they require us to do something against Our Lord and His ways. This process will provoke conflict, which in some places may cause persecution and martyrdom and will conclude only when the Messiah returns in triumph to replace the secular world order and its kingdoms with the Kingdom of God.

In the midst of this resistance from the world the problems created by the immorality of the world will draw people to the purity and wisdom of Christianity. The Holy Spirit will use the failure of the world’s systems to draw people to seek out the Unshakeable Kingdom of God and the only perfect man, Jesus, The Messiah.

The secular and international world order is heading to a unity under the Antichrist while the people of God are heading to a unity under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The secular movement is producing a unity of all religions, of light and darkness, morality and immorality, while The Spirit of God is producing a unity of those from every tribe and tongue who have been spiritually and morally separated by the blood of the Lamb unto Himself and unto His kingdom.

We Are Marvelously Made – Life Is in The Blood

·         Two million red blood cells die every second.

·         Each day 400 gallons of recycled blood are pumped through the kidneys.

·         The kidneys filter over 400 gallons of blood each day.

·         The average life span of a single red blood cell is 120 days.

·         Blood accounts for about 8% of a human's body weight.

·         A woman has approximately 4.5 liters of blood in her body; men have 5.6 liters.

·         Your blood takes a very long trip through your body. If you could stretch out all of a human's blood vessels, they would be about 60,000 miles long. That's enough to go around the world twice.

·         Half your body’s red blood cells are replaced every seven days.



Star Of David An Occult Symbol?

If the Star of David is an occult symbol, then so is every snowflake.

In Hebrew the Star of David is called Magen David, the Shield of David because it is made up of two triangular shields lying on top of one another. In the time of David, around 1000 BC, it was a common shape of military shields. The oldest representation of the Star of David still in existence appears on a 7^th century B.C. seal. The Star of David at thee synagogue in Capernaum dates to 350 A.D.

Because YESHUA was from the House of David, the Star of David served as a symbol to the early Christians of the link with their Jewish brothers (represented by a menorah and Gentile Christians represented by the Ichthyosaur (fish) . In the cultic religion of the Egyptians the Star of David was completely unknown. It wasn’t until 2,500 years after its inception that it began to be used for misguided and other purposes. In 1600 AD the Star of David became associated with occult groups. The Rosicrucians and the Kabbalists (Jewish Mystics) first adopted the symbol and they were followed by the Freemasons (1717) and the Illuminati (1776). Since then the cross, the name of God (YHWH), the Catholic Mass and the Lord’s Prayer have also been usurped

for cultic practices.

During the Third Reich in Germany the Star of David was labeled an occult symbol. This caused many Christians to refrain from trying to save Jews because they didn’t want to come under occult influences from the Jewish Star they wore.

The Star of David is neither an occult symbol nor a redeeming one, with ‘magical’ powers to save. It is simply a symbol – representing the rebirth of Israel in accordance with the promises of God. When the wise men saw the star, “they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (Matthew 2:10). It alerted them to the coming of the Messiah. In the same way the star on Israel’s flag announces the (second) coming of the Messiah. – Ludwig Schneider (‘Israel Today’ October 2005)

Freedom In A Fallen World

         "Christianity, with its doctrines of humility, of forgiveness, of love, is incompatible with the State, with its haughtiness, its violence, its punishment, its wars." - Leo Tolstoy

•          "The Christian is a perfectly free man, lord of all things, subject to no one.

•          The Christian is a serf, servant in all things, subject to everyone." - Martin Luther

         "The Cross is a way of life; the way of love meeting all hate with love, and evil with good, all negatives with positives."

                                     - Rufus Moseley

•          The cross is the cancellation of all our negatives and limitations.

•          The resurrection is the application of all God’s positives and victories. - Nuala O’H.

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

         “When once we realize that we can never think of anything our Father will forget, worry becomes IMPOSSIBLE.” – Oswald Chambers

         “If the Word of God promises you the things you are praying about, God is not going to suddenly change and say, “No you can’t have it.” So stand firm on God’s Word and believe that you will see the answer to your Bible based prayers.” – Kenneth. Hagin

Dear Friends

We pray that all is well with you since we last wrote. We believe the message in this months reconciler is important if we are to embrace the gospel of the kingdom and enter the full anointing and purpose of the end time believer.

In future Reconcilers we will examine some other areas of collisions, such as

•          the collision between tradition, custom and the leadership of the Holy Spirit;

•          the collision between legalism, license and freedom; and

•          between holiness, liberty and bondage.

Since we last wrote we have been home based, planning the year and getting our lives in order. We spoke weekends at several churches, including “Cooper City Church Of God” and “Grace Covenant Church” in Chicago, pastored by Derek & Dede Kuhn; and Vero Beach Worship Center”, pastored by Dan Zink.

Our Tuesday morning Bible study, “The 120 Club” at Open Door House of Prayer on 33^rd Street, Ft. Pierce continues to flourish and during the month of March we are also doing a series there on Israel And The Church on Sunday afternoons at 4.00

We leave at end of March for our annual ministry time in Ireland. We have an itinerary of about 70 meetings, which is an expression of the growth and development of interdenominational and post- denominational Christianity in our land. We believe we are following Jesus’ word to “take out treasures old and new” as we have the privilege to share the word of God in many historic churches as well as in newer churches. Our vision is to see a renaissance of Christianity in Ireland that will transform the land and greatly impact the whole of Europe.

In August we travel for a series of meetings at the request of pastor Stephen Radwanski in northwest France and also to Geneva, Switzerland for meetings at Church of The Nations c/o Pastor Phil Kuruvilla

We are pleased that our two new books “The Supernatural Habits Of The Spirit Empowered Believer” and “Life Changing Word Changing Prayer” are now available. “Christianity without Religion” is being translated into Finnish and Spanish. You can help us get our word out by encouraging your friends to order them from us.

In October we return to Israel as usual for our annual visit there. We would love to have you and your friends join us

As you can see we need prayer for the strength of the Lord to accompany us and for lives to be transformed and refreshed from His presence as we minister. Our ministry stands on the prayers of our intercessors.

With deepest thanks to all of you who help us with your prayers and financial support, which we truly appreciate - we need you! Let us know if we can serve you in any way.